TheHarvardStudentledWalkingTou-优题课

B
For a song to become popular, people need to bear it. In order for people　to hear it, the program directors at radio stations have to play it on the air. A song’s popularity is directly related to how often it is played. That is a big responsibility for program directors. How do they decide what gets played and what doesn’t?
In the past, disc jockeys(音乐节目主持人) decided what music was played on the radio. These DJs had an ear for music and an understanding of what their audience wanted to hear. Today, that is all changing. Most major radio stations are owned by a few large national businesses. The decision of what gets played on the radio is made by executives(主管) who have little or no interest in music. They do, however, know how to run a business, and they know what sells. So, the music industry designs and creates pop entertainers, and executives in the radio industry make sure that their music is played on the radio. This explains why you do not often hear anything new and fresh on the radio. The executives do not want to give air time to music that has not been tested on the market. It is too risky. They prefer to go with music that they already know will sell. They know it will sell because it sold last week and last month and last year. They just have to change it a little.
One of the most criticized(批评) practices in the music industry is the practice of “payola”. This is when record companies pay radio stations to play the music of a given artist. This practice makes many people lose trust in the music industry and is therefore against the law. A radio station can accept money in exchange for air time of a song, but they have to make it clear that the song is being played because its air time was paid for. They cannot present the song as if it were part of the normal play schedule(时刻表).
Payola affects both artists and audiences. The artists who work with small record companies that cannot pay a lot of money to radio stations have a much harder time getting exposure. It creates an unfair playing field. Music lovers suffer because they are not able to hear all the music that is available.
60. According to the passage, most major radio stations belong to .
A. national businessesB. program directors
C. pop entertainersD. record companies
61. “Payola” is the practice of .
A. artists paying radio stations to play their songs
B. record companies buying air time for certain music
C. radio station paying record company for new songs
D. program directors deciding what music gets played
62. Who can make the largest profits from payola?
A. Disc Jockeys. B. The given artists.
C. Business executives. D. Program directors.
63. It can be concluded from the passage that the author .
A. has a positive attitude towards the practice of “payola”
B. is dissatisfied with the present situation in music industry
C. is calling for a change in the normal play schedule
D. thinks that the radio stations are doing the right thing

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A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Bargaining is an art at Xiu Shui Market in Beijing. The following tips can help you get good offers for most things you buy, especially for clothing.
Be aware that the starting price offered by the seller is at least 40% over the general price acceptable. It’s usually 80% over. It can be up to 150% over. So, always try to drop the seller’s offering price as much as possible before opening your mouth with a price.
Have an idea of the value of what you want. You can consult your Chinese friends or the hotel staff about the price. You may not be able to get the lowest prices stated at Xiu Shui Market, especially on weekends or festival seasons when there are lots of tourists around.
Do walk away once you’ve offered your final price while the seller is not ready to accept. If you get called back, you know you are close. If you do not get called back, go to a similar stall(摊位) and try again with a slightly higher price. Note that if you’ve made a deal, you am then expected to buy the item.
You will help your chances at getting a good price by being confident, patient, and friendly. Treat it as a kind of game to get the most out of it—getting angry or rode will never help to bring the price down.
56. When can you get the lowest price at Xiu Shui Market according to the passage?
A. When the sellers are busy. B. On crowded weekends.
C. When there’re few buyers. D. On festival seasons.
57. The underlined part “a deal” (in Paragraph 4) most probably means .
A. an appointment with someone B. an agreement in business
C. a choice in shopping D. a delivery of goods
58. ff the seller accepts your final price, you should .
A. walk away and wait for the seller to call you back
B. go on bargaining for a lower price
C. go to a similar stall for a better price
D. pay the seller for what you want
59. From the tips we can learn that the seller’s offer may be affected by .
A. the buyer’s manners B. the seller’s positionC. Chinese friends D. hotel staff

E
Everyone has heard of the San Andreas fault (断层), which constantly threatens California and the West Coast with earthquakes. But how many people know about the equally serious New Madrid fault in Missouri?
Between December of 1811 and February of 1812, three major earthquakes occurred, all centered around the town of New Madrid, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. Property damage was severe. Buildings in the area were almost destroyed. Whole forests fell at once, and huge cracks opened in the ground, allowing smell of sulfur （硫磺）to filter upward.
The Mississippi River itself completely changed character, developing sudden rapids and whirlpools. Several times it changed its course, and once, according to some observers, it actually appeared to run backwards. Few people were killed in the New Madrid earthquakes, probably simply because few people lived in the area in 1811; but the severity of the earthquakes are shown by the fact that the shock waves rang bells in church towers in Charleston, South Carolina, on the coast. Buildings shook in New York City, and clocks were stopped in Washington, D.C.
Scientists now know that America’s two major faults are essentially different. The San Andreas is a horizontal boundary between two major land masses that are slowly moving in opposite directions. California earthquakes result when the movement of these two masses suddenly lurches (倾斜) forward.
The New Madrid fault, on the other hand, is a vertical fault; a some point, possibly hundreds of millions of years ago, rock was pushed up toward the surface, probably by volcanoes under the surface. Suddenly, the volcanoes cooled and the rock collapsed, leaving huge cracks. Even now, the rock continues to settle downwards, and sudden sinking motions trigger (触发) earthquakes in the region. The fault itself, a large crack in this layer of rock, with dozens of other cracks that split off from it, extends from northeast Arkansas through Missouri and into southern lllinois.
Scientists who have studied the New Madrid fault say there have been numerous smaller quakes in the area since 1811; these smaller quakes indicate that larger ones are probably coming, but the scientists say have no method of predicting when a large earthquake will occur.
72. This passage is mainly about__________.
A. the New Madrid fault in Missouri
B. the San Andreas and the New Madrid faults
C. the causes of faults
D. current scientific knowledge about faults
73. The New Madrid fault is__________.
A. a horizontal fault
B. a vertical fault
C. a more serious fault than the San Andreas fault
D. responsible for forming the Mississippi River
74. We may conclude from the passage that__________.
A. it is probably as dangerous to live in Missouri as in California
B. the New Madrid fault will eventually develop a mountain range in Missouri
C. California will become an island in future
D. A big earthquake will occur to California soon
75. This passage implies that__________.
A. horizontal faults are more dangerous than vertical faults.
B. Vertical faults are more dangerous than horizontal faults
C. Earthquakes occur only around fault areas
D. California will break into pieces by an eventual earthquake

