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题型:阅读理解 题类:真题 难易度:普通

The values of artistic works, according to cultural relativism(相对主义), are simply reflections of local social and economic conditions. Such a view, however, fails to explain the ability of some works of art to excite the human mind across cultures and through centuries.

History has witnessed the endless productions of Shakespearean plays in every major language of the world. It is never rare to find that Mozart packs Japanese concert halls, as Japanese painter Hiroshige does Paris galleries, Unique works of this kind are different from today's popular art, even if they began as works of popular art. They have set themselves apart in their timeless appeal and will probably be enjoyed for centuries into the future.

               In a 1757 essay, the philosopher David Hume argued that because“the general principles of taste are uniform(不变的) in human nature,”the value of some works of art might be essentially permanent. He observed that Homer was still admired after two thousand years. Works of this type, he believed, spoke to deep and unvarying features of human nature and could continue to exist over centuries.

               Now researchers are applying scientific methods to the study of the universality of art. For example, evolutionary psychology is being used by literary scholars to explain the long-lasting themes and plot devices in fiction. The structures of musical pieces are now open to experimental analysis as never before. Research findings seem to indicate that the creation by a great artist is as permanent an achievement as the discovery by a great scientist.

(1)、According to the passage, what do we know about cultural relativism?

A、It introduces different cultural values. B、It explains the history of artistic works. C、It relates artistic values to local conditions. D、It excites the human mind throughout the world.
(2)、In Paragraph 2, the artists are mentioned in order to show that _____

A、great works of art can go beyond national boundaries B、history gives art works special appeal to set them apart C、popular arts are hardly distinguishable from great arts D、great artists are skilled at combining various cultures
(3)、According to Hume, some works of art can exist for centuries because_____

A、they are results of scientific study B、they establish some general principles of art C、they are created by the world's greatest artists D、they appeal to unchanging features of human nature
(4)、Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

A、Are Artistic Values Universal? B、Are Popular Arts Permanent? C、Is Human Nature Uniform? D、Is Cultural Relativism Scientific?
举一反三
阅读理解

    There was once a guy who suffered from cancer, a cancer that can't be cured. One day he was sick of staying home and wanted to go out. He passed a CD store and looked through the front door for a second. He saw a beautiful girl about his age and he knew it was love at first sight. He opened the door and walked in, not looking at anything else but her. He walked closer and closer until he was finally at the front desk where she sat.

    She looked up and asked, “Can I help you?” She smiled and he thought it was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen before. He said, “UH…Yeah…Umm… I would like to buy a CD.” He picked one out and gave her money for it. “Would you like me to pack it for you?” she asked, smiling her cute smile again. He nodded and she went to the back. She came back with the packed CD and gave it to him.

     From then on, he went to that store every day and bought a CD. He took the CD home and put it in his closet. He was still too shy to ask her out. His mother found out about this and encouraged him. So the next day, he took all his courage and left his phone number on the desk before he ran out.

    Several weeks later the phone rang, and the mother picked it up. It was the girl!!! The mother started to cry and said, “You don't know? He passed away yesterday…” Later that day, the mother went into the boy's room and opened the closet. Inside were piles and piles of unopened CDs. She picked one up and opened it. Out fell a piece of paper, saying: “Do you want to go out with me? Love, Jocelyn.” The mother was deeply moved and opened another CD… Again, there was a piece of paper with the same words.

根据短文内容,选择最佳答案,并将选定答案的字母标号填在题前括号内。

阅读理解

    “The car of tomorrow” runs one of the most famous businesses in advertising. People used to believe that science would promise a future of endless spare time and very cheap electricity. Nowadays the scientists' predictions are a great deal less optimistic: a world challenged by climate change and decreasing resources.

    In fact, “the car of the future” is just a symbol of hope. Carbon emis-Investment in new technology to maximize efficiency (效率) and minimize environmental damage is not only cleaning up the automobile producers' act but is also setting an example to other industries.

    It's said that most cars of today run at about 15 per cent efficiency, which does highlight the potential (突显潜力) for improvement. Get it right, and we could continue to enjoy the freedom that comes with owning a car, without the worries.

    Of course, many advances have already been made. There's evidence that the buying public is eager to switch to cleaner, greener cars. And with petrol prices increasing there is no doubt that economical, efficient engines are going to be in ever greater demand.

    The good news is that we can all drive “the car of tomorrow” today, without having to worry about the purchase cost. By choosing our holiday hire cars wisely we can cut down on our fuel costs and experience an eco-friendly drive whether or not we have already made the commitment back home. What's more, we are caring for the beautiful places we love to holiday in. Hire a green car and you make a difference to the environment.

