Music is an international language. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to all people everywhere.
Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the streets.
Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, politics, and activities of the American people. Most of the radio broadcast is music.
Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state. Once the popular singer is heard throughout the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.
There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.
Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music(管弦乐),such as the symphonies(交响乐) of Beethoven. There is opera for singers. There is ballet(芭蕾舞乐曲) for dancers like the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in China.
45. What can we know about music and people in America?_____
A. Student drivers carry small radios with earphones when they drive on the streets.
B. Every American student enjoys listening to popular music.
C. Adult drivers only listen to news except music when they drive to work.
D. Adult drivers never listen to music when they drive to work.
46. How many kinds of music are mentioned in the passage?_____
A. Six. B. Eight. C. Five. D. Seven.
47. Country music _____.
A. is a kind of music that is popular in America
B. has nothing to do with musicians
C. is only sung by cowboys
D. is not played in the concert halls
48. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?_____
A. All the people in America like popular music.
B. Pop singers can get all the money from the tapes.
C. Now, country music is a little different from its beginning.
D. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is a kind of pop music.
World Carnival has wrapped up its 52-day stay in the Chinese capital, and with it goes all the thrills, laughter, and fun of the fair. For nearly two months, sounds like this could be heard miles away from Beijing.
In International Sculpture Park, where the Carnival has been taking place, attractions included 50 rides, ranging from the world's largest mobile ferries wheel to some of Europe's most exciting roller-coasters.
Although organizers estimated it rained half the time when the Carnival was in Beijing, that didn't stop over 40，000 daily visitors. So what's the secret charm of the Carnival for Beijingers? 23-year-old Zhang Wei says all the attractions are exciting, which relaxes her from her daily routine and helps her forget unhappiness.
It was also a surprise for Zhang's boyfriend. He says he didn't know she could be so daring and brave.
Of course, what is the better way for young lovers to snuggle up tight than on a hair-raisingly, stomach churning roller-coaster? Over one third of the patrons were couples under 25.
However，15-year-old Qi Jianping has different reasons for en-joying the fair： She says it's very difficult to win a toy from the games, but it teaches her not to give up.
Of course, huge cuddly toys were big stars at the carnival—and brought big profits for organizers. It costs 25 Yuan, or 3 dollars, to play once, and only one in four gets to win. In other words, a stuffed animal, which costs around 10 Yuan in local markets, had a price tag at the Carnival of some 150 Yuan or about 17 dollars.
In Shanghai, sales of these toys brought in 37 million Yuan in profit. In Beijing, the supply of toys was doubled. The profit? Well, do the math! That World Carnival took place in China was __________.
| A．attracted many people from all over the world |
| B．accepted by Chinese people |
| C．of great benefit to visitors most |
| D．the only biggest event in China |
World Carnival took place in __________.
| A．International Sculpture Park |
| B．Chang'an Street in Beijing |
| C．Chinese Pavilion in Shanghai |
| D．more than 50 places in Beijing |
The newly-married couple like most __________ in the carnival.
| A．mobile ferries wheel |
| B．game machine |
| C．stomach churning roller coaster |
| D．a stuffed animal |
Amid Italy's rapid recovery, Christmas was celebrated on Friday with greater enthusiasm and optimism compared to last year.
The mood in the country is brighter. This year's festivities were less gloomy (忧郁的）than those in 2008，with consumer confidence and expenditures on the rise.
" I have spent much more money on gifts，" said the 27-year-old Martina Dello Russo, a communication expert.
"When I went shopping last week many boutiques (专卖店）had sold out several items and for the first time in months people were actually buying，" she added, explaining that it was a good sign demonstrating the recovery of consumer confidence and purchasing power.
The center-right government under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has recently issued positive data on the state of Italy's economy, despite long-lasting effects of the downturn such as high unemployment.
Christmas in Italy is a traditional religious festivity when families stay at home and gather, rather than go out eating or go on holiday.
This year, Italians spent about 2. 8 billion euros in “intelligent gifts" such as food, wine and other typical Made-in-Italy goods, ac-cording to a survey by farmers' association Coldiretti.
For Italians the cook traditions are very important and we prefer spending on food rather than on clothes or other things, said the61-year-old businessman, Mario Corradi.
The traditional Christmas lunch is a three-course menu ： home-made meat ravioli(馄饨），lamb, artichokes(洋蓟）and fried fish. The celebration on Friday for Christmas is full of __________.
| A．flowers and smiles |
| B．men and women |
| C．exciting activities |
| D．enthusiasm and optimism |
The atmosphere of festivities tell us that __________.
| A．Italians welcome another new Christmas |
| B．Italians hope for a good coming luck |
| C．Consumer confidence and purchasing power is beginning to recover |
| D．Italy has made great progress in all the fields |
What will Italians do on Christmas Day?
| A．They will gather all friends to have a big deal. |
| B．All the family members gather to celebrate the festival at home. |
| C．All the members of family will go out eating. |
| D．They will do something they like at home or other places. |
One thing Italians must do on Christmas Day is __________.
| A．showing their culinary skills |
| B．showing their latest fashion |
| C．telling their contributions |
| D．making out their future plans |
When my father was getting ready for work, our house was ruled by knocks and words. He used to come downstairs to have breakfast. The morning paper lay beside his plate. He always read the " Deaths" first, and then he knocked once on the table. One of my sisters brought his bread, already buttered for him. Usually he said nothing, but once I heard him say，" I love you very much, Edith. I would love more if you buttered my bread on both sides. "He read the paper all through the breakfast. Two knocks on the table meant " I am ready for my tea. " If a single knock followed, that meant " More bread, please. "
After breakfast he said，" Boots. " The paper was spread (展开）for him over the back of an arm-chair. Yesterday's paper was put on the chair for his feet, and his boots were brought to him, freshly cleaned. He read standing at the same time putting on his boots. With one boot finished he said，" Bus. " At that point one of the girls went outside to the garden gate and waited there. Her job was to stop a bus when it came. It came early sometimes and it had to wait for my father. " Overcoat, hat. " One of my sisters had already brushed his overcoat. Now she held it open for him. Another girl came with his hat, nicely brushed. " Handkerchief, pipe (烟斗）" They were brought and put, with his tobacco (烟草），into his pocket. He looked out of the window and said either " Walking stick" or " Umbrella". It was handed to him. Ready now, he was still reading the paper. He didn't put it down until he heard the shout " Bus coming ！ " Then he kissed my mother and went out. The girls breathed freely.
