Below is a passage adapted from the network edition of China Daily.
Event
| Li Yang, one of China’s most famous English teachers, apologized for beating his American wife more than a week after she posted photos of her injuries on the web and set off a bomb of criticism. “I wholeheartedly apologize to my wife Kim and my girls for committing domestic violence. This has caused them serious physical and mental damage,” Li said on his microblog at Weibo.com, the country’s most popular social media site, on Saturday. Li, 42, is a mechanics major but is best known for his “Crazy English,” a popular method of language learning that involves yelling at the top of one’s lungs. He was at the center of public criticism after his wife Kim Lee put up posts on the web accusing him of abuse, showing her swollen forehead and knees. |
Voices
| @Xuemanzi, angel investor Anti-domestic violence laws should be made as soon as possible, giving protection to the rights of women and children lawfully. Police should not stand back from domestic violence any longer, even if no one reports them. Society, as a whole, should attach greater importance to the crime. @Zhangxiaomei Chinese are never taught about marital(婚姻的) relations, which mean not merely living together. A good marriage needs to overcome three differences: family background, gender and personalities. In addition to these, there is cultural gap in Li Yang’s case. If the effects of these differences are not well understood, after the honeymoon period, they will turn into conflicts and endanger the marriage. Li’s domestic violence is a reminder that China needs such education. @Wuxiaolong, Sina Weibo user Li Yang’s choice to resort to domestic violence really reflects his character. Students who have attended his Crazy English Camp may know what I mean: Li wants his students to worship him as an idol. I still remember he once had his students kowtow（叩头） to him. He always teaches English by imposition(权威强制), which directly reflects his desire for power. @Sikaozhe, Sina Weibo user In the US, the punishments for domestic violence are even more severe than stealing. If the police arrive at the wife’s call during a fighting between a couple and find injuries on her, they will immediately arrest the husband. Even if the wife doesn’t call the police, they may also show up as neighbors could well do their part. @ykxin Sina Weibo User Don’t blindly worship anyone, because in every closet there may hide a skeleton. As a famous Chinese saying goes, “Only they who do well in their daily routine tasks can fulfills their dreams on great occasions”. Not surprisingly, one who focuses too much on his career and ignores his family, like Li Yang, will fail in both. Don’t judge a person by his career success, wealth, or any other material aspect, because what finally decides a person is his character. |
Aftermath(余波)
| Although Li Yang publicly apologized to his wife, promising to love his daughters even if he and Lee divorce, the damage, perhaps permanently, has been done to his wife, his three daughters and the whole family. Wang Xingjuan, founder of the Maple Women’s Psychological Consulting Center, a non-profit organization, said nearly half of domestic violence abusers are people who have higher education, senior jobs and social status. She said this was probably because such people were usually under more mental stress. |
This passage is focused on Li Yang’s .
| A．microblog article | B．domestic violence |
| C．English-teaching career | D．international marriage |
Zhangxiaomei holds the view that .
| A．laws should be passed to protect women and children |
| B．crazy personality accounts for violence and ill temper |
| C．overcoming background gap is necessary for marriage |
| D．Li is wrong to have his students worship him as an idol |
Who thinks that character plays the most important role in one’s life?
| A．@Xuemanzi | B．@Sikaozhe |
| C．@ykxin | D．@Zhangxiaomei |
According to Wang Xingjuan, .
| A．people of higher education won’t easily lose temper |
| B．people under stress tend to have domestic violence |
| C．people in lower social status often beat their wives |
| D．people with senior jobs seldom have family trouble |
Sitting on the peaceful coast of Galapagos Islands. Ecuador, watching the sun move quietly into the sea, you shouldn't forget that Charles Darwin (1809-1882) arrived here in 1835. He stayed on the islands for five weeks, observing various animals. This finally inspired (启发) his famous work, On the Origin of Species. You can certainly follow Darwin's footsteps and enjoy a trip from four to seven days to the islands. The islands are certainly a paradise (天堂) for wildlife, as there are no natural killers on the islands and the number of boats and visitors is under government control. Though you cannot walk freely as Darwin did about 200 years ago, each day is as impressive as it could be. The most well-known animal of the Galapagos is the giant tortoise(巨型海龟), which can be seen moving slowly around the highlands of Sanra Cruz, the second largest island in the archipelago(群岛). Some of these creatures are so old that they might have been seen in their youth by Darwin himself. Despite strict control over activities and timing, your stay on the Galapagos will be remembered as a chain of incomparable pictures: diving with sea lions that swim and play within inches of you; feeling small sharks touch your feet as you swim; and, most magically, seeing a whale and her baby surface with a great breath of air. Travelling between the islands and observing the wildlife that so inspired Darwin, you will feel as though you are getting a special view of an untouched world. At night you will sleep on board the ship, leaving the wildlife in complete occupation of the islands, which are as undisturbed now as they have been since the beginning of time. What do we know about Darwin's visit to the islands?
