The summer I was ten, my mother decided to bring us to the world of art. My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant. What she meant was that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum. Before each visit to the museum, she made us read about artists and painting styles. It was almost as bad as being in school. Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool?
First we had to read about ancient Egyptians and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum. My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny, but I was not interested. Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing. We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly (鬈曲的) hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings. I certainly couldn't see what was so great about art.
On our last visit to the museum, something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary. In it, a woman was reading to a child. The colors were soft and gentle, and you could tell by the mother' s expression how happy she was just to be with the child. I couldn't stop looking at this painting ! I wanted to see every painting Mary had ever made! It was really worth looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much.
53. The aim of the mother' s plan was to _________.
A. take them to visit the museum B. introduce them to the world of art
C. ask them to read about artists D. show them different painting styles
54. What was the writer' s experience in the museum before the last visit?
A. She came to feel her mother' s love. B. She liked many paintings.
C. She hardly enjoyed herself. D. She could understand the pictures of fat babies.
55. What made the writer go through a change that summer?
A. One of Mary's paintings. B. A strange way of painting.
C. Artists in the Middle Ages. D. Her mother' s instruction.
56. From the text, we can see _________.
A. the importance of curiosity B. the effect of art
C. the value of learning D. the power of family education
Leadership is the most significant word in todays competitive business environment because it directs the manager of a business to focus inward on their personal abilities and style．Experts on leadership will quickly point out that“how things get done”influences the success of the outcomes and indicates a right way and a wrong way to do things．When a noted leader on the art of management，Peter Drucker,coined the phrase“Management is doing things right；leadership is doing the right things，”he was seeking to clarify the distinctions he associates with the terms．
When Stephen Covey,founder and director of the Leadership Institute，explored leadership styles in the past decade，he focused on the habits of a great number of higllly effective individuals．His Seven Habits of Highly Effective People became a popular bestseller very quickly. His ideas forced a reexamination of the early leadership example，which centered on the feature that was found in the character ethic(道德)and the personality ethic．The former ethic suggested success was founded on modesty,loyalty,courage，patience，and so on. The personality ethic suggested it was one’s attitude，not behavior,that inspired success, and this ethic was founded on a belief of positive mental attitude．In contrast to each of these ideas，Covey advocates that leaders need to understand universal principles of effectiveness，and he highlights how vital it is for leaders to first personally manage themselves if they are to enjoy any hope of outstanding success in their work environments；To achieve a desired vision for your business，it is essential that you have a personal vision of where you are headed and what you value．Business leadership means that managers need to“put first things first,” which implies that before leading others，you need to be clear on your own values，abilities，and strengths and be seen as trustworthy．What does Peter Drucker’s phrase infer?
| A．Leaders should be good at making right decisions． |
| B．Leaders should be good at doing things right． |
| C．Leaders should be good at ignoring distinctions． |
| D．Leaders should be skilled in predicting future． |
Under what condition are people likely to succeed，in terms of what the personality ethic suggests?
| A．When people have little determination，they will be successful． |
| B．When people have good behaviour，they will gain success． |
| C．If people have positive mental attitude, they are likely to succeed． |
| D．If people have negative mental attitude，they are certain to succeed． |
How Can leaders enjoy outstanding success in their work environments，according to Stephen Covey?
| A．Firstly they have to think highly of themselves． |
| B．They are supposed to benefit themselves． |
| C．They can not adjust themselves． |
| D．First they must manage themselves． |
What is the meaning ofthe underlined word “vision”?
| A．Bright future． | B．Good beginning． |
| C．Good scenery． | D．Pretty background． |
To be good leaders．what must managers Pay close attention to?
| A．Universal principles of effectiveness． |
| B．Values，abilities and strengths． |
| C．Good qualities such as modesty． |
| D．Courage as well as patience． |
Global warming happens when greenhouse gases trap heat and light from the sun in the earths atmosphere, which increases the temperature. This is like when heat is trapped in a car. On a hot day, the car gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot. This is because the heat and light from the sun can get into the car, by going through the windows，but it can’t get back out. This is what the greenhouse effect does to the earth .The heat and light can get through the atmosphere, but it can’t get out. As a result，the temperature rises.
