题目内容
Listening to music can help me focus better. Since I discovered it two years ago, I’ve used music to get through boring work or to focus creatively. I’ve found that it can make even the dullest jobs enjoyable and help clear mental blocks to creativity.
I first noticed the good effects of music while playing video games. It was a few days before Christmas in 2005 and I was playing online video games. My parents had just given me a new MP3, so I decided to listen to music through the headphones while I played. After a few minutes I noticed a great change in my style of play. I was playing more naturally. The music relaxed me, and, to a certain extent, distracted me from the game, allowing my subconscious (潜意识的) talent to come through. The music also helped me block out the outside world. With those headphones on I was like a machine, moving from one task to the next without unnecessary thoughts or actions.
Music can also have a great effect on mood. If I’m in a bad mood at work, I’ll listen to some of Bob Marley’s and get down to business. It always takes my mind off what I’m doing and makes me a happier person. The same is true for classic rock. One summer, I did a boring job collecting bottle openers by hand. Without a radio playing classic rock in the background, I would have hated life.
Listening to music with relaxing rhythms and a positive message helps you forget your work and think happy thoughts. But the results you see will depend heavily on your personal tastes. Experiment with the types of music you listen to during certain tasks. By trial and error you’ll finally discover your best choice. I’m always looking for new concentration aids, so I’d love to know what type of music works best for me.
We can infer that the passage was written in __________.
A. 2005 B. 2006 C. 2007 D. 2008
The author first discovered the effects of music __________.
A. from his parents B. by chance
C. at work D. when he was a child
Which of the following statements is NOT an effect of music for the author?
A. It helps him block out the outside world.
B. It arouses his subconscious talent.
C. It helps his mind relax.
D. It makes him work without any thought.
The author mentions the experience of collecting bottle openers in Paragraph 3 to ________.
A. tell us that life is dull
B. prove that music affects mood
C. tell us how to seek happiness
D. tell us bad mood can affect work
In order to get the greatest effect of music, you are advised to ________.
A. listen to some of Bob Marley’s
B. only choose relaxing music
C. test all kinds of music
D. listen to classic rock
【小题1】C
【小题2】B
【小题3】D
【小题4】B
【小题5】C
解析:
工作时听音乐可以使你更加集中注意力，提高工作效率。而且，当情绪不好的时候，你可以听听音乐，这样可以帮助你忘掉烦恼，增加愉悦感。
【小题1】根据文中的信息作出判断推理。根据第一段Since I discovered it two years ago … 可知，作者两年前发现了听音乐的好处；根据第二段It was a few days before Christmas in 2005 … 可知，作者指的两年前是2005年，因此写这篇文章的时间是2007年。
【小题2】理解文中具体信息。根据第二段 … I was playing online video games … After a few minutes I noticed a great change in my style of play可知，作者是在玩游戏时听音乐偶然发现音乐的巨大作用的。
【小题3】理解文中具体信息。根据第二段 … moving from one task to the next without unnecessary thoughts or actions可知，D项表述不准确，故答案为D。
【小题4】根据文中的信息作出判断推理。第三段的主题句为第一句，下面举的例子是为了证明这个观点的，故答案为B。
【小题5】理解文中具体信息。根据最后一段Experiment with the types of music you listen to during certain tasks可知，答案为C。
Pressure too much?
In our daily life we are used to hearing these words, “I can't wait for my holiday,” “I wish I could stay home today” And “I'm very tired.” These words come from pressure at work. Now the “iron rice bowl”(铁饭碗) is being broken into pieces. Workers may be fired if they don’t perform their duties well. They have to do their jobs better.
People feel pressure not only because they might find themselves out of work but also because they get no real pleasure from their work. For most of the workers, work is just a way of earning money. It appears to be meaningless and worthless.
But pressure is a natural part of work. There is no way to keep away from it. We should face up to it.
Work should be
a cause of happiness and pride rather than a punishment or a burden .In fact, a certain amount of pressure can provide challenge and chance for learning. To a modern man who is worried and low in spirit, developing a hobby and finding a new interest is of first importance. I like listening to pop music, which makes me calm and gives me pleasure.
If pressure becomes difficult to deal with, we should turn to our friends or families. We can have a drink with our friends and talk about the problem. We should always discuss our problems with our families. Good advice, warmth and happiness that families bring to us can reduce our pressure and encourage us to smooth away all difficulties.
