B
Snow can be very beautiful. When snow covers everything around you , the world looks like a “Winter Wonderland”. That is the name of a very popular song about winter. Richard Smith and Felix Bernard wrote the song in 1934.
But winter is not always such a beautiful and happy time. It is cold outside.The wind blows and makes it even colder. The days are shorter and darker. The sun rarely shines. The leaves on the trees are brown or have fallen to the ground. The flowers are mostly gone. It is not surprising that some people are sad in winter. And some people dream about being somewhere else where it is warm and pretty——like the state of California. The Mamas and the Papas recorded their famous song, “California Dreaming” in 1965.
During the 1960s, many other famous rock groups sang songs about winter. Here is a song by Simon and Garfunkel called “A Hazy Shade of Winter”. They sing about life and hope.
In 1968, the group Blood, Sweat and Tears recorded this gentle, sad song about winter. They sing about a lost love and forgotten memories in “Sometimes in Winter”.
Gordon Lightfoot wrote and recorded another sad and lovely song about winter in 1975.Sarah McLachlan recorded “Song for a Winter’s Night” for an album in 2006.She sings about reading a love letter and wishing the writer were with her.
Finally, on a lovely note, we leave you this sad song by Wayne.
40. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. “Winter Wonderland” is a song written by two brothers.
B. Most people feel very sad in winter.
C. “California Dreaming” is the most famous song about winter.
D. Winter is not always a happy time.
41. What do we learn about the song “Sometimes in Winter” from the passage?
A. It was written for Sarah McLachlan .
B. Gordon Lightfoot made some changes to it.
C. It is a gentle and sad song about winter.
D. It first came out in the 1970s.
42. What can we infer from the passage?
A. It is usually warm in California in winter.
B. “Song for a Winter’s Night” is a very happy song.
C. Blood, Sweat and Tears are the names of three singers.
D. Simon and Garfunkel often felt sad.
43. Where is this passage most probably taken from?
A. Newspaper B. TV news C. Radio program D. Magazine
There was once a lonely girl who longed so much for love.One day while she was walking in the woods she found two starving songbirds.She took them home and put them in a small cage，caring them with love.Luckily，the birds grew strong little by little.Every morning they greeted her with a wonderful song.The girl felt great love for the birds.
One day the girl left the door to the cage open accidentally.The larger and stronger of the two birds flew from the cage.The girl was so frightened that he would fly away so as he flew close，she grasped him wildly.Her heart felt glad at her success in capturing him.Suddenly，she felt the bird go limp，so she opened her hand and stared in horror at the dead bird.It was her desperate love that had killed him.
She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the cage.She could feel his strong desire－needing to fly into the clear，blue sky.Unwillingly，she lifted him from the cage and tossed him softly into the air.The lucky bird circled once，twice，three times.
The girl watched delightedly at the bird.Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss.What she wanted to see was that the bird could fly happily.Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her shoulder.It sang the sweetest tune that she had ever heard.
Remember，the fastest way to lose love is to hold on it too tight；the best way to keep love is to give it wings!After the girl found the two birds，she________．
| A．became delighted at once |
| B．treated them for a long time |
| C．took them to their home |
| D．fed them and raised them |
Why did the girl grasp the stronger bird wildly?
| A．Because the girl disliked the bird any longer. |
| B．Because the bird wanted to fly alone. |
| C．Because the girl loved the bird deeply. |
| D．Because the bird intended to found some food. |
The underlined word “tossed” in the passage means________．
| A．throw someting with slightly force |
| B．give up something happily |
| C．hold something fast |
| D．cast something without patient |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Catch what you can catch on your way to success. |
| B．Going too far is as bad as not going far enough. |
| C．The best things come when you least expect them to. |
| D．A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. |
Being able to call on the old boy's network helps you get your foot in the door，but has little impact on your later success.Having good connections does change your possibility of being offered a higher wage when you start working，but has no impact on your eventual wage.Coming from a wealthy background has little impact on lifetime earnings.Over time，brain power soon overtakes(超过)，and intelligence is the factor，which will determine your earnings and success.The speed of your rise through the ranks is determined largely by your own intelligence.
