Author Dan Brown attended a London court recently where two historians were accusing him of copying their ideas in his best-selling religious novel The Da Vinci Code.
Richard Leigh and Michael Baigent are suing（控告）Brown’s British publisher. Random House ,for lifting “all of the content” of the research that went into their 1982’s non-fiction book . The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail.
Brown’s book has more than 36 million copies in print worldwide and has upset Catholics（天主教徒）for suggesting that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and that he had a child with her . The same theory is put forward in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail.
That storyline is part of the “central theme” which Baigent and Leigh say was stolen by Brown.
The presiding judge pointed out that in the Internet .Age it was difficult for researchers to know the source of the material they were reading ,and he questioned exactly what the central theme of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail was.
Jonathan James, representing the historians at London’s High Court ,had a different opinion: “If you are researching, it is up to you to know what source you are looking at.”
He said US writer Brown had used the book , which was also published by Random House and was a best-seller ,not only as a source but also as “an essential point of reference”.
Commentators have pointed out that a major character in 41-year-old Brown’s book, Sir Leigh Teabing ,has a name that is an anagram（变位词）of Leigh and Baigent. A third author of the 1982’s book ,Henry Lincoln, has decided to stay out of the action.
Lawyers on both sides of the case have refused to comment on how the trial might affect sales of the record-breaking novel.
Last August ,Brown won a court ruling against another writer, Lewis Perdue ,who claimed The Da Vinci Code copied parts of two of his novels ,Daughter of God and The Da Vinci Legacy.
1．Who is NOT among the people accusing Brown of copying their ideas?
A．Lewis Perdue B．Henry Lincoln
C．Richard Leigh D．Michael Baigent
2．The Da Vinci Code is the following EXCEPT .
A．popular B．harmony-creating C．religious D．trouble-making
3．It can be inferred from the passage that .
A．Brown has stolen a famous novel written by historians
B．The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail was written by at most two authors
C．The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail upset Catholics
D．Brown will attend a third court in the near future
4．According to the passage ,which is NOT true?
A．The four books mentioned in the passage may have similar stories.
B．The sales of The Da Vinci Code may be affected by the court.
C．The Da Vinci Code aroused a lot of attention.
D．Brown lost a court defending himself last year
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
B
Studies show that laughter is something that makes you feel calm or relaxed for both physical and psychological wounds though it may seem futile to laugh in the face of pain and fear.
When Dan Rather interviewed comedian Bill Cosby just one week after his son, Ennis, was killed, Cosby said, “I think it is time for me to tell people that we have to laugh. You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, you can survive it.”
Call it a flashlight for dark times: laughter just seems to adjust attitude better than anything else. Inspirational speaker Steve Rizzo recalls a TV interview with an injured firefighter a few days after 9.11．The man had fallen more than 30 stories in one of the towers and had broken a leg. Everyone was crying, and the reporter asked, “How is it that you’ve come out of this alive?” He looked at her and without missing a beat, said, “Look, lady, I’m from New York and I’m a firefighter; that’ all you need to know.”
“Everyone laughed and though the laughter was only a couple of seconds,” says Rizzo. “Sometimes that’s all you need to catch your second breath. Laughter gives you that couple of seconds. You’re sending a message to your brain, and the message is: If you can still laugh even a little among the pain, you are going to be OK.”
Of course, there is a difference between laughing off a serious situation and laughing off the fear that results. The firefighter was doing the latter, states Rizzo, the author of Becoming a Humorous Being, and so should we. “If there is anything we have learnt from 9.11, it’s how precious life really is,” she says. “We have to send a message that our spirit won’t die. One important thing that unites us is our ability to laugh.”
60．The writer uses the examples of the comedian and the firefighter to show .
A．laughter is a good way to get rid of pain and fear
B．laughter is the best way to cure psychological wounds
C．it is your attitude that decides whether you can survive the pain or not
D．laughing off a serious situation is different from laughing off the fear that results
61．We can infer from the passage that Steve Rizzo is .
A．a reporter B．a soldier C．a firefighter D．a doctor
62．The underlined word futile in the first paragraph means .
A．hopeless B．useless C．careless D．worthless
63．From the passage, we can know that Americans are .
A．really inspired after 9.11 B．hardly united after 9.11
C．nearly surprised by 9.11 D．greatly hurt by 9.11
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe was born on 23rd July 1989 in London. From the age of five, Dan became interested in acting, although his early experience was just playing a part of monkey in a school. He had missed a part in a TV play based on Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist because his parents didn't think it would be a very good idea to act. But he played a role in David Cupperfield.
