Arthur Miller (1915—2005) is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller's father had moved to the USA from Austria-Hungary, drawn like so many others by the “Great American Dream”. However, he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early 1930s.
　　Miller's most famous play, Death of a Salesman, is a powerful attack on the American system, with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman, the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with this system. Willy is “burnt out” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment: if he can't do the work, then he is no good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this, and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.
　　When it was first staged in 1949, the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.
　　Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, on the evening of February 10, 2005, the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.
【小题1】Why did Arthur Miller's father move to the USA?

A．He suffered from severe hunger in his home country.

B．He was attracted by the “Great American Dream.”

C．He hoped to make his son a dramatist.

D．His family business failed

【小题2】What can we learn about Willy Loman?

A．He treats his employer badly.

B．He runs the Wagner Company.

C．He is a victim of the American system.

D．He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues.

【小题3】After it was first staged, Death of a Salesman________.

A．achieved huge success

B．won the first Tony Award

C．was warmly welcomed by salesmen

D．was severely attacked by dramatists

【小题4】What is the text mainly about?

A．Arthur Miller and his family.

B．The awards Arthur Miller won.

C．The hardship Arthur Miller experienced.

D．Arthur Miller and his best-known play.

Tong Shiqiang rushed into a kindergarten behind his primary school several times, carrying a __1__ of kids each time he rushed out of their classroom on that fateful(灾难的)day. Only 14 years old and 1.5 m tall, Tong can now__2__ a national bravery award for saving seven children.

The grade－6 student was__3__ a Chinese language class in Zhongwang Primary School in Qishan village of Longnan city, one of the worst－hit areas in Gansu province, __4__ the deadly quake struck on May 12,2008. There were 49__5__ students in his class at the time.

“Window panes began rattling(嘎嘎响)and it __6__ lots of bees were singing underground，”__7__ Tong Shuangxi, Tong Shiqiang's teacher and uncle. “The sound grew__8__...and then I__9__it was an earthquake.”

The teacher cried: “ __10__ out.” All the students ran out of the room immediately.

__11__ outside, Tong Shuangxi rushed toward the kindergarten where the children __12__a nap. Tong Shiqiang ran with him.

Only three of the kids had __13__ to run out of their room when they__14__ the building. The rest were crying, too __15__ to move. It __16__ less than three minutes for them to carry out all the five－ and six－year－olds to __17__.

__18__ whether all the kids had been saved, Tong and his nephew had __19__ begun checking the rolls when the classroom's walls fell down. “That's the only time I was scared，” said Tong Shiqiang.

The 14－year－old is __20__ to be nominated (提名) for the child hero award, to be given by the Ministry of Education and the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League.

1．A.couple　　 　B. dozen　  　C. lot　　　　D. number

2．A.find         B. give       C. show      D. win

3．A.listening     B. hearing     C. attending   D. giving

4．A. while       B. when       C. where     D. which

5．A. other       B. another      C. others     D. the other

6．A. looked      B. seemed      C. appeared  D. turned

7．A. remembers  B. remains       C. reminds  D. remarks

8．A. alouder    B. weaker       C. louder    D. clearer

9．A. thought    B. found        C. realized    D. recognized

10．A. Nobody  B. Anybody     C. Somebody  D. Everybody

11．A. After     B. Before       C. Since     D. Once

12．A. had     B. have        C. were having  D. having had

13．A. tried     B. managed   C. wanted       D. wondered

14．A. arrived  B. got         C. reached     D. escaped

15．A. frightened     B. moved      C. surprised      D. excited

16．A. took          B. spent       C. carried        D. paid

17．A. hospital       B. classroom   C. yard          D. safety

18．A. Not sure       B. No wonder  C. No problem    D. Not nearly

19．A. even          B. ever        C. never        D. just

20．A. lovely        B. friendly      C. kindly        D. likely

In the summer of 1936, people all over the world heard the name of Jesse Owens. That summer, Jesse joined the best athletes from 50 nations to compete in the Olympic Games. They met in Germany, in the city of Berlin.

