选择知识点

The values of artistic works， according to cultural relativism（相对主义）， are simply reflections of local social and economic conditions． Such a view， however， fails to explain the ability of some works of art to excite the human mind across cultures and through centuries．
History has witnessed the endless productions of Shakespearean plays in every major language of the world． It is never rare to find that Mozart packs Japanese concert halls， as Japanese painter Hiroshige does Paris galleries． Unique works of this kind are different from today's popular art， even if they began as works of popular art． They have set themselves apart in their timeless appeal and will probably be enjoyed for centuries into the future．
In a 1757 essay， the philosopher David Hume argued that because"the general principles of taste are uniform（不变的） in human nature，"the value of some works of art might be essentially permanent． He observed that Homer was still admired after two thousand years． Works of this type， he believed， spoke to deep and unvarying features of human nature and could continue to exist over centuries．
Now researchers are applying scientific methods to the study of the universality of art． For example， evolutionary psychology is being used by literary scholars to explain the long-lasting themes and plot devices in fiction． The structures of musical pieces are now open to experimental analysis as never before． Research findings seem to indicate that the creation by a great artist is as permanent an achievement as the discovery by a great scientist．



According to the passage， what do we know about cultural relativism？ ______

A. It introduces different cultural values．
B. It explains the history of artistic works．
C. It relates artistic values to local conditions．
D. It excites the human mind throughout the world．

In Paragraph 2， the artists are mentioned in order to show that ______ ．

A. great works of art can go beyond national boundaries
B. history gives art works special appeal to set them apart
C. popular arts are hardly distinguishable from great arts
D. great artists are skilled at combining various cultures

According to Hume， some works of art can exist for centuries because ______ ．

A. they are results of scientific study
B. they establish some general principles of art
C. they are created by the world's greatest artists
D. they appeal to unchanging features of human nature

Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage？ ______

A. Are Artistic Values Universal？
B. Are Popular Arts Permanent？
C. Is Human Nature Uniform？
D. Is Cultural Relativism Scientific？

After spending a long day driving the day before，Steinkamp left his hotel around 5：30a．m． to a funeral in Green Bay，Wisconsin．About half an hour into his journey，he noticed a small strange sound coming from his front tire．By 7 a．m．，he still had 70miles ahead of him，but the noise was so loud that he knew he had no choice but to stop．
Steinkamp figured there was little possibility that anyone in Wild Rose，Wisconsin-a tiny town with a population of 725-could help so early in the morning．Still，he look his chance at an auto repair shop．Luckily， Steinkamp spotted Glenn Geib stocking the shelves，and he asked for help．Giving Steinkamp a quick look，Geib asked why he was so dressed up，and Steinkamp explained his dilemma．
The mechanic checked the car and told Steinkamp what he'd feared： the wheel bearing（轴承）was failing．Fixing it would take a few hours，but there was no chance the car would make it that distance without repairs．
"I must have looked pretty stressed out at this time because Glenn then reached into his pocket，pulled out the keys to HIS vehicle and said "Take my truck and get going，"" Steinkamp wrote in a Facebook post．
The men had met just 10 minutes before and didn't know each other's names，but Geib insisted．Steinkamp made it to the funeral．When he came back to the garage seven hours later with a thankful heart，he stuck around to chat with Geib．
"The 74-year-old mechanic turned a terrible day into a good one with a great lesson．" Steimkamp wrote， "Just be kind and help if you can．"



Where was Steinkamp when he had to stop his car？ ______

A. Just outside of the hotel he stayed in．
B. In a small town called Wild Rose．
C. At a funeral in Green Bay，Wisconsin．
D. 70 miles away from Wild Rose，Wisconsin．

What was wrong with Steinkamp's car？ ______

A. The front tire went flat suddenly．
B. The engine failed to work．
C. The wheel bearing needed repairing．
D. The car couldn't get started．

