HANS Christian Andersen put Denmark on the map of the world literature with his stories The Emperor's New Clothes, The Little Mermaid (小美人鱼) and The Ugly Duckling. Now Copenhagen, the country's capital, has become the center of the world political map, with 190 world leaders attending the climate talks there, not to mention thousands of reporters.
Just how much do you know about the Scandinavian country?
Denmark is famous for its design culture. At the heart of “Danish Design” is the idea that, as poet and designer Piet Hein puts it: “There is one art, not more, nor less, [and that is] to do all things with artlessness (朴实)”.
Danish design places equal emphasis on practicality and quality. From Lego toys to furniture, Danish products are known for their clean lines, simplicity and functionality. “Remove material where it's not needed. Keep things simple and functional and make them carefully,” explained Hans J. Wegner, the first Danish designer to achieve worldwide fame: “The aim is not to create a work of art, but to produce a good chair.”
“The Danes have done a better job than most in promoting arts in Europe, considering their country's size and population, in the fields of architecture, sculpture and design,” writes Helena Smith, reporter with British newspaper the Guardian.
The simplicity of Danish design may extend to the quality of life there. Some even claim that the Danes have the highest quality of life of any nation in the world.
Kate Vial, a 55-year-old American who has lived and worked in Denmark for more than 30 years, explaining why she chooses to live in Denmark rather than the US, told Germany's biggest news weekly Der Spiegel: “I just chose a simpler lifestyle, one where I could ride my bike all over and where I don't have to make a great living to survive.”
41. What’s the writer’s purpose of mentioning Denmark’s literature?
A. To show the readers that Denmark is best known for its stories.
B. To arouse readers’ interest in Denmark.
C. To tell the readers that this passage is related to literature.
D. To show why Denmark can attract so many political leaders.
42. What is Denmark famous for according to the passage?
A. Design culture B. Making chairs C. Writing poems D. Climate prediction
43. Which statement is true according to the passage?
A. Danish design pays more attention to arts than its function.
B. Danish products don’t need much material.
C. Danish people like to keep simple life.
D. Compared with other countries in Europe, Denmark does little in promoting arts.
44. In Piet Hein’s opinion, the characteristic of Danish culture is _____________.
A. Creative B. Complicated C. Impractical D. Simple
45. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Danes conquer the world with simple designs.
B. Denmark—a new political center.
C. Life in Denmark.
D. Designer’s idea of Denmark.
Ottawa is the capital of Canada. It is the second largest city in Ontario and the fourth largest city in the country.
The Centre Block is the main building on Parliament Hill (国会山). It is also the location of several ceremonial spaces, such as the Hall of Honor and the Memorial Chamber. The present Centre Block is the second iteration of the building, after the first was destroyed by fire in 1916, and it is one of the most recognizable buildings in Canada.
Downtown Ottawa is the commercial and economic centre of the city. Most of the buildings are office towers. While most of Ottawa’s high tech industry is based elsewhere, it has a significant presence in the downtown core (中心部分). The downtown also contains a number of apartments, hotels, and the older single family homes and townhouses along its edges.
The National Gallery of Canada is one of Canada’s premier (首位的) art galleries. The Gallery has a large and varied collection of paintings, drawings, sculpture and photographs. Although its focus is on Canadian art, it also holds works by some noted American and European artists.
The Rideau Canal is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America. At the very beginning, the purpose of the Rideau Canal was military, as it was intended to provide a secure supply and communication route between Montreal and the British naval (海军的) base in Kingston. It remains in use today primarily for pleasure boating, with most of its original structures still exsiting. The locks on the system open for navigation (通航) in mid-May and close in mid-October.What does underlined word “iteration” probably mean in the 2nd paragraph?
| A．copy | B．repair | C．design | D．picture |
If you pay a visit to the core of Downtown Ottawa, you can see ______.
| A．a large number of tall towers |
| B．a lot of apartments and hotels |
| C．the older single family homes and townhouses |
| D．head offices of Ottawa’s high tech industry |
The main collections in the National Gallery of Canada are ______.
| A．paintings and drawings |
| B．works of art by Canadian artists |
| C．sculpture and photographs |
| D．works by American and European artists |
What can we know about the Rideau Canal from the passage?
| A．The original structures remain unchanged. |
| B．People can only go boating from May to October. |
| C．It was originally for the military purpose. |
| D．It is the oldest canal system in North America. |
A man came home from work late, tired, to find his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door.
