OSLO — Excited with pride, Norwegians sang in the streets of Oslo on Sunday, celebrating Norway’s National Day and the country’s Eurovision Song Contest victory.
Hundreds of Norwegians sang along to Alexander Rybak’s winning song Fairytale as they walked in the country’s traditional National Day parade (游行) celebrating the Norwegian constitution.
Alexander Rybak — called “Alexander the Great” by the Norwegian media — won a great victory in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) by gaining the most votes in its 53-year history in Moscow on Saturday.
Alexander has played violin and piano since he was five years old, and he also composes his own music and sings. In 2006 he won the Norwegian talent show Kjempesjansen with his own song Foolin. Alexander has performed with one of the world’s most celebrated violinists, Pinchas Zukerman, won the Anders Jahres Culture Price and has been the concertmaster for Norway’s largest symphony orchestra (交响乐队) for youths, Ung Symfoni.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said there was clearly something special about the 23-year-old and his folk music. “This is a phenomenal performance by a young and talented musician,” Stoltenberg said in a statement.
Rybak is expected to draw a large crowd of fans to Oslo’s Gardermoen airport when he arrives next Sunday, after having invited all his countrymen from the stage in Moscow.
With Rybak’s win, Norway will host next year’s Eurovision finals, a show that reaches a television audience of over 100 million people. Norway’s Minister of Culture, Trond Giske, promised that Norway would put on a splendid show next year but without spending as much as Moscow, which spent 24 million euros this year. “I don’t think that is necessary,” he told national broadcaster NRK.
The win was Norway’s third. The Nordic country also won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1985 and 1995. What do Norwegians usually do on the country’s National Day?
A. Sing Fairytale. B. Have a parade. C. Hold a song test. D. Watch the ESC. Which of the following statements about Rybak is TRUE?
A. He has a lot of fans all over the world.
B. He is the first Norwegian to win the ESC.
C. He is called “Alexander the Great” when he was born.
D. He showed a great talent for music before this ESC.The underlined word “phenomenal” in Para. 5 means “____”.
| A．very unusual and impressive | B．too special to be understood |
| C．with an educational purpose | D．able to draw a large audience |
What’s Trond Giske’s opinion?
| A．Norway will host next year’s Eurovision finals. |
| B．It doesn’t require too much money to win the finals. |
| C．Norway is determined to win next year’s Eurovision finals. |
| D．It doesn’t require a lot of money to make the finals splendid. |
The main idea of the text is that ______________________________.
| A．the Eurovision Song Contest belongs to the world |
| B．National Day is being celebrated in Norway |
| C．Crazy fans expect to meet their idol at the airport in Norway |
| D．Norway celebrates a Eurovision win on National Day. |
When asked to point out one or two things that are most important to themselves, many put friends ahead of homes, jobs, cloth and cars.
A true friendship carries-a-long history of experience that determines who we are and keeps us connected. It is a treasure we should protect. Unfortunately, the better friends you are, the more probably you’ll have disagreements. And the result can be what you don’t want an end to the relationship.
The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended First, don’t let your pride get in your way. Most of us can forgive each other when differences are brought out in the open . second, apologize when you’re wrong – even if you’ve been wronged. Over the course of a friendship, even the best people make mistakes. Sometimes, it may be best if the wronged person takes the lead and apologizes. When you apologize, give your friend a chance to admit that he has been wrong. Third, see things from your friend’s point of view. And finally, accept that friendships change as our needs and lifestyle change. Making friends can sometimes seem easy. The hard part is keeping the connections strong during the natural ups and downs that have an effect on all relationships . My suggestion: Consider friendship an honor and a gift , and worth the effort to treasure and nurture .What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Easy Ways to Make Friends |
| B．Ups and Downs in Friendship |
| C．How to Mend a Troubled Friendship |
| D．How to Take the Lead in Making Friends |
The “wronged person” underlined in the text refers to a person .
| A．who has been mistaken for another |
| B．who has been blamed unfairly |
| C．who has treated friends badly |
| D．who has admitted his mistakes |
According to the text a friendship can last long only if ．
| A．we have much in common |
| B．we know our friends’ mistakes |
| C．we treat our disagreements wisely |
| D．we have know one another for long |
What should we do if we follow the author’s second suggestion?
| A．Stick to our own prints of view |
| B．Avoid making mistakes |
| C．Make an apology first |
| D．Change our lifestyles |
Here are two letters in WORKWORRIES, a column（栏） in a newspaper:
From Amoretto's letter, we know that he __________.
| A．has been working for a long time | B．is likely a green hand |
| C．expects to change his job | D．is quite satisfied with the job. |
How can a man arrange his work-life balance according to Ariel?
| A．By taking a training course． | B．By asking people for advice． |
| C．By comparing with others． | D．Through his own work experience |
All of the following are advised byArial EXCEPT__________.
| A．understanding the terms before signing |
| B．working hard and efficiently |
| C．getting a better position |
| D．doing the job at least a year |
What does Ariel advise to do in the reply?
| A．Take the job offered． | B．Give up and find a new job． |
| C．Depend on your feeling． | D．Choose jobs with great care |
Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son's soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son's team in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.
