Born into a poor family，two of the Durers' children still had a dream for art，but they knew their father could not afford to send either of them to the academy(院校)．

After discussions，the two boys finally agreed to toss a coin．The loser would go to the nearby mines and support his brother while he attended the academy．Then，when the winner completed his studies，he would support the other brother，either with sales of his art work or，if necessary，by working in the mines．So they tossed a coin．Albrecht Durer won the toss and went to Nuremberg．Albert went to the dangerous mines and financed his brother，whose work at the academy was almost an immediate success，and by graduation，he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his works．

When the Durer family held a dinner to celebrate Albrecht's homecoming， Albrecht drank a toast to his brother，“Now，Albert，it is your turn to go to Nuremberg and follow your dream，and I will take care of you．”

Albert wiped the tears from his cheeks，glanced at the faces he loved，and said softly，“No，brother．It is too late for me．Look….look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been broken at least once，and lately I have been suffering from arthritis(关节炎)so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast，much 1ess make lines on canvas(画布)with a pen or a brush．No，brother …for me it is too 1ate．”

Therefore，Albrecht took pains to draw his brother’s injured hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward．The entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and named it “The Praying Hands”．

1.The passage is mainly about

2.According to the two brothers’ agreement，．

3.Albert refused his brother’s offer because．

4.The artist created the masterpiece “The Praying Hands”

Most musicians agree that the best violins were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins. But they aren’t the same. Why are these old Italian violins so special? Many people think they have an answer.
Some people think it is the age of the violins. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only those from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer.
Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. The wood of the violin is very important. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremona knew something special about wood for violins.
But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully. It has to be the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this is the secret of the Italians.
Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists make new violins that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old one. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish（清漆）, which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. Since no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish, no one can make the same varnish today.
There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. And there are not many of the old violins left. So these old violins are becoming more and more precious

1. 1.

   What would be the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      The Secrets of Cremona Violins
   2. B.
      The History of Italian Violins
   3. C.
      Special Musical Instruments
   4. D.
      How to Make the Best Violins
2. 2.

   The main purpose of the first paragraph is to_______________

   1. A.
      list some facts
   2. B.
      raise a question
   3. C.
      give an opinion
   4. D.
      offer an answer
3. 3.

   What is still unclear about Cremona violins according to the writer?

   1. A.
      The shape．
   2. B.
      The size．
   3. C.
      The wood．
   4. D.
      The varnish．
4. 4.

   Which of the following words can best describe Cremona violins?

   1. A.
      Light．
   2. B.
      Shining．
   3. C.
      Valuable．
   4. D.
      Modern
5. 5.

   What can we learn from this passage?

   1. A.
      Modem things are always better than ancient ones
   2. B.
      Ancient things are always better than modem ones
   3. C.
      Once a cultural relic is lost．it Can never be recovered
   4. D.
      Varnish for violins will become more and more precious

       Jascha Richter once sang “don't need too much talking without saying anything” to reveal his lonely feeling in a crowd．

       Dad always told me never to ever reveal my true opinions towards other people if such opinions are negative．He said this is the “Chu Shi Zhe Xue”, the philosophy of dealing with social network．

       It seems that everybody here just follows this philosophy very, very well．

       Friends．I would say that if I were given true friendship I would definitely treasure it with my greatest care．If I really regard someone as my close friend, I would never leave her alone whenever she's in need, either financially or mentally．And I always believe, as long as I treat people with whole-hearted honesty, I would have some rewards—at least, just ONE true friend of the same gender（性别）．

      Sometimes I just miss my friends in China．Perhaps when we became friends, we were still young, too young to have been polluted by any dirt in the society．But here, it is simply different．It seems that all of us have learnt how to SURVIVE in a foreign land and such an experience actually makes us learn how to extract （榨取） the most benefits from the surroundings in order to survive．

       All are friends around me．I've looked through all the dark sides of their personalities and yet I have to pretend that I know nothing．THEY ARE GOOD．THEY ARE GOO D．AND WE ARE FRIENDS．And then I can make myself comfortable enough to talk to people I hate the most．And of course, they don't say any words truly from their hearts．Neither do I．

       But, sometimes I just feel unwilling to talk to these people．Sometimes, I just want to be alone, quietly, without being forced to listen to their gossip or other useless words．

       “Standing on a mountain high

       Looking at the moon through a clear blue sky

       I should go and see some friends

       But they don't really comprehend”

       Jascha Richter expresses my feelings also．

1．What do we know about the writer’s father according to this passage?

       A．He is really a good philosopher．

       B．He possibly gets on well with others．

       C．He told the writer to reveal her true opinions．

       D．The passage doesn’t tell us at all．

2．What’s the most probable reason the writer mentions Jascha Richter’s song twice in the passage?

       A．She likes Jascha Richter’s song．

       B．Jascha Richter is one of her friends．

       C．The song expresses her feelings．

       D．She uses it to perfects her article．

3．Which of the following statements about the writer is TRUE?

       A．She is now living abroad but doesn’t enjoy the life there．

       B．She absolutely believes in her father’s philosophy．

       C．She shows a positive attitude towards her relationship with others．

       D．She thinks highly of her friends by repeating “They are good”．

4．The writer mostly expresses her ______ in this passage．

       A．happiness           B．homesickness C．sadness        D．loneliness