The Luck of the Irish
Look at a map of Britain, and the island on the left is Ireland. It’s a small but beautiful country with a long tradition of folk music. Up until 10 years ago just about the only thing that Ireland was famous for was its specialty black beer.
Now Ireland is famous around the world for its music with names like "Kenya","U2" ,"Van Morrison"and more recently "the Corers". "Boyzone",one of the world's top boy bands ,is from Ireland too.What's more,Boyzone member shane has twin sisters,Adele and Heavy,who are members of "B Witched"
The "Boyzone"story is interesting because they were created in 1993 by Dublin nightclub owner John Reynolds.They advertised in newspapers to find members for the group and 300wannabe pop stars applied!
Ronan,who was just 17 when he dropped out of school to make his bid for stardom,and shane,who had been working as trained mechanic in his father's garage when he left to join Boyzone,were both lucky enough to be chosen. The other members are shoe-shop attendant stephen lately,former mechanic Mike Graham and one-time clothes store assistant Keith Dully.
Many people expect bands that have been created by the music industry to produce boring music which doesn't become popular. Even the boys themselves knew they the would not easily achieve international pop music success.
Boyzone quickly proved that they were more than just pretty faces and have sold millions of records around the world.At the moment ,they are not big stars in America,but they say that will change,when they begin a tour of the United States.
Ronan will shortly also start recording as a solo artist. That does not mean the band will spilt yet,but we can expect Boyzone to split sometime in the next 18 months or so.Ronan has also recently become involved as one of the managers of new Irish boy band "West Life" whose song "Swear It Again"has recently been Number 1 in the British charts. Ireland is famous for now.
| A．its black beer | B．its long tradition |
| C．popular music | D．its scenery |
The words “wannabe pop stars” in the third paragraph mean .
| A．the pops who want to join the band |
| B．the persons who want to become pop stars |
| C．the pop stars who want to become more popular |
| D．the persons who want to be as famous as they are |
Boy zone was formed by members in 1993.
| A．3 | B．4 | C．5 | D．6 |
Acording to the passage, we know that .
| A．Boy zone will split some day |
| B．Boy zone was successful because it was created by music industry |
| C．The boys in Boy zone were certain that they would be famous one day |
| D．Boy zone are going to perform in the States for Americans love them very much |
The technology is great. Without it we wouldn’t have been able to put a man on the moon, explore the ocean’s depths or eat microwave sausages. Computers have revolutionized our lives and they have the power to educate and pass on knowledge. But sometimes this power can create more problems than it solves.
Every doctor has had to try their best to calm down patients who’ve come into their surgery waving an Internet print-out, convinced that they have some rare incurable disease, say, throat cancer. The truth is usually far more ordinary, though: they don’t have throat cancer, and it’s just that their throats are swollen. Being a graduate of the Internet “school” of medicine does not guarantee accurate self-health-checks.
One day Mrs. Almond came to my hospital after feeling faint at work. While I took her blood sample and tried to find out what was wrong, she said calmly, “I know what’s wrong; I’ve got throat cancer. I know there’s nothing you doctors can do about it and I’ve just got to wait until the day comes.”
As a matter of routine I ordered a chest X-ray. I looked at it and the blood results an hour later. Something wasn’t right. “Did your local doctor do an X-ray?” I asked. “Oh, I haven’t been to the doctor for years,” she replied. “I read about it on a website and the symptoms fitted, so I knew that’s what I had.”
However, some of her symptoms, like the severe cough and weight loss, didn’t fit with it—but she’d just ignored this.
I looked at the X-ray again, and more tests confirmed it wasn’t the cancer but tuberculosis (肺结核)—something that most certainly did need treating, and could be deadly. She was lucky we caught it when we did.
Mrs. Almond went pale when I explained she would have to be on treatment for the next six months to ensure that she was fully recovered. It was certainly a lesson for her. “I’m so embarrassed,” she said, shaking her head, as I explained that all the people she had come into close contact with would have to be found out and tested. She listed up to about 20, and then I went to my office to type up my notes. Unexpectedly, the computer was not working, so I had to wait until someone from the IT department came to fix it. Typical. Maybe I should have a microwave sausage while I waited?Mrs. Almond talked about her illness calmly because ______.
| A．she had purchased medicine online |
| B．she thought she knew it well |
| C．she graduated from a medical school |
| D．she had been treated by local doctors |
It was lucky for Mrs. Almond ______.