With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son's teammate, Mickey O’ Donnel. With shouts of "Kick it!" echoing（回响）across the playground, Mickey turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted（爆发）. O'Donnel had scored!
Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a total hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome (唐氏综合症) and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.
The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, "I scored! I scored. Everybody won! Everybody won!" For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five（致礼）salute and started chanting, "Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!" Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal. Mike happily and everyone sent their wishes to him.
Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, "It was a tie. Everybody won."Which is the most correct description of the author’s too? He was/had.
| A．brave | B．honest | C．sympathy | D．pride |
The underlined word “hush” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “.”
| A．stare | B．silence | C．congratulation | D．noise |
After Mike scored, the author help his breath, because.
| A．Mike cheated everyone | B．everyone would accept the fact |
| C．the score was out of his expectation | D．his son might get angry with Mike |
We can infer from the passage that Mike.
| A．was cared about by his teammates |
| B．was hared by his own team |
| C．was corbarrassed when he realized the fast |
| D．was warm-hearted and played soccer for both teams |
From now on, never spend your precious time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.
The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome machine ever created: the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner. You were born rich. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
You cannot be successful without first developing your self-confidence. Your level of self-confidence is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-confidence are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are mere victims. They are leaves tossed (摇摆) by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather.
You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.
Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence.
If you associate with positive-thinking people, you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding, planting, and nurturing the seeds that contain future victory, born from setbacks.
In short, in all areas of your life, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, you are on the road to success.People with low self-confidence are compared to leaves because they____________.
| A．are ready to change their minds | B．are easily affected by windy weather |
| C．don't have the power to face their fate | D．can't control themselves in life |
Losers would think that ___________.
| A．success is the result of hard work |
| B．working hard will lead to success |
| C．their failure is only because of bad luck |
| D．they don't make efforts to succeed |
It can be inferred from paragraph 5 that ___________.
| A．whether we will succeed depends on our attitudes |
| B．developing confidence is the key to future success |
| C．thoughts and beliefs are the result of creative mind |
| D．setting our expectations is essential before taking action |
The last paragraph serves as ____________.
| A．the proof of the author's points | B．the conclusion of the argument |
| C．an introduction to another topic | D．a comparison between two views |
Which is the best title for the text? _______________.
| A．Success is a choice | B．The secrets of success |
| C．Develop our confidence | D．How to achieve success |
Here’s an unusual story: a diamond ring was recently found in an egg. The magician, Liu Qian, discovered it in front of an audience of million at CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala. Liu’s magic tricks have made the centuries-old art of magic fashionable once again, and made him the hottest magician in China.
As a seasoned magician from Taiwan, Liu is popular worldwide for his magic shows. Countries he has performed in include the United States, Japan, South Korea and the UK.
Witnessing(见证) something impossible happen right before your eyes is the root of people’s love for magic.
Liu is known for his interaction with his audiences. He has a unique understanding of showmanship.
“It’s actually thinking rather than one’s performing skills that is more important to achieving a successful magic show. We think carefully about how to design the shows creatively, to make them appear more interesting,” Liu said.
Liu Qian’s success dated back to his childhood. Born in 1976 in Taiwan, he found himself attracted to a magic toy in a shop when he was seven years old. At the age of 12, he won Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest, which was judged by the great American magician, David Copperfield.
Yet, Liu never planned on becoming a professional magician. He studied Japanese Literature at university and only hoped to be an amateur magician in his spare time. However, his failure to find a proper job after graduation pushed him towards magic as a career.
To refine his performing skills, he has performed on streets, roads and fields, for passers-by, policemen and farmers.
“Street shows are the biggest challenge for us magicians. We have to deal with unexpected situations and tough crowds,” Liu said.The story is about__________.
| A．why people love magic |
| B．how Liu Qian became China’s hottest magician |
| C．how fashionable magic is |
| D．what magic tricks are |
People love to watch magic because_______.
| A．they love watching magicians make the impossible happen |
| B．it arouses their curiosity |
| C．they can’t figure out the secret of magic |
| D．it is a centuries-old art |
Which of the following is the key reason that Liu Qian decided to make magic his career?
| A．He was interested in magic when he was little |
| B．He had won Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest. |
| C．He couldn’t find an acceptable job after graduation. |
| D．He became an amateur magician in his spare time. |
What does the underline word “seasoned” in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．experienced | B．freshman | C．amateur(业余的) | D．unskillful |
Liu Qian improved his performing skills by _____.
| A．learning from David Copperfield |
| B．learning magic in a university |
| C．performing in public on streets |
| D．joining in Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest |