The greatest artistic creative geniuses I've ever seen, have been those who can turn garbage into art. Not just gluing together junk, but really making waste into something unique, cool, and well, something you, d put into your home for instance. There's something to be said about recycling of those items we commonly throw away.
The ability to take trash and garbage and turn it into art, or something intriguing that is fascinating to look at is a skill all of its own. I have often said that the true geniuses of our time, that is to say the creative genius artists of our era, are those who can do this-creating art that can command a high price tag from junk. 0ver the years while traveling through the United States I had stopped into museums in many parts of the country.
Some of the best art I've ever seen in my life has come from garbage, trash, or junk that has been reworked and recycled into something spectacular. Best of all the artists don't spend much on material costs, therefore it is mostly profitable. In fact they are using their minds to do a lot with very little. Just think if we all used our minds to do this, how little we might actually throw away, and how more efficiently we could run our factories, production, and even households.
After all, anything that is not used is waste, and it is thrown away. It ends up in a landfill, or a dump somewhere, and eventually it decays in the soil, causing perhaps ground water pollution. However, if we can rework these items for a couple of more rounds, and waste less, then we are providing efficiency for our civilization, and that's a good thing. Any artist who can do this is not only one caring the environment, but also one with humanity, and using his brain power and creative genius to make us all better. What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Garbage in art out |
| B．Recycle garbage in a new way |
| C．A new kind of art |
| D．A new way to protect the environment |
The author believes the art work created from junk __________.
| A．is not suitable to be put in our home |
| B．is of little value |
| C．can be of great value |
| D．will end up in landfills |
What do we know from the third paragraph?
| A．The author can't afford good art from garbage. |
| B．Art made from garbage doesn't cost much in material. |
| C．The author collects a lot of art from garbage. |
| D．The author thinks it's easy to make art from garbage. |
We learn from the last paragraph that __________.
| A．real artists are those with humanity |
| B．creating art from garbage can also help the environment |
| C．there is no good way to deal with waste today |
| D．a great amount of waste has been reused by artists |
What's the author's attitude towards the artists who turn garbage into art?
| A．Neutral. | B．Pitiful. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Supportive. |
President Obama's plan to improve former president George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind program is an improvement on a good thing. But it doesn't go far enough.
Obama outlined a goal that by 2020, all grade school and high school students are on a path toward college.
However, what we need is a practical plan that not only requires all high school graduates to take at least two years of college but also makes it financially possible for them to do so. We've provided a free public education through the 12th grade. If we're going to keep up—or catch up——with some other countries (like China) in preparing young people for careers, a 12-year education programme no longer is enough.
About 3 million students across the US will graduate from high school this spring. But only 2 million will go on to college, according to a survey by the National Centre for Education Statistics (NCFES). For the more than 1 million who won't go on, money is a main reason. If tuition(学费) were free, about half of them could make up other costs from family or part-time jobs.
Critics (批评家) of free college tuition will say we can't afford it because of the federal deficit (联邦赤字) and other rising costs. Let's see some government spending in detail:
In the last nearly 10 years, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost us $ 1,000 billion. Federal money which was spent on public primary and secondary education in the last year for which figures are available was $ 47 billion. If we end costly and unnecessary wars and nation-building efforts abroad, the federal government could provide more money on public education, for which state and governments now carry most of the burden.What's the program No Child Left Behind about this year?
All children being taken good care of by the government.
All grade school and high school students receiving college education.
No child being left alone at home.
All children having good jobs in the future.The author probably agrees that President Obama's plan ________.
has nothing to do with George W. Bush's program.
will surely succeed in ten years
is about 12-year education for all the children
doesn't contain practical measures(措施) to achieve its goal If tuition were not paid for, about ________ American students could afford college education.
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What can we learn from the passage?
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were necessary.
The federal government has enough money for the plan.
Critics of free tuition think highly of the plan.
Obama's plan might be difficult to carry out.
Do’s and Don’ts in Whale Watching
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has developed guidelines for whale watching in Johnstone Strait,where killer whales are found on a daily basis each summer.It is strongly recommended that vessel(船只)operators follow these guidelines for all kinds of whales.
Approach whales from the side,not from the front or the back.
Approach no closer than 100 metres,then stop the boat but keep the engine on.
Keep noise levels down-no horns,whistles or racing of engines.
Start your boat only after the whales are more than 100 metres from your vessel.
Leave the area slowly,gradually moving faster when you are more than 300 metres from the whales.
Approach and leave slowly,avoiding sudden changes in speed or direction.
Avoid disturbing groups of resting whales.
Keep at low speeds and remain in the same direction if travelling side by side with whales.
When whales are travelling close to shore,avoid crowding them near the shore or coming between the whales and the shore.
Limit the time spent with any group of whales to less than 30 minutes at a time when within 100 to 200 metres of whales.
If there is more than one vessel at the same observation spot,be sure to avoid any boat position that would result in surrounding the whales.
Work together by communicating with other vessels,and make sure that all operators are aware of the whale watching guidelines.For whom is this text written?
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When leaving the observation areas, the vessel should ________________.
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When going side by side with whales, the vessel should ________.
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Growing up in Philadelphia, Lieberman started cooking with his stay-at-home dad when he was seven. His food-loving family had two kitchens, and he quickly learned what was the best way to bake his cakes. Lieberman improved his kitchen skills greatly during a year abroad before college, learning from a cook in Italy and studying local specialties(特色菜) in Germany, Spain, and France.
