When Frida Kahlo's paintings were on show in London, a poet described her paintings as “ a ribbon （丝带）around a bomb”. Such comments seem to suggest Kahlo had a big influence on the art world of her time. Sadly, she is actually a much bigger name today than she was during her time.
Born in 1907 in a village near Mexico City , Kahlo suffered from polio（小儿麻痹症）at the age of seven. Her spine （脊柱）become bent as she grew older. Then, in 1925, her back was broken in several places in a school-bus accident. Throughout the rest of her life, the artist had many operations, but nothing was able to cure the terrible pain in her back. However, the accident had an unexpected side effect. While lying in her bed recovering, Kahlo taught herself to paint.
In 1929, she got married to Diego Rivera, another famous Mexican artist. Rivera’s strong influences on Kahlo’s style can be seen in her early works, but her later works from the 1940s, known today as her best works, show less influence from her husband.
Unfortunately, her works did not attract much attention in the 1930s and1940s, even in her home country. Her first one-woman show in Mexico was not held until 1953.For more than a decade after her death in 1954, Kahlo’s works remained largely unnoticed by the world, but in the 1970s her works began to gain international fame at last. What does the phrase “a much bigger name” in paragraph 1 most nearly mean?
| A．a far better artist |
| B．a far more gifted artist |
| C．a much stronger person |
| D．a much more famous person |
The terrible pain Kahlo suffered was caused by .
| A．polio |
| B．back injuries |
| C．the operations she had |
| D．her bent spine |
Kahlo’s style had become increasingly independent since the .
| A．1950s | B． 1930s | C．1940s | D．1970s |
What is author’s attitude toward Kahlo?
| A．Devotion | B．Sympathy | C．Worry | D．Encouragement |
四、阅读理解
Michael Jackson, the American pop legend, died of a cardiac arrest（心脏骤停) in a Los Angeles hospital last night, just weeks before he hoped to resurrect（复活) his four-decade long career with a series of sold-out shows in London．The pop superstar was taken to the University of California at Los Angeles medical centre last night, and doctors tried resuscitation（使苏醒，使复活） in the ambulance．He did not regain consciousness and was reported dead about three hours later．
"My brother, the legendary King of Pop, passed away on Thursday 25 June at 2．26pm," his brother Jermaine said, "We believe he suffered a cardiac arrest at his home, however the cause of his death is unknown until the results of the autopsy（验尸) are known．The personal physician who was with him at the time attempted to resuscitated him．"
A spokesman for the UCLA medical centre said, "When he arrived at hospital at approximately 1．14pm, a team of doctors attempted to resuscitate him for a period of more than one hour, they were unsuccessful．" Police said they were investigating, which is standard procedure in such cases．
Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long decline from his peak in the 1980s when he was music's greatest all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV．His 1982 album Thriller, which included the blockbuster hits（卖座歌曲） Beat It, Billie Jean and Thriller is still the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50m copies sold worldwide．
The world famous entertainer had planned a series of 50 concerts in London from 12 July．Although in the last two decades his reputation was destroyed by charges of child molestation（骚扰) and his fantastic public behavior, all tickets were sold within hours, proving the King of Pop had enduring appeal．
56．Where did Michael Jackson die?
A．At home in Los Angeles． B．In a Los Angeles hospital．
C．On the stage in London． D．In an ambulance to hospital．
57．What caused Michael Jackson to die according to Jermaine?
A．Heart disease．
B．It’s unknown before the results of the autopsy．
C．Working too hard．
D．His personal physician’s improper treatment．
58．Why were the police involved in investigating the death of Michael Jackson?
A．Because they believed he was murdered．
B．Because it was standard procedure in such cases．
C．Because Michael Jackson died suddenly．
D．Because his brother was suspicious of the truth of his death．
59．It can be inferred that Michael Jackson was ___________．
A．a King of Pop with good reputation．
B．a King of Pop still playing on the stage before death．
C．indeed a bad man with fantastic public behavior．
D．a popular King of Pop in spite of ill fame．
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72. The writer is probably ________.
