B. famous autobiographies
C. why biography can be difficult to write
D. differences between autobiographies and memoirs 2. Helen Keller wrote________. A. a memoir
B. an autobiography C. a work of fiction D. a biography
3. Autobiography writers are not always objective because they________. A. feel they have to make up details to make their books sell B. constantly compete with biography writers C. want to present themselves in a good light D. have trouble remembering the good times
4. The writer introduces each category in the passage by________. A. defining it
B. giving an example
C. explaining why it is hard to write
D. telling when people first began writing it 5. Diverse means________. A. able to swim in deep water B. similar or alike C. varied or different D. enjoying poetry 答案与题解：
1. A 本题问的是：这篇文章主要是关于？文章第一句说到最普遍的非小说类文学作品类型之一就是一些来描述人们生活的故事，这些故事大致分为三类：自传回忆录和传记。然后通篇对这三种类型进行了介绍，因此A是正确答案。 2. B 本题问的是：海伦·凯勒谢了什么？第二段第5句话写到：就像本明杰·富兰克林和 海伦·凯勒一样，各种各样的人们已经写了自传。因此B是正确答案。
3. C本题问的是：自传作者通常不太客观，因为他们？第二段提到：他们给读者提供了一个途径来了解自己比较好的行事风格……，因此答案是C，他们想展示自己好的一面。 4. A本题问的是：本文的作者通过何种方式介绍每种类型的非小说文学作品？答案是A，通过给每个类型进行定义。
5. C本题问的是：diverse 的意思是？其汉语意思为“多种多样的”，因此C正确。 第八篇 The Changing Middle Class
The United States perceives itself to be a middle-class nation. However，middle class is not a real designation，nor does it carry privileges.1 It is more of a perception，which probably was as true as it ever could be right after World War II. The economy was growing，more and more people owned their own homes，workers had solid contracts with the companies that employed them，and nearly everyone who wanted a higher education could have one. Successful people enjoyed upward social mobility. They may have started out poor，but they could become rich. Successful people also found that they had greater geographic mobility. In other words，they found themselves moving to and living in a variety of places.
The middle class collectively holds several values and principles. One strong value is the
need to earn enough money to feel that one can determine one's own economic fate. In addition，middle class morality embraces principles of individual responsibility，importance of family, obligations to others，and believing in something outside oneself. 2
But in the 1990s those in the middle class found that there was a price for success. A U. S.News & World Report survey in 1994 indicated that 75 percent of Americans believed that middle class families could no longer make ends meet 3. Both spouses now worked，as did some of thechildren; long commutes became routine; the need for child care put strains on4 the family; and public schools were not as good as they once were. Members of the middle cIass were no longer financing their lifestyles through earnings but were using credit to stay afloat. The understanding ofjust what middle class meant was changing. 词汇：
designation /dezig'nei??n/ n. 称号 commute /k?'mju:t/ n. 上下班路程 mobility /m?u'bil?ti/ n. 流动性 注释：
1. However，middle c1ass is not a real designation，nor does it carry privileges. 然而，中产阶级既不是一个真实的称号，也不会带来特别待遇。
2. In addition，middle-c1ass morality embraces principles of individual responsibility，importance of family，obligations to others，and believing in something outside onesèlf. 另外，中产阶级的道德观包括个人的责任感、家庭的重要性、对他人的使命感以及相信自我以外的事物。
3. make ends meet：收支相抵，维持生活 4. put strains on：带来压力 练习：
1. The information in this passage deals with_______. A) an individual
B) a social and economic group C) a political organization D) government
2. A common middle class value is that________. A) people should always have fun
B) children should be seen and not heard C) debt is nothing to worry about D) the family is very important
3. ln the years after World War II，the middle class could be defined as_______. A) overburdened and in debt B) hard working and suspicious C) prosperous and optimistic D) young and foolish
