"It took me a year to complete, all at night. I used almost 500 litres of paint. It was the biggest illegal graffiti(涂鸦)piece ever.”

These are the words of a man named Saber from the United States. Saber is talking about a piece of colorful graffiti that he painted in Los Angeles. Saber did not have permission for this painting. It was on city property. Was the graffiti a piece of art? Or was Saber a criminal because he painted it illegally?

Abdal Ullah, a councilor in London, told TIMES magazine, “Graffiti is a crime. It ruins the environment. It makes our neighborhoods feel less safe. And it costs thousands of pounds each year to clean.”

Graffiti artists often use high technology paint. This is hard to remove or paint over. Large cities spend millions of dollars a year to remove graffiti. Graffiti is also often done in places where other criminal behavior takes place, including violence and the use of illegal drugs.

Some people say that some kinds of graffiti can be considered art. Saber from Los Angeles said, “My painting shows 22 years of intense art making. And I think art is the number one goal for myself. Graffiti is the way I learn. Art gets a bad name because it is considered something only for a few people in society. It is seen as something only a rich or highly educated person can understand. And that is not true. Every single child in the world drew a picture once and had that excitement.”

Luckily, there is a group called Writerz Blok in San Diego, California. They set up 12 walls where people can legally paint graffiti. Marcus Tufono, who works at Writerz Blok, explains, “Our goal is to move the illegal graffiti to a legal wall, and then put it on a computer screen and some software, so that they can take their art and use it around the community. Then graffiti artists have a chance to succeed through their art.”

1.Saber’s painting was illegal because ________.

A. it was painted at night B. it was on public property

C. its creator was a criminal D. it was of poor quality

2.What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A. The advantages of graffiti. B. The bad effects of graffiti.

C. The cost of removing graffiti. D. The materials used for graffiti.

3.Which statement may Saber agree with?

A. Graffiti is a type of art.

B. Only a few people understand art.

C. Graffiti is not a good way to create art.

D. Children should be encouraged to draw graffiti.

4.According to the last paragraph, people working at Writerz Blok ________.

A. help artists paint graffiti legally

B. encourage people to paint graffiti freely

C. punish people for painting graffiti

D. remove illegal graffiti in their city

Raised in a motherless home, my father was extremely tightfisted towards us children. His attitude didn’t soften as I grew into adulthood and went to college. I had to ride the bus whenever I came home. Though the bus stopped about two miles from home, Dad never met me, even in severe weather. If I grumbled, he’d say in his loudest father-voice, “That’s what you are for!”

The walk didn’t bother me as much as the fear of walking alone alone the highway and country roads. I also felt less than valued that my father didn’t seem concerned about my safety. But that feeling was cancelled one spring evening.

It had been a particularly difficult week at college after long hours in labs. I longed for home. When the bus reached the stop, I stepped off and dragged my suitcase to begin the long journey home.

A row of hedge(树篱)edged the driveway that climbed the hill to our house. Once I had turned off the highway to start the last lap of my journey, I always had a sense of relief to see the hedge because it meant that I was almost home. On that particular evening, the hedge had just come into view when. I realized it was the top of my father’s head. Then I know, each time I’d come home, he had stood behind the hedge , watching, until he knew I had arrived safely. I swallowed hard against the tears. He did care, after all.

On later visits, that spot of gray became my watchtower. I could hardly wait until I was close enough to watch for its secret movement above the greenery. Upon reaching home, I would find my father sitting innocently in his chair.“So! My son, it’s you!” he’d say, his face lengthening into pretended surprise.

I replied, “Yes, Dad ,it’s me. I’m home.”

1.What does the underlined word “grumbled”in Paragraph I probably mean?

A. Accepted happily. B. Spoke unhappily.

C. Agreed willingly. D. Explained clearly.

2.What made the author feel upset was _____.

A. the tiredness after long hours in labs.

B. the fear of seeing something moving.

C. the feeling of being less than valued.

D. the loneliness of riding the bus home.

3.The author’s father watched behind the hedge because_______.

