Growingstrawberriesinpots·Theb-优题课

There is a story of a country where the rate of inflation(通货膨胀) is so high that clever people pay for a taxi ride before, instead of after the trip. The story may not be true, but inflation was almost that serious in Germany from July 1920 until December 1923. Prices went up so fast that by the end of 1923 they were 50 billion percent higher-arise of almost 2,500% a month.
There was so much paper money, and it had so little value, that people carried bags full of money around to pay for things. One woman tells the story of standing outside a shop with a basket full of 500,000 marks(马克) notes. She wanted to buy just one piece of meat, and she hoped she had enough money. But when she was looking, a thief robbed her. He didn't take her money, he threw it away and took the basket instead.
At first workers demanded to be paid every day, but as the situation became worse, they had to be paid twice a day. But they had to run out and spend the money at once, or it would lose its value. People bought anything that was for sale, but food was almost impossible to find. Farm workers refused to take money. They wanted to be paid in potatoes instead.
New policies ended the inflation in 1923, when the government introduced a new money, but about half of the German people lost everything in those three and a half years.
According to the text, in Germany the prices in 1920 were ______.

A．the lowest in history	B．the highest in history
C．higher than those in 1923	D．lower than those in 1923

The thief stole the basket instead of the money in it because he thought ______.

A．the basket was what he needed most

B．the money was of no value

C．the basket was more valuable than the money

D．he couldn't buy a piece of meat with the money

The farm workers demanded to be paid in potatoes because they believed ______.

A．the potato was valuable	B．the money might lose its value
C．the potato was too expensive	D．the money could not buy potatoes

Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become “computer-literate”. But not all experts agree that this is a good idea.
One pioneer, in particular, who disagrees is David Tebbutt, the founder of Computertown UK. Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the computer, David does not see it that way. He says that Computertown UK was formed for just the opposite reason, to bring computers to people and make them “people-literate”.
David Tebbutt thinks Computertowns are most successful when tied to a computer club but he insists there is an important difference between the two. The clubs are for people who have some computer knowledge already. This frightens away non-experts, who are happier going to Computertowns where there are computers for them to experiment on, with experts to encourage them and answer any questions they have. They are not told what to do. They find out. The computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have to be able to answer all questions people ask. People don't have to learn computer terms(术语), but the experts have to explain in plain language. The computers are becoming “people-literate”.
Which of the following is David Tebbutt's idea on the relationship between people and
computers?

A．Computer learning should be made easier.

B．There should be more computer clubs for experts.

C．People should work harder to master computer use.

D．Computers should be made cheaper so that people can afford them.

We can infer from the text that “computer-literate” means ______.

A．being able to afford a computer

B．being able to write computer programs

C．working with the computer and finding out the value

D．understanding the computer and knowing how to use it

The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to the idea that Computertowns ___.

A．help to set up more computer clubs	B．bring people to learn to use computers
C．bring more experts to work together	D．help to sell computers to the public

David Tebbutt started Computertown UK with the purpose of ______.

A．making better use of computer experts	B．improving computer programs
C．increasing computer sales	D．popularising computers

Watercolor is the oldest paints known. It dates back to the early cave men who discovered they could add lifelike qualities to drawings of animals and other figures on the walls of caves by mixing the natural colors found in the earth with water.
Fresco(壁画), one of the greatest of all art forms, is done with watercolor. It is created by mixing paints and water and applying these to wet plaster(灰泥). Of the thousands of people who stand under Michelangelo's heroic ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, very few know that they are looking at perhaps the greatest watercolor painting in the world.
The invention of oil painting by the Flemish masters in the fifteenth century made fresco painting go down-hill, and for the next several centuries watercolor was used mainly for doing sketches(素描) or as a tool for study. It was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that English painters put back watercolor as a serious art form. The English have a widely-known love for the outdoors and also small, private pictures. The softness of watercolor had a remarkably strong attraction for them.
The popularity of watercolor continued to grow until in the twentieth century. The United States passed England as the center for watercolor, producing such well-known watercolor artists as Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth.
What is the passage mainly about?

A．The gradual weakness of fresco painting.

B．Oils having more power or influence over watercolor.

C．The rediscovery of watercolor in England.

D．The start and development of watercolor.

The first watercolor artists were ______.

A．early cave men	B．Italian fresco artists
C．Flemish masters	D．English artists of the 18th century

In 16th and 17th centuries the artists thought ______.

A．watercolor was more costly, but was better

B．oil painting lasted less long, but clearer and brighter

C．watercolor was not suitable for finished works

D．oil painting was difficult to use

According to the passage, watercolor painting was put back in England because ______.
A.it was easy to use outdoors B.it was a strong medium
B.it was extremely bright in color D.it was well suited to popular tastes
What would the next paragraph most probably deal with?