The study monitored earnings and promotions over the course of 25 years.Scores were used to assess the SocioEconomic Background(SEB)－wealth and connections－and standard Army intelligence tests used to assess intelligence.The study is sure to infuriate(激怒)those angered by wealthy groups such as Oxford's upper－crust(上流社会)Bullingdon Club，of which both David Cameron and Borris Johnson were members.
Professor Yoav Ganzach says that these findings have a positive message for those，who can't rely on nepotism(裙带关系)for their first job.“Your family can help you start your career and you do get an advantage，but it doesn't help you progress.And once you start working，you can go wherever your abilities take you，” he says.When intelligence and SEB are pitted directly against once another(相互较量)，intelligence is a more accurate predictor of future career success，he say.How many factors which may influence one's career are mentioned in the passage?
| A．1. | B．2. |
| C．3. | D．4. |
Who will be encouraged most after reading the passage?
| A．People who are lack of money. |
| B．People who can't depend on nepotism. |
| C．People with high intelligence. |
| D．People with wide connections. |
What's the main idea of the passage?
| A．Earnings and promotions are up to your own. |
| B．A study conducted by Professor Yoav Ganzach. |
| C．SEB is very important in one's first career. |
| D．Success is determined by your own brain power. |
The breaking news of Mo Yan's Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday evening soon aroused public curiosity of the 57yearold Chinese writer: Why was it him that was favored by the Swedish Academy?
Born in 1955 into a rural family，Mo dropped out of school and became a farmer when he was a teenager.He joined the military and devoted himself to writing after the Cultural Revolution (1966－1976)．
Less than half an hour after the announcement，Mo's works turned to soldout status at China's major online book sellers.One lucky buyer wrote in an online comment: “Rushed to purchase，but to my shame，I have not read any of his novels.”
Although Mo was entitled one of the top domestic literature awards before the Nobel Prize，he is not the most popular novelist in China，in either the book market or in reputation.
Mo's novel “Big Breasts & Wide Hips，” translated by Howard Goldblatt，tells a story of a mother who struggled and suffered hardship and intertwined fates with Chinese people in the 20th century.His more recent work “Frog” more directly criticized China's onechild family policy，which helped control the country's population explosion but also brought tragedies to rural residents in the past 60 years.
“I think the reason why I could win the prize is because my works present lives with unique Chinese characteristics，and they also tell stories from a viewpoint of common human beings，which is above differences of nations and races，” Mo said on Thursday evening to Chinese journalists.Mo also said many folk arts originated from his hometown，such as clay sculpture，paper cuts，traditional new year paintings，have inspired and influenced his novels.
With more Chinese writers like Mo，the world could learn a more real China.Perhaps，this is another reason for the Swedish Academy's choice.What can we conclude from the second paragraph?
| A．Mo's life experiences. | B．Mo's family life. |
| C．Mo devoted himself to writing. | D．Mo had a gift for writing. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Mo didn't got any national awards before he won the Nobel Prize. |
| B．Mo was the top novelist in China before he won the Nobel Prize. |
| C．Mo's novels have attracted many people to read. |
| D．Mo's novels are all based on his daily life. |
Which of the following have no effect on Mo's novels according to the passage?
| A．Clay sculpture. | B．Paper cuts. |
| C．Folk arts. | D．Beijing opera. |
According to the passage，we know that________．
| A．Big Breasts & Wide Hips' leading role is one happy mother |
| B．Big Breasts & Wide Hips criticized China's onechild family policy |
| C．Frog came out earlier than Big Breasts & Wide Hips |
| D．Frog shows benefit as well as shortcoming of one China's policy |
New research has revealed that which song drivers listen to can influence how safe they are on the roads.Among the top ten safest songs to drive to are Come Away With Me by Norah Jones，I Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith and Tiny Dancer by Elton John.Each of the songs has an optimum tempo(最佳节奏) for safe driving，imitating the human heartbeat at around 60 to 80 beats per minute.The Scientist by Coldplay and Justin Timberlake's Cry Me a River also appeared in the top 10.
