Salem, the “City of Peace”, is a small city with a big history. It is the second established city in Massachusetts and the second oldest settlement in New England. While Salem has been long known as the “Witch City” due to the notable witch trials of 1692, Salem also played an important part in Revolutionary times and was an active leader of several Massachusetts’ industries, which is why you will find mansions (宅邸) of the country’s first millionaires there.

Salem is located approximately 16 miles (30 minutes) north of Boston and is bordered by Beverly, Danvers, Lynn, Marblehead, Peabody, Swampscott and the Atlantic Ocean. Boston & Maine Railroad serves Salem with transport service, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority maintains a rail stop and bus service. Air service is available from Beverly Airport (5 miles away) and Logan International Airport (16 miles away). Access is also available on a ferry from Boston.

Salem has various restaurants including outdoor cafes, various restaurants and fine dining establishments. For shoppers there are malls and department stores, an open market, a waterfront village, as well as a downtown shopping district.

There are many local artists and musicians who have shops along the city streets. On a nightly basis, one can stop in a local restaurant or nightspot and listen to some of the most creative music. World famous artwork is displayed at the Peabody Essex Museum and the work of local artists can be found displayed in many downtown shops including Artist Row.

The City of Salem has long had a commitment to the promotion of art and culture. The Salem Cultural Council is a local agency of Salem residents that supports public programs and educational activities in the arts, sciences and humanities. Local artists and theaters, such as CinemaSalem, the Salem Theatre Company, the Salem State College Center for the Arts, the Griffen Theater and the Rebel Shakespeare Company provide entertainment and learning opportunities to residents and visitors alike. The Salem Arts Association, Inc. is an entirely volunteer-run nonprofit arts organization. The SAA seeks to bring art, in all its forms, to the community and bring the community, in all its diversity, to the arts in Salem, Massachusetts.

What would be the best title of this passage?

A. Salem, the Industry City

B. Salem, the Witch City

C. Salem, the City with a Big History

D. Salem, the City of Peace

Which of the following statements is NOT true about Salem?

A. It is the second established city in Massachusetts with Boston to the north.

B. It was developed in several of Massachusetts’ industries.

C. Every night local restaurants there entertain visitors with some music.

D. Salem is accessible by train, bus, plane and ferry.

Visitors to Salem have a secure chance to appreciate first-class works of art in ____________.

   A. Artist Row                                             B. Peabody Essex Museum

   C. the MBTA                                              D. the Salem Cultural Council

After reading the passage, we may decide that ____________.

   A. Salem is a preferred city for millionaires now

   B. the promotion of art and culture in Salem is totally government action

   C. once an important industrial city, now Salem has a strong cultural atmosphere

   D. visitors to Salem will find few choices in dining and shopping 

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.
【小题1】What can we infer from the first paragraph?

What kind of job do you want to do in the future ? One that earns the most money or one that gives you the highest social position? What about a job that makes you feel happy? Surprisingly, these three things do not always go together in the job world .

According to a general social survey by the National Organization for Research at the University of Chicago in the US, the ten happiest jobs are not those with better pay or higher social position. They are ordinary jobs.

But what is it that makes a “happy” job?

Researchers found that people are happier when they feel they are doing something worthwhile. Six of the top ten happiest jobs are based heavily on helping others, such as firefighters, teachers, and physical therapists(理疗师 ).

Being able to express oneself is also important for people to feel satisfied . Take authors as an example. Their pay is “ridiculously low or non-existent”, but “the freedom of writing down the contents of your own mind leads to happiness ,”wrote business author Steve Denning on his blog on Forbes.com.

These jobs are greatly different to the top ten “hated jobs”, according a website survey earlier this year. Director of information technology, sales manager, technical specialist and others that are generally considered respectable jobs are on the list.

Todd May from The New York Times didn’t find the results strange. He argued that

“ a meaningful life must, in some sense then , make people feel worthwhile”. If a person doesn’t participate in the causes “ that are generally regarded as worthy, like feeding and clothing the poor, their life will lack meaning ,”he said . Work takes up the greater part of most people’s  lives . It’s no wonder that the people with the most worthwhile jobs are the happiest of all.

