1 . Last - Minute Father’s Day gift ideas
Okay, it’s officially last minute for deciding and choosing Father’s Day gifts. Here are some last-minute ideas.
The gift of music. If you’ve got the cash, and think Dad might like his own MP3 player to enjoy, go with an Apple iPod nano ($ 60), which would allow him to listen to and wirelessly buy all kinds of music via a Yahoo! Music subscription. If he’s strictly a CD man, burn one for him with some new tunes you think he’d like. |
Digital camera. The most expensive thing on this last-minute list, the Canon PowerShot SD600 IS Digital Elph ($ 102) is a can’t - miss choice for excellent photos with simple - to - use features. It slips into a pocket and makes taking great pictures of the kids nearly effortless. |
Do something for him. Sometimes the best gift is noticing what Dad does around the house to keep things running smoothly, and then offering to do it in his stead. Mow the lawn. Take out the garbage and recycling for a month. If you don’t live near your Dad, you can promise to do a few things to help out around the house on the next visit. Remember it is free of charge! |
Something simple. Kids can make a unique, personal T-shirt ($5) for Dad quickly and easily with EasyImage. |
Sunday will be here before we know it. Don’t put it off another day!
1. If Tom’s father is crazy about music, how much will it cost Tom to buy the gift for him?| A．$102 | B．$60 | C．$10 | D．$5 |
| A．A senior high school student with little pocket money . |
| B．A father who likes traveling and taking photos for his kids |
| C．A professional photographer |
| D．A grandpa who is too sick to walk about |
| A．mow the lawn | B．wash the car |
| C．take out the garbage | D．make a unique, personal T-shirt |
2 . [1] It has been said that the English and the Americans are two great people separated by one language. Among these differences, how space is treated always goes unnoticed.
[2] The middle-class American growing up in the United States feels he has a right to have his own room, or at least part of a room. American women who want to be alone can go to the bedroom and close the door. The closed door is the sign meaning “Do not disturb” or “ I’ m angry.” An American is available if his door is open at home or at his office. He is expected not to shut himself off but to maintain himself in a state of constant readiness to answer the demands of others.
[3] …?
[4] The contrasting English and American patterns have some remarkable implications, particularly if we assume that man, like other animals, has a built-in need to shut himself off from others from time to time. An English student told me what happened when hidden patterns conflicted. He was quite obviously experiencing strain(压力) in his relationships with Americans. Nothing seemed to go right and it was quite clear from his remarks that we did not know how to behave. An analysis of his complaints showed that a major source of irritation(恼怒) was that no American seemed to be able to pick up the subtle clues that there were times when he didn’t want his thoughts interrupted. As he stated it, “I’m walking around the apartment and it seems that whenever I want to be alone my roommate starts talking to me. Pretty soon he’s asking “What’s the matter?” and wants to know if I’m angry. By then I am angry and say something.”
[5] Now the picture seems quite clear. When the American wants to be alone he goes into a room and shuts the door--- he depends on spatial features for screening. For an American to refuse to talk to someone else present in the same room, to give them the “silent treatment,” is the eventual form of rejection and a sure sign of great displeasure. The English, on the other hand, lacking rooms of their own since childhood, never developed the practice of using space as a refuge from others. They have in fact internalized(内化) a set of barriers, which they erect and which others are supposed to recognize. Therefore, the more the Englishman shuts himself off when he is with an American, the more likely the American is to break in to assure himself that all is well. Tension lasts until the two get to know each other. The important point is that the spatial and spatial needs of each are not the same at all.
