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 |
About the year 1900, a dark-haired boy named Charlie Chaplin was often seen waiting outside the back entrances of London theatres. He looked thin and hurry. He was hoping to get work in show business. He could sing and dance, and above all, he knew how to make people laugh. But he couldn’t get work and therefore wandered about the city streets. Sometimes he was sent away to a home for children who had no parents.
But twenty years later, this same Chaplin became the greatest, best-known, and best-loved comedian (喜剧演员) in the world. Any regular visitor to the cinema, must have seen some of Charlie Chaplin’s films. People everywhere have sat and laughed at them until the tears ran down their faces. Even people who don’t understand English can enjoy his films, because they are mostly silent. It isn’t what he says that makes us laugh. His comedy doesn’t depend upon (依靠) words or language. It depends upon little actions which mean the thing to people all over the word. Acting out without words, of common human situations plays an important part in the dances and plays in many countries. It’s a kind of the world language.
Chaplin lived most of his life in America and died in Switzerland on Christmas Day 1977, at the age of eighty-eight. There was sadness all over the world at the news of his death.Chaplin was born _________.
| A．in 1990 | B．in Switzerland |
| C．in 1889 | D．in America |
Why was Chaplin often seen waiting outside London theatre?
| A．Because he needed a job in show business. |
| B．Because he needed food to eat. |
| C．Because he hoped to sing and dance in theatre. |
| D．Because he hoped to have a home. |
Twenty years later, Chaplin became the best __________.
| A．singer | B．dancer |
| C．actor | D．comedian |
What does Chaplin comedy(喜剧) depend on?
| A．words and language |
| B．music and dance |
| C．story and background |
| D．action, a kind of the world language |
Which is true?
| A．Chaplin was an American |
| B．Chaplin’s comedy was dull. |
| C．Chaplin was a dumb. (哑巴) |
| D．People in the world were very sad to hear that Chaplin died. |
In general (一般来说) people talk about two groups of colours: warm colours and cool colours. Scientists think that there are also two groups of people: people who prefer warm colours and people who prefer cool colours.
The warm colours are red, orange and yellow. Where there are warm colours and a lot of light, people usually want to be active. People think that red example is exciting sociable (善交际的) people, those who like to be with others like red. The cool colours are green, blue and purple. These colours unlike warm colours, are relaxing. Where there are cool colours, people are usually quiet. People who like to spend time alone often prefer blue.
Red may be exciting but one scientist says that time seems to pass more slow in a room with warm colours than in a room with cool colours. He suggested that a warm colour such as red or orange, is a good colour for a living room or a restaurant.
People who are relaxing or eating don’t want time to pass quickly. Cool colours are better for offices of factories as the people who work there want time to pass quickly. Scientist don’t know why people think some colours are warm and other colours are cool.
However, almost everyone agree that warm colours remind (使想起) people of warm days and cool colours remind them of cool days. Because in the north the sun is low during winter, the sunlight appears quite blue. Because the sun higher during summer, the hot summer sunlight appears yellow.When people talk about two groups of people, they mean those that ________.
| A．like warm colours and like cool colours |
| B．are yellow, red and yellow |
| C．are warm colours and cool colours |
| D．are green, blue and purple |
The people who like warm colours _________.
| A．are very hard to get on with others |
| B．are very easy to get on with others |
| C．like to stay at home by themselves |
| D．don’t like to be with others |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Time seems to pass more slowly in a room with warm colours than in a room with cool colours. |
| B．The persons who are relaxing don’t want time to pass slowly. |
| C．Maybe warm colors make people think of warm days. |
| D．The writer thinks cool colours are good for offices of factories. |
Why do some people like warm colours and others like cool colours?
| A．Because the people who like warm colours are active. |
| B．Because the people who like cool colours prefer staying at home alone. |
| C．Because warm colours are nice and cool colours are not nice. |
| D．The writer doesn’t tell us the reason. |
Which is the best title?
| A．Two groups of colours | B．Cool colours |
| C．Warm colours | D．Colours and people |
We were going to play against a team from a country school.
