(Reuters)—AgroupofChinesescien-优题课

Birthdays often involve surprises．But this year's surprise on the birthday of the great British playwright William Shakespeare is surely one of the most dramatic．
On April 22, one day before his 441st birthday anniversary, experts discovered that one of the most recognizable portraits of William Shakespeare is a fake．This means that we no longer have a good idea of what Shakespeare looked like．“It's very possible that many pictures of Shakespeare might be unreliable because many of them are copies of this one,” said an expert from Britain's National Portrait Gallery．
The discovery comes after four months of testing using X-rays, ultraviolet light, microphotography and paint samples．The experts from the gallery say the image —commonly known as the “Flower portrait”— was actually painted in the 1800s, about two centuries after Shakespeare's death．The art experts who work at the gallery say they also used modern chemistry technology to check the paint on the picture．These checks found traces of paint dating from about 1814．Shakespeare died in 1616, and the date that appears on the portrait is 1609．
“We now think the portrait dates back to around 1818 to 1840．This was when there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays,” Tarnya Cooper, the gallery's curator （馆长）, told the Associated President．
The fake picture has often been used as a cover for collections of his plays．It is called the Flower portrait because one of its owners, Desmond Flower, gave it to the Royal Shakespeare Company．
“There have always been questions about the painting,” said David Howells, curator for the Royal Shakespeare Company．“Now we know the truth, we can put the image in its proper place in the history of Shakespearean portraiture．”
Two other images of Shakespeare, are also being studied as part of the investigation and the results will come out later this month．________．
What makes the birthday of Shakespeare dramatic this year?

A．It was found that he painted a portrait in 1814 instead of in 1609．

B．The Flower portrait has been found to be a fake．

C．Three portraits of Shakespeare are being tested to identify a real one．

D．It was found that there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays around 1818 to 1840．

Which statement is True according to the passage?

A．Portraits of Shakespeare are all unreliable．

B．“Flower portrait” was a portrait of Shakespeare given to Desmond Flower．

C．1814 might be when the portrait was drawn．

D．The Flower portrait is not often used as a cover for Shakespeare's play．

How many methods were used to test the portrait?

A．Not mentioned．	B．Two
C．Three	D．At least four．

The best title for this passage is ________．

A．Birthdays often involve surprises

B．The surprise on the 441st birthday of Shakespeare

C．One portrait of Shakespeare is a fake

D．How can we know Shakespeare's appearance?

Which is the best sentence to fill in the blank in the last paragraph?

A．Soon we'll know which portrait is reliable．

B．Maybe we cannot find a real portrait of Shakespeare．

C．If the two portraits are found to be false, they will test more．

D．For now what Shakespeare really looked like will remain a mystery．

The day when the jobs were handed out was one of the most exciting moments for all the children in the class．It took place during the first week of the term．Every kid was given a job for which they would be responsible for the rest of that school year．
Some jobs were more interesting than others, and the children were eager to be given one of the best ones．When giving them out, the teacher took into account which pupils had been most responsible during the previous year．During the previous year Rita had carried out the teacher’s instructions perfectly．All the children knew Rita would be given the best job．
But there was a big surprise．Each child received a normal job．But Rita’s job was very different．She was given a little box containing some sand and one ant．Though the teacher insisted that this ant was very special, Rita felt disappointed．Most of her classmates felt sorry for her．Even her father became very angry with the teacher and he encouraged Rita to pay no attention to this insignificant pet．However, Rita preferred to show the teacher her error by doing something special with that job of little interest．
Rita started investigating all about her little ant and gave the ant the best food, and it grew quite a bit bigger．
One day, a man, who looked very important, came into their classroom and declared, “Your class has been chosen to accompany me, this summer, on a journey to the tropical rain forest, where we will investigate all kinds of insects．Among all the schools of this region, your class has best cared for the little ant．”
That day the school was filled with joy and celebration．Everyone thanked Rita for having been so patient and responsible．And many children learnt that to be given the most important task you have to know how to be responsible even in what are the smallest tasks．
What did the teacher base his decision on when giving out jobs to the children?

A．Their characters and interests．

B．Their class performance during the previous year．

C．Their working performance during the previous year．

D．Their ability of managing their accounts during the previous year．

What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．Each child got an important job．

B．Each child got an interesting job．zyy100

C．The perfect student got the job of everyone’s preference．

D．The most responsible student got the job of least interest．

What is Rita’s attitude to her father’s suggestion?

A．Negative．	B．Uncertain．
C．Totally positive．	D．Acceptable

We can infer that the man who made the declaration is a _________．

A．hunter	B．director
C．biologist	D．principal

What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Never complain about life．

B．Small tasks can lead to fortunes．

C．Men are best known by their friends．

D．Responsibility and intelligence bring good luck．

Fix it on your own
Did you know that a bowl of rice could save your iPod if you drop it in a swimming pool by accident? Or that the camera on your phone could tell you what’s wrong with your TV remote control? The experts at Geek Squad （geelsquad．co．uk） have made a gadget （小机件） rescue guide．So, let’s take a look at some of their useful advice．
♦How to get more juice out of your phone batter
If your battery goes dead but you need to get a number or send one last text, try warming it up．That may give you a tiny bit of power．Take the battery from the phone and rub it between your hands．Or warm it under your arm for a few minutes．Then try to start the phone but use it quickly．
♦What to do if your gadget gets wet
First, try drying it out with a vacuum cleaner （真空吸尘器）．If a vacuum cleaner isn’t at hand, fill a pot or bowl with uncooked rice and put your wet gadget inside．The dry, uncooked rice will absorb all the water and, after a few hours, you should be able to use the gadget．Don’t forget to remove the battery and SIM card before you dry it．
♦What to do if your TV remote control stops working
If replacing the batteries doesn’t work, get the camera function up on your phone and point the remote at the lens （镜头）．When you press a button on the remote, if it is working, the glass bobble （小球） at the front of the remote will light up when you look at it on the screen of your phone．This is because the screen on a phone or digital camera picks up infrared rays （红外线）, even though your eyes don’t．If the glass bobble doesn’t light up, the remote is broken．If it does, the receiving device （装置） is broken．
If your cell phone falls into a sink, you can _________．

A．warm it up under your arm

B．remove the battery after you dry it

C．put it into the uncooked rice

D．press it with both of your hands

Why can a phone be used to prove the TV remote control works well? Because it can _____．

A．improve the TV remote control	B．receive infrared ray
C．picture the TV remote control	D．reflect infrared ray

In which section of a newspaper can we possibly read this text?

