Areyouinterestedincountrymusic-优题课

Nineteenth-century writers in the United States, whether they wrote novels, short stories, poems or plays, were powerfully drawn to the railroad in its golden years. In fact, writers responded to the railroads as soon as the first were built in the 1830’s. By the 1850’s, the railroad was a major presence in the life of the nation. Writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David saw the railroad both as a boon(要求) to democracy(民主国家) and as an object of suspicion. The railroad could be and was a despoiler(掠夺者) of nature, furthermore, in its manifestation of speed and noise. It might be a despoiler of human nature as well. By the 1850’s and 1860’s, there was a great distrust among writer and intellectuals of the rapid industrialization of which the railroad was a leading force. Deeply philosophical historians such as Henry Adams lamented the role that the new frenzy for business was playing in eroding traditional values. A distrust of industry and business continued among writers throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth.
　 For the most part, the literature in which the railroad plays and important role belong to popular culture rather than to the realm of serious art. One thinks of melodramas, boys’ books, thrillers, romances, and the like rather than novels of the first rank. In the railroads’ prime years, between 1890 and 1920, there were a few individuals in the United States, most of them with solid railroading experience behind them, who made a profession of writing about railroading—works offering the ambience of stations, yards, and locomotive cabs. These writers, who can genuinely be said to have created a genre, the “railroad novel”, are now mostly forgotten, their names having faded from memory. But anyone who takes the time to consult their fertile writings will still find a treasure trove of information about the place of the railroad in the life of the United States.
The underlined word “it” in the passage refers to______.

A．railroad

B．manifestation

C．speed

D．nature

In the first paragraph, the author implies that writers’ reactions to the development of railroads were______.

A．highly enthusiastic

B．both positive and negative　

C．unchanging

D．Disinterested

According to the passage, the railroad played a significant role in literature in all of the following kinds of books except_______.　

A．thrillers

B．boys’ books

C．romances

D．important novels

The phrase “first rank” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to______.

A．largest category(类别)

B．highest quality　

C．earliest writers

D．most difficult language

Which of the following topics is the main idea of passage?

A．The role of the railroad in the economy of the USA　

B．Major nineteenth century writers

C．The conflict between expanding industry and preserving nature

D．The railroad as a subject for literature

Welcome Aboard Your Piccadilly Flight To Heathrow
The Piccadilly line to Heathrow（伦敦希思罗机场）is not only the most convenient way to travel but also the most cost-effective. So the next time you’re travelling to Heathrow, make sure you fly Piccadilly line.
Your Piccadilly flight features：
● Departures from 36 stops on the Piccadilly line, or from over 200 stations only one change way
● Service every 5 minutes to and from Heathrow throughout the day
● Journeys from central London taking less than 50 minutes
● Only ￡ 3.70 for a single adult fare
● See tables below for journey times
Fares to and from central London
● Adult single ￡3.70
● Child single ￡1.50
If you are traveling as a group, then you are allowed to use the Family Travelcard, which means each adult can travel for ￡3.40 and each child for ￡0. 80.
The group must consist of 1 or 2 adults travelling with 1-4 children（from 09:30 Monday-Friday and at any time weekends and Public Holidays）.
Members within the group do not need to be related.
Travelling to Heathrow

	Mon-Sat	Sun
From	Journey Time	Frequency	First Train	Last Train	First Train	Last Train
Earls Court	39 mins	5 mins	05:55	00:43	07:15	23:49
Piccadilly Circus	49 mins	5 mins	05:45	00:32	07:05	23:38

Travelling from Heathrow

	Mon-Sat	Sun
To	Journey Time	Frequency	First Train	Last Train	First Train	Last Train
Earls Court	34 mins	5 mins	05:13	23:49	05:57	23:30
Piccadilly Circus	45 mins	5 mins	05:13	23:49	05:57	23:30

Which of the following statements is true about the Piccadilly line?

A．The Piccadilly line is the most convenient one around the world.

B．Taking the Piccadilly line can save more money than any other public transportation.

C．The Piccadilly line is the only public transportation to Heathrow.

D．The flight from Earls Court to Piccadilly Circus takes 39 minutes.

At what time does the first train from Earls Court arrive at Heathrow on Sunday?

A．07:49

B．06:34

C．07:54

D．06:31

When taking the Piccadilly line, whether to or from Heathrow, one may___________.

