Since 1984, Philadelphia has been cleaning up its act. One by one, graffiti(涂鸦)-covered walls are
being changed into outdoor art. So far, more than 1,800 murals (壁画) have been painted. Philadelphia
now has more murals than any other American city.
The walls that were once ugly with graffiti are now covered with beautiful pictures of historical heroes
and modern art, thanks to the Mural Arts Program (MAP). Its work makes schools and public places
attractive, and its citizens are very proud. The program began as part of Philadelphia"s Anti-Graffiti
Network. Jane Golden is the MAP"s artistic director. "When people ask me what our program is about,"
she says, "I answer them with one word: hope." Each year, the MAP offers youth art programs and
workshops. Some one-time graffiti writers even help paint MAP murals.
The MAP"s work, says Golden, is all about developing a sense of community (社区). When a
neighborhood requests a mural, the MAP works with the people there to develop a message. Some
messages have been "Safe Streets," "Love and Care," and "Peace Walk."
The MAP receives up to 50 requests for murals each week. Last year, the workers painted 140
murals.
"The making of a mural enters people"s collective memory as an extraordinary, pleasant moment in
neighborhood history" says Golden, who began as a muralist in Los Angeles.
1. What is the Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia aimed at?
A. Helping the young find jobs.
B. Protecting the neighborhood.
C. Fighting against graffiti.
D. Attracting more visitors.
2. How does the MAP decide on the message for a mural?
A. By having discussions with people in the community.
B. By seeking advice from the city government.
C. By learning from the young graffiti writers.
D. By studying the history of the city.
3. Which of the following words best describes the work of the MAP?
A. Difficult.
B. Dangerous.
C. Experimental
D. Successful.
I used to hate myself because I wasn"t "normal". Everyone else could play on the monkey bars and
ride on a bicycle, but not 1 . I had a severe spinal cord disorder (脊髓病) and I knew I would always
be much 2 than others.
I hated going to school and I hated people 3 at me. I hated seeing others smiling broadly and
standing straight and tall. And most of all, I hated looking in the 4 and seeing an ugly hunchback (驼背).
My friends found me 5 because I didn"t let others get close to me. I thought I was going to go on
like this for the rest of my life 6 Angela appeared.
That afternoon, I was sitting by myself in a corner of the school - a spot where no one would 7
me. That"s when I first heard her voice.
"Hi. Can I sit down?"
I raised my head and there she was, with an irresistible smile on her round face.
"What are you looking at?" she asked.
"Ants."
"What are they doing?"
"No idea."
"I bet they"re playing games and making friends. Don"t you think so?"
That was how our 8 started and it didn"t stop. We talked about everything under the sun-the ants,
the clouds, my little niche (处境) - until it was sunset.
Then suddenly, she saw my 9 . She just stared.
My heart sank. What I feared most had happened and I knew for sure she would 10 me now.
She stood up, pointed at my back and said, "I know 11 your back is hunched."
I closed my eyes like a criminal waiting to be sentenced. I begged in my heart for her to 12 , but she
just kept on going. "I know what you"ve got in there. Do you?"
"No," I answered 13 .
She bent and whispered in my ears.
"Your back is hunched because you"ve got a pair of wings from the angels."
I was 14 . I looked into her eyes and her kindness touched my heart. From that day on, I started to
learn to 15 myself because I have the wings of an angel and a kind-hearted friend.
( )1. A. them ( )2. A. sadder ( )3. A. looking ( )4. A. street ( )5. A. distant ( )6. A. after ( )7. A. disturb ( )8. A. games ( )9. A. face ( )10. A. look up to ( )11. A. that ( )12. A. relax ( )13. A. excitedly ( )14. A. astonished ( )15. A. control | B. it B. shorter B. smiling B. sun B. disappointed B. while B. seek B. performance B. back B. catch up with B. how B. leave B. weakly B. ashamed B. like | C. me C. weaker C. aiming C. corner C. hopeless C. since C. comfort C. conversation C. eyes C. look down upon C. whether C. stop C. proudly C. annoyed C. forgive | D. her D. slower D. glaring D. mirror D. unlucky D. until D. ignore D. competition D. wings D. put up with D. why D. forbid D. firmly D. upset D. hate | |||
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Singles Day falls on every November 11th, and as the name indicates, this relatively new holiday is one exclusively for people who are still living the single life. I was a bit surprised when I googled "Singles Day" on the Internet, to find that China is the only country in the world that has set aside a special day for singles to celebrate their lives. To find out more about this celebration, please read on. An old story goes that once there were four single men, leading very boring lives. None of them were married, or had lovers, or did anything exciting. They just sat around all day and played Mahjong. One day they played Mahjong from 11 in the morning until 11 at night. During the game, no matter who won, the winning card was always the "four columns" card (the card shows four independent, parallel columns in two lines). Even more of a coincidence, it was Nov 11, or 11/11. In order to commemorate the day, they nicknamed it Singles Day. Singles Day was first celebrated at various universities in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province during the 1990s. It got the name Singles Day because the date consists of four "ones". These college students have since graduated, and carried their university tradition into society. Singles Day is now a special day for all fashionable youths. The main way to celebrate Singles Day is to have dinner with your single friends, but it"s important that each person pay their own fee to show their independence. People also hold "blind date" parties in an attempt to say goodbye to their single lives. Many singles also choose to say goodbye to their single lives on this day. Many attend "blind date" parties and many people choose to marry on this day. In addition to meaning "single" the four "ones" of the date can also mean "only one" as in "the only one for me." Some people will use this date and this meaning to tell their special someone that they are the only "one" in their heart. 1.Singles Day got its name because _______. A. the persons who play Mahjong are four singles B. the date consists of four "ones" C. only single persons celebrate the day D. it was first celebrated at universities in Nanjing 2.Which of the following is wrong? A. Singles Day was first celebrated in Nanjing"s universities. B. Many singles choose Singles Day to say goodbye to their single lives. C. The only way to celebrate the Singles Day is to have dinner with your single friends. D. It was these college graduated students that carried their university"s tradition into society. 3.We can infer from the passage that ______. A. the four singles did not get married B. Singles Day receives great popularity among young people C. when having dinner, one pays the fee for all his friends D. on Singles Day many attend parties where blind people were present 4.What is the best title for the passage? A. The Origin of Singles Day. B. How to Celebrate Singles Day. C. Singles Day. D. Say Goodbye to Singles Day. | ||||||
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Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5: 30 and at 6: 30 she was expected to be | ||||||
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When I was a child, my mom liked to prepare food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in 1 when she made dinner after a long, hard day at work. That Monday evening so long ago, my mom 2 a plate of eggs, sausage(香肠), and extremely burnt toast in front of my dad. I remember 3 to see if dad noticed! 4 all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom, and ask me how my day was 5 . I don"t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him 6 butter and jelly(果冻) on that toast and eat every 7 ! When I got up from the 8 that evening, I remember hearing my mom 9 to my dad for burning the toast. And I"ll never forget what he said: "Baby, I love 10 toast." Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy goodnight and I asked him if he 11 liked his burnt toast. He 12 me in his arms and said, "Son, your mum put in a 13 day at work today and she"s very 14 . Besides, a little burnt toast never 15 anyone!" Actually, life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. We can"t be 16 at everything we do. What I"ve learned over the years is that learning to accept 17 faults and choosing to celebrate each other"s 18 is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting 19 . If you learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life as they are, you can 20 your life to the fullest. | ||||||
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