1 . In high school, Norman Greenstein was a productive doodler (涂鸦手)and created lots of paintings. When he
After his
With the help of his son, Norman was able to start a
In 2021, an online
| A．acknowledged | B．showed | C．conveyed | D．offered |
| A．set | B．stretch | C．sneeze | D．spit |
| A．relevantly | B．occasionally | C．never | D．frequently |
| A．retirement | B．exhibition | C．graduation | D．marriage |
| A．support | B．remove | C．suspect | D．replace |
| A．calling | B．praying | C．longing | D．waiting |
| A．incredible | B．dark | C．embarrassing | D．unsolved |
| A．release | B．refresh | C．realize | D．restore |
| A．project | B．request | C．competition | D．reform |
| A．spotted | B．recommended | C．shifted | D．revealed |
| A．thorough | B．tough | C．sufficient | D．stressful |
| A．diagram | B．procedure | C．program | D．gallery |
| A．published | B．copied | C．revised | D．examined |
| A．taking on | B．working on | C．relying on | D．focusing on |
| A．salary | B．reward | C．sale | D．souvenir |
2 . An immersive and slow-paced Citywalk is becoming trendy across China. In contrast to rushing past overcrowded tourist landmarks, the new trend has emerged as a popular alternative to explore bustling markets, ancient streets, and charming alleys at a leisurely pace.
The appeal of Citywalk caters particularly to the younger generation often caught up in demanding work schedules. As evidenced by the increasing popularity of hash tags like “City walk for vacation” on lifestyle sharing platform Xiaohong shu, with a staggering 465 million views and nearly 464, 600 engagements, the trend is truly capturing unbelievable attention.
Citywalk, or meandering through the urban landscapes, means the act of walking freely along city streets unburdened by exhaustive plans. It offers people an avenue to intimately experience urban culture and local traditions. Citywalk is not merely about sightseeing. It creates an opportunity for social interactions and deep connections with the cities. Citywalk routes are tailored to the specific interests of both out-of-town tourists and locals. For tourists, the focus is on sharing local customs and traditions, while for locals, discussions revolve around the city’s past, present, and future. The growing trend of Citywalk reflects a changing attitude towards life, embracing a warmer, more relaxed, and slower-paced lifestyle.
As Citywalk expands beyond first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, to second-and third-tier cities across the county, it brings fresh opportunities for the tourism industry, in such areas as dining, shopping, and accommodation.
Governments in Beijing and Shandong have recognized the potential of Citywalk, incorporating it into their action plans to promote cultural tourism and leisure activities. In Shanghai, public bus lines specially designed have been introduced to elevate the overall Citywalk for participants.
“By slowing down and delving into the narrow alleys, observing the lives of city residents, and immersing oneself in the context of museums and art galleries, one is entitled to embrace the pleasure of life,” said Luo Jun, a cultural tourism enthusiast.
1. What’s the main reason for the popularity of Citywalk among young people?| A．It mainly focuses on urban sightseeing. |
| B．Social media offer many tempting videos. |
| C．Busywork schedule limits the choice of people. |
| D．Conventional tourist landmarks are losing charm. |
| A．Astonishing. | B．Rewarding. | C．Embarrassing. | D．Shrinking. |
| A．An immersive route for foreigners to enjoy the alleys in Chengdu. |
| B．A holiday travel to hurriedly visit crowded landmarks in Shanghai. |
| C．A free walk including visiting museums and old towns in Qingdao. |
| D．A leisurely tour along Qiantang River to experience city transformation. |
| A．Facilities in the museums have been enhanced. |
| B．Cooperation has been strengthened among cities. |
| C．Opportunities have been offered to third-tier cities. |
| D．Specific public transportation routes have been introduced. |
3 . The input Dad has on my career is incomparable. My earliest memories are of Dad sitting in the kitchen playing the guitar, listening to his favourite song by his favourite singer, and encouraging his little girl to poke (戳) keys randomly on the piano. Even watching Top of the Pops, he would get so passionate about music in it. We weren’t a religious family, but there was something spiritual about Dad’s connection with music.
