阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
B
When I was 17, I read a magazine article about a museum called the McNay, once the home of a watercolorist named Marian McNay. She had requested the community to tum it into a museum upon her death. On a sunny Saturday, Sally and I drove over to the museum. She asked, "Do you have the address? ""No, but I'll recognize it, there was a picture in the magazine. "
"Oh, stop. There it is!"
The museum was free. We entered, excited. A group of people sitting in the hall stopped talking and stared at us.
"May I help you?" a man asked. "No," I said. "We're fine." Tour guides got on my nerves. What if they talked a long time about a painting you weren't that interested in? Sally had gone upstairs. The people in the hall seemed very nosy(爱窥探的), keeping their eyes on me with curiosity. What was their problem? I saw some nice sculptures in one room. Suddenly I sensed a man standing behind me. "Where do you think you are?" he asked. I turned sharply. "The McNay Art Museum!" He smiled, shaking his head. "Sorry, the McNay is on New Braunfels Street." "What's this place?" I asked, still confused. "Well, it's our home." My heart jolted(震颤). I raced to the staircase and called out, "Sally! Come down immediately! "
"There's some really good stuff(艺术作品）up there."She stepped down, looking confused. I pushed her toward the front door, waving at the family, saying, "Sorry, please forgive us, you have a really nice place." Outside, when I told Sally what happened, she covered her mouth, laughing. She couldn't believe how long they let us look around without saying anything.
The real McNay was splendid, but we felt nervous the whole time we were there. Van Gogh, Picasso. This time, we stayed together, in case anything else unusual happened.
Thirty years later, a woman approached me in a public place. "Excuse me, did you ever enter a residence, long ago, thinking it was the McNay Museum?"
"Yes. But how do you know? We never told anyone. "
"That was my home. I was a teenager sitting in the hall. Before you came over, I never realized what a beautiful place I lived in. I never felt lucky before. You thought it was a museum. My feelings about my home changed after that. I've always wanted to thank you."
（1）What do we know about Marian McNay?
| A． |
She was a painter. |
| B． |
She was a community leader. |
| C． |
She was a museum director. |
| D． |
She was a journalist. |
（2）Why did the author refuse the help from the man in the house?
| A． |
She disliked people who were nosy. |
| B． |
She felt nervous when talking to strangers. |
| C． |
She knew more about art than the man. |
| D． |
She mistook him for a tour guide. |
（3）How did the author feel about being stared at by the people in the hall?
| A． |
Puzzled. |
| B． |
Concerned. |
| C． |
Frightened. |
| D． |
Delighted. |
（4）Why did the author describe the real McNay museum in just a few words?
| A． |
The real museum lacked enough artwork to interest her. |
| B． |
She was too upset to spend much time at the real museum. |
| C． |
The McNay was disappointing compared with the house. |
| D． |
The event happening in the house was more significant. |
（5）What could we learn from the last paragraph?
| A． |
People should have good taste to enjoy life. |
| B． |
People should spend more time with their family. |
| C． |
People tend to be blind to the beauty around them. |
| D． |
People tend to educate teenagers at a museum. |
More and more English-educated Chinese Singaporean parents are realizing the importance for their children to be not only good at the all-important English language, but also at Chinese. China has become a great political and economic superpower and they want their children to become bilingual.
It is common knowledge that, to master any language, especially one’s mother tongue, one must begin from childhood. But there are challenges and barriers for children of English-speak ing homes to succeed in their journey towards bilingualism.
Take my family as an example. While my wife and I are products of English education, we had some foundation (基础) in Chinese which we kept up in our working life. But the language of communication in our home is mainly English.
We are glad that our three children had between 8 and 11 years’Chinese schooling before switching over to English schools. Their foundation in Chinese has become an advantage in their adult life. They can hold their own in the spoken language, but would find it hard to write a business letter in Chinese for lack of usage.
We have a grandson who will be two years old shortly. His parents have given my wife and I the unenviable task of making him bilingual. It is a very tough assignment, as we are with him only a couple of hours on most days. For the rest of the time, he is being surrounded by English sounds by his busy parents.
