This week, we talk about the application process for American colleges and universi-ties. This is part eight in our Foreign Student Series. Earlier, we explained how to begin a search for schools by going to one of the American educational advising centers around the world. We also discussed the rules for entering the United States. And we talked about programs that can be completed on-line.

　　But if your goal is to come to the United States to study, then it is time to make a list of colleges or universities that interest you.Be sure to choose more than one. Directors of foreign students admissions say students should apply to at least three schools.

　　Some students want to attend a small college; others want to go to a big university.If a really big university appeals to you, then there are ones like Ohio State University.That university in Columbus, Ohio, in the Midwest, has almost 52 000 students. There are students this year from around one hun-dred fifty countries. Ohio State provides in-ternational students with an application on its website. You can pay the application charge online with a credit card. Or you can print the forms and mail them with the pay-ment.

　　Many colleges and universities have their applications and also their catalogs on-line. A catalog is the publication in which a school tells about its programs. You should start on your applications at least two years before you want to begin studies. Completing a college application can take some time. But answering all the questions is not enough.Another important step is taking admission tests. The SAT is the college entry test that American high school students most com-monly take. Another one is the ACT. Colle-ges and universities may also require interna-tional students discussing these tests next week.

(1) This passage mainly tells us about________.

[　　]

A．how to apply for American colleges and universities

B．how to begin a search for a school in the United States

C．a series of programs for foreign students into America

D．the rules for foreign students to enter the United States

(2) From this passage we can infer that_______

[　　]

A．many American students want to study abroad

B．Foreign Student Series has lasted for weeks

C．less and less American universities will admit foreign students

D．the process of applying to American big universities is more complicated

(3) The writer mentions the Ohio State Uni-versity so as to________.

[　　]

A．recommend foreign students to apply for the university

B．offer some steps for entering the uni-versity

C．explain how to apply for American big universities

D．explain how big the university really is

(4) If a Chinese student wants to study in the United States, he/she may take the fol-lowing tests EXCEPT________.

[　　]

A．SAT

B．ACT

C．TOEFL

D．HSK

　　He's an old cobbler(修鞋匠) with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris. When I took him my shoes, he at first told me, “I haven't time. Take them to the other fellow on the main street; he'll fix them for you right away. ”

　　But I'd had my eye on his shop for a long time. Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman(手艺人). “No, ”I re-plied, “the other fellow can't do it well. ”

　　“The other fellow” was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys “ while-U-wait ”--without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys. They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap (鞋带) you might as well just throw away the pair.

　　The man saw I wouldn't give in, and he smiled. He wiped his hands on his blue apron(围裙), looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said, “Come back in a week. ”

　　I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf.

　　“See what I can do? ”he said with pride.“Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work. ”

　　When I got back to the street, the world seemed brand-new to me. He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange, dusty felt hat, his funny accent from who-knows-where and, above all, his pride in his craft.

　　These are times when nothing is impor-tant but the bottom line, when you can do things in any old way as long as it “pays”,when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption (消费) rather than a way to realize their own abilities. In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done.

(1) Which of the following is true about the old cobbler?

[　　]

A．He was equipped with the best repai-ring tools.

B．He was the only cobbler in the Marais.

C．He was proud of his skills.

D．He was a native Parisian.

(2) The sentence “He was something out of an ancient legend” (paragraph 7) implies that________.

[　　]

A．nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him

B．it was difficult to communicate with this man

C．the man was very strange

D．the man was too old

(3) According to the author, many people work just to________.

[　　]

A．realize their abilities

B．gain happiness

C．make money

D．gain respect

(4) This story wants to tell us that________.

[　　]

A．craftsmen make a lot of money

B．whatever you do, do it well

C．craftsmen need self-respect

D．people are born equal

　　Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become“computerliterate”. But not all experts agree that this is a good idea.

　　One pioneer, in particular, who disagrees is David Tebbutt, the founder of computertown UK. Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the computer, David does not see it that way. He says that the computertown was formed for just the opposite reason, to bring computers to people and make them “people-literate”.

