Grant Wood’s American Gothic caused a stir（轰动）in 1930 when it was exhibited for the first time at the Art Institute of Chicago and awarded a prize of 300 dollars. Newspapers across the country carried the story, and the painting of a farmer and a younger woman posed before a white house brought the artist instant fame.
In 1930, Grant Wood, an American painter with European training, noticed a small white house built in the small southern Iowa town of Eldon. Wood was so fascinated by it that he decided to paint the house along with the kind of people he thought should live in that house. In the painting, the farmer is modeled on his dentist. Dr. Byron McKeeby. His younger sister Nan served as a model for the woman （imagined to be the farmer’s wife or daughter）. Wood wanted to give a description of the traditional roles of men and women as the man is holding a pitchfork (干草叉) symbolizing hard labor. Each element was painted separately; the models sat separately and never stood in front of the house. The Gothic style of the house inspired the painting’s title.
American Gothic remains one of the most famous paintings in the history of American art. The painting has become part of American popular culture. Some believe that Wood used it to satirize（讽刺） the narrow-mindedness that has been said to characterize Midwestern culture. The painting may also be read as a praise of the moral virtue or rural America or even as a mixture of praise and satire. American Gothic is one of the few images to reach the status of cultural symbol, along with Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
1.What can we learn about American Gothic?
A．It won a prize of ￡300.
B．The two characters in it posed before the White House.
C．It was the first painting by Grant Wood.
D．It was on show at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1930.
2.From the passage we can infer Iowa is in __________.
A．the southern town of Eldon
B．the Midwest of the United States
C．a European country
D．the city of Chicago
3.Grant Wood chose the two models __________.
A．to describe traditional roles of men and women
B．to praise the moral virtue of rural America
C．to make his dentist and his sister famous
D．to carry the story across the country
4.The title of the painting is based on __________.
A．the name of a small town
B．the man and the woman
C．the Gothic style of the house
D．the pitchfork symbolizing hard labor
书面表达
请观察所给的图画并根据你对该图画的理解写一篇英语短文，内容包括：
(1)简要描述图片，并说明该图片所揭露的现象；
(2)分析造成该现象的原因(至少两点)；
(3)提出自己的看法。
要求：1.词数150左右。开头已经给出，不计入词数；
2.文章中不得提及考生所在学校及本人姓名。
The Internet has long been regarded as a wonderful tool that allows students to gain insight to useful resources and information. However, this is not always the case.
任务型阅读
请认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。 注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填一个单词。
What is ecofashion? Eco-fashion is about making clothes that take into account the environment, the health of consumers and the working conditions of people in the fashion industry. It is a complex phenomenon and the common use of the fashionable terms—‘ecological’ and ‘ethical’. Ecological fashion usually refers to textile (织物) and clothing production processes and the environmental issues surrounding them；ethical fashion generally relates to the working conditions involved in the producing processes.
What are the problems with fashion? A closer look at the fashion industry points out many problems that are common practices in the creation of our fashions from the field to the factory. Firstly，the production of textiles pollutes the environment heavily. Cottonplanting uses pesticides；sheepfarming and woolcleaning contribute to global warming；syntheticsmaking (人造纤维生产) brings about waste which does harm to our environment. Secondly，every stage of clothing production has a significant effect on the environment. They all use a great deal of energy，and some also involve chemicals which evidently do harm to the surroundings. In addition to this，there is a lot of waste produced in the process，especially in the form of polluted water. Thirdly，growing consumption levels and our shopping habits further worsen the bad effects. We are now buying clothes in increasing quantities without realizing the scale on which it affects natural environment，and we are also quick to throw away clothes that have been worn only a couple of times.
Then，how to solve the problems? Other industries that design products are ahead of the fashion industry when it comes to choosing sustainable materials, designing for minimum waste, choosing energy efficient manufacturing and creating products for longevity. The fashion industry has been slow to adopt these changes and part of the problem is the very nature of fashion. To a large degree，it is the fashion producers that really have the power and the responsibility to shape our future. There are numerous ways in which these producers can reduce their ecological footprint，from switching to green energy and reducing energy use，through selecting sustainable materials and choosing local suppliers，to recycle and minimize waste. On the other hand，as consumers we can all make contributions by selecting environmentally friendly clothing and reducing clothing consumption.
There is some concern that eco-friendly fashions are just a trend that we will eventually grow tired of but we can make sure that doesn't happen. Now many people are beginning to shop for organic food products because the benefits of eating food free of chemicals are straightforward and immediate. They relate directly to our personal health. In fact, choosing ecofashion can also contribute to our personal health, though it is mostly done by way of keeping the health of the planet.
