Whether you admit or not, music is rooted in our daily life, weaving its beauty and emotion through our thoughts, activities and memories. So if you’re interested in music theory, music appreciation, Beethoven, Mozart, artists and performers, we hope you’ll spend some time here and learn from those music articles of note for all ages and tastes.
When I first started studying the history of music, I did not realize what I was getting into. I had thought that music history was somewhat of an unimportant pursuit（追求）. In fact, I only took my history of classical music class because I needed the credits（学分）. I did not realize how really attractive music history was. You see, in our culture many of us do not really learn to understand music. When I began to learn about the history of Western music, however, it changed all that for me.
When most of us think about the history of music, we think of the history of rock music, we assume that the history is simple because the music is simple. In fact, neither is the case, The history of music, whether you’re talking about classical music, rock music, jazz music, or any other kind, is never simple.
Even when the class was over, I would not stop learning about the history of music. It had attracted my interest, and I wanted more.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
| A．To advise readers to learn about music. |
| B．To show he has a good knowledge of music. |
| C．To ask readers to share their experience. |
| D．To prove that music has a long history. |
Why did the author take the history of classical music class?
| A．He was very interested in classical music. |
| B．Classical music would bring him fame. |
| C．Classical music was very important to him. |
| D．He wanted to get the points from the course. |
The underlined word “assume” in the third paragraph probably means “____________ ”.
| A．see | B．mean | C．think | D．wonder |
What did the author do after the class was over?
| A．He became tired of music history. |
| B．He kept on learning about music history. |
| C．He found music was difficult to learn. |
| D．He began to take part in music activities. |
(Originally created) What can we infer about the author according to the passage?
| A．He didn’t like music at the beginning. |
| B．He prefers history to music. |
| C．He doesn’t study hard at school. |
| D．The students in his school need some credits in other subjects besides the credits in their majors before they graduate from their college. |
People often say that Money talks. They mean that a person with a lot of money can say how he or she wants things done. But it is not easy to earn enough money to gain this kind of power.
Ask anyone in business. They will tell you that it is a jungle out there. The expression probably began because a jungle is filled with wild animals and unknown dangers that threaten people.
People in business have to be careful if they are to survive the jungle out there. They must not be led into making bogus investments. Bogus means something that is not real.
Nobody is sure how the word got started. But it began to appear in American newspapers in the 1800s. A newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, said the word came from a criminal whose name was Borghese. Borghese wrote checks to people although he did not have enough money in the bank. After he wrote the checks, he would disappear. So, people who were paid with his checks received nothing. The newspaper said Americans shortened and changed the criminal’s name Borghese to Bogus.
People trying to earn money must be also aware of the risk of being ripped off. A writer for a magazine said he first saw the expression used in 1971. It was on a sign that a student carried during a protest demonstration at a university. The message on the sign was that the student felt cheated.
To be successful, a person in business works hard and tries to get down to brass tacks. This expression means to get to the bottom or the most important of something. For example, a salesman may talk about his product without saying the price. You get down to brass tacks when you say, “it sounds good, but how much does it cost?”
Word expert Charles Funk thinks the expression comes from sailors on ships. They clean the bottom of a boat. When they have removed all the dirt, they are down to the copper pieces that hold the ship together. So, if we get down to brass tacks, we can prevent rip-offs and bogus ways of earning money in that jungle out there. And, some good luck will help, too.Why do people say money talks?
| A．Because money can tell us something. |
| B．Because the rich tend to decide a thing. |
| C．Because everyone loves to have money. |
| D．Because it is hard to earn money. |
My uncle is in a jungle out there, which means .
| A．he is a success in his own business |
| B．he will face many difficulties soon |
| C．he will fight against wild animals |
| D．he is interested to go through a jungle |
Borghese is considered to be a criminal .
| A．because he used the word “bogus” for the first time |
| B．because he was accused of writing false checks |
| C．because he didn’t have enough money in the bank |
| D．because he disappeared after he paid some checks |
When you ask how much it cost, it means .
| A．you are always caring about money |
| B．you declare you won’t be cheated |
| C．you care nothing about the quality |
| D．you get down to the real issues |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．Charles Funk has created many interesting words |
| B．brass is a necessary people of equipment of a ship |
| C．many businessmen have been cheated in life |
| D．many English words have their interesting stories |
A winter wonderland on the outskirts of Quebec City has become one of Canada's hottest attractions and most sought out accommodations. Guests stay close for warmth in sleeping bags on beds of ice, hats pulled over their ears to prevent frostbite, while sipping cocktails (鸡尾酒) in glasses also made of ice.
