题目内容

The small unframed painting called “Fisherman” was signed by a little-known Italian artist, Maveleone (1669-1740). When it was sold recently in New York for $27,000, the seller, Mr. Oliver Pitt, was asked to explain how the picture had come into his possession.

Pitt said, “I didn’t know it was so valuable. I’m not an art expert. Photography is my hobby. I bought ‘Fisherman’ in Italy in 1970 for $140. The picture was dirty, and I couldn’t see the artist’s signature. But anyway it wasn’t the picture that I liked. I bought it because of the frame. ”

“It’s a most unusual frame, made of tiny, silvery sea-shells. They are set in such a way that they reflect perfect light onto the surface of a picture. I now have a photograph of my wife in that frame, and I’ll never part with it.”

“When I returned to New York I showed the painting in its frame to a customs officer. I told him that I had paid $140 for it but admitted I didn’t know its actual worth. The customs man valued it at $140, and I was asked to pay duty on that value. I did so, there and then. ” 

“Later, I took off the frame, and that uncovered Maveleone’s signature. My wife suggested in fun that the painting might be a valuable one, so I cleaned it and put it up for sale.”

As a result of this explanation, Oliver Pitt had to appear in court. He was accused of knowingly making a false statement of the value of a picture so as to cheat the Customs Department.

Pitt was not happy. “I told the truth as I knew it then,” he said, “What else could I say?”

And then the judge agreed with him. “The Customs Department is to be responsible,” he said, “for making a true valuation of goods brought into the country, so that the correct amount of duty may be charged. Mr. Pitt did not cause or try to cause the mistake that was made. He paid the duty that was demanded. If, now, the Customs Department finds that its valuation was not correct, it cannot be allowed to have another try. Pitt is not guilty”.

1.When Oliver Pitt bought the picture, ________.

    A. it was unframed                     B. Maveleone signed the deal

    C. he suggested that it was valuable        D. it was the frame that attracted him 

2. From the passage we can infer that if Maveleone had been a well-known artist,        _.

    A. the painting would have cost much more than $ 140

    B. he wouldn’t have sold his painting

    C. the customs officer wouldn’t have been cheated

    D. Pitt wouldn’t have had the intention to buy any of his paintings

3. Pitt took off the frame probably in order to        _.

    A. clean the painting to put it up for sale

    B. look for the artist’s signature

    C. use it for his wife’s photograph

    D. find the painting’s true value

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the story?  

    A. In the end Pitt was asked to pay the correct amount of duty.

    B. In the end Pitt sold the frame of the painting at an even higher price.

    C. In the end the Customs Department had no right to revalue the painting.

    D. In the end Pitt’s wife was regarded as an expert because of her wise suggestion.

 

【答案】

1.D2.A3.C4.C

【解析】略

 

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Many of the stories written by Mark Twain take place in Hannibal, Missouri. The small wooden house where he lived as a boy still stands there. Next to the house is a wooden fence. It is the kind described in Twain's book, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," published in1876.

In that story, Tom has been told to paint the fence. He does not want to do it. But he acts as if the job is great fun. He tricks other boys into believing this. His trick is so successful that they agree to pay him money to let them finish his work. "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is considered one of the best books about an American boy's life in THE the1800s.

Tom Sawyer's good friend is Huckleberry, or "Huck," Finn. Mark Twain tells this boy's story in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Huck is a poor child, without a mother or home. His father drinks too much alcohol and beats him.

Huck's situation has freed him from the restrictions of society. He explores in the woods and goes fishing. He stays out all night and does not go to school. He smokes tobacco.

Huck runs away from home. He meets Jim, a black man who has escaped from slavery. They travel together on a raft made of wood down the Mississippi River. Huck describes the trip:  "It was lovely to live on the raft. Other places seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft... Sometimes we'd have that whole river to ourselves for the longest time... We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them---. “

1.From the second paragraph we learn Tom Sawyer is a ______ boy.

