Samuel Osmond is a 19-year-old law student from Cornwall, England. He never studied the piano. However, he can play very difficult musical pieces by musicians such as Chopin and Beethoven just a few minutes after he hears them. He learns a piece of music by listening to it in parts. Then he thinks about the notes in his head. Two years ago, he played his first piece Moonlight Sonata(奏鸣曲)by Beethoven. He surprised everyone around him.
Amazed that he remembered this long and difficult piece of music and played it perfectly, his teachers say Samuel is unbelievable. They say his ability is very rare, but Samuel doesn’t even realize that what he can do is special. Samuel wanted to become a lawyer as it was the wish of his parents, but music teachers told him he should study music instead. Now, he studies law and music.
Samuel can’t understand why everyone is so surprised. “I grew up with music. My mother played the piano and my father played the guitar. About two years ago, I suddenly decided to start playing the piano, without being able to read music and without having any lessons. It comes easily to me ---I hear the notes and can bear them in mind---each and every note,” says Samuel.
Recently, Samuel performed a piece during a special event at his college. The piece had more than a thousand notes. The audience was impressed by his amazing performance. He is now learning a piece that is so difficult that many professional(专业的) pianists can’t play it. Samuel says confidently,” It’s all about super memory---I guess I have that gift.”
However, Samuel’s ability to remember things doesn’t stop with music. His family says that even when he was a young boy, Samuel heard someone read a story, and then he could retell the story word for word.
Samuel is still only a teenager. He doesn’t know what he wants to do in the future. For now, he is just happy to play beautiful music and continue his studies.What is special about Samuel Osmond?
A.He has a gift for writing music. |
B.He can write down the note he hears. |
C.He is a top student at the law school. |
D.He can play the musical piece he hears. |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.Samuel chose law against the wish of his parents. |
B.Samuel planned to be a lawyer rather than a musician. |
C.Samuel thinks of himself as a man of great musical ability. |
D.Samuel studies law and music on the advice of his teachers. |
Everyone around Samuel was surprised because he _________.
A.received a good early education in music |
B.played the guitar and the piano perfectly |
C.could play the piano without reading music |
D.could play the guitar better than his father |
What can we infer(推断) about Samuel in Paragraph 4?
A.He became famous during a special event at his college. |
B.He is proud of his ability to remember things accurately(精确地). |
C.He plays the piano better than many professional pianists. |
D.He impressed the audience by playing all the musical pieces. |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A.The Qualities of a Musician |
B.The Story of a Musical Talent |
C.The Importance of Early Education |
D.The Relationship between Memory and Music. |
Tina was not like many of her classmates. She didn’t listen to popular music or watch many movies, and she wasn’t interested in nice clothes. When she got together with her friends, they wanted to listen to rock and pop music. When Tina asked if they would like to try classical (古典的) music, they all looked at her strangely.“Classical music is for old people, ” one of her friends said. Tina was worried that something was wrong with her. She decided to talk to her father. As she entered his study (书房), her father could feel something was wrong.
“Dad, am I strange?” she asked her father.“Of course not, ” he answered. “Why do you ask that?” “Because I don’t like the same things as my classmates do. They want to listen to Mariah Carey’s music. I like Yo Yo Ma’s.” “I can understand, Tina, it’s all rightto be your own person. You don’t have to copy (模仿) what other people do. Everybody has different tastes. Some of them are popular, and others aren’t. ”After talking with her father, Tina felt better. She realized (意识到) that being different made her special. It was an important lesson for her to learn.Tina liked to.
A.listen to Mariah Carey’s music |
B.go to the movies |
C.listen to classical music |
D.buy nice clothes |
Why did Tina talk with her father?
A.Because she wanted to tell him about Yo Yo Ma. |
B.Because she wanted to talk about her problem. |
C.Because she wanted to know about her friends. |
D.Because she wanted to give him some ideas. |
What does the underlined part “be your own person” mean?
A.Do what’s right for you. |
B.Try to like the same things. |
C.Do what others do. |
D.Try to get everything you need. |
Tina’s father made Tina feel.
A.angry | B.worried |
C.excited | D.better |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.We don’t have to be like others. |
B.Friends can say bad things sometimes. |
C.Classical music is better than pop music. |
D.Tina found a new friend. |
Dear Tom
How are you? I'm at a new school this term. And I'm writing to you about my school now. My new school is big and nice. There are one thousand and four hundred students and one hundred and forty teachers at my school. I like the teachers. They are very kind to me. My classmates are very friendly, too. They teach me Chinese and I teach them English.
