Born into a poor family，two of the Durers' children still had a dream for art，but they knew their father could not afford to send either of them to the academy(院校)．
After discussions，the two boys finally agreed to toss a coin．The loser would go to the nearby mines and support his brother while he attended the academy．Then，when the winner completed his studies，he would support the other brother，either with sales of his art work or，if necessary，by working in the mines．So they tossed a coin．Albrecht Durer won the toss and went to Nuremberg．Albert went to the dangerous mines and financed his brother，whose work at the academy was almost an immediate success，and by graduation，he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his works．
When the Durer family held a dinner to celebrate Albrecht's homecoming， Albrecht drank a toast to his brother，“Now，Albert，it is your turn to go to Nuremberg and follow your dream，and I will take care of you．”
Albert wiped the tears from his cheeks，glanced at the faces he loved，and said softly，“No，brother．It is too late for me．Look….look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been broken at least once，and lately I have been suffering from arthritis(关节炎)so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast，much 1ess make lines on canvas(画布)with a pen or a brush．No，brother …for me it is too 1ate．”
Therefore，Albrecht took pains to draw his brother’s injured hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward．The entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and named it “The Praying Hands”．The passage is mainly about
| A．the early life of Albrecht Durer |
| B．the story behind “The Praying Hands” |
| C．the sacrifice Albrecht made for his brother |
| D．a young man showing his talent through effort |
According to the two brothers’ agreement，．
| A．they let the coin decide who would go to the academy first |
| B．the winner would work at the academy in exchange for the loser’s help |
| C．the loser would go to the mines and earn money to pay for his own education |
| D．the winner would work in the mines after graduation in return for the loser's support |
Albert refused his brother’s offer because．
| A．he was too old to learn drawing |
| B．he suffered an accident. |
| C．he was not used to holding a pen or brush |
| D．his hands were out of shape as a result of hard work |
The artist created the masterpiece “The Praying Hands”
| A．to show kindness to his poor brother |
| B．to encourage people to realize their dreams |
| C．in praise of his brother’s sacrifice and love |
| D．in honor of his brother as a symbol of working people |
India has many festivals, with some celebrations that last for weeks. However, none of them come even close to Holi, India’s most colorful and fun festival. Celebrated on the day following the full moon, this year’s festival happens to be on March 19th.
As with most Indian festivals, this one also has many different folk stories. Most of them center around the success of good over evil. The most popular one is about a king, who hates his son Prahlada for loving the creator of the Universe—Lord Vishnu. When every attempt to stop him fails, his sister, Holika believed to be immune(免疫的) to fire, joins in the effort by inviting the young boy to sit with her inside a huge fire. Helped by the power of Lord Vishnu, Prahlada escapes safely, while the evil Holika is burned to death. To remember this event, huge outdoor fires are lit in the night before Holi in order to clean the air of evil spirits and to celebrate the death of the evil.
So what’s so great about this day? While there are some fun parades(游行) and folk songs and dance performances, the most fun of all is walking to the streets and splashing(泼洒) people with water guns and dry colors and even covering them with entire buckets of colored water. On this day, everybody is fair game, no matter how old or how young.
At about midday, the splashing comes to an end and people living close to oceans or rivers usually take a bath in the water to clean themselves before going home to a delicious home-made big dinner and a well-deserved short sleep, following this full day of fun and activities.Why does the king dislike his son Prahlada?
| A．Because Prahlada doesn’t love him. |
| B．Because Prahlada is rude to Holika. |
| C．Because Prahlada loves Lord Vishnu. |
| D．Because Prahlada concentrates on his own success. |
Prahlada gets out of danger __________.
| A．with the help of Lord Vishnu |
| B．because of his good luck |
| C．by beating his aunt Holika |
| D．using his amazing talent |
The underlined phrase “fair game” in Paragraph 3 refers to a person who __________.
| A．fights against others fairly |
| B．enjoys splashing people |
| C．plays a trick on others |
| D．is the aim of splashing water |
After the fun activities, people living close to oceans or rivers often take a bath because __________.
| A．they have got dirty with dry colors and colored water |
| B．going home with colored water means bad luck |
| C．they believe clean water will bring good luck |
| D．taking a bath shows their true love for Lord Vishnu |
The deserts of the world are not all covered with sand. Many of them have surfaces of rock or clay or small stones. They are not flat, either. They often have high hills and deep valleys. There is some plants’ life in many parts of the desert. There is little rain in the desert, but it does fall often enough for most plants.
The deserts of the world are not uninhabited(not lived by people). People also live outside oases(绿洲), but these people are not farmers. They have camels, goats, donkeys, sheep, etc. These animals can live on the desert plants and do not need much water.
The people of the desert have to move constantly from place to place, they must always look for grass or desert plants for their animals. They usually live in tents. When there is no more food for their animals, they fold up their tents, pat them on their camels and donkeys, and move to another place. In good years, when there is enough food for their animals, they trade their skins and their goats and camel hairs with the people of oases for wheat and fruit. But in bad years, when there is not enough food for their animals, the people of the desert would attack the oases people. But they are also hospitable, no man in the desert would ever refuse to give a stranger food and water. According to the passage, deserts are mostly made up of _______.
| A．clay | B．rock |
| C．stones | D．sand |
The underlined word “hospitable” has the meaning of being _______.
| A．brave | B．cruel |
| C．strange | D．kind |
In the desert _______.
| A．it rains in spring only |
| B．there is some rain, but far from enough |
| C．it rains for a short time every month |
| D．the rainfall is just enough for the plants |
People live _______.
| A．only inside the oases |
| B．only outside the oases |
| C．both inside and outside the oases |
| D．in places with regular rainfalls |
From the passage we know that life _______.
| A．is hard in deserts | B．is happy in deserts |
| C．is impossible in deserts | D．in deserts is much better now |
Any introduction to Peking Opera would not be complete without telling of Mei Lanfang. During his stage life, he combined the traditions of the past with his own creations, shaping a style of his own and giving birth to “The Mei Lanfang School”. He was also the first artist to introduce Peking Opera to an overseas audience, making it popular to the world.
