Kieron Williamson, a seven-year-old British boy, is being recognized as an art genius after selling 16 paintings for 18, 000 pounds in just 14 minutes. This boy has artistic skills that would
be the envy of any serious painter and drawn comparisons to Pablo Picasso, a child prodigy（神童）who became one of the most recognized artists of the 20th century. It all began on a family holiday to Cornwall on the southwest English coast when Kieron was five. Inspired by the view, he asked his parents for his first sketch-pad （速写纸）. From that moment on, he became deeply interested. While supportive, Kieron’s parents are careful not to push their son. He only paints when and what he wants.
He has a waiting list of hundreds and requests for his works have been flooding in. His father said a sale of Kieron’s works held in November even drew a buyer from Japan. “We had people driving down that night, there were people on the door waiting to come in the morning who had been standing outside, the phones were going mad as soon as the door opened at nine o’clock and within 14 minutes all the 16 pictures had gone, ” he said.
All this talent, money and high praise could so easily go to a young boy’s head, but Kieron said his friends keep him grounded. “Some of them want to be as good as me and some of them think. . . Umn, ‘you are not too special’,” he said.
Kieron’s favourite painter is British artist Edward Seago and he has spent some of his earnings buying a work by his hero. The rest is being invested by his parents until he reaches 25. Kieron’s parents and his younger sister Billi-Jo don’t see him as anything other than a normal seven-year-old boy who likes to tear around the house and who’s mad about football. But for now, with so much still to learn, there’s only one thing he wants to be when he grows up. He said, “I think I’ll definitely be an artist. ”According to Paragraph 1, we can know Kieron Williamson ______ .
| A．painted 16 paintings in only 14 minutes |
| B．draws as well as Picasso did |
| C．is one of the most recognized artists |
| D．has unusual ability in painting |
What made Kieron Williamson begin to love painting?
| A．His first sketch-pad. |
| B．His parents’ encouragement. |
| C．The view at the seaside. |
| D．His swimming near the coast. |
In Kieron Williamson’s friends’ opinion, he ______.
| A．is famous but a little proud |
| B．isn’t very special from other children |
| C．isn’t worth praising at all |
| D．is hard to get along with |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.
| A．Edward Seago thinks highly of Kieron’s painting |
| B．Kieron likes doing sports and painting instead of studying |
| C．Kieron’s family is very poor |
| D．Kieron wants to be a great painter |
The passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．a seven-year-old painting genius |
| B．how to be a great painter |
| C．Kieron Williamson may become the second Picasso |
| D．the painting changed Kieron Williamson’s life greatly |
If you want to see climate change, head north and keep going until you run out of globe. That is easier said than done. The Arctic (北极) is home to few people and covered in ice much of the year. But those who make their way to the icy seas of the Arctic Ocean will see a part of the planet that is warming and changing faster than anywhere else.
In September, scientists announced at the National Snow and Ice Data (数据) Center that Arctic summer sea ice had fallen to its second lowest level since 1979, and probably long before that. The Arctic has lost an area of ice greater than the area of all U.S. states east of the Mississippi River. And what ice remains appears to be getting thinner and weaker.
Nick Toberg and Till Wagner are polar ice scientists who are doing sea ice fieldwork. “There is plenty of data to suggest that the ice is becoming thinner as well as smaller in area,” they say.
The changes happening in the Arctic are a warning for the entire world . As polar expert Walt
Meier puts it, “What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic.”
Some scientists worry that Arctic sea ice may be going from a downward spiral (螺旋线) to a “death spiral”, one from which there is no escape. As more ice melts (融化), more dark open water appears. The darkness absorbs (吸收) more heat, which speeds up the pace of melting.
