Street art can be found on buildings, sidewalks, street signs and even trash cans from Tokyo to Paris to New York City. This special kind of art can take the form of paintings, sculptures, cloth or even stickers (张贴物). Street art has become part of a global visual culture. Now, even art museums and galleries are collecting the works of street artists.

It is not easy to provide an exact history of the street art movement. This kind of art has developed in many kinds of ways in places all over the world. Also, because it is illegal to paint public and private property without permission, street artists usually work secretly. This secretive nature of street art and its countless forms make it hard to define exactly. And people have different opinions about the movement. Some think street art is a crime and destroys property. But others see this art as a rich form of non-traditional cultural expression.

Many experts say the movement began in New York City in the 1960s. Young adults would use paint in special cans to spray their “tag” on walls and train cars around the city. This tag was a name they created to identify themselves and their artwork. This colorful style of writing is also called graffiti (涂鸦). It is visually exciting and energetic. Some graffiti paintings were signs marking the territories of city gangs or illegal crime groups.

Graffiti also became a separate movement expressing the street culture of young people living in big cities. Graffiti art represented social and political rebellion (叛逆). This was art that rejected the accepted rules of culture and power. These artists could travel around areas of the city making creative paintings for everyone to see. Sometimes this street art created a conflict between artists and city officials. Graffiti artists created their images and city officials quickly painted over them.

During the 1980s, two New York painters — Keith Haring and Jean Michel began showing their work in art galleries and museums. This is when street art started to become part of the more general popular culture.

What can we infer from the first paragraph?

A. Street art has become popular and is accepted as a kind of culture.

B. Street art is very special compared with other forms of popular art.

C. Many people are beginning to learn street art.

D. Street art is better developed in big cities than in rural areas.

Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. “TAG” was a word created by people to distinguish street artists and the other artists.

B. There are three reasons explaining why it is hard to define the history of street art.

C. The movement of street art began in the 1980s in New York City.

D. All the people don’t think that the street art is a rich form of cultural expression.

The city officials used to get rid of graffiti probably because _____________.

A. they caused arguments between people           B. they were ugly in someone’s eyes

C. they were not painted under proper guidance   D. they didn’t express traditional culture

The Most Direct Solution to Any Problem
When trying to solve various problems in life, an approach I find very useful is to first identify what I’d consider the most direct solution, regardless of how I feel about actually implementing (实施) it. What is the clearest, most direct path to my goal or the most efficient way to get around an obstacle?
Many problems will have multiple direct solutions, but often these solutions will be unpleasant at first glance because they’ll require courage, self-discipline, creativity, or persistence to implement.  【小题1】 
For example, suppose you want to lose weight. And suppose we can say that one of direct solutions is to eat the same as you’re eating now and increase your exercise output by 500 calories a day.   【小题2】 It may require discipline and persistence, but most people would agree that it will work if you follow through.
Another example:   【小题3】  However, you don’t know how that person feels about you. One direct solution would be to simply walk up, explain your thoughts and feelings, and ask if she or he is interested in discussing the possibility of a closer relationship. This will take less than a minute to say, and whatever the outcome is, at least you know where you stand.   【小题4】          Anyhow it’s very simple and straightforward.
  【小题5】  What’s the simplest and quickest way to reach your goal, assuming that you had limitless courage and discipline?

I'm fat, I'm too skinny．I'd be happy if I were taller, shorter, had curly hair, straight hair, a smaller nose, bigger muscles, longer legs．

Do any of these statements sound familiar? Are you used to putting yourself down? If so, you' re not alone．As a teen, you're going through many changes in your body．And as your body changes, so does your image of yourself．Lots of people have trouble adjusting, and this can affect their self-esteem （自尊） ．

If you have a positive body image, you probably like and accept yourself the way you are．This healthy attitude allows you to explore other aspects of growing up, such as developing good friendships, growing more independent from your parents, and challenging yourself physically and mentally．Developing these parts of yourself can help boost （提升） yourself-esteem．

A positive attitude and a healthy lifestyle （such as exercising and eating right） are a great combination for building good self-esteem．

Some people think they need to change how they look or act to feel good about themselves． But actually all you need to do is change the way you see your body and how you think about yourself．

The first thing to do is recognize that your body is your own, no matter what shape, size or color it comes in．If you are very worried about your weight or size, check with your doctor to verify （核实） that things are OK．But it is no one's business but your own what your body is like—ultimately, you have to be happy with yourself．

Next, identify which aspects of your appearance you can realistically change and which you can't．Everyone has things about themselves that they can't change and need to accept—like their height, for example, or their shoe size．

When you hear negative comments coming from within yourself, tell yourself to stop．Try building your self-esteem by giving yourself three good things every day．By focusing on the good things you do and the positive aspects of your life, you can change how you feel about yourself．

The most important thing is to get help if you feel like your body image and self-esteem are affecting your life．

1.If we have a positive body image, we will_____．

    A．concentrate on our body image only      B．not develop strong self-esteem

    C．like and accept ourselves as we are    D．be less independent of our parents

2.______ can NOT help to boost your self-esteem．

    A．Growing independent from your parents

    B．Accepting your own body as it actually is

    C．Having a positive attitude and a healthy lifestyle

    D．Improving your body image as much as you can

3.To improve our body image, we have to _____．

    A．think about ourselves                   B．be happy with ourselves

    C．change the shape, size or color of one's body

    D．check with our doctor to verify that our body is OK

4.Which is probably the best title of the passage?

