Katharine Houghton Hepburn was born in Hartford in 1907. The Hepburns made sure to educate their children about important political and social subjects and sports. She rode horses, swam and played golf and tennis.
Katharine graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1928. She soon started appearing in small roles in plays. After a few successful plays, Hollywood filmmakers became interested in her. She later signed with RKO Pictures. Her first movie came out in 1932.
The next year she acted in the film Morning Glory. This gave her the chance to let her acting skills shine. This movie earned Hepburn her first Academy Award for Best Actress.
During the 1930s, critics(评论家) either loved or hated Katharine Hepburn. But Hepburn wanted to face the movie industry in her own way. She did not want to be like other actresses. She did not wear make-up on her face. She would not let photographers take sexy pictures of her.
By the late 1930s, she had become unpopular with the public. But Hepburn was not raised to quit easily. She starred in The Philadelphia Story in 1940. For this movie, Hepburn received another Academy Award nomination(提名) for Best Actress. She had taken control of her career once again.
In 1967, she starred in her last movie with Spencer Tracy. For this movie, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, she won her second Academy Award. She won her third Academy Award the next year for A Lion in Winter. And, in her mid-seventies she won her last Academy Award for On Golden Pond.
Even into her eighties, she kept working. She also wrote several books. In 2003, Katharine Hepburn died.
As part of her last wishes, she helped create the Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center to help support the things that were important to her: film and theater, women’s right, and civic(国民的) responsibility.
1. What do we learn about Katharine Hepburn from the passage?
A. As a little girl, she showed a gift for acting.
B. She was well educated when she was young.
C. She stopped working in her mid-seventies.
D. Her small roles in plays were not good for her movie career.
2. The following movies all won Katharine Hepburn an Academy Award for Best Actress EXCEPT_______.
A. Morning Glory B. A Lion in Winter
C. The Philadelphia Story D. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
3. Which of the following words can best describe Katharine Hepburn?
A. Humorous but mean. B. Independent and successful.
C. Beautiful but unpopular. D. Strict and inexperienced.
4. The passage is developed by______.
A. space order B. comparison C. time order D. listening examples
When "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was first shown to the public last month，a group of excited animal activists gathered on Hollywood Boulevard．But they weren't there to throw red paint on fur﹣coat﹣wearing film stars．Instead，one activist，dressed in a full﹣body monkey suit，had arrived with a sign praising the filmmakers："Thanks for not using real apes（猿）!"
The creative team behind "Apes" used motion﹣capture（动作捕捉）technology to create digitalized animals，spending tens of millions of dollars on technology that records an actor's performance and later processes it with computer graphics to create a final image（图象）．In this case，one of a realistic﹣looking ape．
Yet "Apes" is more exception than the rule．In fact，Hollywood has been hot on live animals lately．One nonprofit organization，which monitors the treatment of animals in filmed entertainment， is keeping tabs onmore than 2，000 productions this year．Already，a number of films，including "Water for Elephants，" "The Hangover Part Ⅱ" and "Zookeeper，" have drawn the anger of activists who say the creatures acting in them haven't been treated properly．
In some cases，it's not so much the treatment of the animals on set in the studio that has activists worried；it's the off﹣set training and living conditions that are raising concerns．And there are questions about the films made outside the States，which sometimes are not monitored as closely as productions filmed in the States．
（1）Why did the animal activists gather on Hollywood Boulevard？
| A． |
To see famous film stars． |
| B． |
To oppose wearing fur coats． |
| C． |
To raise money for animal protection． |
| D． |
To express thanks to some filmmakers． |
（2）What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about？
| A． |
The cost of making "Apes．" |
| B． |
The creation of digitalized apes． |
| C． |
The publicity about "Apes．" |
| D． |
The performance of real apes． |
（3）What does the underlined phrase "keeping tabs on" in paragraph 3 probably mean？
| A． |
Listing completely． |
| B． |
Directing professionally． |
| C． |
Promoting successfully． |
| D． |
Watching carefully． |
