When early colonial settlers went to America, they took many forms of dance to their new home. Square dancing, one of the oldest forms of American folk dancing, developed from several different Old World group dances, mainly English country dances, and the French quadrille(四对方舞).
In the American version of square dancing, four couples form a square and dance to music. An American addition to square dancing is the caller. What do you think a caller does?
The callers---someone who calls out the dance steps in time to the music--- was a completely American invention. At first dancers memorized all the steps for a particular dance, but eventually the dances became so complicated that it was necessary to have someone call out cues (提示) so that dancers didn’t have to remember so many steps. The caller didn’t just call out “do-se-do your partner”; a good caller also came up with colourful sayings or witty lines that he said in between the cues such as “Don’t be shy and don’t be afraid. Swing on the corner in a waltz promenade (步伐).” A caller might also come up with new dance steps and routines.
Although popular for years, square dancing seemed to be going out of style and fading away until the early 1930s, when Henry Ford helped revive interest in it. Ford, the automobile manufacturer, used to vacation at the Wayside Inn in Massachusetts, where he enjoyed the dance programme run by a man named Benjamin Lovett. Ford asked Lovett to come to Detroit and teach dances, but Lovett said he couldn’t because he had a contract with the inn. Ford solved that problem by buying the inn and Lovett’s contract. He took Lovett back to Detroit, where together they established a programme for teaching squares and rounds. Square dancing was updated and groups began forming all over the country.
53. What is the best title for the passage?
A. The Different Steps of Square Dancing
B. The Origin and Development of Square Dancing
C. Who Was the Inventor of Square Dancing?
D. Why Did Square Dancing Go Out of Style?
54. What does the underlined part “their new home” refer to?
A. The United Kingdom. B. France.
C. Africa. D. America.
55. Why did the caller call out the steps for the dancers?
A. Because the dance was invented by the caller.
B. Because the dancers didn’t know the names of the steps.
C. Because the steps were very particular.
D. Because it was hard for the dancers to remember all the steps.
56. Why did the author mention Henry Ford in the last paragraph?
A. Because he was the man who made the first car.
B. Because he was vey fond of dancing.
C. Because he helped make square dancing popular again.
D. Because he taught people how to dance.
Want to stay away from colds? Put on a happy face.
Compared to unhappy people, those who are cheerful and relaxed are less likely to suffer from colds, according to a new study. It's possible that being happy helps the body fight illnesses, say the researchers from New York University.
"It seems that positive feelings may reduce the danger of illness," said the study's chief researcher Sheldon Cohen.
In an earlier study, Cohen found that people who were cheerful and lively caught coughs and colds less often. People who showed feelings were also less likely to tell their doctors that they felt ill.
In thisstudy, Cohen's interviewed 193 adults every day for two weeks. During the interviews, the people were given colds by doctors and had to stay alone in a room for six days.
The results showed that everyone in the study was equally likely to get ill. But for people who said they felt happy during the research period, their illness are less serious and lasted for a shorter time.
Cohen believes that when people experience positive feelings, their body may produce a chemical that helps fight illness and disease. So if you are worried abut your health, look on the bright side more often.Which of the following was NOT a part of the study?
| A．People talked about their feelings every day. |
| B．People were kept alone for six days. |
| C．People were given colds by doctors. |
| D．People were made to feel unhappy. |
What did the study find?
| A．People who felt happy never got ill. |
| B．People's feelings didn't influence their health. |
| C．People with good feelings became ill more easily. |
| D．People with positive feelings had less serious illnesses. |
According to Cohen, which of the following may help fight illness?
| A．Eating. | B．Crying. | C．Laughing. | D．Sleeping. |
This passage is a/an.
| A．advertisement | B．newspaper report | C．story | D．scientist's diary |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Smiles can fight colds | B．Cause of colds found |
| C．The danger of colds | D．How people get sick |
Thousands of people have been killed in a massive(大规模的) earthquake in Japan. The quake -- the most powerful to hit Japan in more than 100 years -- caused massive damage and many people are missing and feared dead.
