1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business .But he was not a good artist.So he invented a very simple camera (照相机).He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his garden .That was the first photo.
The next important date in the history of photography was 1837. That year, Daguerre, another Frenchman, took a picture of his studio. He used a new kind of camera and a different processs. In his pictures, you could see everything very clearly, even the smallest details. This kind of photograph was called a daguerreotype.
Soon, other people began to use Daguerre's process. Travellers brought back daguerreotypes from all around the world. People photographed famous buildings, cities and mountains.
In about 1840, the process was improved. Now photographers could take pictures of people and moving things. The process was not simple. The photographers had to carry lots of film and processing equipment. But this did not stop the photographers, especially in the United States, where from the 1840s daguerreotype artists were popular in most cities.
Mathew Brady was a well-known American photographer. He took many pictures of famous people. The pictures were unusual because they were very life-like and full of personality.
Brady was also the first person to take pictures of war. His 1862 Civil War pictures showed dead soldiers and ruined cities. They made the war seem more real and more terrible.
In the 1880s, new inventions began to change photography. Photographers could buy film readymade in rolls. So they did not have to make the film immediately. They could bring it back to their studios and develop it later, meaning that they did not have to carry lots of equipment. And finally, the invention of the small handheld camera made photography less expensive.
With the small camera, anyone could be a photographer. People began to use cameras just for fun. They took pictures of their families, friends and favourite places. They called these pictures "snapshots".
Photographs became very popular in newspapers in the 1890s. Soon magazines and books also used documentary photographs. These pictures showed true events and people. They were much more real than drawings.
Photography had turned into a form of art by the beginning of the 20th century. Some photographs were not just copies of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings, like other art forms.The passage is mainly about______________.
A.the invention of cameras |
B.a kind of new art -- photography |
C.the development of photography |
D.the different uses of cameras in history |
The first pictures of a war were taken by ____________.
A.a French photographer in the 1840s |
B.an American photographer in the 1860s |
C.a German reporter in the 1880s |
D.a French artist in the 1890s |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about the photography in the 19th century?
A.It was mainly based on the invention of the first photograph. |
B.Photographers were popular in the United States because they carried lots of equipment. |
C.Photographers used to make film themselves and developed it immediately after taking a photo. |
D.Small handheld cameras made it possible for anyone to become a gifted photographer. |
In which order are the following statements mentioned in the passage?
a. Photographs became popular in newspapers.
b. Photographers carried processing equipment when taking pictures.
c. The invention of small handheld cameras made photography easier.
d. Daguerre invented a kind of photograph called daguerreotype.
e. Brady took pictures of famous people.
A.e,a, d, b, c | B.d, b, e, c, a |
C.b, e, c, a, d | D.d, c, e, a , b |
Photography can also be an art form because artists can ____________.
A.take anything they like |
B.keep a record of real life |
C.take photos of the famous |
D.show ideas and feelings in pictures |
The drug store was closing for the night. Young Alfred Higgins, the shop-assistant, was ready to go home. Mr. Carr, the boss, stared at him and said: “Hold on, Alfred. Maybe you'd be good enough to take the things out of your pockets and leave them here before you go.” Alfred's face got red. After a little hesitation, he took out what he had stolen. Mr. Carr said, “Maybe I should call your mother and let her know I'm going to have to put you in prison.”
Alfred thought his mother would come rushing in, eyes burning with anger. But, to his surprise, she arrived wearing a smile. “Hello, I'm Alfred's mother. Is he in trouble?” she said. Mr. Carr was surprised, too. He had expected Alfred's mother to come in nervously, shaking with fear, asking with wet eyes for a mercy for her son. But no, she was most calm, quiet and pleasant and was making Mr. Carr feel guilty…. Soon Mr. Carr was shaking his head in agreement with what she was saying. “Of course”, he said, “I don't want to be cruel. You are right. Sometimes, a little good advice is the best thing for a boy at certain times in his life and it often takes the youths long time to get sense into their heads.” And he warmly shook Mrs. Higgins's hand.
