题目内容
American culture is unique because it is formed and developed under certain conditions. The major factors contributing to the making of this new nation and the forming of a new culture are the hard environment, ethnic diversity and plural religion, which is quite different from other nations in the world. What is more, these elements are still influencing the American culture.
The early immigrants who were English Puritans settled down in northeast part of America from 1607 to 1892. Frontiers were pushed further west. The frontiersmen looked for a land of rich resources and a land of promise, opportunity and freedom. Actually they looked for a better life. So individualism(个人主义), self-reliance, and equality of opportunity have perhaps been the values most closely associated with the frontier heritage of America.
In history, people from different countries in the world rushed to America three times. They brought their own culture to America and later on, different cultures were mixed together. Thus the unique American culture was formed, a common cultural life with commonly shared values.
The fundamental American belief in individual freedom and the fight of individuals to practice their own religion is at the center of religious experience in the United States. The great diversity of ethnic backgrounds has produced religious pluralism; almost all of the religions of the world are now practiced in the United States.
Nowadays, we can see the continual influence of the three elements in the current American society. American family is typically parents and their unmarried children. Middle-aged and elderly people generally do not live with their married children. The people in America have a very strong desire to start a new life in a new place. Quite a number of people change residences every year. The average American moves fourteen times in his lifetime.
48. We can learn from this article that ________.
A. the population of the United States includes a large variety of ethnic groups
B. the early immigrants brought about the unique American culture
C. people in the world once rushed to America because of its unique culture
D. the American family members don't get along well with each other
49. What's the author's attitude towards American culture?
A. He is critical of it. B. He admires it very much.
C. He just states the facts. D. He looks down upon it.
50. What might be the most suitable title of this article?
A. The Immigrants in America B. Why American Culture is Unique
C. The Influence of American Culture D. Plural Religion and American Culture
ACB
A painting by Chinese artist Qi Baishi set a record for modern art and calligraphy (书法) on the mainland when it sold for 425.5 million yuan at an auction (拍卖) on May 22. The sale was a milestone (里程碑) in the auction of modern and contemporary artworks.
The price meant its value had risen more than 2,000 per cent in six years . The work , Eagle standing on pine tree with four-character coupleti(对联), measures about 2.6 metres by 1 metre . It was the second highest price paid for an artwork on the mainland . A Song dynasty work by Huang Tingjian was sold for 436.8 million yuan in 2010 . Qi’s painting was finished in 1946 when Qi was 86 , and was his largest work . With a starting price of 88 million yuan , it attracted nearly 50 bids(出价)in half an hour . Shanghai businessman Liu Yiqian said that the work had belonged to him and had cost less than 20 million yuan in 2005 . The auction company said the work was brought back to the mainland after being bought from a private owner in San Francisco six years ago .
China ranked first in global art sales last year , ahead of the United States and Britain . Four Chinese artists were among the top 10 in worldwide sales : Qi Baishi , Zhang Daqian , Xu Beihong and Fu Baoshi . Qi’s works ranked second in sales to Pablo Picasso’s last year . Qi was born into a peasant family in Hunan in 1864 . He taught himself to paint and focused on nature including plants , insects , birds and fish . He is mostly well-known for his paintings of shrimps . In 1953 , he was elected president of the Association of Chinese Artists . He died in Beijing in 1957 .
1.What’s the best title of the text ?
A.Qi Baishi’s Painting Was Discovered . |
B.Qi Baishi’s Painting Was Brought Back . |
C.Qi Baishi’s Painting Sets an Auction Record . |
D.The Value of Qi Baishi’s Paintings Is on the Increase . |
2.Whose artwork sold for the highest price on the mainland ?
A.Qi Baishi’s . |
B.Huang Tingjian’s . |
C.Xu Beihong’s . |
D.Zhang Daqian’s . |
3.The auction price of Qi’s painting was million yuan higher than the starting price in the auction .
A.337.5 . |
B.348.8 . |
C.50 . |
D.11.3 . |
4.Which of the following is TRUE ?
A.Qi finished the painting when he was young . |
B.The painting was once stolen by an American . |
C.The owner of this painting Liu Yiqian gained a lot of money . |
D.Pablo Picasso’s works ranked second in sales to Qi’s last year . |
5. The text is most probably taken from a .
A.computer book |
B.library guide |
C.technology magazine |
D.newspaper report |
I travel a lot, and I find out different "styles" (风格) of directions every time 1 ask "How can I get to the post office?"
Foreign tourists are often confused (困惑) in Japan because most streets there don't have names in Japan, people use landmarks (地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, "Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop."
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, "Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile."
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. "How far away is the post office?" you ask. "Oh," they answer, "it's about five minutes from here." You say, "Yes, but how many miles away is it?" They don't know.
It's true that a person doesn't know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, 'Sorry, I have no idea." But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers "I don't know." People in Yucatan believe that "I don't know" is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
1. When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place they usually _________
A.describe the place carefully |
B.show him a map of the place |
C.tell him the names of the streets |
D.refer to recognizable buildings and places |
2.What is the place where people measure distance in time?
A.New York. |
B.Los Angeles. |
C.Kansas. |
D.Iowa |
3.People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ________
A.in order to save time |
B.as a test |
C.so as to be polite |
D.for fun |
4. Which sentence is true according to the text?
A.There is no street names in Japan. |
B.There is no landmarks in the countryside of American. |
C.People in Yucatan always give wrong answers when asked the way. |
D.People in Los Angeles measure distance in time, not miles when asked the way. |
5. What can we infer from the text?
A.It's important for travelers to understand cultural differences. |
B.It's useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly. |
C.People have similar understandings of politeness. |
D.New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors. |