It may seem to be a hard task to trace back the history of rap music, though you often see the informal music associated with highly informal dance style. As far as the origin of rap music is concerned, most people agree that it is from Afro-American and Latino Street culture of New York City. Not only in this city but in the surrounding areas there is the influence of African people and their culture.
Rap is a vocal (口头的) style in which the performer speaks rhythmically and in rhyme, generally to a beat. The term of rap music is the same with hip-hop music typically-consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap. If we see it carefully, then we will definitely notice that the music usually is sung at higher pitches (调). Most of the time rap music is associated with chorus. Though rap music was primarily an American music style with African influence over its music and lyrics, recently it has been spread to almost the entire world.
There is hardly any country or nation where rap music cannot be seen in some form or another, and it is one of the most popular music styles among the youngsters. However, when it comes to its history, it is believed that hip-hop or rap music started in the early 1970s，and gained much popularity throughout the world during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The history of rap music and hip-hop music is full of controversies (争议) and bans, as the lyrics sometimes relate to drugs and crime; even most famous pop stars and hip-hop musicians and singers were found to be associated with the controversies in their life. For that reason, no matter how popular this music style was or still is, it has always had a bad reputation in the eyes of mainstream society.The passage is mainly about _____.
| A．when rap music started | B．how rap music develops |
| C．what rap music is like | D．why rap music is popular |
The characteristics of rap music are _____.
| A．solo, rhymes，beats and pops |
| B．speaking, rhythms，beats and solo |
| C．repeating, speaking, pops and chorus |
| D．speaking, rhymes, beats and chorus |
Rap music is now one of the music styles mostly run after by _____.
| A．the teenagers in Africa |
| B．all kinds of people in the world |
| C．the youngsters all over the world |
| D．the young people in the US |
Rap music is often not well thought of by the mainstream because _____.
| A．it comes from the lower class |
| B．it has a short history |
| C．it is associated with crimes and drugs |
| D．its music is full of controversies |
Dear iPhone 4 Users,
The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product in Apple’s history. It is the best smartphone ever, and most users have told that they love it. So we were surprised when reading reports of reception (信号接收) problems, and we immediately began researching them.
To start with, holding tightly（紧紧地）almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars of signal strength. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many other phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have said the iPhone 4 has a faulty antenna(天线) design.
Upon research, we find that the formula（公式） we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula usually mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. The big drop in bars is because the high bars were never real in the beginning.
We will give a free software update to correct the formula. This software update （软件升级）will also be available for iPhone 3GS. If you are
not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of buying and get all your money back.
Thank you for your patience and support.
AppleThe iPhone 4 drops more bars than normal when tightly held because of .
| A．a wrong antenna design | B．wrong usage |
| C．weak signal strength | D．a wrong formula |
How many more bars does the iPhone 4 show than it should for a given signal strength?
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．The software update is fit for all cellphones produced by Apple. |
| B．The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product in history. |
| C．If a user is not satisfied with his iPhone 4, he will get ten times his money back. |
| D．The Apple company didn’t expect the reception problems of iPhone 4. |
The text is a letter .
| A．from Apple about iPhone problems | B．to Apple about iPhone 4 problems |
| C．to introduce the new iPhone 4 | D．on how to pay back buyers for the faults |
There was once a professor of medicine, who was very strict with the students. Whenever he took the chair on the exam committee(担任考试委员会主席), the students would be in fear, because he was seldom pleased with the answers they gave. A student would be lucky enough if he or she could receive a good mark from him. At the end of the term, the students of medicine would take their exam again. Now a student entered the exam room and got seated before the committee. This student was a little nervous as he knew it would not be so easy to get through the exam at all.
The professor began to ask. The student was required to describe a certain illness, his description of which turned out to be OK.
Then the professor asked about the cure (药剂) for illness, and the student, too, answered just as right.
“Good,” said the professor, “and how much will you give the patient?”
“A full spoon”, answered the student.
“Now you may go out and wait for what you can get.”, said the professor. At the same time, the committee discussed carefully the answers the student had given. Suddenly the student noticed that there was something wrong with his last answer. “ A full spoon is too much,” he thought to himself. Anxiously he opened the door of the room and cried, “Mr. Professor, I’ve made a mistake! A full spoon is too much for a patient. He can take only five drops.”
“I’m sorry, sir.” said the professor coldly, “But it’s too late. Your patient has died.”The students were afraid of the professor because_________.
| A．they often angered and disappointed him |
| B．their answers often astonished him |
| C．their answers seldom satisfied him |
| D．he often misunderstood them and gave them bad marks |
The student’s description of the illness was .
| A．not correct | B．not satisfied | C．completely discouraging | D．accepted. |
Before he left the room the student was almost sure that .
| A．he had passed the exam, and the only thing was to wait for the mark |
| B．his last answer was satisfying |
| C．he had made a mistake |
| D．he had not done well in the exam. |
Which of the following is Not true?
| A．The patient will be in danger if he’s taken as much as a full spoon. |
| B．The doctor will be in trouble if he’s given the patient a full spoon. |
| C．Since one spoon is less than five drops, the patient will be all right soon if he takes only one full spoon at a time. |
D．If the patient wants to remain safe, he should take no more th an five drops at a time. |
Nothing can spoil a vacation quicker than losing your money or credit cards. A few simple steps before you head out of the door can help protect your cash, card and personal information while you’re traveling.
