Franz Schubert was a well-known musician in the world. But he lived a very hard life and often went hungry. One day, being very hungry, he went into a small restaurant in Vienna, hoping he might meet some friends there. He looked around and saw nobody he could borrow any money from. Then his eyes fell on a paper on one of the tables. In it was a little poem. He took the paper with the poem. After he composed a piece of music for the poem, he took his work to the owner of the restaurant. He only received a dish of beef and potato for it. thirty years after his death, this manuscript(手稿) by Schubert was sold for 40 00c francs. it was his famous berceuse(摇篮曲).Schubert often
| A．had his meal in restaurants |
| B．looked for his friends there |
| C．ate beef and potato there |
| D．had not enough food to eat |
Schubert went into a restaurant because he thought
| A．the owner might give him some food |
| B．he could eat the food without money |
| C．some friends of his might be there and lend him some money |
| D．he could write his famous berceuse there |
From the passage we didn't know that____________.
| A．where Schubert composed his famous berceuse |
| B．why Schubert composed his famous berceuse |
| C．whether it was hard for Schubert to make a living |
| D．who bought his famous berceuse for 40 000 francs |
The best title for the passage should be_________.
| A．the hard life of Schubert |
| B．Schubert and restaurant owner |
| C．Franz Schubert in a hotel |
| D．Franz Schubert and his berceuse |
About twenty of us had been fortunate enough to receive invitations to a film-studio(影棚)to take part in a crowd-scene. Although our "act" would last only for a short time, we could see quite a number of interesting things.
We all stood at the far end of the studio as workmen prepared the scene, setting up trees at the edge of a winding path. Very soon, bright lights were turned on and the big movie-camera was
wheeled into position. The director shouted something to the camera operator and then went to speak to the two famous actors nearby. Since it was hot in the studio, it came as a surprise to us to see one of the actors put on a heavy overcoat and start walking along the path. A big fan began blowing tiny white feathers down on him, and soon the trees were covered in "snow". Two more fans were turned on, and a "strong wind" blew through the trees. The picture looked so real that it made us feel cold.
The next scene was a complete contrast (对比). The way it was filmed was quite unusual. Pictures in front taken on an island in the Pacific were shown on a glass screen (幕). An actor and actress stood of the scene so that they looked as if they were at the water’s edge on an island. By a simple trick like this, palm trees, sandy beaches, and blue, clear skies had been brought into the studio!
Since it was our turn next, we were left wondering what scene would be prepared for us. For a full three minutes in our lives we would be experiencing the excitement of being film "stars"!Who is the author?
| A．A cameraman. |
| B．A film director. |
| C．A crowd-scene actor. |
| D．A workman for scene setting. |
What made the author feel cold?
| A．The heavy snowfall. |
| B．The man-made scene. |
| C．The low temperature. |
| D．The film being shown. |
What would happen in the "three minutes" mentioned in the last paragraph?
| A．A new scene would be filmed. |
| B．More stars would act in the film. |
| C．The author would leave the studio. |
| D．The next scene would be prepared. |
Honey(蜂蜜)from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people, and many animals, like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees' nest(巢)and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper一a little bird called a honey guide.
The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax (蜂蜡) in the beehives (蜂房). The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees’ nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or people as it leads them to the nest. When they
finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey, and the wax, always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.
Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very determined in its efforts to get it. The birds seem to be able to smell wax from a long distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.Why is it difficult to find a wild bees' nest?
| A．It's small in size. |
| B．It's hidden in trees. |
| C．It's covered with wax. |
| D．It's hard to recognize. |
What do the words "the follower" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．A bee. | B．A bird. |
| C．A honey seeker. | D．A beekeeper. |
The honey guide is special in the way________.
| A．it gets its food |
| B．it goes to church |
| C．it sings in the forest |
| D．it reaches into bees' nests |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Wild Bees |
| B．Beekeeping in Africa |
| C．Wax and Honey |
| D．Honey-Lover's Helper |
Holidays are really important. Many of us will have childhood memories of summer holidays where we were taken away from home to experience new environments and learn in different ways.
But holidays are expensive and, for those on low wages or living on benefits, they are often unobtainable. Even the cheapest holidays require travel and other additional costs that are difficult for many families to meet.
For working parents, the long summer break can be a very difficult problem for childcare. When an annual leave allowance amounts to only five weeks, there is a need to spread this across the year. Couples can find themselves taking leave in turn in order to care for children who are on holiday. For some ’ this makes even an affordable family holiday difficult.
The schools that I visit in Nottingham are full of experienced staff committed to giving our children a caring and inspiring learning environment. The number of children receiving free school meals is quite large in Nottingham and many schools have breakfast clubs to make sure that children get a healthy start to the day. Most schools undertake programs of group or individual educational support. Schools also have an important role in sofeguaiding children's welfare through the ongoing touch and support with their pupils. During the long summer holidays, much of this is missed.
