The summer I was ten, my mother decided to bring us to the world of art. My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant. What she meant was not that we could take drawing classes or painting classes but that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum. Before each visit to the museum, she made us read about artists and painting styles(风格). It was almost as bad as being in school. Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool?
First we had to read about ancient Egyptians(古埃及人) and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum. My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny, but I was not interested. Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing. We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly (鬈曲的) hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings. I certainly couldn’t see what was so great about art.
On our last visit to the museum, something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary. In it, a woman was reading to a child. The colors were soft and gentle, and you could tell by the mother’ s expression how happy she was just to be with the child. I couldn’t stop looking at this painting ! I wanted to see every painting Mary had ever made! It was really worth looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much.The aim of the mother’ s plan was to _________.
| A．take them to visit the museum |
| B．introduce them to the world of art |
| C．ask them to read about artists |
| D．show them different painting styles |
What was the writer’ s experience in the museum before the last visit?
| A．She came to feel her mother’ s love. |
| B．She liked many paintings. |
| C．She hardly enjoyed herself. |
| D．She could understand the pictures of fat babies. |
What made the writer go through a change that summer?
| A．One of Mary’s paintings. |
| B．A strange way of painting. |
| C．Artists in the Middle Ages. |
| D．Her mother’ s instruction. |
From the text, we can see _________.
| A．the importance of curiosity | B．the effect of art |
| C．the value of learning | D．the power of family education |
Welcome to one of the largest collections of footwear（鞋类）in the world that will make you green with envy. Here at the Footwear Museum you can see exhibits（展品）from all over the world. You can find out about shoes worn by everyone from the Ancient Egyptians to pop stars.
| Room 1 The celebrity（名人）footwear section is probably the most popular in the entire museum. Stared in the 1950s there is a wide variety of shoes and boots belonging to everyone from queens and presidents to pop stars and actors! Most visitors find the celebrities’ choice of footwear extremely interesting. |
Room 2 Most of our visitors are amazed —and shocked— by the collection of “special purpose”shoes on exhibition here at the Museum of Footwear. For example, there are Chinese shoes made of silk, that were worn by women to tie their feet firmly to prevent them from growing too much! |
| Room 3 As well as shoes and boots the museum also exhibits shoe-shaped objects. The variety is unbelievable. For example, there is a metal lamp that resembles a pair of shoes, and Greek wine bottles that like legs! |
The footwear Library People come from all over the world to study in our excellent footwear library. Designers and researchers come here to look up information on anything and everything related to the subject of footwear. |
Where would you find a famous singer’s shoes?
| A．Room1. | B．Room 2. |
| C．Room3. | D．The Footwear Library |
All exhibits in each room .
| A．have the same shape |
| B．share the same theme |
| C．are made of the same material |
| D．belong to the same social class |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．The oldest exhibits in Room 1 were made in the 1950s. |
| B．Room 2 is the most visited place in the museum. |
| C．Room 3 has a richer variety of exhibits than the other two. |
| D．Researchers come to the Footwear Library for data. |
The purpose of the text is to get more people to .
| A．do research | B．design shoes |
| C．visit the museum | D．follow celebrities |
One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap(包装).
On September 11th. 1958. Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying. "I promised you a gift, and here it is. " What an honor! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories. 1 told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as "hopeless", "pitiful", and "dying", which sounded ominous.
Christmas was coming. "Don’t expect any presents this year." Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room. "If your baby brother lives, that'll be Christmas enough. " As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. I'd never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say. "What? He's all right?" He hung up and shouted upstairs. " The hospital said we can bring Richard home!"
"Thank God.'" I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I downstairs. My sacks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love! what happened to the author on September 11 1958 ?
| A．He got a baby brother |
| B．He got a Christmas gift |
| C．He became four years old |
| D．He received a doll |
What does the underlined word “ominous” in Paragraph 3 probably mean？
| A．Impossible. | B．Boring |
| C．Difficult | D．Fearful |
Which word can best describe the feeling of the father when Christmas was coming?
| A．Excitement. | B．Happiness. |
| C．Sadness. | D．Disappointment. |
What is the passage mainly about ?
| A．A sad Christmas day |
| B．Life with a lovely baby |
| C．A special Christmas gift. |
| D．Memories of a happy family |
People travel for a lot of reasons. Some tourists go to see battlefields or other historic remains（遗址). Others are looking for culture, or simply want to have their pictures taken in front of famous places. Most European tourists are looking for a sunny beach to lie on.
