“Let the world know China and let China know the world.” I can’t remember exactly where I have seen this slogan(口号) in Beijing. Considering the simple fact of the wish people have for learning foreign languages and the number of people going abroad each year, everyone can tell how hard China and Chinese people are trying to know the world. But I didn’t know how equally important and urgent(迫切的) it is for the world to know China until I came to the UK.
In the self-introduction during our first class in a PhD course, when I told them I wanted to finish the degree as soon as I could and then go back to China, the British students looked at me in both surprise and disbelief. Their idea is that everybody who comes to the UK, including the Chinese, will stay here to look for a better life and that this is the only place where one can find a better life.
When I asked my friend for advice about buying a new car, she looked at me, asking in surprise, “A new car?” Later I found out that her surprise was because of the popular image of Chinese students: either too poor or too economical.
When we Chinese students for the first time joined the monthly performance hour of the department and sang some traditional songs and gave a short humorous introduction, all the teachers and students were surprised. To them, Chinese students are so serious and shy. These ideas have been because of the fact that Chinese students are sometimes not seen among the students.
So “let the world know China” should no longer remain an empty slogan. It is something we all should do, home and abroad, and something we should do with confidence and openness.In British students’ opinion, Chinese students come to the UK mainly because .
A.they want to get a British degree |
B.the education in UK is the best in the world |
C.they want to know more about British |
D.they want to look for a better life in Britain |
The general image of Chinese students in British students’ mind is_____.
A.very rich | B.very common |
C.very humorous | D.very poor or economical |
The British students think Chinese students were serious and shy because Chinese students_____.
A.always spoke poor English |
B.didn’t show themselves bravely in public |
C.didn’t have much money |
D.had problem communicating with them |
By writing the passage, the writer wants the reader _____.
A.to be as humorous as possible |
B.to take away the empty slogan |
C.not to be too poor or too economical |
D.to show ourselves with confidence |
Photographs are everywhere. They decorate (装饰) the walls of homes and are used in stores for sales of different goods. The news is filled with pictures of fires, floods, and special events. Photos record the beauties of nature. They can also bring things close that are far away. Through photos, people can see wild animals, cities in foreign lands, and even the stars in outer space. Photos also tell stories.
Reporting the news through photos is called photojournalism. At times photojournalists tell their stories through a single picture. At other times, they use a group of pictures to tell a story. Each picture is like a chapter in a book, which can do more than record the facts. It can also be a strong force for social change.
Jacob Riis was among the first photojournalists. He took pictures of parts of New York City where the poor lived. Riis believed that poverty(贫穷) caused crime, and he used photos to help him prove his point. A few years later, the photos of small children working in factories by Lewis Hine shocked the public. Hine’s pictures helped bring about laws to protect such children.
Hundreds of pictures may have to be taken in order to get one or two really good photos. It takes science to have the photo come out clearly and art to make a photo that has a good design and expresses feeling. Photojournalists make an actual record of what they see. A photo, however, can be both a work of art and an actual record. It can record an important event as a beautiful or exciting picture.
As historical and artistic documents(文献) , photos can become more important over time. Today photojournalists still have their pictures appear in newspapers and magazines. They also publish(发表) them in books and on the Internet. The underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refers to .
A.beauties | B.photos | C.goods | D.events |
The photos of the small children by Hine show us that photos .
A.are also works of art |
B.are popular ways of reporting news |
C.often shock the public |
D.can serve as a force for social change |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.News with pictures is encouraging. |
B.Photos help people improve. |
C.News photos mean history in a sense. |
D.People prefer reading news with pictures. |
The text is mainly about .
A.telling the story through pictures |
B.decorating the walls of homes |
C.publishing historical papers |
D.expressing feeling through pictures |
Louis Armstrong had two famous nicknames (绰号). Some people called him Bagamo. They said his mouth looked like a large bag. Musicians often called him Pops, as a sign of respect for his influence on the world of music.
Born in 1901 in New Orleans, he grew up poor, but lived among great musicians. Jazz was invented in the city a few years before his birth. Armstrong often said, “Jazz and I grew up together.”
