JAMES Brown, the legendary US singer known as the “Godfather of Soul”, died Christmas morning, 2006. he was 73.

Brown was one of the major musical influences of the last

50 years. He provided the basis for much of black music and

most of pop music with his early hits like. “Please, Please,

Please”. He essentially created funk(“疯客”音乐)with

mid-1960s songs such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag".

It won him a Grammy Award as best rhythm-and-blues song,

and it was only the beginning of Mr. Brown's rhythmic

breakthroughs. His rapid-footed dancing inspired Michael Jackson and Prince. Rap stars of recent years, such as Fat Boys and Public Enemy, have all borrowed his lyrics and rhythms.

Brown's songs in the late 1960s and early 1970s, such as "Hot Pants" and "Make It Funky", mixed the sophistication(复杂) of jazz-style arrangements with raw funk. With these songs, Brown established himself as the godfather not just of soul, but of all subsequent styles of dance music: funk, disco, hip hop.

"He made soul music a world music," said Al Sharpton, who toured with Brown in the 1970s and imitates his hairstyle to this day. "What Brown was to music in terms of soul and hip hop, rap, all of that, is what Bach(巴赫, 德国作曲家) was to classical music. He put everybody on a different beat, a different style of music."

Amid the civil rights movement of the 1960s Mr. Brown used his fame and music for social messages. He released "Don't Be a Dropout" in 1966 and met with Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey to promote a stay-in-school initiative. Two years later "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" insisted, "We won't quit movin' until we get what we deserve."

The passage is mainly about _______.

         A.black music in the US

B.James Brown's unique music styles

C.James Brown's contribution to American music

D.great musicians in the US in the last 50 years

The author intends to tell us by the last paragraph that ______.

A.James Brown was proud of being a black

B.James Brown was also active in political movements

C.the then Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey was one of Brown's fans

D.no children dropped out of school because of James Brown's social influence

Which of the following indicates that Brown's career began to take off?

A.His rapid-footed dancing.

B.His three years in prison.

C.His tour around the country with Al Sharpton.

D.His mid-1960s songs such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag".

James Brown has influenced all American music types EXCEPT ______.

         A.classical music                    B.rhythm-and-blues    

         C.Rap            D.hip hop

There was great excitement on the planet of Venus(金星) this week. For the first time Venusian scientists managed to land a satellite on the planet Earth, and it has been sending back signals as well as photographs ever since.

The satellite was directed into an area known as Manhattan (named after the great Venusian astronomer Prof. Manhattan, who first discovered it with his telescope 20000 light years ago).

Because of excellent weather conditions and extremely strong signals, Venusian scientists were able to get valuable information as to feasibility (可行性) of a manned flying saucer (碟) landing on Earth. A press conference was held at the Venus Institute of Technology.

“We have come to the conclusion, based on last week’s satellite landing,” Prof. Zog said, “that there is no life on Earth.”

“How do you know this?” the science reporter of the Venus Evening Star asked.

“For one thing, Earth’s surface in the area of Manhattan is made up of solid concrete and nothing can grow there. For another, the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide (一氧化碳) and other deadly gases and nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive.” “What does this mean as far as our flying saucer program is concerned?”

“We shall have to take our own oxygen with us, which means a much heavier flying saucer than originally planned.”

“Are there any other dangers that you discovered in your studies?”

“Take a look at this photo. You see this dark black cloud hovering(盘旋) over the surface of Earth? We don’t know what it is made of, but it could give us a lot of trouble and we shall have further tests before we send a Venus Being there.”

“Over here you will notice what seems to be a river, but the satellite findings indicates it is polluted and the water is unfit to drink. This means we shall have to carry our own water, which will add even greater weight to the saucer.”

“If all you say is true, won’t this set back the flying saucer program several years?”

“Yes, but we shall continue as soon as the Grubstart gives us the added funds.” Prof. Zog replied.

During the week of great excitement the Venusian scientists succeeded in getting important information as to ____.

   A. the feasibility of landing a satellite on Earth

   B. the possibility of making a first-rate flying saucer

   C. the feasibility of sending a Venus Being to Earth

   D. the possibility of directing a flying saucer into Manhattan

According to Prof. Zog, the Venusians will have to take their own oxygen with them when they carry out their flying saucer program because ____.

