The success of Pickwick Papers made Dickens very popular. He suddenly found himself at twenty-four the most famous novelist of his day. Busy as his social life was, he worked on two novels at the same time－Oliver Twist and Pickwick Papers. He was particularly proud of Pickwick, which was a huge success and was regarded as a comedy (喜剧)masterpiece(杰作). “If I were to live a hundred years and write novels in each, I should never be so proud of any of them as I am proud of Pickwick Papers,” he said.

It has been said of Dickens that he grasped（抓住）the imagination of his readers because his imagination grasped himself. The people in his works were so real that they could make him laugh or cry. When writing Oliver Twist he said that he could not rest until Fagin, the wrongdoer(做坏事的人), had been hanged.

Dickens’ marriage to Catherine Hagarth, with whom he had nine children, ended unhappily in 1858. He started to travel about giving readings of his works. His interest in theater gave his novels the qualities that made them suitable for reading aloud on the stage. A tiring travel to the United States affected his health. On June 9, 1870, when he was working on a new novel, he died, as he had wished. He said he wanted to die working.

1. Dickens became a famous novelist         .

A．because his social work

B．with the success of Pickwick Papers

C．because he was writing two novels at the same time

D．when he began to give readings of his works

2. According to this passage, we know that Dickens       .

A．was only interested in writing novels

B．didn’t like Oliver Twist

C．wished to live one hundred years and write three novels in each

D．didn’t think he could write a better novel than Pick wick Papers in his life

3.Fagin must be          .

A．a person in real life

B．a character in Oliver Twist

C．a character in Pickwick Papers

D．one of Dickens’ works

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Dickens had a happy marriage to Catherine Hagarth

B．Dickens was a successful actor

C．Dickens’ death had little to do with his hard work

D．Dickens had wished to die in the course of his work

 

Being sociable looks like a good way to add years to your life. Relationships with family, friends, neighbours, even pets, will all do the trick, but the biggest longevity (长寿) boost seems to come from marriage or an equivalent relationship. The effect was first noted in 1858 by William Farr, who wrote that widows (寡妇)and widowers  were at a much higher risk of dying than their married peers. Studies since then suggest that marriage could add as much as seven years to a man’s life and two to a woman’s. The effect holds for all causes of death, whether illness, accident or self-harm.
　　Even if the odds are stacked against you, marriage can more than compensate. Linda Waite of the University of Chicago has found that a married older man with heart disease can expect to live nearly four years longer than an unmarried man with a healthy heart. Likewise, a married man who smokes more than a pack a day is likely to live as long as a divorced man who doesn’t smoke. There’s a flip side, however, as partners are more likely to become ill or die in the couple of years following their spouse’s death, and caring for a spouse with mental disorder can leave you with some of the same severe problems. Even so, the odds favour marriage. In a 30-year study of more than 10,000 people, Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School describes how all kinds of social networks have similar effects.
　　So how does it work? The effects are complex, affected by socio-economic factors, health-service provision, emotional support and other more physiological (生理的) mechanisms. For example, social contact can boost development of the brain and immune system, leading to better health and less chance of depression later in life. People in supportive relationships may handle stress better. Then there are the psychological benefits of a supportive partner.
　　A life partner, children and good friends are all recommended if you aim to live to 100. The ultimate social network is still being mapped out, but Christakis says: “People are interconnected, so their health is interconnected.”
【小题1】William Farr’s study and other studies show that _________.

A．social life provides an effective cure for illness

B．being sociable helps improve one’s quality of life

C．women benefit more than men from marriage

D．marriage contributes a great deal to longevity

【小题2】Linda Waite’s studies support the idea that _________.

A．older men should quit smoking to stay healthy

B．marriage can help make up for ill health

C．the married are happier than the unmarried

D．unmarried people are likely to suffer in later life

【小题3】It can be inferred from the context that the “flip side” (Line 4, Para. 2) refers to _________.

A．the disadvantages of being married

B．the emotional problems arising from marriage

C．the responsibility of taking care of one’s family

D．the consequence of a broken marriage

【小题4】 What does the author say about social networks?

A．They have effects similar to those of a marriage.

B．They help develop people’s community spirit.

C．They provide timely support for those in need.

D．They help relieve people of their life’s burdens.

【小题5】What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．It’s important that we develop a social network when young.

B．To stay healthy, one should have a proper social network.

C．Getting a divorce means risking a reduced life span.

D．We should share our social networks with each other.

Being sociable looks like a good way to add years to your life. Relationships with family, friends, neighbours, even pets, will all do the trick, but the biggest longevity (长寿) boost seems to come from marriage or an equivalent relationship. The effect was first noted in 1858 by William Farr, who wrote that widows (寡妇)and widowers  were at a much higher risk of dying than their married peers. Studies since then suggest that marriage could add as much as seven years to a man’s life and two to a woman’s. The effect holds for all causes of death, whether illness, accident or self-harm.

　　Even if the odds are stacked against you, marriage can more than compensate. Linda Waite of the University of Chicago has found that a married older man with heart disease can expect to live nearly four years longer than an unmarried man with a healthy heart. Likewise, a married man who smokes more than a pack a day is likely to live as long as a divorced man who doesn’t smoke. There’s a flip side, however, as partners are more likely to become ill or die in the couple of years following their spouse’s death, and caring for a spouse with mental disorder can leave you with some of the same severe problems. Even so, the odds favour marriage. In a 30-year study of more than 10,000 people, Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School describes how all kinds of social networks have similar effects.