（4）What can we infer from the last paragraph about animal actors？
| A． |
They may be badly treated． |
| B． |
They should take further training． |
| C． |
They could be traded illegally． |
| D． |
They would lose popularity． |
Journey Back in Time with Scholars
Classical Provence（13 days）
Journey through the beautiful countryside of Provence，France，with Prof．Ori Z．Soltes．We will visit some of the best﹣preserved Roman monuments in the world．Our tour also includes a chance to walk in the footsteps of Van Gogh and Gauguin．Fields of flowers，tile﹣roofed（瓦屋顶）villages and tasty meals enrich this wonderful experience．
Southern Spain（15 days）
Spain has lovely white towns and the scent（芳香）of oranges，but it is also a treasury of ancient remains including the cities left by the Greeks，Romans and Arabs．As we travel south from Madrid with Prof．Ronald Messier to historic Toledo，Roman Merida and into Andalucia，we explore historical monuments and architecture．
China's Sacred Landscapes（21 days）
Discover the China of "past ages，" its walled cities，temples and mountain scenery with Prof．Robert Thorp．Highlights（精彩之处）include China's most sacred peaks at Mount Tai and Hangzhou's rolling hills，waterways and peaceful temples．We will wander in traditional small towns and end our tour with an exceptional museum in Shanghai．
Tunisia（17 days）
Join Prof．Pedar Foss on our in﹣depth Tunisian tour．Tour highlights include the Roman city of Dougga，the underground Numidian capital at Bulla Regia，Roman Sbeitla and the remote areas around Tataouine and Matmata，unique for underground cities．Our journey takes us to picturesque Berber villages and lovely beaches．
（1）What can visitors see in both Classical Provence and Southern Spain？
| A． |
Historical monuments． |
| B． |
Fields of flowers． |
| C． |
Van Gogh's paintings． |
| D． |
Greek buildings． |
（2）Which country is Prof．Thorp most knowledgeable about？
| A． |
France． |
| B． |
Spain． |
| C． |
China． |
| D． |
Tunisia． |
（3）Which of the following highlights the Tunisian tour？
| A． |
White towns． |
| B． |
Underground cities． |
| C． |
Tile﹣roofed villages． |
| D． |
Rolling hills． |
I have a special place in my heart for libraries．I have for as long as I can remember．I was always an enthusiastic reader，sometimes reading up to three books a day as a child．Stories were like air to me and while other kids played ball or went to parties，I lived out adventures through the books I checked out from the library．
My first job was working at the Ukiah Library when I was 16 years old． It was a dream job and I did everything from shelving books to reading to the children for story time．
As I grew older and became a mother， the library took on a new place and an added meaningin my life． I had several children and books were our main source （来源） of entertainment． It was a big deal for us to load up and go to the local library， where my kids could pick out books to read or books they wanted me to read to them．
I always read， using different voices， as though I were acting out the stories with my voice and they loved it! It was a special time to bond with my children and it filled them with the wonderment of books．
Now，I see my children taking their children to the library and I love that the excitement of going to the library lives on from generation to generation．
As a novelist， I've found a new relationship with libraries． I encourage readers to go to their local library when they can't afford to purchase a book． I see libraries as a safe haven （避风港）for readers and writers， a bridge that helps put together a reader with a book． Libraries， in their own way， help fight book piracy （盗版行为）and I think all writers should support libraries in a significant way when they can． Encourage readers to use the library． Share library announcements on your social media． Frequent them and talk about them when you can．
（1）Which word best describes the author's relationship with books as a child？
| A． |
Cooperative． |
| B． |
Uneasy． |
| C． |
Inseparable． |
| D． |
Casual． |
（2）What does the underlined phrase "an added meaning" in paragraph 3 refer to？
| A． |
Pleasure from working in the library． |
| B． |
Joy of reading passed on in the family． |
| C． |
Wonderment from acting out the stories． |
| D． |
A closer bond developed with the readers． |
（3）What does the author call on other writers to do？
| A． |
Sponsor book fairs． |
| B． |
Write for social media． |
| C． |
Support libraries． |
| D． |
Purchase her novels． |
（4）Which can be a suitable title for the text？
| A． |
Reading： A Source of Knowledge |
| B． |
My Idea about Writing |
| C． |
Library： A Haven for the Young |
| D． |
My Love of the Library |
When you were trying to figure out what to buy for the environmentalist on your holiday list，fur probably didn't cross your mind．But some ecologists and fashion（时装）enthusiasts are trying to bring back the market for fur made from nutria（海狸鼠）．
