What do you usually expect from a pop star’s concert? Dazzling stage design, mysterious guest singers or sensational costumes? The answer is yes for most singers. But no when it comes to David Tao’s concerts. “ I won’t invite guests to perform. I won’t dance, take off my clothes or dress up like a peacock to attract attention,” Tao said.Tao insisted a concert should offer nothing more than music.
Tao has been on the music scene since 1997. Quality is the word that can best describe his works. With six albums in 10 years, the 38-year-old singer is not prolific(多产的 ), but he has achieved much more than other Chinese singers who have produced 10 or more albums in a short time.
Tao is called the “ Godfather of R&B” in China and has been a trendsetter(创新者) in China’s music industry. His albums have won various awards in Asia for his socially conscious lyrics, simple rhythms and creative mix of traditional sounds, like Peking Opera and traditional Chinese musical instruments.
Tao’s parents were famous entertainers in Taiwan. Tao spent some of his childhood in Hong Kong. His father was an actor, singer and composer, while his mother was a Peking Opera artist. His parents once moved to the United States and his father worked for Walt Disney. Later his parents returned to Taiwan where his father began his singing career, leaving David to finish his education in the United States. Tao met Taiwanese producer, Wang Zhi Ping, who offered him a job. So Tao went back to Taiwan to write and produce songs for many singers. In 1997 with the help of Wang and another Taiwanese producer, Jim Lee, Tao released his first album which set a record in Taiwan as the first album from a new singer. Tao won two awards, Best Newcomer and Best Producer, becoming the first new comer/singer to also win a Best Producer award during the 9th GMA (金曲奖). Later, Tao released his second album. In this album Tao tried many musical styles including his favorite rock music; in fact each song is different in their style and music arrangement.
“I grew up listening to the most fashionably mixed types of music with my father playing Elvis Presley’s songs in one room and my mother singing Peking Opera in another,” Tao said jokingly.
Tao said he will release a new album after the tour and then he will switch roles to become a film director. Preparation for the movie has already begun and it will be released in 2011. “ After the concert, I will switch my focus to that. I hope I can make it one thing after another.”To pop star Tao, what is the most important thing to a concert?
| A．Costumes. | B．Stage design. |
| C．Guest singers. | D．Music and interaction. |
According to the passage, the reasons for Tao’s albums to win awards are as follows EXCEPT____.
| A．socially conscious lyrics | B．simple rhythms |
| C．mix of traditional sounds | D．quantities of albums |
. Tao is successful and called the “ Godfather of R&B” because_______.
| A．his parents influenced him a lot |
| B．he himself is prolific |
| C．he is creative in music |
| D．Both A and C |
We can infer from the passage that after the concert,_______.
| A．Tao will spend less time in his music |
| B．Tao will spend all his time producing music |
| C．Tao will become an actor |
| D．Tao will make two films |
Expert Tricks on iPhone 5
We don’t want to change your phone, we wanna make you say, wow, that is a bigger change than I expected. iPhone 5 in a result of that desire to surprise. It’s been completely redesigned.
For the first time ever, we’ve increased the size of display by making the screen taller but not wider. You can see more of your content without the need to scroll. We are making scrolling the thing of the past. iPhone 5 is more comfortable to use and reduces scrolling tiredness when you are reading long documents.
Even with the larger display, iPhone 5 is the thinnest iPhone we ever built. To achieve the design this tall, we have to look at it and completely redesign the internal architecture. It’s 18% thinner and 79.5% taller than the previous iPhone.
It makes everything you do on iPhone 5 feels easier and just move your arm away. No more hidden menus, no confusing gestures. Everything is right at your fingertips.
The panorama feature(全景功能) is simply awesome. The ultra-HD widescreen display let you get your entire shot in a single snap. You can also use your iPhone 5’s innovative design for image stabilization.
With an iPhone this tall, reception has never been better. You enjoy crystal clear clarity on even the longest calls.
And of course, all your favorite applications are still available. In fact you will find your old favorites also benefit from the new handsome ultra-HD widescreen. We found while many previous iPhone owners were using Facetime, they only used it for the faces. That’s why we are introducing Bodytime. Using iPhone 5’s ultra-HD widescreen display, Bodytime let you see a person’s entire body, allowing you to detect mannerisms and defects like never before.
We look way beyond what our thoughts expect, it took all of our learning, all of our thinking to realize something so simple, so clear, and yet so tall.
iPhone 5, the tallest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone.What can we learn about iPhone 5?
| A．It is taller, wider and thinner. |
| B．It is taller, wider and thicker. |
| C．It is taller, thinner but not wider. |
| D．It is shorter, wider and thinner. |
Which this new iPhone, you can do all the following EXCEPT .
| A．doing things easily on it by moving arm away |
| B．scrolling more quickly than before |
| C．getting the entire shot in a single snap |
| D．using Bodytime for a person’s entire body |
How thick is the redesigned iPhone 5 if the previous iPhone is 7.6mm in thickness?
| A．6.232mm. | B．1.558mm. |
| C．1.368mm. | D．6.042mm. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Bodytime will replace Facetime in the future. |
| B．Scrolling on the phone will be the thing of the past. |
| C．All your favorite apps are still available on the new iPhone. |
| D．iPhone 5 will be the tallest thing to happen. |
People often say that Money talks. They mean that a person with a lot of money can say how he or she wants things done. But it is not easy to earn enough money to gain this kind of power.
