题目内容

Pharrell Williams takes a breath and considers how the past years have developed for him: ten Grammy Awards and a number of hit singles including a song that has caused countless fans to express how they are “happy”.

And the key, says the 43?year?old known simply as Pharrell, has been taking advantage of audiences' (听众的) need for heartfelt personal stories.

“I think we've entered a new singer?songwriter time,” said the American singer and producer. “People want a story. They want a story they can connect to. It's not about what you have or what you don't have; it's more about your journey and your viewpoint that's important to people.”

Pharrell said he noticed a change in audiences' tastes over the past year in particular with the sudden success of his song Happy, which received little fanfare upon its release but has turned into an international hit. Countless videos populate sites like YouTube with people from Portugal and China to Abu Dhabi and Iran singing and dancing along to the song.

After seeing how far his song traveled, the singer broke down in tears during a televised interview with the famous talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

“It's just encouraging to people who have something to say, something to express,” he said.

The success has made Pharrell realize that people are searching for personal and emotional links (情感纽带), perhaps as a means of getting away from the modern technological world we're living in today.

“People want to feel. There's too much thinking to deal with,” the singer said. “We're different from what we were 15 years ago, The only thing we have left that reminds (提醒) us that we are humans is feeling. It' s the most important thing ever.”

1.What's the key to successful music according to Pharrell?

A. Writing happy songs.

B. Following your heart.

C. Telling moving stories.

D. Sharing personal experiences.

2.What can we learn about Pharrell's song Happy?

A. It received a cold welcome.

B. It became popular overnight.

C. It changed audiences' tastes in music.

D. It received different responses at home and abroad.

3.How did Pharrell feel about the success of his song?

A. It was caused by good luck.

B. It was within his expectations.

C. It gave him hope and confidence.

D. It prevented him giving up making music.

4.Why do people want to be connected to others emotionally?

A. They need someone to talk to.

B. They need others to help them think.

C. They are tired of their own personal life.

D. They feel less human in the technological world.

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I was born and raised in Minnesota,the USA,but us an adult I have mostly lived in Europe and Africa.I teach cross-cultural management at the International Business School near Paris.For the last 15 years,I’ve studied how people in different parts of the world build trust,communicate,and make decisions especially in the workplace.

While traveling in Tokyo recently with Japanese colleague,I gave a short talk to a group of 20 managers.At the end,I asked whether there were any questions or comments.No hands went up,so I went to sit down.My colleague whispered to me,“I think there actually were some comments,Erin.Do you mind if I try?”I agreed,but I guessed it a waste of breath.He asked the group again,“Any comments or questions?”

Still,no one raised a hand,but this time he looked very carefully at each person in the silent audience.Gesturing to one of them,he said,“Do you have something to add?”To my amazement,she responded “Yes,thank you.” and asked me a very interesting question.My colleague repeated this several times,looking directly at the audience and asking for more questions or comments.

After the session,I asked my colleague,“How do you know that those people had questions?”He hesitated,not sure how to explain it,and then said,“It has to do with how bright their eyes are.”

He continued,“In Japan,we don’t make as much direct eye contact as you do in the West.So when you asked if there were any comments,most people were not looking directly at you.But a few people in the group were looking right at you,and their eyes were bright.That indicates that they would be happy to have you call on them.”

I thought to myself I would never have learned from my upbringing in Minnesota.Since then,I try to focus on understanding behavior in other cultures I encounter,and keep finding the bright eyes in the room.

1.What can we conclude from the first paragraph?

A. Life in Minnesota has made the author worn out.

B. The author enjoys traveling around the world.

C. Different cultures are kind of familiar to the author.

D. The author may start his own business in the future.

2.Hearing the colleague whispering,the author______.

A. went back to his seat and got seated

B. knew his colleague had some questions

C. owed a big debt of gratitude to his colleague

D. thought his colleague would get nowhere

3.Where does the author’s colleague probably come from?

A. Japan. B. America.

C. Africa. D. France

4.Which is the proper title for the passage?

A. Focusing on Behavior in Cultures.

B. Looking at Another Culture in the Eye.

C. Sharing Different Cultures in Tokyo.

D. Admiring the Beauty in the Eye.

The benefits of listening to music

Whether you like Beethoven or Mozart,there is one thing I think we can all agree on:music makes life better.

1.

Listening to music can reduce stress(压力)

A lot of us may turn to relaxing music when we are feeling stressed or tired.A recent research shows that slow,quiet classical music is suggested to have the most exciting effect.2. Or listening to a relaxing,classical-style movie soundtrack can also help you reduce stress.

Listening to music can improve your memory(记忆力)

The interesting part about the research is that it shows music helps your brain develop in many areas,one of the most important being your memory.3.

4.

Do you work out?Have you always felt like you perform better when you listen to music?Strange as it might seem,there has actually been a lot of research done on this subject.And sure enough,one study shows that music can increase endurance(耐力)by 15%.5.However,another study suggests that it's not the type of music,but rather the speed of the music—the beats per minute—that matter.

A.Listening to music can make you healthier.

B.Listening to music can improve endurance.

C.The followings are some benefits of listening to music for us humans.

D.So if you have a hard time dealing with stress,listening to some classical songs could be a good idea.

E.So if you're troubled by a bad memory,learning to play an instrument is something you should consider.

F.One of my biggest regrets these days is that I never actually tried to learn to play the piano properly.

G.One theory is that listening to a classical piece helps you focus,which in turn allows you to persevere longer.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend offered to sell some of our things for us. I thought it was a good opportunity to ______ my 7?year?old son's room and ______ some toys that were no longer suitable for him to play with. We ______ that all the money we got from selling the toys would be his money.

The night before the ______, we loaded up the truck with toys and a little bike that was too ______ for him.In the yard he ______the bike for the last time and then happily put it onto the truck. This little bike had at least two previous owners as far as we ______. It wasn't in the best ______and was certainly not new,but the tires(轮胎)were ______ good.

We put a price of $10 on it, but it didn't sell.So,after the sale was ______,my friend put it on the sidewalk,with a sign that ______ “FREE BIKE”.Within five minutes her doorbell rang.A little boy was ______ there.In poor English he asked whether the bike was ______ free.We said yes and that he could have it for ______.He smiled,got on the bike and rode away.

Later that evening when I told my son how much money he had made at the sale, he was very______,shouting happily. He asked about a few of his things, wondering ______ they had been sold. When he asked about the bike, I told him about the little boy and that made him ______.He was much happier than when I told him how much he had ______.He was so happy to ______ that someone else would make good ______ of that little bike!

1.A. clean B. check C. display D. design

2.A. look for B. go through C. show off D. deal with

3.A. refused B. agreed C. wrote D. lied

4.A. trip B. show C. sale D. decision

5.A. weak B. small C. new D. thin

6.A. rode B. found C. watched D. felt

7.A. doubted B. knew C. told D. thought

8.A. time B. chance C. place D. shape

9.A. also B. never C. still D. hardly

10.A. ahead B. on C. near D. over

11.A. said B. repeated C. copied D. expressed

12.A. jumping B. standing C. walking D. shouting

13.A. barely B. usually C. really D. always

14.A. something B. anything C. everything D. nothing

15.A. calm B. scared C. excited D. disappointed

16.A. when B. if C. why D. how

17.A. smile B. worry C. leave D. cry

18.A. enjoyed B. lost C. bought D. made

19.A. hear B. understand C. remember D. think

20.A. interest B. money C. use D. price

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