Americanscientistshavedevelope-优题课

Geneva is situated between the Jura Range and the Alps on the western end of Lake Geneva. Capital of Peace is one of its names— the European headquarters of the United Nations lies here in Palais des Nations. Another worthy name for this city with a humanitarian tradition（人道主义传统）and international character is the World’s Smallest Metropolis. Parks, splendid stores and lively streets in the old part of town and its 2000-year history wait to be discovered.
The Jet d’Eau together with the Flower Watch are the main attractions every year for the tourists visiting Geneva. The Jet d’Eau has become the symbol（象征）of Geneva for a long time. This is a 140 meters high water monument with a rich history. Eight 13,500-watt projectors light the grand column（圆柱）of the fountain in the evening, from early March until the second Sunday of October. The Flower Watch, which was created at the edge of the English Garden in 1955, reminds us about that Geneva is the birthplace of the Swiss clock and watch making, and that this industry has become internationally famous, as well through the quality of the watches as through their beautiful appearance.
Sails on Lake Geneva are also enjoyable. The Lake of Geneva, lying among the Alps, is a true inland sea, making possible a wide range of pleasant boat trips, you can relax and watch the beautiful scenes pass by.
56. Which of the following is NOT suitable for describing Geneva?
A. Capital of Peace. B. Palais des Nations.
C. The World’s Smallest Metropolis.
D. The birthplace of the Swiss clock and watch making.
57. The Jet d’Eau in the second paragraph refers to .
A. the water fountain B. the English Garden
C. a new scene with electric lighting D. the name of a famous watchmaker
58. What do we learn about the Lake of Geneva from the text?
A. It is the symbol of Geneva.
B. It lies among the Jura Range.
C. It has a direct passage to the ocean.
D. It is a large body of water of tourist interest.

All people, ____they are old or young,black or white,all hold the same dream to have a peaceful world.

A．whether

B．however

C．no matter

D．even though

To face the music
Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life of the people and develop in their own way. Our expression today is “to face the music”.
When someone says, “well, I guess I’ll have to face the music,” it does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you didn’t do this or that. Sour music indeed, but it has to be faced. At sometime or another, every one of us has had to face the music, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you.” and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Looper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on the stage. When they got their cue to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that was exactly what they did — facing the orchestra which was just below them. And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of an audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” come to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.”
Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced an inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny enough to pass the inspection? Still the men had to go out and face the music of the band as well as the inspection. What else could they do?
Another army explanation is more closely related to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. As, for example when a man is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse.
1. How many ways does the phrase “to face the music” comes from?
A. 1B. 2 C. 3 D. 4
2. What’s the meaning of “to face the music?”
A. To face something far less pleasant.
B. To face the stage.
C. To face the back of one’s horse.
D. To face one’s leader.
3. Which of the following is a situation of facing the music?
A. When we are playing basketball.
B. When we are making a speech.
C. When we are having a party.
D. When we are talking with somebody.
4. The underlined word “hostile” means _______.
A. unfriendly B. dislike C. unkind D. unnecessary

The 2008 Beijing Olympics began officially on Friday 8th August 2008 at 8 pm in front of a crowd of 90,000 eager spectators in the Bird's Nest stadium.
Things got off to a bang with a starting firework display which lit up Beijing's skyline, followed by a total of 2,008 energetic drummers beating a countdown（倒计时）. Then the crowd was treated to an amazing sequence（系列） pretty and carefully designed scenes which took them through 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture.
After these performances, it was time for the athletes themselves to take center stage. In keeping with tradition, Olympic founders Greece led the 204 competing nations into the stadium.
China's 639 athletes entered last behind towering flag bearer Yao Ming, to a thunderous reception from the crowd.
Finally, the main torch was lit by a jet of fire from Chinese Olympic hero Li Ning, who had been pulled up to the roof of the stadium on wires.
China, of course, was not alone in watching the opening ceremony. British newspaper The Guardian said the show "outdid all of its former hosts in numbers, colour, noise and expense."
The Financial Times was equally impressed. "No country ever has--or surely will--match the Chinese in effort, human power, organization, creativity and , it has to be said, money they were willing to put into what once a little show."
No pressure on the next host city then! With just four years to go, the London Olympic organizers have promised to deliver an equally inspirational ceremony. Let's hope they can pull it off.
45. Which of the following is the right order of the opening ceremony of 29th Olympic Games?
a. China's athletes entered last behind Yao Ming.
b. A starting firework display lit up Beijing's skyline.
c. The main torch was lit by a jet of fire from Chinese Olympic hero Li Ning.
d. A total of 2,008 energetic drummers beat a countdown.
e. The crowd was treated to an amazing sequence of pretty and carefully designed scenes which took them through 5,000 years of Chinese history and culture.
f. Olympic founders Greece led the 204 competing nations into the stadium.
A. b, d, e, a, f, c B. d, c, b, a, e, f C. d, c, a, e, b, f D. b, d, e, f, a, c
46. What does the underlined word outdid probably mean in this passage?
A. did well B. did worse than C. did better than D. did poorly
47. Which of the following can best describe the author's attitude toward the London Olympics?
A. negative B. sad C. positiveD. satisfied
48. We can find the passage in a newspaper most probably in _____________section.
A. music B. sports C. literatureD. military

Barack Obama made his victory speech in Chicago after a hard-fought campaign.
Democratic Senator Barack Obama has won the US presidential election, and will become the 44th President of the United States-the first African-American in the country's history to do so.
President-elect Obama marked his victory with a speech to a crowd of tens of thousands of people in his hometown of Chicago.
Obama described his election as a "defining moment' in the history of the United States, saying that "change has come to America".
The BBC's spokesman in Washington says that in electing Barack Obama, the American people have expressed their unhappiness with the present state and rejected their country's historical racial divisions.
The Australian Prime Minister summed up how many people felt when he congratulated President-elect Obama.
“Forty-five years ago Martin Luther King had a dream of an America where men and women would be judged not on the colour of their skin but on the content of their character. Today what America has done is turn that dream into a reality," said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
President-elect Obama will not take office until 20th January next year. However, when he does become president, he will face many serious challenges, including two foreign wars, climate change and what he has described as " the worst financial crisis （经济危机）in a century."
But the mood of the country is optimistic, according to most commentators, and Obama himself appears to enjoy the challenge.
"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be difficult. We may not get there in one year or even in one term, but America--I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there," said the next President of the United States.
41. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. It was not a difficult process for Obama to win the US presidential election.
B. The American people welcome the historical racial divisions.
C. What Martin Luther King dreamed about America has come true.
D. After the election Obama didn't say anything about his victory.
42. According to the passage, it seems that in the United States, _____________.
A. people may still be treated unequally because of their color of skin.
B. people are experiencing two civil wars.
C. Americans are enjoying the economy developing.
D. People are not satisfied with President-elect.
43. From the last two paragraphs, we can learn that________________.
A. the attitude of American people to their country's future is not clear.
B. Obama has confidence in American future and ready to face it.
C. the road to America will be long.
D.the change of America is not hard to achieve.
44. What is probablythe best title to the passage?
A. Historical presidential election B. The first African-American President
C. Change has comeD. Comments about America