Ask anyone in business. They will tell you that it is a jungle out there. The expression probably began because a jungle is filled with wild animals and unknown dangers that threaten people.
People in business have to be careful if they are to survive the jungle out there. They must not be led into making bogus investments. Bogus means something that is not real.
Nobody is sure how the word got started. But it began to appear in American newspapers in the 1800s. A newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, said the word came from a criminal whose name was Borghese. Borghese wrote checks to people although he did not have enough money in the bank. After he wrote the checks, he would disappear. So, people who were paid with his checks received nothing. The newspaper said Americans shortened and changed the criminal’s name Borghese to Bogus.
People trying to earn money must be also aware of the risk of being ripped off. A writer for a magazine said he first saw the expression used in 1971. It was on a sign that a student carried during a protest demonstration at a university. The message on the sign was that the student felt cheated.
To be successful, a person in business works hard and tries to get down to brass tacks. This expression means to get to the bottom or the most important of something. For example, a salesman may talk about his product without saying the price. You get down to brass tacks when you say, “it sounds good, but how much does it cost?”
Word expert Charles Funk thinks the expression comes from sailors on ships. They clean the bottom of a boat. When they have removed all the dirt, they are down to the copper pieces that hold the ship together. So, if we get down to brass tacks, we can prevent rip-offs and bogus ways of earning money in that jungle out there. And, some good luck will help, too.Why do people say money talks?
| A．Because money can tell us something. |
| B．Because the rich tend to decide a thing. |
| C．Because everyone loves to have money. |
| D．Because it is hard to earn money. |
My uncle is in a jungle out there, which means .
| A．he is a success in his own business |
| B．he will face many difficulties soon |
| C．he will fight against wild animals |
| D．he is interested to go through a jungle |
Borghese is considered to be a criminal .
| A．because he used the word “bogus” for the first time |
| B．because he was accused of writing false checks |
| C．because he didn’t have enough money in the bank |
| D．because he disappeared after he paid some checks |
When you ask how much it cost, it means .
| A．you are always caring about money |
| B．you declare you won’t be cheated |
| C．you care nothing about the quality |
| D．you get down to the real issues |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．Charles Funk has created many interesting words |
| B．brass is a necessary people of equipment of a ship |
| C．many businessmen have been cheated in life |
| D．many English words have their interesting stories |
A winter wonderland on the outskirts of Quebec City has become one of Canada's hottest attractions and most sought out accommodations. Guests stay close for warmth in sleeping bags on beds of ice, hats pulled over their ears to prevent frostbite, while sipping cocktails (鸡尾酒) in glasses also made of ice.
A cool place to host a memorable wedding or for a romantic getaway, the Quebec Ice Hotel has attracted 600,000 curious tourists, including 30,000 who stayed overnight, since openingseasonally 11 years ago. Like Victoria and Jeremy Martin, dozens of couples will exchange vows (誓约) this winter in a temporary church next to the hotel, sculpted entirely from blocks of ice withseats covered in furs.
Average temperatures fall below minus 20 degrees C (minus four F) in winter, but inside the hotel's 36 rooms it is relatively cozy. Thick walls of packed snow and ice act as aninsulator, trapping body heat inside. Each room is uniquely decorated, using designs created by Quebec architecture students.Two hotel bars also sell special cocktails in ice glasses.
First-time guests of the hotel, however, are recommended to stay only one night as sleeping insub-zero temperatures is not very refreshing. This year for the first time the ice hotel has teamed up with a bricks and concrete Quebec City hotel to offer packages for one-night accommodations ateach. Prices for one night only at the ice hotel start at 200 US dollars per person.
The 3,000-square-metre (32,300-square-feet) buildings take six weeks starting in December to build, using 15,000 tonnes of snow and 500 tonnes of ice, at a cost of some 750,000 US dollars.Eleven weeks after its seasonal grand opening, the hotel will close on March 27 and then melt away with the arrival of spring.What is true with the ice hotel?
| A．630,000 people have visited it. |
| B．30,000 people visit it each year. |
| C．It has stayed open for many years. |
| D．Wedding ceremonies are often held there. |
What can we learn about the hotel rooms?