Armstrong showed a great talent for music when he was taught to play the cornet (短号) at a boy’s home. In his late teens, Armstrong began to live the life of a musician. He played in parades, clubs, and on the steamboats that traveled on the Mississippi River. At that time, New Orleans was famous for the new music of jazz and was home to many great musicians. Armstrong learned from the older musicians and soon became respected as their equal. In 1922 he went to Chicago. There, the tale of Louis Armstrong begins. From then until the end of his life, Armstrong was celebrated and loved wherever he went. Armstrong had no equal when it came to playing the American popular song.
His cornet playing had a deep humanity (仁爱) and warmth that caused many listeners to say, “Listening to Pops just makes you feel good all over.” He was the father of the jazz style and also one of the best-known and most admired people in the world. His death, on July 6, 1971, was headline news around the world.Armstrong was called Pops because he .
A.looked like a musician |
B.was a musician of much influence |
C.showed an interest in music |
D.traveled to play modern music |
The third paragraph is developed .
A.by space | B.by examples |
C.by time | D.by comparison |
Which statement about Armstrong is true?
A.His tale begins in New Orleans. |
B.He was born before jazz was invented. |
C.His music was popular with his listeners. |
D.He learned popular music at a boy’s home. |
Which would be the best title for the text?
A.The Invention of the Jazz Music |
B.The Father of the Jazz Style |
C.The Making of a Musician |
D.The Spread of Popular Music |
Some American high schools are for students with special interests, like science or the arts. New York City even has a program for those interested in the food service industry, called Food and Finance High School.
New York also has what are called international high schools, or internationals, for immigrant students. They must be new learners of English who have been in the United States less than four years. The first school opened in nineteen eighty-five. The city will begin the new term next month with ten.
New York works with a nonprofit organization, the Internationals Network for Public Schools. Support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has helped the network expand. The network says the graduation rate was seventy percent last year in the four New York schools open long enough to have graduating classes. That, compared with twenty-three percent for English language learners in all of the city schools.
Over all, New York officials recently reported that the city’s four-year graduation rate, reached fifty-two percent last year. At the same time, they reported that the city’s dropout rate fell below fifteen percent. The Internationals Network says its schools have an average dropout rate of just five percent.
Claire Sylvan is the executive director of the group. She says students drop out mainly because their families need them to work or because parents arrange marriages for girls.
The Internationals Network mainly helps find teachers and trains them in the teaching method of the internationals. Claire Sylvan says the teaching approach is to have students use their different strengths to help each other. They work in small groups, but she says they are not grouped by ability. She says the students discuss issues, then produce a product like a paper, a play, a poster or a report. They learn English as they work.The international high school in New York is __________
A.for immigrant students with special interests |
B.for new immigrant students who have been living in New York less than four years |
C.for new learners of foreign language from around the world |
D.for new young learners of English language living in the US less than four years |
The international high schools in New York _______
A.have been opened for less than 20 years and set a good example |
B.can bring great profit for the Internationals Network for Public Schools |
C.will expand from having one school to having ten |
D.have given great support to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation |
Which of the following shows the graduation rate of the schools of the International Networks last year in the four New York schools?
Graduation rate
Dropout and other
A B C D
One of the reasons why some students drop out of school is that _____.
A.their parents can’t afford to pay for the education |
B.they have to help their parents with the work |
C.girls are forced to make money for their families |
D.they have trouble in passing all kinds of exams |
Claire Sylvan would agree with all the following statements EXCEPT _____.
A.with the help of the network, the students can find right teachers. |
B.students use their different strengths to help each other |
C.students can be divided into different classes according to their ability |
D.students can discuss with each other and finish their work by themselves |
I was waiting in a check-in line at ArlandaInternational Airport. The man ahead of me was quite a big guy. As an airport baggage handler checked through a customer at the roadside, he accidentally knocked over the man’s luggage. He quickly collected the fallen bags and apologized for his mistake. However,the traveler burst into anger, shouting at the baggage handler for his carelessness.
The baggage handler calmly apologized and smiled all the time. The customer continued to berate(痛斥) the man, even as he turned away and headed for his gate. Through it all the baggage handler smiled and remained calm.
The other customers in line witnessed the incident and admired the baggage handler’s professionalism and self-control. “I have never seen such restraint and humility,” one of the customers sighed, “How do you keep your cool when somebody is attacking you so viciously?”
