1. Why did the speaker go on the tour?
A.It was the prize of a competition. |
B.John asked her to go with him. |
C.It was her travel plan. |
A.The drinks. | B.The food. | C.The waiters. |
A.Disappointing. | B.Amazing. | C.Terrible. |
A.She rode an elephant. |
B.She went to the mountains. |
C.She relaxed in the hotel. |
2 . If you are crazy about paintings, you shouldn’t miss the following four famous masterpieces which have stood the test of time.
The Arnolfini Portrait
Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, an oil painting on wood produced in 1434, in which a man and a woman hold hands with a window behind him and a bed behind her, is undoubtedly one of the masterpieces in the National Gallery, London. This painting is as visually interesting as it is famed. It is also an informative document in fifteenth-century society, through Van Eyck’s heavy use of symbolism—while husbands went out to engage in business, wives concerned themselves with domestic duties.
The Starry Night
Vincent van Gogh painted The Starry Night, oil on canvas, a moderately abstract landscape painting of an expressive night sky over a small hillside village, during his 12-month stay at the mental hospital near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France between 1889 and 1890. When the Museum of Modern Art in New York City purchased the painting from a private collector in 1941, it was not well known, but it has since become one of Van Gogh’s most famous works.
The Harvesters
The Harvesters is an oil painting on wood completed by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1565. It depicts the harvest time which most commonly occurs within the months of August and September. Nicolaes Jonghelinck, a merchant banker and art collector from Antwerp, commissioned this painting. The painting has been at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City since 1919.
Guernica
Guernica, a large black-and-white oil painting, was painted by the Cubist Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso in 1937. The title “Guernica” refers to the city that was bombed by Nazi planes during the Spanish Civil War. The painting depicts the horrors of war and as a result, has come to be an anti-war symbol and a reminder of the tragedies of war. Today, the painting is housed at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofaí in Madrid.
1. Which of the following paintings was produced earliest?A.The Arnolfini Portrait. | B.The Starry Night. |
C.The Harvesters. | D.Guernica. |
A.It was painted on wood in oil. |
B.It wasn’t widely recognized before 1940s. |
C.It described the painter’s life in hospital. |
D.It was given away to the museum by a private collector. |
A.Pieter Bruegel the Elder. | B.Vincent van Gogh. |
C.Jan van Eyck. | D.Pablo Picasso. |
3 . Our neighbors had a loud party last night. We weren’t
What
And it really worked in their favor. My husband and I were so friendly that even when the event went past the
It takes such little effort to make people feel that they
A.located | B.explored | C.challenged | D.invited |
A.trapped | B.impressed | C.annoyed | D.embarrassed |
A.later | B.closer | C.earlier | D.further |
A.shocking | B.frightening | C.puzzling | D.amazing |
A.call number | B.room number | C.account number | D.car number |
A.anxiously | B.politely | C.regularly | D.obviously |
A.imagination | B.consideration | C.recognition | D.organization |
A.promised | B.supplied | C.designed | D.compared |
A.stress | B.anxiety | C.worry | D.anger |
A.respond | B.adapt | C.contribute | D.stick |
A.figure | B.succeed | C.matter | D.access |
A.sleep | B.maintain | C.travel | D.relax |
A.noticed | B.delivered | C.explored | D.proved |
A.surrounding | B.respect | C.curiosity | D.distance |
A.strategy | B.apology | C.communication | D.inspiration |
For years, putting up Christmas lights had been a family tradition for the Patrick’s household. It was an occasion when they would busily prepare for the celebration of Christmas.
Their Christmas light display was always a highlight of the neighborhood and brought much delight to the whole community. Typically, Anthony would invite the neighbors over as they decorated the Christmas tree in the front yard. Emily, who lived next door and had known Sara’s family for long, often came to admire their wonderland of Christmas lights.
In early December, Anthony would string colorful lights all around their roof until it looked dazzling. On the front lawn, he would blow up a large white Frosty the Snowman and a Rudolph with a glowing red nose. Sara always joined in, along with their warm-hearted neighbors, hanging gifts on the tree and playing “White Christmas” over and over to keep everyone in the spirit.
