A study of art history might be a good way to learn more about a culture than is possible to learn in general history classes. Most typical history courses concentrate on politics, economics and war. But art history focuses on much more than this because art reflects not only the political values of a people, but also religious beliefs, emotions, and psychology.

In addition, information about the daily activities of our ancestors or of people very different from our own can be provided by art. In short, art expresses the essential qualities of a time and a place, and a study of it clearly offers us a deeper understanding than can be found in most history books.

In history books, objective information about the political life of a country is presented; that is, facts about politics are given, but opinions are not expressed. Art, on the other hand, is subjective: it reflects emotions and opinions. The great Spanish painter Francisco Goya was perhaps the first truly “political” artist. In his well-known painting The Third of May 1808, he criticized the Spanish government for its misuse of power over people. Over a hundred years later, symbolic images were used in Pablo Picasso’s Guernica to express the horror of war. Meanwhile, on another continent, the powerful paintings of Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros as well as the works of Alfredo Ramos Martins depicted these Mexican artists’ deep anger and sadness about social problems.

In the same way, art can reflect a culture’s religious beliefs. For hundreds of years in Europe, religious art was almost the only type of art that existed. Churches and other religious buildings were filled with paintings that depicted people and stories from the Bible. Although most people couldn’t read, they could still understand biblical stories in the pictures on church walls.

By contrast, one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle East was (and still is) its absence of human and animal images. This reflects the Islamic belief that status are unholy.

4、There is a popular belief among parents that schools are no longer interested in spelling. No school I have taught in has ever ignored spelling or considered it unimportant as a basic skill. There are, however, vastly different ideas about how to teach it, or how much priority (优先，重点) it must be given over general language development and writing without holding him back with the complexities of spelling.

If spelling becomes the only key point of his teacher’s interest, clearly a bright child will be likely to “play safe”. He will tend to write only words within his spelling range, choosing not to use adventurous language. That’s why teachers often encourage the early use of dictionaries and pay attention to content rather than spelling ability only.

I was once shocked to read a teacher’s comment on the bottom of a sensitive piece of writing: “This work is terrible! There are far too many spelling mistakes!” It may have been a sharp criticism of the pupil’s spelling ability in writing, but it was also a sad reflection on the teacher who had failed to read the composition which contained some beautiful expressions of the child’s deep feelings. The teacher was not wrong to draw attention to the mistakes, but if his priorities had centered on the child’s ideas, an expression of his appreciation would have given the pupil more encouragement to seek improvement.

72. The underlined expression “play safe” in paragraph two probably means _______.

  A. to write carefully                                             B. to do as teachers say

  C. to use dictionaries frequently                             D. not to write words one is not sure of

73. Teachers encourage the use of dictionaries so that _______.

  A. they may spend more time teaching writing techniques

  B. they may have less trouble in correcting mistakes

  C. students will have more confidence in writing

  D. students will learn to be independent of teachers

74. The writer seems to think that the teacher’s judgment on that sensitive piece of writing is _______.

  A. reasonable                    B. unfair                       C. foolish                            D. careless

75. Teachers are different in their opinions about _______.

  A. the necessity of teaching spelling

  B. the role of spelling in general language development

  C. the way of teaching spelling

  D. the importance of the basic grammar

3、We Are Now Open Daily Through Columbus Day

The museum and store are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the season. Trolley rides start with the first departure at 10:05 a.m. and continue until the end of the day with the last ride being at 4:15 p.m. We are open Rain or Shine.

Ice Cream & Sunset Trolley Ride Special ($3.50 per person )

At 7:30 p.m., every Wednesday and Thursday evening in July and August, join us for a special sunset trolley ride with ice-cream included. Bring the whole family!

Regular Fares

Admission includes unlimited trolley rides, access to the Museum Grounds and Exhibits, and use of our picnic areas to enjoy your own picnic lunch.

68. From now on to Columbus Day, the museum is open ______.

A. only on Sundays and Saturdays                         B. on sunny days

C. every day                                                        D. all of the above

69. What’s special in July and August?

A. A trolley ride to the Museum.                            B. A daily visit to the Museum.

C. A sunset trolley ride.                                        D. A free trolley ride to view sunsets.

70. If a family of 4 persons one senior, a couple and a 12-year-old boy are taking a sunset trolley ride, how much is the total admission fee?

A. $18.                                   B. $25.5.                      C. $33.                         D. $39.5.

71. Which one of the following is not included in the admission?

A. Unlimited sunset trolley ride.                             B. Access to the museum grounds.

C. A visit to museum exhibits.                               D. A use of the museum picnic areas.

2、The growing opportunities for Chinese Americans in China act as a useful ruler of the country’s economic progress. A few years ago, Chinese Americans were to be found___50___ in the management positions in local branches of big American firms. Now, they are almost__51__, including important positions in famous Chinese companies. China is really rising in economy.

___52___, looking Chinese and being American can bring some particular troubles in China. Cynthia Liu, the manager of investor relations at Baidu is an example. She says there are cultural differences that these Chinese Americans have to become ___53___. For instance, pointing something out ___54___ in people’s face usually results in awkward ___55___ among her coworkers although they don’t say a word. Liu enjoys her best days in China’s growing economy by offering ___56___ skills. But ___57___ China continues to grow, the window of opportunity for Chinese Americans will begin to ___58___. Daniel She, a Chinese native who became a Y. S. citizen in 1984 says that the days when Chinese Americans could determine their own ___59___ in China are going to end. China is now a much more ___60___ job market even for well-educated, highly __61__ workers. The question to think is the additional ___62___ that Chinese Americans are bringing to the companies. The companies are going to hire local persons more ___63___ unless Chinese Americans are bringing something to the table. And with China’s native ___64___ becoming more and more qualified, it’s already happening.

The World Expo (short for “exposition”) is known as World’s Fair. And it is a large, __41__, non-commercial exposition that has been held since the mid-19th century.

The World Expo is the third largest __42__ in the world in terms of economic and cultural impact, after the FIFA World Expo Cup and the Olympic Games. In fact, the World Expo is regarded as the “Olympic Games of the __43__, science and technology.”

The hosting of the World Expo must be __44__ for by a country and approved by the international World Expo committee. Expo aims to __45__ the exchange of ideas and development of the world economy, culture, science and technology, to allow exhibitors to publicize and display their __46__ and improve international __47__.

Exhibitions are not a recent invention. They __48__ back to the times when large-scale markets were __49__ held in cities which attracted visitors and brought prosperity because they were located at major trade route intersections.

34、 I’ll probably see you on Sunday; 　　　　, it will be on Monday.

A. thus      B. then      C. after all      D. if not

33、―I really like the modern digital camera you lent me last week.

―　　　　.

―And thank you very much for letting me keep it so long.

A. I’m glad you like it      B. Don’t mention it

C. I hope you like it           D. That’s all right

32、No matter _____, you must keep trying.

   A. how difficult does it seem                B. however it seems difficult

   C. however seems it difficult                D. how difficult it seems

31、_____bilingual education in one’s early childhood is getting more and more popular in Shanghai now.

   A. Receive          B. Receiving          C. Received       D. Having received

30、When a ship that sank in 1628 was recovered from the port of Stockholm, the scientists were overjoyed with the chance _____ the remains of the past.

A. examine                   B. examining          C. to examine                D. examined