Vienna——In spite of Iraq’s decision to stop oil deliveries, the 11- nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries（OPEC）will not increase production to make up the shortfall, ministers decided Tuesday in Vienna.
The 11 oil ministers decided to meet again on July 3 to discuss the effects of the Iraq temporary stop. The organization’s president, Charkid Kheria of Algeria, said after the meeting that stocks were high and prices were stable, so quota increases were not necessary.
The E.U. Commission has expressed concern about Iraq’s output stop. A speaker said OPEC had to take all possible measures to keep or lower the oil price.
Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali Al-Nuaimi had earlier said there would not be any shortfall of oil in the market. The organization had already taken steps to fill the gap, he said. OPEC Secretary General Ali Rodriguez added that the period of Iraq’s output stop was not known, so other exporters were not going to lift quotas yet. If the market was destabilized（使……动摇）, a suitable response could be made.
Iraq on Monday stopped shipments of crude oil to protest against the U.N. Security Council’s decision to extend the oil-for-food programme by only a month, instead of the normal six-month renewal. Just before the Vienna meeting, oil prices had gone up, with a barrel of OPEC crude oil selling for 27.05 dollars, up from 26.81 dollars last Friday. North sea oil was at 29.26 dollars Monday evening.
OPEC wants the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars and achieved that with cuts in January and March that reduced 2.5 million barrels per day off quotas（配额）.Iraq made the decision to stop oil deliveries because ___________.
| A．oil price is too low in international market. |
| B．The U.N. Secretary Council has decided to shorten the time of extension of the oil-for-food programme |
| C．Many oil wells were destroyed during the war in the late 1980s |
| D．It couldn’t get enough money to develop its economy |
The attitude the E.U. Commission took towards Iraq’s output stop is ________.
| A．active | B．concerned |
| C．cold | D．surprised |
The underlined words“The organization”here refers to ________.
| A．OPEC | B．the E.U. Commission |
| C．Vienna | D．WTO |
The main idea of the passage is ________.
| A．the oil prices in the world were stable though Iraq has stopped oil deliveries |
| B．OPEC has controlled the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars |
| C．OPEC will not increase oil production to make up the shortfall that caused by Iraq |
| D．Oil is connected with people’s daily life |
The 11 oil ministers decided to meet on July 3 so that _________.
| A．they can persuade Iraq to continue oil production |
| B．they can have a talk with the U.N. Security Council |
| C．they can have a discussion about the effects of Iraq’s temporary output stop |
| D．they can make up their minds to increase oil production |
In a room at Texas Children Cancer Center in Houston, eight-year-old Simran Jatar lay in bed with a drip (点滴) above her to fight her bone cancer. Over her bald (秃的) head, she wore a pink hat that matched her clothes. But the third grader’s cheery dressing didn’t mask her pain and weary(疲倦的) eyes.
Then a visitor showed up. “Do you want to write a song?” asked Anita Kruse, 49, rolling a cart equipped with an electronic（电子） keyboard, a microphone and speakers（扬声器）. Simran stared. “Have you ever written a poem?” Anita Kruse continued. “Well, yes,” Simran said.
Within minutes, Simran was reading her poem into the microphone. “Some bird soaring through the sky,” she said softly. “Imagination in its head…” Anita Kruse added piano music, a few warbling (鸣, 唱) birds, and finally the girl’s voice. Thirty minutes later, she presented Simran with a CD of her first recorded song.
That was the beginning of Anita Kruse’s project, Purple Songs Can Fly, one that has helped more than 125 young patients write and record songs. As a composer（作曲家） and pianist who had performed at the hospital, Kruse said that the idea of how she could help “came in one flash”.
The effect on the kids has been great. One teenage girl, curling (蜷缩) in pain in her wheelchair, stood unaided to dance to a hip-hop song she had written. A 12-year-old boy with Hodgkin’s disease who rarely spoke surprised his doctors with a song he called I Can Make It.
“My time with the kids is heartbreaking because of the severity of their illnesses,” says Anita Kruse. “But they also make you happy, when the children are smiling, excited to share their CD with their families.”
