Nanjing-style paper cutting is an important part of Chinese paper cutting. It is known for its different designs, simplistic but graceful shapes, finely cut lines and unique skills. Zhang Fanglin is a leading figure in the Nanjing-style paper cutting. Zhang was born in a paper-cutting family. He is the fourth generation to continue the family’s paper-cutting skills. Taught by his father, he began to learn paper cutting in his childhood. In 1963 when he was only 14 years old, he started his artistic career in a local folk handicraft factory. Over the past decades, Zhang has created many works and developed excellent skills. In 1985, Zhang was admitted into Nanjing Municipal Fine Arts Company, creating and designing paper cuts. Throughout his artistic career, Zhang has absorbed characteristics and elements（元素）of various styles of paper cutting and created a large number of creative paper-cutting works. Thanks to his great contributions, he won many national prizes and was awarded the title of “National Master Artist in Handicraft Art”.
As a leading figure, Zhang Fanglin has been invited to more than 30 countries and regions around the world, showcasing his paper-cutting skills. In the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, Zhang showcased his new creations of gold foil-embedded paper cutting works

  1. 1.

    What is the passage mainly about?

    1. A.
      Chinese paper cutting
    2. B.
      Nanjing-style paper cutting
    3. C.
      A paper cutting family
    4. D.
      A paper cutting artist
  2. 2.

    How old was Zhang Fanglin when he was admitted into Nanjing Municipal Fine Arts Company?

    1. A.
      36
    2. B.
      14
    3. C.
      22
    4. D.
      18
  3. 3.

    What can we infer from the passage?

    1. A.
      Nanjing-style paper cutting is the most important part of Chinese paper cutting
    2. B.
      Zhang is a creative artist who knows different styles of paper cutting well
    3. C.
      Zhang won many international prizes because of his great contributions
    4. D.
      All the members of the family taught Zhang how to design paper cuts

The Peales were a famous family of American artists. Charles Willson Peale is best remembered for his portraits of leading figures of the American Revolution. He painted portraits of Franklin and Jefferson and over a dozen of George Washington. His life-size portrait of his sons Raphaelle and Titian was so realistic that George Washington reportedly once tipped his hat to the figures in the picture.
Charles Willson Peale gave up painting in his middle age and devoted his life to the Peale museum, which he founded in Philadelphia. The world’s first popular museum of art and natural science mainly covered paintings by Peale and his family as well as displays of animals in their natural settings. Peale found the animals himself and found a method to make the exhibits more lifelike. The museum’s most popular display was the skeleton (骷髅) of a huge, extinct elephant, which Peale unearthed on a New York farm in 1801.
Three of Peale’s seventeen children were also famous artists. Paphaelle Peale often painted still lives of flowers, fruit, and cheese. His brother Rembrandt studied under his father and painted portraits of many noted people, including one of George Washington. Another brother, Rubens Peale, painted mostly landscapes and portraits.
James Peale, the brother of Charles Willson Peale, specialized in miniatures (小画像). His daughter Sarah Miriam Peale was probably the first professional female portrait painter in America

  1. 1.

    What is the main topic of the passage?

    1. A.
      The life of Charles Willson Peale
    2. B.
      Portraits in the 18th century
    3. C.
      The Peale Museum
    4. D.
      A family of artists
  2. 2.

    The underlined word “unearthed” is closest in meaning to“ ______”

    1. A.
      showed
    2. B.
      dug up
    3. C.
      invented
    4. D.
      looked over
  3. 3.

    Which of the following is NOT the child of Charles Willson Peale?

    1. A.
      Titian Peale
    2. B.
      Rubens Peale
    3. C.
      Raphaelle Peale
    4. D.
      Sarah Miriam Peale
  4. 4.

    The author’s attitude toward the Peales is in general ______.