1. What will the paragraph 3 (which is omitted in the paper) more probably talk about?| A．The conditions of the English with regard to their understanding of space. |
| B．The response of the Americans to some unexpected demands of others. |
| C．The reaction of working class and upper class Americans to space. |
| D．The illustration of the living environment of upper-and middle-class Englishman. |
| A．prove humans are born with the need to keep themselves to themselves sometimes |
| B．demonstrate the contrasting features of the American and British problems in conflict |
| C．analyze why the British tend to be left alone without his thoughts being interrupted |
| D．stress the importance of reading delicate clues in communication with foreigners |
| A．The Americans’ failure to recognize the English’s need for space may cause the conflict. |
| B．The English prefer to tell those around not to disturb them when they are in low spirits. |
| C．The Americans are more willing to socialize with others in the workplace than the English. |
| D．The Americans will not refuse to talk to others unless they are in intense annoyance. |
| A．The difference between the English and the Americans in space lies in their use of English. |
| B．The English and the Americans have been adapted quite differently with regard to space. |
| C．The Americans have different concepts of space because they tend to enjoy more space. |
| D．The English prefer to pour their inner thoughts to others when they are in great trouble. |
3 . World heritage is a tricky thing to protect. Even when something makes it onto UNESCO's list, other factors can still put it at risk of being damaged. The environment, climate change, tourists and development-all these can affect world heritage sites.
Recently, the National Geographic listed the best-and worst-protected heritage items in the world.
The Kathmandu Valley in Nepal scored last because the ancient temples there are surrounded by modern construction and dense air pollution.
Sometimes it is difficult to protect a world heritage site because the factors that threaten it, like climate, are hard to control. The Great Barrier Reef in northeastern Australia;for example, is suffering because of ultraviolet(紫外线的)sun rays coming through the hole in the ozone layer(臭氧层).
These rays affect the coral(珊瑚)there and kill off smaller ecosystems. There are things that can be done to preserve the life in the reef and help it survive, but repairing the hole in the ozone layer itself-the root cause of the problem-would be a difficult task.
Often the biggest damage is done by people. The Amazon Rainforest, for example, is threatened by companies wanting to chop down its trees, some of which have been there for centuries. Mining companies want to dig deep into the Amazon basin to reach the valuable resources there.
The cost of all these human actions is enormous. It's not just that whole species of animals are disappearing, or that natural beauty is being destroyed. Scientists have not had the chance to study all the plants in the Amazon, and believe some could hold potential cures for diseases.
The area is now called the Central Amazon Conservation Complex and there are rules banning or limiting destructive practices. But people-often ignore them and the destruction goes on
However, many UNESCO sites are success stories of how world heritage can be protected. The Alhambra Palace in Spain and Te Wahipounamu in New Zealand are great examples of how UNESCO and the local community can work together to save priceless landmarks. Both gained top spots on the National Geographic list as the best-protected heritage sites in the world. “Local people are all active protectors. All tourists need reminding that they are entering an exceptional place, that it is a privilege to be there, “ commented the magazine.
1. What is the biggest problem facing the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal?| A．The sharp deerease in the number of ancient temples. |
| B．Serious air pollution and modernization. |
| C．Ultraviolet sun rays coming through the hole in the ozone layer. |
| D．The stream of tourists threatening ancient temples there. |
| A．little can-be done to preserve the life in the reef |
| B．the root cause of the problem is still unknown |
| C．the factor threatening it is almost beyond control |
| D．the ecosystems there have been badly destroyed. |
| A．Climate change is a major threat to the Amazon Rainforest. |
| B．The measures taken to protect the Amazon Rainforest have turned out to be highly effective. |
| C．Local people living around the Amazon Rainforest are all active protectors. |
| D．It's expected that the medical value of some unknown plants in the Amazon Rainforest will be discovered. |
| A．special advantage | B．clear signal |
| C．total failure | D．dramatic change |
4 . Recently China’s netizens took to the microblogging site Weibo to passionately critique pictures Of the Great Wall in Suizhong County Liaoning province(辽宁省绥中县).
And rightly so.
The New York Times described the flattened section as a “cement (水泥) skateboarding lane dumped (遗弃)in the wilderness .” Let me explain if you haven’t seen in the photos : smooth concrete（混凝土）covers the top, and battlements (城垛) along the edges were completely destroyed--work done in the name of “conservation. " The Great Wall has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for decades recognizing China's diverse architectural history. Undoubtedly, this particular “conservation” represents a tragedy for the whole world.
