1685 was a very good year for German composers. Within the space of a month, two of the greatest were born: Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.
Handel’s father was a barber and surgeon, which sounds like a strange combination today, but back then those occupations went hand in hand. Even though Handel was very interested in music, his father didn’t think that was a good way to earn a living, so he wanted his son to be a lawyer. The story goes that Handel smuggled a quiet piano into the house so that he could practice in secret.
One day, Handel went along when his father went to shave a duke. While his father was working, Handel sat down and played the duke’s organ. The duke was so impressed that he convinced Handel’s father to let his son study music, and Handel finally got to learn how to compose.
Handel soon discovered that what he liked most was opera. In fact, he was so passionate about opera that he even fought a duel (决斗) over it with one of his friends. Since Italy was the place to learn about opera composing, Handel went off to Italy to study. When he got home, he got a job as court composer for a German prince.
Having landed such a wonderful job, Handel immediately asked his boss for time off. He wanted to go to England, where he’d heard that there weren’t nearly enough composers to satisfy the British taste for Italian opera.
After great success writing opera in London, Handel came back to Germany. Then fate played a funny trick on Handel and his boss. The Queen of England died, and it just so happened that the prince Handel worked for was next in line to the British throne ( 王位 ). When he arrived in London as King George, followed Handel, his court composer in Germany.
In addition to serving the King, Handel became one of the most successful opera composers of his time. And he also produced them and traveled all over Europe to hire the best singers. There are stories of battles with rival ( 对手 )opera producers and of fights between rival singers. Handel apparently had quite a temper.
If you ever go to London, look for Handel’s grave in Westminster Abbey, where there’s a wonderful monument to him.
66. How did Handel begin to learn to compose?
A. His father was sure of his future success.
B. His performance impressed a duke.
C. He begged his father to send him to Italy.
D. He practiced hard and taught himself music.
67. What does the underlined word “smuggled” mean in the passage?
A. bought secretly               B. took secretly  
C. carried in advance          D. possessed personally
68. Why did Handel later settle down in Britain instead of Germany?
A. Because he could find better jobs in London.
B. Because he enjoyed greater fame in London.
C. Because his boss became King of Britain and brought him along.
D. Because London was a wonderful place to learn about opera.
69. Which of the following words can NOT be used to describe Handel, as 
shown in the passage?
A. bad-tempered   B. talented     C. enthusiastic  D. optimistic
70. Which of the following statements is WRONG according to the passage?
A. Handel was born in the same year with Bach.
B. Many people worked both as a barber and surgeon.
C. Handel quit his job to learn about opera in Italy.
D. Handel was buried in London and was built a monument.

In 1883, an imaginative engineer named John Roebling decided to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with Long Island. However, bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was a pipe dream. It was not practical. It had never been done before.
But Roebling refused to listen to them. He thought about the bridge day and night and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. After much discussion and persuasion he convinced his son Washington, who was a promising engineer himself, that the bridge in fact could be built.
Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished. With great excitement, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but several months after it began, a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was so seriously injured that he was never able to walk, talk or even move again.
"We told them so", "Crazy men and their crazy dreams", "It's foolish to chase wild visions", the critics said and most thought the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.
Washington's wife tried to inspire and pass on her husband's enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay in his hospital room, an idea suddenly hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this finger and tapping it on his wife's arm, he slowly developed a code to communicate with her. Then he used this method to tell his wife what the engineers should do. It seemed crazy but the project was under way again. For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed.
Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances.
【小题1】_ What did most people think about Roebling's idea to build the bridge?

A.It would never become a reality.B.Washington was not experienced enough.
C.It would take a lot of time.D.Finding the money would be impossible.
【小题2】_The underlined word `daunted' (para. 6) is closest in meaning to '______'.
A.unpleasantB.scaredC.amazedD.determined
【小题3】_ Which of the following shows the correct order of the events that happened in the story?
a. Roebling convinced his son.
b. Washington found a new way to communicate.
c. They hired the crew.
d. The bridge was completed.
e. Roebling wanted to build a bridge.
f. There was a tragic accident.
A.e, a, c, f, d, bB.e, a, f, b, c, dC.e, f, a, b, c, dD.e, a, c, f, b, d
【小题4】_ What can we learn about Washington's wife?
A.She knew sign language very well.
B.She was devoted to her husband.
C.She developed a code to communicate with her husband.
D.She helped her husband design the plan.
【小题5】_ What does the story tell us?
A.Success will come with the passing of time.
B.Struggles are exactly what we need in our lives.
C.Even the most distant dream can be realised with a never-say-die attitude.
D.The people who make a difference in our life should be remembered forever.