　　So how does it work? The effects are complex, affected by socio-economic factors, health-service provision, emotional support and other more physiological (生理的) mechanisms. For example, social contact can boost development of the brain and immune system, leading to better health and less chance of depression later in life. People in supportive relationships may handle stress better. Then there are the psychological benefits of a supportive partner.

　　A life partner, children and good friends are all recommended if you aim to live to 100. The ultimate social network is still being mapped out, but Christakis says: “People are interconnected, so their health is interconnected.”

1.William Farr’s study and other studies show that _________.

　　A .social life provides an effective cure for illness

　　B. being sociable helps improve one’s quality of life

　　C. women benefit more than men from marriage

　　D. marriage contributes a great deal to longevity

2.Linda Waite’s studies support the idea that _________.

　　A. older men should quit smoking to stay healthy

　　B. marriage can help make up for ill health

　　C. the married are happier than the unmarried

　　D. unmarried people are likely to suffer in later life

3.It can be inferred from the context that the “flip side” (Line 4, Para. 2) refers to _________.

　　A. the disadvantages of being married

　　B. the emotional problems arising from marriage

　　C. the responsibility of taking care of one’s family

　　D. the consequence of a broken marriage

4. What does the author say about social networks?

　　A. They have effects similar to those of a marriage.

　　B. They help develop people’s community spirit.

　　C. They provide timely support for those in need.

　　D. They help relieve people of their life’s burdens.

5.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

　　A. It’s important that we develop a social network when young.

　　B. To stay healthy, one should have a proper social network.

　　C. Getting a divorce means risking a reduced life span.

　　D. We should share our social networks with each other.

 

Chicago, a city in the State of Illinois, is the second largest in the United States. It stretches for 29 miles along the southwest shore of Lake Michigan. Its splendid centre faces the lake behind a pleasant park. The Chicago River flows through the heart of the city. The city of Chicago, 713 miles west of New York and 1858 miles east of San Francisco, is located at the conjunction(连接) of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system and surrounded by the productive farmlands of the Midwest. This makes the city the crossroads of the nation and the “ bread basket” of the nation. From its beginning as a frontier fort(要塞) settlement in 1803, commerce(商业) has been the key to Chicago’s development, especially since the railroads and stockyards(牲畜围栏) were built in the 1840s and 1850s. Thousands of foreigners, attracted by the promise of steady jobs, have lived and worked there since the second half of the 19th century; thousands more come to visit its famous fairs, and millions of others cross it every day by road or railway. Chicago is the world’s biggest road and railway centre, and it should claim(要求得到身份或权利的承认) the world’s busiest airport.

66. If you go to New York from Chicago, you go _____ for _____ miles.

A. east…713   B. west…713   C. east…1858   D. west…1858

67. From the passage, we can see that there is _____.

A. a lake right in the middle of the city

B. the Mississippi River in the middle of the city

C. a park in the middle of the city

D. a lake 29 miles away from the city

68. Chicago is called the “ bread basket” of the nation because _____.

A. there is a river flowing through the city

B. it is located at the conjunction of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system

C. it is near the city of New York

D. there are rich farmlands around the city

69. _____ the city developed fastest.

A. Early in the 19th century

B. Around the middle of the 19th century

C. At the end of the 19th century

D. During the second half of the 19th century

70. Since the late 19th century thousands of people have kept coming to Chicago _____. Which of the following is wrong?

A. on business     B. for a visit

C. for better jobs   D. to claim the world’s biggest seaport

 

   Chicago, a city in the State of Illinois, is the second largest in the United States. It stretches for 29 miles along the southwest shore of Lake Michigan. Its splendid centre faces the lake behind a pleasant park. The Chicago River flows through the heart of the city. The city of Chicago, 713 miles west of New York and 1858 miles east of San Francisco, is located at the conjunction(连接) of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system and surrounded by the productive farmlands of the Midwest. This makes the city the crossroads of the nation and the “ bread basket” of the nation. From its beginning as a frontier fort(要塞) settlement in 1803, commerce(商业) has been the key to Chicago’s development, especially since the railroads and stockyards(牲畜围栏) were built in the 1840s and 1850s. Thousands of foreigners, attracted by the promise of steady jobs, have lived and worked there since the second half of the 19th century; thousands more come to visit its famous fairs, and millions of others cross it every day by road or railway. Chicago is the world’s biggest road and railway centre, and it should claim(要求得到身份或权利的承认) the world’s busiest airport.

66. If you go to New York from Chicago, you go _____ for _____ miles.

   A. east…713   B. west…713   C. east…1858   D. west…1858

67. From the passage, we can see that there is _____.

   A. a lake right in the middle of the city

   B. the Mississippi River in the middle of the city

   C. a park in the middle of the city

   D. a lake 29 miles away from the city

68. Chicago is called the “ bread basket” of the nation because _____.

   A. there is a river flowing through the city

   B. it is located at the conjunction of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system

   C. it is near the city of New York

   D. there are rich farmlands around the city

69. _____ the city developed fastest.

   A. Early in the 19th century

   B. Around the middle of the 19th century

   C. At the end of the 19th century

   D. During the second half of the 19th century

70. Since the late 19th century thousands of people have kept coming to Chicago _____. Which of the following is wrong?

   A. on business     B. for a visit

C. for better jobs   D. to claim the world’s biggest seaport