No one doubts that students should study languages, maths and science in high school, but some may object to the idea that they should study art and music as well. To them, these subjects are useless for students’ future and are not worth the time and effort. In my opinion, however, it is necessary for middle school students to study art and music.
Art and music are a precious culture legacy(遗产), which bring us pleasure and enjoyment. Have you ever been deeply moved by Beethoven’s famous Fifth Symphony(第五交响曲)? Have you ever been fascinated by the colorful starry night produced by Vincent Van Gogh in his paint? Have you ever longed for the moving love between the Butterfly Lovers when you hear this well-known Chinese melody(曲调)? Art and music are not only images and sounds, but something beyond them. They are the products of passion and human wisdom(智慧).
Art and music help make students more creative. Artists and musicians are considered the most creative people in the world. It is because art and music sharpen their senses and provide a different perspective (视角) for them to see the world. Many great scientists benefited from art and music. Einstein, the greatest physicist in the 20th century, as well as an excellent violin player, is a good example.
Enjoying art and music is also a good way to relax. Middle school students, who typically carry heavy burdens of study, will definitely(明确地)benefit from it.
To sum up, art and music should absolutely be included in the middle school courses, for they can bring students pleasure and relaxation.According to the author, people who think art and music are useless for middle school students __________.
A.don’t understand the value of art and music |
B.don’t know the history of art and music at all |
C.never benefit from artists and musicians |
D.know little about the trend of future education |
In paragraph 2, the author tries to argue that __________.
A.Beethoven is one of the greatest musicians |
B.art and music help express people’s emotions |
C.art and music are precious pictures and sounds |
D.art and music bring people joy and quality life |
The example of Einstein is used to __________.
A.show the importance of creativity |
B.prove that scientists are creative |
C.encourage students to study art and music |
D.provide students with a new way to see the world |
Which of the following is an effective way for middle school students to study?
A. Relaxing themselves regularly while studying. |
B. Attending concerts during holidays or after school. |
C. Avoiding too much homework by studying art and music. |
D. Listening to music while studying language, maths or other subjects. |
Which of the following is used to support the writer’s opinion?
A.Art and music help people become scientists. |
B.Art and music provide people with more opportunities. |
C.Art and music are beneficial to students in other subjects. |
D.Art and music are helpful to make students creative learners. |
Both my parents came from towns in Mexico. Then I was born in E1 Paso,Texas and when I was four, my family moved to a housing project in East Los Angeles.
Even though we struggled to make ends meet, my parents stressed to me and my four brothers and sisters how fortunate we were to live in a great country with limitless opportunities. They influenced us with the concepts of family, faith and nationalism.
I got my first real job when I was ten. My dad injured his back working in a cardboardbox factory and was retrained as a hairstylist. He rented space in a little shopping mall and gave his shop the fancy name of Mr.Ben’s Coiffure.
The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a discount on his rent for cleaning the parking lot three nights a week,which meant getting up at 3 a.m..To pick up rubbish, Dad used a little machine that looked like a lawn mower. Mom and I emptied garbage cans and picked up litter by hand. It took two to three hours to clean the lot. I’d sleep in the car on the way home.
I did this for two years,but the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime. I acquired discipline and a strong work ethic(道德), and learned at an early age the importance of balancing life’s competing interests-in my case,school,homework and a job. This really helped during my senior year of a high school, when I worked 40 hours a week flipping burgers at a fastfood joint while taking a full load of college preparation courses.
The hard work paid off. I attended the U.S.Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degrees in law and business from Harvard. Later, I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California State Assembly(州议会).In these jobs and in everything else I’ve done, I have never forgotten those nights in the parking lot. The experience taught me that there is dignity in all work and that if people are working to provide for themselves and their families that is something we should honor.
59. Before my father got injured,we________.
A. didn’t like living in the USA B. lived a poor but happy life
C. were lucky to move to the USA D. had many ways to make money
60. When he recovered,to make a living my father________.
A. ran a small shopping mall B. did a parttime job
C. worked as a barber D. became a street cleaner
61. Working in the parking lot for two years had taught me________.
A. how to obey school discipline B. how to do two things well at a time
C. that discipline and work were of equal value
D. that I must do as many things as possible at a time
62. The author tells us in the last paragraph that we should be proud of those who________.
A. have done all kinds of jobs B. are cleaning the parking lot
C. have achieved a lot in their lives D. are bearing their responsibilities
Not long ago, people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. Yet doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life.
