Charles Dickens is often thought of as one of the greatest British writers. February 7 marked the 200th anniversary of his birthday. Yet for many, his language is old-fashioned and his stories often improbable. So why do so many people know and read Dickens today?

One reason is the British government’s insistence that every child studies a Dickens novel at school. Alongside William Shakespeare, Dickens is on every English literature school reading list.

His stories, though often long by today’s standards, are great moral tales. They are filled with colorful characters.

Earlier this month, a ceremony was held in Portsmouth, where Dickens was born. Prince Charles said at the ceremony, “Dickens used his creative genius to campaign passionately for social justice… His characterization (人物刻畫) is as fresh today as on the day it was written.”

His books stand out from many other writers because of his insight into human nature. Dickens, like Shakespeare, tells us truths about human behavior. They are as true in the 21st century as they were to his readers in the 19th century.

Readers have returned to Dickens’ books again and again over the years to see what he has to say about their own times.

No surprise then that it was Dickens whom Britons turned to during the economic crisis in the last couple of years. Dickens helped them make sense of a world that was rapidly falling apart. The BBC adapted one of his less well-known novels, Little Dorrit, into a popular television drama that introduced many Brits to the novel for the first time. A dark story about greed and money, it was the perfect illustration of bad times.

As long as Dickens’s novels have something to say to modern audiences, it seems likely that he will remain one of Britain’s best-loved writers.

1. In the article, the author intends to tell us ______.

A. why Dickens’ novels still appeal to readers in modern times

B. that Dickens’ works are no longer popular among young people

C. why the British government puts Dickens on school reading lists

D. that Dickens and Shakespeare’s works are required for study at school

2.In Britain, people still read Dickens because of ______.

a) romance in his books

b) moral value in his books

c) his colorful characters

d) his insight into human nature

e) government education requirement

f) his prediction of the current economic crisis

A. abdf B. bcde C. bdef D. abed

3.We can infer from the article that ______.

A. it’s better to read Dickens in time of difficulty

B. Dickens was a great social observer of his time

C. human nature seems worse during bad times

D. Dickens’s novels are short and easy to read

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Little Dorrit is one of Dickens’ best-known novels.

B. Dickens’ novels are of greater value during economic crisis.

C. Dickens’ works have gained more popularity than Shakespeare’s

D. Dickens’ novels are still of realistic significance to today’s world.

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2014-2015學(xué)年寧夏銀川一中高三第四次月考英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：短文改錯(cuò)

短文改錯(cuò) (共10分;每小題1分,滿分10分)

假定英語(yǔ)課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請(qǐng)你修改你同桌寫的以下短文。短文中共有10處錯(cuò)誤，每句中最多有兩處。錯(cuò)誤涉及一個(gè)單詞的增加、刪除或修改。

增加：在缺詞處加一個(gè)漏字符號(hào)(∧), 并在此符號(hào)下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除：把多余的詞用斜線（＼）劃掉。

修改： 在錯(cuò)的詞下劃一橫線, 并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

注意：1、每處錯(cuò)誤及其修改均僅限一詞；

2、只允許修改10處, 多者(從第11處起) 不計(jì)分。

Nowadays, there is a increasing number of people joining in the activities of volunteering. It’s well-known that volunteering jobs are making contributions to society with something in return. It’s as the Spirit of Lei Feng. However, knowing this, there are still many people would like to devote themselves to this trend. For instance, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games had such many volunteers. They make lots of contributions to the success of the Olympics. Moreover, we can often see many students go to visit the old to take warm to them. Even though some people’s career is a volunteer. They are ready to helping others. Although the volunteers are much more common, we still need to thank they for devoting themselves to society.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2014-2015學(xué)年遼寧朝陽(yáng)市三校協(xié)作體高三下開(kāi)學(xué)聯(lián)考英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

We know that the earth has become warmer over the last century. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group established by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Program, reports that the average surface temperature of the earth has increased during the twentieth century by 0.6°+ 0.2°C.(The + 0.2°C means that the increase might be as small as 0.4°C or as great as 0.8°C). This may seem like a small shift, but although regional and short—term temperatures do fluctuate(變動(dòng)) over a wide range, global temperatures are generally quite stable. In fact, the difference between today’s average global temperature and the average global temperature during the last Ice Age is only about 5 degrees C. Indeed, it’s warmer today around the world than at any time during the past 1,000years, and the warmest years of the previous century have occurred within the past decade.

