RightinfrontoftheMinneapolisCe-优题课

Violin prodigies (神童), I learned, have come in distinct waves from distinct regions. Most of the great performers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were born and brought up in Russia and Eastern Europe. I asked Isaac Stern, one of the world’s greatest violinists the reason for this phenomenon. “It is very clear,” he told me. “They were all Jews and Jews at the time were severely oppressed and ill-treated in that part of the world. They were not allowed into the professional fields, but they were allowed to achieve excellence on a concert stage.” As a result, every Jewish parent’s dream was to have a child in the music school because it was a passport to the West.
Another element in the emergence of prodigies, I found, is a society that values excellence in a certain field to nurture (培育) talent. Nowadays, the most nurturing societies seem to be in the Far East. “In Japan, a most competitive society, with stronger discipline than ours,” says Isaac Stern, children are ready to test their limits every day in many fields, including music. When Western music came to Japan after World War II, that music not only became part of their daily lives, but it became a discipline as well. The Koreans and Chinese as we know are just as highly motivated as the Japanese.
That’s a good thing, because even prodigies must work hard. Next to hard work, biological inheritance（遗传） plays an important role in the making of a prodigy. J. S. Bach, for example, was the top of several generations of musicians, and four of his sons had significant careers in music.
Jewish parents in Eastern Europe longed for their children to attend music school because ________.

A．it would enable the family to get better treatment in their own country

B．Jewish children are born with excellent musical talent

C．they wanted their children to enter into the professional field

D．it would allow them access to a better life in the West

Which of the following contributes to the emergence of musical prodigies according to the passage?

A．extensive knowledge of music.

B．a natural gift.

C．very early training.

D．a prejudice-free society.

Which of the following titles best summarizes the main idea of the passage?

A．The Making of Music Prodigies

B．Training of Musicians in the World

C．Music and Society

D．Jewish Contribution to Music

Can dogs and cats live in perfect harmony 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 how to read each other's body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than we 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 the 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.
Some cats and dogs may fight when ________.

A．they misunderstood each other's signals

B．they look away from each other

C．they are cold to each other

D．they are introduced at an early age

What is found surprising about cats and dogs?

A．They eat and sleep each other.

B．They learn to speak each other's language.

C．They observe each other's behaviors.

D．They know something from each other's voices.

It is suggested in Paragraph 4 that cats and dogs ________.

A．have common interests

B．have a common body language

C．are less different than was thought

D．are less intelligent than was expected

What can we human beings learn from cats and dogs?

A．We should live in peace with animals.

B．We should know more about animals.

C．We should learn to live in harmony.

D．We should learn more body languages.

Here’s an unusual story: a diamond ring was recently found in an egg. The magician, Liu Qian, discovered it in front of an audience of millions at CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala. Liu’s magic tricks have made the centuries – old art of magic fashionable once again, and made him the hottest magician in China.
As a seasoned magician from Taiwan, Liu is popular worldwide for his magic shows. Countries he has performed in include the United States, Japan, South Korea and the UK. Witnessing something impossible happen right before your eyes is the root of people’s love for magic.
Liu is known for his interaction with his audiences. He has a unique understanding of showmanship(演出技巧)。“It’s actually thinking rather than one’s manipulation (处理) skills that is more important to achieving a successful magic show. We think carefully about how to design the shows creatively, to make them appear more interesting,” Liu said.
Liu Qian’s success dated back to his childhood. Born in 1976 in Taiwan, he found himself attracted to a magic toy in a shop when he was seven years old. At the age of 12, he won Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest, which was judged by the great American magician, David Copperfield.
Yet, Liu never planned on becoming a professional magician. He studied Japanese literature at university and only hoped to be an amateur magician in his spare time. However, his failure to find a proper job after graduation pushed him towards magic as a career.
To refine his performing skills, he has performed on streets, roads and fields, for passersby, policemen and farmers.
“Street shows are the biggest challenge for us magicians. We have to deal with unexpected situations and tough crowds,” Liu said.
The story is about ________.

A．why people love magic

B．how Liu Qian became China’s hottest magician

C．how fashionable magic is

D．what magic tricks are

People love to watch magic because ________.

A．they love watching magicians make the impossible happen

B．it arouses their curiosity

C．they can’t figure out the secret of magic

D．it is a centuries – old art

Which of the following is the key reason that Liu Qian decided to make magic his career?

A．He was interested in magic when he was little.

B．He had won Taiwan’s Youth Magic Contest.

C．He couldn’t find an acceptable job after graduation.

D．He became an amateur magician in his spare time.

What does the underlined word “seasoned” in Paragraph2 mean?

A．experienced

B．freshman

C．amateur

D．unskillful

From the story we know that______.

A．Liu Qian competed in many magic competitions.

B．Liu Qian often invites audiences to be in his magic show.

C．Liu Qian does street show to make money.

D．Liu Qian performs on the streets in order to increase his fame.

China is a country on the move- especially around its Lunar New Year holiday. This year, the holiday crush（客流量） promises to be even heavier than before。
Government officials estimate that Chinese people will take to the air, roads and railways 3.62 billion times over a 40-day period around the nation's most important holiday this year as people push their way home for family gatherings or to satisfy their new-found passion for travel.
Getting tickets to all those would-be travelers is a discounting challenge that annually tries patience. And it is the railway system that routinely is most unable to cope. Railways are the transport of choice for low-cost long-distance travel, and that's where the ticketing system routinely falls down
Much of the criticism has, focused on the railway's-online purchasing system. Which has been unable to keep pace with the huge demand and also failed to stop scalpers（票贩子） from ending up with many of the hard-to-find tickets.
While insisting that online sales were the fairest way to get tickets for travelers, railway officials told
reporters that the public need to be patient. Efforts were being made to provide online identity checks that would reduce the ticket scalping problems. While officials had little good news for rail passengers, they did manage to bring a few smiles to those traveling by car as the country's extremely expensive highway tolls （通行费）will be free of charge for the period of the official holiday.
Which of the following words can replace the underlined word "discounting" in Paragraph 3?

A．Promising.

B．Discouraging.

C．Pleasing.

D．Rewarding.

According to the text, getting tickets_____. around the official holiday.

A． is just a piece of cake

B． is more costly

C． takes great effort

D． is convenient for travelers

We can learn from the text that _______. around the New Year holiday.
A. there will be 3. 62 billion people going home
B the railway system will be facing more stress
C.. people's complaint .focus on the failure of online purchase
D. not railways but cars are the best choices for traveling
Which of the following can best describe the author's attitude to the railway service?
A. Objective.
B Doubtful.
C. Satisfied
D．Worried.

In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social-progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In theirsingle-minded pursuit of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success.By not trying, they always have an excuse:"I may have lost, but it doesn't matter because I really didn't try." What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistake belief that-one's self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.
What does this text mainly talk about?
A Competition helps to set up self-respect.
B. People hold different opinions about competition.
C. Competition is harmful to personal quality development.
D. Failures are necessary experience in competition.
Some people favor competition because they think it __.

A． pushes society forward

B． builds up a sense of pride

C． improves social abilities

D． develops people's relationship

The underlined phrase "the most vocal”in Paragraph 3 refers to those who

A． try their best to win

B． highly value competition

C． are strongly against competition

D． mostly rely on others for success

Which viewpoint does the author agree to?
A Self-worth relys on winning.
B. Competition leads to unfriendly relationship.
C. Winning should be a life-and-death matter.
D. Fear of failure should be removed in competition.