According to Andrew, it never would have happened if he had not had a flat tire on Highway 10 last night at about 7:30. He was on his way to attend a three-day sales meeting when he had the flat. tyre. Unfortunately, he did not have a spare, so he pushed the car off the road, locked it up, and managed to thumb a ride back to Pine Grove. It was after eleven o'clock when he finally got home, and it was then that his real problems started.
When Andrew left home at about 5:30, he had told his wife not to expect him back until Thursday or Friday. Knowing that his wife was nervous about staying in the house alone at night, Andrew took the precaution of checking all the windows in the house to be sure they were locked, so that he could report to his wife that the house was secure. He convinced his wife that the house was burglar-proof, and that she would be perfectly safe, providing she bolted (闩上)the front door as soon as he drove away.
Andrew's only thought as he made his way in the dark to his front door was how surprised his wife was going to be to see him, since he was not supposed to be back until Thursday or Friday. He had forgotten about the bolt on the front door. When he turned his key in the lock and the door wouldn't budge, he remembered the bolt. And he remembered that he had carefully locked all of the windows.
Although Andrew didn't know it at the time, a next-door neighbor had seen him approaching the house and had watched him go up the steps to the front door. In the dark, it was impossible for the neighbor to recognize Andrew, and, besides, the neighbor knew that Andrew had gone out-of-town for a three-day meeting. As a matter of fact, Andrew had asked the neighbor to keep an eye on the house while he was gone.
Finding that he couldn't get in, Andrew began pounding(砰砰地敲) on the front door to get his wife to open the door. According to Andrew, however, his wife is a very sound sleeper, and he knew it was going to be hard to wake her up. In the meantime, because of all the noise he had been making, the neighbor was convinced that somebody was trying to break into the house; so she called the police.
When we talked to Andrew at the country jail this morning, he said that he still didn't understand how the police managed to circle the house without his seeing them. He stated that he had decided the only way to get in was to break one of the dining room windows, and that he was about, to hurl his briefcase into the window to break it when two of the officers grabbed him from behind.
Andrew could not make the officers believe that he lived there; so they took him off to jail. Apparently, he did succeed in convincing them that they ought to wake up the woman in the house to check his story. But there was no answer when they knocked at the door. He tried to explain to them that his wife was a very sound sleeper, but they concluded there was nobody in the house.
【小题1】As Andrew had a flat tyre on the way, he          .

A.had to take another car to attend the meeting
B.rode on a bike to attend the meating
C.asked for a lift to go back home
D.borrowed a car to go back home
【小题2】When Andrew was approaching the house        .
A.he was sure he would pleasently surprise his wife
B.he was deep in thought
C.he was sure that his neighbor would help him
D.he was worried about how to wake his wife up
【小题3】The  underlined word “budge” in Paragraph 3 probably means           .
A.move slightlyB.lock tightlyC.knock lightlyD.close tightly
【小题4】Why did the police officers take Andrew off to jail?
A.It was too late for them to contact Andrew’s wife.
B.Andrew did not explain clearly why he broke into the house.
C.They thought it unnecessary to check Andrew’s story.
D.they concluded that Andrew’s story was a complete invention.

阅读下面的短文,根据短文后的要求答题(请注意问题后的字数要求)。

【1】Entering a study abroad program was a personal program for myself. College had not been fun up until that point. I was looking for excitement. After meeting a guy who loved to travel, he convinced me that studying abroad was one of the best decisions he had ever made and that I should try it. Immediately I visited my study abroad office and discovered many choices. I only spoke Spanish, but not fluently enough to feel comfortable in a program that was based in Spain or Mexico. This meant I needed a country that spoke English. Finally I chose the University of Central London.

