Frank Lloyd Wright did not call himself an artist. He called himself an architect. But the buildings he
designed were works of art. He looked at the ugly square buildings around him, and he did not like what
he saw. He wondered why people built ugly homes, when they could have beautiful ones. 
     Frank Lloyd Wright lived from 1869 to 1959. When he was young, there were no courses in architecture,
so he went to work in an architect's office in order to learn how to design buildings. Soon he was designing
buildings that were beautiful.
     He also wanted to make his buildings fit into the land around them. One of the houses he designed is on
top of a high hill. Other people built tall, square houses on hills, but Wright did not want to lose the beauty
of the hill. He built the house low and wide.
      Now other architects know how to design buildings to fit into the land. Frank Lloyd Wright showed them
how to do it.

1. Frank Lloyd Wright has been called an artist because _____.

A. he showed how to change an ugly old building into a lovely modern one
B. the buildings he designed were beautiful
C. he began his professional life as a painter, before becoming an architect
D. he is excellent in art

2. The selection answers only one of the following questions about Wright, namely:

A. Where was he born?
B. When did he live?
C. How many buildings did he design?
D. where are the buildings he designed?

3. A special quality of Wright's buildings was that _____.

A. they were designed to fit into the land on which they stood
B. they captured the classical beauty of earlier periods of history
C. they produced an effect of lightness and gracefulness in spite of being high and square.
D. they were not square ones

4. Which of the following statements is not true?

A. He learned building designing in an architect's office.
B. He built a low and wide house on top of a high hill to keep the beauty of the hill.
C. Many architects learned from Frank Lloyd Wright to design buildings to fit into the land.
D. When he was young he took courses in architecture in college.

     People fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor in 1944, when she starred in National Velvet-the story of Velvet
Brown, a young girl who wins first place in a famous horse race, At first, the producers of the movie told
Taylor that she was too small to play the part of Velvet. However, they waited for her for a few months as
she exercised and trained-and added three inches to her height in four months! Her acting in National Velvet
is still considered the best by a child actress.
     Elizabeth Taylor was born in London in 1932. Her parents, both Americans, had moved there for business
reasons. When World war II started, the Taylor moved to Beverly Hills, California, and there Elizabeth started
acting in movies. After her success as a child star, Taylor had no trouble moving into adult (成人) roles and
won twice for Best Actress: Butterfield 8 (1960) and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
     Taylor's fame (名声)and popularity gave her a lot of power with the movie industry, so she was able to
demand very high pay for her movies. In 1963, she received $1 million for her part in Cleopatra-the highest
pay received by any star up to that time.
     Elizabeth Taylor is a legend (传奇人物) of our time. Like Velvet Brown in National Velvet, she has been
lucky, she has beauty, fame and wealth. But she is also a hard worker. Taylor seldom acts in movies any
more. Instead, she puts her time and efforts into her businesses, and into helping others-several years ago,
she founded an organization that has raised more than $40 million for research and education.

1. The producers didn't let Taylor play the part of Velvet at first because they thought she _____.

A. was small in size
B. was too young
C. did not play well enough
D. did not show much interest

2. What Elizabeth Taylor and Velvet Brown had in common was that they were both _____.

A. popular all their lives
B. famous actresses
C. successful when very young
D. rich and kind-hearted

3. Taylor became Best Actress at the age of _____.

A. 12
B. 28
C. 31
D. 34

4. In her later life, Elizabeth Taylor devoted herself to _____.

A. doing business and helping others
B. turning herself into a legend
C. collecting money for the poor
D. going about research and education work

     Arthur Miller (1915-2005) is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century.
Miller's father had moved to the USA from Austria Hungary, drawn like so many others by the "Great
American Dream". However, he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined
in the Great Depression of the early l930s.
     Millers's most famous play, Death of a Salesman, is a powerful attack on the American system,with its
aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In
Willy Loman, the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with his worth. Willy is "burnt
out" and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment: if he can't do the work, then he is no
good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this, and at loss as
to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the
end.
     When it was first staged in 1949,the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony
Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was
the first play to win all three of these major awards.
     Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, on the evening of February 10, 2005,
the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.

1. Why did Arthur Miller's father move to the USA?

A. He suffered from severe hunger in his home country.
B. He was attracted by the"Great American Dream.
C. He hoped to make his son a dramatist.
D. His family business failed.

2. The play Death of a Salesman _____.

A. exposes the cruelty of the American business world
B. discusses the ways to get promoted in a company
C. talks about the business career of Arthur Miller
D. focuses on the skills in doing business

3. What can we learn about Willy Loman?

A. He treats his employer badly.
B. He runs the Wagner Company.
C. He is a victim of the American system.
D. He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues.

4. After it was first staged, Death of a Salesman _____.

A. achieved huge success
B. won the first Tony Award
C. was warmly welcomed by salesmen
D. was severely attacked by dramatists

5. What is the text mainly about?

A. Arthur Miller and his family.
B. The awards Arthur Miller won.
C. The hardship Arthur Miller experienced.
D. Arthur Miller and his best-known play.

