Birthdays often involve surprises. But this year's surprise on the birthday of the great British playwright William Shakespeare is surely one of the most dramatic.
On April 22, one day before his 441st birthday anniversary, experts discovered that one of the most recognizable portraits （画像）of William Shakespeare is a fake. This means that we no longer have a good idea of what Shakespeare looked like. “It's very possible that many pictures of Shakespeare might be unreliable because many of them are copies of this one,” said an expert from Britain's National Portrait Gallery.
The discovery comes after four months of testing using X-rays, ultraviolet light, microphotography and paint samples. The experts from the gallery say the image —commonly known as the “Flower portrait”— was actually painted in the 1800s, about two centuries after Shakespeare's death. The art experts who work at the gallery say they also used modern chemistry technology to check the paint on the picture. These checks found traces of paint dating from about 1814. Shakespeare died in 1616, and the date that appears on the portrait is 1609.
“We now think the portrait dates back to around 1818 to 1840. This was when there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays,” Tarnya Cooper, the gallery's curator (馆长), told the Associated President.
The fake picture has often been used as a cover for collections of his plays. It is called the Flower portrait because one of its owners, Desmond Flower, gave it to the Royal Shakespeare Company.
“There have always been questions about the painting,” said David Howells, curator for the Royal Shakespeare Company. “Now we know the truth, we can put the image in its proper place in the history of Shakespearean portraiture.”
Two other images of Shakespeare, are also being studied as part of the investigation and the results will come out later this month.________.
1.What makes the birthday of Shakespeare dramatic this year?
A. It was found that he painted a portrait in 1814 instead of in 1609.
B. The Flower portrait has been found to be a fake.
C. Three portraits of Shakespeare are being tested to identify a real one.
D. It was found that there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays around 1818 to 1840.
2.Which statement is True according to the passage?
A. Portraits of Shakespeare are all unreliable.
B. “Flower portrait” was a portrait of Shakespeare given to Desmond Flower.
C. 1814 might be when the portrait was drawn.
D. The Flower portrait is not often used as a cover for Shakespeare's play.
3.How many methods were used to test the portrait?
A. Not mentioned. B. Two
C. Three D. At least four.
4.The best title for this passage is ________.
A. Birthdays often involve surprises
B. The surprise on the 441st birthday of Shakespeare
C. One portrait of Shakespeare is a fake
D. How can we know Shakespeare's appearance?
5.Which is the best sentence to fill in the blank in the last paragraph?
A. Soon we'll know which portrait is reliable.
B. Maybe we cannot find a real portrait of Shakespeare.
C. If the two portraits are found to be false, they will test more.
D. For now what Shakespeare really looked like will remain a mystery
Among various programs, TV talk shows have covered every inch of space on daytime television. And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one is different in style. But no two shows are more opposite in content（内容）, while at the same time standing out（突出） above the others, than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows.
Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of “rubbish talk”. The contents on his show are as surprising as can be. For example, the show takes the ever-common talk show titles of love, cheating, and hate, to a different level. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is about the dark side of society, yet people are willing to eat up the troubles of other people’s lives.
Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes TV talk show to its top. But Oprah goes in the opposite direction. The show is mainly about the improvement of society and different quality of life. Contents are from teaching your children lessons, managing your work week, to getting to know your neighbors.
Compared to Oprah, the Jerry Springer show looks like poisonous waste being poured into society. Jerry ends every show with a “final word”. He makes a small speech about the entire idea of the show. Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable.
Although it is clean, the Oprah show is not for everyone. The show’s main viewers are middleclass（中产阶级） Americans. Most of these people have the time, money, and ability to deal with life’s tough problems. Jerry Springer, on the other hand, has more of a connection with the young adults of society. These are 18-to-21-year-olds whose main troubles in life include love, relationship, sex, money and drug. They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned through the show.
1.Compared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey are __ _.
A. more interesting B. more popular
C. more detailed（详细的） D. more formal
2.Though the social problems Jerry Springer talks about appear unpleasant, people who watch the
shows_______.
A. are interested in them.
B. have to accept them.
C. are cold to them.
D. are willing to get away from them.
3.Which of the following is likely to be a topic of the Oprah Winfrey show?
A. A murder B. Nation hatred（憎恨）
C. Family income planning D. Street accidents.
4.We can learn from the passage that the two talk shows_____.
