CARDIFF, Wales Poets, singers and musicians from across the globe gathered in Wales to celebrate the tradition 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 in Wales.
“Some of the tales, like those of the Inuit from Canada, are thousands of 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. 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
2. 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.
3. 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
When we think about happiness, we usually think of something extraordinary, a top great delight.
For a child, happiness has a magic quality. I remember playing police and robbers in the woods, getting a speaking part in the school play. Of course, kids also experience lows, but their delight at tops of pleasure is easily seen,such as winning a race or getting a new bike.
For teenagers, or people under 20 the concept of happiness changes. Suddenly it’s conditional on such things as excitement, love, and popularity. I can still feel the pain of not being invited to a party that almost everyone else was going to. I also recall the great happiness of being invited at another event to dance with a very handsome young man.
In adulthood the things that bring great joy—birth , love , marriage—also bring responsibility and the risk of loss. Love may not last; loved ones die. For adults, happiness is complex.
My dictionary explains “happy” as “lucky” or “ fortunate”, but I think a better explanation of happiness is “ the ability to enjoy something”. The more we can enjoy what we have, the happier we are. It’s easy for us not to notice the pleasure we get from loving and being loved, the company of friends, the freedom to love where we please, and even good health. Nowadays, with so many choices and much pleasure, we have turned happiness into one more thing we have. We think we own the right to have it, which makes us extremely unhappy. So we try hard to get it and consider it to be the same as wealth and success, without noticing that the people who have those things aren’t necessarily happier.
While happiness may be more complex for us, the answer is the same as ever. Happiness isn’t about what happens to us. It’s the ability to find a positive for every negative, and view a difficulty as a challenge. Don’t be sad for what we don’t have, but enjoy what we do possess.
60. According to the passage, happiness lies in the ability to_______.
A. think of something extraordinary B. experience delight at an old age
C. feel the magic quality of pleasure D. enjoy what one has at the moment
61. In paragraph 3, a teenager looks at happiness mainly in terms of_____.
A. material gains B. social honor
C. spiritual satisfactionD. academic achievement
62. The author implies that when one dreams wealth and finally gets it he____.
A. can realize what happiness is
B. may not end up with happiness
C. may consider it extreme happiness
D. should not feel content with himself
63. The passage aims to tell_______.
A. the great importance of happiness B. the real meaning of happiness
C. the constant dream of happiness D. the changing concept of happiness
第三部分阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The man known as the French “ Spiderman” climbed The New York Times building on Thursday to draw attention to global warming, and six hours later another climber made the same climb.
Alain Robert, 45, the first person to climb the 52-story skyscraper, told reporters ahead of the climb on the UN World Environment Day his aim was to raise awareness of global warming since this is one of the main problems for our time.
His manager Julie Cohen said she knew nothing about the second climber. She added that Robert’s climbs were without risk and he was a professional climber.
Robert climbed without equipment except for climbing shoes. He was greeted at the top by the police who arrested him.
The second climber was also immediately arrested at the top by police. His climb at the height of the evening rush hour drew crowds and was shown live on at least one TV station.
Several people in the crowd shouted“jump” when he stopped part of the way to rest, but there was a loud cheer as he reached the top. Wearing red pants , black climbing shoes and a white T-shirt that read “ Malaria(疟疾) No More”, the man laughed as he was led away by the police from the building.
“ We don’t look at him as a modern spiderman,” said James Coil, a member of the police emergency services unit. “ We look at him as somebody who not only puts his life at risk but is one of members of the public as well.”
Martin Edlund, director of “ Malaria No More”, which aims to prevent the one million yearly deaths from malaria, said the climber had nothing to do with them, but they appreciated his enthusiasm.
56.When was Alain Robert arrested at the top of the building by police?
A. In the early morning. B. In the late afternoon.
C. In the evening. D. About at noon.
57. We learn from the text that Robert’s climb was________.
A. cheered by the police B. supported by his manager
C. prevented by the owner of the skyscraper
D. laughed at by the people watching him
58. The second climber did the same thing as Robert with the purpose of_____.
A. showing that he is as good as Robert
B. drawing people’s attention to global warming
C. doing something for people’s health improvement
D. making himself well known in the world
59.The underlined sentence shows that________.
A. risk is popular in the USA
B. the Americans go in for risks
C. the actions like the two men’s are forbidden in the USA
D. the USA government supports the actions of risk
So long as teachers fail to tell teaching from learning, they will continue to undertake to do for children what children can do for themselves. Teaching children to read is not simply passing reading on to them. Certainly we shouldn’t have spent endless hours in activities about reading. Douglas insists that “reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible.”
Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes. They differ in kind and function. The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to devise the most efficient(效率高的) system for teaching themselves to read. Teaching is also public activity. It can be seen and observed.
Learning to read involves all that each individual does to make sense of the world of printed language. Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny.
If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable, what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the quest(探索)for knowledge? Smith has one principal rule for all teaching instructions. “Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children.”
