When students and parents are asked to rate subjects according to their importance, the arts are unavoidably at the bottom of the list. Music is nice, people seem to say, but not important. Too often it is viewed as mere entertainment, but certainly not an education priority （优先）.This view is shortsighted. In fact, music education is beneficial and important for all students.
Music tells us who we are. Because music is an expression of the beings who create it, it reflects their thinking and values, as well as the social environment it came from. Rock music represents a lifestyle just as surely as a Schubert song. The jazz influence that George Gershwin and other musicians introduced into their music is obviously American because it came from American musical traditions. Music expresses our character and values. It gives us identity as a society.
Music provides a kind of perception（感知）that cannot be acquired any other way. Science can explain how the sun rises and sets. The arts explore the emotional meaning of the same phenomenon. We need every possible way to discover and respond to our world for one simple but powerful reason: No one way can get it all.
The arts are forms of thought as powerful in what they communicate as mathematical and scientific symbols. They are ways we human beings "talk" to each other. They are the language of civilization through which we express our fears, our curiosities, our hungers, our discoveries, and our hopes. The arts are ways we give form to our ideas and imagination so that they can be shared with others. When we do not give children access to an important way of expressing themselves such as music, we take away from them the meanings that music expresses.
Science and technology do not tell us what it means to be human. The arts do. Music is an important way we express human suffering, celebration, the meaning and value of peace and love.
So music education is far more necessary than people seem to realize. According to Paragraph 1，students_________.
| A．regard music as a way of entertainment |
| B．disagree with their parents on education |
| C．view music as an overlooked subject |
| D．prefer the arts to science |
In Paragraph 2, the author uses jazz as an example to ___________.
| A．compare it with rock music |
| B．show music reflects a society |
| C．introduce American musical traditions |
| D．prove music influences people's lifestyles |
According to the passage, the arts and science________.
| A．approach the world from different angles |
| B．explore different phenomena of the world |
| C．express people's feelings in different ways |
| D．explain what it means to be human differently |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Music education deserves more attention. |
| B．Music should be of top education priority. |
| C．Music is an effective communication tool. |
| D．Music education makes students more imaginative. ' |
Tensions have erupted over some barren rocks in the Pacific that you may never have heard of, but stay tuned—this is a boundary dispute that could get ugly and some day have far-reaching consequences for China, Japan, Taiwan and the United States．
The islands in dispute are called the Senkaku chain by Japan, the Diaoyu islands by China, and the Diaoyutai by Taiwan．All three claim the islands, which are really just five small islands and three barren rocks northeast of Taiwan, 200 miles off the Chinese coast．
The latest conflict occurred when a Chinese fishing boat collided with two Japanese naval ships trying to stop it near the islands．The Japanese prevented the Chinese captain from leaving the place for questioning and the two countries have been exchanging angry protests．
The reason to worry is that nationalists in both China and Taiwan see the slands as unquestionably theirs and think that their government has been weak in claiming this authority．
So far, wiser heads have generally won the argument on each side, but at some point a weakened Chinese leader might try to gain the legal right with the public by pushing the issue and recovering the islands．It would be a dangerous game and would have a disastrous impact on China-Japan relations, but if successful it would raise the popularity of the Chinese government．
In reality, of course, there is zero chance that the U．S．will honor its treaty（条约） with Japan over a few barren rocks．We're not going to risk a nuclear conflict with China over some islands that may well be China's．But if we don't help, our security relationship with Japan will be at the breaking point．
So which country has a better claim to the islands? My feeling is that it's China, although the answer isn't clear-cut．Chinese navigational records show the islands as Chinese for many centuries, and a 1783 Japanese map shows them as Chinese as well．Japan purported to "discover" the islands only in 1884 and took control of them by force only in 1895 when it also grabbed Taiwan．
The best approach would be for China and Japan to agree to refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice, but realistically that won't happen．And since some believe that the area is rich with oil and gas reserves, the claims from each side have become more insistent．
As Chinese nationalism grows, as China's navy and ability to project power in the ocean gains, we could see some military conflicts over the islands．
Taken from NewYork TimesThe underlined word "purported" （in Para．5） is closest in meaning to "_____"．
| A．happened | B．claimed | C．pretended | D．intended |
The latest conflict referred to in the passage occurred because _____．
| A．the Japanese government has bought the Diaoyu Islands from the Liyuans |
| B．two Japanese naval ships sailed in the Chinese sea around the Diaoyu Islands |
| C．the Japanese kept the captain of a fishing boat from returning for questioning |
| D．A fishing boat collided with two Japanese naval ships by design in the Japanese sea |
Which of the following is the author's personal idea?
