I. M. Pei, one of the world’s most famous building designers, died at age 102. Mr. Pei created buildings which are known and appreciated around the world. Mr. Pei’s style of architecture is called “modern” or “modernist”. This style of architecture makes use of newer building materials, such as concrete(混凝土), glass and metal. Modernist buildings are often designed with straight lines, without a lot of decorations. Modern architecture appeared at the end of the 19th century from changes in technology, engineering and building materials, and from a wish to break away from historical architectural styles and to invent something that was totally functional and new.
Mr. Pei designed many different kinds of buildings, including libraries, concert halls, office buildings, hotels, hospitals and skyscrapers. But he’s probably famous for some of his museums, like the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Perhaps Mr. Pei’s best-known building is the Pyramid he created as a new entrance to the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. Like many of Mr. Pei’s designs, it wasn’t all that popular at first, but over time, people came to love it. Now it is one of the main reasons why people visit the museum. Another famous building of his is the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, China. Mr. Pei said he wanted it to look a bit like bamboo.
Mr. Pei put a lot of thoughts into his designs. He studied carefully before he designed each building. For example, he didn’t like rock and roll music, but he went to rock concerts before he designed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. He read books, studied music and visited many musicians. He preferred his students or teammates who came from different cultural backgrounds.
Not all of Mr. Pei’s buildings were triumphant. The Hancock Tower in Boston is one example. The huge glass-covered skyscraper was nearly finished when the bad thing happened. Some glass began falling out of the building. They had to be replaced with plywood(胶合板) until a solution could be found. The problem was a headache and took years to fix.
1. What does Mr. Pei’s architecture look like?| A．Simple. | B．Strange. | C．Traditional. | D．Classical. |
| A．The East Building of the National Gallery of Art. |
| B．The new entrance to the Louvre Museum. |
| C．The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. |
| D．The Bank of China Tower. |
| A．To enjoy the music. | B．To meet the singers. |
| C．To ask for advice on his design. | D．To prepare himself for a design. |
| A．Unique. | B．Successful. | C．Completed. | D．Famous. |
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【推荐1】One afternoon, after finishing shopping in a supermarket, my family and I went to the checkout. I suddenly thought we didn’t need any of the junk, and we abandoned all of those, saving $300.
That got me thinking about all our pointless expenses in life. With a promise that we’d stop if it was killing us, I convinced the family to take the leap into frugality (节俭). The rules were that we would buy nothing for 30 days except absolutely essentials.
Our adventure began with a great start. By 9 a.m., my wife, Ruth, had already made cakes from old strawberries and picked flowers I didn’t even know we had in the garden. I cleared the car by hand for the first time for years. I read and returned the neighbor’s newspaper before he woke up. Total spending on the first day: $0.
As days turned into weeks, we became so proficient at living frugally. We started riding our bikes to save gas. My child’s finger painting was recycled as gift wrap for the homemade presents. We started to use an Internet application like Skype for free phone calls and ask neighbors with gardens for extra vegetables and herbs.
In the end, we saved more than $2000 by not spending for a month. When we began, I imagined we would rush out the moment we were done and buy a lot of things in the supermarket, then maybe hit the mall or go to the movies.
1. We can infer from the passage that before that very afternoon, the family _________.| A．had had higher income |
| B．had had a good habit of saving money |
| C．had often spent money without thinking much |
| D．hadn’t realized they would have met financial problems |
| A．Two. | B．Three. |
| C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．Arranged. | B．Thrilled. | C．Disappointed. | D．Skilled. |
| A．how a family managed their daily life | B．a family’s no-buying try |
| C．a family’s way of solving life problems | D．how a new idea came up |
【推荐2】We moved into a beautiful twostory old house.The house was built in 1956. It was repaired in 2003.
At first, really small things began to happen. They didn’t make me believe that something was wrong, but as time went on, things started becoming stranger and stranger. Early something was missing, and later on it would be found somewhere else. I just thought I had forgotten where I put it, or perhaps my daughter was playing around with things. Then later on I would hear strange sounds when nobody was at home but me. Yet it was an old house, and sometimes old houses did make little noises, so again, I didn’t really mind.
Then things that I couldn’t explain started happening. It was last November and I was at home alone cleaning the house. When I was sweeping the kitchen floor, I felt a very cold wind blowing my hair. I thought the kitchen window must have been opened, but when I checked it, it was closed. The windows were new, and there was no way any cold air came in.
We all felt very strange and moved away from there in October, 2014. I was never really frightened. It was just strange, like something or someone was trying to get my attention or something.