Fortunately, our perseverance is paying off. After eight months, he has been used to hearing Chinese sounds, and even he can now quite comfortably identify common everyday objects in Chinese. Why is it becoming necessary for some Chinese Singaporean children to learn Chinese?
| A．Because most of the Singaporeans come from China. |
| B．Because their parents are missing their motherland. |
| C．Because China has become a great political and economic superpower. |
| D．Because Chinese is the official language in the UN. |
The underlined word “bilingual”in Paragraph 1 probably means _______ .
| A．a person who knows English |
| B．a person who knows Chinese |
| C．a person who knows only one language |
| D．a person who knows two languages |
What do we know about the author and his children?
| A．He lives in China now. |
| B．His children hate learning English. |
| C．He usually speaks Engliah at home. |
| D．His three children master Chinese very much. |
The author uses the example of teaching his grandson mainly to prove that _______ .
| A．there are challenges for children of English-speaking homes to learn Chinese |
| B．his foundation in Chinese is a big advantage in teaching his grandson |
| C．he is quite good at teaching small children Chinese |
| D．learning Chinese is very popular in Singapore |
We learn from the passage that _______ .
| A．all the children in Singapore need to learn Chinese |
| B．understanding Chinese is becoming an advantage in Singapore |
| C．the author’s children know nothing about Cshinese |
| D．the author feels it easy to teach others Chinese |
Welcome to one of the largest collections of footwear（鞋类）in the world that will make you green with envy. Here at the Footwear Museum you can see exhibits（展品）from all over the world. You can find out about shoes worn by everyone from the Ancient Egyptians to pop stars.
| Room 1 The celebrity（名人）footwear section is probably the most popular in the entire museum. Started in the 1950s there is a wide variety of shoes and boots belonging to everyone from queens and presidents to pop stars and actors! Most visitors find the celebrities' choice of footwear extremely interesting. |
Room 2 Most of our visitors are amazed and shocked by the collection of “special purpose”shoes on exhibition here at the Museum of Footwear. For example , there are Chinese shoes made of silk that were worn by women to tie their feet firmly to prevent them from growing too much! |
| Room 3 As well as shoes and boots the museum also exhibits shoe shaped objects. The variety is unbelievable. For example , there is a metal lamp that resembles a pair of shoes, and Greek wine bottles that like legs! |
The footwear Library People come from all over the world to study in our excellent footwear library. Designers and researchers come here to look up Information on anything and everything related to the subject of footwear. |
Where would you find a famous singer's shoes?
| A．Room 1. |
| B．Room 2. |
| C．Room 3. |
| D．The Footwear Library |
All exhibits in each room _________.
| A．share the same theme |
| B．have the same shape |
| C．are made of the same material |
| D．belong to the same social class |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．The oldest exhibits in Room 1 were made in the 1950s. |
| B．Room 2 is the most visited place in the museum. |
| C．Room 3 has a richer variety of exhibits than the other two. |
| D．Researchers come to the Footwear Library for data. |
The purpose of the text is to get more people to ________.
| A．do research |
| B．design shoes |
| C．visit the museum |
| D．follow celebrities |
When Frida Kahlo’s paintings were on show in London, a poet described her paintings as “ a ribbon （丝带）around a bomb”. Such comments seem to suggest Kahlo had a big influence on the art world of her time. Sadly, she is actually a much bigger name today than she was during her time.
Born in 1907 in a village near Mexico City , Kahlo suffered from polio（小儿麻痹症）at the age of seven. Her spine （脊柱）become bent as she grew older. Then, in 1925, her back was broken in several places in a school-bus accident. Throughout the rest of her life, the artist had many operations, but noting was able to cure the terrible pain in her back. However, the accident had an unexpected side effect. While lying in her bed recovering, Kahlo taught herself to paint.
In 1929, she got married to Diego Rivera, another famous Mexican artist. Rivera’s strong influences on Kahlo’s style can be seen in her early works, but her later works from the 1940s, known today as her best works, show less influence from her husband.
Unfortunately, her works did not attract much attention in the 1930s and1940s, even in her home country. Her first one-woman show in Mexico was not held until 1953.For more than a decade after her death in 1954, Kahlo’s works remained largely unnoticed by the world, but in the 1970s her works began to gain international fame at last.What does the phrase “a much bigger name” in paragraph 1 most nearly mean?
| A．a far better artist |
| B．a for more gifted artist |
| C．a much stronger person |
| D．a much more famous person |
The terrible pain Kahlo suffered was caused by ________.
| A．polio |
| B．her bent spine |
| C．back injuries |
| D．the operations she had |
Kahlo’s style had become increasingly independent since the________.
| A．1930s |
| B．1940s |
| C．1950s |
| D．1970s |
What is author’s attitude toward Kahlo?
| A．Devotion |
| B．Sympathy |
| C．Worry |
| D．Encouragement |
The Basics of Math—Made Clear
Basic Math introduces students to the basic concepts of mathematics, as well as the fundamentals of more tricky areas. These 30 fantastic lectures are designed to provide students with an understanding of arithmetic and to prepare them for Algebra(代数) and beyond.
