Last month,my younger sister Michelle,four of my friends and I held our first charity art exhibitions.The exhibitions, containing 140 paintings,raised 44,000 yuan,all donated to Stepping Stones,a charity that supports poor children in China.

Ever since l was a little girl, I have been in love with art.I have always been fascinated with the idea of creating beauty and emotion-how imagination can transform a simple piece of paper into something beyond the possibilities of the real world.I watched others create magic by simply moving their hands,and felt thrilled as I gradually learned to do this myself.

Passion results in creation.In nine years,I had accumulated more pieces than I could count.My finished paintings were set aside,gathering dust as time passed.So I decided to hold exhibitions to find a home and some appreciation for my artwork.

Nonetheless,I was extremely nervous.After all,I am only a l5-year-old child who has a passion,but not necessarily one who creates artwork that others want to buy.

However,the turnout was more than I could ever have imagined,and the amount of money we raised quadrupled(四倍于)our original target.We were very lucky to find a charity,Stepping Stone,that would show us exactly how our money would be used:to teach English to poor children in the country.I was even offered an opportunity to teach the children myself.

Through this experience,I not only gained more confidence in my art,but also discovered its impact.I realized a paintbrush could paint not only a canvas,but also new opportunities for others who don’t have as many choices in who they want to be,or what they want to do.Although this cannot transform the world,this may transform the world for one child,or even more.

1.What does “this” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A.Moving hands. B.Painting.

C.Changing the world. D.Using imagination.

2.By saying “Passion results in creation”, the author means she

A.decided to visit exhibitions of young artists

B.found a new interest besides painting

C.painted many pieces in nine years

D.created artwork that others want to buy

3.What can you know according to the last two paragraphs?

A.Stepping Stone is an educational organization.

B.Art changed the life of the author and others in a way.

C.Her original donation was expected about 44,000 yuan.

D.The author realized she had an advantage over others.

New Yorkers are gradually getting used to more bicyclers on those hot blue City Bikes.But what about local bike shops? Is City Bike rolling up riders at their expense? At Gotham Bikes in Tribeca,manager W.Ben said the shop has seen an increase in its overall sales due to the bike-share program.“It’s getting more people on the road,”he said.James Ryan,an employee at Danny’s Cycles,said City Bike is a good option for people to ease in a city famous for its traffic jams.“They can try out a bike without buying one.”he said.

Rentals are not a big part of the business at either Gotham Bikes or Danny’s Cycles.But for Frank’s Bike Shop,a small business on Christopher St.,the bike—share program has been bad news.Owner Frank Arroyo said his rental business has decreased by 90% since City Bike was rolled out last month.Arroyo’s main rental customers are European tourists,who have since been drawn away by City Bikes.

However,Ben said the bike—share is good for bike sales at his shop.“People have used the bike—share and realized how great it is to bike in the city,then decide that they want something Dicer for themselves,”he noted.Andrew Crooks,owner of NYC Velo,at 64 Second Ave.,said at first he Was concerned about bike—share,though,he admitted,“I was happy to see people on bikes.It seemed like a great idea,but one that would be difficult to implement(实施).”Crooks said he worried about inexperienced riders’ lack of awareness of biking rules and strong negative reaction from non—cyclists.However,he said.it’s still too early to tell if his business has been impacted.While it’s possible that bike—share will cause a drop in business,Crooks thought that the idea was a positive step forward for New York City.

1.What happened to Gotham Bikes as a result of the bike—share program?

A.It found its bike sales unaffected.

B.It shifted its business to rentals.

C.It saw its bike sales on the rise.

D.It rented more bikes to tourists.

2.What is the author’s chief concern about the increasing use of City Bikes?

A.How non—cyclists respond to the program.

B.How local bike shops owners oppose the program.

C.How it affects local bike businesses.

D.How the safety of bike riders can be ensured.

3.Why is the bike—share program bad news for Frank’s Bike Shop?

A.It is hard to implement the bike—share program.

B.Its customers have been drawn away by City Bikes.

C.Its bike prices have to be lowered again and again.

D.It has to compete with the city’s bike rental shops.

4.What is the attitude of most bike shop owners towards City Bike?

A.Negative. B.Doubtful.

B.Indifferent. D.Positive.

We all know the saying“beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, and the fact that there are a whole lot of strange—looking people out there happily loved up would suggest that it’s true.But scientists have now performed the biggest test so far,analyzing the preferences of more than 35,000 people,and have shown that we really do all have a unique “type”.

In fact,the study showed that even identical twins,who share nearly l00 percent of their DNA, aren’t attracted to the same people,suggesting that it’s our experiences,more than our genes,that determine whether we find someone hot or not.

“We estimate that an individual’s aesthetic(审美的)preferences for faces agree about 50 percent,and disagree about 50 percent,with others,’’explained Laura Germine from Harvard University,and Jeremy Wilmer of Wellesley College,lead researchers of the project.

“This fits with the phenomenon that on one hand,fashion models can make a fortune with their good looks,while on the other hand,friends can endlessly debate about who is attractive and who is not,”they added.“Of course,there are some things that people seem to find pretty much universally pleasant to look at,eg,most people prefer faces that are symmetric(对称的).”But after analyzing the facial preferences of more than 35,000 volunteers, the researchers found that,it was experiences that seemed to be what shape the “eye of the beholder”.And those experiences are highly specific to each individual.

