6.The passage is mainly about ___________.

　　　 A.the invention of cameras

　　　 B.a kind of new art - photography

　　　 C.the development of photography

　　　 D.the important dates in the history of photography

5.Laura finally discovered she could read when she _________.

　　 A.understood the main idea　　　　　 B.understood all the words in her book

　　 C.recognized the printed characters　 D.jumped the first pages of her book

B

In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business. But he was not a good artist. So he invented a very simple camera. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his yard. That was the first photograph.

The next important date in the history of photography was 1837. That year, Daguerre, another French, took a picture of his studio. He used a new kind of camera and a different process. In his pictures, you could see everything very clearly, even the smallest details. This kind of photograph was called a daguerreotype.

Soon, other people began to use Daguerre’s process. Travelers brought back daguerreotypes from all around the world. People photographed famous buildings, cities and mountains.

In about 1840, the process was improved. Then photographers could take pictures of people and moving things. The process was not simple. The photographers had to carry lots of films and processing equipment. But this did not stop the photographers, especially in the United States. After 1840s daguerreotype artists were popular in most cities.

Mathew Brady was a well-known American photographer. He took many pictures of famous people. The pictures were unusual because they were very life-like and full of personality.

Brady was also the first person to take pictures of a was. His 1862 Civil War pictures showed dead soldiers and ruined cities. They made the war seem more real and more terrible.

In the 1880s, new inventions began to change photography. Photographers could buy films ready-made in rolls. So they did not have to make the film themselves. Also, they did not have to process the film immediately. They could bring it back to their studios and develop it later, meaning that they did not have to carry lots of equipment. And finally, the invention of the small handheld camera made photography less expensive.

With the small camera, anyone could be a photographer. People began to use cameras just for fun. They took pictures of their families, friends and favorite places. They called these pictures “snapshot”.

Photographs became very popular in newspapers in the 1890s. Soon magazines and books also used documentary photographs. These pictures showed true events and people. They were much more real than drawing.

Photography also turned into a form of art by the end of the 19^th century. Some photographs were not just copies of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings. Like other art forms.

4.From the passage we can infer that _______ made Laura stare at a page in her book.

　　 A.her lack of concentration　　　　　 B.her inability to understand

　　 C.her need to understand Hebrew　　　 D.her determination to understand

3.The underlined part “left at the c-a-t s-i-t-s on the m-a-t’ stage” suggests that _____.

　　 A.Laura was working hard and learning quickly

　　 B.her father had no time to teach her

　　 C.her mother was too busy to attend to her

　　 D.Laura knew little about how to read and write

2.The children’s father decided to teach them to read and write so that they _______.

　　 A.had an excuse not to have to move

　　 B.had a reason for not attending school

　　 C.could write to the School Attendance Office

　　 D.would be educated before they left the village

1. Laura’s father didn’t want his children to go to school at Lark Rise because ______.

　　　　 A.it was too far away　　　　　　　　　　　 B.they couldn’t learn enough

　　　　 C.their hair would become dirty　　　　　　 D.they would ruin their clothes

20．Which statement about a hurricane is wrong？

A．It travels more than 75 miles per hour．

B．It usually stays about 9 days．

C．It usually causes 6 to 12 inch downpours．

　　 D．It sometimes brings the sea water level to the height of 15 feet．

19．Here the word“downpour”means ____ ．

A．heavy rainfall　

B．dangerous waves

C．the progress of water to the hurricane center

D．the increasing heat

18．What is ths worst thing about hurricanes？

A．The terrible effects of water．

B．The heat they give off．

C．That they last about nine days．

D．Their strong winds．

17．When is an ordinary tropical storm called a hurricane？

A．When it begins in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas．

B．When it hits the coastline．

C．When it is more than 75 miles wide．

D．When its winds reach 75 miles per hour．