CARDIFF, Wales Poets, singers and musicians from across the globe gathered in Wales to celebrate the tradition(传统) of storytelling.
“It might seem strange that people still want to listen in age of watching television, but this is an unusual art form whose time has come again,” said David Ambrose, director of Beyond the Border, an international storytelling festival(节) in Wales.
“Some of the tales, like those the Inuit from Canada, are thousands years old. So our storytellers have come from distant lands to connect us with the distance of time,” he said early this month.
Two Inuit women, both in their mid 60s, are among the few remaining who can do Kntadjait, or throat singing, which has few words and much sound. Their art is governed by the cold of their surroundings, forcing them to say little but listen attentively.
Ambrose started the festival in 1993, after several years of working with those reviving (coming back into use or existence) storytelling in Wales.
“It came out of a group of people who wanted to reconnect with traditions. and as all the Welsh are storytellers, it was in good hands here.” Ambrose said.
1. Ambrose believes that the art of storytelling _______.
A. will be more popular than TV
B. will be popular again
C. started in Wales
D. are in the hands of some old people
2. From the tales told by the Inuit, people can learn _______.
A. about their life as early as thousands of years ago
B. why they tell the stories in a throat-singing way
C. how cold it has been where the Inuit live
D. how difficult it is to understand the Inuit
3. According to the writer, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Storytelling once stopped in Wales.
B. Storytelling has a long history in Wales.
C. Storytelling is always well received in Wales.
D. Storytelling did not come back until 1993 in Wales.
4. The underlined phrase in good hands means _______.
A. controlled by rich people B. grasped by good storytellers
C. taken good care of D. protected by kind people
It is hard to track the blue whale, the ocean’s largest creature, which has almost been killed off by commercial whaling and is now listed as an endangered species. Attaching radio devices to it is difficult, and visual sightings are too unreliable to give real insight into its behavior.
So biologists were delighted early this year when, with the help of the Navy, they were able to track a particular blue whale for 43 days, monitoring its sounds. This was possible because of the Navy’s formerly top-secret system of underwater listening devices spanning the oceans.
Tracking whales is but one example of an exciting new world just opening to civilian scientists after the cold war as the Navy starts to share and partly uncover its global network of underwater listening system built over the decades to track the ships of potential enemies.
Earth scientists announced at a news conference recently that they had used the system for closely
monitoring a deep-sea volcanic eruption （爆发） for the first time and that they plan similar studies.
Other scientists have proposed to use the network for tracking ocean currents and measuring changes in ocean and global temperatures.
The speed of sound in water is roughly one mile a second—slower than through land but faster than through air. What is most important, different layers of ocean water can act as channels for sounds, focusing them in the same way a stethoscope （听诊器） does when it carries faint noises from a patient’s chest to a doctor’s ear. This focusing is the main reason that even relatively weak sounds in the ocean, especially low-frequency ones, can often travel thousands of miles.
