Module 5 Great People and Great Inventions of Ancient China

跟蹤導練（一）

閱讀理解

One of the most popular literary figures in American literature is a woman who spent almost half of her long life in China， a country on a continent thousands of miles from the United States. In her lifetime she got this country’s most honored literary award， the Pulitzer Prize， and also the most prestigious （有聲望的） form of literary recognition in the world， the Nobel Prize for literature.

Pearl Buck was almost a household word throughout much of her lifetime because of her literary output， which consisted of some eighty-five published works， including several dozen novels， six collections of short stories， fourteen books for children， and more than a dozen works of non-fiction.

When she was eighty years old， some twenty-five books were awaiting publication. Many of those books were set in China， the land in which she spent so much of her life. Her books and her life served as a bridge between the cultures of the East and the West.

Her background as the product of those two cultures made her into an unusually interesting and versatile （多才多藝的） human being. As we examine the life of Pearl Buck， we cannot help but realize that we are in fact meeting three different people： a wife and mother， an internationally famous writer， and a humanitarian （人道主義者）. One cannot really get to know Pearl Buck without learning about each of the three. Though honored in her lifetime with the William Dean Howell Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in addition to the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize， Pearl Buck as a total human being， not only a famous author， is a fascinating subject of study.

1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 suggest about Pearl Buck？

A. She was well known. B. She was a poor woman.

C. She used to be a housewife. D. She was good at housework.

2. Pearl Buck is known as a writer of .

a. novels b. children’s books c. short stories d. poems e. non-fiction

A. a; b; c; d B. a; b; d; e C. b; c; d; e D. a; b; c; e

3. Why is Pearl Buck regarded as an unusual woman in American literature？

A. She published half of her books abroad.

B. She achieved her first success very late in life.

C. She wrote largely about a very different culture.

D. She won more awards than any other woman of her time.

4. What is the purpose of the text？

A. To introduce Buck to readers. B. To show Buck’s views on Chinese literature.

C. To offer information about Buck’s works. D. To discuss Buck’s influence on cultures.

閱讀七選五

How to Change the World

You want to change the world， but you aren’t sure where to start. First， remember that changing the world can mean so many different things.

· Understand what’s wrong. 1 The world is such a big place， so you won’t be able to change much if you don’t understand what’s going on out there. Try to learn about what is happening both home and abroad.

· Know that change doesn’t come overnight. 2 Try to live your values each day， even if you don’t see much appreciable change on a day-to-day level. Work hard and don’t give up.

· Start small. Find ways to make a difference every day. It may feel as though you are just one tiny part of a huge system. At first， you almost certainly will be. Be patient. 3 Try to put your activism into practice and make it a reality.

· 4 Write letters to newspapers; post an article， video， or idea on the Internet. If you think that it is important and worthy of attention， try to raise awareness （意識） by telling as many people as you can.

· Consider a career （事業）. Think about which sort of job might put you in the best position to change the world. 5 There are a lot of ways to get paid for adding value to the world. Start researching to find jobs in fields that make you feel valuable.

A. Read the news.

B. Spread the word.

C. All things begin small.

D. There are other ways to show your support.

E. Remember that you don’t need to do it alone.

F. You could be a teacher， a reporter， or something else.

G. Don’t expect to change the world with one big heroic act.

1. ______? 2. ______? 3. ?______ 4. ______? 5.______

跟蹤導練（二）

完形填空

In our daily life， we have too many things to deal with. It seems as if life is always tiring. However， whenever I feel ， I’m grateful to everything life me and try to make the best of every day. I learnt this attitude towards life from the story of my friend Joanne.

In middle school， Joanne was alwayswith a big smile on her face， as if she was always with what life offered her. But soon， thingschanged. She passed away because of a serious . Her smiles only exist in my memory. The last time I saw her in the hospital， she was terribly ill. However， she still a warm smile and was happy about my . I prayed （祈禱） for her recovery. ， she lost the battle against at last.

This made me think of another story. Maria and Jessie， who were good friends， had a big argument one day and they 11 to talk to each other in the following months. Maria， who was deeply sorry for her words， planned to Jessie to apologize first but didn’t have enough to do it. Feeling quite， she asked her classmates for and even consulted （咨詢） some of her teachers. For many times， she her phone but gave up at last. one afternoon， she got the news that Jessie had lost her life in a traffic accident.

