In the early part of the twentieth century, racism was widespread in the United States. Many African Americans were not given equal opportunities in education or employment. Marian Anderson (1897-1993) was an African American woman who gained fame as a concert singer in this climate of racism. She was born in Philadelphia and sang in church choirs during her childhood. When she applied for admission to a local music school in 1917, she was turned down because she was black. Unable to attend music school, she began her career as a singer for church gatherings. In 1929, she went to Europe to study voice and spent several years performing there. Her voice was widely praised throughout Europe. Then she returned to the US in 1935 and became a top concert singer after performing at Town Hall in New York City.
Racism again affected Anderson in 1939. When it was arranged for her to sing at Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, the Daughters of the American Revolution opposed it because of her color. She sang instead at the Lincoln Memorial for over 75 000 people. In 1955, Anderson became the first black soloist to sing win the Metropolitan Opera of New York City. The famous conductor Toscanini praised her voice as “heard only once in a hundred years”. She was a US delegate to the United Nations in 1958 and won the UN peace prize in 1977. Anderson eventually triumphed over racism. According to this passage, what did Marian Anderson do between 1917 and 1929?
| A．She studied at a music school. | B．She sang for religious activities. |
| C．She sang at Town Hall in New York. | D．She studied voice in Europe. |
Toscanini thought that Marian Anderson .
| A．had a very rare voice | B．sang occasionally in public |
| C．sang only once in many years | D．was seldom heard by people |
Anderson’s beautiful voice was first recognized .
A. at the Lincoln Memorial B. in Washington, DC.
C. in Europe D. at the United NationsThis passage shows that Anderson finally defeated racism in the US by .
| A．protesting to the government | B．appealing to the United Nations |
| C．demonstrating in the streets | D．working hard to perfect her art |
Listening test is one of the most important parts of the English exam. Here are some tips for you.
Before you start to listen, you need to relax. Don’t be stressed out. And try to read the questions. These questions usually help you understand the conversation or the passage.
Then listen carefully to the first sentence. It usually tells you the main idea of the passage. When you’re listening, try to do some thinking and take some notes, such as:
☆What happened?
☆When, where, and how?
☆What does the speaker want to tell us?
In this way, you may understand the passage better.
Please remember not to think about one or two words for a long time. When you hear some words you don’t know, don’t spend too much time on them. Very often, you’ll find out what they mean later when you go on with the listening.This passage mainly talks about_________.
| A．tips on listening |
| B．tips on speaking |
| C．tips on reading |
| D．tips on writing |
It’s better for you to keep ________when you start to have a listening test.
| A．excited | B．relaxed |
| C．stressed out | D．worried |
We should listen to the first sentence carefully, because it usually tells us________.
| A．the answers to the questions |
| B．where to write the answers |
| C．the main idea of the passage |
| D．how much time left (剩余) for the listening test |
When you’re listening, it’s important for you to_________.
| A．remember every word |
| B．take some notes |
| C．understand all the words |
| D．think about one or two words for a long time |
The _______ usually help(s) us understand(理解) the passage(文章) better.
| A．questions | B．first sentence |
| C．notes | D．A, B and C |
| Title |
Time |
Event |
Grandmother Student |
today |
An 83-year-old great grandmother received a bachelor’s degree(学士学位) from South-Eastern University today, more than 50 years after she took her first college course. |
| Early Spring Storm |
last night |
An early spring heavy snow dumped 18 inches of snow on the city in less than six hours last night. |
| Two Men Win Freedom |
today |
Two men picked up for disorderly conduct(不法行为) won their freedom today when they helped police officers save 20 persons from burning North Side apartment building. |
| Henley Street Bridge Closed |
On Friday |
The Henley Street Bridge over the Tennessee will be closed at 8:00 on Friday, a State Highway official said today. |
| Husband Kills Wife |
today |
Just 15 minutes after he shot and killed his unfriendly wife, a 22-year-old truck driver jumped to his death from the State Street Bridge. |
From the first piece of news we know that ______.
| A．it took the old woman over 50 years to study at South-Eastern University. |
| B．the great grandmother was the oldest who received a bachelor’s degree. |
| C．the 83-year-old woman’s story surprised everyone. |
| D．the 83-year-old woman has a strong will. |
The underlined word “dumped” means______.
| A．fell | B．left | C．hit | D．lasted |
In the third piece of news, “picked up” means ______.
| A．given a ride | B．saved from danger |
| C．freed | D．caught |
Which of the following is right according to the last piece of news?
| A．The wife was a 22-year-old truck driver. |
| B．The wife was shot after her husband died. |
| C．Shortly after having shot his wife, the young truck driver finished himself. |
| D．The wife died, but the husband didn’t. |
Which is TRUE according to the news above?
| A．A person who is about 70 years old can get a bachelor’s degree. |
| B．It never snows heavily at night in spring. |
| C．There were only 20 persons living in North Side apartment building. |
| D．Maybe today is Wednesday. |
One day Mrs. Perry said to her husband, Jack, there is a meeting of our ladies’ club at Mrs. Young’s house at lunch time today. And I want to go to it. I’ll leave you some food for your lunch. Is that all right?”