Back home, without even looking at Alfred, she said, “You are a bad luck. It is one thing after another, always has been. Why do you stand there so stupidly? Go to bed.” In his bedroom, Alfred heard his mother in the kitchen. There was no shame in him, just pride in his mother's strength. He felt he must tell her how great she was. As he got to the kitchen, he saw his mother drinking a cup of tea. He was shocked by what he saw. His mother's face was a frightened, broken one. It was not the same cool, bright face he saw earlier in the drug store. As she lifted the tea cup, her hand shook. And some of the tea splashed on the table. Her lips moved nervously. She looked very old. He watched his mother without making a sound. The picture of his mother made him want to cry. He felt his youth coming to an end. He saw all the troubles he brought his mother in her shaking hand and the deep lines of worry in her grey face. It seemed to him for the first time he had ever really seen his mother.Which of the following is probably said by Mrs. Higgins while talking to Mr. Carr?
A.“Please, for God's sake, you know, he is just a kid.” |
B.“I can't believe it! You are treating my son like that!” |
C.“Punishment makes sense because it teaches about the law.” |
D.“You know, it takes time for a youth to truly grow up.” |
What does the underlined phrase "his mother's strength"(Para. 3) refer to?
A.Mrs. Higgins's attitude towards parental sufferings. |
B.Mrs. Higgins's calmness and communicating skills. |
C.Mrs. Higgins's love and care for her son Alfred. |
D.Mrs. Higgins's greatness as a woman. |
After the incident, young Alfred would probably ________.
A.change his attitudes towards life |
B.feel ashamed of her mother |
C.learn to live an independent life |
D.hate Mr. Carr for hurting her mother |
It was Thanksgiving morning. I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags huddling together on the top step.
“Any old papers, lady?” asked one of them.
I was busy. I wanted to say “no” until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals(凉鞋), wet with heavy snow.
“Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”
They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I served them cocoa and bread to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started cooking.
The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, “Lady, are you rich?”
“Am I rich? Pity, no!”
I looked at my wornout slipcovers(椅套). The girl put her cup back in its saucer(茶碟)carefully and said, “Your cups match your saucers.” They left after that, holding their papers against the wind. They had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful.
Plain blue china cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.
I tasted the potatoes and stirred(搅动)the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a regular job, these matched, too.
I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy marks of little sandals were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how rich I am.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.A story of Thanksgiving Day. |
B. Lady, are you rich? |
C.Don't forget how rich you are |
D.Does cups and saucers match well? |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.The writer had thought she wasn't rich because her supplies were not expensive. |
B.The girl thought the writer was rich just because she wanted to make the writer happy. |
C.If cups and saucers match well, they are a best pair even though cheap. |
D.After hearing what they said, the writer seemed to understand what a rich life was. |
The writer left the muddy marks of little sandals on the floor for a while to________.
A.remind her that she shouldn't forget how rich she was |
B.show that she was a kindhearted lady |
C.leave room for readers to think about what being rich is |
D.prove that she had understood what meant being rich |
It can be inferred from the text that whether you are rich depends on________.
A.what attitude you have had towards life |
B.how much money you have made |
C.the way you help others |
D.your social relationship |
The world is changing so fast that English, perhaps the most worldly of languages, is struggling to keep up.
Learners in the future are likely to be much younger. Young children are often said to be better at language learning than older learners but they also have special challenges. Young children don’t usually have the kind of instrumental motivation and determination for learning English that older learners often have. English lessons must therefore be fun and rewarding.
The reasons why people learn English are also changing. Globalization is bringing together more people than ever who speak different languages and who are turning to English as the means of communication. The English learners of the future may be less worried about sounding exactly like a native speaker and more concerned about how to use English effectively in cross-cultural communication. We may be hearing more non-native speakers in dialogues and a wider range of the “New Englishes” now used around the world.
Technology will allow English to come to you, rather than you having to go to a special place to learn English.
Learning English has always involved both pain and pleasure, private effort and social activity. Traditional learning provided take-it or leave-it mixes of these as well as of content but in future learners will be able to choose a plan which suits their cultural and psychological dispositions(性情), or their particular needs at that moment. They, rather than their teachers, will decide how, what and when they will learn.
Above all, learning English is about communication and an important benefit of learning English is being able to exchange views and make friends with people all over the world. Despite the growing independence of learners, trusted institutions and brand names will remain important.Compared to older learners, young English learners .
