So far,this year’s global music market has definitely been dominated (支配)by women：Beyonce Knowles，Taylor Swirl，and Iggy Azalea are all making waves．And one hot name that adds more conviction to the list is US singer Ariana Grande．
Almost exactly a year ago，Grande released her first album，Yours Truly． And over the past 12 months，the 21-year-old former Nickelodeon(an American TV channel for kids and adolescents)star has transformed from a pop artist you might recognize to an outstanding superstar．She now possesses three top 10 singles in the current Billboard Hot 100 chart，an impressive opening performance at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards，and millions of followers on social networking sites．
Her second album，My Everything, which was released on Aug 25，is the latest sign of her coming dominance．It hit No．1 on the Billboard 200 album chart this week，making her the only other female singer after Scotland’s Susan Boyle to have two continuous No．1 albums in a single year.
Grande’s strength lies in her powerful voice and wide voiced range．Unlike her companions Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato，Grande’s star power is rooted in the fact that she can really sing．More importantly，Grande knows how to control her voice，which is at once strong and sensitive，and use it to expand her musical territory．
My Everything is the best example．In this album，Grande literally tries her hand at everything：dance music，R&B jams，hip-hop tunes，power ballads and even’60s-inflected pop．
While you can clearly sense her ambition as a singer，you will be impressed by how effortlessly she handles these different styles of music，especially if you have listened to Yours Truly，a more refreshing．’90s R&B—influenced project．
Of course，one suggestion for Grande’s future music would be for her to display more personality instead of simply showing her voiced talent．But not to worry, based on what we’ve heard thus far, it's safe to say Grande is well on her way to growing into her own．
Which of the following contributes to Grande’s great success?
A．The impressive opening performance．
B．Her followers on social networking sites．
C．The influence of’60s pop and’90s R&B．
D．Her powerful voice and wide voiced range．We can conclude from the last paragraph that Grande_________．
| A．1ikes to show off her voice |
| B．is a promising superstar |
| C．1acks her own personality |
| D．has difficulty going further |
What can we learn about Ariana Grande?
| A．She prefers hip-hop tunes in particular． |
| B．She used to be a pop star in a TV channel． |
| C．She has two top 10 singles of Billboard’s Hot 100． |
| D．She is the only singer to have two No．1 albums in a year． |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．A Rising Music Genius |
| B．The Music Market of Women |
| C．Susan Boyle and Her Companions |
| D．Different Styles of Grande’s Music |
Maybe it is true that we do not know what we have got until we lose it, but it is also true that we do not know what we have been missing until it arrives.
It takes an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone. Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love you back. Do not expect love in return; but if it does not, be content it has grown in yours. Do not rely on one’s appearance; it can trick you. Do not rely on wealth; even that fades away. Rely on someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.
There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them. Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past. You cannot go on well in life until you let your past failures and heartaches go off. May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trails to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy. The happiest of people do not necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. Happiness waits for those who cry, those appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives. Always put yourself in others’ shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person, too.
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you are the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.In this passage, the writer wants to tell us ______.
| A．what to do in our life |
| B．where to go with other persons |
| C．how to treat our life |
| D．how to get on well with other persons |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．If you give someone your love, you are sure to receive love in return. |
| B．We often don’t know what we have lost until it happens someday. |
| C．It is wise not to rely on anybody because you are likely to be cheated. |
| D．If it takes you a short time to love someone, you will easily forget the person. |
If you put yourself in another person’s position, ______.
| A．you shouldn’t do what will hurt other people |
| B．you should put on other people’s shoes |
| C．you should believe in other people |
| D．you should depend on your imagination |
In the last paragraph the writer is actually telling us that a person in the world should be one who ______.
| A．can accept the suggestions made by others |
| B．can live happily and forget the past |
| C．does good to other people and is respected and loved by them |
| D．has made a lot of money for himself before he dies |
TheUnitedStateshasaround475,000schoolbuses.Eachdaytheycarrymorethan25million children,halfofalltheschoolchildreninthecountry.
Thesebuses,onaverage,use4litersofdiesel(柴油)fueltotravellessthan16kilometers. When theschoolyearbeganlastfall,dieselaveraged55centsaliternationally.Thepricenearlydoubledby theendofschool inJune.
BobRileyisthespokesmanfortheAmericanSchoolBusCouncil.Hesaysfuelpricesnegotiated(商议) for schools arenot lower thanothers have to pay. Asaresult,schoolsarelookingfor waystoreducetransportationcosts.Busroutesarebeing redrawnor,insomecases,canceled.Someareas arebuyingbusesthatuse naturalgas orother alternativefuels.
Otherstepsincludefewerfieldtrips andlesstravel bysports teams.Someschool districtsmayend any busservicenotrequiredby law.
Studiesshowthatschoolbusesarethesafestform oftransportationtoandfrom school.
The AmericanSchoolBus Councilsayscutsinbus serviceare badfor childrenandpossiblythe environment.Itsaysremovingbusesfromtheroadwillmeananincreaseinothervehiclestransporting students. Spokesman Bob Riley saysanotherconcern is thatreducing busservicemightreduce attendance.