The lesson I learned is that nobody can what will happen in the future. Anytime you feel upset or depressed， why don’t you change your and value every day！

1. A. bored B. exhausted C. lonely D. angry

2. A. offers B. challenges C. impresses D. cheats

3. A. hopeful B. cheerful C. smart D. funny

4. A. excited B. surprised C. satisfied D. careful

5. A. completely B. exactly C. frequently D. similarly

6. A. accident B. disaster C. hunger D. disease

7. A. received B. wore C. forced D. enjoyed

8. A. gift B. words C. behaviors D. visit

9. A. Suddenly B. Happily C. Unfortunately D. Actually

10. A. death B. enemy C. family D. life

11. A. agreed B. refused C. hoped D. continued

12. A. encouraging B. embarrassing C. rude D. powerful

13. A. face B. replace C. invite D. call

14. A. energy B. space C. courage D. time

15. A. upset B. hurt C. terrifying D. ridiculous

16. A. trouble B. excuse C. agreement D. advice

17. A. hung up B. picked up C. put down D. took down

18. A. Unless B. After C. Before D. Until

19. A. tell B. observe C. doubt D. discover

20. A. future B. information C. attitude D. mind

跟蹤導練（三）

閱讀理解

A

J. K. Rowling frequently shows there is magic every day. Her Harry Potter series has helped people through times of stress and depression （抑郁） and she is always there to deliver wise words of encouragement.

She is one celebrity （名人） who is very active on Twitter. So when a single dad named Matt Burke sent her a message thanking her for the series， she noticed. Her series had helped strengthen his relationship with his 9-year-old daughter Bailey.

He included a link to his article titled Being a Broke Parent. He explained how he hadn’t found a level of financial stability that allowed him to pay bills on time and take his daughter on more activities and events. The family also doesn’t have the Internet or TV， which means there’s no “digital babysitter”， and he has to rely on his own creative ways to bond （增強關系） with his daughter. Since he received the series， the main thing that has occupied them these days is reading books together.

Burke admits that he thought he was “too cool” for the books when they first came out and he was in his twenties， but he’s loving reading them now. “We switch off chapter by chapter reading them out loud，” Burke explains. “This not only allows her to get more used to reading aloud in front of someone， but it gets me directly involved in something she loves， and it gives me the chance to be very dramatic when I read my chapters and bring myself into the characters in the book， which has proven to be a ton of fun.”

After hearing Burke’s story， Rowling said how honored she was when Harry Potter was a part of his family’s life and offered Burke more signed books. Besides， people are also offering to send Burke more books as gifts. For Burke， this experience， far more than gifts， will be what he treasures.

1. Why did Burke thank J. K. Rowling according to the text？

A. She guided him to write a story. B. Her books helped him out of stress.

C. She encouraged him to read. D. Her books improved his bond with his daughter.

2. What can we learn from Burke’s words about the series in Paragraph 4？

A. He has found it interesting to read them. B. He is too old to understand them.

C. He has chosen a good way to read them. D. He hopes to play a role in them.

3. What word can best describe Burke’s experience according to the text？

A. Special. B. Normal. C. Valuable. D. Funny.

4. What does the text mainly tell us about J. K. Rowling？

A. She is well-known for her books. B. She chooses to help improve kids’ health.

C. She gives a magical gift to a single father. D. She has a deep influence on others.

B

I’m sure you’ve used the zipper many times. It can be seen almost everywhere today. But have you ever wondered who invented it？

Whitcomb Judson was an inventor. He had a friend who had a sore back. Judson’s friend couldn’t bend over to tie his shoes. In order to help his friend out， Judson designed what he called a “clasp locker” for him， basically a slide fastener that could be opened and closed with one hand. He patented （取得專利權） the idea in 1891. Even though he started his own company to make the clasp locker， Judson didn’t make his invention famous.

