I grew up in a small town. My father raised chickens and ran a construction company. I was barely 10 years old when my dad gave me the responsibility (责任) of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable. He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace, I washed dishes and cooked from 4: 00 pm to 9: 00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged. One night, a woman executive (懂事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I released my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man. Knowing that I had done my best filled me with pride. I still feel that way today, even though I have become a well-known singer.

　　 Why was the writer once known as the singing cook?

　　A. Because he was a cook at a country-music club.

　　B. Because he sang for guests while he worked as a cook.

　　C. Because he often sang while cooking.

　　D. Because he liked singing better than cooking.

　　 Who first recognized his talents and helped make his career successful?

　　A. Wamer Brothers.                        B. His manager.

　　C. His father.                                 D. A businesswoman.

　  What made the writer proud of himself?

　　A. His ability to live independently.

　　B. His sense of responsibility in whatever he did.

　　C. His courage in the face of rejections.

D. His hard work in his early days.

五、Cloze test(完形填空)20分

When Dave was eighteen,he bought a second-hand car for ￡200 so that he could travel to and from work more 　1　 than by bus.It worked quite well for a few years,but then it got so old,and it was costing him 　2　 much in repairs that he decided that he had better 　3　 it.

He asked among his friends to see if anyone was particularly 　4  to buy a cheap car,but they all knew that it was falling to pieces,so  5  of them had any desire to buy it.

Dave's friend Sam saw that he was  6  when they met one evening,and said,“What's  7 ,Dave?” Dave told him and Sam answered,“Well,what about advertising it in the paper? You may   8  more for it that way than the cost of the advertisement!” Thinking that Sam's   9  was sensible,he put an advertisement in an evening paper,which read:“For sale:small car,  10  very little petrol,only two owners.Bargain at ￡50.”

For two days after the advertisement first appeared,there was no   11 .But then on Saturday evening a man rang up and said he would like to  12  him about the car.“All right,” Dave said,feeling happy.He asked the man whether ten o'clock the next morning would be   13  or not.“Fine,” the man said.“And I'll  14  my wife.We intend to go for a ride in it to   15  it.”

The next morning,at ten quarter,Dave parked the car in the square outside his front door,  16  to wait there for the person who had   17  his advertisement.Even Dave had to   18  that the car really looked like a wreck.Then soon after he had got the car as   19  as it could be,a police car stopped just behind him and a policeman got out.He looked at Dave's car and then said,“Have you reported this   20  to us yet,sir?”

1.A.directly           B.safely                 C.properly                    D.easily

2.A.so                          B.such                          C.very                          D.too

3.A.keep               B.repair                 C.sell                           D.throw

4.A.anxious                  B.lucky                        C.ashamed                    D.generous

5.A.some               B.neither               C.none                         D.no one

6.A.calm               B.upset                         C.delighted                   D.astonished

7.A.no                         B.up                            C.it                       D.that

8.A.learn               B.miss                          C.get                            D.find

9.A.message                 B.advice                C.request               D.description

10.A.uses                     B.loses                         C.has                           D.spends

11.A.doubt                   B.help                          C.trouble               D.answer

12.A.tell                B.see                            C.agree                        D.call

13.A.exact                    B.suitable                     C.early                         D.late

14.A.follow                  B.meet                         C.bring                        D.introduce   

15.A.test               B.obtain                C.admire               D.recognize

16.A.failing           B.meaning                    C.turning               D.happening

17.A.read                     B.placed                C.answered                   D.understood

18.A.forget                   B.show                         C.disagree                    D.admit

19.A.clean                    B.crowded                    C.fast                           D.light

20.A.bargain          B.sale                           C.accident                    D.result

 

Mr. Johnson starts to work very early in the morning and goes on working until late in the afternoon ________a break at midday.

　　A. with　　　　 B. for　　　　　　C. as　　　　　　 D. through

阅读理解

Music comes in many forms; most countries have a style of their own. Poland has its folks. Hungary has its czardas. Argentina is famous for the tango. The U.S. is known for jazz, the type of music that has gained worldwide popularity.

