Online HomeWork_U1B3I. Reading ComprehensionSection A Fast ReadingBack in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children. Just to keep food on the table for the family members, the father worked almost eighteen hours a day. Two of Albrecht Durer the Elder’s children, Albrecht and Albert, wanted to pursue talent for art, but they knew that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the academy.After many discussions, the two boys decided to toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother while he attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the coin toss completed his studies, he would support the other brother at the academy, either with the sales of his artwork or, if necessary, also by laboring in the mines.They tossed a coin after coming back from church on a Sunday morning. Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and financed his brother, whose work at the academy was an almost immediate sensation. Albrecht’s etchings (版画), woodcuts (木刻画) and oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works.When Albrecht Durer returned to his village, the family held a big dinner to celebrate Albrecht’s homecoming. After the meal, Albrecht rose to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. He said, “Albert, now it is your turn to go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you.”Albert rose and glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and said softly, “No, brother. Look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis (关节炎) so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on canvas (画布) with a brush.”By now, Albrecht Durer’s hundreds of masterful portraits, sketches and woodcuts hang in every great museum in the world, but most people are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer’s works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office.To pay homage to Albert, Albrecht Durer drew his brother’s hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his drawing “Hands,” but the entire world immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and named it “The Praying Hands.”Statements based on the passage:T 1. The father of Durer family could not afford any child’s study at the academy.F 2. Albrecht and Albert had to toss a coin to decide who should go to the academy, because one of them had to stay at home and help their father.F 3. Before deciding to toss a coin, Albrecht and Albert had many discussions with their father.T 4. Albrecht achieved great success at the academy, and his works were even better than most of his professors’.F 5. Albrecht decided to support Albert’s study at the academy with the sales of his artwork and by laboring in the mines.F 6. Albert said it was too late for him to go to the academy because he was no longer interested in art after working in the mines for many years.F 7. Although Albrecht had many masterful portraits, only one of them has received popular recognition.T 8. Among Albrecht’s works, “Hands” is the one which is reproduced most.T 9. Albrecht created “Hands” in order to show respect and honor for his brother Albert.F 10. People renamed Albrecht’s drawing “The Praying Hands” because they just wanted to pay homage to his great achievement.Section B Passage ReadingPassage 1Valentine’s Day probably has its origin in the ancient Roman celebration called Lupercalia(牧神节). It was celebrated on February 15. In the Roman calendar February was in the spring. The celebration honored the gods Lupercus and Faunus as well as the twin brothers Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome. As part of the ceremony the priests paired up young men and women. The girls’ names were placed in a box and each boy drew a girl’s name. The couple was paired then until the next Lupercalia.In 260 AD the emperor Claudius II, called Claudius the Cruel, decided that young soldiers would only be distracted by marriage and so ordered that young men may not marry. Valentinus (Valentine), a Christian priest, defied the emperor and got married in secret. He was caught and executed on February 14, the eve of Lupercalia. His name became associated with young love forever after. In 496, Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor him as Saint Valentine and it has been St. Valentine’s Day ever since.In the Middle Ages some of the customs of the Lupercalia still persisted in spite of the attempts of the Church to put an end to these non-Christian customs and Christianize the holiday. Both men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear the names on their sleeves for a week. Today we still sometimes “wear our hearts on our sleeves” when we cannot conceal our feelings.In the 1600s, it became common to give flowers, particularly the rose, as a sign of love as the “language of flowers”. This came to Europe from Turkey. The color and placement of the rose held a special significance--a red rose, for example, meant beauty. Flowers have been part of Valentine’s Day ever since.D 11. What does the passage mainly tell us?A. The custom of Valentine’s Day.B. A story about how Valentinus defied the emperor.C. The relationship between marriage and religion.D. The origin of Valentine’s Day.B 12. Young soldiers were not allowed to marry because the emperor was afraid that ______.A. they would associate with St. ValentineB. they wouldn’t concentrate on their jobC. they would defy the emperor’s orderD. they were too young to marryC 13. What does the word “defied” (underlined in Paragraph 2) probably mean?A. Followed.B. Tried to cheat.C. Refused to obey.D. Condemned.B 14. The day February 14 has been St. Valentine’s day since ______.A. 260 ADB. 496 ADC. the founding of RomeD. the Middle AgesB 15. According to Paragraph 