B
One hot afternoon I became a thief of music.
For the first time, I created an original piano arrangement of my favorite song. Using only my ears and iPod, I created complex harmonies and voices into something I could perform with only two hands. No help, no guide: I did it on my own.
I’ve been a pianist since before my hands were big enough to reach an octave: with a musician as a father, I was all but born on the piano bench. For many years, my musical identity was defined by the notes others had written before.
This was why, when I added the finishing touches to my piano version of a modern rock song, I was proud of myself : this arrangement was mine. What I’d done seemed magical: an ability to take what had already existed—to “steal” a song from my favorite band—and to change it into something different and all my own. I was a thief, but I was also an artist.
In music, as in other aspects of life, I believe trueoriginality rarely exists. Almost everything has, in one form or another, been done before. The most romantic novel may well be a slightly changed version of a play by Shakespeare, which is likely to be borrowed from the works of Ancient Greece: same themes, different characters. But, the novel is no less deserving of praise just because its uniqueness is compromised. Adaptation is not a symbol for failure.
The gift of creativity is the ability to do what I did on the piano: to find something beautiful, to analyze and twist it, and then to make it new. Such an act is not copying; it is finding inspiration and having the strength to use it as fuel for your own masterpiece. I believe it is my job, as an artist, to rearrange this world into what I imagine it to be.
I refuse to live as if I were trapped within the walls of a museum: looking but never touching, afraid to ruin the so-called perfection of the artifacts inside. Therefore, I will embrace my ability to be a thief, because if I don’t steal what the world has to offer, I’ll never have the tools to share with others a creation of my own.
My life is my own arrangement, and because of that, anything is possible.Which can be the best title?
| A．The Love for Music. |
| B．Changes from a Thief to an Artist. |
| C．My Stolen Piano Lessons. |
| D．A Man Who Steals Music. |
According to the passage , which statement is true ?
| A．Actually there was originality only in music |
| B．He was born on the piano bench. |
| C．The author created the original piano arrangement all by himself. |
| D．The author was once a thief who stole music from his favorite band. |
Why did the writer feel proud of himself ?
| A．Because he became a real artist without others’ help. |
| B．Because he changed a song into a piano arrangement by himself. |
| C．Because he has a father who was a composer. |
| D．Because he could play the piano at an early age. |
What does the underlined word “embrace” mean?
| A．Hug | B． Explain | C．Adapt | D．Quit |
From the passage we can learn that the writer______
| A．never accept others’ advice. |
| B．likes to recreate songs whenever it is possible. |
| C．would rather not turn to his father for help. |
| D．is more of a leader than a follower. |
Elizabeth and I are 18 now, and about to graduate. I think about our elementary school friendship, but some memories have blurred(模糊). What happened that day in the fifth grade when Beth suddenly stopped speaking to me? Does she know that I’ve been thinking about her for seven years? If only we could go back, and discover what ended our relationship.
I have to speak with Beth. I see her sometimes, and find out school is “fine”. It’s not the same. It never will be. Someone says that she’s Liz now. what happened to Beth?
I can’t call her. Should I write? What if she doesn’t answer me? How will I know what she’s thinking?
Yes, I’ll write her a letter. These things are easier to express in writing. “Dear Be-,” no, “Dear Li-” no, “Dear Elizabeth,” I begin. The words flow freely, as seven-year-old memories are reborn. I ask her all the questions that have been left unanswered in my mind, and pray she will answer. I seal my thoughts in the perfect white envelope, and imagine Beth looking into the mailbox. Will she know why I’m writing? Maybe she once thought of writing the same letter.
As the mailman takes my envelope from me forever, I wonder if I’ve made the right decision. Do I have the right to force myself into Beth’s life again? Am I simply part of the past? I have taken the first stop. Beth has control of the situation now.
One day has passed. Are my words lying on the bottom of the post office floor.
Two days are gone. I’m lost in thought and don’t even hear the phone ring.
