Drawing is a universal language. It was probably our first form of self-expression when we were babies: long before we start writing, we're painting and scribbling , both in order to make sense of the world and because we enjoy it. In the history of human culture, too, painting and image making came before writing or even simple mathematics: 30,000 years ago compared to 5,000. Yet after we leave school most of us never pick up a pencil again--willingly. If asked to draw something, most adults and many older children will shake their heads and say, " Not me! I can't draw. I'm hopeless at it." When you think about it, this is very strange. Drawing involves coordinating the hand and the eye with the pencil. It's a basic skill, no more difficult to learn than other amazing things that humans do, such as hitting a tennis ball over the net or writing our own name. there's no special talent involved. Anybody who can learn to write can learn to draw. So, there you are - no excuse not to get out your pencil, pencil sharpener and rubber and take part in the Big Draw, a nationwide series of free art events taking place all over Britain next October. Everyone's welcome: all you need is a willingness to express yourself through drawing. The Big Draw, now in its fifth year, has already achieved two world records: one for the longest drawing in the world (1km) and the other for the greatest number of people drawing at the same time (7,000). This year, there will be an attempt to create a new Guinness World Record for the longest visitors'book: people will be invited to leave their name and a drawing on a three-kilometer piece of paper. The theme this year is Inside\Outside--People, Structure( ) and Spaces, and other events planned include drawing on a three-kilometer piece of paper. The Big Draw is not about turning the nation into artists, it is about helping people to acquire this universal language of communication. Its greatest achievement next October will be to bring hundreds of thousands of people... What is the writer's main purpose in this text? A) To call on people to join a cultural event. B) To describe the history of drawing. C) To advise us to take drawing lessons. D) To explain how children develop.
A
This story took place a long time ago. But it has been repeated time and time again. Everyone is moved by the true story. An old man was knocked down by a car and was taken to hospital. He was badly hurt, and during his few returns to consciousness, he repeatedly called for his son. None knew where his son was. A dirty letter was found in his pockets. The nurse learned that his son was a solider inprefix = st1 /North Carolina. The hospital called the Red Cross offices to find the young man. The young solider was rushed to the airport in time to catch the plane. It was evening when the young solider walked into the hospital. A nurse took him into the bedsides of the old man. "Your son is here," she said to the man. She had to repeat the words several times before the old man's eyes opened. He dimly saw the young man and got great comfort. He reached out his hand. The young solider held the old man's hand and offered words of hope. All through the night the young solider sat besides the bed. The nurse offered to watch instead of him for a while. He refused. At dawn the old man died. The nurse started to comfort him but the solider asked her, "Who was that old man?" "He was your father," she answered. "No, he wasn't. I never saw him before." "I knew right away there was a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn't here. I realized I was needed. So I stayed." When the old man and the young man met, _ . A) the old man wished the young man good luck in the future B) the young man said something to comfort the old man C) the doctors and nurses felt it hopeful to save the old man D) they both recognized each other at once
B
Q: Social change is more likely to occur in societies where there is a mixture of different kinds of people than in societies where people are similar in many ways. The simple reason for this is that there are more different ways of looking at things present in the first kind of society. There are more ideas, more disagreements in interest, and more groups and organizations with different beliefs. In addition, there is usually a greater worldly interest and greater tolerance in mixed societies. All these factors tend to promote social change by opening more areas of life to decision. In a society where people are quite similar in many ways, there are fewer occasions for people to see the need or the opportunity for change because everything seems to be the same. And although conditions may not be satisfactory, they are at least socially accepted customs. Within a society, social change is also likely to occur more frequently and more readily in the material aspects of the culture than in the non-material, for example, in technology rather than in values; in what has been learned later in life rather than what was learned early; in the less basic and less emotional aspects of society than in their opposites; in the simple elements rather than in the complex ones; in form rather than in substance ; and in elements that are acceptable to the culture rather than in strange elements. Furthermore, social change is easier if it is gradual. For example, it comes more readily in human relations on a continuous scale rather than on a sharp _ . This is one reason why change has not come more quickly to Black Americans as compared to other American minorities, because of the sharp difference in appearance between them and white counterparts. The passage mainly talks about social change in terms of _ . A) why and how B) where and what C) what and why D) how and when
A: B
Q: For more than 40 years, scientists have sought to learn how well human beings can adapt to long periods in space. The International Space Station continues to provide valuable knowledge about spaceflight. But an earlier space station, Skylab, helped make the current space project possible. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield sang aboard the International Space Station on May 12, 2013. His music video has become extremely popular. The astronaut played his own version of David Bowie's song Space Oddity. He performed while floating weightlessly, with images of planet earth and space appearing in the window behind him. Chris Hadfield recently returned home after nearly five months on the space station. For him, the long flight produced a hit video on YouTube and no major physical problems. But 40 years ago, scientists did not know how humans would react to long-term spaceflight. To find out, NASA, the American space agency, launched Skylab in May, 1973. Over nearly a year, three teams of astronauts visited Skylab for stays of between 28 to 84 days. They learned how people react to extended periods in space. Gerald Carr commanded Skylab 4. He spoke at a NASA event marking the 40th anniversary of Skylab's launch. He said that the loss of the body's muscle mass was a main concern. Astronauts on Skylab used exercise equipment to stay strong. The astronauts spent their workdays carrying out experiments, including biomedical research. Marshall Porterfield is the director of NASA's Space Life and Physical Sciences Division. He says the Skylab astronauts' understanding of their own ability to deal with long-term spaceflight continues to help current astronauts. NASA says the next step for life away from Earth is a year-long space station mission, set for 2015. Why was Chris Hadfield's song so special? A) It was performed in space. B) It was created by an astronaut. C) It was a very familiar song. D) It was first sung by a famous singer.
A: A