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 （画像）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 |
PALO AITO, California—“Switching off the television may help prevent children from getting fatter—even if they do not change their diet or increase the amount they exercise,” US researchers said last week.
A study of 192 third and fourth grades, generally aged eight and nine, found that children who cut the number of hours spent watching television gained nearly two pounds(0.91 kg) less over a one-year period than those who did not change their television diet.
“The findings are important because they show that weight loss can only be the result of a reduction in television viewing and not any other activity,” said Thomas Robinson, a pediatrician(儿科专家) at Stanford University.
“American children spend an average of more than four hours per day watching television and videos or playing games, and rates of childhood being very fat have doubled over the past 20 years,” Robinson said.
In the study, presented this week to the Pediatric Academic Societies’ annual meeting in San Francisco, the researchers persuaded about 100 of the students to reduce their television viewing by one-quarter to one-third.
Children watching fewer hours of television showed a significantly smaller increase in waist size and had less body fat than other students who continue their normal television viewing, even though neither group ate a special diet nor took part in any extra exercise.
“One explanation for the weight loss could be the children unstuck to the television may simply have been moving around and burning off calories,” Robinson said.
“Another reason might be due to eating fewer meals in front of the television. Some studies have suggested that eating in front of the TV encourages people to eat more,” Robinson added.The purpose of the first two paragraphs is ______.
| A．to report the time children spend watching TV |
| B．to show that more TV time leads to getting fatter |
| C．to tell us the best way to reduce weight |
D．to int roduce the background of the research |
According to the passage, the time American children usually spend on watching TV ____.
| A．is more than four hours a day | B．is less than four hours a day |
| C．doubled in the last twenty years | D．is more than on any other activities |
The time the 100 children spend on TV every day is about _______ in the study.
| A．a quarter of an hour | B．four hours | C．three hours | D．one hour |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage ?
| A．Weight increase owes to the result of a reduction in TV viewing. |
| B．The percentage of children getting fatter has doubled in the last 20 years. |
| C．Children usually eat less while watching TV. |
| D．Children usually eat nothing while watching TV. |
The main idea of the passage would be ______.
| A．less TV time helps reduce children’s weight |
| B．fewer meals is a must in reducing children’s weight |
| C．the less you eat, the thinner you will be |
| D．more exercise is of great benefit to reduce weight |
In England three foreign gentlemen came to a bus stop. They studied the information on the post sign and decided which bus to take. About five minutes later the bus they wanted came along. They prepared to get on. Suddenly people rushed onto the bus and tried to push them out of the way. Someone shouted insulting remarks about the foreigners. The bus conductor came rushing down the stairs to see what all the trouble was about. The three foreign gentlemen looked puzzled and ashamed. No one had told them about the British custom of lining up for a bus so that the first person who arrived at a bus-stop is the first person to get on the bus.
Learning the language of a country isn’t enough. If you want to ensure a pleasant visit, find out as much as possible about the manners and customs of your hosts. You will probably be surprised just how different they can be from your own. A visitor to India would do well to remember that people there consider it impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table. The left hand is supposed to be used for washing yourself. Also in India, You might see a man apparently shaking his head at another and assume (认为) that he is disagreeing. But in many parts of India a rotating (旋转) movement of the head is a gesture that express agreement or acceptance. Nodding your head when offered a drink in Bulgaria is likely to leave you thirsty. In that country you shake your head to express “yes” — a nod means “no”.
In Europe it is quite usual to cross your legs when sitting, talking t
o someone, even at an important meeting. Doing this when meeting an important person in Thailand, however, could cause offence (冒犯). It is considered too informal an attitude for such an occasion. Also when in Thailand avoid touching the head of an adult — it’s just not done.
Attitudes to women vary considerably around the world. In Japan, for example, it is quite usual for men to plan evening entertainments for themselves and leave their wives at home.
Knowing about customs and attitudes is useful when you are travelling, but you also need to know the language used to express different degrees of formality (礼节).The three foreign gentlemen looked puzzled and ashamed because ________.
| A．they didn’t know the English language |
B．the bus conductor told them to jump the queue |
| C．they didn’t know the custom of lining up for a bus |
D．th ey thought they were looked down upon |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “insulting” in Para. 1?
| A．Modest. | B．Entertaining. | C．Misunderstanding. | D．Rude. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this passage?
| A．In Europe, using the left hand is considered less respected. |
| B．In India, the left hand is not used as a sign of respect to others. |
| C．In Thailand, you’d better cross your legs when sitting or talking. |
| D．In Japan, it is considered bad manners to touch the head of an adult. |
The underlined sentence “Nodding your head when offered a drink in Bulgaria is likely to leave you thirsty” means in Bulgaria _______.