We also know that human activities—primarily the burning of fossil fuels—have increased the greenhouse gas content of the earth’s atmosphere significantly over the same period. Carbon dioxide is one of the most important greenhouse gases, which trap heat near the planet’s surface.

The vast majority of climate researchers agree with these overall findings. The scientific disagreements that do still exist primarily concern detailed aspects of the processes that make up these largely accepted general themes.

You can think of this website as a window into the world of scientific research. In this primer, you’ll find a general discussion of the physical processes underlying the earth’s climate, an outline of the kinds of data that may shed light on how the climate is changing—and the role of human activity in these changes—and a description a some of the questions and uncertainties that researchers continue to explore. This primer is organized into four interconnected sections: the Atmosphere; the Hydrosphere(水圈); the Cryosphere(低溫層); and the Biosphere(生物層).

1.We know from the text that “IPCC”___.

A. engages in the climate and changes about the earth.

B. is a group by scientists who like to walk around the moon

C. works in the World Meteorological Organization

D. often greets the passers-by from the outer space

2.We know from the text that carbon dioxide ___.

A. is one of the most important greenhouse gases

B. has fossil fuels

C. traps cold near the planet’s surface

D. exist in human activities

3.From the text, we know when we say the temperature of something has increased by about 0.7+ 0.2°C, the + 0.2°C means___.

A. the increase might by as small as 0.3°C or as great as 0.7°C

B. the increase might by as small as 0.5°C or as great as 0.8°C

C. the increase might by as small as 0.5°C or as great as 0.9°C

D. the increase might by as small as 0.4 C or as great as 0.8°C

4.What would be the best title for this text?

A. What Are the Scientific Disagreements

B. You Can Think of This Website

C. What Do We Know about Global Climate Change?

D. The Vast Majority of Climate Researchers

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2014-2015學(xué)年江西南昌十所省命制高三第二次模擬6英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Dogs are known for a strong sense of smell. Their noses can be trained to identify different smells. Dogs are often used in search and rescue operations and to sniff for things like drugs and explosives. Some dogs have even been trained to sniff for cancer in people.

Researchers have been trying to reproduce the extraordinary sense of smell that real dogs are born with. Now, officials at the Glasgow airport in Scotland are testing a new security device called an “electronic sniffer dog”. The electronic sniffer dog represents one of the latest developments in the area of smell technology.

A Scottish company, Cascade Technologies, joined with the French security company Morpho to develop it. The device uses lasers to identify explosive materials in gases in the air. The purpose is to identify explosives that may be hidden on a person’s body.

The machine looks similar to the metal detectors now used at airports. Passengers walk through the machine as the lasers test the surrounding air. People are not required to take off their coats, belts or shoes as part of the security process. And, unlike full-body scanners, the new device does not show images of the passengers.

Officials at Cascade Technologies say the machine can process one person per second and produce almost immediate results. They say future development could cut security processing times at airports by screening all passengers at walking speed.

Professor Yushan Yan, the head of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Riverside, points out that unlike real dogs, electronic devices do not get tired or need to be walked or require food and water. Professor Yan says real dogs also have other needs. “They also need very extensive training that could be expensive. And when they work they have to have a very skilled handler around them.”

But Professor Yan says there is an important area where man’s best friend still wins compared to technology. “In terms of sensitivity and selectivity, the current technology out there is still inferior. The real dog has amazing capability of identifying some really minor amount of explosives.”

1. The electronic sniffer dogs will be used to____

A. replace real dogs to be as pets for people

B. search for and rescue people who are in trouble

C. help people look after patients in the hospital

D. identify drugs and explosives in places like the airport

2.Which of the following is true of the electronic sniffer dog?

A. The device uses lasers to examine for explosive materials.

B. People have to take off their clothes when walking through the device.

C. The device will show images of the passengers.

D. The device can process all passengers at walking speed.

3. The advantages of the electronic sniffer dog over the real dog include the following EXCEPT______

A. its convenience B. its high efficiency

C. its sensitivity D. its low consumption

4.The underlined word “inferior” in the last paragraph most probably has the meaning of_____.

A. concentrating all one’s effort on a specific area

B. not as good as sb. / sth. else

C. that cannot be clearly understood

D. necessary for completeness

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2014-2015學(xué)年江西南昌十所省命制高三第二次模擬2英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：完形填空

A person should eat right，get some exercise，or he or she will look terrible in 25 years.And if the person drinks and smokes? Even____．That's the message from Blue Cross Blue Shield.The ____，called “Future You”，uses a digital camera and computer to compare a person's current image with his or her future ____ without changes in bad habits.