81. The passage is chiefly about ____ .
A. an effort to protect an endangered marine species
B. the civilian use of a military detection system
C. the exposure of a U.S. Navy top-secret weapon
D. a new way to look into the behavior of blue whales
82. The underwater listening system was originally designed ____ .
A. to trace and locate enemy vessels
B. to monitor deep-sea volcanic eruptions
C. to study the movement of ocean currents
D. to replace the global radio communications network
83. The deep-sea listening system makes use of ____ .
A. the sophisticated technology of focusing sounds under water
B. the capability of sound to travel at high speed
C. the unique property of layers of ocean water in transmitting sound
D. low-frequency sounds travelling across different layers of water____
84. It can be inferred from the passage that____.
A. new radio devices should be developed for tracking the endangered blue whales
B. blue whales are no longer endangered with the use of the new listening system
C. opinions differ as to whether civilian scientists should be allowed to use military technology
D. military technology has great potential in civilian use
85. Which of the following is true about the U.S. Navy underwater listening network?
A. It is now partly accessible to civilian scientists.
B. It has been replaced by a more advanced system.
C. It became useless to the military after the cold war.
D. It is indispensable in protecting endangered species.
| Welcome to my Message Board! |
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| Subject: Slimming down classics? |
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Mr. Handsome 2007-5-12 6: 34 AM |
Orion Books, which decides there is a market in creating cut-down classics (经典著作), is slimming down some novels by such great writers as L. Tolstoy, M. Mitchell and C. Bronte. Now, each of them has been whittled down to about 400 pages by cutting 30 to 40 pages percent of original, with words, sentences, paragraphs and, in a few cases, chapters removed. The first six shortened editions, all priced at ￡6.99 and advertised as great reads “in half the time”, will go on sale next month, with plans for 50 to 100 more to follow. The publishing house believes that modern readers will welcome the shorter versions. |
Mr. Edwards 2007-5-12 9: 40 AM |
Well, I’m publisher of Orion Group. Thanks for your attention, Mr. Handsome. I must say, the idea developed from a game of “shame” in my office. Each of us was required to confess (承认) to the most embarrassing blanks in his or her reading. I admitted that I had never read Anna Karenina and tried but failed to get through Gone with the Wind several times. One of my colleagues acknowledged skipping (跳读) Jane Eyre. We realized that life is too short to read all the books you want to and we never were going to read these ones. As a leading publishing house, we are trying to make classics convenient for readers but it’s not as if we’re withdrawing the original versions. They are still there if you want to read them. |
| Ms. Weir 2007-5-12 11:35 AM |
I’m director of the online book club www.lovereading.co.uk. Mr. Edwards, I think your shortened edition is a breath of fresh air. I’ m guilty of never having read Anna Karenina, because it’s just so long. I’d much rather read two 300-page books than one 600-page book. I am looking forward to more shortened classics! |
| Mr. Crockatt 2007-5-12 4:38 PM |
I’m from the London independent bookshop Corckatt & Powell. In my opinion, the practice is completely ridiculous. How can you edit the classics? I’m afraid reading some of these books is hard work, and that is why you have to develop as a reader. If people don’t have time to read Anna Karenina, then fine. But don’t read a shortened version and kid yourself it’s the real thing. |
76. According to the message board, Orion Books ____________ .
A. opposes the reading of original classics B. is embarrassed for cutting down classics
C. thinks cut-down classics have a bright future D. is cautious in its decision to cut down classics
77. In Mr. Edwards’ opinion, Orion Group is shortening classics to ____________.
A. make them easier to read B. meet a large demand in the market
C. increase the sales of literary books D. compete with their original versions
78. By describing the shortened classics as “a breath of fresh air”, Ms. Weir____________.
A. speaks highly of the cut-down classics B. shows her love for original classics
C. feels guilty of not reading the classics D. disapprove of shortening the classics
79. Mr. Crockatt seems to imply that ____________.
A. reading the classic works is a confusing attempt
B. shortening the classics does harm to the original
C. publishing the cut-down classics is a difficult job
D. editing the classic works satisfies children’s needs
80. How many classics are involved in the massage board?
A. Two. B. Three. C. Four. D. Five.
Free and secure accommodation, no bills and even the odd home-cooked meal. It sounds like the perfect living arrangement for cash-strapped(缺乏现金的) students.
Two mothers believe they have devised a way for struggling students to save on accommodation costs when they leave home to study at university.
Kate Barnham and Amanda Flude have launched Student Swaps, an online accommodation forum (论坛) for parents and students, in advance of the introduction in September of ￡3,000 higher education top-up fees.
Their website says, “The principle behind Student Swaps is to enable students to literally swap (交换) family homes.” The website will hold a database of students who would like to swap and link them with suitable matches. So those from one town / city could swap with those from a different town / city.
The site describes itself as offering a “cost-free accommodation alternative… at a time of growing student debt”. There is no charge for the service at the moment but Ms Barnham and Ms Flude intend to introduce a ￡10 annual fee if it becomes established.
However
, the National Union of Students (NUS) has warned that, while the scheme may sound appealing to struggling freshers, it lacks any formal regulation.
Veronica King, NUS vice-president of welfare, said, “The fact that this scheme has even been suggested is evidence to the high levels of debt students now face on graduation.” Recent research has shown that students are more likely to live at home in coming years, in a bid to cut down on the cost of a degree.
“This is worrying, as it may mean that students choose their university on the basis of where it is, rather than because it offers the best course for them. It also means students will miss out on what is for some a key part of the student experience-living away from home.”
