Watercolour is the oldest paints known. It dates back to the early cave men who discovered they could add lifelike qualities to drawings of animals and other figures on the walls of caves by mixing the natural colours found in the earth with water.

Fresco, one of the greatest of all art forms, is done with watercolour. It is created by mixing paints and water and applying these to wet plaster. Of the thousands of people who stand under Michelangelo’s heroic ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, very few know that they are looking at perhaps the greatest watercolour painting in the world.

The invention of oil painting by the Flemish masters in the fifteenth century made fresco painting go down-hill, and for the next several centuries watercolour was used mainly for doing sketches or as a tool for study. It was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that English painters put back watercolour as a serious art form. The English have a widely-known love for outdoors and also small private pictures. The softness of watercolour had a remarkably strong attraction for them.

The popularity of watercolour continued to grow until the twentieth century. The United States passed England as the center for watercolour, producing such well-known watercolour artists as Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth.

1.The purpose of the passage is to introduce _____. 

A. the gradual weakness of fresco painting

B. oils’ power or influence over watercolour

C. the discovery of watercolour in England     

D. the start and development of watercolour

2.In the 16th and 17th centuries the artists thought _____.

A. watercolour was softer, and thus better

B. oil painting lasted longer, and was better

C. watercolour wasn’t fit for finished works

D. watercolour was too hard to use in any works

3.According to the passage, watercolour painting was put back in England because ____

A. it was easy to use outdoors              B. it was a strong medium

C. it was extremely bright in colour        D. it was suited to popular tastes

4. What would the next paragraph most probably deal with?

A. The works of famous US watercolour artists 

B. Modern American oil painters

C. The weakness of oils as popular paints       

D. Techniques of producing watercolour

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Have you ever started sneezing when eating peanuts, getting rash on your skin or feeling your heat starting to beat faster? Statistics show that around 12 million Americans suffer from food allergy, with 6.9 million allergic to seafood and 3.3 million allergic to peanuts or tree nuts.

Food allergic symptoms occur immediately after having an allergen food. The food is treated as harmful to the body, by the immune system, which defends our organism from harmful external attacks. Here are a few guidelines about things you should know and how to put them into practice to prevent food allergies and eat healthily.

When buying food, read attentively the labels on the food products. All manufacturers according to the new Food Allergen and Consumer Act must clearly list all the elements of the product including the 8 food allergens even if they are present in very small amounts. Don’t buy these products, even if they might be cheaper.

Parents should be very careful when preparing food. The table and cooking tools used need to be clean. It is recommended to cook the food of the allergic person in the first place.

Food allergic persons should have a little patience. In certain people, the allergy disappears gradually. Visit your doctor at regular times to find about the progress of your allergies instead of having strict diets every day.

Keep a diary to note the foods that worsen your food allergies, new experiences and changes that you notice. Being tempted to have a piece of cake can be very dangerous. Your health is much more worth than it. Always think about the efforts people around you are putting to create an allergic-free environment for you.

Allergic persons should avoid consuming cakes that are not homemade and should always carry some snacks on them. Buying food in restaurants is risky.

Going on a trip into           space must be quite            exciting experience.

A. / ; the           B. the; the            C. the; an            D./ ; an

According to the school rules, no student __________ go out of the school after eleven o’clock at night without the teacher’s permission.

A. will       B. must     C. may      D. shall

After going into the concert hall, the mother _____ a friend and went over to greet him.

A. searched         B. knew              C. spotted            D. realized

He ______ at once when I promised to help him.

A. cheered up        B. gave up        C. broke up        D. turned up

Word came _______ the students would put off the outing until next week, when they wouldn’t be busy.

A. that             B. when           C. which         D. whether

The reason for his success is ______ he worked very hard.

A. why          B. that         C. whether      D. how

—Do you think we are going the right way to the Forbidden City?

—Sorry, I’m not sure．But it _______ be．

A．might     B．will         C．must         D．can

. —Do you still go jogging every morning?

—Yes, I can’t think of a _______________ way to start a day.

A. better   B. best    C. worse    D. worst