    A．Importance of Body Image                B．Effects on a Person's Self-esteem

    C．Tips for Improving Body Image           D．Self-esteem and Body Image

BEIJING—Apple Inc is one step closer to beginning sales of iPad3 tablet computers with cellular (手机) network compatibility (兼容) for the first time in the Chinese mainland, where the consumer-electronics giant is in the midst of an aggressive expansion.

According to China’s Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, a device by Apple with third-generation high-speed wireless data capabilities was issued the network access license needed for the company to begin official sales in China. The device, listed under model number “A1396”, is compatible with the 3G standard WCDMA, and would work with the cellular network operated by Apple’s local iPhone partner, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd.

China Unicom declined (谢绝) to comment.

Apple already offers the 3G iPad3 in Hong Kong through its partners, but currently only offers Wi-Fi versions of the device in the Chinese mainland. Still, consumers in China, which according to research firm IDC surpassed (超过) the US as the world’s largest PC market in the second quarter, have been purchasing 3G tablets through unofficial channels.

Separately, Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said Sept 6 that the company’s first Hong Kong store, set to open this quarter, will be located in the city’s central shopping and business district in the International Finance Center’s upscale (高档的) IFC mall, a commercial center and sightseeing spot along the city’s waterfront. Wu also said that Apple is planning a new store in Shanghai later this quarter, which will be its biggest store in China. She declined to give more details or to comment on the 3G iPad3.

Apple currently has four full-service Apple stores in the mainland, which receive the most traffic of any Apple stores in the world. The company otherwise relies on resellers to get its products into the market.

The new stores reflect Apple’s confidence in rising demand for its products such as smart phones and tablet computers. Sales in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan helped boost (增长) the company’s third-quarter results, newly appointed Chief Executive Tim Cook said in July. China revenue (收益) surged (激增) six-fold to about $3.8 billion during the three months ended June 25.

“This has been a substantial (重大) opportunity for Apple and I firmly believe that we’re just scratching the surface right now,” Cook said at the time, referring to strong sales in China. “I see an incredible opportunity for Apple there.”

From China Daily 2012

1.According to the news, which of the following statements is true?

A．WCDMA is not the only 3G standard in the world.

B．Apple Inc sells its products in the market of the Chinese mainland all by its own stores.

C．The consumers in China can only get iPad3 of Wi-Fi versions.

D．Chinese mainland is the second largest PC market in this year’s second quarter.

2.Which one of the following phrases can replace the underlined word in paragraph 1?

A．in the interests of                       B．in the front of

C．in the process of                        D．in the case of

3.How many full-service Apple stores in China?

A．4.               B．6.                C．8.               D．Unknown.

4.What’s the probable meaning of “six-fold” in the last but one paragraph?

A．one-sixth          B．six times          C．60 percent        D．2times

5.45. By saying “we’re just scratching the surface right now”, Cook means ________.

A．they don’t know much about China’s market

B．they will sell more products and gain more profit in China

C．they need to obtain more permission from China’s government

D．they ignored the rural market in China

Plants can’t communicate by moving or making sounds, as most animals do. Instead, plants Produce volatile compounds, chemicals that easily change from a liquid to a gas. A flower’s sweet smell, for example, comes from volatile compounds that the plant produces to attract insects such as Bugs and bees.

Plants can also detect volatile compounds produced by other plants. A tree under attack by Hungry insets, for instance, may give off volatile compounds that let other trees know about the Attack. In response, the other trees may send off chemicals to keep the bugs away ——or even  Chemicals that attract the bugs’ natural enemies.

Now scientists have created a quick way to understand what plants are saying: a chemical Sensor（传感器）called an electronic nose. The “e-nose” can tell compounds that crop plants make When they’re attacked Scientists say the e-nose could help quickly detect whether plants are being Eaten by insects. But today the only way to detect such insects is to visually inspect individual Plants. This is a challenging task for managers of greenhouses, enclosed gardens than can house Thousands of plants.

The research team worked with an e-nose than recognizes volatile compounds. Inside the device, 13 sensors chemically react with volatile compounds Based on these interactions, the e-nose gives off electronic signals that the scientists analyze using computer software.

To test the nose, the team presented it with healthy leaves from cucumber, pepper and tomato plants, all common greenhouse crops. Then scientists collected samples of air around damaged leaves from each type of crop, These plants had been damaged by insects, or by scientists who made holes in the leaves with a hole punch（打孔器）. The e-nose, it turns out, could identify healthy cucumber, pepper and tomato plants based on The volatile compounds they produce, It could also identify tomato leaves that had been damaged. But even more impressive, the device could tell which type of damage ---- by insects or with a hole Punch ---- had been done to the tomato leaves.

With some fine-tuning, a device like the e-nose could one day be used in greenhouses to quickly spot harmful bugs, the researchers say. A device like this could also be used to identify fruits that are perfectly ripe and ready to pick and eat, says Natalia Dudareva, a biochemist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. who studies smells of flowers and plants. Hopefully, scientists believe, the device could bring large benefits to greenhouse managers in the near future.

We learn from the text that plants communicate with each other by____.

A. making some sounds        B. waving their leaves

C. producing some chemicals   D. sending out electronic signals

What did the scientists do to find out if the e-nose worked?

A. They presented it with all common crops.

B. They fixed 13 sensors inside the device.

C. They collected different damaged leaves.

D. They made tests on damaged and healthy leaves.

According to the writer, the most amazing thing about the e-nose is that it can___.

A. pick out ripe fruits

B. spot the insects quickly

C. distinguish different damages to the leaves

D. recognize unhealthy tomato leaves

We can infer from the last paragraph that the e-nose_____.

A. is unable to tell the smell of flowers

B. is not yet used in greenhouses

C. is designed by scientists at Purdue

D. is helpful in killing harmful insects