Kieron Williamson, a seven-year-old British boy, is being recognized as an art genius after selling 16 paintings for 18, 000 pounds in just 14 minutes. This boy has artistic skills that would
be the envy of any serious painter and drawn comparisons to Pablo Picasso, a child prodigy（神童）who became one of the most recognized artists of the 20th century. It all began on a family holiday to Cornwall on the southwest English coast when Kieron was five. Inspired by the view, he asked his parents for his first sketch-pad （速写纸）. From that moment on, he became deeply interested. While supportive, Kieron’s parents are careful not to push their son. He only paints when and what he wants.
He has a waiting list of hundreds and requests for his works have been flooding in. His father said a sale of Kieron’s works held in November even drew a buyer from Japan. “We had people driving down that night, there were people on the door waiting to come in the morning who had been standing outside, the phones were going mad as soon as the door opened at nine o’clock and within 14 minutes all the 16 pictures had gone, ” he said.
All this talent, money and high praise could so easily go to a young boy’s head, but Kieron said his friends keep him grounded. “Some of them want to be as good as me and some of them think. . . Umn, ‘you are not too special’,” he said.
Kieron’s favourite painter is British artist Edward Seago and he has spent some of his earnings buying a work by his hero. The rest is being invested by his parents until he reaches 25. Kieron’s parents and his younger sister Billi-Jo don’t see him as anything other than a normal seven-year-old boy who likes to tear around the house and who’s mad about football. But for now, with so much still to learn, there’s only one thing he wants to be when he grows up. He said, “I think I’ll definitely be an artist. ”According to Paragraph 1, we can know Kieron Williamson ______ .
| A．painted 16 paintings in only 14 minutes |
| B．draws as well as Picasso did |
| C．is one of the most recognized artists |
| D．has unusual ability in painting |
What made Kieron Williamson begin to love painting?
| A．His first sketch-pad. |
| B．His parents’ encouragement. |
| C．The view at the seaside. |
| D．His swimming near the coast. |
In Kieron Williamson’s friends’ opinion, he ______.
| A．is famous but a little proud |
| B．isn’t very special from other children |
| C．isn’t worth praising at all |
| D．is hard to get along with |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.
| A．Edward Seago thinks highly of Kieron’s painting |
| B．Kieron likes doing sports and painting instead of studying |
| C．Kieron’s family is very poor |
| D．Kieron wants to be a great painter |
The passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．a seven-year-old painting genius |
| B．how to be a great painter |
| C．Kieron Williamson may become the second Picasso |
| D．the painting changed Kieron Williamson’s life greatly |
Fear can be fun. Many young people queue up to ride very fast and scary roller coasters, screaming but enjoying themselves. Other people like to read “goose bumps (鸡皮疙瘩)” books or watch horror movies at night, scared to death but feeling excited. Why do people like being scared?
Fear is an ancient way of surviving. Being scared makes animals, including humans escape from danger and save themselves. It is because of fear that we have lived through millions of years of evolution. Those who lacked a strong fear response were more likely to be killed, leaving the more fearful and careful to pass their genes onto the next generation.
How do scientists explain why shaking over such scary things is fun? “Some kids will go to a scary movie and love it and laugh over it, others will feel anxious and hide their faces and some won’t even set foot in the cinema,” said Ned Kalin, a US scientist. “Which kind of person you are depends partly on experiences you’ve had and partly on your genes.”
What happens in the brain when something frightens you? Nerves that begin at the eyes and ears lead to a part of the brain called the amygdale. When you suddenly see a snake, for example, the amygdale makes you freeze, sweat, have a quickened heartbeat, or run very fast. However, seeing the snake also uses another part of the brain, the cortex. It analyzes the situation, and if it finds that the snake is only made of rubber it tells your heart and the rest of your body to calm down. Think of the amygdale as the engine and the cortex as the brake.
Back to the first question: Why do some people like to make themselves scared? “One reason is that we can play games with fear, find ways to reduce the scariness by looking away or thinking of something else,” Kalin said. “To believe we have control over a situation gives us a feeling of power.” “Scary movies or novels are good practice to prepare young people for the real thing. Thrills such as roller coaster rides also go to the brain’s pleasure centre.”
And there might be some evolutionary advantage to being able to adjust this system that is there to protect people.
72. How many questions are answered in the passage?
A. 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5.
73. Some people like to be scared because______.
A. they are afraid that the fear genes will be passed onto their children
B. it’s a good practice to get prepared for the real frightening situation
C. it can help them show their own personalities
D. they will feel powerful after getting rid of fear
74. Which of the following is true about the people who are not easily scared?
A. Their cortex is better at analyzing the situations.
B. They are more likely to suffer from potential danger.
C. They are born unaffected by anything horrible.
D. They lack a strong response towards threat.
75. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Ready to scream? B. How to be scared?
