Grant Wood’s American Gothic caused a stir（轰动）in 1930 when it was exhibited for the first time at the Art Institute of Chicago and awarded a prize of 300 dollars. Newspapers across the country carried the story, and the painting of a farmer and a younger woman posed before a white house brought the artist instant fame.
In 1930, Grant Wood, an American painter with European training, noticed a small white house built in the small southern Iowa town of Eldon. Wood was so fascinated by it that he decided to paint the house along with the kind of people he thought should live in that house. In the painting, the farmer is modeled on his dentist. Dr. Byron McKeeby. His younger sister Nan served as a model for the woman （imagined to be the farmer’s wife or daughter）. Wood wanted to give a description of the traditional roles of men and women as the man is holding a pitchfork symbolizing hard labor. Each element was painted separately; the models sat separately and never stood in front of the house. The Gothic style of the house inspired the painting’s title.
American Gothic remains one of the most famous paintings in the history of American art. The painting has become part of American popular culture. Some believe that Wood used it to satirize（讽刺） the narrow-mindedness that has been said to characterize Midwestern culture. The painting may also be read as a praise of the moral virtue or rural America or even as a mixture of praise and satire. American Gothic is one of the few images to reach the status of cultural symbol, along with Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.Which of the following is true about American Gothic?
| A．It won a prize of 300 pounds. |
| B．The two characters in it posed before the White House. |
| C．It was the first painting by Grant Wood. |
| D．It was on show at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1930. |
From the passage we can infer Iowa is in __________.
| A．the southern town of Eldon |
| B．the Midwest of the United States |
| C．a European country |
| D．the city of Chicago |
Grant Wood chose the two models __________.
| A．to describe traditional roles of men and women |
| B．to praise the moral virtue of rural America |
| C．to make his dentist and his sister famous |
| D．to carry the story across the country |
The title of the painting is based on __________.
| A．the name of a small town |
| B．the man and the woman |
| C．the style of the house |
| D．the pitchfork symbolizing hard labor |
Algae(水藻) are very simple plants． They grow in fresh water or salty water． Seaweed is algae that grow in salty water． Seaweed is red or brown in color． The Japanese people use these plants from the sea in many ways． From it, they make a food called Kombu． Kombu is seaweed that has been dried, cooked and pressed together． Then it is dried again and cut into long pieces． The Japanese eat a lot of Kombu and like it very much．
Japanese farmers often use seaweed as fertilizer． It makes their plants grow better． Many farmers also find seaweed makes a fine food for their animals．
From seaweed the Japanese also get iodine(碘), which they sell to other countries． Iodine is used in many ways all over the worlD． It is used in making medicine． It is added to the salt we use at the table． Scientists even use one form of iodine to “ seed clouds” when they want rain to fall．Kombu is a kind of ____ according to the text．
| A．plant |
| B．medicine |
| C．food |
| D．fertilizer |
In the last sentence of the text, “seed clouds” means ____．
| A．clouds spreading like seeds |
| B．the seeds like clouds |
| C．to make rain fall with human power |
| D．dropping seeds by clouds |
The main idea of the story is that ____．
| A．The Japanese eat seaweed when they want rain to fall． |
| B．Kombu is made into medicine for farmers． |
| C．The Japanese use seaweed in many ways． |
| D．The Japanese eat a lot of Kombu． |
The clock struck eleven at night． The whole house was quiet． Everyone was in bed except me． Under the strong light, I looked sadly before a huge pile of troublesome stuff they call “books”．