　　David Tebbutt thinks computertowns are most successful when tied to a computer club but he insists there is an important difference between the two. The clubs are for people who have some computer knowledge already. This frightens away non-experts, who are happier going to computertowns where there are computers for them to experiment on, with experts to encourage them and answer any questions they have. They are not told what to do, they find out. The computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have to be able to answer all questions people ask. People don't have to learn computer terms, but the experts have to explain in plain language. The computer is becoming “people-literate”.

(1)Which of the following is David Tebbutt's idea on the relationship between people and computers?

[　　]

A．Computer learning should be made easier.

B．There should be more computer clubs for experts.

C．People should work harder to master computer use.

D．Computers should be made cheaper so that people can afford them.

(2)We can infer from the text that “computer-literate” means ______.

[　　]

A．being able to afford a computer

B．being able to write computer programs

C．working with the computer and finding out its value

D．understanding the computer and knowing how to use it

(3)The underlined word “it” in the Second Paragraph refers to the idea that computertowns ______.

[　　]

A．help to set up more computer clubs

B．bring people to learn to use computers

C．bring more experts to work together

D．help to sell computers to the public

(4)David Tebbutt started Computertown UK with the purpose of ______.

[　　]

A．making better use of computer experts

B．improving computer programs

C．increasing computer sales

D．popularizing computers

(5)Which of the following is true?

[　　]

A．All the experts agree computer-literate.

B．Computers should be made cheaper so that people can afford them.

C．David Tebbutt is a pioneer who agrees that we need to make computer people-literate.

D．None of the above.

　　He lived his whole life as a poor man. His art and talent were recognized by almost no one. He suffered from a mental illness that led him to cut off part of his left ear in 1888 and to shoot himself two years later. But after his death, he achieved world fame. Today, Dutch artist Van Gogh is recognized as one of the leading artists of all time.

　　Now, 150 years after his birth on March 30, 1853, Zundert, the town of his birth, has made 2003 “The Van Gogh Year” in his honour. And the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, home to the biggest collection of his masterpieces, is marking the anniversary with exhibitions throughout the year. The museum draws around 1.3 million visitors every year. Some people enjoy the art and then learn about his life. Others are first interested in his life, which then helps them understand his art.

　　Van Gogh was the son of a minister. He left school when he was just 15. By the age of 27, he had already tried many jobs including an art gallery salesman and a French teacher. Finally in 1880, he decided to begin his studies in art.

　　Van Gogh is famed for his ability to put his own emotions（情感）into his paintings and show his feelings about a scene. His style is marked by short, broad brush strokes（绘画笔法）. “Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I have before my eyes, I use colour more freely, in order to express myself more forcibly,” he wrote in a letter to his brother in 1888.

　　Van Gogh sold only one painting during his short life. He relied heavily on support from his brother, an art dealer who lived in Paris. But now his works are sold for millions of dollars. His Portrait of Dr Gachet sold for US ＄ 89.5 million in 1990. It is the highest price ever paid for a painting. “I think his paintings are powerful and the brilliant colours in them are attractive to people,” said a Van Gogh's fan.

(1)All through his life Van Gogh ______.

[　　]

A．depended on his brother

B．worked hard on his dream

C．was not recognized by people

D．expressed himself in paintings

(2)Van Gogh killed himself because of ______.

[　　]

A．the poor life

B．his illness

C．his pain from the left ear

D．the refusal by artists of his time

(3)One of the characteristics of Van Gogh's paintings is ______.

[　　]

A．the likeness between his paintings and the reality

B．the short time for him to complete a painting

C．the various styles mixed together

D．the special strokes he made

(4)The selling of his paintings is considered to be the most successful because ______.

[　　]

A．more and more people like his paintings

B．people can understand him through his paintings

C．1.3 million people visit his painting museum every year

D．Zundert has made 2003 “the Van Gogh Year” in his honour

(5)We can infer from the text ______.

[　　]

A．his powerful art came from his poor life

B．his fellow-townsmen regretted treating him unfairly

C．all his paintings were drawn in the last 10 years of his life

D．most of his paintings are kept in the museum of his hometown

　　Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness, happiness, goodness, and self respect? The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized as “honor” help you create this life of good feelings.

