TheHarvardStudentledWalkingTou-优题课

The arts, especially music, should be part of every school's lessons at every grade level. Students would be much smarter if they had some musical experience. They could improve their classroom skills, like paying attention and following directions. People develop all these skills when they learn music. Making music also lets children use their imagination. It provides students with a chance to try out their own ideas.
Music not only makes children better students, but also gives them something positive to do. In a music program, children can be part of a band instead of joining a gang (团伙). Parents can enjoy listening to their children's music instead of seeing them glued to a computer or TV screen. In a school band, students get to be part of a team. They can get along well with old friends and make new friends through music.
Music builds self-confidence, too. It gives children a sense of achievement and success. Making music is something for them to be proud of, and it lets kids practice performing in front of an audience. Music gives children an opportunity for self-expression, and that helps develop their self-confidence.
Once again, music is important because it can make children better students, give them something positive to do, and build their character. That is why music should be offered in every single grade in every school.
According to the passage, music could make students smarter by _______________.

A．improving their classroom skills and paying attention

B．improving their classroom skills and imagination

C．improving their attention, direction and imagination

D．learning music, making music and trying out their own ideas

What does the underlined phrase "glued to" in the second paragraph mean?

A．unwilling to turn on	B．always looking
C．unwilling to leave	D．always playing

The third paragraph mainly tells us that music could _______________.

A．give children self-expression and self-confidence

B．bring to children achievement and success

C．give children something to be proud of

D．develop children's self-confidence

What's the best title of this passage？

A．Music is a must as a course at school

B．Music builds children's self-confidence

C．Music makes students much smarter

D．Learning music and making music

As an English speaker, you must know a lot of English words. You can read, speak and understand. But there is another kind of language you have to know — the language of the body, a part of what is called non-verbal communication. All over the world, people “talk” with their eyes. When Chinese people meet, they usually shake their hands. What do American and British do?
Americans are more informal than the British. They like to be friendly. They use first name, they ask questions and they talk easily about themselves. When they sit down, they like to relax in their chairs and make themselves comfortable.
British people are more quiet. They take more time to make friends. They like to know you before they ask you home. 
When British and American people meet someone for the first time, they shake hands. They do not usually shake hands with people they know well. Women sometimes kiss their women friends, and men kiss women friends (on one cheek only). When a man meets a man friend, he just smiles, and says “Hello”. Men do not kiss each other. Even fathers and sons do not often kiss each other.
What is “body language”?

A．Body language is the system of human expression newly invented recently.

B．Body language is the system of human expression by means of words.

C．Body language is a common system of human expression with words and signs.

D．Body language is the system of human expression by sign, movements, etc.

People use body language .

A．in Asia	B．in America
C．in Britain	D．all over the world

What will an American man do when he meets a woman friend?

A．He will say “Hello”.	B．He will just smile.
C．He will kiss her.	D．He will shake hands.

What does the underlined phrase in the third paragraph mean?

A．Ask you about your home address.

B．Invite you to be a visitor of their home.

C．Name you as “home”.

D．Ask you some questions.

There is one language that is used in every country in the world. The people who use it are young and old, short and tall, thin and fat. It is everybody’s second language. It is easy to understand, although you can’t hear it. It is sign(手势) language.
When you wave to a friend who is across the street, you are using sign language. When you smile at someone, you are saying, “I want to be friendly”, but you are not using speech. You are using body language. When you raise your hand in class, you are saying, “Please ask me. I think I know the correct answer.”
Babies who can’t talk can point at things. They are using sign language. A policeman who wants to stop traffic holds up his hands. He is using sign language.
Many years ago, a French priest, Charles Michel de Epee, became interested in education for deaf people. He invented a finger alphabet (字母表). It is still in use. People can make the sign(手势) for letters and spell words with their hands, and deaf people can read and understand them. Soon there were schools for the deaf in many countries. The only university for the deaf is Gallaudet College in Washington, D.C.
Today, in the United States, there are special TV news programs for deaf people. The newsreader tells the news in sign language. At the same time, the words appear on the TV screen.
The actors in the Theatre of Deaf don’t spell every word. Sometimes they use hand signs. When they put two hands together, it means sandwich. They can make a roof with their hands when they want to show a house. One finger in front of an actor’s mouth can mean quiet. You can talk to people who are behind windows that are closed. And when you go swimming with your friends, you can have conversations under water.
How many hand signs do you use every day?
Which of the following about sign language is TRUE?

A．It is a special language used in a few countries in the world.

B．It is a way to express one’s ideas without words.