I was going to have my examination the next day． "When can I go to bed?" I asked myself． I didn’t answer, in fact I dared not．
The clock struck 12"Oh, dear!" I cried, "ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most wretched creatures in the worlD． Dad does not agree with me on this． He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy ．"
The clock struck one． I was quite ho peless now． I forgot all I had learnt． I was too tired to go on． I did the only thing I coulD． I prayed, “Oh, God, Please help me pass the exam tomorrow． I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen．” My eyes were heavy, so heavy that I could hardly open them． A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep．When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were_____ ．
| A．asleep |
| B．working in bed |
| C．outside |
| D．quietly laughing at him |
Reviewing his lessons didn’t help him because ________．
| A．it was too late at night |
| B．he was very tired |
| C．his eyes l ids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open |
| D．he hadn’t studied hard before the examination |
What do you suppose happened to the author？
| A．He went to a church to pray again |
| B．He passed the exam by luck |
| C．He failed in the exam |
| D．He was punished by his teacher |
The best title for the passage would be __________ ．
| A．The Night Before the Examination |
| B．Working Far into the Night |
| C．A Slow Student |
| D．Going Over My Lessons |
In 2012, the Tower of London welcomed two new inhabitants: a pair of ravens(乌鸦) named Jubilee and Grip． Their arrival celebrated the bicentenary(二百周年) of Charles Dickens’s birth． This Grip was the third of the Tower ravens to be named after the novelist’s own pet birD． One of his predecessors（前辈） was resident during World War Two; he and his mate Mabel were the only ravens to survive a bombing attack on the Tower．
Dickens’s Grip, who had an impressive vocabulary, appears as a character in the author’s fifth novel, Barnaby Rudge． On 28 January 1841, Dickens wrote to his friend George Cattermole: “my notion is to have [Barnaby] always in company with a pet raven, who is immeasurably more knowing than himself． To this end I have been studying my bird, and think I could make a very distinctive character of him．”
Unfortunately, just a few weeks after Dickens wrote that letter, Grip died, probably as a result of having stolen and eaten paint some months earlier． The bird had developed a strange habit – tearing sections off painted surfaces (including the family's carriage) and even drinking a quantity of white paint out of a tin． Dickens mourned his loss and wrote a humorous letter to his friend, the illustrator Daniel Maclise, about the raven’s death．
He related how, when Grip began to show signs of sickness, the vet was called and “administered a powerful dose of castor(蓖麻) oil”． Initially this seemed to have a positive effect and the author was thrilled to see Grip restored to his usual personality when he bit the coachman (who was used to the raven and took it in good humor)． The following morning, Grip was able to eat “some warm porridge”, but his recovery was short liveD．
As Dickens wrote to Maclise, “On the clock striking twelve he appeared slightly upset, but soon recovered, walking twice or thrice along the coach-house, stopped to bark, exclaimed ‘Hello old girl’ (his favorite expression) and dieD． He behaved throughout with a decent manner, which cannot be too much admireD． ．． The children seem rather glad of it． He bit their ankles． But that was play．”Which of the following is right about Dickens’s pet Grip?
| A．he liked painting a lot． |
| B．he could speak English fluently． |
| C．he was quite ill before his death． |
| D．he and Mabel survived a bombing attack． |
Why did Dickens study his bird Grip?
| A．Because the bird was very strange looking． |
| B．Because Dickens liked the bird immeasurably． |
| C．Because Barnaby needs a companion who was always with him． |
| D．Because Dickens wanted to base one character of his novel on him． |
What caused the death of Dickens’s Grip?
