Singing had always been an important part of Gloria Estefan’s life. “ Since I was three years old, I sang. I sang everything,” Gloria said. “Gubans,” she added, “are a musical people.”
Gloria was born in Cuba in 1957. Her family left the country just before Fidel Castro came to power. In Miami, where the family settled, many people did not accept Cuban immigrants. In first grade, she spoke little English, but she worked hard to learn the language. Six months after she entered school, she won an award for reading in English!
When Gloria was ten , her father returned from the Vietnam War. Soon, the family realized he wasn’t well. They soon found out that he was badly ill. Her mother went back to teaching at school to support the family. Gloria cared for her father and her younger sister.
She still made the honor roll, and she still had her music, but Gloria was lonely. However, when the band leader Emilio Estefan came to speak at her high school, Gloria sang for him. He asked her to join his band. It was the beginning of the Miami Sound Machine. Within a few months, the Miami Sound Machine was the top band in Miami. In 1978, Gloria and Emilio married.
At first, the Miami Sound Machine was known only in Miami. Then the band signed with CBS Records. Estefan and his band became stars.
Since then, the Miami Sound Machine has sold millions of records. Estefan has done more than just singing when Hurricane Andrew hit central Florida in 1992. She used only two weeks to organize an all-star concert that raised $ 2 million for the people who suffered in the hurricane. “We needed a party after that disaster,” she said.
Estefan said, “You have to stay true to the music you really love to do. There will always be people who will tell you, ‘that won’t work.’ You’ve got to be firm in spite of difficulties. Stick to it——that’s the main thing.”Estefan’s father was ill ______.
| A．after he returned from Vietnam War |
| B．before they left their home country |
| C．when they settled down in Miami |
| D．as soon as she finished high school |
According to the passage, probably Estefan did the following except________.
| A．organizing an all-star concert for Hurricane victims |
| B．teaching at school to support the family |
| C．winning an award for reading in English |
| D．taking care of her father and sister |
The underlined word “disaster” in this passage refers to _______.
| A．the concert | B．the celebration | C．the hurricane | D．the victims |
This passage mainly tells about Estefan’s ______.
| A．Cuban background | B．happy marriage | C．music style | D．life story |
Jack is a twenty-year-old young man. Two years ago, when he finished middle school, he found work in a shop. Usually he works until ten o'clock in the evening. He is very tired when he gets home. After a quick supper he goes to bed and soon falls asleep. His grandma who lives downstairs is satisfied with (满意) him.
One day, on his way home, he met Mary. They were both happy. He asked the girl to his house, she agreed happily. He bought some fruit and drinks for her. And they talked about their school, teachers, classmates and their future (未来). They talked for a long time.
"Have a look at your watch, please," said the girl. "What time is it now?"
"Sorry, something is wrong with my watch," said Jack. "Where's yours?"
"I left it at home."
Jack thought for a moment and found a way. He began to stamp his foot on the floor, "Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sound woke his grandma up. The old woman shouted downstairs, "It's twelve o'clock in the night, Jack. Why are you still jumping upstairs?"Jack was ________ when he finished middle school.
| A．sixteen | B．eighteen | C．twenty | D．fifteen |
The old woman is satisfied with Jack because ________.
| A．he's her grandson | B．he's clever |
| C．he can keep quiet | D．he gets home on time |
From the story, we can know that Mary is Jack's ________.
| A．classmate | B．colleague (同事) | C．aunt | D．wife |
The word "stamp" in the story means ______ in Chinese.
| A．盖印 | B．跺 | C．贴邮票 | D．承认 |
Jack stamped his foot on the floor in order (为了) ________.
| A．to wake his grandma up |
| B．to make his grandma angry |
| C．that his grandma was going to tell him the time |
| D．that his grandma was going to buy him a watch |
After a serious earthquake happened, a father left his wife safely at home and rushed to his son's school, only to find that the building where his son studied had collapsed and looked like a pancake.