Mei Lanfang began his stage life at the age of 8. His teacher said he showed little hope because of his boring eyes. To improve this, he exercised them day after day. Thanks to his efforts, he managed to change his dull eyes into a pair of bright and expressive eyes and win national fame before the age of 20.
In over 50 years on the stage, Mei Lanfang played no less than 100 different characters in the performance. He also wrote many new plays, designing the dances himself. The many dances he created form part of the great treasure that he left to Peking Opera.
In 1930, Mei Lanfang started on a successful US tour. There his brilliant performances impressed the audience, making them realize that Peking Opera was a theatrical form of great value.Mei Lanfang was the first artist to introduce Peking Opera to ________.
| A．China | B．audience |
| C．the world | D．schools |
How long did it take Mei Lanfang to exercise his eyes into bright and expressive?
| A．About 8 years. | B．About 10 years. |
| C．About 12 years. | D．About 14 years. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The history of Peking Opera. |
| B．Mei Lanfang’s early stage life. |
| C．The performance of Peking Opera by Mei Lanfang. |
| D．Mei Lanfang’s great contributions to Peking Opera. |
Martin had just finished high school. He would go to college at the far end of the city. He didn’t want to live there, and he didn’t want to take the bus either. So his father agreed to buy him a car.
His father spent all his summer teaching him how to drive, from the ABC to the XYZ. Thinking of the great feeling of driving a new car, Martin learned very quickly, and received his driver’s license just before his eighteenth birthday.
The second day, all the family, and their dog, went to a car shop. Martin spent almost all the morning going from one car to another. Finally he saw a red Blue Bird. He had a test drive on the open ground, and called out, “This is what I want, Dad!” When everything was done, they were ready to leave.
Martin climbed into the front seat. He said excitedly, “It’s my first day driving alone. Dad, Mom, and Poo! Enjoy it!”
His dad immediately took the back seat, right behind the new driver. Martin wondered why his father chose that seat, for his father always enjoyed looking in front.
So he said, smiling, “I’m sure you’re back there to have a change after all those weeks of sitting in the front seat teaching me how to drive.”
“No,” Dad replied, “Do you remember what you did to me all those years when I took you to and from school? I am sitting here to hit and kick the back of your seat all the way!”Which of the following is NOT the reason why Martin’s father agreed to buy him a car?.
| A．Martin would go to college and it was far from home. |
| B．Martin preferred living at home to living at college. |
| C．Martin didn’t want to take the public transport. |
| D．Martin was able to learn how to drive very quickly. |
In which order did Martin do the following things?
a. He finished his high school. b. He test-drove driving the new car.
c. He got his driver’s license.d. He decided to buy the Blue Bird.
e. He kicked the front seat while his father was driving.
| A．e—a—c—b—d | B．a—c—b—d—e |
| C．e—c—a—b—d | D．a—c—d—b—e |
How would the whole family probably feel on their way back home?
| A．Angry | B．Sad |
| C．Cheerful | D．Shocked |
With the development of modern science and technology, the functions of cellphones have changed greatly.The only difference may be that they fit in your pocket and you pay by the minute to use them. Some of the things a cellphone can do for you will be available this year:
Surf at speed
Cellphones that let you use the Web have been around for years. So, what's new? Well , faster third-generation (3G) networks that let you surf at anywhere.Possible choices are from IJG Electronics VX 8000 and Motorola V1150.Listen as you go.
There is no doubt that it is about to change. Sony Ericsson’s new W8001 can hold around 150 songs in its 500 MB memory. And Samsung's SPH-V5400 even comes with a l. 5 GB hard drive. Mobile phones may eventually replace miniMP3 players, especially for teens. Say cheese.
Camera cellphones are not new either but most of them have limitations: around l- megapixel (百万像素 ) . However new technology has made 2-megapixel units more common ,and 3-megapixel units are showing up soon. Some 2-megapixel models, like Sony Ericsson's K7501, offer limited zoom and focus controls.Portable TV.
You say you like "watching TV"? That’s what Samsung MMA700 wants to give you. The new model lets users watch popular TV programmes~ for a fee. Other choices are Nokia's 6620, Sanyo's MM740 and NEC's N940.
The above are just a handful of what you ' ll see in the coming months. Further down the road, your mobile phone may play a host of other roles, such as mobile credit card, position locator and so on. So what is there that a cellphone can't do?
| A．The NEC model lets you watch public TV - no fee. |
| B．Without a cellphone, you can do nothing in your daily life. |
| C．Nowadays, new cellphones are much cheaper than old ones. |
| D．Today's do-it-all mobiles have a lot in common with the computer. |
E. This then allows a carrier to send video, music, and games to your phone.
F. Others, like LG's recent A7110, can even capture 30 minutes of full-motion video.
G. The problem with most cellphone MP3 players is that they hold only a handful of songs.