The 8.9 magnitude quake struck Friday(March 11) off Japan's eastern coast, and prompted(引发) tsunami warnings（海啸警报）across the Pacific as far away as South America and the U.S. West Coast. Several days after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake and resulting 10-meter-high tsunami devastated the coastline. The United States Geological Survey says it was the fifth largest earthquake since 1900. The largest, with a 9.5 magnitude, shook Chile(智利) in 1960.
In Japan, the tsunami swept away boats, cars and hundreds of houses in coastal areas north of Tokyo. The quake shook buildings in the Japanese capital and caused several fires. All train and subway traffic in Tokyo has been stopped, and thousands of people there were unable to get back home. People are just trying to find clean water. Food supplies are running out. In the convenience stores, there are no rice balls left. There is no bottled water left. People are facing a reallyserious situation in the days ahead for these people that are living in areas that were only moderately（普通的） damaged. The final death toll could range from the thousands to tens of thousands, depending on how many of these communities are gone.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said the government would do everything it can to minimize（使降到最低） the effects of the disaster. And in Washington, President Obama said the United States is ready to help the people of Japan.The underline word damage means_____________ in the article.
| A．illness | B．disaster | C．terror | D．danger |
Which is true according to the passage?
| A．Thousands of people have been killed in a massive earthquake in Japan. |
| B．Only people in areas that were only moderately damaged are facing a really serious situation in the days. |
| C．The tsunami devastatednot only the coastline in Japan, but also the areas across the Pacific as far away as South America and the U.S. West Coast. |
| D．The massive earthquake caused the tsunami. |
According to the passage, which earthquake is the largest one since 1990 ?
| A．the one happened in Japan on March 11, 2011 |
| B．the one in Chile in 1960 |
| C．the fifth largest earthquake since 1900 |
| D．We don't know. |
If you're in Tokyo these days, what you can't get from the convenience store?
| A．newspapers and magazines |
| B．some medicine |
| C．paper napkins and toothpastes |
| D．rice balls and bottled water |
The passage can't be in/on __________.
| A．March 10th newspapers | B．TV | C． Internet | D． Radios |
Come and see the Indian elephants and the new tigers from America. The bears are waiting to meet you, and the monkeys from China are waiting to throw things at you. The lovely dogs from Australia are waiting to laugh at you, and the giraffes from Zambia are waiting to look down on You.
Tickets Grown-ups：＄2.00
Children：Over 12 ＄1.00 Under 12 Free
Opening time:9:00 a.m.— 4:00 p.m. Except Friday 10:00 a.m. — 3 :00 p.m.
Keep the zoo clean！Do not touch，give food or go near the animals.How many kinds of animals are talked about in the passage？
| A．Four | B．Five | C．Six | D．Seven |
Now Mr. Smith is in the zoo with his two sons, one aged 14 and the other 10, how much are the tickets together？
| A．$4.00 | B．$2.00 | C．$3.00 | D．$1.00 |
Which of the following is the visiting time？
| A．8:30 a.m. Monday | B．9:30 a.m. Friday | C．3:00 p.m. Sunday | D．5:00 p.m. Tuesday |
From the passage we can guess the animal “giraffe” must be very _______.
