In London's art gallery six or seven men, mostly in their 30s, are busy painting the walls with new designs in colorful lettering and clever tricks. Tins of spray paint and beer stand on the ground. The atmosphere is not unlike that of a golf course: a mix of concentration and relaxation.

Graffiti(涂鸦) painting is traditionally a daring hobby. Teenagers avoid security guards to put their names on trains and buses. But over the past decade that has almost disappeared from Britain's cities. Between 2007 and 2017 the number of incidents of graffiti recorded by the British Transport Police fell by 63%. A survey by the environment ministry shows that fewer places are damaged by tags(绘名) than ever. Graffiti are increasingly limited to only a few walls. In time the practice may die out entirely.

The most obvious reason for the decline in tagging and train-painting is better policing, says Keegan Webb, who runs The London Vandal, a graffiti blog (博客). Numerous cameras mean it is harder to get away with painting illegally. And punishments are more severe. A generational change is apparent, too. Now teenagers prefer to play with iPads and video games. Those who do get involved tend to prefer street art to graffiti. And the internet helps painters win far more attention by posting pictures online than they can by breaking into a railway yard.

Taggers and graffiti artists mostly grew up in the 1980s and 1990s. Those men are now older and less willing to take risks. "We can't run away from the police any more," says Ben Eine, who turned from tagging to street art. The hip-hop culture that inspired graffiti in the first place has faded. Video games and comic books provide more inspiration than music.

Graffiti may eventually disappear. But for now the hobby is almost respectable. Mr Eine says he has lots of friends who used to paint trains. Now with wives and children, they paint abandoned houses at the weekend. It has become something to do on a Sunday afternoon—a slightly healthier alternative to sitting watching the football.

1.How do the painters feel while painting graffiti according to the first paragraph?

A. Free but stressed. B. Free and focused.

C. Particular and respected. D. Nervous but satisfied.

2.Why is graffiti painting traditionally considered as a daring hobby?

A. It's at the risk of being caught.

B. It takes much hard training.

C. It's dangerous to paint in trains.

D. It needs a great deal of knowledge.

3.hat does the underlined word “decline” in the third paragraph refer to?

A. Ban of government. B. Reduction of graffiti.

C. Disappearance of graffiti. D. Better policing of government.

4.What conclusion can we draw from the fourth paragraph?

A. The early graffiti had something to do with music.

B. Graffiti artists like to be the focuses in public.

C. Graffiti artists regret over what they did in the past.

D. Painting is much healthier than watching football.

With environmentalists pointing to the use of coal, oil and other fossil fuels as adding to the problem of global warming, the world is rushing to find other more environmentally friendly energy sources. Many countries are looking to nuclear power as the answer to their energy needs. Those who support using nuclear power point to the fact that the process for creating nuclear power produces huge quantities of electricity without producing any greenhouse gases. It seems to be the safest and most environmentally safe method for producing the largest amount of power, much more than solar or wind energy sources.

However, despite the many advantages of nuclear power, there are many groups who strongly advise against the use of nuclear power. Some groups point to concerns about possible terrorist attacks on nuclear plants or possible nuclear accidents that might result in widespread disaster. However, strange as it seems, many of the strongest voices against nuclear power are actually environmentalists, who oppose nuclear power because they claim it results in more greenhouse gases.

It may seem impossible, but in fact both facts are true: nuclear production itself produces no greenhouse gases, but nuclear power does, in fact, lead to the production of many greenhouse gases. How is this possible? The actual production of nuclear power does not let off any greenhouse gases at all; this is the fact that most governments and nuclear power companies point to, and it is, indeed, correct. However, those who oppose nuclear power point out the bigger problem: building and maintaining the nuclear power stations, mining the material used to produce the nuclear power and getting rid of the nuclear waste all create greenhouse gases, the very thing that nuclear power is supposed to avoid. The final point that environmentalists point out is that nuclear power is not a long-term solution to energy. One day uranium, the resource needed for producing nuclear power, will be at an end, the same problem the world is facing with coal and oil today.

1.What are many countries relying on to satisfy their energy needs according to the passage?

A. Coal. B. Oil.

C. Nuclear power. D. Other fossil fuels.

2.What disadvantages relating to the use of nuclear power are mentioned in the passage?

A. No greenhouse gases.

B. Killing more plants.

C. Widespread disasters and more greenhouse gases.

D. Making other energy sources not function well.

3.What’s the writer’s attitude towards the use of nuclear power?

A. Optimistic. B. Indifferent(漠不关心).

C. Pessimistic. D. Objective(客观的).

4.Why do some environmentalists point out that nuclear power is not a long term solution to energy?

