Jean-Michael Lourdis was a promising young pianist. But when the young man played, it seemed to him, as if his hands were iron. He worried so much about his playing that he became oversensitive (过度敏感的) to the comments of his playing. Unfortunately, in those days, a critic(批评家) was not considered a critic, unless he found something wrong. This attitude of the critics would often leave the young man ready to give up his dream and return home.
He was invited to play in Helsinki. The rich, the famous, the leaders of State were all there. Jean-Michael had one of those days when everything went wrong. That night as he played, he felt as if it were the worst concert of his young life. The next day, in the newspapers, some of the comments were so unkind. The young musician was painful.
That day, as he sat in his hotel room in total despair(绝望), there came a knocking at his door. He had a visitor.The famous Finnish composer(作曲家) Jean Sibelius had come by to congratulate the young pianist on his performance. Jean-Michael asked how he thought of that and began to quote some of the newspaper critics. “ Hands of iron. No imagination. Little skill. No joy. Don't you hear what they say?” he asked.
Jean Sibelius looked at young Jean-Michael and said, “Remember, son, there is no city in the world where they have erected a statue(雕像) for a critic.”According to the passage, Jean-Michael Lourdis _______.
| A．was a bad pianist |
| B．cared too much about what the critics had said |
| C．refused to play in Helsinki |
| D．was praised highly by the critics |
A critic in those days usually _______.
| A．found fault with musicians' performances |
| B．said kind and encouraging words to musicians |
| C．helped musicians become famous |
| D．asked more people to go to concerts |
The young musician was painful because _________.
| A．he was very strict with himself |
| B．he didn’t trust himself |
| C．some of the comments were so unkind |
| D．he felt lonely in his hotel room |
Jean Sibelius came to visit the young musician because ________.
| A．he wanted to tell the young man the critics were right |
| B．he wanted to tell the young man not to lose his temper at that time |
| C．he wanted to tell the young man his performance was great |
| D．he wanted to tell the young man to respect the critics’ opinion |
The rat is named Lola and she’s at the top of her class of risk-running animals being trained to smell out landmines (地雷) in Colombia, home to the world’s highest number of mine-related deaths and injuries last year. Of the victims, many are children who died in the accidents while walking to school or playing in the countryside.
The smartest rat among the first six that the government is teaching to locate landmines equipment planted by rebels(叛乱者) has a 90 percent success rate in locating landmines material in her lab training.
Police animal trainers, tired of seeing their landmines-smelling dogs blown up by stepping on mines, hope the white-furred, pink-eyed creature will lead her classmates through coming open field tests and then into the country mine fields before the end of the year. It takes about 400 grams of pressure to detonate (引爆) a mine while Lola only weighs about 220 grams. “The dogs can easily set off the landmines, sometimes killing people nearby,” they said.
Police animal trainer Jose Pineda says that rats have more sensitive noses than dogs, which should allow them to better smell out mines in difficult terrain (地形).
Plus, it takes the police about six months to train mine-smelling dogs. Training the rats is expected to take about half that time once the program is established.
Trainers think that they are much smarter than the dogs. The second-best scorer in the laboratory is Lucrecia, with an 83 percent success rate. Males, such as one named Runcho, have fallen behind until now but may do better in the coming field tests. Pineda said that the next step of training will present new challenges to the rats as they are sure to meet distractions (分心的事) in the open. What do the underlined words “the accidents” in the first paragraph mean?
| A．Children were shot while playing outside. |
| B．A buried landmine was walked on and set off. |
| C．A rebel blew up a landmine and killed children. |
| D．Children got hurt in traffic accidents on the way to school. |
Which of the following is NOT a reason why rats are chosen to find buried landmines?
| A．They have a good sense of smell. |
| B．They are too light to set off buried landmines. |
| C．They can smell all kinds of explosive materials. |
| D．They cost people less time in terms of training |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Rats will perform as well in the open air as in the lab. |
| B．Until now, female rats are better than the male ones. |
| C．Trainers should have chosen only female rats for the program. |
| D．Because they are foolish, dogs are not preferred for the program. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Dogs Bring Peace to the People in Colombia |
| B．Colombia Develops a New Way to Reduce Deaths |
| C．Buried Landmines are a Great Danger to Colombians |
| D．Colombian Police Train Rats to Sniff Out Landmines |
The question this week comes from our listener Herve Acard, who asks about the American word “OK”, which means “all right” or “acceptable”. It expresses agreement or approval. The word is used more often than any other word in the world.