“Smoking can __ _ your skin，” said Anna，a creative operation manager，“You can see what the results of the toxins(毒素) and the chemicals in__ ___are.” Along with the potentially____ __sight of one's older self，F(xiàn)uture You offers science­based___ __on what to eat，how much to exercise and other ways to ____ __ your health.But will it work? Too ___ _ to tell was the verdict(意見(jiàn)) of Anna.“I want to see some data！” she said.

Generally，Anna said，men show____ ___concern about their appearance than women.“Women say，‘That looks like my ____ __on the screen，’” she said.“Men are more likely to ___ __，‘Yeah，go ahead.Put it on Facebook.’” The project was raised more than a year ago to improve the overall(總體的) health of the people who are ___ __ of this company.In addition，the growth in the ranks of ___ __customers would bring down the overall cost of health care.In coming weeks，two new ones will be ____ __ in locations such as the American Tobacco Campus and the Museum of Natural Science.If users __ __，their information will be stored as secrets without names to create a database of good and bad ___ ___．

The process is free and the response is not ____ ___，at least according to Valencia Robertson，one of a line of people who waited to ___ __ the instrument on Thursday.“I'm good，” Robertson said after ___ _ her future image.“It's not going to be a big difference.”

1.A.easier B．happier C．bitter D．worse

2.A.instrument B．picture C．place D．structure

3.A.wealth B．character C．a(chǎn)ppearance D．education

4.A.reflect B．bother C．ruin D．a(chǎn)ffect

5.A.cigarette B．beers C．medicines D．foods

6.A.confusing B．convincing C．depressing D．exciting

7.A.opinion B．plans C．thought D．a(chǎn)dvice

8.A.break B．damage C．preserve D．change

9.A.possible B.natural C．early D．clear

10.A.deeper B．less C．higher D．stronger

11.A.son B．father C．daughter D．mom

12.A.guess B．say C．doubt D．wonder

13.A.customers B.managers C．secretaries D．cleaners

14.A.cautious B．smart C．careless D．generous

15.A.showing up B．thought out C. sold out D.dying out

16.A.know B．a(chǎn)gree C．come D．listen

17.A.habits B．choices C. methods D．plans

18.A.nice B．cool C．strange D．bad

19.A.repair B．sell C．try D．buy

20.A.drawing B．viewing C．picturing D．imaging

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2014-2015學(xué)年江蘇南京鹽城高三第二次模擬考試英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

The other morning on the subway I sat next to an attractive young blonde woman who was reading something on her iPad. She was very well-dressed, carrying a Prada bag with tastefully applied make-up indeed, she had an unmistakable air of wealth, material success and even authority. I suspected she worked as a highly-paid Wall Street lawyer or stockbroker or something of that sort. So, I was curious to see what she was so focused on. The Wall Street Journal perhaps? The Economist?

Quite the contrary; rather, she was concentrating on a romance novel. Then I realized that I have known many women who love romance novels—smart, attractive, successful, “l(fā)iberated,” modem females who nonetheless find some kind of deep satisfaction and thrill from those hyper-romantic, artificial and extremely unrealistic tales of handsome, manly heroes falling in love with virginal women, enduring a series of adventures, then no doubt having a happy ending.

These romance stories are to literature what hot dogs are to fine food. Yet, the genre(體裁) remains enormously popular. Consider some of these surprising statistics from the good folks at the Romance Writers of America (RWA):

*More than 9,000 romance titles were released last year, with sales of about $1.44 billion (more than triple the revenues generated by classic literary fiction).

*More than 90 percent of the market are women (okay, that’s not at all surprising).

* Readers are typically women between the ages 30 and 54 who are themselves involved in a romantic relationship (betraying the stereotype that only lonely women long for these tales of love and adventure).

*Almost 40 percent of romance book consumers have an annual income of between $50,000 and $99,900 (placing them firmly in the middle class).

I had thought that romance novels accounted for a very small share of the literary market, so I was quite surprised that this part has such enormous popularity. But I must wonder why so many women—forty years after the women’s liberation movement continue to indulge in the fanciful tales?

