Throughout the history of the arts, the nature of creativity has remained constant to artists. No matter what objects they select, artists are to bring forth new forces and forms that cause change—to find poetry where no one has ever seen or experienced it before.
Landscape(风景) is another unchanging element of art. It can be found from ancient times through the 17th-century Dutch painters to the 19th-century romanticists and impressionists. In the 1970s Alfred Leslie, one of the new American realists, continued this practice. Leslie sought out the same place where Thomas Cole, a romanticist, had produced paintings of the same scene a century and a half before. Unlike Cole who insists on a feeling of loneliness and the idea of finding peace in nature, Leslie paints what he actually sees. In his paintings, there is no particular change in emotion, and he includes ordinary things like the highway in the background. He also takes advantage of the latest developments of color photography(摄影术) to help both the eye and the memory when he improves his painting back in his workroom.
Besides, all art begs the age-old question: What is real? Each generation of artists has shown their understanding of reality in one form or another. The impressionists saw reality in brief emotional effects, the realists in everyday subjects and in forest scenes, and the Cro-Magnon cave people in their naturalistic drawings of the animals in the ancient forests. To sum up, understanding reality is a necessary struggle for artists of all periods.
Over thousands of years the function of the arts has remained relatively constant. Past or present, Eastern or Western, the arts are a basic part of our immediate experience. Many and different are the faces of art, and together they express the basic need and hope of human beings. Leslie's paintings are extraordinary because_______ .
| A．they are close in style to works in ancient times |
| B．they look like works by 19th-century painters |
| C．they draw attention to common things in life |
| D．they depend heavily on color photography |
What is the author's opinion of artistic reality?
| A．It will not be found in future works of art. |
| B．It does not have a long-lasting standard. |
| C．It is expressed in a fixed artistic form. |
| D．It is lacking in modern works of art. |
What does the author suggest about the arts in the last paragraph?
| A．They express people's curiosity about the past. |
| B．They make people interested in everyday experience. |
| C．They are considered important for variety in form. |
| D．They are regarded as a mirror of the human situation. |
I heard many parents complaining that their teenage children are rebelling. I wish it
were so. At your age you ought to be growing away from your parents. You should be learning to stand on your own two feet. But take a good look at the present rebellion. It seems that teenagers are taking the same way of showing that they disagree with their parents. Instead of striking out boldly on their own, most of them are clutching (紧握) at one another’s hands for reassurance.
They claim they want to dress as they please. But they all wear the same clothes. They set off in new directions in music. But somehow they all end up huddled (聚在一起) round listening to the same record. Their reason for thinking or acting in thus-and-such a way is that the crowd is doing it. They have come out of their cocoon (蚕茧) into a larger cocoon.
It has become harder and harder for a teenager to stand up against the popularity wave and to go his or her own way. Industry has firmly carved out a teenage market. These days every teenager can learn from the advertisements what a teenager should have and be. And many of today’s parents have come to award high marks for the popularity of their children. All this adds up to a great barrier for the teenager who wants to find his or her own path.
But the barrier is worth climbing over. The path is worth following. You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party. You may want to collect rocks when everyone else is collecting records. You may have some thoughts that you don’t care to share at once wi
th your classmates. Well, go to it. Find yourself. Be yourself. Popularity will come — with the people who respect you for who you are. That is the only kind of popularity that really counts. In this passage, the author wants to tell _______.
| A．readers to try to be popular with people around |
| B．teenagers to try to pursue their real selves |
| C．parents to try to control and guide their children |
| D．people to try to understand and respect each other |
The author disapproves of rebelling teenagers _______.
| A．growing away from their parents | B．turning to their friends for hel p |
| C．walking a new way on their own | D．following the popularity trend |
The phrase “a larger cocoon” at the end of the second paragraph refers to _______.
| A．the distractive and variable society | B．the popularity wave in the society |
| C．the parental care and love | D．the dazzling music world |
What does the author think of advertisements?
| A．Convincing. | B．Instructive. | C．Influential. | D．Authoritative. |
According to the author, what might happen when a teenager stands up against the popularity wave and follows his/her own path?
| A．He/She gains valuable popularity. | B．He/She loses good friends. |
| C．He/She faces all kinds of criticism. | D．He/She falls behind the time. |
As is known, healthy foods can help save your life. Now, here is a list of healthy foods that can save your memory. It is best that every person knows what he eats, as he takes in, can make or break himself, in terms of health.
Fish is helpful in regaining back the kind of memory that a person once has. Eating fish can help you save the trouble of forgetfulness. Vegetables rich in fiber and other dark and green leafy kinds are very suitable for people who want to avoid mental blocks. These foods contain high units of vitamin E.
Another food that is considered having different effects on preventing this brain deficiency (缺陷) is avocado (鳄梨), which is also rich in vitamins E and C. It is really good to know these healthy foods that can save your memory are always at hand so as to help you in your fight against diseases. Sunflower seeds are regarded as Vitamin C-powered seeds and also give you enough energy.
As for red wine, do not over consume it, as it is said to have to be taken in moderate amounts in order to help the body. Over-drinking can cause illness and like anything else. This is considered as one of the healthy foods that can save your memory; alcohol can otherwise lose it.
It is better to consume colored bread, rice and whole grains for you to get the best out of fiber. These foods can lower the body’s risk of being infected with Alzheimer’s disease（老年痴呆病）.