　　Here's an example to show how honorable actions create happiness.

　　Say a store clerk fails to charge us for an item. If we keep silent, and profit from the clerk's mistake, we would drive home with a sense of sneaky excitement. Later we might tell our family or friends about our good fortune. On the other hand, if we tell the clerk about the uncharged item, the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty. We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we might never share with another soul.

　　Then, what is it to do with our sense of happiness?

　　In the first case, where we don't tell the clerk, a couple of things would happen. Deep clown inside we would know ourselves as a type of thief. In the process, we would lose some peace of mind and self-respect. We would also demonstrate that we cannot be trusted, since we advertise our dishonor by telling our family and friends. We damage our own reputations by telling others. In contrast, bringing the error to the clerk's attention causes different things to happen. Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable. Upon leaving the store, we feel honorable and our self-respect is increased. Whenever we take honorable action we gain the deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility.

　　There is a beautiful positive cycle that is created by living a life of honorable actions. Honorable thoughts lead to honorable actions. Honorable actions lead us to a happier existence. And it's easy to think and act honorably again when we're happy. While the positive cycle can be difficult to start, once it's started, it's easy to continue. Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind, which is important for our happiness.

(1)According to the passage, the positive action in the example contributes to our ______.

[　　]

(2)The author thinks that keeping silent about the uncharged item is equal to ______.

[　　]

(3)The phrase “bringing the error to the clerk's attention” (in Para.5) means ______.

[　　]

A．telling the truth to the clerk

B．offering advice to the clerk

C．asking the clerk to be more attentive

D．reminding the clerk of the charged item

(4)How will we feel if we let the clerk know her/his mistake?

[　　]

A．We'll be very excited.

B．We'll feel unfortunate.

C．We'll have a sense of honor.

D．We'll feel sorry for the clerk.

(5)Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

[　　]

A．How to Live Truthfully

B．Importance of Peacefulness

C．Ways of Gaining Self-respect

D．Happiness through Honorable Actions

　　One of Disney's favorite dreams was to create a new kind of amusement park--a place where all the members of a family could go and have fun together. He wanted it to be a clean place where the whole family could spend the day. It would give the parents of small children something to do while their children were enjoying the rides and games.

　　Disney decided to build his park in California, and in 1952 he began to buy land. This proved to be a difficult task, since the land he wanted was owned by no fewer than twenty families. Nevertheless, Disney went on with his plans for a clean, safe park, which he decided to call Disneyland.

　　At last Disneyland was built and opened to the public. Very quickly it came to be regarded as one of the wonders of the modern world. In the first six months of its existence（存在）, about three million people passed through its gate. Visitors to Disneyland have included eleven kings and queens, twenty-four heads of states, and twenty-seven princes（王子）and princesses. In ten years, Disneyland earned ＄195 000 000.

　　Disney thought Disneyland expressed his ideas of all that is true and good and beautiful in this world. He was never tired of visiting the park himself, of expanding it and improving it. Every night, each street and each walk way is washed, and workers with knives get down on their hands and knees to clean up chewing gum（口香糖）that has been dropped by visitors. Visitors to the park are called “guests”, never “customers”. Every year, some 800000 plants are replaced because Disney refused to put up signs asking his “guests” not to step on them. Undoubtedly（无疑）it helps explain why about fifty percent of the people who enter Disneyland's gates have been there before.

(1)When Walt Disney started his park, he wanted to build a place _______.

[　　]

A．for the parents with children

B．for both the parents and children to have fun

C．that would bring him a lot of money

D．where children would feel safe to play happily

(2)______ seemed to be the biggest problem for Disney.

[　　]

A．Trying to persuade all the landowners to sell the land

B．That the land he wanted was not big enough

C．Trying to get enough money to buy the land

D．Not being able to find a proper land

(3)Too many people went to Disneyland _______ there.

[　　]

A．to see the wonders of the world

B．to see how the workers keep the place clean

C．to see the kings and queens

D．for they expect to have a wonderful feeling

(4)Walt Disney felt ______ Disneyland and often went to see it himself.

