◆Walkingtall,andsafelySomewome-优题课

The French word renaissance means rebirth. It was first used in 1855 by the historian Jules Michelet in his History of France，then adopted by historians of culture，by art historians，and eventually by music historians，all of whom applied it to European culture during the 150 years spanning 1450－1600.The concept of rebirth was appropriate to this period of European history because of the renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman culture that began in Italy and then spread throughout Europe. Scholars and artists of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries wanted to restore the learning and ideals of the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome. To these scholars this meant a return to human—as opposed to spiritual values. Fulfillment in life—as opposed to concern about an afterlife—became a desirable goal，and expressing the entire range of human emotions and enjoying the pleasures of the senses were no longer frowned(皱眉头) on. Artists and writers now turned to secular(不朽的)as well as religious subject matter and sought to make their works understandable and appealing.
These changes in outlook deeply affected the musical culture of the Renaissance period—how people thought about music as well as the way music was composed，experienced，discussed，and circulated. They could see the architectural monuments，sculptures(雕塑)，plays，and poems that were being rediscovered，but they could not actually hear ancient music—although they could read the writings of classical philosophers，poets，essayists，and music theorists that were becoming available in translation. They learned about the power of ancient music to move the listener and wondered why modern music did not have the same effect. For example，the influential religious leader Bernardino Cirillo expressed disappointment with the learned music of his time. He urged musicians to follow the example of the sculptors，painters，architects，and scholars who had rediscovered ancient art and literature.
The musical Renaissance in Europe was more a general cultural movement and state of mind than a specific set of musical techniques. Furthermore，music changed so rapidly during this century and a half—though at different rates in different countries—that we cannot define a single Renaissance style.
What is the passage mainly about?

A．The musical compositions that best illustrate the developments during the European Renaissance.

B．The musical techniques that were in use during the European Renaissance.

C．The European Renaissance as a cultural development that included changes in musical style.

D．The ancient Greek and Roman musical practices used during the European Renaissance.

The underlined word “now” in Paragraph 1 refers to ________.

A．1855

B．the period of the Renaissance

C．the time of the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome

D．the time at which the author wrote the passage

It can be inferred from the passage that thinkers of the Renaissance were seeking a rebirth of ________.

A．spirituality in everyday life

B．communication among artists across Europe

C．a cultural emphasis on human values

D．religious themes in art that would accompany the traditional secular themes

What can be inferred about the music of ancient Greece and Rome?

A．Its effect on listeners was described in a number of classical texts.

B．It was played on instruments that are familiar to modern audiences.

C．It expressed more different ideals than classical sculpture，painting and poetry.

D．It had the same effect on Renaissance audiences as it had when originally performed.

According to the passage，why was Bernardino Cirillo disappointed with the music of his time?

A．It did not contain enough religious themes.

B．It had little emotional impact on audiences.

C．It was not complex enough to appeal to musicians.

D．It was too dependent on the art and literature of his time.

TOKYO, Japan (AP) – Japan is very serious about robotics (机器人技术). If the droids are going to fit in, they probably need to learn the Japanese custom of serving tea. Fortunately, researchers at the University of Tokyo are exploring just that. In a show this week, a humanoid（有人特点的）with camera eyes made by Kawada Industries Inc. poured tea from a bottle into a cup. Then another robot on wheels delivered the cup of tea in an experimental room that has sensors embedded in the floor and sofa as well as cameras on the ceiling, to simulate（模仿）life with robot technology.
“A human being may be faster, but you’d have to say ‘Thank you,’” said University of Tokyo professor Tomomasa Sato. “That’s the best part about a robot. You don’t have to feel bad about asking it to do things.”
Sato believes Japan, a rapidly aging society where more than a fifth of the population is 65 or older, will lead the world in designing robots to care for the elderly, sick and bedridden（卧床不起的）.
Already, monitoring technologies, such as sensors that automatically turn on lights when people enter a room, are becoming widespread in Japan.
The walking, child–size Asimo from Honda Motor Co. greets people at showrooms. NEC Corp. has developed a smaller companion robot–on –wheels called Papero. A seal robot available since 2004 can entertain the elderly and others in need of fuzzy companionship.
Sato says his experimental room is raising awareness about privacy questions that may arise when electronic devices（设备）monitor a person’s movements down to the smallest detail.
On the bright side, the tea – pouring humanoid has been programmed to do the dishes.
What is the best title of this passage?