Why choose eco-fashion? | ||
1. of fashion | Ecological
| Textile & clothing production processes; Issues related to 2. |
Ethical
| Working 3. involved | |
Problems with fashion |
Textile 4.
| Cotton-planting: use of pesticides; Sheepfarming & woolcleaning: global warming; Synthetics-making: 5. waste |
Clothing production
| Producing a lot of waste; Using chemicals; 6. a great deal of energy | |
Consumption levels & shopping habits
| New clothes: bought in increasing quantities Old clothes: 7. away quickly | |
8. to problems
|
Fashion producers
| Ways to recycle and 9. waste: Switching to green energy; Reducing energy use; Selecting sustainable materials; Choosing local suppliers |
___10.__
| Selecting environmentally friendly clothing Reducing clothing consumption | |
Choosing ecofashion can contribute to our personal health. | ||
Jane arrives at Thornfield, having been met at the George Inn. Mrs. Fairfax confuses her a little at first, because she is so informal and welcoming. But in due course Jane discovers that Mrs. Fairfax is the housekeeper.
Jane’s pupil, Adele Varens, is the eight-year-old French child under the legal protection of Mr. Edward Rochester, the owner of the house. (We learn later that her mother had claimed she was his illegitimate daughter. Mr. Rochester is not convinced by this claim, but felt he could not leave the little girl poor when her mother died.)
Adele is a pleasant little girl, even if she is not a particularly eager student. Life goes on very peacefully for three months, until the return of Mr. Rochester. Jane first meets him on his horse, and her description of him is quite fanciful. He takes a fall and Jane helps him, although she does not know who he is until they are both back at Thornfield.
It is obvious to the reader, although not to Jane, that the reason why Mr. Rochester stays at Thornfield much longer than usual is that he finds her company enjoyable. Jane, unknowingly at first, falls in love with him. Their closeness is very apparent. There is something about Thornfield that is mysterious. Jane is encouraged to focus her attention on the servant Grace Poole, who is Mr. Rochester’s mad wife Bertha Mason’s keeper at Thornfield, and whose drunken carelessness frequently allows Bertha to escape and do something violent.
It is clear to the reader, though, that Mr. Rochester’s emotional engagement is immense. When his bed is set on fire, Jane rescues him, but does not understand why the matter is not pursued, despite Mr. Rochester assuring her the criminal is Grace. The next morning Grace behaves as though she has done nothing wrong.
Eventually, Mr. Rochester leaves, to go to a house party. He brings everyone at the party back with him, transforming the atmosphere in the house, and delighting Adele. One of the guests is Blanche Ingram, whom Mr. Rochester is confidently expected to marry. However, it is clear from the way she is portrayed in the book that she is too proud; our sympathies are not with her.
Mr. Rochester is called away from the house, and when he returns he chooses to play the role of a fortune teller. It is clear to the reader that one of his motives is to try to turn Blanche against the idea of marriage to him. While he has clearly bothered her, he is unsuccessful.
One afternoon, Jane hears that her cousin John Reed is dead and Mrs. Reed, who is probably on her deathbed, has been asking for her. With strict instructions from Mr. Rochester to return quickly, she sets off to Gateshead. On arrival, she realizes she no longer hates her cousins. However, Mrs. Reed is still bitter towards her, owing to the fact that Jane’s mother was Mr Reed’s favourite sister and this resulted in him apparently favouring Jane over his own children.
A short time later, Mrs. Reed gives Jane a letter from her uncle, John Eyre, that was written three years earlier. It explains how he planned to adopt Jane and allow her to inherit his fortune. Mrs. Reed never handed the letter over because of her bitterness. Jane tries once more to seek reconciliation (和解), but without success; her aunt dies that night.
1.Who does the underlined word “she” in Paragraph 1 refer to?
A. Jane. B. Mrs. Fairfax.
C. Adele Varens. D. Grace Poole.
2.The story of Adele Varens mainly indicates that ______.
A. women have a low social status
B. Mr. Rochester is sympathetic
C. Mr. Rochester is irresponsible
D. girls are often abandoned by their parents
3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Mr. Rochester expects Blanche to marry him.
B. Mr. Rochester plays the role of a fortune teller to attract Jane.
C. Jane and Mr. Rochester enjoy each other’s company in Thornfield.
D. Grace Poole often gets drunk and does something violent.
4.Why is Mrs. Reed bitter towards Jane?
A. Because Jane inherited Mr. Reed’s fortune.
B. Because Jane didn’t get along well with her cousins.
C. Because Jane’s mother was more beautiful than Mrs. Reed.
D. Because Mr. Reed loved Jane more than his own children.
In her new book, “The Smartest Kids in the World,” Amanda Ripley, an investigative journalist, tells the story of Tom, a high-school student from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, who decides to spend his senior year in Warsaw, Poland. Poland is a surprising educational success story: in the past decade, the country raised students’ test scores from significantly below average to well above it. Polish kids have now outscored(超过……分数) American kids in math and science, even though Poland spends, on average, less than half as much per student as the United States does. One of the most striking differences between the high school Tom attended in Gettysburg and the one he ends up at in Warsaw is that the latter has no football team, or, for that matter, teams of any kind.
