On a recent morning at Children's Hospital in Boston,the main lobby sounded like a fantastic musical experiment in a tropical rain forest. That was because the hospital just installed "Soundstair", designed by local artist Christo?pher Janney.

  When people walk up and down the stairs,they step on a series of sensors which make natural sounds. For example,climbing the stairs,the person might hear sounds from a bamboo flute and birds. Another individual using the stairs an hour later might hear an entirely different set of sounds.

  "The basic idea is about animating space and sound," Janney said. Sound-stair is Janney's effort to get the public to interact with the spaces around them by transforming those spaces into jazz instruments.

  Soundstair is brand new to Children's Hospital,but it's been in the Mu?seum of Science for several years. Janney is trained as a jazz musician and ar?chitect and his art reflects both of those disciplines. He has installed the same technology from Soundstair on a New York subway platform. " So you have a musical experience on your way to work," he said. "This is an urban musical instrument which allows people to creatively play in their everyday life.” While doctors,nurses and other adults went up and down the stairs ap?parently unaware of the instrument,10-year-old Carolyn Foppiano,who was visiting the hospital with her parents and two younger brothers,couldn't resist it. "It's sort of like magic," Carolyn said,as she danced up and down the steps. Carolyn also plays the recorder (竖笛) ."But this is easier!" she said.

  As he watched Carolyn and her brothers on his Soundstair,Janney smiled with pride. "It is hard for us adults to become young again,but it may take the young seconds to feel happy. If Soundstair can just do that,then it is meaning?ful and helpful," he said. 

1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

   A. Why Soundstair was designed.

   B. Benefits of Soundstair.

   C. How Soundstair works,

   D. Tips for using Soundstair.

2. According to the passage,Christopher Janney        .

   A. knows little about architecture

   B. works at Children's Hospital

   C. wants to become a professional musician

   D. believes music is beneficial in everyday life

3. How did people react to Soundstair at Children's Hospital?

   A. Nurses didn't seem to be interested in it.

   B. Doctors relied on it to treat children.

   C. Parents worried that it could be noisy.

   D. Children thought it was hard to play.

4. We can learn from the passage that Carolyn Foppiano         .

   A. often visits the hospital

   B. has a sick brother

   C. comes from a poor family

   D. plays an instrument

  What is the difference between developed and developing countries? The question is quite a difficult one. But we can compare them in two important as?pects: people and economy.

  People In developing countries there are high rates of both birth and death. Families decide to give birth to more than one child,because many developing countries do not have the systems necessary to guarantee (保证) the life of old people. Raising more children seems to be the only way to make sure that during their later years a person will be taken care of.

  The situation is completely different in fully developed countries. Those countries have low levels of birth and mortality. Low mortality rate is mainly because of the good health care,but low birth rate is due to the fact that support?ing a family with more children is expensive nowadays. Another reason is that more and more women decide to work outside,so there is usually no time and place for a large group of children in their lives. Economy In developed countries,most industries have high levels of technological pro?gress,while the smallest role in the country's GDP is played by agriculture.

  In most cases,in developing countries most GDP comes from agriculture. It is mainly due to the fact that services and many branches of industry are in the stage of development. But they have the potential to develop quickly,be?cause they have many things to improve.

  Of course,the difference between developed and developing countries is not that clear,because some countries might be in the middle of great chan?ges. When a country is in that stage,some data can define the country as a developing one ,but others may show that it is a developed one.

1. Why does the writer think the question in the first paragraph is difficult to answer?

   A. Because the people and economy of a country cannot reflect the whole situation.

   B. Because most developing countries are certain to become developed ones.

   C. Because he can only compare them in two aspects―people and economy.

   D. Because according to some data a developing country can be seen as a developed one.

2. In developing countries,there are high birth rates because people hope     

   A. their children will have a bright future

   B. generations can live under the same roof

   C. they will be taken care of in their later years

   D. the next generation can contribute more to society

3. What's the meaning of the underlined word "mortality" in Paragraph 3? 

    A. Health.

   B. Death.

   C. Employment.

   D. Survival.

4. What's probably the writer's attitude towards the future of developing countries?

   A. Negative.

   B. Worried.

   C. Optimistic.

   D. Doubtful.

5. This passage mainly helps us to      .

   A. know why developed countries develop so fast

   B. learn about the weak points of developing countries

   C. realize our responsibilities to develop our own country

   D. tell the differences between developing countries and developed ones

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