Most Americans have great respect for their flag and every school day begins with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Stars and Stripes. Written in 1892, this pledge is recited in schools before classes begin and it serves as a sign of unity and identity for the various groups of people who have come from so many different lands and cultures.

Students stand at attention with their right hand over their heart, face the flag which is displayed in the classroom before them and begin, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.” Even the immigrants who come from distant lands must recite this pledge to the flag when they become eligible for citizenship.

The American flag is also known as “Old Glory” and over the years has evolved to its present form of fifty stars and thirteen stripes. The stars represent the fifty states and the stripes stand for the original thirteen colonies.

The first version of the flag with its stars and stripes appeared in 1777, but only had thirteen stars. As each new state joined the union, a new star was added. The last star to be added was in 1960 after Hawaii became the fiftieth state. In the future if another state joins the Union, another star will be added to the field of blue. The number of stripes, however, remains consistent and never changes.

The design of the flag may have altered over the years, but the colors, red, white and blue, have remained constant. In 1782 the Congress of the United States proclaimed that red stood for hardiness and courage, white stood for purity and innocence, and blue for justice and perseverance.

It was the flag which inspired the creation of the national anthem: “The Star Spangled Banner” in 1812. President Wilson in 1916 and later President Coolidge in 1927 suggested in proclamations to fellow countrymen that a special day be set aside to honor the flag. In 1949 the American Congress gave official recognition of June 14 as Flag Day.

1.According to the passage which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892.

B．Another name of the American flag is “Old Glory” or “The Stars and Stripes”.

C．The design of the flag has stayed the same over the years.

D．June 14 was set aside as Flag Day to honor the flag from 1949 on.

2.What is the purpose of the Pledge of Allegiance?

A．It opens the school day.	B．It is recited in all schools.
C．It is a sign of unity and nationalism.	D．It makes someone eligible for citizenship.

3.What do the fifty stars on the flag represent?

A．Purity and innocence.	B．Truth and honesty
C．Bravery and courage	D．The fifty states.

4.The colors of the American flag ________.

A．have changed from time to time.	B．have always been red, white and blue.
C．used to be only red and white.	D．used to be red and blue.

5.The best title of the passage would be ________.

A．“Old Glory”: the American Flag	B．The Pledge of Allegiance
C．American National Anthem	D．Flag Day

 

New picture

The National Gallery now has a fine still life by the 18th century Dutch painter Jan van Os．This large picture （89.1 cm x 71cm） of flowers and fruit is painted in light bright colours on wood．It is one of the first pictures of this type in the Gallery．The picture is signed and dated 1777 and 1778．It is not unusual for a picture to be dated two years: the artist waited for particular flowers to come out in their different seasons in order to paint them．This picture was given to the Gallery by Miss Violet Churchman in memory of her sister Ida Nancy. It is now on show in Room 25.

Special exhibition

The exhibition "Painting in Spain During the Late 18th Century" opened in the Sunley Room on 15 March．Recently the Gallery has bought works by three Spanish painters of this period—Paret, Melendez and Francisco Bayeu, who are the focus of the exhibition．These three artists are also joined by Francisco's brother Ramon, by Antonio Gonzalez and two Italians who worked in Spain during these years—Corrado Giaquinto and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo．The exhibition runs until 31 May.

Lecture news    Lectures will be given along with the special exhibition every Wednesday．On 8 April, Lizzie Barker will discuss the work of Melendez, while on 15 April, Sarah Symmons will lecture on Luis Patter．On 22 and 29 April, Juliet Wilson will talk about Francisco Bayeu．On 25 April, a Saturday, Erika Langmuir will explain how artists often "tell a story" through their pictures.

1.What does "still life" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．A painting of unmoving objects．	B．A picture of a country scene.
C．A drawing done in pencil．	D．A portrait shown in a public place.

2.How many artists' paintings are on show at the special exhibition?

A．Three．

B．Five．

C．Seven．

D．Eight.

3.Which speaker will lecture on a general topic rather than on particular artists?

A．Juliet Wilson．	B．Lizzie Barker.
C．Sarah Symmons．	D．Erika Langmuir.

4.Where will this passage most probably be found?

A．In the booklet of a gallery．	B．In a textbook.
C．In an academic magazine．	D．In a picture album.