That American high schools waste more time and money on sports than on math is an old complaint. This is not a matter of how any given student who plays sports does in school, but of the culture and its priorities. This December, when the latest Program for International Student Assessment(PISA) results are announced, it’s safe to predict that American high-school students will once again display their limited skills in math and reading, outscored not just by students in Poland but also by students in places like South Korea, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Singapore, and Japan. Meanwhile, they will have played some very exciting football games, which will have been breathlessly written up in their hometown papers.
Why does this situation continue? Well, for one thing, kids like it. And for another, according to Ripley, parents seem to like the arrangement, too. She describes a tour she took of a school in Washington D.C., which costs thirty thousand dollars a year. The tour leader—a mother with three children in the school—was asked about the school’s flaws(暇疵). When she said that the math program was weak, none of the parents taking the tour reacted. When she said that the football program was weak, the parents suddenly became concerned. “Really?” one of them asked worriedly, “What do you mean?”
One of the ironies(讽刺) of the situation is that sports reveal what is possible. American kids’ performance on the field shows just how well they can do when expectations are high. It’s too bad that their test scores show the same thing.
1.According to Paragraph 2, we know that _______.
A. too much importance is placed on sports in America
B. little time is spent on sports in Japanese schools
C. American high schools complain about sports time
D. PISA plays a very important role in America
2.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means _______.
A. American students’ academic performance worries their parents a lot
B. high expectations push up American students’ academic performance
C. low expectations result in American students’ poor PISA performance
D. lacking practice contributes to American students’ average performance
3.The purpose of this article is to _______.
A. draw public attention to a weakness in American school tradition
B. call on American schools to learn from the Polish model
C. compare Polish schools with those in America
D. explain what is wrong with American schools and provide solutions
Books, Films and Plays
The novelist’s medium is the written word, one might almost say the printed word. Typically the novel is consumed by a silent, individual reader, who may be anywhere at the time. The paperback novel is still the cheapest, most portable and adaptable form of narrative entertainment. It is limited to a single channel of information---writing. The narrative can go, effortlessly, anywhere: into space, people’s head, palaces, prisons and pyramids, without any consideration of cost or practical possibility. In determining the shape and content of his narrative, the writer is restricted by nothing except purely artistic criteria. The novelist keeps absolute control over his text until it is published and received by the audience. He may be advised by his editor to revise his text, but if the writer refused to meet this condition no one would be surprised. It is not unknown for a well-established novelist to deliver his or her manuscript(手稿) and expect the publisher to print it exactly as written.
However, not even the most well-established playwright or screenplay writer would submit a script and expect it to be performed without any rewriting. This is because plays and motion pictures are cooperative forms of narrative, using more than one channel of communication.
The production of a stage play involves, as well as the words of the author, the physical presence of the actors, their voices and gestures, the “set” and possibly music. Although the script is the essential basis of both stage play and film, it is a basis for subsequent revision negotiated between the writer and the other creative people involved. They are given “approval” of the choice of director and actors and have the right to attend rehearsals(排演), during which period they may undertake more rewriting work. In the case of the screenplay, the writer may have little or no control over the final form of his work. Contracts for the production of plays protect the rights of authors in this respect.
In film or television work, on the other hand, the screenplay writer has no contractual right to this degree of consultation. While the script is going through its various drafts, the writer is in the driver’s seat, although sometimes receiving criticism from the producer and the director. But once the production is under way, artistic control over the project tends to pass to the director. This is a fact overlooked by most journalistic critics of television drama, who tend(unlike film critics) to give all the credit or blame for success or failure of a production to the writer and actors, ignoring the contribution, for good or ill, of the director.
1.Where might you find the passage?
A. In a textbook.
B. In a movie magazine.
C. In a travelling brochure.
D. In a shopping guide.
2.Which of these subtitles would be most appropriate?
A. Why does the future look good for writers of books, plays and films?
B. What do audiences want from these three forms of entertainment?
C. How do these forms of media compare for their producers?
D. What benefit can we get from these forms of media?
3.Why can the novelist expect the publisher to print the manuscript exactly as written?
A. Because the novelist keeps absolute control over his text.
B. Because the paperback novel is most portable and adaptable.
C. Because the novel is limited to a single channel of information---writing.
D. Because the novelist is seldom advised by editors to revise the text.
4.Which of the following statements is True according to the passage?
A. Playwrights envy the simplicity of the novelist’s work.
B. Experience in the theatre improves the work of screenplay writers.
C. Screenplay writers usually have the final say in how a TV drama will turn out.
D. Playwrights are frequently involved in revising their work.
5.What can be implied from the last sentence of the passage?
A. TV critics often blame the wrong people for the failure of a program.
B. The director is a determining factor in the future of a television drama.
C. Few people know that the screenplay writer is often criticized by the director.
D. It is urgent for the film critics to realize their mistakes.