As the tourism industry in China picks up, heritage sites are coming under greater public scrutiny(公众监督). Sites that I have visited such as the Summer Palace, Terracotta Warriors and Yu Garden each see millions of tourists every year. As a result, we have grounds to believe that historic sites do need conservation for fear that the inevitable crowds of tourists will trample (践踏) them into dust.
However ，conservation should not only improve physical accessibility it should also retain the character and enhance the experience. One need not look farther than Badaling or Mutianyu in Beijing. While this Great wall restoration provides significant employment opportunities and mostly protects the wall from destruction, it is not without fault. Many visitors complain of overcrowding , the “fakeness” of gauy (花哨的) new architecture and high ticket prices.
Moreover, there is no comprehensive (全面的) academic publication in any language about the Great Wall. Little scientific knowledge proves the truth of historical and political claims. For instance, UNESCO still claims that the Great wall can be seen from space while China's first taikonaut Yang Liwei stated otherwise.
Unfortunately, the restoration of the Great Wall in Suizhong cannot be changed back to what it was before. Then what can you young people do to support the Great Wall and other historic sites in China? At least it is within your power to learn about the rich history of heritage sites, observe guidelines when visiting them and encourage others to follow your example.
1. According to the New York Times , the restoration of the Great Wall was_______| A．of no importance | B．far from satisfactory |
| C．worth the effort | D．not too bad |
| A．It cost a large sum of money |
| B．It was only focused on physical accessibility |
| C．It was not approved by the loyal government |
| D．It was meant to development tourism industry in China |
| A．it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site several years ago |
| B．it can be found in different provinces of China |
| C．It attracts a large number of tourists every year |
| D．it cannot be seen from space |
①spread the information of how to go to those sites
②study the rich history of those sites
③obey the guidelines when visiting those sites
④point out other tourists' bad behavior when visiting those sites
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ |
| C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
5 . The Harlem Renaissance
The word “renaissance” means “rebirth”. The Harlem Renaissance took place during the 1920s. It was a time when the African American artistic community grew and flourished, producing a ton of work in a short period of time. The work celebrated African American culture and spoke to their experiences as minorities---both the good parts and the bad parts.
After the Civil War, many African Americans left the South to escape unfair treatment and laws that discriminated against them. Between 1910 and 1920, massive numbers of black Southerners moved from the rural south into the urban North and West in the Great Migration. The African American population of Chicago more than doubled during that time! And in New York, African Americans flocked to uptown Manhattan, setting in a neighborhood called Harem. Forming a community within the big city let African Americans keep their cultural identity in a white-dominated society. It was a good thing, and a lot of important cultural issues were brought to light during the Harlem Renaissance. One of the most important figures of the time was the African American writer, W. E.B Du Bois. In his book, The Souls of Back Folk, in 1903, Du Bois wrote that African Americans suffered from something called “double consciousness”. They had their own self-image while they saw themselves through the eyes of white Americans. And performers like Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson brought African American culture to all New Yorkers. The Renaissance was so influential that “Harlem” grew into something of a brand name
African Americans were pushing boundaries across all aspects of society. Black businesses began to flourish, creating a growing middle class, like Madame C.J. Walker, who tuned her cosmetics line into a million dollar empire. All together, the artists, and thinkers of this period helped mobilize the larger black population. Young African-Americans took advantage of improved access to higher education. This opened up new career paths and opportunities to attain advanced degrees. Perhaps most importantly, people---black and white---began the push for racial integration, planting the seeds of what would eventually become the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
1. Why did many African Americans leave the South after the Civil War?| A．To escape slavery | B．To find jobs in agriculture |
| C．To avoid racial discrimination | D．To gain citizenship |
| A．He led to movement to return to Africa |
| B．He composed folk music based on African American theme |
| C．He wrote plays about the African-American experience |
| D．He wrote about the struggle for African-American identity |
| A．Nearly all were unemployed at that time |
| B．The vast majority were considered lower class |
| C．Most were regarded as middle class |
| D．A large percentage were recognized as wealthy |
| A．Spread of black businesses | B．Access to higher education |
| C．Shift from agriculture to industry | D．Push for unity among all Africans |
6 . Beginning in the late sixteenth century, it became fashionable for young aristocrats to visit Paris, Venice, Florence, and above all, Rome, as the culmination（终极）of their classical education. Thus was born the idea of the Grand Tour, a practice which introduced Englishmen, Germans, Scandinavians, and also Americans to the art and culture of France and Italy for the next 300 years. Travel was arduous and costly throughout the period, possible only for a privileged class---the same that produced gentlemen scientists, authors, antique experts, and patrons of the arts.
