4 . Passing the Cities through the Lens (镜头) of Women, a solo exhibition by Swiss artist Catherine Gfeller, is being held at the Swiss embassy in Beijing.

Between 2016 and 2019, Swiss artist Catherine Gfeller embarked on a journey to a number of Chinese cities, weaving a narrative as she engaged with the stories of women from different backgrounds. Her vision of the women, the challenges they confront, and their distinctive spirit are the focuses of the artist’s subsequent explorations.

In the bustling streets of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Hong Kong, Beijing and Kunming in Yunnan province, Gfeller found a means of exploring the essence of these urban landscapes by focusing her lens on women. On Saturday, the Swiss embassy in Beijing launched a solo exhibition, Passing the Cities through the Lens of Women, which spotlights the perspectives and voices of women with photographs, texts, and videos. Through her lens, Gfeller skillfully establishes a dialogue and builds a bridge between the narratives of the women and the liveliness of the cities they inhabit.

For Gfeller, women’s voices are very important in modern Chinese society. During shooting, she learned how the women perceive the new ways of life and how they find an anchor in their cities. “The moment I pressed the shutter, I felt like I became part of the city,” Gfeller says.

Ambassador of Switzerland to China Jurg Burri said at the opening ceremony, “Ms Gfeller cares very much about people, especially women in cities. Women’s issues are a global topic and I hope that more women’s voices will be heard.”

The exhibition is open to the public until the end of March. The 58-year-old artist is known for her focus on landscape photography. Using techniques like montage, collage, and superimposition, she creates unique photographic artworks.

1. Where is the passage probably taken from?

A．A leaflet.

B．A newspaper.

C．A brochure.

D．A research paper.

2. What does Catherine Gfeller’s exhibition focus on?

A．Chinese women’s viewpoints.	B．Chinese urban landscapes.
C．Chinese traditional roles of women.	D．Chinese women’s status in society.

3. Why does the author cite Jurg Burri’s words?

A．Jurg Burri is the Ambassador of Switzerland to China.

B．The theme of Catherine Gfeller exhibition is a global topic.

C．Jurg Burri is in favor of Catherine Gfeller’s means of exploring cities.

D．Catherine Gfeller attaches great importance to women’s perspectives.

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To introduce an exhibition.	B．To educate readers.
C．To persuade readers.	D．To advertise an exhibition.

5 . After moving to the United States in 1901, 19-year-old Bob Douglas found a job as a doorman in New York. Later, a co-worker took him to visit a basketball court, and he was amazed by the athletic prowess on display. At that moment, Douglas, who had enjoyed playing sports as a child, was determined to create a basketball team and provide greater opportunities for New York City’s Black athletes.

He needed to find a place for his team to play. When asking a ballroom owner, William Roach, for permission to use one of the dance floors, Douglas was replied with “you guys will break up my place”. After promising to take on all the financial risk, he finally persuaded Roach to change his mind and called the team “Rens”.

However, their ballroom had fewer seats and attracted fewer people than others, so Douglas had to pack the house to generate profits and keep his team alive. They traveled the country playing any opponent that would agree to schedule them, during which they repeatedly faced discrimination and unfair treatment and the players were often banned from hotels and restaurants.

No matter the obstacle, the Rens just kept strict practicing. They helped change the game of basketball by focusing on quick passing, which let the players move faster, play a more fluid (流畅) game and keep winning. In 1925, the Rens shocked the world by defeating the Original Celtics, the most dominant team of their day. During the 1932-33 season, the team won 88 straight games, a professional basketball record that remains unbroken.

Unfortunately, the Rens disbanded (解散) in 1949. But in time, they were recognized for the important role they played in advancing Black athletes in basketball, ensuring that although the Rens aren’t a household name, their story will never be forgotten.

1. What inspired Douglas to establish a basketball team?

A．His desire to show his athletic strength.	B．A motivation to learn Black culture.
C．His intention to earn a good income.	D．An experience to a basketball court.

2. Why did the Rens tour the country playing basketball?

A．To solve financial problems.	B．To improve basketball skills.
C．To fight for accommodation.	D．To play with excellent players.

3. How did the Rens help change the game of basketball?

A．Making competition rules.	B．Speeding up the game.
C．Defeating the professional team.	D．Creating an unbroken record.

4. What can we learn from the story?

A．A winner is one with a willing heart.	B．A high reputation will work wonders.
C．Success makes personal desires satisfied.	D．A man owes success to the team support.

8 . In the ever-changing world of women’s artistic gymnastics, there has been a gymnast for more than three decades: Oksana Chusovitina.

The 48-year-old had said with certainty that her final competition would be the Tokyo 2020 Games. With no fans in the stands to honor her legendary career (职业生涯) , judges, coaches and other athletes did their best to give her a party worthy of all she’d given the sport. After she thanked them through tears in her eyes, she told media that was her swansong.

However, just a few months after the Tokyo Olympics, Chusovitina said that she would return to training, dreaming of one final medal at a major competition —the Asian Games—for Uzbekistan. “I just can’t finish my career without a medal for my motherland,” she said on her Instagram story.

Chusovitina first competed in the 1992 Olympics as part of the Unified Team and won a team gold medal there. Though she represented (代表) Uzbekistan in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics, her second Olympic medal came some 16 years later in the 2008 Olympics. Chusovitina, then representing her third nation, Germany, where better medical treatment was provided for her sick son, got the silver medal.

