Jealousy is a very common problem in daily life. It’s everywhere. For example, if someone does better than you, you will get annoyed because you want to be No. 1. We may become jealous of a best friend’s top marks in an exam, or of the girl in art class who is praised by the teacher all the time. We get annoyed because these good things are happening to someone else but not to us.
It’s bad to feel jealous. We should be pleased with the things we have. But we still wish we had the money of this person and the talent of that person. Instead of sharing their happiness, we just feel jealous and unhappy with ourselves. And, too often, these feelings are expressed by speaking ill of the people we envy.
However, envy is also a kind of compliment to others. We see that other people have styles and talents different from our own. By comparing ourselves with others, we can know what we lack. And we can turn this comparison, the envy of others, into a kind of power.
Therefore, being a bit jealous of others lets us know what we are like and what we want to be like. It can push us to become what we really want to be.
根据短文内容，从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳答案。According to the first paragraph, why do you get annoyed?
| A．Because the teacher dislikes others. |
| B．Because others do something better than you. |
| C．Because you are an annoying person. |
| D．Because you want to be No.1 in the exam and you do. |
The Chinese meaning of the underlined part “speaking ill of” probably is “_____".
| A．赞美 | B．说…的坏话 | C．憎恨 | D．说…病了 |
What should be the right attitude towards jealousy?
| A．It’s a good thing. |
| B．It’s just a bad thing. |
| C．It’s a kind of compliment to others. |
| D．It makes us know what we are like and what we want to be like. |
Technology is creating big changes in the music industry. Music lovers listen to and buy music on the Internet. They can watch live concerts of favorite artists online. And music makers, as well as music industry officials, use social media(媒体) to reach an increase public interest.
Nick Sherwin is the founder of the band called Suburban Skies. He says today’s technology permits a band to control its own future. He said, “Social media is a wonderful thing. You can make use of it to reach the public.” Sherwin says the Internet and social media have created possibilities for musicians. He says the new way to success is to give visitors more than one type of experience. “The most important thing is the content. You have to have songs and videos to show the audience. But I think it is extremely important to do shows, to build your brand, and to make you well known, ” Sherwin said.
Music industry officials discussed the future of the business during an international conference in Los Angeles, California. They said musicians are choosing to perform live across the country, following the drop in CD sales in the Unites States. Rob Light is head of music with a creative artists agency. He said, “Most of the income for artists is now coming from the live marketplace.”
Along with the popularity of live music there has been a big increase in the number of music festivals. These events are advertised on social media. Pasquale Rotella leads Insomniac, a company that produces electronic dance music festivals in several countries. “Someone could make it in their bedroom and put it out there. People can gain fans online without anyone’s help. That has completely helped the growth of dance music. ” said Rotella.
Bob Pittman leads the radio organization — Clear Channel Communication. He says music lovers are still listening to the radio, although there are new ways of finding music. He says 70 percent of Americans say they discover new music from what they hear on the radio. But Rob Light says radio will soon be a thing of the past. However, Nick Sherwin is not worried. He just wants to reach everyone who likes his style of music with the help of the Internet.From Paragraph 2, we learn that Nick Sherwin ______.
| A．doesn’t have any good ways to reach the public. |
| B．doesn’t believe his band has good content to draw attention. |
| C．thinks social media can help make his band’s music well known. |
| D．thinks everyone can become famous through making good use of the Internet. |
What Pasquale Rotella said in Paragraph 4 shows that ______.
| A．dance music has finally become popular. |
| B．there is too much music for people nowadays. |
| C．electronic dance music festivals are easy to hold. |
| D．people can make their music heard easily nowadays. |
According to Bob Pittman, radio ______.
| A．will be out of date quite soon. |
| B．is no longer listened to today. |
| C．will always be loved by some people. |
| D．is the best tool to introduce new songs. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．People prefer to listen to music online nowadays. |
| B．Technology is greatly changing the music industry. |
| C．The number of live concerts has greatly increased. |
| D．CD sales in the United States have greatly dropped. |
It takes Te’Anne Collins more than an hour to get to school by bus. But for her, it is worth it. Te’Anne is one of many talented students who will attend an interview for a musical theatre program at Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts. “She is someone with unbelievable talent, ” says her music teacher, Ann Merriam . “Te’Anne works two jobs, so she can support her studies and living expense.”
