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　　This is the story of a small boy, who lived a long time ago in Germany . His name was George Frederick Handle .

　　As a very young boy, he loved music most. But his father didn't allow him to play any music.

　　Then one day he waited until he was all alone at home. Quickly he ran to his hiding place, he and a friend carried a small piano into the house. He decided to put it in his hiding place. There no one could see it.

　　That night, when everyone else wag asleep, he went to his hiding place. The moon was shining through a broken window. He sat on a box and began to play the piano. At that moment he knew he could only be happy playing music the rest of his life.

　　He played on and on, and he filled his house with his music. “George!” cried his father, “What are you doing? Stop that playing now! ”

　　The music stopped. George had tears in his eyes. Then he turned to his father and said, “Papa, you must understand I love music. It is my whole life.”

　　“Now listen to me, you foolish boy,” said Mr. Handle, “I want you to be a rich man. I want you to work hard. 1 don't want you to be a poor man all your life. You must leave music and become a doctor. Don't let me see you at the piano again.”

　　One day George found his way to church. He went straight to the organ(管风琴)and began to play it . He was only seven years old then. The story of his music spread in his town.

　　When the Duke heard the story, he said, “This boy must have the best music teacher. ” So George began to take music lessons.

　　George's teacher was very good. He taught George well and helped him write his own music. George became famous when he was eleven years old. Now his music is played all over the world.

1．Why didn't George listen to his father?

[　　]

A．He deeply loved music .

B．He didn't think his father was right.

C．He didn't want to go to school.

D．Music could make him rich.

2．What did George's father want him to be?

[　　]

A．A businessman.

B．A teacher.

C．A doctor.

D．A musician.

3．“Duke” is probably ________.

[　　]

A．a doctor

B．a nobleman

C．a good music teacher

D．a shop manager

4．The title “The Musical Heart” means ________.

[　　]

A．George began to play the piano when he was very young.

B．George played the piano pretty well .

C．George was a good music teacher.

D．George regarded music as his life and put his heart into it.

Americans are more socially isolated than they were 20 years ago, and nearly a quarter of people said they had “zero”close friends with whom to discuss personal matters. More than 50 percent named two or fewer confidants (密友), most often immediate family members, the researchers said.

　 “This is a big social change, and it shows something that’s not good for our society，” said Duke University Professor Lynn Smith. She said that it showed there was a surprising drop in the number of close friends people had since 1985. At that time, Americans most commonly said they had three close friends whom they had known for a long time, saw often, and with whom they shared a number of interests. They were almost likely to name four or five friends and the relationships often sprang from their neighborhoods or communities (社区).

　 Ties to a close network of friends create a social safety net that is good for society, and for the individual. People were not asked why they had fewer intimate (亲密的) ties, but Smith said that part of the causes could be that Americans are working more, marrying later, having fewer children, and commuting (往返上班) longer distances. “It’s one thing to know someone and exchange e-mails with him. It’s another thing to say, ‘Will you give me a ride out of town with all of my possessions and pets?’ and ‘Can I stay with you for a couple or three months?’” Smith said. “Worrying about social isolation is not a matter of nostalgia (怀旧之情) for a warm and comfortable past. Real things are strongly connected with that，” added Harvard University Professor Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, a book on the decline of American communities. He suggested flexible work schedules would allow Americans to tend both personal and professional lives.

