She was known to millions as the "Queen of Crime" or the "Duchess (女公爵) of death". But surprisingly, she hated violence and blood, and knew nothing of the weapons most often used in murder. "I don't think I dare look at a really horrible and damaged body." Agatha Christie once said.
But her pen dared travel where her eyes would not. In a 50-year writing career, Christie's murder stories made her the world's best-known mystery writer. She is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.
Her works have been turned into films and TV series, and a line of computer games is to be released over the next six years.
"My grandmother liked to use new ways to reach people who wanted to enjoy her work," said Christie's grandson, Mathew Pritchard. "Turning her stories into PC games allows us to introduce classic mysteries to new audiences."
Born in 1890 in England, Christie was educated at home and began her writing career while working as a nurse during World War I. She went on to produce 79 novels and numerous short stories, dying at the age of 86.
"With her knowledge of murder, Christie could have been a teacher at police academies," said one fan.
【小题1】By saying "her pen dared travel where her eyes would not", the writer means        

She was known to millions as the "Queen of Crime" or the "Duchess (女公爵) of death". But surprisingly, she hated violence and blood, and knew nothing of the weapons most often used in murder. "I don't think I dare look at a really horrible and damaged body." Agatha Christie once said.

But her pen dared travel where her eyes would not. In a 50-year writing career, Christie's murder stories made her the world's best-known mystery writer. She is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.

Her works have been turned into films and TV series, and a line of computer games is to be released over the next six years.

"My grandmother liked to use new ways to reach people who wanted to enjoy her work," said Christie's grandson, Mathew Pritchard. "Turning her stories into PC games allows us to introduce classic mysteries to new audiences."

Born in 1890 in England, Christie was educated at home and began her writing career while working as a nurse during World War I. She went on to produce 79 novels and numerous short stories, dying at the age of 86.

"With her knowledge of murder, Christie could have been a teacher at police academies," said one fan.

By saying "her pen dared travel where her eyes would not", the writer means         

A. she would like to make a trip with her pen rather than other things

B. she couldn't live without her pen

C. she could describe anything with her pen that she would not like to face

D. she made up stories with her pen

By which means can't we learn the works of Christie?

A. Watching TV.   B. Going to the cinema. C. Reading novels.   D. Playing computer games.

Mathew Prichard's words suggest that      _

A. Christie had been trying to write different stories in different styles

B. Christie was fond of changing styles while writing

C. Christie's works are short of audiences

D. People began to lose interest in Christie's works

The fifth paragraph mainly  

A. tells us Christie is a productive writer                 B. gives us a brief introduction of Christie

C. tells us when Christie took up writing                 D. tells us why Christie was popular

She was known to millions as the "Queen of Crime" or the "Duchess (女公爵) of Death". But surprisingly, she hated violence and blood, and knew nothing of the weapons most often used in murder. "I don't think I dare look at a really horrible and damaged body," Agatha Christie once said. But her pen dared to travel where her eyes would not. In a 50-year writing career, Christie's murder stories made her the world's best-known mystery writer. She is outsold only by the Bible (《圣经》) and Shakespeare.

Her works have been turned into films and TV series, and a line of computer games is set to be released over the next six years.

"My grandmother liked to use new ways to reach people who wanted to enjoy her work," said Christie's grandson, Mathew Prichard. "Turning her stories into PC games allows us to introduce classic mysteries to new audiences."

Born in 1890 in England, Christie was educated at home and began her writing career while working as a nurse during World War I. She went on to produce 79 novels and numerous (大量的) short stories, dying at the age of 86. "With her knowledge of murder, Christie could have been a teacher at police academies," said one fan.

Her first novel, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" (《斯泰尔斯庄园奇案》), also introduced Hercule Poirot, a retired Belgian (比利时的) police officer who starred in 30 of her works. Among the most popular are "Murder on the Orient Express" (《东方快车谋杀案》) (1934), and "Death on the Nile" (《尼罗河上的惨案》) (1937).

Poirot is a tidy little man with a funny-looking moustache, an egg-shaped head, and a high opinion of himself. He draws conclusions from observing the behavior of those around him, always managing to spot patterns that others cannot see. Poirot has become so famous that someone has even written his biography (传记), "The Life and Times of Hercule Poirot".

Starring in 17 novels, another Christie character, Miss Marple, is nearly as well known as Poirot. But while the Belgian uses his powers of observation, the old Miss Marple relies on her knowledge of human nature to solve crimes. As she once said, "Human nature is the same everywhere."

