Before she appeared on the reality show(真人秀) Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle was just an ordinary middle-aged British woman. Now all this is going to change.
She lives in a house with her cat Pebbles in a tiny Scottish town. Because of learning difficulties, she doesn’t have much education. But what she does have is a very good voice. As a kid, she sang in church and choirs and school plays. For a living, she sang at local pubs.
When she took the stage on April 10th her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags. The audience laughed at her.
But then she opened her mouth. A few bars into the song and the laughing audience went silent. A beautiful voice was singing I Dreamed a Dream from the musical Les Miserables. Everyone was amazed. At the end of her song, the audience jumped to their feet and applauded wildly.
Almost overnight, Susan became a household name. She won fans and millions of admirers. Her online videos have drawn over 85.2 million hits.
Susan’s story proved the truth of an old saying: “Never judge the book by its cover.” Susan may look ordinary, and doesn’t have much dress sense, but she can certainly sing.
Susan’s fans admire her courage, as much as they do her voice. She has experienced mockery and many disappointments, but her love for music has kept her going, which is worth anyone’s respect. According to the passage, Susan Boyle _______.
| A．is a famous young actress |
| B．became famous after a show |
| C．used to be a good student |
| D．is good at dancing and has millions of admirers |
The underlined phrase “just one step up from” in the third paragraph probably means______.
| A．far from | B．close to | C．different from | D．the same as |
The audience jumped and applauded wildly because__________.
| A．her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags |
| B．she looked very funny |
| C．she sang so well that everyone was amazed |
| D．she made a foolish mistake in the end |
Susan Boyle has many fans now because of _______.
| A．her beautiful face |
| B．her knowing how to dress |
| C．her good education |
| D．her beautiful voice and courage |
The passage is mainly about___________,
| A．how to win fans |
| B．how to sing well |
| C．a woman’s sudden success |
| D．a woman’s simple life |
UNICEF reports that 40 million children below the age of 15 suffer from abuse(虐待) and neglect. The USA National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse finds 3 million new reports of child abuse or neglect every year.
According to such information on human rights abuses of children, the United Nations declared 2010 as the International Year of Youth. In answer to the common human rights abuses of young people, Dr. Mary Shuttleworth of Youth for Human Rights International(YHRI) recently completed her seventh annual World Tour to five continents in eighty days. The purpose of the tour is to promote the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights to tens of thousands of children and officials.
According to UNICEF, 1.2 million children are illegally traded all over the world every year.
Sold as goods, these children are forced into inhuman labor, denied basic education and robbed of their childhoods. Youth who do not know their rights are easily cheated by ill-intentioned men. That is why YHRI thinks highly of education.
“When the United Nations declared 2010 as the International Year of Youth, I knew that their human rights had to be greater than ever,” Dr. Shuttleworth said. The tour reached Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Ecuador, Brazil, South Africa, Swaziland, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily, Italy, Greece, Taiwan, Japan, Hawaii and Los Angeles.
The YHRI World Tour 2010 has reached tens of thousands of students as well as officials, educators, and religious leaders and thus promotes human rights education to millions more.2010 was declared as the International Year of Youth because ______.
| A．3 million children reported their information to the UN |
| B．many children are suffering from ill-treatment and neglect |
| C．children are illegally traded throughout the whole world |
| D．human rights abuses of young people have been avoided |
According to para. 2, Dr. Shuttleworth first started her annual World Tour in _____.
| A．2000 | B．2004 | C．2008 | D．2010 |
Youth for Human Rights International is paying attention to education because _______.
| A．education should serve most children |
| B．too many children are forced to leave school |
| C．children who know their rights will make more money |
| D．children who know little about their rights are easily cheated |
According to the passage, the YHRI World Tour 2010 _______.
| A．has almost stopped the child abuse | B．has reached different areas and people |
| C．has found more forced child labor | D．was neglected by some political leaders |
Lichens (地衣) are difficult to see. They don’t move. They often mix into the living place. You might not even recognize one if you are looking right at it.
Lichens live on rocks, branches, houses, and even metal street signs. You can find these colorful organisms (微生物) almost everywhere — from deserts to rainforests, and from Antarctica to Africa. They’ve traveled in outer space, and some scientists think there might even be lichens on Mars.
What you probably don’t realize is that a lichen is more than a single thing. It includes two different types of living organisms: a fungus (菌类) and an alga (藻类). Neither of these organisms is a plant, so the lichen isn’t a plant either.
Through photosynthesis (光合作用), the alga gets the sun’s energy to make food for the fungus, which is the place for the alga to live in. However, the alga cannot leave the fungus.
Around the world, scientists have found tens of thousands of types of lichens. Many may not even have been discovered yet. As scientists continue to find new kinds of lichens, they are also working to understand how they are connected to one another. By putting together a lichen family tree, they hope to understand why so many different types of lichens have grown in so many places around the world.
