题目内容
The fact __________Jenny didn’t catch the train made her very disappointed.
A. which B. what C. that D. why
C
阅读快车系列答案Last week Adele's second album, 21, sold 257,000 copies in the UK, a sales figure that would look incredible as an opening sales week for any album by any global superstar. The fact that the album was celebrating its 10th week at No.1, and that each of the previous nine weeks it had sold over 100,000 copies, makes what Adele has achieved look miraculous. The last female singer to spend that long at No.1 in the UK was Madonna in 1990 with her greatest hits compilation, The Immaculate Collection.
For Adele, the success of 21 is part of a perfect storm of talent, timing and a connection that went beyond gender, age and credibility. But what does it say about the state of the music industry? Does Adele's success signal a return to the MOR(适合大众口味的音乐) musical depression, when the likes of James Blunt dominated the charts? Her success may well lead to a great many similar acts aiming for an MOR audience, but that's more the fault of an industry desperate to recreate any kind of success by creating poor copies until the world shouts "stop now".
What seems to have set Adele apart is her apparent ordinariness, besides that incredible voice. While Gaga parades around in a dress made of meat and Beyonce orbits a world out of touch to the majority of most human beings, Adele's chain-smoking, girl-you'd-like-to-go-to-the-pub-with persona stands out. Even for a British act, her ordinariness goes against trend, with fellow Jessie J adopting a very American habit of over-emoting, talking about a "journey" and making the idea of being a pop star seem fairly difficult.
It's this universality and broad appeal that's helped her translate talent into sales. While the first single from 21, Rolling in the Deep, appealed to Radio 1 listeners and bloggers, the second single, Someone Like You, is so successful that silenced the grand O2 Arena during this year's Brit Awards. The press can write pages and pages in that there's enough of a connection of musicians – Rick Rubin worked on the album, there's a cover of the Cure, Mumford & Sons were an influence – while the gossip magazines have been excited by the fact that the album is one long break-up record, eager to find the ex.
In 1990, Madonna was a global superstar with a back catalogue of era-defining hits to her name. She was untouchable and, tellingly, unknowable. She was (and still is) a megastar, but a megastar of a different age. These days, we want to know a bit more about our artists; that they have relationship problems, walk their dog. Her selling point and appeal is precisely the fact that she exists at the point between everyday ordinariness and pop star.
For now, Adele's success should be celebrated, especially for becoming an unlikely global star on her own terms. The danger is that we're headed for a lot of fairly boring pop, a situation that led to the "birth" of Gaga a few years back. Pop goes in cycles and it feels like we're headed back towards the very middle of MOR.
【小题1】Adele’s achievement seems unbelievable for the reason that ____________.
| A．the sales of her second album achieved an incredible success last week in the UK |
| B．her second album ranked first in a row with the incredible average sales per week |
| C．Madonna was the last female singer in the UK to stay at No. 1 as long as she did |
| D．she is such an ordinary singer with so fascinating a voice in the music industry |
| A．to a large extent depends on her apparent talent for music |
| B．is because of her extraordinariness and the wonderful voice |
| C．lies in gift, timing and something beyond sex, age and trust |
| D．is largely due to the state of the music industry currently |
| A．She stands out in a totally different way from Gaga and Beyonce. |
| B．She and Madonna are contemporary megastars in music. |
| C．Only she and Madonna spent that long at No.1 in the UK. |
| D．Jessie J and she both have an American habit of expressing themselves. |
| A．Her musical talent. |
| B．The joint work of musicians in the album. |
| C．Her incredible voice. |
| D．Her universality and broad appeal. |
| A．satisfying | B．disappointing | C．dangerous | D．desperate |
Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
| A. account B. unable C. psychologically D. fulfill E. physical F. concern G. habits H. devotion I. exposure J. academic K. lead to |
Computer games addicts tend to separate themselves from normal, face-to-face human contact. They spend hours playing the online games, without much __2__ for those around them. They also do not care to __3__ the responsibilities awaiting them and they are more likely to feel depressed. The fact that computer games reduce time available for family and friends may __4__ for the drop in well-being. Faceless, bodiless "virtual" communication may be less __5__ satisfying than actual conversation, and the relationships formed through it may be shallower. In addition, __6__ to the wider world via the Net makes users less satisfied with their lives.
Many addicts spend as long as 100 hours a week playing computer games. Such a lifestyle will result in decreased job or __7__ performance. Late nights and days spent playing the games make the addict 8 to perform as well as he would have. Some gamers even spend real money on virtual products to make their characters distinct from others.
Computer games addicts have unwittingly developed a set of habits. These 9 have become part of their lives and if not dealt with, their jobs, relationships and careers may collapse. However, breaking these habits is easier said than done. Sometimes these habits could 10 depression, stress and other emotional problems. Therapy, counseling programs can be helpful to them. The earlier treatment is sought, the greater the chance it will be successful.