1 . In Mark Turin’s article “Protecting Our Public Spaces” in Issue 14, he claims that “all graffiti (涂鸦) is vandalism (故意破坏财物), pure and simple, and offers no benefit to our public spaces.” I would like to point out that many people believe that graffiti is an art form that can benefit our public spaces just as much as sculptures, fountains, or other more accepted art forms.

People who object to graffiti usually do so more because of where it is, not what it is. They argue that posting graffiti in public places is considered an illegal act of property damage. But the location of such graffiti should not prevent the images themselves from being considered real art.

I would argue that graffiti is the most important public art form. Spray paint is a medium unlike any other. Through graffiti, the entire world has become a canvas (画布). These works of art dotting the urban landscape are available, free of charge, to everyone who passes by.

To be clear, I do not consider random words or names sprayed on stop signs to be art. Plenty of graffiti is just vandalism, pure and simple. However, there is also graffiti that is breathtaking in its complex detail, its realism, or its creativity. It takes great talent to create such involved designs with spray paint. Are these creators not artists just because they use a can of spray paint instead of a paintbrush?

To declare that all graffiti is vandalism, and nothing more, is a too simplistic statement. Furthermore, graffiti is not going anywhere, so we might as well find a way to live with it and enjoy its benefits. One choice could be to make a percentage of public space open to graffiti artists. By doing this, the public might feel like part owners of these works of art, rather than just the victims of a crime.

1. Mark Turin apparently believes that graffiti ________.

A．is not an art form

B．is too simple to be considered art

C．can only sometimes be considered a work of art

D．should be restricted to places where it is allowed

2. The author argues that graffiti ________.

A．is the only art form that is free

B．is best viewed on public walls rather than a canvas

C．provides more public benefits than sculptures do

D．should be judged on artistic qualities rather than places

3. The author concludes his passage by ________.

A．restating his position	B．questioning the magazine
C．offering an answer to the matter	D．identifying the benefits of graffiti

2 . Today, we are talking about money. I can share a bit about my history with money and my new view when it comes to using green paper.

I made a web page with links to posts about our financial (财政的) journey where you can look for more details of where we've been and how we got where we are now. It was a big part of my story in the past and was a huge part of our downsizing（精简） journey. We got out of debt and stayed out of debt.

So I feel eager（渴望的）to share the benefits of being on this side. It takes more planning and more careful thought whenever a dollar is spent now than it did when I had a wallet full of credit cards. I now like to think all of my dollars doing the job. So many of us work for money and don't consider that money should work for us, too. Make your dollars do the job of helping you live the life you want.

Each time money is spent or saved, it should be going toward something that you purposefully want for your life. Last week I was out and I spent $ 20 on food in 3 days. It made me angry because afterward I thought about eating is not at all what I want for my life.

On the other hand, there are times I spend $ 20 while out with my family and it doesn't bother（使烦恼）me one bit. An afternoon out with my kids during which we stop for ice cream, and do something fun together has a completely different feel.

In the end, I want the dollars I spend to have purpose like I can enjoy life while still planning and saving for the future.

1. The underlined words “green paper” in Paragraph 1 refer to“________”.

A．money

B．work

C．newspaper

D．book

2. You can learn about the writer's history with money________.

A．by reading posts about their financial journey

B．by going on a financial journey

C．by making a web page

D．by writing to him

3. In the writer's opinion,________.

A．more credit cards should be used in our daily life

B．we should work hard to make more money

C．money should help us live better

D．saving money is very easy

4. Why does the writer feel happy with the money spent with his family?

A．Because the money is spent on food.

B．Because the money is spent in doing something fun.

C．Because eating is what he wants for his life.

D．Because the money goes toward something that he wants for his life.

3 . Albert Einstein(1879—1955) was one of the greatest and most original scientific thinkers of all time.

Born of Jewish parents in Germany, he completed his education in Switzerland and got his Ph. D at the University of Zurich. He went to live in the United States in 1933 because of the rise of Nazism in Germany and Hitler's persecution of the Jews.

In 1905, while still at Zurich, he published his Special Theory of Relativity, which was based on things everyone may have noticed. If two trains are standing alongside each other and one train starts to move , a person sitting in the train may wonder whether his own train is moving or the other is moving, and before he finds out what is happening, he can see that one train is moving relatively to the other. From this and also from other more complicated facts, Einstein came to the conclusion that all motion is relative and that there are really no such things as absolute motion.

Some of the other conclusions he drew are that nothing can go faster than light, and that if something such as a ruler was moving faster and faster it would seem to get shorter and shorter as its speed was near the speed of light. By 1915, Einstein had made known his General Theory of Relativity, He also improved on Newton's theory of gravity. Most of his theories have been tested and found to be true though some may sound strange. For his important work he was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics.

1. In 1933, Einstein went to live in the United States because ________

A．he loved the USA more than his own country

B．he had got some friends there with whom he could work together

C．he wanted to live quietly in the USA

D．he could no longer work in Germany when Hitler came into power

2. Einstein published his Special Theory of Relativity when he was ________ .

A．in the United States

B．in Ulm, Germany after he got his Ph. D

C．still in Switzerland at the age of twenty-six

D．still at the University of Zurich at the age of thirty-six

3. One of the conclusions drawn by Einstein is that ________ .

A．planes go faster than trains and buses	B．people couldn't run as fast as vehicles
C．light goes the fastest of all the things	D．two trains can go in different directions .

4 . Nobel, who was born in Stockholm, is a great scientist famous for his dangerous experiments.