     Danielle Steel, America's sweetheart, is one of the hardest working woman in the book business. Unlike
other productive authors who write one book at a time, she can work on up to five. Her research before
writing takes at least three years. Once she has fully studied her subjects, ready to dive into the book, she
can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk.
     Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education. After graduation, she
worked in the public relations and advertising industries. Later she started a job as a writer which she was
best fit for. Her achievements are unbelievable; 390 million copies of books in print, nearly fifty New York
Times best-selling novels, and a series of "Max and Martha" picture books for children to help them deal
with the real-life problem of death, new babies and new schools. Her 1998 book about the death of her work
shot to the top of the New York Times best-selling list as soon as it came out. Twenty-eight of her books
had been made into films. She is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for one of her books being
the Times best-seller for 381 weeks straight.
     Not content with a big house, a loving family, and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Danielle Steel
considers her readers to be the most important resource (资源) and has kept in touch with them by e-mail.
While she is often compared to the heroines (女主人公) of her own invention, her life is undoubtedly much
quieter. But, if she does have anything in common with them, it is her strength of will and her inimitable (独
特的) style. There is only one Danielle Steel.

1. Danielle Steel is different from other writers in that _____.

A. she can write several books at the same time
B. she often does some research before writing a book
C. she is one of the most popular American women writers
D. she can keep writing for quite a long time without a break

2. Children who have read "Max and Martha" picture books may know _____.

A. how to deal with affairs at school
B. what to do if Max and Martha die
C. what to do when new babies are born into their families
D. how to solve the difficult problems in their writing classes

3. One of Danielle Steel's achievements is that _____.

A. some TV plays were based on her books
B. her picture books attracted a lot of young men
C. one of her books became a best-seller in 1998
D. she wrote the Guinness Book of World Records

4. We can learn from the passage that Danielle Steel _____.

A. lives an exciting life
B. values her readers a lot
C. writes about quiet women
D. is pleased with her achievements

     Anyone who cares about what schools and colleges teach and how their students learn will be interested
in the memoir (回忆录) of Ralph W. Tyler, who is one of the most famous men in American education.
     Born in Chicago in 1902, brought up and schooled in Nebraska, the 19-year-old college graduate Ralph
Tyler became hooked on teaching while teaching as a science teacher in South Dakota and changed his major
from medicine to education.
     Graduate work at the University of Chicago found him connected with honorable educators Charles Judd
and W. W. Charters, whose ideas of teaching and testing had an effect on his later work. In 1927, he became
a teacher of Ohio State University where he further developed a new method of testing.
     Tyler became well-known nationality in 1938, when he carried his work with the Eight-Year Study from
Ohio State University to the University of Chicago at the invitation of Robert Hutchins.
     Tyler was the first director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, a
position he held for fourteen years. There, he firmly believed that researchers should be free to seek an
independent (独立的) spirit in their work.
     Although Tyler officially retired in 1967, he never actually retired. He served on a long list of educational
organizations in the United States and abroad. Even in his 80s he traveled across the country to advise teachers
and management people on how to set objectives (目标) that develop the best teaching and learning within their
schools.

1. Who are most probably interested in Ralph W. Tyler's memoir?

A. Top managers.
B. Language learners.
C. Serious educators.
D. Science organizations.

2. The words "hooked oh teaching" underlined in Paragraph 2 probably mean _____.

A. attracted to teaching
B. tired of teaching
C. satisfied with teaching
D. unhappy about teaching

3. Where did Tyler work as the leader of a research center for over 10 years?

A. The University of Chicago.
B. Stanford University.
C. Ohio State University.
D. Nebraska University.

     Louis Armstrong had two famous nicknames (绰号). Some people called him Bagamo. They said his mouth
looked like a large bag, Musicians often called him Pops, as a sign of respect for his influence (影响) on the
world of music.
     Born in 1901 in New Orleans, be grew up poor, but lived among great musicians. Jazz was invented in the
city a few years before his birth. Armstrong often said, "Jazz and I grew up together."
     Armstrong showed a great talent (天赋) for music when he was taught to play the cornet (短号) at a boy's
home. In his late teens, Armstrong began to live the life of a musician. He played in parades, clubs, and on the
steamboats that traveled on the Mississippi River. At that time, New Orleans was famous for the new music of
jazz and was home to many great musicians. Armstrong learned from the older musicians and soon became
respected as their equal.
     In 1922 he went to Chicago. There, the tale of Louis Armstrong begins. From then until the end of his life,
Armstrong was celebrated and loved wherever he went. Armstrong had no equal when it came to playing the
American popular song.
     His cornet playing had a deep humanity (仁爱) and warmth that caused many listeners to say, "Listening to
Pops just makes you feel good all over." He was the father of the jazz style (风格) and also one of the best-
known and most-admired people in the world. His death, on July 6, 1971, was headline news around the world.

