There lived a king who liked art. One day an artist offered to  paint the most beautiful picture in the world on the wall of his palace.

So he king said, “ All right, you may work on one of the walls in the new hall. ”

Just then, another artist said, “Please allow me to work on the opposite wall. I shall make exactly what that man will make on the opposite wall. Moreover, I shall do so without looking at his work. I would even request you to have a thick curtain put up between the two walls so the either of us cannot see the other. ”

Everyone in the king’s court, including the king and the first artist was surprised. So the king decided to give the man a chance.

The following day, a thick curtain was put into place and both the artists got to work. The first artist brought in a regular supply of paint, oil and water. But the second one would come with a cloth and a bucket of water every day.

A month later the first artist said that his work was completed and invited the king to come.

So the king sent the message to the second artist, saying he was coming to see their works that evening.

After seeing the first artist’s wall, the king was very impressed with the painting and gave him a huge sum of money as a reward. He then asked for the curtain to be opened up.

The same painting was seen on the opposite wall too! It was exactly like the one on the first wall. But this man had not seen what was going on, on the other side of the curtain.

The man said simply, “It’s very easy I just polished the wall every day! ”

It was a wall made of white marble. The fellow polished it till it shone like a mirror. The reflection of the painting across the room showed up in it!

56.A thick curtain was put up between the two walls in order to __________.

A.help them concentrate on their work

B.keep the first artist’s painting a secret

C.prevent their painting from being seen

D.make it hard for them to exchange ideas

57.Why did the first artist receive a huge sum of money from the king?

A.His painting satisfied the king.

B.His painting was the best the king has ever seen.

C.He painted better than the second artist.

D.The king promised to give him a reward.

58.How was the king feeling when he saw the second wall ?

A.Surprised and excited.           B. Fascinated and doubtful.

C.Satisfied and curious.            D. The paintings on the wall.

59.What would be best title of the text?        .

A.A king who loved art            B.Two artists and the king

C.Whose painting is better?        D.The painting on the wall

Thirteen vehicles lined up last March to race across the Mojave Desert , seeking a million in prize money . To win , they had to finish the 142-mile race in less than 10 hours . Teams and watchers knew there might be no winner at all , because these vehicles were missinge a key part drivers .

DARPA , the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency , organized the race as part of a push to develop robotic vehicles for future battlefields . But the Grand Challenge , as it was called , just proved how difficult it is to get a car to speed across an unfamiliar desert without human guidance . One had its brake lock up in the starting area . Another began by throwing itself onto a wall . Another got tied up by bushes near the road after 1.9 miles .

One turned upside down . One took off in entirely the wrong direction and had to be disabled by remote (远距离的) control . One went a little more than a mile and rushed into a fence ; another managed to go for six miles but stuck on a rock . The “winner,” if there was any , reached 7.8 miles before it ran into a long , narrow hole , and the front wheels caught on fire .

“You get a lot of respect for natural abilities of the living things,” says Reinhold Behringer , who helped design two of the car-size vehicles for a company called Sci-Autonics . “Even ants (蚂蚁) can do all these tasks effortlessly . It’s very hard for us to put these abilities into our machines .”

The robotic vehicles , though with necessary modern equipment such as advanced computers and GPS guidance , had trouble figuring out fast enough the blocks ahead that a two-year-old human recognizes immediately , Sure , that very young child, who has just only learned to walk , may not think to wipe apple juice off her face , but she already knows that when there’s a cookie in the kitchen she has to climb up the table , and that when she gets to the cookie it will taste good . She is more advanced , even months old , than any machine humans have designed .

67.Watchers doubted if any of the vehicles could finish the race because        .

       A.they did not have any human guidance

       B.the road was not familiar to the drivers

       C.the distance was too long for the vehicles

       D.the prize money was unattractive to the drivers

68.DARPA organized the race in order to          .

       A.raise money for producing more robotic vehicles

       B.push the development of vehicle industry

       C.train more people to drive in the desert

       D.improve the vehicles for future wars

69.From the passage we know “robotic vehicles” are a kind of machines that          .

       A.can do effortlessly whatever tasks living thing can

       B.can take part in a race across 142 miles with a time limit

       C.can show off their ability to turn themselves upside down

       D.can move from place to place without being driven by human beings

70.In the race , the greatest distance one robotic vehicle covered was          .

       A.about eight miles                                 B.six miles

       C.almost two miles                                 D.about one mile

71.In the last paragraph , the writer implies that there is a long way to go          .

       A.for a robotic vehicle to finish a 142-mile race without any difficulties

       B.for a little child who has just learned to walk to reach the cookie on the table

       C.for a robotic vehicle to deal with a simple problem that a little child can solve

       D.for a little child to understand the importance of wiping apple juice off its face

 

Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.

 

A. Talk slowly.

B. Concentrate on the topic.

C. Express your feelings.

D. Notice the details.

E. Use the best words.

F. Introduce something interesting.

 

1.Generally, good talkers don’t rush into a conversation. They take their time when they think about something and when they say it out loud. They act as if they have all the time in the world. This makes them the center of attention. Try this way of talking and you will create the same effect.

2.People with good conversation skills tend to notice the kind of things that the average person doesn’t notice, and to bring such details into the conversation. They may notice and point out an interesting ring on the other person’s hand, a certain foreign accent, or a certain voice tone they use when saying a name. Thus, such individuals impress people in a very elegant manner. 

