1 . A study of art history might be a good way to learn more about a culture than is possible to learn in general history classes. Most typical history courses concentrate on politics, economics, and war. But art history focuses on much more than this because art reflects not only the political values of a people, but also religious beliefs, emotions, and psychology. In addition, information about the daily activities of our ancestors — or of people very different from our own — can be provided by art. In short, art expresses the essential qualities of a time and a place, and a study of it clearly offers us a deeper understanding than can be found in most history books.
In history books, objective information about the political life of a country is presented; that is, facts about politics are given, but opinions are not expressed. Art, on the other hand, is subjective; it reflects emotions and opinions. The great Spanish painter Francisco Goya was perhaps the first truly “political” artist. In his well known painting The Third of May, 1808, he criticized the Spanish government for its misuse of power over people. Over a hundred years later, symbolic images were used in Pablo Picasso’s Guernica to express the horror of war. Meanwhile, on another continent, the powerful paintings of Diego Rivera, and David Alfaro Siqueiros — as well as the works of Alfredo Ramos Martines — depicted these Mexican artists’ deep anger and sadness about social problems.
In the same way, art can reflect a culture’s religious beliefs. For hundreds of years in Europe, religious art was almost the only type of art that existed. Churches and other religious buildings were filled with paintings that depicted people and stories from the Bible. Although most people couldn’t read, they could still understand biblical stories in the pictures on church walls. By contrast, one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle East was and still is its absence of human and animal images. This reflects the Islamic belief that statues are unholy.
1. From Paragraph one, we know that _____.| A．art history reveals a people’s religious and emotional life as well as its political views and psychology |
| B．general history provides us with information about everyday life of ancient people |
| C．general history gives us an insight into the basic situations of a time and a place |
| D．art history regards politics as an unworthy topic |
| A．records what people felt and thought at a particular time |
| B．expresses the essential qualities of a time and a place |
| C．often gives us a better understanding of our history |
| D．often presents the subjective message about the political life of a country |
| A．Islamic artists painted images on church walls as a way of teaching |
| B．war was not one of the topics art history address |
| C．Europeans respected images of biblical figures |
| D．for some time in Europe, art was the only way to understand religion |
| A．His criticism to the religious beliefs of his country. |
| B．His explanation about the political values of his country. |
| C．His dissatisfaction to the war, his government or the social problems. |
| D．His concern about the daily life of the poor in his country. |
| A．the difference between general history and art history |
| B．the value of art history in understanding history |
| C．the importance of artists in art history |
| D．the importance of art in religion |
2 . Britons are well known for the amount of tea that they drink. The average person in the UK consumes around 1.9 kg of tea yearly. That’s around 876 cups of tea. Tea is drunk by all sections of society. But tea is not native to Britain. Most tea is grown in India and China. So, how did it become an important part of British culture?
Tea arrived in London in the 1600s. At this time, British ships were exploring the world and came across the drink in China. It was not long before green tea was available to buy. However, this was only available to the richer sections of society.
At the beginning of the 1700s, the amount of tea arriving in Britain increased gradually. Black tea arrived at this time. At first people drank this tea exactly as it was in China. They soon discovered that it mixed really well with a little milk and sugar, giving the drink a special British characteristic.
In the 1800s tea was still a product enjoyed only by people with money. At this time they began to have “afternoon tea”. This involves drinking tea with a snack around 4 pm to avoid feeling hungry between lunch and dinner. It is a tradition that is still going today but has become less popular in recent times.
In the late 1800s, the price of tea decreased sharply as more tea began to arrive on ships from India and China. It was no longer a drink just for rich people. Tearooms — shops where you could buy and drink tea — started to appear across the country. People enjoyed drinking tea and socialising in these places. At the start of the 20th century, Britons began to make tea in their homes whenever they felt like it. Kettles became necessary in every kitchen.
1. How does the passage mainly develop?| A．By providing examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following the order of time. | D．By following the order of importance. |
| A．Tea reached Britain from China centuries ago. | B．Britons are famous for planting tea. |
| C．Green tea was popular in China. | D．Most tea is grown in Britain. |
| A．how British people drank black tea | B．why the amount of tea increased |
| C．when green tea arrived in China | D．who discovered black tea |
| A．In the early 1700s. | B．In the early 1800s. |
| C．In the late 1800s. | D．In the late 20th century. |
| A．To describe how to drink tea. | B．To explain why people love tea. |
| C．To compare black tea with green tea. | D．To introduce the history of British tea culture. |
3 . During the annual political meetings, environmental protection was definitely among the biggest concerns. Actually, it was also an issue that ancient Chinese paid great attention to. In fact, the world’s earliest environmental protection concept, ministry and laws were all born in China. So, what did the ancient Chinese do to protect the environment?
