Photos that you might have found down the back of your sofa are now big business!
In 2005,the American artist Richard Prince’s photograph of a photograph,Untitled (Cowboy),was sold for $1 248 000.
Prince is certainly not the only contemporary artist to have worked with so-called “found photographs”—a loose term given to everything from discarded(丢弃的)prints discovered in a junk shop to old advertisements or amateur photographs from a stranger’s family album.The German artist Joachim Schmid,who believes “basically everything is worth looking at”,has gathered discarded photographs,postcards and newspaper images since 1982.In his on-going project,Archiv,he groups photographs of family life according to themes:people with dogs;teams;new cars;dinner with the family;and so on.
Like Schmid,the editors of several self-published art magazines also champion(捍卫)found photographs.One of them,called simply Found,was born one snowy night in Chicago,when Davy Rothbard returned to his car to find under his wiper(雨刷)an angry note intended for someone else:“Why’s your car HERE at HER place?”The note became the starting point for Rothbard’s addictive publication,which features found photographs sent in by readers,such as a poster discovered in your drawer.
The whole found-photograph phenomenon has raised some questions.Perhaps one of the most difficult is:can these images really be considered as art?And,if so,whose art?Yet found photographs produced by artists,such as Richard Prince,may raise endless possibilities.What was the cowboy in Prince’s Untitled doing?Was he riding his horse hurriedly to meet someone?Or how did Prince create this photograph?It’s anyone’s guess.In addition,as we imagine the back-story to the people in the found photographs artists,like Schmid,have collated(整理),we also turn toward our own photographic albums.Why is memory so important to us?Why do we all seek to freeze in time the faces of our children,our parents,our lovers,and ourselves?Will they mean anything to anyone after we’ve gone?
In the absence of established facts,the vast collections of found photographs give our minds an opportunity to wander freely.That,above all,is why they are so fascinating.The first paragraph of the passage is used to_______.
A.remind readers of found photographs |
B.advise readers to start a new kind of business |
C.ask readers to find photographs behind sofas |
D.show readers the value of found photographs |
According to the passage,Joachim Schmid_______.
A.is fond of collecting family life photographs |
B.found a complaining note under his car wiper |
C.is working for several self-published art magazines |
D.wondered at the artistic nature of found photographs |
The underlined word “them”in Paragraph 4 refers to“_______”.
A.the readers |
B.the editors |
C.the found photographs |
D.the self-published magazines |
By asking a series of questions in Paragraph 5,the author mainly intends to indicate that_______.
A.memory of the past is very important to people |
B.found photographs allow people to think freely |
C.the back-story of found photographs is puzzling |
D.the real value of found photographs is questionable |
The author’s attitude toward found photographs can be described as_______.
A.critical | B.doubtful |
C.optimistic | D.satisfied |
The other day at a supermarket, I saw a naughty child of about six crying loudly, falling to the floor and refusing to move. All the while the troubled mother was trying to persuade him to behave well but failed. A little smack(打)on his bottom would have worked ,I thought.
Teenagers also cause discipline(纪律)problems. As a teacher I had a 16-year-old student who had fallen in love with a waiter at a fast-food restaurant. In fact, she had left home to stay with him. So we decided to put her in the school hostel .She refused. When she heard her mother begging her to stay in the school hostel, she turned around and said: “Why don’t you stay in the school hostel if you like it so much?”
My hands were going to slap her for being so rude but the poor mother continued to cajole her , hoping the gentle persuasion would work wonders. It did not. Later I heard that she had run away from home again.
The list goes on and on. Could it be that today’s parents are so softer and believe that they must not rod(棍棒惩罚)their children for fear of the bad results? Or do they really believe that the children will get rid of the bad habits and behave well as they grow older? I beg to disagree. I believe it is the parents’ duty to discipline the children even at a young age.
My children who are now adults will prove the fact that I used the rod when I thought it necessary. Later when they went abroad, they told their university friends how they were disciplined. Their friends were shocked and said that I could be charged with child abuse. However ,my daughter showed great respect for me when she told them that she would not be where she was today if not for my strict discipline.According to the passage, the author would probably________.
A.beat the children every day | B.treat the children in a soft way |
C.leave the children as they are | D.punish the children when necessary |
The underlined word cajole” (in para.3)means_______.
A.persuade | B.scold | C.forgive | D.punish |
In the author’s opinion, how should parents make their children grow up well?
