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Art robbery and art forgery (仿造) are both major themes in crime movies and literature.In the 2012 comedy movie Gambit, British actor Colin Firth plays an art curator who cheats his abusive boss into buying a fake Monet. In reality, art crimes are no less interesting and exciting.
According to The New York Times, over the past 15 years, Glafira Rosales fooled two local commercial art galleries into buying 63 false works of art for more than $30 million.She passed off fake paintings as works by 20th century modernist masters such as American artists Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock.But in fact, these so called “newly discovered works” were all produced by a single man, a Chinese immigrant named Qian Peishen.
The art world was shocked by Rosales' deception.But to the public, it was amusing and most satisfying to see wealthy people get tricked.
So what decides the value of a piece of art? Is it beauty? Is it the artist's talent and craftsmanship? Or is it just because the artist is famous?
We should take beauty out. If the buyers were buying paintings only for their beauty, they'll be content displaying good fakes on their walls. They wouldn't be so upset when a forgery is exposed.
The art market claims that great artists are inimitable, and that this inimitability justifies the absurd price of their works. We can't deny that most famous artists are good at what they do, but forgers like Qian show that their works are imitable.Otherwise, the difference between the original and the copycats would be obvious and Rosales would not be able to fool anyone.
According to an article in the Economist, expensive paintings are what economists call positional goods. They are valuable because other people can't have them. With other goods, a higher price reduces demand.But art turns down the laws of economics. “When the goods that is really being purchased is evidence that the buyer has paid a lot, price increases cause demand to boom，” explained the article.
That's why scarcity and authenticity are so important in the art market. Artists sometimes forget this.Demien Hirst, the British pop artist, is famous for his spot paintings. But they dropped in value when it became clear that they had been produced in quantities so vast that nobody knew how many were out there.The art market lost faith in these paintings because no one could be sure which of them were authentic and which were fake.
1.The first paragraph is meant to tell the readers that ________.
A．movies and literature will be popular with art involved in them
B．art crimes are as interesting and exciting in reality as in movies
C．Gambit is a good movie with art forgery as the major theme
D．real art crime in reality can be adapted into popular films
2.Who is amused and satisfied to see the rich buy forged works of art?
A．The public.
B．Glafira Rosales.
C．Qian Peishen.
D．Mark Rothlo and Jackson Pollock.
3.What kind of art buyers should not be unhappy with its high prices when a forgery is exposed according to the author?
A．Those who buy only for its beauty.
B．Those who buy for its inimitability.
C．Those who 'buy for its authenticity.
D．Those who buy for its scarcity.
4.What is the law of economics theory behind art goods according to the economists?
A．They are valuable goods.
B．High prices reduce the demand of art goods.
C．High prices increase the demand of art goods.
D．They are produced in quantities to satisfy people.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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It’s reported that she will appear ________ as a judge in the movie.
A．to dress
B．dressing
C．dressed
D．being dressed
高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
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Just as a book is often judged ______ by the quality and appearance of its cover, a person is judged immediately by his appearance.
A. outwardly B. initially C. uniquely D. previously
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Most of the people who appear most often and most gloriously in the history books are great conquerors (统治者) and generals and soldiers, while the people who really helped civilization forward are often never mentioned at all. We do not know who first set a broken leg, or launched a seaworthy boat, or calculated the length of the year, or manured (施肥)a field; but we know all about the killers and destroyers.
People think a great deal of them, so much that on all the highest pillars (纪念柱)in the great cities of the world you will find the figure of a conqueror or a general or a soldier. And I think most people believe that the greatest countries are those that have beaten in battle the greatest number of other countries and ruled over them as conquerors. It is just possible they are, but they are not the most civilized. Animals fight; so do savages（野蛮人）; so to be good at fighting is to be good in the way in which an animal or a savage is good, but it is not to be civilized. Even being good at getting other people to fight for you and telling them how to do it most efficiently — this, after all, is what conquerors and generals have done — is not being civilized. People fight to settle quarrels. Fighting means killing, and civilized peoples ought to be able to find some ways of settling their disputes other than by seeing which side can kill off greater number of the other side, and then saying that the side which has killed most has won. And not only has it won, but, because it has won, it has been in the right. For that is what going to war means; it means saying that power is right.