 

July 4th, the Independence Day, is an important holiday of the United States of America. It’s the   1.  (nation) holiday to celebrate the anniversary of their declaration of independence from Britain. The first Independence Day celebration took place on July 4, 1777   2.  the thirteen colonies in America gained independence from Britain. In   3.  early 1800s the traditions of parades, picnics, and fireworks were established as the way  4.  (celebrate) America’s birthday. And although fireworks   5.  (ban) in most places because of their danger, most towns and cities usually have big firework displays   6. all to see and enjoy. Today families often celebrate Independence Day by   7.  (host) or attending a picnic or barbecue and take the day off and gather with relatives.   8.  (decorate) are generally colored red, white, and blue, the colors of the American flag. Parades are often in the morning,

 9.  firework displays occur in the evening at such places as parks or town squares. The year of 2010 marked the 234th anniversary of the United States declaring   10.  independence from Britain. Hundreds of thousands of visitors took part in the celebrations in the nation’s capital.

 

The basic flag of the United States is one of the world's oldest national flags．Only the basic flags of Austria,．Denmark, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland are older．

During the discovery and settlement of what is now the United States, the flags of various European nations were flown over the land, as symbols of possession．Later, in the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods, flags representing famous persons, places, and events were flown in the American Colonies．

The first official flag of the United States was created by Congress on June 14, 1777．It consisted of 13 alternate red and white stripes? and 13 white stars in a field of blue, representing the 13colonies that had declared their independence in 1776．Congress adopted a new flag of 15 stars and 15 stripes in 1795, to give representation to the two new states admitted into the Union, Vermont and Kentucky．

By 1817 there were 20 states in the Union, and it became apparent that adding one stripe for  each new state would destroy the shape of the flag．As a result．Congress in 1818 restored the original design of 13 stripes and provided that each state was to be represented by one star．In 1921 Preside William H．Taft made the first official provision for the arrangement of the stars．He ordered that there be six even rows of eight stars each．Previously the arrangement of the stars had

been left to the flag- maker's fancy．

The evolution of the stars and stripes reflects the growth of the United States．After the admission of Hawaii into the Union in 1959, the flag was officially changed for the 26th time since its creation．

There are many government flags flown in the United States in addition to the national flag．Among them are the president's and vice-president's flags and those of the federal  epartments and some federal agencies．Each state in the Union has an official flag．The United States Navy uses special flags for signaling．   

1.The basic flag of the United States is _____．

A．the oldest national flag in the world

B．one of the world's oldest flags

C．the most beautiful flag in the West

D．as old as the basic flags of some European nations

2.Before the War of Independence the flags of various European nations flown over the land were symbols of         ．

A．self- rule                                                                B．occupation          

C．peace and friendship     D．independence

3.The first official flag of the United States was adopted _____．

A．before the Independence War

B．right after the Independence War

C．when independence was declared in 1776

D．during the War of Independence which ended in 1783

4.The 13 red and white stripes and13 white Stars represent____．

A．13 independent states                         

B．the colonies that declared independence in 1776．

C．the U．S．Congress                          

D．13 famous figures in the American colonies

 

New picture
The National Gallery now has a fine still life by the 18th century Dutch painter Jan van Os．This large picture （89.1 cm x 71cm） of flowers and fruit is painted in light bright colours on wood．It is one of the first pictures of this type in the Gallery．The picture is signed and dated 1777 and 1778．It is not unusual for a picture to be dated two years: the artist waited for particular flowers to come out in their different seasons in order to paint them．This picture was given to the Gallery by Miss Violet Churchman in memory of her sister Ida Nancy. It is now on show in Room 25.
Special exhibition
The exhibition "Painting in Spain During the Late 18th Century" opened in the Sunley Room on 15 March．Recently the Gallery has bought works by three Spanish painters of this period—Paret, Melendez and Francisco Bayeu, who are the focus of the exhibition．These three artists are also joined by Francisco's brother Ramon, by Antonio Gonzalez and two Italians who worked in Spain during these years—Corrado Giaquinto and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo．The exhibition runs until 31 May.
Lecture news    Lectures will be given along with the special exhibition every Wednesday．On 8 April, Lizzie Barker will discuss the work of Melendez, while on 15 April, Sarah Symmons will lecture on Luis Patter．On 22 and 29 April, Juliet Wilson will talk about Francisco Bayeu．On 25 April, a Saturday, Erika Langmuir will explain how artists often "tell a story" through their pictures.
【小题1】What does "still life" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．A painting of unmoving objects．	B．A picture of a country scene.
C．A drawing done in pencil．	D．A portrait shown in a public place.

【小题2】How many artists' paintings are on show at the special exhibition?

A．Three．

B．Five．

C．Seven．

D．Eight.

【小题3】Which speaker will lecture on a general topic rather than on particular artists?

A．Juliet Wilson．	B．Lizzie Barker.
C．Sarah Symmons．	D．Erika Langmuir.

【小题4】Where will this passage most probably be found?

A．In the booklet of a gallery．	B．In a textbook.
C．In an academic magazine．	D．In a picture album.