C
Monday: Here I am, in the middle of nowhere. This camping trip idea is not getting off to a very good start. It’s raining and the tent leaks (漏). The hiking seemed to take forever, and I still can’t understand how it could all have been up hill! How did I ever let my brother persuade me into doing this? When we get home—if we ever get home—he’s going to have to do something great to get back on my good side. Maybe he should sponsor (赞助) a shopping spree（狂购）at the mall!
Tuesday: Things are looking up. The sun came out today, so we were able to leave the tents and dry out. We’re camped at the edge of a small lake that I couldn’t see before because of the rain and fog. The mountains are all around us, and the forest is absolutely beautiful. We spent most of the day dragging out everything out of our backpacks or tents and putting it where the sun could dry it out. Later in the afternoon we tried to catch the fish for dinner, but the fish were smarter than we were. At night we built a fire and sang songs happily.
Wednesday: We hiked to the far side of the lake and climbed to the top of a small peak. From there we could see how high the other mountains were and how far the forest spread around us. On the way up we passed through a snowfield!
Thursday: I caught my first fish! We followed the stream that fed the lake. After about two miles, we came to a section (区域) that Carol said looked “fishy”. She had a pack rod (竿) , which can be carried in a backpack. I asked to cast (投掷) it, and I caught a fish on my first try. Carol caught a few more. But they were just too pretty to eat for lunch, so we put them back in the stream.
Friday: I can’t believe we are going home already. It will be nice to get a hot shower, sleep in a real bed, and eat junk food, but the trip has been wonderful. We’re already talking about another camping adventure next year where we canoe (乘独木舟) down a river. It’s hard to believe, but I think this city girl has a little country blood in her veins.The writer went on this camping trip because ____________．
| A．she enjoyed camping. | B．she wanted to go fishing. |
| C．she was influenced by her brother. | D．she was tired of staying home. |
The whole morning of Tuesday, the writer ____________．
| A．hiked along the lake. | B．dried out her belongings. |
| C．climbed the mountain. | D．caught the fish for dinner. |
It can be inferred that Carol had a pack rod with her because ____________．
| A．she could not afford to buy a regular fishing pole. |
| B．she needed it to get their food. |
| C．she thought the writer of the journal might need it. |
| D．she expected to go fishing while they were hiking. |
It is likely that the writer will ____________．
| A．go on another camping trip. |
| B．invite Carol to go fishing together. |
| C．make her brother buy her something. |
| D．persuade her brother to go camping. |
Since my retirement(退休) from teaching music in 2001, I have spent a good deal of time painting as an artist. I actually began drawing again in the summer of 1995 when my father died, so perhaps I was trying to recover from the loss of my father, or maybe it was just that it brought back memories of him. In any case, I drew pen and ink animals and landscapes(风景画) much influenced(影响) by Krenkel and St. John for five years.
For some strange reason, I had been waiting until my retirement to start doing watercolors again, but as soon as I walked out of the school door for the last time I picked up my brushes and rediscovered Andrew Wyeth, who quickly became my favorite artist. I had looked through all the art books I had on my shelves and found his watercolors to be the closest to how I thought good watercolors should look. So I painted landscapes around Minnesota for three years and tried out many other types of painting. However, watercolors remained my first choice, and I think I did my best work there, showing my paintings at a number of art exhibitions.
Art is now together with my piano playing and reading. There is a time for everything in my world, and it is wonderful to have some time doing what I want to do. As Confucious once said, “At seventy I can follow my heart’s desire.”What is the text mainly about?
| A．Learning to paint in later life. | B．How to paint watercolors |
| C．An artist-turned teacher | D．Life after retirement |
The author started drawing again in 1995 because_________.
| A．he hoped to draw a picture of his father |
| B．he couldn’t stop missing his father |
| C．he had more time after retirement |
| D．he liked animals and landscapes |
We can infer from the text that the author__________.
| A．had been taught by Krenkel and St. John |
| B．painted landscapes in Minnesota for 5 years |
| C．believed Wyeth to be the best in watercolors |
| D．started his retirement life at the age of severty |
How does the author probably feel about his life as an artist?
| A．Very enjoyable. | B．A bit regretful | C．Rather busy. | D．Fairly dull. |
Use your American Express Card to enjoy one-day privileges at four of America’s greatest museums. Note the participating museums, and their exciting special exhibitions that you will not want to miss, listed below.