3, what does the phrase “wear our hearts on our sleeves” mean?A. To hide our true feelings.B. To show our true feelings openly.C. To demonstrate our love.D. To keep our feelings in our mind.Passage 2In Africa and Asia there is a very serious disease called schistosomiasis (血吸虫病). It is caused by a tiny worm which can penetrate the skin of a human being and cause a potentially serious illness. The larvae (幼虫) of these worms live in certain types of snails. When they are ready, the larvae leave the snails and enter the bodies of men and animals.In many African rivers there is a large animal called a hippopotamus. It looks rather like an enormous sausage with short legs and a big mouth. Hippos spend much of their time in the river and they do not seem to serve any purpose. Because of this, some African governments ordered that the great animals should be shot on sight to provide meat for local people. When hunters killed most of the hippos in some areas, the number of cases of the disease increased rapidly. There were outbreaks of the disease in areas which had not previously experienced it. At first, the health authorities could not understand the reason why the disease had spread. They made investigations and discovered some very surprising facts.When they are in the water, hippos keep the muddy water in motion because they move about frequently. When they climb up on the river bank, they go in single file, making natural channels down which rain water can flow into the river. Without the hippos, mud gathered in the rivers and caused them to run over their banks. At the same time, rain water was unable to drain into the rivers easily, and this helped to produce floods. Certain types of water snail breed rapidly on flooded land, carrying with them the larvae which spread schistosomiasis.Now African governments are importing hippos so that Nature can do her work properly and keep the water snails under control. This is one example of what happens when Man interferes with the work of Nature.A 16. We know that a potentially serious illness is caused when ______.A. the skin of a human being is penetrated by a tiny wormB. the larvae of snails enter the bodies of human beingsC. human beings keep pet snailsD. human beings eat too much meat of hipposD 17. Why were hippos shot to death in Africa?A. Because they look like sausages with short legs and big mouth.B. Because some governments wanted to provide meat for local people.C. Because there were too many hippos in the river.D. Because they were considered useless.A 18. Why did schistosomiasis spread in some areas in Africa?A. Because many hippos were killed.B. Because there were too many channels in the river.C. Because the number of the larvae was increased.D. Because the water snails were kept under control.D 19. According to the passage, which of the following is true about African governments?A. They didn’t build enough channels to drain the floods.B. They couldn’t find out the connection between hippos and the spread of schistosomiasis.C. They are trying to kill water snails which carry the larvae with schistosomiasis.D. They are trying to control the spread of schistosomiasis in an eco-friendly way.C 20. Nature cannot do her work in a satisfactory way if ______.A. too many hippos are killedB. governments interfere with local peopleC. man interferes with the work of natureD. a disease spreadsSection C Reading in DepthIn the 1990s, everyone believed that education was the key to economic success. A college degree, even a postgraduate degree, was G for everyone who wanted a good job as one of those “symbolic analysts”.But computers are proficient at analyzing symbols; it is the messiness of the real world that they have trouble with. Therefore, many of the jobs that once required a college degree have been E . The others can be done by any intelligent person, whether or not he has studied literature.This trend should have been K in 1996, when “downsizing”suddenly became news. Because, for the first time, white-collar, college-educated workers were being fired in large J , even while skilled mechanists and other blue-collar workers were in great D. This should have signaled that the days of the ever-rising wage premiums for people with higher education were over.Eventually, the eroding payoff of higher education created a C in education itself. Why should a student put himself through four years of college and several years of postgraduate work to A academic credentials with little monetary value? Nowadays, jobs that require only 6 or 12 months of vocational training pay nearly as much as if not more than a job that requires a master’s degree, and pay more than one requiring a Ph.D.So F in colleges and universities has dropped almost two-thirds since its peak at the turn of this century. Today a place like Harvard is, as it was in the 19th century, more of a social institution than a O one--a place for children of the wealthy to M their social graces and befriend others of their class.II. V&SSection A Word Building31. After the rain, rain water ran over the river banks, causing considerable damage to the villages nearby. (consider)32. As a supporter of educational reform, he emphasizes that students should be given homework according to their respective abilities. (respect)33. Don’t overload the washing machine or it won’t work properly. (load)34. In order to maintain the peace and stability in the region, the government has entered into an international arms control agreement .