Birthdays often involve surprises. But this year's surprise on the birthday of the great British playwright William Shakespeare is surely one of the most dramatic.
On April 22, one day before his 441st birthday anniversary, experts discovered that one of the most recognizable portraits of William Shakespeare is a fake. This means that we no longer have a good idea of what Shakespeare looked like. “It's very possible that many pictures of Shakespeare might be unreliable because many of them are copies of this one,” said an expert from Britain's National Portrait Gallery.
The discovery comes after four months of testing using X-rays, ultraviolet light, microphotography and paint samples. The experts from the gallery say the image —commonly known as the “Flower portrait”— was actually painted in the 1800s, about two centuries after Shakespeare's death. The art experts who work at the gallery say they also used modern chemistry technology to check the paint on the picture. These checks found traces of paint dating from about 1814. Shakespeare died in 1616, and the date that appears on the portrait is 1609.
“We now think the portrait dates back to around 1818 to 1840. This was when there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays,” Tarnya Cooper, the gallery's curator (馆长), told the Associated President.
The fake picture has often been used as a cover for collections of his plays. It is called the Flower portrait because one of its owners, Desmond Flower, gave it to the Royal Shakespeare Company.
“There have always been questions about the painting,” said David Howells, curator for the Royal Shakespeare Company. “Now we know the truth, we can put the image in its proper place in the history of Shakespearean portraiture.”
Two other images of Shakespeare, are also being studied as part of the investigation and the results will come out later this month.________.What makes the birthday of Shakespeare dramatic this year?
| A．It was found that he painted a portrait in 1814 instead of in 1609. |
| B．The Flower portrait has been found to be a fake. |
| C．Three portraits of Shakespeare are being tested to identify a real one. |
| D．It was found that there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays around 1818 to 1840. |
Which statement is True according to the passage?
| A．Portraits of Shakespeare are all unreliable. |
| B．“Flower portrait” was a portrait of Shakespeare given to Desmond Flower. |
| C．1814 might be when the portrait was drawn. |
| D．The Flower portrait is not often used as a cover for Shakespeare's play. |
How many methods were used to test the portrait?
| A．Not mentioned. | B．Two |
| C．Three | D．At least four. |
The best title for this passage is ________.
| A．Birthdays often involve surprises |
| B．The surprise on the 441st birthday of Shakespeare |
| C．One portrait of Shakespeare is a fake |
| D．How can we know Shakespeare's appearance? |
Which is the best sentence to fill in the blank in the last paragraph?
| A．Soon we'll know which portrait is reliable. |
| B．Maybe we cannot find a real portrait of Shakespeare. |
| C．If the two portraits are found to be false, they will test more. |
| D．For now what Shakespeare really looked like will remain a mystery. |
Even if you are naturally shy, these three tricks will help you to quickly build a new social circle in any new city．
1．Take pictures
One of the great things about taking pictures at an event or party is that it gives you an excuse to get in touch with a person．Everybody loves seeing pictures of themselves，and it’s very easy after taking a picture to say “If you’d like I can email it to you”．This can be the seed that leads to new connections．The next time you hear about a fun event email your new contacts to let them know about it．
2．Eat alone in public
You might feel self-conscious eating by yourself but it has an important benefit：you are much easier to approach when you are alone．People may be afraid of interrupting you or being rude if you are in a conversation with someone else．Bring a book or newspaper to read (this will make you feel less self-conscious)．Plus，having an interesting book with you will give others an excuse to start a conversation if they’ve read it．
3．Join a
class，sports team，or club
Yoga，salsa dancing，volleyball，Toastmasters (a public speaking club)，a class for work，etc. Take up a new hobby or continue an old one!
These are all great places to meet new people，primarily because you will be forced to see the same people over and over again in the
class．You will automatically make friends with them if you have a common interest and are forced to see each other again．
Tips：
* In the beginning．never turn down an invitation from someone，even if it’s something you wouldn’t normally do．
* Email your new friends with fun things to do instead of always asking what their plans are, If t
hey have a better plan you can drop (放弃) yours and join them．This will help establish（建立） you as someone who is contributing value instead of just taking it (people want this in a friend) ．
*Don’t let little things in life upset you or be a negative person．People don’t want to be around someone like that！can give you an excuse to start new connections．
| A．Taking pictures of others | B．Eating by yourself in public |
C．Reading i nteresting books |
D．Joining group activities |
According to the text，which of the following is NOT mentioned as an advantage of joining a class?
| A．It helps you find out your interest and take up a new hobby． |
| B．It helps you find out people who share a common interest with you． |
| C．It offers an opportunity to meet the same people repeatedly． |
| D．It is a good way to meet new people and make friends in a new city． |
Which of the following pieces of advice is a tip from the text?
| A．Try to be outgoing and talkative instead of being shy． |
| B．Never turn down an invitation from your friends． |
| C．Offer suggestions on how to spend time together． |
| D．Don’t give a negative response to any request． |
Why do parents deny their kids’ weight?
