阅读短文，完成下列任务。
Masterpieces
The Starry Night was painted in June 1889 when Vincent van Gogh was staying at a home for the mentally ill. Van Gogh painted what he saw from his window—the night sky with clouds, stars and a moon. However, he didn’t just paint the clouds. He also painted the massive circles of white and yellow racing across the sky. The stars and the moon hang bright in the night sky. Beneath this amazing sky, we see a sleeping village and a dark, lonely tree.
His unusual use of colour has led experts to think that Van Gogh’s mental illness may have affected his sense of sight. He also took a drug that can make people see yellow spots, just like the stars in The Starry Night.
Unfortunately, Van Gogh’s unique paintings weren’t very popular and he only sold one painting in his lifetime. He also thought The Starry Night was a failure. However, the fact remains that The Starry Night is now one of the world’s most famous paintings.
The Scream was painted by Edvard Munch in 1893. What makes it striking is that it shows a thin figure with an expression of fear—the figure’s mouth is wide open and letting out a powerful scream. The figure covers his or her ears and looks directly at the viewer. This figure is set on a bridge above a dark, stormy sea, and against a burning orange-red sky.
In his diary, Munch talked about what inspired him. “I was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly the sky turned as red as blood ... I stood there shaking. Then I heard the scream of nature.”
Many experts say that The Scream is connected to Munch’s mental health problems, which caused him a lot of pain.
The Empire of Light is a series of paintings by Belgian artist René Magritte. Between 1953 and 1954, he painted the same scene 27 times. It shows a beautiful house lit by lights from inside, surrounded by the darkness of night. What is strange is that above the house and the tree, we see a daytime sky full of brightness and soft white clouds. It seems like quite a mysterious scene.
Magritte was a painter inspired by his thoughts and ideas. His paintings were visual experiments as he tried to play with reality. His view was that art should shock the viewers and challenge their sense of reality.
The Empire of Light has produced different reactions in viewers. Some feel that the paintings look dark and troubling. Others, however, find them calming. As for Magritte himself, he thought that the change between day and night in the paintings was surprising. “I call this power poetry,” he said.
任务一：图文匹配，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
1.The Scream Picture _____
2.The Starry Night Picture _____
3.The Empire of Light Picture _____
任务二：选择最佳选项。
4.What do these three paintings have in common?
A.They are paintings of night.
B.They were painted in the 19th century.
C.They were drawn by mentally-ill artists.
D.They picture the artists’ understanding of nature.
任务三：阅读短文，回答问题。
5.Which of the three paintings do you like best? Why? (List at least one reason.)
Many of the serious health concerns in modern America can be linked to poor diet．People who regularly consume foods high in salt, sugar, and fats not only increase their chances of being overweight, but also increase their risks of developing diseases. Although some people who regularly consume unhealthy foods do so knowingly, there are also some people that remains undereducated about proper nutrition( 营 养 ). What is more, people who live in food deserts—areas in low-income(低收入) neighborhoods that lack easy access(路径) to healthy, affordable food—may not even have the opportunity to get nutritious food.
Food deserts are located in low-income areas and most often develop when major supermarket chains either move out of these areas or simply avoid building stores there in the first place. These supermarket chains tend to limit their store locations to richer urban or suburban neighborhoods．This means that those who live in low-income areas often live miles away from the fresh meats and dairy products available at supermarkets. People of these areas are thus forced to travel long distances to do their grocery shopping, or else they are limited to the food available at local convenience stores. These stores often only sell packaged, processed foods that offer little nutrition.
Furthermore, there are too many fast food restaurants in low-income areas; recent research suggests that those living in the poorest areas of a city experience 2.5 times more exposure to fast food restaurants than people in the richest areas of the city. Because people who live in food deserts often get their meals from fast food restaurants or convenience stores, they suffer from a variety of health problems．Research has found that people who live in low-income neighborhoods are much more likely to develop healthy problems than those who live in richer neighborhoods.
Of course, it seems obvious that more supermarkets should be built in low-income neighborhoods. But in fact, it is difficult to attract supermarket chains into poor areas because poorer people have less money to spend on food. One way that the government can help to solve this problem is by offering tax breaks or other inspiring policies for supermarkets in low-income areas. In 2010, the Obama administration started the Healthy Food Financing program, which is designed to help bring grocery stores into food deserts.