Language expert Allen Walker Read said the word began as a short way of writing a different spelling of the words “all correct”. Old stories say some foreign-born people would write “all correct” as o-l-l k-o-r-r-e-c-t and spoke it as “OK”. Some people say it came from the Native American Indian tribe known as the Choctaws. The Choctaw word “okeh” means the same as the American word “OK”. Experts say early explorers in the Western America spoke the Choctaw language in the nineteenth century. The language spread across the country.
According to some people, “OK” was a way to shorten Greek words that mean everything is fine. It is also said that a railroad worker named Obadiah Kelly invented the word. He is said to have put the first letters of his names — O and K — on each object people gave him to place on the train.
Another explanation is that “OK” was invented by a political organization that supported Martin Van Buren for president in the 1800s. They called their organization the OK Club. The letters O and K were taken from the name of the town where Martin Van Buren was born — Old Kinderhook, New York.
Not everyone agrees with these explanations, but experts do agree that the word is purely American and has spread to almost every country on Earth. Yet in the United States, it is used mostly in speech. Serious writers prefer using words, such as “agree”, “approve” or “confirm” instead.Where does the passage probably come from?
| A．A newspaper. | B．A textbook. |
| C．A radio program. | D．A language magazine. |
Of the following origins, which one has the same meaning as the American word “OK”?
| A．The OK Club |
| B．The Choctaw word “okeh” |
| C．The word invented by Martin Van Buren |
| D．The short form of “all correct” |
According to the passage, which statement is NOT true?
A. People disagree about the origin of “OK”.
B. “OK” is often used in formal writing in the USA.
C. The word “OK” is widely used all over the world.
D. Native American language once influenced American English.
Children pushed in buggies which face away from their parents may suffer longterm emotional（情感的）and language problems，according to a study published on Friday.
The research，believed to be the first of its kind，found that children who were not facing the person pushing them were less likely to talk，laugh and communicate with their parents.
The findings were based on a study of 2,722 parents and babies and an experiment where 20 babies were wheeled in buggies for a mile，facing their parents for half the journey and facing away for the other half. Parents using facetoface buggies were twice as likely to talk to their children while the babies’ heart rates fell and they were twice as likely to fall asleep，showing that they were feeling relaxed and safe.
In addition，only one baby out of the 20 studied laughed while sitting in an awayfacing buggy.
“Our data(数据) suggests that for many babies today，life in a buggy is emotionally impoverished and possibly stressful. Stressed babies grow into anxious adults，” said Dr Suzanne Zeedyk，Developmental Psychologist at Scotland’s Dundee University who carried out the research.
The study，which was published by National Literacy Trust as part of its “Talk To Your Baby” campaign，found that 62 percent of all children observed travelled in awayfacing buggies.
Zeedyk said it would have a negative effect on babies’ development if they spent a long time in awayfacing buggies，which would be bad to their ability to communicate with their parent at a time when their brain was developing rapidly.
Laura Barbour of the Sutton Trust，a social mobility charity which funded the research，said buggy manufacturers(制造商) should look closely at the findings.Using awayfacing buggies may________.
| A．benefit both the babies and their parents |
| B．affect babies’ language ability permanently |
| C．help babies communicate with their parents |
| D．have positive effect on babies’ development |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Parents may talk twice with the babies in awayfacing buggies. |
| B．The study suggests children feel relaxed and safe in buggies. |
| C．The samples (案例)of the study were 20 babies wheeled in buggies. |
| D．One of the 20 babies was twice as likely to fall asleep in buggies. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Best for Kids to Face Parents in Buggy |
| B．Best for Kids to Communicate with Parents |
| C．Stressed Babies Grow into Anxious Adults |
| D．Buggy Manufacturers Care about the Finding |
I began working in journalism when I was eight. It was my mother’s idea. She wanted me to “make something” of myself, and decided I had better start young if I was to have any chance of keeping up with the competition.
With my load of magazines I headed toward Belleville Avenue. The crowds were there. There were two gas stations on the corner of Belleville and Union. For several hours I made myself highly visible, making sure everyone could see me and the heavy black letters on the bag that said THE SATURDAY EVENING POST. When it was supper time, I walked back home.
“How many did you sell, my boy?” my mother asked.
“None.”
“Where did you go?”
“The corner of Belleville and Union Avenues.”