A．Life

B．Entertainment

C．Finance

D．Culture

The purpose of this passage is to give people __________．

A．personal opinions	B．professional guides
C．necessary warnings	D．practical tips

In the mid-1950s, I was a somewhat bored early-adolescent male student who believed that doing any more than necessary was wasted effort．One day, this approach threw me into embarrassment
In Mrs. Totten’s eighth-grade math class at Central Avenue School in Anderson, Indiana, we were learning to add and subtract decimals （小数）．
Our teacher typically assigned daily homework, which would be recited in class the following day．On most days, our grades were based on our oral answer to homework questions．
Mrs. Totten usually walked up and down the rows of desks requesting answers from student after student in the order the questions had appeared on our homework sheets．She would start either at the front or the back of the classroom and work toward the other end．
Since I was seated near the middle of about 35 students, it was easy to figure out which questions I might have to answer．This particular time, I had completed my usual two or three problems according to my calculations．
What I failed to expect was that several students were absent, which threw off my estimate．As Mrs. Totten made her way from the beginning of the class，I desperately tried to determine which math problem I would get．I tried to work it out before she got to me, but I had brain freeze and couldn’t function．
When Mrs. Totten reached my desk，she asked what answer I’d got for problem No．14．“I…I didn’t get anything,” I answered，and my face felt warm．
“Correct,” she said．
It turned out that the correct answer was zero．
What did I learn that day? First, always do all your homework．Second, in real life it isn’t always what you say but how you say it that matters．Third，I would never make it as a mathematician．
If I could choose one school day that taught me the most, it would be that one．
What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 indicate?

A．It is wise to value one’s time．

B．It is important to make an effort

C．It is right to stick to one’s belief．

D．It is enough to do the necessary．

Usually, Mrs. Totten asked her students to _______．

A．recite their homework together

B．grade their homework themselves

C．answer their homework questions orally

D．check the answers to their homework questions

The author could work out which questions to answer since the teacher always _______．

A．asked questions in a regular way

B．walked up and down when asking questions

C．chose two or three questions for the students

D．requested her students to finish their usual questions

The author failed to get the questions he had expected because _______．

A．the class didn’t begin as usual

B．several students didn’t come to school

C．he didn’t try hard to make his estimate

D．Mrs. Totten didn’t start from the back of the class

Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．An Unforgettable Teacher	B．A Future Mathematician
C．An Effective Approach	D．A Valuable Lesson

People aren’t walking any more---if they can figure out a way to avoid it．
I felt superior about this matter until the other day I took my car to mail a small parcel．The journey is a matter of 281 steps．But I used the car．And I wasn’t in any hurry, either, I had merely become one more victim of a national sickness: motorosis．
It is an illness to which I had thought myself immune（免疫的）, for I was bred in the tradition of going to places on my own two legs．At that time, we regarded 25 miles as good day’s walk and the ability to cover such a distance in ten hours as sign of strength and skill．It did not occur to us that walking was a hardship．And the effect was lasting．When I was 45 years old I raced –and beat—a teenage football player the 168 steps up the Stature of Liberty．
Such enterprises today are regarded by many middle-aged persons as bad for the heart．But a well-known British physician, Sir Adolphe Abrhams, pointed out recently that hearts and bodies need proper exercises．A person who avoids exercise is more likely to have illnesses than one who exercises regularly．And walking is an ideal form of exercise--- the most familiar and natural of all．
It was Henry Thoreau who showed mankind the richness of going on foot．The man walking can learn the trees, flower, insects, birds and animals, the significance of seasons, the very feel of himself as a living creature in a living world, He cannot learn in a car．
The car is a convenient means of transport, but we have made it our way of life．Many people don’t dare to approach nature any more; to them the world they were born to enjoy is all threat．To them security is a steel river thundering on a concrete road．And much of their thinking takes place while waiting for the traffic light to turn green．
I say that the green of forests is the mind’s best light．And none but the man on foot can evaluate what is basic and everlasting．
What is the national sickness?

A．Walking too much	B．Traveling too much
C．Driving cars too much	D．Climbing stairs too much．

What was life like when the author was young?

A．People usually went around on foot．

B．people often walked 25 miles a day

C．People used to climb the Statue of Liberty．

D．people considered a ten-hour walk as a hardship．

The author mentions Henry Thoreau to prove that

A．middle-aged people like getting back to nature

B．walking in nature helps enrich one’s mind

C．people need regular exercise to keep fit

D．going on foot prevents heart disease

What is compared to “a steel river” in Paragraph6?

A．A queue of cars	B．A ray of traffic light
C．A flash of lightning	D．A stream of people

What is the author’s intention of writing this passage?

A．To tell people to reflect more on life．

B．To recommend people to give up driving

C．To advise people to do outdoor activities

D．To encourage people to return to walking

A．devotion	B．enthusiasm
C．confidence	D．experience

A．the number of explorers	B．government’s support
C．the finance	D．local people’s guiding