In early ancient China, environmental protection was promoted to the political level. Xunzi, a famous thinker in Warring States Period, brought up the concept of managing state affairs through environmental protection. He stated in his book that vegetation (植被) should not be damaged at will. Guan Zhong, an official 400 years ahead of Xunzi, was also an environmental protection expert. During his term of office, he claimed that “a King who cannot protect his vegetation is not qualified to be a king”.
According to a record in Qing dynasty, the environmental protection ministry in early ancient China was called “Yu”, standing both for the institution and the official title. Although most functions were similar to such ministries today, the administration range of it was much larger, including the mountains, forests, rivers, lakes and so on.
The nine ministries established by Shun, an ancient Chinese king, already included “Yu”, the environmental protection ministry. The first “Yu” official was a man called Boyi, who was indeed an environmental protection expert. He was a capable assistant to Dayu, an ancient Chinese water-control expert. He invented wells, protecting people’s drinking water from pollution. He knew a lot about animals and also called for animal protection.
Environmental protection laws dated back to the ruling period of Dayu, which was more than 4,000 years ago. During his rule, he issued a ban, forbidding people to cut down wood in March or catch fish in June, the time when they were supposed to boom.
In Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period almost 3,000 years ago, “environmental protection laws” appeared in its true sense in Qin, which was recorded in Law of Fields and regarded as China’s earliest environmental protection laws.
1. Which statement would Xunzi probably agree with?| A．Vegetation shouldn’t be damaged at all. |
| B．Much attention should be paid to people’s drinking water. |
| C．The king who failed to protect the environment should be removed. |
| D．Running a country and environmental protection should be combined. |
| A．The Qing dynasty. | B．The ministry of Yu. |
| C．The official title. | D．The modern ministry. |
| A．Fish didn’t taste delicious in June. |
| B．It was too hot to catch fish in June. |
| C．Fish had a period of rapid growth in June. |
| D．Fish-catching time had already passed in June. |
| A．Shun. | B．Boyi. | C．Xunzi. | D．Guan Zhong. |
| A．How the Ancient Chinese Protect the Environment |
| B．Famous Environmental Protection Experts in Ancient China |
| C．Dayu — a Great Environmental Protector |
| D．Measures of the World’s Earliest Environmental Protection |
4 . London has already hosted the Olympics twice before and the 2021 Olympics will make it the first city in history to have held three Olympic games.
The first London Olympics in 1908
These games were going to be held in Rome but, because of a volcano, Rome wasn’t ready. London agreed to stage the games and the White City Olympic Stadium was built in just 10 months. What was new at these Olympics was the opening ceremony where athletes paraded (列队行进) with their teams behind their national flags. Only 22 countries took part and the profits were just over ￡21,000!
The second London Olympics
Because of the Second World War, the 1944 Olympics were cancelled. Four years later the war was over and London was able to hold the Games in 1948.Things were very different in London during these Olympic Games and many years of war had left the UK poor and hungry. People called them the “Austerity Games”. But there were still some great sports and some exciting events!
59 countries took part, more than at any other Olympics before and the USA won the most medals with 84. For the first time, cameras filmed the games and broadcast them on television so that people could watch them in their own homes.
The third London Olympics in 2021
The Games this year are going to be bigger, better and more exciting than ever before. There will be more than 10,000 athletes from 204 countries taking part!
London wants to make sure that the benefits of the Olympics don’t just last for a few weeks in summer but go on much longer. The buildings have been designed and constructed so that they can be used for different things when the Games are over.
