Listening to your favorite music can make a person feel great and can make their emotions change. The song you are listening to can affect how you feel. Different types of music may make you cry, laugh, or even feel anger. According to researches, music is a complex sound that causes a large variety of emotional responses in listeners.
The nature of emotions created by music has been a matter of much debate. Researches have shown that basic emotions, such as happiness, anger, fear, and sadness, can be recognized in and created by musical stimuli (刺激) in humans.
I know from experience that when I am in a bad mood, I’ll listen to my favorite CD. I don’t know what it is about the music but it just makes me feel better almost instantly. All of you have CDs or songs that make you feel great when you’re feeling down. Music has that power and none of us realize that until we really think about it. The physical effects that music has on us are almost the same as the emotional ones.
Music can change you in many ways, depending on the kind of music you are being exposed to. According to “Music and Emotions”, electronic music with loud sounds will physically affect you more easily than any other type of music. Certain types of music can give you courage and strengthen your willpower, while other types can make you relaxed. I can think of a good example for music bringing willpower and strength to you, when you are getting ready before a sport. The sport I play is football and I know that if I don’t listen to a certain mix of songs, my head is all over the place. If I listen to some certain songs I become very energized and feel better about things.
Music affects your emotions in many ways. It also affects your physical status. Music also is the key to your enjoying of a movie. Music affects your emotions by being able to change your state of mind from a sad mood to a happy one. It can also make a person feel great before a competition. Music is also the key to Movies. Without music in movies there would be no suspense, no horror and no excitement. It makes movies what they are to us.The main idea of Paragraph l is .
| A．the effects of different types of music |
| B．music can affect our emotions |
| C．how music affects our emotions is complex |
| D．why people laugh, cry or become angry when listening to music |
The underlined sentence in the 2nd paragraph probably means “ ”.
| A．people have different opinions in what is the best kind of music |
| B．people can’t agree with each other in what is the nature of music |
| C．people have been arguing about the effects of music on our emotions |
| D．people have been discussing about what causes our emotions |
The main purpose of the last paragraph is to illustrate .
| A．music will also be accepted by movies |
| B．music can change us in many ways |
| C．music can be popular with music lovers forever |
| D．music will give the common people excitement |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Music may cheer you up, but it can’t let you down. |
| B．Music used to comfort sport players in games. |
| C．Electronic music can affect our emotions much less. |
| D．Different music will cause different emotions in us. |
Today we are going to talk about important transition words in English．We will focus on how to usetransition words to link ideas together．Some common transition words are and，furthermore，in addition to，not to mention，and in the same way．
We don’t always get a second chance to achieve our dreams．But some people are lucky，like Matthew McConaughey．Once almost unknown，the actor has recently found himself back on the list of the best actors in HollywooD． His new movie Interstellar is just another sign that his career reinvention has been an incredible success．“The film relies on McConaughey’s performance to hold together the emotional story of a father and his daughter against the background of space travel and the end of the world，”Forbes commenteD．
But only years ago，the Texas native was often the butt of jokes（笑柄）about being too handsome．In 1993，after meeting with director Richard Linklater，McConaughey starred in Dazed and ConfuseD． And a Hollywood career was born，mostly in romantic comedies．For a long time，the whole world believed McConaughey was just a handsome guy with comic talent．
But McConaughey stopped starring in that type of movie，and began to use his looks differently．Slowly he built up his reputation as a serious actor．In 2013，McConaughey was offered to play an AIDS activist in Dallas Buyers CluB． The role saw the normally muscular actor losing 50 pounds in order to appear sick．His performance won him an Oscar for Best Actor．
The actor gave thanks to someone he has always looked up to as a hero during his Oscar acceptance speech．When he was 15，the actor said，he decided that his hero would be himself in 10 years．But 10 years later，he pushed the deadline ahead another decade．Then 10 years later，another decade．“My hero’s always 10 years away，” he saiD． “I’m never going to attain that．That keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing．”Or perhaps constantly chasing the chance to be his own hero has given him a second chance to follow his dreams．Why was McConaughey often the butt of jokes in his early career？
