Now many 3D film directors tend to use state-of-the-art technology to       the story         , so that the films attract audience’s attention very much.

A. bring; to light                 B. get; across

C. bring; to life                   D. get; through

 

The research carried out by the University of Bad in Italy could help prove hospitals who are accused of wasting money on art and decoration as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients ease discomfort and pain.
A team headed by Professor Marina de Tommaso at the Neurophysiopathology
Pain Unit asked a group of men and women to pick the 20 paintings they considered
most ugly and most beautiful from a selection of 300 works by artists such as
Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. They were then asked to look at either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly painting, or a blank panel while the team zapped(照射) a short laser pulse at their hand, creating a sensation as if they had been stuck by a pin. The subjects rated the pain as being a third less intense while they were
viewing the beautiful paintings, compared with when looking at the ugly paintings
or the blank panel. Electrodes measuring the brain's electrical activity also confirmed a reduced resoonse to the pain when the subject looked at beautiful paintings.
While distractions, such as music, are known to reduce pain in hospital patients,Prof de Tommaso says this is the first result to show that beauty plays a part.
The findings, reported in New Scientist, also go a long way to show that
beaufiful surroundings could aid the healing process.
"Hospitals have been designed to be functional, but we think that their artistic aspects should be taken into account too," said the neurologist."Beauty boyiously offers a distraction that ugly paintings do not. But at least there is no suggestion that ugly surroundings make the pain worse. I think these results show that more research is needed into the field how a beautiful environment can alleviate suffering."
Pictures they liked included Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and Botticellis Birth of Venus. Pictures they found ugly included works by pablo Picasso, the Italian 20th century artist Anonio Bueno and Columbian Fernando Botero." These people were not art experts so some of the pictures they found ugly would be considered masterpieces by the art world," said Prof de Tommaso.
【小题1】The underlined word "alleviate" in the fifth paragraph probably means"______".

A．cure

B．ease

C．improve

D．kill

【小题2】How many artists have been mentioned in the passage?                    

A．4.

B．5.

C．6.

D．7.

【小题3】 Which of the following is TURE about the view of Prof de Tommaso's?

A．Beautiful surroundings could help to heal sufferings completely.

B．Hospitals must take their artistic aspects into consideration first.

C．Ugly surroundings will surely make the pain worse.

D．Both music and beauty can reduce pain in hospital patients.

【小题4】From the last paragraph, we know that_______.

A．some artists' paintings were beautiful, so they were masterpieces

B．only art experts could judge they were masterpieces or not, though ugly

C．the artists mentioned above were not really art masters.

D．some of them were art masters, while others were not.

【小题5】Which of the following is the suitable title for the passage?

A．Beautiful surroundings can ease pain.

B．Ugly paintings could be masterpieces.

C．More research should be done in he field.

D．Latest environmental research.

Americans have contributed to many art forms, but jazz, a type music, is one of the art form that was started in the United States. Black Americans, who sang and played the music of their homeland, created jazz.

Jazz is a mixture of the music of Africa, the work songs the slaves sang, and religious(宗教) music. Improvisation is an important part of jazz. This means that the musicians make the music up as they go along, or create the music on the spot. This is why a jazz song might sound a little different each time it is played.

Jazz bands formed in the late 1800s. They played in bars and clubs in many towns and cities of the South, especially New Orleans. New Orleans is an international seaport, and people from all over the world come to New Orleans to hear jazz.

Jazz became more and more popular. By the 1920s, jazz was popular all over the United States. By the 1940s, you could hear jazz not only in clubs and bars, but in concert halls as well. Today, people from all over the world play jazz. Jazz musicians from the United　States, Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe meet and share their music at festivals on every continent. In this way jazz continues to grow and change.

1.What can be the best title of the passage?

A．American art forms. 　 　　　　          B．The development of jazz.

C．The music of black Americans.　            D．The birthplace of jazz.

2.Which of the following is true?

