A painting by Chinese artist Qi Baishi set a record for modern art and calligraphy (书法) on the mainland when it sold for 425.5 million yuan at an auction (拍卖) on May 22. The sale was a milestone (里程碑) in the auction of modern and contemporary artworks.

The price meant its value had risen more than 2,000 per cent in six years. The work , Eagle standing on pine tree with four-character coupleti(对联), measures about 2.6 metres by 1 metre . It was the second highest price paid for an artwork on the mainland . A Song dynasty work by Huang Tingjian was sold for 436.8 million yuan in 2010. Qi’s painting was finished in 1946 when Qi was 86, and was his largest work . With a starting price of 88 million yuan, it attracted nearly 50 bids(出价)in half an hour. Shanghai businessman Liu Yiqian said that the work had belonged to him and had cost less than 20 million yuan in 2005. The auction company said the work was brought back to the mainland after being bought from a private owner in San Francisco six years ago.

China ranked first in global art sales last year, ahead of the United States and Britain . Four Chinese artists were among the top 10 in worldwide sales: Qi Baishi , Zhang Daqian, Xu Beihong and Fu Baoshi. Qi’s works ranked second in sales to Pablo Picasso’s last year . Qi was born into a peasant family in Hunan in 1864. He taught himself to paint and focused on nature including plants, insects, birds and fish. He is mostly well-known for his paintings of shrimps. In 1953, he was elected president of the Association of Chinese Artists. He died in Beijing in 1957.

1.What’s the best title of the text ?

A. Qi Baishi’s Painting Was Discovered .

B. Qi Baishi’ s Painting Was Brought Back .

C. Qi Baishi’s Painting Sets an Auction Record .

D. The Value of Qi Baishi’s Paintings Is on the Increase .

2. Whose artwork sold for the highest price on the mainland ?

A. Qi Baishi’s . B. Huang Tingjian’s .

C. Xu Beihong’s . D. Zhang Daqian’s .

3.The auction price of Qi’s painting was _____ million yuan higher than the starting price in the auction .

A. 337.5 . B. 348.8 . C. 50 . D. 11.3 .

4.Which of the following is TRUE ?

A. Qi finished the painting when he was young .

B. The painting was once stolen by an American .

C. The owner of this painting Liu Yiqian gained a lot of money .

D. Pablo Picasso’s works ranked second in sales to Qi’s last year .

5. The text is most probably taken from a _____.

A. computer book B. library guide

C. technology magazine D. newspaper report

The average British 22 year-old has more than 1,000 online friends on sites like Facebook, compared to those in their fifties who have fewer than 20, according to a new study.

The “Facebook generation gap” has been highlighted in a new piece of research which shows that the average 22 year-old claims to have 1,000 or more friends on sites like Facebook.

People in their twenties have more than 50 times as many digital friends as those who are over 50 years old, despite the popularity of sites like Facebook with the older generations, says a study conducted by consumer research group Intersperience.

The news comes during the same week Facebook's second-in command, Sheryl Sandberg, is visiting the UK to deliver a speech at the London School of Economics.

Facebook's chief operating officer is going to speak about how the social web has transformed people's friendships and relationships.

The survey found that there was a clear link between people's age and the number of online friends they have.The researchers found that those aged 13 to 16, have an average of 450 friends on social networks, with girls having slightly more friends that boys.People in their thirties tend to have between 100 and 200 friends, while those in their forties have between 50 and 100.

However, those using sites such as Facebook over the age of 50, tended to have 20 or less friends.The oldest person surveyed was 70 years old.

Paul Hudson, Intersperience's chief executive, said: "Our research underlines fundamental (根本的)changes taking place in British society as a result of finally entering the digital age.Half of the UK population are on Facebook now.In a social media context, a 'friend' means something different to a 20 year old than to a 50 year old."

He added: “Social networking activity is just one example of how different groups are adapting to the digital age at different paces.In this case, age is the determining factor - however in other instances it is not.”

1.Which is the determining factor in social networking activity?

A.Gender B.Age C.Relationship D.Pace

2.What can we learn from the survey?

A.The older a person is, the less online friends he may have

B.Girls have remarkably more friends than boys

C.People in their thirties tend to have between 50 and 100 friends

D.The link between people’s age and the number of online friends they have is not clear

3.According to the passage, the following statements are True except .

A.The oldest people surveyed is 70

B.Paul Hudson will deliver a speech at the London School of Economics

C.Different groups are adapting to the digital age at different paces

D.Facebook is popular in UK now

4.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A.Social networking activity

B.The digital age

C.“Facebook generation gap”—Facebook generation has more than 1,000 friends

D.Changes taking place in British society

One thing we love about is that it’s easy to make and it only needs a few simple ingredients(原料). Here are four of our favourite and simple homemade soups. Enjoy!

