Max Vernon Mathews has been called the father of computer music. He created electronic tools so that people could use computers as musical instruments. He had a huge influence on the development of electronic music and how it is written, recorded and played.

  In 1957 ,Max Mathews wrote the first computer program that enabled a computer to create sound and play it back. At the time,he was working as an engineer at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey. His computer program was called Music. It enabled a large IBM computer to play a sev?enteen-second piece of music that he had written. The computer was so slow that it would have taken an hour to play the piece of music in seventeen seconds. For that reason, Mathews moved the work to a tape player, which could be sped up to play the music at a normal speed. He later said that the sound quality of the musical notes was not great, but the technical importance of the music was huge.

  The science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke visited Bell Laboratories in the1960s. He heard a computer "sing" the song"Daisy Bell" on devices and programs developed by Max Mathews and other engineers. Clarke noted this technology in his book"2001: A Space Odyssey," which was later made into a movie.

  Max Mathews had a long and productive career. He worked with composers like John Cage and Edgard Varese. He helped create a center for research in computer music in Paris. And he taught at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics in Stanford University in California.

  Mathews believed modern musicians were not making full use of the power of computer music. He said a violin always sounds like a violin, but with a computer, the way a violin sounds is unlimited. He said he did not want computer sounds to replace live music. But he said he hoped laptop computers would one day be considered serious instruments. 

(   ) 1. Mathews was likely to think that .

     A. the first piece of computer music wasn't music indeed

    B. the first piece of computer music was too short

    C. the IBM computer was fit for creating slow music

    D. the first computer music was of vital technical importance 

(   ) 2. Which of the following is true?

     A. Clarke helped develop computer music.

    B. Mathews became a character in a movie later on.

    C. Computer music was mentioned in Clarke's book.

    D. Clarke saw Mathews operate a singing computer.

(   ) 3. Which of the following words best describes Mathews?

A. Strange.    B. Creative.    C. Outgoing.    D. Curious.

(   ) 4. It is implied in the last paragraph that         .

     A. modern musicians don't understand computer music

    B. a violin does make much better sounds than a computer

    C. a computer can help improve sounds of traditional musical instruments

    D. laptops are more suitable to be used as serious musical instruments

 I'll never forget that interview with the "Careers" department at school when they asked me "What do you want to be when you grow up?" For me,it was always obvious. From a very young age,I wanted to be a journalist and write for a living.

  My mother still has the very first stories I ever wrote,including a tale about a young girl who cheered up a sad angel, When I went to university, I really didn't learn half as much as I did until I was in the world of work. It's only until you get your first job that you'll begin to un?derstand your career. Knowing what you want to do with your working life will only get you so far. It's knowing how to become something that counts(有价值,重要) .

  Choose the right course

  You don't have to study media or journalism but it does help. Particularly as the journalism industry is so competitive and there aren't enough jobs to meet demand. You want your CV to stand out from the crowd,so make sure you take a relevant course or degree and work hard to get decent grades.

  Get the right stuff(素质)

  Being a journalist does require some necessary personality traits. You have to have a " nose for news". You also have to have a lot of confidence as you could be interviewing top business leaders, celebrities and even politicians.

  Start your own blog

  Journalists need to know how to blog,so start your own and get into the habit of writing on a regular basis every day if you can. News editors will be looking for digital journalists these days,so make sure you get blogging while reading as many influential blogs as you can.

(   ) 5. The main purpose of the writer is to tell us        .

    A. his own experience working as a journalist

    B.the challenges of being a journalist

   C.how to be a journalist

   D.how a journalist works

(   ) 6. We learn from the second paragraph that the author        .

   A.got many stories published when he was young

   B.only learned the trick of journalism when he started working-

   C.believed what he learned at college is the most important

   D.didn't work hard at university

(   ) 7. In order to be a journalist, you have to        .

   A.know what you want to do when you grow up

   B.start writing as early as possible

   C.study media or journalism

   D.take a relevant course

(   ) 8. A journalist should be quite confident because        .

   A.they can be in very tough situations

   B.they will interview very important or famous figures

   C.the journalism industry is full of competition

   D.you have to stand out in journalism

B

  Superstition(迷信) has existed for such a long time. Hundreds of years ago it was more a-live because of humans' limited knowledge. Who was the first to walk under a ladder and suffer the bad result? Who hung a horseshoe the wrong way up or broke a mirror and then their luck ran out?

  Superstition, somehow, has been with us as a tradition. Human beings have tried hard to find explanations for it.