“Hello? It’s Elizabeth”
| A．She had a quarrel with the author in the fifth grade |
| B．She moved to another school in the fifth grade |
| C．She is now called Liz instead of Beth |
| D．She hasn’t seen the author for seven years |
| A．She is sure that Beth will not answer |
| B．She’s afraid that they’ll quarrel on the phone |
| C．She doesn’t know Beth’s telephone number |
| D．It is easier to express her feelings in writing |
| A．It’s up to Beth to decide what to do next |
| B．Beth is to be blamed for the ending of their friendship |
| C．Beth is in the same situation as the author is |
| D．The author is completely in the hands of Beth now |
| A．Beth answers her letter two day later |
| B．The letter doesn’t reach Beth at all |
| C．They make up their friendship |
| D．Beth refuses to make peace with her |
Sometimes two very different individuals (个体)become the best friends. For example,, who could have thought that a spider would become friends with a pig? But in American writer E.B.White’ novel Charlotte’s Web, this is exactly what happens
Wibur the pig grows up in a barn(谷仓) and makes many friends, including a spider called Charlotte. One day a sheep tells Wibur that he will finally be served up as dinner. But Charlotte decides to save her friend. To help Wibur，Charlotte writes words like “terrific”, “radiant” and “humble” on her web to praise Wibur. This makes the farmer believe that is too important to kill.Wibur is saved, but Charlotte is so tired that she dies.
The book was first published in 1952. In over 60 years Charlotte has become one of the most famous spiders of all time. She teaches us about love and promise. “She is very, very loving under that crusty(暴躁),that ugly look,” Peter Neumeyer, writer of The Annotated Charlott’s Web
The book’s success drew the attention of Hollywood filmmakers , however, they wanted a happier ending. White was strongly against this idea and as a result the film, like the book, ends with Charlotte’s death.
Jen Doll, reporter with The Atlantic, believe that “death is a part of life”. She says this is one of the main messages of the book.
As Charlotte tells Wibur, “You have been my friend. That in itself is a wonderful thing. I wove(纺织)my webs for you because I like you. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while and then we die. A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess(杂乱), with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a little. God knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.”
| A．It’s a good example of how differences make us different |
| B．It encourages children to love their family and friends |
| C．The farmer kills Wibur as dinner |
| D．Charlotte is loving and helpful although she is ugly |
| A．How Charlotte makes friends with Wibur |
| B．How to make Charlotte lovely |
| C．Whether Charrlotte should die |
| D．Whether Wibur should be killed |
| A．life could be boring and troublesome |
| B．friendship is more important than life |
| C．dying for a good cause is worthwhile(值得的) |
| D．life is like a web |
Fear and its companion pain are two of the most useful things that men and animals possess, if they are properly used. If fire did not hurt when it burnt, children would play with it until their hands were burnt away. Similarly, if pain existed but fear didn’t, a child would burn himself or herself again and again, because fear would not warn himself or herself to keep away from the fire that had burnt himself or herself before. A really fearless soldier—and some do exist, is not a good soldier because he is soon killed; and a dead soldier is of no use to his army. Fear and pain are therefore two guards without which men and animals might soon die out.
In our first sentence we suggested that fear should be properly used. If, for example, you never go out of your house because of the danger of being knocked down and killed in the street by a car, you are letting fear rule you too much. Even in your house you are not absolutely safe: an aeroplane may crash on your house, or ants may eat away some of the beams in your roof so that the latter falls on you, or you may get cancer!
The important thing is not to let fear rule you, but instead to use fear as your servant and guide. Fear will warn you of dangers; then you have to decide what action to take.
In many cases, you can take quick and successful action to avoid the danger. For example, you see a car coming straight towards you. Fear warns you, you jump out of the way, and all is well.
