题目内容

For some people, music is no fun at all. About four percent of the population is what scientists call “amusic.” People who are amusic are born without the ability to recognize or reproduce musical notes (音调). Amusic people often cannot tell the difference between two songs. Amusics can only hear the difference between two notes if they are very far apart on the musical scale.

As a result, songs sound like noise to an amusic. Many amusics compare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other. Life can be hard for amusics. Their inability to enjoy music set them apart from others. It can be difficult for other people to identify识别 with their condition. In fact, most people cannot begin to grasp what it feels like to be amusic. Just going to a restaurant or a shopping mall can be uncomfortable or even painful. That is why many amusics intentionally stay away from places where there is music. However, this can result in withdrawal and social isolation隔离. “I used to hate parties,” says Margaret, a seventy-year-old woman who only recently discovered that she was amusic. By studying people like Margaret, scientists are finally learning how to identify this unusual condition.

Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different from the brains of people who can appreciate music. The difference is complex, and it doesn’t involve defective hearing. Amusics can understand other nonmusical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding ordinary speech. Scientists compare amusics to people who just can’t see certain colors.

Many amusics are happy when their condition is finally diagnosed (诊断). For years, Margaret felt embarrassed about her problem with music. Now she knows that she is not alone. There is a name for her condition. That makes it easier for her to explain. “When people invite me to a concert, I just say, ‘No thanks, I’m amusic,’” says Margaret. “I just wish I had learned to say that when I was seventeen and not seventy.”

1.Which of the following is true of amusics?

A.Listening to music is far from enjoyable for them.

B.They love places where they are likely to hear music.

C.They can easily tell two different songs apart.

D.Their situation is well understood by musicians.

2.According to paragraph 3, a person with “defective hearing” is probably one who __________.

A.dislikes listening to speeches

B.can hear anything nonmusical

C.has a hearing problem

D.lacks a complex hearing system

3. In the last paragraph, Margaret expressed her wish that __________.

A.her problem with music had been diagnosed earlier

B.she were seventeen years old rather than seventy

C.her problem could be easily explained

D.she were able to meet other amusics

4.What is the passage mainly concerned with?

A.Amusics’ strange behaviours.

B.Some people’s inability to enjoy music.

C.Musical talent and brain structure.

D.Identification and treatment of amusics.

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In the history of Hawaii, surfing is a serious thing. Ancient leaders used the sport as a training exercise to keep themselves strong. They also used surfing competitions instead of wars to solve conflicts between people. For a long time ,this tradition of surfing was known mainly to the people of Hawaii. Then Duke Kahanamoku came along and changed the world.

When he was 21years old, Duke broke two world swimming records. Not surprisingly, Duke easily made the Olympic swimming team in 1912.During his Olympic career, Duke won three gold medals and two silver medals in swimming.

When Duke finished winning medals at the Olympics, he toured the world. He also brought along his surfboard. Duke had been surfing ever since he was a little boy. In 1917,he rode a single wave for more than a mile! Duke amazed people by riding his 16-foot-long board. He is considered the father of modern surfing.

Since Duke was handsome and strong, people loved to watch him. His next career move was clear. Duke headed for Hollywood. From 1925 to 1955,he made more than 30 movies.

One day in 1925, Duke and a few other surfers were hanging out on the beach when a boat turned over not far from them. The surfers hit the waves with their big boards and saved 12 of the passengers. Duke alone saved eight of them! After that, lifeguards at beaches started using surfboards to save swimmers. Helping others was a big thing in Duke’s life.

In 1932,Duke became sheriff(治安官)of Honolulu, Hawaii, holding the position for almost 30 years. As sheriff, in fact, his job was to greet visitors who came to the city .From the Olympics to Hollywood, Duke Kahanamoku had put Hawaii on the map when it was still a little known island.

When he was 75 years old, Dukes name was added to both the Swimming Hall of Fame and the Surfing Hall of Fame. He died in 1968 at the age of 78.

1.The first paragraph serves as a(an)_______.