| A．to have contacted many friends |
| B．to have recovered in a short time |
| C．to have her disease identified in time |
| D．to have her assumption confirmed |
Mrs. Almond said “I’m so embarrassed” (Para. 7) because ______.
| A．she had distrusted her close friends |
| B．she had to tell the truth to the doctor |
| C．she had to refuse the doctor’s advice |
| D．she had caused unnecessary trouble |
By mentioning the breakdown of the computer, the author probably wants to prove ______.
| A．it’s a must to take a break at work |
| B．it’s vital to believe in IT experts |
| C．it’s a danger to work long hours on computers |
| D．it’s unwise to simply rely on technology |
People fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor in 1944, when she starred in National Velvet—the story of Velvet Brown, a young girl who wins the first place in a famous horse race. At first, the producers of the movie told Taylor that she was too small to play the part of Velvet. However, they waited for her for a few months as she exercised and trained—and added three inches to her height in four months! Her acting in National Velvet is still considered the best by a child actress.
Elizabeth Taylor was born in London, four years after her parents, both Americans, had moved there for business reasons in 1928. When World War II started, the Taylor moved to Beverly Hills, California, and there Elizabeth started acting in movies. After her success as a child star, Taylor had no trouble moving into adult roles and won twice for Best Actress: Butterfield (1960) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? (1966)
Taylor’s fame（名声）and popularity gave her a lot of power with the movie industry, so she was able to demand very high pay for her movies. In 1963, she received $1 million for her part in Cleopatra—the highest pay received by any star up to that time.
Elizabeth Taylor is a legend (传奇人物) of our time. Like Velvet Brown in National Velvet, she has been lucky, she has beauty, fame and wealth. But she is also a hard worker. Taylor seldom acts in movies any more. Instead, she puts her time and efforts into her businesses, and into helping others—several years ago, she founded an organization that has raised more than $40 million for research and education.The producers didn’t let Taylor play the part of Velvet at first because they thought she ____.
| A．was too young |
| B．was small in size |
| C．did not play well enough |
| D．did not show much interest |
What Elizabeth Taylor and Velvet Brown had in common was that they were both _____.
| A．popular all their lives |
| B．famous actresses |
| C．rich and kind-hearted |
| D．successful when very young |
Taylor became Best Actress at the age of .
| A．12 | B．28 | C．32 | D．34 |
In her later life, Elizabeth Taylor devoted herself to .
| A．turning herself into a legend |
| B．collecting money for the poor |
| C．doing business and helping others |
| D．do research and education work |
Children find meanings in their old family tales.
When Stephen Guyer’s three children were growing up, he told them stories about how his grandfather, a banker, all in the 1930s, but did not lose sight of what he valued most. In one of the darkest times his strong-minded grandfather was nearly , he loaded his family into the car and them to see family members in Canada with a ,“there are more important things in life than money. ”
The took on a new meaning recently when Mr. Guyer downsized to a house from a more expensive and comfortable one. He was that his children, a daughter, 15, and twins, 22, would be upset. To his surprise, they weren’t. , their reaction echoed （与---共鸣） their great-grandfather’s. What they was how warm the people were in the house and how of their heart was accessible.
Many parents are finding family stories have surprising power to help children hard times. Storytelling experts say the phenomenon reflects a growing in telling tales, evidenced by a rise in a storytelling events and festivals.
A university of 65 families with children aged from 14 to 16 found kids’ ability to parents’ stories was linked to a lower rate of anger and anxiety.
The is telling the stories in a way children can . We’re not talking here about the kind of story that , “ When I was a kid, I walked to school every day uphill both ways, barefoot in the snow. ” Instead, we should choose a story suited to the child’s , and make eye contact to create “a personal experience”, We don’t have to tell children they should take from the story and what the moral is. ”
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As your charming child changes into a rebellious teenager, take a deep breath and have a good look at the situation before you throw up your arms in anger or distress. Your teen takes a vital step towards adulthood by way of fighting against your rules, regulations and attitudes. Moving beyond their previous dependence on parents, teachers and other adults, teens learn to make decisions, understand the consequences of their behavior and get ready to take on adult responsibilities.
The growing need for independence sits at the heart of teenage rebellion. Many teens prefer to use peers as role models and often begin to question the reasoning behind home and school boundaries as they step closer to adulthood. The physical changes involved in adolescence coincide with(与…相一致) emotional, intellectual and moral growth, points out Kids Health---all of these can affect teenagers strongly and leave them feeling at a loss and stressed. They test different types of behavior, and it’s through this testing and boundary pushing that they learn what works and what does not from their own successes and mistakes.