    1. A.
      puzzled
    2. B.
      excited
    3. C.
      admiring
    4. D.
      disappointed

Some American parents might think their children need better educations to compete with China and other countries. But how much do the parents themselves need to change?
A new book called Battle Hymn(圣歌) of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua has caused a debate about cultural differences in parenting. Ms. Chua is a professor at the Yale Law School in New Haven, Connecticut, and the mother of two daughters. She was raised in the American Mid-west by immigrant Chinese parents.
In the Chinese culture, the tiger represents strength and power. In her book, Ms Chua writes about how she demanded excellence from her daughters. For example, she threatened to burn her daughter’s stuffed animals unless she played a piece of music perfectly. She would insult her daughters if they failed to meet her expectations.
Ms. Chua told NBC television that she had a clear list of what her daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were not permitted to do.
“Attend a sleepover, have a playdate, watch TV or play computer games, be in a school play, get any grade less than an ‘A’.”
Many people have criticized Amy Chua. Some say her parenting methods were abusive. She even admits that her husband, who is not Chinese, sometimes objected to her parenting style. But she says that was the way her parents raised her and her three sisters.
Ms. Chua makes fun of her own extreme style of parenting. She says she eased some of the pressure after her younger daughter rebelled and shouted, “I hate my life! I hate you!”
Ms. Chua says she decided to retreat when it seemed like there was a risk that she might lose her daughter. But she also says American parents often have low expectations of their children’s abilities.
“One of the biggest differences I see between Western and Chinese parenting is that Chinese parents assume strength rather than fragility.”
Stacey DeBroff has written four books on parenting. “I think that the stirring of intense debate has to do with what it means to be a successful parent and what it means to be a successful child.”
Ms. DeBroff says Amy Chua’s parenting style is not limited to Chinese families. She says it represents a traditional way of parenting among immigrants seeking a better future for their children.
But she also sees a risk. When children have no time to be social or to follow their own interests, they might not develop other skills that they need to succeed in life. Stacey DeBroff advises parents to develop their own style of parenting and not just repeat the way they were raised

  1. 1.

    According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE about American parents?

    1. A.
      Some of them expect their children to be competitive
    2. B.
      Some of them need to educate themselves better
    3. C.
      They should learn from Chinese parents
    4. D.
      They care their kids more than Chinese
  2. 2.

    What can we learn about Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother?

    1. A.
      It is a list of things for children to do
    2. B.
      It is a book about cultural differences
    3. C.
      It is a heated debate about parenting
    4. D.
      It is a book about how to raise children
  3. 3.

    Based on the passage, Ms. Chua’s parenting is exposed to the following EXCEPT           

    1. A.
      pressure
    2. B.
      management
    3. C.
      recreation
    4. D.
      compromise
  4. 4.

    Which of the following agrees with Ms. DeBroff?

    1. A.
      Different cultures have different concepts of values
    2. B.
      Chua’s parenting is followed by many American families
    3. C.
      Immigrants are always bitterly struggling abroad
    4. D.
      Parents had better raise their children in person
  5. 5.

    What’s the author’s attitude towards Ms. Chua’s parenting?

    1. A.
      Positive
    2. B.
      Inactive
    3. C.
      Indefinite
    4. D.
      Negative

Believe it or not, oceans and seas are easy to be harmed by the development of human society. They are also influenced by man-made pollution easily. It is human beings that do great harm to the ocean ecosystems(生态系统).
The coral reefs(珊瑚礁)are fine ecosystems that provide food and protection for many ocean creatures. The coral in almost all of the oceans is in danger from pollution.Chemicals from factories end up in the seas and oceans and destroy coral reefs. If the coral systems die some ocean creatures will be sure to die out.
Protecting the ocean also has something to do with the protection of ocean wildlife like dolphins. The fishing industry depends on modern ways to catch many fish in order to earn more money. But the nets for fishing also seize other sea animals. The fishing boat workers are advised to check their nets and set other ocean animals free. But the boats are in a hurry to make money and often other ocean animals are caught with fish.
Offshore oil spills(近海石油泄露) can destroy the ocean environment because oil kills all ocean life. The world depends on oil and because there is a great amount of oil off the shore of many countries, the need for oil is more important than the risk of the oil spill. However, the fact is that one human mistake can lead to an ocean environmental accident that will cause years of damage to the fine ocean ecosystems. Oil spills will kill all the creatures in the area of the spill. The oil will be washed up on shore and destroy the ecosystems along the shore including birds.
Everyone who cares about the environment should be interested in protecting the ocean, and all of us should do something for the protection of the ocean

  1. 1.

