Music is an international language. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to all people everywhere.

Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the streets.

Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, politics, and activities of the American people. Most of the radio broadcast is music.

Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state. Once the popular singer is heard throughout the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star. 

There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.

Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music (管弦乐), such as the symphonies (交响乐) of Beethoven. There is opera (歌剧) for singers. There is ballet (芭蕾舞剧) for dancers like the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in China?

67. What can we know about music and people in America?

A. Student drivers carry small radios with earphones when they drive on the streets.

　    B. Students always listen to music before class, after class and at lunch.

　    C. Adult drivers only listen to news except music when they drive to work.

D. Adult drivers never listen to music when they drive to work.

68. How many kinds of music are mentioned in the passage?

　　       A. Six.                    B. Eight.     C. Five.                      D. Seven.

69. Country music ______.

　　 A. is a kind of music that is popular in America

　　 B. has nothing to do with folk music        

C. is only sung by cowboys

　　 D. is not played in the concert halls

70. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

　　      A. All people in America like popular music.

　　      B. Pop singers can get all the money from the tapes.

　　      C. Now, western or country music is a little different from its beginning.

　　      D. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is a kind of pop music.

 

 

第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Barrier Islands

Texas has an extensive coastline that runs along the Gulf of Mexico. If you look closely at the map, you’ll notice that there are narrow islands located just off the coast of Texas. These are called barrier islands.

Barrier islands stretch along about 15 percent of the world’s coastlines. They are separated from the mainland by a shallow body of water. Some barrier islands spread out for more than 100 miles. In Texas, some of the largest barrier islands include Galveston Island, Mustang Island, and Padre Island.

Barrier islands are fragile (脆弱的) areas that contain an interdependent community of land, plants, and animals. All three need each other to exist. If one is harmed in some way, then the other two can suffer. For example, barrier islands are in constant danger of erosion, or loss of land, from wind, waves, and people. The steady movement of ocean waves and wind moves sand along the beaches. This movement contributes to erosion, which changes the shape and size of a barrier island over time. Plants not only provide animals with food and shelter, but it also helps keep an island’s sand and soil in place. When people pick native plants, it advances the process of erosion. This can harm the environmental balance that keeps an island’s ecosystem healthy. For this reason, visitors to barrier islands are usually warned to leave plants alone and to stay on roads and public beaches so that the land, plants, and animals are not disturbed.

As their name suggests, barrier islands provide a natural barrier that helps block the mainland from very bad weather such as strong windstorms and hurricanes. This protection saves lives, homes, and money every year. Barrier islands are also a major source of income for an area’s economy. Padre Island, for example, is visited every year by hundreds of thousands of tourists who take advantage of its sandy beaches and beautiful waters that are perfect for swimming, boating, and fishing. The dollars that tourists spend on the island help financially support the region and state.

1．Paragraph 3 is mostly about _____________.

       A．what barrier islands are like    B．how barrier islands form

       C．how barrier islands can exist   D．why barrier islands are important

2．Which of the following can do harm to barrier islands?

       A．Keeping plants wherever they are.     B．Going wherever visitors like.

       C．Fishing on public beaches.             D．Driving about on roads.

3．We can tell from the article that the author ___________.

       A．lives on Padre Island and loves it

       B．cares about the ecosystem on barrier islands

       C．wishes less and less travelers would visit barrier islands

       D．is concerned about the beautiful waters around the islands

4．Barrier islands are important because they ___________.

       A．help prevent bad weather damaging mainland

       B．bring in much more money than mainland

       C．can protect rare plants and animals

       D．provide more shelters for people

 

第二部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分30分）

第一节（共10小题，每小题2分，满分20分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Americans spend their free time in various ways．

America is a country of sports — of hunting, fishing and swimming, and of team sports like baseball and football．Millions of Americans watch their favorite sports on television．They also like to play in community orchestras （管弦乐队）, make their own films or recordings, go camping, visit museums，attend lectures, travel, garden, read, and join in hundreds of other activities．The people also enjoy building things for their homes, sewing their own clothes, even making their own photographs．They do these things for fun as well as for economy．

But as much as Americans enjoy their free time, the country is at the same time a “self-improvement” country．More than 25 million adults continue their education, chiefly by going to school in the evening, during their own free time, at their own expense．Added to the time spent on personal activities, Americans a1so devote a great amount of their time to the varied needs of their communities．Many hospitals, schools, libraries, museums, parks, community centers, and organizations that assist the poor depend on the many hours citizens devote to these activities, often without any pay．Why do they do it?