A. explanation B. introduction

C. comment D. background

2.What can we infer about Duke according to paragraph 5?

A. He was modest and honest.

B. He was clever and confident.

C. He was brave and kind-hearted.

D. He was generous and open-minded.

3.What is the text mainly about?

A. The development of Hawaii.

B. The achievements of Duke.

C. The personal life of Duke.

D. The history of surfing.

Have you ever run out of coffee or tea? Found no eggs in the fridge? No bread for the sandwich and the nearest shop is too far away? Well, all that can change in the future.

If all goes well, the intelligent future kitchen will soon help solve all your problems. In the future, all kitchen units will be connected to the Internet. The intelligent future kitchen will give wise advice on planning your menu for the day. Worried about your weight? — It will tell you the right diet and what is good for your health. It will even keep in mind your likes and dislikes!

Designed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this smart kitchen promises to pay attention to all your needs. The computer’s system will help keep an “eye” on the fridge. If the fridge is empty, the kitchen will automatically call and place an order at the local supermarket. So you don’t have to worry about it at all.

You get home late, and don’t know what to make from the collection of ingredients (原料) in your fridge. A while back you might have ordered a take-out but now, instead of worrying about eating a collection of this and that, you’re excited. You can pull out each vegetable, and pass each one in front of a web camera next to your fridge. A few moments later, a screen on your fridge would display a tasty recipe.

After dinner, you take your plates to a box next to the sink. You don't have to clean them, your machine does. It produces new plates every time you need to eat. Later in the evening, you phone your other half, who is on a business trip half-way around the world. As you drink your cup of hot coffee, it makes your other half’s cup change color on the other side of the world, another special way to keep in touch.

1. The problem mentioned in the first paragraph will be solved ______.

A. by the intelligent kitchen itself

B. by finding a good housekeeper

C. after you call the supermarket

D. after you buy great amounts of food

2.The kitchen of the future may help you ______.

A. lose weight fast B. keep a healthy diet

C. cook delicious food D. clean fridge in time

3.The underlined word “automatically” in the third paragraph means ______.

A. in secret B. by chance

C. by itself D. again and again

4.The fourth paragraph tells us that the smart kitchen ______.

A. will order a take-out for you if you get home late.

B. has a big color television and some web cameras

C. can pull out all the vegetables from you fridge

D. can give a suitable recipe according to your ingredients

Grown?ups are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practiced ever since. A man who has not had a chance to go swimming for years can still swim as well as ever when he gets back in the water. He can get on a bicycle after many years and still ride away. He can play catch and hit a ball as well as his son. A mother who has not thought about the words for years can teach her daughter the poem that begins “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” or remember the story of Cinderella or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

One explanation is the law of overlearning, which can be stated as follows: Once we have learned something, additional learning trials(尝试)increase the length of time we will remember it.

In childhood we usually continue to practice such skills as swimming, bicycle riding, and playing baseball long after we have learned them. We continue to listen to and remind ourselves of words such as “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” and childhood tales such as Cinderella and Goldilocks. We not only learn but overlearn.

The multiplication tables(乘法口诀表)are an exception to the general rule that we forget rather quickly the things that we learn in school, because they are another of the things we overlearn in childhood.

The law of overlearning explains why cramming(突击学习)for an examination, though it may result in a passing grade, is not a satisfactory way to learn a college course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned. A little overlearning, on the other hand, is really necessary for one's future development.

1.What is the main idea of Paragraph 1?

A.People remember well what they learned in childhood.

B.Children have a better memory than grown?ups.

C.Poem reading is a good way to learn words.

D.Stories for children arc easy to remember.

2.The author explains the law of overlearning by______.

A.presenting research findings

B.selling down general rules

C.making a comparison

D.using examples

3.What does the word “they” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A.Commonly accepted rules.

B.The multiplication tables.

C.Things easily forgotten.

D.School subjects.

4.What is the author's opinion on cramming?

A.It leads to failure in college exams.

B.It's helpful only in a limited way.

C.It's possible to result in poor memory.

D.It increases students' learning interest.

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