Most musicians agree that the best violins were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins. But they aren’t the same. Why are these old Italian violins so special? Many people think they have an answer.
Some people think it is the age of the violins. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only those from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer.
Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. The wood of the violin is very important. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremona knew something special about wood for violins.
But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully. It has to be the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this is the secret of the Italians.
Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists make new violins that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old one. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish(清漆), which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. Since no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish, no one can make the same varnish today.
There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. And there are not many of the old violins left. So these old violins are becoming more and more precious.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Secrets of Cremona Violins | B．The History of Italian Violins |
| C．Special Musical Instruments | D．How to Make the Best Violins |
The main purpose of the first paragraph is to_______________.
| A．list some facts | B．raise a question |
| C．give an opinion | D．offer an answer |
What is still unclear about Cremona violins according to the writer?
| A．The shape. | B．The size. | C．The wood. | D．The varnish. |
Which of the following words can best describe Cremona violins?
| A．Light. | B．Shining. | C．Valuable. | D．Modern. |
What can we learn from this passage?
| A．Modern things are always better than ancient ones. |
| B．Ancient things are always better than modern ones. |
| C．Once a cultural relic is lost, it can never be recovered. |
| D．Varnish for violins will become more and more precious. |
Many animal and plant species have become extinct and many more are in critical danger. Finding ways to protect the earth’s wildlife and protect the natural world they inhabit is now more important than ever.
Now many animals remain threatened with extinction as a result of human activity.
The dodo is a classic example of how humans caused damage to the earth’s wildlife. The flightless dodo was native to the Island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It lived off fallen fruit from the island’s trees and lived safely until humans arrived in 1505. The easily controlled bird became a source of food for sailors and was attacked by animals introduced to the island by humans such as pigs and monkeys. The population of dodos rapidly decreased and the last one was killed in 1681.
The rhino(犀牛) horn is a highly prized item for Asian medicine. This has led to the animal being hunted in its natural habitat. Once widespread in Africa, Europe and Asia, most rhinos now live in protected natural parks and reserves. Their numbers have rapidly decreased in the last 50 years, and the animal remains constantly threatened by hunters.
The last 100years has seen a 95% reduction in the numbers of remaining tigers to between 5,000 and 7,000 and the Bali, Javan, and Daspian tigers are already extinct. The South China tiger is close to disappearing, with only 20 to 30 still alive. Like the rhino horn, tigers’ bones and organs are sought after for traditional Chinese medicine. These items are traded illegally along with tiger skins.
The World Wildlife Fund is actively involved in many areas of the world fighting to protect the natural habitats of endangered animals from further damage and curb the activities of hunters. Our own efforts at home and in the workplace can also make a difference. By reducing waste and pollution, saving water, wood, and energy, and reusing and recycling whenever possible, we can reduce the possibility of even more animals being lost, never to return.The purpose of this passage is to ___.
| A．call on us to protect the earth’s wildlife |
| B．let us know about the animal world |
| C．tell us many animals are in great danger |
| D．tell us why many animals are becoming extinct |
The common reason why many animals are facing extinction is that ___ .
| A．they are too easily controlled by humans |
| B．they can be made into highly prized medicine |
| C．they can provide people with delicious meal |
| D．humans kill them for their own interests |
Which of the following statements about the dodo is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．It was native to the Island of Mauritius and could fly very well. |
| B．It struggled to survive until human arrived in 1505. |
| C．Its population decreased only because pigs and monkeys were introduced. |
| D．It was possible for humans to find a dodo before 1681. |
The underlined word “curb” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “___”.
| A．improve |
| B．limit |
| C．cancel |
| D．criticize |
The Internet has come a long way in the last couple of decades, and we’re seeing some noticeable generational trends. For instance, one of my friend’s aunts ”friended me” on Facebook, and I noticed that she had three times the number of Facebook friends as her nephew, despite the fact that she has only recently started to spend more time on the Internet. She spends more time on Facebook than he does. Yet he is part of the younger generation that grew up using the Internet.
