Public schools in Washington, D.C. provide students with musical instruments for free. When something goes wrong with an instrument, Charles West and Larry Jernigan do the repairs. Both men approach their work with a passion(激情). For them, it’s important that students have a joyful experience with music.
The two have worked together for almost 20 years. This year alone, they’ve fixed about 450 instruments. Both men are musicians and music lovers, so learning to do repairs came naturally.
“I have been a musician all my life.” says West. “I played in an orchestra here in the city. I majored in music in college. I played in an army band.”
Jernigan’s musical interests are varied. “I was formerly trained in the piano and guitar. The alto sax, and the flute, I picked up while working here.”
In addition to fixing instruments, the two also go to schools to instruct teachers and students on how to make minor repairs on their own.
West believes if children start early and stay involved with music, it enriches other areas of their lives. “I see that in other kids. I see it in myself. I have seen it hundreds of times and it works,” he says. “They learn teamwork. They learn patience and respect.
But West has concerns about the future of music in the electronic age.
“This instant age has taken away from the sit-down, the patience. And to learn to play an instrument, it takes patience, it takes diligence, it takes time.”
Being able to enjoy music on the job is one of the benefits of the job. Both men agree their best rewards are the students’ performances. What’s the job of West and Jernigan at school?
A.Teaching music. |
B.Writing music. |
C.Making musical instruments. |
D.Repairing musical instruments. |
They love the job because they can .
A.earn more money | B.learn repair skills |
C.enjoy music | D.watch performances |
Which of the following is true of the two men?
A.They have fixed 450 instruments in the past 20 years. |
B.They can play and repair musical instruments. |
C.Jernigan used to play in an army band. |
D.West was trained to play the piano. |
According to West, what can people learn from music?
A.Teamwork and patience. | B.The value of time. |
C.The truth of society. | D.Diligence and confidence. |
What is mainly talked about in the text?
A.How to repair musical instruments. |
B.Learning experiences of two repairmen. |
C.How to prepare a musical performance. |
D.The enjoyable job of two music lovers. |
Mr. Brown’s horse was stolen at night. All of his friends were very sorry about it and came to see him together. After they had been told about it, one of them said, “Why did not you lock the door of your stable (马房)that night? I think it is your fault.”
“You aren’t deaf, are you?” the second man said, “Didn’t you hear anything at that moment? The thief must have driven the beast out of the gate, and couldn’t have carried it on his back.”
“I agree with them!” Blamed the third, “How careless you are! Every evening before I go to bed, I lock my stable first and hide the key in my box. Why didn’t you do so?”
The more they said, the more excited they became. At last Mr. Brown couldn’t bear it any more and said, “I am glad that you have come to see me. But none of you would help me either look for my horse or catch the thief. Do you think that it’s all my fault? Why don’t you blame the thief? The first man thought it’s Mr. Brown’s fault because _______.
A.let the door open | B.locked the door |
C.had the door unlocked | D.had the horse locked up |
The second man thought Mr. Brown _________________.
A.the horse must be driven out | B.Mr. Brown did hide his key in his box |
C.Mr. Brown wasn’t blamed by the third | D.Mr. Brown wasn’t careful. |
The more his friends said the more Mr. Brown ______________.
A. became excited B got angry C could bear D blamed them ____________ should be blamed.
A. Mr. Brown B his friends C The thief D All of them
There are three branches of medicine. One is called “doctor medicine” or “scientific medicine”. Scientific doctors try to observe sickness, look for logical pattern, and then find out how the human body works. From there they figure out what treatments may work. This kind of medicine is believed to date from the 4th century BC. Although nowadays it is successful, in the ancient this approach(方法) probably did not cure many patients.
The second kind of medicine is called “natural cures” or “folk medicine”, in which less educated people try to cure sickness with various herbs. These folk healers also use observation and logic, but they are not so aware of it. They try things until they find something that seems to work, and then they keep doing that. Folk medicine flourished(兴起) long before the development of scientific medicine and was more successful in ancient times.
The third kind is called “health spas” or “faith healing”. Sometimes this may be as simple as touching the holy man and being immediately healed. Other times, a magician may make you a magic charm, or say a spell(咒语), to cure you. Some religious groups organize healing shrines(圣坛) for the sick. In these places people rest, get plenty of sleep, eat healthy food, drink water instead of wine, and exercise in various ways. They also talk to the priests(牧师) and pray to the gods. If you are feeling depressed or you have been working too hard, going to these places may be just the right thing to make you feel better. Doctor medicine_________.
A.Magic power | B.Various herbs |
C.Religious faith | D.A healthy life style |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
Have you ever heard the old saying, “Never judge a book by its cover.”? This is a good rule to follow when trying to judge the intelligence of others. Some people have minds that shine only in certain situations. A young man with an unusual gift in writing may find himself speechless before a pretty girl when he speaks. He may not be able to find the right words. But don’t make the mistake of thinking him stupid. With a pen and paper, he can express himself better than anybody else.