“Daddy, how much money do you make each hour?”
“If you must know, I make ＄20 each hour.”
“Oh,” the little boy answered, with his head down. He thought for a moment, looked up and said, “Daddy, could you lend me ＄10?”
The father wasfurious, “If you asked f or the money to buy a toy or some other rubbish, the go straight to your room and think about why are you so selfish (自私)！”
The little boy went to his room no words and shut the door. After a short while, the father calmed (平静) down, and started to think, “Maybe he really needs to buy something and he didn’t really ask for money very often.” So he went to the little boy’s room.
“Sorry！Maybe I was too hard on your just now.” said the man, “Here’s ＄10.”
“Oh, thank you Daddy！” he said happily. Then the boy took out some coins. When the father found that the boy already had money, he got angry again.
“Why do you want more money since you already have some?” the father shouted angrily.
“Because I didn't have enough, but now I do.” The little boy replied, “Daddy, I have ＄20 now. Can I buy one hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you. ”In this passage, the underlined word “furious” means ______.
| A．veryangry |
| B．quite happy |
| C．too excited |
| D．a little nervous |
At first, the father refused to lend the money because ______.
| A．he thought the boy wanted to keep the money for himself. |
| B．he did not have enough money at thatmoment |
| C．the thought the boy would buy something of no use |
| D．the boy always borrowed the moneyfromhim |
The boy wanted tobuy ______ with twenty dollars.
| A．a new novel forhimself |
| B．a nice present for his father |
| C．a toy for his own birthday |
| D．one hour of his father’s time |
From the passage, we can infer that the boy’s father______ .
| A．often played with his son |
| B．spent little time with his son |
| C．didn’t lovehisson at all |
| D．often camehomeearly |
Across the United States, universities and colleges have been looking to become more sustainable (可持续发展的) and more than 600 schools have already planned to become eco-friendly. The EcoDorm, home to 36 students at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, was designed to be sustainable from top to bottom, or in this case, from its rainwater-collection system to its garden. The dormitory is bringing new meaning to the concept of living “green” at college.
At Warren Wilson College, a biological science school with fewer than 1,000 students, the sustainability drive came from the student body. The EcoDorm concept was presented ten years ago by two students; a planning committee firstly suggested using building materials like corncob. Although the architects disagreed with the idea, they came up with other creative solutions: Wood siding was taken from the trees grown in the school yard that were suffering from a disease, and rainwater was collected in an old railway car and pumped back into the house to clean the toilets.
All in all, the dorm uses nearly two-thirds less electricity than a similar-sized traditional building world. But even the most sustainable homes need continued efforts from its livers. And in the case of EcoDorm, students live by their words. Most also take advantage of the dorm’s bio-garden, planting and harvesting fruits and vegetables. “I didn’t have to worry about paper towels being wasted or feel bad about drying my clothes outside,” Jeremy Lekich, the dorm’s gardener, said. “Basically, it has made my life easier.”
We can learn from the text that the EcoDorm in the US .
| A．offers students the chances to have a natural living at college |
| B．was firstly built by two college students |
| C．was designed for saving building materials |
| D．is only applicable in few schools |
The second paragraph is mainly about .
| A．where the EcoDorm was built |
| B．when the EcoDorm got its name |
| C．what the EcoDorm is made of |
| D．how the concept of EcoDorm started |
What is the advantage of the EcoDorm?
| A．It helps students to enjoy life at college. |
| B．It saves a lot of money and energy for the college. |
| C．It makes students study harder. |
| D．It brings new energy to the college. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．A long-term development calls for students’ efforts. |
| B．Students’ ideas should be encouraged at college. |
| C．Green living is a new trend at American colleges. |
| D．Students can learn to protect the environment through practice. |
In Eastern Europe, blue jeans symbolize (象征) American culture and “the good life”. In Spain they are known as “cowboys”. In China, jeans are known as “niuzaiku”, also, “cowboy trousers”, which means they are connected with the American West cowboy culture and outdoor work.
