The small unframed painting called “Fisherman” was signed by a little-known Italian artist, Maveleone (1669-1740). When it was sold recently in New York for $ 27000, the seller, Mr. Oliver Pitt, was asked to explain how the picture had come into his possession.
Pitt said, “I didn’t know it was so valuable. I’m not an art expert. Photography is my hobby. I bought ‘Fisherman’ in Italy in 1970 for $140．the picture was dirty, and I couldn’t see the artist’s signature. But anyway it wasn’t the picture that I like. I bought it because of the frame.”
“It’s most unusual frame, made of tiny, silvery sea-shells. They are set in such a way that they reflect perfect light onto the surface of a picture. I now have a photograph of my wife in that frame, and I’ll never part with it.”
“When I returned to New York I showed the painting in its frame to a customs officer. I told him that I had paid $140 for it but admitted I didn’t know its actual worth. The customs man valued it at $ 140, and I was asked to pay duty on that value. I did so, there and then.”
“Later, I took off the frame, and that uncovered Maveleone’s signature. My wife suggested in fun that the painting might be a valuable one, so I cleaned it and put it up for sale.”
As a result of his explanation, Oliver Pitt had to appear in court. He was accused of (指控) knowingly making a false statement of the value of a picture so as to cheat the Customs Department.
Pitt was not happy. “I told the truth as I knew it then,” he said, “What else could I say?”
And then the judge agreed with him. “The Customs Department is to be responsible (blame),” he said, “for making a true valuation of goods bought into the country, so that the correct amount of duty may be charged. Mr Pitt did not cause or try to cause the mistake that was made. He paid the duty that was demanded. If now, the Customs Department finds that its valuation was not correct, it cannot be allowed to have another try. Pitt is not guilty.Pitt met the customs officer __________, where the officer was employed to ________.
| A．at the railway station or airport; examine people’s baggage |
| B．at the airport or port; examine people’s baggage |
| C．at the bus-stop; help people enter the USA |
| D．at the airport or port; help people enter the USA |
From the passage we can infer that if Maveleone had been a well-know artist _________.
| A．the painting would have cost much more than $ 140 |
| B．he wouldn’t have sold his painting at such a low price |
| C．the customs officer wouldn’t have valued the painting at $ 140 |
| D．Pitt wouldn’t have had the intention to buy any of his paintings |
Pitt took off the frame in order to ____________.
| A．clean the painting to put it up for sale |
| B．look for the artist’s signature |
| C．use if for his wife’s photograph |
| D．find the painting’s true value |
Which is true according to the passage?
| A．Pitt knew the true value of the picture. |
| B．Pitt’s wife knew the true value of the picture. |
| C．When Pitt’s wife suggested keeping the picture, she was kind of joking. |
| D．Pitt didn’t pay any duty at all. |
Which of the following statements is true to the story? In the end __________.
| A．Pitt was asked to pay the correct amount of duty. |
| B．Pitt sold the frame of the painting at an even higher price. |
| C．The Customs Department had no right to revalue the painting. |
| D．Pitt’s wife was regarded as an expert because of her wise suggestion. |
D
In recent years, our parenting culture began to send the message that competence（能力） was important for building self-confidence. However, that same parenting culture made a big mistake by telling parents they should tell their children how competent they were. Children can't be convinced that they are competent. Only your children can build their sense of competence.
However, you can do several things to encourage them to develop their own competence. First, you can give them opportunities to gain a sense of competence. You should allow your children to “get their hands dirty” in the daily life and find out what they are capable of.
These daily experiences allow your children to develop specific competencies that will be helpful to them as they grow up. Also, the more individual competencies children develop, the more they will view themselves as globally competent people.
Second, you can be sure that they gain the most value from their experiences. You can direct their focus to the competences that enabled those successes rather than some generic（笼统的） praise of the accomplishment itself. And you can also praise their accomplishments.
