The Vikings, whose ancestors came from Scandinavia, were the first Europeans
Later a man, Biarni set sail from Iceland in search
In the year 1002, Leif, Eric the Red’s son, followed Biarni’s directions and sailed to
The beans cry in the pot
We grow from the same root (根)
Why should we boil each other with such impatience?
The poem is thought to be written by Cao Zhi, one of Cao Cao’s sons, Cao, who lived between 192 and 232 during the Three Kingdoms period.
It is said that after Cao Cao’s death, his oldest son Cao Pi became the emperor. Cao Pi was jealous (嫉妒的) of his younger brother Cao Zhi’s talent, so he wanted to find an excuse to kill him. One day, Cao Pi ordered Cao Zhi to make a poem about their relationship within seven steps, and was determined (决定) to have the younger brother killed if he failed. Cao Zhi then made the poem in front of him, which showed Cao Pi’s cruel idea to kill his own brother. Cao Pi, feeling ashamed, let Cao Zhi go in the end.
In China, the poem is taught to primary school students and is often used by people to describe unnecessary competitions or fighting between people, businesses, or organizations who are in the same area or want the same things.
The poem was posted on Tweeter by the CEO of Tesla and Space X Elon Musk, and it was given a title Humankind on purpose by Musk. The post drew tons of attention on both Western and Chinese social media, and internet users have been guessing what it was used for. People thought it could be an answer to the director of UN food organization, who mentioned that world hunger could be stopped if Elon Musk could give away 2% of his wealth.
1. The poem is said to be written by ________.| A．Cao Cao | B．Cao Zhi | C．Cao Pi | D．Elon Musk |
| A．Cao Zhi was one of his brothers |
| B．Cao Pi was jealous of Cao Zhi’s talent |
| C．Cao Zhi refused to follow Cao Pi’s orders |
| D．Cao Pi wanted to become the only son of Cao Cao |
| A．his brother was cruel to him | B．he was not afraid of his brother |
| C．the beans were close to its stalks | D．the beanstalk should die for its beans |
| A．Elon Musk posted the poem on Tweeter for fun. |
| B．Only Western internet users noticed the poem. |
| C．The purpose of the poem became a hot topic. |
| D．Elon Musk is mean and doesn’t care about others. |
The Time Capsule of Colorado Springs
In 1901, the citizens of Colorado Springs in the USA decided to collect everyday items and to seal (密封) them in a steel box. The box, marked “To be opened after midnight, December 31st, AD 2000”,
One hundred years later, on the appointed day, 300 people gathered to watch the opening of the box. Many in the crowd were the descendants (后代) of people who
When the box was opened after midnight, the contents were
Many of the letters
Colorado College Library has scanned the materials and put them on a website. Cecil Muller,
In April 2001, a committee filled the time capsule with items from modern Colorado Springs and
4 . Why is the Mona Lisa the most famous painting in the world? Her mysterious smile? The mystery surrounding her identity? The fact she was painted by Renaissance charming boy Leonardo da Vinci? Sure, all of these things helped increase the popularity of the 16th century masterpiece. But what really threw the small, unassuming portrait to international stardom was a daring burglary over 100 years ago.
When Italian handyman Vincenzo Peruggia stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911, he never could have guessed her absence would be the very thing that made her the most recognizable painting on the planet. Suddenly images of the artwork were seen across international newspapers, as the two-year police hunt hit dead-end after dead-end. It wasn’t until December 1913 that Peruggia was finally caught and the Mona Lisa recovered, becoming the best known painting in a time before we shared images on TV, internet, and phones.
So how did Peruggia carry out one of the greatest art robberies of all time? The handyman had been hired by the Louvre to make protective glass cases for some of its famous works—including the Mona Lisa. After hiding in a closet overnight, he simply removed the painting, hid it under his smock (罩衣), and was about to waltz out of the building when he discovered the door was locked. Desperate Peruggia removed the doorknob, but still it wouldn’t open—until a helpful plumber passing by opened the door with his key. It was 24 hours before anyone even noticed the Mona Lisa was missing, with artworks often removed to be photographed or cleaned.