Other people may fool you into overestimating(过高估计) their intelligence by putting up a good front. A student who listens attentively and takes notes in class is bound to (一定会) make a favourable impression on his teachers. But when it comes to exams, he may score near the bottom of the class.
In a word, you can’t judge someone by appearance. The only way to determine a person’s intelligence is to get to know him. Then you can see how he reacts to different situations. The more situations you see, the better your judgment is likely to be. So take your time. Don’t judge a book by its cover. The passage suggests that ______.
A.a good writer may not be a good speaker |
B.a good writer is always a good speaker |
C.a speechless person always writes well |
D.a good writer will find himself speechless |
According to this passage, a student who listens attentively and takes notes
in class ______.
A.is an intelligent student |
B.may not be an intelligent student |
C.will score better in exams |
D.will not be a good student |
T
he passage suggests that we should judge a per-son’s intelligence through
______.
A.his teachers |
B.his deeds in the classroom |
C.his appearance |
D.his reactions to different situations |
The writer of this passage wants to tell us not to______.
A.judge a book by its cover |
B.make the mistake of thi![]() |
C.overestimate a student’s intelligence |
D.judge a person’s intelligence by his appearance |
If you go to Brisbane, Australia, you can easily get a small book called Discover Brisbane free. The book tells you almost everything in Brisbane: the restaurants, the shops, the cinemas, the streets, the buses, the trains, the banks, etc. Here is something about banks on page 49:
ANZ Banking Group
Cnr.Greek &Queen Sts ……………… 228 3228
Bank of New Zealand
410 Queen Street ……………………… 221 0411
Bank of Queensland
229 Elizabeth Street …………………… 229 3122
Commonwealth Banking Group
240 Queen Street ……………………… 237 3111
National Australia Bank Ltd
225 Adelaide Street …………………… 221 6422
Westpac Banking Corp
260 Queen Street ……………………… 227 2666
Banking hours are Mon.-Thu. 9:30 am to 4 pm. Fri. 9:30 am to 5 pm. All banks close Sat. Sun. &Public Holidays.
Australia has a decimal currency(十进币制) with 100 cents to the dollar.
Notes available are: $100, $50, $20, $10, $5
Gold coins are: $2 && $1
Silver coins are: 50, 20, 10&&5 cent
Copper coins are: 2 && 1 cent You can find ANZ Banking Group on ______.
A.Queen Street | B.Elizabeth Street |
C.the corner of Greek Street and Queen Street | |
D.the corner of Queen Street and Elizabeth Street |
______ seems to be the most important street in Brisbane.
A.Greek Street | B.Elizabeth Street | C.Queen Street | D.Adelaide Street |
On Saturdays, you can go to ______ to put your money in or take your money out.
A.ANZ Banking Group | B.Bank of Queensland |
C.National Australia Bank Ltd | D.no bank |
In Australia, the banks have their longest serviceh
ours on ______.
A.public holidays | B.Sundays | C.Saturdays | D.Fridays |
“Who is Gogo?” Almost every pupil in Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand will tell you: “Gogo is from outer space and is teaching children to speak and read English.”
Gogo has visited Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and Korea. Now he is in China’s mainland—“Gogo has Adventure with English” has been published by Addison Wesley Longman China Ltd (AWL).
The six level English course, full of exciting stories, educates and delights children at the same time. Gogo learns English from his friends, Tony and Jenny. The children will learn along with Gogo, enjoying all the fun he produces. Gogo has a warm place in every young learner’s heart wherever he goes.
A presentation (介绍) about Gogo was given by Beijing AWL Information Centre last November. All the pupils in Huijia School attended the presentation. A foreign teacher at Huijia later said, “The children were attracted by Gogo after only a 45-minute presentation. They remember a song taught by Gogo seven weeks later. Parents often ask me how they can help their children learn English and now there’s a programme I can direct them to.”
Clive Sawkins, Paul Price-Smiths and Gregg Schroeder worked closely at AWL to make sure that Gogo will become an easily recognized symbol (标志) of learning English wherever English is studied. “Gogo is our baby,” said Gregg. “It is very easy to get children going with Gogo.” What is the passage mainly about?
A.Gogo visits Asian countries. | B.Gogo receives high praise. |
C.Children love to learn with Gogo. | D.AWL introduces Gogo. |
It can be learned from the passage that Gogo is .
A.an English teacher | B.an English boy |
C.an English textbook | D.a character in an English textbook |
In what way is Gogo a great help to young learners?
A.He teaches them English through songs. |
B.He teaches them English through adventure stories. |
C.He helps them to remember English words. |
D.He makes English lessons full of fun. |