Dior was born in Normandy in 1905, and his family’s original plans for him included a career in the diplomatic service, but by the time he was twenty-three, with his parents’ money, he opened a small art gallery in Paris. By 1931, the money had been used up. Dior’s friends in the art gallery asked him to draw and he took his first step at designing and drawing. His first job was with Lucien Lelong from whom Dior learned his craft(手艺).

In February, 1947, Dior started the New Look in his first major Paris collection. He was backed by a famous textile producer, Boussac, who looked after the dollars, while Dior looked after the fashions. Dior knew nothing about cutting and sewing, but he was good at fashion design.

The New Look started an entirely different look to costume, with a tiny waist, a rounded shoulder and a shapely bust(胸围), usually with a low-cut neckline and a long full skirt. To women who had lived through the war years, the femaleness of the New Look was a great success, for people were tired of the extremely plain, wartime restrictive fashions.

It is said that dresses by Dior were “constructed like buildings”, but young people were attracted to his design, and all over the western world, manufacturers plunged into(投入)the production of his new style. Dior’s revolutionary designs lighted up a whole cycle of fashion - rounded, gentle, feminine - a delight in elegance. A New kook House of Dior opened in 1948, followed by one in London. Considered as King of Couture (Women’s clothing) for years, the Dior Empire grew until it covered every country in the western world, and included furs, jewelry, perfumes, men’s wear and so on. Over 1,000 people worked at the Paris headquarters then.

His sudden death in 1957 when he was 52 years old did not stop the growth of the House of Dior. Even now, so many years after his death, his name is closely connected with fashion throughout the world, and indeed is one of the most recognized names in the world. His first great New Look, with its long skirts, was an expression of freedom in the late 1940s.

1.Which of the following designs is close to Dior’s?

2.According to the passage, in Dior’s life, he did not _________.

A. make creative fashion designs

    B. work in a diplomatic service

    C. learn craft as his first job

    D. open a New Look House

3.We can infer from the passage that ________.

    A. Dior and his supporter had different interests in business

    B. Dior’s New Look had little influence on people then

    C. Dior is only a brand of women’s fashion

    D. Dior’s fashion was not accepted at first

4.What is probably the best title for the passage?

    A. The History of the New Look

    B. The Growth of the Dior Empire

    C. An Expression of Freedom - Dior

D. The Founder of the New Look – Dior

 

In Britain today, is it possible to tell a person’s class just by looking at him? Physical details alone tell us about health, diet and the type of work a person does. A hundred years ago the working class often looked unhealthy, small and they were either too thin or too fat. The upper classes were often tall, sporting types who were used to a good diet and looked healthy. Today living and working conditions have improved, and such descriptions are no longer true. People are taller now than a hundred years ago. Everyone in Britain today is able to have free medicine, a good diet, acceptable working conditions and enough rest and leisure.

       The clothes people choose to wear, however, do provide information about their backgrounds. Expensive clothes look expensive and show their wearer is rich. Clothes can provide other clues as well. The upper classes appear to be less interested in fashion and wear good quality clothes in non-bright colours, made of natural material like wool, leather and cotton. Lower working-class people often choose clothes in bright colours, made of man-made materials. A sociological explanation for this would be that colour and interest are missing from their lives, and therefore any opportunity to produce this is taken.

       Clothes are available at a price within most people’s reach. New clothes make the wearer feel good and show some degree of wealth to the outside world. Today it is the younger people who spend most money on clothes. Fashion is no longer for the upper classes and the rich. Young people from all social classes spend a lot of money on clothes. Some new fashions are started by working-class people who want to look different and feel important. They want people to look at them.

1.In the past, a person’s appearance could not tell other people about his ________.

      A. health              B. diet                C. occupation (职业)    D. habits

2.The clothes people choose to wear tell us about their ________.

      A. education             B. richness              C. backgrounds             D. hobby

3. A working-class person may start a new fashion because ________.

      A. she wants to draw the attention of other people

       B. she wants to look different and healthy

       C. she wants to show their wealth

       D. she wants to show their taste

4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

      A. Expensive clothes look expensive and show the wearer is rich.

       B. Working-class people prefer clothes in bright colours because they lack colour in their lives.

       C. Today, it is still the upper class people who spend most money on clothes.

       D. Today, fashion is no longer for the upper classes and the rich.

 

 信息匹配(共5小题;每小题2分,满分10分.

The people below are all looking for a hotel in Scotland for their holidays. After the description of these people, there is information about six Scotland hotels A-F. Decide which hotel would be most suitable for the people mentioned in questions 56-60

A.Edinburgh. Post House

    A popular base for visitors to Edinburgh, this fine hotel stands next to the zoological Gardens within easy reach of the many famous sights, shops and entertainments of one of Europe’s most elegant capitals.

 

B.Gatehouse of Fleet. Cally Hotel

    This impressive hotel, well-known for its good Scottish cooking, is an ideal choice for a relaxing family holiday. Set in 100 acres of private grounds, the Cally, a former stately home, has something for everyone including its own fishing lake, outdoor heated swimming pool, green lawn, tennis court, children’s playground and sauna baths.

 

C.Glenborrodale. Glenborrodale Castle Hotel

    There can be few better places for a refreshing holiday than this picturesque hotel set in its own 120 acres of beautiful countryside by charming Lake Sunart on the Ardnamurchan Peninsular(半岛). Boating and fishing are both available here.

