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 |
Babies are not just passing idle time when they stare at the television--they are actually learning about the world, U. S. researchers said.
Parents may want to limit what their babies see on television, based on the study, said Donna Mumme, assistant professor of psychology at Tuffs University in Boston, who led the research. "Children as young as 12 months are making decisions based on the emotional reactions of adults around them," Mumme said in a statement. "It turns out they can also use emotional information they pick up from television." Mumme's team already knew that babies watch other children and adults for information about the world. A mother urging her baby to eat some "yummy" soup or a brother crying in fear when a dog approaches can influence a baby's reaction.
Mumme's team tested babies to determine if television has the same influence, showing actors reacting on a videotape to objects such as red letter holder, a blue ball, and a yellow lubber. Babies aged 10 months or 12 months were later given the same objects to play with. Ten-month-olds did not seem to be influenced by the videos, but the 1-year-olds were. When the actors acted naturally or positively to an object, the babies happily played with them. But if the actor had seemed afraid or disgusted, the babies would avoid the object.The underlined word "psychology" means the study of_____________.
| A．human's society and its growth |
| B．human's hopes and dreams |
| C．human's mind and how it works |
| D．human's languages and cultures |
Which of the following is Mumme's conclusion?
| A．Small babies should not be allowed to watch television programs. |
| B．Adults should let their babies do nothing but watch television. |
| C．TV programs provide small babies with all the information they need. |
| D．One-year-olds can be emotionally influenced by TV programs. |
Mumme reached his conclusion by_____________.
| A．measuring the time babies spent in front of TV |
| B．making TV programs and advertisements for kids |
| C．showing actors how to react to blue balls |
| D．observing small babies' reactions to TV programs |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the researchers?
| A．Parents may want to limit what their babies see on television. |
| B．Actors may try to behave themselves well in front of babies. |
| C．Babies may be allowed to choose what they see on TV. |
| D．Watching TV does harm to babies' eyes. |
I wonder about my Mom sometimes, and all the other black mothers who got up at 6 a. m. to go to the white man's house with sacks over their shoes because it was so wet and cold. I wonder how they made it. They worked very hard for the man. They made his breakfast and they swept his floors and they took care of his babies. They didn' t have too much time for the three of us.
I wonder about my Mom, who walked out of a white woman's clean house at midnight and came back to her own where the lights had been out for three months, and the pipes were frozen and the wind came in through the holes in the wall. She'd have to deal with the rats(老鼠): leave some food out for them so they wouldn't bite the doors or the babies. Oh, they were just like part of the family!
I wonder how she felt telling those white kids she took care of to brush their teeth after they ate, to wash their hands after they finished bathing. She could never tell her own kids because there wasn't soap or water back home.
I wonder how my Mom felt when we came home from school with a list of vitamins and pills (药片)the school nurse said we had to have. Mom would cry all night, and then go out and spend most of the rent money for pills. A week later, the white man would come for his eighteen dollars' rent and Mom would beg him to wait until tomorrow. She had to lie to him that she had lost her wallet or the relief check was coming soon or the white people had some money for her. Tomorrow I'd be hiding in the closet because there was only supposed to be two kids in the flat, and I could hear the rent man shout at my Mom and call her a cheat. And when he finally went away, Mom put the sacks on her shoes and went off to the rich white man's house to dress the rich white kids so that their mother could take them to a special baby doctor.Mother got up at 6 a. m. every day, because_____________.
| A．she had to cook breakfast for her children |
| B．she had to catch the first bus to the factory |
| C．she had to work in the white man' s house |
| D．she had to go to see a special baby doctor |
Mother never told us to brush our teeth or to wash our hands because______________.
| A．she thought we didn't need to |
| B．we didn't like washing hands |
| C．we had done everything very well |
| D．there was no soap or water in our home |
Why did the writer hide in a closet when the landowner came for rent?
| A．The closet could only hold two kids. |
| B．Only two kids were allowed to live in the house. |
| C．They should pay more rent for two kids. |
| D．There was only one bedroom for the two kids. |
What does the writer mainly tell us?
| A．Black people lead a hard life. |
| B．Black people don't have enough rent money. |
| C．White people lead an expensive life. |
| D．White people have special baby doctors. |
If you are having trouble falling asleep, you are in good company. About 65% of Americans said they have sleeping problems a few nights each week, according to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleeping too little can lead to a higher risk of becoming fat and getting depressed(沮丧的). But before you go to a doctor for advice, you’d better examine your sleeping habits one more time. Some of your favorite evening habits may have something to do with the sleeping problems.
1. Setting a Bright Alarm Clock.
The light of your bright alarm clock can prevent you from falling asleep. You can make your room as dark as possible. Cover the bright numbers with a book or consider buying a small travel clock. Your cellphone alarm may also do the trick.