| A．It is the two Japanese naval ships that are to blame for the conflict． |
| B．It is the Chinese captain of a fishing boat that is to blame for the conflict． |
| C．It is the U．S．that will honor its treaty with Japan over a few barren rocks． |
| D．It is China that has a better claim to the islands because of its navigational records． |
Why does the author think neither China nor Japan will agree to refer the dispute to the international Court of justice?
| A．because the claim from both sides has become more insistent． |
| B．because Japan has navy and ability to power the Diaoyu Islands． |
| C．because China is developing so quickly that it will declare a war on Japan． |
| D．because the U．S．won't be involved in the dispute between China and Japan． |
People think what I do is so wonderful because I interview stars. And I have to admit that when I first started working at Sassy in 1987 I was excited about that part of my job for the first couple of months, anyway. Then I noticed how stars would fool me around for months. I could never get enough time with a star to find out anything interesting, and some acted just simply rudely. I started hating the way I was treated, and I was really disappointed to see that these people I had worshipped (崇拜）before were pretty ordinary. So I decided I would just tell the truth instead of keeping up their myths (神秘）.If the star was a bad guy, I would say so. If I thought anyone was stupid, I did not hold back that information.
I thought readers would appreciate that kind of honesty. Surprisingly, many of them hated me for it. I have gotten so many attacks on my character. In their eyes, being famous is everything, even more desirable than being truly creative and talented
Why do we need stars? In fact, the media created stars to satisfy our basic need for gossip (闲话）.Over time, talking about people we have never met and we are never likely to meet has become what we are crazy about. Thus, some people are more interested in the personal lives of the stars than in the lives of their own family and their own friends. That is why it is so ridiculous when a star wants to discuss only his or her work in an interview as we care. We want the dirt on their personal lives.
There is another reason we worship stars. As a whole, our society is not as religious as it once was. It seems that people need something to fulfill them the way religion once did. Star worship exists as an unfulfilling desire for true heroes.
We make them stars, but then their reputation makes us feel unimportant, and we truly feel better about ourselves when they die. I am part of this whole process. No wonder I feel soiled at the end of workday.What are the stars like according to the author?
| A．They always treat others rudely. |
| B．They always talk about something dull. |
| C．They are actually ordinary people. |
| D．They are usually honest and polite. |
We worship stars because ______.
| A．we need true mental heroes to support us |
| B．we can learn something useful from famous stars |
| C．we concern about the stars’family and friends |
| D．we like talking about the stars’dressing styles |
When the author is writing this article, his tone sounds ______.
| A．excited | B．angry | C．worried | D．calm |
What is the main purpose of the author writing the passage?
| A．To show the disadvantages of working with stars. |
| B．To remind us not to worship famous stars blindly. |
| C．To laugh at the failures of stars he has interviewed. |
| D．To talk about the reasons why we worship stars. |
For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail. It was only when I turned to meditation(沉思)for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!
The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain(限制) our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.
Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre.