Nobel studied in the USA and then Russia between 1850 and 1859.     1     As is known, bomb is dangerous to life, but Nobel was working under that condition. Once a big explosion in his lab completely destroyed the lab and caused some deaths.     2     He received criticism and satire, but he proceeded with the work rather than losing heart. From 1860s to 1880s, Nobel made many achievements and his inventions were first used in building roads and digging tunnels. Most of the bombs were safer and more possible to be controlled. Even at the end of the 20th century, we still used his methods.

    3     He was quick to see industrial openings for his scientific inventions and built up over 80 companies in 20 different countries. Indeed his greatness lay in his outstanding ability to combine the qualities of an original scientist with those of a forward-looking industrialist.

    4     Seldom happy, he was always searching for a meaning to life, and from his youth, he had taken a serious interest in literature and philosophy. His greatest wish, however, was to see an end to wars, and thus peace between nations, and he spent much time and money working for this cause. To follow his will, a fund was set up to encourage people to make great progress in physics, chemistry, physiology, medicine, literature and peace.     5    

A．After his return, he started researching into bombs.

B．After that he had to experiment on a boat in a lake.

C．Everyone knows the story of his famous invention.

D．That's the Nobel Prize which means great honor to a scientist.

E．Nobel had many patents in Britain and other European countries.

F．Most of his theories have been tested and found to be true though some may sound strange.

G．But Nobel's main concern was never with making money or even with making scientific discoveries.

5 . Mr. Hadley was my 6th grade teacher. At that time I was a short girl weighing 70 kilograms. Boys always laughed at me because of it. So I became an extremely shy young lady.

One day Mr. Hadley told us that we would be required to come to the front of the class and read the reports that we had completed.

When my turn came, I refused to stand in front of all those students and open up to their tricks. Mr. Hadley handed me my report and asked me to read it. I gave it back to him. He walked to the font and said, “Martha has a very good report here and I think everyone needs to hear her read it. If you make strange noises or make fun of her in any way, I will let you fail right here and now. OK?”

Mr. Hadley walked back to me and handed me the paper again, asking me to go to the front of the class. I walked there on legs that were shaking and I felt a rabbit in my chest. Everyone was all quiet, including those boys. I stood there trying to be calm.

Mr. Hadley walked over to me and put his arm around me, “You can do it. I have confidence in you!” His words helped me calm down. I read the report and instead of the kids laughing at me and making fun of me, they all stood up and clapped their hands.

From that day on the kids never made fun of me and some actually made friends with me. I continued to be quiet and shy all through school but 1 knew if I had to stand up in front of the class, I could do it.

1. Martha felt extremely shy because of her ______.

A．study

B．age

C．appearance

D．beauty

2. Martha refused to read her report in front of the class because ______.

A．she didn't like the teacher of the 6th grade	B．she knew her report was not good
C．the teacher wouldn't listen to her	D．she was afraid of being laughed at

3. How did Martha feel when she came to the front to read her report?

A．Curious

B．Excited

C．Nervous

D．Angry

4. From the passage we know that ______.

A．Martha's report was well written	B．Martha had a rabbit as her pet
C．Martha was a good-looking girl	D．the teacher helped Martha with her report

5. Mr. Hadley helped Martha gain ______.

A．satisfaction

B．self-confidence

C．humor

D．happiness

6 . The ancient Maya mastered the art of ceramic (制陶艺术) in a manner which virtually no other culture did.

The Vase of the Seven Cods, made in the area of Naranjo, an ancient city of the Maya civilization in the present-day Petén, Guatemala, shows the fine way Maya handled clay. Like all art of Maya, this vase exhibits highly religious symbols. Furthermore, the artist’s name is carved along the bottom of this piece in the form of a small white rabbit.

Ceramics also served as reminders of ancestors and gods. The Flour De Lis Vase is a fine example of this. The water lilies are not only symbols of new birth and life-giving qualities, but a constant reminder of purity. On this vase, the water lilies are white, which is undoubtedly a sign of purity. The black background shows the sea, in which the lilies float.

Furthermore, ceramics served practical functions in the Maya culture. Vases, which are quite commonly seen today, were used primarily to hold liquid chocolate and cocoa. Bowls were used to hold various maize (玉米) products. Maize was seen as the imaginary body of the Maize God and the ancient Maya thought that as one ate the maize or the body of God from the bowl, they actually became God. Plates were merely used for any object.

Finally, Maya used depictions on ceramics to resurrect (使复活) family members and honor gods. Because they believe that they would come back to life with their names spoken or their figures drawn, the carvings and paintings on these ceramics played a vital role in Maya spirituality.

Clearly, ceramics served a key function in ancient Maya society from dinner plates to acts of God.

1. What do we know from the passage?

A．The art of ceramic of the ancient Maya was instructed by Gods.

B．The Vase of the Seven Gods was made by the people of Guatemala.

C．The art of ceramic of the ancient Maya was the best in the world at that time.

D．Naranjo is a well-known city of Guatemala at present.

2. Which of the following is a characteristic of the art of Maya?

A．Seven Gods are carved on a vase.

B．A vase exhibits highly religious symbols.

C．The artist’s name is carved on the top of a vase.

D．There is a big white rabbit on a vase.

3. The ancient Maya used the Flour De Lis Vase to _________.

A．remind them of their ancestors and gods	B．hold water and grain or cook food
C．show the importance of new birth and life	D．express people’s pure friendship and love

4. The Maya carved names and figures of family members on ceramics to _________.

A．honor their family members	B．be remembered by their children
C．draw the attention of the shoppers	D．wish they would come back to life