C．It is only used by the deaf.

D．It can be heard.

If you want to express the idea that “I am very friendly” to someone, you will ______.

A．raise your hand

B．put one hand onto the other

C．smile to the person

D．make a roof with your hands

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Hand signs instead of finger signs are used every day.
B. There are schools, colleges and universities for the deaf in the USA.
C. The French priest Charles invented sign language.
D. Even babies are using sign language.
The passage is mainly about ______.

A．an introduction to sign language

B．the importance of sign language

C．a famous priest in France

D．how to use sign language

About the year 1990, a small dark-haired boy named Charles Chaplin was often seen waiting outside the back entrances of theatres. He looked thin and hungry. He was hoping to get work in show business. He could sing and dance, and above all, he knew how to make people laugh. But he couldn’t get work and therefore wandered about the city streets. Sometimes he was sent away to a home for children who had no parents.
But twenty years later this same Chaplin became the greatest, best known, and best loved comedian in the world. Nearly all visitors to cinema must have seen some of Chaplin’s films. People everywhere had sat and laughed at them until the tears ran down their faces. Even people who don’t understand English can enjoy Chaplin’s films because they are almost silent. It isn’t what he says that makes people laugh. His comedy doesn’t depend on words or languages. It depends on little actions which mean the same thing to people all over the world. Acting out, without words, of common human situations plays an important part in the dances and plays of many countries. It’s a kind of world language.
Chapin lived most of his life inAmericaand died inSwitzerlandon Christmas 1977, at the age of eighty-eight. There was sadness all over the world at the news of his death.
Why was young Chaplin waiting outside the back of the theatres?

A．He wanted to enjoy a play in the theatre.

B．He was hungry and wanted some food.

C．He liked to play a part in play and thus made a living.

D．He wished to become a man of business.

People all over the world can enjoy Chaplin’s films without translation because ____ .

A．English is widely known in the world

B．they can enjoy the film silently

C．they are mostly comedies

D．most of them are silent

Chaplin is regarded as king of comedy mainly because______.

A．he acted out the common situations best in his comedy

B．he could sing and dance well

C．he knew how to make people laugh

D．lots of people have seen his film

In high school, “cool” is the rule, so teenagers will do anything to avoid possibly embarrassing situations.
But not Samantha Elton, 15. She seeks them out. And if she can make a fool of herself as in the process, well, that’s even better.
For the past two years, Elton, has been a practitioner of improvisation, doing things that others would be embarrassed to consider.
Elton is a member of High School Jesters, a group that teaches improvisation techniques to students. The group was founded two years ago by Nicholas Kopatich, himself a keen improviser.
“I was sitting in my dorm room and some friends were having chats about comedy and improvisation,” Kopatich recalls. They asked for lessons after Kopatich told them he had improvisation experience. The small group turned out to be pretty good at it, so they did a show for the dorm. And things snowballed.
While even her mother marvels at Elton’s ability to get up in front of audience without a script to fall back on, the teen enjoys such opportunities. Performing improvisation comes with a certain freedom that theater doesn’t provide.
“What I like about it the most is that I don’t have to be a certain character or a certain way, and because of that I can’t get anything wrong,” Elton says, “I get to write the story while I’m doing it.”
Monica Elton, Samantha’s mom, thinks the workshops are a valuable outlet that a lot of students may not get in their schools. High school kids don’t usually like to act silly or look uncool, she says, but improvisation teaches them that it’s OK to have flaws.
“I like to think we give kids positively that allows them to gain confidence,” says Brent Mukai, a High School Jesters instructor. The great thing about improvisation is that it is an art form that is open to anyone. But there’s more to it than getting up in front of audience and telling jokes or acting silly.
“You don’t need to be the most amazing actress to be an improviser,” Samantha Elton says, “It’s really a place where I can show people my creativity. I can paint pictures for people and entertain others.”
It’s really free.
What do we know about improvisation?

A．Performers act as a certain character.

B．Performers need a script to act on.

C．Performers intend to make audience embarrassed.

D．Performers develop the story as they are playing.

According to Monica, practicing improvisation made Elton _______.

A．treat flaws as normal things

B．accept cool as the rule

C．avoid doing embarrassing things

D．care about what others comment on her

It can be inferred that Kopatich formed High School Jesters _______.

A．on purpose	B．by accident
C．for business	D．out of curiosity

The passage mainly tells us that ________.

A．teens make a fool of themselves

B．teens perform improvisation to be cool

C．teens express creativity through arts

D．teens gain confidence in the improvisation