B

For a song to become popular, people need to bear it.  In order for people　to hear it, the program directors at radio stations have to play it on the air. A song’s popularity is directly related to how often it is played. That is a big responsibility for program directors. How do they decide what gets played and what doesn’t?

In the past, disc jockeys(音乐节目主持人) decided what music was played on the radio. These DJs had an ear for music and an understanding of what their audience wanted to hear. Today, that is all changing. Most major radio stations are owned by a few large national businesses. The decision of what gets played on the radio is made by executives(主管) who have little or no interest in music. They do, however, know how to run a business, and they know what sells. So, the music industry designs and creates pop entertainers, and executives in the radio industry make sure that their music is played on the radio. This explains why you do not often hear anything new and fresh on the radio. The executives do not want to give air time to music that has not been tested on the market. It is too risky. They prefer to go with music that they already know will sell. They know it will sell because it sold last week and last month and last year. They just have to change it a little.

One of the most criticized(批评) practices in the music industry is the practice of “payola”. This is when record companies pay radio stations to play the music of a given artist. This practice makes many people lose trust in the music industry and is therefore against the law. A radio station can accept money in exchange for air time of a song, but they have to make it clear that the song is being played because its air time was paid for. They cannot present the song as if it were part of the normal play schedule(时刻表).

Payola affects both artists and audiences. The artists who work with small record companies that cannot pay a lot of money to radio stations have a much harder time getting exposure. It creates an unfair playing field. Music lovers suffer because they are not able to hear all the music that is available.

60. According to the passage, most major radio stations belong to       .

A. national businesses                      B. program directors   

C. pop entertainers                         D. record companies

61. “Payola” is the practice of        .

A. artists paying radio stations to play their songs

B. record companies buying air time for certain music

C. radio station paying record company for new songs

D. program directors deciding what music gets played

62. Who can make the largest profits from payola?

A. Disc Jockeys.                               B. The given artists.

C.  Business executives.                        D. Program directors.

63. It can be concluded from the passage that the author        .

A. has a positive attitude towards the practice of “payola”

B. is dissatisfied with the present situation in music industry

C. is calling for a change in the normal play schedule

D. thinks that the radio stations are doing the right thing

 

B

For almost two months Dominic York, a 23-year-old hairdresser, wandered about hospitals all night, wearing a white coat and pretending he was a doctor. Yesterday he proudly claimed in court that despite his complete lack of medical experience or qualifications, he had saved several people’s lives. He had even been allowed to assist a surgeon during an emergency operation on a patient who was about to die on something she had swallowed.

“I watched one of those TV dramas about a hospital and suddenly I felt like playing one of the roles myself. So I put on a white jacket and a stethoscope(听诊器)and walked around one of the biggest hospital in London. At first I just watched. Once you learn how doctors talk to patients, nurses and others doctors, it’s easy to take people in,” he said.

One of the patients he treated was Laura Kennan. She had been knocked down by a car and fainted. When she came to in hospital, York was standing over her.

“He looked very professional. He told me his name was Doctor Simon. Then he gave me some sort of injection,” she said. And then he suddenly cleared off when a nurse asked who he was. She didn’t think there was anything wrong. “I would never have realized he was a fake if a policewoman hadn’t showed me his photograph a week later. When the policewoman told me who he really was, I could hardly believe my ears.”

Judge Raymond Adams told York that he was. “ shocked and horrified” that he got away with his deceiving for so long, and then sentenced him to eighteen months in a special prison for criminal with mental disorders.

“I can only hope that this will not lead to further problems. After all, you will have considerable opportunity to study the behaviour of the psychiatrists(精神科医生)who will look after you while you are there. If you try to persuade people that you yourself are a psychiatrist after you are set free, I shall make sure that you are given a much longer sentence.” Judge Adams warned York.

5. York was proud of the fact that ___________.

A. a surgeon let him watch an operation.

B. he could perform some duties of a doctor.

C. he had cheated doctors for so long

D. people thought he could become a real doctor

6. York learned how to behave like a doctor by __________.

A. watching other doctors work             B. talking to doctors and nurses

C. getting some training and experience         D. observing doctors while he was a patient

7. Why was Laura Kennan in hospital?

A. She had swallowed something and almost died.

B. She had to have and emergency operation.

C. She had been injured in a road accident.

D. She had lost consciousness while driving.

8. The judge’s remark implied that York would be more severely punished if he _________.

A. pretended to be a psychiatrist            B. tried to get away from prison

C. was proud of what he had done     D. studied the behaviour of the psychiatrist

 

                                          B

      For many parents, raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear winner. Like a border conflict between neighboring countries, the parent-teen war is about boundaries: Where is the line between what I control and what you do？

      Both sides want peace, but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict. In part, this is because neither is willing to admit any responsibility for starting it. From the parents’ point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents’ complete unreasonableness. And of course, the teens see it in exactly the same way, except oppositely. Both feel trapped.

      In this article, I’ll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the trap. The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things. Examples include the color of the teen’s hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom, the preferred style of clothing, the child’s failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends.