Unusual fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn have showcased nutria fur made into clothes in different styles．"It sounds crazy to talk about guilt﹣free fur ﹣unless you understand that the nutria are destroying vast wetlands every year，" says Cree McCree，project director of Righteous Fur．
Scientists in Louisiana were so concerned that they decided to pay hunters ＄5 a tail．Some of the fur ends up in the fashion shows like the one in Brooklyn last month．
Nutria were brought there from Argentina by fur farmers and let go into the wild．"The ecosystem down there can't handle this non﹣native species（物种）．It's destroying the environment．It's them or us，" says Michael Massimi，an expert in this field．
The fur trade kept nutria in check for decades，but when the market for nutria collapsedin the late 1980s，the cat﹣sized animals multiplied like crazy．
Biologist Edmond Mouton runs the nutria control program for Louisiana．He says it's not easy to convince people that nutria fur is green，but he has no doubt about it．Hunters bring in more than 300，000 nutria tails a year，so part of Mouton's job these days is trying to promote fur．
Then there's Righteous Fur and its unusual fashions．Model Paige Morgan says，"To give people a guilt﹣free option that they can wear without someone throwing paint on them ﹣ I think that's going to be a massive thing，at least here in New York．" Designer Jennifer Anderson admits it took her a while to come around to the opinion that using nutria fur for her creations is morally acceptable．She's trying to come up with a label to attach to nutria fashions to show it is eco﹣friendly．
（1）What is the purpose of the fashion shows in New Orleans and Brooklyn？
| A． |
To promote guilt﹣free fur． |
| B． |
To expand the fashion market． |
| C． |
To introduce a new brand． |
| D． |
To celebrate a winter holiday． |
（2）Why are scientists concerned about nutria？
| A． |
Nutria damage the ecosystem seriously． |
| B． |
Nutria are an endangered species． |
| C． |
Nutria hurt local cat﹣sized animals． |
| D． |
Nutria are illegally hunted． |
（3）What does the underlined word "collapsed" in paragraph 5 probably mean？
| A． |
Boomed． |
| B． |
Became mature． |
| C． |
Remained stable． |
| D． |
Crashed． |
（4）What can we infer about wearing fur in New York according to Morgan？
| A． |
It's formal． |
| B． |
It's risky． |
| C． |
It's harmful． |
| D． |
It's traditional． |
Some parents will buy any high﹣tech toy if they think it will help their child，but researchers said puzzles help children with math﹣related skills．
Psychologist Susan Levine，an expert on mathematics development in young children at the University of Chicago，found children who play with puzzles between ages 2 and 4 later develop better spatial skills．Puzzle play was found to be a significant predictor of cognition（认知）after controlling for differences in parents' income，education and the amount of parent talk，Levine said．
The researchers analyzed video recordings of 53 child﹣parent pairs during everyday activities at home and found children who play with puzzles between 26 and 46 months of age have better spatial skills when assessed at 54 months of age．
"The children who played with puzzles performed better than those who did not，on tasks that assessed their ability to rotate（旋转）and translate shapes，" Levine said in a statement．
The parents were asked to interact with their children as they normally would， and about half of the children in the study played with puzzles at one time．Higher﹣income parents tended to have children play with puzzles more frequently，and both boys and girls who played with puzzles had better spatial skills．However，boys tended to play with more complex puzzles than girls，and the parents of boys provided more spatial language and were more active during puzzle play than the parents of girls．
The findings were published in the journal Developmental Science．
（1）In which aspect do children benefit from puzzle play？
| A． |
Building confidence． |
| B． |
Developing spatial skills． |
| C． |
Learning self﹣control． |
| D． |
Gaining high﹣tech knowledge． |
（2）What did Levine take into consideration when designing her experiment？
| A． |
Parents' age． |
| B． |
Children's imagination． |
| C． |
Parents' education． |
| D． |
Child﹣parent relationship． |
（3）How do boys differ from girls in puzzle play？
| A． |
They play with puzzles more often． |
| B． |
They tend to talk less during the game． |
| C． |
They prefer to use more spatial language． |
| D． |
They are likely to play with tougher puzzles． |
（4）What is the text mainly about？
| A． |
A mathematical method． |
| B． |
A scientific study． |
| C． |
A woman psychologist． |
| D． |
A teaching program． |