The Parthenon in Athens is a building with a long and complex history. Built nearly 2,500 years ago as a temple celebrating the Greek goddess Athena, it was for thousands of years the church of the Virgin Mary of the Athenians, then a mosque , and finally a ruin. The building was changed and the sculptures much damaged over the centuries. By 1800 only about half of the original sculptural decoration remained. Between 1801 and 1805, Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire , which controlled Athens, acting with the full knowledge and permission of the Ottoman authorities,removed about half of the remaining sculptures from the fallen ruins and from the building itself. Lord Elgin loved Greek history and transported the sculptures back to Britain. The arrival of the sculptures in London had a huge effect on the European public, greatly increasing interest in ancient Greek culture and influencing contemporary artistic trends. These sculptures were gained from Lord Elgin by the British Museum in 1816 and since then they have all been on show to the public, free of charge. Since the early 1980s, however, the Greek government has argued for the return of all the Parthenon sculptures in the British Museum. They have also challenged the British Museum Board of Trustees' legal title to the sculptures. The British Museum, however, insists that it exists to tell the story of cultural achievement throughout the world, from the dawn of human history over two million years ago until the present day. The museum considers itself an important resource for the world: the breadth and depth of its collection allows the world public to re-examine cultural identities and explore the complex network of interconnected world cultures. It also says that, within the context of this unparalleled collection, the Parthenon sculptures are an important representation of ancient Athenian civilization. Each year millions of visitors admire the artistry of the sculptures and gain insights on how ancient Greece influenced --... What can we infer from the passage? A) The sculptures introduced ancient Greek culture to the west. B) Ancient Greek culture has greatly influenced world culture. C) The British Museum has made much money from the Parthenon sculptures. D) The British Museum is the most suitable place for protecting these sculptures.
B
For years my husband, John, and I had dreamed of taking our three kids to Disney World.We'd planned our trip down to the last detail and dollar.But in Georgia, halfway there, our car broke down. At a garage, the mechanic promised our Mercury Sable would be repaired by the next week.Meanwhile, John tried to find us a rental car.After many phone calls, John finally found a car.Luckily, our auto club would _ .We ended up arriving there three hours behind schedule.We tried every ride and met Mickey. At the end of the long weekend we called the garage to check on our car.It turned out that the mechanic hadn't even looked at it yet! John got on the phone again.He found it would cost more than $ l, 100 to rent a car to drive home.That plus a plane ticket for him to go pick up our own car and we'd be out over $2,000! I wailed and asked John, "What are we going to do?" He said, "It'll work out." John encouraged me not to lose heart and he insisted on trying to find a way out.Amazingly, John found a car transport company that had a car we could drive home, paying only for gas! But all the way home I couldn't stop thinking about the money we'd still need for John's trip back to the garage and another long driving home. When we got home, the high school student who had fed our cats asked how our trip was.I gave him the rundown, "Things worked out okay except that our car's still stuck in Georgia." "No problem," he said."I'm heading to Florida for a spring break with my parents.We'll be glad to stop in Georgia on the way back and pick up your car." We ended up spending only $50 more than we'd budgeted.The next week, our car was back, and I had a new understanding of dealing with trouble.Whatever happens, if you never give up, a good solution will come out at last. From the passage we can learn that _ . A) Disney World is located in Georgia B) Mercury Sable is the name of the mechanic C) the couple budgeted for their trip carefully D) repairing their car needed a lot of money
C
(Q).
"I love the music-player function of 3G cellphones, " Xiaomei, a Chinese senior high school girl living in Japan, said happily. "Recently, I logged on to a website and downloaded some new Japanese songs with lyrics onto my 3G cellphone, "the girl said. "You know, it's amazing! Just like with KTV, _ 's voice can be switched-off leaving just the background music and lyrics. When no one is around, I practise singing songs like crazy. " Xiaomei's 3G cellphone almost made her a super star among her classmates. 3G was first introduced into Japan in 2001. After a slow start, it's now widely used there. High school students top the list of user groups, according to a major service provider in Japan. After years of effort, China is finally catching up. In January, China issued a 3G license to three operators--China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom. In 2009, the operators announced plans to expand the use of 3G cellphones. What is 3G? 3G wireless networks give users faster Internet connections. The Internet connection speed of 3G can be up to 15 to 20 times faster. This allows music and games to be downloaded more easily. E-mail can also be accessed faster. It has made watching movies and video-conferencing possible on a mobile phone. How do I use 3G? First, you must have a 3G cellphone. This year, products made by different cellphone companies will gradually appear in the marketplace. China Mobile and China Telecom users can continue using their old phone number and SIM card. China Unicom, however, has not yet decided on this matter. How much does it cost? The three operators have said that 3G fees will be similar, or slightly lower than today's 2G cellphones. According to a 3G student package, calls within the China Mobile network will cost 0.13 yuan per minute, while the fees go up to 0.23yuan per minute for calls between China Mobile and other networks. Which of the followings is NOT a benefit of 3G's high Internet connection speed? A) Music and games can be downloaded more easily. B) Calls within China Mobile network will cost 0.13 yuanper minute. C) E-mail can be received faster. D) Watching movies and video-conferencing are possible.
(A).
B