Which of the following words can best describe Glenn Geib？ ______

A. Humorous and grateful．
B. Optimistic and enthusiastic．
C. Sensitive and intelligent．
D. Warmhearted and generous．

Which might serve as the best title for the story？ ______

A. A Terrible Day．
B. An Experienced Mechanic．
C. A Valuable Lesson．
D. A Random Act of Kindness．

Mr．and Mrs．Green have a son， Tom．They love him very much．Tom is only three years old．He likes asking questions．
One day Mr．Green is sitting in a chair．He is reading a book and he has a banana in his hand．He likes to eat one while （当……时候） reading．Tom comes in．He asks Mr．Green， "Daddy， what's that？" Mr．Green is interested in the book．He doesn't hear Tom．Tom shakes （摇动） his father's leg and asks again， "What's this？ Tell me!"
"A leg!" says Mr．Green．
Tom goes out and says to Mrs．Green， "Mom， I want to eat a leg．"



Mr．and Mrs．Green are Tom's ______ ．

A. friends
B. teachers
C. classmates
D. parents

Mr．Green likes to eat ______ while reading．

A. a banana
B. a book
C. a hand
D. a leg

here are ______ people in this story．

A. two
B. three
C. four
D. five

Tom asks Mr．Green what he is ______ ．

A. reading
B. shaking
C. eating
D. cooking

Which of the following is RIGHT？ ______

A. Tom likes answering questions．
B. Tom wants to read the book．
C. Mr．Green gives Tom a leg．
D. Tom wants to eat a banana．

Since the invention of Guitar Hero and similar computer games，it is no longer necessary to imagine what it would be like to play along with the Beatles-you can come together with them in the virtual world．
Bill Wyman，former bass player（贝斯手） in the Rolling Stones，has pointed out that music video games discourage kids from learning to play real instruments．My own opinion suggest quite opposite．
Last year，I bought Guitar HeroⅢfor our 14-year-old son，Jack．Jack quickly mastered the process and entered an intense period of playing the game．
A few months later，while I was away on tour，a couple of his friends came around with a real electric guitar．Playing Guitar Hero had taught them how to play along the track．Now they wanted to see if they could apply that to the real thing．Jack's friends taught him how to play along to his favorite songs using just his index finger （食指）on the bass string．He got it right away．
Guitar Hero had helped him over the first difficulty for guitar players-how to strum（拨弄） the strings with one hand while making chord（和弦） shapes with the other．He never plays Guitar Hero now，preferring to rock out in the garage with his mates．
Despite my attempts at getting him to learn an instrument，it was Guitar Hero that taught him the basics of playing and built up his confidence to the extent that he was able to make a recognizable sound the first time he played it．
So let's not complain about a game that encourages kids to become music fans and，in our son's case，gives them the basic skills needed to learn how to play guitar．



What's Bill Wyman's attitude towards music video games？ ______

A. Curious．
B. Approving．
C. Negative．
D. Unconcerned．

Which statement is TRUE about Jack's first playing with a real electric guitar？ ______

A. He did it successfully．
B. He taught his friends how to play．
C. He didn't know how to play along to a song．
D. He didn't know how to strum the instruments．

What can we infer from Jack's case？ ______

A. parents should encourage their kids．
B. computer games are harmful to kids．
C. kids should learn an instrument．
D. Guitar Hero is a useful game．

What's the best title for the text？ ______

A. A new computer game
B. The story of a guitarist
C. In defense of Guitar Hero
D. The best way to play guitar

Among the international students in Canada who are struggling to find a job there after graduation， some of them eventually make it with relative ease． They're the ones who've already built up much internship（实习）experience while still attending university， as their majors offer a co-operative program．
Co-op programs， a feature （特色）of Canadian university programs， allow academic studies to be combined with work experience． During school years， students get to network with employers， gain internship experience in relevant fields， and earn academic credits that count toward their degree or diploma．
Co -op programs are available in most comprehensive universities， like the University of Waterloo， Wilfrid Laurier University and York University． These programs are not only open to students majoring in business but also to many science and art majors． Statistics show that nearly 30 percent of recent foreign applicants have chosen majors that also subscribe to the co-op program． "It's easy to understand，" said a senior education counselor． He noted that working opportunities are provided by employers that build bridges with the university and most of them are well -known companies or local government organizations． Moreover， the average salary for interns is as high as C﹩30，000 to C﹩40，000 a year．
Students can choose to work during vacations or terra times freely． The required duration of the internship for undergraduates ranges from eight to twelve months， or four to six months for graduate students． "The programs also benefit those students who want to apply for immigration，" added the counselor． "That's because the policies of many provinces in Canada require a certain length of work experience of the applicants．"