A great difficulty for parents is allowing their children to be wrong or do something poorly in the mistaken belief that these experiences will hurt their sense of competence. In fact, whether they do it well isn't important because success isn't really the goal. Instead, the goal is their willingness to keep trying.
Another mistake that parents make is that, after being unsuccessful when their children first try something, they try to correct them so they will succeed the next time they try. That's not to say that you can't lend a hand when they are struggling. But let them take the lead; if they really want your help, they'll ask for it.The passage is mainly about_____.
| A．the arts to praise children |
| B．the ways to help children develop ability |
| C．the ways to evaluate children’s ability |
| D．the proper ways to help children deal with failure |
What should parents say to help children gain value from their experiences?
| A．Well done! |
| B．You are the best! |
| C．You are really careful! |
| D．You’d better do as I do. |
Parents often make a mistake by ______.
| A．getting their children’s hands dirty |
| B．not realizing the harmful effect of failure |
| C．putting themselves into children’s shoes |
| D．telling their children how competent they are |
How did the writer develop the passage?
| A．By asking and answering questions. |
| B．By introducing different opinions. |
| C．By listing examples. |
| D．By giving explanations. |
In which section of a newspaper can you find this passage?
| A． Education | B．Health and Fitness |
| C．Home and Garden | D．Careers |
C
Conservationists have made plans to preserve and protect the world's most important species of coral, in a response to increasing threats that they say will lead to "functional extinction" within decades．
Led by scientists at the Zoological Society of London, the Edge Coral Reefs project has identified 10 coral species in most urgent risk of becoming extinct．The scientists say that reefs are under pressure from a variety of threats including rising sea temperatures due to climatic instability, increased acidity（酸性）, overfishing and pollution．
The Edge plan, which focuses on the most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species , will take a regional approach to conservation．This means focusing on the "coral triangle" around the Philippines, the West Indian Ocean around the Mozambique channel, and in the Caribbean channel．
"Coral reefs are threatened with functional extinction in the next 20-50 years, due predominantly to global climatic instability," said Catherine Head, coordinator of the reefs project．"In these regions, we'll be supporting and training in-country conservationists to carry out research and implement targeted conservation actions," she said．"Their projects will last for two years．We provide them with a whole host of tools to carry out their projects including funding and intensive training．" She added．
Coral reefs are the planet's most diverse marine ecosystem, known as the rainforests of the oceans．Despite taking up under 0．2% of the ocean floor, they provide food and shelter for almost a third of all sea life．If we lose the ecosystems, we lose not only the biodiversity, but we also lose the capability of people to obtain income and food from coral reefs．
Climatic instability, which leads to rising sea temperatures, causes corals to bleach(漂白)．Bleaching occurs when sea temperatures rise and this causes the coral tissue to expel their symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae - these are what give the coral their color．Bleached corals often die if the stress continues．Among the 10 species chosen to start the Edge project are the pearl bubble coral, a food source for the hawksbill turtle, and the Mushroom coral, which supports at least 15 brightly colored fish．What have conservationists done to react to the increasing threats to corals?
| A．They have taken measures to preserve and protect corals. |
| B．They are doing research into sea life. |
| C．They have identified some endangered corals worldwide. |
| D．They have prevented people from going to some areas. |
Which is NOT the reason for the extinction of corals?
| A．Rising sea temperature． | B．Human exploration． |
| C．Pollution． | D．Overfishing． |
According to the passage, coral reefs________.
| A．are known as the rainforests on the earth． |
| B．are threatened with functional extinction in the following 10 years． |
| C．takes up 2% of the ocean floor． |
| D．are the planet's most diverse marine ecosystem． |
The coral extinction will ________.
| A．help to keep the balance of the marine ecosystems |
| B．have no effect on the human life |
| C．cause the loss of one third of the marine life |
| D．destroy the rainforests on our earth． |
What does the writer mainly talk about in the passage?[
| A．Climatic instability and coral extinction． |
| B．A plan to protect coral from extinction． |
| C．Reasons for coral functional extinction． |
| D．A research about endangered coral reefs． |
B
People are being lured onto Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service without realizing they’re paying for it by giving up large amounts of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Facebook because people don’t really know what their personal data is worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook — you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules so that many things — your city, your photo, your friends' names—were set, by default (默认) to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information, they have a “less satisfying experience”.