Experts in childhood nutrition aren’t surprised by an investigation this summer that shows 50％of parents who have overweight children don’t realize their children Weigh too much．Many parents deny their children’s weight because they don’t want to have to change their own eating and exercise habits，says Keith Ayoob, a doctor who works with overweight children and their families in New York City．
Parents frequently ask him whether their children have a thyroid(甲状腺) problem, but that’s rarely the case．“1t’s usually a dietary(有关饮食的) and lifestyle issue．It’s very difficult for parents to deal with their own food issues，”Ayoob says．An estimated 25 million children in the USA are overweight, which puts them at risk of developing diabetes(糖尿病), high blood Pressure and other health problems．A Consumer Reports magazine investigation released on July 25，2009 of 3．048 parents who have children aged 5 to 17 found that 91% say childhood obesity (肥胖) is a problem in the USA．
Only 36％of the parents
with heavy children say their family doctors have suggested their children lose weight；the other 64％say the doctors didn’t mention it．“Many parents simply don’t realize their children are overweight．”says Keith Ayoob．“The doctors never told them．Other kids in the class look like their children．and their kids seem pretty healthy
．”he says．
He has parents go to the calculator on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website to figure out whether their children are too heavy．Why do many parents fail to admit their children are overweight?
| A．Because they think it a shame to be overweight. |
| B．Because they want to keep their own eating and exercise habits. |
| C．Because they want to change their own eating and exercise habits． |
| D．Because they want their children to have more nutrition． |
What is the probable cause of childhood obesity?
| A．Thyroid problem． | B．High blood pressure． |
| C．Dietary and lifestyle habit． | D．Diabetes． |
It can be inferred from the fourth paragraph that the family doctors’ advice ．
| A．has no influence on many parents |
| B．has much influence on many parents |
| C．has little influence on many parents |
| D．is totally accepted by many parents |
What advice does Keith Ayoob give to parents?
| A．He advises that parents should go and ask their family doctors in person． |
| B．He advises that the children should have a medical examination regularly． |
| C．He advises that school should force the children to eat less and exercise more． |
| D．He advises parents to go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for the information． |
There is probably no field of human activity in which our values and lifestyles are shown more clearly and strongly than they are in theclothes that we choose to wear．The dress of an individual is a kind of “sign language” that communicates a set of information and is usually the basis on which immediate impressions are formed．Traditionally, a concern
for clothes was considered to be an affair of females，while men took pride in the fact that they were completely lacking clothes consciousness．
This type of American culture is gradually changing as man’s dress takes on greater variety and color．Even as early as 1955，a research in Michigan said that men considered that the value of clothing in daily life was very important．White—collar workers in particular viewed dress as a symbol of ability，which could be used to impress or influence others，especially in the work situation．The white-collar worker was described as extremely concerned about the impression his clothing made on his boss．Although blue-collar workers were less aware that they might be judged on the basis of their clothing，they recognized that any difference from the accepted pattern of dress would be made fun of by fellow workers．
Since that time，of course，the patterns have changed，the typical white-collar worker may now be wearing the blue shirt，while the blue-
collar may be wearing a white shirt，but the importance of dress has not become less. Other researchers in recent years have helped to prove its importance in the lives of individuals at various age levels and in different social and economic status groups.The passage tells us that .
| A．our values and lifestyles are in no field of human activity |
| B．the clothes that we choose to wear have something to do with our values and lifestyles |
| C．our values and lifestyles are from the sign language |
| D．the clothes we choose to wear depend on a set of information and immediate impression |
Traditionally，people usually thought that .