A．“Thank You” Will Never Be Needed in Japan

B．Monitoring Technologies Are Widespread in Japan

C．Robot Is Designed to Care for the Elderly.

D．Robot technologies are widespread in Japanese daily life.

The underlined word “embedded” in the first paragraph probably means .

A．fixed

B．established

C．settled

D．rooted

According to Professor Sato, .

A．the robot serves tea much faster than a human being

B．the robot does anything like human beings

C．tea – serving robot helps to form laziness of the aging society

D．tea – serving robot doesn’t need any reward for the service

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．A robot can imitate people to complete complicated tasks.

B．A robot has been programmed to clean the dishes.

C．All the problems in the aging society can be solved by robots.

D．The number of aging people is increasing rapidly in Japan.

We can infer from the passage that .

A．people are afraid of being monitored by robots.

B．the technology of robots has been highlighted in Japan.

C．robots can completely take the place of human beings.

D．people’s privacy should be strictly protected

The evidence for harmony may not be obvious in some families. But it seems that four out of five young people now get on with their parents, which is the opposite of the popularly-held image(形象) of unhappy teenagers locked in their room after endless family quarrels.
An important new study into teenage attitudes surprisingly shows that their family life is more harmonious than it has ever been in the past. "We were surprised by just how positive today's young people seem to be about their families," said one member of the research team. "They're expected to be rebellious(叛逆的) and selfish but actually they have other things on their minds; they want a car and material goods, and they worry about whether school is serving them well. There's more negotiation(商议) and discussion between parents and children, and children expect to take part in the family decision-making process. They don't want to rock the boat."
So it seems that this generation of parents is much more likely than parents of 30 years ago to treat their children as friends. "My parents are happy to discuss things with me and willing to listen to me," says 17-years-old Daniel Lazall. " I always tell them when I'm going out clubbing. As long as they know what I'm doing, they're fine with it." Susan Crome, who is now 21, agrees. "Looking back on the last 10 years, there was a lot of what you could call negotiation. For example, as long as I'd done all my homework, I could go out on a Saturday night. But I think my grandparents were a lot stricter with my parents than that."
Maybe this positive view of family life should not be unexpected. It is possible that the idea of teenage rebellion is not rooted in real facts. A researcher comments, "Our surprise that teenagers say they get along well with their parents comes because of a brief period in our social history when teenagers were regarded as different beings. But that idea of rebelling and breaking away from their parents really only happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled. The normal situation throughout history has been a smooth change from helping out with the family business to taking it over."
According to the author, teenage rebellion ________.

A．resulted from changes in families

B．may be a false belief

C．is common nowadays

D．existed only in the 1960s

What is the passage mainly about?

A．Education in family

B．Negotiation in family

C．Teenage trouble in family

D．Harmony in family

The study shows that teenagers don't want to ________.

A．go boating with their family

B．share family responsibility

C．make family decisions

D．cause trouble in their families

What is the popular images of teenagers today?

A．They dislike living with their parents

B．They quarrel a lot with other family members

C．They worry about school

D．They have to be locked in to avoid troubles

Compared with parents of 30 years ago, today's parents ________.

