Museum of the Moving Image(MMI)(Monday Closed) As the best museum in New York City and with a balance of hands-on(实际操作的)activities and information, it’s the rare bird that can entertain and educate people of different ages. It’s a perfect destination for a family trip of a couple hours. Pros—Excellent movie screenings. Easy subway access. Cons—Difficult to reach by Car.

New York Hall of Science(NYHS)(Monday Closed) Being New York City’s only hand son science and technology center, it is an interactive science museum focusing on its audience of children. It has the most hands-on exhibits in an NYC museum, and it’s a fun destination for ages 5 and up. Older folks might take great interest in the NASA rockets outside the museum, but don’t bother unless you’ve kids to keep you company. Pros—Cool interactive science exhibits, the rockets. Cons—Hard to reach by public transportation.

Queens County Farm Museum(QCFM)(Year-round 7 days a week) It is an actual farm in New York City and home to animals your kids can feed and a yard full of a climbing plant whose fruit can be made into wine. Good chance to meet sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and cows! The animals are mostly readily accessible to visitors. And the museum sells feed for young hands willing to get licked by sheep and goats. Pros—Outdoor fun. Cons—Expensive festivals, long bus ride, no subway.

Queens Museum of Art(QMA)(Monday and Tuesday Closed) Opened in 1972 to serve as a cultural center in New York City, it exhibits art by local and international artists. Its best exhibits are on the two World’s Fairs. and of course,the Panorama of New York City, a giant , highly detailed diorama(透景画)of all five New York City boroughs. 行政区) Pros—The Panorama, Great gift shop. Easy subway access. Cons—Not much for kids.

【小题1】The least likely choice for 5-year-old Jack to make among the museums is______.

A．T MMI

B．T NYHS

C．QMA

D．QCFM

【小题2】According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?

A．All the museums mentioned above lie in New York City.

B．No other museum in New York City is better than MMI.

C．Lucky visitors can see grapes in one of the museums.

D．NYHS has the most hands-on activities in America.

【小题3】We can know from the text that______.

A．visitors can pay a visit to all the museums by subway

B．people can visit only one of the any day

C．there is often a rare bird flying in the sky above MMI

D．the Panorama is, as a matter of fact, a great gift shop

【小题4】In which museum can you enjoy outdoor fun?
A．MMI. B．NYHS.    C．QCFM.    D．QMA.

Remind children that bad things don’t last. It may sound simple, but the message is extremely important. “Children often don’t have the experience to know that when something bad happens---they lose an important game or their best friend lets them down---it’s not the end of the world,” explains Nancy Leffert, a senior research scientist with the Research Institute, an American adolescents(青少年) and children’s research group. “They think their bad feelings will last for ever, or that one failure will ruin everything.”

Unfortunately, that kind of thinking discourages motivation(动机). “If a child believes that the cause of her upset is lasting, or that nothing she does will make a difference, it decreases her ability to keep on trying.” says Dorothy Rich, president of the MegaSkills Education Center of the Home and School Institute, based in Washington. Any time you can help your child see that a situation is not lasting, that a result can be changed, or that one opinion does not reflect reality, you give her reason to hope.

Case in point: “When my daughter Kathy was eight, art was one of her favorite subjects,” says Beth, a mother of two. “Then she got an art teacher who gave a great deal of praise to one student and barely noticed the rest. Kathy was ready to give up until I explained to her, “Never stop doing your best just because one person doesn’t give you praise.” Beth had to repeat the advice often, and finally her daughter got the message. “Kathy is 12 now, and art is still one of her strongest subjects.”

1.According to the passage we know many children__________.

A. know how to face a failure

B. try their best to avoid a situation of failure

C. don’t want to stay in bad feelings for ever

D. tend to take a failure as the end of the world

2.Which of the following is RIGHT about Nancy Leffert?

