C(2017·浙江)

Benjamin West, the father of American painting, showed his talent for art when he was only six years of age. But he did not know about brushes before a visitor told him he needed one. In those days, a brush was made from camel’s hair. There were no camels nearby. Benjamin decided that cat hair would work instead. He cut some fur from the family cat to make a brush.

The brush did not last long. Soon Benjamin needed more fur. Before long, the cat began to look ragged (蓬乱). His father said that the cat must be sick. Benjamin was forced to admit what he had been doing.

The cat’s lot was about to improve. That year, one of Benjamin’s cousins, Mr. Pennington, came to visit. He was impressed with Benjamin’s drawings. When he went home, he sent Benjamin a box of paint and some brushes. He also sent six engravings(版画) by an artist. These were the first pictures and first real paint and brushes Benjamin had ever seen. In 1747, when Benjamin was nine years old, Mr. Pennington returned for another visit. He was amazed at what Benjamin had done with his gift. He asked Benjamin’s parents if he might take the boy to Philadelphia for a visit.

In the city, Mr. Pennington gave Benjamin materials for creating oil paintings. The boy began a landscape(风景) painting. William Williams, a well-known painter, came to see him work. Williams was impressed with Benjamin and gave him two classic books on painting to take home. The books were long and dull. Benjamin could read only a little, having been a poor student. But he later said,"Those two books were my companions by day, and under my pillow at night."While it is likely that he understood very little of the books, they were his introduction to classical paintings. The nine-year-old boy decided then that he would be an artist.

1.What is the text mainly about?

A. Benjamin’s visit to Philadelphia.

B. Williams’ influence on Benjamin.

C. The beginning of Benjamin’s life as an artist.

D. The friendship between Benjamin and Pennington.

2. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 3 suggest?

A. The cat would be closely watched.

B. The cat would get some medical care.

C. Benjamin would leave his home shortly.

D. Benjamin would have real brushes soon.

3. What did Pennington do to help Benjamin develop his talent?

A. He took him to see painting exhibitions.

B. He provided him with painting materials.

C. He sent him to a school in Philadelphia.

D. He taught him how to make engravings.

4. Williams’ two books helped Benjamin to ________.

A. master the use of paints B. appreciate landscape paintings

C. get to know other painters D. make up his mind to be a painter

When was the last time you relied on an old-fashioned map to figure out the route to an unfamiliar place? For many, the GPS has revolutionized navigation, making a paper map almost obsolete? So how has this piece of technology developed over its 26 years of existence? On February 14,1989,the first satellite in the US Global Positioning System was sent into space from Cape Canaveral, beginning the start of one of the wonders of the modern world.

GPS stands for Global Positioning System, which is made of a network of around 30 satellites that move around the earth. The system uses a process called trilateration to find out one’s position. By measuring the time it takes for the signal to reach one satellite, the GPS can determine your distance from the satellite, creating a sphere(范围) of possible locations. Measuring your distance from at least three satellites will narrow your location to the place where the three spheres cross one another, to the accuracy(精确) of about less than 1 meter!

The GPS was first invented during the Cold War by the United States Department of Defense. In 1960, the first system, which was made of just five satellites, was put into place. It was initially created for strictly military(军事的) use; however, in 1983, as a result of faulty navigation technology, a Korean passenger plane mistakenly flew into USSR territory(苏联领土) and was shot down. In order to prevent such bad events, American President Ronald Reagan allowed civilian(民用的) use of the GPS.

Over the next ten years, the system’s accuracy improved as the network was increased to 24 satellites. And during the first Persian Gulf War, the new GPS was finally used by the military. Now scientists use the technology to track animals to better understand their movement and behavior. Parents who may be worried about their children can also use GPS technology to track them.

1.The underlined word “obsolete” in Paragraph 1 can best be replaced by “ ”.

A. priceless B. unusual

C. perfect D. useless

2.The second paragraph is mainly about .

A. how the GPS works B. the history of the GPS

C. the applications of the GPS D. some problems with the GPS

3.According to the text, the GPS .

A. has a history of over 100 years

B. became popular during the Cold War

C. relies on the satellites circling the earth

D. was available first during space exploration

4.What does the author think of the GPS?

A. It is not always reliable

B. It has a lot of uses in many fields

C. It makes our life more peaceful

D. It will soon go out of fashion

Have you been told you have penicillin allergy? Did your parents tell you that you had a reaction as an infant or child, so you should never take it again? Has it been so long since you had a reaction to penicillin that you don’t remember what happened? If you fit any of these descriptions or are just not sure if you have penicillin allergy, there’s good news for you: Chances are, you probably don’t have it.

Between 10 to 20 percent of Americans believe they have a penicillin allergy, but a recent study at Mayo Clinic found that only 10 percent of those people are truly penicillin allergic. In other words, 9 out of 10 people who think they have penicillin allergy are avoiding it for no reason. Even in people with documented allergy to penicillin, only about 20 percent are still allergic 10 years after their initial allergic reaction. It’s not necessarily a permanent condition.

Why is this important? Aren’t there many other antibiotics you can use if you have penicillin allergy? Penicillin has been around since 1928. Penicillin and its related medicines include amoxicillin, methicillin and amoxicillin-clavulnate. These medicines are highly effective treatments for many bacterial infections, such as strep throat and ear infections. Of course, there are alternative antibiotics, but these are often much more expensive and carry a higher risk of side effects. Typically, these alternative antibiotics are broad-spectrum, meaning they fight many types of bacteria, both good and bad. That can lead to development of drug-resistant bacteria, or deadly “superbugs”. This increases the risk for all of us in the future of not having an effective antibiotic to treat our infection.

How do you find out if you have penicillin allergy? Board-certified allergists can test you. First, the allergist will get a history from you about your possible allergy. Typical questions include: How long ago did you have the reaction? What type of reaction occurred, and how soon after you took the penicillin did the reaction appear? The testing is done on the forearm by pricking the skin with a needle. If the results are negative and there is no reaction, penicillin will be injected in the skin. These tests are not painful, and results are available in 15 minutes. A positive reaction may lead to some swelling and itching where the test was placed, which usually goes away within an hour.

In very rare cases, an allergic reaction occurs. This can include hives, swelling, wheezing and/or difficulty breathing. The allergist is trained to treat this rare condition quickly if it happens. If all skin testing is negative, you may be given an oral dose of penicillin in the office. The oral drug challenge is used to verify that you don’t have penicillin allergy. Usually, you’ll be observed in the office for 30 minutes to make sure you have no problems.

If you find out you don’t have a penicillin allergy, notify your physicians that it’s now safe for you to take penicillin. They can take “penicillin allergy” off your chart for good!

1.What can we know about penicillin allergy according to the passage?

A. Most people believe that they are penicillin allergic.

B. People with documented allergy will have it forever.

C. About 90 percent of people are truly penicillin allergic.

D. Many people with initial allergy can avoid it later.

2.Which is NOT the drawback of the alternative antibiotics?

A. They cost much more than penicillin.

B. They can treat many bacterial infections.

C. They can result in drug-resistant bacteria.

D. They also fight good bacteria when used.

3.If you have a positive reaction in skin tests, _______.

A. you can’t leave the office within an hour

B. your skin is supposed to swell and itch

C. it is not safe for you to take penicillin

D. you’ll be given an oral dose of penicillin

4.Which can replace the underlined word “verify”?

A. confirm B. attach

C. declare D. control

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