He was shocked. He didn't know what he should do for a while, then he remembered the words he had said to his son, "No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you! "And tears began to fill his eyes. He started digging through the ruins (废墟).
As he was digging, other helpless parents and the firemen arrived and tried to pull him off the ruins, saying, "It's too late! They're all dead! There's nothing you can do! " To them he replied with one line, "Are you going to help me now? " And then he kept on digging.
No one helped, however. He went on alone because he needed to know for himself: "Is my boy alive or is he dead? " He dug for eight hours. . . 12 hours. . . 24 hours. . . 36 hours. . . then, in the 39th hour, he pulled back a rock and heard his son's words. He shouted his son's name, "ARMAND! " He heard back, "Dad!?! It's me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told them that if you were alive, you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved. You promised, 'No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you!' You did it, Dad! "
"What's going on in there? How is it? " the father asked.
"There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. We're frightened, hungry, thirsty and thankful you're here. When t he building fell down, it made a triangle (三角) , and it saved us. "
"Come out, boy! "
"No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, because I know you'll get me! No matter what happens, I know you'll always be there for me! "The underlined word "collapsed" probably means " ".
| A．break down | B．shake away | C．stand by | D．fall into |
Who came to help the father when he was digging?
| A．His wife. | B．Other parents. | C．The firemen. | D．No one. |
Other parents and the firemen wanted to pull him off the ruins because they thought .
| A．he was mad |
| B．all the children had died in the earthquake |
| C．he was too dangerous to others |
| D．it was not his job to dig |
How many students were already dead when the father found them in the ruins?
| A．Fourteen. | B．Thirty-three. | C．Forty-seven. | D．Nineteen. |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．it took the father one day to find his son and other students |
| B．his wife died in the earthquake |
| C．his son was the last one to come out of the ruins |
| D．the son didn't believe his father would come to save him |
Idioms are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word you see or hear, you may not understand the idiom because you don't understand the culture behind it.
For example, if an American boy asks his mother what's for dinner tomorrow, she may say "I'll play it by ear", that means she doesn't have plans for dinner and she will decide later. "Play by ear" used to mean playing music using the sheet music, but now people often use it when they're not talking about music.
There're many idioms in English. If you learn to use them, your English will be more vivid and colorful. English idioms are more common in spoken English. They can be difficult to remember sometimes. Next time when you hear somebody saying to you, "Give me a hand", you don't necessarily stretch out your hand to him/her, but you do need to be helpful. And when the situation is out of hand, you usually can do very little to manage all that. What about a green hand? It's not about the color of your hand! You're a green hand when you are very new at your work and don't have much experience. If you and your partner always work together hand in glove, you two definitely work together very well.
Can you guess the meanings of some common English idioms to do with parts of your body?An idiom is _______.
| A．a phrase or a sentence that means exactly what the words say |
| B．a phrase or a sentence that doesn't mean exactly what every word says |
| C．so difficult that nobody can understand |
| D．something to do with parts of your body |
If a mother says "I'll play it by ear" to talk about the dinner, she means _______.
| A．she will cook dinner while listening to music at the same time |
| B．she doesn't hear what others are talking about. |
| C．she will play music using the sheet music instead of cooking dinner |
| D．She doesn't have plans for dinner and will decide later |
When one says "Can you give me a hand?", he means _______.
| A．he needs to hold your hand. |
| B．he works well with you |
| C．he needs your help |
| D．he is a new comer and can't help with the situation |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．People use English idioms more in spoken English than in written English. |
| B．To understand the culture behind an idiom is important in understanding the idiom. |
| C．Idioms make your English more vivid and colorful so they are easy to remember. |
| D．You may not understand an idiom even though you know the meaning of each word. |
Here are 4 common English idioms to do with parts of your body and their meanings. Can you match them?
1) to learn something by heart a. to depend on oneself
2) to have sticky fingers b. to know something very well
3) to stand on one's own feet c. to do something secretly
4) to go behind someone's back d. to have the habit of stealing
| A．badc | B．bdac | C．cbad | D．cdba |
America’s love of cars and being on the open road has led to the creation of the modern travel or camping trailer (露营旅行车). Some trailers are so well equipped that people can comfortably live in them full time.
