The balalaika, also called the "Russian guitar", is a traditional Russian musical instrument. It has a long neck, a wooden triangle-shaped body and strings. It is usually used to play Russian music by plucking the strings with fingers or a pick.

Russians like the balalaika. The music played with it can be cheerful, as if the farmers were dancing happily to celebrate their harvest. It can also be energetic, as if the workers were working hard to make their country richer and stronger. If a Russian moves to live or work abroad, he will probably take a balalaika with him. When he feels lonely and sad, he will play it to cheer himself up.

The balalaika was originally played by the poor in Russia. At that time, balalaikas were made by the players themselves. They were rough, simple and cheap with different numbers of strings, from two to even six. Later a Russian musician Vasily Vasil'yevich Andreev (1861-1918) improved the balalaka. He created a whole family of balalaikas of different sizes, all with three strings. The smallest balalaika is called Prima. It is 60-70cm long. The biggest, Contrabass, is almost 2metres high with a leg to sit on the floor. Andreev founded the first balalaika orchestra in the world, mainly using balalaikas to perform. He gave concerts at the Universal Exposition in Paris in 1889, which was a great success.

Today, there are blalaika groups performing around the world. More and more people get to know the balalaika and are attracted by its Russian style music.

1.The balalaika is a musical instrument __________.

A.without strings B.with a long neck

C.of a round shape D.with a metal body

2.The music played with a balalaika is usually__________.

A.slow and sad B.strong and serious

C.soft and modern D.cheerful and energetic

3.Andreev is mentioned in Paragraph Three to introduce __________.

A.the success of balalaika concerts B.the history of balalaika orchestras

C.his talent for playing the balalaika D.his contributions to the balalaika

4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A.Balalaika: The "Russian Guitar" for the Poor

B.Russia: The Home of Famous Balalaika Musicians

C.Balalaika: A Traditional Russian Musical Instrument

D.Russia: The International Hand-made Balalaika Factory

When your pens broken, the battery (电池) in your toy runs out, or you have some leftover food, what do you do with these things? You will probably throw them all into one bin (垃圾箱). But actually, all of these pieces of rubbish need to be sorted (分类) separately (单独地).

Rubbish sorting is a big thing all over the world. In recent years, some Chinese cities have been working hard on it.

Shanghai is asking all of its residents (居民) to sort their rubbish into four groups: wet, recyclable (可回收的), harmful (有害的) and dry.

Wet waste is also known as household waste. “They are things you don’t want but pigs can eat,” Guangzhou Daily joked. Paper, metal, glass and other things that can be reused are recyclable waste. Harmful waste incudes things like medicine, batteries and fluorescent bulbs (荧光灯泡). Finally, any waste that is not wet, recyclable or harmful will go to the “dry waste” bin.

Many other Chinese cities are also using this way to sort their rubbish. For example, Shenzhen has been sorting its rubbish into the same four groups since 2012. Students there also have to learn waste sorting at school.

China is working hard on waste sorting. There is still a long way to go. But it’s never too late to learn how to sort your rubbish rightly and protect the environment.

1.How many groups are people in Shanghai sorting their rubbish into?

_______________________________________________________________________

2.Are many other Chinese cities sorting their rubbish?

_______________________________________________________________________

3.What should you do with metal waste and medicine waste according to the passage?

_______________________________________________________________________

4.Do you think rubbish sorting is a big thing? Why or why not? (30词左右)

_______________________________________________________________________

One day, when Albert Einstein was a small boy, his father brought him a compass (指南针). Albert felt excited as he looked at the ‘magic’ needle turning towards north. For ______, the compass was not a plaything but a miracle (奇迹).

It was the same way when he played the violin. His ______ shone and his hands shook. It was the music that moved him.

He was a curious (好奇的) child and would often daydream. His father was pained at the reports from his teachers. They told him that the boy was not ______ in his studies and making friends. He was lost in his foolish dreams. ______ Albert was full of joy and thought the world as a wonderful place. He played in his garden or walked in the streets singing songs aloud, and was extremely happy.

On leaving school, his father wanted him to study electrical engineering. But he disliked becoming an engineer. He ______ himself for a teaching position in mathematics and physics. Although he finished his studies and received his teacher’s certificate (证书), he was ______ to get a job.

Finally, he got a job as a clerk. In his spare time, he filled his note-paper with difficult mathematical formulas (公式). Some of these later ______ to great scientific discoveries.

At last the clerk became one of the most famous scientists in the world. He could not take his daily walk ______ being surrounded (包围) by photographers and reporters. He would only smile at them, and ______ with his work in his quiet way.

In 1921, Einstein was awarded (授予) the Nobel Prize for physics and he is ______ as the father of modern physics.

1.A.he B.him C.they D.them

2.A.face B.head C.eyes D.hair

3.A.good B.used C.strict D.interested

4.A.But B.So C.Though D.Because

5.A.helped B.got C.prepared D.replied

6.A.unable B.able C.happy D.ready

7.A.brought B.led C.happened D.had

8.A.for B.by C.with D.without

9.A.got on B.went on C.caught up D.ended up

10.A.born B.connected C.attended D.regarded

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