Jeans are usually made from denim (粗布), but may also be made from other materials. The earliest known cloth for jeans was a thick cotton cloth from the Indians. At first they were working clothes. They became popular among teenagers in the 1950s. Today jeans are a very popular form of casual wear around the world and come in many styles and colors.
Jeans were first made in Genoa in Italy. The trousers were made for the Genoese navy (海军) because they needed trousers which could be worn wet or dry, and whose legs could be easily rolled up while the men were cleaning the ships. These jeans would be washed by pulling them in large fishing nets behind the ship, and the sea water would make them white.
In the 1850s Levi Strauss, a business man living in San Francisco, was selling blue jeans under the “Levi’s” name to the coal workers of California.
During World War II, the coal workers liked jeans very much because they were strong and did not tear easily. In the 1950s, jeans became popular with young people in the United States. Wearing of blue jeans by teenagers was the symbol of rebels (反叛者) in TV programmes and movies. Some cinemas and restaurants refused to let people in if they wore blue jeans. In the 1980s, jeans finally became high fashion clothing, when famous designers started making their own styles of jeans, with their own labels on them. Sales of jeans went up and up.From the first paragraph we know that ________.
| A．cowboys wear jeans only |
| B．cowboys live a good life |
| C．American culture is cowboy culture |
| D．cowboy culture is usually related to the West of America |
Jeans were first made in ______.
| A．Italy | B．America | C．Spain | D．China |
From Paragraph 4 we know that “Levi’s” was ____.
| A．the name of a worker |
| B．the brand (名牌) of a kind of jeans |
| C．the name of a kind of cloth |
| D．the nickname of a businessman |
Why the people who wore blue jeans were refused to go into the cinema in the 1950s?
| A．Because jeans were made for workers. |
| B．Because jeans were made of denim. |
| C．Because it was during the time of war. |
| D．Because wearing jeans was the symbol of rebels. |
I went over my grandmother’s house today and she didn’t have time for me. You see, the lady’s husband downstairs died and my Grandmother wanted to make some cookies for her. My grandmother did not analyze (分析) how the lady treated her, or if the lady needed any cookies, or even if the lady would like the cookies. She didn’t think how much the lady has done for her. She simply began baking.
My Grandmother turned 94 last week and this I believe is her secret to life. My grandmother is generous and hard-working in a way that is rare for our time. She lives by a simple belief: if someone needs your help, you help. Never mind all the analyzing and thinking whether the person deserves or appreciates the help. My grandmother doesn’t sit around thinking about who might be making use of her: she simply does what is needed.
At 94, she is busy in life. She is making a blanket for a new great grandchild, and worried that I don’t have enough kitchen towels for my home. She is bringing soup to a sick neighbor, and teaching the new wife of her cousin (who is 88) how to cook Italian food.
My grandmother had every right to give up, but she didn’t — and amazingly life did bring her good things, like a husband with twinkling blue eyes who was much ahead of his time and believed that men should do an equal amount of cooking and cleaning in the home, three beautiful children (my father and two aunts), 22 grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. My grandmother is not afraid to give someone she barely knows a bowl of soup. She never keeps herself out of the world.The reason why my grandmother made cookies for the lady downstairs is that ________.
| A．she thought the lady was too busy |
| B．she would make them as thanks to her |
| C．they had had an agreement before |
| D．she thought she should do something for the lady at the special time |
In the writer’s opinion, ________.
| A．my grandmother will get something in return |
| B．my grandmother has a secret way of living |
| C．my grandmother does everything on careful consideration |
| D．few people are as generous as my grandmother now |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．My grandfather does not treat women in an unfair way |
| B．My grandmother cares for her children even some strangers. |
| C．This is a family in which there are nearly 30 people now. |
| D．My grandmother never keeps everything for herself. |
We may infer from the text that the writer ________.
| A．thinks his grandmother is living a tired life |
| B．thinks his grandmother is doing what she should do |
| C．thinks his grandmother should not be so kind |
| D．is proud of his grandmother |
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