Have you ever seen a real night sky that looks like Van Gogh’s Starry Night? I hope not! So, why would an artist paint the sky this way? Perhaps I can answer that with another question. When you’re happy, why do you sing instead of speaking? Or when you’re in love, why do you speak of roses and honey? When we do these things, we, too are artists. We’re using something that goes beyond a mere scientific description in order to communicate our feelings more powerfully than straightforward words can. So consider for a moment that Van Gogh might not have been hallucinating on the night he painted this. Maybe he felt something so powerful that he had to go beyond the familiar to express it.
I hope I’m reminding you of something you already know as I describe the experience of being outside at night under a crystal clear sky that makes everything seem clean and refreshing. So you look up. And suddenly you see the sky that you’ve seldom seen before. It’s not just the same old dark night sky tonight. Instead, the blackness is a deep, rich blue that is more bottomless than any ocean. The stars are not spots of light but brilliant, magical diamonds that dance like tiny angels. In just this special moment, the sky is somehow alive, and it seems to speak to you silently about the meaning of infinity.
Now look at the painting again. Can you see something of what makes this such a famous and well-loved image? But there’s more here than that. Van Gogh painted this while he was quite struck down by a mental disease. It is natural to imagine that he frequently battled the fear that he would never escape his prison to true freedom. It is natural for us to imagine this because each of us has faced our own personal prison, whether it be disease, the loss of a loved one, serious financial problems … In such moments it is tempting to give up to despair and collapse in hopelessness.
Looking at this painting, I imagine Van Gogh in just such a moment of despair, when he is struck by the memory of one of those amazing night skies. He recalls the sense that he is not alone, that there is a living, infinite world with rich colorful creatures and scenes all around.
And so the sky flows across the canvas full of vitality and power. The stars don’t just sparkle; they explode. Looking closer, we notice that the earth itself seems to respond to the movement in the sky, forming its own living waves in the mountain and rolling trees. In the sleepy village, the windows of the houses glow with the same light that brightens the universe. The giant trees at the left seem to capture the joy by stretching upwards toward the sky.
What a tremendous message of hope there is in this masterpiece! Even if our troubles persist, the world around us assures us that life is worth living. That’s what the angels sing about. Doesn’t it make you want to sing, too?
1.Looking at the painting Starry Night, we can see all the following except ________.
A. the singing angelsB. the giant trees
C. the sleeping villageD. the sparkling stars
2.Van Gogh does NOT describe a feeling of ________ through the Starry Night.
A. happinessB. vitalityC. powerD. despair
3.What is the main purpose of this passage?
A. To explain how Van Gogh painted the Starry Night.
B. To tell us how to appreciate the Starry Night.
C. To prove Van Gogh was in a hallucinating state of mind while painting the picture.
D. To show us the beauty of the sky on a Starry Night.
Energy independence. It has a nice ring to it. Doesn’t it? If you think so, you’re not alone, because energy independence has been the dream of American president for decades, and never more so than in the past few years, when the most recent oil price shock has been partly responsible for kicking off the great recession.
“Energy independence” and its rhetorical (修辞的) companion “energy security” are, however, slippery concepts that are rarely though through. What is it we want independence from, exactly?
Most people would probably say that they want to be independent from imported oil. But there are reasons that we buy all that oil from elsewhere.
The first reason is that we need it to keep our economy running. Yes, there is a trickle（涓涓细流）of biofuel available, and more may become available, but most biofuels cause economic waste and environmental destruction.
Second, Americans have basically decided that they don’t really want to produce all their own oil. They value the environmental quality they preserve over their oil imports from abroad. Vast areas of the United States are off-limits(禁止) to oil exploration and production in the name of environmental protection. To what extent are Americans really willing to endure the environmental impacts of domestic energy production in order to cut back imports?
Third, there are benefits to trade. It allows for economic efficiency, and when we buy things from places that have lower production costs than we do, we benefit. And although you don’t read about this much, the United States is also a large exporter of oil products, selling about 2 million barrels of petroleum products per day to about 90 countries.