This is what the story of mankind has on the whole been like. Even our own age has fought the two greatest wars in history, in which millions of people were killed or mutilated (disabled). And while today it is true that people do not fight and kill each other in the streets — while, that is to say, we have got to the stage of keeping the rules and behaving properly to each other in daily life — nations and countries have not learnt to do this yet, and still behave like savages.
1.In the opening sentence, the author indicates that ________ .
A．most history books were written by conquerors, generals and soldiers
B．history book tell us far more about conquerors, generals and soldiers than actual creators of civilization
C．those who rally helped human civilization forward is not mentioned in history books at all
D．conquerors, generals and soldiers should be least mentioned in history books
2.According to the passage, most people believe that the greatest countries are those that________.
A．built the highest pillars for their conquerors
B．were ruled by the greatest number of conquerors
C．won the greatest number of battles against other countries
D．were beaten in battle by the greatest number of other countries
3.In the author’s opinion, the countries that conquered a large number of other countries are
________.
A．certainly both the most powerful and most civilized.
B．neither the greatest nor the most civilized in any way.
C．possibly either the most civilized or the most powerful in a way.
D．likely the most powerful in some sense but not the most civilized.
4.The meaning of the last sentence in Paragraph 2 is that________.
A．fighters believe that the winner is right and the loser wrong.
B．only those who are powerful have the right to go to war.
C．those who are right should fight against those who are wrong.
D．only powerful nations might win the right to rule weak ones.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
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Most of the people who appear most often and most gloriously in the history books are great conquerors (统治者) and generals and soldiers, while the people who really helped civilization forward are often never mentioned at all. We do not know who first set a broken leg, or launched a seaworthy boat, or calculated the length of the year, or manured (施肥)a field; but we know all about the killers and destroyers.
People think a great deal of them, so much that on all the highest pillars (纪念柱)in the great cities of the world you will find the figure of a conqueror or a general or a soldier. And I think most people believe that the greatest countries are those that have beaten in battle the greatest number of other countries and ruled over them as conquerors. It is just possible they are, but they are not the most civilized. Animals fight; so do savages（野蛮人）; so to be good at fighting is to be good in the way in which an animal or a savage is good, but it is not to be civilized. Even being good at getting other people to fight for you and telling them how to do it most efficiently — this, after all, is what conquerors and generals have done — is not being civilized. People fight to settle quarrels. Fighting means killing, and civilized peoples ought to be able to find some ways of settling their disputes other than by seeing which side can kill off greater number of the other side, and then saying that the side which has killed most has won. And not only has it won, but, because it has won, it has been in the right. For that is what going to war means; it means saying that power is right.
This is what the story of mankind has on the whole been like. Even our own age has fought the two greatest wars in history, in which millions of people were killed or mutilated (disabled). And while today it is true that people do not fight and kill each other in the streets — while, that is to say, we have got to the stage of keeping the rules and behaving properly to each other in daily life — nations and countries have not learnt to do this yet, and still behave like savages.
1.In the opening sentence, the author indicates that ________ .
A．most history books were written by conquerors, generals and soldiers
B．history book tell us far more about conquerors, generals and soldiers than actual creators of civilization
C．those who rally helped human civilization forward is not mentioned in history books at all
D．conquerors, generals and soldiers should be least mentioned in history books
2.According to the passage, most people believe that the greatest countries are those that________.
A．built the highest pillars for their conquerors
B．were ruled by the greatest number of conquerors
C．won the greatest number of battles against other countries
D．were beaten in battle by the greatest number of other countries
3.In the author’s opinion, the countries that conquered a large number of other countries are
________.
A．certainly both the most powerful and most civilized.
B．neither the greatest nor the most civilized in any way.
C．possibly either the most civilized or the most powerful in a way.
D．likely the most powerful in some sense but not the most civilized.
4.The meaning of the last sentence in Paragraph 2 is that________.
A．fighters believe that the winner is right and the loser wrong.
B．only those who are powerful have the right to go to war.
C．those who are right should fight against those who are wrong.
D．only powerful nations might win the right to rule weak ones.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Most of the people who appear most often and most gloriously in the history books are great conquerors and generals and soldiers, whereas the people who really helped civilization forward are often never mentioned at all. We do not know who first set a broken leg, or launched a seaworthy boat, or calculated the length of the year, or manured(施肥)a field; but we know all about the killers and destroyers. People think a great deal of them, so much so that on all the highest pillars (纪念柱) in the great cities of the world you will find the figure of a conqueror or a general or a soldier. And I think most people believe that the greatest countries are those that have beaten in battle the greatest number of other countries and ruled over them as conquerors. It is just possible they are, but they are not the most civilized.
