The white swan(天鹅) is among the most beautiful of birds. 1.. It floats quietly on the water, unable to sing sweet songs like most other birds.
In ancient times, however, people believed that the swan was given a special gift of song at the end of its life.
2..
The story of the swan's last song found a place in the works of other writers, including the early English writers Chaucer and Shakespeare.
3.. At first, swan song meant the last work of a poet, musician or writer. Now, it means the final effort of any person. Someone's swan song usually is also considered that person's finest work.
4.. The expression may be used to describe a politician's last campaign, his final attempt to win the cheers and votes of the people. The last hurrah also can mean the last acts of a politician, before his term in office ends.
Writer Edwin O'Connor made the expression popular in 1956. He wrote a book about the final years in the political life of a long-time mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. 5..
Some language experts say the expression came from a name given to noisy supporters of Andrew Jackson—America's seventh president. They cheered hurrah so loudly for Andy Jackson during his presidential campaign that they became known as the hurrah boys.
A. It is mostly silent through its life.
B. He called his book "The Last Hurrah".
C. It is often a symbol of love in many writers' works.
D. A political expression with a similar meaning is the last hurrah.
E. They believed a swan sings a most beautiful song just before it dies.
F. They believed the story of the swan's last song was lost to the world.
G. The expression swan song has long been a part of the English language.
In London's art gallery six or seven men, mostly in their 30s, are busy painting the walls with new designs in colorful lettering and clever tricks. Tins of spray paint and beer stand on the ground. The atmosphere is not unlike that of a golf course: a mix of concentration and relaxation.
Graffiti(涂鸦) painting is traditionally a daring hobby. Teenagers avoid security guards to put their names on trains and buses. But over the past decade that has almost disappeared from Britain's cities. Between 2007 and 2012 the number of incidents of graffiti recorded by the British Transport Police fell by 63%. A survey by the environment ministry shows that fewer places are damaged by tags(绘名) than ever. Graffiti are increasingly limited to only a few walls. In time the practice may die out entirely.
The most obvious reason for the decline in tagging and train-painting is better policing, says Keegan Webb, who runs The London Vandal, a graffiti blog (博客). Numerous cameras mean it is harder to get away with painting illegally. And punishments are more severe. A generational change is apparent, too. Now teenagers prefer to play with iPads and video games. Those who do get involved tend to prefer street art to graffiti. And the internet helps painters win far more attention by posting pictures online than they can by breaking into a railway yard.
Taggers and graffiti artists mostly grew up in the 1980s and 1990s. Those men are now older and less willing to take risks. "We can't run away from the police any more," says Ben Eine, who turned from tagging to street art. The hip-hop culture that inspired graffiti in the first place has faded. Video games and comic books provide more inspiration than music.
Graffiti may eventually disappear. But for now the hobby is almost respectable. Mr Eine says he has lots of friends who used to paint trains. Now with wives and children, they paint abandoned houses at the weekend. It has become something to do on a Sunday afternoon—a slightly healthier alternative to sitting watching the football.
1.How do the painters feel while painting graffiti according to the first paragraph?
A. Free and focused. B. Free but stressed.
C. Particular and respected. D. Nervous but satisfied.
2.Why is graffiti painting traditionally considered as a daring hobby?
A. It takes much hard training.
B. It's at the risk of being caught.
C. It's dangerous to paint in trains.
D. It needs a great deal of knowledge.
3.What does the underlined word “decline” in the third paragraph refer to?
A. Reduction of graffiti. B. Ban of government.
C. Disappearance of graffiti. D. Better policing of government.
4.What conclusion can we draw from the fourth paragraph?
A. Graffiti artists like to be the focuses in public.
B. The early graffiti had something to do with music.
C. Graffiti artists regret over what they did in the past.
D. Painting is much healthier than watching football.
Consider the tomato: easy to grow, healthy to eat, tasty in just about any recipe and pleasant to look at. And come late summer, in steady supply. Though you can find it during the coldest winter months, August is the tomato's season to shine. Farmers' markets and grocery stores are bursting with lesser-known but arguably tastier varieties, including purple cherries and big heirlooms.