Scientists note that babies are strongly influenced by their environment. They say a baby will smile if her mother does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregivers. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other human beings.
One study shows that babies can learn before they are born. The researchers placed a tape recorder on the stomach of a pregnant woman. Then, they played a recording of a short story. On the day the baby was born,the researchers attempted to find if he knew the sounds of the story repeated while in his mother. They did this by placing a device in the mouth of the newborn baby.
The baby would hear the story if he moved his mouth one way. If the baby moved his mouth the other way, he would hear a different story. The researchers say the baby clearly liked the story he heard before he was born. They say the baby would move his mouth so he could hear the story again and again.
Another study shows how mothers can strongly influence social development and language skills in their children.
Researchers studied the children from the age of one month to three years. The researchers attempted to measure the sensitivity of the mothers. The women were considered sensitive if they supported their children’s activities and did not interfere unnecessarily. They tested the children for thinking and language development when they were three years old. Also, the researchers observed the women for signs of depression.
The children of depressed women did not do as well in tests as the children of women who did not suffer from depression. The children of depressed women did poorly in tests of language skills and understanding what they hear.
These children also were less cooperative and had more problems dealing with other people. The researchers noted that the sensitivity of the mothers was important to the intelligence development of their children. Children did better when their mothers were caring, even when they suffered from depression.
55.According to the passage,which of the following is NOT the factor that influences the intelligence development in babies?
A. The environment. B. Mother’s sensitivity.
C. Their peers (同龄人). D. Education before birth.
56. What is the purpose of the experiment in which newborn babies heard the stories?
A. To prove that babies can learn before they are born.
B. To prove that babies can learn on the first day they are born.
C. To show mothers can strongly influence the intelligence development in their babies
D. To indicate early education has a deep effect on the babies’ language skills.
57. Which group of children did the worst in tests of language skills?
A. The children of depressed mothers who cared little for their children.
B. The children of women who did not suffer from depression.
C. The children of depressed but caring mothers.
D. Children with high communication abilities.
58. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Scientific findings about how babies develop before birth.
B. Scientific findings about how the environment has an effect on babies’ intelligence.
C. A study shows babies are not able to learn things until they are born or six months old.
D. Scientific findings about how intelligence develops in babies.
第三部分:阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
A handsome middleaged man walked quietly into the cafe and sat down. Before he ordered,he couldn’t help but notice a group of younger men at the table next to him. It was obvious they were making fun of something about him and it wasn’t until he remembered he was wearing a small pink ribbon(丝带) on the lapel of his suit that he became aware of what the joke was all about.
The man pretended not to notice it,but the whisper and laughter began to get to him. He looked one of the rude young men straight into the eye,placed his hand beneath the ribbon and asked,“This?”
With that the young men all began to laugh out loud. The man he spoke to said,“Hey,sorry,man, but we were just commenting on how pretty your little pink ribbon looks against your blue jacket!”
The middleaged man calmly invited the joker to come over to his table, and politely seated him. As uncomfortable as he was, the young guy had to, not really sure why. In a soft voice,the middleaged man said, “I wear this ribbon to bring awareness about breast cancer. I wear it in my mother’s honor.”
“Oh, sorry. She died of breast cancer?”
“No, she didn’t. She’s alive and well. But her breasts nourished me as a baby,and were a soft resting place for my head when I was scared or lonely as a little boy. I’m very grateful for my mother’s breasts, and her health.”
“Umm,” the young replied “yeah.”
“And I wear this ribbon to honor my wife” the man continued.
“And she’s okay, too?”the young guy asked.
“Oh, yes. She’s fine. Her breasts have been a great source of loving pleasure for both of us,and with them she nurtured and nourished our daughter 23 years ago. I’m grateful for my wife’s breasts,and her health.”
“Uh, huh. And I guess you wear it to honor your daughter, also?”
