Music died here last spring, or rather, it was killed by members of the school committee who ignored the importance of music and drama as part of the high-school curriculum.
The committee decided that teaching students how to take a standardized test is more important than a curriculum in which students can explore their interests in the arts as well as academics. Because the school system is running out of funding, it needs to make sure that students pass the mastery test or even more money will be lost. If students fail the state standardized test, it is not the fault of drama and music classes – they are failing because the academic classes are not sufficient (足够).
It is painful to think of how many students will be discouraged from singing, acting, and playing instruments because school programs are no longer offered. Many families cannot afford private music lessons, and many potential musicians and artists may not find their calling if they are not exposed to it in school. The fact that the school committee thinks the arts are not worth the investment will certainly make some students believe the arts are not worth their time or support and the cycle will continue.
Teaching for a test does not shape students into complete, well- rounded people. It blocks the natural sense to create and express feelings through art – there is more to life than the analytical thinking that math and English provide. What happens after a test? Sure, a student might graduate, but they will have limited knowledge – certainly not a good preparation for the real world.
1. Music and drama are ignored by ________.
A. students B. the school committee C. teachers D. parents
2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Students can get high marks in the standardized test only by attending classes
B. The school committee completely influences students’ attitude towards the arts
C. Students can be musicians and artists only if they can afford private music lessons
D. Quite a few students are discouraged from music and art in today’ s school system
3. We can learn that music and art can ______.
A. provide students with analytical thinking
B. make students round-shaped people in future
C. motivate students in creativity and expression
D. prevent students graduating from high school
4. The best title of the passage can be ______.
A. Who Killed Music and Drama? B. Can Curriculum Go Without Arts?
C. Why is Music So Important? D. How to Prepare For the Real World?
TIJUANA, Mexico – A powerful earthquake swayed (摇动) buildings from Los Angeles to Tijuana, killing two people in Mexico, blacking out cities and forcing the evacuation (疏散) of hospitals and nursing homes. One California city closed off its downtown due to unstable buildings.
The 7.2-magnitude quake centered just south of the US border near Mexicali was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the region in decades.
"It sounds like it's felt by at least 20 million people," USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said. "Most of Southern California felt this earthquake."
Sunday afternoon's earthquake hit hardest in Mexicali, a commerce center along Mexico's border with California, where authorities said the quake was followed by at least 20 smaller aftershocks, including ones of magnitudes 5.1, 4.5 and 4.3.
"It has not stopped trembling in Mexicali," said Baja California state Civil Protection Director Alfredo Escobedo on Monday.
Escobedo said one man was killed when his home collapsed just outside of Mexicali and another died when he rushed into the street in panic and was struck by a car. At least 100 people were injured in the city, most of them struck by falling objects. Power was out in virtually the entire city.
Susan Warmbier was putting away groceries in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista when her husband asked, "Is the house moving?"
Elsewhere in San Diego, there were reports of shattered windows, broken pipes and water main breaks in private buildings, but no reports of injuries, San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Maurice Luque said. Coronado Bridge over San Diego Bay was briefly closed as a precaution.
Across the border in Tijuana, Mexico, the quake caused buildings to sway and knocked out power in some areas. No tsunami warning was issued, but hundreds of people on Tijuana's crowded beach feared the worst and fled when they felt the ground shake.What's the best title of the passage?
| A．A strong quake in Mexico, but no tsunami |
| B．A strong quake kills 2 in Mexico, frightens US states |
| C．A strong quake, downtowns closed off |
| D．A strong quake, buildings collapses |
The 7.2-magnitude quake .
| A．centered just south of the Mexico |
| B．was felt by 20 million people in Mexico |
| C．was felt by most of Southern California |
| D．was the strongest earthquakes to hit the region in centuries |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Some cities had power failure after the quake. |
| B．One of the cities closed off its downtown because of the swaying buildings. |
| C．Many smaller quakes happened after the 7.2-magnitude one. |
| D．Hundreds of people on the beach died because of the tsunami. |
People got injured mostly .
| A．because they were in panic |
| B．because the power was out in the whole city |
| C．because of the falling objects |
| D．because they were buried under the falling objects |
Coronado Bridge over San Diego Bay was briefly closed .
| A．to avoid further dangers |
| B．by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department |
| C．as a reminding of the quake |
| D．to prevent the bridge from destroying |
If you’re a male and you’re reading this, congratulations! You’re a survivor. According to statistics，you’re more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman，and nine times more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term，about 78 years for men in Australia，you’ll die on average five years before a woman.