1. The house is ________years old.| A．about 97 | B．over 100 |
| C．over 200 | D．about 64 |
| A．would never be found |
| B．can’t be explained by the writer |
| C．would be seen in another place |
| D．were put somewhere else by the writer |
| A．the house was very old | B．someone made them |
| C．her daughter made them | D．the cold wind was blowing |
| A．lights turned on suddenly |
| B．a very cold wind blew in from the open window |
| C．a very cold wind blew her hair |
| D．the windows were opened |
| A．strange | B．frightened |
| C．surprised | D．loving |
【推荐3】A job is more than just a job, especially to the older generation. “It’s not the money that matters, but the sense of selfworth.” 56-year-old Cheng Wonlan said. So, every day Ms Cheng carries a bag of parcels, letters and documents of all shapes and sizes and does her rounds in North Point. She’s a courier(快递人员).
Five years ago, Ms Cheng was a nurse at a private clinic. She had worked there for almost 30 years but was made jobless when the doctor migrated(移居). It was extremely difficult for her to find another job. “People do not trust my ability when they learn how old I am.” she said. After two years of searching, the mother of two eventually found another nursing job. But then after two years, she quit. Why?
“My colleagues were young and they didn’t understand me because of my age. They often asked me, ‘You are so old. What are you working for?’ I was very unhappy.” she said. So while the rest of her family left for work, she was left to lonely boredom at home. The urge to work drove her to suffering. Then, one of Ms Cheng’s neighbours told her about Employee’s Retraining Board (ERB) offering retraining courses for older people on specific occupations(职业), such as convenience store assistants, junior clerks and so on.
“I was interested in courier work. I didn’t think my age was a barrier because I was fit and healthy. So I thought why not give it a try.” she said. Upon graduation from the ERB, Ms Cheng was offered a job by the Speeding Shuttle Courier Service Company Limited.
“Ms Cheng has been working with us for two months and has shown a good responsible attitude to work.” Anthony Chong, who runs the company, said. Mr Chong has 60 couriers working for his company: Five of them are over fifty, four of whom have been through the ERB plan. Mr Chong said he hired older people because they were able and reliable. “Age is not an important factor but attitude is. Many old people are more capable than the youngsters. They will not run from difficulties but the young ones will.” he said, “It is not easy to recruit (招募) young people since they shy away from hardship and challenges.”
1. Why was it difficult for Ms Cheng to find another nursing job?| A．Nursing clinics were hard to find. |
| B．People thought that old people couldn’t be trusted. |
| C．People thought she was too old to take on a new job. |
| D．People didn’t think she had enough working experience. |
| A．the other staff(职员) made her feel uncomfortable |
| B．it was too difficult |
| C．she was too old to do the job |
| D．she was bored with changeless jobs |
| A．finding jobs for older people |
| B．teaching new skills to older people |
| C．training older people to be couriers |
| D．providing older people something to do in their spare time |
| A．are able and reliable |
| B．are more likely to give up than the older ones |
| C．are fitter and stronger than the older ones |
| D．are less experienced than the older ones |
【推荐1】The best friendship to be described in Chinese literature probably the one between Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi.
Yu was a famous master(大师) music who played the qin well.
Once, he took a boat trip to the state of Chu. Inspired by the beautiful view along the way, Yu took out his qin and began to play. After a while, he noticed a woodsman(樵夫) enjoy his music quietly. The man was Zhong Ziqi. When Yu played music that described high mountains, Zhong said: “How wonderful it is! I seem to see Taishan Mountain.” And when he played music that described flowing water, Zhong said: “How wonderful it is! I seem to see the rushing river.” Yu was surprised by the woodsman’s words because the man could really understand his music. When Zhong died the following year, Yu was so upset that he took out his qin to play the music of the “high mountains and flowing water’’ one last time for Zhong. When he was done, he broke his qin on purpose so he could never play it again.
Now, the phrase “high mountains and flowing water” is used to stand for the true friendship.
1. Yu Boya was a famous .| A．singer and he sang well. |
| B．musician and he played the qin well. |
| C．woodsman and he liked fishing. |
| D．painter and he was be good at high mountains and flowing water. |
| A．Yu was so upset |
| B．Yu played the music of the “high mountains and flowing water’’ one last time for Zhong. |
| C．Yu broke his qin on purpose so he could never play it again. |
| D．A, B and C. |
| A．stand for the true friendship. | B．stand for Chinese literature |
| C．high mountains and flowing water. | D．like to do harm to people |
| A．Teacher and student | B．Classmates |
| C．Good friends | D．Family |
【推荐2】From fighting aliens in A Quiet Place to helping his best friend in Wonder, Noah Jupe has played approximately 20 different characters. And he’s only 18!
According to Noah, lots of kids dream of becoming movie stars, and he was no exception. The first time he performed on a real set, he truly fell in love with acting. His career began in 2015 when he was 10 years old. That year, he appeared in a British TV show: the award-winning series Downton Abbey. Two years later, he made his feature film debut (初次登台) in The Man. Since then, he’s been occupied with many movie roles and has worked with some of Hollywood’s most accomplished actors. Noah’s been directed by George Clooney and has acted with Matt Damon, Nicole Kidman, Christian Bale and more.