2. Counting Sheep
When you just can’t fall asleep, it’s useless to stay in bed to count sheep. If you’ve been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, the National Sleep Foundation suggests you get up to do some reading or watch TV for a while. Such activities will make you sleepy. Before you know it, you’ll be going back to bed really tired.
3. Exercising Late at Night
Daytime workouts(锻炼) will keep you full of energy for hours. That’s why you don’t want to exercise within three hours of hitting the sack. Fierce(剧烈的)physical activity raise your body temperature and pumps your energy level—both are bad for a good night’s sleep. What can we learn from the first sentence of the passage?
| A．It’s not good to fail to fall asleep at night. |
| B．People in a good company often have sleeping problems. |
| C．There are many people who have sleeping problems. |
| D．You should find someone to talk to if you can’t fall asleep. |
The underlined part “hitting the sack” in the last paragraph means “______”.
| A．going back home | B．going to bed |
| C．going to the gym | D．falling asleep |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．The bad results of getting too little sleep. |
| B．Why the bright alarm clock keeps you awake. |
| C．What to do if you can’t fall asleep after 30 minutes. |
| D．Why watching TV and reading books make people sleepy. |
By writing the passage, the writer mainly wants to tell us _______.
| A．why so many people can’t sleep well at night |
| B．how to enjoy a good night’s sleep |
| C．that sleeping problems are troubling more and more people |
| D．that people may solve their sleeping problems by some habits |
Mirth Pham was born in Vietnam. He left his native country when he was 21 years old. Minh has been in America for almost two years. There is still much he does not understand about America.
Once Minh was in a supermarket. He saw an old man and an old woman. They wanted a box of cereal(麦片).The box was on a high shelf. The man and the woman couldn't reach it. Minh saw a ladder. He got on the ladder and got the box. He handed it to the elderly couple. They thanked him.
"Where are your children?" asked Minh. "Why don' t they help you buy food?"
"Our children have their own lives," said the man and the woman. "We like to be independent." Mirth doesn't think this is right. In his country, .children help their parents. Minh gave the elderly couple his phone number. He told them to call him if they needed help. One night they asked Mirth to dinner, but they never asked him for help.
One day, Minh was walking with a Vietnamese friend. The two were going to a movie. Minh wanted to go to a restaurant first. Minh took his friend's hand. He pulled him toward the restaurant. People on the street stared at Minh. In Vietnam, friends often hold hands. Minh found out that people in America are not used to holding hands.
Minh Pham is going through a process (过程) known as re-socialization. Socialization is the process in which a person learns to live in a society. Everyone goes through this process. Minh went through it when he lived in Vietnam. But the Vietnamese way of life is much different from the American way of life. When Mirth came to America, he had to learn a new way of life. He had to learn how to live in a new society.
Minh has learned a lot about American life in two years. He still has a lot to learn. The process of re-socialization can take many years.Socialization is the process in which one ________________.
| A．learns to live in a society |
| B．travels from one country to another |
| C．learns to act independently |
| D．learns how to live happily |
What the elderly couple said gave us an example that American people, young or old, try to be ________________.
| A．kind | B．independent |
| C．helpful | D．friendly |
According to the passage, people stared at Mirth and his friend because Minh was________________.
| A．a Vietnamese |
| B．doing something unusual |
| C．entering a restaurant |
| D．not dressed like Americans |
Who should experience socialization according to the passage?
| A．The Vietnamese in America. |
| B．Older people. |
| C．Americans. |
| D．Everybody. |
Fun Day
To celebrate the Year of the snake
Organised by Lam Tin Youth Centre and Kwun Tong High School
Date: 2 February 2013
Time: 10 am—5 pm
Place: Kwun Tong Playground
Fee: $20 (buy three get one free)
Programmes: drama, lion dance, magic show and ballet performance
Highlights: 1) enter the lucky draw to win a digital camera
2) learn to make festival food
Join us on the Fun Day!
All are welcome!
Free Soft Drinks
Note:
● Tickets are available at the General Office of Lam Tin Youth Center
● For those who would like to be a volunteer, please contact Miss Olivia Wong one week before the activity.What you have just read is a _______.
| A．note | B．report | C．schedule | D．poster |
What is going to take place on 2 February, 2013?
| A．A big event to welcome a Chinese new year. |
| B．A social gathering to raise money for wildlife. |
| C．A party for close friends to meet and have fun. |
| D．A meeting of Kwun Tong High School students. |
How much do you have to pay in total if four of you go together?
| A．$20. | B．$40. | C．$60. | D．$80. |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Tickets are sold in Kwun Tong High School. |
| B．It’s unnecessary to take soft drinks with you. |
| C．Free digital cameras are provided for everybody. |
| D．Festival food will be served without extra charge. |