A. She is concerned about children’s attitudes towards failure.

B. She is the president of the Education Center.

C. She strongly believes that bad things won’t last long.

D. She is the director of the Research Institute.

3.Which of the following can a parent say to his children to show that one’s opinion does not reflect reality?

A. “If you call your friend and apologize, he won’t stay mad at you.”

B. “Go ahead. Don’t care what other people think.”

C. “You have lost today, but you can try again tomorrow.”

D. “That may be what your teacher thinks, but I see it differently.”

4.The best title of the passage is__________.

A. Help Children Promote Problem Solving Ability

B. Tell Children Not to Let Failure Ruin Them

C. Set Reasonable Hopes for Your Children

D. Teach Your Children to Be Happy

 

How to Release Creativity

According to most dictionaries. creativity is the ability to create. However, creativity is more than what is defined by the dictionary. It is an idea, a process, a thought。or a state of mind. One cannot learn to be creative because creativity is natural and unique to each individual. People should know that creativity doesn’t equal success. It equals the act of expressing. So. if at first the goal that is aimed for is not achieved, there is no need for worry or frustration.

Creativity can, however, be released by discovery. Some people need encouragement to help

release their creativity. There are quite a few ways to release it.

One way to release creativity would be to look for what can inspire you. Looking at the world and admiring the differences in people and places help. Creativity can be drawn from their beauty. A person can touch, taste, smell, hear, and see hundreds of different objects. Aromas from foods, textures of blankets, and sight of unusual objects can all give inspiration.

Many people are too concerned with how things should look. The focus should be on how it actually looks in the raw, to the human eye. Colors and shapes can be distorted(扭曲)by the mere fact that people want others to see it for what it is. It’s more difficult for someone to let go of all that and just let their creativity flow, unblocked.

Another way to get the creativity flowing is to research what other artists have done or are currently doing. Their cultures and biographies alone can be an inspiration. Examining their works can help some appreciate artistic expression. New techniques can even be drawn from their works.

Some people are even inspired by everyday events, like reading the newspaper or watching the news. Some can take other people’s situations and describe how it makes them feel. That is a way to release creativity. Controversial issues, such as War or abortion, can inspire writings like poems. They can be used to express death, loss, or tragedy. General topics such as religion or politics can branch off into many directions, sending creativity into overdrive.

Creativity is not about reaching a goal or being a perfectionist. It’s about being, feeling, and taking all that is inside and letting it out in one way or another. Creativity is not always expressed by paintings, drawings, or writings. One’s action is the main form to express creativity. Romance, for example, is a form of creativity. Love and emotion are inspired by one person for another. Taking something inside and then putting it back out into the world as another thing is the key of creativity. Knowing and loving someone so much that there is a need to express it is a very natural form of creativity.

Another form of expressing creativity is talking. Some people are more blessed in this area than in more obvious ones。such as painting or drawing. They Paint a “word picture”. Speeches can be centered around new ideas and thoughts. It can contain an of one’s being and transform it into either simple or complicated words.

Inspiration is vital to creativity. Even if it’s only a slight feeling or thought that inspires. Creativity can be released each time attempts are made to use the body as all outlet. Remember that creativity is not an art form, but that it forms art.

How to Release Creativity

Outlines	Details
The writer’s understanding of creativity	●Creativity is more than just a 1.   given in the dictionary. ●It is an idea, a process, a thought, or a state of mind. ●It is natural and unique to each individual. ●It equals2.  rather than success.
Ways to3.__ creativity	●We Can look for what Can inspire US through five 4.__. ●We shouldn’t be too concerned with the 5.__ of things. ●We can get creativity flowing by 6._ what other artists have done or are doing and examining their works. ●We can draw inspiration from both everyday events and 7.__ issues.
Forms of expressing creativity	Creativity Can be expressed by ●paintings, drawings or 8._; ●actions used 9.__ to show their knowing and loving someone; ●speeches containing new ideas and thoughts.
Conclusion	●Inspiration is of great10.__ to creativity. ●Art is an expressive form of creativity.