A. an advertiser B. a lawyer C. a teacher D. an adviser
73. If you want to have a talk, you have to _______.
A. wait patiently B. write to the author in advance
C. be on the line D. make an appointment
74. Which is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The writer sometimes writes questions into an article.
B. The writer can be visited on Monday — November 22.
C. The talker has to type a “?” mark on the screen.
D. Anyone who asks questions must come to the chat room.
75. The chat with the writer on the screen _______.
A. lasts a long time B. must be about children’s health questions
C. has to be called on Monday D. will become articles to be published
The name of Macau comes from the word Magao (A-Ma Temple), which were shrines (圣地) dedicated to Mazu, a holy sea goddess worshiped by Macau people. It was said that when the Portuguese people first came here in the middle of sixteenth century, one of the officers asked a fisherman the name of the land. The man misunderstood the officer’s question, and answered “Magao” – the name of A-Ma Temple in front them.
Many people wonder how Macau is spelled. Is it “Macao” or “Macau”? Both are actually correct. Macao is Portuguese, and this is the official spelling backed by Macau SAR Government. Macau is English, that’s how they spell it in the U.S. and other parts of the world. However, most publications use “Macau” as the preferred spelling.
Members of the Southern Song Dynasty and some 50,000 followers were the first recorded inhabitants (居民) of the area, seeking shelter in Macau from invading Mongols in 1277. They were able to defend their settlements and establish themselves there.
The Hoklo Boat people were the first to show commercial interest in Macau as a trading center for the southern provinces. During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1643), fishermen migrated to Macau from various parts of Guangdong and Fujian provinces and built the A-Ma Temple in which they prayed for safety on the sea.
Chinese fishermen have been living and working in the Pearl River Delta for more than four thousand years. The small peninsula and islands that came to be called Macau were first settled by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century.
In 1998, Chinese (Cantonese) was given official status and the same legal power as Portuguese, the official language. The Chinese government assumed sovereignty over Macau on December 20, 1999, ending 329 years of Portuguese rule.
68. We can learn from the text that the name “Macau”_________.
A. is named after a sea goddess B. is first called by the Portuguese
C. is only used in publications D. is given by a fisherman
69. Which is the correct order of the things that happened in Macau?
a. Portuguese people first came to Macau.
b. The fishermen of Guangdong and Fujian migrated to Macau.
c. The first recorded inhabitants established themselves in Macau.
d. the A-Ma Temple was built in Macau.
A. c, b, d, a B. d, c, b, a C. b, c, a, d D. a, c, b, d
70. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Both Chinese and Portuguese are official languages in Macau.
B. The A-Ma Temple was built in honour of a holy sea goddess.
C. The inhabitants in Macau mainly made their living by fishing before the 16th century.
D. Macau didn’t belong to China until December 20, 1999.
71. Members of the Southern Song Dynasty went to Macau in order to ____.
A. show commercial interest in Macau B. find a good place for fishing
C. get away from their enemies D. establish Macau SAR there
Some people worry about being the target of laughter. These people are frightened. They suffer from an emotional disorder called gelotophobia. That long name comes from the Greek language. The word Gelos means laugh, while phobos means fear.
Victor Rubio is an expert on human behavior at the Autonomous University of Madrid. He says people laugh at others for many different reasons. He says being laughed at causes a fear response in the victim. That fear leads the victim to avoid social situations. Sadly, gelotophobia limits the way they lead their lives.
Victor Rubio was among researchers in a huge international study about laughter. The researchers wanted to understand the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia. Another goal was to measure the fear of being laughed at within different cultures.
A team from the University of Zurich led ninety-three researchers from many countries in search of answers.
The researchers surveyed more than twenty-two thousand people. They used questions provided in forty-two languages. Their findings were reported in the scientific publication Humor.