A cool place to host a memorable wedding or for a romantic getaway, the Quebec Ice Hotel has attracted 600,000 curious tourists, including 30,000 who stayed overnight, since openingseasonally 11 years ago. Like Victoria and Jeremy Martin, dozens of couples will exchange vows (誓约) this winter in a temporary church next to the hotel, sculpted entirely from blocks of ice withseats covered in furs.
Average temperatures fall below minus 20 degrees C (minus four F) in winter, but inside the hotel's 36 rooms it is relatively cozy. Thick walls of packed snow and ice act as aninsulator, trapping body heat inside. Each room is uniquely decorated, using designs created by Quebec architecture students.Two hotel bars also sell special cocktails in ice glasses.
First-time guests of the hotel, however, are recommended to stay only one night as sleeping insub-zero temperatures is not very refreshing. This year for the first time the ice hotel has teamed up with a bricks and concrete Quebec City hotel to offer packages for one-night accommodations ateach. Prices for one night only at the ice hotel start at 200 US dollars per person.
The 3,000-square-metre (32,300-square-feet) buildings take six weeks starting in December to build, using 15,000 tonnes of snow and 500 tonnes of ice, at a cost of some 750,000 US dollars.Eleven weeks after its seasonal grand opening, the hotel will close on March 27 and then melt away with the arrival of spring.What is true with the ice hotel?
| A．630,000 people have visited it. |
| B．30,000 people visit it each year. |
| C．It has stayed open for many years. |
| D．Wedding ceremonies are often held there. |
What can we learn about the hotel rooms?
A. It can be -20°C inside.
B. The temperature is always below 0°C.
C. The rooms all look alike.
D. Each room costs $200 per night.First-time guests are advised to stay there only one night because _____.
| A．they may not be able to stand the cold |
| B．their other night is with an ordinary hotel |
| C．new guests have less advantages over old ones |
| D．the first-day service is just for a test run |
If you choose to visit the ice hotel during the Christmas season, you'll find _____.
| A．it doesn't exist at all |
| B．it is just being built |
| C．most of its rooms are vacant |
| D．it is crowded with guests |
Many people think of the brain as a mystery.They don’t know much about intelligence and how it works. When they do think about what intelligence is，many people believe that a person is born smart，average，or dumb—and stays that way in the whole life.But new research shows that the brain is more like a muscle—it changes and gets stronger when you use it.And scientists have been able to show just how the brain grows and gets stronger when you learn.
Everyone knows that when you lift weights，your muscles get bigger and you get stronger.A person who can’t lift 20 pounds when he/she starts exercising can get strong enough to lift 100 pounds after working out for a long time.That’s because the muscles become larger and stronger with exercise.And when you stop exercising，the muscles shrink and you get weaker.That’s why people say “Use it or lose it！”
But most people don’t know that when they practice and learn new things，parts of their brain change and get larger a lot like muscles do when they exercise.Inside the cortex (皮层) of the brain are billions of tiny nerve cells，called neurons.The nerve cells have branches connecting them to other cells in a complicated network.Communication between these brain cells is what allows us to think and solve problems.When you learn new things，these tiny connections in the brain actually multiply and get stronger.The more you challenge your mind to learn，the more your brain cells grow.Then，things that you once found very hard or even impossible to do—like speaking a foreign language or doing algebra (代数)—seem to become easy after learning them for a period of time.The result is a stronger，smarter brain.
Scientists started thinking that the human brain could develop and change when they studied animals’ brains.They found out that animals that lived in a challenging environment were more “perspicacious”—they were better at solving problems and learning new things.According to the first paragraph，________.
| A．the function of our brain is like that of the muscle |
| B．until now it’s impossible to explain the brain’s mystery |
| C．many people believe one’s intelligence is naturally determined |
| D．one’s brain grows stronger as the age increases |
Training muscles is compared to________.
| A．using the brain |
| B．connecting things in your brain |
| C．lifting weights |
| D．doing research about the brain |
What does the underlined word “perspicacious” in the last paragraph probably mean?
| A．Strong. | B．Smart. |
| C．Popular. | D．Active. |
The following paragraph will most probably talk about________.
| A．the differences between animals’ brains and humans’ brains |
| B．the relation between human brains and muscles |
| C．scientists’ findings about animals’ brains |
| D．how to make your brain smarter through selfdevelopment |
Have you ever thought of joining a book club and buying new books through the post？Here at the International Book Club，we already have many members buying books from us by mail.
