A young man wandered through the desert for forty until he reached a beautiful castle at the top of a mountain. There lived the sage that he was looking for.
With considerable patience, the sage listened attentively to the reason for the boy’s visit, but told him that at that moment he did not have time to explain to him the secret of happiness.
He suggested that the young man take a walk around his palace and come back in two hours’ time.
“However, I want to ask you a favor,” he added, banding the boy a teaspoon, in which he poured two drops of oil. “While you walk, carry this spoon and don’t let the oil spill.”
The young man began to climb up and down the palace staircases, always keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. At the end of two hours he returned to the presence of the wise man.
“So,” asked the sage, “did you see the Persian tapestries(挂毯)hanging in my dining room? Did you see the fantastic garden that the Master of Gardeners spent ten years in creating?”
Embarrassed, the young man admitted that he had seen nothing.
“So, go back and see the wonders of my world,” said the wise man. “You can’t trust a man if you don’t know his house.”
Now more at ease, the young man took the spoon and wandered again through the palace, this time paying attention to all the works of art that hung from the ceilings and walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around the palace, and the delicacy of the flowers. Returning to the sage, he reported in detail what he had seen.
“But where are the two drops of oil that I entrusted to you?” asked the Sage.
Looking down at the spoon, the young man realized that he had spilled the oil.
“Well, that is the only advice I have to give you,” said the sage of sages. “The secret of happiness lies in looking at all the wonders of the world and never forgetting the two drops of oil in the spoon.”
1.What was the intention of the young man to travel to look for the sage?
A. To appreciate the most beautiful scenery along the way
B. To experience adventures of the outside world
C. To figure out whether the sage was knowledgeable or not
D. To learn the secret of happiness from the wisest man
2.Which of the following statements is wrong?
A. The sage listened to the young man with patience
B. During his second round of wandering, the young man appreciated the wonders of the castle
C. The young man made it as the sage had expected
D. The young man was too concerned about the oil when he first went around the castle
3.Why did the sage ask the young man to go around his castle with a spoon of two drops of oil?
A. Because he wanted to find out whether the young man was perseverant in accomplishing his goals
B. Because he intended to let the young man know that happiness came at a price
C. Because he wanted to let the young man trust him
D. Because he wanted to help the young man to uncover the secret of happiness in an indirect way
4.What can we learn from the story?
A. We can’t trust a man unless we get familiar with his house
B. Real happiness consists in enjoying our rights and meanwhile fulfilling our duties
C. The search for the secret of happiness demands our devotion
D. It’s not easy to keep balance between enjoyment and commitment
On Sept.15, TripAdvisor, one of the world’s largest travel review websites, named the world’s top 25 museums in its Travelers’ Choice Award according to the reviews and opinions of travelers worldwide. Now let’s take a look at the top four museums which are ranked as follows by the popularity around the world.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
It is the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere, with a collection of 2 million items from more than 5,000 years of world culture. The iconic museum includes important collections from ancient Egypt and medieval Europe as well as ancient Greece and Rome. Here, visitors can get lost in different centuries: They can see the Temple of Dendur from early Egypt, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh’s Wheatfield With Cypresses an US pop Andy Warhol’s Souper Dress, all in one place.
Muse d’Orsay, Paris
Located in the center of Paris on the bank of the River Seine, the Musee d’Orsay houses the world’s most amazing collections of impressionist and post-impressionist art. It offers the chance to view major works from greats like Van Gogh and Claude Monet. The museum is famous for being home to Starry Night over the Rhone, an oil painting by Van Gogh that is often praised along with his masterpiece Starry Night.
Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois
It was named the world’s best museum in 2014. The world-famous Windy City museum houses nearly 300,000 works, including one of the largest collections of modern art, including pieces such as Spanish painter Pablo Picasso’s The Old Guitarist, US artist Georgia O’Keeffe’s Black Cross and French artist Henri Matisse’s Bathers by a River. A TripAdvisor reviewer commented, “No matter how many times I visit, it never gets old. Paintings from every era, works fro every great artist.”
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid
Nowhere is able to present the entire history of Spanish art like the Museo Nacional del Prado.
Here, visitors can enjoy a detailed view of the Spanish school of the Modern Age. Outstanding masterpieces by artists such as Diego Velazquez, Francisco Goya and Joaquiin Sorolla make up an internationally-famous collection. The Italian school is another highlight of the museum’s collection, as it includes the 15th century masterpieces such as The Annunciation by Fra Angelico, The Death of the Virgin by Andrea Mantegna and The Dead Christ Supported by Angels by Antonello da Messina.
