Few buildings on earth can compete with the legendary beauty of the Taj Mahal. Towering over the ancient Indian city of Agra, the Taj Mahal is the grandest monument (纪念碑) to love ever created.
The lovers in this story are the 17th century Indian emperor Shah Jehan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. She took a leading role in advising him, which is something unusual for a woman to do for a husband who’s an emperor. Over the course of their nineteen-year marriage she gave birth to 14 children. But in 1631 while trying to deliver their fifteenth — she tragically died. He was heartbroken when she died. And after her death, he decided to build the world’s greatest monument ever built, for love.
He ordered the royal architects to design the most beautiful building the world had known and decided to name it after his beloved, Mumtaz Mahal. He called on twenty thousand workers and sent many more people to all corners of his country in search of valuable metals and jewels. And after seventeen years of hard work, Shah Jehan’s monument was completed and his beloved empress was moved to her final resting place.
Everything had gone according to plan, but Shah Jehan’s luck was about to change ... In 1658, just four years after the completion of the Taj Mahal, he was thrown out of power. Unfortunately, his son, Aran Azibe imprisoned him, his own father. And he spent the last seven years of his life in prison. And he was allowed to look at the Taj Mahal through a window. His life was in ruins, but when he died his last wish was promised. He was buried beside his beloved wife in the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal was built for ______.
| A．Mumtaz | B．Shah | C．Mumtaz or Shah | D．Mumtaz and Shah |
The Taj Mahal was completed in ______.
| A．1658 | B．1662 | C．1665 | D．1654 |
What was unusual for Mumtaz Mahal according to the passage?
| A．She gave birth to 14 children for her husband. | B．She gave important advice to her husband. |
| C．She asked her son to imprison his father. | D．She planned to build the world’s greatest monument. |
Which of the following is TRUE about Shah Jehan?
| A．He was killed by his own son. | B．He lost his power as a result of the Taj Mahal. |
| C．He put his own son into prison. | D．He hoped to be buried together with his wife. |
Have you ever used Facebook? Many people are being lured (引诱) onto it 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 (议员) 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 do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?
| A．It is a website that sends messages to targeted users. |
| B．It makes money by putting on advertisements. |
| C．It profits by selling its users’ personal data. |
| D．It provides loads of information to its users. |
What does the author say about most Facebook users?
| A．They are reluctant to give up their personal information. |
| B．They don’t know their personal data enriches Facebook. |
| C．They don’t identify themselves when using the website. |
| D．They care very little about their personal information. |
Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?
| A．To provide better service to its users. |
| B．To follow the Federal guidelines. |
| C．To improve its users’ connectivity. |
| D．To expand its scope of business. |
Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?
| A．He is dissatisfied with its current service. |
| B．He finds many of its users untrustworthy. |
| C．He doesn’t want his personal data abused. |
| D．He is upset by its frequent rule changes. |
When Kate’s paintings were on show in London, a poet described her paintings as “a ribbon (丝带）around a bomb”. Such comments seem to suggest Kate had a big influence on the art world of her time. Sadly, she is actually a much bigger name today than she was during her time.
Born in 1907 in a village near Mexico City, Kate suffered from polio（小儿麻痹症）at the age of seven. Her spine (脊柱) became bent as she grew older. Then, in 1925, her back was broken in several places in a school-bus accident. Throughout the rest of her life, the artist had many operations, but nothing was able to cure the terrible pain in her back. However, the accident had an unexpected side effect. While lying in her bed recovering, Kate taught herself to paint.
In 1929, she got married to Diego Rivera, another famous Mexican artist. Rivera’s strong influences on Kate’s style can be seen in her early works, but her later works from the 1940s, known today as her best works, show less influence from her husband.
Unfortunately, her works did not attract much attention in the 1930s and1940s, even in her home country. Her first one-woman show in Mexico was not held until 1953. For more than a decade after her death in 1954, Kate’s works remained largely unnoticed by the world, but in the 1970s her works began to gain international fame at last.What does the underlined phrase “a much bigger name” in paragraph 1 most probably mean?
| A．A far better artist. |
| B．A far more gifted artist. |
| C．A much stronger person. |
| D．A much more famous person. |
The terrible pain Kate suffered was caused by .
| A．polio | B．her bent spine |
| C．back injuries | D．the operations she had |
Kate’s style had become increasingly independent since the .
| A．1930s | B．1940s | C．1950s | D．1970s |
What is author’s attitude toward Kate?
| A．Devotion. | B．Sympathy. |
| C．Worry. | D．Encouragement. |
One dark and stormy night, an elderly man and his wife entered the hall of a small hotel in Philadelphia, hoping to get shelter for the night.
The clerk, a friendly man with a beautiful smile, explained that there were three conferences in town. "All of our rooms are taken," the clerk said, "but I can't send a nice couple like you into the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It's not a suite, but it will be good enough to make you comfortable for the night." The couple agreed.
