I would like to tell you a story about my uncle Theo.He is my oldest uncle, a tall, thin, grey-haired man whose thoughts are always on learning and nothing else.He is quiet, gentle and absent-minded and with about as much sense as a child where money is concerned.Well, he applied a post in Camford University.It was a very good post and there were hundreds of candidates who applied for it, and about fifteen, including Theo, were asked to be interviewed.
Camford is a very small town; there is only one hotel in it, and it was so full that they had to put many of the candidates two in a room.Theo was one of these, and the man who shared the room with him was a self-confident fellow called Adams, about twenty years younger than Theo, with a loud voice, and a laugh that you could hear all over the hotel.But he was a clever fellow all the same and had a good post in Iscaiot College, Narkover.Well, the Dean, who was the head of the department of the University, and the committee interviewed all the candidates; and as a result of this interview, the number of the candidates was reduced to two, Uncle Theo and Adams.The committee couldn’t decide which of the two to take, so they decided to make their final choice after each of the candidates had given a public lecture in the college lecture-hall.The subject they had to speak on was “The Civilization of the Ancient Summerians”; and the lecture had to be given in three days’ time.
Well, for these three days Uncle Theo never left his room.He worked day and night at that lecture, writing it out and memorizing it, almost without eating or sleeping.Adams didn’t seem to do any preparation at all.You could hear his voice and his laughter where he had a crowd of people around him.He came to his room late at night, asked Uncle Theo how he was getting on with his lecture, and then told him how he had spent the evening playing bridge, or at the music hall.He ate like a horse and slept like a log; and Uncle Theo sat up working at his lecture.
The day of the lecture arrived.They all went into the lecture hall and Theo and Adams took their seats on the platform.And then, Theo discovered, to his horror, that typewritten copy of his speech had disappeared! The Dean said they would call on the candidates on the alphabetical order, Adams first; and the despair in his heart, Theo watched Adams calmly take the stolen speech out of pocket and read it to the professors who were gathered to hear it.And how well he read it! Even Uncle Theo had to admit he couldn’t have read it nearly so eloquently himself, and when Adams finished there was a great burst of applause.Adams bowed and smiled, and sat down.
Now, it was Theo’s turn.But what could he do? He had put everything he knew into the lecture.His mind was too much upset to put the same thoughts in another way.With a burning face he could only repeat, word for word, in a low, dull voice, the lecture that Adams had spoken so eloquently.There was hardly any applause when he sat down.
The Dean and the committee went out to decide who the successful candidate was, but everyone was sure what their decision would be.Adams leaned across to Theo and patted him on the back and said, smilingly, “Hard luck, old fellow, but after all, only one of us could win”
Then the Dean and the committee came back, “Gentlemen”, the Dean said, “the candidate we have chosen is Mr.Hob dell.” Uncle Theo had won! The audience were completely taken by surprise, and the Dean continued, “I think I ought to tell you how we arrived at the decision.We were all filled with admiration at the learning and eloquence of Mr.Adams.I was greatly impressed.But, you will remember, Mr.Adams read his lecture to us.When Mr.Hob dell’s turn came, he repeated that speech, word by word from memory, though, of course, he couldn’t have seen a line of it before.Now a fine memory is absolutely necessary for this post; and what a memory Mr.Hob dell must have! This is why we decided that Mr.Hob dell was exactly the man we wanted! ”
As they walked out of the room, the Dean came up to Uncle Theo, who was so confused but so happy that he hardly knew whether he was standing on his head or heels; and as he shook Theo’s hand he said, “Congratulations, Mr.Hob dell! But, my fellow, when you are on our staff, you must be more careful and not leave valuable papers lying about!”
(1)
Which of the followings best describes Uncle Theo?
[ ]
A.
Good-mannered
B.
Modest
C.
Childish
D.
Bookish
(2)
What do we know about the post at Camford University?
[ ]
A.
The applicants had to sit for an examination.
B.
There was much competition for the post.
C.
The post requires a lot of teaching experience.
D.
The post offered quite high salary.