| A．He studied different creatures on the islands |
| B．He completed his famous book on the islands |
| C．He was touched by the geography of the islands |
| D．He was attracted by well-known animals of the islands |
Which of the following plays a role in making the islands "a paradise for wildlife"?
| A．Animals on the islands feed on grass. |
| B．Local government forbids killing wildlife. |
| C．People cannot visit the islands as they wish. |
| D．Tourists are not allowed to touch the animals. |
Your stay on the islands will be most impressive mainly because of_________.
| A．The beautiful sea views |
| B．Darwin's inspiring trip |
| C．a closer view of animals |
| D．various daring activities |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Unique Attraction for Wildlife Lovers |
| B．Calapagos as a Paradise for Adventures |
| C．Charles Darwin as a Symbol of Galapagos |
| D．A Successful Example of Wildlife Protection |
It is not often realized that women held a high place in southern European societies in the 10th and 11th centuries. As a wife, the woman was protected by the setting up of a dowry (嫁妆). Admittedly, the purpose of this was to protect her against the risk of desertion, but in reality its function in the social and family life of the time was much more important. The dowry was the wife’s right to receive a tenth of all her husband’s property. The wife had the right to with hold consent, in all transactions the husband would make, and more than just a right; the documents show that she enjoyed a real power of decision, equal to that of her husband. In no case do the documents indicate any degree of difference in the legal status of husband and wife.
The wife shared in the management of her husband’s personal property, but the opposite was not always true. Women seemed perfectly prepared to defend their own inheritance against husbands who tried to exceed their rights, and on occasion they showed a fine fighting spirit. A case in point is that of Maria Vivas. Having agreed with her husband Miro to sell a field she had inherited, for the needs of the household, she insisted on compensation. None being offered, she succeeded in dragging her husband to the scribe to have a contract duly drawn up assigning her a piece of land from Miro’s personal inheritance. The unfortunate husband was obliged to agree, as the contract says, “for the sake of peace.” Either through the dowry or through being hot-tempered, the wife knew how to win herself, with the context of the family, a powerful economic position. Originally, the purpose of a dowry is to_________.
A give a woman the right to receive all her husband’s property
B help a woman to enjoy a higher position in the family
C protect a woman against the risk of desertion
D both A and C According to the passage, the legal status of the wife in marriage was__________.
A higher than that of a single woman
B higher than that of her husband
C lower than that of her husband
D the same as that of her husband Why does the author give us the example of Maria Vivas?
A To show that the wife shared in the management of her husbands personal property.
B To show that the wife can defend her own inheritance.
C To prove that women have powerful position.
D To illustrate how women win her property. The compensation Maria Vivas got for the field is____________.
A some of the land Miro had inherited
B a tenth of Miro’s land
C money for household expenses
D money form Miro’s inheritanceThe author’s attitude towards Maria Vivas is_____________.
A sympathetic B disapproval C indifferent D objective
It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers(生产商) follow certain uniform standards for various features(特征) of clothes. What seems strange, however, is that the standard adopted for women is the opposite of the one for men. Take a look at the way your clothes button. Men's clothes tend to button from the right, and women's from the left. Considering most of the world's population----men and women----are right-handed, the men's standard would appear to make more sense for women. So why do women's clothes button from the left? History really seems to matter here. Buttons first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the 17th century, when rich women were dressed by servants. For the mostly right-handed servants, having women's shirts button from the left would be easier. On the other hand, having men's shirts button from the right made sense, too. Most men dressed themselves, and a sword drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt. Today women are seldom dressed by servants, but buttoning from the left is still the standard for them. Is it interesting? Actually, a standard, once set, resists change. At a time when all women's shirts buttoned from the left, it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women's shirts that buttoned from the right. After all, women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch. Besides, some women might have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the right, since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men's shirts. What is surprising about the standard of the clothing industry?