Northern Europeans are willing to pay a lot of money for the sun because they have so little of it. People of cities like London, Copenhagen and Amsterdam spend much of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest of the year are in the rain. This is the reason why the Mediterranean has always attracted them. Every summer many people travel to Mediterranean resorts(度假胜地) and beaches for their vacation. They all come for the same reason: sun!
The huge crowds mean lots of money for the economics of Mediterranean countries. Italy's 30, 000 hotels are booked without a break every summer. And 13 million people camp out on French beaches, parks, and roadsides. Spain's long sandy coastline attracts more people than anywhere else. 37 million tourists visit there yearly, or one tourist for each person living in Spain.
But there are signs that the area is getting more tourism than it can deal with. The Mediterranean is already one of the most polluted seas on earth. None of these, however, is ruining anyone's fun. Obviously, they don't go there for clean water. They allow traffic jams and seem to like crowded beaches. They don't even mind the pollution. No matter how dirty the water is, the coastline still looks beautiful. And as long as the sun shines, it's still better than sitting in the cold, rainy in Berlin, London, or Oslo.The writer seems to imply(暗示) that Europeans travel mostly for the reason that ______.
| A．they want to see historic remains |
| B．they wish to escape from cold, dark and rainy days |
| C．they would like to take pictures in front of famous places |
| D．they are interested in different cultural and social customs |
According to the passage, which of the following countries attracts more tourists than the others?
| A．Italy. | B．Greece |
| C．France. | D．Spain. |
The underlined part in the last sentence in paragraph 3 means ______.
| A．all the 37 million people living in Spain are tourists |
| B．every person living in Spain has to take care of a tourist |
| C．every year almost as many tourists visit Spain as there are people living in that country |
| D．every family in Spain is visited by a tourist every year |
According to the passage, which of the following might ruin the tourists' fun at Mediterranean resorts and beaches?
| A．Polluted water. | B．Crowded buses. |
| C．Rainy weather. | D．Traffic jams. |
Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh, and do things with. Surely, there are times when we need to be alone. We don’t always want people around. But we will feel lonely if we never have a friend.
No two people are just the same. Sometimes friends don’t get along well. That doesn’t mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will make up and go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away. Then we feel very sad. We miss them very much. But we call them and write to them. It could be that we would even see them again. And we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them.
Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men or women who have been friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.
There’s more good news for people who have friends. They live longer than people who don’t. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. If someone cares about you, you will feel good.The first paragraph tells us.
| A．what the feeling of having no friends is |
| B．we always need friends around us |
| C．making friends is a need in people’s life |
| D．we need to be alone in our life |
Which of the following places people name after their friendly people is NOT mentioned (提到) in the passage?
| A．A town. | B．A room. |
| C．A school. | D．A library. |
Why do people who have friends live longer?
| A．They know more about friendship. |
| B．They feel happier and healthier. |
| C．They take less care of themselves. |
| D．They care more about their friends. |
King’s College Winter School is an annual(每年的) training program for all the high school students who want to improve their English. Courses are given by the teachers of King’s College and other colleges in New York. Trips to museums and culture centers are also organized. This year’s winter school will be from November 1 to December 15. More information is as follows:
| Application(申请) date Students in New York should send their applications before October, 18, 2014. Students of other cities should send their applications before October 16, 2014. Foreign students should send their applications before October 10, 2014. |
Courses English Language Spoken English:22 hours Reading and Writing: 10 hours American History: 16 hours American Culture:16 hours |
| Steps A letter of self-introduction A letter of recommendation(推荐) ★ The letters should be written in English with all the necessary information. |
Cost Daily lesson:＄200 Sports and activities: ＄100 Travels: ＄200 Hotel service: ＄400 ★ You may choose to live with your friends or relatives in the same city. |
| Please write to: Thompson, Sanders 1026 King`s Street New York, NY 10016, USA Email: KC-Winter-School@yahoo.com |
You can most probably read the text in _____________.
| A．a newspaper | B．a travel guide |
| C．a textbook | D．a telephone book |
Which of the following is TRUE about King’s College Winter School?
| A．Only top students can take part in the program. |
| B．King’s College Winter School is not organized every year. |
| C．Visits to museums and culture centers are part of the program. |
| D．Only the teachers of King’s College give courses. |
If you are to live in your friend’s home in New York, you will have to pay the school_________.
| A．＄200 | B．＄400 | C．＄500 | D．＄900 |
What information can you get from the text?
| A．The program will last 2 months |
| B．You can write to Thompson only in English. |
| C．As a Chinese student, you can send your application on October 14, 2014. |
| D．You can get in touch with the school by telephone or by e-mail. |