(agree)35. The conference was totally disorganized. Nobody knew what they were supposed to be doing. (organize)36. During the World War II many wives had to endure long periods of separation from their husbands. (separate)37. All this fuss suggests, not that bosses are growing more horrible, but that employees expect them to be more agreeable. (agree)38. Jack called her sister in the belief that she would lend him some money. (believe)39. The New iPad is too expensive for a college student. I couldn’t afford it though I am comparatively well-off. (compare)40.The younger audience seemed to be confused by the story, so he tried to simplify the story. (simple)Section B Word ReplacementB 41. The security guards failed to track down any evidence, though they knew that Tom was responsible for the stealing.A. reckonB. findC. deliverD. catchD 42. My manager always told on me whenever I did something that did not please him.A. told againstB. fought againstC. protected againstD. informed againstA 43. I think Mary and her husband still have some trouble in their relationship, but she insists that they have worked it out.A. solved itB. ignored itC. forgotten about itD. worked on itA 44. Teenagers who drop out of high school have trouble finding jobs.A. quitB. exitC. passD. enterB 45. Heavy traffic and air pollution are the problems that our government needs to reckon with for the time being.A. work withB. deal withC. start withD. along withB 46. Most of the students were listening very carefully. But there were certain students in the classroom, like Peter and John, who failed to grasp what the teacher was saying.A. grabB. understandC. handleD. captureC 47. Susan was the manager’s faithful assistant in whom he could have absolute confidence.A. promisingB. helpfulC. reliableD. agreeableA 48. And again she shouted in a high-pitched voice, word by word, with no attempt to restrain herself, “I cannot stand any more.”A. controlB. pushC. compressD. persuadeC 49. There is nothing remarkable about the story, which revolves around a traditional love triangle.A. valuableB. beneficialC. unusualD. Ordinary快点C 50. The government pledges to build low-income housing units when the supply of affordable housing for poor people continues to shrink. A. proceeds B. persuadesC. promisesD. proposesSection C Word FillingB 51. It wasn’t very ______ of you to drink all the milk when you know I need some for my baby.A. considerableB. considerateC. rudeD. shamefulB 52. Students and teachers should have ______ attitudes toward each other.A. respectableB. respectfulC. respectiveD. respectingD 53. We have always been an independent people, no matter ______ they rewrite history.A. whenB. whatC. whereD. howB 54. If we could get ______ the next year on our father’s income, things would be easier as I would get a job by then.A. alongB. throughC. awayD. outD 55. The old man who helped me find my wallet in the park turns out to be a police officer ______ disguise.A. underB. withinC. beneathD. inA 56. We will do our best to see that justice is ______ fairly.A. administeredB. admittedC. admiredD. adoptedB 57. I don’ know why my boss is always ______ me. I haven’t done anything wrong; on the contrary, I’ve done good business for the company.A. picking outB. picking onC. picking atD. picking upA 58. When the leading lady dropped out of the movie, the director had no choice but to ______ the cleaning lady to save the day.A. call onB. pick onC. tell onD. work onD 59. We used to be good friends, but our relationship ______ about a year ago.A. fell backB. fell downC. fell throughD. fell apartD 60. When she heard the bad news that her only son died in battle, she ______ and cried.A. broke throughB. broke upC. broke outD. broke downIII. Listening ComprehensionSection A Short TalksC 61. (Audio-U1-1.mp3)Why will the two speakers give the house keys to Mr. Jacobsen?A. Because they want him to get the traveler’s checks for them.B. Because they want him to change voicemail message for them.C. Because they want him to water the plants for them.D. Because they want him to pay the bills for them.C 62. (Audio-U1-2.mp3)Where will the two speakers probably change money?A. At the bank.B. At the post office.C. At the airport.D. In the hotel.A 63. (Audio-U1-3.mp3)Why does the woman speaker hate to take the dog to the kennel?A. The dog always looks scared.B. The dog always runs away from the kennel.C. The dog always scares other people.D. The dog always scares other pets at the kennel.A 64. (Audio-U1-4.mp3)What is a standby passenger according to the passage?A. A passenger who has no reservation and gets on the plane at the last minute.B. A passenger who has no passport and gets on the plane at the last minute.C. A passenger who gets on the plane but has no seat.D. A passenger who gets on the plane but has no boarding pass.C 65. (Audio-U1-5.mp3)Why do the speakers think they should write a list?A. Because they lost the list they wrote last year.B. Because they are both forgetful.C. Because they want to use it again for next vocation.D. Because they have too many things to do.Section B Long Talks(Audio-U1-6.mp3)C 66. What countries did Jun visit over the weekend?A. Korea, Japan, Singapore, and the Philippines.B. Korea, Thailand, China, and the Philippines.C. Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines.D. Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia.C 67. According to Jun, what is an airplane freak?A. A person who is afraid of flying.B. A person who flies very often.C. A person who loves to fly.D. A person who has airsickness.A 68. How long did Jun stay in Seoul?A. 4 hours.B. 5 hours.C. 6 hours.D. 7 hours.B 69. Why didn’t Jun have to wait at the baggage claim?A. He had no baggage.B. He had only one carry-on bag.C. He had checked all his baggage.D. He had left his baggage at home.D 70. Why could Jun fly for free?A. He owns an airline company.B. He made reservation in advance.C. He owns a private airplane.D. He works for an airline company.。