Today, one can trace Venice’s rich past from its buildings. Most cities can claim at least a handful of outstanding churches, palaces or houses of historical interest, but in Venice very nearly everything is remarkable, from the magnificent Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square ) and the palaces that line the Grand Canal to the centuries-old homes of simple fishermen. It would be easy to say that the city itself is an enormous museum if it were not for the fact it is so obviously alive.
At first sight, Venice looks unbelievably permanent, an apparently complete Renaissance (文艺复兴) city so untouched by time that there seems no reason why it should not go on forever. Now the city is slowly sinking, as the clay on which it is built loses its elasticity (弹性) and the massive wooden piles rot (腐烂) away. Flooding, such a rare occurrence a hundred years ago now happens several times each winter.
The damage caused by the flooding is immense, and the fabric of the ancient buildings is now being further damaged by pollution from the mainland town as well as by the wash produced by the constantly increasing number of motor boats that speed up and down the canals.
A further threat to Venice comes from the Venetians themselves, some of whom are not particularly interested in preserving the city as one of the wonders of the world and would prefer to see it modernized.
“What better place is there for the meeting of dear friends? See how it glows with the advancing summer; how the sky and the sea and the rosy air and the marble of the palaces all glimmer and melt together.” Thus wrote the famous author Henry James, of Venice, which provided the setting for his story “The Aspern Papers”, in the nineteenth century. The Splendor of Venice has captured the imagination of artists for centuries --- and not just of the great painters and novelists. How tragic now that she is faced with the double threat of man and nature. Venice indeed will be lucky to survive.
1.Venice proudly boasts .
A. its beautiful churches, palaces and houses
B. its unique St. Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal
C. its picturesque waterscape
D. its marvelous ancient buildings
2.The writer thinks that .
A. Venice can be regarded as a big museum
B. Venice is no longer a big museum
C. Venice is different from a big museum
D. Venice can never be a big museum because of its modernization
3.From the fourth paragraph, we know that .
A. Venetians are eager to modernize their city
B. Venetians value the Grand Canal
C. Venetians don’t care about any threat to the Grand Canal.
D. the threat of man is greater than the threat of nature
4.In the last paragraph, the writer .
A. is very confident that Venice will survive
B. is doubtful whether Venice will survive
C. thinks that Venice will have luck
D. is afraid that Venice will no longer attract artists and novelists
Etymology, the study of words and word roots, may sound like the kind of thing done by boring librarians in small, dusty rooms. Yet etymologists actually have a uniquely interesting job. They are in many ways just like archaeologists (考古学家) digging up the physical history of people and events. The special aspect of etymology is that it digs up history, so to speak, through the words and phrases that are left behind.
The English language, in particular, is a great field to explore history through words. As a language, English has an extraordinary number of words. This is partly due to its ability to adapt foreign words so readily. For example, “English” words such as kindergarten (from German), croissant (from French), and cheetah (from Hindi) have become part of the language with little or no change from their original sounds and spellings. So English-language etymologists have a vast world of words to explore.
Another enjoyable thing about etymology for most word experts is solving word mysteries (谜). No, etymologists do not go around solving murders, like the great detective Sherlock Holmes. What these word experts solve are mysterious origins of some of our most common words.
One of the biggest questions English language experts have pursued is how English came to have the phrase OK. Though it is one of the most commonly used expressions, its exact beginning is a puzzle even to this day. Even its spelling is not entirely consistent-- unless you spell it Okay, it is hard even to call it a word.
Etymologists have been able to narrow OK’s origin down to a likely, although not certain, source (来源). It became widely used around the time of Martin Van Buren’s run for president in 1840. His nickname was Old Kinderhook. What troubles word experts about this explanation is that the phrase appeared in some newspapers before Van Buren became well known. It is likely that Van Buren could be called its primary source. Etymologists will doubtlessly keep searching for the original source. However, it is clear that OK’s popularity and reputation have topped those of the American president to whom it has been most clearly linked.
1.The author mentions the words like “croissant” in Paragraph 2 to show _______.
A. words have changed a lot in the two languages
B. what English-language etymologists are exploring now
C. English has absorbed many words from other foreign languages
D. the English vocabulary is difficult to the non-English-speaking people
2.The underlined word “pursued” in Paragraph 4 means _______.