Sometimes the temperature can change in a way that helps us. The greenhouse effect makes the earth appropriate for people to live on. Without it，the earth would be freezing，or it would be burning hot. It would be freezing at night because we would not get the sun’s heat and light .During the day, especially during the summer, it would be burning because the sun would be up with no atmosphere to filter(过滤)it，so people，plants，and animals would be exposed to all the light and heat.
Although the greenhouse effect makes the earth able to have people living on it，if there gets to be too many gases，the each can get unusually warmer, and many plants，animals．and people will die. Plants would die because they would not be able to take the heat .This would cause us to have less food to eat,and it would also limit the food that animals have. With less food for the animals that we need to survive we would even have less food. Gradually,people，plants，and animals would all die of hunger．
People are doing many things to try to stop global warming .One thing is carpooling—driving with someone to a place that you are both going to. Another thing is being more careful about leaving electrical devices turned on. Now,more people are even riding buses or bikes to lower the amount of greenhouse gases in the air .Although adults do many things to help stop global warming,kids call do just as much.By the example given in Paragraph l, the author wants to__________.
| A．explain how global warming happens. |
| B．show his feeling in a car in hot summer. |
| C．tell us cars are causes of greenhouse gases. |
| D．say that I there are greenhouse gases in every car. |
The underlined worditin Paragraph 2 refers to__________.
| A．light | B．greenhouse effect |
| C．temperature | D．heat |
What is the effect of atmosphere?
| A．It only traps the heat of the sun. |
| B．It does great harm to humans. |
| C．It makes the earth neither too hot nor too cold. |
| D．It prevents all the light from the sun shining on the earth. |
What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
| A．lf there is greenhouse effect,all the plants will die |
| B．Human beings are likely to disappear from the earth |
| C．Crops can’t take in the heat lf there is greenhouse effect |
| D．Although greenhouse effect is necessary,too much of it will cause us to die. |
What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
| A．What kids can do to help stop global warming. |
| B．Who should be responsible for the environmental problems. |
| C．What global warming is doing to the environment. |
| D．Why cars and buses pollute the air a lot. |
Researchers are finding new ways to save snakebite victims.Experts discussed the latest findings during a recent conference.
Scientists in Australia have shown that a chemical called nitric oxide could increase the chances of surviving a poisonous snakebite.The scientists injected rats with a deadly amount of snake venom.Then they rubbed an ointment(软膏)containing nitric oxide on the skin around the injection site.The study found that the rats lived about one-third longer than if nitric oxide had not been used.But the treatment had to be started very quickly.
Dirk van Helden led the research.He says the nitric oxide ointment also showed promise in humans.The study appeared earlier this year in the journal Nature Medicine.Scientists say the findings could help save many lives.A recent study found that poisonous snakes cause as many as ninety-four thousand deaths worldwide each year.But Ulrich Kuch of the Biodiversity and Climate Research Center in Frankfurt,Germany,says that number appears to be low.
Mr Kuch says many deaths could be prohibited if snakebite victims are treated correctly,but they often go to traditional healers or do not seek any help at all.He said,“Sometimes it’s because there is no treatment available—no antivenom(抗蛇毒血清),which is the specific(特殊的)drug to treat snakebites—or health care staff do not know how to treat snakebites,and sometimes its because transportation to get to a health facility is not available or too expensive.
Here is no single antivenom that can be used to treat all snakebites.The antivenom must be specific to the kind of snake that bit the person.In some countries the treatment is costly,while in others there is no such treatment.What is this passage mainly about?( )
| A．Snakebite deaths around the world. |
| B．Progress in fighting snakebite deaths. |
| C．Snakebite treatment around the world. |
| D．The chances of surviving a poisonous snakebite. |
After being rubbed an ointment containing nitric oxide,the rats .
| A．suffered no pain | B．died immediately |
| C．lived a little longer | D．started feeling uncomfortable |
What does Paragraph 3 suggest?( )
| A．The number of deaths caused by snakebites is becoming lower each year. |
| B．The nitric oxide ointment has saved thousands of people’s lives. |
| C．It is very important to find an effective way to treat snakebites. |
| D．The number of deaths caused by snakebites worldwide is low. |
What does the underlined word “prohibited” in Paragraph 4 mean?( )
| A．caused. | B．considered. |
| C．examined. | D．prevented. |
What is implied in the last paragraph?( )
| A．Antivenom can be made very easily. |
| B．It’s very important to use the correct antivenom to treat snakebite victims. |
| C．Antivenom is extremely expensive all over the world. |
| D．A person bitten by a snake will survive as long as there is antivenom. |
A painting by Chinese artist Qi Baishi set a record for modern art and calligraphy (书法) on the mainland when it sold for 425.5 million yuan at an auction (拍卖) on May 22. The sale was a milestone (里程碑) in the auction of modern and contemporary artworks.