What's the main characteristic of co-op programs？ ______

A. They offer a variety of jobs in different fields．
B. They make academic credits easier to gain．
C. Employers work with students on their studies．
D. Students get work experience while at university．

What does the example of foreign applicants indicate？ ______

A. Co-op programs are becoming more popular．
B. The average salary for interns will increase．
C. Co-op programs are open to all majors．
D. Companies welcome foreign students．

Which section of a website does the text probably come from？ ______

A. Business．
B. Education．
C. Lifestyle．
D. Culture．

I am afraid of heights but two summers ago I climbed to a high place．Most of our high school had come along on a day trip to a beautiful beach village in Peru．After eating our lunches，many of us wanted to make the climb to an area around the village．
Do I turn back？"Yes!"Will I regret（后悔）it later？I really want to get to the top，but…At last，I decided at least to have a try．
My friend Tom was in front of me．Then，suddenly，he slipped（滑倒）and was about 10feet back!My heart was beating faster until he stopped himself．Knowing that my friend Seth would be right behind me，I began the climb．I was soon past the first challenge safely，but not feeling much better about the rest of the climb．Looking down，I saw rocks everywhere．My breathing sped up，and my heart beat even faster，growing loud in my ears．
My friends kept climbing．But they did not forget me．Someone was always behind me to help hold my feet when necessary，and someone else was always in front to offer a hand up．With friends helping me by words and actions，I slowly gainedground．
Then we came to the worst part．The climb looked very close to vertical（垂直的）．To me，the wise choice was to go back down．Melody encouraged me to go on and she made it safely first．I stopped，unsure of my footing．"You can do it，Jean!I'm right here，"Melody called．She waited patiently，not asking me to hurry．I took a few deep breaths and kept climbing．
With no more mistakes，we came to the top finally．I was dirty and tired．But it didn't matter．I was at the top!I had never felt so alive．



According to the text，the climb ______ ．

A. was done by all of the high school students
B. happened on a morning two summers ago
C. was near a beautiful beach village
D. lasted for about two days

When her friends decided to go climbing，Jean ______ ．

A. felt excited about it
B. turned back to the village
C. regretted going out with them
D. wasn't sure whether to join them

The underlined part"gained ground"in Paragraph 4probably means" ______ "．

A. lost heart
B. moved forward
C. climbed to the top
D. accepted the friends

What do we know about the worst part of the climb？ ______

A. Melody gave Jean words of encouragement．
B. Jean waited patiently for Seth to catch up．
C. It was dirty and dangerous．
D. Jean had the first try．

The habit-forming process within our brains is a three-step loop （回路）． First， there is a cue， a trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode （模式） and which habit to use． Then there is the routine， which can be physical or mental or emotional， Finally， there is a reward， which helps your brain figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future． Over time， this loop-cues， routine， reward becomes more and more automatic． The cue and reward become intertwined （交织） until a powerful sense of anticipation and a desire appears． Eventually， a habit is born．
Habits aren't destiny． Habits can be ignored， changed， or replaced． But the reason the discovery of the habit loop is so important is that it reveals a basic truth： When a habit appears， tile brain stops fully participating in decision making． It stops working so hard， or shifts focus to other tasks． So unless you deliberately fight a habit-unlesss you find new routines-the pattern will unfold automatically．
Habits never really disappear． They're encoded （嵌入） into the structures of our brain， and that's a huge advantage for us， because it would be awful if we had to relearn how to drive after every vacation． The problem is that your brain can't tell the difference between bad and good habits， and so if you have a bad one， it's always lurking （蛰伏） there， waiting for the right cues and rewards．
This explains why it's so hard to create exercise habits， for instance， or change what we eat． Once we develop a routine of sitting on the sofa， rather than runing， or snacking whenever we pass a doughnut box， those patterns always remain inside our heads． By the same rule， though， if we learn to create new neurological （神经系统的） routines that overpower those behaviors-if we take control of the habit loop-we can force those bad tendencies into the background． And once someone creates a new pattern， studies have demonstrated， going for a jog or ignoring the doughnuts becomes as automatic as any other habit．
Of course， those decisions are habitual， effortless． As long as your basal ganglia （基底核） is complete and the cues remain constant， the behaviors will occur unthinkingly． At the same time， however， the brain's dependence on automatic routines can be dangerous． Habits are often as much a curse as a benefit．