Simran is now an active sixth grader and cancer-free. From time to time, she and her mother listen to her song, Always Remembering, and they always remember the “really sweet and nice and loving” lady who gave them a shining moment in the dark hour.Simran Jatar lay in bed in hospital because ______.
| A．most of her hair had fallen out |
| B．she was receiving treatment for cancer |
| C．she felt depressed（沮丧的） and quit from school |
| D．she was suffering from a pain in her back |
What do we know about Anita Kruse’s project?
| A．It helps young patients record songs. |
| B．It is supported by singers and patients. |
| C．It aims to replace the medical treatment. |
| D．It offers patients chances to realize their dreams. |
What does the case（实例） of a 12-year-old boy suggest?
| A．Most children are naturally fond of music. |
| B．He was brave enough to put up performance. |
| C．The project has positive effect on young patients. |
| D．Singing is the best way to treat some illnesses. |
What is probably the best title for the passage?
| A．Purple Songs Can Fly |
| B．Singing Can Improve Health |
| C．A Shining Moment in Life |
| D．A Kind Woman—Anita Kruse |
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 |
One summer night Ludwig Beethoven took a walk in the suburb (市郊) of Bonn. Suddenly a gentle wind came. He heard some music. He listened carefully and found it was his F sonata. He followed the music and came to a small house. There through the window, he saw a girl playing a very old piano and a young man was making shoes beside her, he pushed the door open and went in. The host received him very warmly and told him that the girl was his sister, who was blind but very fond of music. They couldn’t afford to send her to a master. So she was only trying to play some music she heard the neighbors play. She knew it was the work of a great composer. Beethoven was very much moved. Suddenly the candle was blown out. Moonlight struck on the girl’s slender figure. Then Beethoven played music for them. He played so wonderful that the brother and sister were amazed. That was his famous Clair de lune.Beethoven heard the music because ______.
| A．it was played loudly | B．there was a slight wind |
| C．the piano was old | D．he stopped walking |
The young man and the girl were _____.
| A．brother and sister | B．husband and wife |
| C．lovers | D．good friends |
The girl couldn’t go to the teacher most probably because_____.
| A．she was blind |
| B．her brother didn’t want her to go |
| C．they were too poor |
| D．good friends |
Beethoven played some music____.
| A．before he was moved |
| B．as soon as he came in |
| C．when he saw the piano |
| D．after he heard the moving story |
Beethoven, a famous musician in the world, was born in Germany in 1770.
In his childhood Beethoven didn’t have a happy life．His father was a singer. When he was only four, his father began to make him practise hour after hour on different musical instruments(乐器). If he did not put his heart into it, his father would beat him or make it hard on him.
Beethoven loved music and he learned so fast that he was able to go around to give concerts, when he was only a boy of eleven. At the age of seventeen, he won high praise from Mozart, the great musician at that time.
Beethoven was often poor and ill during his life. After one illness, he suddenly found himself deaf. At that time he was only thirty-one. It was a blow(打击)to him indeed.
But he still went on working and writing music pieces. To people’s surprise, some of his best pieces were written after he lost his hearing.
In 1827, leaving more than 300 pieces, the great musician died. But his name is still remembered to this day.Beethoven was a ______ musician.
| A．America | B．French |
| C．German | D．British |
What happened when he was thirty-one? ___________.
| A．He was blind | B．He was deaf |
| C．He gave concerts | D．He won high praise |
Why didn’t Beethoven have a happy life in his childhood? ___________.
| A．Because his family was poor |
| B．Because he had to practise a lot of musical instruments |
| C．Because his father was strict with him |
| D．Both B and C |
The great musician lived in the world for only ______ years.
| A．43 | B．70 | C．57 | D．60 |
When were some of his best pieces written? ____________.
| A．At the age of 11 |
| B．At the age of 17 |
| C．Before he was deaf |
| D．After he became deaf |
What did Beethoven do after he lost his hearing? ____________.
| A．He never gave in |
| B．He stopped writing music pieces |
| C．He lost his heart |
| D．He went to see a doctor |