C

Paris has the Eiffel Tower; New York has the Statue of Liberty; and Brussels, the Manneken

Piss.

Think of the Belgian capital and, if anything, you think of the small peeing (撒尿) boy ____  a 60-meter-high bronze figure standing on a block, supplying a constant stream of water to the basin under him.

Some might laugh. But for Jacques Stroobants, the statue is up there with the best of them.

“I’m proud of him. People come from all around the world to see him,” says 60-year-old Stroobants with a fatherly glance at the little boy.

As the most famous landmark of Brussels, Manneken Piss has a very special place in the heart of Belgians.

The original Manneken Piss dates back to 1388, but the statue tourists see today dates from 1619 when the city built a second one after the original was destroyed.

Many stories go round Manneken Piss. Nobody knows why he was made. One story is that he saved Brussels by putting out the flames of a deadly fire with his well-aimed piss. But the most believable story is that the boy, the son of a wealthy man, was kidnapped. The father had a statue built in honor of the way his son was found-peeing against a tree.

Perhaps best-known for his naked beauty, the “peeing boy” has also been clothed in some of the finest clothes money can buy.

Stroobants has been changing his clothes for the last 29 years. On average, he has clothes on 300 days a year. And on special days, he pees beer.

A few of the ways he’s been dressed are; a football player, Mozart and an army general. Now, he has more than 600 pieces of clothes.

There is no strict charge for those wishing to provide clothes for the little boy. But certain conditions must be met.

“The clothes cannot include either advertising or political message,” said Stroobants, because they would cheapen the national treasure.

But Manneken Piss is still something local people can make money from ___ by selling all kinds of souvenirs.

72. Which of the following is NOT true about Maneken Piss?

A. It has a history of more than 600 years.   B. It stands in Brussels. 

C. It is best known for the clothes he wears. D. It is 60 meters high.

73. The Manneken Piss has a special place in the heart of Belgians because          .

A. it’s good-looking with water running constantly

B. it brings joys to people who see it   

C. it helps people make beer

D. it’s a symbol of the city.

74. We can learn from the passage that          .

A. for most of the year, the boy is naked

B. Stroobants is probably in charge of taking care of the statue

C. people can provide any clothes for Manneken Piss

D. people make money by advertising Manneken Piss

75．Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

A. Tourists cannot provide clothes for the peeing boy.

B. The Manneken Piss has attracted many visitors.

C. The peeing boy is the national treasure of Belgium.

D. Local people make money by selling souvenirs.

 

C

Paris has the Eiffel Tower; New York has the Statue of Liberty; and Brussels, the Manneken

Piss.

Think of the Belgian capital and, if anything, you think of the small peeing (撒尿) boy ____  a 60-meter-high bronze figure standing on a block, supplying a constant stream of water to the basin under him.

Some might laugh. But for Jacques Stroobants, the statue is up there with the best of them.

“I’m proud of him. People come from all around the world to see him,” says 60-year-old Stroobants with a fatherly glance at the little boy.

As the most famous landmark of Brussels, Manneken Piss has a very special place in the heart of Belgians.

The original Manneken Piss dates back to 1388, but the statue tourists see today dates from 1619 when the city built a second one after the original was destroyed.

Many stories go round Manneken Piss. Nobody knows why he was made. One story is that he saved Brussels by putting out the flames of a deadly fire with his well-aimed piss. But the most believable story is that the boy, the son of a wealthy man, was kidnapped. The father had a statue built in honor of the way his son was found-peeing against a tree.

Perhaps best-known for his naked beauty, the “peeing boy” has also been clothed in some of the finest clothes money can buy.

Stroobants has been changing his clothes for the last 29 years. On average, he has clothes on 300 days a year. And on special days, he pees beer.

A few of the ways he’s been dressed are; a football player, Mozart and an army general. Now, he has more than 600 pieces of clothes.

There is no strict charge for those wishing to provide clothes for the little boy. But certain conditions must be met.

“The clothes cannot include either advertising or political message,” said Stroobants, because they would cheapen the national treasure.

But Manneken Piss is still something local people can make money from ___ by selling all kinds of souvenirs.

