Most people want to know how things are made. They honestly admit, however, that they hardly know a thing when it comes to understanding how a piece of music is made. Where a composer begins, how he manages to keep going – in fact, how and when he learns his trade – all are covered in complete darkness. The composer, in short, is a man of mystery .
One of the first things the common man wants to know about is the part inspiration plays in a composer’s work. He finds it difficult to believe that composers are not much interested in that question. Writing music is as natural for the composer as eating or sleeping for all. Music is something that the composer happens to have been born for.
The composer, therefore, does not say to himself: “Do I feel inspired?” He says to himself: “Do I feel like working today?” And if he feels like working, he does. It is more or less like saying to himself: “Do I feel sleepy?” If you feel sleepy, you go to sleep. If you don’t feel sleepy, you stay up. If the composer doesn’t feel like working, he doesn’t work. It’s as simple as that.What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Composer: a man of mystery |
| B．Practice makes good music |
| C．Relation between sleeping and music |
| D．Music: product of nature |
Most people seem to think that a composer ____.
| A．finds it difficult to write music |
| B．considers it important to have a good rest |
| C．should like to talk about inspiration |
| D．never asks himself very simple questions |
The author will most probably agree that composers ____.
| A．are born with a gift for music |
| B．are people full of mystery |
| C．work late at night for their music |
| D．know a lot about eating and sleeping |
With large and small keyboards everywhere, neither children nor adults need to write much of anything by hand. That’s a big problem. Study after study suggests that handwriting is important for brain development — helping kids get fine motor skills and learn to express and create ideas. Yet the time devoted to teaching penmanship in most schools has shrunk to just one hour a week. Is it time to give up handwriting? Have a look at the link between the brain and penmanship, and you may get the answer.
A test among students in grades 2, 4 and 6 found that they not only wrote faster by hand than by keyboard, but also created more ideas when composing essays with handwriting. And other research shows that the finger movements required to write by hand activate brain areas involved with thought, language, and short-term memory.
A recent Indiana University study had one group of children practice writing letters by hand while a second group just looked at those letters. Then, both groups of kids entered a functional MRI (核磁共振)that scanned their brains as the researchers showed them the same letters. Researchers found that the brain activity in the first group was far more advanced and “adult-like”.
Handwriting also affects other people’s way they think of adults and children. Several studies have shown that the same average essay will score much higher if written with good penmanship and much lower if written out in poor handwriting. These studies have also found that people judge the quality of a person’s ideas based on his or her handwriting. And the consequences are real: On standardized tests with handwritten sections, like the SAT, all essay that is considered hard to recognize gets a big zero.
Studies show that this isn’t only an English-language phenomenon. Chinese and Japanese youths are suffering from “character amnesia”. They can’t remember how to write characters, thanks to computers and text messaging. Some experts fear that Chinese writing and reading are so closely linked in the brain that China’s reading ability as a nation could suffer..
What does the Indiana University study imply?
| A．Children should practice writing letters |
| B．Handwriting can increase brain activity |
| C．It’s good for children to enter a functional MRI. |
| D．Letters should often be shown to children |
.
What does the 4th paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．Handwriting affects both adults and children. |
| B．Handwriting helps a person write better essays. |
| C．SAT should be done with good handwriting. |
| D．Good handwriting makes a person seem smarter. |
.
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Essays written with keyboards will get lower scores. |
| B．The quality of your ideas depends on your handwriting. |
| C．Chinese and Japanese youths don’t know how to write. |
| D．Less handwriting may affect China’s reading ability. |
.
The passage tries to tell us that __________________.
| A．keyboards are more popular than handwriting |
| B．we shouldn’t judge people by their handwriting |
| C．handwriting is of great importance |
| D．it’s time to give up using keyboards |
The wedding between Prince Wiliam and Kate Middleton on April 29 has focused the world’s camera lenses (镜头) on the UK.
In Britain, there is a constant debate about the relevance(相关性) of the royal family to modern British society. However, Windsor (the family name of the British Royal Family) and Middleton have been seen to represent a more modern, forward-looking nation.
