Phyllis Wheatley is regarded as America’s first black poet. She was born in Senegal, Africa, about 1753 and brought to America aboard a slave ship at about the age of seven. John and Susannah Wheatley bought her for three pounds at a slave auction in Boston in 1761 to be a personal servant of Mrs. Wheatley. The family had three other slaves, and all were treated with respect. Phyllis was soon accepted as one of the family, which included being raised and educated with the Wheatley’s twin 15-year-old children, Mary and Nathaniel. At that time, most females, even from better families, could not read and write, but Mary was probably one of the best educated young women in Boston. Mary wanted to become a teacher, and in fact, it was Mary who decided to take charge of Phyllis’s education. Phyllis soon displayed her remarkable talents. At the age of twelve she was reading the Greek and Latin classics and passages from the Bible. And eventually, Mrs. Wheatley decided Phyllis should become a Christian. At the age of thirteen Phyllis wrote her first poem. She became a Boston sensation after she wrote a poem on the death of the evangelical preacher George Whitfield in 1770. It became common practice in Boston to have “Mrs. Wheatley’s Phyllis“ read poetry in polite society. Mary married in 1771, and Phyllis later moved to the country because of poor health, as a teacher and caretaker to a farmer’s three children. Mary had tried to interest publishers in Phyllis’s poems but once they heard she was a Negro they weren’t interested. Then in 1773 Phyllis went with Nathaniel, who was now a businessman, to London. It was thought that a sea voyage might improve her health. Thirty-nine of her poems were published in London as Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. It was the first book published by a black American. In 1775 Phyllis wrote a poem extolling the accomplishments of George Washington and sent it to him. He responded by praising her talents and inviting her to visit his headquarters. After both of her benefactors died in 1777 , and Mary died in 1778 , Phyllis was freed as a slave. She married in 1778 , moved away from Boston, and had three children. But after the unhappy marriage, she moved back to Boston, and died in poverty at the age of thirty.

What does the passage mainly discuss?

A．Slavery and the treatment of the black people in America.

B．The Wheatley family, including their slaves.

C．The life of America’s first black poet.

D．The achievements of Phyllis Wheatley.

According to the passage, an unusual feature of Mary was that she______.

A．was not much older than Phyllis

B．wanted to become a teacher

C．was comparatively well educated

D．decided to take charge of Phyllis’s education

Which of the following is NOT true about Phyllis in the early 1770s?

A．She wrote her first poem when in her teens.

B．She married in 1771.

C．She became a teacher.

D．She was able to get her poems published.

It can be inferred that Phyllis’s trip to England with Nathaniel in 1773 ______.

A．did not improve her health

B．was for business reasons

C．led to books of her poems being available in America

D．led to the publication of her poems because the English were more interested in religious and moral subjects

Which of the following conclusions about Phyllis is supported by the passage?

A．She would have been more recognized as a poet if she had not been black.

B．She would have written poetry if she had stayed in Africa.

C．She went unrecognized as a poet during her lifetime.

D．She only wrote religious poetry.

Since writing home to their parents for money, they had lived______hope. in for on through

Exobiology is the study of life______other planets. in at on to

Oranges are a______source of vitamin C. well better good very

Even after having their grandchildren live with them for ten years, the couple felt that______children these days was the most difficult of all family matters. rising raising caring taking care

______ the variety that the average family has in beef, fish, poultry, and vegetarian recipes, they find most meals unexciting. In spite Inspite Despite of Despite

Of the many plans submitted, the committee selected the one that seemed most feasible. possible practicable probable permissible

Only individual benefactors and ad hoc grants have made possible the ecological surveys already undertaken. additional unique special specific

Bill’s talk with the boss this morning left him in a thoughtful mood. pensive deliberate passive considerate

When an organism is completely encapsulated and preserved, it becomes a fossil, thus turning into evidence of things that once lived. thereby therefrom thereof therein

If you can’t dig into the field you have chosen for your pursuit, it is hardly possible for you to achieve anything significant in the field. acquire require accompany accomplish

Without the music, the children would have not had so much fun. wouldn’t be having wouldn’t have been wouldn’t be wouldn’t have had

Scarcely had the van turned the comer than the mirror came off. No more No sooner Not any No longer

When Henry arrived home after a hard day at work, his wife was slept. his wife was sleeping his wife slept his wife has slept his wife has been sleeping

Eating too much fat can distribute to heart disease and cause high blood pressure. attribute to attend to devote to contribute to

The suggestion that the mayor will present the prizes was accepted by everyone. present presents would present ought to present

Some people associate migration mainly with birds. Birds do travel vast distances, but mammals also migrate. An example is the caribou, reindeer that graze on the grassy slopes of northern Canada. When the weather turns cold, they travel south until spring. Their tracks are so well-worn that they are clearly visible from the air. Another migrating mammal is the Alaska fur seal. These seals breed only in the Pribilot Islands in the Bering Sea. The young are born in June and by September are strong enough to go with their mothers on a journey of over 3, 000 miles. Together they swim down the Pacific Coast of North America. The females and young travel as far as southern California. The males do not journey so far. They swim only to the Gulf of Alaska. In the spring, males and females all return to the islands, and there the cycle begins again. Whales are among the greatest migrators of all. The humpback and blue whales migrate thousands of miles each year from the polar seas to the tropics. Whales eat huge quantities of plankton. These are most abundant in cold polar waters. In winter, the whales move to warm waters to breed and give birth to their young.

When it started to snow, we turned round and______the hotel. got by searched for made for cleared up

William Byrd was the owner of the largest library in colonial______. period time times periods

______into oceans and rivers is a serious form of pollution. Pouring sewage Emptying litter Throwing garbage Dumping sewage

What does the passage mainly discuss?

The underlined word “respect“ in Paragraph I is closest in meaning to______.

According to the passage, how many slaves did the Wheatley’s have?

According to the passage, an unusual feature of Mary was that she______.

The underlined word “eventually“ in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to______.

Which of the following is NOT true about Phyllis in the early 1770s?

The underlined word “they“ in Paragraph 2 refers to______.

It can be inferred that Phyllis’s trip to England with Nathaniel in 1773 ______.

The word “extolling“ is closest in meaning to______.

Which of the following conclusions about Phyllis is supported by the passage?