There are several answers．The idea of cooperating and sharing responsibility with one another for the benefit of all is as old as the country itself．[来源:学。科。网]

When the country was first founded in 1776, it was necessary for the settlers to work together to live．They had crossed dangerous seas and risked all they had in their struggle for political and religious freedom．There remains among many Americans a distrust of central government．People still prefer to do things themselves within their communities, rather than give the government more control．

Sometimes people offer their time because they wish to accomplish something for which no money is paid, to do something that will be of benefit to the entire community．It is true that some people use their leisure because they are truly interested in the work; or they are learning from the experience．

No matter what the reason is, hundreds of thousands of so-called leisure hours are put into hard, unpaid work on one or another community need．

1．This passage is mainly about ________．

A．why America is a country of sports

B．how Americans spend their free time

C．why America is a “self-improvement” country

D．how Americans are devoted to their community activities

2．The writer mentions the foundation of the country in order to indicate ________．

A．the early history of America

B．the American people’s determination to live

C．the reason for Americans’ willingness to cooperate and share responsibility

D．the American people’ s love for freedom

3．Which of the following best explains the meaning of the underlined word “leisure”?

A．work time           B．energy                C．effort                  D．spare time

4．What can we infer from the text?

A．The first settlers left their hometown for political and religious reasons．

B．Many Americans don’t trust the central government．

C．American people enjoy building things for their homes just for fun．

D．Americans continue their education at their own expense．

 

E

There is a debate going on in America public schools over the best way to teach English to foreign students. Many schools use bilingual education. This means that students study their core subjects such as science, mathematics and social studies in their native tongues. They also take a few h ours of English.

Recently, many educators have begun to criticize bilingual education. Opponents claim that bilingual education slows not only students’ development of language skills but also their adjustment to American life. They often remain separated from the mainstream student body.

These critics have proposed the immersion method (沉浸式语言教学法). This means that students take only English classes until they can function effectively in regular subject classes. Proponents of the immersion theory argue that in order to prepare these foreign students for college or the job market, they must be able to communicate in English.

Despite this disagreement, nearly all educators agree that English is a necessary tool for improving the quality of one’s life in America.

72. In bilingual education programs, students ______.

A. study in their native countries

B. study their core subjects in their native languages

C. study only English until they can function effectively in regular subject classes

D. mainly work on adjustment to American life

73. A proponent is someone who ______.

A. supports a certain idea or policy      B. is against a certain idea or policy

C. uses the immersion method of teaching English   D. is a school administer

74. According to the article, which of the following is NOT true?

A. Nearly all educators agree that English is important for foreign students.

B. Students in bilingual education programs are often separated from American students

C. Nearly all educators agree that bilingual education is best for teaching English to foreign students.

D. Students with good English language skills have better chances for college or the job market.

75. What is the author’s opinion about the bilingual education in America?

A. He is for it strongly             B. He is against it strongly

C. He doesn’t show his own opinion  D. He is against all the educators

 

 

 “It’s our tradition to help each other”, added Tenpa, a medical official in neighbouring Madoi County, who said Yushu has always been quick to help other areas in times of trouble. “We have suffered many dangers and each time people in Yushu have sent food and clothes. We are always thankful to them and hopefully we proved it by being the first rescue team to arrive in Yushu after the earthquake.”

  The Madoi medical team arrived just hours after the violent 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Yushu. In two weeks, they have treated at least 1,800 people, while the county has donated 400,000 yuan.

  The biggest fear in the earthquake area is the outbreak of diseases. Tenpa said, “Keeping things clean in the shelter is very hard. Even hand washing is almost impossible because of lack of water. Our team is spraying disinfectant (喷洒消毒剂) and we hope that will work.”

  After driving for 13 hours with his medical team, Tian Jiancan said he immediately found a 40-year-old who was seriously injured after being trapped in a toppled house. Tian had to operate on the man in his emergency medical van. “If we had been one hour later, he would probably be dead. It’s good to see him out of danger now.” Tian’s medical team has treated over 3,200 people, including a 15-day-old baby and a 105-year-old man. They also helped to put up tents against winds, where patients are protected well.

  One local man said although most doctors cannot speak Tibetan, they have shown their care and love through their actions.

60. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

 A. This is the first time that Tibetans have faced great dangers.

   B. People in Yushu have always been ready to help each other.

   C. Madoi was also hit by the 7.1-magnitude earthquake.

   D. Tian’s team is the second rescue team to arrive Yushu.

61. What is the closest meaning to the underlined words in paragraph 7?

   A. a house on the top floor                      B. a house which had no roofs

   C. a house which fell down                          D. a house which was poorly built

62. How many people have been rescued by the medical teams according to the passage?

   A. About 1,800.                B. 3,200.                C. At least 5,000.          D. 4000,000.

63. What is the passage mainly about?

A. People in Yushu are encouraged by the medical team workers.

B. The doctors went along quite well in spite of the language trouble.

C. The Madoi medical team was the first to arrive at the earthquake-hit area.

D. The medical workers made great efforts to help the people suffering from the earthquake.