Artsandcultureislivedandbreath-优题课

All her life, my mother wanted busy children. It was very important that her house should remain at all times clean and tidy. You could turn your back for a moment in my mother’s house, leave a half-written letter on the dining room table, a magazine open on the chair, and turn around to find that my mother had “put it back where it belonged,” as she explained.
My wife, one of her first visits to my mother’s house, placed a packet of biscuits on an end table and went to the kitchen to fetch a drink. When she returned, she found the packet had been removed. Confused, she set down her drink and went back to the kitchen for more biscuits, only to return to find that her drink had disappeared. Up to then she had guessed that everyone in my family held onto their drinks, so as not to make water rings on the end tables. Now she knows better
These disappearance had a confusing effect on our family. We were all inclined to (有……的倾向) forgetfulness, and it was common for one of us, upon returning from the bathroom, to find that every sign of his work in progress had disappeared suddenly. “ Do you remember what I was doing?” was a question frequently asked, but rarely answered.
Now my sister has developed a second-hand love of cleaning windows, and my brother does the cleaning in his house, perhaps to avoid having to be the one to lift his feet. I try not to think about it too much, but I have at this later time started to dust the furniture once a week.
We have all become busy persons.
Which of the following is TRUE about my mother?

A．she enjoyed removing others’ drinks.	B．She became more and more forgetful.
C．She preferred to do everything by herself.	D．She wanted to keep her house in good order.

My wife could not find her biscuits and drink in my mother’s house because _______.

A．she had already finished them	B．my mother had taken them away
C．she forgot where she had left them	D．someone in my family was holding them

The underlined part suggests that my sister ______.

A．is happy to clean windows	B．loves to clean used windows
C．is fond of cleaning used windows	D．likes cleaning windows as my mother did

How many persons are mentioned in the passage?

A．Six.

B．Seven.

C．Five.

D．Four.

This passage mainly tells us that ______.

A．my mother often made us confused	B．my family members had a poor memory
C．my mother helped us to form a good habit	D．my wife was surprised when she visited my mother

American like to visit the national parks. In 1996, over 250,000,000 people visited areas run by the National Park Service. Experts predict that by 2010, 500,000,000 people per year will visit the parks. As a result, people are trying to think of ways to protect the parks from the crowds.
The crowding of the parks has caused several problems. One is that there is not enough space for all of the people who want to use the parks. To cope with this problem, national parks may require reservations months in advance for some spots. The Park Service may also raise entrance fees at these places.
Another problem caused by increased park use is pollution. Some garbage and waste can be cleaned up, and the cleanup can be paid for by increased entrance fees. To cut down on noise pollution and air pollution, officials may decrease the number of cars allowed in parks. If this happens, people may use buses to travel around the parks. Officials may also limit the use of jet-skis, snowmobiles (摩托雪橇), motorboats, and sightseeing helicopters and planes.
The parks are also threatened by development that is going on around them. For example, around Yellow Stone Park, many motels (汽车旅馆), golf courses, resorts, and other tourist attractions have been built. Some of these developments affect areas that are used by animals. People will have to learn to agree about ways to protect the parks. If they do not, there will soon be no reason to visit these national treasures.
By 2010, the number of visitors will rise by ______ per year.

A．250 million

B．500 million

C．2.5 billion

D．5 billion

If you want to visit the national parks, you may have to _____ in the future.

A．pay less than before	B．stay there for months
C．book the ticket before months	D．fill in a form to apply for the ticket

Entrance fees may be increased _______.

A．just for the benefit of the National Park Service

B．either to limit the number of visitors or to pay for the cleaner

C．not only to protect the animals but to reduce the noise pollution

D．merely for the development of the national parks

What does the underlined sentence in the passage mean?

A．People are not supposed to visit the national parks for fear that they will ha

rm the animals.

B．Only if more man-made t

ou

rist attractions are built will more people visit the parks.

C．It is reasonable to keep the balance between the development of the parks and the reserve.

D．People will not visit the national parks since there are no golf courses and resorts.

What can be inferred from the passage?

A．High fees may probably keep some people out of parks.

B．Helicopters and planes will not be used in parks any longer.

C．The bus will become the only toot in parks with the purpose of pollution reduction.

D．The National Park Service welcomes as many visitors as possible.

Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the Website you've visited，Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact, it's likely that some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girl friend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen ---- the 21st century replacement of being caught naked.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it's important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs(碎屑) you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter?
For many Americans, the answer apparently is "no."
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it. A survey found a strong bad feeling about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is "slipping away, and that bothers me."
But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny part of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收费站) to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquisti has run a series oftests that reveal people will give away personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon(优惠卷)。
But privacy does matter ---- at least sometimes. It's like health: When you have it, you don't notice it. Only when it's gone do you wish you'd done more to protect it.
What does the author mean by saying "the 21st century replacement of being caught naked"?

A．People's personal information is easily accessed without their knowledge.

B．In the 21st century people try every means to look into others' secrets.

C．People tend to be more frank with each other in the information age.

D．Criminals are easily caught on the spot with advanced technology.

What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

A．Friends should open their hearts to each other.