 

D.Inverness. Royal Hotel!

    A unique feature of the Royal is its fine collection of antique furniture, china and glass. This friendly comfortable hotel, a favourite meeting place for the townspeople, is an excellent base for getting to know the Highlands-Lake Ness, Great Gien and Culloden Moor are all within easy reach.

E.Peebles. Tontine Hotel

    The Tontine had a fascinating beginning-it was built in 1808. This homely hotel has been extended to make it a really comfortable base for exploring the Tweed Valley and the attractive Lowland country.

F.North Berwick. Marine Hotel

This fine hotel overlooks the famous West Links golf course and is close to several sandy beaches. The Marine has its own open-air swimming pool and putting green as well as tennis courts, squash courts and saunas. Edinburgh, well-know for its art festivals, is only some 24 miles away.

1.Two women friends who want to do several all-day hikes in the mountains during the spring. They like a place with traditional decorations and superb views

2.A woman with two children aged six and ten, who will spend July in Scotland. The children are interested in animals and plants and the mother enjoys fashions.

3.A handicapped lawyer who must use a wheelchair but drives her own car. She enjoys concerts, museums, fine architecture and swimming. She will spend the first two weeks of October in Scotland.

4.A writer, a teacher and their one-year-old daughter. They want to be in a quiet place during August. They enjoy good food, and like to take long walks(the baby rides in a back-pack..

5.An old couple, aged 65 and 68. They love mountain scenery and still take easy walks by the lakeside when they can. They hope to enjoy fresh air and some relaxing activities.

 

  Everyone knows that you can study the English language for years and still not understand a native speaker of English.

  Well, here’s a secret for you: a lot of British people can’t understand each other either! Apart from the different regional accents across the country, language can also differ (不同) among age groups. The words and pronunciations used by young Britons can be very different to those used by adults. This is called “yoof” culture.

  The word “yoof” is a slang (俚语) spelling of “youth”. Some people consider “yoof” to be a negative (消极的) term, since its pronunciation is easier than “youth”. Other people see the term as positive, because it describes how young people are creating their own language, concepts (观念) and identity.

  When parents find it difficult to understand their children, the children can say more things without the censorship (审查) of their parents. In this way, young people are starting to find freedom, independence and self-expression.

   They are creating a “yoof culture”. It is impossible to come up with a complete list of words used by yoof. By the time the list was completed, it would be out of date. New words come and go like fashions.

                                                By A.J. Dalton

1.The point of the article is _____.

  A. to list words used by yoof

  B. to introduce UK yoof culture

  C. to give advice on how to communicate with native English speakers

  D. to explain why it is hard for British people to understand each other

2. According to the article, children are creating a “yoof culture” _______.

  A. to stay cool among their peers

  B. to draw more attention from their parents

  C. to avoid interference of their parents in their lives

  D. to keep up with the fast pace of modern society

3. According to the article, which of the following is TRUE?

  A. The variety of regional accents in the UK is an obstacle to communication.

  B. Some people consider the term “yoof” positive because it is easier to pronounce than “youth”.

  C.A few vocabularies used by yoof are going to be collected in dictionaries.

  D. Yoof culture is getting popular all around the English speaking countries.

4. By saying “Sorted!”, yoof probably means ______.

  A. “I’m very tired.”           B. “I understand.”

  C. “You got it wrong!”      D. “I don’t care!”

 

 

My topic is fashion(时装). Fashion is important to all of us. Now we are all wearing school uniforms(校服). When we go home, what do we do? We change into other clothes. If we are going out, we like to wear fashionable clothes. So my first object is this blouse. It looks beautiful, doesn’t it? It is the most expensive piece of clothing, and I love it. It cost over $600. You may say that it is too expensive, but luckily I can afford it. The more you spend, the better the quality is. So you see, fashion is quite important to me, I admire it.

However, I’m not as fond of fashion as my elder brother. Last summer, my parents took us both to London. They wanted to show us some famous sights. But my brother Gary did not appreciate the old buildings. He just wanted to spend all his time in the big shopping arcades(拱廊), searching for the coolest pair of trousers! For him, fashion was more important than culture. These are the trousers he bought. Were they worth the expensive of a trip to London to buy these? I don’t think so. I think it was a waste of time and money.

We must, however, remember that fashion is a very big business. Changes in fashion can create or lose jobs. As an example, I have bought this blonde(淡黄色的) wig(假发) to show you. Do you like it? It belongs to one of my mother’s friends. She told me that in the 1960s, it was fashionable for western women to wear wigs. But a few years later fashions changed and women wore wigs much less often. Then the wig factories closed down and hundreds of workers lost their jobs.

53. The passage may be ____.  

A. a story from a magazine        B. a piece of news from a newspaper

C. a report on the radio           D. a speech to the classmates

54. The author (作者)showed all these objects EXCEPT_____ in the passage.

A. the blonde wig                B. the expensive blouse

C. the coolest trousers             D. the school uniform

55. What does the author (作者)want to tell us in last paragraph?

A. Wigs were always popular

B. People in the east once liked wearing blonde wigs

C. Fashion is actually a business

D. Business often depends on the production of wigs.

 

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