Almost all campers (露营车) are considered as recreational vehicles (RV’s). RV’s include motor homes, trailers, house trailers and truck campers. The smaller trailers usually have just enough room for two people to sleep and store a few personal travel items. Some of the larger motor homes include a kitchen, a bathroom, an eating area and even a bedroom.
While tent camping is always an adventure, campers are a fun way to take a long trip, or to spend some more comfortable time in a beautiful setting, like a lakeside campground. So many camper trailers have been designed for people to live in the trailer long term. Some people choose to park their trailers in trailer parks and live in their trailers full time. In America many retired adults choose to spend their time traveling across the country on the open road and bring their trailers with them. Full time use of trailers for these travelers is considered to be a recreational (休闲的) activity.
Camper trailers can also be rented and used for a shorter period of time, such as a camping trip or a road trip. A camper trailer can be a comfortable alternativeto sleeping in a tent if you are camping. If you like traveling at your own pace, a camper trailer is a good choice.What can we know about camper trailers?
| A．They are suitable for both long and short trips. |
| B．They have to be parked in a trailer park. |
| C．They are widely used by young people. |
| D．They are becoming more and more popular all over the world. |
What does the underlined word “alternative” mean?
| A．Impression. | B．Decision. | C．Solution. | D．Replacement. |
What’s the writer’s purpose of writing the text?
| A．To introduce the camper trailer. |
| B．To explain how to use a camper trailer. |
| C．To encourage people to use camper trailers. |
| D．To show the popularity of camper trailers. |
We can learn from the text that smaller trailers ______.
| A．usually use less petrol |
| B．are easier to drive |
| C．usually have room for no more than two people |
| D．run faster than bigger ones |
The Weekly Radio Concert
Date / Time: Sept. 5th, 2010 10:30 (Sun.)
Venue(地点）: Shanghai Concert Hall
Ticket Price (RMB): 50, 40, 30 yuan
Ticket State: On Sale Now
Booking Office: No. 272 Fengxian Road
Booking Hotline: 62172426, 62173055
Conductor: Chen Shouchang
Programme
1. Jasmine (Jiangsu folk song) Arranged by Chen Dan
2. Under the Silver Light (Xinjiang folk song) Arranged by Yang Hua
3. Wish good luck (Tibetan folk song) Arranged by Shu Yong Gang
4. Arirang Theme and Variations (North Korean folk song) Arranged by John Barnes Jones
5. No.5 Wind Suite (Various countries Dance) Arranged by Alfred Reed
Ⅰ. Square dance (USA)
Ⅱ. Sarabande (France)
Ⅲ. Yamabushi Kagura (Japan)
Ⅳ. Hora (Israel / Romania)
6. Red River Valley (American / Canadian folk song) Arranged by J. D. Proyhal
JAZZ STARS — Cantaloup Island
Date / Time: Sept. 8th, 2010 19:30 (Wed.)
Venue: Shanghai Concert Hall
Ticket Price (RMB): 80, 50 yuan
Ticket State: On Sale Now
Booking Office: No. 272 Fengxian Road
Booking Hotline: 62172426, 62173055
Performance: Shanghai Jazz OrchestraYou can get the tickets for the two concerts ______.
| A．in about one week | B．at reduced prices |
| C．through the Internet | D．by calling |
Which of the following will be arranged by John Barnes Jones?
| A．A Jiangsu folk song. | B．A Xinjiang folk song. |
| C．A foreign folk song. | D．A Tibetan folk song. |
Sophie decides to buy two tickets for the second concert at a lower price. How much will she pay?
| A．60 yuan. | B．80 yuan. | C．100 yuan. | D．160 yuan. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The two concerts will start in the evening. |
| B．The two concerts will be held in different places. |
| C．Bob, a pop music lover, may go to the first concert. |
| D．Sam, a jazz music lover, may go to the second concert. |