For some people, music is no fun at all. About four percent of the population is what scientists call “amusic.” People who are amusic are born without the ability to recognize or reproduce musical notes (音调). Amusic people often cannot tell the difference between two songs. Amusics can only hear the difference between two notes if they are very far apart on the musical scale.
As a result, songs sound like noise to an amusic. Many amusics compare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other. Life can be hard for amusics. Their inability to enjoy music set them apart from others. It can be difficult for other people to identify with their condition. In fact, most people cannot begin to grasp what it feels like to be amusic. Just going to a restaurant or a shopping mall can be uncomfortable or even painful. That is why many amusics intentionally stay away from places where there is music. However, this can result in withdrawal and social isolation. “I used to hate parties,” says Margaret, a seventy-year-old woman who only recently discovered that she was amusic. By studying people like Margaret, scientists are finally learning how to identify this unusual condition.
Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different from the brains of people who can appreciate music. The difference is complex, and it doesn’t involve defective hearing. Amusics can understand other nonmusical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding ordinary speech. Scientists compare amusics to people who just can’t see certain colors.
Many amusics are happy when their condition is finally diagnosed. For years, Margaret felt embarrassed about her problem with music. Now she knows that she is not alone. There is a name for her condition. That makes it easier for her to explain. “When people invite me to a concert, I just say, ‘No thanks, I’m amusic,’” says Margaret. “I just wish I had learned to say that when I was seventeen and not seventy.” Which of the following is true of amusics?
A.Listening to music is far from enjoyable for them. |
B.They love places where they are likely to hear music. |
C.They can easily tell two different songs apart. |
D.Their situation is well understood by musicians. |
According to paragraph 3, a person with “defective hearing” is probably one who ______.
A.dislikes listening to speeches | B.can hear anything nonmusical |
C.has a hearing problem | D.lacks a complex hearing system |
In the last paragraph, Margaret expressed her wish that ______.
A.her problem with music had been diagnosed earlier |
B.she were seventeen years old rather than seventy |
C.her problem could be easily explained |
D.she were able to meet other amusics |
What is the passage mainly concerned with?
A.Amusics’ strange behaviours. |
B.Some people’s inability to enjoy music. |
C.Musical talent and brain structure. |
D.Identification and treatment of amusics. |
Modern life is comfortable. Meanwhile, it is costly. As price and building costs keep rising, the do-it-yourself (DIY) trend (趋势) in the U.S. continues to grow.
“We need furniture for our living-room,” says John Ross, “and we just didn’t have enough money to buy it. So we decide to try making a few tables and chairs.” John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a 2-week course for $280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe-making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $420. “I was deeply upset about it. Now I’ve finished a car repair course. I should be able to fix the car by myself.”
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living.
If you want to become a “do-it-yourselfer”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don’t have time to take the course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.We can learn from the second paragraph that ______.
A.many young people have difficulty building a house |
B.many newly married people take DIY courses for fun |
C.John and his wife make or repair things to save money |
D.John and his wife build their furniture to improve the quality of life |
When the writer says that Jim has a full-time job at home, he means Jim ______.
A.keeps house and looks after his children |
B.does extra work at night |
C.does his own car and home repairs |
D.makes shoes in his home |
Jim Hatfield decided to become a do-it-yourselfer when ______.
A.he had to raise the children all by himself |
B.his car repairs cost too much |
C.he could not possibly do two jobs |
D.The car repair class wasn’t helpful |
In a world with limited land, water and other natural resources, the harm from the traditional business model is on the rise. Actually, the past decade has seen more and more forests disappearing and globe becoming increasingly warm. People now realize that this unhealthy situation must be changed, and that we must be able to develop in sustainable (可持续的) ways. That means growth with low carbon or development of sustainable products. In other words, we should keep the earth healthy while using its supply of natural resources.
Today, sustainable development is a popular trend in many countries. According to a recent study, the global market for low-carbon energy will become three times bigger over the next decade. China, for example, has set its mind on leading that market, hoping to seize chances in the new round of the global energy revolution. It is now trying hard to make full use of wind and solar energy, and is spending a huge amount of money making electric cars and high-speed trains. In addition, we are also seeing great growth in the global markets for sustainable products such as palm oil (棕榈油), which is produced without cutting down valuable rainforest. In recent years the markets for sustainable products have grown by more than 50%.
Governments can fully develop the potential of these new markets. First, they can set high targets for reducing carbon emissions (排放) and targets for saving and reusing energy. Besides, stronger arrangement of public resources like forests can also help to speed up the development. Finally, governments can avoid the huge expenses that are taking us in the wrong direction, and redirecting some of those expenses can accelerate the change from traditional model to a sustainable one.