1. Agatha Christie was a ________ woman.

A. rich B. kind C. bold D. outstanding

2. Christie's murder stories ranked the ________ in sale amount.

A. second B. first C. third D. fourth

3. Christie's stories have been turned into ________ other forms.

A. two B. three C. four D. five

4. Christie's knowledge of murder was ________ .

A. poor B. rich C. limited D. poor

5. Poirot's success lies in his power of ________ while Miss Marple's success belongs to her knowledge of ________ .

A. observation； human nature

B. murder； imagination

C. imagination； murder

D. human nature； observation

(D)篇

1. D。归纳综合题，可用综合归纳法来解。认真阅读分析原文不难发现，Christie一生写了79部小说和大量短篇小说，当然是一个很出色的人。

2. C。推理判断题，可用逻辑推断法来解。由原文第一节末句可推出答案。

3. B。细节判断题，可用直接就题找文法来解。原文第二节体现答案。

4. B。推理判断题，可用逻辑推断法来解。由原文第四节"With her knowledge of murder, Christie could have been a teacher at police academies,"said one fan.可以推出答案。

5. A。细节判断题，可用直接就题找文法来解。原文末节But while the Belgian uses his powers of observation, the old Miss Marple relies on her knowledge of human nature to solve crimes. 体现答案。

第三部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）

第一节：（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30 分）

阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

She was known to millions as the "Queen of Crime" or the "Duchess (女公爵) of death". But surprisingly, she hated violence and blood, and knew nothing of the weapons most often used in murder. "I don't think I dare look at a really horrible and damaged body." Agatha Christie once said.

But her pen dared travel where her eyes would not. In a 50-year writing career, Christie's murder stories made her the world's best-known mystery writer. She is outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare.

Her works have been turned into films and TV series, and a line of computer games is to be released over the next six years.

"My grandmother liked to use new ways to reach people who wanted to enjoy her work," said Christie's grandson, Mathew Pritchard. "Turning her stories into PC games allows us to introduce classic mysteries to new audiences."

Born in 1890 in England, Christie was educated at home and began her writing career while working as a nurse during World War I. She went on to produce 79 novels and numerous short stories, dying at the age of 86.

"With her knowledge of murder, Christie could have been a teacher at police academies," said one fan.

56. By saying "her pen dared travel where her eyes would not", the writer means     

A. she would like to make a trip with her pen rather than other things

B. she couldn't live without her pen

C. she could describe anything with her pen that she would not like to face

D. she made up stories with her pen

57. By which means can't we learn the works of Christie?

A. Watching TV.   B. Going to the cinema. C. Reading novels.       D. Playing computer games.

58. Mathew Prichard's words suggest that    _

A. Christie had been trying to write different stories in different styles

B. Christie was fond of changing styles while writing

C. Christie's works are short of audiences

D. People began to lose interest in Christie's works

59. The fifth paragraph mainly      

A. tells us Christie is a productive writer            B. gives us a brief introduction of Christie

C. tells us when Christie took up writing            D. tells us why Christie was popular

For four centuries Germany has enjoyed a tradition of governmental support of the arts. Before the founding of the German Empire in 1871, many small kingdoms supported the arts. They established theatres, museums and libraries, and their leaders acted as the sponsors to poets, writers, painters and performers. The organizations were thus founded and the convention of generous public support has continued uninterrupted to the present.

Germany’s cultural life surprised foreigners. In the Federal Republic a few hundred theatres are financed by the federal government, the states and the cities, in addition to the many privately financed theatres. Unlike the United States, Britain and France, in which theatre is more often than not centered in one city, no one city in Germany dominates over the others. Also, productions in Vienna and in Zurich are significant to the artistic life of the Federal Republic, and artists and resources move easily and freely among the theatrical and operatic companies within the German-speaking regions. Only in Vienna, the capital in which the arts arouse（引起）far greater passions than do politics, does theatre have a broader audience base than in Germany. Audiences in Germany are not limited to the most cultured class or very important people but are drawn from all ranks of society. Season tickets, group arrangements, group tickets bought by business firms and theatre clubs make up the major funds of such production companies as the People’s Independent Theatre, dating from 1890 in Berlin. Going to the theatre or opera in Germany is about as affordable and as unremarkable as attending the cinema elsewhere.

90. Another word for “convention” will be ______.

A. organization                    B. sponsor             C. tradition            D. arrangement

91. What is one of the reasons that Germany’s cultural life surprises foreigners?

A. because it is enjoyed by almost all the people of the country.

B. because it is better than that of most European countries.

C. because German plays are often performed in Germany.

D. because it is very cheap to go to the theatre in Germany.

92. From this passage we learn that the Germans ______.

A. often go to Vienna and Zurich to watch plays

B. often go to watch plays in German-speaking countries

C. show great interest in the artistic events in Vienna

D. admire Vienna’s arts more than those of their own country

93. The last sentence of the passage tells the reader that ______.

A. German theatres are not as interesting as cinema elsewhere

B. the Germans seldom go to the cinema

C. the Germans often go to the theatre or opera

D. cinema has never been popular in Germany