Music also became a source of comfort for me. I failed to do well academically at school and had no friends. Being at school consumed so much of my emotional energy. Instead of going to school to learn stuff, I felt as though I was simply trying to get people to like me. Things were better, but the only time I truly felt happy was when I was at home listening to music with Mum and Dad or writing songs on the piano —and the older I got, the more powerful music felt.
Dad was always my biggest supporter. When I started giving live performances at the local bar, he was the one who drove me there and back. Freeing up that time wasn’t easy for an actor. His job might mean three weeks in the Czech Republic or working with George Lucas on The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones in Hollywood.
Dad has been involved with some amazing stuff, but Daddy Pig is the one that’s had the biggest impact all over the world. When I was flying to Australia for my first tour, I was trying to find something to watch on the little screen and I noticed they had Peppa Pig. If I’m missing home and family, I always put it on. Daddy Pig is a fairly real version of my dad —he loves chocolate cake, he’s funny and usually breaks things when he’s trying to mend them. Mum and Dad were friends with one of the producers of the show and I often wonder if he looked at my dad and thought, “That’s him …that’s Daddy Pig.”
1. What can we learn about the author’s father?| A．He was good at writing songs. |
| B．He was attached to music in his soul. |
| C．He encouraged her to play the guitar. |
| D．He was passionate about watching TV series. |
| A．By picking her up in a tight schedule. |
| B．By doing a demanding job as an actor. |
| C．By watching her musical performances. |
| D．By giving live performances at the local bar. |
| A．It’s her favourite childhood cartoon. |
| B．She saw her father through Daddy Pig. |
| C．She took pride in this world famous cartoon. |
| D．It’s a cartoon about her hometown and motherland. |
| A．Funny and honest. | B．Strict and hardworking. |
| C．Famous and patient. | D．Supportive and influential. |
4 . Pieter Bruegel’s iconic 1565 painting The Harvesters hangs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work showed people harvesting wheat nearly as tall as they were.“nowadays, however, if you walk through a wheat field, you basically see that wheat is about knee-height. The reduced height is essentially a consequence of breeding (培育)along with genes for increasing production to feed a growing population,” biologist De Smet explained.
De Smet says wheat is just one example of how historical artwork can allow us to track the transformation of food crops over time. He teamed up with art historian Vergauwen, a friend since childhood, to document such artwork around the world. They have been mainly looking at things where they can spot changes in shape, color and size.
Their interest in plants in artwork began with a visit to the Hermitage Museum, where they noticed an odd-looking watermelon in an early-17th-century painting. It appeared to be pale and white on the inside. Biologist De Smet assumed the painter had done a poor job. But art historian Vergauwen had a different idea. “No, this is one of the best painters ever from that era. So if he painted it like that, that’s the way it must have looked like,” he explained.
Other paintings revealed that both red and white watermelons were grown during the 17th century.“With all the genetic knowledge we now have, we can look in more detail how something comes about,”De Smet said. “For example, until the 18th century, European strawberries appeared tiny in paintings-they then grew in size as they were crossbred with North American varieties.”
Ultimately, the team hopes to create an online research database of historical plant artwork. They seek the contributions of art enthusiasts around the world via the social media. “However,” Vergauwen reminds, “if you’re going to use, for example, Picasso to try and understand how a pear looked in the early 20th century, you might be misled.”
1. What can we learn about the painting The Harvesters?| A．It shows how people successfully grew wheat. |
| B．It proves that wheat was much shorter in the past. |
| C．It explains the consequence of different breeding methods. |
| D．It gives clues about how wheat in the 16th century looked like. |
| A．Their preference for food crops. |
| B．Their friendship since childhood. |
| C．Their divided views on an old painting. |
| D．Their shared interest in Hermitage Museum. |
| A．Art enthusiasts are not careful enough. |
| B．Abstract paintings often mislead people. |
| C．The source paintings need to be realistic. |
| D．Picasso’s paintings are hard to understand. |
| A．To comment on historical plant paintings. |
| B．To tell interesting stories behind plant artwork. |
| C．To inform readers of a scientific breakthrough. |
| D．To introduce a study on food crop transformation. |
