Trekking through the mists of the Huangshan mountains , I came upon a young man painting the scenery with traditional brush and ink on rice paper. He smiled proudly as he showed me his work. It was indeed quite beautiful for a painting , but it paled compared to the living scene before my eyes: mountaintops surrounded by light clouds, an endless dance of wind and fog that changes alternately in the dark hills beneath. How futile it must feel for a mere human being to try to capture that , I thought.
Yet for centuries ,these mountains in the heart of China have been a destination for artists and poets , who come to commune with nature in one of its more striking pose-and struggle to replicate its beauty. Along with the artists and poets come lovers ,who grasp locks symbolic of their undying love to the chain fences that protect hikers from the steep cliffs .Seventy miles of trials wind around 72peaks , the two majestic of which are Capital of Heaven and Lotus Flower.
In 1990 ,UNESCO declared Huangshan a Cultural and Natural Property , thereby ensuring that the area’s physical beauty will be preserved forever. Pheasant and deer abound. Hundreds of plants are said to heal the body and the famous hot springs are known for their healing qualities . An hour’s meditation in one of these pools is a great way  to end a day of hiking .
The three staging areas for Huangshan visitors are Jade Screen, the Hot Spring area and the North Sea. The Xi Hai and Bei Hai ,located on different summits are three-star hotels serving Chinese and Western food as well as wine and liquor from East and West.
Huangshan may not be exactly off the beaten path , but it is on a road well worth taking.
【小题1】 The writer thought the young man ‘s painting    .
A not a bit beautiful    B  not as beautiful as the living scene
C more beautiful than the living scene   D  beautiful enough to caught the nature’s beauty
【小题2】 Why would lovers like to grasp locks to the chain fences?
A because locks symbolize lovers’ forever love
B because locks can protect lovers from the cliffs
C because locks help lovers climb to the top quickly
D because locks contribute to enjoy nature easily
【小题3】 What is the purpose of the passage?
A To introduce some hotels in Huangshan mountains
B To recommend Huangshan mountains to tourists
C To speak highly of the beauty of Huangshan mountains
D To stress the convenience to climb Huangshan mountains

When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, Leonard Bernstein gave a concert in Berlin, including Beethoven's Ode to Joy, with the word "Joy" changed to "Freedom" in the lyrics sung．The orchestra（管弦乐队）were drawn from both East and West Germany, as well as the United Kingdom, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States．
Freedom was in the air and it was not just for people． The wall between East and West Germany had also kept a large population of wild pigs within the eastern forests of Brandenburg．The wall's falling down made it easier for the big pigs—a very big one can weigh over 300 pounds—to leave the woodlands and walk into the town． Warm winters and easy access to food have helped the population increase． Now about 10,000 wild pigs walk around Berlin．
The nature of the beast has added to the boom（兴旺）．"The pigs are intelligent," says Marc Franusch, a spokesman for the Berlin forestry department． "They learn to use the neighborhoods．They get used to people, dogs, and traffic．"  
The wild pigs tend to travel in small groups and have been found searching rubbish and gardens, feeding their piglets（小猪）in the shadow of parked cars, and crossing busy roads．On average, the animals are involved in one traffic accident every day． And despite the fact that it's illegal, some Berliners have been known to give the pigs food．
Though wild pigs are protected under German law, the city's forestry department is permitted to kill 2,000 of the creatures every year, targeting mostly young adult animals in forests surrounding Berlin． Pigs within city limits are only shot if they make an immediate threat．No humans have yet been seriously wounded by them, but local dogs have been the victims of their tusks． "The forestry department is not aiming to get rid of the pigs," explains Franusch, "but we do have to reduce dangerous situations．"
【小题1】The concert in the first paragraph is given to          ．

For many years, artists have flocked to Paris, France, to paint or to learn to paint. Perhaps artists first went there because of the city′s beauty. They went to paint pictures of the broad, tree-lined streets, the great churches, and the graceful river bridges.

The artists felt comfortable in Paris because the people of the city had always enjoyed art. Paris had great art museums, filled with famous paintings and statues(雕像)from many countries. And the people of Paris had always welcomed new ideas. In this city, artists felt free to experiment with new ways of painting.

As soon as famous artists painted in Paris, students came to learn from them. People came to buy paintings. People called  art dealers set up galleries where paintings were bought and sold. Others kept shops that sold artists′ paints and supplies.

Students and artists who were not yet famous could live in Paris for very little money. They learned by studying great art in the museums, and they learned from one another. They held art fairs, hanging their paintings outdoors along the streets.

Today, New York City and Florence, Italy, are also famous art centers. But the world’s main art exhibits are still held in Paris. Important judges of art live there. Most of the new ways of painting that have started in the last hundred years began in Paris. So artists and art dealers still go to Paris because it is the world′s leading art center.

