閱讀理解

　　The beginning of American literature

　　American has always been a land of beginnings. After Europeans “ discovered” America in the fifteenth century, the mysterious New World became for many people a genuine hope of a new life, an escape from poverty and persecution, a chance to start again. We can say that, as nation, America begins with that hope. When, however, does American literature begin?

　　American literature begins with American experiences. Long before the first colonists arrived, before Christopher Columbus, before the Northmen who found America about year 1,000, Native Americans lived here. Each tribe's literature was tightly woven into the fabric of daily life and reflected the unmistakably American experience of lining with the land. Another kind of experience, one filled with fear and excitement, found its expression in the reports that Columbus and other explorers sent home in Spain, French and English. In addition, the journals of the people who lived and died in the New England wilderness' tell unforgettable tales of hard end sometimes heartbreaking experiences of those early years.

　　Experience, then, is the key to early American literature. The New World provided a great variety of experiences, and experiences demanded a wide variety of expressions by an even wider variety of early American writers. These writers included John Smith, who spent only two-and-a-half year: on the American, continent. They included Jonathan Edwards and William Byrd，who thought of themselves as British subjects, never suspecting a revolution that would create a United States of America with a literature of its own. American Indians, explorers,Puritan ministers, frontier wives, plantation owner一they are all the creators of the first American literature.

　　練習(xí)：

　　1) What does “that hope”in the first paragraph refer to?

　　A)The hope that America would be discovered.

　　B) The hope to start a life.

　　C) The hope to see the mysteries of the New World.

　　D) The hope to find poverty here.

　　2. When did American literature begin?

　　A) Before the American natives lived there.

　　B) When Columbus and other explorers gent reports back home..

　　C) When tire Northmen found America in about 1,000.

　　D) Long before the year 1,000.

　　3. What can we learn from the literature of the tribes of the native Americans?

　　A) About the everyday fife of the native Americans.

　　B) About the arrival of Columbus

　　C) About the experience of the first European settlers

　　D) About the experience of those who died in the New England wilderness.

　　4. The main purpose of the last paragraph is to tell the readers that

　　A) in the early days most American writers were from Great Britain.

　　B) people with rich life experience became writers.

　　C) there were many writers in the early days of American history

　　D) early-day experience provided the foundation for American literature.

　　5. According to the last paragraph, which of the following statements is true about America literature?

　　A) Some British writers started American literature.，

　　B) Early-day American literature is a reflection of the boring life then.

　　C) Some British writers had doubts about the future of American literature.

　　D) Some British writers had great confidence in the future of American literature.

　　Feast On Turkey and Good Wishes at Thanksgiving

　　Four weeks ago US children dressed as monsters and asked for sweets.That wasHalloween.‘In a few weeks American houses will be red and green and filled with presents.For Christmas.

　　As if all this isn’t enough，on Thursday this week，America will enjoy another festival―Thanksgiving.

　　Children will have two days off school，shops will close and houses will be filled with families enjoying mountains of food.

　　Every year, in Gainesville，F(xiàn)lorida，all entire class celebrate Thanksgiving together.The class dresses up and puts on plays for their families.After the plays the families share a feast of traditional Thanksgiving foods like turkey and pumpkin pie.

　　Dean Foster, an 1 1-year-old boy will take part in this celebration.He said：‘I love Thanksgiving because it means time off school，lots of nice food and a happy family.’’

　　His brother Ben，nine，said：‘the best thing about Thanksgiving，is that when it is finished，it is time to start Christmas.’

　　But behind the food and the large amount of money spent there is another message.On Thursday evening，Dean and Ben’s family will make a basket and put it on the table as they eat their evening meal.

　　Each of them will write a 1ist of things that they are thankful for and place the paper in the basket.The family will read the pieces of paper and take time to thank God and each other for providing them with comfortable and happy lives.

　　Thanksgiving is a traditional festival that started in 1621，when the first pilgrims arrived in the US to start a new life.After a hard year, they had a big autumn harvest.They held a feast and invited the native American Indians along to thank God for giving them enough food.

　　Many countries celebrate Thanksgiving.They often fall after the fields have been harvested and the crops collected for winter.