72. Which of the following is NOT true about Maneken Piss?

       A. It has a history of more than 600 years.   B. It stands in Brussels. 

       C. It is best known for the clothes he wears. D. It is 60 meters high.

73. The Manneken Piss has a special place in the heart of Belgians because          .

       A. it’s good-looking with water running constantly

       B. it brings joys to people who see it   

       C. it helps people make beer

       D. it’s a symbol of the city.

74. We can learn from the passage that          .

       A. for most of the year, the boy is naked

       B. Stroobants is probably in charge of taking care of the statue

       C. people can provide any clothes for Manneken Piss

       D. people make money by advertising Manneken Piss

75．Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

A. Tourists cannot provide clothes for the peeing boy.

B. The Manneken Piss has attracted many visitors.

C. The peeing boy is the national treasure of Belgium.

D. Local people make money by selling souvenirs.

James Cleveland Owens was the son of a farmer and the grandson of black slaves. His family moved to Cleveland when he was 9. There, a school teacher asked the youth his name.

　　“J. C.,” he replied.

　　She thought he had said “Jesse”, and he had a new name.

　　Owens ran his first race at age 13. After high school, he went to Ohio State University. He had to work part time so as to pay for his education. As a second-year student, in the Big Ten games in 1935, he set even more records than he would in the Olympic Games a year later.

　　A week before the Big Ten meet, Owens accidentally fell down a flight of stairs. His back hurt so much that he could not exercise all week, and he had to be helped in and out of the car that drove him to the meet. He refused to listen to the suggestions that he give up and said he would try, event by event. He did try, and the results are in the record book.

　　The stage was set for Owens’ victory (胜利) at the Olympic Games in Berlin the next year, and his success would come to be regarded as not only athletic (体育的) but also political. Hitler did not congratulate any of the African-American winners.

　　“It was all right with me,” he said years later. “I didn’t go to Berlin to shake hands with him, anyway.”

　　Having returned from Berlin, he received no telephone calls from the president of his own country, either. In fact, he was not honored by the United States until 1976, four years before his death.

　　Owens’ Olympic victories made little difference to him. He earned his living by looking after a school playground, and accepted money to race against cars, trucks, motorcycles, and dogs.

　　“Sure, it bothered me,” he said later. “But at least it was an honest living. I had to eat.”

　　In time, however, his gold medals changed his life. “They have kept me alive over the years,” he once said. “Time has stood still for me. That golden moment dies hard.”

1．In the Big Ten meet, Owens _________.

A. hurt himself in the back                                B. succeeded in setting many records

C. tried every sports event but failed                   D. had to give up some events

2．We can infer from the text that Owens was treated unfairly in the US at that time because _________.

A. he was not of the right race (人种)

B. he was the son of a poor farmer

C. he didn’t shake hands with Hitler

D. he didn’t talk to the US president on the phone

3．When Owens says “They have kept me alive over the years,” he means that the medals _________.

A. have been changed for money to help him live on

B. have made him famous in the US

C. have encouraged him to overcome difficulties in life

D. have kept him busy with all kinds of jobs

4．Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A. Jesse Owens, a Great American Athlete          B. Golden Moment — a Life-time Struggle

C. Making a Living as a Sportsman                    D. How to Be a Successful Athlete

As a disabled person, I often feel I have two jobs．There's my normal job working as a radio producer and there’s my role managing a team of carers （otherwise called personal assistants）．Of the two jobs, being a radio producer is considerably easier．One of the hardest aspects of being a PA employer and needing 24-hour care is that you never feel “off duty”．At any time a PA could present me with an issue or concern that needs handling．

There was an occasion when a previous PA came into my bedroom one morning to get me up and began complaining straight away that I had paid her the wrong amount that week．Another former PA once called me on a Saturday evening to ask if she could book some annual leave．

Once the booking is confirmed, the worry about not having a carer at all is replaced by concern over who the carer is．My agency tries very hard to send me carers who’ve helped me before, but obviously if you book agency care at short notice you just have to accept whoever is available．When an agency sends me a carer who is new to me, I have to explain my needs from scratch．

Of course, no organisation is never wrong and care agencies are no exception．When an agency makes a mistake and a carer fails to turn up, the impact on my life can be frustrating and distressing．It might mean I’m unable to get up in the morning and am stuck in bed for hours staring at the ceiling, waiting for a carer to arrive．It might mean I’m late for work or have to miss an appointment．Fortunately, over the last decade I’ve seen a considerable improvement in the quality of service care agencies provide．Most of the time, I’m pleased to say, the agencies I use are caring, organised and reliable．

