On the New York set of the film Hide and Seek, ten-year-old Dakota Fanning spends her time playing a deeply disturbed girl who deals with her mother's suicide (自杀) by creating an imaginary friend, who may not frighten her family.

Today, though, she has the day off. "This week I only worked two days,"says Fanning, sitting in a sofa in her hotel's library, "but I get bored when I'm not working. Especially because it's cold here and I can't do anything, you know? So, I've been knitting (编织) --- all day, every day."The actress, who's held her own opposite Oscar winners such as Sean Penn and Denzel Washington, recently mastered the fine art of scarves (围巾). Though she's about ready to move on to hats, she first plans to make a souvenir (纪念品) scarf for Robert De Niro, who plays her father in the film. "He's the nicest guy you'd ever meet in your entire life,"she says, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I would make him a brown one.”

Like any other fifth-grader, Fanning spends several hours a day going to school. In addition to her personal trailer (活动住房) --- which is kept well-supplied with hot chocolate packets, lemon Gatorade, and a TV that doesn't always work --- she has another trailer where her teacher, Jan, conducts classes in history, spelling, reading, math, science and health. "We have this big board where we have a calendar (日历),"Fanning says. "When we were here in January, I wrote the calendar in all blue. February was red, and March was green.”

On this particular morning, she had a spelling test. "There was a topic for each of the word lists,"she says, sitting on her knees. "This one was flowers --- they were all names like oxygen, carbon dioxide, chrysanthemum (菊花)..."Chrysanthemum? "Well, they didn't make me spell that one. They just had me fill in the ‘e'. But I can spell it: c-h-r-y-s-a-n-t-h-e-m-u-m.”

Which of the following is NOT true?

A. Dakota Fanning is a young gifted actress.

B. Dakota Fanning is a lonely orphan.

C. Dakota Fanning is a creative pupil.

D. Dakota Fanning has many interests.

Dakota Fanning has to knit all day in order to _____.

A. kill time   B. make money C. master a skill D. make a scarf for her boyfriend

By saying that "He's the nicest guy you'd ever meet in your entire life”, Dakota Fanning really means that _____.

A. she is the daughter of Robert De Niro

B. she has fallen in love with Robert De Niro

C. she is in love with Robert De Niro

D. she admires Robert De Niro very much

What would be the best title for the text?

A. Dakota Fanning's Role

B. Dakota Fanning's Knitting Art

C. Dakota Fanning's Day Off

D. Dakota Fanning's Spelling Test

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 — The House of Representatives, which prides itself on being " the People’s House" has been turning into, a rich men’s club.

The representatives newly elected in 1984 were almost four times as wealthy as the first term lawmakers elected only six years before, according to a new study on the members’ financial reports.

Behind this remarkable swing, the study says, there are two main factors: a court decision that outlawed limits on what candidates could give to their own campaigns, and the enormous growth in the cost of pursuing a seat in Congress. As a result, it is increasingly difficult for candidates of modest means, particularly women to amount successful challenges to entrenched office holders.

One solution, the authors contend, is a system of public financing for campaigns, but Congress seems in no mood to change the political rules any time soon.

"The lower chamber is going upper class," said Mark Green, the President of the Democracy Project, a public policy institute based in New York. ".But this evolution from a House of Representa??tives to a House of Lords denies the diversity of our democracy. It establishes a de facto property qual??ification for office that increasingly says: The people with low and middle income need not apply. "

The Democracy Project produced the study in cooperation with the United States Public Interests Research Group, a similar institute situated in Washington. But their research was not entirely theo??retical. In 1980 Mr. Green was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Congress in New York’s 15th District, in Manhattan. The winner was. Bill Green, one of the wealthiest members of Congress.