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites. “I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy is only the beginning, which is why I’m considering deactivating(撤销) my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t know. That’s too high a price to pay.What does the writer want to tell us in the passage?
| A．Mor1e people are being attracted to use Facebook. |
| B．People shouldn’t use Facebook. |
| C．Facebook is invading people’s privacy. |
| D．Facebook is selling more ads |
Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?
| A．He is dissatisfied with its current service. |
| B．He doesn’t want his personal information abused. |
| C．He finds many of its users untrustworthy. |
| D．He is upset by its frequent rule changes. |
What is Charles Schumer’s attitude toward Facebook selling users’ data?
| A．Indifferent. | B．Unclear. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Disapproval. |
According to Elliot Schrage, Facebook keeps changing its rules because _______.
| A．it wants to better its service |
| B．it wants to adjust to new surroundings |
| C．it wants to expand its global business |
| D．it wants to improve its connectivity |
We can infer from the passage that ___________.
| A．Facebook makes profits by selling its users’ personal data. |
| B．Facebook often provides misleading information to its users. |
| C．Facebook protects users’ privacy |
| D．Facebook makes money only by advertising. |
A
Mona Lisa, the mysterious woman in Leonardo da Vinci’s 16th century masterpiece, had just given birth to her second son when she sat for the painting, a French art expert said.
The discovery was made by a team of Canadian scientists who used special infrared and three-dimensional technology to look through paint layers on the work, which now sits in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Bruno Mottin of the French Museums’ Center for Research and Restoration said that on very close examination of the painting, it became clear that Mona Lisa’s dress was covered in a thin transparent gauze dress.
“This type of gauze dress was typical of the kind worn in the early 16th century in Italy by women who were pregnant or who had just given birth. This is something that has never been seen up to now because the painting was always judged to be dark and difficult to examine,” he told a news conference. “We can now say that this painting by Leonardo da Vinci was painted to commemorate the birth of the second son of Mona Lisa, which helps us to date it more precisely to around 1503. The young woman with the half smile has been identified as Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Florentine merchant Francesco de Giocondo. She had five children.”
Mottin also said that, contrary to popular belief, the subject had not let her hair hang freely, but in fact she had worn a bonnet from which only a few curls had managed to escape.
"People always wrote that the Mona Lisa had allowed her hair to hang freely over her shoulders. This greatly surprised historians because letting your hair hang freely during the Renaissance was typical of young girls and women of poor virtue," he said.
The team had hoped to discover more details about Leonardo's "sfumato " technique of subtly blending one tone into another, which the artist used to create a special effect. But scientist John Taylor said the team had been frustrated by the lack of brush stroke detail on the painting.This passage mainly discusses___________..
| A．a new discovery about Leonardo da Vinci |
| B．a new discovery of Mona Lisa |
| C．the way Leonardo da Vinci painted Mona Lisa |
| D．the relationship between Mona Lisa and Leonardo da Vinci |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Mona Lisa was in fact the wife of Lisa Gherardini. |
| B．The painting is in French now. |
| C．Mona Lisa lived in the 1500s in Canada. |
| D．Leonardo da Vinci painted the masterpiece in memory of the birth of his second son. |
What did people think of the hair of Mona Lisa?
| A．People thought her hair was in fashion. |
| B．People thought she had her hair curled. |
| C．People thought she had let her hair hang freely over her shoulders. |
| D．People thought she wore fake hair. |
Why didn’t people find Mona Lisa’s dress was covered in a thin transparent gauze dress at first ?
| A．Because they didn’t look carefully. |
| B．Because the painting was in bad condition. |
| C．Because Leonardo da Vinci fooled people. |
| D．Because the color of the painting was dark. |
From the last two paragraphs we can know the scientists felt a little_________.
| A．discouraged | B．satisfied |
| C．hopeful | D．surprised |
A few minutes later she got up and went to the phone. She knew the number of the police station, and when the man at the other end answered, she cried to him. “Quick! Come quick! Patrick’s dead!”
