Franz Schubert was a well-known musician in the world. But he lived a very hard life and often went hungry. One day, being very hungry, he went into a small restaurant in Vienna, hoping he might meet some friends there. He looked around and saw nobody he could borrow any money from. Then his eyes fell on a paper on one of the tables. In it was a little poem. He took the paper with the poem. After he composed a piece of music for the poem, he took his work to the owner of the restaurant. He only received a dish of beef and potato for it. thirty years after his death, this manuscript(手稿) by Schubert was sold for 40 00c francs. it was his famous berceuse(摇篮曲).

1.Schubert often

A．had his meal in restaurants

B．looked for his friends there

C．ate beef and potato there

D．had not enough food to eat

2. Schubert went into a restaurant because he thought

A．the owner might give him some food

B．he could eat the food without money

C．some friends of his might be there and lend him some money

D．he could write his famous berceuse there

3. From the passage we didn't know that____________.

A．where Schubert composed his famous berceuse

B．why Schubert composed his famous berceuse

C．whether it was hard for Schubert to make a living

D．who bought his famous berceuse for 40 000 francs

4. The best title for the passage should be_________.

A．the hard life of Schubert

B．Schubert and restaurant owner

C．Franz Schubert in a hotel

D．Franz Schubert and his berceuse

 

 

Kincaid looked at his watch: eight-seventeen. The truck started on the second try, and he backed out, shifted gears, and moved slowly down the alley under hazy sun. Through the streets of Bellingham he went, heading south on Washington 11, running along the coast of Puget Sound for a few miles, then following the highway as it swung east a little before meeting U.S Route 20.

Turning into the sun, he began the long, winding drive through the Cascades. He liked this country and felt unpressed stopping now and then to make notes about interesting possibilities for future expeditions or to shoot what he called “memory snapshots.” The purpose of these causal photographs was to remind him of places he might want to visit again and approach more seriously. In later afternoon he turned north at Spokane, picking up U.S Route 2, which would take him halfway across the northern United States to Duluth, Minnesota.

He wished for the thousandth time in his life that he had a dog, a golden retriever, maybe, for travels like this and to keep him company at home. But he was frequently away; overseas much of the time and it would not be fair to the animal. Still, he thought about it anyway. In a few years he would be getting too old for the hard fieldwork. “I must get a dog then.” He said to himself.

Drives like this always put him into a sentimental mood. The dog was part of it. Robert Kincaid was alone as it’s possible to be – an only child, parents both dead, distant relatives who had lost track of him and he of them, no close friends.

He thought about Marian. She had left him nine years ago after five years of marriage. He was fifty–two now, that would make her just under forty. Marian had dreams of becoming a musician, a folksinger. She knew all of the Weavers’ songs and sang them pretty well in the coffeehouse of Seattle. When he was home in the old days, he drove her to the shows and sat in the audience while she sang.

His long absences – two or three months sometimes – were hard on the marriage. He knew that. She was aware of what he did when they decided to get married, and both of them had a vague (not clear) sense that it could all be handled somehow. It couldn’t when he came from photographing a story in Iceland and, she was gone. The note read, “Robert, it didn’t work out, I left you the Harmony guitar. Stay in touch.”

He didn’t stay in touch. Neither did she. He signed the divorce papers when they arrived a year later and caught a plane for Australia the next day. She had asked for nothing except her freedom.

51. Which route is the right one taken by Kincaid?

A. Bellingham – Washington 11 – Puget Sound – U.S Route 20 – U.S Route 2 – Duluth

B. U.S. Route 2 – Bellingham – Washington 11 – Puget Sound – U.S Route 20 – Duluth

C. U.S. Route 2 – U.S Route 20 – Duluth – Bellingham – Washington 11

D. Bellingham – Washington 11 –U.S. Route 2 –U.S Route 20 –Duluth

52. Which statement is true according to the passage?

A. Kincaid’s parents were dead and he only kept in touch with some distant relatives.

B. Kincaid would have had a dog if he hadn’t been away from home too much.

C. Kincaid used to have a golden retriever.

D. Kincaid needed a dog in doing his hard fieldwork.

53. Why did Kincaid stop to take photos while driving?

A. To write “memory snapshots”.

B. To remind himself of places he might want to visit again.

C. To avoid forgetting the way back.

D. To shoot beautiful scenery along the road.

54. What can you know about Marian?

A. She died after five years of marriage.

B. She was older than Kincaid.

C. She could sing very well and earned big money.

D. She was not a professional pop singer.

55. We can draw a conclusion from the passage that _____

A. Marian knew what would happen before she married Kincaid.

B. Kincaid thought his absence would be a problem when he married Marian.

C. It turned out that Marian could not stand Kincaid’s absence and left him.

D. After Marian left him, they still kept in touch with each other.

 

I often write about the bad state of television these days, but recently my mom told me about a story she saw on 60 Minutes that was inspiring, educational, and entertaining for the whole family. I went to the show’s website to see for myself. My mom was right. At a time when even Barbara Walters says she’s really bored with celebrities interviews, this one will not disappoint.

It’s the story of Derek Paravicini, a 30-year-old who was born three months early, physically disabled (he can’t button his own shirt), blind, and severely autistic(自闭的).

Yet, through total luck and coincidence, his family discovered that Derek had a remarkable musical talent when he was three.

Derek can hear any musical composition one time and play it perfectly on the piano.

That’s right. He only has to hear it once.

Even more unbelievable, his brain, like a computer, can keep many songs that he can immediately repeat when asked. But his talent isn’t limited to just learning things by heart. Derek is a true musical genius and artist who plays beautifully in a wide range of styles and can make his own music.

With his talent, Derek has raised millions of dollars putting on charity concerts. He also donates his time to senior centers where he acts as a human jukebox (自动唱机) machine, taking requests from senior citizens who haven’t heard their favorite songs for decades.