What can we learn about the habit loop from the first two paragraphs？ ______

A. It helps your brain understand what is worth remembering．
B. It is a three-step loop consisting of a cue， a routine and a reward．
C. It becomes automatic and develops a sense of anticipation and desire．
D. It reveals a basic truth that the pattern of a habit wilt unfold automatically．

The advantage of habits never really disappearing is that ______ ．

A. we can easily change what we eat
B. we develop a routine of sitting on the sofa
C. we don't necessarily learn a skill again
D. we can distinguish between bad and good habits

What can be inferred from the last sentence in Paragraph 4？ ______

A. Habits can be changed and replaced．
B. Habits can not be ignored or created．
C. Old patterns always exist in our brain．
D. New patterns seldom remain in our heads．

What does the passage mainly talk about？ ______

A. The discovery of the habit loop．
B. The automatic pattern of habits．
C. The research on the habit-forming process．
D. The brain's dependence on automatic routines．

Two good friends，Sam and Jason，met with a car accident on their way home one snowy night．The next morning，Sam woke up blind．His legs were broken．The doctor，Mr Lee，was standing by his bed，looking at him worriedly．When he saw Sam awake，he asked，"How are you feeling，Sam？"Sam smiled and said，"Not bad，Doctor．Thank you very much for doing the special operation．"Mr Lee was moved by Sam．When he was leaving，Sam said，"Please don't tell Jason about it．""Well…Well…OK，"Mr Lee replied．
Months later when Jason's wounds healed，Sam was still very sick．He couldn't see or walk．He could do nothing but stay in his wheelchair all day long．At first，Jason stayed with him for a few days．But days later，Jason thought it boring to spend time with a disabled man like Sam．So he went to see Sam less and less．He made new friends．From then on，he didn't go to visit Sam any more．Sam didn't have any family or friends except Jason．He felt very sad．
Things went from bad to worse．Sam died a year later．When Jason came，Mr Lee gave him a letter from Sam．In the letter Sam said，"Dear Jason，I am disabled．But I want you to be a healthy man．So I gave my eyes to you so that you can enjoy life as a healthy man．Now you have new friends．I'm glad to see that you are as healthy and happy as usual．I'm glad you live a happy life．You are always my best friend…Sam．"When he finished reading the letter，Mr Lee said，"I have promised that I will keep this a secret until Sam is gone．Now you know it．"
Jason stood there like a stone．Tears ran down his face．



The car accident happened ______ ．

A. only to Sam
B. on a cold evening
C. the next morning
D. on the way to work

Sam thanked Mr Lee mainly because Mr Lee ______ ．

A. saved his friend Jason's life
B. was very kind and friendly to him
C. came to see him early in the morning
D. did the operation according to his wish

Which of the following is the correct order of events in the story？ ______
a．Jason made new friends．
b．Sam gave his eyes to Jason．
c．Sam and Jason met with a car accident．
d．Jason felt bored when staying with Sam．
e．Sam died and Jason knew the truth．

A. c-b-d-a-e B. d-c-b-e-a C. d-a-c-b-e D. c-d-b-e-a

After we finish reading Sam's letter，we can infer（推断）that ______ ．

A. Sam caused the car accident
B. Sam's operation was not successful
C. Jason was made blind in the car accident
D. Jason knew how Sam helped him before Sam died．

Diana Jacobs thought her family had a workable plan to pay for college for her 21-year-old twin sons：a combination of savings，income，scholarships，and a modest amount of borrowing．Then her husband lost his job，and the plan fell apart．
"I have two kids in college，and I want to say'come home，"but at the same time I want to provide them with a good education，"says Jacobs．
The Jacobs family did work out a solution：They asked and received more aid from the schools，and each son increased his borrowing to the maximum amount through the federal loan （贷款） program．They will each graduate with﹩20，000 of debt，but at least they will be able to finish school．
With unemployment rising，financial aid administrators expect to hear more families like the Jacobs．More students are applying for aid，and more families expect to need student loans．College administrators are concerned that they will not have enough aid money to go around．
At the same time，tuition（学费）continues to rise．A report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education found that college tuition and fees increased 439% from 1982to 2007，while average family income rose just 147%．Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade，
"If we go on this way for another 25years，we won't have an affordable system of higher education，"says Patrick M．Callan，president of the center．"The middle class families have been financing it through debt．They will send kids to college whatever it takes，even if that means a huge amount of debt．"
Financial aid administrators have been having a hard time as many companies decide that student loans are not profitable enough and have stopped making them．The good news，however，is that federal loans account for about three quarters of student borrowing，and the government says that money will flow uninterrupted．



