Watercolouristheoldestpaintskn-优题课

According to sociologists(社会学家), every modern industrial society has some form of social stratification(阶层). Class, power and status are important in deciding people's rank in society.
Class means a person's economic position in society. A commonly used classification is lower class, middle class and upper class. While sociologists disagree on how these terms should be exactly defined, they do describe societies like the United States quite well. One study shows that 53% of Americans belong to the lower class, 46% the middle class, and 1% the upper class. Interestingly, a surgeon earning $500,000 a year and a bus driver earning $50,000 a year both regard themselves as the middle class!
Power refers to the amount of control a person has over other people. Obviously, people in positions of great power (such as governors) exercise(行使)big power, but people who take orders from others have less power. Power and class do not always go hand in hand, however. For example, the governor of a state has great power, but he or she may not belong to a corresponding (相应的)economic class. Generally, however, there is a relationship between power and class. To our knowledge, there aren't too many people who aren't millionaires in the U．S. Senate!
Status is the honor or respect attached to a person's position in society. It can also be affected by power and class, but not necessarily so. For example, a university professor may have a high status but not belong to a high social class or have a lot of power over others.
What can we learn about “the middle class” from Paragraph 2?

A．People earning $50,000 a year belong to the middle class.

B．Nearly half Americans belong to the middle class.

C．People generally consider bus drivers as the middle class.

D．Sociologists have a clear definition of the middle class.

According to the text, we know that ________.

A．power and class do not always correspond with each other

B．status refers to a person's economic position in society

C．people with high status have a lot of control over others

D．class is less important in deciding a person's social rank

Which of the following shows the structure of the whole text?

(2013·安徽，D)
“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before，” says Patsy Rowe, “Manners_
have_fallen_off_the_radar(雷达)．” Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment, it is a wonder more people don't wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint(抱怨)about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the Internet. To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward. It feels very slow because humans don't work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings lifechanging news, so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous(匿名的) rude messages by email.
However, rudeness is never acceptable. Don't assume it is OK to be rude if the person you're in touch with won't recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.
We shouldn't blame technology for our shortcomings.Technology is here to help us，but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step is acknowledging our shortcomings.People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more helpful if we'd publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.
What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?

A．People can tell good from bad behavior.

B．Radar is able to observe human behavior.

C．People care little about their behavior.

D．Radar can be used to predict human behavior.

Some people are less willing to deal with humans because ________.

A．they are becoming less patient

B．they are growing too independent

C．they have to handle many important messages

D．they have to follow an evolutionary step backward

The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is ________.

A．ridiculous	B．disgusting
C．acceptable	D．reasonable

What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．We should applaud good behavior.

B．Technology can never be blamed.

C．We should keep pointing out mistakes.

D．Technology will take over our lives one day.

(2013·辽宁，B)
Going green seems to be a fad(时尚) for a lot of people these days. Whether that is good or bad, we can't really say, but for the two of us, going green is not a fad but a lifestyle.
On April 22, 2011, we decided to go green every single day for an entire year. This meant doing 365 different green things, and it also meant challenging ourselves to go green beyond the easy things. Rather than recycle and reduce our energy, we had to think of 365 different green things to do and this was no easy task.
With the idea of going green every single day for a year, Our Green Year started. My wife and I decided to educate people about how they could go green in their lives and hoped we could show people all the green things that could be done to help the environment. We wanted to push the message that every little bit helps.
Over the course of Our Green Year, we completely changed our lifestyles. We now shop at organic(有机的) stores. We consume less meat, choosing green food. We have greatly reduced our buying we don't need. We have given away half of what we owned through websites. Our home is kept clean by vinegar and lemon juice, with no chemical cleaners. We make our own butter, enjoying the smell of homemade fresh bread. In our home office anyone caught doing something ungreen might be punished.
Our minds have been changed by Our Green Year. We are grateful for the chance to have been able to go green and educate others. We believe that we do have the power to change things and help our planet.
What might be the best title for the passage?

A．Going Green

B．Protecting the Planet

C．Keeping OpenMinded

D．Celebrating Our Green Year

It was difficult for the couple to live a green life for the whole year because ________.

A．they were expected to follow the green fad

B．they didn't know how to educate other people

C．they were unwilling to reduce their energy

D．they needed to perform unusual green tasks

What did the couple do over the course of Our Green Year?

A．They tried to get out of their ungreen habits.

B．They ignored others' ungreen behavior.

C．They chose better chemical cleaners.

D．They sold their homemade food.

What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．The government will give support to the green project.

B．The couple may continue their project in the future.

C．Some people disagree with the couple's green ideas.

D．Our Green Year is becoming a national campaign.

