"A good book for children should simply be a good book in its own right" says Mollie Hunter. Born and brought up near Edinburgh,Mollie has devoted her talents to writing primarily for young people. She firmly believes that there is and should always be a wider audience for any good book whatever its main market is. In Mollie's opinion it is necessary to make full use of language and she enjoys telling a story,which is what every writer should be doing. "If you aren't telling a story, you're a very dead writer indeed." She says. With the chief function of a writer being to entertain,Mollie is indeed an entertainer. "I have this great love of not only the meaning of language but of the music of language," she says. "This love goes back to early childhood. I had a school teacher who used to ask us what we would like to be when we grew up and,because my family always had dogs,and I was very good at handling them,I said I wanted to work with dogs,and the teacher always said 'Nonsense,Mollie;dear,you'll be a writer.' So finally I thought that this woman must have something,since she was a good teacher and I decided when I was nine that I would be a writer." This childhood intention is described in her novel,A Sound of Chariots,which although written in the third person is clearly autobiographical and gives a picture both of Mollie's ambition and her struggle towards its achievement. Thoughts of her childhood inevitably brought thoughts of the time when her home was still a village with buttercup meadows and strawberry fields--sadly now covered with modern houses. "I was once taken back to see it and I felt that somebody had lain dirty hands all over my childhood. I'll never go back,"she said "Never. When I set one of my books in Scotland" she said "I can recall my romantic feelings as a child playing in those fields,or watching the village blacksmith at work. And that's important because children now know so much so early that romance can't exist for them, as it did for us." In Mollie Hunter's opinion,which of the following is one sign of a poor writer? A) Being poor in life experience. B) Being short of writing skills. C) The weakness of description. D) The absence of a story.
D
Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy. They see the sight that Pompeii is famous for--its stadium and theaters, its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii's people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2,ooo years. Once Pompeii was a busy city of 22,000 people. It lay at the foot of Mt Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano. Mt Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe. But they were not. In August of the year 79 AD, Mt Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ashes began to fall on Pompeii. When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead. For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stones and ashes. Then in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city almost looked the same as it had looked in 79 AD. There were streets and fountains, houses and shops. There was a stadium with 20,000 seats. Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue color in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine. They liked bread too; metal bread pans were in every bakery. In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread--a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today. Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye-makeup. Ginseppe has died, but his work continues. One-fourth has not been uncovered yet. Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii. Why did the city uncovered look almost the same as it had looked in 79 AD ? A) Because Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully. B) Because the city was buried alive and remained untouched. C) Because scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects. D) Because nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted.
A
*Question*
A group of senior high school students are playing outside on a basketball court. They are shouting with excitement. And they all have the same dream. They wish to play in the NBA, just like Huston Rocket's Yao Ming. "Someday, there will be more Chinese players like Yao in the NBA," said 15-year-old Xie Tao, a senior 1 boy at Shanghai No. 2 Middle School. Xie always watches Yao playing on TV. "He is a great player. He makes me proud to be Chinese," he said. Like Xie, 17-year-old Liu Yan at Beijing No. 22 Middle School is also a big NBA fan. "Since early May, I've not missed one game in the NBA," said the senior 3 student. Basketball is becoming popular in middle schools across the country. And more young players are starting to like the sport. More students are playing the game. Jiang Hui, a basketball teacher at Beijing No. 2 Middle School, said that 85 percent of the students at this school like the sport. "Students are full of passion for the game," Jiang's team won the regional first prize in the 2004 National High School Boy's Basketball League in march. The league is the first national basketball competition for high school students. Playing basketball is a good way to exercise. But students also enjoy it for other reasons. For Li Yan, a Senior 2 at Shanghai No. 12 Middle School, basketball teaches him lessons in life. "When I am in a game, I feel more confident about my studies, " he said. " It also teaches me to have a good team spirit and to enjoy friendship." Which school team won the regional first prize in the first national basketball competition for high school students? A) Shanghai No. 2 Middle School. B) Beijing No. 22 Middle School. C) Beijing No. 2 Middle School. D) Shanghai No. 12 Middle School.
**Answer**
C