In some cases, however, you decide that there is nothing that you can do to avoid the danger. For example, you can’t prevent an aeroplane crashing onto your house. In this case, fear has given you its warning; you have examined it and decided on your course of action, so fear of this particular danger is no longer of any use to you, and you have to try to overcome it.Children would play with fire until their hands were burnt away if _________.
| A．they were given no warning beforehand |
| B．they had never burnt themselves |
| C．they had no sense of pain |
| D．they were fearful of the fire |
A really fearless soldier _____________.
| A．is of great use to the army |
| B．is not a real soldier |
| C．is nothing but a dead soldier |
| D．easily gets killed in a battle |
People sometimes succeed in timely avoiding the danger because _________.
| A．they have gained experience |
| B．they jump out of the way in time |
| C．they are calm in the face of danger |
| D．they are warned of the danger by fear and take quick action |
What's the writer's suggestion when the danger can't be avoided?
| A．You have to try to overcome it. |
| B．Fear can really help you to run away. |
| C．Fear always helps you stay safe. |
| D．Fear is of great use to you. |
Sheep Smarter than Thought
London—Sheep, like turkeys and ostriches, are not considered the most clever animals. British scientists said last Wednesday humans may have underestimated the woolly creature. They could be much smarter than we think.
Researchers at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, southern England, have shown that the animals have a good memory system and are extremely good at recognizing faces—which they think is a sure sign of intelligence.
Behavioral scientist Keith Kendrick and his friends trained 20 sheep to recognize and distinguish 25 pairs of sheep faces and used electrodes (电极) to measure their brain activity , which showed they could remember 50 faces for up to two years .
“If they can do that with faces, they have to have reasonable intelligence; otherwise, what is the point of having a system for remembering faces and not remembering anything else?” Kendrick said in an interview.
So hours of seemingly mindless eating grass may not be so mindless after all.
Kendrick believes sheep got their reputation as dumb (unable to speak, unintelligent) animals because they live in large groups and do not appear to have much individuality and are frightened of just about everything.
“All animals, including humans, once they are frightened, don’t tend to show signs of intelligent action,” he explained.
In research reported in the science journal Nature, Kendrick and his team showed that sheep, like humans, have a specialized system in the brain which allows them to distinguish between many different faces which look extremely similar.
“The most important finding (of the study) is that they are able , both from a behavioral point of view and from looking at the way the brain is organized , to remember a large number of individuals for a very long time,” said Kendrick. “It is a very strange system. They are showing similar abilities in many ways to humans.”From the first paragraph we can find that______.
| A．people used to think sheep are smarter than the other animals |
| B．people used to raise sheep in a wrong way |
| C．people don’t consider sheep as clever animals |
| D．people have done a lot of research on sheep |
From what Kendrick said in the interview we learn that_____.
| A．scientists have learned everything about sheep’s intelligence |
| B．scientists have learned a little about sheep’s intelligence |
| C．scientists can’t do anything more about sheep’s memory |
| D．scientists do not have to research animals’ memory |
As is known in the passage,__________.
| A．sheep are among the week animals |
| B．it is not right for people to raise sheep in groups |
| C．when sheep eat grass in the field their minds may be active |
| D．if people feel frightened, they may become braver |
About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table, I couldn't help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked, “So, how have you been?” And the boy—who could not have been more than seven or eight years old—replied. “Frankly, I've been feeling a little depressed lately.”
This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn't find out we were “depressed”, that is, in low spirits, until we were in high school.
Undoubtedly a change in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don't seem childlike anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.
Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why?
Human development depends not only on born biological states, but also on patterns of gaining social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new social positions. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages; traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.
In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation（揭示） machine has been equipped in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information to all viewers alike, whether they are children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation （诱惑）, many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more attractive moving pictures.
Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information which children will gain. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.According to the author, feeling depressed is ____________.
| A．a sure sign of a mental problem in a child |
| B．a mental state present in all humans, including children |
| C．something that cannot be avoided in children's mental development |
| D．something hardly to be expected in a young child |
According to the author, that today's children seem adult-like results from ____________.
| A．the widespread influence of television |
| B．the poor arrangement of teaching content |
| C．the fast pace of human scientific development |
| D．the rising standard of living |
What does the author think of communication through print for children?
| A．It enables children to gain more social information. |
| B．It develops children's interest in reading and writing. |
| C．It helps children to read and write well. |
| D．It can control what children are to learn. |
What does the author think of the change in today's children?
| A．He feels their adult-like behavior is so funny. |
| B．He thinks the change worthy of note. |
| C．He considers it a rapid development. |
| D．He seems to be upset about it. |