Boston
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Chairs
February 11 — May 8, 2005
Italian furniture expert Fausto Calderai and Indian photographer Dayanita Singh present an exhibition of chairs from the museum’s collection and “chair photographs” from around the world presented in a Venetisan-style hall housing world-famous masterpieces.
For more information：www.gardnermuseum.org
New York
The Noguchi Museum
Noguchi and Graham
December 1, 2004 — May 1,2005
Noguchi’s long-term collaboration with dancer Martha Graham is regarded by many as a high point in the history of both modern dance and art. The exhibition highlights nine of the sets created through this collaboration.
For more information：www.noguchi.org
Philadephia
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
In Full view：American Painting (1720 — 2005)
January 11 — April 10, 2005
Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy has been home to America’s artists for 200 years. The Academy collects and exhibits the works of famous American artists, and is well-known for training fine artists. 2005 at the Academy begins with the largest exhibition of the Academy’s distinguished American collection in the institution’s history.
For more information：www.pafa.org
Seattle
Seattle Museum of Glass
Murano：glass from the Olnick Spanu Collection
Through November 7, 2004
This exhibition includes over 200 pieces of beautiful glass from Murano, the island of glassblowers near Venice, Italy. Watch live glass-blowing shows in the Hot Shop and see other modern glass exhibitions.
For more information：www.museumofglass.orgWhich of the following websites offers information about the furniture show?
| A．www.pafa.org | B．www.museumofglass.org |
| C．www.noguchi.org | D．www.gardnermuseum.org |
We learn form the text that Martha Graham is ______.
| A．a dancer | B．a glassblower |
| C．a painter | D．a photographer |
If you want to know the history of American painting, you may visit ______.
| A．The Noguchi Museum | B．Seattle Museum of Glass |
| C．Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum | D．Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts |
Millions of people visit Yosemite National Park every year to see the tall waterfalls and mountains. These mountains are a splendid sight when viewed form the valley floor. Lots of stores, hotels, and restaurants are needed to handle the crowds. Also, water, roads, and other service systems are part of the infrastructure (基础设施) that must be maintained.
Unfortunately, these systems are starting to break down. It’s not just in Yosemite but in national parks around the nation.
Yosemite is thirty years old according to Dennis Galvin, a National Park Service worker. The Park is not only old but worn out. Two or three times as many visitors come every year. That is too many visitors for the park to deal with.
Four years ago a storm washed out a water pipeline in the Grand Canyon. The National Park Service had to send water trucks to provide water for the visitors. Last month pipes almost broke again and roads had to be closed for a while.
Why hasn’t the National Park Service kept up the park repairs? There is a lack of money. The United States has 378 monuments, parks, and wilderness areas. Between three and four billion dollars are needed for repairs.
Yosemite is one national park that does have money for repairs. It has two hundred million dollars but cannot spend it any way it chooses. When the park workers started widening the road, they were forced to stop by the Sierra Club. The club claimed that the road work was damaging the Merced River that runs through the park.
A sierra Club lawyer, Julia Olson, feels that the infrastructure needs to be moved out of Yosemite. That way less pressure will be put on the already crowded park.According to the text, the mountains in Yosemite look most splendid when they are
appreciated from ______.
| A．the bottom of the valleys | B．the top of the mountains |
| C．the side of the mountains | D．the edge of the valleys |
National parks like Yosemite in the U.S. find it increasingly difficult to meet the need of
visitors because ______.
| A．their transport management needs improving |
| B．they spend too much on their service systems |
| C．their service systems frequently go out of order |
| D．they need help from environmental organizations |
The main problem of Yosemite National Park is its ______.
| A．rundown water pipes | B．overcrowdedness |
| C．lack of money | D．narrow roads |
According to the text, the Sierra Club is most likely to be ______.
| A．an environmental group | B．an information center |
| C．a travel service | D．a law firm |
WASHINGTON—Laura Straub is a very worried woman. Her job is to find families for French teenagers who expect to live with American families in the summer.
