For some people, music is no fun at all. About four percent of the population is what scientists call “amusic.” People who are amusic are born without the ability to recognize or reproduce musical notes (音调). Amusic people often cannot tell the difference between two songs. Amusics can only hear the difference between two notes if they are very far apart on the musical scale.
As a result, songs sound like noise to an amusic. Many amusics compare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other. Life can be hard for amusics. Their inability to enjoy music set them apart from others. It can be difficult for other people to identify with their condition. In fact, most people cannot begin to grasp what it feels like to be amusic. Just going to a restaurant or a shopping mall can be uncomfortable or even painful. That is why many amusics intentionally stay away from places where there is music. However, this can result in social isolation( 隔离). “I used to hate parties,” says Margaret, a seventy-year-old woman who only recently discovered that she was amusic. By studying people like Margaret, scientists are finally learning how to identify this unusual condition.
Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different from the brains of people who can appreciate music. The difference is complex, and it doesn’t involve defective hearing. Amusics can understand other nonmusical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding ordinary speech. Scientists compare amusics to people who just can’t see certain colors.
Many amusics are happy when their condition is finally diagnosed . For years, Margaret felt embarrassed about her problem with music. Now she knows that she is not alone. There is a name for her condition. That makes it easier for her to explain. “When people invite me to a concert, I just say, ‘No thanks, I’m amusic,’” says Margaret. “I just wish I had learned to say that when I was seventeen and not seventy.”Which of the following is true of amusics?
| A．Listening to music is far from enjoyable for them. |
| B．They love places where they are likely to hear music. |
| C．They can easily tell two different songs apart. |
| D．Their situation is well understood by musicians. |
According to paragraph 3, a person with “defective hearing” is probably one who _________.
| A．dislikes listening to speeches |
| B．can hear anything nonmusical |
| C．has a hearing problem |
| D．lacks a complex hearing system |
In the last paragraph, Margaret expressed her wish that __________.
| A．her problem with music had been diagnosed earlier |
| B．she were seventeen years old rather than seventy |
| C．her problem could be easily explained |
| D．she were able to meet other amusics |
What is the passage mainly concerned with?
| A．Amusics’ strange behaviours. |
| B．Some people’s inability to enjoy music. |
| C．Musical talent and brain structure. |
| D．Identification and treatment of amusics. |
The father’s role in the family is important. One researcher says babies cared for by their fathers have greater cognitive (认知的) development at one year of age than babies not cared for by their fathers. Another expert reports that by spending time with their pre-school children, fathers can help to develop children’s language ability. Researchers also point out that for school-age children, fathers are one link with the outside world.
Fathers who value education have children who do better in school than those children whose fathers don’t value education. What’s more, fathers who spend quality time with their children may give their children happy memories which may last a lifetime.
While each father is a unique(独一无二的) person who educates children in his own style, good fathers have something in common.
Good fathers attend their children’s school activities. They also involve the children in their lives and the adult world by taking them to see the workplace, or by taking them when the car needs to be repaired, etc.
Good fathers expect a great deal from their children, but also accept and support the unique individuals that their children are becoming.
Good fathers rely on explanations and reasoning rather than force.
Good fathers know their time with children is really an investment (投资) in them.
Being an involved father is good for children and good for fathers. Both children and fathers have the opportunity for growth and development. Today’s lifestyles are changing. More and more fathers are balancing their personal life, work, and family time.The passage is mainly about ________ .
| A．how to be a qualified father |
| B．the growth and development of both fathers and children |
| C．the father’s role in the growth and development of children |
| D．the changing of the father’s role in modern society |
According to the passage, we can find that ________ .
| A．fathers are more important than mothers in the family |
| B．all fathers have the same way of educating their children |
| C．fathers’ involvement is the most important factor in children’s development |
| D．fathers have an important influence on their children from infancy through adulthood |
According to the passage, fathers’ involvement in their children’s lives may NOT result in ________ .
| A．the good fate（命运）of their children |
| B．better reading levels of their children |
| C．happy memories which may last a lifetime |
| D．greater cognitive development of their children |
Do you have a hobby—something you really enjoy doing in your spare time? Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you could spend more time on your hobby and less time at work? Maybe it’s not an either/or situation. Perhaps you can do both at the same time.
When choosing a career, one of the things you must consider is your interests. Why then do so many people not even think about their hobbies when a hobby is, in fact, an interest? Perhaps it’s because even Webster’s Dictionary defines a hobby as “a pursuit (消遣，嗜好) outside one’s regular occupation (职业)”. Maybe this is a rule you should break. After all, no one ever said your hobby had to stay separate from your occupation. In addition people are usually very skilled at their hobbies. The combination of interest and skill is a very compelling (令人信服的) reason to choose a particular career.
“Who’s going to hire someone who loves making beaded (串珠状的) jewelry?” you may ask yourself. Good question. Don’t wait for someone to hire you. Start your own business. That may be the best way to combine your hobby with your career. Those with hobbies that involve creating things, i.e. jewelry, clothing, or pottery, may do well to sell those items on their own. Before you go forward with your plans, though, you should find out whether being an entrepreneur (企业家) is for you.