5. What can we know from the passage?

A. The House of Representatives is poor men’s club.

B. The House of Representatives was made up of people with low and middle income.

C. The House of Representatives, was rich men’s club;

D. The House of Representatives is made up of people with low and middle income.

6. What does "this remarkable swing" in the third paragraph refer to?

A. The House of Representatives prides itself on being" the people’s House".

B. The new study based on the members’ financial reports.

C. A court decision that outlawed limits on what candidates could give to their own campaigns.

D. The representatives elected now are much wealthier than those elected a few years ago.

7. Which of the following is wrong according to the study?

A. Any honest man can become a representative of the House.

B. Women are more difficult than men to be an entrenched office holder.

C. Limits on what a candidate could give to his campaign are outlawed.

D. One must spend much money getting a seat in the Congress.

8. What is the United States Public Interests Research Group like?

A. The House of Representatives.

B. A public policy institute based in New York.

C. A public policy institute based in Washington.

D. The House of Lords.

9. What does the writer think of the study?

A. Doubtful.          B. Believable.            C. Opposed.                D. Normal.

Grace Kane hangs onto an Olympic dream of clinging to a granite (花岗岩) wall by her fingertips 70 feet from the ground. The fearless girl is only 10, but already has scaled great heights in the sport of rock climbing.
Last week, Kane won a bronze in the 11­and­younger sport class at the USA Climbing Youth National Championships in Atlanta. She was the only competitor of the 31 there with no climbing coach or top­flight facilities in which to train. Climbing will become an exhibition at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil. The hope of enthusiasts is that the sport will gain full status in 2020.“I’m already training for that,” said Kane. “Climbing is my passion, my love, and I want to make something of it.”
Her dad took her to climb rocks on her fourth birthday for the first time and today he can’t keep up with her, “It’s the freedom to let loose,” she said. “When I’m up there, I’m so focused and don’t hear anything. I always feel comforted knowing people are supporting me.”
The bronze in Atlanta qualified Kane for the USA team and November’s International Championships in Ecuador. That’s a trip she might have to miss because it’s too expensive.
Kane held a backyard music concert---she played the guitar and the piano and wrote inspirational songs---and raised $600 for her $1,500 trip to Atlanta. She’s also been sponsored by a shoe company, but must rely heavily on donations from family and friends for travel expenses.
Her mom Heather Kane said the family has chosen “to do whatever we need to help her achieve her goals”. One of Grace’s biggest challenges is finding balance in her life. There’s school, her music and church to fit around climbing.
“Climbing is going to mean sacrificing things other kids might pursue,” Grace said. “But it doesn’t bother me. It’s like playing the piano; you can’t take a break or you’ll lose your touch.”
【小题1】What would be the best title of the passage?

A.Rock climbing gains popularity
B.Grace Kane likes challenges
C.A young climber follows her dream
D.An amazing victory for a young rock climber
【小题2】We can learn from the second paragraph that rock climbing ________.
A.is not an exhibition at the Olympics now
B.is an official event at the Olympics now
C.is not open to children
D.will gain full status in 2020
【小题3】Which of the following is TRUE about Grace Kane?
A.She is only interested in rock climbing.
B.She is a girl with many talents.
C.Rock climbing has affected her study.
D.She has won gold medals in several matches.
【小题4】One of Grace’s biggest challenges is to ________.
A.find a capable coach for her
B.get qualified for the USA team
C.raise enough money for International competitions
D.keep balance between rock climbing and other activities

Being able to experience a different environment and custom will give us a new perspective on everything we thought we knew and understood. Maybe, going abroad is an opportunity to look again at not only the country and the people who live there but also ourselves.

    I had never expected to visit Paris. The French culture didn' t interest me that much, and Paris seemed too big, too touristy, too much. But when I found myself standing next to the Opera National de Paris, completely alone and totally lost, I knew I was in for an interesting ride. I had decided to take a summer history class abroad, and Paris just happened to be where it was set. My teacher eventually found me and other jet-lagged students and walked us down to where we would be staying. Even then, tired, hungry, and feeling displaced, I was unable to keep myself from marveling at the beauty of the city.

    The next day in the grocery store, trying to decide if the box I was holding contained butter or cream cheese, I suddenly realized I was a foreigner that didn’t speak the language.The cashier and I had a conversation completely with gestures. For the most part, it didn't seem to bother the French that I was utterly incompetent in speaking their language. In fact, from my first unclear "bonjour" , many of them would directly switch over to English.

    Time Hew by. In the mornings we had class, and in the afternoons we were given a lot of freedom to do what we pleased. We explored everywhere in the city, becoming experts at using the Metro, and walking so much that our legs were sore every night.

    Living in Paris was a huge change in my lifestyle. Everything I did was more relaxed. I stopped worrying about the future and instead focused on living in the present. I stopped wearing a watch because time didn’t matter.We ate when we were hungry, went to bed when we were tired and explored in between.I no longer mind that Paris is so big; it' s an old, beautiful metropolis full of culture and history.On one of my last days there, standing on top of the Arc du Triumph with a 360 degree view of Paris, I finally admitted something to myself.The city that I had never wanted to visit had turned into the city that I never wanted to leave.

1.The writer came to Paris because ______.

A.he wanted to have an interesting ride

B.he attended a course in summer

C.he admired its beautiful scenery

D.he was alone and lost his way

2.On the first day in Paris, the writer felt _____.

A.lonely in the big city                       B.bored with his visit

C.surprised at its beauty                     D.interested in its culture

3.The example of the grocery store is used to illustrate _____.

A.the little influence of language barrier

B.the big difficulty of living abroad

C.the great importance of gestures

D.the intelligence of French people

4.By mentioning the uselessness of the watch, the author probably wants to prove ______

A.time in Paris is not worth counting

B.he enjoys the time in Paris very much

C.life seems meaningful without time

D.he has to spend a long time to visit the big city

 

ROME: The legend of Leonardo da Vinci is covered in mystery: How did he die?Are the remains buried in a French castle really those of the master? Was the "Mona Lisa" a self-portrait in disguise (伪装)?

A group of Italian scientists believe the key to solving those puzzles lies with the remains, and they say they are seeking permission to dig up the body to conduct carbon and DNA testing.