Noah’s life has been full of opportunities. In an interview, he was asked how he stayed so levelheaded(沉稳的). He responded, “This industry is a very easy place to get lost.” But Noah stressed he had a great support system at home, and his family helped keep things normal. He made the conscious decision to stay in school and live in London, away from all the craziness of Hollywood, which gives Noah the privacy he values.
When he’s away on long movie shoots, he can’t wait to get back home. He says he loves going home to his family. According to Noah, the key is “to keep those people who you trust and care about as close as possible”.
At some point in the future, Noah hopes to make his own films and continue acting. He says, “I want to do what I’m enthusiastic about and keep doing it for the rest of my life!” Looking ahead, we can, no doubt, expect to see more great performances that involve the talent of Noah Jupe.
1. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?| A．Noah’s childhood dream. | B．Noah’s love for acting. |
| C．Noah’s career path. | D．Noah’s outstanding colleagues. |
| A．Opportunities and privacy. | B．Consciousness and family’s support. |
| C．Advice from accomplished actors. | D．London’s quiet atmosphere. |
| A．Established and promising. | B．Productive but stressful. |
| C．Successful but doubted. | D．Stable and supportive. |
| A．Finance. | B．Custom. | C．Health. | D．Entertainment. |
Wang Yaping, together with Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu, went into space by taking the Shenzhou XIII spaceship on Oct 16. 41-year-old Wang Yaping became the first female (女性的) astronaut to enter the Tiangong space station. They would stay in space for 6 months.
Wang’s space dream started in 2003. She was chosen to become an astronaut in 2010. She pushed herself hard and got the same training as men. “The space environment won’t change because you are a woman,” she said.
The hardest part is the high-G training. Sitting in a spinning (旋转的) machine, Wang would become blind for a while. “There’s a red button (按钮),” said Wang. “If you can’t tolerate it, you can stop it.” But Wang never used the button. With that strong spirit, she finally realized her dream in 2013. She went into space by taking the Shenzhou X spaceship.
Catherine Coleman used to be a NASA astronaut. She sent a message to Wang before the Shenzhou XIII trip, “When you look out of the window and see the stars and the Earth, millions of women will be looking out of that window with you.” Wang carries the spirit of every young woman who dreams of something big.
1. The three astronauts went into space by taking the Shenzhou XIII spaceship on .| A．Feb 16 | B．Oct 16 | C．Oct 15 |
| A．Both male and female astronauts can go into space. |
| B．It’s harder for a woman to live in space than a man. |
| C．Men and women will face the same difficulties in space. |
| A．忍受 | B．改变 | C．破坏 |
| A．Clever. | B．Patient. | C．Hard-working. |
| A．Dreams of all the Chinese women |
| B．Chinese astronaut — Wang Yaping |
| C．The Shenzhou XIII spaceship |
【推荐1】What does Beijing’s Palace Museum look like at night? Many people don’t know the answer to this question, as it closes at around 4:30 p.m in winter and 5:00 p.m in summer. However, to celebrate the Lantern Festival, Beijing’s Palace Museum opened its door to the public after dark——for two nights only. That’s a first in 94 years!
Although people could get free tickets on the museum’s website, it was difficult to get a ticket. The website even stopped working for a while because too many people visited it at the same time. Zhang Zhifu, a 77-year-old woman, received a ticket from the museum as a gift. “I grew up in Beijing and I visited the Palace Museum every year, but I never got to see it at night, It is truly an honor.” She said.
In the past celebrating the Lantern Festival was a tradition for the imperial(皇帝的) family. “We want to pass the tradition on and give people more festival experience.” Said Shan Jixiong, the head of the Palace Museum. On the night of February 19th, 2019, about 3,000 visitors spent the Lantern Festival in the Palace Museum.
1. Beijing’s Palace Museum closes at around 4:30 p.m in ________.| A．spring | B．summer | C．autumn | D．winter |
| A．one night | B．two nights | C．three nights | D．four nights |
| A．too many people visited it at the same time. |
| B．there weren’t enough tickets |
| C．the Palace Museum was too crowded |
| D．no body wanted to see the Palace Museum at night |
| A．Nobody received a ticket as a gift. |
| B．The Palace Museum never opened after dark. |
| C．Zhang Zhifu grew up in Beijing. |
| D．No visitors went to the Palace Museum in 2019. |
| A．National Day | B．the Lantern Festival |
| C．the Dragon Boat Festival | D．Mid-Autumn Festival |
【推荐2】Inspired by his mentor Louis Sullivan, an influential figure in the world of modernist architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright coined the term “organic architecture” around 1908.