A. kind       B. smart     C. clumsy     D. honest 

2.The reason why Huck runs away from home is that ______.

A. his family is poor              B. he wants to find a friend live with

C. there’s no warn in his home    D. he loves nature and likes to adventure

3. The underlined word “restrictions” can be replaced by _____.

A. limits    B. prohibition    C. forces    D. rules

4.Why did Huck feel comfortable living in a raft? Because _____.

A. Huck made the raft by himself     B. Huck could eat fresh food here

C. Huck could have the river there    D. Huck likes to be free

5.The stories of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” are probably _____.

A. completely imaginary               B. according Mark Twain’s experiences

C. Mark Twain’s autobiography(自传)   D. records from his last generation

 

When I was quite young, I discovered that somewhere inside the telephone lived an amazing  person - "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know. 

One day while my mother was out, I hit my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there was no one home to give me any sympathy. I walked around the house, finally arriving at the telephone! Quickly, I called “Information Please" and told her what happened.  She told me to open the icebox and hold a little piece of ice to my finger.

After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. When my pet bird died, I told

"Information Please" the sad story. She tried to comfort me, she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better. Another day I was on the telephone, “How do you spell ‘grateful’? ". All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was 9, we moved to Boston.

A few years later, on my way to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an

hour or so between planes. Without thinking, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information, please."      

Surprisingly, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well, "Information." I hadn't planned on

this but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell ‘grateful’?"  

There was a long pause. Then came the soft-spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have

healed by now."   I laughed. "So it's really still you," I said, "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time."  I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and asked if I could call her again. "Please do," she said, "Just ask for Sally."  

Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered me. I was told that Sally

passed away five weeks before.     

Before I could hang up she told me that Sally left a message for me—“Tell him I still say

there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean.”  I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched

today? 

1.

What does “Information, Please” refer to in the passage?

A. An amazing girl.

B. A special kind of telephone.

C. A communication system.

D. A service that helps telephone users.

2.

What happened to the little boy one day when he was at home alone? 

A. He was amused by the telephone.

B. He hurt his finger with a hammer.

C. He found an amazing telephone.

D. He got a piece of ice from an icebox.

3.

What did “Information, Please” give the little boy whenever he was in trouble? 

A. Information and conversation.

B. Good memories and happiness.

C. Sympathy and information.

D. Friendship and cheers.

4.

When did the author get in touch with “Information, Please” again after he moved to

Boston?  

A. When he was in trouble on his way to college.

B. When his plane stopped in Seattle for half an hour.

C. When he went back to Seattle to visit his sister.

D. Three months later after he moved to Boston.

 

Grandpa Nybakken loved life—especially when he could play a trick on somebody. At those times, his large Norwegian frame shook with laughter while he pretended innocent surprise, exclaiming, “Oh, forevermore!” But on a cold Saturday in downtown Chicago, Grandpa felt that God played a trick on him, and grandpa wasn’t laughing.

Grandpa worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building some boxes for the clothes his church was sending to an orphanage abroad. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone. He remembered putting them there that morning, so he drove back to the church.His search proved fruitless.

Suddenly, he realized what had happened. The glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the boxes, which he had nailed shut. His brand new glasses were heading for China!

The Great Depression was at its height, and Grandpa had six children. He had spent twenty dollars for those glasses that very morning.

“It’s not fair,” he told God as he drove home in frustration. “I’ve been very faithful in giving of my time and money to your work, and now this.”

Several months later, the director of the orphanage was on vacation in the United States.He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him, so he came to speak on Sunday night at my grandfather’s small church in Chicago.Grandpa and his family sat in their usual seats among the small congregation(教堂会众).

“But most of all,” he said, “I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year.”

“Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses.Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my co-workers and I were much in prayer about this.Then your boxes arrived.When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses lying on the top.” After a long pause, he continued, “Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom-made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that!”

The people listened, happy for the amazing glasses.But the director surely must have confused their church with another, they thought, there were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas.

But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way.

