I often write about the bad state of television these days, but recently my mom told me about a story she saw on 60 Minutes that was inspiring, educational, and entertaining for the who
le family. I went to the show’s website to see for myself. My mom was right. At a time when even Barbara Walters says she’s really bored with celebrities interviews, this one will not disappoint.
It’s the story of Derek Paravicini, a 30-year-old who was born three months early, physically disabled (he can’t button his own shirt), blind, and severely autistic(自闭的).
Yet, through total luck and coincidence, his family discovered that Derek had a remarkable musical talent when he was three.
Derek can hear any musical composition one time and play it perfectly on the piano.
That’s right. He only has to hear it once.
Even more unbelievable, his brain, like a computer, can keep many songs that he can immediately repeat when asked. But 
his talent isn’t limited to just learning things by heart. Derek is a true musical genius and artist who plays beautifully in a wide range of styles and can make his own music.
With his talent, Derek has raised millions of dollars putting on charity concerts. He also donates his time to senior centers where he acts as a human jukebox (自动唱机) machine, taking requests from senior citizens who haven’t heard their favorite songs for decades.
As it turns out, Derek loves people and his extraordinary talent has been the key to unlocking his personality and social development.
If you want to inspire your family, pop some popcorn and sit everyone down to watch this excellent piece of journalism. If your kids are like mine, it will cause a great family discussion about the definition of “disability” and the extraordinary ability of the human brain and spirit. It may even give you the perfect answer the next time your child says he or she “can’t” do something. Now that’s priceless.
Who says there’s nothing good on TV? From the first paragraph, we know that 60 minutes is a TV program on .
| A．interviewing celebrities |
| B．interviewing the disabled |
| C．the latest news round the world |
| D．stating the positive influence of TV |
How does Derek help the elderly?
| A．By buying them a jukebox machine. |
| B．By building senior centers for them. |
| C．By singing the old songs they ask for. |
| D．By playing the piano to raise money for them. |
In the opinion of the author, Derek can .
| A．attract the whole family to watch TV together |
| B．cause family members to help the disabled |
| C．help kids understand the ability of their brains |
| D．encourage kids to accept challenges in life |
The author’s purpose in writing this passage is to .
| A．prove that there is something good on TV |
| B．introduce a disabled but gifted musician |
| C．call on people to show more love to the disabled |
| D．express personal admiration for Derek Paravicini |
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On a good night when there is no Moon and the air is clear, only up to 4,000 or so stars can be seen by the unaided eye. From ancient times star – watchers have tried to bring some order into the sky by fitting the stars into patterns. The constellations (星座) to which names were given.
Observation of the night sky every few hours shows that in the northern hemisphere(半球) the stars appear to turn anticlockwise (逆时针方向) about a point near the Pole Star. As they turn, the stars keep the same positions in relation to each other, and in fact the appearance of the constellations has changed very little over the centuries. Like the Sun and Moon, the stars have a daily journey across the sky, rising upwards in the east and setting in the west – due to the Earth’s daily spin. The Circumpolar Stars, those near the Pole Star, are an exception to this; they are so close to the pole that they never disappear below the horizon (地平线) Although the stars always rise in the same places they do not do so at the same time every day. They rise about 4 minutes earlier each day since the Earth is progressing in its orbit around the Sun; in almost but not exactly a year they again rise and set at the same time. If a certain star is seen to rise in the east exactly when the Sun sets on a particular day, a few weeks later it will be seen well above the eastern horizon at sunset.
58．Which do you think is the best title of the passage above?
A．The Earth, the Moon and the Stars. B．Motion of the Stars.
C．How to Watch the Stars. D．Appearance of the Stars.
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59．Which of the following descriptions cannot be shown in the picture?
On the night of May, 7,1942, a plane took off from an Air Force base in England to stop German fighters over the English Channel. The pilot of the plane was Captain Thomas Nash. Looking eastward, Nash saw twelve orange lights in a row, moving at an extremely high speed. As an experienced flyer, he had never seen anything like them. Thinking that they might be a new German weapon, he decided to follow them. But when he swung the plane around and headed directly for the lights, they disappeared.
Captain Nash may have been the first to see such orange lights but he wasn’t the last. His experience was repeated several times by pilots during World War Ⅱ in Europe and the Far East. What were they? No one knows for sure, but there is an interesting theory to explain them. According to this theory, the orange lights are space animals – animals specially adapted to life in the upper atmosphere just as some creatures are adapted to life at the bottom of the sea. These space animals, the theory says, live so far up in the atmosphere that they are invisible from the earth. They feed in part on the air and partly on energy from sunlight. Being almost pure energy themselves, they can give light at night. During the day they become invisible.
