Throughout the history of the arts, the nature of creativity has remained constant to artists. No matter what objects they select, artists are to bring forth new forces and forms that cause change-to find poetry where no one has ever seen or experienced it before.
Landscape(风景) is another unchanging element of art. It can be found from ancient times through the 17th-century Dutch painters to the 19th-century romanticists and impressionists. In the 1970s Alfred Leslie, one of the new American realists, continued this practice. Leslie sought out the same place where Thomas Cole, a romanticist, had produced paintings of the same scene a century and a half before. Unlike Cole who insists on a feeling of loneliness and the idea of finding peace in nature, Leslie paints what he actually sees. In his paintings, there is no particular change in emotion, and he includes ordinary things like the highway in the background. He also takes advantage of the latest developments of color photography(摄影术) to help both the eye and the memory when he improves his painting back in his workroom.
Besides, all art begs the age-old question: What is real? Each generation of artists has shown their understanding of reality in one form or another. The impressionists saw reality in brief emotional effects, the realists in everyday subjects and in forest scenes, and the Cro-Magnon cave people in their naturalistic drawings of the animals in the ancient forests. To sum up, understanding reality is a necessary struggle for artists of all periods.
Over thousands of years the function of the arts has remained relatively constant. Past or present, Eastern or Western, the arts are a basic part of our immediate experience. Many and different are the faces of art, and together they express the basic need and hope of human beings.
The underlined word “poetry” most probably means __________.
A.an object for artistic creation | B.a collection of poems |
C.an unusual quality | D.a natural scene |
Leslie's paintings are extraordinary because.
A.they are close in style to works in ancient times |
B.they look like works by 19th-century painters |
C.they draw attention to common things in life |
D.they depend heavily on color photography |
What is the author's opinion of artistic reality?
A.It will not be found in future works of art. |
B.It does not have a long-lasting standard. |
C.It is expressed in a fixed artistic form. |
D.It is lacking in modern works of art. |
What does the author suggest about the arts in the last paragraph?
A.They express people's curiosity about the past. |
B.They make people interested in everyday experience. |
C.They are considered important for variety in form. |
D.They are regarded as a mirror of the human situation. |
Which of the following is the main topic of the passage?
A.History of the arts. |
B.Basic questions of the arts. |
C.New developments in the arts. |
D.Use of modern technology in the arts. |
D
The following is a timetable in Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
Airline |
Flight Number |
Destination |
Departure |
Gate |
Air Canada |
137 |
Beijing |
10:12 a.m. |
24 |
Japanese Airlines |
320 |
Tokyo |
10:30 a.m. |
18 |
British Airways |
405 |
Paris |
11:00 a.m. |
20 |
Pan American |
226 |
London |
11:20 a.m. |
12 |
Pan American |
12 |
Beijing |
11:43 a.m. |
15 |
Air Canada |
178 |
Tokyo |
12:32 a.m. |
21 |
CAAC |
289 |
Hong Kong |
12:32 a.m. |
14 |
CAAC |
314 |
Moscow |
12:45 a.m. |
18 |
British Airways |
230 |
New York |
12:55 a.m. |
23 |
71. A man wants to take Flight 178 to Tokyo. Which gate should he go to?
A. 14 B. 28 C. 21 D. 18
72. Lisa is at gate 23. Where is she going?
A. Paris B. Beijing C. Tokyo D. New York
73. Now it’s 10:40. Mary is at gate 20. Which airline’s plane will she take?
A. British Airways B. Japanese Airlines
C. Pan American D. Air Canada
74. Gate _______ is the busiest among all these gates.
A. 23 B. 18 C. 24 D. 15
75. Which airline’s flights cover the longest route(行程)?
A. CAAC B. Pan American
C. British Airways D. Air Canada
E
Every year farmers in areas which often suffer flood in Southeast Asia lose millions of tons of rice to high water that kills their crops. That large amount of waste may soon be a thing of the past: SUBIA, a gene discovered by researchers which the International Rice Research Insitule (IRRI) and the University of California, allows rice palnts carrying the gene to live completely under water for two weeks.
Flood – resistant(抗水浸) rice turned up among the 110,000 types of seed stored at the institute. It produced disappointingly low yields(产量) , but scientistis were able to transfer the gene into more bountiful varieties. These have shown promising results in tests by growers in India and Bangladesh over the past two years.