A. he wanted to help his son build up courage.

B. he was concerned about his son’s safety.

C. he didn’t want to meet his son at the doorway.

D. he didn’t think his son was old enough to walk alone.

4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A. Terrible Journey Home. B. My College Life.

C. My Father’s Secret. D. Riding Bus Alone.

Why do Americans struggle with watching their weight, while the French, who consume(消耗) rich food, continue to stay thin? Now a research by Cornell University suggests how life style and decisions about eating may affect weight. Researchers concluded that the French tend to(往往,倾向于) stop eating when they feel full. However, Americans tend to stop when their plate is empty or their favorite TV show is over.

    According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, a health expert, the French see eating as an important part of their life style. They enjoy food and therefore spend a fairly long time at the table, while Americans see eating as something to be squeezed(挤出) between the other daily activities. Mercola believes Americans lose the ability to sense when they are actually full. So they keep eating long after the French would have stopped. In addition, he points out that Americans drive to huge supermarkets to buy canned and frozen foods for the week. The French, instead, tend to shop daily, walking to small shops and farmers’ markets where they have a choice of fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs as well as high-quality meats for each meal.

   After a visit to the United States, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat, decided to write about the importance of knowing when to stop rather than suggesting how to avoid food. Today she continues to stay slim and rarely goes to the gym.

   In spite of(尽管) all these differences, evidence shows that recent life style changes may be affecting French eating habits. Today the rate of obesity — or  extreme overweight — among adults is only 6%. However, as American fast food gains acceptance and the young reject(拒绝) older traditions, the obesity rate among French children has reached 17% — and is growing.

1.In what way are the French different from Americans according to Dr. Joseph Mercola?

A. They go shopping at supermarkets more frequently.

B. They squeeze eating between the other daily activities.

C. They regard eating as a key part of their lifestyles.

D. They usually eat too much canned and frozen food.

2.This text is mainly the relationship between _________.

A. Americans and the French

B. life style and obesity

C. children and adults

D. fast food and overweight

3.The text is mainly developed __________.

A. by contrast (对比) B. by space C. by process(变化过程) D. by classification(分类)

4.Where does this text probably come from?

A. A TV interview B. A food advertisement

C. A health report D. A book review(书评)

In the depths of the French Guianese rainforest, there still remain unusual groups of indigenous(土著的) people. Surprisingly, these people live largely by their own laws and their own social customs. And yet, people in this area are in fact French citizens because it has been a colony(殖民地) of the French Republic since 1946. In theory, they should live by the French law. However, their remote locations mean that the French law is often ignored or unknown, thus making them into an interesting area of “lawlessness” in the world.

The lives of these people have finally been recorded thanks to the effects of a Frenchman form Paris called Gin. Gin spent five months in early 2015 exploring the most remote corners of this area, which sits on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, with half its population of only 250,000 living in its capital, Cayenne.

“I have a special love for the French Guianese people. I have worked there on and off for almost ten years,” says Gin. “I’ve been able to keep firm friendships with them. Thus I have been allowed to gain access to their living environment. I don’t see it as a lawless land. But rather I see it as an area of freedom.”

“I wanted to show the audience a photographic record touching upon the uncivilized life,” continues Gin. “I prefer to work in black and white, which allows me to show different specific worlds more clearly.”

His black-and-white pictures present a world almost lost in time. These pictures show people seemingly pushed into a world that they were unprepared for. These local citizens now have to balance their traditional self-supporting hunting lifestyle with the lifestyle offered by the modern French Republic, which brings with it not only necessary state welfare, but also alcoholism, betrayal and even suicide.

1.Why does the author feel surprised about the indigenous people in French Guiana?

A. They seldom follow the French law.

B. They often ignore the Guianese law.

C. They are separated from the modern world.

D. They are both Guianese and French citizens.

2.Gin introduced the special world of the indigenous Guianese as _________.

A. a tour guide B. a geographer

C. a film director D. a photographer

3.What is Gin’s attitude towards the lives of the indigenous Guianese?

A. Cautious. B. Doubtful.

C. Uninterested. D. Appreciative.

4.What does the underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refer to?

A. The modern French lifestyle. B. The self-supporting hunting.

C. The uncivilized world. D. The French Republic.

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网