They didn’t come until the last minute. They looked worse than we had thought. They were wearing dirty blue trousers and looked like farm boys.
We sat down for a rest. We felt that we didn’t need any practice against a team like that.
The game began. One of us got the ball and he shot a long pass to our forward （前锋）. From out of nowhere a boy in an old T-shirt stopped the ball and with beautiful style （姿势）he shot and got two points. Then another two points in a minute. Soon the game was all over. We were beaten by the country team.
After that, we thought a lot. We certainly learned that even though your team is very good, you can’t look down upon the others and still need to do you best. And the most important lesson we learned was: One can’t judge (判断) a person or a team only by their clothes.The team from the country were in old clothes so the writer’s team _______.
| A．looked down upon them |
| B．couldn’t win |
| C．didn’t like the city boy |
| D．were afraid of them |
The country team arrived so late that _________.
| A．nobody saw them |
| B．the writer’s team were angry |
| C．they had no time to warm up |
| D．they looked worse |
The team from the country won because _________.
| A．they were in old clothes |
| B．they didn’t practice before the game |
| C．they practiced before the game |
| D．the team was better than the writer’s |
From the text, we can guess the writer’s team is _________.
| A．a basketball from a country school |
| B．a football team from a school in the city |
| C．a basketball team from a school in the city |
| D．a football team from the country |
The writer’s team learned a lot from the game. They got to know how to ______.
| A．do better from then on |
| B．fight against the country boys |
| C．play against a weak team |
| D．judge a man or a team by clothes |
| TV PROGRAMMES |
|
| Channel 1 |
Channel 2 |
| 18:00 Around China 18:30 Children’s programme 19:00 News 19:30 Weather report 19:40 Around the world 20:10 TV play: Sisters 21:00 English for today 21:15 Popular music 21:55 Talk show |
17:45 Computers today 18:10 Foreign arts 18:30 English classroom 19:00 Animal world 19:25 China’99 20:20 Sports 21:00 TV play: Guo Lanying 21:45 English news 22:06 On TV next week |
If you want to watch a football game, the best programme for you would be _____.
| A．TV play | B．Sports |
| C．Around the world | D．Talk show |
The programme of ______ will let you know much about western countries.
| A．Sisters | B．Around China |
| C．Around the world | D．On TV next week |
If you want to know something about tigers, elephants and monkeys, the best programme for you is __________.
| A．Around China | B．Animal world |
| C．TV play | D．Foreign arts |
English classroom is a programme that _________.
| A．lets you know something about classrooms |
| B．tells you something about students |
| C．lets you know something about school life |
| D．teaches you English |
The programme at the end of Channel 2 means _______ on TV next week.
| A．news | B．programmes |
| C．people | D．places |
Plants are very important living things. Life could not go on if there were no plants. This is because plants can make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals and man cannot make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals get their food by eating plants and other animals. Therefore animals and man need plants in order to live. This is why we find that there are so many plants around us.
If you look carefully at the plants around you, you will find that there are two kinds of plants： flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Flowering plants can make seeds. The seeds are protected by the fruits. Some fruits have one seed, some have two, three or four, and some have many seeds. But a few fruitshave no seeds at all. An example of a fruit without seeds is the banana fruit. Most non-flowering plants do not grow from seeds. They grow from spores（胚芽）. Spores are very small. Some spores are so small and light that they can float in the air. We may say that spores are quite the same as seeds. When these spores are all on wet and shady places, they usually grow into new plants. The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______.
| A．plants are important for life |
| B．plants cannot grow without air |
| C．there are many plants in the world |
| D．we can not live without water |
Plants can make food from______.
| A．flower, water and air |
| B．water, sunlight and air |
| C．air, water and soil |
| D．air, sun and light |
What can we infer from the passage？
| A．Of all living things animals are most important |
| B．Spores are seeds |
| C．All fruits of flowering plants have seeds |
| D．Without plants, man will die out |
This passage may be taken from ______.
| A．a medicine book | B．a novel |
| C．a science magazine | D．an experiment report |
The underlined word “protected” in the second paragraph can be replaced by ______.
| A．damaged | B．polluted |
| C．prevented | D．guarded |