Over the next two years, the careless police investigation dragged on, with Pablo Picasso a suspect at one point. The force even interviewed Peruggia twice, before concluding he couldn’t possibly be the man behind the shameless burglary. The head of the Paris police retired in shame.
And then two years later, an art dealer in Florence received a letter from a man saying he had the Mona Lisa. It was signed ”Leonardo.” The man was of course Peruggia. After setting up a meeting with the dealer and the director of the Uffizi gallery in Florence, Peruggia turned up with the painting which had spent years hidden in a trunk in his apartment.
Peruggia, then 32 years old, claimed to have stolen the artwork to return her to her native Italy. He was arrested and eventually sentenced to seven months in jail. He seemed to have genuinely been convinced he would be praised as a national hero and genuinely dismayed to discover he wasn’t.
1. According to the passage, what contributed to the tremendous popularity of the Mona Lisa?| A．The mysterious smile of Mona Lisa. |
| B．People’s desire to figure out the identity of Mona Lisa. |
| C．The theft of the painting in 1911. |
| D．The fact that it was painted by Leonardo da Vinci. |
| A．Humble. | B．Realistic. | C．Magnificent. | D．Objective. |
| A．Peruggia slipped into the Louvre from the outside after it was closed. |
| B．It took Peruggia a lot of time to take the painting from the gallery wall. |
| C．Peruggia’s stealing of the painting would have failed but for the appearance of a plumber. |
| D．The theft of the painting was immediately discovered by the staff of the Louvre. |
| A．was defending the honour of his native country | B．wanted to show his appreciation of great art |
| C．dreamed of making a great fortune by selling it | D．was worried about the fate of the painting |
5 . In 1961, President John F. Kennedy Jr. set a goal: he wanted to land a man on the moon to show America’s
The Apollo crew of Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins travelled 240,000 miles in 76 hours to reach the moon. During the mission, the food items the astronauts ate on the surface of the moon in the lunar module
Over 400,000 people supported the
After World War Ⅱ
The Space Race started when a Soviet missile launched Sputnik(Russian for “traveller”), the world’s first artificial satellite on October 4, 1957. Sputnik became the first man-made
More than 50 years after Apollo, NASA vows to land the first woman on the moon with the Artemis program and with the help of an increase in NASA’s budget by $1.6 billion by former President Trump. The new mission,
| A．dominance | B．rule | C．regulation | D．management |
| A．More than | B．No more than | C．No less than | D．Less than |
| A．grew | B．rose | C．planted | D．carried |
| A．brought up | B．brought back | C．brought in | D．brought about |
| A．persisted in | B．consisted of | C．made up | D．insisted on |
| A．task | B．landing | C．contest | D．mission |
| A．were showed | B．were printed | C．echoed | D．expressed |
| A．stopped | B．ended | C．paused | D．suspended |
| A．similar | B．special | C．political | D．conflicting |
| A．where | B．while | C．so | D．when |
| A．machine | B．facility | C．object | D．equipment |
| A．superiority | B．ability | C．position | D．influence |
| A．decreased | B．dropped | C．shrank | D．increased |
| A．amateur | B．winner | C．competitor | D．loser |
| A．taken after | B．taking on | C．named after | D．looking after |
The Vikings,a group of people
The Amber Room was given this name because several tons of amber were used to make it. The
Later, Catherine Ⅱ had the Amber Room
8 . Mention the terms Italian culture and Renaissance art and one is immediately reminded of the mysterious smile of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
The Renaissance had a deep effect on the development of European culture. Having its beginnings in Italy, by the 16th century, it had spread to the rest of Europe. Its influence was felt in different fields such as philosophy, literature, religion, science, politics, and, of course, art. The scholars of the Renaissance period applied the humanistic method to every field of study, and wanted to have human emotion and realism in art.