Te’Anne has come a long way since she first came to Wexford collegiate in 9th grade. She was new to the school and started going out with the wrong crowd. Her negative lifestyle and attitude caused her scores to decline steadily. It was Ann Merriam who pulled her aside. “She told me that she didn’t even know who I was and that she often heard bad things about me, ” says Te’Anne. “When I think about it now, I deserved it.” Now in Grade 12, Te’Anne has fought her way to the front of the stage and has earned her place as an important member of Wexford Gleeks — a club that Ann Merriam has been running for over 20 years.
Ann Merriam is the founder of the famous musical theatre program, which has been attracting audiences for years. A bit of a maverick(独行其是者)，she quietly started the program in the 80’s on a shoestring budget, despite an important leader’s disagreement at the beginning. Wexford Gleeks is now one of the top competitors at the 2013 Show Choir Canada competition. Te’Anne’s story began to spread and soon telephone calls came flooding in the school board from kids’ parents, because they knew Ann Merriam never gave up on any student.Te’Anne thinks a long bus journey is worthy, because she ______.
| A．gets permission to attend Wexford Collegiate. |
| B．is praised by her music teacher for her talent. |
| C．gets an opportunity for a musical theatre program. |
| D．is able to support her studies and living expenses. |
When Te’Anne was in Grade 9, she ______.
| A．made a good friendship with her teachers. |
| B．worked two jobs to support her school fees. |
| C．attended an interview for a musical program. |
| D．behaved badly and associated with the wrong crowd. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Te’Anne often heard of Ann Merriam in Grade 9. |
| B．Ann Merriam has managed Wexford Collegiate for 20 years. |
| C．Ann Merriam regretted founding the musical theatre program. |
| D．Te’Anne stepped on the stage of Wexford Gleeks in Grade 12. |
From Paragraph 3, it can be inferred that ____.
| A．Wexford Gleeks is a common art school. |
| B．Ann is the only leader of Wexford Gleeks. |
| C．more people want to attend Wexford Gleeks. |
| D．Wexford Gleeks only pays attention to smart students. |
The Flamingo Las Vegas is one of the oldest Las Vegas hotels. There are lots of wonderful Las Vegas shows that will leave a good impression on you. Here are the Las Vegas shows being performed at the hotel.
Donny and Marie
Donny and Marie is a family-friendly variety show. It is performed by well-known Donny and Marie Osmond on all weekdays except on Sundays and Mondays. The show follows the winning formula of their 1970s TV program, incorporating dancing, humor and all of their hit songs. It starts at 7:30 pm and each ticket costs at least $91.25.
Olivia Newton-John
Grammy award-winning singer Olivia Newton-John is “hopelessly devoted” to perform many of her fans, opening “Summer Nights” to perform many of her best-loved songs during her four decades long career. Alongside an eight-piece band, Newton-John will share stories about her career and sing many songs. Concert-goers can buy meet and greet tickets at $249. Regular price tickets start from $78.5. The show starts at 7:30 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Vinnie Favorito
Vinnie Favorito is a famous actor who is known to make people laugh. His jokes are very popular. Unlike other comedians who use pre-developed material, Vinnie Farorito gets his comedy from his interaction with people in the audience. The tickets start from $68.95. Performance days are six days per week except Sundays. Show time is 8 pm..
X Burlesque
X Burlesque is a wonderful show performed by six dancing ladies. The show is filled with popular music that suits everyone’s taste from rock to country and a variety of dancing styles that allow each dancer to showcase her unique talents. The tickets start from $50.26. It is a daily show at 10:00 pm.What do these shows have in common?
| A．They are free to children. |
| B．They are hosted by a woman. |
| C．They are performed every day. |
| D．They are performed in the Flamingo Las Vegas. |
If a young couple wants to see Olivia Newton-John in the flesh, they have to pay ____.
| A．78.5 dollars | B．157 dollars |
| C．249 dollars | D．498 dollars |
From the passage we can learn that _____.
| A．Vinnie Favorito comes to perform every day. |
| B．Olivia Newton-John often holds concerts in summer. |
| C．Children are not allowed to see Donny and Marie show. |
| D．Vinnie Favorito’s jokes come from communicating with the audience. |
No one can believe that the over 6 300-kilometer long Great Wall might disappear some day. Believe it or not, the Great Wall is being destroyed by people. Less than 20 percent of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty is still perfect, but about 80 percent is in danger. The Great Wall can be called “great” mostly because of its amazing length. But we should realize that the length was made up of one brick at a time. If we do nothing to save the Great Wall, it will become a series of separate wasteland rather than a historic site.