1.The story does not say so, but it makes you think that.

A．Paris is famous for its artists’ paints and supplies

B．there is more than one way to paint

C．art fairs are held in galleries

D．Florence is the center of world art exhibits

2.Which of the following statement is not a reason why so many artists prefer to stay in Pairs?

A．Pairs is a beautiful city.

B．The French are willing to accept any new things.

C．All the museums are free of charge in Pairs.

D．Artists can make an easier life in Pairs.

3.On the whole, this story is about.

A．the world′s most famous art center

B．how to buy a painting in Paris

C．the famous art centers of New York and Florence

D．where to set up galleries

B

For a song to become popular, people need to bear it.  In order for people　to hear it, the program directors at radio stations have to play it on the air. A song’s popularity is directly related to how often it is played. That is a big responsibility for program directors. How do they decide what gets played and what doesn’t?

In the past, disc jockeys(音乐节目主持人) decided what music was played on the radio. These DJs had an ear for music and an understanding of what their audience wanted to hear. Today, that is all changing. Most major radio stations are owned by a few large national businesses. The decision of what gets played on the radio is made by executives(主管) who have little or no interest in music. They do, however, know how to run a business, and they know what sells. So, the music industry designs and creates pop entertainers, and executives in the radio industry make sure that their music is played on the radio. This explains why you do not often hear anything new and fresh on the radio. The executives do not want to give air time to music that has not been tested on the market. It is too risky. They prefer to go with music that they already know will sell. They know it will sell because it sold last week and last month and last year. They just have to change it a little.

One of the most criticized(批评) practices in the music industry is the practice of “payola”. This is when record companies pay radio stations to play the music of a given artist. This practice makes many people lose trust in the music industry and is therefore against the law. A radio station can accept money in exchange for air time of a song, but they have to make it clear that the song is being played because its air time was paid for. They cannot present the song as if it were part of the normal play schedule(时刻表).

Payola affects both artists and audiences. The artists who work with small record companies that cannot pay a lot of money to radio stations have a much harder time getting exposure. It creates an unfair playing field. Music lovers suffer because they are not able to hear all the music that is available.

60. According to the passage, most major radio stations belong to       .

A. national businesses                      B. program directors   

C. pop entertainers                         D. record companies

61. “Payola” is the practice of        .

A. artists paying radio stations to play their songs

B. record companies buying air time for certain music

C. radio station paying record company for new songs

D. program directors deciding what music gets played

62. Who can make the largest profits from payola?

A. Disc Jockeys.                               B. The given artists.

C.  Business executives.                        D. Program directors.

63. It can be concluded from the passage that the author        .

A. has a positive attitude towards the practice of “payola”

B. is dissatisfied with the present situation in music industry

C. is calling for a change in the normal play schedule

D. thinks that the radio stations are doing the right thing

There lived a king who liked art. One day an artist offered to  paint the most beautiful picture in the world on the wall of his palace.

So he king said, “ All right, you may work on one of the walls in the new hall. ”

Just then, another artist said, “Please allow me to work on the opposite wall. I shall make exactly what that man will make on the opposite wall. Moreover, I shall do so without looking at his work. I would even request you to have a thick curtain put up between the two walls so the either of us cannot see the other. ”

Everyone in the king’s court, including the king and the first artist was surprised. So the king decided to give the man a chance.

The following day, a thick curtain was put into place and both the artists got to work. The first artist brought in a regular supply of paint, oil and water. But the second one would come with a cloth and a bucket of water every day.

A month later the first artist said that his work was completed and invited the king to come.

So the king sent the message to the second artist, saying he was coming to see their works that evening.

After seeing the first artist’s wall, the king was very impressed with the painting and gave him a huge sum of money as a reward. He then asked for the curtain to be opened up.

The same painting was seen on the opposite wall too! It was exactly like the one on the first wall. But this man had not seen what was going on, on the other side of the curtain.

The man said simply, “It’s very easy I just polished the wall every day! ”

It was a wall made of white marble. The fellow polished it till it shone like a mirror. The reflection of the painting across the room showed up in it!

56．A thick curtain was put up between the two walls in order to __________.

A．help them concentrate on their work

B．keep the first artist’s painting a secret

C．prevent their painting from being seen

D．make it hard for them to exchange ideas

57．Why did the first artist receive a huge sum of money from the king?

A．His painting satisfied the king.

B．His painting was the best the king has ever seen.

C．He painted better than the second artist.

D．The king promised to give him a reward.

58．How was the king feeling when he saw the second wall ?

A．Surprised and excited.           B. Fascinated and doubtful.

C．Satisfied and curious.            D. The paintings on the wall.

59．What would be best title of the text?        .

A．A king who loved art            B．Two artists and the king

C．Whose painting is better?        D．The painting on the wall