While teachers are holidaying in the UK, many of their pupils spend the whole six weeks on the street where they live. The lack of free school meals for six weeks can result in pressure on a family budget and an inability to afford the inspiring experiences that help children to continue their learning.
In setting out its plans for a five-term year, Nottingham City Council (委员会)is seeking to reduce the summer holiday down lo four and a half weeks, with a more balanced five terms of roughly eight weeks, each followed by a two-week break. We believe this will give real “down time" for school staff and pupils alike but will be short enough not to cause a real break in learning.
We acknowledge that this change may be difficult for some school staff, particularly whose own children are educated in other authorities. However, this must be weighed against the benefits for city children for whom we all have the greatest duty of care. The passage is probably written by.
| A．an experienced teacher | B．a working parent |
| C．an inspired student | D．a city council member |
The underlined word "they" in the second paragraph refers to "’.
| A．environments | B．holidays | C．wages | D．benefits |
It is suggested in the passage that the summer break be reduced to.
| A．2 weeks | B．4.5 weeks | C．5 weeks | D．6 weeks |
The plans for a shorter summer holiday will help students_____ .
| A．obtain the cheapest holidays without additional costs |
| B．get a chance to spend six weeks a term with teachers in school |
| C．benefit more from the caring and inspiring learning environment |
| D．have more school days to receive free school meals |
It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．working parents can enjoy a five-week break to care for their children |
| B．the suggested plans for a five-term school year can hardly be carried out |
| C．the long summer holiday gives teachers and students real "down time" |
| D．some school staff will say “ No" to the plans for a shorter summer holiday |
Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well, apparently it's because we have mirror neurons (神经元）in our brains.
Put simply, the existence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something, our brains imitate (模仿)it，whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile, talk, walk, dance or play sports. But the idea goes further： mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions y they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains, but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages, and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to ( for example ："The hand took hold of the ball" ) , the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example, actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much researeh suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning. However, it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with ever more information concerning how humans behave and interact(互动）.Indeed, it may turn out to be the equivalent (相等物）for ncurosciencc of what Einstein's theory of relativity was for physics. And the next time you feel the urge to cough in the cinema when someone else does--well，perhaps you'll understand why.
| 1． |
Mirror neurons can explain.
|
| 2． |
The underlined word "triggered" in the third paragraph probably means ""
|
| 3． |
We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons .
|
| 4． |
What is the passage mainly about?
|
Finally, a cell phone
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“Well, I finally did it. I finally decided to enter the digital age and get a cell phone. My kids have been annoying me and the last straw was when my car broke down, and I was stuck by the highway for an hour before someone stopped to help. But when I went to the cell phone store, I almost changed my mind. The phones all have cameras, computers and a "global-positioning" something or other that's supposed to spot me from space. Goodness, all I want to do is to be able to talk to my grandkids ！ The people at the store weren't much help. They couldn't understand why someone wouldn't want a phone the size of a postage stamp. And the rate plans! They were confusing, and expensive… and the'contract (合同）lasted for two years! I'd almost given up until a friend told me about her new Jitterbug phone. Now,I have the convenience and safety of being about to stay in touch with a phone I can actually use. ”
Affordable plans that I can understand一and no contract to sign (签订）！ Unlike other cell phones，Jitterbug has plans that make sense. Why should I pay for minutes I m never going to use? And if I do talk more than I plan，I won ’t find myself with no minutes like my friend who has a prepaid phone. Best of all, there is no contract to sign_so I m not locked in for years at a time. The US-based customer service is second to none. And the phone gets service anywhere in the country.
| Monthly Minutes |
50 |
100 |
| Monthly Rate |
$14.99 |
S19.99 |
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FREE |
FREE |
| Long Distance Calls |
No additional charge |
No additional charge |
| Friendly Return Policy |
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Call 1-888-809-8794 or visit www. jitlerbugdirect. com.What made “I” finally think of getting a cell phone?
| A．Being stuck by the highway. |
| B．Being urged by his grandkids. |
| C．Being persuaded by cell phone salespersons. |
| D．Being attracted by the friendly return policy. |
On the monthly basis of 100 minutes, the Jitterbug weekly rate is about.
| A．$3.75 | B．$4.99 | C．$14.99 | D．$19.99 |
An advantage of Jitterbug mentioned in the passage is .
| A．its discount price with a free gift |
| B．its reasonable rate plans without a contract |
| C．its M global-positioning" system with 911 access |
| D．its good customer service all over the world |
The main purpose of the passage is to.
| A．tell a customer's story of Jitterbug |
| B．provide two ways to order Jitterbug |
| C．give a brief introduction of Jitterbug |
| D．attract potential customers to Jitterbug； |