Chris Columbus who wanted to find a young British actor to act as Harry Potter. Director Columbus had seen David Copperfield and thought Dan could act well. But Dan's parents didn't agree. Columbus called Dan's parents to persuade them to change their minds, and at last they allowed Dan to act in the film. "When my dad told me I'd got the part of Harry Potter, I cried. I even woke up in the middle of the night, around half past two, and I woke up my dad too, just to check with him that it wasn't a dream," said Dan. When Porter’s author Joanne (JK) Rowling saw him, she said happily, "I don't think Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry…"
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone began in September 2000. It came out in November 2001, going on to become the second-best film, behind Titanic. After Dan became famous, he tried to do good to the others. In February 2005, his T-Shirt was sold to get money for people in Asia.
Daniel has made more than $ 23 million, making him one of the richest teenagers after Prince Harry and Charlotte Church. He was paid about 50,000 pounds for the first Harry Potter film and around 6 million for the fourth film.
60. When Daniel was young, he______.
A. played with a monkey B. liked acting very much
C. worked with Charles Dickens D. acted in Oliver Twist
61. When Dan knew he got the part of Harry Porter, he cried because______.
A. he was very upset B. he was very calm
C. he was not brave D. he was very glad
62. What Joanne (JK) Rowling said really means______.
A. Dan is the best person to act Harry
B. Chris Columbus could find a Harry
C. it is very difficult to find a better Harry
D. Chris Columbus is good at finding actors
63. How old was Daniel when his first film about Harry Potter came out?
A. Five years old. B. Eleven years old.
C. Sixteen years old. D. Twelve years old.
64. From the text, we can know_______.
A. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was the best film when it came out
B. Dan is famous all over the world and he is the richest teenagers in Britain
C. Dan is not only a good actor but also a kind-hearted young man
D. Dan only acted in the four films about Harry Potter
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科目：高中英语 来源：2012-2013学年北京市海淀区高三5月期末练习（二模）英语试卷（解析版） 题型：单项填空
Dan Brown , _____author of The Da Vinci Code，is _____very famous American writer.
A. a； the B. the； the C. the； a Da a； a
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科目：高中英语 来源：2010届湖北省高考英语总复习练习系列（七） 题型：阅读理解
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分,满分40分）
Big things were happening in my life the summer I turned 13. In the middle of that summer, my parents shook my entire world and turned it upside down when they told me they were getting a divorce. I couldn't believe that our family was going to break up. Though I always knew my parents weren't very happy and they often fought, I still wanted my family to stay the same.
My life changed completely after the divorce.My mother and I moved into a small apartment across town,while my father and brother,Bill, stayed in our house.I now became a visitor whenever I went to see my dad and Bill on the weekends. And immediately I had my soon-to-be stepfather,Dan,whom I showed no interest in.I was clearly depressed, especially after Dan and my mother married and I realized that there was no way that things could change back to the way they had been.
Even though I resisted all Dan's attempts to get to know me and wasn't very nice to him, he never gave up on me. Gradually, I began to trust him. I realized that we actually had some things in common, especially when it came to movies and TV shows. We spent a lot of time together hanging out watching TV. That gave us a chance to talk and get to know each other.
Better still, Dan showed an interest in me that I had never experienced from my own father. Dan was always around when I needed advice on school or friends. Once I began to warm up to Dan, the three of us began spending a lot of time together. We often went out to eat and took short trips. Eventually, I discovered that I finally had the happy family that I had always wanted.
I now realize my parents were right about getting the divorce. Their breakup was the best thing to happen for all of us. My father also found happiness－ he remarried and had another child, my half-sister, Michelle.
At 13, I learned an important truth－change is not always the worst thing that can happen. Sometimes, it is just what we need the most.
61.According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?
A.Their parents didn't love each other any longer. B.The writer didn't want his parents to divorce.
C.Their parents' divorce hurt the writer much. D.The writer was in low spirits all the time.
62.The writer and Dan have the same interests EXCEPT______.
A.seeing movies B.surfing the internet C.having talks D.watching TV
63.What does the author think of his stepfather?
A.Trustful. B.Interesting. C.Helpful. D.Boring.
64.Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
A.Divorce Is Not Always the Worst. B.A Devoted Stepfather.
C.There Is a Change in My Life. D.A True Story.
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