Winston Churchill is probably the most popular British prime minister ever. Having served as a soldier and politician, he is often considered among the greatest of Britons. While his heroic stand against the Nazis is well know, there are still a few facts about the popular politician that might surprise you.
His Cigars
The classic image of Winston Churchill includes a giant cigar stuck between his lips. Churchill developed his love of cigars as a young man, when he traveled to Cuba. For he rest of his life, he smoked eight or nine cigars every day. However, he almost never took a puff(吸,抽), preferring to chew on the end until it went out, then relight it and start again. To prevent the cigar becoming soggy (湿软的), Churchill invented the “bellybando”, a strip of brown paper which could be glued around the end.
At any given time, Churchill had 3,000 to 4,000 cigars in his house, mostly his favorite Romeo & Juliet brand. On one occasion, the president of Cuba presented Churchill with 2,400 top-quality cigars, although his security team insisted one cigar from each box be sent off and tested for poison. Perhaps the story that best shows his love of cigars occurred during World War II, when he had a special oxygen mask designed so hat he could still smoke his cigar on a high-altitude flight.
His Black Dog
Throughout his life, Churchill probably suffered from depression, which he called his “black dog”. At times, his depression was so severe that he didn’t like standing close to a passing train or looking at the ocean from a ship because he feared that he would commit suicide.
When he was depressed, Churchill would almost spend a great deal of time in bed and lose his ability to concentrate. However, when not depressed, Churchill was full of energy, usually working and talking until the early hours of the morning. He often described how “all the colors come back into the picture”.
24. Why did Churchill’s security team insist on checking the cigars?
A. To test if they were safe for Churchill
B. To see if they were of the best quality
C. To make sure they were Churchill’s favorite
D. To guarantee they were not out of date
25. Which of the following best shows Churchill’s love of cigars?
A. He fell in love with cigars at a young age
B .He smoked many cigars every day
C. He invented the “bellybando”
D. He had an oxygen mask specially designed for smoking
26. What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?
A. Churchill became energetic again
B. Churchill remained depressed
C. Churchill drew colorful pictures
D. Churchill liked to talk about colors
27. What is probably the best title of the passage?
A. Achievements of Churchill B. Anecdotes about Churchill
C. Personalities of Churchill D. Hobbies of Churchill
ADAB
A. Profits enlarging B. Technology developing C. Education investing D. Benefits transferring E. Dominance disappearing F. A nation rising |
The following is an imaginary diary entry written by US president. This diary is part of Global Trends 2025, which was written by the US National Intelligence Council
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The
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Global wealth and economic power will shift from West to East.
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The transition from old fuels to new will be slow, as will the development of new technologies that present feasible alternatives to fossil fuels or help eliminate food and water problems. All current technologies are inadequate, and new ones will probably not be commercially possible by 2025