The beauty of Facebook is in the packaging of the service. Almost every facet of Facebook is technology that existed from years before: e-mail, instant messaging, photo galleries, personal Web pages, RSS, etc. Facebook has taken these functions, which young people have been able to do for the past decade, and made them more user-friendly, more accessible—for young and older generation alike.
Facebook is the second act in the people’s Internet Revolution; the first being America Online, which spurred the adoption of the Internet in the homes of ordinary Americans. In a similar fashion, Facebook is spurring the adoption of Internet use in demographics that have been dismissed as the non-Internet users. It gives people a reason to be online in a way that simply checking e-mail, the 1996 equivalent, did not. Facebook is active in a way that the general population may find more rewarding.
The ability to communicate (or not communicate) with your friends in different ways also heightens the ‘stickiness’ of the service. For example, it tells you who else is using Facebook right now. You can then exchange instant messages with any of them. There’s always one more thing to check, see, or do on Facebook. It’s like a never-ending dinner party and all your friends and family are invited.Compared with the aunt, the nephew ___.
| A．had 3 times the number of friends |
| B．has spent more time on the Internet all the time |
| C．spends less time on Facebook |
| D．had the access to the Internet only when he grew up |
What does the underlined word in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．Young people |
| B．Old people |
| C．These functions |
| D．Young and old people |
Which is true according to the third paragraph?
| A．Facebook accelerated the adoption of the Internet in the ordinary families. |
| B．America Online was the first act in the Internet Revolution. |
| C．Facebook has spurred the application of the Internet use in demographics. |
| D．America Online spurred the ordinary use in all od the world families. |
Using Facebook, you can ___.
| A．communicate with whoever is using the Facebook right now |
| B．do one thing every time |
| C．have dinner together with your friends and families |
| D．tell you anyone who is not using the Facebook |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The drawbacks and the strengths of the Facebook. |
| B．Facebook makes the communication more convenient for the old and the young. |
| C．People’s Internet Revolution: Facebook. |
| D．Facebook and America Online |
Movie Music
Accustomed though we are to speaking of the films made before 1927 as “silent”, the film has never been, in the full sense of the word, silent. From the very beginning, music was regarded as an indispensable accompaniment; when the Lumiere films were shown at the first public film exhibition in the United States in February 1896, they were accompanied by piano improvisations on popular tunes. At first, the music played bore no special relationship to the films; an accompaniment of any kind was sufficient. Within a very short time, however, the incongruity of playing lively music to a solemn film became apparent, and film pianists began to take some care in matching their pieces to the mood of the film.
As movie theaters grew in number and importance, a violinist, and perhaps a cellist, would be added to the pianist in certain cases, and in the larger movie theaters small orchestras were formed. For a number of years the selection of music for each film program rested entirely in the hands of the conductor or leader of the orchestra, and very often the principal qualification for holding such a position was not skill or taste so much as the ownership of a large personal library of musical pieces. Since the conductor seldom saw the films until the night before they were to be shown(if indeed, the conductor was lucky enough to see them then), the musical arrangement was normally improvised in the greatest hurry.
To help meet this difficulty, film distributing companies started the practice of publishing suggestions for musical accompaniments. In 1909, for example, the Edison Company began issuing with their films such indications of mood as ”pleasant”, “sad”, “lively”. The suggestions became more explicit, and so emerged the musical cue sheet containing indications of mood, the titles of suitable pieces of music, and precise directions to show where on piece led into the next.
Certain films had music especially composed for them. The famous of these early special scores was that composed and arranged for D.W Griffith’s film Birth of a Nation, which was released in 1915.When the Lumiere films were shown in the United States ___.
| A．a band was playing there |
| B．a cellist was playing there |
| C．a pianist was playing there |
| D．a violinist was playing there |
From the context of the passage we can know that with the development of films ___ and became more important.
| A．the cinemas increased in number |
| B．the number of musicians grew |
| C．the time of concerts reduced |
| D．the conductor of a band was needed |
The musical cue sheet was used for ___.
| A．directing music accompaniments of silent movies |
| B．composing special music of a special movie |
| C．composing music for all kinds of concerts |
| D．showing directions how to get to a place |
What can be inferred from the passage about the majority of films made after 1927?
| A．They were truly “silent”. |
| B．They were accompanied by symphonic orchestras. |
| C．They incorporated the sound of the actors’ voices. |
| D．They corresponded to specific musical compositions. |
My son is growing up and it scares me. My chances of decrease day by day. I fear that my influence will be
by someone else. Still, I repeat the basics and the possible
in life to him even though he doesn’t want to
. And I keep my
that my guidance will save
of us.