If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play. The author felt depressed because she __________.
| A．couldn't consume her waking hour |
| B．had not seen a film for a long time. |
| C．had not finished her work on time |
| D．had worked on a hard job for too long |
The author walked in a nature reserve in the rain in order to__________.
| A．take photos |
| B．find a solution to the project |
| C．hop along the path |
| D．cheer herself up |
The underlined part "to no avail" in Paragraph 1 probably means " __________.".
| A．unsuccessful | B．unrelated |
| C．uninteresting | D．unexpected |
In the author's opinion, __________.
| A．a bath can make people relaxed |
| B．depression is usually caused by hard work |
| C．walking in a busy city centre harms people's health |
| D．adults should express their inner feelings freely |
The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n) __________.
| A．explanation | B．suggestion |
| C．introduction | D．reminder |
Wherever she goes, Molly leaves her mark. Without saying a word, she speaks to people with her kind eyes. Even when she walks away, she leaves an impression．Molly's mark is a smile, stamped into the ground by the horseshoe at the bottom of her false leg．
A few years ago, Molly was badly attacked by a dog．The dog bit all four or Molly’s legs and left large cuts in her face. Molly's owner, Kate Harris, took her to an animal hospital．Doctors there were able to save Molly’s life, but soon one of her legs became very infected(感染).
At first, doctors thought Molly would have to be put to sleep．But Molly changed their minds. This pony, doctors noticed, shifted her weight, and rested her good leg from time to time. Doctors knew t hat Molly had amazing intelligence, and that she wanted to live.
Several doctors operated on Molly, and removed her infected leg. A false leg was made for her. The leg was a hollow cast with a pole at the bottom for balance. Doctors gave Molly a special horseshoe at the bottom of the leg. This horseshoe she had had a stamp of a smile face in it!
After the operation, Molly walked around on all four legs, as if nothing had ever happened to her! Now, with every step she takes, she stamps a smile in the dirt．But she leaves her m ark in other ways, too.
Kaye Harris took Molly to the false leg center. There were children there who, like Molly, had artificial arms or legs. They were amazed to see a pony with a false leg. Molly made them smile and gave them hope. Soon, Molly began to visit schools, nursing homes, army bases and hospitals. A book was even written about Molly!Molly is the name of a__________.
| A．dog | B．horse | C．parent | D．child |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．Molly can speak to people in kind words. |
| B．Kay Harris took Molly to a children’s hospital after the attack. |
| C．In the beginning, doctors had planned to end Molly’s life. |
| D．Molly sometimes leaves smiling marks on people’s faces. |
What is unique about Molly?
| A．Molly has a false leg with a horseshoe shaped like a smiling face. |
| B．Molly ran a race and won the first prize. |
| C．Molly often visits places such as schools and parks. |
| D．Molly has become a symbol of hope for people of all ages. |
The Spanish poet Juan Ram said, “If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” Turning the paper sideways is like looking at situations from different angles.
Henry L. Mencken said it first: “For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat and wrong.” And how often I am determined to keep pounding on that simple and neat solution until I make it work, or else I finally give up altogether. But success will surprisingly come when I decide to look at the thing from a wholly different perspective (视角).
Several all night convenience stores in New York City had a problem with teenagers hanging out in their parking lots late into the night. Not that they didn’t like kids; but customers complained (抱怨) that they were afraid to approach them in the dark and push through them to enter the store. Neighbors complained that they couldn’t sleep with the noise.
Managers tried various methods to solve the problem. They asked the kids to move away from the doors so customers didn’t have to push through them. They asked them to throw their cigarette butts and trash (垃圾) in outdoor dustbins and not litter the parking lot. Each solution was simple, neat and completely ineffective. It seemed that any of them should have worked. But none of them did.
Finally, one man came up with an unusual idea. Finding that asking the teens to change their behavior didn’t work, he tried something different. He just piped easy-listening music into the parking lot especially suited for mature listeners.
No more loitering (闲逛).What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?
| A．To give advice. | B．To make us laugh. |
| C．To analyze a problem. | D．To tell us an interesting story. |
The managers failed to solve the problem because _____.
| A．the kids didn’t like them |
| B．their solutions were too complex |
| C．they were not polite enough to the kids |
| D．they asked the kids to change their behavior |
Why did the kids leave the parking lots?
| A．They didn’t like the music. |
| B．They got bored of playing there. |
| C．They came to know it was unsafe. |
| D．They were moved by the manager. |
By telling the story, the author intends to tell us _____.
| A．kids today are tough to deal with |
| B．a simple solution is usually better |
| C．it’s better to calm down teenagers |
| D．we should look at a problem in different perspectives |