“What did you do?”
“Stood on the corner waiting for somebody to buy a Saturday Evening Post.”
“You just stood there?”
“Didn’t sell a single one.”
“My God, Russell!”
Uncle Allen put in, “Well, I’ve decided to take the Post.” I handed him a copy and he paid me a nickle(五分镍币). It was the first nickle I earned.
Afterwards my mother taught me how to be a salesman. I would have to ring doorbells, address adults with self-confidence, and persuade them by saying that no one, no matter how poor, could afford to be without the Saturday Evening Post in the home.
One day, I told my mother I’d changed my mind. I didn’t want to make a success in the magazine business.
“If you think you can change your mind like this,” she replied, “you’ll become a good-for-nothing.” She insisted that, as soon as school was over, I should start ringing doorbells, selling magazines. Whenever I said no, she would scold me.
My mother and I had fought this battle almost as long as I could remember. My mother, dissatisfied with my father’s plain workman’s life, determined that I would not grow up like him and his people. But never did she expect that, forty years later, such a successful journalist as me would go back to her husband’s people for true life and love.Why did the boy start his job young?
| A．He wanted to be famous in the future | B．The job was quite easy for him. |
| C．His mother had high hopes for him. | D．The competition for the job was fierce. |
From the dialogue between the boy and his mother, we learn that the mother was _______.
| A．excited | B．interested | C．ashamed | D．disappointed |
What did the mother do when the boy wanted to give up?
| A．She forced him to continue. | B．She punished him. |
| C．She gave him some money. | D．She changed her plan. |
The phrase “this battle” in the last paragraph refers to.
| A．the war between the boy’s parents |
| B．the arguing between the boy and his mother |
| C．the quarrel between the boy and his customers |
| D．the fight between the boy and his father |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．The early life of a journalist. |
| B．The early success of a journalist. |
| C．The happy childhood of the writer. |
| D．The important role of the writer in his family. |
Climbers at the top of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, will now be able to make video calls and surf the Internet on their mobile phones, a Nepalese (尼泊尔的) telecom group claims.
Ncell, a branch company of Swedish phone giant TeliaSonera, said on Thursday it had set up a high-speed third-generation (3G) phone base station at an altitude of 5,200 metres in the Everest region.
“Today we made the world’s highest video call from Mount Everest base camp successfully. The coverage (覆盖范围) of the network will reach up to the peak of Mount Everest,” Ncell Nepal chief Pasi Koistinen told reporters in Kathmandu.
The installation (安装) will also help tens of thousands of tourists and hikers who visit the world’s highest mountain every year.
Climbers who reached its 8,848-metre peak previously depended on expensive satellite phones and a voice-only network set up by China Mobile in 2007 on the Chinese side of the mountain.
“This is a great milestone for mobile communications as the 3G high speed Internet will bring faster, more affordable telecommunication services from the world’s tallest mountain,” said Lars Nyberg, chief executive of TeliaSonera, which owns 80 percent of Ncell.
The 3G services will be fast enough to make video calls and use the Internet, said the company, which also claimed the world’s lowest 3G base at 1,400 metres below sea level in a mine in Europe.
Despite the installation in Mount Everest, telecom services cover less than one-third of the 28 million people of Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the world.
TeliaSonera said it planned to invest $ 100 million in the next year to ensure that mobile coverage increases to more than 90 per cent of the Himalayan nation’s population.
The 3G network on Mount Everest puts TeliaSonera ahead of state-controlled Nepal Telecom, Indian-owned United Telecom and China Mobile.
Around 3,000 people have climbed to the Everest summit since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to conquer the peak in 1953.Who are most likely to benefit from the 3G services at Mount Everest?
| A．The telecom firm. | B．The local residents. |
| C．Travelers to Nepal. | D．Mount Everest explorers. |
According to Lars Nyberg, the 3G services they provide __________.
| A．are fast and convenient | B．are a little expensive |
| C．can make voice-only calls | D．offer free emailing |
What do we know about TeliaSonera?
| A．80 percent of it is owned by Ncell |
| B．It belongs to Nepal Telecom. |
| C．It is in the charge of Pasi Koistinen |
| D．It provides services for Pasi Koistinen. |
What is the best title of the text?
| A．Telecommunication in Nepal |
| B．3G services reach Mt. Everest summit |
| C．TeliaSonera takes lead in communication |
| D．Good news for hikers and climbers |