The artist Grandma Moses became famous for her simple, bright, cheerful paintings of American farm life．Her full name was Anna Mary Robertson Moses．But she was known to everyone as Grandma Moses because she did not begin to paint seriously until in her seventies．
Born on a farm in New York, Anna had little schooling．Her days were filled with farm chores．But she often found time to make pictures．Soon, however, she became too busy to draw or paint．At the age of 12, she went to work as a servant for a family nearby．She worked for other people for many years．Then, when she was 27, she married Thomas Moses, a farmer．And they began raising a family of their own．
Anna Moses could no longer do heavy farm work with age．Then, in her seventies, she began to paint in oils．Her pictures showed things she recalled from childhood-farm scenes, ice-skating, bringing home the Christmas tree．Later, she began to display her art at county fairs．Her pictures recorded a way of life that was quickly passing away．People everywhere loved these happy scenes, and soon her paintings were shown in art galleries．Grandma Moses became famous partially on account of her age, but mainly because her approach to art was modest and simple compared to many other painters of her time．Without formal training or even knowledge of Modernism, she relied on her own simple techniques to create her landscapes and scenes．She continued to paint almost until her death, on December 13, 1961 , at the age of 101．
The themes in her paintings provided the comfort of a rural life that many busy Americans treasured from their past．The threat of nuclear arms that appeared on television screens and in magazines had Americans starving for something more．Grandma Moses' art appealed to those who had lost hope for the future．Her classic paintings still appear on TV commercials, greeting cards, and magazine and book covers．What can be inferred from the fact that Grandma Moses picked up a paintbrush?
| A．She had no other ways to kill time． |
| B．Her friend and family suggested it． |
| C．She had had a love for painting since her childhood． |
| D．She needed to make a living by selling her paintings． |
The key reason for her success is ___ .
| A．her old age |
| B．her plain style |
| C．her lack of training |
| D．her modern knowledge |
We can know from the passage that ______．
| A．her paintings raised people's hope for the future |
| B．her paintings expressed the reality of her old age |
| C．many Americans were interested in purchasing art works |
| D．people wanted to get comfort by remembering grandmas |
Everyone would like to be a millionaire , a person with a lot of money, but can you imagine having over $30 million and only being 20 years old? Britney Spears from Kentwood, a small town in Louisiana, is only 20 years old. She is a world famous film star with not only $30 million but also a $2 million house in LA. At her young age, she can look after her family financially (经济上) all her life. This year is a big year for Britney. She is now on a 31-day tour of the US and every concert is a sell-out. That means she plays in front of a crowd of around 18,000 people every time. It’s a tiring schedule but brings her a lot. When touring, she goes to bed around 1 a.m. and then has a lie-in until 1 p.m. the next day. Her philosophy (人生观) is to take care of the body and relax but always make sure you work hard and have fun.
Spears is not pleased with only touring and selling nearly 40 million records so she decided to step into the movie business and try a bit of acting. She made an appearance in “Austin Power 3” this year and she is filming a teenage light play that will come out in March 2003. In this movie, she has a starring role.
For Britney, acting is another way to express herself and she is enthusiastic (热心的) about it all. If her movies are successful, her money in the bank is sure to grow by another few million dollars but she does it for the love, not the money, as she herself tells the reporters . We can infer (推断) from the text that most millionaires are __________.
| A．older than 20 | B．around 20 | C．in their 30s | D．in their 40s |
The underlined word “you” in the first paragraph refers to __________.
| A．a person in general | B．a special person |
| C．Britney Spears | D．a person interested in money |
Which of the following is not true according to the text?
| A．Though young, Britney can support her family now. |
| B．While touring, Britney sleeps about 12 hours a day. |
| C．The teenage comedy movie was based on Britney’s own story. |
| D．Britney will be even richer with her movies successful. |
According to Britney Spears, she works __________.
| A．to be a great actress | B．for the enjoyment | C．for money | D．to be more famous |
F . Scott Fitzgerald, born on September 24,1896, an American novelist, was once a student of St.Paul Academy, the Newman School and attended Princeton. University for a short while. In 1917 he joined the army and was posted in Alabama, where he met his future wife Zelda Sayre. Then he had to make some money to impress her.