3.It’s very rare to meet a person who is comfortably talking about their emotions and how certain things make them feel, especially with strangers. Yet this way of talking is a real virtue. Don’t just present the facts. Keep in mind that it is at the emotional level that people connect best.

4.Anyone can talk about the news or express basic opinions. But good talkers can frequently tell you something you didn’t know and that you’ll find interesting and fascinating. This is why it’s good to have knowledge into fields such as psychology or sociology, and bring such knowledge out at the right moments in a conversation.

5.The ability to talk smoothly has a lot to do with choosing the precise words to convey your feelings or thoughts. Constantly develop your vocabulary and practice communicating as accurately as possible. It will help you develop a way with words and allow you to express yourself more easily.

 

“Why should I care about the environment?” some people ask. There is a very simple reason: We live on the earth, and it is the only place we can live on right now, as we cannot live in space yet. If we treat the earth like a garbage dump, it will become dirty and unlivable. If we treat it well by being eco-conscious, the earth will stay clean and suitable for living, for ourselves and for our children.

What is “being eco-conscious”?

Being eco-conscious means being aware of your actions, and what you do to the environment. For example, you might think, “Using hairspray is great for fixing my hair.” However, if you are eco-conscious, you would ask, “Does this hairspray have CFCs in it? Could I be destroying the earth by using hairspray?”

How can I be eco-conscious?

You can find many simple ways to help the environment in your everyday life.

When you go shopping, bring a bag or a basket with you. Please try not to use plastic bags as much as you can.

You can go to work by bike or on foot if it is not far from your home.

You can put your rubbish into different bags, which makes it convenient for recycling.

You can eat less chewing gum.

You can use your own chopsticks instead of the disposable ones in your company or in restaurants.

You can put batteries in a special box instead of in garbage bins.

You can use the water which has been used for washing vegetables or fruits to clean the floor and the toilet or to water your garden.

You can turn off the decorative lights in your room when watching TV.

You can turn down your air conditioner by one degree, as this will cause a 10% reduction in energy use.

You can use recycled paper. Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil. You can also use recycled glass instead of glass made from raw materials. This will reduce the related air pollution by 20%, and the related water pollution by 50%.

Please believe that. If you do a little, it will make a big difference.

1.Human beings should care about the environment because _________ .

A.if we make the earth unlivable, we’ll have to live in space

B.it can help our children live better

C.if we don’t, the earth will become a garbage dump

D.it will help to make the world a good living place

2.If your deskmate is an eco-conscious person, he should __________.

A.be aware of the importance of protecting the environment

B.use plastic bags when he buys something

C.know nothing about CFCs

D.turn his air conditioner to a higher degree

3.If you want to help the environment, you should do all the following EXCEPT ________.

A.share a car with your colleagues

B.use paper bags instead of plastic bags

C.use hairspray containing CFCs

D.use recycled glass instead of glass made from raw materials

4.It can be inferred from the passage that _________.

A.it’s very hard for human beings to keep the earth clean and comfortable

B.protecting the environment is the duty of everybody

C.we should protect the environment together, as it’s no use doing it individually

D.it’s very easy to be eco-conscious

5.According to the author, which of the following statements is WRONG?

A.Being eco-conscious means you should know much about the environment.

B.The more we care, the better the environment will be.

C.If each of us just does a little, we can’t make any difference.

D.If we treat the earth badly, we’ll make a lot of trouble for ourselves.

 

What is your favorite English letter?  Many of you may say Q. Why?  Because

so many of you chat with your friends on QQ. What do you like about QQ?  What do you talk about?  The CCTV reporter,  Miss Wang,  interviews three kids. Let’s listen to what they say.

When do you chat on QQ?  What do you talk about?

 Lin Yuhan,  Xi’an:  On weekends. We talk about homework and chat with each other.

  Tang Xuting,  Shanghai:  At weekends and when I don’t have much homework. We exchange test answers and chat.

Yang Yuhang,  Dalian:  Our class goes online together at 4: 00~6: 00pm on weekends. We complain about homework,  chat and talk about computer games.

  What do you put on your QQ blog(博客)?

  Lin: I put good articles I have found online on my blog. I also write articles myself. They are about funny things that have happened in my class.

 Tang: I put pictures on my blog. Not my own photos,  but pictures from my favorite Japanese cartoons(动画片)like Tennis Prince Conan.

  Yang: I put DV films on my blog. I shoot(拍摄)them during sports meetings and school parties. The most popular one is about a dancing teacher,   he is so funny that everyone watches it.

   How do you like QQ?

 Lin: It’s a good space for us to make a record of our lives of both good times and sad times.

  Tang: My friends and I may not have time to chat at school. But we can do it on QQ. It’s very helpful to our friendships.

  Yang: If you chat with friends on the telephone,  your parents sometimes listen to your conversation. There’s no such problem with QQ. You can relax and talk freely.

1.What does Yang Yuhang talk about on QQ on weekends?

①homework     ②chat

③test answers   ④computer games

A.①②

B.②③

C.①②④

D.②③④

2.What does Lin Yuhan put on her QQ blog?

A.Some pictures.

B.Good articles.

C.DV films.

D.Japanese cartoons.

3.Which one is TRUE according to this article?

A.Lin says QQ is very helpful to their friendships.

B.Yang says he can chat freely with many friends and relax on QQ.

C.Tang says QQ is a good space for them to make a record of their lives.

D.Tang says he chats on QQ on weekends though he has lots of homework.

 

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