For many years, artists have flocked to Paris, France, to paint or to learn to paint. Perhaps artists first went there because of the city′s beauty. They went to paint pictures of the broad, tree-lined streets, the great churches, and the graceful river bridges.
The artists felt comfortable in Paris because the people of the city had always enjoyed art. Paris had great art museums, filled with famous paintings and statues(雕像)from many countries. And the people of Paris had always welcomed new ideas. In this city, artists felt free to experiment with new ways of painting.
As soon as famous artists painted in Paris, students came to learn from them. People came to buy paintings. People called  art dealers set up galleries where paintings were bought and sold. Others kept shops that sold artists′ paints and supplies.
Students and artists who were not yet famous could live in Paris for very little money. They learned by studying great art in the museums, and they learned from one another. They held art fairs, hanging their paintings outdoors along the streets.
Today, New York City and Florence, Italy, are also famous art centers. But the world’s main art exhibits are still held in Paris. Important judges of art live there. Most of the new ways of painting that have started in the last hundred years began in Paris. So artists and art dealers still go to Paris because it is the world′s leading art center.
【小题1】In Pairs artists can make progress in art by doing lots of things except .

A．painting the beautiful scenes of Pairs.

B．visiting museums, churches and fairs.

C．trying out their new ideas in the way of painting.

D．buying or selling paintings in the fair.

【小题2】The story does not say so, but it makes you think that.

A．Paris is famous for its artists’ paints and supplies

B．there is more than one way to paint

C．art fairs are held in galleries

D．Florence is the center of world art exhibits

【小题3】Which of the following statement is not a reason why so many artists prefer to stay in Pairs?

A．Pairs is a beautiful city

B．The French are willing to accept any new things.

C．All the museums are free of charge in Pairs.

D．Artists can make an easier life in Pairs.

【小题4】On the whole, this story is about.

A．the world′s most famous art center

B．how to buy a painting in Paris

C．the famous art centers of New York and Florence

D．where to set up galleries

【小题1】The Information Highway          ．

A．is free from traffic accidents	B．is crowded with car drivers
C．offers just a few on-line services	D．appeals to a large number of users

【小题2】How does Mr． Cool manage to travel the Information way so fast?

A．By storing fewer files	B．By repairing the system．
C．By buying a better computer	D．By using a broad—band connection．

【小题3】What can be learned from Passage 2 ?

A．There will be a book show at Grayson Hall．

B．Friedman is now studying the Great Barrier Reef．

C．There will be a talk on global warming this week．

D．Friedman is a leading expert on computer science．

【小题4】Passage 2 is most probably          ．

A．a poster about a lecture	B．an ad for a new book
C．a note to a doctor in a university	D．an introduction to a professor

Among all the fast growing science and technology, the research of human genes（基因）, or biological engineering as people call it, is drawing more and more attention now. Sometimes it is a hot topic discussed by people.
The greatest thing that gene technology can do is to cure serious diseases that doctors at present can almost do nothing with, such as cancer and heart disease. Every year, millions of people are murdered by these two killers. And to date, doctors have not found an effective way to cure them. But if the gene technology is applied（应用）, not only these two diseases can be cured completely, bringing happiness and more living days to the patients, but also the great amount of money people spend on curing their diseases can be saved, therefore it benefits the economy as well. In addition, human life span(寿命) can be prolonged.
Gene technology can help people to give birth to more healthy and clever children. Some families, with the English imperial family being a good example, have hereditary diseases. This means their children will for sure have the family disease, which is a great trouble for these families. In the past, doctors could do nothing about hereditary diseases. But gene technology can solve this problem perfectly. The scientists just need to find the wrong gene and correct it and a healthy child will be born.
Some people are worrying that the gene research can be used to manufacture (produce) human beings in large quantities. In the past few years, scientists have succeeded in cloning a sheep; therefore these people predict that human babies would soon be cloned. But I believe cloned babies will not come out in large quantities, for most couples in the world can have babies in very normal way. Of course, the governments must take care to control gene technology.
【小题1】What does “these two killers” in the second paragraph refer to?

A．Gene technology and another treatment of the two diseases.

B．The two murderers who killed the cloned baby

C．The two diseases of cancer and heart disease

D．Hereditary diseases and cancer

【小题2】What’s the main idea of the third paragraph?