1. The text is mainly about _____.| A．London will host the Olympics again | B．London’s Olympic history |
| C．London’s Olympics will last much longer | D．London is ready for the Olympics |
| A．London could build a stadium in 10 months | B．only 22 countries took part |
| C．there was a volcano eruption in Rome | D．London could make more profits than Rome |
| A．the UK were poor and hungry then | B．there were some great sports |
| C．the previous Olympic Games was cancelled | D．about 59 countries took part |
| A．the 59 countries | B．the 84 gold medals |
| C．all the athletes | D．the games |
| A．the benefits of the Olympics used to last for months afterwards |
| B．the 2nd London Olympics attracted more countries than any other Olympics |
| C．the buildings for the 3rd London Olympics have more functions for future use |
| D．the 2nd London Olympics were cancelled because of the Second World War |
5 . Mona Lisa, the famous picture
Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always
| A．written | B．praised | C．bought | D．painted |
| A．less | B．more | C．worse | D．better |
| A．changes | B．expressions | C．kisses | D．gloves |
| A．see | B．visit | C．greet | D．examine |
| A．laughing | B．smiling | C．crying | D．shouting |
| A．says | B．sits | C．stands | D．stops |
| A．Therefore | B．Otherwise | C．However | D．Instead |
| A．carried | B．hid | C．kept | D．buried |
| A．actually | B．finally | C．really | D．hopefully |
| A．taken | B．destroyed | C．broken | D．stolen |
| A．school | B．museum | C．house | D．factory |
| A．give | B．send | C．take | D．return |
| A．France | B．Germany | C．Italy | D．England |
| A．kept | B．hid | C．put | D．grew |
| A．feet | B．clothes | C．hands | D．hats |
6 . Early people didn’t need to know the exact time of day. They slept when it was dark and worked when it was light.
33,000—28,000 B.C.
People notice that changes in the weather (the seasons) are connected to changes in the sun, moon, and stars.
8,000 B.C.
Chinese, the Maya, and Sumerians develop calendars based on the cycles of the sun (a year) and the moon (a month). Most people are farmers. Calendars tell them when to plant crops and when their animals will have babies.
1,500 B.C.
People in Egypt and Sumer develop some of the first water clocks. Unlike sundials, water clocks measure time even when it’s cloudy.
1370—1410
European cities build towers with mechanical clocks inside. Every hour, a bell is rung for all to hear.
1850
Most Americans now have clocks at home. Trains keep exact schedules. Railroad workers carry pocket watches that don’t gain or lose more than 30 seconds in a week.
1955
An atomic clock is built in England. It measures oscillations(颤动) of light from cesium atoms. The light oscillates even faster than quartz crystals. Atomic clocks are the most accurate clocks yet.
Today
People rely on the Internet and cell-phone networks, which need super precise timing. Atomic clocks keep getting better.
1. How can ancient Chinese tell when to plant crops?| A．By using calendars. | B．By observing the cycles of the sun. |
| C．By watching the animals. | D．By predicting the weather changes. |
| A．Chinese. | B．Americans. | C．Europeans. | D．Egyptians. |
| A．Chinese calendars. | B．Water clocks. | C．Mechanical clocks. | D．Atomic clocks. |
7 . While most people don’t think much about garbage, trash (垃圾) is beloved by archaeologist (考古学家). A favorite site for study is a midden (贝丘), an old trash or garbage heap (堆). A midden might contain damaged stone or metal items, which tell us about the weapons and tools people used. Softer materials such as wood, cloth, leather, and baskets are sometimes preserved. They may tell us what people wore, how they carried things, or the kind of toys used by children. Historic household trash heaps often contain broken pottery pieces and even traces of the food they once held.
Most people no longer keep a trash heap by the kitchen door. Instead, garbage is hauled off to landfills (垃圾填埋池). These landfills can still attract archaeologists. The Garbage Project collected information from landfills from 1987 to 1995. Student archaeologists measured tons of garbage from 15 landfills across the United States and Canada. This garbology, the study of garbage, research led to a better understanding of how people have changed what they consume during this period of time. The findings also led to a better awareness of how quickly various items rot. This helped with city planning for garbage disposal and recycling efforts.
Some found objects that may clearly be of archaeological interest, such as arrowheads and spear points. It is typically against the law to collect these on public lands, so they should be left in place. If you take a photo and note the location, you can notify the state archaeologist or the government branch that is in charge of the land, such as the National Park Service or the Bureau of Land Management.
Everyone is responsible for protecting archaeological resources, which is a concept known as “archaeological stewardship.” Sometimes this even means protecting old garbage.