| A．He was limited to handsome roles． |
| B．He was unknown to the audience． |
| C．He played in romantic comedies． |
| D．He was handsome and emotional． |
What role won Mc Conaughey an Oscar for Best Ac tor？
| A．A caring father． |
| B．An AIDS activist． |
| C．A serious buyer． |
| D．A strong hero． |
What can we learn about McConaughey？
A． He was born in HollywooD．
B． He has become a hero of his own．
C． He wasn’t famous until recently．
D． He isn’t content with his achievements．Which of the following can be the best title？
| A．McConaughey，a Romantic Comed ian |
| B．McConaughey，a Man Making a Hit |
| C．McConaug hey，a Man Daring to change |
| D．McConaughey，Handsome and Talented |
Despite the high technology and investment in flood defences by the Environment Agency, there is no way to stop all flooding -- sooner or later nature will produce something that will beat even the strongest defences．
Warning people of this danger is very important if we are to prevent the great loss of life seen fifty-three years ago．Indeed if the Flood Warning System that currently exists had been around on that cold, stormy night in January 1953, many lives would have been spareD．
The Environment Agency took over the role of flood warning in 1995 from the police who had to go door to door or sound alarms to get the news out．The service is being constantly improved and a combination of better technology and increased investment following the Easter Floods of 1998 has led to the creation of Floodline and an automatic messaging system that can warn thousands of people in very little time．
Floodline 0845 988 1188 offers information and advice 24 hours a day and if warnings are in place, callers can get information either from local updates or by using a quickdial code for their areA．
The Flood Warning team in Kent has also sent letters to the people living close to the rivers or the sea and invited them to join the AVM (automated voice messaging) system．Anyone choosing to take up this free service will receive a recorded message directly to their home, business or pager telling them of the level of warning, giving them as much time as possible to carry out their flood plan and save items that cannot be replaced if lost or damaged, such as photographs or children’s favorite toys．Choose the correct statements from the following according to the passage．
A． Many people lost their lives in the flood in 1953
B． The Flood Warning system was already in use in 1953
C． Flood defences can stop all flooding
D． The Environment Agency began to warn people of flood in 1995
e．Floodline was created after the Easter Floods of 1998
A． a, b, c B． b, c, d C． a, d, e D． a, c, eWhat does the underlined word "pager" mean in the passage?
| A．A piece of equipment designed to receive and show messages |
| B．A boy employed to carry luggage in hotels |
| C．A page of papers written to offer messages |
| D．A person, invited to write pages of messages |
People can easily get information and advice about flood any time of the day from____．
| A．automatic messaging system |
| B．automated voice messaging system |
| C．the Flood Warning team in Kent |
| D．Floodline 0845 988 1188 |
The best title for this passage may probably be ____．
| A．Environment Agency |
| B．Flood Warning System |
| C．Technology In Flood Defences |
| D．Easter Floods |
Researchers are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans．Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people's depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction．“No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated（刺激）,” Edwards points out．“The problem is how we promote that, especially for those without friends or help．A robotic dog could be a solution．”
In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone．Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks．These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activities before and after AIBO．Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner．
“I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady．“When I'm watching TV, he'll stay in my arms until he wants down．He has a mind of his own．”
The AIBOs respond to certain orders．The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people．Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it．A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns．
“At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog because it was metal and not furry,” Beck says．“But it's amazing how quickly we have given up that belief．”
“Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more valuable health helper．They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms．AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people's minds．”The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to______．
| A．understand human-animal relationship |
| B．find the causes of old people’s loneliness |
| C．make lonely old people’s life better |
| D．promote the animal-assisted research |
In the research, the old people are asked to______．
| A．note the activities of AIBOs |
| B．keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks |
| C．analyze the collected information |
| D．record their feelings and activities |
What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs?