Jazz is American contribution to popular music. While classical music follows formal European tradition(传统)，jazz is rather a free form. It is full of energy, expressing the moods, interests, and emotions (感情) of the people. It is breaking and exciting with a modern sound. In the 1920s jazz sounded like America. And so it does today.

The origins (起源)of the music are as interesting as the music itself. Jazz was invented by American Negroes, or blacks, as they are called today, who were brought to the Southern states as slaves. They were sold to farm owners and forced to work long hours in the cotton and tobacco fields. This work was hard and life was short. When a Negro died his friends and relatives would gather and carry the body to have a ceremony before they buried him.

There was always a band おwith them. On the way to the ceremony the band played slow, solemn music suitable for the situation. But on the way home the mood changed. Spirits lifted. Everyone was happy. Death had removed one of their members, but the living were glad to be alive. The band played happy music, this music made everyone want to dance. It was an early form of jazz.

Music has always been important in Negro life. The blacks, who were brought to America from West Africa, had a rich musical tradition. In the fields, they made up work songs. Singing made the hard work go faster. And when they got to Christianity, they made lovely spirituals, which have become an everlasting part of American music.

1．From the passage, we can see that jazz　　   .

A. is a kind of African music

B. started from Africa but is popular in America

C. was started by blacks working in Africa

D. was started by blacks in America

2．Jazz is a kind of music　　   .

A. almost the same as classical music

B. quite different from classical music

C. popular only in America

D. quite different from Africa music.

3．Generally speaking, Jazz is mostly a kind of　　   .

A. American music

B. African music

C. classical music

D. popular music played at funerals

4．Usually we may feel 　　   moods when we listen to jazz music.

A. sad and sorry

B. tiring and hard working

C. exciting and happy

D. lonely and sad

5．Jazz will always be connected with　　   .

A. American blacks

B. slavery in the United States

C. modern times

D. quick development of music

 

　　Every year in developing countries, a million people die from urban air pollution and twice that number from exposure to stove smoke inside their homes. Another 3 million unfortunates die prematurely (过早的) every year from water-related diseases. All told, premature deaths and illnesses arising from environmental factors account for about a fifth of all diseases in poor countries, bigger than any other preventable factor, including malnutrition.

    The link between environment and poverty is central to that great race for sustainability. It is a pity, then, that several powerful fallacies (谬论) keep getting in the way of sensible debate. One popular myth is that trade and economic growth make poor countries' environmental problems worse: Growth, it is said, brings with it urbanization, higher energy consumption and industrialization —all factors that contribute to pollution and pose health risks.

    Another common view is that poor countries should pollute now and clean up later. Certainly poor countries should not be made to adopt American or European environmental standards. But there is evidence to suggest that poor countries can and should try to tackle some environmental problems now, rather than wait till they have become richer.

    One powerful—and until recently ignored—weapon in the fight for a better environment is local people. Much academic research has shown that the poor are often victims of resource depletion (损耗) : it tends to be rich locals or outsiders who are  responsible for the worst exploitation (开发). Local people usually have a better knowledge of local ecological conditions than experts in faraway capitals, as well as a direct interest in improving the quality of life in their village.

　　  1. From the first paragraph we can learn that——.

　　　　  A. in developing countries 6 million people die from environmental factors each year

　　　　  B. in developing countries 3 million people lose their lives each year because of water shortage

　　　　  C. in developing countries environmental factors are the biggest cause for abnormal death

　　　　  D. in developing countries more people die from malnutrition

　　  2. According to the author, which of the following contributes most to environmental problems in poor countries?

　　　　    A. poverty　　　　　　　　 B. urban air pollution

　　 C. water-related diseases　　  D. rich locals and outsiders

　　  3. The main idea of Para. 3 is

　　　　    A. poor countries should pollute now and clean up later

　　　　    B. poor countries should take environmental problems seriously as early as possible

　　　　    C. poor countries should follow American or European environmental standards

　　　　    D. some poor countries hold a false guideline in tackling environmental problems

　　  4. According to the author, people who can play an important role in tackling environmental problems are ——.

　　　　    A. rich locals　　　　　　  B outsiders

　　　　    C. local residents　　　　   D environmental experts