How did the Jacobs manage to solve their problem？ ______

A. They asked their kids to come home．
B. They borrowed $20，000 from the school．
C. They encouraged their twin sons to do part-time jobs．
D. They got help from the school and the federal government．

Financial aid administrators believe that ______ ．

A. more families will face the same problem as the Jacobs family
B. the government will receive more letters of complaint
C. college tuition fees will double soon
D. America's unemployment will fall

What can we learn about the middle class families from the text？ ______

A. They blamed the government for the tuition increase．
B. Their income remained steady in the last decade．
C. They will try their best to send kids to college．
D. Their debts will be paid off within 25years．

According to the last paragraph，the government will ______ ．

A. provide most students with scholarships
B. dismiss some financial aid administrators
C. stop the companies from making student loans
D. go on providing financial support for college students．

What would you think if someone suggested knocking down St Paul's Cathedral to widen the road？Or pulling down Big Ben to make way for a car park？It would be ridiculous，right？But when it comes to destruction of the natural world，we aren't so easily shocked．But we should be…or we'll be in a lot of trouble．
Nature is shrinking by the day．Ancient forests are destroyed．Wetlands are becoming dry．Woodland is disappearing，and all in the name of progress．This is bad in itself，but it's destructing for biodiversity．
Biodiversity refers to the variety of plants，animals and other living things that are all interconnected．The ecological services provided by biodiversity are vital to everyday life．The air we breathe is a product of photosynthesis（光合作用） by green plants．Insects，worms and bacteria break down waste and make soils rich．And tiny organisms clean the water in rivers and sea．In fact，all life on the earth exists thanks to the benefits of biodiversity．More than 90 percent of the calories consumed by people worldwide are produced from 80 plant species．And 30 percent of medicines are developed from plants and animals．Maintaining a wide diversity of species in each ecosystem is necessary to preserve all living things．
The loss of biodiversity could be devastating．"It is wrong to think that biodiversity can be reduced indefinitely without threatening humans，"said Harvard University biologist Edward O．Wilson，known as the"father of biodiversity"．He warned，"We are about to reach a critical point beyond which biodiversity loss will become irreversible （不可挽回的）．"
But what can we do？The present problem is that the concept of biodiversity is not so clear．People might care about giant pandas，but it is much harder to excite them about the fate of tiny sea creatures which are being boiled to death in the cooling systems of power stations along coastlines．The Guardian newspaper is trying to help． It has launched the Biodiversity 100 campaign to try to convince governments around the world to take action to deal with the widespread concerns about biodiversity．This includes persuading the UK government to create a series of marine reserves to reserve the decrease in the sea-life caused by industrial fishing，stopping fishing sharks by the Japanese fishermen and banning the killing of dingoes （澳洲野犬） in Australia，among many other things．
There is a lot to do．And we'd better act quickly if we don't want to end up with a planet that can't sustain （维持） life!



The writer thinks it ______ to pull down Big Ben to make way for a car park．

A. unreasonable
B. necessary
C. difficult
D. risky

The underlined sentence"Nature is shrinking by the day．"Tells us that ______ ．

A. nature is being polluted by human beings
B. the number of species are reducing day by day
C. rainforests are being cut down every day
D. nature will be totally destroyed in a few days

When it comes to biodiversity，the present problem is that ______ ．

A. people might not know exactly what to do for biodiversity
B. people are not aware that giant pandas are endangered
C. people don't realize that biodiversity is vital to everyday life
D. people hunt and boil sea creatures for food

What does the underlined word"It"in paragraph 5 refer to？ ______

A. The UK government．
B. The concept of biodiversity．
C. The action to deal with the problem．
D. The Guardian newspaper．