1 . When it comes to the most famous 20th century painters of the United States, Grandma Moses should be mentioned, although she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies. As she once said to herself:"I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me." No one could have had a more active old age.

She was born on a farm in New York State, one of five boys and five girls. At 12 she left home and was in domestic service until at 27 she married Thomas Moses, the hired hand of one of her employers. They farmed most of their lives, first in Virginia and then in New York State, at Eagle Bridge. She had ten children, of whom five survived; her husband died in 1927.

Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroidery(刺绣) pictures as a hobby, but only changed to oils in old age because her hands became too stiff(僵硬的) to sew and she still wanted to keep busy and pass the time. Her pictures were first sold at the local drugstore and at a market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought all that she painted. Three of the pictures were exhibited(展览) in the Museum of Modern Art, and in 1940 she had her first exhibition in New York. Between the 1930's and her death, she produced some 2,000 pictures:careful and lively portrayals of the country life she had known for so long, with a wonderful sense of color and form. "I think really hard till I think of something really pretty, and then I paint it" she said.

1. What does Para 2 mainly talk about?

A．Moses and her children	B．Moses and her childhood
C．An introduction to Moses’ life	D．An introduction to Moses’ marriage

2. What did Grandma Moses spent most of her life doing?

A．embroidering

B．painting

C．nursing

D．farming

3. The underlined word “portrayals” in last paragraph means________.

A．performances

B．descriptions

C．achievements

D．stages

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage？

A．Grandma Moses and Her Pictures.

B．Grandma Moses and Her Family.

C．Grandma Moses and Her Exhibition.

D．Grandma Moses:The Best Painter of 20th century

2 . We talk about the persistence (坚持不懈) needed to make our dream come true today. Just think of Wilbur and Orville Wright. Their ___certainly didn’t happen overnight!

Wilbur was 12 years old and Orville 8 when their father brought home a ___. It was a rubber ___made in France. They ___it so much that they played with it until it broke. Immediately, they began ___copies. They were hooked on aviation (飞行器制造)! In 1900, as young men, having built their first glider (滑翔机), they decided to ___it out at Kitty Hawk on Kill Devil Hills. It ___consistent strong winds, and the somewhat cushioning effects of sand. That first flight was unsuccessful, ___it didn’t stop them. After several more tries, on December 17, 1903, with a much ___plane, they risked their lives to drive it in the wind. They ____flying the world’s first powered airplane. Beginning at 10:35 a.m. that day, Orville ____it 120 feet in about 12 seconds! At 12:00, Wilbur flew it 852 feet in 59 seconds! Johnny Moore, one of the five men who ____them that morning (in charge of dragging the plane across the sand for positioning), ran to the village of Kitty Hawk ____, “They’ve made it!” This was the ____of aviation! At this time, Wilbur was 36 and Orville 32. Roughly 24 years had passed ____their father gave them that toy!

If you have a ____, work at it. If it doesn’t turn out as ____, don’t give up! Try again! Who wants to live and say somewhere, “If only” or “What if?” ____what you want and accomplish it. Don’t ever give up! ____in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more ____than unsuccessful men with talent. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts (流浪汉). Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent (无所不能的).

1.

A．failure

B．accident

C．achievement

D．change

2.

A．toy

B．tool

C．book

D．pet

3.

A．car

B．bicycle

C．helicopter

D．ship

4.

A．desired

B．missed

C．needed

D．liked

5.

A．building

B．selling

C．buying

D．drawing

6.

A．put

B．try

C．pick

D．carry

7.

A．avoided

B．prevented

C．provided

D．caught

8.

A．but

B．and

C．so

D．or

9.

A．ordinary

B．similar

C．organized

D．improved

10.

A．took to

B．kept to

C．gave up

D．ended up

11.

A．flew

B．placed

C．dragged

D．pulled

12.

A．noticed

B．met

C．visited

D．helped

13.

A．laughing

B．adding

C．crying

D．explaining

14.

A．result

B．birth

C．target

D．chance

15.

A．since

B．until

C．though

D．when

16.

A．reason

B．dream

C．present

D．task

17.

A．allowed

B．decided

C．expected

D．required

18.

A．Worry about

B．Return to

C．Forget about

D．Stick to

19.

A．Something

B．Nothing

C．Anything

D．Everything

20.

A．common

B．active

C．painful

D．exciting

3 . Jay Chou is a well-known name both in Taiwan and mainland. He is now one of Asia’s hottest pop stars. His catchy tunes have mainstreamed (主流) rap and R&B in the Mandopop world. In the past his teacher thought he was dumb (木讷的). Talent spotters (观察者) thought he was ugly. But his success proves that the music still matters more than looks and image. His musical talent is recognized by fans, fellowsingers and producers.

Now, a singing contest was held in Taiwan. Chou appeared at the contest with band “Nan Quan Mama”, which was discovered by Chou. Their first album the Summer of Nan Quan Mama, composed and produced by Chou was a great success.

