Many cities in the world are benefiting from the night activities of a group of people who call themselves guerrilla (游击队) gardeners. Armed with trowels, spades and a van full of flowers and plants, guerrilla gardeners turn abandoned urban land into a blaze of color. In city centre locations where there was mud, weeds and empty plastic bottles, residents often wake up to find that the wasted area has been transformed overnight with brightly-colored bedding plants.
In most British cities, local governments and police turn a blind eye to the effort of the gardeners, whose activities are always carried out under cover of nightfall. And so far, there has been nothing but praise from the astonished and delighted local residents when they find their neighborhood transformed in such a striking fashion.
Not only do the guerrilla gardeners beautify neglected places, they also return regularly to water the plants and weed the flower beds. They also make sure that at least some of the plants they bring are evergreens, which means that the area doesn’t look depressing in the winter months.
The first guerrilla gardener in London was Richard Reynolds, whose day job is at an advertising agency. Mr. Reynolds, a graduate of Oxford University, began his efforts two years ago when he moved to a flat in a tower block in South London. From his balcony, he could see several empty concrete pots, placed by the local governments to contain plants but never used. He went out after midnight and filled the pots with plants, and then planted more flowers in the path leading to the entrance to the block.
He then set up a website to explain his plan and called upon more gardeners to join him. Cash donations flooded in and, more importantly, volunteers rushed to be part of the campaign. Within six months, there were five hundred people in London prepared to come out at very short notice to restore neglected parts of the urban landscape. There are now unofficial but carefully-organized groups in many cities in Britain and North America and there is also a website where would-be urban gardeners can find out the location of the next expedition.
【小题1】These guerrilla gardeners do their work ______.

A.at the request of the government
B.nearby their house
C.often in return for others’ help
D.out of their own free will
【小题2】Richard Reynolds decided to fill the pots with plants in order to ______.
A.plant more flowers in the path
B.beautify the neighborhood
C.attract attention for his ad agency
D.make the plants a feast for his eyes
【小题3】The guerrilla gardeners often return to their night working places with the purpose of ______.
A.looking after these plants
B.enjoying these beautiful flowers
C.helping plants live through winter months
D.changing the varieties of the plants
【小题4】It can be inferred from the text that these guerrilla gardeners ______.
A.are mainly from the United Kingdom
B.will later get well paid
C.are still not accepted by the local government
D.become more and more organized

What is great art? On the one hand, we can all see that great art is old art which is called great. But how do we know which art of our own times is great, and which will be forgotten? And who decides?
These are important questions, for the great art of the past often was not considered great during its own time. When Shakespeare and Charles Dickens were writing, for example, most critics considered them as hack (平庸的) writers with little or no literary ability.
Similarly, Van Gogh and many of the other Impressionist painters of the late nineteenth century were not allowed to participate in events involving what were thought to be the "real" painters of the time, and often they were very poor. Yet today their paintings often sell for millions of dollars, while those so-called "real" painters are now barely remembered.
So what makes great art? Can, for example, rock music be great art? Music videos? Cartoons and comics? Those who call themselves critics of the fine arts often have been the last to recognize great art in the past, and we can probably expect this to be the situation today.
Critics often don’t recognize great art because they tend to be prejudiced against what is popular. Popular works, whether they are novels, movies, or comics, are usually considered to be produced for the sake of money only, and not for the sake of art.
But popularity, it seems to me, is one of the three signs that a present-day work of art may come to be thought of as great. The other two are that it is groundbreaking, and that it is inherently (内在的) beautiful.
Many works have one or even two of these qualities of being popular, unusual, and beautiful. But having all the three often will mean that a work of art will someday be seen to be great, though it may take a good spoonful of time, such as a century or two, to know for sure.
【小题1】The first paragraph is intended to__________.