[　　]

(5)One reason why many people came to visit Disneyland again is that _______.

[　　]

A．they feel they are respected there

B．they are free to step on the plant there

C．they can find different new plants there

D．they like to be called “guests” instead of “customers”

　　The painter Georgia O'Keeffe was born in Wisconsin in 1887 and grew up on her family's farm. At seventeen she decided she wanted to be an artist and left the farm for schools in Chicago and New York, but she never lost her bond with the land. Like most painters, O'Keeffe painted the things that were most important to her, and nearly all her works are simplified portrayals of nature.

　　O'Keeffe became famous when her paintings were discovered and exhibited in New York by the photographer Levered Stieglitz, whom she married in 1924. During a visit to New York in 1929, O'Keeffe was so moved by the bleak landscape and broad sky of the Western desert that she began to paint its images. Cows' skulls and other bleached bones found in the desert figured prominently in her paintings. When her husband died in 1946, she moved to New Mexico permanently and used the horizon lines of the desert, colorful flowers, rocks, barren hills, and the sky as subjects for her paintings. Although O'Keeffe painted her best known works in the 1920's, 1930's and 1940's, she continued to produce tributes to the Western desert until her death in 1986.

　　O'Keeffe is widely considered to have been a pioneering American modern painter. While most early modern American artists were strongly influenced by European art, O'Keeffe's position was more independent. She established her own vision and preferred to view her painting as a private endeavor. Almost from the beginning, her work was more identifiably American than that of her contemporaries in its simplified and idealized treatment of color, light, space, and natural forms.

(1)Which of the following best tells what this passage is about?

[　　]

A．O'Keeffe was a distinctive modern American painter.

B．O'Keeffe was the best painter of her generaion.

C．O'Keeffe liked to paint only what was familiar to her.

D．O'Keeffe used colors and shapes that are too reduced and simple.

(2)Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an influence on O'Keeffe's paintings?

[　　]

A．Her rural upbringing.

B．Her life in the West.

C．The works of European artists.

D．The appearance of the natural landscape.

(3)Which of the following is most similar to O'Keeffe's relationship with nature?

[　　]

A．A photographer's relationship with a model.

B．A writer's relationship with a publisher.

C．A student's relationship with a hammer.

D．A carpenter's relationship with a hammer.

(4)Why is O'Keeffe considered an artistic pioneer?

[　　]

A．Her work became influential in Europe.

B．She painted the American Southwest.

C．Her paintings had a definite American style.

D．She painted things that were familiar to her.

　　In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernadino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue（烤肉）restaurant, then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new idea: quick service, no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.

　　Their hamburgers were sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity（一致性）, for the brothers had developed a strict routine（程序）for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks' sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became surprisingly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundreds during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success until they met Ray Kroc.

　　Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954, when he was selling milkshake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the special attraction of the brothers' fastfood restaurants and bought the right to franchise（特许经营）other copies of their restaurants. The agreement included the right to duplicate（复制）the menu, the equipment, even their red and white buildings with the golden arches（拱门）.

　　Today McDonald is really a household name. In 1976, McDonald had over ＄1 billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most surprising success stories in modern American business history.

(1)This passage mainly talks about ______.

[　　]

A．the development of fast food services

B．how McDonald became a billion-dollar business

C．the business careers of Mac and Dick McDonald

D．Ray Kroc's business talent

(2)Mac and Dick managed all of the following businesses except ______.

[　　]

(3)We may infer from this passage that ______.

[　　]

A．Mac and Dick McDonald never became wealthy for they sold their ideas to Kroc.

B．the place Mac and Dick McDonald chose was the only source of the great popularity of their drive-in

C．forty years ago there were lots of fast-food restaurants

D．Ray Kroc was a good businessman

(4)The passage suggests that ______.

[　　]

A．creativity is an important element of business success

B．Ray Kroc was the close partner of the McDonald brothers

C．Mac and Dick McDonald became broken after they sold their ideas to Ray Kroc

D．California is the best place to go into business

　　The Erie Canal was the first important national waterway built in the US. It crossed New York from Buffalo on Lake Erie Troy to Albany on the Hudson River. It joined the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The canal served as a route over which industrial goods could flow into the west, and materials could pour into the east. The Erie Canal helped New York develop into the nation's largest city.