And now, her story continues. The historic eight-time Olympian has started her ninth trip to the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the first two World Cup stops of the season she won bronze medals. “Thank you all so much for the support,” she wrote on Instagram. “First start, first medal.”

“More to come,” added the gymnast, whose motto is “I’d rather try today than regret tomorrow”.

1. What does the underlined word “swansong” mean in paragraph 2?

A．A popular song.	B．A great honor.
C．The last performance.	D．The wonderful career.

2. What made Chusovitina return to training after the Tokyo Olympics?

A．Personal glory.	B．National pride.
C．Economic situation.	D．International pressure.

3. Why did Chusovitina represent Germany in the 2008 Olympics?

A．To win more medals.	B．To receive better education.
C．To get medical treatment for her son.	D．To learn skills from the national team.

4. Which word best describes Chusovitina?

A．Determined.

B．Generous.

C．Creative.

D．Curious.

9 . Top Piano Players in the World

Martha Argerich

Martha Argerich could be considered the next Beethoven, as she is one of the most outstanding pianists ever to play. Argerich preferred being on stage with others instead of performing solo; therefore, she has been performing in a concerto format since the 1980s. Argerich was not one for the spotlight, as she often avoided public appearances such as interviews; however, her great talent was all the publicity she needed, standing out during concertos and sonatas.

Leif Ove Andsnes

Known for his appealing performances of Edvard Grieg’s works, Andsnes has won praise for his performances at some of the world’s most famous concert halls. Andsnes has certainly made his mark in Norway, as he is the founding director of Norway’s Rosendal Chamber Music Festival. Because of his unique voice and interesting approach, he was praised by The New York Times as a “pianist of authoritative elegance, power, and insight.”

Alfred Brendel

Known for his beautiful interpretations of Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert and Mozart, Alfred Brendel was considered one of the greats. He played in various concertos throughout his career and became known for his interpretive coldness in recreating these works. Brendel was considered one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, as he made his mark in the classical music industry. Brendel was self-taught and learned his love of piano at an early age.

Arthur Rubinstein

Arthur Rubinstein was certainly one of the greats. His career began in the early 20th century when he began to come into contact with some of the world’s most important composers, such as Maurice Ravel, Paul Dukas, and Jacques Thibaud. He made various trips worldwide and visited nearly every continent, where crowds met him with great praise and encouragement.

1. What does the female pianist focus on in her career?

A．Skills in hosting concertos and sonatas.	B．Cooperation with other musicians.
C．Close relationships with the media.	D．Unique ways to interpret music.

2. Who learned music by himself or herself?

A．Martha Argerich.	B．Leif Ove Andsnes.
C．Alfred Brendel.	D．Arthur Rubinstein.

3. How is Arthur Rubinstein different from the other pianists?

A．He was the director of a Norwegian festival.

B．He made a difference in classical music.

C．He was the best musician of the 20th century.

D．He got in touch with some famous composers.

10 . A brilliant theoretical physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer was tapped to head up a laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, as part of U.S. efforts to develop nuclear weapons. He succeeded — but would go on to advocate against developing even more powerful bombs.

Born in New York City in 1904, Oppenheimer studied theoretical physics at both Cambridge University and the University of Göttingen in Germany, where he gained his doctorate at age 23. Soon the young physicist “Oppie” rubbed shoulders with the greatest scientific figures of his age, and his academic work advanced quantum theory and predicted everything from the neutron to the black hole.

After the United States joined the Allies in 1941, Oppenheimer was asked to participate in the top-secret Manhattan Project, whose aim was to develop an atomic weapon.

On July 16, 1945, Oppenheimer and others gathered at the Trinity test site south of Los Alamos for the world’s first attempted nuclear blast. Conducted in secret, the test worked. On August 6 and August 9, 1945, the U.S. dropped two of the bombs Oppenheimer had helped develop over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On the night of the Hiroshima bombing, Oppenheimer was cheered by a crowd of fellow scientists at Los Alamos, and declared that his only regret was that the bomb hadn’t been finished in time to use against Germany.

Twenty years after the attacks on both cities in Japan, Oppenheimer appeared in a 1965 NBC News documentary called The Decision to Drop the Bomb. “We knew the world would not be the same,” he said onscreen. “A few people laughed; a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture (印度梵经), ‘Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.’ I suppose we all thought that, one way or another.”

However, Oppenheimer opposed America’s attempts to develop a more powerful hydrogen bomb. Did he really live to regret helping develop the atomic bomb? No one knows. He doesn’t come into easy categories of pro-nuclear, anti-nuclear or anything like that. He’s a complicated figure.

1. What does the underlined phrase “rubbed shoulders with” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Thought highly of.	B．Spent time with.
C．Taken the place of.	D．Made trouble with.

2. What do we know about Oppenheimer according to the passage?

A．He got his doctor’s degree in the year 1930.

B．The atomic bomb he developed first struck Nagasaki.

C．He felt guilty when the bomb caused numerous deaths.

D．He was firmly against developing the hydrogen bomb.

3. What’s the writing pattern of the passage?

A．News.	B．Fiction.
C．Biography.	D．Journal.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Controversial Man behind the Atomic Bomb

B．The Most Brilliant Physicist in the 20th Century

C．How Oppenheimer Rewrote the History of WWII

D．How Oppenheimer Developed the Atomic Bomb