How lucky a man was to have a wife and five daughters at home! When the father made the first knock, he meant __________.
| A．he had begun to read the morning newspaper |
| B．he was made to feel sad by the " Deaths" news |
| C．he would start to read the other parts of the paper |
| D．his breakfast should begin |
What does "Edith" mean?
| A．A kind of bread. | B．One of the writer's sisters. |
| C．The writer. | D．The writer's mother. |
All the daughters were quite busy in the morning because __________.
| A．their father never helped them |
| B．their father always gave different instructions at the same time |
| C．each of them had to start and finish her job just on time |
| D．they were not clever or quick enough to do their jobs |
What was the father's favorite?
| A．Reading newspaper. |
| B．Having bread buttered on both sides. |
| C．Giving instructions. |
| D．Being clean and tidy. |
Does a drink a day keep heart attacks away? Over the past 20years, numerous studies have found that moderate alcohol consumption, say, one or two beers, glasses of wine or cocktails daily helps to prevent coronary heart disease. Last week a report in the New England Journal of Medicine added strong new evidence in support of that theory. More importantly, the work provided the first solid indication of how alcohol works to protect the heart.
In the study, researchers from Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvad Medical School compared the drinking habits of 340 men and women who had suffered recent heart attacks with those of healthy people of the same age and sex. The scientists found that people who sip one to three drinks a day are about half as likely to suffer heart attacks as nondrinkers are. The apparent source of the protection ： those who drank alcohol had higher blood levels of high density lipoproteins (脂蛋白），the so called good cholesterol (胆固醇），which is known to prevent heart disease.
As evidence has mounted (增长），some doctors have begun recommending a daily drink for patients of heart diseases. But most physicians are not ready to recommend a regular happy hour for everyone. The risks of teetotal ling (绝对戒酒）are nothing compared with the dangers of too much alcohol, including high blood pressure, strokes and liver troubles—not to mention violent behavior and traffic accident. Moreover, some studies suggest that even moderate drinking may increase the incidence of breast and colon cancer. Until there is evidence that the benefits of a daily dose(吸收剂量）of alcohol outweigh the risks, most people won't be able to take a doctor's prescription to the neighborhood bar or liquor store. The report mentioned in the first paragraph indicates __________.
| A．the way in which alcohol can help the heart |
| B．that a couple of cocktails daily can help stop heart problems |
| C．why alcoholic drinks are dangerous to one's health |
| D．that reports on the advantages of alcohol were misled |
Experiments showed that nondrinkers had __________.
| A．larger amounts of good cholesterol |
| B．smaller amounts of good cholesterol |
| C．higher blood pressure |
| D．lower blood pressure |
According to the passage, moderate drinking __________.
| A．is recommended by most doctors for heart patients |
| B．should be allowed on prescription |
| C．is still not medically advisable |
| D．is not related to liver problems |
The main theme of this passage is __________.
| A．the change in recent drinking habits |
| B．the connection between cancer and alcohol |
| C．whether moderate drinkers outlive nondrinkers |
| D．whether alcohol may be good for one's health |
Several different stories are told about the origin of Saint Valentine's Day. One legend dates as far back as the days of the Roman Empire. According to the story, Claudius, the Emperor of Rome, wanted to increase the size of his army. He knew that it would be easier to get young men who were not married to join. Therefore he made a rule that no young man could marry until he had served a certain number of years in the army.
A priest(牧师)named Valentine broke the rule and secretly married a great many young people. Finally, Claudius found out Valentine and put the priest in prison, where he remained until his death on February 14.
After his death, Valentine was made a saint (圣人），and the day of his death was named Saint Valentine's Day. It became the custom for lovers to send each other message on this day. Now Saint Valentine's Day is a time for people to send one another greetings of many kinds.
February 14，Valentine's Day, is sweethearts, day, on which people in love with each other express their tender(温柔的）emotions.
People sometimes put their love message in a heart shaped box of chocolates, or a bunch of flowers tied with red ribbons(带子）. Words of letters may be written on the flower-covered card, or some-thing else. Whatever the form may be, the message is almost the same ： " Will you be my Valentine?" Valentine was put in prison because __________.
| A．he secretly got married |
| B．he didn't serve in the army |
| C．he married many young people secretly |
| D．he broke the rule |
This passage mainly tells us about __________.
| A．how Valentine died |
| B．the Emperor of Rome |
| C．how Valentine's Day is celebrated |
| D．the origin of Valentine's Day |
February 14 is chosen as Valentine's Day because __________.
| A．lovers express their tender emotions on this day |
| B．people want to remember Valentine |
| C．people send one another greetings of many kinds on this day |
| D．people want to fix a date for lovers to express their emotions |
According to the rule，__________.
| A．no young men could get married unless they were old enough |
| B．young men could marry if they served in the army for several years |
| C．no one could get married without the emperor's permission |
| D．young men could many only in the army |