The balalaika, also called "Russian guitar",is a traditional Russian musical instrument.It has a long neck,a wooden triangle shaped body and strings.It is usually used to play Russian music by plucking the strings with fingers or a pick.
Russians like the balalaika.The music played with it can be cheerful,as if the farmers were dancing happily to celebrate their harvest. It can also be energetic,as if the workers were working hard to make their country richer and stronger.If a Russian moves to live or work abroad, he will probably take a balalaika with him. When he feels lonely and sad, he will play it to cheer himself up.
The balalaika was originally played by the poor in Russia. At that time, balalaikas were made by the players themselves. They were rough, simple and cheap with different numbers of strings, from two to even six.Later a Russian musician Vasily Vasil'yevich Andreev(1861 ﹣ 1918)improved the balalaika. He created a whole family of balalaikas of different sizes,all with three strings.The smallest balalaika is called Prima.It is 60﹣70cm long. The biggest, Contrabass, is almost 2 metres high with a leg to sit on the floor. Andreev founded the first balalaika orchestra" in the world, mainly using balalaikas to perform. He gave concerts at the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1889, which was a great success.
Today,there are balalaika groups performing around the world.More and more people get to know the balalaika and are attracted by its Russian style music.
(1)The balalaika is a musical instrument .
A. without strings
B. with a long neck
C. of a round shape
D. with a metal body
(2)The music played with a balalaika is usually .
A. slow and sad
B. strong and serious
C.soft and modern
D. cheerful and energetic
(3)Andreev is mentioned in Paragraph Three to introduce .
A. the success of balalaika concerts
B. the history of balalaika orchestras
C. his. talent for playing the balalaika
D. his contributions to the balalaika
(4)Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Balalaika: The "Russian Guitar" for the Poor
B.Russia: The Home of Famous Balalaika Musicians
C.Balalaika: A Traditional Russian Musical Instrument
D. Russia: The International Hand﹣ made Balalaika Factory
Do you learn from your mistakes? I hope so. But have you ever made the same mistake twice? I have.Sometimes I make the same mistake three or four times!
Sometimes,good things happen because of mistakes.Once I got on the wrong train.That was a big mistake.But on that train,I saw a good friend.I was so happy I made that mistake!
Another time I ruined a surprise.My mother planned a surprise party for my father.She told me it was a secret.But I was just a little boy and I couldn't keep the secret.I told my father about the party.At first,my mother was mad at me.But then my father said he was happy he knew about it.He said he didn't like surprises.
When a good thing comes out of a mistake,that's a happy accident!The boy saw ______ on the wrong train.
A.his friend | B.his father | C.his mother | D.his teacher. |
His mother asked him to ______.
A.plan a surprise party |
B.tell his father about the party. |
C.keep a secret about party. |
D.invite his friends to the party. |
What does the boy think of mistakes?
A.Mistakes are not welcome. |
B.A mistake is a terrible thing. |
C.All mistakes mean happy accidents. |
D.Sometimes a mistake can be a good thing. |
Did you watch the magic shows played by Liu Qian from Taiwan in the 2009 CCTV Spring Festival Gala(春节联欢会)? They attracted great attention and wide interests of the audience(观众) . During the gala, Liu mangaged to drop a coin into a glass which was placed upside down (倒置) and transferred a finger ring into an egg. The two magic shows were so successful that everyone is now mad about him and all want to know how to play magic tricks. “I saw the surprise on everyone’s face. It was cool, ”Liu said.
However, you may not believe that Liu didn’t go to any magic school. He just learned by himself. When Liu was seven, he saw a coin trick in a big store. At that moment Liu decided to learn magic. He worked hard at it. He practiced hard to improve his skills. Then one day he was able to put on a show for his class.
After years of hard work, now Liu is a great magician. But he isn’t satisfied with what he has got and keeps on trying every day. He may spend three years working out a new show. Liu Qian becomes famous______.
A.because he is from Taiwan | B.for his magic shows. |
C.only in Taiwan | D.when he was seven. |
According to the passage, we can use the following words to describe Liu Qian EXCEPT______.
A.creative | B.hardworking | C.satisfied | D.wise. |
What does the underlined word “transferred”mean?
A.制作 | B.进入 | C.输入 | D.转移 |
Shopping on the Internet is becoming more and more popular. Why do people use the Internet to shop? Some people say it is more convenient. They don’t have to leave their homes to order something; they can shop for anything they want at any time; they can find things for sale that they can’t find in the stores near their homes. Still other people say they can find better prices on the Internet.
