Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is the color of most growing plants, too.
Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet finished or plants that are not ripe.
For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in war (战争). By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today--a person who is new in a job.
About one hundred years ago, greenhorn was a popular expression in the American west. Old-timers used it to describe a man who had just arrived from one of the big cities in the east. The greenhorn didn’t have the skills that he would need to live in the hard, rough country.
Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds.
A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.
The Green Revolution (革命) is the name which was given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural (农业的) scientists who had green thumbs.
【小题1】According to the passage, a greenhorn means________ now.

Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing    1.  .

For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the 15^th  century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed.   2.  . By the 18^th century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.

About 100 years ago. Greenhorn was a popular expression in the west of America.   3.   The greenhorn lacked the skills he would need to live in the hard, rough country.

Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb.   4.  A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.

Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”.   5.  A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay rise and she does not.

A．The plants produced much larger crops．

B．The expression comes from the early 1900s

C．Sometimes, it describes something that is nit yet ripe or finished

D．Later, it meant a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle.

E．It was used to describe a man who adjust arrived from one of the big cities．

F．It was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs．

G．It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants.

Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is the color of most growing plants, too.
Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet finished or plants that are not ripe.
For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in war (战争). By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today--a person who is new in a job.
About one hundred years ago, greenhorn was a popular expression in the American west. Old-timers used it to describe a man who had just arrived from one of the big cities in the east. The greenhorn didn’t have the skills that he would need to live in the hard, rough country.
Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds.
A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.
The Green Revolution (革命) is the name which was given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural (农业的) scientists who had green thumbs

1. 1.

   According to the passage, a greenhorn means________ now

   1. A.
      a young cow or ox whose horns have not yet developed
   2. B.
      a soldier who has not had any experience in war
   3. C.
      a person who is new in a job
   4. D.
      a man who doesn’t have the skills to live in the country
2. 2.

   The meaning of the underlined word “ripe” in the second paragraph is ________

   1. A.
      未完成的
   2. B.
      成熟的
   3. C.
      青涩的
   4. D.
      老练的
3. 3.

   Which of the following about the Green Revolution is NOT right?

   1. A.
      If there weren’t the Green Revolution, we would have no rice to eat
   2. B.
      The expression “the Green Revolution” appeared several years ago
   3. C.
      Because of the Green Revolution, we have more kinds of rice and other grains
   4. D.
      Agricultural scientists with green thumbs started the Green Revolution
4. 4.

   We can know from the passage that _______

   1. A.
      all growing plants is green
   2. B.
      green is the most important color in nature
   3. C.
      a person with a green thumb can make plants grow well
   4. D.
      the expression “a green thumb” has a history of two hundred years
5. 5.

   The main idea of the passage is ________

   1. A.
      a greenhorn
   2. B.
      a green thumb
   3. C.
      the Green Revolution
   4. D.
      the word “green” and its story

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is one of the world’s greatest art museums. Millions of people have entered its doors to see paintings by the world’s fine artists. But if these priceless masterpieces are to be preserved, the Gallery must protect them carefully. The Gallery’s 135-man guard force has successfully prevented them from being stolen, but protecting the paintings from nature is a greater problem.
In past times, the owners of paintings did not protect them from damaging changes in humidity（湿度）and temperature. As a result, the life of these paintings were shortened. In the National Gallery, however, humidity and temperature are carefully controlled. The building is air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter. The air-conditioning and heating system are so important to the life of the painting that the Gallery has two of each system. If one should fail, the extra one can take over.
Light is another enemy of paintings. Ultraviolet rays（紫外线）in light cause paintings to fade（褪色）. Long ago, paintings often hung in dark churches and palaces. A coat of varnish（清漆）was a protection from the weak light. But when museums took over the care of many paintings, they were often hung in brighter light than before. Soon they were in danger of fading. The damaging effects of light were increased when the museums removed the varnish coating, yellowed with age.
To protect its paintings, the National Gallery put a special kind of glass in its skylights. This glass allows visible lights to enter the building but it keeps out harmful ultraviolet rays. The Gallery has also developed new and better varnishes which help to keep paintings from fading. Thanks to these new precautions, many of the world’s greatest paintings are being well protected for future generations to enjoy.
【小题1】The text mainly tells us about_________________________.