Americans have contributed (做贡献) to many art forms, and jazz, a type of music, is one of the art forms started in the United States. Black Americans, who sang and played the music of their homeland, created jazz.
Jazz is a mixture of the music of Africa, the work songs the slaves sang, and religious(宗教) music. Improvisation (即兴表演) is an important part of jazz. This is why a jazz song sounds a little different each time it is played.
Jazz bands formed in the late 1800s. They played in bars and clubs in many towns and cities of the South, especially New Orleans. New Orleans is an international seaport, and people from all over the world come to New Orleans to hear jazz.
Jazz became more and more popular. By the 1920s, jazz was popular all over the United States. By the 1940s, you could hear jazz not only in clubs and bars, but in concert halls as well. Today, people from all over the world play jazz. Jazz musicians from the United States, Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe meet and share their music at festivals on every continent. In this way, jazz continues to grow and change. What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．American Art Forms | B．The Development of Jazz |
| C．The Music of Black Americans | D．The Birthplace of Jazz |
From the text we can learn that ______.
| A．New Orleans is the place where jazz was very popular |
| B．the American people are all jazz lovers |
| C．jazz is merrily sung by black people when working |
| D．jazz may become less popular as time goes on |
It took about______ years to make jazz popular in the United States.
| A．200 | B．120 | C．80 | D．40 |
Not all bodies of water are so evidently alive as the Atlantic Ocean, an S-shaped body of water covering 33 million square miles. The Atlantic has, in a sense, replaced the Mediterranean as the inland sea of Western civilization. Unlike real inland seas, which seem strangely still, the Atlantic is rich in oceanic liveliness. It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.
“Storm at Sea”, a short poem written around 700, is generally regarded as one of mankind’s earliest artistic representations of the Atlantic.
When the wind is from the west
All the waves that cannot rest
To the east must thunder on
Where the bright tree of the sun
Is rooted in the ocean’s breast.
As the poem suggests, the Atlantic is never dead and dull. It is an ocean that moves, impressively and endlessly. It makes all kinds of noise—it is forever thundering, boiling, crashing, and whistling.
It is easy to imagine the Atlantic trying to draw breath—perhaps not so noticeably out in mid-ocean, but where it meets land, its waters bathing up and down a sandy beach. It mimics(模仿) nearly perfectly the steady breathing of a living creature. It is filled with symbiotic (共生的) existences, too: unimaginable quantities of creatures, little and large alike, mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony, giving to the waters a feeling of heartbeat, a kind of sub-ocean vitality. And it has a psychology. It has personalities: sometimes peaceful and pleasant, on rare occasions rough and wild; always it is strong and striking.Unlike real inland seas, the Atlantic Ocean is______.
| A．always energetic | B．lacking in liveliness |
| C．shaped like a square | D．favored by ancient poets |
What is the purpose of using the poem “Storm at Sea” in the passage?
| A．To describe the movement of the waves. |
| B．To show the strength of the storm. |
| C．To represent the vitality of the ocean. |
| D．To prove the vastness of the sea. |
In the last paragraph, the Atlantic is compared to______.
| A．a beautiful and poetic place | B．a flesh and blood person |
| C．a wonderful world | D．a lovely animal |
Dutch treat is a late-nineteenth-century term, and it originally refers to a dinner where everyone is expected to pay for his own share of the food and drink. If people go “Dutch treat”, or simply “go Dutch”, it means that they will share the expenses of a social engagement.
There are many other “Dutch” expressions in English, many of which were invented in Britain in the seventeenth century, when the Dutch and the English were commercial and military rivals. The British used “Dutch” to refer to something bad, cheap and shameful. A “Dutch bargain” at that time was an uneven, one-sided deal; “Dutch reckoning” was an unitemized(未逐条记载的) account; and “Dutch widow” was slang for prostitute. Later centuries brought in “Dutch courage”, for bravery caused by drink; “Dutch concert”, for noisy music; “Dutch nightingale”, meaning a frog; and “double Dutch”, for incomprehensible language or talk.
Some of the expressions are still in use today, but some are not. In fact, in American English, some “Dutch” expressions have nothing to do with the Dutch, but something with the German. It was probably because of the similar spelling and pronunciation that people made a mistake in distinguishing between “Dutch” and “Deutsch” (the German word for German), when German immigrants came to America in the 1700s. For instance, “the Pennsylvania Dutch” refers to the German descendants, instead of the Dutch descendants, living in Pennsylvania. Many of the “Dutch” expressions were invented with negative sense, because ___________.
| A．The Dutch were underdeveloped people. |
| B．Britain and Holland were competitors at that time. |
| C．The Dutch had many bad habits. |
| D．The British were superior to the Dutch. |
With the information you get from Paragraph 2, make a guess at the meaning of the sentence “You are in Dutch”. It probably means ____________ .
| A．You are in Holland. | B．You are welcome. |
| C．You are in trouble. | D．You are lucky. |
According to the passage, some native American “Dutch” expressions were related to the German instead of the Dutch, simply because ______________.
| A．People hated the German as much as the Dutch. |
| B．People made a mistake at the beginning. |
| C．People made a joke about the German. |
| D．The German immigrants proclaimed that they were Dutch. |
Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously, Jason was determined not to go against their father’s wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loved experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you’ve been playing with his new computer.” Jason said, “He told us not to touch it.”