Renaissance scholars studied the ancient Latin and Greek texts, searching the libraries of Europe for works of ancient times that had become obscure, in their hunt for reforming and perfecting their worldly knowledge. However, that does not mean that they refused religion. In fact, many of the greatest works of the Renaissance period were devoted to it, with the church supporting a lot of the works of Renaissance art. However, there were slight changes in the manner in which the scholars began to treat religion, which affected the cultural life of society, which in turn influenced the artists of that period and therefore was reflected in their art.
In Raphael’s The School of Athens, for example, some well-known people were described as classical scholars with Leonardo da Vinci given as much importance as Plato in his time. Giotto di Bondone, 1266-1337, a Florentine, who is regarded as the greatest Italian painter just earlier than the Renaissance period, is thought to be the first artist who treated a painting as a window into space.
However, it was only after the writings of Filippo Brunelleschi, 1377-1446, who is considered the first great builder of the Italian Renaissance, that perspective (透视法) was formally accepted as an artistic technique.
1. What makes Italy stand out in a way in world history?| A．Its artists during the Renaissance were numerous. | B．It was the center of the European countries. |
| C．It had many famous inventors in different fields. | D．It was home to the Renaissance. |
| A．meaningless and hard to recognize | B．clear and meaningful to guiding people |
| C．unclear and difficult to understand or see | D．easy to understand but having little meaning |
| A．After the completion of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. |
| B．After Leonardo da Vinci’s being compared to Plato. |
| C．After Giotto di Bondone’s paintings were respected. |
| D．After Filippo Brunelleschi’s completing his writings. |
| A．Italy’s Renaissance art and artists | B．the famous artists in Italy’s history |
| C．Italy’s influence on the world in culture | D．the hardships during the Renaissance in Italy |
9 . There were many battles that took place during the American Revolutionary War (1775—1783), but perhaps so ne of the worst battles involved. the American Continental Army versus(对抗) the winter at Valley Forge in 1777 and 1778. Here many people believe was where the American Army was born. Valley Forge is located about 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia in the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania.
General George Washington was the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and he decided to setup winter camp at Valley Forge. It was close to Philadelphia, which was where the British had been camping out for the winter. This allowed him to keep a watchful eye on their movements. There were high areas in Mount Joy and Mount Misery where the army could make fortifications(防御工事). Nearby was also the Schuylkill River, which was used as a barrier to the North.
The army's stay at Valley Forge turned into a time of training. Besides Washington, two other leaders included General Friedrich von Steuben and General Marquis de Lafayette.
Steuben was born in Prussia and arrived at Valley Forge with a recommendation letter from statesman and scientist Benjamin Franklin. He trained the Continental Army using the daily drill(操练), even in the extremely cold weather. In fact, he was responsible for writing the army's Revolutionary War Drill Manual, which served as the standard United States drill manual(手册) until the War of 1812.
Lafayette was a French military leader, working for no pay, and asking for no special treatment. He later became an important commander in several key battles during the war.
Besides the freezing weather, it was consistently cold, wet, and snowy at Valley Forge. In addition, food was lacking, and there were very few warm clothes, shoes, or blankets. The log cabins they lived in were crowded, cold and damp, and allowed diseases to easily spread. Of the 10,000 men at Valley Forge, 2,500 died before the break of spring mostly from diseases.
Following the winter at Valley Forge, under Washington's leadership, a better-disciplined, trained, and more powerful army, in high spirits, left on June 19, 1778. Nine days later, their first victory against the British occurred at the Battle of Monmouth in New Jersey.
1. Why was Valley Forge chosen as the site of a winter camp?| A．It was key to the effective conduct of war. | B．It was an ideal place for military training. |
| C．It was very far from the British camp. | D．It was an area with adequate supplies. |
| A．Benjamin Franklin. | B．George Washington. |
| C．Marquis de Lafayette. | D．Friedrich von Steuben. |
| A．Strange. | B．Tough. | C．Favorable. | D．Relaxing. |
| A．It was taken over by the American Army. | B．It won more support from the people. |
| C．It had many more soldiers. | D．It became a stronger army. |
It was Sunday, December 7, 1941. It looked like it was going to be a normal day
The surprise attack came as