　　詞匯：

　　turkey n.火雞

　　pumpkin n.南瓜

　　pilgrim n.朝圣者

　　1.Thanksgiving：感恩節(jié)(11月的第四個(gè)星期四)

　　2.Halloween ：10月3 1日之夜(據(jù)傳此時(shí)可見到鬼)

　　3.Christmas：圣誕節(jié)(12月25日)

　　1. On Halloween, children in the United States often dress up as

　　A)ghosts

　　B)players.

　　C)pilgrims.

　　D)visitors.

　　2.When are turkey and pumpkin pie eaten?

　　A)On Halloween.

　　B)On Thursday.

　　C)On Thanksgiving.

　　D)On Christmas Day.

　　3.Thanksgiving is the time for the American people to thank God for

　　A)looking after them.

　　B)providing them with comfortable and happy lives•

　　C)clothing them.

　　D)protecting them

　　4.Many children in the United States like Thanksgiving because

　　A)they call stay with their parents at home and eat a lot of nice food•

　　B)they can dress up like monsters.

　　C)they can put on plays.

　　D)they call visit American Indians.

　　5.The first pilgrims settled in the United States in

　　A)1621.

　　B)1620.

　　C)1622.

　　D)1619.

　　Goal of American education

　　Education is all enormous and expensive part of American life.Its size is matched by its variety.

　　Differences in American schools compared with those found in the majority of other countries lie in the fact that education here has long been intended for everyone ― not just for a privileged elite.Schools are expected to meet the needs of every child，regardless of ability, and also the needs of society itself.This means that public schools offer more than academic subjects.It surprises many people when they come here to find high schools offering such courses as typing，sewing，radio repair, computer programming or driver training，along with traditional academic subjects such as mathematics，history, and languages.Students choose their curricula depending on their interests，future goals，and level of ability.The underlying goal of American education is to develop every child to the utmost of his or her own possibilities，and to give each one a sense of civic and community consciousness.

　　Schools have traditionally played an important role in creating national unity and“Americanizing” the millions of immigrants who have poured into this country from many different backgrounds and origins.Schools still play a large role in the community, especially in the small towns.

　　The approach to teaching may seem unfamiliar to many, not only because it is informal，but also because there is not much emphasis on learning facts.Instead，Americans try to teach their children to think for themselves and to develop their own intellectual and creative abilities. Students spend much time，learning how to use resource materials，libraries，statistics and computers.Americans believe that if children are taught to reason well and to research well, they will be able to find whatever facts they need throughout the rest of their lives.Knowing how to solve problems is considered more important than the accumulation of facts.

　　This is America’s answer to the searching question that thoughtful parents all over the world are asking themselves in the fast-moving time：‘‘How Can one prepare today’s child for a tomorrow that one can neither predict nor understand?”

　　privileged adj.享有特權(quán)的

　　Elite n.精英，精華

　　curricula n.課程

　　reason v.推理

　　1.Wmch of the following best states the goal of American education?

　　A)To teach every learner some practical skills.

　　B)To provide every learner with rich knowledge.

　　C)To give every student the opportunity to fully develop his/her ability.

　　D)To train every student to be a responsible citizen.

　　2.It is implied in the passage that

　　A)all high-school students take the same courses.

　　B)every high-school student must take some practical ability training courses.

　　C)every public school offers the same academic subjects.

　　D)the subjects every student takes may vary.

　　3.American schools place great emphasis on the learner’s

　　A)enrichment of knowledge.

　　B)accumulation of facts.

　　C)acquisition of the ability to be creative.

　　D)acquisition of the ability to work with his hands.

　　4.According to the passage，American education meets the needs of all the following EXCEPT

　　A)the brightest students.

　　B)the slow students.

　　C)the students from foreign countries.

　　D)the immigrants.

　　5.Which of the following best states the feature of American education that makes it different from education in other countries?

　　A)The large number of its schools.

　　B)The variety of the courses offered in its schools.

　　C)Its special consideration given to immigrants

　　D)Its underlying goal to develop every child’s abilities to the fullest extent.

　　2009年職稱英語考試網(wǎng)――2009年網(wǎng)校職稱英語考試輔導(dǎo)培訓(xùn)

　　環(huán)球網(wǎng)校2008年職稱英語考試輔導(dǎo)通過率近100%

　　2009年職稱英語考試考前復(fù)習(xí)指南專題(一網(wǎng)打盡2009年職稱英語考試模擬試題、備考訣竅)