The study，conducted at London Metropolitan University，also revealed the type of songs that cause motorists to drive dangerously.Unsurprisingly，music that is noisy increases a driver's heart rate，which can be deadly.Fast beats cause excitement that can lead people to concentrate more on the music than on the road and to speed up to match the beat of the song.Styles of music were also measured during the experiment and revealed differences between male and female drivers.Hiphop made a female driver drive far more aggressively，speeding up faster than male driver.The heavy metal music caused the fastest driving among males in the group while the dance music had the same effect among women.The male and female drivers who listened to the classical music drove the most irregularly.
The experiment involved eight people driving 500 miles each using the confused.com MotorMate app，which monitored driving behaviors through GPS technology.What's the main idea of the whole passage?
| A．Songs that drivers prefer to listen to on their way. |
| B．A study made by the confused.com MotorMate app. |
| C．What kind of songs the drivers should choose to listen to during driving. |
| D．Female drivers and male drives have different responses to the same music. |
The underlined word “monitored” in the last paragraph means________．
| A．controlled | B．banned | C．modeled | D．showed |
．Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Tiny Dancer by Elton John appeared in the top 10. |
| B．Usually human hearts beat at around 60 to 80 beats per minute. |
| C．The classical music makes most drivers drive comfortably and safely. |
| D．The passage reveals appropriate music and improper music for drivers. |
If there is another paragraph in the end of the passage，the author may mention________．
| A．female and male drivers' popular tastes of music |
| B．how did the study carry out |
| C．why fast beat music is harmful to drivers |
| D．some music with optimum tempo for driver to enjoy |
A nameless British millionaire is currently putting people to the test by handing out ￡1，000 to those he randomly meets in the street.All he'd ask is that they'd do something positive with the cash.The reactions are varied，from the surprised to the suspicious to the simply delighted.He has given away close to ￡100，000 to people he has met around the world.He hands those that he chooses a card explaining his project and allows them 48 hours to get in touch.
“Mr.Lucky” is from London，in his late thirties and appears wearing rolled－up jeans and with a camera around his neck.Working for an insurance company abroad，he earned his fortune and resigned last year after having realized he had more money than he knew what to do with.
“I once booked myself a flight into space；I thought I'd fulfill my childhood dream.Then I told my friends and when the conversation changed to what they would do if they had that amount of money，I felt embarrassed.Their ideas were much more generous，interesting and responsible than mine，” said Mr.Lucky.After canceling his space flight and struggling to choose a worthy cause for his cash，he decided to set up the WeAreLucky project.“I didn't want to just pass on my luck；I also wanted to share the responsibility.I decided to give away ￡1，000 every day.I'd asked the receivers to fill in a brief questionnaire to explain their intentions in using the money.”
But is handing over the responsibility to others really a responsible thing to do? How does he know the money will be used properly? “I'm not going to judge or start checking up on them.Sometimes what we need to do is just believing others，” he said with nearly childlike enthusiasm.How do people feel when offered ￡1，000 by “Mr.Lucky”？
| A．Shocked. | B．Cheerful. |
| C．Embarrassed. | D．Stressful. |
How did Mr.Lucky get so much money？
| A．Flying into space. |
| B．Giving out some questionnaires to people. |
| C．Setting up a web site. |
| D．Working in an insurance company. |
Which conclusion can be drawn from the third paragraph?
| A．What Mr.Lucky dreamed in his teens is to fly into space. |
| B．What Mr.Lucky wants to do is to pass on his fortune. |
| C．Why Mr.Lucky decided to set up the WeAreLucky. |
| D．Why Mr.Lucky changed the way he spent money. |
Why did Mr.Lucky hand out his money?
| A．He was easy－going and rich. |
| B．He wanted to help the poor. |
| C．He believed people could use it properly. |
| D．He needed people to share his responsibility. |