| A．fat | B．long | C．strong | D．tall |
Which of the following can we do in the zoo？
| A．To give some food to the dogs. | B．To touch the monkey on the head. |
| C．To throw things everywhere. | D．To take a few nice photos. |
Jerry was a manager in a restaurant.He was always in a good mood(脾气）and always had something positive to say.This really made me curious, so one day I asked him,"It's hard to be a positive person all of the time.How do you do it?'' Jerry replied ,"Each morning I wake up and sayto myself,"Jerry, you can choose to be in a good mood or a bad mood," and I choose to be in a good mood. Life is all about what you choose.And what you choose leads your life."Several years later,I heard that Jerry left the back door open one morning and was robbed(抢劫）.While trying to stop the thief ,he was shot. I went to see him in the hospital.When I asked him how he was,he replied,"If I were any better,I'd be twins." "Weren't you scared when you were in danger?"I asked."Yes. The doctors kept telling me that I was going to be fine, but in their eyes,I read."He's dead."I knew I needed to take action." "What did you do?" "Well.there was a big nurse asking me if I was allergic(过敏的）to anything."Yes,'I replied ."Bullets(子弹）!Everyone laughed and I told them: I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive." Jerry lived thanks to the great doctors ,and also because of his amazing attitude(态度）.Attitude ,after all ,is everything.What kind of person was Jerry?
| A．He was serious. | B．He was helpful. |
| C．He was allergic. | D．He was happy and smart. |
When Jerry met difficulties in life,how did he deal with them?
| A．He faced them positively. | B．He talked to the writer about them. |
| C．He asked others to help him. | D．He tried to stop thinking about them |
What does the underlined word "curious" mean in Chinese?
| A．敏感的 | B．好奇的 | C．开心的 | D．有趣的 |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Jerry was the writer's manager. | B．Jerry was not afraid of dead at all. |
| C．Jerry was nearly dead after he was shot. | D．Jerry didn't believe doctors. |
What is the best title(题目）for this passage?
| A．Action Matters | B．Brave Jerry Beat the Thief |
| C．Attitude Is Everything | D．Jerry ,a Great Man |
Little Mark is only 6, but he has an IQ of 200, a genius among geniuses. But his intelligence comes at a cost. His parents must keep him intellectually simulated（启发）while making sure he is like any other little boy.
Mark has been attracted by the way how the world works since he was a baby. When he was 3, Mark was reading fluently, mostly self-taught. His parents haven't been able to keep him away from books since.
"I tried many times to stop him reading. We worry about his crazy fond of reading because he constantly wants to read every-thing whatever it is.”
A psychologist at the Centre for gifted children tested Mark and gave him an IQ of 200. The average child of Mark's age has an IQ of 100. At 200, Mark is a genius-even compared with other child geniuses.
"With children like Mark you can tell that's a bright child as soon as they walk in. They just have this sort of intensity, and maybe they're not so good at communicating with people," the psychologist said. "He will never fit perfectly into a class where he's with children of his age.”But Mark's mother worries about the "socially isolated" labels. "Nobody wants their child to grow up with that image. I want him to communicate with others freely, but not to be frustrated academically, so it's really hard to find a balance," she says.
Helen Dudeney from the Talented and Gifted Children Association says Mark is one in a million with such a high IQ. She points out that geniuses are still rare and difficult for the public education system to handle. "The lack of coping comes because teachers aren't trained in teaching gifted children," says Dudeney.
Helen believes it's also extremely important for them to be recognized and supported in their talents. Mark's parents are trying to figure out how best to help Mark. At the moment, there are few options. Mark finds first year work boring and simple, but he must learn to complete the work. His mother says, "We just want to be happy. Just to have a happy childhood and want to go to school every day.”By saying "But his intelligence comes at a cost. ",the author means that
| A．Mark must pay for his intelligence at a high price |
| B．Mark's intelligence brings him negative effects at the same time |
| C．Mark's intelligence results from his parents |
| D．Mark's parents make Mark clever at all costs |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Mark's parents are very satisfied with his love for reading. |
| B．Mark began to teach himself reading at the age of 3. |
| C．Many child geniuses are not good at communicating with others. |
| D．It is hard for parents to bring up a genius. |
If there are 6. 6 billion people in the world, the number of geniuses with an IQ of 200 will be
________．
| A．about 4,400 | B．about 5,500 | C．about 6,600 | D．about 7,700 |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A genius' craziness for books |
| B．The life of the genius' parents |
| C．The burden of being gifted |
| D．The characteristics of Mark |