An artist went to a beautiful part of the country for a holiday and stayed with a farmer. Every day he went out with his painting brushes and painted till evening. When it got dark, he went back to the farm and had a good dinner before he went to bed.
At the end of his holiday he wanted to pay the farmer, but the farmer said, “No, I don’t want money. But give me one of your pictures. What’s money? In a week it will all be finished, but your picture will still be here.”
The artist was very pleased and thanked the farmer for saying such kind words about his pictures. The farmer smiled and answered, “It’s not that. I have a son in London. He wants to become an artist. When he comes home next month, I’ll show him your picture, and he will not want to be an artist any more, I think.”Every day, the artist ___________.
| A．helped the farmer to do some farming |
| B．went out to visit his friends |
| C．painted pictures outside |
| D．enjoyed the beautiful scenery |
The artist wanted to pay the farmer, but the farmer ___________.
| A．wanted nothing |
| B．wanted much more money |
| C．didn’t want any things at all |
| D．wanted one of his pictures instead of money. |
After hearing the farmer’s words, perhaps the artist would be ___________.
| A．sad | B．happy | C．thankful | D．excited |
Have you ever wondered?
1. Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?
It can take five hours to go west-east from New York (NY) to London but seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon (大气现象) known as the jet stream (气流). The jet stream is a very high altitude (=" above" sea level) wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. So the planes moving at a constant air speed go faster from the west to the east when they are moving with the wind than in the opposite.
2. What would happen if the gravity on Earth was suddenly turned off?
Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures（建筑物）float away? What happened would depend on (依靠) how strongly the things were attached (吸附) to the earth. The earth is moving at quite a speed, moving at over a thousand miles per hour. If you turn something around your head on a string, it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string. Then it flies off in a straight line. ‘Turning off’ gravity would be like letting go of the string. Things not attached to the earth would fly off in a straight line. People in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling (=" top" surface of a room). Most things outside would fly off into space.What information can we get from the first passage?
| A．It is the jet stream that affects how fast airplanes fly. |
| B．Planes go slower when they are moving with the wind. |
| C．It takes more time to fly from NY to London than from London to NY. |
| D．The jet stream always blows from the east to the west across the Atlantic. |
The underlined word “shoot” in the 2nd paragraph means “_________”.
| A．send for | B．move quickly | C．come out | D．grow quickly |
It can be known that without gravity _________.
| A．buildings and other structures would float away |
| B．trees and buildings would not so easily fly off |
| C．something around your head would not float away |
| D．everything outside buildings would fly off into space |
Where can we read this passage?
| A．In a research paper. | B．In a short story. |
| C．In a travel magazine. | D．In a student’s book |
At two o’clock a bank robber stole in. “This is a hold-up,” the man said loudly. He took a gun from under his jacket, pointing to George. “Hand it over!” George reached into his money-box and took all the bills from the top part --- close to six thousand dollars. The robber took them and turned to leave. Then, while everyone watched the robber, George calmly lifted the top part of the money-box, took bills from the bottom part and put them into his own pocket secretly. The door was shut and the bank robber was gone. George fainted（晕倒）. As soon as he was safely behind his bedroom door, George counted the money. He had eight thousand dollars. He was very happy.
The next morning, while the others were checking the bank’s records, George was asked to go to Mr. Burrow’s office and was introduced to Mr. Carruthers, who used to be president of the bank.
“Good morning, George, I was sorry to give you a hard time yesterday, but with all the banks being robbed these days I thought it would be a good idea to prove that our small bank can be robbed, too. I have retired （退休）, but I am always thinking of our bank. That’s why I played my little game yesterday, just to keep everyone on his toes（趾）. Now, I have put the money back in your money-box all six thousand.” Which of the following do you think is TRUE?
| A．George wanted to protect the money for the bank. |
| B．George had been thinking of taking money away. |
| C．This bank had been robbed several times. |
| D．Nobody knew the bank would be robbed that day. |
Why was George asked to go to Mr. Burrow’s office?
| A．His stealing money was known to all. |
| B．Mr. Burrow wanted to say sorry to him. |
| C．Mr. Carruthers wanted to explain the whole thing to him. |
| D．Mr. Burrow wanted to tell him the money had been put back. |
In this article “to keep everyone on his toes” means _________.
| A．to make everyone work hard |
| B．to keep everyone standing straight |
| C．to make everyone do a kind of exercise |
| D．to keep everyone preparing for the coming danger |
Which sentence can be used to end this story?
| A．George turned cold with fear. |
| B．George turned red with anger（愤怒）. |
| C．George was pleased with the end. |
| D．George was excited with the end. |
American cities are similar to other cities around the world: In every country, cities reflect（反映）the values of the culture. American cities are changing, just as American society is changing.
After World War Ⅱ, the population of most large American cities became smaller; however, the population shifts（转移）to and from the city reflect the changing values of American society. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, city residents（居民）became richer. They had more children so they needed more space. They moved out of their flats in the city to buy their own homes. They bought houses in the suburbs（郊区）.