Animals fight; so do savages (野蛮人); hence to be good at fighting is to be good in the way in which an animal or a savage is good, but it is not to be civilized. Even being good at getting other people to fight for you and telling them how to do it most efficiently －this, after all, is what conquerors and generals have done －is not being civilized. People fight to settle quarrels. Fighting means killing, and civilized peoples ought to be able to find some way of settling their disputes other than by seeing which side can kill off the greater number of the other side, and then saying that that side which has killed most has won. And it not only has won, but, because it has won, has been in the right. For that is what going to war means; it means saying that might is right.
That is what the story of mankind has on the whole been like. Even our own age has fought the two greatest wars in history, in which millions of people were killed or disabled. And while today it is true that people do not fight and kill each other in the streets －while, that is to say, we have got to the stage of keeping the rules and behaving properly to each other in daily life － nations and countries have not learnt to do this yet, and still behave like savages.
1.In the opening sentence the author indicates that ________.
A. conquerors, generals and soldiers should not be mentioned in history books.
B. history books focus more on those who helped civilization forward.
C. those who truly helped civilization forward is rarely mentioned in history books.
D. most history books were written by conquerors, generals and soldiers.
2.In the author’s opinion, the countries that ruled over a large number of other countries are
A. certainly both the greatest and the most civilized
B. neither the most influential nor the most civilized.
C. possibly the most civilized but not the most powerful.
D. likely the greatest in some sense but not the most civilized.
3. The meaning of “it means saying that might is right.”(The last sentence of Paragraph 2) is that ________.
A. in a war only those who are powerful will win.
B. those who are right should fight against those who are wrong.
C. only those who are powerful have the right to go to war.
D. those who fight believe that the winner is right and the loser wrong.
4. In the third paragraph, what the author wants to convey to us is that ________.
A. we have fought fewer wars but suffered heavier casualties.
B. modern time is not so civilized compared with the past.
C. our age is not much better than those of the past.
D. World War I and World War II are different from previous wars.
5. According to the passage, who helped civilization forward?
A. The pioneers in science and technology.
B. Conquerors and generals.
C. Those setting disputes by force.
The experts in military matters
6. This passage is most likely taken from an article entitled ________.
A. Who Should Be Remembered
B. Civilization and History
C. War and World Peace
D. Great conquerors in the world
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Sometimes we can get so caught up in the stress and it often appears hard for us to get rid of it.1..
Think of a place that makes you peaceful
The place you choose should put you into a complete state of peace. 2.. Some ever sit on the beach watching the waves come in; some lie in bed late at night listening to good music; some lie on their back on a cool day watching clouds float by…
3..
Set aside at least five minutes for quiet “cleaning” time. If necessary, set an alarm or ask a friend to tap you on the shoulder at a designated time.
Cover your eyes and go to your “place”
If you are at school preparing for a test before class, you may simply rest your elbows(肘)on the desk and put your hands over your eyes. However, for some people , it may not be a good idea.4. . For example, if you are thinking of a Christmas tree, imagine the smell of the tree and the look of the layered shadows on the walls.
Refresh your brain and body.
Remember, this is not nap time.5.After five or ten minutes of clearing time, take a brisk(快的)walk or take a drink of water to re-energize your mind and body. Stay relaxed and resist the urge to think about the things that are stressing you out.
A. Set aside some time for relaxation
B. The key point here is to refresh your brain
C. If so, try the following relaxation techniques
D. This place will be different for different people
E. Make your brain get ready for the upcoming changes
F. Don’t let your brain be trapped in a stressful state again.
G. You should use all senses to make the experience as real as possible
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
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The stadium is very splendid and attractive in appearance, may be imagined.