| A．It has been followed by the industry for over 400 years. |
| B．It is different for men's clothing and women's. |
| C．It woks better with men than with women. |
| D．It fails to consider right-handed people. |
What do we know about the rich men in the 17th century?
| A．They tended to wear clothes without buttons. |
| B．They were interested in the historical matters. |
| C．They were mostly dressed by servants. |
| D．They drew their swords from the left. |
Women's clothes still button from the left today because.
| A．adopting men's style is improper for women |
| B．manufacturers should follow standards |
| C．modern women dress themselves |
| D．customs are hard to change |
The passage is mainly developed by.
| A．analyzing causes |
| B．making comparisons |
| C．examining differences |
| D．following the time order |
When Frida Kahlo’s paintings were on show in London，a poet described her paintings as “a ribbon(丝带) around a bomb”．Such comments seem to suggest Kahlo had a big influence on the art world of her time.Sadly，she is actually a_much_bigger_name today than she was during her time.
Born in 1907 in a village near Mexico City，Kahlo suffered from polio(小儿麻痹症) at the age of seven.Her spine(脊柱) became bent as she grew older.Then，in 1925，her back was broken in several places in a schoolbus accident.Throughout the rest of her life，the artist had many operations，but nothing was able to cure the terrible pain in her back.However，the accident had an unexpected side effect.While lying in her bed recovering，Kahlo taught herself to paint.
In 1929，she got married to Diego Rivera，another famous Mexican artist.Rivera’s strong influence on Kahlo’s style can be seen in her early works，but her later works from the 1940s，known today as her best works，show less influence from her husband.
Unfortunately，her works did not attract much attention in the 1930s and 1940s，even in her home country.Her first onewoman show in Mexico was not held until 1953.For more than a decade after her death in 1954，Kahlo’s works remained largely unnoticed by the world，but in the 1970s her works began to gain international fame at last. (2012·安徽，C)What does the phrase “a much bigger name” in Paragraph 1 most nearly mean?
| A．a far better artist |
| B．a far more gifted artist |
| C．a much stronger person |
| D．a much more famous person |
The terrible pain Kahlo suffered was caused by________.
| A．polio | B．her bent spine |
| C．back injuries | D．the operations she had |
Kahlo’s style had become increasingly independent since the________.
| A．1930s | B．1940s |
| C．1950s | D．1970s |
What is the author’s attitude toward Kahlo?
| A．Devotion. | B．Sympathy. |
| C．Worry. | D．Encouragement. |
It was a village in India.The people were poor.However，they were not unhappy.After all，their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day，some visitors from the city arrived.They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs.However，they did not have enough frogs of their own，and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.
This seemed like money for nothing.There were millions of frogs in the fields around，and they were no use to the villagers.All they had to do was catch them.Agreement was reached，and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs.Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money.For the first time，the people were able to dream of a better future.But the dream didn’t last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first，but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well.More worrying was that the children fell ill more often，and，there seemed to be more insects around lately.
The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak.They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂) and medicines.Soon there was no money left.
Then the people realized what was happening.It was the frog.They hadn’t been useless.They had been doing an important job—eating insects.Now with so many frogs killed，the insects were increasing more rapidly.They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.
Now，the people are still poor.But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs.These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.
(2010·辽宁，A)From Paragraph 1 we learn that the villagers ________.
| A．worked very hard for centuries |
| B．dreamed of having a better life |
| C．were poor but somewhat content |
| D．lived a different life from their forefathers |
Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?
| A．The frogs were easy money. |
| B．They needed money to buy medicine. |
| C．They wanted to please the visitors. |
| D．The frogs made too much noise. |
What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?
| A．The crops didn’t do well. |
| B．There were too many insects. |
| C．The visitors brought in diseases. |
| D．The pesticides were overused. |
What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?
| A．Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country. |
| B．Health is more important than money. |
| C．The harmony between man and nature is important. |
| D．Good old days will never be forgotten. |