However, it’s important to remember that these two surveys are broad ones and that it doesn’t matter whether your dream job is on the two lists. Now it is the time to think about the future . After all, something that satisfies your mind will always bring you happiness.

1.According to the passage , which of the following is probably a happy job?

2.Steve Denning thinks that being an author is happy mainly because authors_____.

3.From the passage we learn that_________.

4.In the last paragraph the author stresses that_________.

Robert Burns, the son of a hard-working and intelligent farmer, was the oldest of seven children. Although always hard pressed financially, their father encouraged his sons with their education. As a result, Burns not only read the Scottish poetry of Ramsay and the collections by Hailes and Herd, but also the works of Pope, Locke, and Shakespeare.

By 1781, Burns had tried his hand at several agricultural jobs without success. Although he had begun writing, and his poems were spread widely in manuscript (手稿), none were published until 1786, when Burns published Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (1786), which was an immediate success. Later Burns brought out a second edition of his poems at Edinburgh in 1787, and for two winters he was socially active in the Scottish city. In 1788 he retired to a farm at Ellis land. By 1791 Burns had failed as a farmer, and he moved to Dumfries, where he held a position as a tax collector. He died of illness at 37.

Burns’s art is at its best in songs such as My Heart’s in the Highlands. Some of his songs, such as Auld Lang Syne and Comin’ thro’ the Rye, are among the most familiar and best-loved songs in the English language. But his talent was not limited to songs; two descriptive pieces, Tam o’ Shanter and The Jolly Beggars, are among his masterpieces.

Burns had a fine sense of humor, which was reflected in his satirical (讽刺的), descriptive, and playful poems. His great popularity with the Scots lay in his ability to describe the life of his fellow rural Scots. His use of dialect brought an energetic, much-needed freshness into English poetry.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．Burn had a wealthy childhood.

B．Burns was best loved by his parents.

C．Burns’s father cared more about his kids’ education.

D．Burns wanted to be a poet when he grew up.

2.Robert was not officially accepted by readers until______.

A．1781             B．1786             C．1787             D．1791

3. Robert made his best achievement in art by writing _______.

A．songs            B．poems            C．stories            D．humors

4. What was Robert’s biggest contribution to English poetry?

A．His satirical style.                        B．His descriptiveness.

C．His fine sense of humor.                  D．His use of Scottish dialect.

5. We can conclude from the passage that Robert _______.

A．majored in agriculture when he was a student

B．earned a lot of money by publishing his poems

C．was a failure in managing farms but a success in art

D．showed much interest in collecting tax before he died

When I was eight, I saw a movie about an island that had an erupting volcano and jungles filled with wild animals．The island was ruled by a beautiful woman called Tondalaya, the Fire Goddess of the Volcano．It was a low budget movie, but to me, it represented the perfect life．But through the years, Tondalaya was forgotten．
The week I turned 50, my marriage came to a sudden end．My house, furniture and everything I'd owned was sold to pay debts that I didn't even know existed．In a week I had lost my husband, my home and my parents who had refused to accept a divorce in the family．
I'd lost everything except my four teenage children．I used every penny I had to buy five plane tickets from Missouri to Hawaii．Everyone said I was crazy to think I could just run off to an island and survive．I was afraid they were right．
I worked 18 hours a day and lost 30 pounds because I lived on one meal a day．One night as I walked alone on the beach, I saw the red orange lava（火山岩） pouring out of Kilauea Volcano in the distance．It was time to live my imagination!
The next day, I quit my job, bought some art supplies and began doing what I loved．I hadn't painted a picture in 15 years．I wondered if 1 could still paint．My hands trembled the first time I picked up a brush．But after an hour had passed, I was lost in the colors spreading across the canvas（画布） in front of me．And as soon as I started believing in myself, other people started believing in me, too．The first painting sold for $ 1500．
The past six years have been filled with adventures．My children and I have gone swimming with dolphins, watched whales and hiked around the crater rim （火山口边缘） of the volcano．We wake up every morning with the ocean in front of us and the volcano behind us．
The dream I had more than 40 years ago is now reality．I'm living freely and happily ever after．
【小题1】Why did the writer go to Hawaii?