Until recently, many scientists thought it might take until the end of the century for the North Pole to become completely ice free during the summer. Now some believe it could happen by 2030 or even earlier. “The melting is happening faster in the real world than it has in the models,” says Nick Toberg. The purpose of the first paragraph is to tell readers __________.
| A．it’s difficult to arrive at the Arctic |
| B．it is too cold for people to live in the Arctic |
| C．what caused the climate change in the Arctic |
| D．we can see the most obvious climate change in the Arctic |
From the second paragraph we can learn Arctic summer sea ice __________.
| A．is still decreasing |
| B．began reducing in 1979 |
| C．fell to its lowest level in September |
| D．is equal to the Mississippi River |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A．The changes don’t affect the Arctic at all. |
| B．The changes will only happen in the Arctic. |
| C．The changes happening in the Arctic will stop. |
| D．The changes will also affect other parts of the world. |
Nick Toberg may agree that __________.
| A．the ice in the North Pole will stop melting |
| B．the ice in the North Pole is melting faster than expected |
| C．the ice in the North Pole will melt before 2030 or even earlier |
| D．the ice in the North Pole will not disappear until the end of the century |
Nelson Mandela was a figure of international fame, and many details of his life and career were public knowledge. But here are four things you may not have known about the late South African leader.
1. He was a boxing fan.
In his youth, Nelson Mandela enjoyed boxing and long-distance running. Even during the 27 years he spent in prison, he would exercise every morning. "I did not enjoy the violence of boxing so much as the science of it. I was curious by how one moved one's body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat, how one paced oneself over a match," he wrote in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.
2. His original name was not Nelson.
Rolihlahla Mandela was nine years old when a teacher at the primary Methodist school where he was studying in Qunu, South Africa, gave him an English name “Nelson” in accordance with the custom to give all school children Christian names.
3. He forgot his glasses when he was released from prison.
Mr. Mandela's release on 11 February 1990 followed years of political pressure against apartheid(种族隔离). Mr. Mandela's reading glasses stayed behind in prison. Mr. Mandela and his then-wife Winnie were taken to the centre of Cape Town to address a huge and exciting crowd. But when he pulled out the text of his speech, he realized he had forgotten his glasses and had to borrow Winnie's.
4. He had his own law firm, but it took him years to get a law degree.
Mr. Mandela studied law on and off for 50 years from 1939, failing about half the courses he took. A two-year diploma(学位证书) in law on top of his university degree allowed him to practice, and in August 1952, he and Oliver Tambo set up South Africa's first black law firm, Mandela and Tambo, in Johannesburg. He kept on studying hard to finally secure a law degree while in prison in 1989.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Nelson Mandela’s life in the prison. |
| B．Unknown things about Nelson Mandela. |
| C．Nelson Mandela’s hobbies and career. |
| D．The achievements of Nelson Mandela. |
Why did Nelson Mandela love boxing?
| A．Because he wanted to be a boxer. |
| B．Because he loved the science in boxing. |
| C．Because he enjoyed the violence of boxing. |
| D．Because he had nothing else to do in the prison. |
What happened to Mandela when he was about to give the speech?
| A．He broke his glasses into pieces. |
| B．He left his own glasses at home. |
| C．He had to use his wife’s glasses. |
| D．His wife wanted to borrow his glasses. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Nelson Mandela was not his original name. |
| B．Nelson Mandela was the name given by his teacher. |
| C．Nelson Mandela had started his own law firm before he got a law degree. |
| D．Nelson Mandela had been studying the law nonstop for 50 years. |
In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five days off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I’d hitch a ride (搭便车).
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn’t give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured (使……放心)me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favor I’d been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.
After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven’t changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.”
I couldn’t remember where I’d met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.The author(作者) had to hitch a ride one day in 1978 because __________ .
| A．the town was far away from Sydney |
| B．she missed the only train back home |
| C．she was going home for her holidays |
| D．her work delayed her trip to Sydney |
Which of the following did Gordon do according to Paragraph 2?
| A．He bought sandwiches for the girl . |
| B．He gave the girl a ride back home. |
| C．He helped the girl find a ride. |
| D．He watched the girl for three hours. |
The reason why the author offered a lift to the elderly man was that __________.
| A．she realized he was Gordon |
| B．she had known him for decades |
| C．she was going to the nearby town |
| D．she wanted to pay back the help she once got |
What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?
| A．Sometimes giving produces nice results. |
| B．Those who give rides will be repaid. |
| C．Good manners bring about happiness. |
| D．People should offer free rides to others. |
Most people are aware of what the adoption process is because it has become rather common in our society. Adoption is where a child is legally placed with guardians (监护人) or parents (or perhaps a single parent) other than the birth mother or father. Once an adoption is finalized, all parental rights are turned over to the adoptive parents and there is no legal difference between adoptive parents and natural birth parents. There are generally two types of adoption, which are closed adoption and open adoption.