The major challenge of this century is to find ways to meet the needs of a growing population within the limits of this single planet. That is no small task, but it offers abundant new chances for sustainable product industries.The traditional business model is harmful because of all the following EXCEPT that ______.
A.It makes the world warmer |
B.it consumes natural resources |
C.it brings severe damage to forests |
D.it makes growth hard to continue |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To introduce a new business model. |
B.To advocate sustainable development. |
C.To predict a change of the global market. |
D.To compare two business models. |
To fully develop the low-carbon markets, government can ______.
A.cut public expenses |
B.forbid carbon emissions |
C.develop public resources |
D.encourage energy preservation |
We can learn from the last paragraph that businesses have many chances to ______.
A.develop sustainable products |
B.explore new natural resources |
C.make full use of natural resources |
D.deal with the major challenge |
Can dogs and cats live in perfect harmony(和谐) in the same home? People who are thinking about adopting a dog as a friend for their cats are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found a new recipe of success. According to the study, if the cat is adopted before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. Two-thirds of the homes interviewed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog.
However, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals were just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals aggression, while a dog doing the same signals submission.
In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behavior. They are learning how to talk each other’s language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk ‘Dog’, and dogs can learn how to talk ‘Cat’.
What’s interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn to read each other’s body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than was previously suspected. Once familiar with each other’s presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom (梳理) each other.
The significance of this research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets --- to people who don’t get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.The underlined word “swimmingly” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
A.early | B.sweetly | C.quickly | D.smoothly |
Some cats and dogs may fight when ______.
A.they are cold to each other |
B.they look away from each other |
C.they misunderstand each other’s signals |
D.they are introduced at an early age |
It is suggested in Paragraph 4 that cats and dogs ______.
A.have common interests |
B.are less different than was thought |
C.have a common body language |
D.are less intelligent than was expected |
What can we human beings learn from cats and dogs?
A.We should learn to live in harmony. |
B.We should know more about animals. |
C.We should live in peace with animals. |
D.We should learn more body languages. |
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I’m Margaret, looking for a person with a positive outlook on life to share the bedroom in a
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LYG2560@sohu. comMargaret is now looking for _________.
A.her lost cat | B.an apartment |
C.a job | D.a roommate |
Which of the following is NOT the requirement of EL house?
A.Experienced in exam preparations. |
B.Experienced in teaching Chinese. |
C.Excellent command of English. |
D.Degree holder. |
To look for a person to work in your restaurant,you can contact ________.
A.LYG2560@sohu. com | B.MLCT@sina. com |
C.Backer1896@126. com | D.JGHTR@gmail. Com |
A nine-year-old kid was sitting at his desk when suddenly there was a puddle (some water or liquid) between his feet and the front of his trousers was wet. He thought his heart was going to stop because he couldn’t possibly imagine how this had happened. It had never happened before, and he knew that when the boys found out he would never hear the end of it. When the girls found out, they would never speak to him again as long as he lived.
He prayed this prayer, “Dear God, I need help now! Five minutes from now I’m dead meat! ” He looked up from his prayer and here came the teacher with a look in her eyes that said he had been discovered. As the teacher was walking toward him, a classmate named Susie was carrying a goldfish bowl full of water. Susie tripped (绊倒) in front of the teacher and dumped (倒)the bowl of water in the boy’s lap. The boy pretended to be angry, but all the while he was saying to himself, “Thank you. God! ”
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule(嘲笑), the boy was the object of sympathy(同情). The teacher rushed him downstairs and gave him gym shorts to put on while his trousers dried out. All the other children were on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy was wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his had been transferred (转移) to someone else—Susie. She tried to help, but they told her to get out.
When school was over, the boy walked over to Susie and whispered, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Susie whispered back, “I wet my trousers once, too!”The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 means ________.
A.the boys would never play with him |
B.the boys would treat him as usual |
C.he would hardly hear any praise from the boys |
D.he would be laughed at by the boys endlessly |
After Susie dumped water in his lap, the boy was in a state of _________.
A.excitement | B.relief | C.anxiety | D.anger |
What did the other kids do after the incident?
A.They offered him dry clothes. |
B.They laughed at the boy rudely. |
C.They helped the boy do the cleaning. |
D.They urged the boy to get out angrily. |
Why did Susie dump water in the boy’s lap?
A.The boy asked her to do so. |
B.She just did it by accident. |
C.The teacher tripped her on purpose. |
D.She knew the boy’s embarrassment.(尴尬) |