The Grand Tourist was typically a young man with a thorough grounding in Greek and Latin literature as well as some leisure time, some means, and some interest in art. The German traveler Johann Winckelmann pioneered the field of art history with his comprehensive study of Greek and Roman sculpture; he was portrayed by his friend Anton Raphael Mengs at the beginning of his long residence in Rome. Most Grand Tourists, however, stayed for briefer periods and set out with less scholarly intentions, accompanied by a teacher or guardian, and expected to return home with souvenirs of their travels as well as an understanding of art and architecture formed by exposure to great masterpieces.
London was frequent starting point for Grand Tourists, and Paris a compulsory destination; many traveled to the Netherlands, some to Switzerland and Germany, and a very few adventurers to Spain, Greece, or Turkey. The essential place to visit, however, was Italy. The British traveler Charles Thompson spoke for many Grand Tourist when in 1744 he described himself as “being impatiently desirous of viewing a country so famous in history, a country which one gave laws to the world, and which is at present the greatest school of music and painting, contains the noblest productions of sculpture and architecture, and is filled with cabinets of rarities, and collections of all kinds of historical relice”. Within Italy, the great focus was Rome, those ancient ruins and more recent achievements were shown to every Grand Tourist. Panini’s Ancient Rome and Modem Rome represent the sights most prized, including celebrated Greco-Rome statues and views of famous ruins, fountains, and churches. Since there were few museums anywhere in Europe before the close of the eighteenth century, Grand Tourists often saw paintings and sculptures by gaining admission to private collections, ad many were eager to acquire examples of a Greco-Rome and Italian art for their own collections. In England, where architecture was increasingly seen as an aristocratic pursuit, noblemen often applied what they learned from the villas of Palladio in the Veneto and the evocative （唤起回忆的）ruins of Rome to their own ceuntry houses and gardens.
1. What did Grand Tourists have in common?| A．They had much geographic knowledge. |
| B．They were courageous and venturesome. |
| C．They were versed in literature and interested in art. |
| D．They had enough travel and outdoor-life experience. |
| A．They found inspiration in the world’s greatest masterpieces. |
| B．They got a better understanding of early human civilization. |
| C．They developed an interest in the origin of modern art forms. |
| D．They gained some knowledge of classical art and architecture. |
| A．There appeared more and more Roman-style villas. |
| B．Many aristocrats began to move into Roman-style villas. |
| C．Aristocrats’ country house all had Roman-style gardens. |
| D．Italian architects were hired to design houses and gardens. |
7 . When you’re abroad, trying to find out who to tip is never straightforward and neither is trying to work out the exact number. To make things even more complicated, the rules for tipping vary greatly from country to country. Also, within each country the rules can change, so what was appropriate last time you visited your favourite country may be completely inappropriate the next time you go. However, here are some general guidelines which might help you on your journeys.
You face your first dilemma as soon as you land at the airport— the taxi ride. Taxi drivers generally do expect tips, but rather than there being an exact amount, people round up the fare or just tell the driver to keep the change.
