Before the ladies ______ the colorful box, filled with things like books, dolls and fancy clothes.

A．was lain           B．are lain           C．lie               D．lay

 

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.

 

Individuality is the particular character, or aggregate (total) of qualities that distinguishes one person or thing from others. Many artists late in the last century were in search of a means to express their individuality. Modern dance was one of the ways some of these people sought to free their creative spirit. At the beginning there was no exacting technique, no foundation from which to build. In later years, trial, error and genius founded the techniques and the principles of the movement. Eventually, innovators (改革者) even drew from what they considered the dread ballet, but first they had to get rid of all that was academic so that the new could be discovered. The beginnings of modern dance were happening before Isadora Duncan, but she was the first person to bring the new dance to general audiences and see it accepted and acclaimed (称赞).

Her search for a natural movement form sent her to nature. She believed movement should be as natural as the swaying of the trees and the rolling waves of the sea, and should be in harmony with the movements of the Earth. Her great contributions are in three areas.

First, she began the expansion of the kinds of movement that could be used in dance. Before Duncan danced, ballet was the only type of dance performed in concert. In the ballet the feet and legs were emphasized, with virtuosity (高超技巧) shown by complex, codified positions and movements. Duncan performed dance by using her body in the freest possible way. Her dance stemmed from her soul and spirit. She was one of the pioneers who broke tradition so others might be able to develop the art.

Her second contribution lies in dance costume. She rejected ballet shoes and stiff costumes. These were replaced with flowing Grecian (希腊式的) tunes, bare feet, and unbound hair. She believed in the natural body being allowed to move freely, and her dress displayed this ideal.

Her third contribution was in the use of music. In her performances she used the symphonies of great masters including Beethoven and Wagner, which was not the usual custom.

She was as exciting and eccentric (怪异) in her personal life as in her dance.

According to the passage, what did nature represent to Isadora Duncan?

       A．Something to conquer.    B．A model for movement.

       C．A place to find peace.      D．A symbol of disorder.

Compared to those of the ballet, Isadora Duncan’s costumes were less _________.

       A．costly       B．colorful    C．graceful    D．restrictive

Which of the following is not mentioned as an area of dance that Duncan worked to change?

    A. The stage set.      B. The music. C. Costumes.          D. Movements.

We can infer from the passage that the author _________.

    A. appreciates modern dance very much      B. dislikes Isadora Duncan’s dance

    C. thinks highly of individuality   D. knows a lot about modern arts

Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

       A．Artists of the Last Century     B．Evolution of Dance in the 20th Century

       C．Natural Movement in Dance   D．A Pioneer in Modern Dance

It’s only after three weeks into a new job that I made a serious mistake. My boss called it “extremely embarrassing” in a company-wide e-mail — which,    11  , he wrote because he felt he needed to explain that what I did was something    12   in the company should ever do. I wish I    13   give a good excuse for what I did. At the very least, I wish I could explain it somehow —    14   it on youth, inexperience or ignorance. Unfortunately, I’m    15  , experienced and I know better.

   16   I work with some very kind and compassionate (富于同情心的) people. For the past couple of days many of them have taken time to    17   by my desk and offer comfort, encouragement and support. Some have shared with me similar    18   they have made. Evidently I’m not the only “   19  ” person here.

One of the exchanges I had this week was with Lois, the much-honored, much-respected professional who    20   the desk right next to mine. Lois was completely    21   about her work, and to be honest I was a little nervous about how she would    22   to such an extremely embarrassing incident.

As I expected, Lois didn’t pass over the    23   when she saw me the next day. She mentioned it directly,    24   with empathetic consideration. She listened to my    25  . Just as I was ready to express my regrets, she brought my self-pity partly to a(n)    26  .

“It happened”, she said, “There’s nothing you can do to    27   that. It happened. But it’s over now. It’s    28  . It’s in the past. You need to let it go, and move on.” And with that she returned her    29   to her work, as if to say, “We’re done here.”

I beat myself up for weeks. At such times I need to remember those    30   words: It’s over. It’s done. Let it go. And mostly, move on.

1.                A．by the way      B．in the way       C．on the way    D．to the way

 

2.                A．someone       B．anyone         C．no one   D．the one

 

3.                A．should         B．might           C．will  D．could

 

4.                A．fix             B．blame          C．rely D．put

 

5.                A．outgoing        B．old            C．cheerful D．energetic

 

6.                A．Thankfully       B．Naturally        C．Generally D．Hopefully

 

7.                A．work           B．stop           C．watch    D．sit

 

8.                A．decisions       B．troubles        C．attempts D．mistakes

 

9.                A．annoying        B．confusing       C．embarrassing D．puzzling

 

10.               A．repairs         B．wants          C．works     D．occupies

 

11.               A．mad           B．serious         C．curious    D．hopeful

 

12.               A．react          B．agree          C．turn D．object

 

13.               A．issue           B．outcome        C．standard   D．message

 

14.               A．for            B．therefore       C．but   D．otherwise

 

15.               A．challenge       B．imagination      C．conclusion     D．explanation

 

16.               A．order          B．key            C．end D．process

 

17.               A．forget          B．ruin           C．prevent   D．change

 

18.               A．broken         B．done          C．lost   D．kept

 

19.               A．attention       B．skill            C．patience   D．interest

 

20.               A．sweet          B．pleasant        C．meaningful     D．colorful

 

 

Bamboo is one of the nature’s most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.

Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist recorded one bamboo plant that grew almost 1.5 meters in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1,000 kinds of bamboo that grow around the world on both mountains and plains.

Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimeters wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters across. This plant also comes in different colors, from yellow to black to green.

Many Asian countries have been using bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for building new buildings. As a matter of fact, the cables that hold up the hanging bridge across the Min River in Sichuan are made of bamboo. The bridge has been in use for more than 1,000 years, and is still holding strong.

In Africa, engineers are teaching poor farmers how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap ways to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. It seems that bamboo is one of the best things they can use. Bamboo pipes and drills can help to make the poor thirsty fields to be watered.

1.How is bamboo like grass?

A．It is thin and easy to cut.                  B．It grows everywhere.

C．It grows quickly after it's cut short.          D．It is short and green.

2.The sentence “while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters across.” means “Some other bamboo plants may grow to be very _______.”

A．short             B．strong            C．thick             D．tall

3.From the text we know ______.

A．most people call bamboo plant trees

B．a bamboo plant may grow 4.5 meters in three days

C．the bamboo plant changes its colors when it grows

D．a bridge held by bamboo cable was built thousands of years ago

4.Why did the engineers teach the poor farmers in Africa to make use of bamboo?

A．Because it is cheap.                      B．Because it is colorful.

C．Because it drills fast.                     D．Because it is used by Asians.

5.Which of the following is NOT true?

A．There are many different kinds of bamboo with different colors.

B．Cables made of bamboo can last for over a thousand years.

C．Bamboo can be used for buildings, bridges and watering projects.

D．Bamboo plants are able to grow well in any part of the world.