When Jane Austen (1775--1817) wrote her novels in England, she was writing about a   21  that most of us would not recognize.

But today Austen’s books are in great   22   than ever. In the last ten years, five or six novels have been   23   into Hollywood films, while her books continue to be bestsellers. So why is Austen still   24  ?

Richard Jenkyns, a professor of English at Oxford University argued that her novels still  25  people because they  26  the same issues today as they were when she wrote them.

Her novels are about women   27  to find a perfect husband, but also  28  issues surrounding marriages, friendships and the family. “The plots are fairly timeless about human interaction   29  are familiar to us,” Jenkyns says.

The most famous book Austen wrote is Pride and Prejudice, a   30   story between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. At first the two   31  do not get on. They   32   fall in love, but still have to   33   opposition to their relationship from their families.

All of Austen’s books are   34   to read, making them popular with children and adults,

  35  they work on different levels so people can take  36  they need from them, author Kate Henry says.

“You can choose to see the politics and feminism(男女平等思想) in them,  37  you don’t want to take on those issues you can turn a blind eye to it,” she says.

  38  is often hailed(赞扬) as the greatest romance writer in the English language, so it is surprising she remained  39  . “Maybe she was too much of a romantic, waiting for a    40

man,” Henry says.

词语填空 (共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分)

   请用括号中所给动词的适当形式完成下列句子。

1．It                    that Polish President and his wife were killed in a plane crash in Russia．(report)

2．We                   between 7 and 8 o’clock tomorrow evening．Please don’t phone me at that time．(swim)

3．By the time Jane gets home，her aunt                    for Shanghai Expo．(leave)

4．—Did you read Harry Potter at my age，Grandpa?

一I couldn’t                     that，because Harry Potter wasn’t born yet．(do)

5．If you                   that late movie last night，you wouldn’t be so sleepy now．(not watch)

The other day, my friend Jane was invited to a 40th birthday party. The time printed on the invitation was7:30p.m.Jane went off with her husband, expecting a merry evening of wine, food, and song. By 9:45, everybody was having great fun, but no food had appeared. Jane and David were restless. Other guests began whispering that they, too, were starving. But no one wanted to leave, just in case some food was about to appear. By 11：00, there was still no food, and everyone was completely off their heads. Jane and David left hungry and angry. Their experience suggests that the words on printed invitations need to be made clearer. Everyone reads and understands the invitations differently. Most of us would agree that 6:30 ～ 8:30p.m.means drinks only, go out to dinner afterwards; ～ 8:00p.m.or 8:30p.m. means possible dinner, but 9:30p.m.and any time thereafter means no food, eat beforehand, roll up late. But this is not always the case. If asked to a students' party at 6:30p.m. , it is normal for guests not to appear before midnight, if at all, and no one cares. Being the first to arrive-looking eager-is social death. When my mother is asked to a party for 6:30, she likes to be there, if not on time, then no later than seven. My age group (late thirties) falls somewhere between the two, but because we still think we're young, we're probably closer to student-time than grown-up time. The accepted custom at present is confusing (混乱的), sometimes annoying, and it often means you may go home hungry, but it does lend every party that precious element(成分) of surprise.

1. The underlined words "off their heads" probably mean ________.

A. tired

B. crazy

C. curious

D. hopeless

2. Jane and David's story is used to show that ________.

A. party-goers usually get hungry at parties

B. party invitations can be confusing

C. people should ask for food at parties

D. birthday parties for middle-aged people are dull

3. For some young people, arriving on time for a students' party will probably be considered ________.

A. very difficult

B. particularly thoughtful

C. friendly and polite

D. socially unacceptable

4. According to the writer, people in their late thirties ________

A. are likely to arrive late for a party

B. care little about the party time

C. haven't really grown up yet

D. like surprises at parties

5. What is the general idea of the text?

A. It's safe to arrive late just when food is served. ________

B. It's wise to eat something before going to a party.

C. It's important to follow social rules of party-going.

D. It's necessary to read invitations carefully.

请阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑, 如选E，请涂AB, 如选F，请涂CD。

首先，请阅读下列关于名著的介绍：

A. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

The classic love story explores the lives of the five Bennet sisters at the turn of the 19th century in rural England. At that time women were not allowed to get their father’s wealth after his death, so their mother is desperate to marry them off into wealthy families. Therefore various love stories start with the question — whether marriage is for love or for money.

B. The Red and the Black (Stendhal)

Julien has a strong desire for power and glory, and for ridding himself of his low social status as the son of a tradesman. Thus, he tries every means to achieve his goal.

The two colors, red and black, symbolize his inner struggle between being sincere and false. And this conflict in his character finally brings about his downfall.

C. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)

There is great kindness and warmth in this love story. Poor and plain as Jane Eyre is, she has a strong will, sharp wisdom and great courage. She is forced to battle against a harsh employer and a rigid social order. Yet she is never defeated. Standing on her feet, she gains her own happiness in the end.

D. Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens)

It reflects people’s tragic life in Britain in the 18th century. In the story, Oliver Twist, a mild young boy, is born in the workhouse and stays there until he is made to leave. What waits for him next is the falseness of the wealthy and the depths to which poverty pushes the human spirit.

E. Gone with the wind (Margaret Mitchell)

This is an all-time best-seller by Margaret Mitchell. The story takes place during the American Civil War. It records the tragic love stories of Katie Scarlet O’Hara, a southern beauty. In the end of the story, Scarlett is left only with her Tara, a plantation which symbolizes the culture of the Old South, a place where she could ever gather her strength.

F. The Adventure of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)

Tom Sawyer, a naughty boy in the quiet town of St. Petersburg, unexpectedly witnesses the murder of Dr. Robinson. At first he is frightened and keeps it a secret. But at the trial of the case, he bravely exposes the real criminal. He and his friend start tracing the escaping murderer. Finally they find his dead body together with hidden treasures.

请阅读以下读者的相关信息，然后匹配他/她感兴趣的书籍：

1.Ben is 14 years now and is fond of reading books. He is interested in all sorts of exciting stories, such as those about adventures, detectives and treasure hunting.

2.Lucy is a quiet girl who likes to read in a quiet corner in the library. Her favorite stories are those with characters brave enough to face and overcome difficulties in life.

3.Jessica, a fan of romantic stories, has just graduated from high school. She decides to relax herself in reading different love stories this summer. By the way, she hates war.

4.Peter majors in literature in college. He is especially interested in the psychological description in novels and wants to talk about this in his term paper.

5.Sam was born in America but his family moved to Europe when he was a child. He misses the days spent in America and is extremely interested in stories about the Old South.