A．The works of famous American watercolor artists.

B．The weakness of oils as popular paints.

C．Techniques of producing watercolor.

D．Modern American oil painters.

“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation(回声).It was just standing there, with father standing on one side , and I on the other side.
We were both in great anger” Never set foot in this house again!” stormed father．With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.
The street lights were shining rather desolately(凄凉的).I wandered aimlessly.
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me．I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and harmonious.
But now..．I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old．We differ in our ways of thinking．He always imposes his opinions and codes of behavior on me．Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits it．We are just like two people coming from two different worlds．It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.
I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind．My heart was frozen on this hot summer night．As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company．When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived ,I saw that the light was still on.
I thought to myself: “Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?”
In fact, it was nothing．Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps．Perhaps he thought they were useless．I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps．I can’t stand his outrageous(蛮横的)words: “I can’t throw you away, let alone these old papers ?”
All the lights were off except father’s.
Dad was always like this．Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself．After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret．After an argument he has the habit of creeping up in my sleep and then tucking me underneath the covers.
This was how he always was．He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.
The light was still on．“Am I wrong?” I whispered ,maybe...With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been．At last, I decided to open the door．As soon as I opened the door tears ran down my cheeks．I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all．Love—it second to none.
Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage.
a．I opened the door and entered the house.
b．Sadly I ran out into the street.
c．I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.
d．I thought of my father’s kindness towards me.
e．I walked about in the street without any aim.

A．b,e,d,c,a

B．b,e,c,d,a

C．b,e,a,c,d

D．b,e,c,a,d

What made the writer think of his childhood ?

A．The sight of the desolate street lights.

B．The sight of the empty street.

C．The sight of a father with a child in his arms.

D．The sight of light in his own house.

Why do you think the father often shouts at his son ?

A．perhaps the father is getting older and older.

B．perhaps the son has already grown up.

C．perhaps they never agree with each other.

D．perhaps the father has got used to doing that.

What conclusion can you draw after reading the passage ?

A．The father treats his son in an unfair way.

B．The father is actually kind to his son.

C．The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son.

D．The father is always finding fault with his son.

Without most people realizing it, there has been a revolution in office work over the last ten years．Before that time, large computers were only, used by large, rich companies that could afford the investment．With the advancement of technology, small computers have come onto the market, which are capable of doing the work which used to be done by much larger and expensive computers, so now most smaller companies can use them
The main development in small computers has been in the field of word processors (处理器) , or WPS as they are often called．40% of British offices are now estimated to have a word processor and this percentage is growing fast．
There are many advantages in using a word processor for both secretary and manager．The secretary is freed from a lot of daily work, such as re-typing letters and storing papers．He or she can use this time to do other more interesting work for the boss．From a manager's point of view, secretarial time is being made better use of and money can be saved by doing daily jobs automatically outside office hors．
But is it all good? If a lot of daily secretarial work can be done automatically, surely this will mean that fewer secretaries will be needed．Another worry is the increasing medical problems related to work with visual display units (显示器)．The case of a slow loss of sight among people using word processors seems to have risen greatly．It is also feared that if a woman works at a VDU for long hours, the unborn child in her body might be killed．Safety screens to put over a VDU have been invented but few companies in England bother to buy them．
Whatever the arguments for and against word processor, they are a key feature (特征) of this revolution in office practice．
Then years ago, smaller companies did not use large computers because_________．

A．these companies had not enough money to buy such expensive computers

B．these computers could not do the work that small computers can do today

C．these computers did not come onto the market

D．these companies did not need to use this new technology

According to the writer, the main feature of the revolution in office work
over the last ten years is __________．

A．the saving of time and money	B．the use of computers in small companies
C．the wide use of word processors	D．the decreasing number of secretaries

It is implied but not directly stated in the passage that with the use of word
processors _________．

A．some secretaries will lose their jobs

B．daily jobs can be done automatically outside office hours

C．medical problems related to work with a VDU have increased

D．the British companies will make less money

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．There are both advantages and disadvantages in using a word processor

B．The British companies care much for the health of the people using word processors．

C．The technology in the field of computers has been greatly advanced over the last ten years．

D．Using word processors , secretaries can get more time to do more interesting work for their bosses．

It can be concluded from the passage that ________．

A．safety screens are of poor quality

B．working at a VDU for a long time is good for one's health

C．more and more British offices will use word processors

D．British companies will need fewer and fewer manages

A．the size of a pot	B．the season of harvesting
C．the number of plants in a pot	D．careful watering and feeding