It couldalso getmorechildren to walkor bicycle to school.That wouldsurely makepeople happy attheNationalCenterforSafeRoutestoSchool.Morekidswalkingorbikingsafelytoschoolisthe aimofa3-year-oldfederal program,partofaninternationalmovement.Thegoalis toincreasephysical activity and reduce air pollution.Inthesecondparagraph,theauthorwantsto provethat .
| A．toomany schoolchildren takebuses every day |
| B．thecost offuelhasincreased |
| C．theschoolbusesconsumemorefuelthanaverage |
| D．the school busesusuallygoon long routes |
Inthe thirdparagraph,what doesBobRiley mean'?
| A．Thefuel pricesforschool busesneed to be negotiated again. |
| B．High fuelprices are also affecting the efficiency of their services. |
| C．The fuelprices for school are much higher thanothers pay. |
| D．TheAmericanSchool BusCouncilshould workforstudents’benefit. |
Whatistheadvantage ofreducingschoolbusserviceaccordingto thepassage?
| A．Morefuelwillbesaved. |
| B．Studentscangotoschool inasaferway. |
| C．Studentscanexercisebywalkingorriding toschool. |
| D．Trafficjams willbereducedduringrushhour. |
Whatisthesixth paragraphmainly about?
| A．Bob Riley's concern about the resultsof reducing school buses. |
| B．Theconvenience brought by school buses. |
| C．Thebad effectsofreducingschool buses. |
| D．Thestudiesabout students'choicescarried out by theAmericanSchool BusCouncil. |
Traffic TV
Avoid the jams — see where tailbacks are before you set off and while on the move. Traffic TV is free to use on your personal computer and only £4 per month (see below for other network charges) on your mobile.
How does it work?
Over 7,500 Trafficmaster cameras monitor traffic flow on over 8,000 miles of motorways and roads across the UK keeping you up to date 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Traffic TV on your mobile
This downloadable application lets you see where jams are building up, the speed of vehicles at hotspots, and live pictures from thousands of roadside cameras.
Traffic TV is £4 a month for Orange mobile customers, after a 30 day free trial. On other networks Traffic TV is £5 a month, after a 7 day free trial.
Listen to live traffic news
Don’t want the download? Then simply dial the numbers below from your mobile to hear the latest traffic updates.
＊Orange mobile users call 177 (calls cost up to 55p a minute)
＊Other mobile users call 1740 (calls cost up to 59p a minute)
Help friends avoid jams
Simply enter your friend’s email address to send them a link to this service.You may read this advertisement most probably ___________.
| A．in a travel guide | B．on a web page |
| C．on a road sign | D．in a newspaper |
How long may a customer use the service if his/her network is Orange and pays £20?
| A．About 120 days. | B．About 127 days. |
| C．Five months. | D．Six months. |
What is the purpose of this advertisement?
| A．To provide readers with live traffic information. |
| B．To help Orange customers to avoid traffic jam. |
| C．To attract mobile users to buy Traffic TV service. |
| D．To explain how Traffic TV and live traffic news work. |
How can users get live traffic information?
| A．By telephone or through Internet. |
| B．By watching a TV programme. |
| C．By listening to the radio report. |
| D．By 7,500 Trafficmaster cameras. |
It was graduation day at the university where I work and a beautiful day quite unlike the first graduation I attended as a young professor．On that cold day years ago, as we watched the students walking into the hall, one of my colleagues turned to me and said, "Graduation will be one of the happiest and one of the saddest time of your life．" At my inquiry, he answered, "Because the students you have gotten to know have to leave．"
As years went by, my previous confusion about my colleague's words no longer existed．When I came across naughty students, I have had to rethink why I chose to be a teacher．It obviously isn't the money．Once a former computer science student of mine called me, asking me if I wanted to have a change．He was working at Nintendo Corporation．His salary was higher than my current one, though I have more education and have worked for over a decade．With my programming skills, he said he could get me hired．I thanked him, but declined his kind offer．
A few days before this current graduation, while working on final grades, I found a note a student had slipped in with her homework．She thanked me for being her teacher and said the things she had learned in my class—not about math, but about life—would be things she would remember long after the math skills had faded away．As I finished reading, I remembered why I had become a teacher．
Now, on this sunny graduation day, as I again observed the sea of blue hats and gowns, I did so with renewed dedication （奉献） and a deeper sense of satisfaction—I will always be grateful that I am a teacher．Hearing his colleague's description of graduation for the first time, the author __________．
| A．quite agreed with his colleague |
| B．was very puzzled |
| C．thought it very funny |
| D．was very sad |
The computer science student called up the author because he___________．
| A．wanted to inform the author of his present job |
| B．tried to persuade the author to work with him |
| C．wanted the author to share his joy and satisfaction |
| D．thought the author wasn't fit to be a teacher |
The underlined part “blue hats and gowns” refers to___________．
| A．university colleagues | B．graduates' clothes |
| C．life memories | D．decorations in the hall |
The author wrote this passage to __________．
| A．express his devotion to being a teacher |
| B．compare two different graduation ceremonies |
| C．talk about the meaning of graduation |
| D．give advice on how to be a good teacher |
Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends．They believe that their family members, especially their parents．Don’t know them as well as their friends do．In large families．it is often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice．
It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or many friends．Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone．This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them．Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one．Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who choose your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got good friend your parents don’t like?Many teenagers think their know them better than their parents do．
| A．friends | B．teachers | C．brothers and sisters | D．classmates |
When teenagers stay alone，the usual way of communication is to,
| A．go to their friends. |
| B．talk with their parents |
| C．have a d discussion with their family |
| D．talk with their friends on the phone |
The passage suggests（暗示）that．
| A．Parents cannot choose friends for their children successfully． |
| B．Perhaps some children’s friends are chosen by their parents． |
| C．Children won’t let their parents choose friends for them． |
| D．Parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them． |