The zipper as we know today is a result of the work of a Swedish-American engineer called Gideon Sundback， who worked as head engineer at Judson’s company. Sundback improved on Judson’s design. His design was stronger， faster and more reliable than the former one， and Sundback patented it in 1917， calling it the “separable fastener”. With World War One fully underway， the army used his design on its clothing and equipment for the soldiers， although the invention still hadn’t become popular with the public.

However， that all changed in 1923 when the B. F. Goodrich Company decided to use Sundback’s invention on their new rubber boots （靴子）. A leader at the company named them zippers after the noise they made， and the name became accepted. As the invention became popular， it caught the attention of fashion designers in France， who used zippers in men trousers.

The zipper not only makes it more convenient to fasten clothing， but plastic zippers are also wind-， dust- and water-proof， and they don’t stick or rust （生銹）. The invention of plastic zippers also meant they could be created in any color， making them another great tool in the fashion industry. Overall， it simply makes life easier for everyone， especially for those with disabilities.

5. Why did Whitcomb Judson create the “clasp locker”？

A. To make a friend’s life easier. B. To help out his own company.

C. To beat his competitor Sundback. D. To avoid the trouble of tying his shoes.

6. What can we learn about the “separable fastener”？

A. It failed to work very well. B. It gained immediate success.

C. It was one of Judson’s designs. D. It got the army’s attention with its advantages.

7. What is implied about the zipper in the last paragraph？

A. It is a significant invention. B. It develops people’s interest in art.

C. It requires complex production work. D. It changes people’s attitudes to fashion.

8. What does the text mainly tell us about the zipper？

A. Its benefits. B. Its history. C. Its real inventor. D. Its different designs.

跟蹤導練（四）

完形填空

My daughter loved dancing until she didn’t love it. After an first year， I noticed her interest dying away week by week. Then， one day， she slowly walked to me before class and asked if she could just it.

My first reaction was to her to “finish what you start”. After all， sticking with somethingcan teach perseverance （毅力）， discipline and . But watching my first-grader practiced the dancing unhappily， I started to question how muchthat “general advice” made. Is it really in my kid’s best ， or even practical， to make her stick to every commitment through until she reaches an unhappy ？ What if there are different but 9 valuable qualities，? which can be gained by letting go of the things that are not for her？

With the winter show approaching， I realized she needed to either her class or commit herself to it. After a few days’ consideration， she dance wasn’t for her—a choice I . Giving up is never a black-and-white issue. Sometimes， it means clearing a barrier （障礙） in your way to something else. In my daughter’s case， ending dance made space for her new hobbies， such as horseback riding and Girl Scouts. She’s into them for now， but it is okay if that still .

As adults， we are used to stressing the power of saying ， but what about saying no？ The ability to recognize when something isn’t a（n） investment （投資） of our time or energy is also important. As my daughter gets older， I want her to feel confident tosomething that’s no longer meeting her needs. She shouldn’t be held back by the thought that she mustsomething at any cost because she has started.

1. A. annoying B. independent C. enthusiastic D. embarrassing

2. A. make B. join C. stop D. try

3. A. advise B. invite C. allow D. order

4. A. impossible B. difficult C. unexpected D. wrong

5. A. kindness B. honesty C. justice D. confidence

6. A. time B. sense C. noise D. trouble

7. A. honor B. idea C. behavior D. interest

8. A. end B. experience C. side D. direction

9. A. partly B. nearly C. equally D. widely

10. A. right B. available C. scary D. urgent

11. A. teach B. take C. enter D. drop

12. A. decided B. wondered C. disagreed D. believed

13. A. doubted B. required C. supported D. regretted

14. A. buy B. love C. accept D. use

15. A. disappears B. changes C. works D. counts

16. A. sorry B. thanks C. yes D. so

17. A. suitable B. unfair C. extra D. bad

18. A. hold B. abandon C. treasure D. fix

19. A. spare B. sell C. admit D. finish

20. A. mostly B. especially C. normally D. simply

跟蹤導練（五）

閱讀理解

In 2002， young Elon Musk tried unsuccessfully to buy Russian rockets to help him send mice to Mars and back. Afterwards， the young millionaire decided to build his own rockets.