Yet the bad news came in the midst of the festive mood, before they could finish the Christmas decoration. Anthony fell desperately ill. The symptoms suggested acute heart failure and he was soon admitted to hospital. Sara spent days and nights in the ward, attending to Anthony and praying for his recovery, though the hope was slim. On Christmas Eve, Anthony passed away.
It came as a huge blow to Sara. In the following days, she had to manage the funeral while struggling to figure out a way to cover housing and household expenses, and tackling a seemingly endless list of difficult to-dos. Perhaps hardest of all, she had to persuade herself into accepting the loss of her father. It was too much to take.
When she pulled up to the house after a long day on the go, the only thing that could comfort her were the twinkling Christmas lights, which brought her a spark of hope-it felt as if the brightness of the lights could cancel out some of the darkness of the past days’ misfortune.
Wanting to help, Emily shared their story on a community website.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Touched by their kindness, Sara decided to fulfill the lighting decorations, though Christmas was gone.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . These days, more and more people go to the gym to work out. But with so many gyms out there, how do you know which one is the right one for you? We find some information about the best gyms in New York City so you can have a better idea of what each gym offers.
New York Sports Club
Initiation Fees: Neighborhood membership, $49.99; Passport membership, $49.99.
Membership Costs: Neighborhood membership, $44.99 a month; Passport membership, $ 99.99 a month.
Additional Fees: Neighborhood membership, $49.99 a year; Passport membership, S 49.99 a year.
Locations: Locations in all five boroughs.
Classes: Studio classes, athletic conditioning, boxing, kickboxing and yoga.
Planet Fitness
Initiation Fees (入会费): Regular membership, $5; Black Card membership, no initiation fee. Membership Costs: Regular membership is $10 a month and includes free fitness training and free wifi. Black Card membership is $ 22.99 a month and includes access to all Planet Fitness locations, free fitness training, free wifi, half-priced cooler drinks and worldwide travel deals.
Additional Fees: $39 membership fee a year.
Locations: Locations in all five boroughs (区).
Classes: None.
Chelsea Piers
Initiation Fees: Call to request.
Membership Costs: For a specific gym, varies by location.
Locations: Chelsea and Brooklyn.
Classes: Strength and conditioning, cycling and yoga.
24 Hour Fitness
Initiation Fees: $0 on select memberships.
Membership Costs: $79.99 for Ultra Sport.
Locations: Midtown and Madison Square Park.
Classes: Studio classes, free weights, group cycling and personal training.
1. What can you do in 24 Hour Fitness?A.Boxing. | B.Yoga. | C.Free weights. | D.Athletic conditioning. |
A.$39. | B.$5. | C.$10. | D.$22.99. |
A.It has no initiation fee. |
B.Its membership costs depend on its location. |
C.Its gyms can be found in all five boroughs. |
D.Its black card members can enjoy half-priced drinks. |
1. 时间;
2. 活动安排(在家包粽子,悬挂艾草,赏龙舟赛);
3. 再次表达期许。
注意:
1. 写作词数应为120左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
参考词汇:端午节: the Dragon Boat Festival 挂艾草:moxa grass 龙舟赛:dragon-boat racing
Dear Mr Smith,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
7 . When most of us get a text message on our cell phone from an unknown person, we usually say “sorry, wrong number!” and move on. But when Dennis Williams
On March 19, Dennis got a group text
“Congratulations! But I think someone was mistaken,” Dennis
Much to the family’s surprise, Dennis stuck to his
Teresa
A.received | B.referred | C.copied | D.printed |
A.reasonable | B.special | C.necessary | D.practical |
A.convincing | B.reminding | C.informing | D.warning |
A.responded | B.interrupted | C.predicted | D.repeated |
A.opinion | B.anxiety | C.excitement | D.effort |
A.accept | B.know | C.believe | D.bother |
A.parents | B.doctors | C.patients | D.visitors |
A.dream | B.promise | C.power | D.principle |
A.bearing | B.collecting | C.opening | D.making |
A.discouraged | B.relaxed | C.astonished | D.defeated |
A.admit | B.need | C.appreciate | D.expect |
A.found | B.selected | C.developed | D.posted |
A.confirmed | B.simplified | C.clarified | D.accompanied |
A.pity | B.blessing | C.relief | D.problem |
A.smart | B.calm | C.sweet | D.fair |
8 . Obese people experience discrimination (歧视) in many parts of their lives, and the workplace is no exception. Studies have long shown that obese workers, defined as those with a body-mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, earn significantly less than their slimmer co-workers.
