题干

   For years considered as a foxy politician, Thomas Cromwell has been greatly rehabilitated (恢复……的名誉) by Hilary Mantel’s prize-winning novels, Wolf Hall (2009) and Bring Up the Bodies (2012). It’s true that he planned Anne Boleyn’s fall, and made a large fortune in a dishonest way, but he was also a good husband and father, charming and modest, a self-made man.

Certainly, he is one of the outstanding figures from Henry VIII’s court. Extremely hard-working, he was a productive reporter. It was not unusual for him to start work as early as 5 am and finish well after midnight.

Yet in researching the biography of Cromwell, I have discovered frustrating gaps in sources, particularly in relation to his early life.

The man who would one day become the most powerful in England was raised from such humble (卑微的) origins that nobody knows when or where he was born. As the son of a blacksmith, he suffered a miserable childhood.

I had the portrait (肖像), which now hangs in the Frick Collection in New York, of a thoughtful but rather bad-tempered official in mind. It seems to describe a cruel man of business, which was what I thought before I read Wolf Hall. But Mantel’s portrait of a rude but intelligent man who was as loyal to his family and friends as he was cruel to his enemies is really convincing.

His last letter to Henry VIII, written from the Tower in June 1540, is desperately moving. “Most gracious Prince,” he wrote with his trembling hand, “I cry for mercy, mercy, mercy !” Henry was said to have read the letter three times. But it was not enough to save Cromwell from the axe.

Within weeks of Cromwell’s death, his royal master was regretting the loss of “the most faithful servant”. But Henry’s daughter Mary destroyed all of that. Debate has taken place ever since — among historians, novelists and film-makers alike — as to who was the real Cromwell.

【小题1】Why are there few sources of Cromwell’s early life according to the passage?
A.He was a mysterious man.B.He wanted to be a dark horse.
C.He was a man of humble birth.D.He was misunderstood by the public.
【小题2】Before reading Wolf Hall, the author ________.
A.had only a limited understanding of Cromwell
B.had his doubts about Mantel’s portrait of Cromwell
C.thought highly of the portrait hanging in the Frick Collection
D.considered Cromwell a popular guy among his family and friends
【小题3】It can be concluded that Henry VIII ________.
A.felt great sympathy for Cromwell
B.blamed Mary for Cromwell’s death
C.seemed a bit hesitant about killing Cromwell
D.was the main reason for the debate about Cromwell
【小题4】What’s the best title for the passage?
A.Why Cromwell got successful in his careerB.How people debate on Cromwell
C.What the book Wolf Hall is aboutD.What sort of man Cromwell really was
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同类题2

   When we talk about stars, especially women stars, it seems that they are always young, pretty and own charming body shapes. But recently a Britain's Got Talent(英国达人)star Susan Boyle has changed our views absolutely.
Simon Cowell, one of the judges of the talent show spoke of his shock over Ms Boyle's voice. "This lady came up, and I'm thinking, 'This will take five seconds and I can go to have a cup of tea'. That changed when she began to sing I Dreamed to Dream from Les Miserables. She knew we were going to have that reaction and just to see that look of satisfaction on her face through -it was one of my favorite moments," Cowell said.
The performance was posted on line and before long, the 47-year-old Scottish woman has been famous all over the world.
Speaking from her home in Scotland, Ms Boyle said that she hasn't thought of changing her appearance. She said that her friend helped her with make-up. "I mean, that's hardly a makeover(改头换面)," she added. Ms Boyle also spoke of the reason she first began to explore her vocal talents, "I was kind of slow at school, so getting like singing was a good way of hiding behind that and thus it built my confidence."
【小题1】Susan Boyle is _________
A.a judgeB.a Scottish woman
C.a beautiful womanD.a reporter
【小题2】Susan Boyle had a look of satisfaction on her face when she was singing because______.
A.she was confident of her singing
B.she was satisfied with the judges
C.she was pretty and in good shape
D.she sang the song I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables
【小题3】According to the passage, which is NOT true?
A.It was the vocal talents that built Susan's confidence
B.Susan Boyle was not good at her lesson when at school.
C.Susan Boyle became famous because of her appearance.
D.Simon Cowell didn't think Susan Boyle a good singer at the first sight.
【小题4】What can we learn from Susan Boyle's success
A.It's never too old to learn.
B.It's easier to succeed at the age of 47.
C.If you are not able to study well, to be a singer instead.
D.If you have a dream, try to make it come true!

同类题3

   Blind people can read. They do so by running their fingers along a line of raised points or dots on paper. Of course, they first have to learn the code(代码). Here are some examples of it. One dot stands for the letter “A”. Two dots side by side mean “C”. Four dots arranged to look like a box(::) stand for the letter “G”. By placing the dots in special patterns, all the letters of the alphabet can be formed.

This code was made up by a Frenchman called Louis Braille. Though he could see at birth, he became sightless when he was only three. Braille was cutting leather in his father’s shop. His knife slipped and cut his eye. Infection(感染)spread to both eyes, and he became blind.

