How to deal successfully with a child who shows outstanding musical ability?It’s not always clear how best to develop and encourage his gift.Many parents may even fail to recognise and respond to their children’s need until frustration explodes into difficult or uncooperative(不合作的) behaviour.And while most schools are equipped to deal with children who are specially able in academic subjects,the musically gifted require special understanding which may not always be available in an ordinary school—especially one where music is regarded as a secondary activity.Such children may well benefit from the education offered by a specialist music school.
The five music schools in Britain are a relatively recent introduction.They aim to provide an environment in which gifted children aged between seven and eighteen can develop their skills to the full under the guidance of professional musicians.
Children at specialist music schools spend between one third and one half of an average day on musical activities,for example,individual lessons,orchestras,chamber(室内音乐的) groups,voice training,conducting and theory.They also spend several hours a day practising in properly equipped private rooms,sometimes with a teacher.The rest of their time is taken up with the subjects:English,maths,basic sciences and languages.All five British specialist schools are independent,classes are small by normal school standards,with a high teacher/pupil ratio(比率).Most children attending specialist schools tend to be boarders,leaving home to live,eat and sleep fulltime at school.
What are the disadvantages?An obvious problem is the cost;the fees are high(£12,000£17,000 a year for boarders).However,each school will make every effort with scholarships and other forms of financial assistance,to help parents of outstandingly gifted children to find the necessary fees.Secondly,not all parents want to send their children to boarding school,especially at a very early age.Almost all the directors of the specialist schools express doubts about the wisdom of admitting children as young as seven into such an intense and disciplined(守纪律的) environment.They stress,however,that their main aim is to turn out “rounded and wellbalanced” individuals.
There is little doubt that setting musically gifted children apart from an early age can cause stress.Early signs of musical ability may disappear in their teenage years,while natural competitiveness and the pressure to succeed can lead to a deep sense of failure.But all specialist schools do keep a close watch on the progress of individual pupils,and offer help and advice if needed.If a child’s musical ability is not recognized,________.
| A.the child may misbehave |
| B.the ability may fade away |
| C.the child may lose interest |
| D.the parents may become anxious |
What problem may musically gifted children face in ordinary schools?
| A.Their academic work may suffer. |
| B.Schools lack musical equipment. |
| C.Music is not seen as an important subject. |
| D.Parents and teachers do not work together. |
What makes specialist music schools different from other schools?
| A.Their working day is longer. |
| B.A range of musical training is offered. |
| C.More than half the day is spent on music. |
| D.The children have mostly onetoone lessons. |
What do most school directors see as a possible disadvantage for pupils?
| A.Poor children may not be included. |
| B.They may lose their individuality. |
| C.There may be a discipline problem. |
| D.They may not be mature enough on arrival. |
Welcome to the National Maritime(海洋) Museum!
The National Maritime Museum is the largest of its kind in the world,with over two million items in its collections. Twenty galleries display some of the finest sea affairs in historic buildings,which were formerly a school for the sons of seamen.
Opening times
10:00-17:00 Winter hours
10:00-18:00 Summer hours
Last admission (允许进入)is thirty minutes before closing. Smoking is not allowed in the museum. Eating and drinking are only allowed in the designated areas. Photography and video are not permitted inside the building.
Bookings
Our Central Booking Group handles all group visit enquiries(需求), from schools, group organizers and tour operators.
Education and Interpretation (解说)
Schools‘ programs operate in term-time. Programs of talks,tours,work-shops,storytelling,living history and interpretation are run throughout the year,especially at weekends and during school holidays.
E-library
Facilities(设备) are provided for electronic access to the museum’s collections. Please ask a member of staff(员工) for directions to the nearest terminals. These facilities are also available from the comfort of your own home.
66.This passage mainly tells us _____ the museum.
| A.the way to get to | B.the purpose to build |
| C.a brief introduction to | D.a detailed description of |
67.Which of the following is certainly forbidden according to the passage?
| A.Trying to enter the museum after 5:00 p.m. |
| B.Taking pictures in front of the museum. |
| C.Talking loudly when you enjoy the collections. |
| D.Eating and drinking wherever you are. |
68.From the passage we can learn that _________.
| A.the museum runs a school and has students of its own |
| B.students can receive different kinds of education here |
| C.part of school education has to be done in the museum |
| D.school programs are only run at weekends and on holidays |
69.It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A.the museum is very popular among visitors |
| B.things from ancient times are more attractive |
| C.the most valuable things are displayed in the museum |
| D.the museum is anxious to make more money |
Plants are very important living things. Life could not go on if there were no plants. This is because plants can make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals and man cannot make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals get their food by eating plants and other animals. Therefore animals and man need plants in order to live. This is why we find that there are so many plants around us.
