Romanticism (浪漫主义) was a literary, artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. And it reached its peak from 1800 to 1840.

Romanticism urged people to look at nature and surroundings from a scientific point of view. It was also a rebellion against scientific rationalization (合理化 ) of nature. It permitted a person's imagination and freedom in art. The concept of romanticism was present in all the major art forms, like literature, the visual arts and music.

Friedrich Schlegel, a German philosopher, writer and critic, used the term “Romantic” for the first time to name a new school of literature which arose in opposition to “Classicism”. Though the concept of Romanticism was identified much earlier, critics believe that Romanticism in English literature dates from the Lyrical Ballads. The romantics were very interested in mystery, ambition and adventure.

In the visual arts, the term Romanticism refers to a trend that appeared in the 19th century, which was characterized by opposition to the classical forms and its rules. Romanticism in the visual arts focused more on the spiritual and emotional representation of nostalgia(怀旧). Romantics used objects, like wild trees, moonlight, and so on, to convey their ideas and concepts.

In music, Romanticism was characterized by the freedom of forms and an emphasis on the emotions. It was German composers who used romanticism widely and developed this concept. Many famous composers worked in smaller forms of music that had flexible structure; for instance, ballads, solo piano music, and so on.

Romanticism influenced the literature and arts of the 18th and 19th century. The popularity of this movement declined gradually with passing time, but it has a significant place in the history of literature and art development.

A sick little girl is being kept alive thanks to her best friend — a dog who carries her oxygen tank on his back. Alida’s faithful dog companion Mr Gibbs has been specially trained to shepherd the three-year-old, who breathes through a tube most of the time. He follows her closely as she plays in her family’s ten-acre land in Louisville, uses the slide or even rides her bike.

Alida was diagnosed with neuroendocrine hyperplasia of infancy(NEHI)when she was just eight months old. Her rare condition has just eight hundred documented sufferers throughout the world, and causes diseased pieces of the lungs to filter oxygen through extra layers of cells, making it hard or almost impossible to breathe. For Alida and her parents, it meant that even a walk in the park was very difficult because oxygen equipment was too heavy for the youngster to be able to carry herself. As parents, they wanted to do something to help their daughter survive despite having a tube following her all the time. The couple found out about “service dogs” from a TV program and realized an animal trained to help the blind could be trained to help Alida. They finally found help in the shape of golden doodle—a retriever crossed with a poodle-dog Mr Gibbs. Now thanks to trainer Ashleigh Kinsley—Alida and Mr Gibbs love nothing more than playing and running around together with the dog acting as Alida’s life saver.

1.What is Mr Gibbs?

A. A pet dog. B. A policeman.

C. A doctor. D. A firefighter.

2. When did the doctor know Alida caught the disease?

A. At her birth.

B. At the age of eight.

C. Before she was one year old.

D. When she was three years old.

3. The underlined part “the couple” in paragraph 3 refers to _______.

A. Alida’s classmates B. Alida’s parents

C. Alida’s doctors D. Alida’s pets

4.How did Alida keep alive?

A. By training her dog.

B. By staying with her parents.

C. By playing with her fellows.

D. By breathing through a tube.

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

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