When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher and learner fulfill them appropriately, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is eliminated(消除). Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of leaning to read by reading. Practice makes perfect, you know.
72.The problem with the reading course as mentioned in the first paragraph is that _______.
A.it is one of the most difficult school courses
B.students spend endless hours in reading
C.reading tasks are assigned with little guidance
D.too much time is spent in teaching about reading
73.The underlined word “scrutiny” in the third paragraph probably means “ ”.
A.agreement B.observation C.control D.distance
74.According to the passage, learning to read will no longer be a difficult task when _______.
A.children become very active in reading activities
B.teacher and learner roles are thought important
C.teaching helps children in the search for knowledge
D.reading enriches children’s experience
75.The main idea of the passage is that _______.
A.teachers should do as little as possible in helping students learn to read
B.teachers should encourage students to read as widely as possible
C.reading ability is something acquired rather than taught
D.reading is more complicated than generally believed
The well – known Rushmore National Monument in the United States is built on the Rush More Peak, 1829 meters above sea level, of the Black Hills in the southwest of South Dakota. It is a group of huge stone statues of four American presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. President Washington is the founding father of the country;the 3rd President Jefferson drafted the U. S. Declaration of Independence;the 16th President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and the26th President Roosevelt protected the average people's right to compete fairly with trusts. All of them,made outstanding achievements for their country. They were pioneers of U. S. history.
The stone statues of presidents were built at the suggestion of an historian in the State of Dakota,with a view to carrying forward the U. S. pioneering spirit everlastingly.
The statues are 18meters high. They are the highest and greatest realistic stone statues in the world,taller than a 6-storied building and larger than the Great Sphinx of Egypt. The size of each head is 20sq mt,with a 20-meter- long face,a 7-meter -long nose,a 2.6-meter- wide mouth and two 1.5-meter -wide eyes. Though not facing the same direction,they are all lifelike and look ahead gravely in harmony with fixed gazes. On clear days,one can have a sight of the four presidents with their firm and steady expression at a distance of dozens of kilometers.
Since the stone sculpture is unique in style,the Monument is now the U. S. National Art Centre of Popular Education. Groups of people keep streaming everyday to the site for a visit and tourists across the world are also interested in taking a view of this great Monument.
68.Which statement is NOT right according to the first paragraph?
A.the group of statues are made of huge stones.
B.The statues are built to honor the presidents in the U.S.
C.All the four presidents made the same contributions to their country.
D.The famous Rushmore National Monument is 1829 meters above sea level.
69.Why were those four presidents chosen ?Because the four presidents_____.
A.were pioneers of US history
B.made great contributions to their country
C.played an important role in American history
D.all of the above
70.What are the statues like?
A.They look like a 6-storied building.
B.They are looking forward in the same direction.
C.They are like the great Sphinx of Egypt.
D.They are lifelike, looking ahead with fixed gazes.
71.The last paragraph mainly tells us ____.
A.how the monument was set up
B.the spirit of the USA is great
C.the monument has become more popular
D.More tourists across the country visit the monument
When I opened my e – mail the other day, a pretty woman named Rachel appeared on my computer screen. She greeted me by name and started talking warmly. Every now and then she stopped to smile at me.She was reading to me an e-mail from my brother.It was very cool and lovely.
Rachel was there thanks to a new technology called Facemail. Facemail lets you send an e-mail that gets read to the receiver on line by an attractive male or female or by a clown(小丑).The software , which is free , can be downloaded at www.facemail.com. Facemail faces are lifelike , and they simulate(模仿)emotions based on emotions that you put in your text.
The company that develops the Facemail, is sure there will be broad uses in many fields.The reason why e-business is not popular, the company says, is that buying over the Internet lacks the human touch. But what if you went to the Nike website and Michael Jordan greeted you by name, waited on you and personally closed the sale ? And it is talking with Whirpool Company about using the technology in a computer screen on a fridge.Then if Mom can’t be home when the kids get back from school , she can leave a note with voice and image telling them what there is to eat.
Facemail could get hot fast.Personally , I’m a fan. Facemail is lively and funny at first , but if you select the clown , put a few rude words in an e-mail and add some angry emotions, you’ve got a crazy mail.
64.The main advantage of Facemail is that.
A.the e-mail can be read in a more lovely way
B.you can talk with the person who sends you the e-mail
C.you can put your own emotions in the e-mail as you like
D.you can write an e – mail to anyone
65.We can infer from the passage that Facemail.
A.is a software hard to download
B.will take the place of the e-mail system
C.can destroy your e-mail if not properly used
D.is likely to be used in other ways in our daily life and work
66.The writer mentioned Nike website and Michael Jordan to show that.
A.Michael Jordan will serve you himself on Nike website
B.famous people like Michael Jordan also like to use Facemail
C.Facemail can make shopping on the Internet more interesting
D.Nike company is increasing its sales through the fame of Jordan
67.The writer thinks .
A.Facemail is cool and funny
B.Facemail is a danger to the Internet
C.Facemail needs further improvement
D.people should be careful with Facemail