    According to the passage, the ocean is harmed easily as a result of______.

    1. A.
      the overuse of the oceans
    2. B.
      the change of natural conditions
    3. C.
      the increase of population by the sea
    4. D.
      the increasing activities of humans
  2. 2.

    What does the second paragraph mainly tell readers?

    1. A.
      How ocean creatures depend on coral reefs
    2. B.
      Coral reefs are home to ocean animals
    3. C.
      The great harm caused by factory pollution
    4. D.
      The importance of protecting coral systems
  3. 3.

    The underlined work “seize” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced with“______”

    1. A.
      catch
    2. B.
      attract
    3. C.
      place
    4. D.
      cover
  4. 4.

    Why do people continue to get oil in the sea at the risk of oil spills?

    1. A.
      Because they believe the oil spill can be stopped
    2. B.
      Because there is a large amount of oil in the sea
    3. C.
      Because they are in great need of oil
    4. D.
      Because getting oil in sea is easier than on land


A photographer takes a picture of the Chinese bronze rat head and rabbit head sculptures display on the preview of the auction（拍卖） of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge’s art collection at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, Feb, 21, 2009. Chinese lawyers have asked the French court to stop auction house Christie’s putting two bronze relics（文物）looted (掠夺)from China
under the hammer, lawyers said Friday.
A Paris court on Monday ruled against stopping the sale of two
looted Chinese bronze sculptures which come up for auction at
Christie’s on Wednesday. Under the ruling of the Tribunal de Grande
Instance in Paris, the plaintiff（起诉人）, the Association for the
Protection of Chinese Art in Europe（APCAE）,was ordered to
pay compensation（赔偿）to the defendant.
Ren Xiaohong, a lawyer for APCAE, told Xinhua that it was “of great significance” to file the lawsuit. “We hope to arouse public attention in Europe on the fate of numerous Chinese works stolen in the past, to help keep those relics well protected and collected,” Ren said.
The Qing Dynasty（1644—1911）relics, the heads of a bronze rabbit and a rat, were among an original set of 12 bronze animal heads that were once decorated at the imperial summer resort Yuanmingyuan. They were looted when the palace was burnt down by Anglo-French allied forces during the Second Opium War in 1860.
The pair became part of a collection of the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. They have been put up for auction by his partner, Pierre Berge. The two items are expected to fetch between 16 million and 20 million euros.
So far, five of the 12 bronze animal heads have been returned to China, while the whereabouts of five others are unknown

  1. 1.

    The two bronze animal heads were displayed at the Grand Palais in Paris so that______.

    1. A.
      they could be collected and well preserved
    2. B.
      the photographers could take pictures
    3. C.
      the public could see them in advance
    4. D.
      they couldn’t be sold at auction
  2. 2.

    The significance to stop the sale of two bronze animal heads is to______.

    1. A.
      fetch between 16 million and 20 million euros
    2. B.
      draw public attention to the Chinese works stolen in the past
    3. C.
      make the world know more about history of the Qing Dynasty
    4. D.
      find the other five bronze animal heads and return them to China
  3. 3.

    Which of the following is NOT true?

    1. A.
      The 12 bronze animal heads have been put up for auction
    2. B.
      The 2 bronze animal heads haven’t been returned to China
    3. C.
      The 12 bronze animal heads were used as imperial decoration
    4. D.
      Yuanmingyuan was once burnt down by Anglo-French allied forces
  4. 4.

    The passage is most probably taken from______.