Musk went to Southern California and started hiring people to help bring his dream to life. In a very short time， and despite some failures， his company SpaceX sent Falcon 1， the first successful privately built liquid fuel rocket， into Earth’s orbit in 2008.

As the finest Falcon rocket began testing， development was already underway for the Falcon 9. This much larger rocket， which uses nine engines to lift heavy payloads into orbit， is engineered to return to Earth， ready to be reused for another flight.

For Musk， space is the final destination. To help people get there， his company Neuralink is developing devices that will link people’s brains with computers. A similar device has been developed at the University of Utah. It consists of a chip （芯片） with 256 threads （線程） that is placed between a person’s skin and brain. The threads attach directly to brain tissue （腦組織）. Patients who have the device are able to use only their minds to communicate with one another through computers.

Neuralink’s chips will have about 1，000 threads. A robot developed by the company will place up to ten chips under a person’s skin. The chips will communicate without wires but with a tiny device that will be worn behind the person’s ear. That device， in turn， will communicate with computers. The primary market for the technology will be for people that， because of injuries or birth defects， cannot control their hands and arms. With Neuralink product， they’ll be able to mentally command a computer to type messages for them or carry out other tasks.

1. According to the text， what was the first Falcon 1 able to do？

A. Send people to space. B. Launch big satellites.

C. Reach distant moons. D. Move around our planet.

2. What does the text mainly tell us about Neuralink’s chips？

A. How they’ll be set up. B. Where they’ll be produced.

C. How much money they’ll earn. D. What safety features they’ll have.

3. The first Neuralink product will be used by .

A. some rich people B. the space travelers

C. some computer users D. the physically disabled

4. Where can you probably find the text？

A. In a fashion guide. B. In a research report.

C. In a science textbook. D. In a business magazine.

選詞填空

用方框里單詞的正確形式填空，使其句意完整。有兩個詞是多余的。

1. Confucius was not only a great educator but also a well-known ___________________________.

2. I know he is a very_________________________ writer， whose books are popular， especially among young people.

3. I believe him. I am sure of his_________________________ .

4. He shocked the whole company by _________________________from his position.

5. The Project Hope has made important_________________________ to both the education and the health of children.

6. She_________________________ the importance of coming early.

7. It was an absolutely new method_________________________ by himself.

8. She closed the door _________________________behind her.

9. Today we have the _________________________to decide our own futures.

10. We got into a（n）_________________________ about whether to go by sea or by air.

語法填空

Wu Zetian， the only woman emperor to rule ancient China， is considered one of the most powerful women in Chinese history.

She was born into a （wealth） family with great beauty and intelligence. This beautiful girl， unlike others in ancient China，（be） in favor of reading and often traveled around the country with her father when she was young，increased her knowledge and developed her talents. When she was about fourteen， she 5 （send） to the palace and got married to the Emperor. After many difficulties and hardships， she （success） made herself queen. A few years after Emperor Gaozong died， Wu Zetian became Empress. seemed like a hard task for women to be rulers in ancient times， but Wu Zetian succeeded. When she ruled the country， she supported economic and cultural （develop） and improved people’s living quality. She also encouraged girls to go to school （study）. Before then， girls were not allowed to go to school.

Wu Zetian died at the age of 82， （leave） a gravestone （墓碑） without any words on it.

1.______?2.______? 3. ______?4. ______?5.______

6. ______?7. ______?8. ______?9. ______?10.______

跟蹤導練（六）

短文改錯

Music is the international language. The songs sung or playing by instruments are beautifully to people everywhere. Popular music in America is that every student likes. Students carry their small radios with earphones， but listen to music before class， after class and at lunch. There are other kinds of music that are important Americans. One is called folk music， which tells story about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music， started by cowboys whom would sing to the cows they were watching out. Today， any music about the love between a country boy and his girlfriend are called western or country music.

書面表達

假定你是李華，最近你校將邀請著名歷史學教授Mr Wu 做“關于中國古代重要發明”的講座。請你代表學生會寫一則英文通知，內容包括：

1.講座時間及地點;

2.講座內容;

3.注意事項。

注意：

1.詞數100左右;

2.可以適當增加細節，以使行文連貫。

Notice

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The Students’ Union

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