Many researchers are trying to understand basic facts about the organisms and their connections. Researchers are also using lichens to examine the health of the environment. What do we know about lichens according to the passage?
| A．They will die if they leave Earth. |
| B．There are more lichens than plants on Earth. |
| C．They look similar to the environment around them. |
| D．They are too small to be easily seen by people. |
What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．The way lichens live. |
| B．The natural environment of lichens. |
| C．The way lichens work as organisms. |
| D．The family tree of lichens. |
Which of the following statements is NOT the scientists’ purposes of studying lichens?
| A．To understand basic facts about them. |
| B．To creat a lichen family tree. |
| C．To understand how lichens are related to each other. |
| D．To understand why lichens can live in different places. |
We can know from the passage that __________.
| A．lichens can be used to better understand the environment |
| B．lichens don’t have any differences in colors or sizes |
| C．lichens don’t use photosynthesis like a green plant |
| D．scientists have discovered every kind of lichen |
Research has shown that music has an important effect on one’s body and psyche (心灵). In fact, there is a growing field of health care known as music therapy, which uses music to treat diseases. Even hospitals are beginning to use music therapy. This is not surprising, as music affects the body and mind in many powerful ways.
Research has shown that quick music can make a person feel more alert, while slow music can produce a calm, deep thinking state. Also, research has found that music can change brainwave activity levels. This can help the brain to change speeds more easily on its own as needed, which means that music can bring lasting benefits to your state of mind, even after you’ve stopped listening.
Breathing and heart rates can also be influenced by music. This can mean slower breathing, slower heart rate. This is why music and music therapy can help reduce the damaging effects of long-term stress, greatly promoting (促进) not only relaxation, but health.
Music can also be used to bring about a more positive state of mind by helping to keep worries at bay. Music has also been found to bring many other benefits, such as lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of strokes. It is no surprise that so many people are considering music as an important tool to help the body become or stay healthy.What can we infer about music therapy?
| A．It is a type of music. |
| B．It is a research about music. |
| C．It is a kind of musical effect on diseases. |
| D．It is the use of music method to help treat diseases. |
The reason why music can help deal with stress is that ________.
| A．it is used by many hospitals |
| B．it can help change brainwaves |
| C．it does good to breathing and heart rates |
| D．it can bring a more positive state of mind |
According to the passage, music can help deal with all the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．nervousness | B．mind illnesses |
| C．strokes | D．high blood pressure |
The passage is mainly about _________.
| A．the importance of music therapy |
| B．benefits music can bring |
| C．research on the effect of music |
| D．diseases music can help heal |
Annie had just begun school. Her parents were tired of the methods they were using to correct her behavior, including scolding (训斥), and taking away privileges (特权). Annie still needed to be scolded for her bad behavior, but her parents felt the good things she did needed to be recognized. So, they began to spend more time recognizing the improvements (改进) in Annie’s behavior and the good things she did every day rather than like before when they only noticed her bad behavior. Within a few weeks Annie began to change her attitude and her behavior improved.
Praise is one of the most powerful tools parents can use to teach their children good skills and help them grow. Praise works well when it is given and when you remember to use it frequently. It is important to praise all good behavior. Look for the good things your child does. Praise will have a lot of effects on your child. Use the 4 to 1 rule. For every bad behavior you notice, find four good behaviors or reasons to praise. It is a good way to remember to look for good behavior.
Remember to praise the things your child has already done well, or improvements in his behavior and new skills. Show your agreement by smiling and touching his shoulder or back. Be sure to say what your child did well in detail. Tell your child how good behavior helps and that it is liked by others. What was the result of recognizing Annie’s good behavior?
| A．She started to correct her bad behavior. |
| B．She was tired of her parents’ scolding. |
| C．She was not scolded for her bad behavior. |
| D．She spent more time praising her good behavior. |
When praising children’s good behavior, parents should do the following EXCEPT __________.
| A．praising their children for what they did in detail |
| B．encouraging their children to go on doing good things |
| C．telling their children more about their bad behavior |
| D．praising their children in a good way with smiles |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Praising is a better way than scolding. |
| B．Annie was a middle school student. |
| C．Annie’s parents are education experts. |
| D．Parents should not often show agreement. |
The best title for this passage would be ____________.
| A．How to Praise a Good Child |
| B．A Good Method of Praising Children |
| C．Praise More and Scold Less |
| D．The Importance of Good Behavior |
I found a website that has changed my life for the better. The website is wishuponahero.com and it is all about people helping others, not expecting anything in return.
I am a single mom with a son. My son’s 12th birthday was on October 29th, 2007. Knowing that I didn’t have money to buy him a birthday gift had broken my heart. So I decided to post a wish on wishuponahero.com for people to send my son birthday cards.
Many cards just started coming and my little son was very excited and this went on for about three weeks. The smile on his face and the sparkle (闪光) in his eyes brought me to tears.
Then, in the end of November, he started thinking about Christmas and he already knew that there would not be a tree for him because we didn’t have enough money. However, it didn’t matter to him. All he talked about was how much he wanted to make other children smile. So he decided that what he wanted to do was earn money to buy Christmas cards and send them to other children from poor families. My son went out daily and raked (耙) leaves and walked some dogs to make money. Not only did he buy cards, but he also made enough money to buy all the stamps and lollipops (棒棒糖) to be sent with the cards. He sent out about 100 cards. Doing this brought him that same smile and sparkle in his eyes as did the birthday cards that he received. The single mother posted a wish on wishuponahero.com because _______________.
| A．she wanted to buy her son a card on the website |
| B．she wanted to get something for free |
| C．she hoped that people could help her |
| D．she thought her son would like the website very much |
What did the son think of his birthday cards on October 29th, 2007?
| A．Disappointing. | B．Exciting. |
| C．Cheap. | D．Poor. |
What can we conclude from the story?
| A．Surfing the Internet is of great use. |
| B．One should take care of his children. |
| C．People can ask for help from wishuponahero.com. |
| D．Learning to give makes one’s life more meaningful. |