1. Why is old trash important according to archaeologists?| A．It can teach us about the past. |
| B．It might help us locate metal mines. |
| C．It can contribute to modern material industry. |
| D．It might encourage us to protect our environment. |
| A．They conducted a study on modern trash. |
| B．They recycled waste from some landfills. |
| C．They offered some creative city planning ideas. |
| D．They compared ancient trash heaps with modern landfills. |
| A．Donate it to public collections. |
| B．Take it to proper authorities. |
| C．Leave it in a safe place. |
| D．Mark the place of it. |
| A．Past or Future? | B．Trash or Treasure? |
| C．Protection of Damage? | D．Problem or Resource? |
8 . During World War II, a young nurse, Irena Sendler, risked her life to save over 2,500 children. Back in 2008, she was
Irena was only 29 when the war began, and at the time, she was
In the 1940s, the Nazis
When Irena heard that, she decided to
To get the kids out, Irena and her team would
The Gestapo(盖世太保)
The Gestapo
Irena received plenty of
| A．found | B．combined | C．compared | D．reunited |
| A．thank | B．pay | C．encourage | D．congratulate |
| A．performing | B．studying | C．working | D．struggling |
| A．right | B．opportunity | C．excuse | D．tool |
| A．followed | B．introduced | C．welcome | D．sent |
| A．free | B．separate | C．protect | D．attract |
| A．common | B．different | C．challenging | D．terrible |
| A．look for | B．fight for | C．live with | D．write about |
| A．directions | B．tickets | C．permission | D．Inspiration |
| A．managed | B．promised | C．expected | D．pretended |
| A．raising | B．accepting | C．saving | D．influencing |
| A．hide | B．search | C．lock | D．replace |
| A．journalists | B．experts | C．learners | D．activists |
| A．believed | B．noticed | C．wondered | D．predicted |
| A．depending on | B．waiting for | C．competing with | D．coming for |
| A．burned | B．threw | C．buried | D．shared |
| A．Unfortunately | B．Doubtfully | C．Unsuccessfully | D．Surprisingly |
| A．also | B．even | C．never | D．nearly |
| A．joined | B．caught | C．prevented | D．remembered |
| A．help | B．attention | C．questions | D．honors |
9 . A study of art history might be a good way to learn more about a culture than is possible to learn in general classes. Most typical history courses concentrate on politics, economics, and wars. But art history focuses on much more than this because art reflects not only the political values of a people, but also religious beliefs, emotions, and psychology. In addition, information about the daily activities of our ancestors ― or of people very different from our own ― can be provided by art. In short, art expresses the essential qualities of a time and a place, and a study of it clearly offers us a deeper understanding than what can be found in most history books.
In history books, objective information about the political life of a country is presented: that is, facts about politics are given, but opinions are not expressed. Art, on the other hand, is subjective: it reflects emotions and opinions. The great Spanish painter Franciso Goya was perhaps the first truly political artist. In his well-known painting The Third of May, 1808, he criticized the Spanish government for its misuse of power over people. Over a hundred years later, symbolic images were used in Pablo Picasso’s Guernica to express the horror of war. Meanwhile, on another continent, the powerful paintings of Diego Rivera, Jose Clements Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros ― as well as the works of Alfredo Ramos Martinez ― showed these Mexican artists’ deep anger and sadness about social problems.
In the same way, art can reflect a culture’s religious beliefs. Four hundreds of years in Europe, religious art was almost the only type of art that existed. Churches and other religious buildings were filled with paintings that depicted people and stories from the Bible. Although most people couldn’t read, they could still understand biblical stories in the pictures on church walls. By contrast, one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle East was (and still is) its absence of human and animal images. This reflects the Islamic（伊斯兰教的）belief that statues are unholy（不神圣的；亵渎的）.