Yet the costs of weight discrimination may be even greater than previously thought. “The overwhelming evidence,” wrote the Institute for employment Studies, “is that it is only women living with obesity who experience the obesity wage penalty (薪资损失).” They were expressing a view that is widely aired in academic papers. To test it, The Economist has analyzed data concerning 23,000 workers from the American Time Use Survey, conducted by the Bureau of Labour Statistics. Our number-processing suggests that, in fact, being obese hurts the earnings of both women and men.
The data we analyzed cover men and women aged between 25 and 54 and in full-time employment. At a general level, it is true that men’s BMIs are unrelated to their wages. But that changes for men with university degrees. For them, obesity is associated with a wage penalty of nearly 8%, even after accounting for the separate effects of age, race, graduate education and marital status.
The conclusion — that well-educated workers in particular are penalized for their weight — holds for both sexes. Moreover, the higher your level of education, the greater the penalty. We found that obese men with a Bachelor’s degree (学士学位) earn 5% less than their thinner colleagues, while those with a Master’s degree earn 14% less. Obese women, it is true, still have it worse: for them, the equivalent figures are 12% and 19%, respectively (分别地).
Your line of work makes a difference, too. When we dealt with the numbers for individual occupations and industries, we found the greatest differences in high-skilled jobs. Obese workers in health care, for example, make 11% less than their slimmer colleagues; those in management roles make roughly 9% less, on average. In sectors such as construction and agriculture, meanwhile, obesity is actually associated with higher wages.
These results suggest that the total costs of wage discrimination borne by overweight workers in America are greater than expected. Now, it’s time for our governments to take it seriously.
1. What does the underlined word “it” refer to in paragraph 2?A.Obese men earn less salary. |
B.Only obese women earn less salary. |
C.Both obese men and women earn less salary. |
D.Weight discrimination may be greater than previously thought. |
A.A fat woman office director. |
B.An obese construction worker. |
C.An obese man with a bachelor’s degree. |
D.A heavier female doctor with a Doctor’s degree. |
A.Supportive | B.Objective | C.Subjective | D.indifferent |
A.Overweight discrimination in other countries. |
B.The reason of discriminating obese people in their lives. |
C.American people’s attitude towards overweight discrimination. |
D.Actions taken against overweight discrimination in workplaces. |
Long Chenchen, the mascot for China’s upcoming Dragon Spring Festival Gala,
Along with such verbal
10 . One day, I was standing on the boat when a very large female leopard seal swam by. I put on my diving gear and got my camera. I was
I jumped into the freezing water. Immediately, the seal swam toward me. Then she put my entire camera—and much of my
By now, she didn’t seem very
Those four days were the most incredible experience I ever had as a wildlife
A.amused | B.enthusiastic | C.cautious | D.frightened |
A.approach | B.rescue | C.treat | D.hunt |
A.leg | B.head | C.body | D.neck |
A.feel | B.arouse | C.reveal | D.overcome |
A.attacked | B.threatened | C.disturbed | D.confused |
A.disappeared | B.communicated | C.returned | D.competed |
A.digest | B.eat | C.seize | D.injure |
A.mouth | B.eyes | C.nose | D.stomach |
A.discipline | B.adopt | C.observe | D.feed |
A.powerful | B.dangerous | C.sensitive | D.gentle |
A.come across | B.come back | C.come over | D.come up |
A.drove | B.directed | C.took | D.waved |
A.manager | B.painter | C.advocate | D.photographer |
A.demand | B.work | C.expect | D.react |
A.intelligent | B.accessible | C.primitive | D.anxious |