A. Because the resource for producing nuclear power will come to an end someday.

B. Because they think nuclear power gives off too many greenhouse gases.

C. Because the world is facing coal and oil shortages now.

D. Because more and more people are opposed to the use of nuclear power.

Chinese archeologists were therefore surprised in the 1990s to find the remains of an ancient fortification (筑城) in Liqian,a remote town in Yongchang county on the edge of a desert area,which was strikingly similar to Roman defense structures.

They were even more astonished to find West?ern?looking people with green,deep?set eyes,long hooked noses and blond hair.

Though the villagers said they had never traveled outside the county,they worshipped bulls and their favorite game was similar to the ancient Romans' bull?fighting dance.

DNA tests in 2005 confirmed some of the villagers were indeed of Caucasian origin,leading many experts to conclude they are descendants of an ancient Roman army headed by general Marcus Crassus.

“The‘foreign’origin of the Yongchang villagers,as proven by the DNA tests,does not necessarily mean they are of ancient Roman origin.”

Xie Xiaodong,a geneticist from Lanzhou University,also sounded a skeptical note.

“Even if they are descendants of Romans,it doesn't mean they are necessarily from that Roman army,” Xie said.

Their mysterious identity has brought wealth and fame to some of the villagers.

Cai Junnian has yellow wavy hair,a hooked nose and green eyes.A DNA test in 2005 confirmed he is of 56 percent European origin.It made him famous almost overnight.

Reporters,filmmakers,historians and geneticists from around the world pursued him.A Beijing film producer will spend millions to turn the villagers' story into a film.

Lanzhou University's new research body,set up this week by Chinese and Italian anthropologists,is a platform for experts to further research the subject but the research work will certainly be complicated.

The center will help Chinese learn Italian language and culture,he said.“More exchanges will certainly be helpful in unraveling the mystery.”

1.Scientists take DNA tests in order to ________.

A. explain why villagers have the Western?looking

B. explain why ancient Roman army disappeared

C. explain why villagers are infected with AIDS

D. explain why villagers married at an early age

2.Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Romans like bull?fighting dance.

B. The villagers are of ancient Roman origin.

C. The research work will be very complicated.

D. Cai Junnian's European origin makes him famous overnight.

3.What's the meaning of the underlined word“unraveling” in the last paragraph?

A. Keeping. B. Discovering.

C. Storing. D. Destroying.

4.Which of the following would be the BEST title for the passage?

A. Chinese Villagers Descended from Roman Soldiers

B. Unforgettable and Fierce Ancient Roman War

C. Similarities Between Chinese and Western People

D. An Introduction to Roman Defense Structures

As we all know ,trees are important to our life. They provide us with food, wood and most importantly, oxygen. Now there is one more thing we can add to this list—blocking out harmful bacteria in water.

The discovery was made by some scientists and high school students who were seeking for a natural water filter(过滤器)—one that could help people in developing countries that don’t have access to modern water systems.

The researchers, led by Rohit Karnik, a professor ,decided to turn to trees for help because they were able to allow liquid to flow through while blocking out air bubbles(气泡).

They began by cutting 1.5-inch-wide sections of tree bark from the branch of a white pine tree. The researchers then tested the wood’s filtering ability by pouring water containing red dye particles(染料颗粒)of different sizes through. To their surprise, they found it was effective in trapping all the particles. Encouraged, the team did another experiment, this time with water containing bacteria. Sure enough, the bark held back 99%of the bacteria, allowing only 1% to flow through.

Mr. Karnik said the bark was able to filter water containing much smaller particles. This means that it can be used to get rid of most of the bacteria. However, what troubles them is that tree bark cannot hold back viruses, which tend to be much smaller.

Though the experiment is successful, we must remember one thing—the bark only works when damp. This means that before this natural filter can be put to practical use, the researchers will have to figure out how to keep the bark damp, or find a way to keep the bark’s great filtering ability even when it’s dry.

But the study is not done. The researchers plan on testing other types of trees, including those flowering trees. They think those may be more effective in trapping smaller particles and even viruses.

1.How will the discovery affect the world?

A. No harmful bacteria will be found in water.

B. There will be no water pollution around the world.

C. More pine trees will be planted around the world.

D. Clean water will be more accessible in developing countries.

2.What problem troubles the researchers when using the trees bark as a water filter?

A. Viruses cannot be prevented.

B. Tree bark should be wet.

C. It’s hard to remove air bubbles.

D. Not all bacteria can be held back.

3.Why does the team plan to do other experiments?

A. To find other natural water filters.

B. To improve the filtering ability of other trees.

C. To find a way to keep the bark wet.

D. To test the filtering ability of other trees.

4.In which column of a newspaper can we read this text?

A. Culture. B. Science.

C. Lifestyle. D. Society.

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