At Yale, he was known for throwing dinner parties, single-handedly frying and baking while mixing drinks for dozens of friends. Just for fun, he and some friends decided to tape a show named campus cuisine about his cooking. Lieberman was a real college student showing his classmates how to do things like making drinks out of dining-hall fruit. That helped the show become very popular among the students. They would stop Lieberman after classes to ask for his advice on cooking. Tapes of the show were passed around, with which his name went beyond the school and finally to the Food Network.
Food Network producer Flay hopes the young cook will find a place on the network television. He says Lieberman’s charisma is key. “Food TV isn’t about food anymore,” says Flay. “It’s about your personality and finding a way to keep people’s eyeballs on your show.”
But Lieberman isn’t putting all his eggs in one basket. After taping the first season of the new show, Lieberman was back in his own small kitchen preparing sandwiches. An airline company was looking for someone to come up with a tasteful, inexpensive and easy- to-make menu to serve on its flights. Lieberman got the job. We can learn from the text that Lieberman’s family_______.
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The Food Network got to know Lieberman_________
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What does the word “charisma” underlined in the text refer to?
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Why did the airline company give Lieberman the job?
| A．He could prepare meals in a small kitchen. |
| B．He was famous for his shows on Food TV. |
| C．He was good at using eggs to make sandwiches. |
| D．He could cook cheap, delicious and simple meals |
Footracing(竞走)is a popular activity in the United States．It is not only seen as a competitive sport，but also as a way to exercise，and to donate(捐赠)moneyto a good cause．Though serious runners may spend months training to compete，other runners and walkers might not train at a11．Those not competing to win might run in an effort to beat their own time，or simply to enjoy the fun and exercise．People of all ages, from those less than one year old to those in their 80s, enter into this sport．The races are held on city streets，on college campuses，through parks，and in suburban areas，and commonly 5 to 1 0 kilometers in length．
The largest footrace in the world is the 1 2-kilometer Bay to Breakers race that is held in San Francisco every spring．This race begins on the east side of the city near San Francisco Bay and ends on the west side at the Pacific Ocean．In 1 993 there were 80，000 people running in this race through the streets and hills of San Francisco．In the front are the serious runners who compete to win，and who might finish in as little as 34 minutes．Behind them are the thousands who take several hours to finish．In the back of the race are those who wear costumes just for fun．In 1 993 there was a group of men all of whom dressed up like Elvis Priestly．There was a group of firefighters who were all tied in a long line and were carrying a fire—hose(水龙带)．One year there was a wedding party in which the bride dressed in a long white gown(长袍)and the groom wore a tuxedo(晚礼服)．They threw flowers to by-standers，and were actually married at some point along the route．The main purpose of this text is to__________．
| A．describe a popular activity |
| B．encourage people to exercise |
| C．make fun of runners in costume |
| D．give reasons for the popularity of footraces |
Which of the following is implied by the author?
| A．Walkers don’t compete for prizes． |
| B．Footraces appeal to a variety of people． |
| C．Entering a race is a way to make friends． |
| D．Running is a good way to strengthen the heart． |
The underlined words “to a good cause” in the first paragraph could best be replaced by ___________.
| A．for a good reason | B．to support a sound principle |
| C．for a good purpose | D．to protect an excellent player |
Crosstalk(相声)，a traditional form of comic storytelling，is making a comeback in China’s tea houses and theaters．
Audiences can laugh the night away every Saturday at the Qianxiangyi Teahouse in Tianjin，entertained by the apprentices(学徒)of Hou Baolin，Ma Sanli or Yin Shoushan—all leading crosstalk artists of years past—for only 20 yuan($2．40)．
The success in Tianjin has also caused the rejuvenation(复活) of crosstalk in Beijing and other places．
Although the art form originated in Beijing in the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911)，Tianjin became a place where rising stars formed their styles and new pieces were tried out．The city was well—known nationwide for the quality of its crosstalk performances．
Known in Chinese as xiangsheng(1iterally，“face and voice”)，crosstalk was the predominant(支配的)form of comedy throughout most of the 20th century．In the old days in Tianjin and elsewhere，temple fairs and markets were the main places for crosstalkers to perform，although they occasionally also appeared in teahouses or theaters．
Crosstalk pieces draw on every aspect of Chinese culture，from history and folk tales to social issues of the time．Although there’re hundreds of traditional pieces，they’re constantly rewritten to suit the times and the audience, while new works are written as well．It’s one of the features that have made crosstalk a
public art form throughout its history．
“Crosstalk was in the doldrums(萎靡不振)with competition from other art forms，especially TV，”said Wang Xiaochun，headmaster of the Northern Storytelling Arts School of China(NSAS)．“But it has regained its status with crosstalk fans，especially young people，growing aware of its rare qualities．”
“More and more students are coming to NSAS to study crosstalk，including some girl students，”said Wang, “They’re sure that crosstalk will have a strong market.”Crosstalk means“__________ ”in Chinese．
| A．storytelling | B．face and voice | C．folk tale | D．dialogue |
According to the text, crosstalk is so popular throughout its history because____________．
| A．it is constantly changed and renewed | B．it is often performed at temple fairs |
| C．it is different from other arts | D．it is comic and humourous |
Crosstalk makes a comeback mainly because__________．
| A．it is a popular traditional art after all |
| B．the pieces contain some famous folk tales |
| C．the crosstalkers make it return to teahouses |
| D．the pieces are made to suit the times and the audience |
We can learn that the future of crosstalk first lies in ____________．
| A．setting up more storytelling art schools | B．beating TV and other arts |
| C．young people’s awareness of its value | D．a strong market |