Grandma Moses is among the most famous twentieth-century painters of the United States, yet she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies. As she once said to herself: " I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me." No one could have had a more productive old age.
She was born Anna Mary Robertson on a farm in New York State, one of five boys and five girls. At twelve she left home and was in domestic service until, at twenty--seven, she married Thomas Moses, the hired hand of one of her employers. They farmed most of their lives, first in Virginia and then in New York State, at Eagle Bridge. She had ten children, of whom five survived; her husband died in 1927.
Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroidery (刺绣) pictures as a hobby, but only changed to oils in old age because her hands had become too stiff to sew and she wanted to keep busy and pass the time. Her pictures were first sold at the local drugstore and at a market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought everything she painted. Three of the pictures exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, and in 1940 she had her first exhibition in New York. Between the 1930's and her death, she produced some 2,000 pictures: detailed and lively portrayals of the country life she had known for so long, with a wonderful sense of color and form. "I think really hard till I think of something really pretty, and then I paint it" she said.According to the passage, Grandma Moses began to paint because she wanted to_______.
| A．make herself beautiful | B．become famous |
| C．earn more money | D．keep active |
Grandma Moses spent most of her life ________.
| A．nursing | B．painting | C．farming | D．embroidering |
The underlined word “portrayals ” means ________.
A. expressions B explanations C. descriptions . D. impressionsFrom Grandma Moses' description of herself in the first paragraph, it can be inferred that she was ________.
| A．pretty | B．nervous | C．rich | D．independent |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Children of Grandma Moses. | B．Grandma Moses: Her Life and Pictures. |
| C．Grandma Moses: Her Best Exhibition. | D．Grandma Moses and Other Older Artists. |
On May 23,1989, Stefania Follini came out from a cave at Carlsbad , New Mexico．She hadn’t seen the sun for eighteen and a half weeks ．Stefania was in a research program, and the scientists in the program were studying body rhythms （节奏）。In this experiment Stefania had spent 130 days in a cave ,30 feet in depth．
During her time in the cave, Stefania had been completely alone except for two white mice．Her living place had been very comfortable ,but there had been nothing to feel her the time ．She’d had no clock or watches , no television or radio．There had been no natural light and the temperature had always been kept at 21℃Stefania stayed in the cave for a long time because___________．
| A．she was asked to do research on mice |
| B．she wanted to experience loneliness |
| C．she was the subject of a study |
| D．she needed to record her life |
What is a cause for the change of Stefania’s body clock?
| A．Eating fewer hours |
| B．Having more hours of sleep |
| C．Lacking physical exercise． |
| D．Getting no natural light． |
Where does the text probably come from?
| A．A novel． | B．A news story． |
| C．A pet magazine ． | D．A travel guide． |
Welcome to the future. It’s year 2050 and Scotland is now powered completely by“clean”energy.
Homes have entire roofs made of solar materials, rooms are kept warm by wallpaper, and people go to and from work in electric and hydrogen( 氢) cars.
Oil is still being found in the North Sea, but it’s not now only used to keep aircraft flying. And a new 500---mile underwater link with Iceland has been built to catch heat from the hot springs. There’s still a role for king coal—but the black diamonds are now environment---friendly.
People will be able to import the electricity they need and export any excess(超过的量) they make through rooftop windmills(风车). New technology will store electricity better and provide it on demand. Heat exchangers will provide heating and hot water.
Harmful carbon dioxide waste is being piped offshore to St Fergus and from there into some of the remaining oil—producing fields to be stored safely without entering the atmosphere. Gas remains the preferred energy source of industry and is now shipped in liquid form. But hydrogen is imported through pipelines from France and from a geothermal (地热的) plant in Iceland.