While the government can improve low-income people’s access to healthy food to some extent, local actions often have a stronger and more immediate influence．Community gardens, independent food stores, and farmers’ markets are all examples of local actions that can take the place of the opening of a major chain supermarket. These efforts can be extremely beneficial, not only in providing people with access to healthier foods, but also in producing a sense of community in the neighborhoods.
1.What is mainly talked about in this passage?
A.Relationship between diet and disease.
B.Lack of health awareness among people.
C.Problems of food deserts and their solutions.
D.Importance of grocery planting in poor areas.
2.What can be learned from Paragraph 3 and Paragraph 4?
A.People in rich areas are easier to develop diseases.
B.Fast food restaurants care much about people’s health.
C.People in low-income areas like shopping in supermarkets.
D.Supermarket chains are unwilling to open stores in poor areas.
3.What does the writer want to tell us from the last two paragraphs?
A.Local actions should be encouraged and supported.
B.Supermarkets should take social responsibility.
C.Education for healthy diet must be improved.
D.Governments fail to improve people’s health.
The Boy Made It!
One Sunday, Nicholas, a teenager, went skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. In the early afternoon, when he was planning to go home, a fierce snowstorm swept into the area. Unable to see far, he accidentally turned off the path. Before he knew it, Nicholas was lost, all alone! He didn’t have food, water, a phone, or other supplies. He was getting colder by the minute.
Nicholas had no idea where he was. He tried not to panic. He thought about all the survival shows he had watched on TV. It was time to put the tips he had learned to use.
He decided to stop skiing. There was a better chance of someone finding him if he stayed put. The first thing he did was to find shelter(避难所) from the freezing wind and snow. If he didn’t, his body temperature would get very low, which could quickly kill him.
Using his skis, Nicholas built a snow cave. He gathered a huge mass of snow and dug out a hole in the middle. Then he piled branches on top of himself, like a blanket, to stay as warm as he could.
By that evening, Nicholas was really hungry. He ate snow and drank water from a nearby stream so that his body wouldn’t lose too much water. Not knowing how much longer he could last, Nicholas did the only thing he could—he huddled(蜷缩) in his cave and slept.
The next day, Nicholas went out to look for help, but he couldn’t find anyone. He followed his tracks and returned to the snow cave, because without shelter, he could die that night. On Tuesday, Nicholas went out to find help. He had walked for about a mile when a volunteer searcher found him. After two days stuck in the snow, Nicholas was saved.
Nicholas might not have survived this snowstorm had it not been for TV. He had often watched Grylls’ survival show Man vs. Wild. That’s where he learned the tips that saved his life. In each episode(一期节目) of Man vs. Wild, Grylls is abandoned in a wild area and has to find his way out.
When Grylls heard about Nicholas’ amazing deeds, he was super impressed(印象深刻的) that Nicholas had made it since he knew better than anyone how hard Nicholas had to work to stay alive.
1.What happened to Nicholas one Sunday afternoon?
A.He got lost. B.He broke his skis.
C.He hurt his eyes. D.He caught a cold.
2.How did Nicholas keep himself warm?
A.He kept on skiing. B.He built a snow cave.
C.He drank water. D.He went to sleep.
3.On Tuesday, Nicholas _____.
A.returned to his shelter safely B.got stuck in the snow
C.was saved by a searcher D.stayed where he was
4.Nicholas left Grylls a very deep impression because he _____.
A.was very hard-working
B.created some tips for survival
C.watched Grylls’ TV program regularly
D.did the right things in the dangerous situation
Make Albertsville Shine
After a long and snowy winter, spring has finally come to Albertsville. The leaves are out on the trees, and the grass is green again. All around town, people are cleaning up their homes. They are pulling weeds and planting flowers. They are sweeping yards and washing windows. Before long, Albertsville will look as fresh and shiny as a new coin, right?
Definitely not. Just take a look at the streets and sidewalks around town. There is litter( 垃圾 ) everywhere: fast food wrappers, soft drink cans, plastic bags, and more. This litter is dirty and ugly. It takes the shine off our lovely town.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. In many neighboring towns, volunteer groups “adopt(认领 )” a mile of a street or road to keep clean. The groups include schools and clubs. Volunteers pick up litter, cut bushes, wash sidewalks, and even plant flowers!
Sure, the volunteers work hard, but they also get to enjoy the beauty of their town. Better yet, they feel proud of themselves for making their town a better place to live.