【2】Many people hesitate before studying abroad because they think they__________. I went to college on loans(贷款), so a semester abroad would be no different. The additional expenses, such as food and travel, were the most expensive part of the trip. Any student travelling abroad received part of a grant donated to our school. This took almost $ 2,000 off the cost of my trip.

【3】Looking back on my experience years later, I am grateful that I took the chance and studied in London. I made a number of friends in London with locals, who are willing to help me anytime. I never felt unsafe because they would show me how to live in London, where to go and how to get anywhere I needed to go.

【4】My favorite memories in London is turn around my classwork. When studying abroad I took an English class that focused on British humor. During this class we watched British films and went to live performances. Before this class, I never understood British humor, and now I enjoy it more than American humor. My favorite class was art history. I cannot express to anyone how interesting it was to take art history in London.

【5】When people ask me if I would study abroad again, I exclaim, “yes!” You will never learn any lessons or information like you do when travelling abroad to a foreign country. As a person you will grow independent from everything. You will learn how to make friends and survive alone on your own. You will also learn to respect and understand other cultures.  

1. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 probably refer to? (no more than 3 words)

         ____________________________________________________________________

2.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words. (no more than 5 words)

        ___________________________________________________________________

3.What does the author think of his English local friends? (no more than 6 words)

        ___________________________________________________________________

4.What did the author do during his English class? (no more than 10 words)

        ___________________________________________________________________

5.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 5? (no more than 10 words)

        ___________________________________________________________________

 

Dr. Glenn Tisman, a cancer specialist, knew his young neighbor, Ray Bateman, had an unusual mind. But he had no idea at the time that 12 - year – old Ray had the ability to become his partner in cancer research.

Ray’s parents remembered that at age four, Ray surprised them by fixing a broken vacuum cleaner(吸尘器). When he was ten, he speedily constructed the family color television from a kit. Later, he succeeded in assembling(组装) a complex stereo system after two experts had failed to do the job.

When Ray was ten, he convinced his parents to buy him a computer. In a short time, Ray was able to do amazing things with the computer. Ray shared his enthusiasm for computers with Dr. Tisman, who used a computer for his research. The two discussed computers and medicine frequently. Amazingly, Ray understood the biology and chemistry related to Dr. Tisman’s medical research without any previous instruction.

Ray then worked with Dr. Tisman after school. He helped conduct research with the equipment and kept it in working order. The purpose of the research was to test the effectiveness of mixing an old cancer drug with certain vitamins. Ray analyzed patient test results by computer, while Dr. Tisman handled all patient contact. Together, they came up with solid research that helped advance cancer treatment.

In 1988, 14 - year - old Ray went with Dr. Tisman to a meeting of the American Federation for Clinical Research(AFCR), where Ray presented their initial research findings. Using terminology(术语) beyond the grasp of most kids his age, Ray told the scientists how the new drug mixture caused fewer and milder side effects for cancer patients.

A year later, Ray returned to the meeting to update the findings of his and Dr. Tisman’s research. By then, he had become well - known for his devotion to finding cures for sick patients. Stories about him appeared in hundred of newspapers around the world. He appeared on television newscasts and talk shows.

Ray continued to spend most free hours working with Dr. Tisman. The two began studying the effects of vitamins on babies inside the womb(子宫). However, Ray’s main interest remained cancer treatment, and he continues his research today.

1.According to the passage, Ray______.

A. is a boy of many gifts

B. is very helpful to his parents

C. learned fast under Dr. Tisman’s instruction

D. stopped working with Dr. Tisman after his success

2.What do we know about Dr. Tisman?

A. He succeeded in finding cures for cancer.

B. He made a new discovery in cancer treatment.

C. He convinced Ray to become a partner of him.

D. He taught Ray knowledge related to his research.

3.What made Ray first known to the medical world?

A. His presentation at AFCR.

B. His great skills in computer.

C. His devotion to cancer research.

D. His appearance on television newscasts.

4.Dr. Tisman’s research is aimed at ______.

A. providing different cancer treatments

B. proving the effects of vitamins on babies

C. finding the side effects of a cancer drug

D. testing the effectiveness of a new drug mixture

 

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