Some of the people questioned said they felt unsure of themselves in social situations. But they hid their feelings. Others said they avoided social situations where they had been laughed at before. People also admitted to differing levels of fear that they themselves were the targets of other people’s laughter. The researchers measured and compared all these reactions.
Fear of being laughed at, being made fun of, is a common emotion. But the researchers learned that these feelings differed from nation to nation.
For example, the study found that people in Turkmenistan and Cambodia are likely to hide insecure (不安) feelings when they are around others’ laughter. But people in Iraq, Egypt and Jordan who feel they have been victims before may avoid such situations.
People in Finland were the least likely to believe that people laughing in their presence were making fun of them. Only eight and a half percent of Finns said they would – compared to eighty percent of those questioned in Thailand.
64. The passage is mainly about______________.
A. a common emotion B. laughter C.shyness D. gelotophobia
65. In which country are people most likely to avoid social situations where they have been laughed at before?
A. Turkmenistan B. Iraq C. Finland D. Thailand
66. According to the text the following is true EXCEPT that ________.
A. people suffer from gelotophobia because they are shy
B. not all the people questioned hid their feelings in social situations
C. perhaps Humor is a magazine
D. people in Finland are the least likely to suffer from gelotophobia
67. A person who suffers from gelotophobia will probably ______.
A. be active in social activities B. be easily laughed at
C. like to laugh at others D. like to stay alone
BEIJING, Nov. 30 – The Bird’s Nest may have been built for last year’s Summer Games but Beijing’s Olympic stadium will soon be aiming at fans of winter sports.
As temperatures have begun to drop in recent weeks, so too has the number of visitors to the 80,000-seater venue, which cost 3.6 billion yuan ($527 million) to build.
And, fearing another harsh (寒冷的) winter, National Stadium Co Ltd, which owns the Bird’s Nest, yesterday planed to spend 50 million yuan on a “snow festival”.
From Dec 19, visitors will be able to pay 120 yuan to enjoy skiing and snowboarding, among other things, on its newly constructed slopes.
The stadium owners expect to attract more than 20,000 visitors a day – twice as many as it currently does – during the two-month festival, which will include events for both the Western and Chinese new years.
Officials revealed it would take just 5,000 visitors a day to cover the costs of the project.
“It’s not a bad idea. You can ski on man-made snow in Dubai, so why not here?” said Heiko Grasse, a tourist from Germany, yesterday.
Famous outdoor equipment makers and local brands are in talks over sponsorship for the event, the Bird’s Nest owners said yesterday, while the capital’s television network will also provide 500 hours of coverage.
“The Bird’s Nest will not have a cold winter again,” Wu Jingjun, the new president of National Stadium Co Ltd, told China Daily yesterday. “We will create seasonal events almost every month from now on with assistance from the government and, importantly, the public.”
Yang Cheng, a newly appointed vice-president of National Stadium Co Ltd, said the snow festival would run for five consecutive winters if successful.
60. How many people visit The Bird’s Nest a day before the “snow festival”?
A. About 80,000. B. About 20,000. C. About 10,000. D. About 5,000.
61. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A. The “snow festival” will attract more visitors from China than the Western countries.
B. People aren’t allowed to visit The Bird’s Nest before Dec 19.
C. The “snow festival” would run for at least five winters.
D. More than 2.4 million yuan a day is expected to be made in the “snow festival”.
62. What does Wu Jingjun mean by saying “The Bird’s Nest will not have a cold winter again”?
A. The Bird’s Nest will be kept at high temperatures in winter.
B. Winter Olympic Games will be held in The Bird’s Nest.
C. The “snow festival” will provide many events in winter.
D. The Bird’s Nest will get much more assistance from the government.
63. Which of the following may NOT be included in the “snow festival” events?
A. A football game. B. Skiing. C. Snowboarding. D. A New Year’s Party.