Did Steve Jobs kill the music industry? That’s the question on many people’s lips since rock star Jon Bon Jovi accused the Apple boss of personally destroying the music industry.Bon Jovi centers his criticism on how he believes music downloading has robbed young people of what he calls the “beauty of buying an album”. “Kids today have missed the beauty of taking your pocket money and making a decision based on the jacket (封面), not knowing what the record sounded like,” he said.
But far from killing the industry, many young people today think Jobs has been a blessing (带来幸运的人), offering you instant, and selective access to a whole world of music.
Keith Staskiewicz at Enthertainment Weekly speaks for the feelings of many music lovers. He believes listening to MP3s rather than records or CDs “just save money” and doesn’t “remove the sense of discovery they get from new music”. Staskiewicz also argues that it’s wrong to blame Jobs and Apple for destroying anything. “Change is just part of the business,” Staskiewicz said. “No doubt in 50 years, Justin Bieber will complain about how kids don’t listen to ipods anymore.”
For now, though, it appears that music downloading is set to continue for the near future.
According to Summer Redstone, chairman of media company Viacom, iTunes has “resurrected(复兴) the music industry by creating a legal, affordable purchasing system for fans”.
But recent surveys suggested that, despite the “legalizing(合法化)” of music downloading through sites like iTunes, young people are still choosing to download music illegally. A report by Jupiter Research suggested that illegal downloading sites are used three times as much as legal ones. The problem, according to its analyst Mark Mulligan, is how today’s youth grow up viewing music as something they can get for free.
He said, “Unless the musci industry can shift these consumers while they are young away from free consumption to paid music formats(格式), they may never develop music purchasing behavior and the recording industry could suffer long-term harm.”Which one is TRUE about young people nowadays?
| A．They are music lovers and are willing to save money to enjoy music. |
| B．The majority of them download music through legal sites like iTunes. |
| C．They are most likely to go back to the store to buy albums in the near future. |
| D．They are robbed of the change of enjoying music by Apple. |
According to Mark Mulligan, the best solution to the problem of illegal music downloading is to_______.
| A．legalize music downloading through sites like iTunes |
| B．help young people get used to paying for music |
| C．offer young people instant and selective access to a variety of music |
| D．create an affordable purchasing system for fans |
What is the main point of the article?
| A．How Steve Jobs and Apple destroyed the music industry. |
| B．Why young people prefer downloading music to buying albums. |
| C．The problem of illegal downloading of music. |
| D．Different opinions on effects of music downloading. |
Every artist knows in his heart that he is saying something to the public. Not only does he want to say it well, but he wants it to be something which has not been said before. He hopes the public will listen and understand what he wants to teach them, and what he wants them to learn from him.
What visual artists like painters want to teach is easy to make out but difficult to explain, because painters translate their experience into shapes and colors, not words. They seem to feel that a certain selection of shapes and colors, out of countless billions possible, is exceptionally interesting for them and worth showing to us. Without their work we should never have noticed these particular shapes and colors, or have felt the delight which they brought to the artist.
Most artists take their shapes and colors from the world of nature and from human bodies in motion (运动) and at rest; their choices show that these aspects (方面) of the world are worth looking at, and that they contain beautiful sights. Modern artists might say that they only choose subjects that provide an interesting pattern, and that there is nothing more in it. Yet they do not choose entirely without reference to the character of their subjects.
If one painter chooses to paint a decaying (腐烂) leg and another a lake in moonlight, each of them is directing out attention to a certain aspect of the world. Each painter is telling us something, showing us something, explaining something – all of which means that he is trying to teach us.
50．According to the passage, all of the following is true except_________.
A．An artist wants to show something meaningful
B．An artist hopes that the public will understand and learn from him
C．An artist asks the public to believe what he says in his work
D．An artist intends to present something that has not been said before
51．It is hard to explain what a painter is saying, because .
A．a painter uses unusual words and phrases
B．a painter uses shapes and colors instead of words
C．most painters do not express themselves well
D．many painters do not say anything
52．Modern artists might say their choice of subject .
A．only provides interesting patterns
B．carries a message to the public
C．has no pattern or form
D．teaches the public important truths
53．The underlined word “exceptionally” in the 2nd paragraph probably means .
A．entirely B．generally C．especially D．usually
The other day in school, we were discussing jobs. Our teacher, Mrs. Bolt said that career was very important and that it was never too early to think about your life’s work. Most of the young boys really were not too sure about what they wanted to be. But I knew exactly what I wanted to be, and when Mrs. Bolt asked me, I replied “A truck driver.”
“A truck driver?” repeated Mrs. Blot. “Why do you want to be one, Tom?”
“Because truck drivers are always on the move. They do not have to sit at desks all day. They are out on the road and they see a lot of the country. The pay is good, too. And you never have any homework.”
The class laughed.