71. A “cash-strapped” student means one who __________.
A. lacks moneyB. prefers to stay at home
C. is careful with money D. wants to change cash
72. What is Kate Barnham and Amanda Flude’s purpose of launching Student Swaps?
A. To provide cheaper accommodation for students.
B. To let students stay close to their universities.
C. To help students spend less on accommodation costs.
D. To let students exchange ideas freely online.
73. What can students do on Student Swaps?
A. They can find students to exchange homes with.
B. They can make friends with students from a different city.
C. They can borrow money to pay for their higher education.
D. They can voice their opinions against the rising cost of a degree.
74. Now many students would prefer a university _________.
A. which can give them free accommodation B. which is not far away from their homes
C. which offers the best courses D. which can offer home-cooked meals
75. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. High Cost Troubles University Students in UK.
B. Students Swaps is Welcomed by Students in UK.
C. Two Mothers’ Good Intention to Help Students in UK.
D. Website Helps Students Live at Someone Else’s Home.
第三部分：阅读(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Most people want to know how things are made. They honestly admit, however, that they hardly know a thing when it comes to understanding how a piece of music is made. Where a composer begins, how he manages to keep going – in fact, how and when he learns his trade – all are covered in complete darkness. The composer, in short, is a man of mystery.
One of the first things the common man wants to know about is the part inspiration（灵感）plays in a composer’s work. He finds it difficult to believe that composers are not much interested in that question. Writing music is as natural for the composer as eating or sleeping for all. Music is something that the composer happens to have been born for.
The composer, therefore, does not say to himself: “Do I feel inspired?” He says to himself: “Do I feel like working today?” And if he feels like working, he does. It is more or less like saying to himself: “Do I feel sleepy?” if you feel sleepy, you go to sleep. If you don’t feel sleepy, you stay up. If the composer doesn’t feel like working, he doesn’t work. It’s as simple as that.
66. What would be the best title for the text?
A. Composer: a man of mystery B. Practice makes good music
C. Relation between sleeping and music D. Music: product of nature
67. The words “covered in complete darkness” underlined in paragraph 1 most probably mean__________
A. difficult to be made B. without any light C. black in color D. not known
68. Most people seem to think that a composer________.
A. finds it difficult to write music B. considers it important to have a good rest
C. should like to talk about inspiration D. never asks himself very simple questions
69. The author will most probably agree that composers_________.
A. are born with a gift for music B. are people full of mystery
C. work late at night for their music D. know a lot about eating and sleeping
70. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. How the music produces.
B. How secret the composer’s work.
C. Why the composer is so popular with people.
D. What the composer often thinks about.
How do successful people think? What drives them? Interviews and investigations show that there are several keys to success that successful people share.
First of all, successful people never blame someone or something outside of themselves for their failure to go ahead. They realize that their future lies in their own hands. They understand that they cannot control things in life, such as nature, the past and other people. But in the meantime, they are well aware that they can control their own thoughts and actions. They take responsibility for their life and regard this as one of the most empowering (给人以权力的)things they can do .Perhaps what most separates successful people from others is that they live life “on purpose”---they are doing what they believe they are put here to do .In their opinion, having a purpose in their life is the most important fact that enables them to become fully functioning people. They hold that when they live their life on purpose ,their main concern is to do the job right .They love what they do ---and it shows people want to do business with them because of their devotion to their jobs. To live their life on purpose, successful people find a cause they believe in and create a business around it. Besides, they never easily give up. Once they have set up goals in their life, they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Top achievers always keep in mind that they don’t have forever. Rather than seeing it negative or depressing, they use the knowledge to encourage themselves to move on and go after what they want energetically and passionately.
65. Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A. How do people live their life on purpose? B. How can people be successful?
C. How do people make plans? D. How do people do business?
66. By living life “on purpose ”successful people can ________
A. do a lot of work without using more money. B. concentrate on their jobs
C. do business with many people easily.D. share what they have with every one unselfishly.
67.The pronoun “it” (Line 10.Para.2) refers to _____
A. the main concern of successful people B. the job that successful people do
C. the devotion with which successful people do their job
D. the business that successful people do with other people.