1. Chicken Soup

Chicken soup can help to fight a cold. You can prepare your soup with a whole chicken or just thin pieces of chicken. Do either of themalthough a whole chicken is likely to make your soup much tastier. The main ingredients are: chicken, water, onions, carrots, celery(芹菜), salt, pepper and noodles.

2. White Bean Soup

There are many types of beans to choose from. It’s simply a matter of personal taste. Dried beans are more traditional and cost less. However, canned beans also work. The other main ingredients are: onions, tomatoes and carrots. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. French Onion soup

When you get French onion soup in a restaurant, it might look a bit difficult to make. The hardest part is cutting up all those onions—get ready for a good cry! The main ingredients are: six sweet onions, butter, water and salt.

4. Garden Vegetable Soup

In summer, you may find yourself with a lot of vegetables that need using up. Throw in potatoes, rice or even some meat with the vegetables. The best thing about this soup is that you can put in whatever you want. The main ingredients are: onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes and potatoes.

1.How can you make the chicken soup more delicious?

A. By adding carrots.

B. By using chicken pieces.

C. By adding onions.

D. By using a whole chicken.

2.What is the most difficult part when making French onion soup?

A. Getting good onions.

B. Cutting up the onions.

C. Making the soup look good

D. Buying the ingredients.

3.What might be the best soup in summer ?

A. Chicken soup. B. White bean soup.

C. French onion soup. D. Garden vegetable soup.

4.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Chicken soup is good if you catch a cold.

B. Canned beans are cheaper than dried beans.

C. It's difficult to make French onion soup.

D. You cannot put meat in garden vegetable soup.

5.Which ingredient is needed in all the soups?

A. Tomatoes. B. Onions. C. Butter. D. Celery.

More than four decades ago British scientist Robert Edwards first witnessed the miracle of human life growing inside a test tube at his Cambridge lab. Since that ground-breaking moment, more than four million babies have been born through IVF and in 2010 his great contribution to science was finally recognized as he was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine.

The prize for Dr Edwards, who was given a Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Award in 2008, includes a £900,000 cheque. The Nobel Assembly described IVF as a "milestone in modern medicine".

With the help of fellow scientist Patrick Steptoe, the Manchester-born physiologist developed IVF — leading to the birth of the world's first test tube baby. Dr Steptoe died 10 years later but their work has transformed fertility treatment and given hope to millions of couples.

It was a scientific breakthrough that transformed the lives of millions of couples. They said: "His achievements have made it possible to treat infertility, a disease which makes human unable to have a baby. This condition has been afflicting a large percentage of mankind including more than 10% of all couples worldwide."

Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby, made international headlines when she was born in Oldham, Gtr Manchester, in 1978 to parents Lesley and John who had been fruitlessly trying for a baby since 1969.

Ivf-in-vitro fertilisation is the process whereby egg cells are fertilised outside the body before being implanted in the womb. After a cycle of IVF, the probability of a couple with infertility problems having a baby is one in five — the same as healthy couples who conceive naturally.

Professor Edwards, who has five daughters and 11 grandchildren, began his research at Cambridge University in 1963, after receiving his PhD in 1955.He once said: "The most important thing in life is having a child. Nothing is more special than a child." With the help of fellow scientist Patrick Steptoe, Prof. Edwards founded the Bourn Hall clinic in Cambridge shire, which now treats more than 900 women a year. Each year, more than 30,000 women in Britain now undergo IVF and 11,000 babies are born as a result of the treatment.

But his work attracted widespread criticism from some scientists and the Catholic Church who said it was "unethical and immoral".

Martin Johnson, professor of reproductive(生殖的) sciences at the University of Cambridge, said the award was "long overdue". He said: “We couldn't understand why the Nobel has come so late but he is delighted — this is the cherry on the cake for him.”

Professor Edwards was too ill to give interviews but a statement released by his family said he was "thrilled and delighted".

1.What is Robert Edwards’ contribution to science?

A. Challenging a disease which stops human having a baby.

B. Seeing the wonder of the first tube baby growing.

C. Enabling millions of couples to live a better life.

D. Helping couples with infertility to have tube babies.

2. What does the underlined word “afflicting”(Paragraph 4)most probably refer to?

A. Troubling. B. Developing.

C. Improving. D. Confusing.

3. Why did Professor Edwards begin his research on tube baby?

A. Because he thought it of great significance to have a child in life.

B. Because the birthrate around the world was unexpectedly low then.

C. Because a special child did make a difference to an ordinary family.

D. Because his fellow scientist wanted to give hope to the unlucky couples.

4.It can be inferred from Paragraph 8 and Paragraph 9 that ___________.

A. some people envied Professor Edwards for his being awarded

B. different opinions were voiced on Professor Edwards’ finding

C. Professor Edwards deserved the prize for his breakthrough

D. the prize was late because the finding was first considered immoral

5. What might be the best title for the passage?

A. Life Stories of Robert Edwards

B. Preparations for Having a Baby

C. Nobel Prize for IVF Expert Edwards

D. Treatment of Infertility in a Lab

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