There is no question that the United States imports a great deal of energy and, in fact, relies on that steady flow to maintain its economy. When that flow is interrupted, we feel the pain in short supplies and higher prices, At the same time, we derive(得到，获得) massive economic benefits when we buy the most affordable energy on the world market and when we engage in energy trade around the world.
1.What does the author say about energy independence for America?
A. It sounds very attractive.
C. It will bring oil prices down.
B. It ensures national security.
D. It has long been everyone’s dream.
2.Why does America rely heavily on oil imports?
A. It wants to expand its storage of crude oil.
B. Its own oil reserves are quickly running out.
C. It wants to keep its own environment intact.
D. Its own oil production falls short of demand.
3.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A. To arouse Americans’ awareness of the energy crisis.
B. To stress the importance of energy conservation.
C. To explain the increase of international oil trade.
D. To justify(证明… 有理的) America’s dependence on oil imports.
Our risk of cancer rises dramatically as we age. So it makes sense that the elderly should be routinely screened for new tumors — or doesn’t it?
While such vigilant(警觉的) tracking of cancer is a good thing in general, researchers are increasingly questioning whether all of this testing is necessary for the elderly. With the percentage of people over age 65 expected to nearly double by 2050, it’s important to weigh the health benefits of screening against the risks and costs of routine testing.
In many cases, screening can lead to additional biopsies(活检) and surgeries to remove cancer, which can cause side effects, while the cancers themselves may be slow-growing and may not pose serious health problems in patients’ remaining years. But the message that everyone must screen for cancer has become so ingrained(根深蒂固的) that when health care experts recommended that women under 50 and over 74 stop screening for breast cancer, it caused a riotous reaction among doctors, patients and advocacy groups.
It’s hard to uproot deeply held beliefs about cancer screening with scientific data. Certainly, there are people over age 75 who have had cancers detected by routine screening, and gained several extra years of life because of treatment. And clearly, people over age 75 who have other risk factors for cancer, such as a family history or prior personal experience with the disease, should continue to get screened regularly. But for the remainder, the risk of cancer, while increased at the end of life, must be balanced with other factors like remaining life expectancy(预期寿命).
A recent study suggests that doctors start to make more objective decisions about who will truly benefit from screening—especially considering the explosion of the elderly that will soon swell our population.
It’s not an easy calculation to make, but one that make sense for the whole patient. Dr. Otis Brawley said, “Many doctors are ordering these tests purely to cover themselves. We need to think about the rational(合理的) use of health care and stop talking about the rationing of health care.”
That means making some difficult decisions with elderly patients, and going against the misguided belief that when it comes to health care, more is always better.
1.Why do doctors recommend routine cancer screening for elderly people?
A. It is believed to contribute to long life.
B. It is part of their health care package.
C. The elderly are more sensitive about their health.
D. The elderly are in greater danger of tumor(肿瘤) growth.
2.How do some researchers now look at routine cancer screening for the elderly?
A. It adds too much to their medical bills.
B. It helps increase their life expectancy.
C. They are doubtful about necessity.
D. They think it does more than good.
3.What is the conventional view about women screening for breast cancer?
A. It applies to women over 50.
B. It is a must for adult women.
C. It is optional for young women.
D. It doesn’t apply to women over 74.
4.Why do many doctors prescribe routine screening for cancer?
A. They want to protect themselves against medical disputes.
B. They want to take advantage of the medical care system.
C. They want data for medical research.
D. They want their patients to suffer less.
—The manager of the factory wants to improve production a great deal, but he doesn’t spend much on technology.
—I am afraid he won’t realize his dream. You know ________.
A. you can’t eat your cake and have it
B. empty vessels make the greatest sound
C. enough is as good as a feast
D. two heads are better than one
________ must you destroy the environment when you do it.
A. In no timeB. With no doubt
C. For no reasonD. On no account
Most of them are out attending an important meeting, so there are not ________ enough people here to do the job.
A. almostB. nearlyC. hardlyD. seldom