1. What’s the passage mainly talking about?

　　 A. American social isolation.

　　 B. Americans have “zero” close friends.

　　 C. Ties to a close network of friends are good for society.

　　 D. Flexible work schedules change Americans’ lifestyle.

2. From the second paragraph we can learn that people tend to ____.

　　 A. be closer than before

　　 B. be less close than before

　　 C. have more friends than before

　　 D. have more family members than before

3. Which of the following is the possible cause of American social isolation?

　　 A. They work more.

　　 B. They don’t marry.

　　 C. They have more children.

　　 D. They spend too much time on relaxation.

4. According to Professor Robert, ____.

　　 A. there could be four possible causes for American social isolation

　　 B. worrying about social isolation is not a matter of nostalgia

　　 C. flexible work schedules don’t affect (影响) Americans’ way of life

　　 D. American social isolation is only a small social　　　　 problem

In the 19th century, there used to be a model of how to be a good person. There are all these torrents of passion flowing through you. Your job, as captain of your soul, is to erect dams to keep these passions in check. Your job is to just say no to laziness, lust, greed, drug use and the other sins.
　　These days that model is out of fashion. You usually can’t change your behavior by simply resolving to do something. Knowing what to do is not the same as being able to do it. Your willpower is not like a dam that can block the torrent of self-indulgence. It's more like a muscle, which tires easily. Moreover, you're a social being. If everybody around you is overeating, you’ll probably do so, too.
　　The 19th-century character model was based on an understanding of free will. Today, we know that free will is bounded. People can change their lives, but ordering change is not simple because many things, even within ourselves, are beyond our direct control.
　　Much of our behavior, for example, is guided by unconscious habits. Researchers at Duke University calculated that more than 40 percent of the actions we take are governed by habit, not actual decisions. Researchers have also come to understand the structure of habits—cue, routine, reward.
　　You can change your own personal habits. If you leave running shorts on the floor at night, that'll be a cue to go running in the morning. Don’t try to ignore your afternoon snack craving. Every time you feel the cue for a snack, insert another routine. Take a walk.
　　Their research thus implies a different character model, which is supposed to manipulate the neuralnetworks inside.
　　To be an effective person, under this model, you are supposed to coolly examine your own unconscious habits, and the habits of those under your care. You are supposed to devise strategies to alter the cues and routines. Every relationship becomes slightly manipulative, including your relationship with yourself. You're trying to arouse certain responses by implanting certain cues.
　　This is a bit disturbing, because the important habitual neural networks are not formed by mere routine, nor can they be reversed by clever cues. They are burned in by emotion and strengthened by strong yearnings, like the yearnings for admiration and righteousness.
　　If you think you can change your life in a clever way, the way an advertiser can get you to buy an air freshener, you’re probably wrong. As the Victorians understood, if you want to change your life, don’t just look for a clever cue. Commit to some larger global belief

1. 1.

   Which of the following is the first-to-none element in the 19th-century character model?

   1. A.
      Action
   2. B.
      Capacity
   3. C.
      Resolution
   4. D.
      Enthusiasm
2. 2.

   The 19th-century model supposedly does not work on the grounds that ________

   1. A.
      one’s wished should be pondered before acting
   2. B.
      the comparison of free will to a dam is groundless
   3. C.
      it has been proved impractical and cannot hold true
   4. D.
      there were many other factors beyond one's control
3. 3.

   The research at Duke University indicated that ________

   1. A.
      One’s behavior is tough to change
   2. B.
      Habit has an unidentified structure
   3. C.
      Habit plays a vital role in one's behavior
   4. D.
      Both habit and will power are of significance
4. 4.

   According to the new character model, personal behavior could be altered through

   1. A.
      techniques to break old routines
   2. B.
      techniques to provide different physical cues
   3. C.
      cues to change all the former unconscious habits
   4. D.
      cues to manipulate the habitual neural responses
5. 5.

   We can learn from the passage that the new character model ________

   1. A.
      can generate changes in one's life like what advertisers do
   2. B.
      highlights the neural and psychological aspects of habit change
   3. C.
      has been identified a new method of changing behavior perfectly
   4. D.
      has an advantage over others in dealing with emotional aspects of behavior

CHINA

Digging for History

Life during the Zhou Dynasty (1066—221B.C.) is about to become more exposed to us. An excavation(挖掘) team started work at the site of the Duke Zhou Temple in Qishan County, Shanxi Province last week.

The large tomb is quite likely to belong to the family of Duke Zhou, a noble at that time. It might be the most important archaeological(考古) discovery since 1949. __1__

UNITED STATES

__2__

Two American Chinese students were among the winners of the “Mayor's Awards for Excellence in Science and Technology” in New York on October 13th. Both of the teens, Mu Chuang and Yin Li graduated from American middle schools this summer. __3__The annual awards recognize important members of the city's science and engineering communities.

DENMARK

Arctic Dispute

__4__ Denmark has begun scientific research to help the country claim the North Pole, a British newspaper reported last week. Denmark is trying to prove that its island of Greenland is connected to the Arctic ice. This attempt has angered other countries around the North Pole, including the US, Canada and Russia. __5__ The North Pole is regarded as an international area, which is rich in gas and oil that has not been explored.

A. Two Chinese Students Won a Reward

B. The North Pole has become an international hot spot.

C. Another large tomb will be opened to the public.

D. They also want a piece of the Arctic.

E. The ice in Arctic has been melting a lot.

F. They won the award for their achievements in regional and national science competitions.

G. The archaeologists said that the excavation might change people's understanding of the history of the Zhou Dynasty.

1. ________　2. ________　3. ________　4. ________

5. ________