C. Willing to shake? D. Why to be scared?
Like most people, I’ve long understood that I’ll be judged by my occupation, that my profession is used by people to see how talented I am. Recently, however, I was disappointed to see that it also decides how I’m treated as a person.
Last year I left a professional position as a small-town reporter and took a job waiting tables. As someone paid to serve food to people, I had customers say and do things to me I suppose they’d never say or do to the people they know. One night a man talking on his cell phone waved me away, then called me back with his finger a minute later, saying angrily that he was ready to order and asking where I’d been.
I had waited tables during summers in college and was treated like a peon（勤杂工） by plenty of people. But at 19 years old, I believed I deserved inferior（低等的）treatment from professional adults. Besides, people responded to me differently after I told them I was in college. Customers would joke that one day I’d be sitting at their table, waiting to be served.
Once I graduated I took a job at a community newspaper. From my first day, I heard a respectful tone from everyone who called me. I assumed this was the way the professional world worked--- politely and formally.
I soon found out differently. I sat several feet away from a person in advertising department with a similar name. Our calls would often get mixed up and someone asking for Kristen would be transferred to Christie. The mistake was immediately clear. Perhaps it was because of money, but people used a tone with Kristen that they never used with me.
It’s no secret that there’s a lot to put up with when waiting tables, and fortunately, much of it can be easily forgotten when you pocket the tips. The service industry exists to meet others’ needs. Still, it seemed that many of my customers didn’t get the difference between server and servant.
I’m now applying to graduate school, which means someday I’ll return to a profession where people need to be nice to me in order to get what they want. I think I’ll take them to dinner first, and see how they treat someone whose job is to serve them.
68. What makes the author disappointed?
A. Professionals tend to look down upon workers.
B. Talented people have to do the job waiting tables.
C. One’s position is used to measure one’s intelligence.
D. Occupation affects the way one is treated as a person.
69. What does the author intend to say by the example in Paragraph 2?
A. Waiting tables is a hard job.
B. Some customers are difficult to deal with.
C. The man making a phone call is absent-minded.
D. Some customers show no respect to those who serve them.
70. How did the author feel when waiting tables at the age of 19?
A. She felt it unfair to be treated as a servant.
B. She found it natural for professionals to treat her as inferior.
C. She was embarrassed each time her customers joked with her.
D. She felt badly hurt when her customers regarded her as a peon.
71. The author says one day she’ll take her customers to dinner in order to _______.
A. see what kind of person they are
B. experience the feeling of being served
C. share her working experience with her customers
D. help them realize the difference between server and servant
Like most people, I’ve long understood that I’ll be judged by my occupation, that my profession is used by people to see how talented I am. Recently, however, I was disappointed to see that it also decides how I’m treated as a person.
Last year I left a professional position as a small-town reporter and took a job waiting tables. As someone paid to serve food to people, I had customers say and do things to me I suppose they’d never say or do to the people they know. One night a man talking on his cell phone waved me away, then called me back with his finger a minute later, saying angrily that he was ready to order and asking where I’d been.
I had waited tables during summers in college and was treated like a peon（勤杂工） by plenty of people. But at 19 years old, I believed I deserved inferior（低等的）treatment from professional adults. Besides, people responded to me differently after I told them I was in college. Customers would joke that one day I’d be sitting at their table, waiting to be served.
Once I graduated I took a job at a community newspaper. From my first day, I heard a respectful tone from everyone who called me. I assumed this was the way the professional world worked--- politely and formally.
I soon found out differently. I sat several feet away from a person in advertising department with a similar name. Our calls would often get mixed up and someone asking for Kristen would be transferred to Christie. The mistake was immediately clear. Perhaps it was because of money, but people used a tone with Kristen that they never used with me.
It’s no secret that there’s a lot to put up with when waiting tables, and fortunately, much of it can be easily forgotten when you pocket the tips. The service industry exists to meet others’ needs. Still, it seemed that many of my customers didn’t get the difference between server and servant.
I’m now applying to graduate school, which means someday I’ll return to a profession where people need to be nice to me in order to get what they want. I think I’ll take them to dinner first, and see how they treat someone whose job is to serve them.
68. What makes the author disappointed?
A. Professionals tend to look down upon workers.
B. Talented people have to do the job waiting tables.
C. One’s position is used to measure one’s intelligence.
D. Occupation affects the way one is treated as a person.
69. What does the author intend to say by the example in Paragraph 2?
A. Waiting tables is a hard job.
B. Some customers are difficult to deal with.
C. The man making a phone call is absent-minded.
D. Some customers show no respect to those who serve them.
70. How did the author feel when waiting tables at the age of 19?
A. She felt it unfair to be treated as a servant.
B. She found it natural for professionals to treat her as inferior.
C. She was embarrassed each time her customers joked with her.
D. She felt badly hurt when her customers regarded her as a peon.
71. The author says one day she’ll take her customers to dinner in order to _______.
A. see what kind of person they are
B. experience the feeling of being served
C. share her working experience with her customers
D. help them realize the difference between server and servant
The Festival of Cultures
August 11-14
City Park
The Festival of Cultures is an annual event to celebrate the wide range of cultures found in our great state. People representing 40 cultural groups will share their traditions and customs. Here are just a few of the festival’s many activities.