This rice success story would not have been possible without the treasure of genetic diversity hidden in the IRRI’s vault (underground room). As the world faces new agricultural challenge – charging climate, bugs and diseases that have developed resistance(抵抗力) to old defenses – such genetic resources are likely to become increasingly valuable. Fortunately, the IRRI is one of more than 1,000 organizations around the world working to protect crop genes. Most plant species grown for food have an associated bank that stores thousands of samples; seeds of landraces, wild relatives, and varieties that are rare, old, or adapted to very specific envionments. The banks ensure that it will be possible to develop new varieties in the future.
The need for these botanical libraries has its roots in modern agricultural practices. According to the U. N. Food and Agriculture Organization, 75 percent of plant diversity has been lost over the last century. Of more than 30,000 eatable species, humans grow just 200 for food; 60 percent of plant calories in our diet comes from wheat, rice, and corn.
72.Accordint to the second paragraph, what can we learn about the flood – resistant rice?
A.It produces a small amount of rice.
B.Scientists have developed many more varieties of it.
C.Sientists have managed to improve its output.
D.It can produce more rice than the other 110,000 types at the institute.
73.From the passage we can infer that .
A.the newly – discovered gene will bring hope to the farmers in the areas often suffering flood
B.scientists will not be able to change the fact that rice plants carrying the gene produce low yields
C.the tests by growers in India and Bangladesh were hopeless
D.110,000 types of seed stored at the Institute are flood - resistant
74.What’s the main idea of the third paragraph?
A.The world faces new agricultural challenges.
B.Such genetic resources are likely to become valuable.
C.Scientists set up banks to store thousands of seed samples.
D.We should owe the rice success story to the seed banks.
75.As to the botanical libraries, the writer thinks they are .
A.useless B.unnecessary C.needful D.needless
D
●Tower Bridge is one of London’s most well known landmarks. Opened in 1894, this hydraulic(液压的) bridge can be raised to permit river traffic to pass underneath.
Vistors to Tower Bridge can enjoy wonderful views of the River Thames from the bridge towers. There is also a museum which explain how the bascule bridge operates and discusses its history. Tower Bridge is often incorrectly referred to as London Bridge.London Bridge, however, is a different bridge that is located directly upstream from Tower Bridge.
●The British Museum is a “must do” for all visitors to London England. Treasures from around the world can be found in Britain’s largest and most popular museum. To top it off, admission to the British Museum is free of charge.
Due to the enormous size of the museums, visitors should priortize what they wish to see. One “must see” is the Rosetta Stone – a key puzzle piece in the recorded history of humankid. The british Museum is locted in the Bloomsbury district of London in London WC1.
●Greenwich Park is a beautiful large park located a few kilometers away from the centre of London. Attractions in Greenwich include the Cutty Sark, the Gypsy Moth and the Old Royal Observatory. A painted line at the obsevatory inicates zero degrees of longitude(经度).
Many visitors to Greenwich enjoy having their photos taken with one leg in the western hemisphere(半球)and the other in the eastern hemisphere. Greenwich is the place where time was officially tracked – “Greenwich Mean Time” or “GMT”.
Greenwich is located in London SE10.
●The Eurostar high – speed train service provides fast connections between London and Paris and London and Brussels. The Eurostar trains pass through the 32 – mile Channel Tunnel under the English Channel. The tunnel is also known as the “Euro Tunnel” or “Chunnel”. The Channel Tunnel is considered to be one of the world’s great engineering wonders.
Trains leave form the Waterloo Rail Station which is located in south London.
68.If a tourist doesn’t have any money on him, which of the following can he do?
A.Visit Tower Bridge. B.Visit the British Museum.
C.Go around Greenwich Park. D.Take a Eurostar high – speed train.
69.Where can we find the attraction of the Cutty Sark?
A.On London Bridge. B.In the Old Royal Observatory.
C.In the British Museum. D.In Greenwich Park.
70.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Tower Bridge can be raised mainly to let the water folw faster.
B.The British Museum is the largest museum in the world.
C.Greenwich Park is where the western hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere meet.
D.The Eurostar train can take people from London to many cities in Europe directly.
71.In what web page do you think the passage is probably found?
A.International news. B.Study abroad.
C.Tourist Information and Travel Guide. D.Art of architecture.
