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The basic flag of the United States is one of the world's oldest national flags．Only the basic flags of Austria,．Denmark, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland are older．
During the discovery and settlement of what is now the United States, the flags of various European nations were flown over the land, as symbols of possession．Later, in the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods, flags representing famous persons, places, and events were flown in the American Colonies．
The first official flag of the United States was created by Congress on June 14, 1777．It consisted of 13 alternate red and white stripes? and 13 white stars in a field of blue, representing the 13colonies that had declared their independence in 1776．Congress adopted a new flag of 15 stars and 15 stripes in 1795, to give representation to the two new states admitted into the Union, Vermont and Kentucky．
By 1817 there were 20 states in the Union, and it became apparent that adding one stripe for each new state would destroy the shape of the flag．As a result．Congress in 1818 restored the original design of 13 stripes and provided that each state was to be represented by one star．In 1921 Preside William H．Taft made the first official provision for the arrangement of the stars．He ordered that there be six even rows of eight stars each．Previously the arrangement of the stars had
been left to the flag- maker's fancy．
The evolution of the stars and stripes reflects the growth of the United States．After the admission of Hawaii into the Union in 1959, the flag was officially changed for the 26th time since its creation．
There are many government flags flown in the United States in addition to the national flag．Among them are the president's and vice-president's flags and those of the federal epartments and some federal agencies．Each state in the Union has an official flag．The United States Navy uses special flags for signaling．
1.The basic flag of the United States is _____．
A．the oldest national flag in the world
B．one of the world's oldest flags
C．the most beautiful flag in the West
D．as old as the basic flags of some European nations
2.Before the War of Independence the flags of various European nations flown over the land were symbols of________．
A．self- rule B．occupation
C．peace and friendship D．independence
3.The first official flag of the United States was adopted _____．
A．before the Independence War
B．right after the Independence War
C．when independence was declared in 1776
D．during the War of Independence which ended in 1783
4.The 13 red and white stripes and13 white Stars represent____．
A．13 independent states
B．the colonies that declared independence in 1776．
C．the U．S．Congress
D．13 famous figures in the American colonies
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You're in a department store and you see a couple of attractive young women looking at a sweater. You listen to their conversation:
"I can't believe it-a Lorenzo Bertolla! They are almost impossible to find. Isn't it beautiful? And it's a lot cheaper than the one Sara bought in Rome．
They leave and you go over to see this incredible sweater; It's-nice and the price is right．You've never heard of Lorenzo Bertolla, but those girls look really stylish. They must know. So, you buy it. You never realize that those young women are employees of an advertising agency．They are actually paid to go from store to store, talking loudly about Lorenzo BertoHa clothes．
Every day we notice what people are wearing, driving and eating．If the person looks cool, the product seems cool, too．This is the secret of undercover marketing．Companies from Ford to Nike are starting to use it.
Undercover marketing is important because it reaches people that don't pay attention to traditional advertising．This is particularly true of the MTV generation－consumers between the age of 18 and 34．It is a golden group. They have a lot of money to spend, but they don't trust ads．
So advertising agencies hire young actors to "perform" in bars and other places where young adults go．Some people might call this practice misleading, but marketing executive Jonathan Ressler calls it creative．"Look at traditional advertising．Its effectiveness is decreasing．"
However, one might ask what exactly is "real" about young women pretending to be enthusiastic about a sweater? Advertising executives would say it's no less real than an ad．The difference is that you know an ad is trying to persuade you to buy something．You don't know when a conversation you overhear is just a performance．
1.T'he two attractive young women were talking so that they could_____．
A．get the sweater at a lower price B．be heard by people around
C．be admired by other shoppers D．decide on buying the sweater
2.Lorenzo Bertolla is ______．
A．a very popular male singer B．an advertising agency
C．a clothing company in Rome D．the brand name of a sweater
3.Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A．The two girls are in fact employed by the Lorenzo Bertolla Company．
B．The MTV generation tends to be more easily influenced by ads．
C．Traditional advertising is becoming less effective because it's too direct．
D．Undercover marketing will surely be banned soon by the government．
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A．Two Attractive Shoppers B．Lorenzo Bertolla Sweaters
C．Ways of Advertising D．Undercover Marketing
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●Putting Movies on Mobiles
Movies in the theater get their recognition at awards ceremonies such as the Oscars．But how about movies for phones? They are getting their turn at MoFilm —the first mobile film festival.
The first MoFilm competition, received 250 entries from more than 100 countries．Entries were restricted to films that were five minutes or less in length－ideal for viewing and sharing on mobile phones．An independent jury then selected a shortlist of five film-makers．The winner was chosen from the shortlist by an audience voting using their phones．
●New Platforms
The awards highlight the increasing impact that mobile phones are making in the entertainment industry．Many grassroots filmmakers start out with short films．They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work．Therefore, mobile phones are increasingly being seen as a new platform for these short works．
It is a good place for anyone who wants to express themselves and find a way to have that expression seen by a wide audience．Just think about how many people have mobile phones in the world!
●New Technology Advances
MoFilm is pioneering content for mobile and online services that is a world away from Hollywood．The majority of films made for mobiles are now short in length, taking into account the screen size．However this could be overcome as technology advances．
In the near future, longer films will likely oe seen on the mobile phone．And there are mobile companies creating phones where users can watch movies at higher quality．
Wherever you see movies, one thing is certain: the qualify of work, the simple ability at story telling, and the thing that inspires someone to tell a story can really come from anywhere．
1.At the first MoFilm, _____．
A．movies in the theater got their recognition
B．more than 100 countries took part in the competition
C．ideal films were five minutes or less in length
D．the winner was chosen by experts' voting
2."They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work．" The underlined word means "_____"．
A．discouraged B．encouraged
C．frightened D．surprised
3.Nowadays the majority of films made for mobiles are short in length because of_____．
A．online services B．the mobile phone
C．technology advances D．the screen size
4.What's certain about the future of MoFilm according to the passage?
A．The number of mobile phone users may contribute to the popularity of MoFilm．
B．Audience is not likely to watch longer films on mobile phones in the near future．
C．Some mobile companies are on the way to producing mobile films of higher quality．
D．Grassroots filmmakers can achieve their career success more easily starting from MoFlim．
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
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In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child's acquisition （学会）of each new skill in the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing．It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child．This might happen at any stage．A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads．On the other hand, though, if a child, is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself．
Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children．Some may be especially strict in money matters; Others are severe （严格的） over time of coming home at night or punctuality for meals．In general, the controls represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child's own happiness．
As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parental teaching．To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality （道德）．Also, parents should realize that "example is better than precept"．If they are not sincere and do not practice what they preach （说教）, their children may grow confused when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled．
A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents’ principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment.
1.Eagerly watching the child’s acquisition of new skills________.
A．will make the child lose interest in learning new things
B．sets up dangerous states of worry in the child
C．is universal among parents
D．should be avoided
2.In the process of children’s learning new skills, parents________.
A．should encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read
B．should achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own
C．should expect a lot from the children
D．should create as many learning opportunities as possible
3.In terms of moral matters, parents should________.
A．follow the rules themselves
B．be aware of the huge difference between adults and children
C．always ensure the security of their children
D．forbid their children to follow hook teachings
难度: 困难查看答案及解析