56.Which of the following is NOT true about Grandpa Nybakken according to the passage?

    A.He was an outgoing man and held an active attitude towards life.

    B.He had a large family to support.

    C.He was a carpenter working in the church.

    D.He was a loyal Christian.

 

 

When I was quite young, I discovered that somewhere inside the telephone lived an amazing

person - "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know. 

One day while my mother was out, I hit my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but

there was no one home to give me any sympathy. I walked around the house, finally arriving at the telephone! Quickly, I called “Information Please" and told her what happened.  She told me to open the icebox and hold a little piece of ice to my finger.

After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. When my pet bird died, I told

"Information Please" the sad story. She tried to comfort me, she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better. Another day I was on the telephone, “How do you spell ‘grateful’? ". All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was 9, we moved to Boston.

A few years later, on my way to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an

hour or so between planes. Without thinking, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information, please."      

Surprisingly, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well, "Information." I hadn't planned on

this but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell ‘grateful’?"  

There was a long pause. Then came the soft-spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have

healed by now."   I laughed. "So it's really still you," I said, "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time."  I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and asked if I could call her again. "Please do," she said, "Just ask for Sally."  

Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered me. I was told that Sally

passed away five weeks before.     

Before I could hang up she told me that Sally left a message for me—“Tell him I still say

there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean.”  I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched

today? 

59. What does “Information, Please” refer to in the passage?

A. An amazing girl.

B. A special kind of telephone.

C. A communication system.

D. A service that helps telephone users.

60. What happened to the little boy one day when he was at home alone? 

A. He was amused by the telephone.

B. He hurt his finger with a hammer.

C. He found an amazing telephone.

D. He got a piece of ice from an icebox.

61. What did “Information, Please” give the little boy whenever he was in trouble? 

A. Information and conversation.

B. Good memories and happiness.

C. Sympathy and information.

D. Friendship and cheers.

62. When did the author get in touch with “Information, Please” again after he moved to

Boston?  

A. When he was in trouble on his way to college.

B. When his plane stopped in Seattle for half an hour.

C. When he went back to Seattle to visit his sister.

D. Three months later after he moved to Boston.

 

 

Photographs are everywhere. They decorate (装饰) the walls of homes and are used in stores for sales of different goods. The news is filled with pictures of fires, floods, and special events. Photos record the beauties of nature. They can also bring things close that are far away. Through photos, people can see wild animals, cities in foreign lands, and even the stars in outer space. Photos also tell stories.

Reporting the news through photos is called photojournalism. At times photojournalists tell their stories through a single picture. At other times, they use a group of pictures to tell a story. Each picture is like a chapter in a book, which can do more than record the facts. It can also be a strong force for social change.

Jacob Riis was among the first photojournalists. He took pictures of parts of New York City where the poor lived. Riis believed that poverty(贫穷) caused crime, and he used photos to help him prove his point. A few years later, the photos of small children working in factories by Lewis Hine shocked the public. Hine’s pictures helped bring about laws to protect such children.

Hundreds of pictures may have to be taken in order to get one or two really good photos. It takes science to have the photo come out clearly and art to make a photo that has a good design and expresses feeling. Photojournalists make an actual record of what they see. A photo, however, can be both a work of art and an actual record. It can record an important event as a beautiful or exciting picture.

As historical and artistic documents(文献) ,photos can become more important over time. Today photojournalists still have their pictures appear in newspapers and magazines. They also publish(发表) them in books and on the Internet.

1.The underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refers to         .

A. beauties       B. photos      C. goods       D. events

2.The photos of the small children by Hine show us that photos            .

A. are also works of art         B. are popular ways of reporting news

C. often shock the public        D. can serve as a force for social change

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A. News with pictures is encouraging.       B. Photos help people improve

C. News photos mean history in a sense.     D. People prefer reading news with pictures.

4.The text is mainly about       .

A. telling the story through picture        B. decorating the walls of homes

C. publishing historical papers           D. expressing feeling through pictures

 

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