There are trees, flowers and green grass at my school. They are very beautiful. Behind my school there is a small river. The water in it is quite clean. We can swim in it.
We have no classes on Saturdays or Sundays. Sometimes I go to play football or basketball with my classmates. Sometimes I stay at home and watch TV. Sometimes I go to shops with my father and mother. We all like China.
Please write to me soon!
Yours
JackJack is at a/an ________ school.
A.English | B.Chinese |
C.small | D.Japanese |
There are ________ students and ________ teachers at Jack's school.
A.1,400; 104 | B.1, 040; 104 |
C.1,400; 140 | D.1, 040; 140 |
Jack's teachers ________.
A.teach him English very well |
B.only teach him Chinese and English |
C.don't like him at all |
D.are quite good to him |
Jack ________ his new classmates.
A.doesn't get on well with |
B.doesn't like |
C.makes good friends with |
D.is going to learn English from |
Which is TRUE?
A.Jack goes to school every day. |
B.Jack doesn't have classes every day. |
C.Jack has no classes only on Saturdays. |
D.Jack has no classes only on Sundays. |
On Children's Day a young woman from America goes to Beihai Park with her little daughter. There are too many people in the park. The woman can't find her daughter, So she goes to the policeman for help. She tells the policeman her daughter is only six years old. She has two big eyes and a round face. Her hair is golden yellow. And she is in a short blue dress. At last the policeman helps her find her daughter. She thanks him very much.On Children's Day, _______ woman goes to Beihai Park with her little daughter.
A.an America | B.American |
C.USA | D.an American |
The woman can't find her_______.
A.son | B.daughter |
C.children | D.sister |
Her daughter is only _______.
A.five | B.six |
C.seven | D.four |
The little girl's hair is _______.
A.yellow | B.black |
C.brown | D.golden yellow |
_______ helps her find her daughter.
A.The men | B.Policemen |
C.Some people | D.The policeman |
Jack is a schoolboy. He is from England. He lives in a small town, not far from London. He lives with his grandmother. His parents work in London. They come only on Saturday and Sunday.
Jack has a small bike. He rides to school every day. He likes to study. He listens to the teachers carefully in class. He works very hard at his lessons. After school he often does the shopping for his grandma. He does his homework in the evening. He watches TV only on Sunday evening. Jack is a good boy and his parents like him very much.Jack is a_______.
A.teacher | B.student |
C.driver | D.doctor |
Jack lives_______ London.
A.in | B.far from |
C.near | D.on |
Jack lives with his_______.
A.father | B.mother |
C.grandmother | D.brother |
Jack goes to school_______.
A.by bike | B.on foot |
C.by bus | D.by car |
Jack_______ in the evening.
A.does the shopping | B.does his homework |
C.does the cleaning | D.watches TV |
阅读下列与青少年日常生活有关的信息,并把相关的内容与它们的标题匹配起来。It is easy to protect the planet! These tips help save limited resources, especially water. So give the tips a try and get green. You can take short showers instead of having a bath and turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Be sure to ask your parents before trying any of these tips.
It might not seem like such a big deal, but think about how much time you spend sitting before your computer and playing computer games. And then you get up to go to school the next morning with a very heavy backpack. Now, without moving anymore, check out your posture.
The school year always brings new friends, new teachers, new assignments, and unfortunately some new germs. But don’t worry; a new school year doesn’t have to mean new illnesses! Follow these tips and you might score a perfect attendance (出席人数) record this year!
Going to school is an exciting time because everything’s new --- teachers, new package of markers when last year’s set works just well. In addition to reusing old supplies, we’ve got a great list of ways to be green in the new school year.
Be sure to ask your parents and yourself to save energy in the summer. You can try any of these tips. Turn off the TV and play in a garden or park. Turn off your computer before you go to bed each night.
A.Green Tips: Conserve Resources Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. |
B.Green Tips: Save Power Play outside instead of using electricity. |
C.Green Tips: Back to School Reusing anything possible is better for the environment and yourself! |
D.20 Tips for a Germ-free School Year Wash your hands with soap and water to kill germs. |
Drinking water: Bottled or From the Tap? For every six water bottles we use, only one makes it to the recycling bin.
F. Bad Posture Means Pain Kids should carry backpacks that weigh less than 10 to 15 percent of their body weight.