“I would almost rather see you dead,” Robert S. Cassatt, a leading banker of Philadelphia, shouted when his twenty-year-old eldest daughter announced that she wanted to become an artist. In the 19th century, playing at drawing or painting on dishes was all right for a young lady, but serious work in art was not. And when the young lady’s family ranked(位列) among the best of Philadelphia’s social families, such an idea could not even be considered.
That was how Mary Cassatt, born in 1844, began her struggle as an artist. She did not tremble before her father’s anger. Instead, she opposed(抗拒)him with courage and at last made him change his mind. Mary Cassatt gave up her social position and all thought of a husband and a family, which in those times was unthinkable for a young lady. In the end, after long years of hard work and perseverance(坚持), she became America’s most important woman artist and the internationally recognized leading woman painter of the time.How did Mr Cassatt react when his daughter made her announcement?
| A．He feared for her life. | B．He warned her. |
| C．He nearly killed her. | D．He was very angry. |
What in fact was Mr Cassatt’s main reason in opposing his daughter’s wish?
| A．Drawing and painting was simply unthinkable among ladies in those days. |
| B．He did not believe his daughter wanted to work seriously in art. |
| C．Ladies of good families simply did not become artists in those times. |
| D．He believed an artist’s life would be too hard for his daughter. |
What made Mary Cassatt’s “struggle” to become a recognized artist especially hard?
| A．Her father opposed her. |
| B．She was a woman. |
| C．She had no social position. |
| D．She did not come from an artist’s family. |
What do we know about Mary Cassatt’s marriage?
| A．She never married because she did not want to be just a wife and mother. |
| B．Her marriage failed because she never gave a thought to her husband and family. |
| C．After marriage she decided to give up her husband rather than her career. |
| D．She didn’t marry because for a lady of her social position to marry below her was unthinkable. |
Once an Englishman named Larry Belmont went to Russia for a holiday. After he got back, some of his friends came. “I had a very dangerous trip while I was in Russia,” Larry said. “I went to see a friend in the country when the sun went down, I was still traveling through a forest in a sleigh(雪橇). It was a long way from my friend’s house when about twenty wolves began to follow my sleigh.”
“It was very dark in the forest. There was thick snow on the ground. First I heard the wolves. The noise was terrible! Then I saw long, grey forms among the trees, and soon the wolves were near me. They were running very fast, and they didn’t seem to get tired like the horses.”
“What did you do?” one of Larry’s friends asked.
“When the wolves got very near,” Larry answered, “I put up my gun and shot the first wolf dead. Then all the other wolves stopped and ate it, so my sleigh got away from them for a few minutes. Then they finished their meal, and I heard them coming again. The moon was shining brightly on the snow now, and after a few minutes I saw them running among the trees once more. They came nearer again, and then I shot another one of them, and the others stopped once more to eat it. The same thing happened again, and my horses became more and more tired and ran slower and slower until, after two hours, only one wolf was still alive and following me.”
“Wasn’t it too fat to run?” one of Larry’s friends asked.The purpose of this passage is to_______.
| A．amuse readers |
| B．tell an exciting adventure |
| C．praise Larry Belmont’s bravery |
| D．show the danger of traveling through a forest |
Larry told his friends what happened to him when he was ______.
| A．in Russia one winter morning |
| B．in England one winter evening |
| C．in Russia one winter evening |
| D．in America one winter morning |
According to what Larry said, the last wolf ______.
| A．was the strongest of all |
| B．had eaten up all the other wolves |
| C．ran much faster than the other wolves |
| D．was very fat and couldn’t run fast enough |
From what Larry’s friend asked in the end we know that_______,
| A．Larry’s trip was really dangerous |
| B．the last wolf was too fat to run |
| C．all the wolves had been shot by Larry |
| D．the friend did not believe what Larry had said |
Having friends may well keep you healthier and help you deal with stress better. Some studies show that people with close friends have a greater ability to fight disease than people who are alone.
Make friendship a priority(优先). Find the time to be with friends even if it means letting the lawn go unmowed(未割草) or the dishes unwashed for a while. When you can’ t get together, use the phone to keep in touch.
Open up to close friends. Keeping a deep friendship requires a level of heartfelt intimacy(亲密). Don’t be afraid to express your inner fears and disappointments. Listen to your friends when they have problems, but offer advice only when it’s wanted. Help raise friends’ self-esteem when they are sad by a job loss, or other such events.
Have different friends for different activities, such as going to the movies, singing in a choir(合唱), and joining in a bowling league.
Don’t wait for a friend to ask a favor. When a friend has the flu, offer to go to the store or drive his or her children to their after-school activities.
Never take a friendship for granted. Like a good marriage, friendship needs care and patience. Become a joiner. Find a group that matches your interests.
Talk to strangers. Conversations started in museums, laundry rooms, or bookstores can lead to firm friendship.
Enroll in an adult-education course. A classroom is an ideal place to meet others with similar interests.What should we do to have friends according to the author?
| A．Make friendship a priority. |
| B．Open up to close friends. |
| C．Never take a friendship for granted |
| D．All the above. |
Which of the statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．You should have different friends for the same activities. |
| B．You should wait for a friend to ask a favor. |
| C．You should avoid talking with stranger in museums, laundry rooms of bookstores. |
| D．You should never take a friendship for granted. |
The underlined word “enroll” in the last paragraph means _____.
| A．give | B．join |
| C．get | D．catch |
Most people know that the United States is made up of fifty states. However, few people know a lot about all fifty of them. Sufjan Stevens is a young American musician. He wants to change this situation.
