From the earliest times，man has been interested in art．People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures．
Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris，France．The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries．
The Louvre has not always been a museum．The first building was a fort（炮台）．In 1190，it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower．It had a moat to keep out his enemies．
Over the years，the number of buildings around the castle grew．By 1350，the castle was no longer needed as a fort．The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens．
During times of peace，new treasures were brought in．During days of war，many treasures were stolen，and the buildings were damaged．
When Francis I became king of France in 1515，he brought in artists from many countries．One of the artists was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy．Da Vinci's “Mona Lisa” is the best known painting in the museum today．
In 1793，the Louvre became a public museum，just as it is now．It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy．On the whole，this passage is mainly about___．
| A．an art museum called the Louvre |
| B．an Italian artist named Leonardo da Vinci |
| C．a king of France named Francis I |
| D．the best known painting in Louvre |
Which of the following is not true？
| A．The Louvre used to be a fort a very long time ago． |
| B．French kings and queens once lived in it． |
| C．The Louvre was taken by enemies in 1190． |
| D．Many treasures were brought into the Louvre over the years． |
Why is it good for great art to be kept in public museums？
| A．It helps people remember who the King of France is． |
| B．It keeps people out of the palaces． |
| C．It gives everyone a chance to enjoy good art． |
| D．It helps people to know who is the greatest artist． |
From the passage we know that _____．
| A．it is not possible for treasures to be stolen |
| B．old forts always make the best museums |
| C．great art should be shared with all the people |
| D．king Francis I of France brought in artists from an old fort |
In the third paragraph the word “moat” probably means_____．
| A．a high tower built in former times where soldiers watched out for enemies |
| B．a long and deep ditch dug round a castle and was usually filled with water |
| C．a cart pulled by horses on which soldiers fought |
| D．a long and high wall around the castle |
As one comes to some crossroads, he or she sees a sign which says that drivers have to stop when they come to the main road ahead. At other crossroads, drivers have to go slow, but they do not actually have to stop unless, of course, there is something coming along the main road; and at still others, they do not have either to stop or to go slow, because they are themselves on the main road.
Mr. Williams, who was always a very careful driver, was driving home from work one evening when he came to a crossroad. It had a “SLOW” sign. He slowed down when he came to the main road, looked both ways to see that nothing was coming, and then drove across without stopping completely.
At once he heard a police whistle, so he pulled into the side of the road and stopped. A policeman walked over to him with a notebook and a pen in his hand and said, “You didn’t stop at that crossing.”
“But the sign there doesn't say ‘STOP’.” answered Mr. Williams, “It just says ‘SLOW’, and I did go slow.”
The policeman looked around him, and a look of surprise came over his face. Then he put his notebook and pen away, scratched his head and said, “Well, I’m in the wrong street!”When he was stopped by a policeman, he ____.
| A．was driving at a high speed | B．was driving onto the main road |
| C．was going to stop his car | D．was pulled into the crossroad |
Though slowly, Mr. Williams continued driving at the crossing because________ .
| A．he saw a “STOP” sign in the opposite street |
| B．he paid no attention to the traffic rules |
| C．he didn't have to stop |
| D．he was eager to get home |
Looking round Mr. Williams, the policeman was surprised because__________ .
| A．he met a mad man |
| B．he realized that he himself was mistaken |
| C．Mr. Williams dared to speak to him like that |
| D．Mr. Williams would not apologize to him |
What does “scratch” in
the last paragraph mean?
| A．to rub the skin of (the head) for uncertainty |
| B．to strike (the head ) for regret |
| C．to nodded for sure |
| D．to look back to search for something |
To help the environment, many Americans have made the change from paper and plastic bags to reusable grocery bags. But a report by a Florida newspaper says that reusable grocery bags sold by some supermarkets contain high levels of lead(铅). Lead is a metal that can be harmful to humans, especially young children, Now, Senator Charles Schumer is asking the US government to investigate(调查) the use of lead in reusable shopping bags.
“When our families go to the grocery store looking for safe and healthy foods to feed their kids, the last thing they should have to worry about is poisonous bags.” Schumer said, “A quick investigation will allow everyone to make informed, timely decisions.” Schumer added.