    Designers will always enjoy catching our imagination with “concept cars” that look more like miniature spaceships than anything you see on the highway. Whether vehicles as radical (激进的) as these creations will eventually become family cars remains to be seen. But, for the moment, there's no doubt at all what “the car of tomorrow” will be, and it's here today: something familiar and friendly that does its job with considerably less trouble and much greater efficiency than the car of yesterday.

阅读理解
                                                                                           Winchester Poetry Prize

    This contest from the Winchester Poetry Festival is intended for “surprise and delight”. However, don't try to surprise and delight them with a short story or a photo of your cat dancing in a Tutu. Stick to a poem of up to 40 lines.

    Closing: Quarterly.

    Prizes: £1,000, £500, £250.

    Entry Fee: £5.

    Starts Theatre One-Act Play Competition

    This annual contest from Strerts Theatre in Cornwall is for plays for up to four adult actors, with a running time of between 25 and 35 minutes. Plays can be on any theme; you need to be 18 or over to enter.

    Closing: Annually.

    Prizes: £100 plus performance of your play in Sterns Studio.

    Entry Fee: £7.

    Artificium Short Stories & Poetry Prizes

    This one from Artificium, a journal of new fiction and poetry, has two categories: Short Stories and In Brief. The former is for stories of between 2,000 and 8,000 words in any genre(体裁). The latter is for poetry of between 500 and 1,000 words.

    Closing: End of each month.

    Prizes: £200, £100, £50.

    Entry Fee: £5 for one, £9 for two.

    PENfro Open Poetry Competition.

    This contest from the PENfro Book Festival is for poems of up to 40 lines on any subject and in any style. Costa Award winning poet Jonathan Edwards, whose taste in poetry is broad-ranging, will be judging.

    Closing: End of each month. Prizes: £300, £100, £75. The top ten winners will be invited to read their works at a spoken word event at which Jonathan Edwards will present the prizes.

    Entry Fee: £4.

阅读理解

    Choosing where to live may be one of the biggest decisions you'll make when you move to Sydney, but you'll have plenty of help.

    Temporary arrival accommodation

    Before you move to Sydney, we recommend that you book a temporary place to stay. Once you get here, you can look for longer-term accommodation.

    --sydney.edu.au/accommodation/short-term

    On-campus-residential colleges (fully catered饮食全包的)

    The University has eight residential colleges on the Camperdown/Darlington Campus, including International House, a residential community of global scholars. Colleges provide comfortable, fully furnished single rooms and daily meals, along with sporting, cultural, leadership and social programs. They also include on-site tutorials(辅导课) in addition to campus-based classes.

    --sydney.edu.au/colleges

    On-campus residences (self-catered饮食自理的)

    The University has two self-run residences—Queen Mary Building (QMB) and Abercrombie Student Accommodation—on the Camperdown/Darlington Campus. Both just under a year old, they house up to 1000 students. These residences provide modern single-study rooms with large common living, learning and study spaces, shared kitchens, a theatre, gyms, soundproofed music rooms, art studios, sky lounges and rooftop gardens.

    --sydney.edu.au/campus-life/accommodation/live-on-campus.html

    Off-campus living

    More than 90 percent of our students live off campus. The University is close to many dynamic and multicultural suburbs such as Annandale, Newtown, Chippendale and Glebe. A great place to search is our large online database of properties.

    --sydney.edu.au/campus-life/accommodation/live-off-campus.html

阅读理解

    Tiny microbes(微生物)are at the heart of a new agricultural technique to manage harmful greenhouse gas. Scientists have discovered how microbes can be used to turn carbon dioxide into soil-enriching limestone(石灰石), with the help of a type of tree that grows in tropical areas, such as West Africa.

    Researchers have found that when the Iroko tree is grown in dry, acidic soil and treated with a combination of natural fungi(霉菌)and other bacteria, not only does the tree grow well, it also produces the mineral limestone in the soil around its root.

    The Iroko tree makes a mineral by combining Ca from the earth with CO2 from the atmosphere. The bacteria then create the conditions under which this mineral turns into limestone. The discovery offers a new way to lock carbon into the soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere. In addition to storing carbon in the trees, leaves and in the form of limestone, the mineral in the soil makes it more suitable for agriculture.

    The discovery could lead to reforestation(重新造林)projects in tropical countries, and help reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the developing world. It has already been used in West Africa and is being tested in Bolivia, Haiti and India.

    The findings were made in a three-year project involving researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh, Granada, Lausanne and Delft University of Technology. The project examined several microbiological methods of locking CO2 as limestone, and the Iroko-bacteria way showed best results. Work was funded by the European Commission under the Future Emerging Technologies (FET) scheme.

    Dr Bryne Ngwenya of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who led the research, said: "By taking advantage of this natural limestone-producing process, we have a low-tech, safe, readily employed and easily operating way to lock carbon out of the atmosphere, while improving farming conditions in tropical countries?

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