Your next encounter is with the hotel porter and you know he’s expecting a tip, but the problem is trying to figure out how much. It seems that in many countries round the world $1 per bag would be an appropriate amount.
Then, of course, you have to eat. In some countries such Ireland, Brazil, Poland and Portugal, the customary tip in restaurants is 10-15% unless a service charge is included, so the first rule of thumb is always check the bill. In other countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Australia and Spain, where a 10-15% service charge is either very common or compulsory, you may want to leave an additional tip if you think the service was particularly good, but it certainly isn’t obligatory. However, in some countries it may seem strange if you do leave a tip. In Japan, for example, the waitress might be insulted if you tipped her. In Thailand, if you left a tip, the restaurant staff probably wouldn’t be offended, but you might be pursued down the street by someone thinking you’d forgotten to take your change. In New Zealand, although it’s unlikely anyone would chase after you, you’d definitely get some odd looks if you left a tip.
And your problem with tipping isn’t over when you leave the restaurant. Next you discover the tour guide, the hairdresser and the toilet attendant are all expecting a tip as well, but again, how much? Perhaps the best option in these cases is to ask the local people what is acceptable or observe what others do. Of course, you could simply play safe and tip everyone you meet.
1. The word “dilemma” (in paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to _____________.| A．a difficult situation | B．an early opportunity |
| C．a high expectation | D．an exact explanation |
| A．Never tip waiters or waitresses because they may be offended. |
| B．Play safe and leave a tip about 12% of the bill after each meal. |
| C．Make sure whether a service charge is included in the bill before giving tips. |
| D．Always check whether you have kept all your change before leaving the restaurant. |
| A．Ireland and France | B．Germany and Japan |
| C．Poland and Italy | D．Thailand and New Zealand |
| A．Advantages of tipping. | B．Rules of tipping. |
| C．Possible origins of tipping. | D．Different opinions on tipping. |
For example, snowmen were a phenomenon in the Middle Ages, built with great skill and thought. At a time of limited means of expression, snow was like free art supplies dropped from the sky. It was a popular activity for couples to leisurely walk through town to view the temporary works of chilly art. Some were created by famous artists, including a 19-year-old Michelangelo, who in 1494 was appointed by the ruler of Florence, Italy, to build a snowman in his mansion’s courtyard.
The Miracle of 1511 took place during six freezing works called the Winter of Death. The city of Brussels was covered in snowmen—an impressive scene that told stories on every street corner. Some were political in nature, criticizing the church and government. Some were a reflection of people’s imagination. For the people of Brussels, this was a defining moment of defining freedom. At least until spring arrived, by which time they were dealing with damaging floods.
If you fear the heyday of the snowman has passed, don’t worry: I’ve learned that some explosive snowman history is still being made today. Every year since 1818, the people of Zurich, Switzerland, celebrate the beginning of spring by blowing up a snowman. On the third Monday of April, the holiday Sechselauten is kicked off when a cotton snowman called the Boogg is stuffed with explosive and paraded through town by bakers and other tradesmen who throw bread to the crowds. The parade ends with the Boogg being placed on a 40-foot pile of firewood. After the bells of the Church of St. Peter have rung six times, representing the passing of winter, the pile is lit. When the snowman explodes, winter is considered officially over—the quicker it is burnt down, the longer summer is said to be.
1. According to the passage, why did snowmen become a phenomenon in the Middle Ages?
| A．People thought of snow as holy art supplies. |
| B．People longed to see masterpieces of snow. |
| C．Building snowmen was a way for people to express themselves. |
| D．Building snowmen helped people develop their skill and thought. |
| A．snowmen were made mainly by artists |
| B．snowmen enjoyed great popularity |
| C．snowmen were politically criticized |
| D．snowmen caused damaging floods |
| A．the start of the parade |
| B．the coming of a longer summer |
| C．the passing of the winter |
| D．the success of tradesmen |
| A．They were appreciated in history |
| B．They have lost their value |
| C．They were related to movies |
| D．They vary in shape and size |