There're many reasons for this--typically，men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor.
“Men aren't seeing doctors as often as they should，” says Dr. Gullotta.“This is particularly so
for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike. According to a recent survey, 95％of women aged between 15 and early 49s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70％of men in the same age group.
“A lot of men think they’re unbeatable，”Gullotta says．“They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, Geez, if it could happen to him …”
Then there’s the ostrich（鸵鸟）approach．“Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know,” says Dr. Ross Cartmill.
“Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies,” Cartmill says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups.
“Prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases．Besides, the final cost is far greater，it’s called premature death.”Why does the author congratulate male readers at the beginning of the passage?
| A．They can live longer than they expected． |
| B．They are sure to enjoy a longer and happier life. |
| C．They have lived long enough to read this article. |
| D．They are more likely to survive serious diseases now． |
Which of the author’s statements is the most important reason that men die five years earlier on average than women according to the passage?
| A．Men drink and smoke much more than women. |
| B．Men don’t seek medical care as often as women. |
| C．Men are more likely to suffer from deadly diseases. |
| D．Men aren’t as cautious as women in face of danger. |
Which of the following best completes the underlined sentence “Geez, if it could happen to him…” （in Para 4） ?
| A．it could happen to me，too. |
| B．it would be a big misfortune. |
| C．I should avoid playing golf. |
| D．I should consider myself lucky. |
What does Dr．Ross Cartmill mean by“the ostrich approach”（in Para 5）?
| A．A casual attitude towards one’s health conditions. |
| B．A new treatment for certain psychological problems． |
| C．Refusal to get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved. |
| D．Unwillingness to find out about one’s disease because of fear. |
The Harvard Student-led Walking Tour
Let a student show you Harvard … on a free walking tour.
We welcome our neighbors to stop by the Harvard University Events & Information Center, located in the Holyoke Center Arcade at 1350 Massachusetts Avenue in the heart of Harvard Square in Cambridge.
Let a student take you and your family，school，or organization on an interesting，hour-long historical tour of the Harvard campus．The tours leave from the Events & Information Center. Not only will you discover the location of fascinating exhibitions and programmes on campus，you will also see Harvard’s rich sampling(抽样) of American history and architecture from the Colonial period to the present
Schedule of Tours
Tours leave the Events ＆ Information Center at 10 am and 2 pm Monday through Friday, and at 2 pm on Saturday through the academic year（February 4 through May 2；September 23 through December 16）. Summer tours（June 24 through August 15）are offered at 10 am，11:15 am，2 pm，and 3：1 5 pm Monday through Saturday．Reservations for special tours of 20 or more people may be made by calling the Events & Information Center at（617）495—1573 or emailing icenter@camail. Harvard. edu. Tours are stopped March 23 through April 2 for Spring break，May 3 through June 23 for Spring intercession（祷告）, and August 1 6 through September 22 for Summer intercession．
NOTE：Prospective（未来的）students may take tours originating at the Harvard Admissions Office，located at Byerly Hall on 8 Garden Street in Cambridge．The Admissions staff will conduct information sessions．For more information，please call at（617）495—1551.
Harvard University Events & Information Center
Location：Holyoke Center Arcade，1350 Massachusetts Avenue，Cambridge MA 02138
Phone：（617）495—1573If you want to join in a tour，you can go on ________.
| A．May 2 | B．June 23 | C．August 20． | D．September 1 |
How can you book special tours of 20 people?
| A．By calling at（617）495—1573 |
| B．By calling at（617）495—1551 |
| C．By visiting the Harvard Admissions Office． |
| D．By calling the Events & Information Center any time. |
A student who wants an information session may ________ for more information.
| A．call（617）495—1573． |
| B．call（617）495—1551 |
| C．email icenter@camail. Harvard.edu |
| D．go to the Events & Information Center |
The above ads is mainly intended for ________ .
| A．foreign visitors | B．high school students |
| C．new students in the university | D．those living near Harvard University |
It was a Sunday morning, and I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me．I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in. “Want to go for a ride，today，Beck? It’s a beautiful day.”