| A．you are probably thirsty if you nod your head |
| B．you’re possibly eager to have a drink if you nod your head |
| C．you probably refuse to drink when you nod your head |
| D．you’d like to have a cup of tea because you nod your head |
We can infer from the passage that _________.
| A．in Asian countries, women are equal to men in every field |
| B．learning a language well is a necessity before going abroad |
| C．attitudes to women vary from country to country |
| D．in Japan, men are still the centre of the family |
I sitatmykitchentable, while mydaughter,Anna,sitsnexttomymother. On the wall hangsa photo of my father.
“WhenisRickgoingtobehere?” Mymotherasks,referringtomyhusband.
“Idon’tknow,Mom,”Ianswerpatiently.“He’llbeherefordinner.”
Isighandgetupfromthetable.Thisisatleastthetenthtimeshehasaskedthatquestion.
Whilemymotheranddaughterplay,Ibusymyselfmakingasalad.
“Don'tputinanyonions,”Momsays.“YouknowhowDaddyhatesonion.”
“Yes,Mom,”Ianswer.
Iscrub(洗擦)offacarrotandchopitintobite-sizepieces.
“Don'tputanyonionsinthesalad,”sheremindsme.“YouknowhowDaddyhatesonion.”
ThistimeIcan’tanswer.
Mymotherhadbeenbeautiful.Shestillis.Infact,mymotherisstilleverythingshehas
been,justabitforgetful.
Icutofftheendofthecucumberandrubittotakeawaythebitterness. Cutandrub.This
isatrickIhavelearnedfrommymother,alongwithatrillionotherthings: cooking,sewing,
dating,laughing,thinking.Ilearnedhowtogrowup.
AndIlearnedthatwhenmymotherwasaround,Ineverhadtobeafraid.
SowhyamIafraidnow?
Istudymymother'shands.Hernailsarenolongerabrightred,butpaintedalightpink.
Almost nocoloratall.AndasIstareatthem,IrealizeIam feelingthemastheyshapedmy
youth.Handsthatpackedathousandlunchesandwipeda milliontearsoffmycheeks.
Now myhandshavegrownintothoseofmymother's.Handsthathavecookeduneaten
meals,heldmyowndaughter'sfrightenedfingersonthe firstdayofschoolanddriedtears
offherface.
Igrowlighthearted.Icanfeelmymotherkissmegoodnight,checktoseeifthewindowis
locked,thenblowanotherkissfromthedoorway.ThenIammymother,blowingthatsame
kisstoAnna.
Outsideeverythingisstill.Shadowsfallamongthetrees,shapedlikepiecesofapuzzle.
Somedaymydaughterwillbestandinginmyplace,andIwillrestwheremymothernowsits.
WillIrememberthenhowitfelttobebothmotheranddaughter?WillIaskthesame
questiontoomanytimes?
Iwalkoverandsitdownbetweenmymotherandhe
rgranddaughter.
“WhereisRick?”mymotherasks,restingherhandonthetablenexttomine. Andinthat
instantIknowsheremembers.Shemayrepeatherselfalittletoomuch.Butsheremembers.
“He’llbehere,”Ianswerwithasmile.What’s wrong with the writer’s mother?
| A．She is very old. | B．She suffers forgetfulness. |
| C．She is absent-minded. | D．She is eager to see Rick. |
What can we learn about the writer’s father according to the passage?
| A．He might have passed away for years. |
| B．He goes out for a walk by himself. |
| C．He is out doing something with Rick. |
| D．He loves the writer’s mother deeply. |
The underlined sentence “IrealizeIam feelingthemastheyshapedmyyouth” probably means that ______.
| A．Mother’s hands witnessed my growth as a youth |
| B．Mother’s hands are similar to mine as a youth |
| C．I like to feel mother’s hands when she was young |
| D．I realize her hands were exactly like those in her youth |
Which of the following words best describe the writer’s mood towards her mother?
| A．Content. | B．Disappointed. | C．Loving. | D．Considerate. |
The best title for the passage would be ______.
| A．Mother’s beauty | B．My father hates onion |
| C．Hard-working mother | D．Mother’s hands |
The dream of flying like Buzz Lightyear never dies. For years, space-age inventors have tested one wearable jet pack after another. And time after time, the designs have been grounded by dangerous fuels, excessive weight, or very loud noise levels. Now a Canadian inventor has sidestepped those weaknesses with an aquatic jet pack. Designed for travel over lakes or oceans, it’s driven by pressurized water, not burning rocket fuel.
When Raymond Li first told the idea for the aquatic jet pack to his friends, they said he must be nuts. How could a jet pack carry that much water? Its thrust-to-weight rate would be so low and it would never become airborne. Thrust-to-weight rate is a measure of the forward force produced compared with the weight of the vehicle. A vehicle with a low thrust-to-weight rate is relatively heavy for the amount of force it generates.
Li's genius idea was to place the jet pack’s engine and its water pump in a separate boat. The pump would draw water from the lake the boat was floating on. It would then force the water under pressure through a hose connected to the jet pack. The hose would be long enough to let the pack go up as high as 8.5 meters (28 feet) in the air.
Today, Li's invention, the Jetlev-Flyer, is ready to go into production. The pack itself, complete with jet nozzles （管嘴） and handlebars, weighs just 14 kilograms. The 
boat is a floating pod. To take off, the operator hits a trigger on a handlebar, which starts the pump, and then turns the throttle. Two streams of high-velocity water shoot through the hose and out the nozzles, lifting the operator into the air. The operator hovers there or pushes down on the handlebars, zooming forward at speeds of up to 64 kilometers per hour, pulling the pod behind.All the following factors contribute to the failure of inventing a wearable jet pack EXCEPT ______.
| A．excessive water | B．unbearable noise | C．unsafe fuels | D．too much weight |
The underlined word “sidestepped” in Para. 1 most probably means ________.
| A．improved | B．reduced | C．avoided | D．solved |
Raymond Li’s friends found his idea for the aquatic jet pack was ________.
| A．exciting | B．crazy | C．realistic | D．creative |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．His friends encouraged him to do the invention. |
| B．He put the engine and its water pump in the same boat. |
| C．The success of his invention lies in his bravery. |
| D．His invention finally succeeded and will go into production. |
Which is the right order to make the Jetlev-Flyer take off?
a. The throttle is turned. b. The operator is lifted into the air.
c. A trigger is hit. d. Two streams of water shoot out.
The pump is started.
| A．c, e, a, d, b | B．c, e, a, b, d | C．e, c, d, b, a | D．e, a, c, d, b |
The ocean contains many strange and surprising creatures. One such creature is the puffer fish. This very strange fish is probably the most poisonous creature in the ocean. The poison that this fish produces is 275 times more poisonous than the chemical which is usually used to kill rats.
The puffer fish gets its name from the way the fish protects itself from enemies. Whenever it is attacked, the fish blows up its body to three times bigger than its normal size!
Another strange thing about this fish is the fact that it can swim like other fish. Because it does not have bones like oth
er fish, the puffer fish can only move slowly through the water as it is carried by waves.
The puffer fish also has funny teeth. These teeth stick out of the fish’s mouth and are used by the fish to open the shells of the creatures that live on the ocean floor.
This strange, ugly, and very poisonous fish is actually a very expensive kind of food in Japan. The Japanese call this fish “fugu”, and people have been known to pay $150 per person to eat a fugu meal (usually eight servings)!
Very brave people want to eat the most poisonous part of the fugu fish on purpose. They think that this part of the fish tastes the best! Strict laws have been passed to control restaurants which serve fugu; however, quite a few people have still died from eating fugu.Almost 200 people have died over the past 25 years.
When people eat fugu poison, they do not die on the spot. First, they feel a strange tickle on their lips and in their mouth. Then they can not feel anything with their fingers. Finally, they cannot move or speak. Death follows when they can no longer breathe. The poison may take only a few minutes or up to six hours to kill a person. There is no known cure for fugu poisoning.According to the passage, the puffer fish .
| A．is probably the most poisonous creature in the world |
| B．is generally considered to be the strangest fish in the ocean |
| C．is slightly more poisonous than the chemical used to kill rats |
| D．is without doubt a deadly creature if it is not eaten properly |
Why do people think that the puffer fish is strange when it is attacked by an enemy?
| A．It becomes bigger. | B．It has funny teeth. |
| C．It gives off poison. | D．It can swim swiftly. |
The underlined expression “on the spot” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to .
| A．now and then | B．once in a while |
| C．then and there | D．sooner or later |
Who is allowed to serve fugu according to the passage?
| A．The Japanese government. | B．Licensed restaurants. |
| C．Strict lawyers in Japan . | D．Very brave people |
Which is NOT a symptom of fugu poisoning?
| A．Having difficulty breathing. | B．Having no sense of touch. |
| C．Having no sense of taste. | D．Having trouble speaking. |