“Well, Tom.” answered Mrs. Bolt. “You certainly sound quite enthusiastic (热情的). I guess that you don’t like sitting at a desk or doing homework. Is that correct, Tom?”
“Yes, I guess so, ” I said.
“Well, since you are so interested in becoming a truck driver, I think you should look into the field a little further. I want you to go to the library and take out a book on truck driving. And I want you to write a paper on it and hand it in at the end of the month.”
That’s the last time I’ll never tell anybody my secret ambition (雄心).
46．Mrs. Bolt suggested Tom write a book report because .
A．she was angry with him.
B．she wanted him to learn about the other side of truck driving.
C．she was making fun of him.
D．she wanted the whole class to follow him
47．Which of the following is NOT true?
A．The writer thinks that truck drivers are well paid.
B．What Tom said made his classmates laugh.
C．It seemed as if Tom did not enjoy doing his homework.
D．Mrs. Bolt didn’t want Tom to become a truck driver.
48．Tom wouldn’t tell about his ambition any more because .
A．he didn’t think his ambition could come true.
B．he just got more homework to do.
C．he was laughed at by the whole class.
D．he would not be able to become a truck driver.
49．What can we infer about Mrs. Bolt?
A．She was unkind to her students. B．She was unfit for her position.
C．She was a teacher with ripe experience. D．She always did something strange.
My topic is fashion(时装). Fashion is important to all of us. Now we are all wearing school uniforms(校服). When we go home, what do we do? We change into other clothes. If we are going out, we like to wear fashionable clothes. So my first object is this blouse. It looks beautiful, doesn’t it? It is the most expensive piece of clothing, and I love it. It cost over ＄600. You may say that it is too expensive, but luckily I can afford it. The more you spend, the better the quality is. So you see, fashion is quite important to me, I admire it.
However, I’m not as fond of fashion as my elder brother. Last summer, my parents took us both to London. They wanted to show us some famous sights. But my brother Gary did not appreciate the old buildings. He just wanted to spend all his time in the big shopping arcades(拱廊), searching for the coolest pair of trousers! For him, fashion was more important than culture. These are the trousers he bought. Were they worth the expensive of a trip to London to buy these? I don’t think so. I think it was a waste of time and money.
We must, however, remember that fashion is a very big business. Changes in fashion can create or lose jobs. As an example, I have bought this blonde(淡黄色的) wig(假发) to show you. Do you like it? It belongs to one of my mother’s friends. She told me that in the 1960s, it was fashionable for western women to wear wigs. But a few years later fashions changed and women wore wigs much less often. Then the wig factories closed down and hundreds of workers lost their jobs.
53. The passage may be ____.
A. a story from a magazine B. a piece of news from a newspaper
C. a report on the radio D. a speech to the classmates
54. The author （作者）showed all these objects EXCEPT_____ in the passage.
A. the blonde wig B. the expensive blouse
C. the coolest trousers D. the school uniform
55. What does the author （作者）want to tell us in last paragraph?
A. Wigs were always popular
B. People in the east once liked wearing blonde wigs
C. Fashion is actually a business
D. Business often depends on the production of wigs.
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49. The one who puts on the first advertisement probably wants to ______.
A. rent a beautiful flat of her own in Happy Valley
B. find another lady to share the cost to rent a flat
C. share her room in a flat with whoever has no pet
D. find a maid to look after herself
50. According to the advertisements, you may _______.
A. buy an old picture for $150
B. call 25720836 to see a beautiful lake
C. buy two armchairs for $400
D. hire a maid （女佣）by paying $6,800
51. If you want to buy some old furniture, you should ______.
A. get in touch with NOVA ELECTRONICS
B. call 2524-5867 any day except Monday
C. do it before you move to another place
D. call either 2524-5867 on Monday or 2521-6011 on Saturday
52. Once you get a part-time job in NOVA ELECTRONICS, _______.
A. you will be given 14 days off each year besides weekends
B. you will get $6,598 each month no matter how experienced you are
C. your have to work at least 8 hours a day
D. you should write a letter of application to Mrs G Chan
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days offer a chance to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child-care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one stands for a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services(宗教仪式) to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit their graves(墓). On these days, families get together at home and in restaurants. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries（面包房）, telephones companies and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.
45.Which is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?
A Parents bring up children
B Parents give love and care to children
C Parents educate children to be good persons.
D Parents pass away before children grow up
46.What do you know from the passage?
A Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May.
B Fewer women worked outside the home in the past
C Not all the children respect their parents
D Fathers are not as important as mothers at home
47.Which do you think is right about “carnation”?
A It only has two kinds of color.
B It is a special kind of clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.
C It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.
D People can wear carnations only on the third Sunday in June.
48.What do you think “florists” do?
A They sell flowers B They made bread or pastry
C They offer enough room for having family parties.
D They sell special candy for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.