A.lead to the following and arouse the reader’s curiosity
B.introduce some real painters to the readers
C.introduce the questions the writer wants to answer
D.explain what kind of art will become popular
【小题2】The author used the examples of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and Van Gogh to prove _____.
A.these masters’ works have some shortcomings
B.these masters wouldn’t have been so successful without the critics
C.truly beautiful works of art are never understood when first created
D.great masters are often not acknowledged while they were alive
【小题3】According to the author, great works _______.
A.may be presented in different forms
B.are generally valued by critics
C.are thought valuable because of their sale price
D.will lose their value if they’re not accepted
【小题4】What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Critics have changed their attitudes to great works.
B.Most of the opinions of critics are valueless.
C.The work of art itself, not the critics, determines its greatness.
D.Works of Impressionist painters will be great one day.

Although Paris is often considered the city of romance, close to a million adults who call it home are single. Many single people say that France’s capital is one of the most difficult places to meet people. The complaints of this lonely group have inspired a new phenomenon known as “supermarket dating.” At Galerie Lafayette Gourmet,singles can shop for more than just the items on their grocery list. They can look for someone who has blue eyes, brown hair,and is 1.8 meters tall,or whatever may be on their romantic shopping list.
At this Paris location,single people of all ages can schedule their shopping for Thursday nights between 6:30 and 9:00 p.m. When they walk through the door,they pick up a purple basket to advise that they are looking for love. They try to arrive early because the baskets disappear quickly, and then they have to wait in line for their turn to wander the store aisles(过道).
With purple baskets in hand, shoppers can consider their romantic options while they pick out their groceries. When they are ready to pay, they can go to the checkout line for singles who want to chat.
Most of the people who look for love in the supermarket are skeptical of Internet dating. They know that it is easy to embellish(美化)one’s appearance or to lie about one’s age over the Internet. The supermarket, on the other hand,is considered a safe and casual environment in which to meet a potential match. In addition, what one finds in another’s grocery basket can say a thing or two about that person’s character or intentions. Buying pet food can be a man’s way of showing a potential match that he has a sensitive side. Women who fill their baskets with low-fat food show their healthy style of living. These ways it’s possible to find much more than food at a grocery store.
【小题1】What do many single people in Paris complain about?

A.The difficulty in meeting people.
B.The idea of supermarket dating.
C.The items on their grocery list.
D.The inconvenience in shopping.
【小题2】Which of the following can be inferred but is not clearly stated in the second paragraph?
A.The dating supermarket is located in Paris.
B.The dating supermarket is open only on Thursday evenings.
C.People looking for love must get a basket of a particular color
D.The dating supermarket has very good business.
【小题3】How do love shoppers meet one another?
A.They schedule their meeting in advance.
B.They go through a special checkout.
C.They pick out their groceries with great care.
D.They dial the phone numbers on their shopping items.
【小题4】According to the writer,a possible way to win a woman’s heart is to              .
A.pick up a purple basketB.buy low-fat food
C.embellish your appearanceD.buy pet food
【小题5】Why do the people prefer the supermarket dating to Internet dating?
A.The supermarket dating is more convenient.
B.The supermarket dating is more casual.
C.The supermarket dating can be trusted more.
D.The supermarket dating is less expensive.

A yoga master made a shocking statement that Abraham Lincoln had been a Himalayan yogi in a past life.Lincoln delivered a proclamation setting up Thanksgiving as an American holiday in 1863.Research throws light on a possible Hindu (印度的)origin for the American celebration of Thanksgiving.

"The holiday of Thanksgiving has a Hindu origin," says Richard Salva, author of a book on the reincarnation (转世)of Abraham Lincoln entitled Soul Journey: From Lincoln to Lindbergh which is based on a statement by the great master of yoga, Paramhamsa Yogananda, who declared that Abraham Lincoln had been a Himalayan yogi in a past life, and that he was reborn as the famous pilot, Charles Lindbergh.

“During my search for signs of a past-life yoga practice,” SaIva said, “I noticed that President Lincoln repeatedly chose Thursdays as national days of prayer, fasting (禁食),and thanksgiving.This was interesting, because Thursday is considered a holy day — a day for prayer, fasting, and spiritual reflection — among Hindus, who call it “guru day”.”