Immediate benefits：
•As a special offer，you may choose any reducedprice books from our new members’ book list，to the value of $6 in total (plus postage and packing)．By doing this，you will save pounds on the publishers’ prices.
•Tick the box on your form to order a free watch.
•If you reply within seven days，we will send you another free gift carefully chosen from our book list by our staff
•Order a DVD from the many on offer in our list，at half the recommended retail price.
When you’ve joined：
As a member，you’ll enjoy savings of between 30% and 50% off the publisher’s price on every book you buy，and what’s more，they’ll come straight to your door.Your free club magazine arrives once a month，to keep you up to date with the latest bestsellers.This means that every year we offer over 1,000 books to choose from.On the Internet，you can find all our titles for the year on our exclusive members’ website.
Being a member：
All we are asking you to do while you are a member is to choose four books during your first year.After that，you can decide on the number of books you wish to take.
In each of our monthly club magazines，our experienced staff choose a Club Choice book—a work of fiction or a reference title which they feel is particularly worth buying，and which is offered at an extraspecial price.However，if you do not want this book，just say so in the space provided on the form.We will always send the book if we do not receive this.
So，return your application form today，but hurry—it’s not every day we can make you an offer like this.To apply to become a member，all you need to do is simply fill in the enclosed form and return it in the postagepaid envelope supplied.
Before you know it，your books will be with you.Please don’t send any money now，as we will send you your bill with the books.And remember，you have up to a fortnight to decide if you wish to keep the books you have ordered.You should then either return the books or send your payment.Which of the following doesn’t belong to the benefits of being a club member?
| A．Get four books for free in the first year. |
| B．Order a free watch. |
| C．Get a gift for nothing. |
| D．Order a DVD at a low price. |
Every month the club provides a free club magazine in order to________.
| A．let readers know the number of books to be sold |
| B．keep readers well informed of recent bestselling books |
| C．make readers know the club’s development |
| D．attract more and more readers to join the club |
If a book is worth $100，how much will a member probably save if he buys one?
| A．$20. | B．$40. |
| C．$60. | D．$70. |
What should you do if you want to join the book club?
| A．Just fill in a form with personal information and send the club an email. |
| B．Ask other club members to recommend you to the club. |
| C．Fill in an application form with needed information and return it to the club. |
| D．Apply for a membership card. |
Some scientists say that animals in the oceans are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings.
The noise that affects sea creatures comes from a number of human activities. It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines. Such noises are added to natural sounds. These sounds include the breaking of ice fields, underwater earthquakes, and sounds made by animals themselves.
Decibels (分贝) measured in water are different from those measured on land. A noise of one hundred and twenty decibels on land causes pain to human ears. In water, a decibel level of one hundred and ninety－five would have the same effect.
Some scientists have suggested setting a noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels in the oceans. They have observed that noises at that level can frighten and confuse whales(鲸鱼).
A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that louder noises can seriously injure some animals.
The research team found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing. This seriously affected the whales' ability to exchange information and find their way. Some of the whales even died. The explosions had caused their ears to bleed and become infected.
Many researchers whose work depends on ocean sounds are against a limit of one hundred and twenty decibels. They say such a limit would mean an end to important industrial and scientific research.
Scientists do not know how much and what kinds of noises are harmful to ocean animals. However, many scientists don't think that noise is a greater danger than they believed. They want to prevent noises from harming creatures in the ocean. According to the passage, natural sounds include all of the following EXCEPT________.
| A．sounds made by animals themselves |
| B．ocean drilling |
| C．underwater earthquakes |
| D．the breaking of ice fields |
Which of the following is true of whales？
| A．They won't be confused by noises. |
| B．They are deaf to noises. |
| C．Their ability to reproduce will be lowered by highlevel noises. |
| D．Their hearing will be damaged by highlevel noises. |
According to the passage, what will scientists most probably do in the future?
| A．They will work hard to reduce ocean noise pollution. |
| B．They will protect sea animals from harmful noises. |
| C．They will try to set a limit of 120 decibels. |
| D．They will study the effect of ocean noise pollution. |