1.How is the Metropolitan Museum of Art different from the other three museums?
A. It is the largest art museum in the world
B. It is so big that visitors may easily get lost in it
C. It is the most popular museum of the four museums
D. Its main collection is from ancient Egypt and medieval Europe
2.If you are interested in impressionist art, _____ is a place you cannot miss.
A. Metropolitan Museum of Art B. Musee d’Orsay
C. Art Institute of Chicago D. Museo Nacional del Prado
3.Which is a correct match of the painting and the museum?
A. Pablo Picasso’s The Old Guitarist—Musee d’Orsay
B. Henri Matisse’s Bathers by a River—Metropolitan Museum of Art
C. Vincent van Gogh’s Wheatfield With Cypresses—Art Institute of Chicago
D. Andrea Mantegna’s The Death of the Virgin---Museo Nacional del Prado
中秋佳节即将到来，请你给你的美国网友Mike写封信介绍这个中国的传统节日，内容应包括：
1.中秋节的时间和含义；
2.中秋节的活动习俗；
3.你打算如何度过今年的中秋。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.农历：lunar calendar
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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。
Are you afraid of delivering a speech before people?I can well remember his first speech which was titled A Real Test in My Life at the age of 9!You can't imagine how terrible shy I was the moment I thought of that—with so many eyes fixed in me.I have no choice but prepare for it,though.When a real moment came,I stood on the platform with my legs trembled and my mind blank.Although it was hard for me to find myself back,but I made it!From then on,I gradually turned out to be a great speakers without any fear of talking.
Where do you want to send your boys to study?A mixed school or a boys' school?1.(traditional),boys and girls attend a mixed school,where they study together.But boys in a single-sex school2.(say) to be more likely to get involved in3.(culture) and artistic activities that help develop their emotional expressiveness than4.(teach) alongside girls,according to the findings of some researchers.
They say in a single-sex school teachers can tailor lessons to boys’ learning style,5.they can also encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with "boy-focused"6.(approach) that appeal to them.For example,they are more active and can learn best through touch,so letting them move around7.classroom and getting them8.(compete) in teams can prevent boredom.“What's more,boys in a single-sex school won't feel forced to act9.men before they understand10.(them) well enough to know what that means.”the study reported.
A gentle breeze blew through Jennifer's hair.The golden red sun was____.She was on the beach,looking up at the fiery（火似的）ball.She was____by its color,deep red in the middle,softly fading into yellow.She could hear nothing but the____and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.
The atmosphere____her.After all she had been through,this was what she needed.“It's getting____,”she thought, “I must go home.My____will be wondering where I am.”She wondered how they would____,when she got home after the three days she was____.She kept on walking,____herself to the bungalow where she spent every summer holiday.The road was deserted.She walked slowly and____.Just in a few hundred meters she would be safe in her house.
It was really getting dark now.The sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold,too.She____she had her favorite sweater on—it kept her really warm.She imagined having it____her.This thought disappeared when she finally saw her front door.It seemed____.The outside garden seemed____.She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy.
She entered the house.First,she went into the kitchen where she saw a____written by her father.It said, “Ellen, there is some coffee____.
I went looking.”Ellen was her mother but—where was she? She entered her parent's home.Then she saw her. Her mother,lying on the bed,____.Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired.So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her.When Jennifer woke up,something was different.She was in her cozy____in her pajamas（睡衣）.
It felt so good being back home.____she heard a voice,“Are you feeling better now?You know you got us very, very____.”
1.A. disappearing B. setting C. rising D. shining
2.A. amazed B. excited C. disappointed D. frightened
3.A. music B. waves C. wind D. streams
4.A. surprised B. confused C. relaxed D. exhausted
5.A. early B. cold C. warm D. late
6.A. teachers B. friends C. brothers D. parents
7.A. blame B. enjoy C. react D. cry
8.A. ill B. missing C. travelling D. sad
9.A. pointing B. enjoying C. directing D. teaching
10.A. easily B. silently C. happily D. willingly
11.A. believed B. wished C. guessed D. judged
12.A. with B. for C. at D. in
13.A. same B. familiar C. difficult D. different
14.A. crowded B. tidy C. deserted D. clean
15.A. text B. note C. letter D. sentence
16.A. ready B. gone C. present D. available
17.A. cried B. laughed C. coughed D. slept
18.A. chair B. room C. bed D. study
19.A. Fortunately B. Similarly C. Suddenly D. Constantly
20.A. moved B. lost C. inspired D. scared