　　The building of the canal was paid for entirely by the state of New York. It cost $7143789, but it soon gained its price many times over. Between 1825, when the canal was opened, and 1882, when toll charges（过运河费）were stopped, the state collected $121461891.

　　For a hundred years before the Erie was built, people had been talking about a canal which could join the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. The man who planned the Erie Canal and carried the plan through was De Witt Clinton. Those who were against the canal laughingly called it “Clinton's Ditch（沟）”. Clinton talked and wrote about the canal and drew up plans for it. He and Governor Morris went to Washington in 1812 to ask for help for the canal, but they were unsuccessful.

　　Clinton became governor of New York in 1817, and shortly afterwards, on July 4,1817, broke ground for the canal in Rome, N. Y. The first part of the canal was completed in 1820. As the canal grew, towns along its course developed fast. The length of the canal is 363 miles.

(1)We can see that the Erie Canal ______.

[　　]

A．joined the Great Lakes together

B．crossed New York from north to south

C．played an important part in developing New York City

D．was the first waterway built in the US

(2)It can be inferred that ______ into the Atlantic Ocean.

[　　]

(3)Which of the following is true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．The Erie Canal brought profits of over $114000000.

B．It's 363 miles from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

C．The West was more advanced than the East when the canal was built.

D．Many other states helped New York build the canal.

(4)Which of the following is true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．Clinton broke ground for the canal at both ends.

B．Clinton started building the canal before he became governor.

C．All parts of the canal were completed at the same time.

D．Construction of the canal took eight years.

　　Born in a small town in Southern Norway, Henrik Ibsen（亨利克·易卜生，挪威戏剧作家）was no stranger to social isolation and self-discovery. As the second son in a large family of six children, Henrik spent his childhood wandering the countryside. However, his father lost all his money and became poor when Henrik was only seven, forcing the family to move to a smaller, poor town. He left school in 1843 and worked as a chemist's assistant for seven years. During this time, Ibsen began to write. He published his first play, Caitilin, under the pen name of Brynjolf Bjarme.

　　Despite his lack of education and failure to attend the university, Ibsen continued to write, and in 1850 his second play, The Warrior's Barrow, was produced by the Christiana Theatre. After that, he got a job in this theatre. During his theatre years, he married Suzanna Thoresen and became the father of three children. Together, the Ibsens worked in the theatre until it closed down in 1862, and then they were forced to leave Norway. Like his father, ______. For the next twenty-seven years, he lived in many different cities in Germany and Italy. In 1900, he had a stroke（中风）, and could no longer write.

　　Ibsen is known in the literary and theatrical worlds for his study of social isolationism and the individualism. His most famous works always describe strong women who are held back by the rules of society. They are like dolls trapped inside a doll's house, and are unable to find their own voices. This theme appeared in his play A Doll's House. This is his most famous play, and because of it he is respected around the world. It was written over a century ago, and is still being produced all over the world.

(1)The sentence, “After so many years, working as an assistant, Ibsen planned to go to the university to develop the literary talents he discovered while working with the chemist.” is taken from the passage. The original place of it is ______.

[　　]

A．at the beginning of the first paragraph

B．at the beginning of the second paragraph

C．at the end of the second paragraph

D．at the beginning of the third paragraph

(2)Which of the following is suitable to fill in the blank in the second paragraph?

[　　]

A．Ibsen was married and had three children.

B．Ibsen spent most of his life doing business.

C．Ibsen began to write plays based on his own experience.

D．Ibsen once lived a rich life but soon lost it.

(3)The passage is organized in the order of ______.

[　　]

A．Ibsen's experience

B．Ibsen's marriage

C．Ibsen's achievements

D．Ibsen's works

(4)The next part that followed this passage may probably tell us something about ______.

[　　]

A．his later life

B．his other achievements

C．his play A Doll's House

D．some strong women in that times