Hydrogen—fuelled cars have become popular. Electric bikes are common in cities using the new urban two—wheel network. Electric vehicles have become common, and their performances have been improved because of the developments in electrical drive technology like high—temperature super conducting motors. Many people leave their vehicles in a giant park where they can be recharged from the national electrical system . Oilseed rape (油菜) is widely grown to fuel some motors .What does the underlined phrase in paragraph 2 mean ?
| A．The hot springs | B．Oil | C．Coal | D．Oil and coal |
Which sources of energy play a more important role in people’s daily life in the future ?
| A．Oil and coal |
| B．Hydrogen and gas |
| C．Electricity and gas |
| D．Solar energy and wind |
The means of transport people use in 2050 do not include__________.
| A．windmills | B．electric bikes |
| C．hydrogen—fuelled cars | D．aircraft |
The passage is written to tell us in the future_____________.
| A．life will be better and better |
| B．the energy will become cleaner and cleaner |
| C．people will use some new sources of energy |
| D．people will pay more attention to the environment |
Recently, a study was carried out to determine who was the greatest American president．Sixty-five presidential historians took part in it, and they judged the past forty-two American leaders based on ten leadership qualities, including public persuasiveness(信服), crisis leadership, management of the economy, moral leadership, and conduct of international relations．The historians also looked at administrative ability (管理能力), relations with Congress, ability to set goals, and the pursuit of equal justice for all．Finally, the experts took into consideration the historical period in which the president lived．
The historians chose Abraham Lincoln as American’s greatest president．He had also been named best president in a similar study in 2000．Abraham Lincoln was the president who led the nation through the Civil War in the 1860s, and was able to unite it in the end．He also took the first steps to abolish slavery in America．
Edna Medford, a professor of history at Howard University in Washington, D.C., was an adviser on this study and the earlier one．She says Abraham Lincoln is seen to represent the values the nation most honors, such as truthfulness, moderation, and respect for human rights．
The historians put American’s first president, George Washington, second on the list, while Franklin D．Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harry Truman follow in that order．John F．Kennedy, the country’s first Roman Catholic president, is sixth on the list．Like Lincoln, Kennedy was murdered while in office．
Among recent presidents, Ronald Reagan was named the tenth best and Bill Clinton rated fifteenth, while the historians put former president George W．Bush at number thirty-six．His father, George H.W．Bush, did much better, being placed at number eighteen．We learn from the text that ___________．
| A．this is the second time that Abraham Lincoln has been chosen as America’s greatest president |
| B．Edna Medford didn’t take part in the study conducted in 2000． |
| C．George H.W．Bush was thought to have done worse in office than George W．Bush |
| D．Harry Truman was rated the fourth-best president by the study |
Which of the following belong to the ten leadership qualities considered?
a．Being able to persuade the public
b．Taking effective measures during a financial crisis．
c．Balancing home life and career．
d．Pursuing equal justice for all．
| A．a,b,c | B．b,c,d | C．a,b,d | D．a,c,d |
Who is rated worst among the following four presidents?
| A．John F．Kennedy | B．George Washington |
| C．Bill Clinton | D．George W．Bush |
The text is mainly about ________．
| A．the ten qualities a great president needs |
| B．a study of American presidents |
| C．the values the American nation honors most |
| D．how Abraham Lincoln improved the country |
The London Eye is a giant 135---meter tall Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames in the British capital. Since 20 January 2011, it has been officially known as the EDF Energy London Eye following a three---year deal with the company. It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people every year. The London Eye is located at the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames In the London Borough of Lambeth in England, between Westminster Bridge( which has longer history than the famous Severn Bridge to the west of London) and Hungerford Bridge. When erected in 1999, it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world, until surpassed first by the 160 m Star of Nanchang in 2006, and the 165m Singapore Flyer in 2008. A breathtaking feat of design and engineering, passengers in the London Eye’s capsules can see up to 40 kilometers in all directions. The London Eye is the vision of David Marks and Julia Barfield, a husband and wife architect team. The wheel design was used as a metaphor for the end of the 20th century, and time turning into the new millennium(千禧年). Back in 2000, the London Eye was known as the Millennium wheel. In 2009, a 4D Film Experience was added as a free extra to enjoy before your ride on the Eye. Once you get high enough and start coming down the other side, you will see people reach for their cameras. Here’s where the good stuff is right at your fingertips(or seems so). Parliament and Big Ben are beneath you, as are so many other historical things . If you are interested in other attractions in London, you can refer to the homepage. Which of the following statements is NOT correct ?