Knowing the healthy foods that can save your memory is living the life that you have longed and desired. Among the others, the best, of course, is exercise. Taking in different kind of exercises, physical activities or sports can keep both your body and mind healthy. If you suffer from loss of memory, you _______.
| A．should eat cucumbers and cabbages | B．can drink as much wine as possible |
C．had better take in fish in your meals |
D．may as well take more Vitamin C |
To prevent mental disease from happening, _______.
| A．people are advised to take avocados | B．it is best to eat vegetables high in fiber |
| C．it is better to have more sunflower seeds | D．red wine is the first and best choice |
Which of the following is the most important for health?
| A．Drinking a proper amount of red wine every day. |
| B．Eating bread made of whole grains. |
| C．Adding Vitamin C-powered seeds to meals. |
| D．Taking moderate exercise every day. |
How many means for health does the author mention in the passage?
| A．Six | B．Seven | C．Eight | D．Nine |
Which of the following is most suitable for the passage?
(①="Para.1" ②="Para.2" ③="Para.3" ④="Para.4" ⑤="Para.5" ⑥=Para.6)
①①
↙↘↙↘
| A．②③④⑤ | B．②③④⑤ ↖↗↖↗ ⑥⑥ ①① ↙↘↙↘ |
| C．②③④⑤ | D．②③ |
↖↗↙↘
⑥④ ⑤
↖↗
⑥
The 92-year-old, thin, calm and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, even though she is nearly blind, moved to a nursing home today.
Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the hall of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.
As she walked slowly to lift, I provided a true description of her tiny room, including the old sheets(床单) that had been hung on her window. “I love it.” She said with the happiness.
“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room…. Just wait..” “That doesn’t matter.” She replied. “ Happiness is something you decide ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged. It is how I arrange my mind, I have already decided to lobe it. It is a decision I make every morning when I wake up. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I will focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away.” She went on to explain, “Old age is like a bank account(帐户). You put what you have in. So, my advice to you would be to put in a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank.” And with a smile, she said, “All my memories are happy ones.”
Mr. Jones was always happy in the nursing home and she died at the age of 108. We can infer from the passage that the writer_____________.
| A．is one of Mrs. Jones children |
| B．is a relative of Mrs. Jones |
| C．works in the nursing home |
| D．is the owner of the nursing house |
The room in which the old lady will live ____________.
| A．isn’t in good condition |
| B．is fairly big |
| C．is very comfortable |
| D．is equipped with new furniture |
Which of the following words can best describe Mrs. Jones?
| A．Proud | B．Pleasant |
| C．Loyal | D．Honest |
The author intends to tell us_________________.
| A．why the lonely woman was happy |
| B．what a nursing home was alike |
| C．how to live a long life |
| D．how to lead a happy life |
Matt grows the best vegetables in the village. He grows fruit too – big, sweet apples and oranges. And what else? Well, the biggest and the prettiest flowers.
Things grow in Matt’s garden all through the year. He cuts some flowers for his sitting room table; and of course , he eats some fruit and vegetables. But he sells everything else in the market. Matt is not a poor man.
He knows a few other gardens; but he does not have any friends. You might ask, “What is that?” Why doesn’t he have friends. I will tell you. People do not understand him. And they do not understand his garden. “Why not?” You will ask. “It is a very good garden, isn’t it?” It is a wonderful garden. Matt plants things in spring, summer, autumn and winter. After that he does very little work. He sits in the garden with his small radio. And everything grows.
People ask, “How does Matt grow these wonderful things? He waters the plants sometimes, but he doesn’t do anything else. He just sits under an orange tree with his radio. He listens to music nearly all day!” and that is all quite true. People cannot understand it, and so they don’t like it very much.
Matt likes music. But what about the garden? Who does the work? I will tell you another true thing: the music does the work. All plants love music; and Matt knows that.
Do you want big vegetables and the loveliest flowers? Well, just give your plants a lot of music.There are not only vegetables and flowers, but also ________ in Matt’s garden.
| A．plants | B．fruit trees | C．ants | D．crops |
Matt makes a living by ___________
| A．selling his vegetables, fruit and flowers | B．growing trees in his garden |
| C．working in the market | D．helping other people growing plants |
Everything in Matt’s garden grows well because ______
| A．he has a good garden |
| B．he is good at growing things and likes listening to the radio |
| C．music helps his plants a lot |
| D．he is very hardworking |
People don’t like Matt because ____________
| A．he doesn’t give them any vegetables or fruit | B．he listens to the radio too much |
| C．they don’t understand him | D．Matt doesn’t let them listen to his radio |
If we observe carefully, we van find that most of the flowers in nature are red, orange and yellow. If we have seen a black flower, it’s a chance in million. People have made a census(普查)to colours of more than four thousand kinds of flowers and discovered that only eight of them are black. Why?
As we know, sunlight is formed by seven different kinds of coloured light. The wave length of each light changes, so the quantity of heat in each light changes, too. Flowers, especially their petals(花瓣), are very delicate(纤弱) and prone(易于) to the harm caused by high temperature. Black flowers can take in all the light waves, which cause the flowers to dry up in a high temperature. So black flowers can rarely survive sunlight. But red flowers, orange flowers and yellow flowers can protect themselves from sunlight by reflecting the red light, orange light and yellow light, each of which has a large quantity of heat.
That is why red, orange and yellow flowers are very common in nature while black flowers are so rare. We can hardly find black flowers because _____.
| A．they are so weak that it’s difficult for them to grow up |
| B．there are no black flowers in the world. |
| C．the petals of black flowers are very delicate |
| D．they can take in the light of all wave lengths, which make the flowers dry up |
Sunlight is formed by _____.
| A．many different kinds of coloured light |
| B．three different kinds of coloured light—red, orange and yellow |
| C．seven different kinds of coloured light |
| D．four thousand kinds of coloured light |
The red, orange or yellow light contains _____.
| A．less heat than the other lights | B．more heat than the other lights |
| C．a great deal of heat | D．a little heat |
“It is a chance in a million” means_____________
| A．it is common | B．it is extremely rare | C．it’s lucky | D．it’s impossible |