Watercolor is the oldest paints known. It dates back to the early cave men who discovered they could add lifelike qualities to drawings of animals and other figures on the walls of caves by mixing the natural colors found in the earth with water.

Fresco(壁画), one of the greatest of all art forms, is done with watercolor. It is created by mixing paints and water and applying these to wet plaster(灰泥). Of the thousands of people who stand under Michelangelo's heroic ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, very few know that they are looking at perhaps the greatest watercolor painting in the world.

The invention of oil painting by the Flemish masters in the fifteenth century made fresco painting go down-hill, and for the next several centuries watercolor was used mainly for doing sketches(素描) or as a tool for study. It was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that English painters put back watercolor as a serious art form. The English have a widely-known love for the outdoors and also small, private pictures. The softness of watercolor had a remarkably strong attraction for them.

The popularity of watercolor continued to grow until in the twentieth century. The United States passed England as the center for watercolor, producing such well-known watercolor artists as Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth.

What is the passage mainly about?

A.The gradual weakness of fresco painting.

B.Oils having more power or influence over watercolor.

C.The rediscovery of watercolor in England.

D.The start and development of watercolor.

The first watercolor artists were ______.

A.early cave men                                      B.Italian fresco artists

C.Flemish masters                                     D.English artists of the 18th century

In 16th and 17th centuries the artists thought ______.

A.watercolor was more costly, but was better

B.oil painting lasted less long, but clearer and brighter

C.watercolor was not suitable for finished works

D.oil painting was difficult to use

According to the passage, watercolor painting was put back in England because ______.

A.it was easy to use outdoors                      B.it was a strong medium

B.it was extremely bright in color               D.it was well suited to popular tastes

What would the next paragraph most probably deal with?

A.The works of famous American watercolor artists.

B.The weakness of oils as popular paints.

C.Techniques of producing watercolor.

D.Modern American oil painters.

Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there’s no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only have to share your children’s curiosity(好奇). Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a classroom of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me “textbook questions” about schooling, salary(薪水) and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence. Finally I said, “Now that we’re finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”

After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, “Have you ever seen a grasshopper(蚱蜢) eat? When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?”

This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.

Secondly, give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. When adults increase their “wait time” to three seconds or more, children give more logical(符合逻辑的), complete and creative answers.

Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don’t jump in with “That’s right” or “Very good”. These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior(行为). But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by saying “That’s interesting” or “I’d never thought of it that way before”, or coming up with more questions or ideas.

Never push a child to “Think”. It doesn’t make sense, children are always thinking, without your telling them to. What’s more, this can turn a conversation into a performance. The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a smaller target(目标) for your disagreement.

Lastly, show; don’t tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass(放大镜), and they’ll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water evaporates(蒸发), set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.

1. According to the passage, children are natural scientists, and to raise their interest, the most important thing for adults to do is _______.

A. to let them see the world around

B. to share the children’s curiosity

C. to explain difficult phrases about science

D. to supply the children with lab equipment

2. In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the word “lists” could best be replaced by ______.

A. any questions                          B. any problems

C. questions from textbooks         D. any number of questions

3. According to the passage, children can answer questions in a more logical, complete and creative way if adults ________.

A. ask them to answer quickly

B. wait for one or two seconds after a question

C. tell them to answer the next day

D. wait at least for three seconds after a question

4. In which of the following paragraph(s) does the author tell us what to say to encourage children in a science discussion?

A. The second and third.

B. The fourth and fifth.

C. The fifth and sixth.

D. The seventh.

5. The author mentions all of the following techniques for adults to share with their children’s curiosity except that adults should ________.

A. tell their children stories instead of reciting(背诵) facts

B. offer their children chances to see things for themselves

C. be patient enough when their children answer questions

D. encourage their children to ask questions of their own

(1—5 BCDCA)

When the six very best students from different cities in Guangdong Province all together chose universities in Hong Kong; when the very best students of Beijing picked up HK University while giving up the nearby Beijing or Qinghua University; when the highest enrollment(录取) rate of Hong Kong Science and Industry University reached 48:1, it’s the high time to ask where the real education heaven for students in China is.

Years ago, the answer certainly would be “Beijing or Qinghua University”. But now no one could give the exact reaction without hesitation. The only sure thing is that HK universities have gradually showed an unusual attraction to a great many mainland students.

It’s no doubt to call this HK craze (狂热), which is even out of the expectation of those HK universities themselves. www..com

How can HK universities shake the steady foundations of Beijing and Qinghua and attract so many mainland students?

First, Hong Kong universities offer large-amount scholarship, especially for the top students who can receive the sum scholarship as much as 400,000 HK dollars. Since higher education has become a kind of heavy burden of many families, it’s easy to understand why the reaction to the generous offering of HK universities is great.

Second, most HK universities receive professors and students from all over the world and carry out bilingual (双语) education. This kind of excellent language atmosphere is another attraction for mainland students.

Furthermore, university students in Hong Kong have a better chance to study abroad as exchange students.

Can mainland top universities like Beijing or Qinghua University be calm as before when facing the unexpected competition from HK? Will they take relevant measures to win back the top students who once help them set the worldwide reputation? Time will explain it.

The fierce competition brought by HK universities can be a good thing for an entire improvement of education in China. After the awakening and action-taking of mainland universities, they can perform better together with HK universities.