Nigel Baker, the British ambassador to Bolivia, believes that the royal wedding is “about modern Britain”. “The estimated 2 billion spectators across the world will see that Britain is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse nations in the world, home to 270 nationalities speaking 300 different languages, founded on tolerance and respect for difference,” wrote Baker on his blog.
According to Baker, the wedding could help viewers to see “why Britain is one of the most dynamic and creative countries in the world”: The television on which most people watched the event was invented by John Logie Baird, a Briton, and the World Wide Web that broadcast the event to millions more was invented by another Briton, Tim Berners-Lee.
The guests who attended the wedding ceremony gave more than a few clues as to the nature of modern Britain. David and Victoria Beckham represent Britain’s obsession (着迷)with football and celebrity.
Leaders from different religious backgrounds supported Baker’s comments on the multicultural nature of modern British society.
Before the wedding, David Elliott, arts director of the British Council China, agreed that the wedding would be a showcase for modern Britain: “I think, and hope, that it (modern British influence) would be values like openness, multiculturalism, creativity, sense of humor and the traditional British sense of fair play,” he said.
Furthermore, events such as the Olympics in London in 2012 may also increase people’s sense of Britishness.
According to a poll published in Daily Telegraph, more than a third of people in the UK admitted they felt “very British” when watching the Olympics.. What is the point of the article?
| A．To introduce Prince William’s wedding arrangements in detail. |
| B．To comment on the significance of the royal wedding. |
| C．To question the relevance of the royal family in modern British society. |
| D．To explain why the royal wedding is linked with the 2012 Olympics. |
. What can be concluded from the article?
A. Some say that the royal wedding is a reflection on modern Britain.
B Some think the royal wedding shows Britain’s multiculturalism and sense of fair play.
C.About 2 billion people across the world will see the wedding ceremony online.
D. Britons are obsessed with football due to the influence of David Beckham.. Why is the inventor of the World Wide Web mentioned?
A. To inform readers about some well-known British inventors.
B. To point to the importance of the World Wide Web for the wedding.
C. In support of the idea that Britain is a nation of creative and original people.
D. To encourage people to watch the wedding on the Internet.. According to the article, both the 2012 Olympics and the royal wedding .
| A．have increased the British sense of national identity |
| B．have promoted traditional British values |
| C．represent a more modern Britain |
| D．have encouraged the interest of Britons in Football |
Who’s in control of your life? Who’s pulling your strings? For the majority of us，it’s other people—society，colleagues，friends，family or our religious community．We learned this way of operating when we were very young，of course．We were brainwashed．We discovered that feeling important and feeling accepted was a nice experience and so we learned to do everything we could to make other people like us．As Oscar Wilde puts it，“Most people are other people．Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions，their lives 
a mimicry，their passions a quotation．”
So when people tell us how wonderful we are，it makes us feel good．We long for this good feeling like a drug—we are addicted to it and seek it out wherever we can．Therefore，we are so eager for the approval(赞同)of others that we live unhappy and limited lives，failing to do the things we really want to．Just as drug addicts and alco
holics live worsened lives to keep getting their fix(一剂毒品)，we worsen our own existence to get our own constant fix of approval．
But，just as with any drug，there is a price to pay．The price of the approval drug is freedom—the freedom to be ourselves. The truth is that we cannot control what other people think．People have their own agenda，and they come with their own baggage and，in the end，they’re more
interested in themselves than in you．Furthermore，if we try to live by the opinions of others，we will build our life on sinking sand．Everyone has a different way of thinking，and people change
their opinions all the time．The person who tries to please everyone will only end up getting exhausted and probably pleasing no one in the process．
So how can we take b
ack control
? I think there’s only one way—make a conscious decision to stop caring what other people think．We should guide ourselve
s by means of a set of values—not values imposed from the outside by others，but innate values which come from within．If we are driven by these values and not by the changing opinions and value systems of others，we will live a more authentic，effective，purposeful and happy life．．What Oscar Wilde says implies that．
| A．we have thoughts similar to those of others |
| B．most people have a variety of thoughts |
| C．other people’s thoughts are more important |
D．m ost people’s thoughts are controlled by others |
．What does the author try to argue in the third paragraph?
