初中英语专项阅读--名人轶事

初中英语专项阅读—名人轶事

Many American presidents in the 19th century were born in poor families. They spent their childhood in little wooden rooms. They got little education. Washington and Lincoln, for example, never went to school and taught themselves. Lincoln once did jobs as a worker, a shopkeeper and a post officer in his early years. A larger number of US presidents had experiences in the army. The two best known were Ulysses Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Grant was a general(将军) in the American Civil War. It happened that they came from the same school—West Point Military Academy(西点军校). One may be surprised to learn that both of them didn’t do well in the school. Eisenhower, for example, was fined(罚款) because he broke the rules of the school.

The jobs of the US president are tiring. He must keep an eye on everything important which happened both at home and abroad. Every day, a lot of work waited for him to do and he had to make many important decisions. When Franklin Roosevelt was a child, he was once brought to visit President Taft. The old president said to him, “When you grow up, you should not be a president. It’s a tiring job.”

Choose the best answer according to the passage.

( )1. In the nineteenth century, many US presidents _______.

A. got poor education during their childhood

B. didn’t like to go to school in their early years

C. got good education during their childhood

D. hadn’t any knowledge in their work at all

( )2. How many US presidents who came from West Point Military Academy are mentioned?

A. One. B. Two. C. Three. D. Four.

( )3. In the last paragraph, the underlined phrase “keep an eye on” means “_______”.

A. pay no attention to

B. take care of

C. never sleep all the day

D. look at everything with one eye

( )4. What can be inferred(推测) from the passage?

A. Most of the people who had studied at West Point Military Academy became presidents.

B. Only those who didn’t study well at school could be presidents.

C. All the American presidents were born in poor families.

D. Many American presidents had served in the army before they took office.

( )5. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. In the US, no one wanted to be president.

B. US presidents’ jobs are important and tiring.

C. None of the presidents except Taft would like to do the tiring job.

D. President Taft didn’t want Roosevelt to be a president because he was too young.

Van Gogh was born in Holland in 1853. He enjoyed drawing as a child. His first connection with paintings came in 1869. He worked for an art dealer(经营者) in London and Paris for four years before he became a teacher in England. He moved back to France in 1877 and soon began to paint. He didn’t stay long in Paris. He was attracted by the colors of the countryside and, in 1888, he moved to Ales, a small town in the south of France. There, he painted his most famous paintings.

He enjoyed painting people, farms, flowers and other natural things. Some of his most famous paintings are

The Potato Eaters, The Starry Night and several different Sunflower paintings. The Starry Night is now kept in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. There is a quiet village and a tall black tree under an angry sky. Some people say that it shows a war in Van Gogh’s mind between peace(和平) and anger. It was finished on June 19, 1889. Scientists say that it is a true picture on that day.

He was poor most of his life. He made hundreds of paintings, but only sold one of them while he lived. He was a lonely, unhappy man and died at an early age of 37.

Today, people love Van Gogh’s use of color and the emotional power of his works. Van Gogh’s paintings are world famous and worth millions of dollars. Museums around the world proudly show paintings by the great artist. True(T) or False(F).

( )1. Van Gogh began to paint in London, England.

( )2. Van Gogh moved to Ales because he enjoyed the colors of the countryside.

( )3. In Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, we can see a village.

( )4. Van Gogh was born in 1853 and died in 1888.

( )5. His paintings are world famous for the use of color and the emotional power.

Key: A 1-5 ABBDB B 1-5 FTTFT

Mel Gibson

Have you ever seen a movie from the United Sates? If you have, you may know who Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson is. Mel Gibson was born on January 3rd, 1956, in New York, the USA. He has a big family and he has ten brothers and sisters. When he was twelve, he and his family moved to Australia.

When he was twenty-one, he first acted in a film in 1977. Then he had great success in Australia with a movie named Mad Max in 1979. Mel married his wife Robyn in 1980. They had their first child in the same year. It was their daughter who named Hannah. From then until now, they had six more children, all sons.

Mel went to Hollywood to make his first film, The Bounty, in 1984. In the film, he played Fletcher Christian. But it wasn’t very successful. In 1987, Mel played the part of Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon(《致命武器》). The film was very successful and Mel became a very famous film star.

Mel starred in The Man without a Face, in 1993. And it was also his first film as a director. He has directed two other famous films: Brave Heart and The Passion of the Christ. Mel played the role of William Wallace, a Scottish hero. He won two Oscars for the Best Picture and Best Director. And Mel wrote, directed and produced The Passion of the Christ in 2004. The film was a great success, and Mel earned more than

$210 million for the film. His own production company, Icon Productions, has made eleven films. And it will make three more in the next two years.

Mel Gibson has a great future. Mel and his wife Robyn celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary(结婚周年纪念). Maybe, Mel’s next celebration will be the wedding of their daughter Hannah.

Complete the table below according to the passage.

Reading letters from the children he has , in which they call him “Dad”, is the most enjoyable and happiest thing for singer Cong Fei, who now stay in bed.

from business performances, to the tuition fees(学费) of 178 children in poor areas over the past 11 years.

He was diagnosed(诊断) with stomach cancer in May. One of the first things he asked for after being .

“ can’t keep on studying, what they can expect is a You must find to let them continue their education.” Cong said.

Cong’s first 辍学) in Southwest China’s Chongqing in 1994. He was then 11 to learn that his 2,400 yuan could help 20 children complete two years’ education and realized how the donation was to the children. From then on, he took part in more than 20 charity performances in poor areas in Guizhou, Hunan and Sichuan provinces.

In the past two months, much has come to Cong and his story because of lots of reports on him. Li Hongzhong, Party Secretary of Shenzhen, visited him in June and encouraged him to fight the disease so that he could, as his name suggests, “ again.”

Choose the best word or phrase to complete the passage.

( )1. A. visited B. known

C. supported D. wanted

( )2. A. has to B. used to

C. must D. can

( )3. A. things B. time

C. gifts D. money

( )4. A. change B. pay

C. plan D. check

( )5. A. offered B. hoped

C. continued D. refused

( )6. A. school B. work

C. dream D. childhood

( )7. A. While B. Unless C. As D. If

( )8. A. good B. hopeless

C. comfortable D. possible

( )9. A. books B. families

C. ways D. singers

( )10. A. donation B. action

C. idea D. success

( )11. A. moved B. encouraged

C. asked D. shocked

( )12. A. possible B. important

C. interesting D. exciting

( )13. A. rightly B. happily

C. actively D. creatively

( )14. A. attention B. information

C. pressure D. news

( )15. A. sing B. walk C. help D. fly

Key:

C 1. He and his family moved to Australia

2. 1979

3. made his first film in Hollywood

4. starred, directed 5. 2005

D 1-5 CADBC 6-10 ADBCA 11-15 DBCAD