The story of Madame Tussaud is as fascinating as that of the exhibition itself. From a housekeeper's daughter to a successful business woman, her life has all the marks of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Madam Tussaud was born in 1761 and named Marie Grosholtz. Her father was killed in battle only two months before Mane's birth. For the first five years of her life, Marie lived in Berne with her mother, who worked as housekeeper for Dr Philippe Curtius. A doctor, with a talent for wax modeling, Curtius became her teacher.
It was Curtius who opened the original wax exhibition in Paris in 1770 and introduced Marie to some famous people. At only 17, she modeled the famous writer Francois Voltaire, followed by a portrait of American statesman Benjamin Franklin when he was in Paris as US ambassador. Both figures are still on display at Madame Tussaud's, London today.
Her work at Curtius successful wax exhibition led to an invitation to the court of Louis XVI and his queen. For nine years she lived at the palace of Versailles guiding the artistic education of the king's sister. Meanwhile the French Revolution was about to erupt. Aware of the political nrest,Philippe Curtius called Marie back to Paris. Marie7 s connection with the royal family made her guilty. Both she and her mother were arrested. After she was set free, Marie was forced to make death masks (a death mask is a model of a dead person's face, made by coving their face with a soft substance and letting it become hard) of executed (被处决的) nobles. Many were former friends at court, including her former employers, the king and queen.
By 1800 Marie was married with two young children and a poor business inherited from Curtius. Madame Tussaud made the decision to take her exhibition on tour. In 1802, she left France. For the next 33 years, Madame Tussaud traveled the British Isles, exhibiting her growing collection of portraits. In those pre-television days, this was the only way most people had direct contact with the famous people of the time. The exhibition became permanently based in London in 1835, moving to its present site in Marylebone Road in 1884. Her last work, a remarkable self – portrait that is still on show, was completed only eight years before her death aged 89.
The underlined part in Para. 1 implies that Madame Tussaud’s life was .
A．complicated B．successful C．peaceful D．lonely
Marie got a job at that court of Louis XVI because of .
A．Curtius’ recommendation B．her gift for wax modeling
C．her mother’s help D．her friendship with the king’s sister
Marie was arrested during the French Revolution because .
A．she had worked for Dr Philippe Curtius
B．she had modeled the French royal family
C．she had worked at the place of Versailles
D．she had refused to make death masks
The last paragraph is mainly about .
A．how Marie’s was modeling business became successful
B．how Marie balanced her family and work
C．the establishment of Madame Tussaud’s, London
D．the popularity of Madame Tussaud’s wax exhibition
According toe the passage, how many of the following statements about Marie are TREU?
a. She hadn’t seen his father since she was born.
b. She modeled the portrait of Francois Voltaire.
c. She modeled the portrait of Francois Voltaire.
d. She guided the artistic education of the king’s daughter.
e. In 1842, she completed her last work.
A．2 B．3 C．4 D．5
My wife and I spent two weeks in London last year. We went there in the autumn. We think it is the best season to visit England. The weather is usually good and there aren’t too many tourists in October.
We stayed in a small hotel in the West End. It was convenient as we did most of our sightseeing on foot. Taxis were too expensive, we couldn’t understand the bus routes, and my wife didn’t like traveling under the ground. She said it made her feel sick.
We went to look at the places which all tourists visit. We saw Buckingham Palace. We went shopping in Oxford Street and spent too much money. What we liked most, though, was going to the theatre. We didn’t have the chance to see such wonderful plays at home. A lot of people say English food is bad. We didn’t think so. It is true that most of the restaurants are French or Italian or Chinese, but we had some very good meals.
In fact, we enjoyed our holiday so much that we have already booked again for this year. We are going to take our umbrellas, though. I’m sure we’ll need them sometimes.
The couple chose a small hotel in the West End to stay in because _________.
A. taxis were too expensive B. they could go sightseeing on foot
C. the underground made the wife feel sick D. all the above
The couple had some difficulty in ________.