 

 

To err is human. To blame the other guy is even more human.

Common sense is not all that common.

Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?

These three popular misquotes(戏谑的引语)are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature .To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem. Perhaps it is the natural thing to do .The original quote about human nature went like this:” To err is human, to forgive, divine(神圣的).”This saying mirrors an deal people should be forgiving of others’ mistakes. Instead, we tend to do the opposite –find someone else to pass the blame on to. However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a making of great maturity.

Common sense is what we call clear thought. Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan. Commonsense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine．Common sense does not seem to be common for large organizations, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything. People say that in a large company,”the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”

And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people. get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time. There is a corollary(直接推论)to that: if good excuse is “good”even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?

1. According to tile passage, which of following seems the most human?

A. To search for truth．                    B. To achieve one’s ideal

C. To make fun of others’mistakes．          D. To criticize others for one’s own error.

2．According to the author, what is a sign of a man’s maturity?

A．Doing things his own way.

B．Bearing responsibility for his mistakes.

C．Making as few mistakes as possible．

D．Thinking seriously about his wrongdoing.

3．Which of the following is N0T based on common sense?

A．A man tries to take charge of everything in a large company.

B．A student goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather.

C．A company’s next move follows a good plan．

D．A lawyer acts on fine judgments．

4. What is the author’s opinion about a good excuse?

A. Making a good excuse is sometimes a better policy.

B. Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas.

C. A good excuse is as rewarding as honesty.

D. Bitter truth is better than a good excuse.

5. What would be the best title for his passage?

A. A Mirror of Human Nature            B. To Blame or to Forgive

C. A Mark of Maturity                  D. Truth or Excuse

Street art can be found on buildings, sidewalks, street signs and even trash cans from Tokyo to Paris to New York City. This special kind of art can take the form of paintings, sculptures, cloth or even stickers. Street art has become part of a global visual culture. Now, even art museums and galleries are collecting the work of street artists. 

It is not easy to provide an exact history of the street art movement. This kind of art has developed in many kinds of ways in places all over the world. Also, because it is illegal to paint public and private property without permission, street artists usually work secretly. This secretive nature of street art and its countless forms make it hard to define exactly. And people have different opinions about the movement. Some think street art is a crime and destroys property. But others see this art as a rich form of non-traditional cultural expression.  Many experts say the movement began in New York City in the nineteen sixties. Young adults would use paint in special cans to spray their TAG on walls and train cars around the city. This tag was a name they created to identify themselves and their artwork. This colorful style of writing is also called graffiti. It is visually exciting and energetic. 

Graffiti also became a separate movement expressing the street culture of young people living in big cities. Graffiti art represented social and political rebellion. These artists could travel around areas of the city making creative paintings for everyone to see. Sometimes this street art created a dispute between artists and city officials. Graffiti artists created their images and city officials quickly painted over them. During the 1980s, two famous New York painters—Keith Haring and Jean Michel began showing their work in art galleries and museums. This is when street art started to become part of the more general popular culture.

1.What can we infer from the first paragraph?

A. Street art has become popular and is accepted as a kind of culture.

B. Street art is very special compared with other forms of popular art.

C. Many people are beginning to learn street art.

D. Street art is better developed in big cities than in rural areas.

2.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A. TAG was a word created by people to distinguish street artists and the other artists.

B. There are three reasons to explain why it is hard to define the history of street art.

C. The movement of street art began in the 1980s in New York City.

D. Not all the people think that the street art is a rich form of cultural expression.

3.The city officials used to do away with graffiti probably because        .

A. they caused arguments between people

B. they were ugly in someone’s eyes

C. they were not painted under proper guidance

D. they didn‘t express good traditional culture.

4.They best title of the passage is        .

A. The way to become a street artist.

B. What does Graffiti art stand for?

C. The history of an art movement.

D. The work of street artists.