    1. A.
      a newspaper
    2. B.
      an advertisement
    3. C.
      a history textbook
    4. D.
      an introduction of auction

Back those photos up
The images were striking. Homes on the East Coast were washed away by Superstorm Sandy. People were in tears, picking up faded photographs, among their only remaining possessions.
If that doesn’t move you to get serious about safekeeping your lifetime of memories, what will? The digital age offers tools never imaginable before—including one-click access to a lifetime of family photos.
Here is a brochure on how to back up (存) your photos and save them online, where they can live forever and be accessible in good times and bad.
Scanning
The first step for those old photos is to scan them and save them to a digital format. Most printers come with scanners these days, so that’s an easy but extremely time-consuming step.
Storing the photos
With your scans in place, import the photos into your computer, and back them up.
You could make multiple copies of the disks and spread them to loved ones. Or you could choose external(外接的) hard drives or USB thumb drive, and add your photo and video collection from your computer. 
Online backup
If you need lots of space, look at a pure online backup service, Caronite.     
Caronite backs up 300 million files daily. Once you sign up, it starts to pick up everything you have on your hard drive. But photo collection on your computer’s main hard drive charges for $59 a year.
Cloud Storage
For folks who don’t need automatic backup, but instead want to take a more active approach, Dropbox, Google Drive and Microsoft’s SkyDrive let you store files online by yourself, share and instantly access them. All offer free options—2GB of free storage for Dropbox, 5GB for Google and 7GB for SkyDrive. But if you want more, you need to pay.
Bottom Line
The hard drive or flash drive is the cheapest and easiest. But drives can fail. Online services are more expensive, but more secure. With more of us switching back and forth between our computers, such services are the best way to get access to our data from wherever we are

  1. 1.

    Why does the author mention Superstorm Sandy?

    1. A.
      To tell the background of the scanning photos
    2. B.
      To describe a severe natural disaster
    3. C.
      To attract the readers’ interest in the backups
    4. D.
      To win the readers’ sympathy
  2. 2.

    What can we know from the passage?

    1. A.
      Scanning photos take little time but costs a lot
    2. B.
      Caronite charges for backing up photos from hard drive
    3. C.
      Google Drive offers unlimited free photo storage on line
    4. D.
      The hard drive or flash drive is the cheapest and safest
  3. 3.

    Which of the following allows storing files automatically?

    1. A.
      Dropbox
    2. B.
      SkyDrive
    3. C.
      Caronite
    4. D.
      Flash drive
  4. 4.

    The main purpose of the passage is to _____

    1. A.
      introduce some of the storage services
    2. B.
      tell real stories about storage services
    3. C.
      describe the functions of storage services
    4. D.
      argue about the advantage of storage services

Just before midnight, six University of Cincinnati students were watching TV in an on-campus apartment when three men burst through the door. While one of the intruders pointed a gun at the group, the other two scooped up $4,400 worth of laptops, cell phones, video games and cash. Once they had what they wanted, the trio fled into the night.
Furious, the students chased down and tackled one of the burglars -- the one with the gun. In the struggle, it went off, and a bullet grazed a student's leg. His friends piled on the gunman and held him until police showed up.
By the next day, the injured young man was back in his apartment, and the suspect was in jail, charged with burglary, felonious assault and receiving stolen property. But how did the men manage to storm into an on-campus residence that November night in the first place? Simple: Students told police the building's main doors hadn't latched properly for days.
As parents confront ballooning college costs and shrinking acceptance rates, they are finding themselves with an even bigger, more basic problem: Which campuses are safe? Colleges seem like idyllic and secure places, and for the most part, they are. But ivy-covered walls can't keep out every bad element. This country's 6,000 colleges and universities report some 40,000 burglaries, 3,700 forcible sex offenses, 7,000 aggravated assaults and 48 murders a year. Other hazards -- fires, binge-drinking, mental-health problems -- are also on the rise.
Of course, that's not what parents and students see on America's serene campuses. There's a false sense of security, says Harry Nolan, a safety consultant in New York City. "Students see guards patrolling at night or a video camera monitoring the dorm entrance and think, nothing bad can happen to me," he explains. "People don't know that safety controls are often very lax."

  1. 1.

    What did the students do after the burglars fled into the night?

    1. A.
      They stood there in surprise
    2. B.
      They ran after the burglars at once
    3. C.
      They waited for the police
    4. D.
      They phoned their teacher
  2. 2.

    What does the underlined word “latched” in the third paragraph probably mean?