The Great Wall is actually a series of walls built and rebuilt by different dynasties over the past 2 000 years. It began in the rule of China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC～206 BC),and lasted into the Ming Dynasty. The parts built before the Ming Dynasty have nearly disappeared. People are familiar with sections such as Badaling in Beijing and Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu because they have been open to tourists for many years. But those sections far away from the public eyes have been almost forgotten.
Few local people knew the 3-meter-high walls made of earth and stones beside them are part of the Great Wall.The lack of knowledge is considered as one of the main reasons behind human.
The bricks on the Great Wall are carried off by countryside people to build their houses, sheep corral(畜栏) and pigsties(猪圈).Some were taken away to build roads. Bricks carved with people’s names are put away as remembrance. Rubbish is spread over the battlements(城垛).The bricks can be sold for 15 yuan per tractor load. Those who destroyed and are destroying the Great Wall know its name, but are not clear about its cultural meaning. It will take a long time to let them know this. The local farmers not only carried off the body of the Wall but dug out the entire base.
It is necessary to protect the Great Wall. First of all, the officials should be aware of the importance of the Great Wall. Young Chinese should know more about the nation’s great civilization (文明)and learn to love it.The main reason for which the Great Wall can be called “great” is__________.
| A．it was made by brick | B．it was very wide |
| C．it was very long | D．it had a long history |
Why does the author say the Great Wall might disappear?
| A．It is useless from now on. |
| B．It will be replaced by a new one. |
| C．Some parts of it are being destroyed. |
| D．It’s too old to be used again. |
The underlined part “those sections far away from the public eyes” refers to the parts of the Great Wall__________.
| A．that are too difficult to understand |
| B．nobody can watch |
| C．that are too far to been seen |
| D．that are not well known to the public |
What’s the main reason of the Great Wall’s being destroyed?
| A．The local people are short of culture knowledge. |
| B．The local people need bricks and stones to build houses. |
| C．The local people think that the Great Wall is not important. |
| D．The local people are against the government. |
April 21st in 2006 was the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ. She is one of the most famous women in the world. Here are some interesting stories about the Queen.
Queen Elizabeth Ⅱis the fortieth monarch(君主) since 1066. She has been the queen of Great Britain for 54 years. During her 54-year reign(统治), she has made over 250 official visit to 129 different countries, including China in 1986. She has also hosted more than 90 formal dinners for those important people from foreign leaders. When she visits foreign countries or hosts formal dinners, the Queen often receives presents from foreign leaders. Some unusual presents include animals like jaguars and sloths from Brazil, and black beavers from Canada.
The Queen is a great animal lover and she is known for her love of dogs. So far, the Queen has had more than 30 dogs. She is also really fond of horses and good at feeding horses. Her horses have won major races several times.
The Queen usually sends a telegram(电报) of congratulations to her people who are 100 years old on their hundredth birthday. Perhaps she will send herself on in twenty years. It’s not impossible, since all her family members have enjoyed a long life. The Queen’s mother died in 2002 at the age of 101.We can learn from the passage that Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ isyears old this year.
| A．81 | B．80 | C．100 | D．101 |
When did Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ become the queen of Great Britain?
| A．In 1950 | B．In 1952 |
| C．In 1006 | D．In 1986 |
According to the passage, we can guess that jaguars and sloths are two kinds of .
| A．plants | B．animals | C．trees | D．flowers |
At the age of 100, any person in Britain may.
| A．send a telegram to the Queen |
| B．receive a telegram from the Queen |
| C．celebrate his/her birthday |
| D．meet the Queen |