1 . Most Famous Paintings in the World

Among the millions of paintings that are created and shown in galleries and museums all around the world, a very small number of them go beyond time and make history. Below are some examples.

The Persistence of Memory — Salvador Dali. Painted in 1931, The Persistence of Memory is one of the most recognizable pieces in art history. This work is known to make people reflect on their way of life and the way they spend their time, and it is also thought that Albert Einstein’s well-known Theory of Relativity gave Dali the idea for this wonderful painting.

Girl with a Pearl Earring — Johannes Vermeer. Considered by many to be “the Dutch Mona Lisa”, this beautiful painting features an unnamed young woman looking over her shoulder to stare directly at the viewer. It was completed in 1665 and is exhibited in the Mauritshuis in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Guernica — Pablo Picasso. The famous painting by Picasso was completed in 1937. It was painted in Paris following the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. The painting is on permanent display in the Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain.

Starry Night — Vincent van Gogh. Painted in 1889, Starry Night is one of the most famous paintings in modern culture, which is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It is based on van Gogh’s direct observations as well as his imagination, memories, and emotions and was the inspiration for the song Vincent (also known as Starry, Starry Night).

1. What do we know about The Persistence of Memory?

A．It was finished in the 1920s.	B．It centers on people’s lifestyle.
C．It reflects the painter’s memories.	D．It may be inspired by a famous theory.

2. Which painting is based on a true story?

A．The Persistence of Memory.	B．Starry Night.
C．Girl with a Pearl Earring.	D．Guernica.

3. What is the common feature of the listed paintings?

A．They are everlasting artworks.	B．They share the similar theme.
C．They are on permanent display.	D．They give ideas for music creation.

2 . Fast walkers may live longer than dawdlers (缓慢的人)— regardless of their weight, a new study suggests.

Researchers at Leicester University analyzed data on 474, 919 people with an average age of 52 in the UK Biobank between 2006 and 2016. They found women who walked briskly had a life expectancy of 86.7 to 87.8 years old, and men who kept up the pace had a life expectancy of 85.2 to 86.8. Slow walkers hadn’t much encouraging prospects (前景): women had a life expectancy of 72.4, and men of 64.8 years old, if they were more leisurely in their movements. According to the paper, published last week, that ratio held true even if the fast walkers were severely overweight. It does not necessarily mean fast walkers will live longer. Experts say it suggests walking speed could be a simple way for doctors to judge their patients’ general health alongside other tests.

It is hardly the first study holding up walking speed as a powerful evidence that appears to improve and determine our health.

In 2011, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a study by Stephanie Studenski, who found the same: walking speed was a reliable predictor of life expectancy.

In 2013, US researchers found walking pace was linked to lower heart disease risk and longer life expectancy. In 2018, a study from the University of Sydney found picking up your walking pace to even an “average speed” could cut your risk of premature death by a fifth.

And Tom Yates, the physical activity professor at Leicester who's behind the latest study, has been publishing findings on this connection for years.

In 2017, he analyzed the same UK Biobank data and found walking speed appeared to affect the risk of dying from heart disease — concluding that the slowest walkers were twice as likely to suffer a heart-related death compared to quick walkers.

1. What does the underlined word “briskly” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Casually.

B．Quickly.

C．Actively.

D．Energetically.

2. What does the paper published last week show?

A．Most fast walkers are overweight.

B．Fast walkers have a simple way of living.

C．Walking speed can help doctors know about their patients’ general health.

D．Doctors will surely have better ways to cure their patients of their illness.

3. What did US researchers find?

A．Walking slowly is bad for people's health.

B．Walking speed can predict a person’s life expectancy.

C．People won't die early by increasing their walking pace.

D．Lower heart disease risk is determined partly by walking pace.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．Fast Walkers May Have a Long Life Expectancy

B．Life Expectancy Is Determined by Exercise

C．Researchers Try to Improve Life Expectancy

D．The Public Doubt Researches on Walking Speed

3 . How to Be a Good Upstairs Neighbor

One must remember to be polite when living in an apartment building. You may unintentionally bother your neighbors with actions that you think to be harmless.     1     Living upstairs, you must always be aware that everything you do may be heard by those who live below. This doesn’t mean that you have to completely change your lifestyle, though.

    2     This will greatly reduce the sound of your footsteps, thus limiting the sound your downstairs neighbor will hear. You should always remember to change your shoes when entering your apartment to ensure that your downstairs neighbor doesn’t hear you walking around.

Place carpets in your apartment if you have hardwood floors. Doing so is another way to decrease the sound of steps coming from an upstairs apartment. You can also put your furniture on these carpets.     3    

Close your windows when you can. A floor is usually about three meters high, so it’s quite easy to hear your conversations.     4     Therefore, whenever you are watching TV or listening to a radio, try to keep your windows closed as much as possible.

Do your cleaning on weekend afternoons.     5     Doing such housework at 3:00 pm on a Saturday is much better than doing so at 9:30 on a Tuesday night.

A．Wear slippers while in your upstairs apartment.

B．It becomes much easier when your windows are open.

C．No matter what you do, consider your neighbor’s requirements.

D．There’ll be a time when you will run a cleaner to clean your room.

E．This is especially true for those people who live above an apartment.

F．It will disturb your downstairs neighbor who has to work the next morning.

G．This keeps your furniture from moving around, thus limiting noise a downstairs neighbor may hear.