Changes to a teenager’s hair and clothing emphasize her growing independent tastes and highlight her inclusion in a group of friends. Her opinions may begin to differ from yours as she develops her own values, leading to potential conflicts on subjects ranging from television programs to world affairs. A teen may break family rules regarding chores, loud music and schoolwork and find herself facing unwelcome punishment as a result. These acts of rebellion normally occur from time to time rather than continuously. They give teenagers the chance to see the results of their decisions for themselves and learn when rebellion may be a mistake.
Unhealthy patterns of rebellion can include acts of rebellion that increase in frequency. Violent bursts of anger, physically and emotional destructive behavior and offensive language may indicate that your teen feels bitter hatred towards adults and authority and needs help in navigating those feelings. Watch for falling grades, frequent truancy(逃学) from school or sudden changes to friendship, as these could indicate a variety of problems, including drug, alcohol or tobacco abuse.A rebellious teenager has the following characteristics EXCEPT _________.
| A．dependence on parents |
| B．disobeying rules and regulations |
| C．making his own decisions |
| D．preparing to undertake adult duties |
According to Paragraph 2, we can learn that during adolescence teenagers ____.
| A．want to learn from the older generation |
| B．remain unchanged |
| C．are under pressure and feel confused |
| D．need to be told what to do |
The underlined phrase “inclusion in” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to __.
| A．fitting in | B．separating from |
| C．competing in | D．fighting for |
In the last paragraph, parents are advised ______.
| A．to leave them alone when their teens behave badly |
| B．to neglect their teens’ possible unfavorable experiences |
| C．to blame their teens for no reason |
| D．to provide their rebellious teens with proper guidance |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Teenage Problems | B．Rebellion against Parents |
| C．Generation Gap | D．Teenage Rebellion |
Everything in China is negotiable, so goes the saying, reminding foreign travelers to be on guard and avoid being overcharged. Foreign tourists are often advised to learn some bargaining skills so that they can avoid paying high prices. Generally speaking, bargaining is an art and an important part of people’s life in China.
But the younger generation is gradually losing interest and the ability to negotiate a better deal. With fatter wallets, young people who never experienced war or shortages seldom bother to spend 10 minutes at a roadside shop cutting the price of a cell phone cover by 1 yuan. Saving for a rainy day and making good use of every penny---values held dear by older generations---no longer seem necessary. Naturally, bargaining is out, in an increasingly rich society. In this sense, bargaining is a product of poverty.
But in many countries, where residents’ incomes are much lower than those in China, bargaining is not popular at all. I can still remember my failed bargaining attempts in Africa and Indonesia, where vendor(小贩) looked at me in surprise when I sought something at half the price. They shook their heads and stopped the negotiation. Latter I was told by friends who had been staying there for years that bargaining was not part of local commercial culture.
During the years when the planned economy changed into the market economy, it was difficult for ordinary buyers to get a full picture of the product prices at a time when travel was inconvenient, and information spread slowly, adding to the information asymmetry(不对称). Afraid of being overcharged by vendors, buyers turned to the old wisdom of bargaining whenever and wherever they could.
Nowadays, the popularity of e-commerce has improved pricing transparence(透明) to the extreme. With the click of a mouse, all kinds of information on a product can be found, with users’ comments helping new consumers make decisions. With such transparency, overpricing becomes less frequent and bargaining is not a necessity for shoppers. In this sense, reduced bargaining activity can be seen as a sign of China’s progress toward a more mature economy.Bargaining is a skill to _______.
| A．buy high-quality products | B．communicate with foreigners |
| C．avoid paying too much | D．increase sales |
In China, the younger generation is losing interest in bargaining as a result of _______.
| A．rising incomes |
| B．an increasing number of products |
| C．the value of saving for a raining day |
| D．their fear of losing face |
What can we infer from the author’s experiences in Africa and Indonesia?
| A．Bargaining is always popular in poor countries. |
| B．Vendors there are impolite to foreign travelers. |
| C．It’s not avoidable to go abroad without bargaining skills. |
| D．Bargaining is not necessarily related to incomes. |
In terms of price and product information, buyers in China used to ____.
| A．be kept in the dark | B．know better than seller |
| C．show no concern | D．be well-informed |
What’s the main theme of this passage?
| A．Give buyers some tips about how to bargain. |
| B．Bargaining is disappearing with the development of society. |
| C．Make good use of every penny. |
| D．The younger generation is good at bargaining. |