Second, blaming. The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong. Third, needing to be right. It doesn’t matter what the topic is— politics, the laws of physics, or the proper way to break an egg—the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong, for both wish to be considered an authority — someone who actually knows something —and therefore to command respect. Unfortunately, as long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other, they’ll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress.

55. Why does the author compare the parent-teen war to a border conflict?

     A. Both can continue for generations.

     B. Both are about where to draw the line.

     C. Neither has any clear winner.

     D. Neither can be put to an end.

56. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?

     A. The teens blame their parents for starting the conflict.

     B. The teens agree with their parents on the cause of the conflict.

     C. The teens accuse their parents of misleading them.

     D. The teens tend to have a full understanding of their parents.

57. Parents and teens want to be right because they want to ____

     A. give orders to the other

     B. know more than the other

     C. gain respect from the other

     D. get the other to behave properly

58. What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?

     A. Causes for the parent-teen conflicts.

     B. Examples of the parent-teen war.

     C. Solutions for the parent-teen problems.

     D.  Future of the parent-teen relationship.

B

For years I wanted a flower garden. I’d spend hours thinking of different things I could plant that would look nice together.

But then we had Matthew. And Marvin. And the twins, Alisa and Alan. And then Helen. Five children. I was too busy raising them to grow a garden.

Money was tight, as well as time. Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I'd have to say, “Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you know.”

Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own. I started thinking again about having a garden.

I wasn't sure, though. I mean, gardens do cost money, and after all these years I was used to living on a pretty lean, no-frills budget.

Then, one spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen. Suddenly, I realized that cars were tooting their horns as they drove by. I looked out the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard. I thought it must be a weeping willow, because I saw things blowing around on all its branches. Then I put my glasses on — and I couldn't believe what I saw. There was a money tree in my yard!

I went outside to look. It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree. Think of all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note attached: “IOU eight hours of digging time. Love, Marvin.”

Marvin kept his promise, too. He dug up a nice ten-by-fifteen foot bed for me. And my other children bought me tools, ornaments, a trellis (棚架), a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books.

That was three years ago. My garden's now very pretty, just like I wanted. When I go out and weed or tend my flowers, I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did. It feels like they're right there with me.

I live up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where winters are long and cold, and summers are too short. But every year now, when winter sets in, I look out my window and think of the flowers I'll see next spring in my little garden. I think about what my children did for me, and I get tears in my eyes — every time.

I'm still not sure that money grows on trees. But I know love does!

59．By saying “Do you see a money tree outside .….,” the mother actually means “      ”

       A．Observation is the best teacher.      B．Seeing is believing.

       C．The outsider sees the most of the game.       D．It is not easy to gain money

60．The best title for the passage would probably be         .

      A．My flower garden          B．Marvin helps to realize my dream

       C．Love in Michigan          D．Money grows on trees

61．The underlined word “no - frills” in the fifth paragraph is similar in meaning to        .

       A．wasteful   B．tight  C．absurd      D．helpful

62．From the last two paragraphs we can infer that the mother is         .

       A．divorced when she was young

B．not caring for her kids any longer

       C．alone but not at all lonely      

D．prouder with her garden than with her kids.  

B

FOR Chinese students the end of their senior year is filled with studying and stress as they prepare for the college entrance exams in June.But for American high school seniors the experience couldn’t be more different. The end of senior year is a celebration of their time in high school and involves parties,games and fun.

Senioritis is a commonly used expression.It means seniors have a disease which makes them unable to do work.This starts in April when seniors find out whether they have been accepted to university.

Unwilling to do school work,seniors have plenty of other activities to focus on.

Many schools have a “Senior Show”,in which only seniors are allowed to perform.Some seniors sing or dance but many of them perform skits（滑稽短剧），where they make fun of their favorite teachers or their friends.For example,a group of boys may dress up and imitate a group of their friends.It is all light-hearted.

   The“Senior Show”is usually a part of Senior Week,which is a week specifically dedicated(专用的) to seniors.During this week,seniors usually get academic or athletic awards they have won over their high school careers.The seniors also vote for one of their male and female classmates who they believe is the best-looking or funniest or most involved,etc.These are then published in the yearbook.

   The yearbook is an important part of high school for seniors.It is usually dedicated to them and has all their pictures and some words from them in it.Then seniors go around and get it signed by their friends so they can always remember their time together.

Of course during all of this time,seniors are preparing for the Senior Prom,which is an important moment in American culture.It is the most important dance in a young American’s life.

The end of senior year is a truly special and wonderful time for American students.It’s something they will remember for the rest of their lives.

60.Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined sentence in paragraph1?

   A.For American high school seniors,things are quite different.

   B.It doesn’t make difference at the end of the senior year.

   C.For American high school seniors,it is the best time of the year.

   D.It is the period filled with stress and workload.

61.What activities that seniors would like to do according to the passage?

   A.School work                       B.Voting for the film star

   C.Singing or dance contests             D.Senior Show and Senior Prom

62.What will most probably be talked about in the next paragraph of the passage?

   A.Activities on the sports field

   B.The graduation ceremony where they receive their high school diploma

   C.Their favorite film stars

   D.The health of seniors