4. The phrase “In other words\in the first paragraph means that the following statement is_____.
A) an exception to the previous idea B) a denial of the previous idea
C) a restatement of the previous idea D) a contrasting idea
5. The word collectively means______. A) as a group B) hesitatingly C) unknowingly D) weakly 答案与题解：
1. B 本题的问题是：本文的信息是关于？本文通篇讲述美国的中产阶级，指的是社会和经济群体，因此选择B。
2. D本题的问题是：一个普遍的中产阶级价值观是？本篇第二段最后一句话讲到，“中产阶级的道德观包括个人的责任感、家庭的重要性、对他人的使命感以及相信自我以外的事物”。A、B、C三个选项不包括在内，因此正确答案是D。
3. C 本题的问题是：在二战之后的几年，中产阶级可以被定义为，本篇第一段提到了当时美国经济不断增长并且人们生活水平有了提高，因此选择C选项，繁荣并且乐观。 4. C 本题的问题是：第一段中的\这个短语与下列说法一致的是，\words\汉语意思是换句话来说，因此正确答案是C。
5. A 本题的问题是：单词\的汉语意思是“相同地”，选择A。 第十篇 A Letter from Alan
I have learnt of a plan to build three hundred houses on the land called Parson's Place by the football ground. Few people know about this new plan to increase the size of our town. For me，Parson's Place is special because it is a beautiful natural area where local people can relax - the small wood has many unusual trees and the stream is popular with fishermen and bird-watchers. It's very quiet because there are few houses or roads nearby. I think that losing this area will be terrible because we have no other similar facilities in the neighbourhood.
I am also against this plan because it will cause traffic problems. How will the people from the new houses travel to work? The motorway and the railway station are on the other side of town. Therefore，these people will have to drive through the town centre every time they go anywhere.
The roads will always be full of traffic，there will be nowhere to park and the tourists who come to see our lovely old buildings will leave. Shops and hotels will lose business. If the town really needs more homes，the empty ground beside the railway station is a more suitable place. No doubt the builders will make a lot of money by selling these houses. But，in my opinion，the average person will quickly be made poorer by this plan. As well as this，we will lose a very special place and our town will be much less pleasant.
I am going to the local government offices on Monday morning to protest about this plan and I hope that your readers will join me there. We must make them stop this plan before it is too late. 词汇:
facility /f??sil?ti/ n. 场所，设施 protest /pr?u?test/ v. 抗议 motorway / ?m?ut?wei / n. 高速公路 注释:
1. For me，Parson's Place is special because it is a beautiful natural area where local people can relax—the small wood has many unusual trees and the stream is popular with fishermen and bird-watchers. 对我来说，帕森场是非常特别的，因为它是一个美丽的天然场地并且当地人可以在此放松休息。这片小树林里有许多独特的树木并且这里的小溪受到了渔夫和野鸟观察 者的欢迎。
2. The roads will always be full of traffic，there will be nowhere to park and the tourists who come to see our lovely old buildings will leave. 公路上将总是有很多车辆，却没有地方停车，并且来参观我们这儿可爱的老式建筑物的观光者将会离开这里。
3. As well as this，we will lose a very special place and our town will be much less pleasant.不但如此，我们将失去一个非常特别的地方并且我们的城镇将会失去很多快乐。 练习:
1. Why has Alan written this letter?
A) To persuade the government to build new houses. B) To protest about a new motorway near the town.
C) To encourage more people in the town to use Parson's Place. D) To inform other people about the builders' plans.
2. Why is Parson's Place particularly important，in Alan's opinion? A) Because it is near the football ground. B) Because lots of people live near it.
C) Because it is a place near the town where people can enjoy nature. D) Because local people can get there easily by car from the town. 3. What will cause traffic jams? A) A building on Parson's Place.
B) Building near the railway station. C) Tourists in the narrow streets.
D) People going to the shops and hotels.