4 . There are a lot of reasons why we may have to get up early. Maybe it’s for work, or maybe it’s to get your kids ready for school.     1     But if you’re not naturally a morning person, how can you wake up early? Here are some ways to help you.

Light.

The most powerful way to get your body feeling awake is to expose yourself to light. When you’re exposed to bright sunlight, your hormone (激素) tells the body, “Hey, it’s time to be awake.”     2     Those lights will signal to your body that it’s still daytime, which definitely won’t help if you’re trying to go to bed on time for an early wake-up.

Naps.

    3     Sleep doctors call that a “sleep debt,” and just like credit card debt, it has to get repaid for your body to function well. If it doesn’t, you might end up suffering the more serious consequences of sleep deprivation. Naps are a great way to squeeze in some extra shut-eye. Sleep studies show naps even as short as 10 minutes can make a difference!     4     If we nap too late, too close to bedtime, then it’ll make it hard for us to go to sleep at night.

    5    

Create an encouragement to get out of bed in the morning. Maybe that’s a mindfulness exercise to remind yourself of who or what you’re waking up early for. Something as simple as promising yourself a nice breakfast as soon as you get out of bed can do the trick.

A．Reward yourself.

B．Be strict with yourself.

C．For some people, waking up early just feels natural.

D．So don’t expose your eyes to bright lights at night.

E．Try waking up even a few minutes earlier than you need to.

F．Waking up early often means that we wake up sleep deprived (被剥夺).

G．Try to keep naps under an hour and toward the middle of the day or earlier in the afternoon.

5 . Unlike a series of cold waves ________ cool down the nation gradually, people will experience the quick-freeze effects several times, and a cold winter is likely. （用适当的词填空）

6 . The Biggest Stadiums in the World

People have been pouring into stadiums since the days of ancient Greece. In around 80 A.D., the Romans built the Colosseum, which remains the world’s best known stadium and continues to inform contemporary design. Rome’s Colosseum was 157 feet tall and had 80 entrances, seating 50,000 people. However, that was small fry compared with the city’s Circus Maximus, which accommodated around 250,000 people.

These days, safety regulations-not to mention the modern sports fan’s desire for a good view and comfortable seat — tend to keep stadium capacities (容量) slightly lower. Even soccer fans tend to have a seat each; gone are the days of thousands standing to watch the match.

For the biggest stadiums in the world, we have used data supplied by the World Atlas list so far, which ranks them by their stated permanent capacity, as well as updated information from official stadium websites.

All these stadiums are still functional, still open and still hosting the biggest events in world sport.

·Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, Pyongyang D.P.R. Korea. Capacity: 150,000. Opened: May 1,1989.

·Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U. S. Capacity: 107,601. Opened: October 1, 1927.

·Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania, U. S. Capacity: 106,572. Opened: September 17, 1960.

·Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, U. S. Capacity: 104,944. Opened: October 7,1922.

·Kyle Field, College Station, Texas, U. S. Capacity: 102,512. Opened: September 24, 1927.

1. How many people could the Circus Maximus hold?

A．104,944.

B．107,601.

C．About 150,000.

D．About 250,000.

2. Of the following stadiums, which is the oldest?

A．Michigan Stadium.

B．Beaver Stadium.

C．Ohio Stadium.

D．Kyle Field.

3. What do the listed stadiums have in common?

A．They host big games.	B．They have become tourist attractions.
C．They were built by Americans.	D．They are favored by architects.

7 . Black Valley, 63 kilometers from downtown Chongqing, is one of the best preserved natural wonders around the municipality. The national 5A-level scenic spot is a popular summer resort for sightseeing, forest adventures, outdoor camping, hunting and angling.

Located in Heishan town, Wansheng Economic Development Zone, the scenic spot spans over 103 square kilometers, 97 percent of which are covered by primitive forests. With over 110,000 negative oxygen ions in each cubic centimeter of air, it is dubbed as a natural oxygen bar and “the most beautiful healthcare-themed valley.”

Black Valley is also known as “the natural gene bank of Chongqing and Guizhou regions” for the diversity of its rare plants and wildlife, including Cathaya argyrophylla, Davidia involucrata, Trachypithecus francoisi and clouded leopards.

Scenic spot level: AAAAA

Address: Heishan town, Wansheng Economic Development Zone, 63 kilometers from downtown Chongqing Opening hours: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm (peak season from November to February), 9:00 am-3:00 pm (off season from March to October)

Ideal sightseeing season: from May to September

Ticket price: 60 yuan ($8.72) during off season and 100 yuan during peak season, sightseeing bus and cable not included.

Notes:

1. It is recommended that tourists start from the higher southern area for a downward journey.

2. The average temperature is 18.1 degrees.

3. It’s a good idea to experience the local folk culture of the Miao ethnic group, especially when you choose to visit in May when the traditional Caishan Festival of Miao ethnic group is celebrated.

1. What can we know about Black Valley?

A．It lies in downtown Chongqing.

B．Plants and wildlife are rarely seen there.

C．A visit there costs at most 100 yuan.

D．The air is very high in negative oxygen ions there.

2. A best time for a visitor and lover of the folk culture to Black Valley is in

A．January.

B．March.

C．May.

D．July.

3. Which section is the text taken from in a newspaper?

A．Culture.

B．Travel.

C．Nature.

D．Wildlife.