【正文】 Pablo Picasso painting sold at Christie’s auction( 拍賣 ) house in New York Wednesday for 55million dollars. The price set a new auction record for a Picasso, and is the fifthhighest price ever paid for any work of art at auction. The painting— Woman with her arms crossed— was purchased by a telephone bidder. Painted in 1902 in Barcelona, the portrait is one of the bestknown works from what is called Picasso’s blue period. Christie’s says the painting by the famous Spanish artist is of a quality not seen on the market in more than 10 years. It sold for more than twice its presale estimate. Xinhua Agency— A report that three kindergarten teachers got down on their knees before a South Korean couple to apologize, in Nanjing, of East China’s Jiangsu Province, has caused wide criticism. At a local kindergarten, a Chinese teacher frightened a South Korean child by saying she would cut off his fingers if he continued to make mischief. Although the kindergarten had apologized to the couple and dismissed the teacher named Yang, the mother insisted that Yang should kneel down before her. Sheng Dalin, a columnist, wrote in the XINXI SHIBAO that it was enough to fire the teacher and make an apology to the couple, but the mother’s request was beyond all reason. 21. News Item 1 intends to make us believe that ______. A. positive thinking can benefit patients’ recovery B. a better attitude results in a better operation C. researchers have observed 16 patients’ recovery for 30 years D. great attention has been paid to how attitudes affect health 22. Which of the following is NOT true about the painting? A. It was once thought to be worth around $27 million. B. It is one of the most expensive pictures ever sold at auction. C. It was purchased by somebody through telephone. D. It has disappeared for more than 10 years. 23. The report in News Item 3 has caused wide criticism because ______. A. the kindergarten dismissed the teacher named Yang B. the teachers refused to make an apology to the boy’s mother C. the mother demanded an unreasonable apology from the teachers D. the kindergarten supported to punish a boy so severely 24. Why did the kindergarten fire the teacher named Yang? A. She cut off a South Korean boy’s fingers. B. She frightened a South Korean child. C. She wouldn’t kneel down before a South Korean couple. D. The child’s mother demanded them to do so. 【 B】 One windy spring day, I observed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds dashing and dancing in the exciting atmosphere above the earth. As the strong winds gusted(風(fēng)吹 ) against the kites, a string kept them in check. Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the controlling string and the clumsy tail kept them in tow(牽引 ), facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled and trembled against the string, they seemed to say, “Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!” They flew beautifully even as they fought the forced restriction of the string. Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose. “Free at last,” it seemed to say. “Free to fly with the wi nd.” Yet freedom from control simply put it at the mercy of an unsympathetic gentle wind. It flew ungracefully to the ground and landed in a twisted mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. “Free at last”. Free to lie powerless in the dirt, to be blown helplessly along the ground, and to settle down lifeless against the first roadblock. How much like kites we sometimes are. There always exist misfortunes and restrictions, rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength. Prohibition is a necessary counterpart to the winds of opposition. Some of us pulled at the rules so hard that we never fly fast to reach the heights we might have obtained. If we keep all the mandment(戒律 ), we will never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground. Let us each rise to the great heights, recognizing that some of the prohibitions are actually the steady force that helps us climb and achieve. 25． In the passage the writer watched _______. A. many young people enjoying the sunny day B. many birds dashing and dancing in the sky C. many young people flying multicolored kites D. the strong winds blowing against the sky 26． What enables a kite fly gracefully in the sky according to the story? A. The kite itself and strange shapes. B. A long string and blowing wind. C. A windy spring day and blue sky. D. The size and a long string. 27． What is the purpose of the author in writing this