Watercolor（水彩画） is the oldest paints known. It dates back to the early cave men. They discovered that they could mix the natural colors found in the earth with water. In this way they could add lifelike qualities to drawings of animals and other figures on the wall of caves.
Fresco（壁画）, one of the greatest art forms, is done with watercolor, it is created by mixing paints and water and applying these to wet plaster（灰泥）. Of the thousands of people who stand under Michelangelos’ works in the Sistine Chapel, very few know they are looking at perhaps the greatest watercolor painting in the world.
The invention of oil painting by the Glemish masters in the fifteenth century made fresco painting go downhill, and for the next several centuries watercolor was used mainly for doing sketches（素描） or as tool for study. It was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that English painters put back watercolor as a serious art form. The English have widely-known love for the outdoors and also for small, private pictures. The softness of watercolor had a strong attraction for them.
The popularity of watercolor continued to grow until the twentieth century. The United States took the place of England and became the center of watercolor. It produced such well-known watercolor artists as Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth.
1. The first watercolor users were___________
A. the early cave men
B. Italian fresco artists
C. Flemish masters
D. the English artists in the 18th century
2. In the 16th and 17th centuries the artists thought__________.
A .watercolor was more costly, but better
B. oil painting lasted less long, but clearer and brighter
C. watercolor was not suitable for serious works
D. oil painting was difficult to use
3. According to the passage, watercolor painting was put back in England because ______
A. it was easy to use outdoors
B. it was a strong tool
C. it was extremely bright in color
D. it was well suited to popular tastes
4. What is the passage mainly about?________
A. the gradual weakness of fresco painting.
B. Oils having more power of influence over watercolor.
C. The rediscovery of watercolor in England.
D. The start and development of watercolor.
What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio-technology(生物技术). With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today's leading killers, such as heart diseases, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memory.
In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells(细胞) are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs(器官). The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on---in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic conditional human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.
1. According to the passage, human death is now mainly caused by _______.
A. diseases and aging B. accidents and war
C. accidents and aging D. heart diseases and war
2. In the author's opinion, today's most important advance in technology lies in _____.
A. medicine B. the internet C. brain cells D. human organs
3. Humans may live longer in the future because ______.
A. heart disease will be far away from us
B. human brains can decide the final death
C. the basic materials of cells will last forever
D. human organs can be repaired by new medicine
4. We can learn from the passage that _____.
A. human life will not last more than 120 years in the future
B. human have to take medicine to build new skin cells now
C. much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life
D. we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells.
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
One day in summer I stepped into a tiny coffee shop to drink a cup of black coffee. As I entered, I found a very old woman bent 1. a table near the door. Her back was so 2. twisted(弯曲) by some sadness that her face nearly 3. the table-top. I sat down facing her two tables away.
"Poor woman," I thought. "What does she 4. life? Why does God let people live so 5. past their prime(黄金时期)?"
As I thought, 6. aged lady entered the shop and sat down with her. Soon the two of them were talking about 7. . They talked of how little the shop had 8. in 70 years... In minutes the two of them were 9. with laughter.
I looked again at the 10. woman, then in the mirror on a nearby wall, 11. a picture of myself.
I was wearing a dirty shirt. She was well dressed in white, gold rings on her fingers.
I was in 12. spirits. She was laughing, smiling.
I was putting the 13. of my life together. She had millions of wonderful 14. to recall.
She was 15. the day with a good friend. I was 16. worried about getting old. She was old but it wasn't 17. her.
As I left the shop, I thought of my 18. questions about God letting people live past their prime. Why, that woman was more 19. and more sensitive than I was. 20. has not bent her spirit. But I am always filling my mind with something unpleasant.
21. A. to B. on C. over D. toward
22. A. heavily B. badly C. slightly D. hardly
23. A. struck B. reached C. stuck D. touched
24.A. get out of B. get off C. get away with D. get into
25. A. hard B. long C. slowly D. rapidly
26. A. other B. the very C. another D. a certain
27. A. bright future B. recent history C. the present day D. childhood days
28.A. changed B. improved C. rebuilt D. developed
29. A. jumping B. trembling C. burning D. running
30. A. older B. poor C. first D. younger
31. A. watching B. taking C. searching D. catching
32. A. high B. low C. good D. sad
33. A. dreams B. pages C. pieces D. hopes
34. A. affairs B. sufferings C. incidents D. memories
35. A. spending B. enjoying C. sharing D. wasting
36. A. certainly B. completely C. naturally D. secretly
37. A. hurting B. choking C. defeating D. beating
38. A. funny B. foolish C. serious D. curious
39. A. alive B. strong C. useful D. powerful
40. A. Wealth B. Life C. Time D. Age
—You didn’t go to the party last night, did you?
—I do wish I _________ there, but I had to do my homework.
A. was B. had been C. went D. have been
You can’t legally take _______ of the property until three weeks after the contract is signed.
A. charge B. advantage C. control D. possession
—Is that the small town you often talked about?
—Right, just the one____ you know I used to work for years.
A. that B. which C. where D. what