If you look carefully at the plants around you, you will find that there are two kinds of plants: flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Flowering plants can make seeds. The seeds are protected by the fruits. Some fruits have one seed, some have two, three or four, and some have many seeds. But a few fruits have no seeds at all. An example of a fruit without seeds is the banana fruit. Most non-flowering plants do not grow from seeds. They grow from spores(胚芽)。 Spores are very small. Some spores are so small and light that they can float in the air. We may say that spores are quite the same as seeds. When these spores are all on wet and shady places, they usually grow into new plants.
62.The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______.
| A.plants are important for life | B.plants cannot grow without air |
| C.there are many plants in the world | D.we can not live without water |
63.What can we infer(推断) from the passage ?
| A.Of all living things animals are most. | B.Spores are seeds. |
| C.All fruits of flowering plants have seeds. | D.Without plants,man will die out. |
64.What is the meaning of the underlined word?
| A.Kept. | B.Guarded. | C.Prevented. | D.Surrounded |
65.This passage may be taken from______.
| A.a medicine book | B.a novel |
| C.a science magazine | D.an experiment report |
On the coast of Brazil lies its most famous city Rio de Janeiro. Rio is a beautiful pace to visit. It is full of exciting parades, historical architecture and natural beauty.
The most famous time of year in Rio is the spring when the samba schools organize a giant parade of dance, music and costumes. Samba is a type of fast Brazilian music, which is perfect for dancing. The carnival lasts two days and over 20 samba schools perform, a total of 70,000 people in brightly coloured costumes, all dancing and singing! It is a magnificent spectacle and millions of people watch the carnival on television around the world.
Rio de Janeiro is a religious city and it is full of churches. Some, like the former Imperial Church, were built over 400 years ago while others, like the Metropolitan Cathedral, are very modern. The Metropolitan Cathedral was built in 1976 and is so large that 20,000 people can stand inside at one time!
Another important religious site in Rio is the Corcovado hill. On the top of the hill, along with a small church, stands a 30-metre high statue of Jesus with his arms stretched out. From this point you can see every part of the city.
59.Brazilian carnival is.
| A.a type of Brazilian music | B.a parade of 70,000 people dancing |
| C.a parade of millions of people on television | |
| D.the name of a samba school |
60.The Metropolitan Cathedral.
| A.was built 400 years ago | B.is on Corcovado Hill |
| C.is a religious city | D.was built in 1976 |
61.The Corcovado Hill is famous for .
| A.the samba parade | B.the beautiful beaches |
| C.the statue of Jesus | D.the small church |
Visitors from space may have landed on our planet from time to time, maybe hundreds of times during the long, empty ages while Man was still a dream of the far future. Indeed, they could have landed on 90% of the earth as recently as two or three hundreds years ago, and we could never have heard of it. If one searches through old newspapers and records from some certain places, one can find many reports of strange events that could be some explanations about visiting from outer space. A writer, Charles Fort, has made a collection of UFO sightings in his book Lo! One is tempted(引诱) to believe them more than any modern reports, for the simple reason that they happened long before anyone had ever thought of space travel. Yet at the same time, one cannot take them too seriously, for before education on science was popular, even sightings of meteors(流星) and comets(彗星) made people believe the most unbelievable stories, as they still do today.
56.According to the passage, visitors from outer space may have landed on the earth.
| A.long before man had dreamed of it | B.long before there were human beings |
| C.in the last few hundred years | D.after the space travel began |
57.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A.Charles Fort sighted a lot of UFOs himself. | B.All sightings of UFOs are believable. |
| C.There may be living things on other planets. | D.People have seen visitors from other planets everywhere. |
58.According to the passage,.
| A.UFOs are only seen in recent years | B.UFOs sightings are not new |
| C.UFOs are just meteors and comets | D.UFOs are invented by people |
The way people hold to the belief that a fun - filled, pain free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment (预担的义务), self - improvement.
Ask a bachelor(单身汉) why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three - day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children. But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild.
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.According to the author, a bachelor resists marriage chiefly because ________ .
| A.he is reluctant to take on family responsiblilities |
| B.he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single |
| C.he finds more fun in dating than in marriage |
| D.he fears it will put an end to all his fun adventure and excitement |
Raising children, in the author’s opinion is ________ .
| A.a moral duty |
| B.a thankless job |
| C.a rewarding task |
| D.a source of inevitable pain |
From the last paragraph, we learn that envy sometimes stems from ________ .
| A.hatred | B.misunderstanding |
| C.prejudice | D.ignorance |
To understand what true happiness is one must ________ .
| A.have as much fun as possible during one’s lifetime |
| B.make every effort to liberate oneself from pain |
| C.put up with pain under all circumstances |
| D.be able to distinguish happiness from fun |