Ban the Band（乐队）

Every year, out school has a dance for all the students. It’s a little funny seeing friends in clean shoes and trousers or colorful __36____, instead of the usual school uniform.

Most of us think the dance is great _37___ ---even the teachers enjoy being there.___38__,two weeks ago someone said that there would be no ___39___ band this year ---only CDs.

“I don’t __40__ it!” Amy cried out during the lunch break.

“Someone said the school couldn’t __41__ a band, and they think it’s too noisy anyway/”added Daniel.

“Well, I don’t think it’s __42__ enough without a band!” declared Angela．”And I’m going to see what can be done.”

Angela was as good as her __43__.In the afternoon she went to see the school headmaster who agreed to give the __44__ some more thought. And he suggested that one __45__for having a band was to increase the price of each ticket from $5 to $10.Angela had to ___46__ out whether the students would like to do that.

“I need all of you to help me,” she __47__to our group before school the next day.” Mr. Berry gave me a list of all the names, and suggested we ask each one their __48__ about the band and the extra cost.”

___49___ the day we asked around as Angela suggested, and wrote down people’s feelings about the band and the cost. We were amazed how much __50__ there was for the band and everyone agreed to pay the extra $5.

“I’m surprised,” smiled Mr. Berry, when we gave him the __51__.”I realty thought that only a few people __52__ their band and that the cost would be too high. OK. Angela, your next __53__is to find a good band and line them up for the dance. ”

Angela was all smiles and __54__ the news to Amy and Daniel.” You’re __55__,”smiled Daniel to Angela as he thought how close they came to having a less than perfect dance.

 

36．A．shapes	B．dressed	C．flowers	D．pictures
37．A．fun	B．work	C．effort	D．progress
38．A．Besides	B．Otherwise	C．However	D．Therefore
39．A．new	B．live	C．foreign	D．marching
40．A．mean	B．need	C．accept	D．believe
41．A．lead	B．serve	C．afford	D．form
42．A．good	B．clear	C．useful	D．easy
43．A．look	B．behavior	C．mind	D．word
44．A．schedule	B．situation	C．view	D．action
45．A．possibility	B．concern	C．decision	D．chance
46．A．call	B．find	C．carry	D．point
47．A．admitted	B．replied	C．apologized	D．announced
48．A．knowledge	B．instruction	C．opinion	D．information
49．A．On	B． For	C．By	D．During
50．A．trust	B．money	C．support	D．care
51．A．results	B．notices	C．questions	D．examples
52．A．welcomed	B．wanted	C．defended	D．invited
53．A．task	B．business	C．exercise	D．duty
54．A．showed	B．wrote	C．broke	D．read
55．A．amusing	B．interesting	C．exciting	D．amazing

Liverpool, my hometown, is a unique city. It is so unique that in 2004 it became a World Heritage （遗产） Site.  

I recently returned to my home city and my first stop was at a museum on the River Mersey. Blanketed in mist （薄雾）, Victorian architecture rose from the banks of the river, responded to the sounds of sea-birds, and appeared unbelievably charming. When I headed toward the centre, I found myself surrounded by buildings that mirror the best palaces of Europe. It is not hard to imagine why, on first seeing the city, most visitors would be overpowered by the beauty of the noble buildings, which are solid signs of Liverpool’s history.  

As if stress its cultural role, Liverpool has more museums and galleries （美术馆） than most cities in Britain. At Walker Art Gallery, I was told that it has best collections of Victorian paintings in the world, and is the home of modern art in the north of England. However, culture is more than galleries. Liverpool offers many music events. As Britain’s No.1 music city, it has the biggest city music festival in Europe, and its musicians are famous all over the world. Liverpool is also well-known for its football and other sports events. Every year, the Mersey River Festival attracts thousands of visitors, madding the city a place of wonder.  

As you would expect from such a city, there are restaurants serving food from around the world. When my trip was about to complete, I chose to rest my legs in Liverpool’s famous Philharmonic pub （酒馆）. It is a monument to perfection, and a heritage attraction itself.  

Being a World Heritage Site, my home city is certainly a place of “outstanding universal value”. It is a treasure house with plenty of secrets for the world to explore.  

　　68. Visitors who see the city for the first time would be deeply impressed by________

　　A. its charming banks

　　B. its famous museums

　　C. its wonderful palaces

　　D. its attractive buildings

　　69. The third paragraph is developed mainly by______

　　A. providing different examples

　　B. following the order of space

　　C. making comparisons

　　D. analyzing causes

　　70. The author uses the Philharmonic pub to prove that_______

　　A. Liverpool is a well-known city for its restaurants

　　B. Liverpool is an impressive place full of attraction

　　C. a pub is a wonderful place for visitors to relax themselves

　　D. a pub is a perfect choice for visitors to complete their journey

　　71. What is the passage mainly about?

　　A. The universal value of the world heritage in Liverpool

　　B. The exciting experience of the author in Liverpool

　　C. The special cultural atmosphere of Liverpool

D. The beautiful historic sites of Liverpool

 

Can feeling of nostalgia(怀旧) be good for you? Or is it unhealthy to have a strong love for the past?
For years, medical experts have studied nostalgia and the reasons for it. Many experts warn that too much nostalgia is harmful. They say living in the past shows that a person is unhappy with his present life. These feelings keep the person from living his life to its fullest.
　　However, experts say it is normal to love the past sometimes. In fact, a little nostalgia can enrich a person’s life.
　　Dr. Louise Kaplan has written several books about nostalgia. She says these feelings often begin when a young person is between 13 and 19 years old.
　　“This is the time when you must face the loss of your childhood, “Kaplan says. “You see your new life is easily destroyed. But you think romantically about a golden past. You remember your childhood as a time when life is perfect.”
　　These feelings continue as the person gets older, Kaplan adds. She says many grown persons have a hard time keeping up with changes in the modem world, so they think back to their younger years. At that time the world seemed simple and more harmless.
　　Kaplan says these feelings do not always actually exist. The good old days did not always exist. The good old days weren’t always good. However, she says nostalgia can be helpful, if used properly.
　　“Feelings of nostalgia can cause you to remember a time when you had high hopes and dreams, “Kaplan says. “It might give you the strong wish to catch those dreams today in your past life.” She adds that nostalgia can prevent you from “cutting yourself off from your aim”.
【小题1】Feeling of nostalgia ______.