A. looked upon B. dug up C. put in D. set down
3.We can learn from the passage that etymologists _______.
A. discover the possible origin of words
B. help detectives to solve mysterious murders
C. write interesting stories for some newspapers
D. explore the English language as well as the recent events
4.What most probably is the major purpose of the passage?
A. To present the history of English words.
B. To explain what an etymologist does for his job.
C. To introduce the pleasure of the study of words and word roots.
D. To teach readers how to tell English words from non-English words·
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
America’s holiday shopping season started on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
1. Shoppers make the most money this time of year, about 20 percent to 30 percent of all revenue all year. About 136 million people shopped during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.
2. In an era of instant information, shoppers can use their mobile phones to find deals. Nearly 80 percent of this year’s holiday shoppers, or about 183.8 million people, shopped on Cyber Monday. 3. Online spending on Black Friday rose 15 percent to hit $2.7 billion this year. Cyber Monday spending increased 12 percent to $3 billion. NBC News reported that for many, shopping online was a more comfortable alternative than crowded malls.
The shift to online shopping has had a big impact on solid shopping malls. Since 2010, more than 24 shopping malls have closed and an additional 60 are struggling. Fortune says the weakest of the malls have closed. However, the business in malls is thriving again, it adds. According to a survey, 94.2percent of malls were full with shops by the end of 2014. 4.
The average American consumer will spend about $805 on gifts. That’s about $630.5 billion between November and December – an increase of 3.7 percent from last year.
5. That goes to China’s Singles’ Day, celebrated on November 11, which posted record sales of $14.3 billion in 2015.
A．More and more people shop online nowadays.
B．That is the highest level in 27 years.
C．It is the busiest shopping day of the year.
D．One-in-five Americans used a tablet or smart-phone.
E．The traditional mall industry can hardly survive.
F．Cyber Monday falls on the Monday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
G．Nonetheless, Cyber Monday is not the biggest online shopping day in the world.
First Lady Michelle Obama is on a five-day trip to Asia. She is visiting Japan and Cambodia to help publicize a program called "Let Girls Learn". Administration officials set up the campaign to support the education of millions of girls worldwide.
Before her trip, Mrs. Obama and her husband noted the inability of an estimated 62-million girls to attend school. They said educating the girls should be a foreign policy goal.
This week, Mrs. Obama criticized the fact that tens of millions of girls are not receiving a satisfactory education. In her opinion piece, she wrote this failure to educate girls it was more than "a tragic waste of potential." It is both a serious public health issue and a problem for the economic health of nations and the world. She also said it was "a threat to the security of countries around the world".
The First Lady noted by 2012, every part of the developing world was educating both girls and boys in primary schools. But this is not the case in secondary education. She wrote in some areas girls face "the cultural values and practices that limit the prospects of women in their societies ".
The Obama administration launched the "Let Girls Learn" campaign earlier this month. At the time, Mrs. Obama noted plans to involve the U.S. Peace Corps, and the Volunteer Development Agency.
"This effort will draw on the talent and energy of the nearly 7,000 Peace Corps volunteers serving in more than 60 countries. Through this effort, Peace Corps will be supporting hundreds of new community projects to help girls go to school and stay in school. And, I want to emphasize that these programs will be community-generated and community-led. They will be based on solutions devised by local leaders, families and yes, even the girls themselves."
President Obama also spoke at the same White House event, saying that campaign is important to his administration.
1.Why did Michelle Obama make the trip to Asia?
A. To get help from Peace Corps.
B. To set up the "Let Girls Learn" program.
C. To promote an educational program.
D. To develop Japan-US relationship.
2.These statements may be Michelle Obama’s opinion EXCEPT_____.
A. girls in developing countries have greater potential than boys
B. girls have the same right to receive higher education
C. having girls educated should be a foreign policy goal
D. failing to educate girls affects the world’s economy
3.What is the main idea of the sixth paragraph?
A. How the Peace Corps are organized.
B. What the plan for the campaign is.
C. Who are in charge of the program.
D. Where the campaign will be carried out.
4.What may be talked about in the next paragraph?