If you want to buy something on the Internet, you need a credit(信用)card. You have to type your credit card number and information on the website(网页) and send them to the store over the Internet. You have to be sure that the store will not use your information in the wrong way. You don’t want someone to get your credit card numbers, so be careful with it, because people sometimes steal(窃取) credit card numbers from stores.
The Internet is also a good place to go window-shopping. Window-shopping is when you look at the things for sale in a store, but don’t plan to buy anything. In window-shopping you can see what kinds of things you are able to get and how much they cost. Somestores like Ross Stores have a website for information about their stores, but not for shopping. Some stores have a website for information about their stores, and you can shop on-line there, such as office Depot, Payless Shoe Source, Safeway. Some stores like Amazon. com are only for on-line shopping..Some people use the Internet to shop because______.
A.they can sleep all day long |
B.they want to leave their homes. |
C.they want to play with their friends |
D.they can get things with less money. |
The Chinese meaning of the word“convenient”in this passage is “______”
A. 时髦的 B 较近的 C方便的 D可用的 If you want to shop on the Internet, you need______.
A.an ID card | B.a credit card | C.an IC card | D.a room card |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.You can shop on –line at www. Officedepot. com. |
B.You can not shop on –line at www. rosssores. com. |
C.You can only do window-shopping at www. Amazon. com |
D.You can do window-shopping and shop on-line at www.safeway. Com |
阅读下面短文,判断下列句子是否符合短文的内容,符合的用“A”表示,不符合的用“B”表示。
Travelling has been popular with people for a long time. Many of today’s travellers are trying to find an unusual experience or adventure. Hiking may be a good choice.
Instead of spending your vacation on a bus, in a hotel or sitting on the beach, you may want to try hiking. Hiking is a great way to travel. You will get close to nature and take exercise at the same time. Hiking is easy to do and doesn’t have to be very expensive. You can hike close to home or travel to other places. The basic equipment(设备)you need for hiking is simple: good shoes, clothes and a backpack. You can hike in the mountain, in a forest or along a river. You can also go for a hike in the city.
Hiking is fun and exciting, but you shouldn’t forget safety. Here are some basic tips for successful hiking:
﹡Don’t hike alone.
﹡Bring water, a good map and a cellphone.
﹡Wear a hat to protect yourself from the sun.Hiking is a good way to get close to nature.
Good shoes, clothes and a backpack are the basic equipment for hiking.
People can only hike in the mountain, in a forest or along a river.
Hiking is always fun, exciting and safe
You’d better go hiking with others.
“I sometimes get up at three or four in the morning and I surf the net.”
“I often check my e-mail forty times a day.”
“I often spend more than three hours during one time on the net.”
“I spend more time in chat rooms(聊天室) than with my ‘real-1ife’ friends.”
Do you know any people like these? They are part of a new addiction(瘾) called Internet addiction. Internet addicts spend at least thirty to forty hours online every week. The use of the Internet can be an addiction like drug(毒品) use. People lose control(控制) of the time they spend on the Internet.
For example, one college student was missing for several days. His friends were worried, and they called the police. The police found the student in the computer lab: he was surfing the net for several days straight.
Studies show that about 6 to 10% of Internet users become addicted. And people worry about the teens because the Internet is changing the playing field for some of them. They spend more time in cyberspace than in the real world of friends and family.
Is “surfing the net” a hobby or an addiction for you? You may have a problem if you have these symptoms(症状):
●You do not go to important family activities or you do not do school work because you like to spend hours on the Internet.
●You can’t wait for your next online time.
●You plan to spend a short time online, but then you spend several hours.
●You go out with your friends less and less.What does the beginning of the passage tell us?
A.How to become an Internet addict. |
B.What an Internet addict usually does. |
C.Where to find an Internet addict. |
D.Why to write this passage. |
How does the writer describe the addicts’ use of Internet?
A.It is something like keeping drugs. |
B.It is a way of producing drugs. |
C.It is like taking drugs. |
D.It is terrible to imagine. |
Why do people worry about the teens?
A.The teens are wasting too much money. |
B.They used to work on the Internet. |
C.The playing field of the teens will disappear. |
D.More and more of the teens wil1 become addicted to the Internet. |
The example in the passage shows that _______.
A.Internet problems are more serious among college students |
B.Internet addicts usually stay in the computer lab without sleep |
C.Some of the Internet users have already been seriously addicted |
D.The police often help to find those Internet addicts. |
What is the writer trying to tell us at the end of the passage?
A.Don’t be addicted to the Internet. |
B.Go to family activities more often. |
C.Do things as you have planned. |
D.Stay with your parents as often as possible. |