A．How gene technology can be applied to cure family diseases.

B．Gene technology can be used to clone human babies.

C．Gene technology can help people to give birth to a baby.

D．Gene technology can help the English imperial family out

【小题3】What is the main purpose of writing this passage?

A．Expressing the writer’s idea that gene technology will benefit people

B．Telling people the advantages of gene technology

C．Telling the readers that gene technology will not benefit people

D．Explaining that gene technology will also do harm to the humanity

【小题4】Which of the following worries people by using this technology?

A．Scientists have already successfully cloned sheep.

B．Most couple will normally give birth to babies.

C．A good number of babies will be cloned

D．The government will take action to control it.

The Winter Olympics is also called the White Olympics. At this time, many colorful stamps are published to mark the great Games. The first stamps marking the opening came out on January 25, 1932 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics. From then on, publishing stamps during the White Olympics became a rule. During the 4th Winter Olympic Games a group of stamps were published in Germany in November 1936. The five rings of Olympics were drawn on the front of the sportswear. It was the first time that the rings appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics. In the 1950’s, the stamps of this kind became more colorful.
When the White Olympics came, the host countries(东道国) as well as the non-host countries published stamps to mark those Games. China also published four stamps in February 1980, when the Chinese sports men began to take part in the White Olympics. Japan is the only Asian country that has ever held the White Olympics. Altogether 14,500 million stamps were sold to raise money for this sports meet. Different kinds of sports were drawn on these small stamps. People can enjoy the beauty of the wonderful movements of some sportsmen.
【小题1】The White Olympics and the Winter Olympics _______.

A．are the same thing	B．are different games
C．are not held in winter	D．are held in summer

【小题2】The world made it a rule to publish stamps to mark the great world games _______.

A．after the year 1936	B．after the 3rd White Olympics
C．before the 3rd White Olympics	D．before the year 1932

【小题3】The Winter Olympics is held once _______.

A．every two years	B．every three years
C．every four years	D．every five years

【小题4】Which of the following is true?

A．Only the host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.

B．Only the non-host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.

C．All the countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.

D．Japan can’t publish stamps to mark those Games

【小题5】What may appear on the stamps of the White Olympics?

A．Basketball.

B．Table tennis.

C．Football.

D．Skating.

Violin prodigies (神童), I learned, have come in distinct waves from distinct regions. Most of the great performers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were born and brought up in Russia and Eastern Europe. I asked Isaac Stern, one of the world’s greatest violinists the reason for this phenomenon. “It is very clear,” he told me. “They were all Jews and Jews at the time were severely oppressed and ill-treated in that part of the world. They were not allowed into the professional fields, but they were allowed to achieve excellence on a concert stage.” As a result, every Jewish parent’s dream was to have a child in the music school because it was a passport to the West.
Another element in the emergence of prodigies, I found, is a society that values excellence in a certain field to nurture (培育) talent. Nowadays, the most nurturing societies seem to be in the Far East. “In Japan, a most competitive society, with stronger discipline than ours,” says Isaac Stern, children are ready to test their limits every day in many fields, including music. When Western music came to Japan after World War II, that music not only became part of their daily lives, but it became a discipline as well. The Koreans and Chinese as we know, are just as highly motivated as the Japanese.
That’s a good thing, because even prodigies must work hard. Next to hard work, biological inheritance（遗传） plays an important role in the making of a prodigy. J. S. Bach, for example, was the top of several generations of musicians, and four of his sons had significant careers in music.
【小题1】     Jewish parents in Eastern Europe longed for their children to attend music school because ________.

A．it would allow them access to a better life in the West

B．Jewish children are born with excellent musical talent

C．they wanted their children to enter into the professional field

D．it would enable the family to get better treatment in their own country

【小题2】     Nurturing societies as mentioned in the passage refer to societies that ________.

A．are highly motivated in the education of music

B．treasure talent and provide opportunities for its full development

C．encourage people to compete with each other

D．promise talented children high positions

【小题3】     Which of the following contributes to the emergence of musical prodigies according to the passage?

A．a natural gift.	B．extensive knowledge of music.
C．very early training.	D．a prejudice-free society.

【小题4】     Which of the following titles best summarizes the main idea of the passage?

A．Jewish Contribution to Music	B．Training of Musicians in the World
C．Music and Society	D．The Making of Music Prodigies