A.are more active in learning |
B.are more hard-working in learning |
C.have more difficulties in learning |
D.have less lasting determination in learning |
What can we learn about the future English language?
A.British English will be more popular. |
B.American English will be more popular. |
C.Most people will speak standard English. |
D.Many different kinds of Englishes will appear. |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.Future English lessons will be more interesting. |
B.Old people won’t have to learn English in the future. |
C.People will pay more attention to English pronunciation. |
D.Teachers will play a more important role in one’s English learning. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Learning English means no pain in the future. |
B.English training schools will not be popular with young people in the future. |
C.English learners will become less independent in the future. |
D.More attention will be paid to personal needs in English learning in the future. |
One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology” rather than experiencing the natural world. Fear-producing TV and computer games are leading to serious disconnect between kids and the great outdoors, which will change the wild places of the world, its creatures and human health for the worse, unless adults get working on child’s play.
Each of us has a place in nature we go sometimes, even if it was torn down. We cannot be the last generation to have that place. At this rate, kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes. “If the decline in park use continues across North America, who will defend parks against encroachment(蚕食)?”asks Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the woods.
Without having a nature experience, kids can turn out just fine, but they are missing out a huge enrichment to their lives. Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents—and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it; research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters(培养)leadership by the smartest, not by the toughest, Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child. The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes he is not alone in the world. A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes. We really need to value that more. Kids are not to blame. They are over-protected and frightened. It is dangerous out there from time to time but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite(仪式)of passage.
Everyone, from developers, to schools and outdoorsy citizens, should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring, taking friendship in fields and woods that strengthen love, respect and need for the landscapes. As parents, we should devote some of our energy to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause.According to the passage, children without experiencing nature will______
A.keep a high sense of wonder |
B.be over-protected by their parents |
C.be less healthy both physically and mentally |
D.change wild places and creatures for the better |
According to the author, children’s breaking an arm is_____
A.the fault on the part of their parents |
B.the natural experience in their growing up |
C.the result of their own carelessness in play |
D.the effect of their repetitive stress from computers |
In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to______
A.blame children for getting lost in computer games |
B.encourage children to protect parks from encroachment |
C.show his concern about children’s lack of experience in nature |
D.inspire children to keep the sense of wonder about things around |
The principles about applying for jobs have altered greatly lately. In the past, people preferred a hand-written application letter.However, nowadays it is becoming more and more common to apply for a job through the Internet.You can find information on the Internet about how to apply for jobs.Information can be found about how to fulfill your application letter, the clothes that you should wear and how to carry out the interview itself.
The importance of body language is often mentioned,but doesn’t always get the attention it deserves.After all,before a word has even been spoken,your body language will have already given people their first impression of you.Additionally, your body language will also give out a lot more information.Based on your body language it can be seen if you are self-confident.It can also show if you are a busy or a quiet type and it helps give an impression of whether you are speaking truthfully or not.Body language can show how enthusiastic you are and if you are a nice person.someone who will take his work seriously, but also someone who has a sense of humor and can enjoy a joke from time to time.The members of the application committee will ask you questions,but your answers won’t only be oral.The committee will not only pay attention to what you say, but also to how you say it! Body language will determine first if it ‘clicks’,and sometimes all it takes is just a few seconds.Everybody uses body language,but it takes place mostly at a subconscious(下意识的) level.Using body language appropriately, you can definitely increase your chances of getting a job.What kind of people is the text mainly meant for?
A.Interviewers | B.Job-hunting people |
C.Employers | D.Lay-off workers |
We can learn from the first paragraph that_______.
A.hand-written letters are not used in finding a job |
B.the more expensive clothes interviewees wear, the better |
C.body language is more important than spoken words |
D.Internet is of significance in applying for a job |
Using body language well in a job interview will probably _______.
A.get rid of the interviewers’prejudice |
B.determine what position one will get |
C.increase the possibility to get the wanted job |
D.help one remove nervousness |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Those using body language are usually confident. |
B.Body language is often used on purpose in job hunting. |
C.Body language is a mirror to reflect one’s personality. |
D.People enjoying jokes are preferred in a job interview. |