Winston Churchill was one of the central statesmen of the 20th century and, almost 50 years afterhis death, remains a subject of enduring fascination. Part of the current interest in this venerablefigure can be attributed to two superb biographies written in the 1980s by historian WilliamManchester: “The Last Lion: Visions of Glory” and “The Last Lion: Alone.” These two booksexamined the first two-thirds of Churchill ’s life. 

Unfortunately, after completing the second volume, Manchester ’s health declined and therest of the project stalled. So great was public interest in the long-delayed final volume that itwas the subject of a front page story in The New York Times. 

Eventually, in 2003, Manchester asked his friend Paul Reid to complete the trilogy. Now,nearly a decade later, Reid has published The Last Lion, the final piece of this monumentalundertaking. Reid starts when Churchill was appointed prime minister in May 1940 andfollows him through his death in While most of this volume is appropriately devoted toWorld War II, it also includes the vast expansion of the British welfare state following thewar, the start of the Cold War and the enormous dangers it carried, and the loss of the BritishEmpire. 

Reid has written a thorough and complete analysis of these years, and it is a worthy finale tothe first two volumes. Exhaustively researched and carefully written, it draws on a full rangeof primary and secondary materials. This book will be essential reading for those whoenjoyed the first two volumes and those with a deep interest in understanding this seminalfigure and his place in history. 

Reid does a wonderful job of capturing Churchill in all his complexity. He gives Churchillgreat praise for his personal courage and inspirational leadership during the dark dayswhenBritain stood alone, but he is equally clear about Churchill ’s poor strategic judgments,such as the efforts to defend Greece andCrete, the Allied assault on Anzio, and the decisionto send the battleshipPrince of Walesand battle cruiser Repulse to theSouth ChinaSeawithout adequate air cover where they were promptly sunk by the Japanese. 

He highlights Churchill ’s naivet é in dealing with Soviet Premier Stalin in the early years ofthe war, but praises his prescience in anticipating Stalin ’s land grab in Eastern Europeat theend of the conflict. Reid also gives welcome attention to aspects of the war ― such asChurchill ’s fear that the United Statesmight decide to put its primary emphasis on defeatingJapan regardless of the “Germany first ” understanding he shared with Roosevelt that havereceived little attention in other books. 

What can be known about the two biographies of Churchill?

Write a composition in no less than 150 words on the topic: What Do You Think of Advanced Artificial Intelligence. Read the following words in English. You should write according to the outline given below. Write your composition on the ANSWER SHEET.

1. Google’s DeepMind Alpha Go program has beaten all the world champions of the game Go in a series of battles between man and artificial intelligence.

2. Some people fear advanced artificial intelligence because?

3. Your attitude towards advanced artificial intelligence.

为了找到实验室试验的替代实验，经济学家会密切关注由历史提供的自然实验。例如，当中东的一次战争中断了原油供应时， 油价在全球范围内狂涨。对于石油及石油产品的消费者来说，这样的一次事件会降低生活水平。对于经济决策者来说，它给他们出了一道难题，即如何做出最佳应对。但对于经济学家来说，它为研究重要自然资源对世界经济的影响提供了一次机会，且这种机会在战时的油价飞涨结束很久依然存在。因此，整本书中，我们会分析很多历史事件。这些历史事件值得研究，因为，它们让我们对旧时的经济有所了解，更重要的是，因为它们使我们能够说明和评价当今的经济理论。

(4)__________________________________

(2)__________________________________

(3)__________________________________

What does the author mean by “while the tinsel is hot (Line 2, Para. 6)?

Economics is no different. Supply, demand, elasticity, comparative advantage, consumer surplus,deadweight loss--these terms are part of the economist ’s language. In the coming chapters, youwill encounter many new terms and some familiar words that economists use in specialized ways.(1)At first, this new language may seem needlessly arcane. But, as you will see, its value lies in itsability to provide you a new and useful way of thinking about the world in which you live. 

Economists try to address their subject with a scientist ’s objectivity. They approach the studyof the economy in much the same way as a physicist approaches the study of matter and abiologist approaches the study of life: (2)They devise theories, collect data, and then analyze thesedata in an attempt to verify or refute their theories. 

To beginners, it can seem odd to claim that economics is a science. After all, economists donot work with test tubes or telescopes. (3)The essence of science, however, is the scientificmethods--the dispassionate development and testing of theories about how the world works. 

This method of inquiry is as applicable to studying a nation ’s economy as it is to studying thearth’s gravity or a species ’ evolution. (4)As Albert Einstein once put it, “The whole ofnothing more than the refinement of everyday thinking. ” (225words) 

(1)__________________________________

In a thank-you note, “The book will be my good companion when I am alone”serves as________.

According to Ms. Demeanor, showing appreciation has the benefit of ________.

Of all the people on my holiday shopping list, there was one little boy for whom buying a gift hadbecome increasingly difficult. He ’s a wonderful child, adorable and loving, and he ’s not firritable or spoiled. Though he lives across the country from me, I receive regular updates andphotos, and he likes all the things that the boys his age want to play with. Shopping for him shouldbe easy, but I find it hard to summon up any enthusiasm, because in all the years I ’ve givpresents, he never once sent me a thank-you note. 

“Sending thank-you notes is becoming a lost art, ” mourns Mary Mitchell, a syndicated columnistknown as “Ms. Demeanor”and author of six etiquette books. In her view, each generation,compared with the one before, is losing a sense of consideration for other people. “Withoutrespect, ” she says, “you have conflict. ” 

Ms. Demeanor would be proud of me: I have figured out a way to ensure that my children alwayssend thank-you notes. And such a gesture is important, says Ms. Demeanor, because “a gratefulattitude is a tremendous life skill, an efficient and inexpensive way to set ourselves apart in thework force and in our adult lives. Teach your children that the habit of manners comes frominside ― it ’s an attitude based on respecting other people. ”