“No ! Leave me alone!”Those were the last words I said to him that morning．
My friends called and invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later．I forgot to be mad at them and went. I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it. “Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital”．
When I reached the hospital，my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive（大量）. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911，thank God! If he had moved Daddy，there’s no telling what might have happened．A broken rib（肋骨）might have pierced（穿透）a lung….”
My mother may have said more，but I didn’t hear．I didn’t hear anything except those terrible
words：Leave me alone．My dad said them to save himself from being hurt more．How much had I hurt him when I hurled(猛投) those words at him earlier in the day?
It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation．I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him．
“Daddy… I am so sorry….”
“It’s okay，sweetheart．I'll be okay．”
“No，”I said，“I mean about what I said to you that day．You know, that morning?”
My father could no more tell a lie than he could fly．He looked at me and said．“Sweetheart,
I don’t remember anything about that day，not before，during or after the accident.I remember kissing you good night the night before，though．”He managed a weak smile．
My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power．They can hurt or they
can heal．And we all have the power to choose our words. I intend to do that very carefully from now on.The author was in bad mood that morning because ________.
| A．his father had a terrible accident |
| B．he couldn’t drive to the mall with his friends |
| C．his friends hadn’t invited him to the cinema |
| D．his father didn’t allow him to go out with his friends |
Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?
| A．Because he didn’t go along with his father． |
| B．Because he was rude to his father that morning． |
| C．Because he failed to come earlier after the accident． |
| D．Because he couldn’t look after his father in the hospital |
The reason why the author’s father said he forgot everything about that day is that ________.
| A．he had a poor memory |
| B．he didn’t want to comfort his son |
| C．he just wanted to comfort his son |
| D．he lost his memory after the accident |
What lesson did Beck learn from the matter?
| A．Don’t treat your parents badly． |
| B．Don’t hurt others with rude words． |
| C．Don’t move the injured in an accident． |
| D．Don’t be angry with friends at small things |
When the first spring flowers blossom, Easter comes. It is the oldest Christian feast, in memory of the resurrection (复活) of Jesus Christ.
Along with the traditional Easter walk or outing, the giving of Easter eggs and, more recently, of Easter presents is a main feature of the feast. Parents give their children “Easter eggs” – colored and boiled eggs, chocolate eggs, marzipan eggs – Easter bunnies, sweets, and other gifts. In some German regions, children virtually “collect” Easter eggs from their relatives, especially their godparents.
Usually, the Easter eggs are carefully hidden in the garden or in the house and the children must search for them on the morning of the Sunday. They are told that the Easter bunny has brought them. This anonymous(匿名的), mysterious bunny is like Santa Claus at Christmas. But it is less of an “educational” figure than Santa Claus is, since the eggs are not given to children as rewards for being good.
Some Easter egg games have been preserved at certain places in Germany or have even been newly developed. Children try to outdo others in rolling colored eggs down grassy slopes, for instance, or they knock the eggs’ pointed ends together and the child whose egg does not shatter（砸碎） gets the broken one, too. In some places, this custom was even used as the name of local festival. What are the main features of Easter?
| A．Easter walk, Easter eggs, Easter bunnies and sweets. |
| B．Easter outing and the giving of Easter presents. |
| C．Easter walk, Easter eggs, Easter bunnies and Easter egg games. |
| D．Easter outing, the collecting of Easter eggs, and Easter games |
The underlined word “outdo” means ________.
| A．do better than | B．do worse than | C．do slower than | D．do the same as |
What can be inferred from the passage?
E.Easter bunny will give gifts to children for better or worse.
F.Easter bunny is very similar to Santa Claus, as they both bring gifts to children.
G.Easter always falls on a Sunday.
H.Some of the local festivals are named by Easter egg games.