Rather than imitating nature or organic elements within the natural world, organic architecture is more concerned with re-interpretation of nature and harmony between the organic and the built environment. It ensures that the individual elements within buildings are put together to reflect the order within nature. Here are four of the most striking examples.
Casa Milà
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Year of completion: 1910
Architect: Antoni Caudi
Considered the greatest master of Catalan Modernism, Antoni Gaudi was devoted to nature and the Catholic religion. While he originally intended this organic building to have a religious purpose, it is now an apartment building. True to the organic style, it features honey shapes that seemingly emerge from the earth.
Learning Hub at Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
Location: Singapore
Year of completion: 2015
Architect: Thomas Heatherwick
Earning the nicknames “dim sum basket building” and “the Hive”, the Learning Hub consists of 12 eight-storey towers arranged around a public atrium (天井). The organic nature of the building extends to its interior with features like gardens that are intended to encourage social interactions and study among students.
Falling Water
Location: Mill Run, Pennsylvania
Year of completion:1939
Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright
A classic of modernism and organic architecture, Falling Water sits on top of a waterfall. Frank Lloyd Wright designed it for the Kaufmann family who—though they had originally hoped for a view of the waterfall-came to love the home.
East Beach Café
Location: Littlehampton, UK
Year of completion: 2007
Architect: Thomas Heatherwick
Located in a seaside area with an industrial history, East Beach Café resembles a piece of driftwood. Forty meters long, seven meters wide and five meters high, it initially polarized locals, but has since been well-received by the whole community. It was the first building for Thomas Heatherwick who previously was better known as a sculptor.
1. Which building was designed to serve a religious purpose?| A．Casa Milà. | B．Learning Hub at NTU. |
| C．Falling Water. | D．East Beach Cafe. |
| A．They are architectural classics of modernism. |
| B．They feature imitations of animals or elements in nature. |
| C．East Beach Café was not welcomed by all the locals initially. |
| D．The designer of Learning Hub at NTU invented’ the concept “organic architecture’’. |
| A．National Geographic. | B．Architectural Digest. |
| C．Organic Gardening. | D．BBC History |
【推荐3】When architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal were invited to redesign a small, triangular plaza in a residential district in Bordeaux, France in the mid-1990s, they decided that the best design would be no design at all. After studying the site and interviewing its residents, the architects informed the city that the best plan would be to leave the park alone. “Embellishment (装饰) has no place here,” they wrote in their project statement. “There was no need to rebuild,” they noted. “Quality, charm, and life already exist.”
The pair runs a firm named Lacaton & Vassal. Most of their built projects lie in locations around France, within a train ride of their Paris studio. They are as focused on preserving existing buildings as they are on building. In the words of London-based architect Dieter Kleiner, their work is almost anti-architecture. Now their anti-architecture is receiving institutional attention: In March 2021, Lacaton and Vassal were awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize. The jury (评判委员会) noted their “democratic spirit” as well as “a commitment to a restorative architecture that is at once technological, innovative and ecologically responsive”.
In 2017, when tasked with the redesign of some 1960s apartment blocks in Bordeaux, Lacaton and Vassal chose not to tear down the structures. Instead, they upgraded the existing 530 units with garden terraces (露台) that expanded the size of the dwellings and increased access to fresh air and sunlight — all without asking a single tenant (居住者) to move out while the work was done. They used materials common to greenhouse construction, such as silver solar curtains, which allowed them to create cost-effective indoor and outdoor spaces that could be adjusted according to the weather: admitting light and air on pleasant days, or blocking the sun when summer heat is at its peak.
For the architects, this is part of their motto: “Never demolish, never remove or replace, always add, transform and reuse!” The selection of Lacaton and Vassal by the Pritzker jury marks a socially minded turn for the prize, which — with a few exceptions — has generally awarded form-making above everything else.
1. What can we learn about Lacaton and Vassal from the text?| A．Their projects are mostly located in Paris. |
| B．They are devoted to maintaining old buildings. |
| C．They started an architecture firm in the mid-1990s. |
| D．Their architecture style is similar to Dieter Kleiner’s. |
| A．They built a solar-powered greenhouse for the tenants. |
| B．They adopted a cost-effective way to create adjustable spaces. |
| C．They pulled down part of the structures and added garden terraces. |
| D．They expanded the size of the apartments by building more rooms. |
| A．They use quality materials. |
| B．They are upgraded in a sustainable way. |
| C．They usually involve little embellishment. |
| D．They are made to be modern by using new technologies. |
| A．It promotes the idea of innovation. |
| B．It shows the trend of future architecture. |
| C．It signals an important shift in architectural values. |
| D．It proves the importance of the form of architecture. |