A. It can be -20°C inside.
B. The temperature is always below 0°C.
C. The rooms all look alike.
D. Each room costs $200 per night.First-time guests are advised to stay there only one night because _____.
| A．they may not be able to stand the cold |
| B．their other night is with an ordinary hotel |
| C．new guests have less advantages over old ones |
| D．the first-day service is just for a test run |
If you choose to visit the ice hotel during the Christmas season, you'll find _____.
| A．it doesn't exist at all |
| B．it is just being built |
| C．most of its rooms are vacant |
| D．it is crowded with guests |
Many people think of the brain as a mystery.They don’t know much about intelligence and how it works. When they do think about what intelligence is，many people believe that a person is born smart，average，or dumb—and stays that way in the whole life.But new research shows that the brain is more like a muscle—it changes and gets stronger when you use it.And scientists have been able to show just how the brain grows and gets stronger when you learn.
Everyone knows that when you lift weights，your muscles get bigger and you get stronger.A person who can’t lift 20 pounds when he/she starts exercising can get strong enough to lift 100 pounds after working out for a long time.That’s because the muscles become larger and stronger with exercise.And when you stop exercising，the muscles shrink and you get weaker.That’s why people say “Use it or lose it！”
But most people don’t know that when they practice and learn new things，parts of their brain change and get larger a lot like muscles do when they exercise.Inside the cortex (皮层) of the brain are billions of tiny nerve cells，called neurons.The nerve cells have branches connecting them to other cells in a complicated network.Communication between these brain cells is what allows us to think and solve problems.When you learn new things，these tiny connections in the brain actually multiply and get stronger.The more you challenge your mind to learn，the more your brain cells grow.Then，things that you once found very hard or even impossible to do—like speaking a foreign language or doing algebra (代数)—seem to become easy after learning them for a period of time.The result is a stronger，smarter brain.
Scientists started thinking that the human brain could develop and change when they studied animals’ brains.They found out that animals that lived in a challenging environment were more “perspicacious”—they were better at solving problems and learning new things.According to the first paragraph，________.
| A．the function of our brain is like that of the muscle |
| B．until now it’s impossible to explain the brain’s mystery |
| C．many people believe one’s intelligence is naturally determined |
| D．one’s brain grows stronger as the age increases |
Training muscles is compared to________.
| A．using the brain |
| B．connecting things in your brain |
| C．lifting weights |
| D．doing research about the brain |
What does the underlined word “perspicacious” in the last paragraph probably mean?
| A．Strong. | B．Smart. |
| C．Popular. | D．Active. |
The following paragraph will most probably talk about________.
| A．the differences between animals’ brains and humans’ brains |
| B．the relation between human brains and muscles |
| C．scientists’ findings about animals’ brains |
| D．how to make your brain smarter through selfdevelopment |
Have you ever thought of joining a book club and buying new books through the post？Here at the International Book Club，we already have many members buying books from us by mail.
Immediate benefits：
•As a special offer，you may choose any reducedprice books from our new members’ book list，to the value of $6 in total (plus postage and packing)．By doing this，you will save pounds on the publishers’ prices.
•Tick the box on your form to order a free watch.
•If you reply within seven days，we will send you another free gift carefully chosen from our book list by our staff
•Order a DVD from the many on offer in our list，at half the recommended retail price.
When you’ve joined：
As a member，you’ll enjoy savings of between 30% and 50% off the publisher’s price on every book you buy，and what’s more，they’ll come straight to your door.Your free club magazine arrives once a month，to keep you up to date with the latest bestsellers.This means that every year we offer over 1,000 books to choose from.On the Internet，you can find all our titles for the year on our exclusive members’ website.
Being a member：
All we are asking you to do while you are a member is to choose four books during your first year.After that，you can decide on the number of books you wish to take.
In each of our monthly club magazines，our experienced staff choose a Club Choice book—a work of fiction or a reference title which they feel is particularly worth buying，and which is offered at an extraspecial price.However，if you do not want this book，just say so in the space provided on the form.We will always send the book if we do not receive this.
So，return your application form today，but hurry—it’s not every day we can make you an offer like this.To apply to become a member，all you need to do is simply fill in the enclosed form and return it in the postagepaid envelope supplied.
Before you know it，your books will be with you.Please don’t send any money now，as we will send you your bill with the books.And remember，you have up to a fortnight to decide if you wish to keep the books you have ordered.You should then either return the books or send your payment.Which of the following doesn’t belong to the benefits of being a club member?
| A．Get four books for free in the first year. |
| B．Order a free watch. |
| C．Get a gift for nothing. |
| D．Order a DVD at a low price. |
Every month the club provides a free club magazine in order to________.
| A．let readers know the number of books to be sold |
| B．keep readers well informed of recent bestselling books |
| C．make readers know the club’s development |
| D．attract more and more readers to join the club |
If a book is worth $100，how much will a member probably save if he buys one?
| A．$20. | B．$40. |
| C．$60. | D．$70. |
What should you do if you want to join the book club?
| A．Just fill in a form with personal information and send the club an email. |
| B．Ask other club members to recommend you to the club. |
| C．Fill in an application form with needed information and return it to the club. |
| D．Apply for a membership card. |