C
FOR many of us, cartoon strips(连环画) are simply one of our pastimes. The popular Japanese manga provides us with an escape from reality into a world of fantasy, adventure and romance. With much less text and pictures running for pages, it fits perfectly into today's fast, throwing away city lifestyle.
But Tsai Chih-chung, a famous Taiwanese illustrator (漫画家), doesn't agree. He believes cartoons can be a bridge connecting traditional Chinese culture and wisdom with the modern world in a much more wise and acceptable way.
He has interpreted(演绎) Lao Zi, Confucius, Mencius, Zhuang Zi and Sun Zi and made their works accessible to a global audience. He has also produced two books about Zen (禅宗), introducing oriental philosophy(哲学). His cartoons are humorous yet full of wisdom and are admired as an easy way to learn Chinese classics.
After avoiding the public for ten years, Tsai made a comeback in late April with seven new works. But does his age, 61, work as a gap between him and his young readers? Tsai doesn't think so.
The topics he has covered range from philosophy in a time of individuality(个性) to the learning and memorizing techniques used at school. "Every child is a genius and has the potential beyond his own imagination," he said.
If popular Japanese manga is simply for entertainment, Tsai's work, to a large extent, is to light the power of thinking in a light-hearted way. Tsai uses different forms of water to refer to people. In his eyes some people are like an ocean, some are like vapor , while others may be ice or rain. But in essence they share a similarity – human being's forever chasing for the true and the good.
"The person who thinks over life issues is not necessarily a scholar or a philosopher," he said. "I've devoted my whole life to thinking and individual freedom, not making a living."
64.Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Tsai’s work fits today’s city lifestyle.
B.All of Tsai’s works mainly introduce eastern philosophy.
C.Tsai’s works are humorous as well as full of wisdom.
D.Tsai’s works are not involved in children’s study.
65.What’s the word “vapor” mean in the 6th paragraph?
It means .
A.a kind of food B.a form of water C.a form of solid D.a kind of people
66.From the passage we know that .
A.Tsai once stopped writing his works for ten years
B.Tsai writes his works in order to make a living
C.Tsai thinks everyone should be a scholar or a philosopher
D.Tsai doesn’t think there is a gap between him and his young readers
67.In the author’s opinion, .
A.Japanese Manga is more valuable than Tsai’s
B.Tsai’s works are more valuable than Japanese Manga
C.Japanese Manga is as valuable as Tsai’s
D.Both Japanese Manga and Tsai’s works are valueless
B
One of my fondest memories as a child is going by the river and sitting idly on the bank. There I would enjoy the peace and quiet, watch the water rush downstream and listen to the chirps of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees. I would also watch the bamboo(竹子) trees bend under pressure from the wind and watch them return gracefully to their upright or original position after the wind had died down.
When I think about the bamboo tree’s ability to bounce back or return to its original position, the word resilience (恢复力)comes to mind. When used in reference to a person, this word means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other situation that stretches the limits of a person’s emotions.
Have you ever felt like you are about to snap(突然折断)? Have you ever felt like you are at your breaking point? Thankfully, you have survived the experience to live to talk about it.
During the experience you probably felt a mix of emotions that threatened your health. You felt emotionally drained, mentally exhausted and you most likely endured(忍耐) unpleasant physical symptoms(症状).
Life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. The next time you are experiencing one of those bad times or unhappy moments that take you close to your breaking point, bend, but don’t break. Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you.
If the going gets tough and you are at your breaking point, show resilience. Like the bamboo tree, bend, but don’t break!
60.When the writer talks about the bamboo trees, he wants to tell us .
A.he can’t forget those bamboo trees
B.he used to watch them bend under pressoure and return to their upright position
C.he still remembers the good days as a child
D.he admires the character of the bamboo trees
61.Which of the following is TRUE?
A.When you have overcome some depression, you show resilience.
B.When you are about to snap, we say you are resilient.
C.If you feel like you are at your breaking point, you are fortunate.
D.If you feel mentally exhausted, you are likely to experience pleasant physical symptoms.
62.What does the writer mean by saying “Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you?”
A.You should make the best of the situation.
B.You should try your best to get the best situation.
C.You should try your best not to be defeated by the situation.
D.You should try your best not to give up the best situation.
63.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.My fondest memories B.Good times and bad times
C.Enjoy the peace and quiet D.Bend, but don’t break