Sufjan Stevens plans to make an album about each of the fifty American states. During college he played in several musical groups and recorded an album of his own music. However, he wanted to be a writer, not a musician. So after college he moved to New York City to study writing.
In New York. Stevens had trouble writing stories. He discovered that he missed music. He also discovered that most of the stories he did write were about his home state of Michigan. So, Sufjan Stevens decided to make an album of songs about Michigan.
Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lakes State was released in 2003. The album was a big success. Many young people and music critics liked it. Before long, Stevens announced that he wanted to make an album for every state. He called it his “fifty states project”.
Stevens chose Illinois as his next state. He read many books about Illinois. He studied police documents and old newspapers. He talked to people who live in the state. The CD Illinois was released in 2005. Critics loved the album. It won many awards. Illinois became popular at colleges throughout the United States. People said the CD sounded different from anything else they had ever heard.
Sufjan Stevens is keeping his next state a secret from reporters. People have said that he is writing about Oregon, Rhode Island, or Minnesota. However, no one but Stevens knows for sure.Why does Sufian Stevens plan to make an album about each of the American states?
| A．To excite the music talent in ordinary Americans. |
| B．To record an album of his own music. |
| C．To let people know more about all the American states. |
| D．To go on writing stories. |
What did Sufjan Stevens do to make an album of songs about a state?
| A．He played in several musical groups. |
| B．He studied documents and newspapers and talked to people there. |
| C．He moved to New York City to study writing. |
| D．He kept his next state a secret from reporters. |
Which of the following can serve as the proper title for the passage?
| A．Fifty States Project |
| B．The Fifty States in America |
| C．Songs About American States |
| D．Sufjan Stevens and Michigan |
A little boy selling magazines for school walked up to a house that people rarely visited. The house was very old and the owner hardly ever came out. When he did, he would not say hello to neighbors or passers-by, but simply glare at them.
The boy knocked on the door and waited, sweating from fear of the old man.
As he was ready to walk away, the door slowly opened. “What do you want?” the old man said.
“Uh, sir, I uh am selling these magazines and, uh, I was wondering if you would like to buy one.”
The old man just stared at the boy. The boy could see inside the old man’s house and saw that he had dog figurines (小雕像) on the fireplace. “Do you collect dogs?” the little boy asked.
“Yes, I have many collectibles in my house. They are my family here. They are all I have.”
The boy then felt sorry for the man, as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul. “Well, I do have a magazine here for collectors. It is perfect for you. I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much.”
The old man was ready to close the door and said: “No, boy, I don’t need any magazines of any kind, now goodbye.”
The little boy was sad for the old man because he was alone in the big house. Then he thought of a little dog figurine that he had got some years earlier from an aunt. The boy headed back down to the old man’s house with it. He knocked on the door again and this time the old man came right to the door. “Boy, I thought I told you no magazines.”
“No, sir. I know that. I wanted to bring you a gift.” The boy handed him the figurine and the old man’s face lit up.
The old man was surprised and said: “Boy, you have a big heart. Why are you doing this?”
The boy smiled at the man and said: “Because you like dogs.”
From that day on, the old man started coming out of the house and greeting people. He and the boy became friends.
This simple nice act changed both of their lives forever.How did the boy feel when he first knocked on the old man’s door?
| A．Excited. | B．Sad. |
| C．Frightened. | D．Silly. |
What can we learn from the article about the old man?
| A．He preferred dog figurines to real dogs. |
| B．He longed for (渴望) friendship with others. |
| C．He found his neighbors unfriendly. |
| D．He was sad because he felt alone. |
When the boy knocked on the door again, ________.
| A．the old man was impatient with him |
| B．the old man refused to open the door |
| C．he didn’t think the old man would open it |
| D．he wanted to sell a magazine to the old man |
With the story, the author tries to show us that _______.
| A．smiling is the best way to make others feel comfortable |
| B．we should help strangers if they are angry |
| C．being kind to others can have a positive effect on our lives |
| D．you need to do something special if you want to make friends |
Sunny English Club
For students
16:00--18:00 Every Saturday
200 Yuan a month
9 Zhou Yu Street
Tel: 3785290
Foreign teachers, English songs and films and more!
Ocean Museum
9:00--17:00 From Thursday to Sunday
Ticket: 50 yuan
132 Xue Yuan Street
Tel: 5439871
Show you a full picture of sea lives!
Health Centre
9:00--17:30
16 Yong Le Street
Tel: 3801451
Free examinations for those over 70
Give you good advice to keep healthy!Sunny English Club is for _______.
| A．nurses | B．policemen |
| C．businessmen | D．students |
You will pay ________ if you want to stay in the English club for a month.
| A．200 yuan | B．300 yuan |
| C．400 yuan | D．100 yuan |
One can get free examinations in Health Centre if he is ________.
| A．9 | B．17 |
| C．67 | D．73 |
If you are interested in the life of fish, you should go to________.
| A．Health Centre | B．Ocean Museum |
| C．Sunny English Club | D．16 Yong Le Street |
When can you go to Ocean Museum?
| A．On Monday | B．On Tuesday |
| C．On Wednesday | D．On Saturday |