As it turns out, Derek loves people and his extraordinary talent has been the key to unlocking his personality and social development.

If you want to inspire your family, pop some popcorn and sit everyone down to watch this excellent piece of journalism. If your kids are like mine, it will cause a great family discussion about the definition of “disability” and the extraordinary ability of the human brain and spirit. It may even give you the perfect answer the next time your child says he or she “can’t” do something. Now that’s priceless.

Who says there’s nothing good on TV?

1. From the first paragraph, we know that 60 minutes is a TV program on      .

A.  interviewing celebrities

B.  interviewing the disabled

C.  the latest news round the world

D.  stating the positive influence of TV

2. How does Derek help the elderly?

A.  By buying them a jukebox machine.

B.  By building senior centers for them.

C.  By singing the old songs they ask for.

D.  By playing the piano to raise money for them.

3. In the opinion of the author, Derek can     .

A.  attract the whole family to watch TV together

B.  cause family members to help the disabled

C.  help kids understand the ability of their brains

D.  encourage kids to accept challenges in life

4.The author’s purpose in writing this passage is to     .

A.  prove that there is something good on TV

B.  introduce a disabled but gifted musician

C.  call on people to show more love to the disabled

D.  express personal admiration for Derek Paravicini

 

 

“All I could see was two sets of red eyes below me,” said Dave Gatty, an Australian farmer who spent seven days up a tree in remote bush land to escape crocodiles. Gatty, 52, said he was forced to take such drastic action after he accidentally went into a crocodile-infested area of Queensland. He only had two meat sandwiches to keep him going, as crocodiles moved beneath his tree each night until his rescue. Gatty said he decided it was safer to hold out for a rescue team than try to make a run for it. His problems began after he fell off his horse while out in the northern Australia outback. Dazed and bleeding, he climbed back on his horse and hoped it would lead him home. It was only when he regained his senses he realized that he had been taken into crocodile-infested area. “I had to get off the horse and I fell straight into a crocodile nest,” he told reporters. 

“That frightened me. I couldn’t go back, it was too far and too dangerous, so I headed to the nearest high ground and stayed there, hoping someone would come and find me before the crocs did.”

Gatty explained how each night two crocodiles would sit at the bottom of the tree staring at him. Although Gatty’s two sandwiches ran out after three days, he was able to get running water during the day and knew rescuers were looking for him as he could see helicopters in the air above his tree.

“If I hadn’t seen the crocs circling me, and if I hadn’t fallen into the croc nest, I would have made a push for it. But I knew the safest thing was for me to sit and wait,” he said. A chocolate bar, given to him by rescuers after being moved to safety by using a winch(卷扬机), “was like a gourmet (delicious)meal,” he said.

1.Gaddy felt _______ when he found himself trapped in the crocodile- infested area.

A. panicked but optimistic                           B. nervous and hopeless

C. upset and regretful                         D. frightened but calm

2.Which of the following did not help Gatty survive the accident?

A. Sandwiches                   B. Running water

C. Chocolates                      D. Staying up in a tree

3.What’s the right order of the events related to the accident?

a. Gaddy climbed up onto his horse unconscious.

b. Gaddy climbed up a tree and stayed there.

c. Gaddy was moved by a winch to safety.

d. Gaddy fell off his horse accidentally.

e. Gaddy found himself in a crocodile-infested area.

A. a d e c b               B.     d a e b c                      C. a d e b c                        D. d e a b c

4.The article can be classified as _________.

A. a news story              B. a scientific fiction

C. a personal essay           D. a literary report

 

One day, a train was approaching the small town of Cheekyville. On the train was a   1  man with a big suitcase. He was called William Warbler and he looked very   2  indeed. But what made him most unusual was the fact that whenever he needed to   3  , he did so by singing opera. Even if someone said “good day” to him, he would clear his throat and   4  : “Goood dayyy to youuuuuu..... toooooo!”

Almost everyone considered William unusual, since no one could get a normal   5   word out of him. As no one knew how he made his living — he lived quite   6  , always wearing the same old second-hand suit — they often had no ___7__for him and sometimes even made fun of him.

William had been in Cheekyville for some years, when one day a rumor (谣言) spread that William had received a role in a very important   8  in the nation’s capital, that there had been posters everywhere advertising the event, and that it had been a great   9 . And to everyone’s surprise, when William was being interviewed by reporters, he answered their questions by speaking with good   10 , and with a clear and pleasant voice.

From that day on, William gave up   11  at all hours. Now he sang only during his stage appearances. People wouldn’t have thought him   12  if they had seen what William kept in his big suitcase. It was a large   13 , with a hand-carved message on it.

The message said, “Practice every second, for you never know when your   14   will come.” Little did people realize that he only got the role in the opera because the   15   had heard William singing while out buying a newspaper.

1. A. tall       B. sensitive    C. handsome    D. strange

2. A. common     B. concerned   C. wealthy     D. confident

3. A. appear     B. practice     C. communicate D. debate

4. A. whisper   B. respond      C. repeat     D. tease

5. A. advised   B. printed      C. written     D. spoken

6. A. simply     B. naturally    C. calmly      D. fortunately

7. A. mercy     B.  respect     C. trust       D. money

8. A. concert    B. documentary  C. opera      D. film

9. A. experience B. benefit      C. discovery   D. success 

10. A. movements B. manners     C. efforts    D. signs

11. A. pretendingB. recording   C. singing    D. wandering

12. A. mad       B. skillful    C. artificial  D. desperate

13. A. knife     B. stone        C. medal       D. diamond

14. A. solution  B. inspiration  C. performance D. chance

15. A. neighbor  B. visitor     C. director    D. Teacher