For the past five years， Paula Smith， a historian of science， has devoted herself to re﹣creating long﹣forgotten techniques. While doing research for her new book， she came across a 16th﹣century French manuscript （手稿） consisting of nearly 1，000 sets of instructions， covering subjects from tool making to finding the best sand.
The author's intention remains as mysterious （神秘） as his name； he may have been simply taking notes for his own records. But Smith was struck mainly by the fact that she didn't truly grasp any of the skills the author described. "You simply can't get an understanding of that handwork by reading about it，" she says.
Though Smith did get her hands on the best sand， doing things the old﹣fashioned way isn't just about playing around with French mud. Reconstructing the work of the craftsmen （工匠） who lived centuries ago can reveal how they viewed the world， what objects filled their homes， and what went on in the workshops that produced them. It can even help solve present﹣day problems： In 2015， scientists discovered that a 10th﹣century English medicine for eye problems could kill a drug﹣resistant virus.
The work has also brought insights for museums， Smith says. One must know how an object was made in order to preserve it. What's more， reconstructions might be the only way to know what treasures looked like before time wore them down. Scholars have seen this idea in practice with ancient Greek and Roman statues. These sculptures were painted a rainbow of striking colours. We can't appreciate these kinds of details without seeing works of art as they originally appeared﹣ something Smith believes you can do only when you have a road map.
Smith has put the manuscript's ideas into practice. Her final goal is to link the worlds of art and science back together. She believes that bringing the old recipes to life can help develop a kind of learning that highlights experimentation， teamwork， and problem solving.
Back when science﹣then called "the new philosophy"﹣took shape， academics looked to craftsmen for help in understanding the natural world. Microscopes and telescopes were invented by way of artistic tinkering （修补）， as craftsmen experimented with glass to better bend light.
If we can rediscover the values of hands﹣on experience and craftwork， Smith says， we can marry the best of our modern insights with the handiness of our ancestors.
（1）How did Smith feel after reading the French manuscript？
| A． |
Confused about the technical terms. |
| B． |
Impressed with its detailed instructions. |
| C． |
Discouraged by its complex structure. |
| D． |
Shocked for her own lack of hand skills. |
（2）According to Smith， the reconstruction work is done mainly to .
| A． |
restore old workshops |
| B． |
understand the craftsmen |
| C． |
improve visual effects |
| D． |
inspire the philosophers |
（3）Why does the author mention museums？
| A． |
To reveal the beauty of ancient objects. |
| B． |
To present the findings of old science. |
| C． |
To highlight the importance of antiques. |
| D． |
To emphasise the values of hand skills. |
（4）Which would be the best title for this passage？
| A． |
Craftsmen Set the Trends for Artists |
| B． |
Craftsmanship Leads to New Theories |
| C． |
Craftsmanship Makes Better Scientists |
| D． |
Craftsmen Reshape the Future of Science |
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity（繁荣）. Others say that competition is bad, that it sets one person against another and that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit（追求） of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which only values the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary player, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “ I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by them is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot.
Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued．Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to disappear can we discover a new meaning in competition.Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
| A．It pushes society forward． |
| B．It builds up a sense of duty. |
| C．It improves personal abilities. |
| D．It encourages individual efforts. |
The underlined phrase “ the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means _____.
| A．those who try their best to win |
| B．those who are against competition most strongly |
| C．those who value competition most highly |
| D．those who rely on others most for success |
Which point of view may the author agree to?
| A．Every effort should be paid back. |
| B．Competition should be encouraged. |
| C．Winning should be a life-and-death matter. |
| D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition. |
One windy spring day, I observed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds dashing and dancing in the exciting atmosphere above the earth. As the strong winds gusted against the kites, a string kept them in check.
Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the controlling string and the clumsy tail kept them in tow(牵引), facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled and trembled against the string, they seemed to say, “Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!” They flew beautifully even as they fought the forced restriction of the string. Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose. “Free at last,” it seemed to say, “Free to fly with the wind.”
Yet freedom from control simply put it at the mercy of an unsympathetic gentle wind. It flew ungracefully to the ground and landed in a twisted mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. “Free at last”. Free to lie powerless in the dirt, to be blown helplessly along the ground, and to settle down lifeless against the first roadblock.
How much like kites we sometimes are. There always exist misfortunes and restrictions, rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength. Prohibition is a necessary counterpart to the winds of opposition. Some of us pulled at the rules so hard that we never fly fast to reach the heights we might have obtained. If we keep all the commandment(戒律), we will never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground.
Let us each rise to the great heights, recognizing that some of the prohibitions are actually the steady force that helps us climb and achieve.In the passage the writer watched _______.
| A．many young people flying multicolored kites |
| B．many birds dashing and dancing in the sky |
| C．many young people enjoying the sunny day |
| D．the strong winds blowing against the sky |
What didn’t happen to the freed kite?
| A．It was blown helplessly around. |
| B．It lay powerless in the dirt. |
| C．It was trapped in a dead bush. |
| D．It kept flying freely in the air. |
What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
| A．To give up tips on how to fly kites effectively. |
| B．To warn us that freedom is actually powerless. |
| C．To teach us a lesson that rules are important in life. |
| D．To explain that restrictions are really unnecessary. |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Where to Fly | B．Fly with Restrictions |
| C．Why to Fly Kites | D．Fly to Freedom |
I had worried myself sick over Simon's mother coming to see me. I was a new teacher, and I gave an honest account of the students' work. In Simon's case，the grades were awfully low. He couldn't read his own handwriting. But he was a bright student. He discussed adult subjects with nearly adult comprehension. His work in no way reflected his abilities.