| A．It can watch TV with its owner |
| B．It can help the disabled people |
| C．It responds to all the human orders |
| D．It is easier to keep at home |
The author seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may______．
| A．keep old people active |
| B．cure certain diseases |
| C．change people's beliefs |
| D．look more like real dogs |
The historic center of Vienna has been added to UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage list．Thus, St．Stephen's Cathedral, the Imperial Palace and many other historic buildings are now recognized as being among the 700 outstanding cultural and natural monuments of mankind - others include the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur, the historic center of Rome, the Kremlin with the Red Square, the Chinese Wall, the Taj Mahal and the Grand Canyon．
Vienna's historic center, in its unity, is considered one of the most beautiful city landmarks in Europe．Three eras left their mark on the former residence of the Habsburgs: the Middle Ages with Gothic St．Stephen's Cathedral whose spire points toward heaven, one of Vienna's landmarks; the Baroque whose most important achievement is the Imperial Palace with its sumptuous cupolas（奢华的圆顶）．And the Ring Boulevard era of the late nineteenth century, when such splendid buildings as the Vienna State Opera and the Museum of Fine Arts were built to replace the former city walls．
The imperial flair of the center of Vienna is enhanced (加强) by numerous churches, mansions and parks, as well as by rich art collections gathered by wealthy rulers．And the centuries-old musical tradition ranges from the Court Chapel of the Imperial Palace to Mozart's immortal（不朽的）music and the waltzes of Johann Strauss．Also inseperably linked to the center of the city are the delights of Viennese cuisine, the gemütlichkeit of Viennese coffeehouses and nostalgic shopping at former purveyors（伙食承办商）to the imperial court．Which of the following is not mentioned as cultural and natural monuments of man-kind?
| A．the Taj Mahal |
| B．the Pyramid Fields |
| C．the Kremlin with the Red Square |
| D．the Court Chapel |
The second paragraph is developed mainly by ____．
| A．following the order of place |
| B．providing examples |
| C．making comparisons |
| D．analyzing causes |
What does the underlined words “imperial flair” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．culture atmosphere |
| B．art style |
| C．royal style |
| D．royal palace |
What is the passage mainly about ?
| A．The universal value of the world heritage in Vienna |
| B．Vienna’s becoming one of the cultural and natural monuments of mankind |
| C．The introduction of the historic center of Vienna |
| D．The special culture atmosphere of the historic center of Vienna |
Experience the newly opened Grand Canyon（大峡谷）West Skywalk in Colorado．Departing from Grand Canyon's South Rim by Airplane to Grand Canyon's West Rim, you will land and take a ground tour to the Skywalk! Walk on air for 70 feet over the edge of Grand Canyon West．
This Skywalk has been open since March 28, 2007．Daily visitorship to the Skywalk has been over 4,000 people．Please be patient to enjoy your moment on the Skywalk．
After you have experienced the one and only Grand Canyon Skywalk Glass Bridge, you will return to the Grand Canyon West Airport and take your Airplane for a flight back to the South Rim of the Canyon．This is a tour never to be forgotten as you will have walked on air over the Grand Canyon．
Tour Itinerary（行程）
This advertisement is for ____．
| A．Grand Canyon West |
| B．the Skywalk |
| C．Grand Canyon |
| D．Grand Canyon South |
The package fee does NOT cover the cost of ____．
A． |
B． |
C． |
D． |
The Grand Canyon Skywalk Bridge is made of glass because ____．
| A．it looks stranger |
| B．it is cheaper to build |
| C．it gives you a better view |
| D．it looks more beautiful |
According to the Tour Itinerary, the route is ____．
| A．South Rim→West Airport→Guano Point→Eagle Point→West Airport→South Rim |
| B．South Rim→Guano Point→West Airport→Eagle Point→West Airport→South Rim |
| C．South Rim→West Airport→Eagle Point→Guano Point→West Airport→South Rim |
| D．South Rim→West Airport→Eagle Point→West Airport→Guano Point→South Rim |