Paul Stephens, a policy analyst San Diego, notes that people spend a lot of time planning their trips, from buying guidebooks to finding just the right beach outfits（装备）. “But their eyes glaze（呆滞）over when the subject of keeping money s
afe comes up,” he said.
“Why not take a few minutes to do something that could probably save your vacation?” Stephens asked．“In most cases, they can go on your to-do list with ‘buy travel bags’ and everything else,” he added.
The top recommendation is to clean your wallet. Remove unnecessary credit cards and any other unneeded documents that could compromise（危及...的安全）your identity if lost or stolen while you’re on vocation.
Then make a photocopy of the cards you’ve decided to take along and keep it in a secure location with you（not in your wallet）or leave it with a trusted relative or friend back home. Then you will know who you need to contact and how to reach it if your wallet is missing.
“Travelers should never leave their wallets or any identifying documents in their hotel room when they’re not there,” he said. “Choose a hotel with a safe to keep your valuable things in. Or keep your wallet and documents with you at all times. ”What does the underlined word stand for?
| A．The people who are going traveling. |
| B．The outfits that are prepared for traveling. |
| C．The suggestions on what to buy when traveling. |
| D．The steps to avoid losing money or credit cards. |
What should people do with their wallet before they go on vacation?
| A．Take it with them all the time. |
| B．Put it in a safe place at the hotel. |
| C．Remove unnecessary cards and documents. |
| D．Leave it with family or friend. |
What is the topic of the passage?
| A．How to prepare for travel. |
| B．How to be happy during your vacation. |
| C．How to keep cash and cards safe on vacation. |
| D．How to protect your luggage on vacation. |
According to the passage, we know .
| A．people don’t always know how to protect their money or credit cards |
| B．people should take a lot of money with them while traveling |
| C．people can leave their identifying documents in rooms, if the hotel is expensive |
| D．people can spend a few minutes preparing the luggage for traveling |
There was once an 11-year-old boy who went fishing every time he went to an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake.
On the day before bass (巴斯鱼) season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening, catching other fish with worms. Then he tied on a small silver lure (鱼饵) and put it into the lake. Suddenly the boy felt something very big pulling on the lure. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully brought the fish beside the bank. Finally he lifted the tired fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked at the big fish. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 pm — two hours before the season opened．He looked at the fish, then at the boy. “You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said．
“Dad!” cried the boy. “There will be other fish,” said his father. “Not as big as this one,” cried the boy. He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats could be seen in the moon-
light. He looked again at his father.
Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he had caught the fish, the boy could tell from his father’s v
oice that the decision couldn’t be changed．He threw the huge bass into the black water.
The big fish disappeared. The boy thought that he would never again see such a big fish. That
was 34 years ago. Today the boy is a successful architect in New York City. He often takes his own son and daughters to fish at the same place.
And he was right. He has never again caught such a large fish as the one he got that night long ago. But he does see that same fish ... again and again ... every time he has an ethical (道德的) decision to make. Fo
r, as his father had taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult.．How did the father feel when he saw his son skillfully pulling a big fish out of the water?
| A．Delighted． | B．Nervous. | C．Embarrassed． | D．Shocked． |
What happened when it became clear that the big fish was a bass?
| A．The boy and his father discussed what to do with the big fish. |
| B．The boy threw the bass back into the water willingly. |
| C．The father made a decision that the fish must be set free. |
| D．They worried other fishermen might know what they had done. |
The successful architect went fishing with his children at the same place because .
| A．they might catch a big fish there | B．he remembered the moral lesson from his father |
| C．he wanted to remember his father | D．their children enjoyed fishing there |
What does the author want to show in the story?
| A．It is easy to say something, but difficult to do. |
| B．An ethical decision is not difficult to make. |
| C．It is hard to tell right from wrong sometimes. |
| D．Fishing helps you to make right ethical decisions. |
根据短文内容，从从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项是多余选项。(共5小题,每小题2分,满分10分)
We’re raising children!
A famous research scientist was being interviewed why he was so much more creative.He had been trying to remove a bottle of milk from the refrigerator when he lost his balance and it fell, spilling its contents all the kitchen floor—a veritable sea of milk!
When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling at him, she said , “Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge puddle of milk.Would you like to get down and play in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up?”
Indeed, he did. After several minutes, his mother said,“You know, Robert, whenever you make a mess, eventually you have to clean it up and restore everything to its proper order. We could use a sponge, a towel or a mop. Which do you prefer?” He chose the sponge and they cleaned up the spilled milk.
His mother then said, “You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle. Let’s fill the bottle with water and see if you can discover a way to carry it without dropping it.” The boy learned that if he grasped the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it.
This scientist remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn’t need to be afraid to make mistakes.
Wouldn’t it be great if all parents would respond the way Robert’s mother responded to him?
| A．Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something new. |
| B．Well, the damage has already been done. |
| C．What set him so far apart from others? |
| D．What a wonderful lesson! |
E.So, how would you like to do that?
F.Such an opportunity of experiencing was delightful to him.
G. He responded that it all came from an experience when he was about two years old.