A. it B. what C. as D. that
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Music has often been used in movies to create mood and add dimension to the images which the audience sees on the screen. One man who is famous for his ability to write powerful and highly effective music for movies is John Williams. Mr. Williams has been writing music for movies since 1960, but he is perhaps best known for his award-winning scores for movies such as Jaws, Star Wars, and Schindler's List. Before he began writing music for the movies, Mr. Williams dreamed of being a concert pianist. He studied at both the University of California, Los Angeles and Juilliard School. During the 1950s, Mr. Williams was into jazz and he worked in New York City with many jazz artists. Later, he moved back to Los Angeles where he continued to play the piano for jazz musicians. He also got a job writing music for television shows. It was this television job that led him into movies.
Throughout the 1960s, Mr. Williams wrote the music that can be heard in more than 20 movies. Most of these movies were light comedies. Then, in 1975, the director of the movie Jaws, Steven Spielberg, hired Mr. Williams. The director thought that Mr. William's music added so much to the scary （引起恐慌的）scenes of the movie that he insisted on working with Mr. Williams in all of his future movies. Other directors and Hollywood film studios also demanded to work with Mr. Williams, and his career as a composer of movie soundtracks took off. Many of these movies have soundtracks that are still available in music stores today. They include The Deer Hunter, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, and Jurassic Park.
In 1980, Mr. Williams had another chance to expand his musical experience. He was chosen to be the new conductor for the Boston Pops Orchestra when Arthur Fiedler retired. Mr. Williams gladly accepted the position because it only required that he conduct the orchestra during the summer. This left him free to continue writing music for the movies during the rest of the year. Mr. Williams conducted the Boston Pops for more than 12 years before he decided to retire and write music full-time. Along with the many movie music scores he has written, Mr. Williams has also written two symphonies, a flute concerto, and a violin concerto. Up to now, Mr. Williams has written music for more than 60 movies. It is no wonder that he is today's most famous Hollywood composer.
69. What is John Williams most famous for?
A. Conducting. B. Making movies.
C. Playing jazz. D. Writing music for movies.
70. What happened to Mr. Williams in 1975?
A. He began writing music for movies. B. He moved to Hollywood.
C. He worked with Steven Spielberg. D. He worked for the Boston Pops.
71. Which of the following things has Mr. Williams not done?
A. Conducted an orchestra. B. Directed a movie.
C. Played jazz piano. D. Writing classical music.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
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Birds are the only animals with feathers, although some other animals, such as insects and bats, also have wings．Nearly all birds can fly, and even flightless birds, such as ostriches （鸵鸟）, penguins, evolved from flying ancestors．
Birds are found worldwide in many habitats．They can fly over some of the highest mountains on earth as well as both of the earth’s poles, dive through water to depths of more than 250m, and occupy habitats with the most extreme climates on the planet, including arctic tundra （冻土地带） and the Sahara Desert．Certain kinds of seabirds are commonly seen over the open ocean thousands of kilometers from the nearest land, but all birds must come ashore to raise their young．
Highly developed animals, birds are sensitive and responsive, colorful and graceful, with habits that excite interest and inquiry．People have long been fascinated by birds, in part because birds are found in the same habitats in which humans live．And like people, most species of birds are active during daylight hours．Humans find inspiration in birds’ capacity for flight and in their musical calls．Humans also find birds useful---their flesh and eggs for food, their feathers for warmth, and their companionship．Perhaps a key basis for our friendliness with birds is the similarity of our sensory worlds: Both birds and humans rely more heavily on hearing and color vision than on smell．Birds are useful indicators of the quality of the environment, because the health of bird populations mirrors the health of our environment．The rapid decline in birds populations and the accelerating extinction rates of birds in the world’s forests, grassland, wetlands, and islands are therefore reasons for great concern．
1.Which of the following would be the best title of the text?
A．Animals with Feathers and Wings
Our friendliness with birdsC．An introduction to Birds
D．Bird’s life
2.What does the second paragraph mainly tell us ?
A．Bird’s friendship
Bird’s habitatsC．Bird’s raising D．Bird’s environment
3.Which of following is NOT true according to the passage ?
A．Bird’s flying abilities and musical calls inspire humans greatly．
Birds live in the same surroundings in which humans live．C．Both birds and humans rely more heavily on hearing and smell than on color vision．
D．Bird’s flesh and eggs for food, bird’s feathers for warmth, and their companionship are useful to us．
4.From the text it may imply but NOT state that __________．
A．the environment is being damaged seriously
if you want to raise birds, you should pay attention to environmentC．the environment affects the human beings
D．bird populations decrease rapidly
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Our friendliness with birds