A. booking in the hotel B. finding the bus routes
C. going sightseeing on foot D. having meals
Generally speaking, the couple _________the trip to London.
A. were satisfied with B. disliked
C. were a bit unhappy about D. regretted
What did the couple think of English food?
A. terrible B. not bad C. great D. comfort
Which of the following is NOT true about the couple?
A. They thought English food was bad. B. They will visit London again.
C. They visited London last October. D. They didn’t take their umbrella last year.
单词拼写（每题1分，满分10分）
The world will never forget the (残忍) of the Japanese fascists(法西斯分子).
The old lady tried her best to e from the burning house.
They (酬谢) the boy with a lovely present for bringing back the lost dog.
He （移开）his eyes from his book and looked at me.
I got a very friendly (接待) when I arrived there.
The f style attracted a large number of people.
The prisoner will be s to death for killing two girls.
No matter what happens, Taiwan b to China.
She pretended to know a lot about the lecture. As a m of fact, she didn’t attend it yesterday.
What are the (品质) you should find in a great person.
The boy lost his key, so he has no choice but till his mother came home．
A．waited B．waiting C．wait D．to wait
No one has yet discovered who is responsible for the incident but the police are already collecting ______．
A．evidence B．permission C．figure D．anxiety
_______in the forests for nearly a week, the two students were finally saved by the local police．
A．Having lost B．Lost C．Being lost D．Losing
—The last one ____ pays the meal.
—Agreed!
A. arrived B. arrives C. to arrive D. arriving
Yesterday I had a word with the CEO of the company, _______ who used to teach at Beijing University．
A．one B．that C．the one D．it
The garden looks more beautiful ____ a lot of flowers coming out.
A .for B. with C. because of D. as
A caring mother is the single most important factor in preventing teenagers from abusing（滥用）drugs and alcohol，researchers said on Friday．An international study showed that teenagers living with both parents are less likely to suffer from alcohol and drug problems，and a strong maternal bond is the most effective way to fight against them．
“These findings suggest that living with both parents may prevent drug use．”said Dr．McArdle，of Newcastle University in northern England, who led the study．“They also suggest that attachment（感情眷念），particularly to mothers，is a more effective factor and that this is truly across cultures and substances．”The report, which is published in the journal Addiction, involved nearly 4,000 teenagers in England，Ireland，Italy，Germany and the Netherlands．They were questioned about their use of several kinds of drugs and alcohol．The teenagers also filled in questionnaires about their relationship with their parents and grandparents, how well they were supervised（监护）after school and whether they were allowed to meet friends at home．
“Both the quality of family relationships and the structure of families have significant influences on youth drug use,” McArdle said in a statement．But he added that a strong maternal bond offered the greatest protection against developing drug habits．The rate of drug abuse among teenagers living with both parents and who had a good relationship with their mother was 16．6 percent．If either factor was missing, the drug abuse rate rose to 32 percent．More than 42 percent of teenagers living in one parent families who did not have a strong bond with their mother used drugs．
Drug prevention campaigns in British schools and on television warn teenagers about the danger of drugs and alcohol but McArdle said no one is dealing with the problem of their parents’ responsibility
The phrase“maternal bond”appears twice in this passage．Guess its meaning__________．
A．物质的奖励 B．母亲的约束
C．法律的制裁 D．学校的指导
According to McArdle,which is most likely to have the drug abuse problem_________?
A．16-year-old Tom from a happy big family
B．17-year-old Kate supervised by her single mother．
C．18-year-old Juliet living with her single father．
D．19-year-old Mark cared by his parents．
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage__________?
A．Teenagers with both parents won’t have the drug use problem．
B．Teenagers from several countries filled in the questionnaire．
C．Teenagers were asked about their relationship with parents．
D．Teenagers in British schools are warned against drugs abuse．
The last paragraph suggests that________．
A．schools should answer for the drug problem
B．television and media are to blame
C．parents and the society are responsible for the drug problem
D．mothers are the cause of youth drug use．