| A．Changing opinions may cost us our freedom． |
| B．We may lose ourselves to please others． |
| C．We need to pay for what we want to get． |
| D．The price of taking the drug is freedom． |
．It can be concluded from the passage that．
| A． it’s better to do what we like |
| B．we shouldn’t care what others think |
| C．we shouldn’t change our own opinions |
| D．it’s important to accept others’ opinions |
．The author tries to persuade the readers to accept his arguments mainly by
| A．analyzing causes and effects | B．providing examples and facts |
| C．discussing questions | D．making suggestions |
The biggest safety threat（威胁）facing airlines today may not be a man with a gun ,but the man with portable（便携式）computer in business class .In the past 15 years ,pilots have reported about over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electro-magnetic interference(电磁干扰) .The source of this interference remain unclear ,but increasingly ,experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic devices（设备）such as portable computers ,radio and mobile telephones .
RTCA ,an organization which advises the aviation industry ,has suggested that all airlines ban, such devices from being used during “key” stages of flight ,particularly take-off and landing .Some experts have gone further ,calling for a total ban during all flights .Nowadays ,rules on using these devices are left up to airlines. And although some airlines ban passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing ,most are not willing to exercise a total ban ,if many passengers want to work during flights .
The difficulty is understanding how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft’s computers .Experts know that portable devices give off radiation which affects those wave lengths which aircraft uses for communication .But because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory ,they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not .
The fact that aircraft may be in trouble because of the interference raises the danger
that some people may use radio systems in order to damage navigation（导航）equipment .As worrying ,though ,is the passenger who can’t hear the instruction to turn off his radio because the music is too loud ..
.What is said about over 100 aircraft incidents in the past 15 years ?
A They may have taken place during take-off and landing .
B They have been caused by the damage to the radio systems .
C They were said to have resulted from electro-magnetic interference .
D They were caused by the passengers’ portable computers ..
. Few airlines want to refuse a total ban on their passengers because ____ .
A they have other effective safety measures to fall back on
B they don’t believe there is such a danger as radio interfe
rence
C the effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved
D most passengers refuse to take a plane which bans the use of radio.
. Why is it difficult to see the effects of electromagnetic fields on computers ?
A Experts lack proper equipment to such research .
B It is dangerous to carry out such research on an airplane .
C It remains a question what wave lengths are to be interfered with .
D Scientists are not able to produce the same effects in laboratory ..
It can be inferred from the passage that the author ___ .
A hasn’t formed his own opinion on this problem
B has fully understood the danger of electromagnetic interference
C regards it is as unreasonable to exercise a total ban during fligh
t
D is in favor of banning passengers’ use of electronic devices
If there is one thing I’m sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers. It is not that newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people reading a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.
The nature of what is news may change. What basically makes news is what affects our lives—the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic(基因)engineering. In the future, I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do—as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.
It’s quite possible that in the next century newspapers wil
l be transmitted(传送)electronically from Fleet Street and printed out in our own home. In fact, I’m pretty sure how it will happen in the future. You will probably be able to choose from a menu, making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read—sports and international 
news, etc. .
I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media. They actually feed off each other. Some people once foresaw that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn’t happened. What is read on the printed page lasts longer than pictures on a screen or sound lost in the air. And as for the Internet, it’s never really pleasant to read something just on a screen. .
. What is the best title for the passage?
A The Best Way to Get News
B The Changes of Media
C Make Your Own Newspaper
D The Future of Newspaper.
In the writer’s opinion, in the future,_____.
A. more big political affairs, wars and disasters will make news
B. newspapers will not be printed in publishing houses any longer
C newspapers will cover more scientific research
D more and more people will watch TV.
From the passage, we can infer____.
A newspapers will win the competition among the different medi
a
B newspapers will stay with us together with other media
C television will take the place of newspaper
D the writer believes some media will die out.
. The phrase “feed off” in the last paragraph means____.
A depend onB compete with C fight with D kill off