“It’s easy,” the baggage handler answered. “He’s going to London, but his bags are going to Tokyo.”
I won’t recommend that we use revenge to relieve stress. But let me tell you about one of my friends who has found a way to go through most of his life unaffected by theturbulence that disturbs most people. He is one of the calmest people I’ve ever known and he describes how he keeps his cool no matter how turbulent a situation becomes. He says, “I look at it this way. A traffic jam has no power to make me angry. It just stops my car. And that’s the way I try to look at most of what happens to me.” With that philosophy, this guy goes through life with a calmness I can only envy.
My friend likes to say things like, “A rude customer has no power to make me angry; he just fusses.” And, “A mistake I made has no power to make me upset; it’s just a chance to do better.” He shows how we can truly find calmness in the midst of chaos.The airport baggage handler remained calm during the customer’s berating because ______.
A.he was good at self-control |
B.he wanted to show his professionalism |
C.he wanted to revenge the customer |
D.he knew well the airport rules |
What is the author’s attitude towards the baggage handler?
A.Appreciative. | B.Disapproving. |
C.Concerned. | D.Sympathetic. |
Why does the author tell us about his friend?
A.To tell us what is true calmness. |
B.To explain a special philosophy. |
C.To show his envy to the friend. |
D.To advise us to have good manners. |
What does the underlined word “turbulence” mean?
A.an uneasy or a disturbing state of mind |
B.a confusing or uncontrolled situation |
C.a person that makes people angry |
D.violence that hurts people |
Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?
A.A Clever Baggage Handler |
B.Restraint and Humility in Life |
C.A Philosophy for Everyone |
D.Calmness in Chaos |
阅读理解。阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
While you are online there are plenty of perfectly legal sites where you can listen to music for free. This gives you the chance to listen to music before buying it, discover new music, and create great online playlists that you can share with others.
The Sixty One
The Sixty One is devoted to showcasing obscure or unknown artists of all genres. There’s a range of musical styles from classical to rock and roll, folk to jazz, and everything in between. Don’t expect to find big name musicians on here; you’re more likely to find the musicians playing at local coffee shops than bands you hear on the radio..
Pow Wow
Pow Wows are theNative Americanpeople’s way of meeting together, to join in dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships, and making new ones.This is a time method to renewNative American cultureand preserve the rich heritage ofAmerican Indians. PowWows.com has 2 online radio stations that play Native American Music 24/7 free! Here you can listen to your favorite artists and drum groups on your computer or mobile device and add your music to our station.
Playlist
Playlist has an enormous library, so you can create playlists with almost any musician you can think of. They have both some lesser known artists and big names, so you have a really good selection. The worst part: Due to licensing laws, many of the songs on Playlist are now restricted to certain countries. So unless you live inside the US, it is likely that you might not be able to find all of your favorite songs.
Pandora
Pandora is an intelligent Internet radio site. Basically, as you listen, you can give each song a thumbs up or thumbs down. You can create your own radio station that only plays music you like. The best part: It listens to your opinion, so that after a while it’s only playing music you like, but the list is always changing and expanding.
My Space
Combine a major social networking site with thousands of artists around the world. Each musician has their own page, which normally has a playlist of several of their songs. But it has a huge range of musicians ranging from huge stars to the up-and-coming, and you can listen to the music and interact with the rest of the page.If you enjoy listening to some new music, you can pay a visit to ______.
A.Pow Wow | B. Playlist | C.The Sixty One | D.Pandora |
You can’t listen to some music on Playlist possibly because ______.
A.it is only open to those who are in the United States |
B.you are not one of the members of the website |
C.you don’t have any playlist |
D.the music is played only by the local people |
Pandora is different from the other websites of music in that ____.
A.listening to music is free of charge |
B.the website keeps changing and expanding |
C.it is built according to your suggestions |
D.you can always enjoy your favorite music |
Which or the following is true of My Space?
A.Thousands of artists visit it every day. |
B.It is unnecessary to create your own playlist. |
C.There are many songs of each musician. |
D.It is possible to meet the stars around the world. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Best Free Music Websites. |
B.All Kinds of Music Online. |
C.Create Your Own Playlist. |
D.Listen to Music for free. |