At least, it reminded the mainland universities the tuition fees (学费) are among students’ top concern when they are choosing universities. It’s time to move.

What is the passage mainly talking about?

A. Some thoughts brought by the enrollment of HK universities.

B. Higher education in Hong Kong.

C. The competition between HK University and Beijing University.

D. The fall of mainland universities.

Top students from mainland apply for HK universities because________.

A. many students now would love to study abroad to get a better experience

B. they concern only about the tuition fees when choosing universities

C. HK Universities offer higher scholarship, better environment and more opportunities for their further study

D. Beijing University has lost its worldwide reputation

What is the author’s attitude toward the competition brought by HK universities?

A. The government should take relevant measures to stop this unfair competition.

B. Mainland universities had better lower their tuition fees and win back the top students.

C. Universities both in mainland and in HK would get an entire improvement during the competition.

D. It may probably cause a complete loss to both sides in the end.

From the passage we can see HK universities________.

A. didn’t mean to enroll top students from mainland

B. didn’t expect their enrollment of mainland students would be so popular

C. have strict enrollment rules and only 1out of 48 students can get the chance to study there

D. are proud of their teaching staff and facilities

    Jenna, a popular girl from Westood Middle School, had graduated first in her class and was ready for new   36   in high school.

      37  , high school was different. In the first week, Jenna went to tryouts(选拔赛) for cheerleaders(拉拉队队员). She was competing against very talented girls, and she knew it would be  38   for her to be selected. Two hours later, the  39  read a list of the girls for a second tryout. Her heart  40   as the list ended without her name. Feeling  41  , she walked home carrying her schoolbag full of homework.

    Arriving home, she started with math. She had always been a good math student, but now she was   42  . She moved on to English and history, and was  43  to find that she didn’t have any trouble with those subjects. Feeling better, she decided not to  44  math for the time being.

    The next day Jenna went to see Mrs Biden about being on the school  45  . Mrs Biden wasn’t as  46   as Jenna. “ I’m sorry, but we have enough  47   for the newspaper already. Come back next year and we’ll take then.” Jenna smiled  48   and left. “Why is high school so     49    ?” she sighed.

    Later in  50  class, Jenna devoted herself to figuring out the problems that had given her so much  51   . By the end of class, she understood how to get them right. As she gathered her books, Jenna decided she’d continue to try to   52   at her new school. She wasn’t sure if she’d succeed, but she knew she had to  53   . High school was just as her mom had said: “You will feel like a small fish in a big pond  54   a big fish in a small pond. The challenge is to become the  55   fish you can be.”

36. A. processes         B. decisions          C. challenges          D. exercises

37. A. Therefore         B. However          C. Otherwise          D. Besides

38. A. difficult          B. easy              C. boring             D. interesting

39. A. editor            B. boss              C. candidate           D. judge

40. A. jumped           B. sank              C. stopped            D. raced

41. A. strange           B. happy             C. awful              D. lonely

42. A. struggling         B. improving         C. working            D. complaining

43. A. ashamed          B. disappointed        C. shocked           D. relieved

44. A. put up            B. prepare for         C. worry about         D. give up

45. A. committee        B. newspaper          C. radio              D. team

46. A. enthusiastic       B. artistic             C. sympathetic         D. realistic

47. A. speakers          B. readers             C. cheerleaders        D. writers

48. A. widely           B. weakly             C. excitedly           D. brightly

49. A. similar           B. ordinary            C. different            D. familiar

50. A. physics           B. history             C. English            D. math

51. A. pleasure          B. hope               C. trouble             D. sorrow

52. A. fit in             B. look out            C. stay up             D. get around

53. A. swim            B. try                 C. ask                D. escape

54. A. in return for       B. in case of            C. in terms of         D. instead of

55. A. slimmest         B. smallest              C. best              D. gentlest

第二节 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Are you truly happy? Do you ever know what it means to be happy and what it takes to achieve happiness?The following are a few tips that I follow to create happiness in my life.

* Make a plan for attaining goals that you believe will make you happy. Your moods will very likely increase if you are going after something you value.

* Surround yourself with happy people. It is easy to begin to think negatively when you are surrounded by people who think that way..

* When something goes wrong, try to figure out a solution instead of being absorbed in self pity．Truly happy people don’t allow setbacks to affect their mood because they know that with a little thought they can turn the circumstances back to their favor.

*. These few minutes will give you the opportunity to focus on the positive things in your life and will lead you to continuous happiness.

*. Whether you treat yourself to lunch, take a long, relaxing bath or simply spend a few extra minutes on your appearance, you will be subconsciously (下意识地) putting yourself in a better mood.

* Finding the humor in situations can also lead to happiness. Find a way to make light of a situation that would otherwise make you happy.

* Keeping healthy is another way to achieve happiness. .

A. What makes one person happy may be very different from what makes someone else happy．

B. On the contrary, if you are around people who are happy their emotional state will be infectious．

C. Being overweight or not eating nutritious foods can have a negative effect on your mood．

D. These are important questions for anyone who is seeking happiness to ask themselves．

E. Spend a few minutes each day thinking about the things that make you happy．

F. There are some tips in life that lead to happiness．

G. It’s also important to take some time each day to do something nice for yourself．