Claude Monet was born in Paris, France, on November 14,1840. By the time he was fifteen, Monet had become popular as a caricaturist. Through an exhibition of his drawings at a local frame shop in 1858, Monet met Eugene Boudin, a landscape painter. Boudin introduced Monet to outdoor painting, an activity that soon became his life’s work.

Monet was interested in natural light, atmosphere, and color, and recorded them in his paintings as accurately as possible. A striking example of his early style was the Terrace at St. Adresse, which contained a shining mixture of bright, natural colors.

Monet exhibited regularly in the group shows. His painting Impression: Sunrise inspired a newspaper critic Louis Leroy to call all of the artists in the group “impressionists,” and the name stuck.

Monet gradually gained critical and financial success during the late 1880s and the 1890s. This was due to the efforts of Durand-Ruel, who sponsored one-man exhibitions of Monet’s work.

During the 1890s he devoted his energy to paintings of haystacks. In these works Monet painted his subjects from the same physical position, allowing only the light and weather conditions to vary from picture to picture. By 1899 he began to work on his famous paintings of the water lilies in his garden at Giverny, France.

Monet’s late years were very difficult. His health declined rapidly, and he was almost blind. Besides, he struggled with the problems of his art. In 1920 he began to work on twelve large canvases of water lilies, which he planned to give to his country. To complete them, he fought against his own failing eyesight and the fact that he had no experience in creating large-scale mural art. In fact, the task required him to learn a new kind of painting at the age of eighty. The painting was characterized by a broad, sweeping style and depended almost entirely on color.

Monet died on December 5,1926,at his home. He once wrote, “My only merit lies in having painted directly in front of nature, seeking to express my impressions of the fleeting effects.” Most art historians believe that Monet accomplished much more than this. He helped change the world of painting by shaking off the convention of the past. By dissolving forms in his works, Monet opened the door for further abstraction in art and influenced such later artists as Jackson Pollack, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning.

1.Who helped Monet find his life’s work?

A.Eugene Boudin. B.Durand-Ruel. C.Louis Leroy. D.Mark Rothko.

2.What can we infer from the passage?

A.Monet tended to paint haystacks from different positions.

B.The painting Terrace at St. Adresse reflects Monet’ s late style.

C.The name “impressionist” originated from Impression: Sunrise.

D.Durand-Ruel was so interested in Monet’ s paintings that he bought a lot.

3.What do we know about Monet’ s late years?

A.He failed to learn a new painting skill due to old age.

B.Monet made a fortune by selling canvases to his country.

C.Monet came across difficulties in creating large-scale mural art.

D.Monet committed himself to maintaining traditional painting style.

4.What might be the best title of this passage?

A.A great artist-Claude Monet B.Claude Monet and Impressionism

C.Brilliant achievements of Monet D.The greatest painter in the world

    Growing up,we are constantly reminded that young people are heavily affected by technology.We are the”antisocial club”，those who prefer to text our friends in the same room rather than make eye contact with them.And even though never-ending studies reveal to us the extent of our social media addiction,we should at least consider that it’s not only our young people’s problem any more.

There’s the rise of the Instagram mums,who like to post an abundance of cute baby pictures,share their mom feelings along the way and show their wonderful lifestyles.They are the so-called”Facebook mum generation”，a growing group of parents that like to overshare.

While all of this might be fine,and even a little humorous,new research suggests that parents’ technology addiction is negatively affecting their children’s behavior.According to the study,40%of mothers and 32%of fathers have admitted having some sort of phone addiction. This has led to a significant fall in verbal interactions within families and even a decline in mothers’ encouraging their children.

There is no denying that I get annoyed when receiving the words”I’ll be with you soon” from a parent,when all I want to do is ask one question.But,at the same time,every day leaving the room to wait until my father is finished with his”serious business”(Farmville),has now become the norm.Whether you want to escape your disturbing children for a bit,or want to stay up late flicking through Twitter,know that wanting to do all of these is normal.We-your children-know how addictive it can be and how difficult it is to switch off.But before telling us to put our phones away at the table or even worse,listing statistics of how damaging social media can be for us,maybe lead by example,considering how much time you spend on the phone and how this is impacting your children and your relationship with us.Maybe in this way we can work on our addiction together.

1.From Paragraph 1,we can know that teenagers nowadays_.

A.enjoy socializing with their friends

B.send messages to their friends every day

C.hate to make eye contact with their friends

D.are heavily addicted to their mobile phones

2.What does the author think of mums’ oversharing?

A.Boring. B.Funny. C.Selfish. D.Meaningful.

3.The underlined word”norm”in Paragraph 4 probably means

A.discipline B.standard C.routine D.custom

4.What’s the main purpose of the article?

A.To share the author’s own experience with the readers.

B.To call on parents to get rid of their own media addiction.

C.To reveal that parents are always addicted to mobile phones.

D.To show the author’s dissatisfaction with parents’ phone use.

    James Watt was an English boy. He was very clever and liked to ask questions.

One day, the boy was sitting in his grandmother’s kitchen. Above the fire an old-fashioned teakettle was hanging. The water within it was beginning to bubble. A thin cloud of steam was rising from the spout(壶嘴). Soon the lid(盖子)began to rattle and shake. The hot vapor puffed(冒出)out at a fast rate. Yet when the boy glanced under the lid he could see nothing.

“Grandma, what’s in the kettle?” little Watt asked. “Water, my child-nothing but water.” his grandma answered.” But I know there is something else. There is something under the lid and makes it rattle.” Grandmother laughed. “Oh, that is only steam,” she said. “You can see it coming out of the spout and puffing up under the lid.” “But you said there was nothing but water in the kettle. How did the steam get under the lid?” “Why, my dear, it comes out of the hot water. The hot water makes it.”