A. The achievements they have achieved.
B. The measures they have taken.
C. The possible problems they will meet.
D. The importance of the educational program.
Allow me to introduce you to Terry, a window salesman from England. If I could take you back about 20 years, you’d know Terry as a complete green hand, who was wet behind the ears in just about everything he attempted. A person couldn’t sell false teeth to his own Granny, let alone he could compete with the other salespeople in the industry. You know, the kind who could sell snow to Eskimos.
Terry’s boss decided to send him out on a practical field trip on his first day. So off he went, but he was extremely nervous. With his hands and his knees shaking, he approached the front door and knocked at it. And an old woman appeared. After dozens of cups of tea and pieces of biscuits, the woman signed a contract and purchased over $7,000 worth of windows.
The woman had already talked with 6 excellent salesmen that week, all of whom offered her cheaper ones! That’s right—Terry’s price was the most expensive and he was also the most inexperienced salesman there ever was.
So, what happened then? Here comes the secret. The woman said she liked the young lad more than the others. That’s all there was to it. She didn’t care about the extra expense. Even the other salesmen couldn’t persuade her to pay less than this young lad was asking for.
The truth is that the young lad left on the woman the first impression that shone brighter than any of the salesman’s talk. First impressions count, not the sales techniques, not the low prices. The actual “personality” the kid honestly gave was all that was required. If you market your own products and services, consider what impression you are giving to others. If you appeal to them, then you’ve already done half of the work. If this means redesigning your presentation, then so be it. If this means going out of your way to be polite, helpful and giving the best possible shopping experience to your customers, the so be it.
1.When Terry was offered the job of salesman, he .
A. was good at sales techniques
B. knew little about sales skills
C. was believed in by his boss
D. was too young to do it
2.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 suggests that .
A. Terry couldn’t trade with Eskimos
B. Terry loved his Granny more
C. Terry was afraid to compete
D. Terry was too honest to do the job
3.What made the young lad succeed in selling the window to the old woman?
A. First impression of good personality.
B. Being honest and childish.
C. High quality and expensive window.
D. Strange ways of sales.
4.The passage is most likely written to .
A. general readers B. new salesmen
C. window makers D. new graduates
It was a hot, humid day, and my brother Walt and I had decided that the only way to survive it would be to go swimming in a deep swimming hole across Mr. Blickez’s pasture(牧场) and through some woods.
The only problem with our plan was that this pasture was guarded by a huge, mean Hereford bull. Mr. Blickez had told us that Elsie was the meanest bull in the township, maybe even the county, and we believed him. But the hotter it got, the more we thought there was something fishy about his claim. For one thing, we remembered Mr. Blickez liked telling tall tales; for another, Elsie seemed like an odd name for a bull.
Finally, I talked Mom into asking permission for us to walk through the pasture, but then another problem surfaced. Mom said she would talk to Mr. Blickez if we would take our cousin Joanie along with us. Joanie was almost two years older than me and a head taller. If her teasing ever got around my grade school, it would be all over for me. In fact, I still had a headache from a quarrel with her that morning. “I’m not going swimming with that dumb girl cousin.” I told my mom.
“Either Joanie goes with, or you stay home alone,” Mom said in her serious tone. I gave in and we set out. On our way across the pasture, Walt yelled suddenly. Elsie had approached him quietly and was licking(舔) his back.Joanie and I dove under the wire fence, but while I was on the ground I looked up and saw that Elsie wasn’t a big mean bull after all. She was going to keep licking my brother’s back as long as he stood still.
We had many good days growing up and visiting our secret swimming hole guarded by the so-called “big mean bull”. And as it turned out, for a girl cousin, Joanie hasn’t been too bad. She’s been one of my best friends over the years.
1.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “fishy” in paragraph 2?
A. Funny B. Interesting
C. Doubtful D. Believable
2.What’s the second problem the author has to face
A. His mother insisted on his cousin going with him.
B. His cousin made jokes on him in his grade school.
C. He quarreled with his cousin and had a headache.
D. His mother failed to ask permission for him.
3.What does the author think of Elsie in the end
A. Aggressive. B. Unkind.
C. Bad-tempered. D. Friendly.
4.What’s the passage mainly about
A. The bull guarding Mr. Blickez’s farm.
B. The story of visiting the swimming hole.
C. How friendly the so-called mean bull was.
D. How the author changed his attitude to Joanie.