Lead in the bags is not likely to rub off (因摩擦而粘在……上面)on food. But over time, paint on the bags can chip and the bags can wear out. When this happens, lead can be released(释放).
The Tampa Tribune newspaper said certain bags sold at Publix and Winn-Dixie supermarkets had lead levels that were a concern to health officials. The affected bags were found in Florida. But Publix has more than 1,000 stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Sough Carolina and Tennessee. Publix says that all of its bags are under current laws about lead content, but that they have asked the makers of the bags to reduce the lead levels in the product.
The bags with the highest levels of lead had fancy designs and many pictures. Plain reusable bags without decoration were found to contain little lead. Consumers worried about lead levels in reusable bags can change to cloth or string bags. Paper bags are also a good choice, since paper can be recycled(回收).
Since 2007, Publix supermarkets have sold more than 13 million reusable bags. The store says because shoppers have made the change to reusable bags, it has saved more than 1 billion paper and plastics bags. The shopping bags containing high levels of lead ______.
| A．have been reported by a newspaper |
| B．have been stopped by the government |
| C．have stopped people from using reusable bags |
| D．have caused serious health damage to customers |
From Schumer’s words we can learn that ______.
| A．reusable bags do little harm to kids’ health |
| B．people have shown much concern for the reusable bags |
| C．people will be informed of the facts about the reusable bags |
| D．people should refuse to buy things from supermarkets |
It can be inferred from the text that Publix might believe that the bags they sold are ______.
| A．dependable | B．convenient | C．harmful | D．popular |
Customers are advised to choose bags ______.
| A．with colorful designs | B．with fancy pictures |
| C．made of plastic | D．made of paper |
From the last paragraph we know that the use of reusable bags has ______.
| A．caused Publix a lot of trouble | B．saved Publix much money |
| C．cost Publix plenty of money | D．been proved a wrong decision |
Crazy is our new normal. With two teenage boys and three little boys, our family is restless—to the baseball field, track field(田径场)and piano lessons. Even though we’ve limited each boy’s activities and try our best to defend our family time, it seems that we’re in a constant state of flight.
“Embrace it. Roll with it,” my husband, Lonny, says, “It’s going to be like this for a while.”
He is right. It’s likely that life will continue to go forward before it slows down. But I remembered the still, quiet days that our family used to enjoy. I missed long walks through the park when we held the boys’ little hands. I longed for(渴望) lazy Saturday afternoons under the tree in our backyard. I wanted to slip back a few years, when busyness was the exception and not the rule.
One night, after a particularly full day and evening games, our family gathered on the porch(门廊)for ice cream. Two parents, two teens, and three small boys piled on one old swing and a couple of rocking chairs. We were together, in one place, for a small slice of time.
The moon was full. The Mississippi River, flowing past our home, was smooth as glass. I wrapped my own arms around the son who sat on my lap and breathed deeply to inhale his little-boy scent(气味)—dirt and sweat. My heart was still and content(满足的).
I realized that while crazy is our new normal happiness is as usual. They may look different from before, but they are still there—even if they’re in the form of a single moment on the porch. Maybe I just need the eyes to see.What does the author mainly talk about?
| A．Her anger at her busy life. |
| B．Her family’s struggle for a better life. |
| C．Her new feelings about the present life. |
| D．The pleasure of staying with her children. |
How did the author feel about life before the night sitting on the porch with the family?
| A．Confused. | B．Satisfied. | C．Bored. | D．Terrified. |
The underlined word “inhale” in the fifth paragraph probably means ______.
| A．describe | B．breathe out | C．remove | D．breathe in |
Which of the following could describe the author’s present life?
| A．Busy and boring. | B．Busy but happy. |
| C．Crazy and unbearable. | D．Normal but exciting. |
Which of the following statements might the author agree to?
| A．Life is nothing but bitterness, busyness and horror. |
| B．Happiness is everywhere, but we have to discover it. |
| C．Parents should earn much money for their kids’ better life. |
| D．Life in the countryside is charming, wonderful, and sweet. |
The way we do things round here
Some years ago, I was hired by an American bank. I received a letter from the head of the Personnel Department that started, “Dear John, I am quite pleased that you have decided to join us. ”That “quite” saddened me. I thought he was saying “we’ re kind of pleased you decided to join us although I wish we had hired someone else.” Then I discovered that in American English “quite” sometimes means “very”, while in British English it means “fairly”.