“He won’t find out,” Mark said. “I’ll just have a quick look and shut it down.”
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father’s equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
It was a strange-looking machine — one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. “It’s an experimental model,” his father had explained, “so don’t touch it under any circumstances.” But his father’s warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later, the screen turned into colors, shifting and changing and then two big white words appeared in the centre of the screen: “SPACE TRANSPORTER.” “Yes!” Mark cried excitedly, “It’s a computer game. I knew it! Dad’s only been pretending to work. He’s really been playing games instead.” A new message appeared on the screen: “ENTER NAMES
VOYAGER 1:…
VOYAGER 2:…”
Mark’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED. START TRANSPORT PROGRAM. AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED (自动回收程序已启动).”
The screen turned even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we’d better shut it off, Mark,” Jason yelled, reaching for the power switch. He was really frightened.
But his hand never reached the switch. A single beam of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow(光芒) , until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed.
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL. DESTINATION (目的地)：MARS. RETRIEVE DATE: 2025.”Why did Mark touch the computer against his father’s warning?
| A．He wanted to take a voyage. | B．He wanted to practice his skill. |
| C．He was so much attracted by it. | D．He was eager to do an experiment. |
Where did the boys’ father most likely work?
| A．In an electronic factory. |
| B．In a computer company. |
| C．In a scientific research center. |
| D．In an information processing center. |
Mark thought “SPACE TRANSPORTER” on the screen was the name of______.
| A．a computer game | B．a company website |
| C．a software producer | D．an astronomy |
Why did Jason want to shut off the computer?
| A．He was afraid of being scolded. |
| B．He didn’t like the loud noise and light. |
| C．He didn’t want to play games any more. |
| D．He was afraid something dangerous might happen. |
Whathappenedtotheboysattheendofthestory?
| A．Theywereblownintotheair. |
| B．Theyweresenttoanotherplanet. |
| C．Theywerehiddeninthestronglight. |
| D．Theywerecarriedawaytoanothercountry. |
Searching for airfares often seems like a game that passengers are bound to lose.
Prices change from day to day, even minute to minute. Looking through multiple websites for the best deal can be a big challenge. Even when you do book, there’s no guarantee that you are going to get the best price.
“You just don’t know when to pull the trigger. It’s not like buying anything else I can think of,” said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com.
Harriet Levy paid $179 for a recent round-trip flight on American Airlines between New York and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sitting just one row behind her, Shirley Harrison paid $215. A few rows back, Ellis and Dianne Traub paid $317 each. There were at least 12 fares on the flight, ranging from $169 to $360.
There’s no reason for it, Harrison said.
Fares can vary significantly in just a few hours. One Delta flight from New York to Los Angeles jumped from $755 to $1,143 from a Friday to Saturday in late April, then fell to $718 on Sunday.
The flight was one of a dozen the Associated Press (美国联合通讯社)followed over three months for a vacation between July 16 and 22. The number one finding: avoid booking tickets on weekends. It’s the most expensive time to buy.
There’s no way to guarantee the best fare. But before booking, travelers should pay attention to this additional advice:
● Book on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That’s when airlines most often offer sales.
● Buy in advance, but not too early. The best time is four to six weeks before traveling. In general, prices for any given flight are highest eight to ten weeks and two to three weeks in advance.
● Make use of social media. Airlines are giving more benefits like exclusive (独家) sales to travelers who interact (互动) with them on Twitter and Facebook. Those specials are often gone within hours.