“Who’s speaking?”
“Mrs Maloney. Mrs Patrick Maloney.”
“You mean Patrick Maloney’s dead?”
“I think so,” she sobbed. “He’s lying on the floor and I think he’s dead.”
“Be right over,” the man said.
The car came very quickly, and when she opened the front door, two policemen walked in. She knew them both—she knew nearly all the men at that precinct. Briefly, she told her story about going out to the grocer and coming back to find him on the floor. While she was talking, crying and talking, Noonan discovered a small patch of congealed blood on the dead man’s head. He showed it to O’Malley who got up at once and hurried to the phone.
Later, one of the detectives came up and sat beside her. Did she know, he asked, of anything in the house that could’ve been used as the weapon? Would she mind having a look around to see if anything was missing—a very big spanner, for example, or a heavy metal vase.
They didn’t have any heavy metal vases, she said.
“Or a big spanner (扳手)?”
She didn’t think they had a big spanner. But there might be some things like that in the garage.
The search went on. She knew that there were other policemen in the garden all around the house. She could hear their footsteps on the gravel outside, and sometimes she saw the flash of a torchlight through a chink in the curtains.
Then one by one they came in and were persuaded to take a little nip of whisky. They stood around rather awkwardly with the drinks in their hands, uncomfortable in her presence, trying to say consoling things to her. Sergeant Noonan wandered into the kitchen, came out quickly and said. “Look, Mrs Maloney. You know that oven of yours is still on, and the meat still inside…I better turn it off for you, hadn’t I?”
“Will you do that, Jack. Thank you so much.”
When the sergeant returned the second time, she looked at him with her large, dark, tearful eyes.
“Would you do me a small favour—you and these others?” She said.
“We can try, Mrs Maloney.”
“Well,” she said. “You must be terribly hungry by now because it’s long past your supper time. Why don’t you eat up that lamb that’s in the oven? It’ll be cooked just right by now.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Sergeant Noonan said.
“Please,” she begged. “Please eat it.”
The four policemen vacillated, but they were clearly hungry, and in the end they were persuaded to go into the kitchen and help themselves. The woman stayed where she was, listening to them through the open door, and she could hear them speaking among themselves, their voices thick and sloppy because their mouths were full of meat.
“The guy must’ve used a big thing to hit Patrick,” one of them was saying. “The doctor says his skull was smashed all to pieces.”
“That’s why it ought to be easy to find.”
“Exactly what I say.”
“The murderer’s not going to carrying a thing like that around with him longer than he needs.”
One of them belched.
“Personally, I think it’s right here on the premises.”
“Probably right under our very noses. What you think, Jack?”
And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to giggle.Which of the following is incorrect according to the passage?
| A．The policemen searched around the house until night. |
| B．The policemen were dealing with the murder of Mary’s brother. |
| C．The Maloney’s didn’t have a big spanner. |
| D．Patrick died because of a critical damage to his head. |
What is the meaning of the underlined word “vacillate”?
| A．discuss | B．refuse | C．hesitate | D．agree |
What could you learn about Mrs Maloney from the passage?
| A．She is a careless person who may not notice subtle sound. |
| B．She was in the kitchen when the officers enjoyed the lamb. |
| C．She was very familiar with the policemen and the officers. |
| D．She put the lamb into the oven before her husband died. |
Why do you think Mary giggled at the end?
| A．She was happy that they finished the real weapon without noticing. |
| B．She was glad that the policemen had a supper after working hard. |
| C．She was amused by the way they spoke with meat filled in their mouths. |
| D．She was pleased that they ate the lamb which she could not finish alone. |
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