So the first lesson about working in other countries is to learn the language and by that I don' t
just mean the words people speak. It is body language, dress, manners, ideas and so on. The way people do things highlights many of the differences we see between cultures（文化）．
Some of these differences may be only on the surface—dress, food and hours of work—while others may be deeper and take longer to deal with. Mostly, it is just a question of getting used to the differences and accepting them, like the climate（气候），while getting on with business.
Some of the differences may be an improvement. People are more polite; the service is better; you ask for something to be done and it happens without having to ask again. However, other differences can be troubling, like punctuality（准时）．If you invite people to a party at 7 o’ clock
your guests will consider it polite to turn up exactly on time in Germany, five minutes early in the
American Midwest, an hour early in Japan, 15 minutes afterwards in the UK, up to an hour afterwards in Italy and some time in the evening in Greece. I prefer not to use the word “late” because there is nothing wrong with the times people arrive. It is simply the accepted thing to do in their own country.The author was unhappy as mentioned in Paragraph 1 because he thought______．
| A．the American bank didn’ t think much of him |
| B．the American bank might hire another person |
| C．it’ s difficult to get used to American culture |
| D．it’ s easy to misunderstand Americans |
The word “highlights” in Paragraph 2 probably means_____.
| A．encourages | B．helps to narrow |
| C．increases | D．draws attention to |
According to the author, what should we do with most cultural differences?
| A．Ask the native people for help. |
| B．Understand and accept them. |
| C．Do things in our own way. |
| D．Do in-depth research. |
When invited to a party the people who are usually punctual are______.
| A．Italians | B．Germans | C．Greeks | D．the British |
We know the famous ones — the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells— but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper(雨刮器)？Shouldn’ t we know who they are?
Joan McLean thinks so. In fact, McLean, a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range, feels so strongly about this matter that she’ s developed a course on the topic. In addition to learning “who” invented “what”， however, McLean also likes her students to learn the answers to the “why”and“how”questions. According to McLean，“When students learn the answers to these questions, they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try.”
Her students agree. One young man with a patent for an unbreakable umbrella is walking proof of McLean’ s statement.“If I had not heard the story of the windshield wiper’ s invention，”said Tommy Lee, a senior physics major，“I never would have dreamed of turning my bad experience during a rainstorm into something so constructive.” Lee is currently negotiating to sell his patent to an umbrella producer.
So, just what is the story behind the windshield wiper? Well, Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to New York City. The day was cold and stormy，but Anderson still wanted to see the sights, so she jumped aboard a streetcar. Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the windshield, she found herself wondering why there couldn’ t be a built-in device for cleaning the window. Still wondering about this when she returned home to Birmingham，Alabama. Anderson started drafting out solutions. One of her ideas, a lever(操作杆) on the inside of a vehicle that would control an arm on the outside, became the first windshield wiper.
Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations. It’ s hard to imagine driving without Garrett A. Morgan’ s traffic light. It’ s equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J. Blodgett’ s innovation that makes glass invisible. Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses?By mentioning “traffic light”and “windshield wiper”， the author indicates that countless inventions are________.
| A．beneficial, because their inventors are famous |
| B．beneficial, though their inventors are less famous |
| C．not useful, because their inventors are less famous |
| D．not useful, though their inventors are famous |
Professor Joan McLean’ s course aims to________.
| A．add colour and variety to students’ campus life |
| B．inform students of the windshield wiper’ s invention |
| C．carry out the requirements by Mountain University |
| D．prepare students to try their own inventions |
Tommy Lee’ s invention of the unbreakable umbrella was________.
| A．not eventually accepted by the umbrella producer |
| B．inspired by the story behind the windshield wiper |
| C．due to his dream of being caught in a rainstorm |
| D．not related to Professor Joan McLean’ s lectures |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of this passage?
| A．How to Help Students to Sell Their Inventions to Producers? |
| B．How to Design a Built-in Device for Cleaning the Window? |
| C．Shouldn’ t We Know Who Invented the Windshield Wiper? |
| D．Shouldn’ t We Develop Invention Courses in Universities? |