The price meant its value had risen more than 2,000 per cent in six years. The work , Eagle standing on pine tree with four-character coupleti（对联）, measures about 2.6 metres by 1 metre . It was the second highest price paid for an artwork on the mainland . A Song dynasty work by Huang Tingjian was sold for 436.8 million yuan in 2010. Qi’s painting was finished in 1946 when Qi was 86, and was his largest work . With a starting price of 88 million yuan, it attracted nearly 50 bids（出价）in half an hour. Shanghai businessman Liu Yiqian said that the work had belonged to him and had cost less than 20 million yuan in 2005. The auction company said the work was brought back to the mainland after being bought from a private owner in San Francisco six years ago.
China ranked first in global art sales last year, ahead of the United States and Britain . Four Chinese artists were among the top 10 in worldwide sales: Qi Baishi , Zhang Daqian, Xu Beihong and Fu Baoshi. Qi’s works ranked second in sales to Pablo Picasso’s last year . Qi was born into a peasant family in Hunan in 1864. He taught himself to paint and focused on nature including plants, insects, birds and fish. He is mostly well-known for his paintings of shrimps. In 1953, he was elected president of the Association of Chinese Artists. He died in Beijing in 1957.What’s the best title of the text ?
| A．Qi Baishi’s Painting Was Discovered . |
| B．Qi Baishi’ s Painting Was Brought Back . |
| C．Qi Baishi’s Painting Sets an Auction Record . |
| D．The Value of Qi Baishi’s Paintings Is on the Increase . |
Whose artwork sold for the highest price on the mainland ?
| A．Qi Baishi’s . | B．Huang Tingjian’s |
| C．Xu Beihong’s . | D．Zhang Daqian’s . |
The auction price of Qi’s painting was _____ million yuan higher than the starting price in the auction .
| A．337.5 . | B．348.8 . | C．50 . | D．11.3 . |
Which of the following is TRUE ?
| A．Qi finished the painting when he was young . |
| B．The painting was once stolen by an American . |
| C．The owner of this painting Liu Yiqian gained a lot of money . |
| D．Pablo Picasso’s works ranked second in sales to Qi’s last year . |
The text is most probably taken from a _____.
| A．computer book | B．library guide |
| C．technology magazine | D．newspaper report |
Pablo Picasso was born in Spain in 1881. His father was an artist and also an art teacher. He gave little Picasso the first lesson in drawing. The boy showed great interest in it and learned it very quickly. Picasso drew so well that he won a prize – “Science and Charity” for his first important painting at the age 15. Later he studied in several cities in Spain. But no one could teach him because he had known so much.
When he was 19, he visited Paris. At that time, Paris was the center of the world for artists. Everything in the painting world was new to Picasso. When he was 23, he moved to Paris to live and spent the rest of his life in France.
In his 80s, Pablo Picasso still worked like a young man. He kept on looking for new ideas and new ways to work. He never stopped painting all his life.
Pablo Picasso died in 1973 as a great artist in the world. Pablo Picasso was born _____.
| A．in France in 1973 | B．in Spain in 1973 |
| C．in Spain in 1881 | D．in Paris in 1881 |
Pablo Picasso won the prize______.
| A．“Science and Art” at the age of 15 |
| B．“Science and Charity” at the age of 15 |
| C．“Science and Art” at the age of 19 |
| D．Science and Charity” at the age of 23 |
______was the center of the world for artists when Pablo Picasso was young
| A．Spain | B．New York |
| C．London | D．Paris |
Pablo Picasso was good at _________
| A．teacher | B．acting |
| C．painting | D．thinking |
What about Pablo Picasso when he was over 80 years old?________________
| A．He still worked and kept painting all his life |
| B．He gave lessons in drawing |
| C．He studied in several cities in Spain |
| D．He spent the rest of his life with his father |