When an adopted person has access to his or her adoption file and original records, it is referred to as an open adoption. The term is also used to describe any contact that may be between the adoptive family, the birth parents, and the adopted child. The level of openness can change greatly in such contact depending on each individual relationship. There can be indirect contact between the natural birth parents and the child through the form of letters and photographs, or there can be actual physical contact.
A semi-open adoption is where the birth parents may have contact with the adoptive parents before the birth of the child, either once or several times. After the birth there is no more contact. A semi-open adoption may remain as it is or it can become either open or closed.
A closed adoption is where only the medical and historical information about the biological parents is given to the adoptive family. Typically, the birth and adoptive parents do not know each other’s identities. The record of the birth parents is kept sealed (密封). A closed adoption is usually only effective in the adoption of babies. The adoption of an older child who already knows his or her birth parents cannot be kept closed.How many adoption types are mentioned in the passage?
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about the closed adoption?
| A．The birth parents may have indirect contact with the adoptive parents. |
| B．The biological parents may often go to see their birth child. |
| C．No information about the biological parents is given to the adoptive parents. |
| D．Generally speaking, the adoptive parents do not know the birth parents’ identities. |
Suppose someone adopts a child and his biological parents often get contact with the child by telephone. We can call this adoption _____.
| A．a closed adoption | B．an open adoption |
| C．a semi-open adoption | D．a semi-closed adoption |
From the passage, we know adoption is _____.
| A．where a child is brought up by the government |
| B．where a child is legally sent abroad by the birth parents |
| C．where a child is legally placed with adoptive parents |
| D．where a child is sent to live with the children whose parents have died |
You might not know it, but there is something wonderful at your fingertips. You can make people happier, healthier and more hard-working just by touching their arms or holding their hands.
Doctors say that body contact is a kind of medicine that can work wonders. When people are touched, the quantity of hemoglobin (血红蛋白)－a type of matter that produces the red color in blood increases greatly. This results in more oxygen reaching every part of the body and the whole body benefits. In experiments, bottle-fed baby monkeys were separated from their mothers for the first ten days of life. They became sad and negative. Studies showed the monkeys were more probable to become ill than other babies that were allowed to stay with their mothers.
Human babies react in much the same way. Some years ago, a scientist noticed that some well-fed babies in a clean nursery became weak. Yet babies in another nursery were growing healthily, even though they ate less well and were not kept as clean. The reason, he concluded, was that they often had touches from nurses.
Experiments show that most people like being touched. And nearly all doctors believe touch helps to reduce patients' fear of treatment. Of course there is time when a touch is not welcome. But even if we don't like being touched, a smile can make us feel better. Smiling increases blood flow and starts the production of "happy brain" chemicals. So let's have a big smile and don't forget to keep in touch.Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Everyone knows that body contact can make people happier. |
| B．People may work harder because of body contact. |
| C．Your fingertips can do something. |
| D．People may not understand the importance of touching. |
According to the passage _____.
| A．human brains need oxygen and blood supply now and then |
| B．touches from doctors and nurses have nothing to do with treatment |
| C．new-born baby monkeys should stay away from their mothers |
| D．not all the people like being touched |
The word "benefits" in the second paragraph probably means _____.
| A．to be useful or helpful |
| B．to get something useful or helpful |
| C．to be ill |
| D．to be hurt |
The best title for the passage might be _____.
| A．Why People Touch | B．Smile and Touch |
| C．Wonders of Touch | D．Touch or Not |
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