China is a land of bicycles. At least it was back in 1992 when I traveled the country. Back then everyone seemed to be riding a bicycle. Millions of them, all black. Cars were rare. Yet since my arrival in Beijing last year, I've found the opposite is true. There are millions of cars. However, people still use their bicycles to get around. For many, it's the easiest and cheapest way to travel today. Bicycles also come in different colors—silver, green, red, blue, yellow, whatever you want.
It's fun watching people biking. They rush quickly through crossroads, move skillfully through traffic, and ride even on sidewalks(人行道). Bicycles allow people the freedom to move about that cars just can't provide.
Eager to be part of this aspect of Chinese culture, I decided to buy a bicycle. Great weather accompanied my great buy. I immediately jumped up on my bicycle seat and started home.
My first ride home was orderly(守秩序的). To be safe, I stayed with a “pack” of bikers while cars on the streets came running swiftly out of nowhere at times. I didn't want to get hit. So I took the ride carefully.
Crossing the streets was the biggest problem. It was a lot like crossing a major highway back in the United States. The streets here were wide, so crossing took time, skill and a little bit of luck.
I finally made it home. The feeling on the bicycle was amazing. The air hitting my face and going through my hair was wonderful. I was sitting on top of the world as I passed by places and people. Biking made me feel alive.
According to the author, why are bicycles still popular in China today?

A．Because they are traditional and safe.

B．Because they are convenient and inexpensive.

C．Because they are colorful and available.

D．Because they are fast and environment friendly.

The author decided to buy a bicycle because he intended ________.

A．to ride it for fun

B．to use it for transport

C．to experience local culture

D．to improve his riding skills

How did the author feel about his street crossing?

A．It was boring.	B．It was difficult.
C．It was lively.	D．It was wonderful.

Which of the following best describes the author's biking experience?

A．The author enjoyed showing off his biking skills.

B．The author was annoyed by the air while riding.

C．The author was praised by the other bikers.

D．The author took great pleasure in biking.

(2013·天津，D)
When asked about happiness, we usually think of something extraordinary, an absolute delight, which seems to get rarer the older we get.
For kids, happiness has a magical quality. Their delight at winning a race or getting a new bike is unreserved(毫不掩饰的)．
In the teenage years the concept of happiness changes. Suddenly it's conditional on such things as excitement, love and popularity. I can still recall the excitement of being invited to dance with the most attractive boy at the school party.
In adulthood the things that bring deep joy—love, marriage, birth—also bring responsibility and the risk of loss. For adults, happiness is complicated(复杂的)．
My definition of happiness is “the capacity for enjoyment”. The more we can enjoy what we have, the happier we are. It's easy to overlook the pleasure we get from the company of friends, the freedom to live where we please, and even good health.
I experienced my little moments of pleasure yesterday. First I was overjoyed when I shut the last lunchbox and had the house to myself. Then I spent an uninterrupted morning writing, which I love. When the kids and my husband came home, I enjoyed their noise after the quiet of the day.
Psychologists tell us that to be happy we need a mix of enjoyable leisure time and satisfying work. I don't think that my grandmother, who raised 14 children, had much of either. She did have a network of close friends and family, and maybe this is what satisfied her.
We, however, with so many choices and such pressure to succeed in every area, have turned happiness into one more thing we've got to have. We're so selfconscious about our “right” to it that it's making us miserable. So we chase it and equal it with wealth and success, without noticing that the people who have those things aren't necessarily happier.
Happiness isn't about what happens to us—it's about how we see what happens to us. It's the skillful way of finding a positive for every negative. It's not wishing for what we don't have, but enjoying what we do possess.
As people grow older, they ________.

A．feel it harder to experience happiness

B．associate their happiness less with others

C．will take fewer risks in pursuing happiness

D．tend to believe responsibility means happiness

What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 5 and 6?

A．She cares little about her own health.

B．She enjoys the freedom of traveling.

C．She is easily pleased by things in daily life.

D．She prefers getting pleasure from housework.

What can be informed from Paragraph 7?

A．Psychologists think satisfying work is key to happiness.

B．Psychologists' opinion is well proved by Grandma' case.

C．Grandma often found time for social gatherings.

D．Grandma's happiness came from modest expectations of life.

People who equal happiness with wealth and success ______.

A．consider pressure something blocking their way

B．stress their right to happiness too much

C．are at a loss to make correct choices

D．are more likely to be happy

What can be concluded from the passage?

A．Happiness lies between the positive and the negative.

B．Each man is the master of his own fate.

C．Success leads to happiness.

D．Happy is he who is content.

A．it was easy to use outdoors	B．it was a strong medium
C．it was extremely bright in colour	D．it was suited to popular tastes

A．The works of famous US watercolour artists	B．Modern American oil painters
C．The weakness of oils as popular paints	D．Techniques of producing watercolour