1. Armstrong was called Pops because he _____.

A. looked like a musician
B. was a musician of much influence
C. showed an interest in music
D. travelled to play modern music

2. The third paragraph is developed _____.

A. by space
B. by examples
C. by time
D. by comparison

3. Which statement about Armstrong is true?

A. His tale begins in New Orleans.
B. He was born before jazz was invented.
C. His music was popular with his listeners.
D. He learned popular music at a boy's home.

4. Which would be the best title for the text?

A. The Invention of the Jazz Music
B. The Father of the Jazz Style
C. The Making of a Musician
D. The Spread of Popular Music

                                                            THE BRONTE FAMILY
      Yorkshire, England was the setting for two great novels (小说) of the 19th century. These were
Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Emily Bronte's also a gifted novelist, and her books have the same
extraordinary quality as her sisters'.
      Their father was Pattick Bronte, born in Ireland. He moved with his wife, Maria Bronte, and their
six small children to Haworth in Yorkshire in 1820. Soon after, Mrs. Bronte and the two eldest children
died, leaving the father to care for the remaining three girls and a boy.
     Charlotte was born in 1816 Emily was born in 1818 and Anne in 1820. Their brother Branwell was
born in 1817. Left to themselves, the children wrote and told stories and walked over the hills. They grew
up largely self-educated Branwell showed a great interest in drawing. The girls were determined to earn
money for his art education. They took positions as teachers or taught children in their homes.
     As children they had all written many stories. Charlotte, as a young girl, alone wrote 22 books, each
with 60 to 100 pages of small handwriting Therefore, they turned to writing for income. By 1847,
Charlotte had written The Professor; Emily, Wuthering Heights; and Anne, Agnes Grey. After much
difficulty Anne and Emily found a publisher (出版商); but there was no interest shown in Charlotte's book.
(It was not published until 1859.) However, one publisher expressed an interest in seeing more of her work.
     Jane Eyre was already started, and she hurriedly finished it. It was accepted at once; thus each of the
sister had a book published in 1847. Jane Eyre was immediately successful; the other two, however, did
not do so well People did not like Wuthering Heights. They said it was too wild, considered one of the
finest novels in the English language Emily lived only a short while after the publication of her book, and
Anne died in 1849. Charlotte published Shirley in 1849,and Villette in 1853. In 1854 she married Arthur
Bell Nicholls. But only a year later, she died of tuberculosis (肺结核) as her sisters had.

1. What did the Bronte sisters want to do for Branwell Bronte?

A. Help him write stories.
B. Help him get trained in art.
C. Teach him how to draw well.
D. Teach him how to educate himself.

2. We know from the text that ______.

A. Jane Eyre was published in 1847
B. Charlotte Bronte wrote 22 books in all
C. the Bronte sisters received good education
D. Patrick Bronte helped his daughters with their wiring

3. Which of the following was published after the death of it^,s writer?

A. Shirley
B. Villette
C. Agnes Grey
D. The Professor

4. The underlined words "the other two" in the 5th paragraph and refers to ______.

A. Shirley and Villette
B. The Professor and Agnes Grey
C. Agnes Grey and Wuthering Heights
D. The Professor and Withering Heights

5.  What do we know about the Bronte sisters from tile text?

A. Their novels interested few publishers.
B. None of them had more than two books published.
C. None of them lived longer than 4O yeah old .
D. Emily was the least successful of the three.

     For over one hundred and fifty years, Americans of all social classes have worn blue jeans. 1_____
Whether they are worn for work or for fashion today. Strauss' invention continues to be popular not only
among Americans but also among people around the world.
     Levi Strauss was born in Germany in 1829. 2_____ He grew up in Kentucky before moving to New
York in 1847. Before becoming an American citizen and moving to the West in 1853, Strauss worked in his
brother's dry goods business. This gave him a chance to produce his famous invention. After the gold rush
of 1949, Strauss decided to move to the West to seek his fortunes.
     Strauss did not want to be a person who searched an area for minerals. Instead, he knew he could make
a good living by selling supplies to the miners. At first, he planned to sell sewing supplies and cloth. 3_____
When he heard miners complaining that their clothes were easily broken or they usually tore their pockets
during mining, he decided to use a special fabric to make pants for the miners. These pants proved so popular
that he quickly ran out of materials to make more.
     In 1873, Strauss received a letter from a Jewish tailor named Jacob Davis who had invented a process of
connecting pockets with copper rivets (铆钉). This made the pants last a long time. Because Davis did not have
the money to patent his idea, he offered to share it with Strauss if Strauss would agree to pay for the patent.
4_____.
     By the time Strauss died in 1902, he had made a great contribution to American fashion. 
     5_____ The business has been growing ever since and Levi Strauss' company is now one of the largest
clothing companies in the world.

A. As a young boy, he moved with his family to the United States.
B. Nobody knew what kind of material was suitable.
C. He did and Levi jeans have been made with metal rivets ever since.
D. However, he did not get much business for those products.
E. He also made a great contribution to America's clothing industry.
F. Since they were invented by Levi Strauss, they have become a symbol of American consumer culture.
G. As the business grew, Strauss got much money from it.