When a home PA is off sick, life can be stressful but when a work PA is ill, the consequences can be more serious．At home it doesn’t matter if tasks don’t get done or take longer because the agency carer is less experienced at helping me than my permanent PAs．The only person affected is myself．However, at work I have to meet deadlines and if I don’t do my job properly, then not only will it create extra problems for my colleagues but it could also affect the quality of the programme I'm working on．

Luckily, I employ two full-time permanent PAs so when one is absent I usually still have the other one with me．On a normal day the work PAs share out the hours equally between them．

Covering a PA’s sickness not only creates practical problems, it can also be a financial headache．Agency care is expensive．For this reason, a PA who doesn’t need much sick leave is worth her weight in gold．

1．The passage is mainly about __________________．

      A．social relation                        B．housework and work

      C．social care                         D．sickness and treatment

2．Being a PA employer, the author feels she is always “on duty” because__________________．

      A．she takes up two jobs---- working as radio producer and managing a team of carers．

      B．some employees are either less experienced or considerably lazy．

      C．she has to get up early in the morning and go to bed late at night．

      D．a personal assistant may bring much trouble to her anytime．

3．What does the author think of the service of the care agencies?

      A．The quality of service care agencies offer has improved a lot．

      B．Her care agencies never make any mistakes．

      C．Her care agencies take good care of her．

      D．The service her care agencies provide needs considerable improvement．

4．Why can the consequences be more serious when a work PA is ill?

      A．Because a work PA is less efficient than a home PA

      B．Because the author’s poor work has an effect on her colleagues with no care．

      C．Because on a normal day a work PA has much important work to do．

      D．Because the absence of a PA can cause financial problems．

The case for college has been accepted without question for more than a generation. All high school graduates ought to go, because college will help them earn more money, become “better” people, and learn to be more responsible citizens than those who don’t go.      

But college has never been able to work its magic for everyone. And now that close to half our high school graduates are attending, those who don’t fit the pattern are becoming more and more, and more obvious. College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis; college students get in the way of each other’s experiments and write false letters of recommendation in the competition for admission to graduate school. Others find no interest in their studies, and drop out—often encouraged by college administrators（教导主任）.

Some observers say the fault is with the young people themselves—they are spoiled and they are expecting too much. But that is a condemnation of the students as a whole, and does not explain all campus unhappiness. Others blame the state of the world, and they are partly right. We’ve been told that young people have to go to college because our economy cannot take in an army of untrained eighteen-year-olds. But disappointed graduates are learning that it can no longer take in an army of trained twenty-two-year-olds, either.

Some adventuresome educators and campus watchers have openly begun to suggest that college may not be the best, the proper, the only place for every young person after the completion of high school. We may have been looking at all those surveys upside down, it seems, and thinking of the rosy glow of our own remembered college experiences. Perhaps college does not make people intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, or quick to learn things—maybe it is just the other way round, and intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, quick-learning people are only the ones who have been attracted to college in the first place. And perhaps all those successful college graduates would have been successful whether they had gone to college or not. This is heresy（异端邪说）to those of us who have been brought up to believe that if a little schooling is good, more has to be much better. But opposite evidence is beginning to mount up.

1．According to the passage, the author believes that______.

A. people used to question the value of college education

B. people used to have full confidence in higher education

C. all high school graduates went to college

D. very few high school graduates chose to go to college

2．In the 2nd paragraph, "those who don't fit the pattern" refers to______.

A. high school graduates who aren't suitable for college education

B. college graduates who are selling shoes and driving taxis

C. college students who aren't any better for their higher education

D. high school graduates who failed to be admitted to college

3．According to the passage, the problems of college education partly arise from the fact that______.

A. society cannot provide enough jobs for properly trained college graduates

B. high school graduates do not fit the pattern of college education

C. too many students have to earn their own living

D. college administrators encourage students to drop out

4．In this passage the author argues that______.

A. more and more evidence shows college education may not be the best thing for high school graduates

B. college education is not enough if one wants to be successful

C. college education benefits only the intelligent, ambitious, and quick-learning people

D. intelligent people may learn quicker if they don't go to college