His life with her was full of great happiness, as he wrote in his diary:“ My own happiness in the past often got such joy that I could share it even with the person dearest to me but had to walk it away in quiet streets and take down parts of it in my diary.”
This side of paradise, his first novel, was published in 1920. Encouraged by its success, Fitzgerald began to devote more time to his writing. Then he continued with the novel the Beautiful and Damned (1922), a collection of short stories Thales of the Jazz Age (1922), and a play The Vegetable (1923). But his greatest success was the novel The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, which quick brought him praise from the literary world. Yet it failed to give him the needed financial security. Then, in 1926, he published another collection of short stories All the Sad Young Men.
However, Fitzgerald’s problems with his wife Zelda had an effect on his writing. During the 1920s he tried to reorder his life, but failed. By 1930, his wife had her first breakdown and went to a Swiss clinic. During this period he completed novels Tender Is the Night in 1934 and The love of the last Tycoon in 1940. While his wife was in hospital in the United States, he got totally addicted to(沉迷于) alcohol. Sheila Graham, his dear friend, helped him fight his alcoholism.How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage ?
| A．5 | B．6 | C．7 | D．8 |
Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald’s life according to the passage?
a. He became addicted to drinking.
b. He studied at St.Paul Academy.
c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.
d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.
e. He failed to reorder his life.
f. He joined the army and met Zelda.
| A．f-c-e-a-b-d | B．b-e-a-f-c-d | C．f-d-e-c-b-a | D．b-f-c-d-e-a |
We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald .
| A．had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama. |
| B．was well educated and well off before he served in the army |
| C．would have completed more works if his wife hadn’t broken down |
| D．helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital |
The passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about .
| A．Zelda’s personal life |
| B．Zelda’s illness and treatment |
| C．Fitzgerald’s friendship with Graham |
| D．Fitzgerald’s contributions to the literary world |
Along the river banks of the Amazon and the Orinoco there lives a bird that swims before it can fly, flies like a fat chicken, eats green leaves, has the stomach of a cow and has claws (爪) on its wings when young. They build their homes about 4.6m above the river, an important feature (特征) for the safety of the young. It is called the hoatzin.
In appearance, the birds of both sexes look very much alike with brown on the back and cream and red on the underside. The head is small, with a large set of feathers on the top, bright red eyes, and blue skin. Its nearest relatives are the common birds, cuckoos. Its most striking feature, though, is only found in the young.
Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and another at the end of each wing tip. Using these four claws, together with the beak (喙), they can climb about in the bushes, looking very much like primitive（远古的） birds must have done. When the young hoatzins have learned to fly, they lose their claws.
During the drier months between December and March hoatzins fly about the forest in groups of 20 to 30 birds, but in April, when the rainy season begins, they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes. What is the text mainly about?
| A．Hoatzins in dry and rainy seasons. |
| B．The relatives and enemies of hoatzins. |
| C．Primitive birds and hoatzins of the Amazon. |
| D．The appearance and living habits of hoatzins. |
Young hoatzins are different from their parents in that____ ．
| A．they look like young cuckoos |
| B．they have claws on the wings |
| C．they eat a lot like a cow |
| D．they live on river banks |
What can we infer about primitive birds from the text?
| A．They had claws to help them climb. |
| B．They could fly long distances. |
| C．They had four wings like hoatzins. |
| D．They had a head with long feathers on the top. |
Why do hoatzins collect together in smaller groups when the rainy season comes?
| A．To find more food. |
| B．To protect themselves better. |
| C．To keep themselves warm. |
| D．To produce their young. |
Columbus College , 241 Queen Elizabeth Drive ,Kowloon City
To: All Staff
From: Jakie Mok , Secretary; Sports Development Committee
Date: May 20, 2010
A week ago , “Sports for Life” programme was sent to the parents, requiring them to select a sport they wanted their child to play. Since then, our staff have received lots of calls from parents asking for more information about it. Here is a memo (备忘录) for your reference when you answer the phones.
Sports 1: Basketball.