(3)
Adams did not bother to do any preparation because _________.
[ ]
A.
he was quite familiar with the subject.
B.
he knew the committee members well.
C.
he had a well-thought-out plan.
D.
he had full confidence in himself.
(4)
When Uncle Theo’s turn came, _________.
[ ]
A.
he felt so angry that he couldn’t see a word.
B.
he felt so upset that he could not remember anything.
C.
he had to put the same thoughts in another way.
D.
he had to repeat the speech, word by word from memory.
(5)
When the committee went out to make a decision, Adams _________.
[ ]
A.
could not help feeling worried.
B.
could hardly wait to show his joy.
C.
felt sorry for Theo and tried to cheer him up.
D.
felt ashamed and tried to chat with Theo.
(6)
Theo became successful because _________.
[ ]
A.
he had a better memory than Adams.
B.
he was more experienced than Adams.
C.
the committee knew he was exactly the man they wanted.
D.
the committee knew Adams had copied Theo’s speech.
In the world of fairy tales, great and powerful men are often helped to victory by the small and weak.But in the US it has happened for real.
Nine–year–old Noah McCullough from Texas, has taken on the role of speaking to the public in support of President George W.Bush’s social security reforms.
On February 25 he signed an agreement with the American Congress to work for the White House as a volunteer.“What I want to tell people about social security is not to be afraid of the new plan,”Noah said.“It may be a change, but it’s a good change.”
Besides this task, he already has a higher goal.He plans to run for the White House in 2032.So far, Noah seems to have a very bright future.
Despite his age, Noah already has his firm opinion on running the US.“I firmly believe that the combination of large business and small governments creates a peaceful and present society because industry can stimulate(刺激)economic growth,”he said.
Noah’s politics do not come from his parents.“He is very patriotic(爱国的)and very republican,”said Noah’s mother, Donna McCullough.“It’s the way he was born.”
Noah’s interest began after a mock(模拟)election in the kindergarten when he was five years old.Now he has read more than 3,000 books on presidential history.He can recite the names of all 43 American presidents.He can also describe the achievements and events that took place during a president’s term of office.
His unusual experiences in the presidential campaign last year made him a famous figure.He was a member of Bush’s presidential campaign team.He gave speeches at the Republican convention(大会)and followed Bush around on his tour of 27 states.President Bush thinks highly of the boy, saying that he is“the miracle kid of the White House”.
(1)
Noah McCullough worked for the White House ________.
[ ]
A.
to support George W.Bush in the presidential campaign
B.
to be a volunteer in the presidential campaign
C.
to show his gift in the presidential campaigns
D.
to drill for his running for the White House in 2032
(2)
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
[ ]
A.
Noah seems to have a very bright future because he supports Bush.
B.
Noah is the youngest of the Americans who support Bush.
C.
Noah has been to more than half of the states in the presidential campaign.
D.
Noah was born with his parents’ dream of his becoming US President.
(3)
We can infer from the passage that ________.
[ ]
A.
Noah can surely succeed in the 2032 presidential campaign
B.
Noah’s polities are deeply affected by his parents
C.
Bush had known Noah well before the presidential campaign began
D.
Noah would develop industry and reduce government officials if he were elected President of the USA
(4)
Which is the best title of the passage?
[ ]
A.
The Small and Weak Can Help the Big and Strong
B.
Little Boy Helps President Bush
C.
Beginning of Noah’s Political Life
D.
The US Future President
阅读理解
I remembered the first day I saw her playing basketball.I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids.The boys always tried to stop her but no one could, though she seemed so small.She would practice shooting over and over again, sometimes until dark.
One day I asked her why she practiced so much.Without a moment of hesitation she said, “I want to go to college.The only way I can go is to get a scholarship.I like basketball.I am going to play college basketball.I want to be the best.My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.”Then she repeated the routine.Well, I had to give in to her – she was determined.I watched her through those junior high years and into high school.Every week, she led her school team to victory.One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head cradled in her arms.Quietly I walked to her and asked what was wrong.“Oh, noting,” came a soft reply.“I am just too short.”The coach told her that at 5.5 inches she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team, so she should stop dreaming about college.But her father said those coaches were wrong.They just did not understand the power of a dream.He told her that if she really wanted to play for a good college and wanted a scholarship, nothing could stop her except one thing – her own attitude.He told her again, “If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count”.