| A．men cared very much for clothes |
| B．neither men nor women showed interest in clothes |
| C．both men and women paid great attention to their clothes |
| D．women concerned greatly about what they wore while men didn’t |
White-collar workers pay great attention to their clothes because ．
| A．they extremely concern about the impression their clothes make on their bosses |
| B．they know that people might judge them on the basisof their clothes |
| C．they want to impress and influence others |
| D．they don’t want to be laughed at |
What does the underlined word“status”in the last paragraph mean？
| A．雕塑 | B．身份 | C．状况 | D．资格 |
Whatever we may need to buy，we can use our credit cards．This is a change from the older days when we had to first check whether cards were accepted．Today，everybody, from retailers（零售商) to lenders，accepts credit cards．Attitudes towards credit cards have also changed a lot．People used to be
very careful of using their cards；but this is no longer the case. People today prefer to take out their c
ards as soon as they get to the cash counter．A swipe (刷卡) and a sign are all it takes，and you can walk home with the bill and all the things you buy．
The credit card is much easier to carry than cash and it is not at all surprising that the former becomes the most preferred way of payment．A credit card takes up very little space in our wallets，and yet，it holds the 
power of a large sum of cash．Paying by credit cards is also a good way of keeping bills on where all of our money goes．
Moreover，it has become much easier to get credit cards these days．I constantly have cold callers calling up to offer me “great new credit card deals”．Salesmen occasionally walk into our office offering discounts if a group of people decide to sign up a certain kind of credit card plan at the same time．However，this can also cause a problem．Nowadays，we always run the
risk of getting some kinds of wastes．When the terms seem too good to be true，we should make sure that we always read the printed items carefully．Before signing for a creditcard，it is necessary to know its advantages and disadvantages．The only way to deal with this is to do our homework, before we go credit card hunting．We learn from Paragraph 1 that ．
| A．people can use credit cards anytime，anywhere |
| B．people used to have to check up on credit cards |
| C．people are more careful using credit cards nowadays |
| D．people can take their goods home just by swiping their cards |
One of the main advantages of credit cards is that．
| A．they occupy less space compared with other modes of payment |
| B．they are more powerful than cash |
| C．they are easy to get，and save money |
| D．they help users keep track of what they spend on |
When signing for a credit card，people should .
| A．ask for a discount |
| B．understand the dangers |
| C．read every word of the contract carefully |
| D．understand that the salesman is most likely to offer false information |
In the last sentence the writer tells us that ．
| A．we should know the advantages and disadvantages of credit cards before using them |
| B．we should finish work before going shopping with a credit card |
| C．we should check which credit cards are accepted before using them |
| D．we should make sure that our credit cards are real before using them |
Europe is now the biggest market for organic food in the world, having grown by 25 percent a year over the past 10 years. Denmark’s agriculture minister is herself an organic farmer. The UK market for organic food grew by 55 percent in 2000, while the food market as a whole grew by only one percent. Yet only seven percent of British shoppers account for nearly 60 percent of organic sales. However popular the idea of organic farming may be, it is still an interest for only a few people.
So what makes the idea of organic farming popular? Organic farming means farming with natural materials, rather than with man-made fertilizers or pesticides. Organic farmers rely on many methods — such as crop rotation (农作物的轮作) and the use of resistant（有抵抗力的） varieties, because
they are necessary for organic farmers to compensate for the shortage of man-made chemicals.
Organic farming is often supposed to be safer than traditional farming for the environment. Yet after a long research on organic farming worldwide for a number of years, science continues to be against this opinion. The House of Commons committee on agriculture publicized that, even with complete research work, it would fail to find any scientific evidence to prove “that any of claims （宣称） made for organic farming is always true”.
However, the talk about the benefits of organic farming is going on. This is partly because many people depend on their individual farm, the soil, the weather, and so on. The first paragraph mainly tells us _____.
| A．organic farming has been performed only in Europe over the past 10 years |
| B．governments of European countries have cared less about organic farming |
| C．organic farming is far from being as popular as expected |
| D．European countries need organic food more than the other countries in the world |
The underlined words “compensate for” in the second paragraph probably mean “________”.
| A．argue for | B．care for | C．struggle for | D．pay for |
What can we know about organic farming?
A．It refers to farming with na tural materials, instead of chemical fertilizers. |
| B．It refers to farming with chemical fertilizers rather than natural fertilizers. |
| C．It refers to farming with soil rather than any other thing. |
D．It refers to growing crops with man-made f ertilizers and pesticides. |
According to the third paragraph, _____.
| A．organic farming is safer than traditional farming for the environment |
| B．the idea that organic farming is safer has not been proven by science |
| C．organic farming is accepted by the UK’s House of Commons committee |
| D．organic farming is preferred to traditional farming |
Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?
| A．The UK’s agriculture minister is an organic farmer. |
| B．Organic farming is popular with young people. |
| C．Farmers make use of many different kinds of methods to improve the organic sales system. |
| D．Ninety-three percent of British shoppers don’t buy organic products. |