“Lincoln also set aside time on Thursdays to grieve(哀悼) for his son,Willie, who died in Washington.Clearly, Thursdays had a spiritual significance in Lincoln's mind.

In his book, Richard Salva presents more than 500 connections between Lincoln, Lindergh, and the ancient spiritual science of yoga. The connections run through every aspect of the human condition and provide convincing evidence that Lincoln had had a Hindu past life.

More than one out of every five Americans today believes in reincarnation—yet few are aware of how past-life patterns affect them. Soul Journey tries to fill this gap, by offering a substitute experience of reincarnation. Through clear and persuasive similarities between the lives of Lincoln and Lindbergh, the book discovers how the hidden laws of fate and reincarnation impact the events of his or her daily life. It addresses other issues, such as the secret spiritual history of America's greatest president, including his past life as a Himalayan yogi; the hidden clues that reveal past lives; the greatness he achieved; and the spiritual principles behind the yoga postures that millions now practice.

1.Based on Richard Salva’s view, ______.

A.Hindus started the holiday of Thanksgiving

B.the Americans copied Thanksgiving from Hindus

C.Charles Lindbergh had been a Himalayan yogi

D.Thanksgiving had Hindus roots

2.We can draw a conclusion from the passage that ______.

A.in India all the prayers are done on Thursday

B.in India Thursday is a religious day

C.Abraham Lincoln was once a famous pilot

D.Paramhamsa Yogananda once taught Lincoln yoga

3.When it came to the comparison between Lincoln and Lindbergh, the author held a ______ attitude.

A.neutral           B.doubtful          C.negative          D.positive

 

What is great art? On the one hand, we can all see that great art is old art which is called great. But how do we know which art of our own times is great, and which will be forgotten? And who decides?

These are important questions, for the great art of the past often was not considered great during its own time. When Shakespeare and Charles Dickens were writing, for example, most critics considered them as hack (平庸的) writers with little or no literary ability.

Similarly, Van Gogh and many of the other Impressionist painters of the late nineteenth century were not allowed to participate in events involving what were thought to be the "real" painters of the time, and often they were very poor. Yet today their paintings often sell for millions of dollars, while those so-called "real" painters are now barely remembered.

So what makes great art? Can, for example, rock music be great art? Music videos? Cartoons and comics? Those who call themselves critics of the fine arts often have been the last to recognize great art in the past, and we can probably expect this to be the situation today.

Critics often don’t recognize great art because they tend to be prejudiced against what is popular. Popular works, whether they are novels, movies, or comics, are usually considered to be produced for the sake of money only, and not for the sake of art.

But popularity, it seems to me, is one of the three signs that a present-day work of art may come to be thought of as great. The other two are that it is groundbreaking, and that it is inherently (内在的) beautiful.

Many works have one or even two of these qualities of being popular, unusual, and beautiful. But having all the three often will mean that a work of art will someday be seen to be great, though it may take a good spoonful of time, such as a century or two, to know for sure.

1.The first paragraph is intended to__________.

A.lead to the following and arouse the reader’s curiosity

B.introduce some real painters to the readers

C.introduce the questions the writer wants to answer

D.explain what kind of art will become popular

2.The author used the examples of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and Van Gogh to prove _____.

A.these masters’ works have some shortcomings

B.these masters wouldn’t have been so successful without the critics

C.truly beautiful works of art are never understood when first created

D.great masters are often not acknowledged while they were alive

3.According to the author, great works _______.

A.may be presented in different forms

B.are generally valued by critics

C.are thought valuable because of their sale price

D.will lose their value if they’re not accepted

4.What can be inferred from the passage?

A.Critics have changed their attitudes to great works.

B.Most of the opinions of critics are valueless.

C.The work of art itself, not the critics, determines its greatness.

D.Works of Impressionist painters will be great one day.

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网