If the skull is undamaged, the scientists can go to the heart of a question that has fascinated scholars and the public for centuries: the identity of the "Mona Lisa." Recreating a virtual and then physical reconstruction of Leonardo's face, they can compare it with the smiling face in the painting.

"We don't know what we'll find if the tomb is opened. We could even just find grains and dust," says Giorgio Gruppioni, an anthropologist who is participating in the project. "But if the remains are well kept, they are a biological record of events in a person's life, and sometimes in their death." Silvano Vinceti, the leader of the group, said that he plans to press his case with the French officials in charge of the said burial site at Amboise Castle early next week.

Leonardo moved to France at the invitation of King Francis I, who named him "first painter to the king." He spent the last three years of his life there, and died in 1519 at age 67. The artist's original burial place, the palace church of Saint Florentine, was destroyed during the French Revolution and remains that are believed to be his were eventually reburied in the Saint-Hubert Chapel near the castle.

"The Amboise tomb is a symbolic tomb; it's a big question mark," said Alessandro Vezzosi, the director of a museum dedicated to Leonardo in his hometown of Vinci. Vezzosi said that investigating the tomb could help identify the artist's bones with certainty and solve other questions, such as the cause of his death. He said he asked to open the tomb in 2004 to study the remains, but the Amboise Castle turned him down.

The group of 100 experts involved in the project, called the National Committee for Historical and Artistic Heritage, was created in 2003 with the aim of "solving the great mysteries of the past," said Vinceti, who has written books on art and literature.

Arguably the world's most famous painting, the "Mona Lisa" hangs in the Louvre in Paris, where it drew some 8.5 million visitors last year. Mystery has surrounded the identity of the painting's subject for centuries, with opinions ranging from the wife of a Florentine merchant to Leonardo's own mother.

That Leonardo intended the "Mona Lisa" as a self-portrait in disguise is a possibility that has interested and divided scholars. Theories have existed: Some think that Leonardo's taste for tricks and riddles might have led him to hide his own identity behind that puzzling smile; others have guessed that the painting hid an androgynous lover.

If granted access to the grave site, the Italian experts plan to use a tiny camera and radar to confirm the presence of bones. The scientists would then exhume (挖掘) the remains and attempt to date the bones with carbon testing.

At the heart of the proposed study is the effort to discover whether the remains are actually Leonardo's, including with DNA testing.

Vezzosi questions the DNA comparison, saying he is unaware of any direct descendants (后代) of Leonardo or of tombs that could be attributed with certainty to the artist's close relatives.

Gruppioni said that DNA from the bones could also eventually be compared to DNA found elsewhere. For example, Leonardo is thought to have rubbed colors on the canvas with his thumb, possibly using saliva (唾液), meaning DNA might be found on his paintings.

Even in the absence of DNA testing, other tests could provide useful information, including whether the bones belonged to a man or a woman, and whether the person died young or old.

Even within the committee, experts are divided over the identity of the "Mona Lisa."

Vinceti believes that a tradition of considering the self-portrait to be not just a faithful imitation of one's features but a representation of one's spiritual identity may have resonated (共鸣) with Leonardo.

Vezzosi, the museum director, dismissed as "baseless and senseless" the idea that the "Mona Lisa" could be a self-portrait of Leonardo. He said most researchers believe the woman may have been either a wife of the artist's sponsor, the Florentine nobleman Giuliano de Medici, or Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a rich silk merchant, Francesco del Giocondo. The traditional view is that the name "Mona Lisa" comes from the silk merchant's wife, as well as its Italian name: "La Gioconda."  

1.   Where is this passage most probably taken from?

A.A magazine.

B.A newspaper.

C.A textbook.

D.A research report.

2.   Why does the author ask a couple of questions in the beginning?

A.To arouse the interest of readers.

B.To puzzle Italian scientists.

C.To answer the questions himself.

D.To make fun of French officials.

3.   The best title of this story might be “_____”.

A.What Is the Purpose of an Investigation?

B.How Did Leonardo da Vinci Die in France?

C.Are the Remains Really Those of the Master?

D.Did Leonardo Paint Himself as 'Mona Lisa'?

4.The sentence “he plans to press his case with the French officials” (underlined in Paragraph 4) suggests that Vinceti intends to _____.

A.press the French officials to participate in their project

B.urge the French officials to open the tomb early next week

C.persuade the French officials to allow opening the tomb

D.record events in a person’s life with the French officials

5.   Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A.Scholars have the same opinion on DNA testing.

B.Scientists doubt if the remains are those of da Vinci.

C.The identity of “Mona Lisa” has already been proved.

D.Alessandro Vezzosi got permission to open the tomb.

6.   We can infer from the last two paragraphs that _____?

A.“Mona Lisa” is the name of the wife of a silk merchant

B.the “Mona Lisa” is a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci

C.experts divided the committee into several groups

D.opinions differ of the identity of the “Mona Lisa”

 

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