I’m not sure if it represents a kind of “rejection” of the women’s liberation movement, but clearly something is missing in the lives of contemporary ladies. A romance author named Donna Hatch who focuses on the Regency period (early 19th century Britain) explained the appeal of such books this way: “Regency men were civilized and treated women with courtesy. When a lady entered the room, gentlemen stood, doffed their hats, offered an arm, bowed, and a hundred other little things I wish men still did today. But they were also very athletic; they hunted, raced, boxed, rode horses. They were manly. Strong. Noble. Honorable. And that is why I love them!”

Mrs. Hatch may have expressed the secret desires and attitudes of untold millions of her peers---that is, in the early 21st century, have women grown tired of the burdens and expectations that the “freedoms” they have gained give them? Is this a rejection of modem feminism? Do women long for days of old when men were masculine gentlemen and women were feminine and protected as precious treasures and regarded as possessions?

Perhaps most women (even the ones who get lost in romance novels) do not want to go all the way back but it is obvious, .

1.What is the function of the opening paragraph?

A. To summarize the whole passage.

B. To prove the author’s argument.

C. To lead in the main topic of the passage.

D. To raise problems that will be solved later.

2.What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph imply?

A. Romance novels are satisfying and thrilling.

B. Romance novels are not of much “nutrition”.

C. Romance novels are as popular as hot dogs.

D. Romance novels are an essential part of contemporary life.

3.In the author’s opinion, what is missing in the lives of contemporary women?

A. Authority. B. Dignity.

C. Liberty. D. Care.

4.Which sentence can be put in the blank in the last paragraph?

A. they prefer tales of innocent romance to classics

B. they are unhappy with how the world has turned out

C. true love described in romance novels does exist in reality

D. romance novels provide them with an access to society

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2014-2015學(xué)年江蘇南京鹽城高三第二次模擬考試英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：單項(xiàng)填空

Estella showed me the way with a candle. When she opened the side entrance, the_______ of the daylight quite confused me.

A. trend B. rush C. crash D. increase

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2014-2015學(xué)年河南商丘市高三第一次模擬考試英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

2014 saw that the Ebola virus reappeared in Guinea and soon spread into neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone, killing over 7,800 people by the new year of 2015. It leads to viral hemorrhagic fever, which is characterized by high fever and internal bleeding etc.

Ebola is named after the Ebola River, where it was first discovered in 1976. There are five different types of the Ebola virus, each named after where they first happened: Sudan, Ivory Coast, Reston, Bundibugyo, and Zaire. The deadliest of the five, Zaire, was responsible for the 2012 out- break, and is believed to be attacking Guinea.

Ebola is naturally found in fruit bats, which pass on the virus to other animals by biting or sucking on their blood. Humans who are suffering from the Ebola infection might have touched the bodily fluids of the infected animals. Once infected, a human becomes a carrier of the deadly virus.

Unfortunately, there are no disease - specific treatments for Ebola. Health - care workers only supply the infected people with physiological saline（生理鹽水）to keep them in good condition. Ebola can kill 90% of those infected, especially in underdeveloped societies like those in Africa. Since there have been many cases of nurses catching the disease from patients, they are forced to wear strict protective clothes, and in some cases, not even allowed to get close to the infected. The fact that there is no cure for the Ebola virus is what makes the outbreak a challenging one to control.

What’s worse, since we live in an interconnected world, where the situation in one country can affect us all, the influences of Ebola are huge: damaging trade relations, affecting foreign visitors, and weakening entire countries. It is feared that the disease may spread throughout west African countries. For every country, a strong health system can decrease the risk of health attack and lessen the impact of Ebola.

1.What is the function of the first paragraph in the whole passage?

A. To arouse the reader’s concern.

B. To summarize the whole passage.

C. To give a detailed description of Ebola.

D. To introduce the theme of the whole passage.

2.What can we infer about the Ebola virus?

A. It has caused a panic in many countries.

B. It is the most dangerous virus in the world.

C. A strong health system is important to fight against Ebola.

D. Anyone who was infected Ebola will die.

3.Paragraph 3 mainly tells us _________.

A. What the Ebola virus is

B. How the Ebola virus spreads

C. How the Ebola virus is treated

D. How the Ebola virus affects the life

4.Which of the following is true?

A. There are no effective drugs to treat Ebola by far.

B. Ebola is now very common in Guinea.

C. Those with a fever must be infected by Ebola.

D. Females are easier to be infected by Ebola.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2014-2015學(xué)年福建泉州市高三3月教學(xué)質(zhì)量檢查英語(yǔ)試卷（解析版） 題型：單項(xiàng)填空

To my great disappointment, my best friend left the city I could have a word with her.

A. before B. after

C. while D. until

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案