● The so-called discount airlines – JetBlue, Air-Tran, Southwest and Frontier – adjust their fares less frequently than other airlines, so you can feel more confident that the price will stay the same. But their prices aren’t always the lowest. Researching multiple airlines’ fares is the only way to get a good deal. What can we infer from the first sentence of the text?
| A．Passengers are unable to search for airfares. |
| B．Airlines often play games with passengers. |
| C．Airfares are set in different situations. |
| D．It’s difficult for passengers to get the best price. |
Theunderlinedphrase“pullthetrigger”inParagraph3probablymeans_______.
| A．startsearching | B．getthehighestprice |
| C．makeapurchase | D．getonboardtheplane |
By using a lot of figures, the author intends to _______.
| A．show there is standard price for every single airline |
| B．discover the rules behind airfares |
| C．guarantee passengers a low price |
| D．prove airfares can vary widely |
Passengers are advised to book flights _______.
| A．in the middle of the week |
| B．on special websites |
| C．several months before traveling |
| D．with airlines which are famous for offering discount prices |
[1] As adolescents(青少年), having a meaningful effect on the world can seem like an impossible task for the simple fact of being kids. Changing the world does not only mean finding a cure for cancer, eliminating poverty, or finding the origin of humanity, but recycling a piece of paper as well. Going Green is a practical way that adolescents can have a real, meaningful influence in the world. There are numerous options of how individuals can change their lifestyles to be more eco-conscious(有生态环保意识的). What follows are three simple ways young adolescents can go green and change the world.
1. Recycle
[2] According to a Wire & Twine online article, 63 million newspapers come out every day and of those 44 million are thrown away; recycling the Sunday newspaper alone we could save half a million trees a week.
[3] The age of technology constantly creates new phones, iPods, or new computers. Many will stand in line for hours if not days to get their hands on the new piece of technology, but what happens with the old ones once they are replaced? Nothing, according to Earth911 about 75% of the old devices sit in the back of a drawer collecting dust. By taking them to the local stores that collect them, they go to poor people which in turn removes them from landfills(垃圾填埋场) where the phones explode because of the lead and lithium-ion(锂离子) the phones contain.
2. Go vegetarian one day a week
[4] Instead of breaking down the pros and cons(利弊) of the vegetarian lifestyle into a long boring paragraph, here are some astonishing facts on going vegetarian for only one day. According to Noam Mohr, a physicist at the New York University, the United States would save 100 billion gallons of water which is enough to supply all homes in New England for about 4 months.
[5] The United States would save 70 million gallons of gas which is enough to fuel all the cars of Canada and Mexico combined and still have some to spare. The United States could prevent 3 million tons of soil erosion(侵蚀), 4.5 million tons of animal wastes, and about 7 tons of ammonia emissions (氨排放).The Environmental Defense concludes with the most interesting fact: if the entire population gives up one meal of chicken, the amount of carbon dioxide accumulated would be the same amount if more than half a million cars were taken off U.S. roads.
3. 第6题
[6] Most drink bottled water because of the common view that bottled water is healthier than regular tap water; actually, 25% of bottled water comes from regular tap water and all that is done extra is it going through a filter(过滤器). Tap water has higher regulations from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration美国食品药品管理局) than bottled water does. Companies do not need to list where they got the water from, how they purify the water, or what chemicals their plastic water bottles contain. Plastic bottles do not get recycled 90% of the time which results in 1.5 million tons of plastic in landfills which take thousands of years to rot. Not only are you drinking the same water as that in your house but also paying extra. The average 24-pack of bottled water cost $3.97 at the local Wal-Mart and a reusable water bottle cost between $4.99-$7.99; just imagine how much money could be saved if reusable water bottles replaced plastic water bottles.
[7] Changing the world for a positive has to start somewhere and while it may be hard and at times it may seem as if the small changes that are being done are not affecting the world, keep in mind what Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”What’s the whole passage mainly talked about?
| A．Ways to protect environment. | B．Ways to become powerful. |
| C．The importance of recycling. | D．The importance of saving water. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
| A．Changing the world involves many questions. |
| B．It’s not easy to change the world. |
| C．Changing the world is not so difficult. |
| D．We can actually do everything. |
How much of the daily newspapers are thrown away according to Paragraph 2?
| A．About 44%. | B．About 63%. | C．About 70%. | D．About 75%. |
In the article, the writer _____ to tell us the benefits of the vegetarian lifestyle.
| A．does a lot of reasoning | B．uses many facts |
| C．borrows VIPs’ phrases | D．puts forward new ideas |
What’s the benefits of giving up just one day of eating meat according to Paragraph 4 and 5?
| A．Much water and gas would be saved. | B．Much land would be spared. |
| C．More animals would survive. | D．More cars would be on the roads. |
Which of the following can be the subtitle(小标题) of Paragraph 6?
| A．Drink healthy water | B．Produce bottled water |
| C．Give up bottled water | D．Reuse tap water |
Why do many people choose to drink bottled water according to Paragraph 6?
| A．They think it’s cheaper. |
| B．They think it’s healthier. |
| C．They think it’s more fashionable. |
| D．They think it’s environmental friendly. |
What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．We should find a proper time to start action |
| B．Small changes will make big differences. |
| C．Personal efforts will not affect the world. |
| D．A small group of people matters. |