For many years, artists have flocked to Paris, France, to paint or to learn to paint. Perhaps artists first went there because of the city′s beauty. They went to paint pictures of the broad, tree-lined streets, the great churches, and the graceful river bridges.
The artists felt comfortable in Paris because the people of the city had always enjoyed art. Paris had great art museums, filled with famous paintings and statues(雕像)from many countries. And the people of Paris had always welcomed new ideas. In this city, artists felt free to experiment with new ways of painting.
As soon as famous artists painted in Paris, students came to learn from them. People came to buy paintings. People called art dealers set up galleries where paintings were bought and sold. Others kept shops that sold artists′ paints and supplies.
Students and artists who were not yet famous could live in Paris for very little money. They learned by studying great art in the museums, and they learned from one another. They held art fairs, hanging their paintings outdoors along the streets.
Today, New York City and Florence, Italy, are also famous art centers. But the world’s main art exhibits are still held in Paris. Important judges of art live there. Most of the new ways of painting that have started in the last hundred years began in Paris. So artists and art dealers still go to Paris because it is the world′s leading art center.In Pairs artists can make progress in art by doing lots of things except .
| A．painting the beautiful scenes of Pairs. |
| B．visiting museums, churches and fairs. |
| C．trying out their new ideas in the way of painting. |
| D．buying or selling paintings in the fair. |
The story does not say so, but it makes you think that.
| A．Paris is famous for its artists’ paints and supplies |
| B．there is more than one way to paint |
| C．art fairs are held in galleries |
| D．Florence is the center of world art exhibits |
Which of the following statement is not a reason why so many artists prefer to stay in Pairs?
| A．Pairs is a beautiful city |
| B．The French are willing to accept any new things. |
| C．All the museums are free of charge in Pairs. |
| D．Artists can make an easier life in Pairs. |
On the whole, this story is about.
| A．the world′s most famous art center |
| B．how to buy a painting in Paris |
| C．the famous art centers of New York and Florence |
| D．where to set up galleries |
It’s cool, and it’s hot, and everyone is doing it. People talk about it often, and friends tell other friends how good they look. Sound like a fashion? It’s actually another trend(倾向): “blog”. What’s a blog? A blog is a personal online diary. The word “blogger” means a person who writes diaries online.
Many bloggers are teens who’ve been logging(进入) onto sites to discuss anything in their lives. Many of today’s teenagers are not afraid to openly discuss everything in their lives. Teens complain(抱怨) about parents and homework. They share diaries, post songs from the latest bands and show pictures of theirs. They write their own poems, say something about their girlfriends or boyfriends and complain to each other or offer support. But mostly they just write down what they do every day.
However, many parents are afraid of these young bloggers. Parents see the kids talking about how they got drunk last weekend and how they don’t like studying. They are using language that is surprising to their parents. Besides hearing from their friends, teen bloggers also get message from strangers. Most of the time, it’s older men asking to meet teenage girls. “These strange men are dangerous for my kids. They sometimes teach my kids bad words, “ said Cara Cabral, a mother of two.
Many teens and young adults know it’s not safe to use blogs on the Internet. They know they are putting information about themselves in a place they can be seen by anyone. But teens are unlikely to give up these new communication tools that have becomes a way of life for many of them.
Are you a bloggers? What do you think of the blog? What does the underlined word “it” mean in the first paragraph?
| A．the blog | B．talking online |
| C．the Internet | D．the website |
A blogger is a person ___________.
| A．who teaches kids bad words |
| B．who posts songs from the latest bands |
| C．who got drunk last weekend |
| D．who writes diaries online |
According to this passage, teen bloggers mostly __________.
| A．complain about parents and homework |
| B．write down what they do every day |
| C．offer support to each other |
| D．share diaries and show pictures of theirs |
Parents think it’s dangerous for their kids to use blogs because ________.
| A．their kids use a surprising language |
| B．their kids talk about how they don’t like studying |
| C．teen bloggers got messages from strangers |
| D．their kids talk about their girlfriends or boyfriends |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Many teens know it’s not safe to use the blog on the Internet. |
| B．Most of today’s teenagers aren’t afraid to openly discuss everything in their lives. |
| C．A blogger’s information about himself can be seen by anyone on the Internet. |
| D．It’s easy for teenagers to give up blogging. |
As the price of a college degree continues to rise, there's growing evidence that the monetary（货币的） payoff isn't quite as big as often advertised. The best estimate now is that a college degree is worth about $300,000 in today's dollars--nowhere near the million figure that is often quoted.
"That million number has driven me crazy!" says Sandy Baum, a Skidmore economist who studied the value of a college degree for the College Board last year.
Baum's research showed that college graduates earn, on average, about $20,000 a year more than those who finished their educations at high school. Add that up over a 40-year working life and the total differential is about $800,000, she figures. But since much of that bonus is earned many years from now, taking away the impact of inflation means that$800,000 in future dollars is worth only about $450,000 in today's dollars.
Then, if you remove the cost of a college degree--about ,$30,000 in tuition and books for students who get no aid and attend public in-state universities--and the money a student could have earned at a job instead of attending school, the real net value in today's dollars is somewhere in the $300,000 range, a number confirmed by other studies.
But, especially these days, that still makes a college degree one of the most lucrative investments a person can make, Baum notes.
Better yet, college graduates can go on to earn advanced degrees, which return even bigger payoffs. The average holder of a bachelor's degree earns about$51,000 a year, Baum calculates. But those who've gone on to earn MBAs, law degrees, or other professional degrees earn about $100,000 a year.
In addition, Baum found that there are plenty of other rewards for a degree. The quality of the jobs college graduates get is far better, for example. College graduates are more likely to get jobs with health insurance. And it is easier for them to find and hold jobs. The unemployment rate for college graduates was just 2.2 percent last year, half the unemployment level of those with only high school diplomas.
There are lots of other nonmonetary benefits as well. College graduates are healthier, contribute more to their communities, and raise kids who are better prepared academically, studies show.
Other researchers have found that the payoff of a degree is especially lucrative for students from low-income families, since the education and degrees give them a chance to break out of low-paying careers. What can be inferred from Para 1 ?
| A．The payoff of a college degree is still big enough to match the advertised. |
| B．It’s more and more difficult to get a college degree. |
| C．The return of a college degree is less than often quoted. |
| D．A college degree is worth about one million dollars. |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “lucrative” in Para.5?
| A．attractive | B．worthless | C．approachable | D．balanced |
How can a college graduate increase his or her yearly income according to the passage?
| A．By getting jobs with health insurance immediately. |
| B．By going on for higher degrees. |
| C．By breaking out of low-paying jobs. |
| D．By contributing more to his or her community. |
Which of the following statements can be learned from the text ?
| A． According to Baum's research, high school graduates earn more than those who have college degrees. |
| B． College education is enough to ensure you a good life. |
| C． Nonmonetary benefits from the degree attract students more than monetary ones. |
| D．Students from low-income families still think degrees are profitable to change their life. |
No satisfactory way exists to explain how to form a good idea. You think about a problem until you're tired, forget it, maybe sleep on it, and then flash! When you aren't thinking about it, suddenly the answer arrives as a gift from the gods.
Of course, all ideas don't occur like that but so many do, particularly the most important ones. They burst into the mind, glowing with the heat of creation. How they do it is a mystery but they must come from somewhere. Let's assume they come from the "unconscious." This is reasonable, for psychologists use this term to describe mental processes which are unknown to the individual. Creative thought depends on what was unknown becoming known.
All of us have experienced this sudden arrival of a new idea, but it is easiest to examine it in the great creative personalities, many of whom experienced it in an intensified form and have written it down in their life stories and letters. One can draw examples from genius in any field, from religion, philosophy, and literature to art and music, even in mathematics, science, and technical invention, although these are often thought to depend only on logic and experiment. All truly creative activities depend in some degree on these signals from the unconscious, and the more highly insightful the person is, the sharper and more dramatic the signals become.
A type of creative experience is illustrated by the dreams which came to Descartes at the age of twenty-three and determined his life path. Descartes had unsuccessfully searched for certainty, first in the world of books, and then in the world of men. Then in a dream on November 10, 1619, he made the significant discovery that he could only find certainty in his own thoughts, cogito ergo sum ("I think; therefore, I exist"). This dream filled him with intense religious enthusiasm.
Descartes' experience is representative of countless others in every field of culture. The unconscious is certainly the source of instinctive activity. But in creative thought the unconscious is responsible for the production of new organized forms from relatively disorganized elements.Good ideas come from ________according to the writer.
| A．the unconscious | B．creative activities | C．dreams | D．logic and experiments |
The underlined word “these” (paragraph 3) probably refers to __________.
| A．philosophy, music, mathematics and science |
| B．religion, philosophy, literature, art and music |
| C．mathematics, science, and technical invention |
| D．both B and C |
What point can we see in the example of Descartes ?
| A．Dreams are the sources of instinctive activities. |
| B．Dreams sometimes contribute to important discoveries. |
| C．Geniuses have creative thoughts in their dreams. |
| D．Important discoveries are always made in dreams. |
The best title for this passage may be __________.
| A．The Unknown Becoming Known | B．The Role of Dreams |
| C．The Unconscious and Creative Activities | D．Birth of Bright Ideas |
NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive experiences in nightmares.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly wipe out, the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are wiped out. They are not sure to what degree people's memories are affected.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories. “Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions,” said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “This could relieve a lot of that suffering.”
But those who are against the research say that maybe the pills can change people's memories and changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity. They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
“All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were terrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out,” said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.The passage is mainly about.
| A．a new medical invention |
| B．a new research on the pill |
| C．a way of wiping out painful memories |
| D．an argument about the research on the pill |
The drug tested on people can.
| A．cause the brain to fix memories |
| B．stop people remembering bad experiences |
| C．prevent body producing certain chemicals |
| D．wipe out the emotional effects of memories |
We can infer from the passage that.
| A．experts are not sure about the effects of the pills |
| B．the pill will certainly stop people's emotional memories |
| C．taking the pill will do harm to people's physical health |
| D．the pill has already been produced and used by the American public |
Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with in the last paragraph?
| A．Some memories can ruin people's lives. |
| B．People want to get rid of bad memories. |
| C．Experiencing bad events makes us different from others. |
| D．The pill will reduce people's sufferings from bad memories. |
Below is adapted from an English dictionary.
What does the phrase “green shoots” mean in “Green shoots have begun to appear in different markets”?
| A．Change in policy. | B．High prices. |
| C．Environmental protection. | D．Signs of recovery. |
Fill in the blank in the sentence “I can’t believe this is Joshua —he’s ________ since we last met!”
| A．shot out | B．shot up | C．shot through | D．shot down |
When you are talking about unimportant things, we say you are ________.
| A．shooting the breeze | B．shooting yourself in the foot |
| C．shooting your mouth off | D．shooting questions at somebody |
Choose a word to complete the sentence “The ________, which killed a policeman and wounded a passer-by, was reported to have lasted only 13 seconds.”
| A．shooter | B．shoot | C．shooting | D．shot |