In a living statue, just as the name implies, somebody transforms（=change）himself or herself into a statue. Last year, I came across an article in a magazine describing living statues in the streets of some Australian cities. The article was vividly written, except that there was not even a single picture; one could only imagine what a scene it would have been! All the harder, then, to believe that I ran into the “wonder” in Barcelona this year. The performers – the living statues – were street artists at Las Ramblas.

Las Ramblas is the most famous street in Barcelona. Especially in summer, thousands of tourists go to the seaside by passing through this street, making it a center of shops and bazaars. Not only can you find tourists there, but also thieves, cheats, cops…among whom the living statue artists are the most special group.

They were covered with greasepaint（化妆油）in different colors, wearing season – disproportional （不和季节的）clothes, standing on a pedestal（底座）for several hours without making even a single move. Are they real or fake, the guests were wondering…and then suddenly the statues came to life, just for a few seconds to shift positions. But the movement of the statues seemed like someone just had breathed life into them. They really do look like statues, and that’s how they got their name.

Usually there is a jar or a hat in front of them. They would change to another pose whenever some tourist puts a coin in the hat. You may take photos after giving a Euro, or even less, but be careful not to touch the statues, unless you want yourself to be covered in paint. It’s a really special experience, don’t you think?

1．The best title for this passage would be　　　　　　 .

　 A．The Living Statues of Barcelona　　　　　　 B．Street Artists at Las Ramblas

　 C．A Shopping Center in Barcelona　　　　　　 D．Special Performances at Las Ramblas

2．We can infer from this passage that Las Ramblas is　　　　　 .

　 A．very famous in Barcelona　　 B．near the seaside

　 C．a shopping center　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．the writer’s wonder

3．The underlined word “fake” in paragraph 4 means “　　　　　 ”.

　 A．true　　　　 B．living　　　 C．unreal　　　 D．wrong

4．From the passage, we can see that the living statues perform in the street in order to　　　 .

　 A．show off　　　　　　　　　　 B．beautify the city

　 C．make tourists happy　　　　 D．make a living

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Motherhood is a career to respect

　　A WOMAN renewing her driver’s license at the CountyClerk’s office was asked to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

　　“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a...”

　　“Of course I have a job,” said Emily. “I’m a mother.”

　　“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation... ‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.

　　One day I found myself in the same situation. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title. “What is your occupation?” she asked.

　　The words simply popped out. “I’m a Research Associate (研究员) in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”

　　The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.

　　I repeated the title slowly, then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement (声明) was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

　　“Might I ask,” said the clerk with interest, “just what you do in your field?”

　　Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”

　　There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.

　　As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up (激励) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants – ages 13, 7, and 3.

　　Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6-month-old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.

　　I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable (不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother.”

　　Motherhood... What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door.

How did the female clerk feel at first when the writer told her occupation?

　　A. Cold-hearted.　　　　B. Open-minded.

　　C. Puzzled. 　　　　　　D. Interested.

How many children does the writer have?

　　A. 3　　　 B. 4 　　　C. 7　　　 D. 13

Why did the woman clerk show more respect to the writer?

　　A. Because she thought the writer did admirable work.

　　B. Because the writer cared little about rewards.

　　C. Because the writer did something that she had little knowledge of.

　　D. Because she admired the writer's research work.

What is the point of the article?

　　A. To show that how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it.

　　B. To show that the writer had a grander job than Emily.

　　C. To argue that motherhood is a worthy career.

　　D. To show that being a mother is hard and boring work.

There was special interest in the Olympic Games that year.

Adolf Hitler was ruler of Germany. Hitler and his Nazi Party believed that white people—especially German people—were the best race of people on earth. They believed that other races of people—especially those with dark skin—were almost less than human. In the summer of 1936, Hitler wanted to prove his beliefs to the world. He wanted to show that German athletes could win every important competition.

Jesse Owens was black, too. Until 1936, very few black athletes had competed in the Olympic Games for the United States. Jesse was proud to be on the team. He was very sure of his ability.

Jesse spent one week competing in four different Olympic track and field events in Berlin. During that time, he did not think much about the color of his skin, or about Adolf Hitler. At last, Jesse Owens won the highest award—the gold medal—in all four of the Olympic, competitions he entered. In the hundred meter run, he equaled the fastest time ever run in that Olympic event. In the long jump and the 200-meter run, he set new Olympic records. And as part of a four-man team, he helped set a new world record for the 400-meter relay race.

　　  1. How many nations took part in the Olympic Games in 1936?

　　　　  A. 50　　　　   B. 55　　　　　　　　  C. 60    　　　　  D. 65

　　  2. What can be inferred from the passage?

　　　　  A. Hitler thought of Jesse Owens as a hero.

　　　　  B. Hitler believed that black people were worse than white people.

　　　　  C. Jesse Owens was black.

　　　　  D. Jesse Owens was not confident in himself when he took part in the Olympic Games.

　　  3. In which city was the Olympic Games held in 19367

　　　　  A. In New York.　　　　    B. In London.

　　　　  C. In Germany.　　　　　　 D. In Berlin.

　　  4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

　　　　  A. Hitler's belief that German people were better than any other race of people in the world.

　　　　  B. Black young man—Jesse Owens—became famous by winning four gold medals in the Olympic Games in 1936.

　　　　  C. Jesse succeeded in the Olympic Games because of his hard training.

　　　　  D Hider hated black people, especially Jesse Owens.