A．get to the destination within 34 minutes	B．get to the first stop no later than 23:30	C．get a discount once traveling in groups
D．expect a train every 5 minutes at the stop

He only finished fourth in this year's Super Boy talent show. But it didn't stop him capturing the hearts of thousands of fans. He can hit high notes with ease. And he is very modest. Zhang Jie,25,shed(流) sweat and tears all the way through the competition, but he never gave up.
“No matter how life treats him, he always fights back bravely ,”said Wu Chunyan, a Senior 2 student in Hubei. “He has never lost his dream of being a singer.” The road to fame is always rocky, and Zhang is no exception. As a college student he was majoring in tourism. He was considering becoming a tourist guide after graduation until he entered a singing competition.
His life changed after he competed in My Show. He won first place and signed with a record company. “I was very excited and regarded it as a way to take me closer to my dream,” he said. But the company gave him little money to make music and slowly began to ignore him. Zhang even borrowed money to buy costumes. “Life has its ups and downs. But the tough reality only makes me stronger,” he said.
He forgot he was once a champion of a talent show and joined Super Boy. His decision got support from his family who worked hard to make ends meet. His mother sold rice noodles on a street in his hometown, but she said she would “support him forever.”
“I have the dream to buy a large house for my parents, where my mom can get a large window sill to grow flowers,” said Zhang.
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．An easy way to success	B．A rocky path to success
C．A clever boy	D．A successful boy

From the passage, we can know that _________.

A．he once won the first place in Super Boy talent show.

B．he finished fourth in My Show.

C．he is an exception on his way to fame.

D．after signing with a record company, he didn’t get much money.

When he met with difficulty in a record company, he decided to _______.

A．join Super Boy	B．tell the others he was a champion
C．give up on his way to success	D．quarrel with the boss

Before he joined in a singing competition, his dream was to become________.

A．a great scientist	B．a good college student
C．a famous singer	D．a tourist guide

In today’s Internet age, the demand for online games continues to grow. Online computer game centers exist in many cities and towns throughout Asia. Facing the pressures of school and life, people tend to the virtual world, expecting a diversion from these problems. Too often, however, they can lead to problems and unhealthy addictions 迷。
This is most clearly seen in the example of South Korea. The country has the world’s highest percentage of high-speed Internet services. It also has a high number of online game players and related problems. In 2002, a young man collapsed(突然晕倒) and died while playing online games. He had been playing almost nonstop for 86 hours at an Internet café. Another young man killed his sister after becoming confused between the online world and real life. A 12-year-old boy stole US $ 16,000 from his father and ran away from home. He did this to continue his obsession(着迷) with an online game. Such problems, however, don’t just happen in South Korea. They are spreading to other parts of Asia, as well.
What kinds of people develop online game addiction? What does the problem look like? Dr. SueHuei Chen, a clinical psychologist, researches Internet addiction. She discovered some signs of at-risk individuals such as lack friendships and good social skills. Those problem individuals feel it so compulsive 难控制的to play online games that they could sacrifice things such as school or family. They feel the need to spend more and more time online. And they become upset if anyone tries to limit限制 their online game playing.
How many problem game players are there? In mainland China, the potential number of problem online gamers is alarming. In 2004, the China daily reported that China had 13.8 million online game players. Furthermore, it stated that 80 percent of these were under 25 and had signs of addiction. Such numbers point toward a growing problem among Chinese young people.
Make sure to keep control over your online game playing. If you don’t control it, it can get control of you.
What is mainly discussed in the passage?

A．The disadvantages of the Internet.

B．The online game problems in Asia.

C．The popularity of online games worldwide.

D．The cause of online game addiction.

The underlined word “diversion” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to __________.

A．career

B．comfort

C．escape

D．support

According to Paragraph 2, which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．The young killer’s sister was killed in a fictional 科幻 world

B．Online game playing is responsible for the young man’s death.

C．People in South Korea have access to the Internet most easily.

D．The teenage boy stole money because of his playing games online.

What can we learn from the passage?

A．Most people in Asia have developed an addiction to online games.

B．Online game addictions cause many life-and-death arguments in South Korea.

C．Lonely and unsociable people seem to more easily develop Internet addictions.

D．In the year 2004 there were a total of 13.8 million Chinese visiting the Internet.

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The purpose of the advertisement is ______.

A．to help parents with their daily life

B．to attract more subscribers

C．to collect more money for charity

D．to introduce a new product

Which of the following is true according to the ad?

A．Only $12 is to be paid for 24 issues of the magazine.

B．Readers can get a free offer of the magazine any time of the year.

C．Readers from all over the world can enjoy the free offer.

D．Readers can communicate face to face with child experts on the Internet.

Where can we most probably read the ad?

A．In the newspaper.

B．In a website.

C．In a supermarket.

D．In a library.

A reader subscribed（订阅） PARENTS 3 months ago, but now he finds the magazine dissatisfying. What can he do?

A．He can cancel without getting your money back.

B．He can cancel after answering a series of questions.

C．He can email them to work out your bank account to get all your money back.

D．He can cancel and get all your money back without answering any questions.

A．in the 1920s	B．in 1920
C．in the 1970s	D．in 1970

A．Because city people liked the music.
B．Because farmers moved to cities with their music and it continued to change.	C．Because country music talked about city people’s lives.
D．Because country music developed in the Southern Africa