4. Alan says that ordinary people who live in the town will probably soon _____. A) open new shops and hotels B) choose to live near the station C) be able to buy new homes D) have less money
5. Which of these posters has Alan made? A) SAVE OUR SPORTS GROUND
B) SAY NO TO HOUSES ON PARSON' S PLACE C) WE NEED HOMES NOT HOTELS D) USE THE TRAIN NOT THE ROAD 答案与题解:
1. D 本题问的是:为什么Alan写这封信? A、B、C选项在文中没有提到，D选项的意思是让其他人了解建筑商的计划，因此 D是正确答案。
2. C 本题问的是:在Alan看来，为什么帕森场非常重要?第一段中提到“因为它是一个美丽的天然场地并且当地人可以在此放松休息”。因此 C 是正确答案。
3. A 本题问的是:什么将会引起交通堵塞?第二段提到了，如果按照建筑商的计划，那么“公 路上将总是有很多车辆，却没有地方来停车”。因此选择 A。 4. D 本题问的是:Alan说住在城镇的人们将来可能会，本文第三段提到“每个人将会因这个计划的实施而快速地变穷\。因此选择 D。
5. B 本题问的是:以下哪个是Alan制作的海报? Alan在本文中一直在说抵制建筑商在帕森 场上建造房屋的计划，因此选择 B，对帕森场上的房屋说不。 第十一篇 The Development of Ballet
Ballet is a dance form that has a long history. The fact that it survives to this day shows that it
has adjusted as times have changed.
Ballet began in the royal courts during the Renaissance. At that time it became common for kings and queens，as well as other nobility，to participate in pageants that included music，poetry，and dance. As these entertainments moved from the Italian courts to the French ones，court ladies began participating in them. Though their long dresses prevented much movement，they were able to perform elaborate walking patterns. It was not until the 1600s that women dancers shortened their skirts，changed to flat shoes，and began doing some of the leaps and turns performed by men. It was also in the 1600s that professional ballet began. King Louis XIV of France，himself a devoted dancer，founded the Royal Academy of Dance. The five basic feet positions from which all ballet steps begin were finalized. In the late 1700s another important change occurred. Ballet began to tell a story on its own. It was no longer simply dance to be performed between acts of plays. Elaborate wigs and costumes were eliminated. By the early 1800s dancers learned to rise on their toes to make it appear that they were floating.
Classical ballet as we know it today was influenced primarily by Russian dancing. The Russians remained interested in ballet when it declined in other European countries in the mid -1800s. One of the most influential figures of the early 20th century was Sergei Diaghilev. His dance company，the Ballets Russes，brought a new energy and excitement to ballet. One of his chief assistants，George Balanchine，went on to found the New York City Ballet in 1948 and to influence new generations of dancers. 词汇:
adjust / ?' d??st/v. 调整 eliminate /i'limineit/ v. 淘汰
pageant / 'p?d? ?nt / n. 盛会 influential / influ'en??l/adj. 有影响力的 注释:
1. At that time it became common for kings and queens，as well as other nobility，to participate in pageants that included music，poetry，and dance. 在那时，芭蕾舞在国王、王后以及贵族之间变得普遍，并且与音乐、诗歌以及舞蹈一起参与到盛会的表演。 2. It was not until the 1600s that women dancers shortened their skirts，changed to flat shoes，and began doing some of the leaps and turns performed by men. 直到17世纪女舞者缩短了她们的裙子，改穿平底鞋，并且通过男舞者的帮助开始做一些跳跃和转圈动作。
3. The five basic feet positions from which all ballet steps begin were finalized. 由此正式确定了 脚的5个基本位置，这 5个外开的位置成为发展芭蕾舞技术的基础。 练习:
1. This passage deals mainly with _____. A) famous names in ballet
B) French versus Russian ballet C) the way ballet developed
D) why ballet is no longer popular
2. An important influence in early ballet was_____. A) Balanchine
B) Marie Antoinette C) Diaghilev D) Louis XIV
3. You can conclude from this passage that ballet_____. A) is a dying art