It is not easy, even hopeless.
“We have many children left to place—40 out of 75,” said Straub, who works for a Paris-based foreigner-exchange program started 50 years ago. Family life was more than accommodating (提供膳宿). For one thing, more mothers stayed at home. But now, increasing numbers of women work outside the home. Exchange-student programs have struggled in recent years to sign up host (主人) families for the 30 000 teenagers who every year come from abroad to spend a school year in the United States, as well as the thousands more who take part in summer programs.
School systems in many parts of the U.S., unhappy about accepting non-taxpaying students, have also strictly limited the number of exchange students they accepted. At the same time, the idea of hosting foreign students is becoming less exotic.
In search for host families, who usually receive no pay, exchange programs are increasingly broadening their requests to include everyone from young couples to retirees.
“We are open to many different types of families,” said Vickie Weiner, eastern area director for ASSE, a 25-year-old program that sends about 30 000 teenagers on school-year exchange programs worldwide.
For elderly people, exchange students “keep us young—they really do”, said Jen Foster, who is hosting 16-year-old Nina Post from Denmark. The underlined word “exotic” means _________.
| A．difficult | B．wonderful | C．exciting | D．accommodating |
According to the text, why was it easier for Laura Straub to find American families for foreign students?
| A．More mothers wasn’t working outside and was able to afford to look after children . |
| B．American school systems were better than now. |
| C．Foreign students paid hosting families a lot of money. |
| D．The government was happy because it could gain tax. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．All the families can host foreign students. |
| B．Only young couples can host foreign students. |
| C．Only those who were retired can host foreign students. |
| D．Exchange programs are open to many different types of families including everyone from young couples to retirees. |
Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
| A．U.S. Struggle to Find host Families |
| B．Idea of Hosting Students is Different |
| C．Foreign-exchange Program Is Going on |
| D．Exchange Students Keep Old People Young |
If you are planning to study in the United States, you need to consider several factors. Everyone has different opinions about where the best places to live in also; the best places to live are not always home to the best schools. Finally, many schools specialize in different areas of study. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, is a great school for computer science and technology-based fields of study, However, if you want to study oceanography, your interests may be better served by attending school in a place that is on a coastline or near the ocean.
Now I am sure that you know which schools are considered the best in the country. So I will tell you about which states I believe are the best to live in.
California is a nice state. Northern California specifically has very good weather. Los Angeles in southern California is another story though. Life in LA is full of excitement and fast, and sometimes—dangerous. As for me, I enjoyed the history and culture. The weather is not as perfect as California, but it is still quite nice. My favorite area of America is the Mid-west. Middle America, I think, is home to the true American sense of values. In addition, there are many good universities there.
Also, you need to think about your likes and dislikes and then research the various states. You like sunshine and hate snow? Then you probably won’t like the Midwest or even the Northeast. Open space, nature and peace and quiet? Then you should stay away from America’s larger cities. Are you interested in government? Then Washington D.C. is the only place for you. Whatever you decided put some thought into it. The place you live could be the difference between a great study abroad experience and a state of great suffering on earth. From the first paragraph we can conclude that in the U.S.A. __________.
all colleges and universities lie in big cities
all colleges and universities lie in beautiful places
famous colleges and universities lie in nice places
famous colleges and universities may not lie in nice places What should be considered first if you want to study in the U.S.A.?
A. The climate. B. The scenery. C. The study condition. D. The living condition. If you study in Middle America, you can probably _______.
find the best universities
feel the real character of the nation
meet the most famous professors there
face more difficulty From the last paragraph of this passage we can get to know that ________.
Washington is the largest city in the U.S.A.
Washington is the political center of the U.S.A.
you can’t find sunshine in the Midwest
you can’t find any universities out of big cities in the U.S.A.