So in other words,it’s not your family,where you grew up,or how much money your parents make that shape who you’re attracted to,it’s things like the magazines you read, the social activities you’ve take part in,and even your first boyfriend or girlfriend,that determine these preferences.

1.What does the underlined word “identical” in Para 2 mean?

A.unique B.same

C.distinguishing D.considerate

2.Why does the writer talk about the “fashion model”?

A.To tell us they own beautiful faces which help them earn money.

B.To emphasize they have symmetric faces which people widely enjoy.

C.To show people’s preference for faces partly agree and disagree.

D.To explain the role genes play in people’s preference.

3.Which of the following statements agrees with the theme of the passage?

A.Symmetric faces look beautiful in eastern culture but not in western culture.

B.The more beautiful a person looks,the more likely he is to get a success.

C.A person’s aesthetic preferences for beauty will remain the same in the future.

D.Some think the movie star Huang Xiaoming handsome while some don’t think so.

4.What is the title of the passage?

A.Gene preference or social preference?

B.Difficult to meet every taste.

C.Beauty is in the eye of beholder.

D.Love me,love my dog?

For Canadians, backpacking Europe is a special ceremony signifying a new life stage. Unlike package tours, backpacking is a struggle, full of discovery and chance connections. It is about focusing on something different from our own lives and losing ourselves in a new world, if only for a moment.

Well, that's what backpacking Europe is supposed to do. That’s what it used to do before modern communications, social media, and commercial hostelling (旅社). Older Canadians would not recognize the Europe that they backpacked in the 1960s, 1970s and even the 1980s. Far from a rough adventure into foreign cultures, the European experience has been shattered in part by today's technology.

A few years ago, I took my then 60-year-old father on a backpacking trip across part of Europe and Turkey. As he is an experienced traveler and someone who possesses a strong sense of adventure, I decided that we'd travel on a budget, staying in hostel dorms. For him, backpacking through Europe in 1969 was about independence and struggle. But two things surprised him at the end of our journey. First was how technology-based backpacking had become: Young people were so directly connected to home that they were hardly away in any meaningful sense. Second, the lack of connections we made with locals. Instead of making us feel closer to a place, he found commercial hostelling actually made us more alienated (疏远的).

But there was some room for hope. While technology takes our attention away from the beauty and history before us, there were also ways in which it helped us to connect with our surroundings. Websites like Airbnb have made it easier to stay with enthusiastic locals. Couch Surfing helps organize meet-ups between locals and travelers. The online marketplace Dopios offers a chance to meet locals through enjoyable experiences like a personalized city tour.

Backpacking can never be the way it was for our parents’ generation. But doing a little study of history and culture before leaving, and bravely getting rid of any electronic devices while traveling, will help give young travelers a taste of the glory days.

1.The underlined word “shattered” in Paragraph 2 most probably means ________.

A. broadened B. relived C. ruined D. acquired

2. After the recent backpacking trip in Europe, the author’s father finds ________.

A. backpackers connect less with locals than before

B. young people dislike getting in touch with their family

C. a hostel is a nice place for travelers to meet each other

D. backpacking in Europe becomes more difficult than before

3.What’s the author’s attitude towards technology?

A. Negative. B. Objective.

C. Uncertain. D. Uninterested.

4. The text mainly discusses the relationship between ________.

A. adventures and cultures

B. technology and traveling

C. young people and their family

D. Canadian travelers and Europeans

Think about the last time you felt afraid. Was it a fear of height? Did you oversleep on a weekday and fear you’d get into trouble at the office? In any case, you know what it feels like to feel fear.

But one woman doesn’t The woman, code-named “UM”, gave her first-ever interview after years of being studied by a team of researchers. The woman is given a code name because the researchers want to protect her from anyone who would take advantage of her inability to feel afraid.

UM can’t tell you what fear is because she’s never experienced it. “I wonder what it’s like to actually be afraid of something,” she said. The formal name for the disease is Urbach-Wieth disease, which is characterized by a hoarse(粗哑的)voice,small bumps around the eyes, and calcium deposits(钙沉积的)in the brain.

In the case of UM,the disease has transformed the part of her brain that controls the human response to fear. In the interview, UM talks about an event in her life where she was held at knifepoint and gunpoint, “I was walking to the store,and I saw a man on a park bench.He said. “Come here,please,” so I went over to him. He grabbed me by the shirt,put a knife to my throat and told me he was going to cut me. I told him, “Go ahead and cut me,” I wasn’t afraid at all. And for some reason,he let me go.”

Doctors who have been studying UM’s condition for years have been trying different things that could strike fear into her. They finally figured something out—increasing UM’s carbon dioxide levels.Extra carbon dioxide concentration in the blood is known to cause fear and panic in health individuals. Increasing UM’s carbon dioxide levels did manage to give her a fright.

1.The text starts by_______.

A. challenging the reader

B. solving daily problems

C. listing situations

D. giving explanations

2.Why is the woman with Urbach-Wieth disease given a code name?

A. To tell her case from other patients

B. To respect her privacy

C. To meet the researchers’ demands

D. To ensure her safety

3.From UM’s case,we can know that Urbach-Wieth disease may________.

A. stop the brain from functioning normally

B. lead to a decrease in calcium deposits

C. stop the brain from responding quickly

D. lead to an increase in carbon dioxide

4.What will probably happen to UM from the last paragraph?

A. Dying of the Urbach-Wieth disease.

B. Getting the sense of panic.

C. Experiencing another danger.

D. Speaking with a hoarse voice.

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