“No. It’s too late to honor my daughter by wearing it now...”
Shaken and ashamed,the young guy said, “Oh, I’m so sorry,mister.”
“So, in my daughter’s memory, too, I proudly wear this little ribbon, which allows me the opportunity to enlighten others. And here...”With this,he reached in his pocket and handed the young man a little pink ribbon. The young guy looked at it, slowly raised his head and asked, “...?”
51.The young men joked about the middleaged man’s________.
A.looks B.ribbon C.attitude D.clothes
52.What may have happened to the man’s daughter?
A.She died of breast cancer. B.She was ill with cancer.
C.She had gone abroad. D.She got married.
53.What will the young man probably ask at the end of the story?
A.May I give it to my mother? B.Can you help me put it on?
C.Will you please forgive me? D.Shall we have some drink together?
54.What is the best title for the passage?
A.An Unusual Meeting B. An Impressive Lesson
C.Be Grateful to Your Beloved D. A little Pink Ribbon
三、阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
第一节阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
A gentle breeze blew through Jennifer's hair. The golden red sun was setting. She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery (火红的) ball. She was amazed by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.
The atmosphere relaxed her. After all she had been through, this was what she needed. "It's getting late," she thought, "I must go home. My parents will be wondering where I am."
She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself where she spent every summer holiday. The road was deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters she would have been safe in her house.
It was really getting dark now. The sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold too. She wished she had her favorite sweater on: it kept her really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thought disappeared when she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now... It all seemed deserted. She couldn't understand what was going on.
She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a note written by her father. It said: "Dear Ellen, there is some coffee ready. I went looking." Ellen was her mother but-where was she? On the right side of the hallway was her parents' room. She went in. Then she saw her. Her mother, lying on the bed, was sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn't slept for days. She was really pale. Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired. So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up, something was different-she wasn't in her mother's room and she wasn't wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her cozy bed in her pajamas.
It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice, "Are you feeling better now, dear? You know you got us very, very scared."
41. Three days later Jennifer came back home .
A. at sunrise B. at sunset C. at night D. at midday
42. What does the underlined phrase "This thought" most probably mean?
A. The idea of going back home.
B. Her anxiety about her parents.
C. The feeling of being warm in her favorite sweater.
D. The feeling of getting back home safely.
43. Her father didn't take care of the garden because .
A. he was busy looking for her
B. he had to look after his wife
C. he was not strict with his job
D. he no longer enjoyed working in the garden
44. What can we infer from this passage?
A. In fact Jennifer's mother had been sick for days.
B. As Jennifer walked towards home, she became increasingly scared.
C. When she found the garden deserted, she realized she was wrong.
D. Having experienced a lot outside, Jennifer felt home was safest for her.
A Narrow Escape
Shortly after the war, my brother and I were invited to spend a few days’ holiday with an uncle who had just returned from abroad. He had rented (租) a cottage in the country, although he hardly spent much time there. We understood the reason for this after our arrival: the cottage had no comfortable furniture in it. Many of the windows were broken and the roof leaked (漏水), making the whole house wet.
On our first evening, we sat around the fire after supper listening to the stories our uncle told of his many adventures in distant countries. I was so tired after the long train journey that I would have preferred to go to bed; but I could not bear to miss any of my uncle’s exciting stories, He was just in the middle of describing a rather terrifying experience he had once had when there was a loud crash(倒塌声) from the bedroom above, the one where my brother and I were going to sleep.
When we got to the top of the stairs and opened the bedroom door, a strange sight met our eyes. A large part of the ceiling had fallen right on to the pillow(枕头)of my bed.
53. The uncle disliked the rented cottage for the reason that _____.
A. there were no beds in it
B. the windows were broken and the roof leaked
C. it was too old for him to live in
D. it was very rainy in the area
54. On the first evening, the writer was very sleepy, _____.
A. but he did his best not to miss any stories
B. so he had to go to bed early
C. because he was tired of his uncle’s stories
D. and he was gradually falling asleep while listening
55. A narrow escape means ___.
A. A person runs away from a danger through a narrow door.
B. A person escapes a danger by luck.
C. A person escapes a danger easily.
D. A person runs away from a danger easily.