I know that I haven’t lost him , not yet anyway, because of the
he gave me the other day when I
him off at school.
“I love you,” I said as always, as he took out his schoolbag. , he would say, “I love you, too. Bye.” But he didn’t this time, and I was OK with it. He’s fourteen; what can I
? Then he looked straight at me. “I love you,” he said
. He looked into my eyes to see that I had heard him.
His and the expression in his eyes happened unexpectedly. I couldn’t even believe my ears. I know him
than anyone else in the world. I could hear what he was not saying, “I love you, too, Mom. I wanted to say it back to you
yo u said it, but there were some people walking by and they might
me, and then teased(取笑) me. But I didn’t mean to
your feelings, and I didn’t want you to leave without hearing it, because I
do love you. Please
.”
I do understand. I understand that I can’t be with him or him every second. Now, I have tried to prepare us both for the separation since he is growing up.
A. guidance B. meeting C. criticism D. care
A. repeated B. reminded C. replaced D. remained
A. problems B. answers C. mistakes D. employments
A. listen B. study C. work D. attempt
A. review B. belief C. promise D. decision
A. neither B. each C. either D. both
A. completely B. quickly C. party D. exactly
A. letter B. gift C. look D. smile
A. took B. put C. saw D. rang
A. UsuallyB. Rarely C. Sometimes D. Never
A. imagineB. expect C. suppose D. think
A. quietlyB. loudly C. proudly D. sadly
A. clevernessB. feelings C. happiness D. words
A. fewerB. worseC. less D. better
A. whenB. untilC. unless D. before
A. stare atB. laugh at C. hear D. praise
A. influenceB. show C. hurt D. ignore
A. hardlyB. really C. greatly D. often
A. realizeB. understand C. recognize D. know
A. preventB. protect C. teach D. reject
When I was small and my grandmother died, I couldn’t understand why I had no tears. But that night when my dad tried to cheer me up, my laugh turned into crying.
So it came as no surprise to learn that researchers believe crying and laughing come from the same part of the brain. Just as laughing has many health advantages, scientists are discovering that so, too, does crying.
Whatever it takes for us to reduce pressure is important to our emotional health, and crying seems to work well. A study has found that 85 percent of women and 73 percent of men report feeling better after crying.
Besides, tears attract help from other people. Researchers agree that when we cry, people around us become kinder and friendlier and they are more ready to provide support and comfort. Tears also enable us to understand our emotions better; sometimes we don’t even know we’re very sad until we cry. We learn about our emotions through crying, and then we can deal with them.
Just as crying can be healthy, not crying-holding back tears of anger, pain or suffering-can be bad for physical health, studies have shown that too much control of emotions can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems and some other illnesses. If you have a health problem, doctors will certainly not ask you to cry. But when you feel like crying, don’t fight it. It’s a natural-and healthy-emotional response.It can be inferred from the text that ___.
| A．there are two ways to keep healthy |
| B．crying does more good to health than laughing |
| C．laughing plays a more important role than crying |
| D．emotional health has a close relationship to physical health |
According to the author, which of the following statements is true?
| A．Crying is the best way to help from others. |
| B．Fighting back tears may cause some health problems. |
| C．We will never know our deep feeing unless we cry. |
| D．We must cry if we want to reduce pressure. |
What might be the most suitable title for the text?
| A．Power of Tears |
| B．How to Keep Healthy |
| C．Why We Cry |
| D．A New Scientific Discovery |