| A．It is so popular that every year, more than 3.5 million people visit the London Eye. |
| B．London Eye is called the EDF Energy London Eye from 2011 because the company bought it. |
| C．It is designed by David Marks and Julia Barfield, a husband and wife architect team. |
| D．It is 135---meter tall and is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe. |
What cannot be seen from the London Eye ?
| A．The beautiful sights of the River Thames. |
| B．The Westminster Bridge. |
| C．The famous Seven Bridge. |
| D．Big Ben |
We can infer from the passage that___________.
| A．London Eye is the third tallest Ferris wheel in the world. |
| B．London Eye was named the Millennium Wheel at first. |
| C．London Eye is free of charge, and that's why so many people come here. |
| D．Before your ride on the London Eye, you can first enjoy a 4D film now. |
You can find this passage_________.
| A．in a magazine | B．in a newspaper | C．from a guidebook | D．on a website |
One thing the tour books don’t tell you about London is that 2,000 of its residents are foxes. They ran away from the city about centuries ago after developers and pollution moved in. But now that the environment is cleaner, the foxes have come home, one of the many wild animals that have moved into urban areas around the world.
“The number and variety of wild animals in urban areas is increasing,” says Gomer Jones, president of the National Institute for Urban Wildlife, in Columbia, Maryland. A survey of the wildlife in New York’s Central Park last year tallied the species of mammals, including muskrats, shrews and flying squirrels. A similar survey conducted in the 1890s counted only five species. One of the country’s largest populations of raccoons (浣熊) now lives in Washington D.C., and moose (驼鹿) are regularly seen wandering into Maine towns. Peregrine falcons(游隼) dive from the window ledges of buildings in the largest U.S. cities to prey on (捕食) pigeons.
Several changes have brought wild animals to the cities. Foremost is that air and water quality in many cities has improved as a result of the 1970s pollution-control efforts. Meanwhile, rural areas have been built up, leaving many animals on the edges of suburbs. In addition, urban wildlife refuges (避难处)have been created. The Greater London Council last year spent￡750,000 to buy land and build 10 permanent wildlife refuges in the city. Over 1,000 volunteers have donated money and cleared rubble from derelict lots. One evening last year a fox was seen on Westminster Bridge looking up at Big Ben.
For peregrine falcons, cities are actually safer than rural cliff dwellings (悬崖栖息地). By 1970 the birds had died out east of the Mississippi because the DDT had made their eggs too thin to support life. That year, scientist Tom Cade of Cornell University began raising the birds for release in cities, for cities afforded abundant food.
Cities can attract wild animals without turning them harmful. The trick is to create habitats where they can be self-sufficient but still be seen and appreciated. Such habitats can even be functional. In San Francisco, the local government is testing different kinds of rainwater control basins to see not only which ones retain (保持) the cleanest water but which will attract the most birds.The first paragraph suggests that ________.
| A．environment is crucial for wildlife |
| B．tour books are not always a reliable source of information |
| C．London is a city of fox |
| D．foxes are highly adaptable to environment |
Which of the following is NOT a reason that wildlife is returning to the cities?
| A．Food is plentiful in the cities. |
| B．Wildlife is appreciated in the cities. |
| C．Wildlife refuges have been built in the cities |
| D．Air and water quality has improved in the cities |
The underlined word “tallied” in Para. 2 means __________.
| A．distinguished | B．described | C．counted | D．excluded |
It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
| A．Londoners are putting more and more wild animals into their zoos. |
| B．Londoners are happy to see wild animals return to their city |
| C．Londoners are trying to move wild animals back to the countryside |
| D．Londoners have welcomed the wild birds, but found foxes a problem |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Wildlife returning to large cities |
| B．Foxes returning to London |
| C．Wild animals living in zoos |
| D．A survey of wildlife in New York |