    1. A.
      watched
    2. B.
      fixed
    3. C.
      locked
    4. D.
      kept
  3. 3.

    What worries parents most except ballooning college costs and shrinking acceptance rates?

    1. A.
      Their children’s grades in the universities or colleges
    2. B.
      Their children’s safety in the universities or colleges
    3. C.
      Their children’s behavior in the universities or colleges
    4. D.
      Their children’s relationship with classmates in the universities or colleges
  4. 4.

    Which is right according to the passage?

    1. A.
      Their children’s grades in are high
    2. B.
      Their children’s safety in the universities or colleges will be mornitored well
    3. C.
      The universities or colleges don’t pay much attention to the children
    4. D.
      The universities or colleges are not key educational departments in the local area

We do not know when man first began to use salt, but we do know that it has been used in many different ways throughout history. Historical evidence shows, for example, that people who lived over 3,000 years ago ate salted fish. Thousands of years ago in Egypt, salt was used to preserve (保存) the dead.
Stealing salt was considered a major crime (罪行) during some periods of history. In the eighteenth century, for example, if a person was caught stealing salt, he could be put in prison and his ears could be cut off.
In the Roman Empire, one of the most important roads was the one that carried salt from the salt mines to Rome. Guards were stationed along the route to protect against salt thieves, and they received their pay in salt, thus bringing the English word, salary. Any guard who fell asleep while on duty was thought to be “not worth his salt”, and as a result he would get a little less salt on his next payday. The expression, “not worth his salt”, is still used today in English.
In the modern world salt has many uses beyond the dining table. It is used in making glass and airplane parts, in the growing of crops, and in the killing of weeds (杂草). It is also used to make water soft, to melt (融化) ice on roads and highways, to make soap, and to fix colors in cloth.
Salt can be got in various ways besides being taken from mines underground. Salt water from the ocean, salt water lakes or small seas can be used to make salt. Yet, no matter where it comes from, salt will continue to play an important role in the lives of people everywhere

  1. 1.

    According to the text, salt can be used in the following EXCEPT______.

    1. A.
      keeping dead bodies
    2. B.
      punishing thieves
    3. C.
      protecting crops
    4. D.
      making industrial products
  2. 2.

    In the Roman Empire many people were employed as guards to______.

    1. A.
      protect the city of Rome
    2. B.
      watch people carrying salt
    3. C.
      prevent thieves from stealing salt
    4. D.
      carry salt from the mines to Rome
  3. 3.

    The expression “not worth his salt” used today refers to the one who______.

    1. A.
      fails to do his work well
    2. B.
      should not be paid in salt
    3. C.
      doesn’t want to work at all
    4. D.
      should use less salt
  4. 4.

    The main purpose of the text is to tell readers______.

    1. A.
      how salt was found and got
    2. B.
      salt is important in people’s life
    3. C.
      salt was difficult to get in the past
    4. D.
      what salt brings to the English language

Scientists in Colombia have trained a team of rats to help remove land mines from the countryside. Land mines are small bombs hidden in the ground and designed to explode(爆炸) when someone steps on them.
When trained, the rats can smell special metals in the mines and then signal(发信号) to their human team. Then why use rats for such an important job?
In the past, dogs have been used to find bombs. Rats have a good sense of smell and can respond to orders, just like dogs do. But rats are much lighter than dogs. They stand less of a chance of setting off the mines, which explode under a certain amount of weight. What’s more, the best rats are cheaper to keep than dogs. It costs about the same amount of money to take care of one dog as it does 70 rats.
The rats have already been used in Tanzania, an African country with many land mines. Luisa Fernanda Méndez and her team in Colombia are training the even lighter Wistar rats. These are the white rats with red eyes that scientists often use in laboratory experiments. “They even train their babies to perform their jobs, which saves us a lot of time, ” Méndez said.
Colombia has the second-highest rate(比率) of deaths from land mine accidents in the world. Last year, land mines killed 695 people — 56 of whom were children. A criminal group called the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, as well as other organizations, have placed the mines. FARC are strongly against Colombia’s government. The group has placed mines all around its own bases and in many places in the countryside.
In the past, the Colombian government hired peasants and poor farmers to find mines. Many of them died trying to find the well-hidden bombs.
Colombian police official Erick Guzmán hopes the team of rats can come to the rescue(援救). “These rats will be a great help,” he said

  1. 1.