Chou started his career at a singing contest, attracting the attention of record producers. But the successful singer does not believe in luck. He says it’s his passion for music and hard work that are keys to his success. He said, “I didn’t know how to sing at the beginning, so I lost the first time. But I was so determined that I never stopped trying. My advice to these young singers is never to give up, and always believe in yourself.”

Chou’s confidence has strengthened his music. He is a great source of inspiration to youngsters who share his determination to become a superstar.

1. The best title for this passage can be________.

A．Jay Chou and Nan Quan Mama	B．Jay Chou encourages youngsters
C．Jay Chou and his band	D．A brief introduction of Jay Chou

2. The underlined part “matters more” most probably means________.

A．better	B．more different
C．more difficult	D．more important

3. Which of the following is NOT TRUE about Jay Chou?

A．Jay Chou is confident towards music.

B．He is a determined man.

C．He succeeded the first time he appeared on the stage.

D．Though not good-looking, he has a gift for music.

4. ________makes Jay Chou a success according to the passage?

A．His luck	B．His passion of music
C．His hard work	D．Both B and C

4 . Mr. Bean is an internationally recognized comedy character on TV and in films. He constantly gets into awkward and absurd situations, which greatly amuses audiences regardless of their nationalities or culture. The humour is always made clear through a series of simple and funny acts that rely purely on body language, which is universal.

One of my favourite shows is that Mr. Bean has a meal in a fancy restaurant. After being seated at his table, Mr. Bean takes out a card, writes a few words on it, seals (密封) it in an envelope and places it on the table. After a moment, he looks back at the envelope but this time he looks surprised, as if he did not know it was there. He opens it to find a birthday card and delightedly puts it on the table for everyone to see.

When he looks at the menu, an astonished look swiftly appears on his face. He takes all the money out of his wallet, counts it and puts it in a saucer(茶托). He then looks from the menu to the money with concern until he finds one thing that makes him smile. Then he orders a dish called “steak tartare”. When the dish arrives, he is shocked to discover that “steak tartare” is actually raw hamburger. He makes an attempt to eat it, but it is clear from the look on his face that he finds the taste truly disgusting. He cannot hide his feelings, except when the waiter asks if everything is all right. When this happens, he smiles and nods, indicating that everything is fine. When the waiter is not looking, however, he busies himself hiding the raw meat anywhere he can reach — the sugar bowl, the tiny flower vase, inside a bun (小圆面包) and under a plate. He becomes so desperate in the end that he even hides some inside the purse of a woman sitting near him and throws some down the trousers of the restaurant’s violinist!

I like to watch Mr. Bean on TV, but I wouldn’t like to meet someone like him in real life and I certainly wouldn’t like to have dinner with him!

1. From the passage we know Mr. Bean is ________.

A．famous for directing films

B．famous for his spoken English

C．well known for making films

D．known for his body language and amusement in his comedies

2. Why is Mr. Bean famous all over the world?

A．He often eats in special restaurants.

B．He entertains the audience from different countries.

C．He only acts on TV.

D．He acts on body language and spoken language.

3. What does the underlined word “disgusting” in the third paragraph mean?

A．Tasting delicious.	B．Smelling good.
C．Feeling sick.	D．Looking fine.

4. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A．Mr. Bean — A Top Humour Actor

B．Raw Hamburger Tastes Disgusting

C．Being Mannered in a Restaurant

D．How to Pretend to Like Something Boring

5 . Louis Armstrong had two famous nicknames (绰号). Some people called him Bagamo. They said his mouth looked like a large bag. Musicians often called him Pops, as a sign of respect for his influence on the world of music.
Born in 1901 in New Orleans, he grew up poor, but lived among great musicians. Jazz was invented in the city a few years before his birth. Armstrong often said, “Jazz and I grew up together.”
Armstrong showed a great talent for music when he was taught to play the cornet (短号) at a boy’s home. In his late teens, Armstrong began to live the life of a musician. He played in parades, clubs, and on the steamboats that traveled on the Mississippi River. At that time, New Orleans was famous for the new music of jazz and was home to many great musicians. Armstrong learned from the older musicians and soon became respected as their equal. In 1922 he went to Chicago. There, the tale of Louis Armstrong begins. From then until the end of his life, Armstrong was celebrated and loved wherever he went. Armstrong had no equal when it came to playing the American popular song.
His cornet playing had a deep humanity (仁爱) and warmth that caused many listeners to say, “Listening to Pops just makes you feel good all over.” He was the father of the jazz style and also one of the best-known and most admired people in the world. His death, on July 6, 1971, was headline news around the world.
1. Armstrong was called Pops because he         .

A．looked like a musician

B．was a musician of much influence

C．showed an interest in music

D．traveled to play modern music

2. The third paragraph is developed           .

A．by space	B．by examples
C．by time	D．by comparison

3. Which statement about Armstrong is true?

A．His tale begins in New Orleans.

B．He was born before jazz was invented.

C．His music was popular with his listeners.

D．He learned popular music at a boy’s home.

4. Which would be the best title for the text?

A．The Invention of the Jazz Music

B．The Father of the Jazz Style

C．The Making of a Musician

D．The Spread of Popular Music