A．Jazz is now popular all over the world.

B．Jazz is now a kind of religious music.

C．Jazz is now played only in bars and clubs.

D．Jazz is now played a little differently sometimes.

3.From the text it can be inferred that_________ .

A．New Orleans is the place where jazz was first produced

B．the American people are all jazz lovers

C．jazz is merely sung by the black when working

D．jazz may become more popular as time goes on

4.It took about ________ years to make jazz popular in the United States.

A．200              B．120              C．80               D．140

 

“Image is everything.” An entire industry has been built upon the assumption that image is everything, but when it comes down to it, an appealing image is not enough. If there is no substance（事实）behind the image, the product, service or person will fail eventually.

First of all, one should consider how important image is in the selling of products and services. Advertising agencies have raised the art of creating an image to a state of near perfection. Public concept of that product or service is certainly managed by the images created by the advertising agencies．But if the product or service does not live up to the image that was created, the customer will be very dissatisfied and possibly ask for their money back. For example, the Arthur Andersen accounting firm had spent decades building up an image of trustworthiness. But the recent scandal (丑闻) showed that behind that image, it cheated in business practices. Despite the previous positive image, the firm is being accused of criminal actions and it will probably not survive as a business unit. Although the image had been nearly perfect, the reality behind the image has led to the downfall of the world famous accounting firm.

Similarly, personal advisers can build up a public image for politicians and movie stars. Putting out positive news releases, making sure that only the best photographs are published, and ensuring that the person is seen in all the right places can build up a very positive image in the view of the general commons. But once again, history is filled with examples of both politicians and movie stars that fell from grace like the story of the Hollywood actor giving in to the pressures of fame and fortune. With people, just as with products and services, image is certainly important, but without positive substance behind the image, failure is close.

To summarize, it is clear that an appealing image is extremely important to success, whether that image is related to selling a product or service or to the “selling” of a person. But image is only half of the equation. What lies behind that image is every bit as important as the image itself —— the person or product must deliver on that image or there is little chance for long-term success.

1.The downfall of the Arthour Andersen accounting firm is due to ___________.

A. its dishonesty in business      B. its previous images

C. its bad management                  D. its poor service

2.Why did some famous people fall from grace?

A. Their images were not well built up.

B. They failed to live up to their images.

C. They felt much pressure from the public.

D. They paid little attention to fame and fortune.

3.The structure of the passage is ___________.

A: Argument     P: Point     C: Conclusion

 

4.The author tries to argue that ___________.

A. image creates everything

B. image is the key to success.

C. truth is unlikely ever to be equaled

D. truth and image are equally important

 

The Chinese invented paper in 105 A. D. They mixed the bark of a tree and rags (破布) with water, put a screen into the mixture, and lifted out a thin piece of wet paper. They dried the paper in the sun.
The Chinese kept their secret of how to make paper until a war with Muslims in the ninth century. The art of papermaking soon spread throughout the Muslim world.
The Mayan Indians in Central America and Pacific Islanders also discovered how to make paper, but their knowledge never spread to the rest of the world.
For centuries, all paper was made by hand. Rags were the main material. Then a French scientist discovered that people could make paper from wood, too. Finally, in the eighteenth century. a Frenchman invented a machine to make paper from wood.
【小题1】Who discovered how to make paper?

A．The Chinese.	B．The Pacific Islanders.
C．The Mayan Indians.	D．All of the above.

【小题2】 When did the Chinese invent paper according to the passage?

A．About 1 ,800 years ago.	B．About 1, 900 years ago.
C．About 2, 000 years ago.	D．About 2, 100 years ago.

【小题3】 How was papermaking introduced into the rest of the world from China?

A．Through wars.	B．Through the Muslims.
C．Through the Mayan Indians.	D．Through the Pacific Islanders.

【小题4】Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A．The Invention of Paper.	B．The History of Papermaking.
C．Different Ways of Making Paper.	D．The Invention of a Papermaking Machine.