B

Individuality is the particular character, or aggregate (total) of qualities that distinguishes one person or thing from others. Many artists late in the last century were in search of a means to express their individuality. Modern dance was one of the ways some of these people sought to free their creative spirit. At the beginning there was no exacting technique, no foundation from which to build. In later years, trial, error and genius founded the techniques and the principles of the movement. Eventually, innovators (改革者) even drew from what they considered the dread (令人恐惧的)ballet, but first they had to get rid of all that was academic so that the new could be discovered. The beginnings of modern dance were happening before Isadora Duncan, but she was the first person to bring the new dance to general audiences and see it accepted and acclaimed (称赞).

Her search for a natural movement form sent her to nature. She believed movement should be as natural as the swaying of the trees and the rolling waves of the sea, and should be in harmony with the movements of the Earth. Her great contributions are in three areas.

First, she began the expansion of the kinds of movement that could be used in dance. Before Duncan danced, ballet was the only type of dance performed in concert. In the ballet the feet and legs were emphasized, with virtuosity (高超技巧) shown by complex, codified positions and movements. Duncan performed dance by using her body in the freest possible way. Her dance stemmed from her soul and spirit. She was one of the pioneers who broke tradition so others might be able to develop the art.

Her second contribution lies in dance costume. She rejected ballet shoes and stiff costumes. These were replaced with flowing Grecian (希腊式的) tunes, bare feet, and unbound hair. She believed in the natural body being allowed to move freely, and her dress displayed this ideal.

Her third contribution was in the use of music. In her performances she used the symphonies of great masters including Beethoven and Wagner, which was not the usual custom.

She was as exciting and eccentric (怪异) in her personal life as in her dance.

24.According to the passage, what did nature represent to Isadora Duncan?

A.Something to conquer.       B.A model for movement.

C.A place to find peace.      D.A symbol of disorder.

25.Compared to those of the ballet, Isadora Duncan’s costumes were less _______.

A.costly          B.colorful    C.graceful      D.restrictive

26. We can infer from the passage that the author _________.

A. appreciates modern dance very much   B. dislikes Isadora Duncan’s dance

C. thinks highly of individuality          D. knows a lot about modern arts

27. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A.Artists of the Last Century     B.Evolution of Dance in the 20th Century

C.Natural Movement in Dance   D.A Pioneer in Modern Dance

C

Since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed Mount Everest, Mount Qomolangma’s peak is no longer a lonely place and is turning into a trash heap(垃圾堆).

So far, more than 350 climbers have successfully reached the peak. And they have complained about waiting for hours in the bottlenecks (狭窄路段) on the way to the peak, a situation that isn’t just uncomfortable — it’s cold and windy up there — but downright dangerous. If bad weather strikes, climbers can and do die.

As a matter of fact, the dangerous crowds aren’t the only problem on Qomolangma. All those climbers need to bring a lot of gear—and much of them ends up being left on the mountain, sometimes even the peak itself. Mount Qomolangma is becoming the world’s largest dump. Here’s mountaineer Mark Jenkins writing in National Geographic about the state of Qomolangma: “The two standard routes, the Northeast Ridge and the Southeast Ridge, are disgustingly polluted with oxygen cans and torn tents everywhere.”

But the good news is that some mountaineers are taking it upon themselves to clean up Qomolangma. Mountianeer Paul Thelen and his friend Eberhard Schaaf are part of the annual Eco Everest Expedition, which has been cleaning up rubbish from base camps to the peak since 2008. So far they’ve collected over 13 tons of garbage.

Some of that rubbish is even being used for a higher purpose. As part of the Mount Everest 8844 Art Project, a group of 15 artists from Nepal collected 1.5 tons of garbage brought down the mountain by climbers. They’ve transformed the cans and oxygen tanks—and in one case, part of the remains of a helicopter—into 74 pieces of art that have already gone on exhibition in Nepal’s capital. Part of the profit from sales will go to the Everest Peakers Association, which has helped collect tons of rubbish on the slopes of the mountain.

28. What do we learn about the bottlenecks on the way to Mount Qomolangma’s peak?

A. They are relatively safe.      B. They are often crowded.

C. They are very easy to pass.     D. They are sites of base camps.

29. What does the underlined word “gear” mean?

A. Equipment for climbing mountains.

B. The food climbers brought onto the mountain.

C. Some important machines used for the bottlenecks.

D. Some rubbish found on the mountain.

30. The group of 15 Nepali artists_________.

A. created works of art using rubbish from Qomolangma

B. were employed by the Everest Peakeers Association

C. climbed Qomolangma and collected 1.5 tons of trash

D. painted 74 beautiful pictures of Mount Qomolangma’s peak

31. What can be the best title for the text?

A. Eco Everest Expedition Proves Successful

B. Qomolangma Has Become A Huge Mess

C. Test Yourself Against Qomolangma

D. Recycle Rubbish On Qomolangma

D

Students from Florida International University in Miami walked on water Thursday for a class assignment. To do it, they wore aquatic (水上的)shoes they designed and created.

Alex Quinones was the first to make it to the other side of a 175-foot lake on campus in record time—just over a minute. Quinones, who wore oversized boat-like shoes，also won last year and will receive $ 500. Students had to wear the aquatic shoes and make it across the lake in order to earn an “A” on the assignment for Architecture Professor Jaime Canaves, Materials and Methods Construction Class. “It's traditional in a school of architecture to do boats out of cardboard for a boat race. I thought our students were a little bit more special than that,” Canaves said. “We decided to do the walk on water event to take it to the next level.”

A total of 79 students competed in the race this year in 41 teams. Only 10 teams failed to cross the lake. Others who fell got back up and made it to the end. The race is open to all students and anyone in the community. The youngest person to ever participate was a 9-year-old girl who competed in place of her mother, while the oldest was a 67-year-old female.

A large crowd on campus joined Canaves as he cheered on the racers. He shouted encouraging words, but also laughed as some unsteadily made their way to the end.

“A part of this is for them to have more understanding of designing and make it work better,” he said. It is also a lesson in life for the students.

“Anything, including walking on water, is possible, if you do the research，test it and go through the design process seriously.”