So what are the people of Albertsville waiting for? Talk to people in your school or club about adopting part of a street or road. Then get to work! If enough volunteer groups get busy, Albertsville really will shine this spring.
1.Albertsville doesn’t look fresh and shiny because of _____.
A.the lack of trees B.the litter on the roads
C.the dirty and ugly houses D.the bad weather in spring
2.Volunteers do the following EXCEPT _____.
A.picking up wastes B.looking after plants
C.raising money D.cleaning sidewalks
3.The purpose of the passage is to _____.
A.persuade(说服) people to stop littering
B.describe(描述) the beauty of Albertsville
C.call on(号召) people to help clean up Albertsville
D.compare(比较) Albertsville with neighboring towns
EcoCentral
This website is all about looking after the Earth. There are facts about different animals, as well as information about forests, deserts and oceans. You can upload your own videos onto the site for everyone to see.
TeenPress
This is one of the best sites on the web for teenagers who love writing. You can share your work with others, and there are message boards where you can chat about things that are important to you.
ChannelTwenty
On this site you can watch a daily news program and search for information about big news stories. There are also videos on different subjects, articles about famous bands, games and competitions.
Inside-the-cover
Finding out about your favorite writers is easy on this site. There are lots of interesting articles and information about the latest books. You can read blogs by well-known writers and post questions to them. And you are likely to get replies from them.
Tune-in
There are millions of songs on this website for you to download or listen to online. You can save your favorite songs in your own list. If you’re in a band, you can record your music and upload it. The website is large, but the menus are easy to use.
ScienceZone
There’s lots of information on this site about maths, chemistry and biology. You can visit some of the world’s most famous museums, or watch wildlife via webcams. There are also some very cool games, such as Save the Planet.
1.TeenPress is a website for teenagers who _____.
A.enjoy writing B.care about the Earth
C.like watching the news D.are interested in music
2.On Tune-in, you can _____.
A.take writing classes B.listen to songs
C.learn about the latest books D.watch news programs
3.If you like visiting online museums, which website is best for you?
A.EcoCentral. B.ChannelTwenty.
C.Tune-in. D.ScienceZone.
4.The author writes the passage to _____.
A.introduce websites to teenagers
B.teach teenagers to design(设计) websites
C.encourage teenagers to create websites
D.compare(比较) different websites for teenagers
Under Water
June was sitting by the swimming pool in her new swimsuit. Feeling really hot, she dived into the water. _____ else was in the pool. It was so good to have the whole pool to herself. The fresh water cooled her body immediately. She _____ on swimming around the pool.
Not having swum in the past several years and being a bit out of shape, June grew _____ easily. “Ah, no pain, no gain,” she thought to herself. June continued to swim, realizing that her head was hurting and her breathing became _____. Then she saw the lifeguard and some others around the pool. No sense in embarrassing (使尴尬) herself or bothering anyone, she _____ on.
Then June found herself in the middle of the pool. Deciding not to make a _____, she continued on. Finally she made it to the other side of the pool. Tiredness and weakness made it difficult for June to get out of the pool. As she stood, her body swayed (摇摆) back and forth, losing her _____.
Realizing she needed help but unable to even say anything, she leaned against the pool side. Several minutes later she had enough _____ to pull her body up out of the pool. Sitting at the side of the pool, she felt that someone was staring at her. It was the lifeguard. June was only able to wave her hand, telling him that she was okay.
Have you ever found yourself in such a situation and you don’t ask for help? Maybe you’re afraid you’ll be made a laughing stock ( 笑 柄 ). We’ve all been there. There is nothing wrong in asking for help. _____ has many ups and downs. When you find yourself unable to “keep your head above water,” stop, look around and ask for help before you find yourself “_____”. The journey of life will be happier and more satisfying.
1.A.Everyone B.Someone C.Anybody D.Nobody
2.A.kept B.lived C.agreed D.came
3.A.surprised B.tired C.excited D.calm
4.A.hot B.difficult C.free D.quiet
5.A.walked B.rode C.swam D.ran
6.A.mark B.face C.point D.scene
7.A.sight B.way C.balance D.courage
8.A.energy B.room C.patience D.reason
9.A.Emotion B.Work C.Life D.Time
10.A.falling B.drowning (溺死) C.hesitating(犹豫) D.screaming