“Oh, yes,” her husband answered, “that’s quite all right. What are you going to leave for my lunch?”
“This tin of fish.” Mrs. Perry said. “And there are some cold boiled potatoes and some beans here, too.”
“Good,” Mr. Perry answered. “I’ll have a good lunch.”
So Mrs. Perry went to her meeting. All the ladies had lunch at Mrs. Young’s house , and at three o’clock she came home.
“Was your fish nice?” asked she.
“Yes, but my feet are hurting,” he answered.
“Why are they hurting?”
“Well, the words on the tin were Open the tin and stand in hot water for five minutes.”Which of the following is not true?
| A．Mrs. Perry arrived at Mrs. Young’s before lunch. |
| B．Mr. Perry had a good lunch. |
| C．Mrs. Perry wanted to test her husband. |
| D．Mr. Perry liked fish. |
Jack had his feet hurt _______.
| A．when he was opening the tin |
| B．when he was helping himself to the fish |
| C．before he opened the tin |
| D．after he opened the tin |
“Open the tin and stand in hot water for five minutes” means _______.
| A．you should open the tin and stand in hot water for 5 minutes |
| B．you should open the tin but not stand in hot water for 5 minutes |
| C．you should not open the tin but stand in hot water for 5 minutes |
| D．you should open the tin and let it stand in hot water for 5 minutes |
In one way of thinking, failure is part of life. In another way, failure may be a way towards success. The “spider-story” is often told. Robert Bruce, leader of the Scots in the 13th century, was hiding in a cave from the English. He watched a spider making a web(网). The spider tried to reach across a rough place in the rock. He tried six times. On the seventh time he made it and went on to make his web. Bruce is said to have been encouraged by this and to have gone on to defeat the English. Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, made hundreds of models that failed before he found the right way to make one. Once he was asked why he kept on trying to make a new type of battery when he had failed so often, he replied, “Failure? I have no failure. Now I know 50,000 ways it won’t work.”
So what? First, always think about your failure. What caused it? Were conditions right? Were you in top form yourself? What can you change so things will go right next time?
Second, is the goal you’re trying to reach the right one? Try to do some thinking about what your real goals may be. Think about this question, “If I do succeed in this, where will it get me?” This may help you prevent failure in things you shouldn’t be doing anyway.
The third thing to keep in mind about failure is that it’s a part of life. Learn to “live with yourself” even though you may have failed.This passage deals with _____.
| A．failure and success |
| B．two sides of failure |
| C．the “spider-story” |
| D．the invention of light bulb |
In the first paragraph the writer tells mainly about _____.
| A．the value of failure | B．how people fail |
| C．famous failures | D．how not to fail |
The thing the writer does not tell you to do to deal with failure is _____.
| A．check out your goals to see if they are right for you |
| B．think about failure as part of your life |
| C．think about failure to find out what went wrong |
| D．keep away from things that are beyond you |
Even if we have failed we should _____.
| A．learn to forget it | B．learn to remember it |
| C．learn to enjoy it | D．learn to accept it |
| Writer/ Time |
Topic: Who’s a better singer, Andy Lau (刘德华) or Jacky Cheung (张学友)? |
| Jim 8-15-2006 5:25 pm. |
Some people say Jacky is the best Chinese singer. I don’t think so! Andy is the best. I went to his concert last year. It was so wonderful, I almost cried! OK, I did cry, but that’s because Andy is so handsome! |
| Tom 9-3-2006 4:38 pm. |
I disagree with Jim. Andy sounds like every other singer. His voice is nothing special. On the other hand, Jacky’s voice is unique, and his songs are so romantic! |
| Linda 9-10-2006 8:54 pm. |
I think they’re about the same. But Andy is a better actor. I’ve seen almost all of his movies. Remember the one where he was an airplane pilot, and his plane crashed near a farm? I love that movie! |
| John 9-16-2006 10:25 pm. |
I also think Jacky is a better singer. I prefer his Cantonese songs. Maybe they sound better because Cantonese is his first language. |
| Tom 10-2-2006 10:12 am. |
I agree. Jacky’s Cantonese songs are better than his Mandarin songs. (Though, I still like all his songs!) |
Who likes Andy Lau the best? __________.
| A．Jim | B．Tom |
| C．Linda | D．John |
Why did Jim cry? Because ___________.
| A．she was sad at a concert. |
| B．she had a broken heart. |
| C．she was angry at Jacky Cheung |
| D．she thought Andy Lau was very good looking |
Why does John think Jacky’s Cantonese songs sound the best? Because _________.
| A．Jacky has no experience singing in Mandarin |
| B．it’s his native language |
| C．his mandarin pronunciation is bad |
| D．Jacky’s Mandarin songs are boring |
Which of the following is TRUE? __________
| A．Nobody likes Andy’s movies. |
| B．Tom has the same opinion as John. |
| C．Tom thinks Andy’s voice is more special than Jacky’s. |
| D．Jim has never seen an Andy Lau concert. |