James lifted the lid and glanced inside again. He could see nothing but the bubbling water. The steam was not visible until it was fairly out of the kettle. “How strange!” he said. “The steam must be very strong to lift the heavy iron lid. Grandma, how much water did you put into the kettle?” “About a quart, James.” “Well, if the steam from so little water is so strong, why would not the steam from a great deal of water be a great deal stronger? Why couldn’t it be made to lift a much greater weight? Why couldn’t it be made to turn wheels?” Grandmother made no reply. These questions were more puzzling than profitable, she thought. She went about her work silently, and James sat still in his place and studied the teakettle.

So many years later, James Watt tried hard to make steam work for people. Finally he became very famous because he invented the first steam engine.

1.What can we conclude from the passage?

A.The steam comes from the hot water but can not be seen.

B.The grandmother laughed because James Watt was stupid.

C.The boiled water in the kettle made the lid rattle and shake.

D.The more water there is ,the more powerful the steam will be.

2.Why didn’t the grandmother reply to Watt’s questions?

A.Because she desired to work silently. B.Because she was very busy at that time.

C.Because she was tired of these questions. D.Because she found them difficult to answer.

3.James Watt can be described as    

A.clever but stubborn B.smart and observant

C.determined but rigid D.hardworking and cautious

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A.James Watt was inspired by the power of steam.

B.James Watt always made his grandmother puzzled.

C.James Watt made great contributions to our society.

D.James Watt liked to ask questions when he was young.

Welcome to the Louvre Museum

Louvre highlights

Learn about the Louvre’s history on a tour through the rooms of this palace museum.Along the way,you will discover the Louvre of the Middle Ages as well as great masterpieces like the Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo.Make the most of your day at the museum by participating in the Q&A session following the end of the tour.

Opening Hours

Every day from 9 a.m.to 4 p.m.(except Tuesdays)

Every Wednesday from 7 a.m.to 5 p.m.

In July and August:

Every day from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m.(except Tuesdays)

Every Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m.to 5 p.m.

Guided tours can be booked

－With the online booking service at www.ticketlouvre.fr:

－At the ticket area under the Pyramid.

Prices

Adult:                ＄15.00

Senior(60+):          ＄ 13.50

Student(with valid ID):＄11.50

Child(5-15): ＄ 8.00

Complimentary: Every 16th person free

Refund

Tuileries Garden and Cour Carree will remain closed until further notice.All those who have purchased a ticket online will automatically receive a refund-no action is required.Due to the number of refunds we have to process,this operation may take up to three months.

Getting there

Visitors are advised to arrive by public transport or by taxi.There is a car park on the north side of museum(open 24 hours,seven days a week).Cabs may be found all year round.

Customer Service

If you require assistance in the museum(wheel chairs,walking sticks,folding stools,baby carriers,etc.),feel free to contact handicap@louvre.fr.prior to your visit.

PLEASE NOTE:From 17 July until October,the Mona Lisa will be displayed in room 801(Richelieu wing)while renovations are being carried out.

1.When can you pay a visit to the museum?

A.10 a.m.on Tuesday. B.7 a.m.on Sunday. C.11 a.m.on Wednesday. D.6 p.m.on Friday.

2.If a teacher visits the museum with a group of 20 children under the age of 10,how much should they pay at least?

A.$ 152. B.$ 160. C.$ 167. D.$ 175.

3.When visiting the Louvre museum,visitors are not allowed to______.

A.take part in the Q&A session

B.learn about the Louvre’s history

C.enjoy many world famous paintings

D.visit all the branches of the museum

听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。

1.What was the couple’s problem at the beginning of the story?

A.They didn’t have jobs. B.They didn’t like each other. C.They didn’t have enough money.

2.Why did the man leave college?

A.He disliked the school. B.He wanted to get a job. C.He had no time and energy.

3.How did the woman buy a computer?

A.She got a job that paid more.

B.She saved money by walking to work.

C.She took a part-time job at a computer store.

4.What happened at the end of the story?

A.The couple forgot their anniversary.

B.The couple didn’t like their gifts any more.

C.The couple no longer needed the gifts they bought.

听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1.Where did Mary find the wallet?

A.On a playground. B.In a parking lot. C.In a shopping mall.

2.What is inside the wallet?

A.A photo of a person.

B.Some paper and an ID card.

C.Some money and business cards.

3.Who does the wallet probably belong to?

A.An old lady. B.A grown man. C.A young boy.

4.How will Mary get in touch with the wallet’s owner?

A.By making a telephone call.

B.By asking the police for help.

C.By waiting where she found it.

听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1.How high was the Seine river in 1910?

A.Around 26 feet high. B.Around 20 feet high. C.Around 5 feet high.

2.What had to get moved to higher floors?

A.Artwork. B.Many residents. C.Power equipment.

3.What does the woman want to see the most?

A.The Louvre. B.The Eiffel Tower. C.The Musée d’Orsay.

听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1.Where did the woman expect the man to meet her?

A.At the mall. B.At her house. C.At the theater.

2.What time is it now?

A.7:10. B.7:00. C.6:50.

听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1.What is the man going to do this afternoon?

A.Go to the beach. B.Take care of a cat. C.Visit some school friends.

2.When will the man’s mother come back?

A.Today. B.Tomorrow. C.In a couple of days.

Where was the woman yesterday?

A.In the hospital. B.At the man’s house. C.At her sister’s house.