A. have become the only ones of its kind.
B. talks about the weaknesses in human nature.
C. appear at different times of the day.
D. attract different people.
A little homeless girl stood crying near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was too crowded. “ I can’t go to Sunday school.” She cried to the priest (牧师) as he walked by. The priest took her inside. The child was very happy because they found a room for her. She went to bed that night thinking of the children who had no place to sleep or pray in.
Two years later, the girl died there. As her little body was being moved, a worn and red purse was found, which she had found in the rubbish. Inside the purse was 57cents and a note, written in childish handwriting, which read: “This is to help make the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday school.”
After the priest tearfully read that note, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion(热爱) to others. Soon, a newspaper reported on it. It was read by a wealthy man who offered the church a piece of land worth many thousands of dollars. When told that the church could not pay much, he offered to sell it to the little church for 57 cents. Soon, the church collected a large amount of money. Within five years, the girl’s gift had increased to $250,000. When you are in the city of Philadelphia, visit Temple Baptist Church, Temple University, and the Sunday school building. No child here is left outside on Sunday school days again. One of the rooms of the Sunday school building is hanged with the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents made such a remarkable and real history.
1.How did the girl feel when she thought of other homeless kids?
A. Joyful. B. Lucky.
C. Sympathetic. D. Shameful.
2.The author’s purpose of writing this passage is probably to ____.
A. tell people to give money to the church mentioned in the article
B. try to make people remember that little girl and that priest forever
C. look forward to having more people to go to the church to pray for the best
D. express admiration to the little girl showing her unselfish love to others
3.What is the best title for the passage?
A. Poor and Rich.
B. What Fifty-seven Cents Can Do?
C. A New Sunday School.
D. A Red Purse.
I knew my father loved me and his love was deep although he was an ill-humored man. He just didn’t know how to it.
One evening we went out for a night on the town. We were sitting in an elegant restaurant that had a small but lively . When it played a familiar waltz tune I decided to my father for a dance. “Dad, you know I’ve never with you before. I begged you but you wanted to. How about right now?” I waited for the refusal. But instead, he considered thoughtfully and then said, “Let’s hit the floor and I’ll you just what kind of moves an old guy like me can still make.” My father took me in his and I felt overcome by emotion. As we danced I looked up at my father carefully but he my eyes. “Dad,” I finally , tears in my eyes, “Why is it so hard for you to look at me?” At last his eyes dropped to my face. “ I love you so much.” he whispered back. I was struck dumb by his . It wasn’t what I had thought. But it was of course exactly what I needed to . I had always known that he loved me. I just hadn’t understood that his vast emotion had him and made him silent. “I love you too, Dad!” I whispered back softly. He stumbled（结结巴巴地说) over the next few words: “I’m sorry that I’m not open. It’s for me, but just remember how much I love you.” When the dance ended I excused myself to the ladies’ room and during my absence changed. When I came back, Dad sat in his chair his body leaning forward, very pale. Everything was really too late. He was .
That night all I saw was his leaning body and pale face. But it’s a totally different scene that I now. I remember his saying “I love you” and my saying it back. The three words on forever long after we are gone.
1.A. answer B. express C. mention D. understand
2.A. band B. hall C. sofa D. bar
3.A. invite B. teach C. help D. show
4.A. chatted B. sang C. danced D. stayed
5.A. still B. even C. also D. never
6.A. final B. normal C. rough D. usual
7.A. tell B. show C. ask D. explain
8.A. arms B. hands C. heart D. mind
9.A. noticed B. ignored C. avoided D. greeted
10.A. complained B. whispered C. explained D. shouted
11.A. Because B. Though C. If D. While
12.A. response B. advise C. promise D. excuse
13.A. find B. know C. hear D. think
14.A. surprised B. pleased C. inspired D. frightened
15.A. clear B. important C. impossible D. hard
16.A. everything B. something C. nothing D. anything
17.A. for B. with C. on D. from
18.A. moved B. tired C. lost D. gone
19.A. discover B. remember C. remind D. consider
20.A. depend B. carry C. live D. take
— Lucy, my good friend died in an accident yesterday.
— .
A. That’s all right B. You are lucky
C. Oh, well, that’s life D. Don’t worry
Dressed in a newly-bought skirt, _________.
A. I could hardly recognize her
B. nobody could recognize her
C. she could hardly be recognized by me
D. there was nobody who could recognize her