    How do rats help to find land mines?

    1. A.
      By their special sight
    2. B.
      By their light weight
    3. C.
      By their sense of smell
    4. D.
      By their excellent hearing
  2. 2.

    The advantage of rats over dogs in finding bombs is that ______.

    1. A.
      they are cleverer
    2. B.
      they run faster
    3. C.
      they have a better sense of smell
    4. D.
      they don’t make mines explode as easily
  3. 3.

    The underlined word “They” may refer to ______.

    1. A.
      scientists
    2. B.
      Wistar rats
    3. C.
      dogs
    4. D.
      Méndez and her team
  4. 4.

    What is the passage mainly about?

    1. A.
      Specially-trained rats help clear land mines
    2. B.
      People in Tanzania are suffering from land mines
    3. C.
      Dogs are no longer used to find land mines
    4. D.
      Land mines have become a great danger to Colombians

A messy desk can actually lead people towards clearer thinking, say researchers from Germany．
The researchers found in a series of linked studies - using a messy desk and a messy shop front - that people actually thought more clearly when all around was chaos, as they sought to simplify the tasks at hand.
Visual and mental clutter（阻塞） forces human beings to focus and think more clearly.
Famous thinkers and writers such as Albert Einstein and Roald Dahl have been notorious（声名狼藉的） for their untidy desks.
“Messy desks may not be as detrimental（有害的） as they appear to be, as the problem-solving approaches they seem to cause can improve work efficiency or increase employees' creativity in problem solving,” say the authors.
“Business and government managers often promote 'clean desk' policies to avoid disorganized offices and messy desks, for the purpose of boosting work efficiency and productivity,” writes lead researcher Jia Liu of the University of Groningen in a paper published in the Journal of Consumer Research.
“This practice is based on the conventional wisdom that a disorganized and messy environment can clutter one's mind and complicate one's judgments.”
“However, not all evidence supports this conventional link between a messy environment and a messy mind.”
The scientists tested people's response in various 'messy' environments - including a messy shop front, a disorganized desk, and even a work environment where a language task 'reminded' people of messiness.
The authors found in the series of six studies people tended towards simplicity in their thinking.
“They categorized （分类） products in a simpler manner, were willing to pay more for a T-shirt that shows a simple-looking picture, and sought less variety in their choices.” said the researchers

  1. 1.

    The purpose of the first two paragraphs is to show that _____．

    1. A.
      A messy desk cannot contribute to clearer thinking
    2. B.
      People thought more clearly about a messy desk and a shop front
    3. C.
      People will feel confused when all around are chaos
    4. D.
      People manage to simplify the tasks in messy environments
  2. 2.

    Why does the author take Albert Einstein as an example?

    1. A.
      to support the idea that clearer thinking comes from messy environment．
    2. B.
      to tell the fact that Einstein was known for his untidy desks．
    3. C.
      to stop us from learning from Albert Einstein．
    4. D.
      to call on us to develop a good habit．
  3. 3.

    How do people look at messy environment according to the conventional wisdom?

    1. A.
      Messy environment will create clearer thinking．
    2. B.
      Messy environment will simplify one' s judgment．
    3. C.
      Messy environment can promote work efficiency．
    4. D.
      Messy environment can block one' s mind．
  4. 4.

    What does the last paragraph imply?

    1. A.
      People believe messy environment creates clearer thinking．
    2. B.
      People sought more simplicity in the choices．
    3. C.
      People were not willing to choose those complicated products．
    4. D.
      Not all the people accept messy environment and complicated things
 0  10613  10621  10627  10631  10637  10639  10643  10649  10651  10657  10663  10667  10669  10673  10679  10681  10687  10691  10693  10697  10699  10703  10705  10707  10708  10709  10711  10712  10713  10715  10717  10721  10723  10727  10729  10733  10739  10741  10747  10751  10753  10757  10763  10769  10771  10777  10781  10783  10789  10793  10799  10807  151629 

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