When you attempt to turn your hobby into a career, don’t forget to do your homework. Even though you may have enjoyed training your pet birds to sing the national song, that doesn’t mean you’re suitable to be an animal trainer. Be sure to research your career choice completely. There may be aspects（方面）of it that just aren’t for you. In that case, stick to your day job, as they say, and save your hobby for your free time. Why does the writer ask two questions in the first paragraph?
| A．To lead in the topic of hobby and career. |
| B．To describe what can be a hobby. |
| C．To compare hobbies with work. |
| D．To explain what a hobby is. |
We can infer（推断）from paragraph 2 that many people ___________.
| A．always mix their interest with their hobbies |
| B．often separate their hobbies from their jobs |
| C．daren’t break a rule of choosing their jobs |
| D．don’t know the true meaning of a hobby |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Doing one’s homework may be a hobby. |
| B．A day job can’t be a hobby in your spare time. |
| C．Not every hobby is suitable to become a career. |
| D．An animal trainer has a hobby of singing songs. |
By writing this passage, the writer wants to introduce ___________.
| A．how to choose a hobby for your free time |
| B．how to develop your own hobby |
| C．how to treat your job as a hobby |
| D．how to turn a hobby into a career |
English is a very interesting language. It has borrowed words from many other languages. Immigrants(移民) coming into the United States have contributed many words to the language, which have kept their original pronunciation. “Coolie” and “kowtow” were taken from the Chinese language, “kamikaze from the Japanese, “shampoo” from India, “blitz” from German, “amigo” and “Los Angeles” from Spanish and so on.
Many students have studied English for years, some as many as eight. However, some students still have difficulty in speaking fluent English. Some know many words but are unable to discern them when native speakers use them. In our Oral English classes we will focus on speaking and listening to native English speakers. For this reason, because we are trying to train your ears to hear English and your mouths to speak intelligible (易理解的) English, we will have a rule that ONLY ENGLISH will be spoken in our English classes. Anyone speaking Chinese in class will be required to pay a fine(罚款) in order to encourage the speaking and understanding of English. If teachers enter a classroom and discover that anyone is speaking Chinese, they will require everyone in the room to pay the fine. It is everyone’s job to enforce the English-Only rule. It is for your benefit. It is because we want to accustom (使习惯于) your ears to hearing English.
Other subjects may be learned only from books but the only way to learn a foreign language is to SPEAK IT! Students are often nervous about speaking in class at first but we hope to make the classes fun, so you will forget your nervousness and learn to speak out. Enjoy your classes.The first paragraph is mainly about________.
| A．the difficulty of learning English. |
| B．different words in different languages |
| C．how interesting and various English is |
| D．the immigrants’ contributions to America |
The underlined word “discern” in Para 2 can be replaced by___________.
| A．notice | B．understand |
| C．hear | D．speak |
In the author’s opinion, the only way to learn a language well is to__________.
| A．listen to it on the radio |
| B．learn it from books |
| C．play games with it |
| D．speak it often |
The article is probably aimed at________.
| A．Japanese students | B．German students |
| C．Chinese students | D．Indian students |
Mr. Brown worked in a factory of a small town. He had been there for twenty years before one day he was sent to the capital for important business. He was quite excited because he had never been there before. Before he set off, he asked his wife and three daughters if they wanted him to buy something for them in London. Mrs. Brown began to think it over and then she said she wished her husband would be able to buy a nice umbrella for her, and so did their three daughters. As he was afraid he would forget it, he drew an umbrella on his hand. To his regret, he lost it at the station.
On the train Mr. Brown sat opposite to an old woman. The woman’s umbrella was so nice that he carefully looked at it and said to himself not to forget to buy a few umbrellas like it. When the train arrived at the station in London, he said good-bye to the old woman, took his bag and her umbrella and was going to get off.
“Wait a minute, sir,” shouted the old woman. “That’s my umbrella!”
Then Mr. Brown noticed that he had taken her umbrella. His face turned red at once and said in a hurry,“Oh, I’m very sorry, Madam! I didn’t mean it!”
Seven days later Mr. Brown left the capital. To his surprise, he met the old woman and sat opposite to her again. Looking at the four umbrellas, the old woman was satisfied with herself. “It seems that I had a better result than the other four women.” She thought.We can learn from the passage that Mr. Brown was ______.
| A．a conductor | B．a worker |
| C．a thief | D．an umbrella maker |
Why did Mr. Brown take the woman’s umbrella?
| A．Because he was lost in thought. |
| B．Because it was much like his own umbrella. |
| C．Because he thought the woman would not notice it. |
| D．Because the woman misplaced it beside Mr. Brown. |
When looking at Mr. Brown with four umbrellas, the woman thought ______.
| A．Mr. Brown was an umbrella maker |
| B．Mr. Brown was selling his umbrellas |
| C．Mr. Brown had bought four umbrellas for his family. |
| D．Mr. Brown had stolen the other women’s umbrellas |
How did Mr. Brown get the four umbrellas?
| A．He bought them in London. |
| B．He picked them on the train. |
| C．He brought them from his small town. |
| D．He stole them from four women. |
A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves — the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.
We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn’t be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.
This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”
Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner. Or harsh (刻薄的) and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.
Words possess power because of their lasting effects. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.
Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem (自尊) and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.There is no need for us to feel embarrassed when we talk to ourselves because _________.
| A．almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves |
| B．talking to ourselves always gives us courage |
| C．we can benefit from talking to ourselves |
| D．it does no harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone |
The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should also timely ________.
| A．remind ourselves |
| B．praise ourselves |
| C．make ourselves relaxed |
| D．give ourselves amusement |
The author would probably hold the view that _________.
| A．encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers |
| B．negative words may motivate us to make more progress |
| C．people tend to remember friendly words |
| D．it is better to think twice before talking to others |
In which column of the newspaper can you most likely read this passage?
| A．News. | B．Advice column. |
| C．Health. | D．Language. |