The lessons in Basic Math cover every basic aspect of arithmetic. They also look into exponents(指数), the order of operations, and square roots. In addition to learning how to perform various mathematical operations, students discover why these operations work, how a particular mathematical topic relates to other branches of mathematics, and how these operations can be used practically.
Basic Math starts from the relatively easier concepts and gradually moves on to the more troublesome ones, so as to allow for steady and sure understanding of the material by students. The lectures offer students the chance to “make sense” of mathematical knowledge that may have seemed so frightening. They also help students prepare for college mathematics and overcome their anxiety about this amazing—and completely understandable—field of study.
By the conclusion of the course, students will have improved their understanding of basic math. They will be able to clear away the mystery(神秘性) of mathematics and face their studies with more confidence than they ever imagined. In addition, they will strengthen their ability to accept new and exciting mathematical challenges.
Professor H. Siegel, honored by Kentucky Educational Television as “the best math teacher in America,” is a devoted teacher and has a gift for explaining mathematical concepts in ways that make them seem clear and obvious. From the basic concrete ideas to the more abstract problems, he is master in making math lectures learner-friendlier and less scary.
With a PhD in Mathematics Education from Georgia State University, Dr. Siegel teaches mathematics at Central Arizona College. His courses include various make-up classes and a number of lectures for future primary school teachers.
If the course fails to provide complete satisfaction to you, you can easily exchange it for any other course that we offer. Or you can get your money back. What does the course Basic Math mainly cover?
| A．Algebra. |
| B．College Mathematics. |
| C．Arithmetic. |
| D．Mathematics Education. |
What benefits can students expect from Basic Math?
| A．Stronger imaginative ability. |
| B．Additional presentation skills. |
| C．More mathematical confidence. |
| D．Greater chances of becoming teachers. |
What can we learn about Professor H. Siegel?
| A．He is a guest lecturer at Kentucky Educational Television. |
| B．He is to deliver 30 lectures in Basic Math. |
| C．He works in Georgia State University. |
| D．He specializes in training teachers. |
Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?
| A．A news report. |
| B．A book review |
| C．A lesson plan. |
| D．An advertisement |
When did you last visit a shopping mall? In many places, the answer would be “last weekend”.Some people go even more often. Why? For one thing, malls offer goods and services that people need all in one place: food, clothing, things for their houses, entertainment, even medical services. So, are malls one of the highlights of modem civilization? Environmental activists would say No! They would go even further and say that consumer behavior is causing a huge enwronmental disaster. They cause consumers of ignorance of the side effect of their shopping-urban sprawl (扩大) .
Social scientists agree that patterns of development have changed the landscape a great deal in the last half century. Prior to 1950, most people lived in towns or cities and either walked to work or took public transportation. Only very wealthy people had automobiles. Farmers lived in rural areas or isolated villages and came into town only when they needed things they couldn’ t produce themselves. If you gazed at the landscape you would see towns surrounded by countryside. Then a massive change occurred.
Automobiles became affordable and people were quick to adopt them. Now ambitious workers could live in the suburbs, the areas just outside cities, which started to grow rapidly. As long as there was lots of cheap land in the suburbs, no one paid much attention to le usage of that land. Malls, fast food restaurants, cinemas, and car dealerships spread out in large, flat buildings. These one-storey buildings and their parking lot took up a great deal space. Well-meaning farmers thought they were better off selling their land than growing crops. In ignorance, no one realized that once the land was built up in urban sprawl, the good farming land would be ruined forever. There was no way to preserve it.
Only in recent years have people come to mourn the old way of life as they have developed insight into the problems of unconditional grows. Now people realize that urban sprawl has come with serious environmental problems. The negative aspects of sprawl include air and water pollution, loss of agricultural land, traffic jams, and the death of businesses in the old town centers. Many scholars think the time has come to analyze the problems better so we can develop appropriate policies to control further sprawl. Some think the best way to do is to educate citizens about their priceless environment. What is mainly discussed in the passage?
| A．Weekend Fun. |
| B．Urban Sprawl. |
| C．New Automobiles. |
| D．Isolated Villages. |
What does the underlined word "They" refer to in the first paragraph?
| A．Malls. |
| B．Activists. |
| C．Farmers. |
| D．Scientists. |
Who do activists blame for environmental problems?
| A．Endangered animals. |
| B．Shopping mall owners. |
| C．Unthinking shoppers. |
| D．Ambitious farmers. |
What do scholars think should be done about urban sprawl?
| A．Understand the situations better. |
| B．Follow customary policies. |
| C．Start school in shopping mails. |
| D．Charge polluters a lot of money. |
What is the scholars' attitude toward urban sprawl?
| A．Respectful. |
| B．Disapproving. |
| C．Pessimistic. |
| D．Doubtful. |