A.rod their children | B.punish their children |
C.discipline their children | D.discipline and punish their children if necessary |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The naughty boy’s mother hit him |
B.The teacher’s daughter lived with her mother |
C.The daughter was thankful for her mother’ strict discipline |
D.The author was charged with child abuse by the daughter’s friends |
Blair: Blair was the first to appear in movies in history. In 1905, Blair appeared in the movie Rescued by Rover (义犬救主). It is a British film that a baby is kidnapped by an old woman, but the faithful family dog Rover saves the baby at last.
Though Rover is a common name, it became popular because of the dog hero in the movie.
Lassie: lassie used to be the most famous dog in the world. She is a character who has starred (扮演) in many movies, TV shows and books over the years.
Lassie was created by Eric Knight and made her way into a short story in a newspaper in 1913 and into a novel in 1940.
Laika: Laika is the first animal that has orbited the earth. On November 3, 1957, Laika was sent to space in the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 2.(苏联人造地球卫星2号). The Soviets admitted soon after the launch that the spacecraft would not return. It meant that the poor animal would die. People argued a lot about Laika’s death. Several countries issued stamps in memory of Laika. She became the first animal to give her life for the exploration of space.
Rin Tin Tin: Rin Tin Tin is the first American dog movie star. He first appeared in WhereThe North Begins in 1925. Rin Tin Tin went on to make 25 movies, he even signed his own contracts with paw prints(爪印). During his best time, he earned about 5 million dollars for those people who worked for him.
Snoopy: snoopy may be the most famous cartoon dog in the world. As a hunting beagle (猎犬) from Charles Schultz’ popular newspaper comic strip (连环漫画), Peanuts, snoopy first appeared in 1950. Though snoopy was at first a minor figure, he grew to become the strip’s best-known character. He is famous for always sleeping on top of his doghouse and sometimes dressing up and pretending himself as a World War I airplane pilot. Snoopy appeared in the Peanuts comic strips until Schultz’s retirement ( and death ) in February of 2000. According to the passage how many dogs starred in movies?
A.2 | B.3 | C.4 | D.5 |
Two dogs created by artists are_.
A.Rin Tin Tin and Snoopy | B.Blair and Lassie | C.Rin Tin Tin and Lassie |
D.Snoopy and Lassie |
Which dog is most worth respecting?
A.Laika. | B.Snoopy | C.Lassie. | D.Rin Tin Tin. |
Which of the following is the most reasonable?
A.Blair- the first dog movie star; Laika-the greatest dog; Snoopy-No.1 cartoon dog star. |
B.Rin Tin Tin- the first dog movie star; Laika-the most disappointing dog; Snoopy-No.1 cartoon dog star. |
C.Rin Tin Tin- a dog millionaire; Blair- the first dog movie star; Laika-the most well-known cartoon dog. |
D.Laika-the greatest dog; Rin Tin Tin- the first dog movie star; Laika-the most well-known cartoon dog. |
On a cold evening I was waiting for a taxi in New York. About 5 minutes later, I was picked up by a driver, and he said how terrible some people were. I knew there was a part of me that wanted to be silent, but I had to listen out of kindness.
The man told me that he had just come from JFK Airport without a customer. Over the courses of that taxi ride, what started as anger changed slowly and he mentioned that he had read an article which said that the happiest people are the ones that give, so he hoped he’d have more chance to give in his life. I was really starting to enjoy being with this man.
As we arrived at the place where I wanted to go, I paid my money by credit card. I pulled out an extra $20 and said, “Sir, since we’ve been talking about giving this whole time, I want to share that feeling with you. I’ve already paid my money, but here’s an extra little bit. You can tell the next passenger in this taxi that their ride is a gift from another.”
I thought I was pretty cool at this point, but he turned toward me, tears in his eyes, and said, “Sir, I have a better idea. You give that $20 to a homeless person around here and I will give the next passenger a free ride myself.
It was a great honor meeting that man and learning the lesson of how everyone gives and adds joy to another with their generosity.According to the text, when the author got in the taxi, the driver was.
A.angry | B.nervous | C.worried | D.regretful |
The author gave the driver an extra $20 in order to _.
A.help him to get out of trouble | B.know what he was really like |
C.experience the joy of giving | D.learn how to get along with others. |
What can be inferred from the taxi driver’s words in Paragraph 4?
A.A driver should be willing to help. | B.People should understand each other. |
C.The driver was deeply moved. | |
D.One needs to keep an optimistic attitude (乐观态度). |
What would be the best title for the text?