  Friday the 13th is an unlucky day in much of Western Europe, North America, and Aus?tralia. Many people avoid travel and avoid signing contracts on Friday the 13th. Floors in tall buildings often skip from 12 to 14. Such belief has deep roots in Christian religion.

  Some people claim that the number is bad luck because thirteen people sat down for the Last Supper before Jesus was put to death,and with this in mind few hosts will serve dinner with thirteen at the table.

  In the Norse mythology(挪威神话) twelve Gods gathered for a feast when a thirteenth, Loke,entered. Loke then,after the meal,killed Balder,who was the most beloved of the gods. Have you ever placed your shoes on the table or on top of your bed? Of course you haven't? they might be dirty. But there is also another reason for not doing it―it means bad luck.

  There has been a strange tradition in the West of throwing an old shoe after a person when he or she leaves his or her home. Believe it or not,this is a way of wishing them luck.

  In the past this was also a common thing to do when a new couple left their homes to get married. Then,when they were just married, one could wish them good luck by tying an old boot to the back of their car.

  Is the number 13 really unlucky, or is it just a myth? There are a handful of athletes who dare to wear the infamous(名声坏的) number. NBA super star Steve Nash wears the number 13 both in Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.

It is said that superstition has been a part of sports since the beginning. Players have their ways of avoiding bad luck.

(   ) 5. The passage mainly talks about        .

   A.the relationship between superstition and bad luck

   B.how superstition influences people's life

   C.how superstition began and developed

   D.superstition and tradition

(   ) 6. Which of the following gives the correct explanation for the unlucky number 13?

   A.It has something to do with religious belief.

   B.Thirteen gods gathered for a feast when Balder was killed.

   C.Jesus was put to death when another, the thirteenth god,entered.

   D.It has something to do with the people's tradition of serving dinner.

(   ) 7. When a couple got married,one would tie an old boot to the back of their car

   A.to avoid bad luck

   B.because they left their homes

   C.to wish the whole family good luck

   D.to wish them good luck

(   ) 8. From the passage, we can infer that        .

   A.superstition has lost its influence in modern society

   B.sports is the field which is least influenced by superstition

   C.superstition still influences people's life in one way or another

   D.the number 13 has brought good luck to some famous athletes

  Germany's mystery English-speaking "forest boy" is said to be having trouble adjusting to normal life. Sources close to the case claim he is having difficulty sleeping in a proper bed and wants to return to the wild. Other creature comforts, such as soap,hot showers, and running water, are also " unsettling" the youngster.

  Known only as Ray and believed to be around 17 ,the boy is thought to have spent at least five years sleeping rough in woods south of the German capital. Ray is in good physical shape and had no signs of abuse apart from a small scar that was at least three years old.

  He handed himself in to officials on September 5 ,and was carrying a rucksack,tent and sleeping bag. He told police his father had recently died after a fail and he had buried him in a shallow grave. He then walked north for a fortnight for help until he got to the German capital. The boy claimed that his father―identified only as Ryan―had taken him into the woods south of Berlin after his mother, Doreen, died in a car crash.

  Now detectives have begun a search for the grave, or any other place where Ryan's body might be lying. The boy is unable to tell them exactly where he buried his father,but claimed he "followed his compass northwards".

  In the meantime, they are trying to make Ray a ward of court(受法院监护的人) ,so that an official can be appointed to make important decisions on his behalf. DNA,fingerprint and dental records can also then be handed over to officials so that his records can be checked against those of missing children. A police spokesman confirmed that a search had started for Ryan's grave af?ter the boy said that he was buried under stones "two weeks south of Berlin".

Officials believe the teenager could be British because he speaks English but only basic Ger?man. The British Consul(领事) is also working with police to try to solve the mystery.

(   ) 5. The underlined word in Paragraph 1 most probably means        .

A. satisfying   B. annoying   C. boring   D. amazing

(   ) 6. It can be concluded from the passage that        .

   A.The police found the boy in the woods south of the German capital

   B.From the small scar we know that he has been abused for three years

   C.The boy's father died in woods while his mother died in a car crash 5 years ago

   D.The boy possibly came from Britain because he could only speak a little German 

(   ) 7. The police are trying to make Ray a ward of court in order to        .

   A.help the boy adjust to the normal life

   B.hand over DNA.fingerprint and dental records to Interpol

   C.appoint an official to make important decisions for the boy

    D. start a search for Ryan's grave where Ryan's body might be lying

(   ) 8. The passage is probably taken from a        .

    A. newspaper report   B. travel journal

   C. science fiction   D. scientific research

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网