The next years, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was seen by a college recruiter.She was indeed offered a scholarship, a full ride, to a Division I, NCAA women’s basketball team.She was going to get the college education that she has dreamed of and worked toward for all those years.It’s true:If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.
(1)
How long has the girl probably been practicing basketball before she went to college?________.
[ ]
A.
At most 3 years
B.
About 2 years
C.
At least 6 years
D.
Less than 4 years
(2)
The underlined word in the passage referred to ________.
[ ]
A.
the person who finds new people to work in a company or a job
B.
the person w ho persuades others to do something
C.
the coach of a sports team
D.
the person who is in charge of admitting students into colleges
(3)
What is the best title of the passage?________.
[ ]
A.
A way to success
B.
If the dream is big enough
C.
Basket ball-A way to success
D.
A determined girl
(4)
Which of the following can lead a person to the goal according to this passage?________.
[ ]
A.
A good attitude
B.
A big dream, hard practices and opportunity
C.
Hard practice
D.
A big dream
阅读理解
Mathematical ability and musical ability may not seem on the surface to be connected, but people who have researched the subject and studied the brain say that they are.Three quarters of the bright but speech-delayed children in the group I studied had a close relative who was an engineer, mathematician or scientist, and four fifths had a close relative who played a musical instrument.The children themselves usually took readily to math and other analytical subjects and to music.
Black, white and Asian children in this group show the same patterns.However, it is clear that blacks have been greatly overrepresented(被过多的代表)in the development of American popular music and greatly underrepresented in such fields as mathematics, science and engineering.
If the abilities required in analytical fields and in music are so closely related, how can there be this great discrepancy?One reason is that the development of mathematical and other such abilities requires years of formal schooling, while certain musical talents can be developed with little or no formal training, as has happened with a number of well-known black musicians.
It is precisely in those kinds of music where one can acquire great skill without formal training that blacks have excelled(擅长)popular music rather than classical music, piano rather than violin, blues rather than opera.This is readily understandable, given that most blacks, for most of American history, have not had either the money or the leisure for long years of formal study in music.
Blacks have not merely held their own in American popular music.They have played a large role in the development of jazz, both traditional and modern.A long string of names comes to mind-W.C.Handy, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker…and so on.
None of these presupposes(假设,意味着)any special innate(先天的)ability of blacks in music.On the contrary, it is perfectly consistent(一致的)with blacks having no more such inborn ability than anyone else, but being limited to being able to express such ability in narrower channels than others who have had the money, the time and the formal education to spread out over a wider range of music, as well as into mathematics, science and engineering.
(1)
What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
[ ]
A.
Mathematical ability and musical ability are connected.
B.
Mathematical ability has more to do with the brain than musical ability.
C.
More people are good at music than math.
D.
More research should be done into the relationship between mathematical ability and math ability.
(2)
The word“discrepancy”(Para.3)most probably means ________.
[ ]
A.
difference
B.
excellence
C.
inborn ability
D.
inability
(3)
What can be inferred about opera?
[ ]
A.
It requires formal training.
B.
It is often enjoyed by those with strong analytical ability.
C.
It is disliked by blacks.
D.
It is more difficult to learn than classical music.
(4)
Which of the following statements is true according to the last paragraph?
[ ]
A.
Blacks have special innate ability in music.
B.
Unlike others, blacks do not have innate ability in music.
C.
Jazz is one of the narrow channels through which blacks express their ability in music.
D.
Those who have money and time choose mathematics over music.
(5)
Which of the following questions does the passage mainly concern?
[ ]
A.
Are musical ability and mathematical ability connected?
B.
Why have blacks been greatly overrepresented in the development of American popular music?
C.
What kinds of music require formal training?
D.
What are the contributions made by black musicians?