Before World WarⅡ, continues the theory, there was little radiated (辐射) energy available on the earth’s surface. Then came the development of rockets, atomic reactor (核反应堆), and hydroelectric (水力发电的) plants. The space creatures are attracted by these sources of energy. At night when no energy is sent from sunlight, they go down into the lower levels to search a meal. They may even come into the scope of human eyesight. This explains the fact that they have been sighted now and then from the earth since 1942.
54．Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?
A．The secret of nature can be completely explained.
B．Captain Nash may have been the first to see the lights in space.
C．Captain Nash saw twelve orange lights moving at a high speed.
D．According to an interesting theory, the orange lights are space animals.
55．The strange orange lights were first seen .
A．from the ground B．from a rocket ship
C．during World War I D．during World WarⅡ
56．The theory says that during the daytime the space animals .
A．can’t be seen B．shine brightly in the sky
C．can be seen from the earth D．visit the earth’s surface
57．If the space theory is true, the creatures go down to the lower places in order to .
A．make connection with man B．search for man – made energy
C．attract curiosity D．escape detection
Every artist knows in his heart that he is saying something to the public. Not only does he want to say it well, but he wants it to be something which has not been said before. He hopes the public will listen and understand what he wants to teach them, and what he wants them to learn from him.
What visual artists like painters want to teach is easy to make out but difficult to explain, because painters translate their experience into shapes and colors, not words. They seem to feel that a certain selection of shapes and colors, out of countless billions possible, is exceptionally interesting for them and worth showing to us. Without their work we should never have noticed these particular shapes and colors, or have felt the delight which they brought to the artist.
Most artists take their shapes and colors from the world of nature and from human bodies in motion (运动) and at rest; their choices show that these aspects (方面) of the world are worth looking at, and that they contain beautiful sights. Modern artists might say that they only choose subjects that provide an interesting pattern, and that there is nothing more in it. Yet they do not choose entirely without reference to the character of their subjects.
If one painter chooses to paint a decaying (腐烂) leg and another a lake in moonlight, each of them is directing out attention to a certain aspect of the world. Each painter is telling us something, showing us something, explaining something – all of which means that he is trying to teach us.
50．According to the passage, all of the following is true except_________.
A．An artist wants to show something meaningful
B．An artist hopes that the public will understand and learn from him
C．An artist asks the public to believe what he says in his work
D．An artist intends to present something that has not been said before
51．It is hard to explain what a painter is saying, because .
A．a painter uses unusual words and phrases
B．a painter uses shapes and colors instead of words
C．most painters do not express themselves well
D．many painters do not say anything
52．Modern artists might say their choice of subject .
A．only provides interesting patterns
B．carries a message to the public
C．has no pattern or form
D．teaches the public important truths
53．The underlined word “exceptionally” in the 2nd paragraph probably means .
A．entirely B．generally C．especially D．usually
The other day in school, we were discussing jobs. Our teacher, Mrs. Bolt said that career was very important and that it was never too early to think about your life’s work. Most of the young boys really were not too sure about what they wanted to be. But I knew exactly what I wanted to be, and when Mrs. Bolt asked me, I replied “A truck driver.”
“A truck driver?” repeated Mrs. Blot. “Why do you want to be one, Tom?”
“Because truck drivers are always on the move. They do not have to sit at desks all day. They are out on the road and they see a lot of the country. The pay is good, too. And you never have any homework.”
The class laughed.
“Well, Tom.” answered Mrs. Bolt. “You certainly sound quite enthusiastic (热情的). I guess that you don’t like sitting at a desk or doing homework. Is that correct, Tom?”
“Yes, I guess so, ” I said.
“Well, since you are so interested in becoming a truck driver, I think you should look into the field a little further. I want you to go to the library and take out a book on truck driving. And I want you to write a paper on it and hand it in at the end of the month.”
That’s the last time I’ll never tell anybody my secret ambition (雄心).
46．Mrs. Bolt suggested Tom write a book report because .
A．she was angry with him.
B．she wanted him to learn about the other side of truck driving.
C．she was making fun of him.
D．she wanted the whole class to follow him
47．Which of the following is NOT true?
A．The writer thinks that truck drivers are well paid.
B．What Tom said made his classmates laugh.
C．It seemed as if Tom did not enjoy doing his homework.
D．Mrs. Bolt didn’t want Tom to become a truck driver.
48．Tom wouldn’t tell about his ambition any more because .
A．he didn’t think his ambition could come true.
B．he just got more homework to do.
C．he was laughed at by the whole class.
D．he would not be able to become a truck driver.
49．What can we infer about Mrs. Bolt?
A．She was unkind to her students. B．She was unfit for her position.
C．She was a teacher with ripe experience. D．She always did something strange.