   A. they need it in their way to the planet of Earth

   B. the Earth’s atmosphere is filled with deadly gases

   C. there is a low level of oxygen for Venusians

   D. there is no air on the planet of Earth

The “dark black cloud” on the photo refers to ____.

   A. the polluted air hovering over the surface of Earth

   B. the mass of tiny drops of water floating above Earth

   C. the mass of small things moving through the air

   D. the dark clouds gathering before a storm breaks

The author wishes to call our attention to the fact that ____.

   A. that modern man has polluted his environment to such an extend that he might destroy himself if he went on like this

   B. that there is a point in spending billions to land a flying saucer on Earth

   C. that pollution has become so serous a problem on Earth that even Venusians find life there unbearable.

   D. that it is difficult if not altogether impossible, to land a manned flying saucer on Earth

Happy April Fool’s Day! In celebration of the day, we have put together a list of some of the greatest hoaxes (恶作剧) in history. They are the lies that have been designed for innocent people who are ready to believe them.
INSTANT COLOR TV
In 1962 there was only one TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station’s Kjell Stepson, appearing on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now quickly and easily transform their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon (尼龙) stocking over their TV screen, and they would begin to see their favorite shows in color. Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people, were taken in. Actual color TV transmission only started to appear in Sweden on April 1, 1970.
SAN SERRIFFE
In 1977 the British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven–page supplement(增刊) in honor of the tenth anniversary of San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles affectionately asked for more information about the beautiful holiday spot. Few noticed that every thing about the island was made up.
NIXON FOR PRESIDENT
In 1992 American National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program announced that, Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, “ I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” Accompanying this announcement were audio clips(片断) of Nixon delivering his election speech. Listeners responded immediately to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and anger. Only during the second half of the show did the host John Huckleberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixon’s voice was copied by comedian Rich Little.
【小题1】Which of the following  countries is NOT mentioned in the text?

A.IndiaB.The UKC.The United StatesD.Sweden
【小题2】Who worked as a host on the radio?
A.Kjell StepsonB.Rich LittleC.Richard NixonD.John Huckleberry
【小题3】When did the small republic San Serriffe come into being?
A.In 1962B.In 1977C.In 1992D.Never
【小题4】Where can we probably read this article?
A.In the ad.B.In a magazineC.In a novelD.In a news report

Now I know that we black people are much more likely to have high blood pressure and diabetes(糖尿病) than white people. And they often lead to heart attacks and other untreated diseases. For example, black people are three to four times more likely than white people to have high blood pressure and twice as likely as the white population to die of a stroke(中风).
New research has found out the surprisingly high levels of salt in many of black people’s favorite meals. I stopped putting extra salt in my food at the table long ago and I try to cut down on the salt I use in cooking. The recommended daily level of salt for adults is 6 grams. It is easy to see that if you avoid processed(加工过的) foods and use salt in your cooking within the limit, you won’t exceed the daily level.
The research showed how much salt there is in some foods that we buy from restaurants and takeaways. An average salad with rice and peas has 6.2 grams of salt. This is more salt than you are supposed to eat for the whole day.
A researcher talked about the importance of home cooking rather than take-outs. At home, he pointed out, not only can you hold control of the salt shaker, but also you can create tasty food which is low on salt. The researcher later provided curry goat and rice and peas. They were low on salt, but completely delicious.
I do not suppose Jamaicans are going to stop buying takeaways soon. But if you suffer from high blood pressure, it is probably better not to buy them often.
【小题1】The underlined word “they” in Paragraph 1 refers to ______.

A.white peopleB.black people
C.untreated diseasesD.high blood pressure and diabetes
【小题2】What has the new research found out according to Paragraph 2?
A.Black people take in too much salt.
B.Black people’s meals are very special.
C.Processed foods have too much salt in them.
D.6 grams of salt per day is enough for an adult.
【小题3】What would the writer probably suggest black people do?
A.Order no salad in a restaurant.B.Take in no salt for several days.
C.Stop cooking their favorite meals.D.Eat less takeaways.
【小题4】The researcher provided curry goat and rice and peas in order to ______.
A.thank those who came to his home for his research
B.let people know that eating less salt makes one healthier
C.show that tasty food with less salt can be made at home
D.prove the less salt the food has the more delicious it is
【小题5】What would be the best title for this passage?
A.Watch the salt.B.Take care, black people.
C.Say no to takeaways.D.Say no to high blood pressure.

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