| A．His old age． |
| B．His strange diet． |
| C．The killing of the coachman． |
| D．His bad habit of biting people． |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A． A bird in a novel．
B． The writer’s birD．
C． The death of a birD．
D． Dickens and his bird
Two people have died after two separate university shootings in Texas and Arizona, just hours apart． One person was killed and three injured in the first shooting at Northern Arizona University early on Friday． Later that morning a shooting at a student complex near Texas Southern University left one person dead．
In Arizona, police named the gunman there as Steven Jones, an 18-year-old first year student at Northern Arizona University．Mr． Jones told police he was approached by a group of men and attacked． He fled, produced a gun from his pocket and opened fire when the men caught up with him, Arizona police said． Witnesses told police that the victims were unarmed．
The second shooting in Texas happened later on Friday morning at the University Courtyard Apartments on the edge of the Houston campus． One student was killed, a freshman at the school, the university confirmed, and another person was wounded． Two people have been arrested as suspects and a third is still at large, said Houston police spokeswoman Jodi Silva．
The attacks came as President Barack Obama visited families of victims of a college shooting in Oregon． On arriving in Oregon, he was jeered(嘲笑) by gun rights activists who oppose calls he made for tougher gun laws after nine people were killed at Umpqua Community College, Roseburg, last week．
After a private meeting with families, Mr Obama said he had "strong feelings" about gun control, adding: "We are going to have to come together as a country to see how we can prevent these issues from taking place．”
On the edge of this little American town, a few hundred protestors gathered to tell their president he was not welcome． Many were openly carrying handguns to hammer home their message． The demonstrators blamed the shooting here last week on two things: a failure to treat mental health problems and the designation of Umpqua Community College as a gun-free zone． Many of those we spoke to said they had travelled to Roseburg from elsewhere in Oregon to make their voices hear． The hostility to the Democratic president here in Republican rural Oregon was not just political, it was personal．How many people were dead in these two recent university shootings?
| A．One． |
| B．Two． |
| C．Three． |
| D．Four． |
Which of the following is right about the Northern Arizona University shooting?
| A．The gunman was about to graduate． |
| B．It was the victims who started the fight． |
| C．The gunman shot the victims out of hatrd． |
| D．The victims attacked the gunman with knives． |
Mr． Obama probably agreed that ____________．
| A．gun control is too strict in most parts of America, especially in universities |
| B．designation of Umpqua community college as a gun-free zone is a wrong decision |
| C．Americans should be united to prevent criminal shooting from happening so frequently |
| D．A failure to treat mental health problems caused the shooting at Umpqua Community College |
The underlined words in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ____________．
| A．emphasize |
| B．digest |
| C．commit |
| D．respond |
Since the beginning of time never has there been another with my mind, my heart, my eyes, my ears, my hands, my mouth． None that came before, none that live today, and none that come tomorrow can walk and talk and move and think exactly like me． I’m a unique creature．
Vain attempts to imitate others no longer will I make． Instead will I place my uniqueness on display in the market place． I will begin now to highlight my differences; hide my similarities．
I am rare, and therefore I am valuable． I am the end product of thousands of years of evolution; therefore, I am better equipped in both mind and body than all the emperors and wise men before me．
But my skills, my mind, my heart, and my body will weaken, rot, and die for fear that I put them to good use． I have unlimited potential． Only a tiny part of my brain do I employ; only a small amount of my muscle do I apply．
So never again will I be satisfied with yesterday's accomplishments nor will I lose myself, anymore, in self-praise for deeds which in reality are too small to even acknowledge． I can accomplish far more than I have, and I will． I am not on this earth by chance． I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand． Henceforth(从今往后) will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy．
I will increase my knowledge of mankind, myself, and the goods I sell． I will practice, and improve, and polish the words I speak to multiply my sales, for this is the foundation on which I will build my career． Also will I seek constantly to improve my manners and graces, for they are the sugar to which all are attracteD．
I have been given eyes to see and a mind to think and now I know a great secret of life that all my problems, discouragements, and heartaches are, in truth, great opportunities in disguise． I am nature’s greatest miracle． And nature knows not defeat． Eventually, she achieves victory and so will I, and with each victory the next struggle becomes less difficult．It can be inferred from the text that the author is most probably a(n) _________．
| A．robot |
| B．soldier |
| C．salesman |
| D．athlete |
Which of the following can best describe the author’s character?
| A．Intelligent, calm and content． |
| B．Confident, modest and realistic． |
| C．Independent, cold and aggressive． |
| D．Ambitious, confident and optimistic． |
According to the text, which of the following is fundamental to the author’s career building?
| A．Knowledge of mankind． |
| B．Speaking skills． |
| C．Prediction of the market． |
| D．sense of victory． |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Nature’s greatest miracle |
| B．The power of being different |
| C．The great secret of life |
| D．Great opportunities in disguise |