D
“I didn’t think drugs were a big deal.”
“My mom started abusing drugs(毒品) when I was in fourth grade, so when a friend offered me weed in seventh grade, it didn’t seem wrong to try it. Pot made me feel distant from my misery at home, and I started smoking and drinking on a daily basis. Then my mother left. It broke my heart---I felt like she chose drugs over me. But that didn’t make me stop using them. I relied on weed to handle my pain and anger.”
---Megan, 18
“I did drugs so I would fit in”
“I started hanging with a crowd that was into drugs. I wasn’t into that stuff, but I didn’t have anyone else to hang out with, so I started smoking pot to fit in. My parents found out, and my mom started crying. I realized I wasn’t just hurting myself, I was hurting the people who loved me.”
---Lisa, 15
“________________”
“I started smoking weed when I was in 6th grade. It seemed like a harmless drug. I was wrong---I’ve been smoking weed for three years now, and I’ve ditched all my old friends and probably blown a thousand dollars on pot. The short buzz of it just isn’t worth it.
---Justine, 14
“I wanted to rebel”
I tried marijuana because it gave me a sense of rebellions. I didn’t like always being told what to do, so smoking weed made me feel rebellious. However, I realized later it was silly to think that doing drugs will somehow make you different or unique.”
---Alice, 15
68. Which of the following is NOT a type of drug?
A. pot B. buzz C. weed D. marijuana
69. Which of the following is most suitable for the blank?
A. I’ve lost all my friends by smoking weed
B. Using drug is harmful to all of us
C. I didn’t realize it would cost me so much
D. I don’t think it’s worth it
70. Those young people took drugs because of all the following EXCEPT ______.
A.lack of information B.influence of the family
C.curiosity about the drug D.a sense of rebellions
71. We could infer from the passage ______.
A.Megan’s mother didn’t love her much
B.Lisa started using drugs to please her friends
C.Justine started smoking when he was 12
D.Alice tired marijuana because it is different and unique

C
On a BA flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged, well-off white South African Lady has found herself sitting next to a black man. She called a stewardess (女乘务员) over to complain about her seating.
“What seems to be the problem, Madam?” asked the stewardess. “Can’t you see?” she said, “You’ve sat me next to a kafir（异教徒）. I can’t possibly sit next to this disgusting man. Find me another seat!” “Please calm down, Madam,” the stewardess replied. “The flight is very full today, but I’ll tell you what I’ll do — I’ll go and check to see if we have any seats available in club or first class.”
The woman cocked a snooty look at the black man beside her.
A few minutes later the stewardess returned with the good news, which she delivered to the lady, who could not help but look at the people around her with a smug and self-satisfied grin. “Madam, unfortunately, as I suspected, economy is full. I’ve spoken to the cabin services director, and club is also full. However, we do have one seat in first class.”
Before the lady had a chance to answer, the stewardess continued, “It is the most extraordinary to make this kind of upgrade, however, and I have had to get special permission from the captain. But, given the circumstances, the captain felt that it was outrageous（令人不能容忍的） that someone should be forced to sit next to such an obnoxious（讨厌的） person.” Having said that, the stewardess turned to the black man sitting next to the lady, and said, “So if you’d like to get your things, sir, I have your seat ready for you.”
At that point, the surrounding passengers stood up and gave an ovation（喝彩） while the black man walked up to the front of the plane.
64. Why did the middle-aged lady complain about her seating?
A. Because her seat was not near a window.
B. Because she sat next to a black man.
C. Because she wanted to have a seat in first class.
D. Because the stewardess didn’t answer her question.
65. The underlined words “an obnoxious person” in Paragraph 5 refers to “__________”.
A. the middle-aged ladyB. the black man
C. the stewardess D. the captain
66. From the passage we can infer that _________.
A. the middle-aged lady got a seat in first class
B. both the middle-aged lady and the black man got seats in first class
C. neither the middle-aged lady nor the black man got a seat in first class
D. the black man got a seat in first class
67. What can we conclude from the passage?
A. The white people always prefer seats in first class on a plane.
B. More and more passengers travel by plane.
C. The black people are still looked down upon by some whites.
D. Only whites are served well on a plane.