There was special interest in the Olympic Games that year.

Adolf Hitler was ruler of Germany. Hitler and his Nazi Party believed that white people—especially German people—were the best race of people on earth. They believed that other races of people—especially those with dark skin—were almost less than human. In the summer of 1936, Hitler wanted to prove his beliefs to the world. He wanted to show that German athletes could win every important competition.

Jesse Owens was black, too. Until 1936, very few black athletes had competed in the Olympic Games for the United States. Jesse was proud to be on the team. He was very sure of his ability.

Jesse spent one week competing in four different Olympic track and field events in Berlin. During that time, he did not think much about the color of his skin, or about Adolf Hitler. At last, Jesse Owens won the highest award—the gold medal—in all four of the Olympic, competitions he entered. In the hundred meter run, he equaled the fastest time ever run in that Olympic event. In the long jump and the 200-meter run, he set new Olympic records. And as part of a four-man team, he helped set a new world record for the 400-meter relay race.

　　  1. How many nations took part in the Olympic Games in 1936?

　　　　  A. 50　　　　   B. 55　　　　　　　　  C. 60    　　　　  D. 65

　　  2. What can be inferred from the passage?

　　　　  A. Hitler thought of Jesse Owens as a hero.

　　　　  B. Hitler believed that black people were worse than white people.

　　　　  C. Jesse Owens was black.

　　　　  D. Jesse Owens was not confident in himself when he took part in the Olympic Games.

　　  3. In which city was the Olympic Games held in 19367

　　　　  A. In New York.　　　　    B. In London.

　　　　  C. In Germany.　　　　　　 D. In Berlin.

　　  4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

　　　　  A. Hitler's belief that German people were better than any other race of people in the world.

　　　　  B. Black young man—Jesse Owens—became famous by winning four gold medals in the Olympic Games in 1936.

　　　　  C. Jesse succeeded in the Olympic Games because of his hard training.

　　　　  D Hider hated black people, especially Jesse Owens.

 

Charles Plumb, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, was a jet fighter pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was     by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb was     and spent six years in prison in Vietnam. He survived and now      about lessons learned from that experience.

　　One day, Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant when a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You    jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier (航空母舰) Kitty Hawk . You were      !"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

　　"I      your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped（倒吸一口气） in surprise and     .The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"

Plumb assured him, "It     did—if your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."

Plumb couldn't sleep that night，thinking about that man. He says, "I wondered how many times I might have passed him      the Kitty Hawk. I wondered how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you', or anything     , you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a      ."

Plumb thought of the many days the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels（深处）of the ship      working on each chute, holding in his hands each time the      of someone he didn't know.

　　Plumb asks his      , "Who's packing your     ? Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it      the day." Plumb also says that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down—he needed his      parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these      before reaching safety. His experience reminds us all to     and be kind to people who pack our daily parachutes, and strengthen us to go through      times.

1.A.followed      B. destroyed      C. spied         D.seen

2.A.released       B. wounded      C.captured       D.killed

3.A. lectures       B. gives         C.  studies      D.hear

4.A. repaired       B. made         C.flew          D.cleaned

5.A. taken down    B. looked down   C. set down      D.shot down

6.A. bought        B. checked      C. found          D.packed

7.A.gratefully      B.suspiciously    C. happily        D.sadly

8.A. almost        B.surely          C.narrowly      D.nearly

9.A. abroad        B.in             C.on            D.at

10.A. so          B. because        C.unless         D.though

11.A. sailor        B.  captain      C. pilot          D.technician

12.A.unwillingly    B.immediately    C. worriedly      D.carefully

13.A.death         B. fortune        C.fate           D.chance

14.A. wife         B. children       C. sailors        D.audience

15.A.luggage       B. bag          C. parachute      D.future

16.A. through       B. to           C. up to          D.as

17.A. psychological  B. physical      C.  imaginary     D.safe

18.A. spirits        B. emotions     C. supports        D.people

19.A. award        B. recognize     C.reward         D. help

20.A. happy        B. tough        C. comfortable     D. cosy