A.A cold evening in New York | B.Learning from a taxi driver |
C.A gift to a generous stranger | D.Always being a happy person |
By 2050
Futurologists predict that life will probably be very different in 2050.
TV channels will have disappeared. Instead, people will choose a program from a “menu” and a computer will send the program directly to the television. Today, we can use the World Wide Web to read newspaper stories and see pictures on a computer thousands of kilometers away. By 2050, music, films, programs, newspapers, and books will come to us by computer.
Cars will run on new, clean fuels and they will go very fast. Cars will have computers to control the speed and there won’t be any accidents. Today, many cars have computers that tell drivers exactly where they are. By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to your destination. Space planes will take people halfway around the world in 2 hours. Today, the United States Space Shuttle can go into space and land on Earth again. By 2050, space planes will fly all over the world and people will fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just 2 hours.
Robots will have replaced people in factories. Many factories already use robots. Big
companies prefer robots—they don’t ask for pay
rises or go on strike, and they work 24 hours a day. By 2050, we will see robots everywhere—in factories, schools, offices, hospitals, shops and homes.
Medical technology will have conquered many diseases. Today, there is equipment that connects directly to the brain to help people hear. By 2050, we will be able to help blind and deaf people to see and hear again.
Scientist will have discovered how to control genes(基因). Scientists have already produced clones(克隆) of animals. By 2050, scientists will be able to produce clones of people, and decide how they look, how they behave and how clever they are. Scientists will be able to do these things, but should they?
According to the passage, the following can be realized today EXCEPT __________.
A.reading newspapers on a computer |
B.making a space shuttle go into space and land on Earth again |
C.creating cloned animals |
D.choosing TV programs freely from a “menu” |
We can learn from the passage that some big companies prefer robots to human workers, because human workers __________.
A.can work 24 hours a day | B.often ask for more pay |
C.are not clever enough | D.are often late for work |
From Paragraph 5 we can infer that __________.
A.there will be no blind and deaf people by 2050 |
B.few diseases will attack people by 2050 |
C.equipment is connected directly to the brain to help people hear today |
D.medical technology will be more effective by 2050 |
What is the author’s attitude towards the cloning technology?
A.The author does not support the use of cloning technology. |
B.The author thinks human cloning is impossible. |
C.The author does not really support the idea of human cloning. |
D.The author is quite excited about human cloning. |
I was shopping in the supermarket when I heard a young voice. “Mom, come here! There’s this lady near my size!” The mother rushed to her son; then she turned to me to apologize. I smiled and told her, “It’s okay.” Then talked to the boy, “Hi, I’m Darry Kramer. How are you?” He studied me from head to toe, and asked, “Are you a little mommy?” “Yes, I have a son,” I answered. “Why are you so little?” he asked. “It’s the way I was born,” I said. “Some people are little. Some are tall. I’m just not going to grow any bigger.” After I answered his other questions, I shook the boy’s hand and left.
My life as a little person is filled with stories like that. I enjoy talking to children and explaining why I look different from their parents.
It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness. I stand three feet nine inches tall. I was born an achondroplasia dwarf (侏儒). Despite this, I did all the things other kids did when I was growing up.
I didn’t realize how short I was until I started school. Some kids joked on me, calling me names. Then I knew. I began to hate the first day of school each year. New students would always stare at me as I struggled to climb the school bus stairs.
But I learned to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life. I decided to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage. What I lacked in height, I made up for in personality.
I’m 47 now, and the stares have not diminished as I’ve grown older. People are amazed when they see me driving. I try to keep a good attitude. When people are rude, I remind myself, “Look what else I have – a great family, nice friends.”
It’s the children’s questions that make my life special. I enjoy answering their questions. My hope is that I will encourage them to accept their peers (a person of the same age, class, position, etc.), whatever size and shape they come in, and treat them with respect.
Why did the mother apologize to the author?
A.Because the boy ran into the author. |
B.Because the boy laughed at the author. |
C.Because they boy said the author was fatter than him. |
D.Because the mother thought the boy’s words had hurt the author. |
When did the author realize that she was too short?
A.When she grew up. |
B.When she was 47 years old. |
C.When she began to go to school. |
D.When she met the boy in the supermarket. |
Which of the following word can best replace the underlined word “diminished”?
A.doubted | B.increased | C.decreased | D.improved |
.How does the author feel about people’s stares now?
A.Angry | B.Calm | C.Painful | D.Discouraged |