So when Simon's mother entered the room, my palms (手掌心) were sweating. I was completely unprepared for her kisses on both my cheeks. “I came to thank you,” she said, surprising me beyond speech. Because of me, Simon had become a different person. He talked of how he loved me, he had begun to make friends, and for the first time in his twelve years, he had recently spent an afternoon at a friend's house. She wanted to tell me how grateful she was for the self-respect I had developed in her son. She kissed me again and left.
I sat, stunned, for about half an hour，wondering what had just happened. How did I make such a life changing difference to that boy without even knowing it？What I finally came to remember was one day, several months before，when some students were giving reports in the front of the class, Jeanne spoke quietly，and to encourage her to raise her voice, I had said, “Speak up. Simon's the expert on this. He is the only one you have to convince, and he can't hear you in the back of the room.” That was it. From that day on, Simon had sat up straighter, paid more attention, smiled more，and became happy. And it was all because he happened to be the last kid in the last row. The boy who most needed praise was the one who took the last seat that day.
It taught me the most valuable lesson over the years of my teaching career, and I'm thankful that it came early and positively. A small kindness can indeed make a difference.We can infer that when Simon’s mother entered the room, the writer felt _______.
| A．nervous | B．satisfied | C．happy | D．surprised |
Why did Simon’s mother come to visit the writer?
| A．Because she worried about her son’s poor work. |
| B．Because Simon asked her to do so. |
| C．Because she wanted to show her gratitude to the writer. |
| D．Because she wanted to know her son’s performance in the school. |
The following words can be used to describe Simon before he met the writer EXCEPT _____.
| A．unconfident | B．lonely | C．clever | D．outgoing |
The purpose of the passage is to ________.
| A．share a valuable lesson with readers |
| B．tell teachers how to be kind to students |
| C．advise the readers to be kind to others |
| D．tell the story of Simon |
Young women who take part in beauty contests (比赛) are helping to keep alive an outdated opinion of women that a woman’s most important value is how she looks.
Women have been working very hard through the years to change their image. They have been trying to prove that the value of a woman does not lie only in her beauty. The world is just beginning to recognize that women are as smart, wise and strong in personality as men are, and that there are qualities more important than looks when judging people. When women take part in beauty contests for top prizes, they encourage people to value them for their beauty alone. It is unfair to say that beauty alone determines one’s worth.
Beauty contests not only encourage spectators (观众) to judge women by their appearance, but they encourage this idea in the contestants as well. These young women spend months losing weight to be the “right” size and learning how to dress, wear makeup, and walk just right so that some judges will consider them beautiful. I think it’s great for a woman to feel good about her appearance, but looks shouldn’t be sought after in an extreme or unreasonable way. There are too many other, more important, things in a young woman’s life: learning, developing friendships and preparing for their future work and perhaps a family.
As long as there are beauty contests, women won’t be fully recognized as well-rounded human beings.According to the text, women have tried to change their image by .
| A．proving they are as good as men |
| B．paying attention to their clothes |
| C．winning more beauty contests |
| D．encouraging people to value their beauty |
What do women usually do in preparation for beauty contests?
| A．Learn about their personality. |
| B．Do everything for their bodies. |
| C．Choose the right size dresses. |
| D．Develop friendship with spectators. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．Looks determine everything. |
| B．Wisdom carries much weight. |
| C．Spectators should have their voices heard. |
| D．Qualities other than looks are more important. |
According to the author, beauty contests are .
| A．disrespectful to women |
| B．unpleasant to contestants |
| C．necessary for modern society |
| D．helpful in improving women’s image |
Greenheart Travel Correspondent Scholarship
Greenheart Travel offers the opportunity for high school students to broaden their perspective through studying abroad.
Greenheart Travel Correspondent Scholarship Opportunities:
US $3,000 scholarship award for a High School Study Abroad program in China
US $1,000 scholarship award for a Teen Summer Language Camp in France
US $1,000 scholarship award for a Teen Summer Language Camp in Germany
US $1,000 scholarship award for a Teen Summer Language Camp in Italy
※Applicants are only able to apply for ONE scholarship opportunity
Deadline for Application: April 1, 2015
Summary of Submission Requirements of the Scholarship:
In addition to completing the teen program online application, applicants must also submit the following:
Official High School Transcript:
Applicants must have a minimum academic standing of a 3.2 GPA to be eligible.
Teacher/Coach Referral:
Applicants must provide the name and phone number of an educator or coach that will be able to recommend the student as a good candidate for the scholarship award. Greenheart Travel will contact this referral prior to announcing the scholarship winner.
Written essay:
In a 500-to 800-word essay, please explain how this cultural exchange experience will benefit both you and your local community.
Summary of Participant Requirements:
Pre-program
Submit one blog or video 2 weeks BEFORE your program Start Date introducing yourself and why you are excited to travel on your program and what you hope to learn while abroad.
During Program
For study abroad programs: submit a written blog post and 3-5 photos or a video, once every 2 weeks by discussed deadlines.
For language camp programs: submit weekly written blog post and 3-5 photos or a video, by discussed deadline.
After Program
Submit one blog or video 2 weeks AFTER your program End Date reflecting on what you learned, your favorite part of the program and tips for anyone wanting to travel abroad.The underlined word “eligible” probably means .
| A．flexible | B．qualified |
| C．energetic | D．attractive |
What should you submit when you apply for the scholarship?
a. A blog
b. Official High School Transcript.
c. A video
d. An essay
e. An application
f. Teacher/Coach Referral.
| A．bdef | B．abcb | C．acef | D．bcde |
What do participants need to do during the program?
| A．They need to write an essay about their exchange experience. |
| B．They need to submit a blog about their situation. |
| C．They need to submit 3-5 photos once a week for language camp programs. |
| D．They need to submit 3-5 photos once a week for study abroad programs. |