B．Friends should always be faithful to each other.

C．There should be a distance even between friends.

D．There should be fewer arguments between friends.

Why does the author say "we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret"？

A．Modern society has finally developed into an open society.

B．People leave traces around when using modern technology.

C．There are always people who are curious about others' affairs.

D．Many search engines benefit from giving away people's identities.

What do most Americans do as for privacy protection?

A．They change

behaviors that might disclose their identity.

B．They use various loyalty cards for business transactions(交易)..

C．T

hey rely most and more on electronic devices.

D．They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it.

According to the passage, privacy is like health because ___.

A．people will make every effort to keep it.

B．its importance is rarely understood

C．it is something that can easily be lost

D．people don't treasure it until they lose it

In 1605 some Englishmen planned to kill their king, James I, because they thought he was a bad man. They knew that on November 5th the king would go to the House of Lords to talk with his nobles.
The men rented a building next to the House of Lords. They dug through a wall and put many barrels of gunpowder in a cellar of the House of Lords. They chose a man called Guy Fawkes to set fires to the gunpowder but something went wrong with their plan. One of the men had a relative who was coming to the House of Lords to meet the King. He warned his relative to stay at home .The relative spoke to other nobles and soon the King heard about the danger. Soldiers searched the cellars and found the gunpowder on November 4th, Guy Fawkes was caught and killed.
Every year, on November 5th , English children remember Guy Fawkes . They collect old boxes, newspapers and rubbish so that they can make a big fire, which they call a bonfire. They put a pole in the middle of the fire and tie a “guy” to it . “The guy” is the figure of Guy Fawkes and is made of old clothes and paper . Sometimes they push their “guy” round the streets in a cart and ask for money so that they can buy fireworks.
In the evening they light the bonfire and let off many fireworks: crackers, rockets , bangers and many other kinds .November 5th is an exciting day for children in England. It is always a busy day for firemen and for hospitals. Sparks from the bonfires sometimes set fire to fences, trees or houses. Every year children are injured when fireworks exploded unexpectedly.
Some Englishmen planned to kill their king because _______.

A．they thought highly of him	B．they thought poorly of him
C．they thought nothing of him	D．they thought well of him

Something went wrong with their plan because one of the men _____ .

A．told the King about	B．told other nobles about it
C．told his relative about it	D．Guy Fawkes was killed

How do English children remember Guy Fawkes every year ?

A．They make a bonfire	B．They make a figure of Guy
C．They left off fireworks.	D．All above.

The phrase “let off many fireworks” in the passage means “_____”.

A．allow the fireworks to leave	B．cause the fireworks to explode
C．keep the fireworks off the bonfire	D．put the fireworks into the bonfire

November 5th is a busy day for firemen because ______.

A．fireworks are in great need

B．quite a few houses catch fire when fireworks explode

C．many children are injured by the unexpected explosion of fireworks

D．both B and C

I came to study in the United States a year ago. Yet I did not know the real American society until I was injured in a car accident because after the accident I had to see a doctor and go to court.
After the accident, my roommate called a doctor for me. I was very grateful and determined to repay him one day. But the next day, he asked me to pay him $200 for what he had done. I was astonished. He had good reason to charge me, he said. And if I wanted to collect money from the person who was responsible for my injury, I’d have to have a good lawyer. And only a good doctor can help me get a good lawyer .Now that he had helped me find a good doctor, it was only fair that I should pay him .But every time I went to see the doctor, I had to wait about 50 minutes. He would see two or three patients at the same time, and often stop treating one so as to see another. Yet he charged me $115 each time. The final examination report consisted of ten lines, and it cost me $215. My lawyer was all smiles the first time we met. But after that he avoided seeing me at all. He knew very well the other party was responsible for the accident, yet he hardly did anything. He simply waited to collect his money. He was so irresponsible that I decided to dismiss him. And he made me pay him $770.
Now I had to act as my own lawyer. Due to my inexperience, I told the insurance company the date I was leaving America. Knowing that ,they played for time,… and I left without getting a cent.
My experiences taught me two things about America: firstly, in a country like America money is everything. It is more important than friendship, honor or professional morality. Secondly, foreigners are still being unfairly treated. So when we talk about America, we should see both its good and bad sides.
The author’s roommate offered to help him because _____.

A．he felt sorry for the author

B．he thought it was a chance to make some money

C．he knew the doctor was a very good one

D．he wanted the author to have a good lawyer

A good doctor is essential for the author to_____.

A．be properly treated

B．talk with the person responsible for the accident

C．recover before he leaves America

D．eventually get the responsible party to pay for his injury

The underlined word “ charge ” in this passage means ______.

A．b

e responsible

B．accuse

C．ask as a price

D．claim

Both the doctor and the lawyer in this passage are very ______.

A．friendly

B．greedy

C．professional

D．busy

What conclusion can you draw from the story?

A．Going to court is something very common in America.

B．One must be very careful while driving a car.

C．there are more bad sides in America than good sides.

D．Money is more important than other things in the US.

A．a long history	B．a large area
C．a large population	D．a variety of immigrants