At 10, he was placed in a home for the blind. But young Braille had great talent. He became a skilled musician and soon got a job as a church organist(风琴弹奏者)in Paris.

Because he had talent and was quick, he became a teacher at a school for the blind. While there, he heard that a captain had sent messages to his soldiers that they could read at night without light. His messages were in the simple form of raised dots and dashes. This was the clue Braille needed. At the age of 15, he worked out his own six-dot code. Each group of dots is called a cell. The cells are three dots high and two dots wide. For the rest of his life, Braille taught his young flock to read both written and musical works using his code.

For the last 17 years of his life, Braille was ill with tuberculosis. He died at the age of 43.

【小题1】What is the text mainly about?
A.Different reading methods.B.Blind people around the world.
C.How blind people communicate.D.Louis Braille and his six-dot code.
【小题2】Louis Braille developed an alphabet for blind people after he __________.
A.worked as an organistB.became blind as a young child
C.became a skilled musician in a churchD.was inspired by a captain’s messages
【小题3】The underlined word “flock” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to “____________”.
A.soldiersB.blind students
C.famous teachersD.skilled musicians
【小题4】The text is developed ______________.
A.in time orderB.in space order
C.by listing examplesD.by making comparisons

同类题4

   Salvador Dali (1904—1989) was one of the most popular of modern artists. The Pompidou Centre in Paris is showing its respect and admiration for the artist and his powerful personality with an exhibition bringing together over 200 paintings, sculptures, drawings and more. Among the works and masterworks on exhibition the visitor will find the best pieces, most importantly The Persistence of Memory. There is also L’Enigme sans Fin from 1938, works on paper, objects, and projects for stage and screen and selected parts from television programmes reflecting the artist’s showman qualities.

The visitor will enter the World of Dali through an egg and is met with the beginning, the world of birth. The exhibition follows a path of time and subject with the visitor exiting through the brain.

The exhibition shows how Dali draws the viewer between two infinities (无限). "From the infinity small to the infinity large, contraction and expansion coming in and out of focus: amazing Flemish accuracy and the showy Baroque of old painting that he used in his museum-theatre in Figueras," explains the Pompidou Centre.

The fine selection of the major works was done in close collaboration (合作) with the Museo Nacional Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain, and with contributions from other institutions like the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg.

【小题1】Which of the following best describe Dali according to Paragraph 1?
A.Optimistic.B.Productive.
C.Generous.D.Traditional.
【小题2】What is Dali’s The Persistence of Memory considered to be?
A.One of his masterworks.B.A successful screen adaptation.
C.An artistic creation for the stage.D.One of the beat TV programmes.
【小题3】How are the exhibits arranged at the World of Dali?
A.By popularity.B.By importance.
C.By size and shape.D.By time and subject.
【小题4】What does the word "contributions" in the last paragraph refer to?
A.Artworks.B.Projects.
C.Donations.D.Documents.

同类题5

Mrs. Obama spoke to the graduates of Martin Luther King Jr. High School on Saturday in her only high school commencement (毕业典礼) speech this year. The ceremony took place in the gymnasium of Tennessee State University.
The first lady told the 170 graduates that she spent too much of her time in college focusing on academic achievements. While her success in college and law school led to a high­profile job, she said, she ended up leaving to focus on public service. “My message to you today is that don't waste a minute living someone else's dream,” she said. “It takes lots of real work to discover what brings you joy and you won't find what you love simply by checking mailboxes or surfing the Internet.”
She said MLK reminded her of her own high school experience in Chicago.“My No.1 goal was to go to a high school that would push me and challenge me,” she said. “I wanted to go somewhere that would celebrate achievements.” “Unfortunately, schools like this don't exist for every kid,” she said. “You are blessed.”
The first lady told the graduates that failure may be a part of their college careers, and that how they respond to difficulties determines what they will become. “That's when you find out what you're really made of in those hard times,” she said. “But you can only do that if you're willing to put yourself in a position where you might fail. Overcoming difficulties has been a mark of many great people,” she said. “Oprah Winfrey was demoted(降职) from her first job as a news reporter, and now she doesn't even need a last name,” she said of media giant Oprah Winfrey. “And then there's this guy Barack Obama. I could take up a whole afternoon talking about his failures. He lost his first race for Congress,” the first lady joked, “and now he gets to call himself my husband.”
【小题1】When choosing her high school, Mrs Obama    .
A.wanted to study law
B.was pushed to make a choice
C.failed to find an ideal school
D.was willing to meet challenges
【小题2】By mentioning Oprah's example, Mrs Obama wanted to tell the graduates    .
A.to be brave enough to risk failing
B.to work hard to get promoted
C.to start as a news reporter
D.not to waste time doing what they dislike
【小题3】Where can you probably find this text?
A.In a news report.
B.In a politics book.
C.In a graduation paper.
D.On Mrs Obama's blog.
【小题4】What do we know about Mrs Obama from the text?
A.She is a graduate of Tennessee State University.
B.This is the first time she has given a speech to graduates.
C.She complained about her school life in her speech.
D.She is enthusiastic about public service.