As the elderly man paid the bill the next morning, he told the clerk, "You are the kind of person who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I’ll build one for you." The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh.
Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the elderly man, asking the clerk to pay him a visit. The elderly man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of the Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a reddish stone one with watchtowers thrusting (插入) up to the sky, and told the clerk that it was the hotel he had just built for him to manage.
That wonderful building was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. And this young clerk whose name was George C. Boldt never foresaw the return of events that would lead him into the manager of one of the world's most attractive hotels.Why did the elderly man build a hotel for the clerk?
| A．He was grateful to the clerk. |
| B．They had a bet at first. |
| C．He wanted to please the clerk. |
| D．He wanted to sell the hotel. |
Which of the statements about the story is NOT true?
| A．The story took place at about one a.m. |
| B．The old couple were too poor to afford a luxurious room. |
| C．The clerk was willing to help those in need. |
| D．The clerk received an unexpected invitation from the old man. |
According to the text, the clerk .
| A．helped the couple because he thought they were poor. |
| B．hoped that the old couple could give him a large amount of money. |
| C．didn't expect to receive things in return from the old couple. |
| D．became rich, thanks to his own efforts. |
Which of the following proverbs suits the story the best?
| A．Every little thing helps. |
| B．Make hay (干草) while the sun shines. |
| C．Accidents will happen. |
| D．One good turn deserves another. |
Why do Chinese people love hot pot so much? As the winter months begin to settle in, I find myself wondering what it is about this traditional meal, which has existed for more than 1. 000 years, that makes it a Chinese food favorite. But it seems that the answer lies beyond the dish itself.
Hot pot isn't just designed to keep you warm during the cold months; it's also a social experience. It's a "theater” cuisine that turns a meal into an event. There is a lot of fun for everyone to have in adding ingredients to the hot pot.
Hot pot is eaten over two to three hours. For this reason, it is often, considered an evening's entertainment, and time to spend with friends and family. However, many westerners would be put off by the idea of other people sticking chopsticks in their food. When we come to eat at the table in the UK, we tend to have our own individual portions （份额）, although the experience is still a social one.
A similar experience to the hot pot one can be found in Korean barbecue restaurants, which let you cook your own meat. This allows people to have their meat done however they want.
For most Westerners, the idea of going to a restaurant to cook their own food is bizarre（古怪的）. But having given hot pot a time, I find it's now one of my favorite meals in Beijing. The steam from the pot left my clothes smelling of food when I got home, but perhaps this is also part of the experience. When the chilly （刺骨的） wind is blowing outside, just grab some chopsticks, some good friends, and dig in. For me it's like throwing a dinner party where my taste buds（味蕾）and my appetite are equally satisfied in the warm company of friends.
| A．it is a fun social experience |
| B．it has been developing for over 1,000 years |
| C．it involves many unique ingredients |
| D．it keeps people warm in winter and it is creative |
| A．prefer a Korean barbecue to Chinese hot pot |
| B．find it interesting to cook their own food in restaurants |
| C．don't like sharing food with others |
| D．don't mind the smell of food staying on their clothes after dinner |
| A．Appreciative | B．Longing |
| C．Humorous. | D．Serious. |
Some people may say a hero is someone older than you, someone you personally know, someone who has done something everyone knows about, etc. I don’t think a hero necessarily has to be an older person or a close friend or a family member. My hero is younger than me, but we are related. His name is Marcus. He is my cousin. He isn’t necessarily a wise person or someone who does something great every day, but he has taught me to appreciate some of the simple things in life.
I am now in 11th grade. When I was in 8th grade, Marcus had a brain tumor (脑瘤) which had to be removed. Thankfully the tumor was benign (良性的). When the doctors removed it Marcus lost his sight. He felt down only once. Ever since then, he has been an extremely happy second-grader. He is very typical of a nine-year-old. He likes to tell jokes, play new games, and he likes to play tricks on people, just like children at his age. I love spending time with him. We go to movies whenever there is a good one and look after him every chance I get.
I say that Marcus helps to appreciate the simple thing in life. He doesn’t have his sight and that causes me to realize how lucky I am to be able to see, to walk, and to talk. I can do everything I need to. If everyone could see how happy and satisfied Marcus is and how much he makes everyone around him happy, then they might just be able to better appreciate the simple things in life.
| A．the same idea about heroes as others |
| B．a different idea about heroes from others |
| C．the idea that a hero must be older |
| D．the idea that a hero must be a close friend |
| A．Because his cousin is a very wise person.. |
| B．Because his cousin does great things every day. |
| C．Because his cousin teaches him how to enjoy a simple life. |
| D．Because his cousin teaches him to live a rich life. |
| A．Marcus looks older than his age. |
| B．Marcus isn’t nine years old at all. |
| C．Marcus is different from the other students. |
| D．Marcus is the same as the other children at his age. |
| A．Marcus’ simple life. | B．Marcus’ serious illness. |
| C．Marcus’ blindness. | D．Marcus’ recovery. |
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