"Heirlooms ripened on the vine(藤) are the tastiest of all tomatoes," says Amy Goldman Fowler, author of The Heirloom Tomato. "I think their beauty is more than skin-deep." Heirloom seeds have been around for at least 50 years, often passed down from generation to generation. You may hear cherry or heirloom used to describe a tomato at hand, but there are many different kinds of tomatoes, and growers hav
e fun giving catchy names to varieties: Mortgage Lifters, Beefsteaks, Oxhearts, Early Girls.
And all of them come with health benefits. Tomatoes are a good source of the antioxidant lycopene (抗氧化番茄红素), which is thought to help lower a person's risk for heart problems and cancer. Tomatoes also contain healthy vitamins(维生素) A and C. For the best fruit (they're fruits, not vegetables), choose tomatoes with shiny, firm skin and a little give, and store them at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Keep them out of the fridge, since cold temperatures can affect the original taste.
"They satisfy something more than just taste," says Fowler. "Tomatoes feed your soul."
1.In which season do tomatoes sell best?
A. Spring. B. Summer.
C. Autumn. D. Winter.
2.What can you learn from the passage?
A. Tomatoes are healthy vegetables.
B. Direct sunlight helps to store tomatoes.
C. Tomatoes go bad more quickly in the fridge.
D. Heirlooms are tastier than the other tomatoes.
3.Why do tomatoes benefit people?
A. They can produce antioxidant lycopene.
B. They may prevent some diseases.
C. They can be used as medicine.
D. They may make people's skin shiny.
In the town of Whitesburg, Kentucky, Mick Polly is known as the bike man. Over the past five years, Mick has built hundreds of bicycles for needy kids.
One day in 2011, a 13-year-old boy with a broken bike walked by Mick's house. "I was working in my garage, and he asked if I could fix it." says Mick, now 53. The boy left his bike with Mick, who asked friends on Facebook if they had the missing part. The town's former police chief saw the post and donated two used bicycles. Mick took parts from each to engineer a new set of wheels for the boy.
Soon after, Mick repaired a bike for the boy's brother and assembled one for his sister. Word spread, and within the year, he had fixed up dozens of bikes for local kids whose parents couldn't afford to buy new ones.
"The people in this town don't have much, but they'll do anything for the children." says Mick Polly. He stores the bikes and bike parts in his garage. "I take off the good tires or the handlebars or the seat and use them."
To date, the bike man has repaired hundreds of cycles and given away nearly 700 newly constructed bikes. They're free, but the kids must agree to two things: They've got to "mind whoever's raising them." and they've got to try in school.
If a kid's grades are low, Mick requires a teacher's note "saying that you're doing your best." Mick says.
Mick also hopes the bikes will get kids off the couch(沙发). "When I was growing up, we all rode our bikes," he says. "Hopefully these kids can get some exercise."
1.How did Mick build his bikes?
A. With the designs from Facebook.
B. With the parts bought from others.
C. With the broken parts collected from other garages.
D. With the good parts of the used bikes donated by others.
2.Which of the following can replace the underlined word "assembled" in the Paragraph 4?
A. Built. B. Sold.
C. Donated. D. Stored.
3.Which of the following can describe Mick Polly best?
A. Skillful. B. Popular.
C. Caring D. Enthusiastic.
假如你是李华，你的美国网友David给你写信，询问近年来多次袭击中国华北的雾霾情况。请你给他写封回信，感谢他的关注，简述雾霾的危害并谈谈你的看法。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数；
4. 参考词汇：雾霾smog。
Dear David,
I’m glad to receive your letter._________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
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Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下短文。短文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I as well as my family are going to New York City this weekend. I had been looking forward to go there for a long time. It is one of the modernist city in the world. There have also a lot of museums where you can learn something you can’t learn it in school. I’d also like to see the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. Unfortunately, the twin towers destroyed on September 11th, 2001 and I would have the chance to see them by myself. Now I am getting ready for the excited trip. I bet it will be a unforgettable experience.