A．can cause you to think of your past which was full of hopes and dreams

B．might cause you to try to realize the golden dream in the present life

C．fill one with hopes for the future no matter what happens

D．bring about a love for the past and a hope for the future

【小题2】The reason for grown persons to think back to their past is that ______.

A．time is hard, so they cannot keep up

B．they can hardly keep up with changes in today’s world with changes

C．many grown persons have little time keeping up with changes

D．they lived in the past, of which they are always proud

【小题3】Which of the following is NOT talked about in the passage?

A．Too much nostalgia is harmful to our health.

B．Nostalgia shows that a person is not satisfied with his present life.

C．Only women have feelings of nostalgia.

D．A little nostalgia can make a person’s life more colorful.

【小题4】Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Thoughts on Nostalgia

B．The Reasons for Nostalgia

C．Why Not Think Back to the Past

D．Nostalgia, Good or Bad

Our quarrel with efficiency is not that it gets things done, but that it is a thief of time when it leaves us no leisure to enjoy ourselves, and that it strains our nerves when we try to get things done perfectly. In building bridges, American engineers calculate so finely and exactly as to make the two ends come together within one-tenth of an inch. But when two Chinese begin to dig a tunnel from both sides of a mountain both come out on the other side. --The Chinese’s firm belief is that it doesn’t matter so long as a tunnel is dug through, and if we have two instead of one, why, we have a double track to boot.

　　The pace of modern industrial life forbids this kind of glorious and magnificent idling. But, worse than that, it imposes upon us a different conception of time as measured by the clock and eventually turns the human being into a clock himself. (This sort of thing is bound to come to China, as is evident, for instance, in the case of a factory of twenty thousand workers. The luxurious prospect of twenty thousand workers coming in at their own sweet pleasure at all hours is, of course, somewhat terrifying.)Nevertheless, such efficiency is what makes life so hard and full of excitement. A man who has to be punctually at a certain place at five o’clock has the whole afternoon from one to five ruined for him already. Every American adult is arranging his time on the pattern of the schoolboy - three o’clock for this, five o’clock for that, six-thirty for change of dress, six-fifty for entering the taxi, and seven o’clock for arriving at the destination. It just makes life not worth living.

1.The writer objects to efficiency mainly on the grounds that it ____.

　　 A. gives us rights to have too much leisure time

　　 B. urges us to get things done punctually

　　 C. robs us of leisure time

　　 D. imposes on us a perfect concept of time

2. In the eyes of the author, the introduction of industrial life gives rise to ____.

　　 A. the excitement of life

　　 B. magnificent idling of time

　　 C. more emphasis on efficiency

　　 D. terrifying schoolboy

3.The passage tells us ____.

　　 A. Chinese workers come to work when it is convenient

　　 B. all Americans are forced to be efficient against their will

　　 C. Chinese engineers are on better terms with the management

　　 D. Americans ought not to work so hard for efficiency

4. The author believes that relaxing the rule of punctuality in factories would lead to ____.

　　 A. great trouble                       B. increased production

　　 C. a hard and exciting life                D. successful completion of a tunnel

 

The Writers' Strike：Making the Best of the Worst

    By now you are probably feeling the effects of the TV writers’ strike---the decision of television writers to stop working. With few new TV shows, I present to you a list of shows available on DVD worth your viewing time to keep you going during this painful period.

    Arrested Development is one of the funniest and most clever shows ever to have appeared on network TV. With a most perfect cast(全体演员), the show sets out to cover the daily happenings of the Bluth family, a group of selfish staff who manage to still put family first.

For more comedy goodness, I recommend one of the sharpest comedies to have ever broadcast, 30 Rock. Starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, two stars with impressive comic timing, the show gives you a glimpse into the making of a sketch show (幽默短剧),similar to Saturday Nigth Live, from the funny writers to the self-centered cast all the way up to the boss.

If you are looking for something more serious, or perhaps Friday Night lights might be more to your liking. If you are a fan of football, this show is probably for you. If you are a fan of great drama, both soapy and serious, this show is probably for you, If you are a fan of good-looking people, this show is definitely for you .

If those shows were not enough for you, might I recommend a show with a more heart-pounding excitement? The Amazing Race, after twelve seasons, still remains one of the most exciting shows on TV. Teams of two travel the globe with little to no money and experience far-out adventures in an attempt to remain the last team standing.

If you are fond of soapy TV shows, you will probably choose to watch       .

    A. Friday Night Lights                 B. 30 Rock

    C. the Amazing Race                  D. Saturday Night Live

From the DVD shows listed above, we can learn that　　　.

    A. two teams won the amazing race

    B. football fans enjoy the Amazing Race

    C. the Bluths care about their family though selfish

    D. 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live have nothing in common

The author writes the passage to tell us that        .

    A. the effects of the TV writers’ strike are great

    B. the strike puts TV shows in the worst situation

    C. watching DVD is a good choice during the strike

    D. we should choose DVD shows according to our tastes

The passage is most probably taken from       .

    A. a book review    B. a newspaper     C. a film poster     D. a DVD menu