We expect that this will be the most popular of the four sports. Therefore, students should be advised to sign up as soon as possible. Students will take a private bus to and from Kwun Tong Sports Park .To cover the cost of hiring a bus ,each student will have to pay ＄10 each time. There will be four basketball courts available for our use with one teacher watching over each game.
Sports 2: Gym
We will be using St.Peter’s Memorial Park. There are two reasons for choosing their park. First, it is not very busy and crowded before 6:00 pm. Second, it has lot of trees with plenty of shade. Students must bring along two bottles of water to prevent thirst. Three activities, skipping , jogging , outdoor aerobics (有氧运动),all of which are free of charge, will be arranged. And there will be a teacher on duty for each of the activities.
Sports 3: Hiking
Hiking(远足)will take place at Kowloon Peak. The activity will start at 2:30 pm and finish 90 minutes later. Three teachers will accompany the students, and a hiking instructor will accompany each group of 15 hikers. Each instructor will cost ＄75/hr.
Sports 4: Swimming
The Kowloon City Aqueatic Centre is a 10-minute walk from our school. Four teachers will go to the pool and conduct the goings-on from the poolside. We will only be able to reserve the pool for one hour (i.e. 2:45pm to 3:45pm).Only students skilful at swimming can take up this activity. The pool will have two lifeguards present. Girls must wear a swimming suit. The cost is ＄10 per visit.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Students selecting basketball had better register(注册) early. |
| B．Students participating in gym should arrive at 6:00 pm. |
| C．Hiking usually begins at 2:30 pm and lasts 2 hours. |
| D．Students having swimming suits can take up swimming. |
It can be inferred from the passage that
| A．students taking part in basketball will walk to the courts. |
| B．every student can gain admission to one of the four sports |
| C．hiking students can have a regular rest in the shade of trees |
| D．students taking up the four sports should bring bottles of water |
It can be concluded that
| A．each sport will take only on hour |
| B．students will be charged for the four sports |
| C．all the sports will take place at Kowloon Peak |
| D．teachers will accompany students on each sport |
The purpose of the memo is to
| A．attract students’interest in the programme |
| B．require the parents to select a sport for their child |
| C．help the staff explain the programme to the parents |
| D．remind teachers and lifeguards to be present on time |
If you are having trouble falling asleep, you are in good company. About 65% of Americans said they have sleeping problems a few nights each week, according to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleeping too little can lead to a higher risk of becoming fat and getting depressed(沮丧的). But before you go to a doctor for advice, it is worth examining your sleeping habits one more time. Some of your favorite evening habits may have something to do with the sleeping problems.
Setting a Bright Alarm Clock
The light of your bright alarm clock can prevent you from falling asleep. You can make your room as dark as possible. Cover the bright numbers with a book or consider buying a small travel clock. Your cellphone alarm may also do the trick.
Counting Sheep
When you just can’t fall asleep, it’s useless to stay in bed to count sheep. If you’ve been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, the National Sleep Foundation suggests you get up to do some reading or watch TV for a while. Such activities will make you sleepy. Before you know it, you’ll be going back to bed really tired.
3. Exercising Late at Night?
Daytime workouts(锻炼) will keep you full of energy for hours. That’s why you don’t want to exercise within three hours of hitting the sack. Fierce(剧烈的) physical activity raise your body temperature and pumps your energy level—both are bad for a good night’s sleep.What can we learn from the first sentence of the passage?
| A．It’s not good to fail to fall asleep at night. |
| B．People in a good company often have sleeping problems. |
| C．There are many people who have sleeping problems. |
| D．You should find someone to talk to if you can’t fall asleep. |
The underlined part “hitting the sack” in the last paragraph means “______”.
A. going back home B. going to bed
C. going to the gym C. falling asleepWhich of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．The bad results of getting too little sleep. |
| B．Why the bright alarm clock keeps you awake. |
| C．What to do if you can’t fall asleep after 30 minutes. |
| D．Why watching TV and reading books make people sleepy. |
By writing the passage, the writer mainly wants to tell us _______.
| A．why so many people can’t sleep well at night |
| B．how to enjoy a good night’s sleep |
| C．that sleeping problems are troubling more and more people |
| D．that people may solve their sleeping problems by some habits |