A．care less about their children's life

B．give their children more freedom

C．go to clubs more often with their children

D．are much stricter with their children

Authorities in Shanghai said Thursday night that another person has died from H7N9 bird flu, bringing the death toll to five around the country. The city has reported six infections (感染) to date, and four have died, said the Shanghai Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission. Of the rest two, there was a four-year-old, the agency said. The baby was recovering from mild illness, it added. The person died at Huashan Hospital on Wednesday and was confirmed infected with the H7N9 bird flu on Thursday.
Also on Thursday, the commission reported the city's third death from the H7N9 bird flu. The case involved a 48-year-old man surnamed Chu, a poultry (家禽) transporter from Rugao in neighboring Jiangsu Province. He developed symptoms(症状) of cough on March 28. After having a fever on Monday, he went to a private clinic for treatment. The man then sought help in the Tongji Hospital in Shanghai in the early hours of Wednesday after his condition worsened. Chu died three hours after being admitted to the hospital. He was confirmed infected with the H7N9 virus on Thursday. Eight people who had close contact with him have shown no abnormal symptoms.
So far, China has confirmed 14 H7N9 cases -- six in Shanghai, four in Jiangsu, three in Zhejiang and one in Anhui, in the first known human infections of the lesser-known type of bird flu. Of all, four died in Shanghai and one died in Zhejiang. China's Ministry of Agriculture said Thursday the H7N9 avian flu virus has been detected from pigeon (鸽子) samples collected at a marketplace in Songjiang District of Shanghai.
After gene sequence analysis, the national avian flu reference laboratory concluded that the H7N9 virus found on pigeons was highly congenetic with those found on persons infected with H7N9 virus. China's health authorities have promised transparency(透明) and cooperation (合作) to the World Health Organization in regards to human infections of the new type of bird flu. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that no human-to-human transmission of H7N9 has been discovered.
What does the underlined word “confirmed” probably mean?

A．said

B．doubted

C．proved

D．made

What does the news report mainly about?

A．How many people died of H7N9 bird flu

B．How the development of the H7N9 bird flu vaccine (疫苗) is going on

C．What measures the government has taken to stop the spreading of H7N9

D．The new outbreak of the H7N9 bird flu

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the news report?

A．H7N9 bird flu has killed four people in Shanghai and one in Zhejiang.

B．H7N9 virus is not one that spreads from human to human

C．So far, China has confirmed 14 deaths from the H7N9 bird flu

D．The government agreed to cooperate with WHO in regards to the H7N9

What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A．Chu, a poultry transporter is the city’s third death from the H7N9 bird flu

B．Chu developed symptoms of cough and a fever

C．Chu died three hours after being admitted to a private clinic

D．Eight people who had close contact with him haven’t been infected with H7N9

Silence is unnatural to man．He begins life with a cry and ends it in stillness．In between he does all he can to make a noise in the world, and he fears silence more than anything else．Even his conversation is an attempt to prevent a fearful silence．If he is introduced to another person, and a number of pauses occur in the conversation, he regards himself as a failure, a worthless person, and is full of envy of the emptiest headed chatterbox（喋喋不休的人）.He knows that ninety-nine percent of human conversation means no more than the buzzing of a fly, but he is anxious to join in the buzz and to prove that he is a man and not a waxwork figure（蜡塑人像）.
The aim of conversation is not, for the most part, to communicate ideas; it is to keep up the buzzing sound. There are, it must be admitted, different qualities of buzz; there is even a buzz that is as annoying as the continuous noise made by a mosquito （蚊子）.But at a dinner party one would rather be a mosquito than a quiet person. Most buzzing, fortunately, is pleasant to the ear, and some of it is pleasant even to the mind. He would be a foolish man if he waited until he had a wise thought to take part in the buzzing -with his neighbors.
Those who hate to pick up the weather as a conversational opening seem to me not to know the reason why human beings wish to talk. Very few human beings join in a conversation in the hope of learning anything new. Some of them are content if they are merely allowed to go on making a noise into other people's ears, though they have nothing to tell them except that they have seen two or three new plays or that they had food in a Swiss hotel. At the end of an evening during which they have said nothing meaningful for a long time, they just prove themselves to be successful conservationists.
According to the passage, people usually talk to their neighbors_____.

A．in the hope of learning something new

B．in the hope of getting on well

C．about whatever they want to

D．about whatever they have prepared

According to the author, people make conversation to______.

A．achieve success in life

B．overcome their fear of silence

C．exchange ideas

D．prove their value

What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?

A．To persuade people to stop making noises．

B．To explain why people keep talking．

C．To discuss why people like talking about weather．

D．To encourage people to join in conversations．

By "the buzzing of a fly"(Para.1), the author means"_____".

A．the voice of a chatterbox

B．meaningless talk sound

C．a low whispering

D．the noise of an insect

A．High-heel boots.	B．Seasons.
C．Clothes fashion.	D．Weather.