1. Which of the following sentences is WRONG according to the passage?| A．Art history concentrates on religious beliefs, emotions and psychology only. |
| B．Art can provide information about the everyday activities of ancient people. |
| C．Information and facts about politics are given objectively in history. |
| D．Franciso Goya was perhaps the first truly political artist. |
| A．personal and emotional opinions are expressed through it |
| B．it will make the viewers angry and sad about history |
| C．it can help us understand historical facts better |
| D．opinions about facts are not expressed |
| A．art is subjective |
| B．artists are very similar even over a hundred years |
| C．art can reflect political life of a country |
| D．history books present objective information |
| A．Europe | B．America |
| C．Mexico | D．Middle East |
| A．the difference between general history and art history |
| B．the development of art history |
| C．the influence of artists on art history |
| D．what we can learn from art |
| A．Islamic artists focus on creating architectural decorations with pictures of flowers or geometric (几何) forms |
| B．history teachers are more objective than artists |
| C．it is more difficult to study art history than general history |
| D．people and stories from the Bible were painted on churches and other buildings in order to popularize the Bible |
Freedom and Responsibility
Freedom’s challenge in the Digital Age is a serious topic. We are facing today a strange new world and we are all wondering what we are going to do with it.
Some 2,500 years ago Greece discovered freedom. Before that there was no freedom. There were great civilizations, splendid empires, but no freedom anywhere. Egypt and Babylon were both tyrannies , one very powerful man ruling over helpless masses.
In Greece, in Athens (雅典), a little city in a little country, there were no helpless masses. And Athenians willingly obeyed the written laws which they themselves passed, and the unwritten, which must be obeyed if free men live together. They must show each other kindness and pity and the many qualities without which life would be very painful unless one chose to live alone in the desert.The Athenians never thought that a man was free if he could do what he wanted. A man was free if he was self-controlled. To make yourself obey what you approved was freedom. They were saved from looking at their lives as their own private affair. Each one felt responsible for the welfare of Athens, not because it was forced on him from the outside, but because the city was his pride and his safety. The essential belief of the first free government in the world was liberty for all men who could control themselves and would take responsibility for the state.
But discovering freedom is not like discovering computers. It cannot be discovered once for all. If people do not prize it, and work for it, it will go. Constant watch is its price. Athens changed. It was a change that took place without being noticed though it was of the extreme importance, a spiritual change which affected the whole state. It had been the Athenian’ s pride and joy to give to their city. That they could get material benefits from her never entered their minds. There had to be a complete change of attitude before they could look at the city as an employer who paid her citizens for doing her work. Now instead of men giving to the state, the state was to give to them. What the people wanted was a government which would provide a comfortable life for them; and with this as the primary object, ideas of freedom and self-reliance and responsibility were neglected to the point of disappearing. Athens was more and more looked on as a cooperative business possessed of great wealth in which all citizens had a right to share.
Athens reached the point when the freedom she really wanted was freedom from responsibility. There could be only one result. If men insisted on being free from the burden of self-dependence and responsibility for the common good, they would cease to be free. Responsibility is the price every man must pay for freedom. It is to be had on no other terms. Athens, the Athens of Ancient Greece, refused responsibility; she reached the end of freedom and was never to have it again. But, “the excellent becomes the permanent”, Aristotle said. Athens lost freedom forever, but freedom was not lost forever for the world. A great American, James Madison, referred to: “The capacity (能力) of mankind for self-government.” No doubt he had not an idea that he was speaking Greek. Athens was not in the farthest background of his mind, but once man has a great and good idea, it is never completely lost. The Digital Age cannot destroy it. Somehow in this or that man’s thought such an idea lives though unconsidered by the world of action. One can never be sure that it is not on the point of breaking out into action only sure that it will do so sometime.
1. What does the underlined word “tyrannies” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．Countries where their people need help. |
| B．Powerful states with higher civilization. |
| C．Splendid empires where people enjoy freedom. |
| D．Governments ruled with absolute power. |
| A．regard their life as their own business |
| B．seek gains as their primary object |
| C．behave within the laws and value systems |
| D．treat others with kindness and pity |
| A．The Athenians refused to take their responsibility. |
| B．The Athenians no longer took pride in the city. |
| C．The Athenians benefited spiritually from the government. |
| D．The Athenians looked on the government as a business. |
| A．Athens would continue to be free. |
| B．Athens would cease to have freedom. |
| C．Freedom would come from responsibility. |
| D．Freedom would stop Athens from self-dependence. |
| A．The author is hopeful about freedom. |
| B．The author is cautious about self-government. |
| C．The author is skeptical of Greek civilization. |
| D．The author is proud of man’s capacity. |
| A．Freedom can be more popular in the digital age. |
| B．Freedom may come to an end in the digital age. |
| C．Freedom should have priority over responsibility. |
| D．Freedom needs to be guaranteed by responsibility. |