Crafts: See the fine art of basket weaving from Vietnam and Zimbabwe. Watch the delicate art of making paper umbrellas from Thailand and the decorative craft of paperl picado, or paper cutting, from Mexico. All craft demonstrations provide a firsthand view of how things are made. You will appreciate the process involved in making these products.
Music and Dance: Experience musical instruments that you have never heard before. Listening to the music of a sho from Japan, a bull-roarer from Australia, a sitar from India, and a chakay from Thailand. You will also be entertained by folk dances from around the world, such as the troika from Russia and the mayim mayim from Israel. From 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. on August 14, special folk-dancing classes for children will be offered. Children ranging in age from 6-8 can learn the kinderpolka from Germany. Children ranging in age from 9-12 can learn the raspa from Mexico.
Storytelling: Listen for hours as professional storytellers charm you with captivating tales. Fables, folktales, and ballads from various countries will be told. By popular demand, Gwendolyn Washington, a famous African American storyteller, is back.
Food: Enjoy irresistible foods from other countries, such as gyros from Greece, seafood paella from Spain, crepes from France, and tandoori chicken from India. These tasty dishes will be difficult to pass up.
| Tickets August 11-13 |
|
Tickets August 14 |
| Adults $3 Ages 13-18 $2 Ages 6-12 $1 Ages 6 and under Free |
|
Adults $3 Ages 13-18 $2 Ages 12 and under Free |
The Festival of Cultures is sponsored by the World Marketplace. For more information about the festival, call (800) 555-0199.
64. Which of the following are from Mexico?
A. The paper cuttingand troika. B. The kinderpolka and sitar.
C. The paperl picado and the raspa. D. The mayim mayim andthe gyros.
65. A family with two children at the age of 8 and 16 are going to the festival on August
12. How much money will they pay for the festival?
A. $5. B. $6. C. $8. D. $9.
66. What do we know about the festival?
A. Children will have a chance to learn different folk-dancing.
B. Storyteller Gwendolyn is invited to the festival for the first time.
C. People will be offered opportunities to play musical instruments.
D. Visitors can make paper umbrellas from their first-hand experience.
67. What’s the purpose of writing this passage?
A. To advertise for the World Marketplace.
B. To introduce a wide range of cultural traditions.
C. To explain the great significance of popularizing the festival.
D. To persuade readers to attend the festival held in the City Park.
Exchange a glance with someone, and then look away. Do you realize that you have made a statement? Hold the glance for a second longer and you have made a different statement. Hold it for 3 seconds, and the meaning has changed again. For every social situation, there is a permissible time that you can hold a person’s stare without being friendly, rude, or aggressive. If you are on a lift, what stare-time are you permitted? To answer this question, consider what you typically do. You very likely give other passengers a quick glance to size them up and to assure them that you mean no harm. Since being close to another person signals the possibility of interaction, you need to send out a signal telling others you want to be left alone. So you cut off eye contacts. That is what sociologist Erving Goffiman calls “a dimming of the lights”. You look down at the floor, at the indicator lights, anywhere but into another passenger’s eyes. Should you break the rule against staring at a stranger on a lift, you will make the other person extremely uncomfortable, and you are likely to feel a bit strange yourself.
If you hold eye contacts for more than 3 seconds, what are you telling another person? Much depends on the person and the situation. For instance, a man and a woman communicate interest in this manner. They stare at each other for about 3 seconds at a time, and then drop their eyes down for 3 seconds, before letting their eyes meet again. But if one man gives another man a 3-second-plus stare, he signals, “I know you”, “I am interested in you” or “You look peculiar and I am curious about you.” This type of stare often produces hostile feelings.
60. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that ______.
A. every glance has its significance
B. a glance carries more meaning than words
C. a stare longer than 3 seconds is unacceptable
D. staring at a person is an expression of interest
61. If you want to be left alone on a lift the best thing to do is ______.
A. to look into another passenger’s eyes
B. to keep a distance from other passengers
C. to avoid eye contacts with other passengers
D. to signal you don’t mean to do harm to anyone
62. By “a dimming of the lights”, Erving Goffiman means ______.
A. closing one’s eyes B. turning off the lights
C. stopping glancing at others D. reducing stare-time to the minimum
63. The passage mainly discusses ______.
A. the limitations of eye contacts
B. the exchange of ideas through eye contacts
C. proper behavior in different situations in people’s daily life
D. the role of eye contacts in communication between people