Now things are changing. The children of the people who left the cities in the 1950s are now adults. Many, unlike their parents, want to live in the cities. They continue to move to Sun Belt cities and older ones of the Northeast and Midwest. Many young people are moving back into the city. They prefer the city to the suburbs because their jobs are there; or they just enjoy the excitement and what the city offers.
This population shift is bringing problems as well as some advantages. Countless poor people must leave their flats in the city because the owners want to sell the buildings or make flats for sale instead of for rent（租金）. In the 1950s, many poor people did not have enough money to move to the suburbs; now many of these same people do not have enough money to stay in the cities.
Only a few years ago, people thought that the older American cities were dying. Some city residents now see a bright, new future. Others see only problems. One thing is sure: many dying cities are alive again.The main idea of the passage is _________.
| A．cities around the world |
| B．the dying cities |
| C．the changing American cities |
| D．the changing of the American culture |
Why did American city residents want to live in the suburbs after World War Ⅱ?
| A．Because older American cities were dying. |
| B．Because they were richer and needed more space. |
| C．Because cities included the worst parts of society. |
| D．Because they could hardly afford to live in the city. |
According to the 4th paragraph, a great many poor people in American cities _________.
| A．are faced with housing problems |
| B．are made to move to the suburbs |
| C．want to sell their buildings |
| D．need more money for daily costs |
We can know from the passage that _________.
| A．American cities are changing for the worse |
| B．the population is getting smaller in older American cities |
| C．many people are now moving from American cities |
| D．people have different views on American cities |
The red phone box in Britain is a perfect example of the British traditional culture. However, with the fast development of mobile phones, it has lost its place in people’s everyday life. In order to save their loved red phone boxes, people have come up with many ideas, for example, to turn them into toilets or art houses.
In a village in Somerset, a place in South West England, villagers have found a new way to save their red phone box. They turned it into a mini library to deal with the shortage of libraries in their area. The idea was given by a local villager, Janet Fisher, who lives opposite the phone box. Villagers got together to set up the book box. Over 100 books and a lot of movies and music CDs are available at this mini library. The books are of different kinds, including from cooking books to the classics and children’s books. People can put the books that they have read inside the phone box, and take away the books that they’d like to read. The books are always changing. There is a regular check on the books to keep the phone box collection fresh.
Anyone is free to come to read books there. The phone box library is open every day around the clock and is lit (the past form of “light”) at night. “ It’s very pleasing that the red phone box has been saved. More importantly, it can continue providing a service for us,” said one of the villagers.The red phone box has been a symbol of _________.
| A．the British culture |
| B．the European art of building |
| C．the development of mobile phones |
| D．British people’s daily life |
People in Somerset turned the red phone box into a mini library to _________.
| A．make it like the new one |
| B．help solve the shortage of library service |
| C．provide a place to exchange ideas |
| D．make the collection of the local library larger |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about the red phone box?
| A．People can borrow books and enjoy the films and CDs there. |
| B．The library was set up by a local villager living opposite a phone box. |
| C．The library is open to the public day and night. |
| D．Regular check is made to keep the books in good order. |
Doctor Seuss was born in 1904. By the middle 1950s, he had become one of the best-loved and most successful children's book writers in the world. His books are very popular with young readers. They enjoy the invented words and the pictures of unusual funny animals and plants.
In 1954, life magazine published a report about school children who could not read well. The report said many children's books were not interesting. Doctor Seuss strongly hoped to help children and decided to write books that were interesting and easy to read. He used words with the same ending sound, like fish and wish. He did not receive training in art. Yet, he drew the pictures for most of his books.
In 1957, Dr. Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat. He used less than 230 words to write the book and even a six-year-old should be able to read it. It was a fun story and easy to read. Children loved it. Their parents loved it, too. Today it is still one of the stories they like best. The success of The Cat in the Hat made him want to write more books for children. In 1960, he wrote a book using less than fifty words. The book is called Green Eggs and Ham.
In 1984, Doctor Seuss won a Pulitzer Prize. He was honored for the education and enjoyment his books provided American children and their parents.
He died at the age of 87, but his influence remains. Millions of his books have been sold worldwide. People say his books helped change the way American children learned to read. Yet, his books are loved by people of all ages. Doctor Seuss once said, "I do not write for children. I write for people. Doctor Seuss learned from the magazine that _______.
| A．some school children could not read well |
| B．many children's books were interesting |
| C．children wanted to learn to write |
| D．a writer for children was wanted |
People like his books because the books ______.
| A．are cheap and easy to get |
| B．were written in different languages |
| C．are easy and interesting to read |
| D．were written with invented words |
He wrote the book The Cat in the Hat at the age of _____.
| A．50 | B．53 | C．56 | D．87 |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Doctor Seuss wrote Green Eggs and Ham with over 230 words. |
| B．Doctor Seuss wrote books only for children in the United States. |
| C．The Cat in the Hat was written only for six-year-old children. |
| D．His books provided education and enjoyment for Americans. |
From the text we know that Doctor Seuss __________.
| A．won a Pulitzer Prize soon after his death |
| B．sold millions of his books himself worldwide |
| C．changed American children's way of reading |
| D．wrote the largest number of books in the world |
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