【小题1】Peopel feel pressure at work mainly because ______.
| A．they will lose their jobs |
| B．most of them find less interest in their work |
| C．they can make more money after work. |
| D．they want to stay at home. |
| A．Where there is work there is pressure. |
| B．Work shouldn’t be regarded as punishment or burden. |
| C．All modern men are worried and low in spirit. |
| D．A certain amount of pressure is necessary. |
| A．we should drink coffee with our friends |
B． we can get help and comfort from our friends or families. |
| C．we can go home because it is warm |
| D．to talk out the problem to our friends and families is the best way. |
It’s 10:30 p.m. and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. He blinks twice, and the message on the screen becomes clear: “ R U awake?”
But the late-night text does not annoy Brandon. He gets frequent messages and calls, even after bedtime. And he can’t imagine life without them. “ If I didn’t have a cell phone, I wouldn’t be able to talk to my friends or family as often,” he told TFK.
Brandon’s use of technology doesn’t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles in his room. With so many choices, it is no surprise that when he is not at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices. Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids aged 8 to 18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found. That’s about an hour more than just five years ago.
The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. Today, nearly seven out of ten kids have cell phones. Just five years ago, it was four out of ten.
“ These devices have opened up many more opportunities for young people to use media, whether it’s on the bus, on the way to school or waiting in line at the pizza parlor,” says Rideout.
Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. “ If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?” Media expert Cheryl Olson says.
Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. “ It’s a matter of balance,” says Olson. “ You’ve got to work on it.”
Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. “It’s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply,” says Rideout.
Logan Jones, 11, of Maumelle, Arkansas, describes himself as a “game freak”. Still, he is glad not to have unlimited time with his PlayStation 2. “I’ll tell my mom I’m going to play a game, and she’ll say, ‘Okay, but only for 30 minutes,’”, Logan told TFK.
With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. “ Kids should try,” adds Rideout. “:But parents might have to step in sometimes.”
【小题1】The text is mainly about kids’ _________
| A．cell phone use | B．various hobbies |
| C．favorite video games | D．using electronic devices |
| A．Brandon feels annoyed about his late-night message. |
| B．Olson is against teenagers’ using mobile phones. |
| C．many teenagers lack friends in their middle school |
| D．kids have too many electronic devices to choose from |
| A．Watching TV while using the computer |
| B．Talking on the phone while lying on the sofa. |
| C．Playing video games after having lunch. |
| D．Listening to loud music while relaxing. |
| A．in order | B．in store | C．in sight | D．in control |
| A．do homework while watching TV |
| B．do homework in a place without disturbance |
| C．spend more time on homework |
| D．have less homework |
White was the owner of a private school in a town. Last year, he married one of his classmates.The beautiful woman spent much time in learning nothing during middle school. But she wasn't worried about anything in the future, because her parents were very rich and could provide her with everything.So he could make poor Mr White listen to her. Mr White was busy in dealing with school affairs and his wife had to stay at home alone.But she hated the lonely and boring life.Her father introduced her to some businessmen who wanted to employ her .But she wanted to stay with children.So her husband was asked to allow her to work in his school.At first her husband didn't agree with her. She didn't supply money to him any more, so the poor man had to give in.Otherwise , his school would shut down for lack of her money. The woman could not teach students, because she knew neither maths nor physics.She thought she often played in the zoo,so she decided to teach biology.But she didn't know how to teach the subject at all.She thought hard, and finally she decided to bring the students to the zoo.
Pointing to a crocodile, she shouted ,”Look at it carefully! It’s a whale!”
“Excuse me ,madam,” said a student. “It’s a crocodile!”
“Shut up!” Mr White said angrily. “It’s a whale!”
【小题1】Why did Mr White have to employ Mrs White as a teacher ?
| A．Because his school would shut down without her money. |
| B．Because Mrs White learned many things during school time. |
| C．Because no businessman wanted to employ Mrs White. |
| D．Because Mrs White knew something about biology. |
| A．She was the daughter of a rich man. |
| B．She often went to the zoo to study animals. |
| C．She knew nothing about the subject of biology. |
| D．She was one of Mrs White’s classmates. |
| A．The students didn't know whales and crocodiles. |
| B．Mrs White taught the right animals to her students. |
| C．A whale came up to the bank to have a breath. |
| D．Mrs White mistook a crocodile for a whale. |
| A．Because he wanted to change his fate of listening to his wife. |
| B．Because he knew his wife could not be a good teacher. |
| C．Because his wife liked being at home. |
| D．Because his wife only knew something about maths and physics. |
Editor’s notes: AWL is well known for its dictionaries and English language teaching materials． Some readers have written in to ask us for the latest information on high quality books on English, so here we introduce two texts that aim to improve spoken English fluency．
Let’s speak （Beginner)
By Bev Dusuya, Naoko Ozeki and Kevin Bergman
ISBN: 962001359X
Speak Up（Pre-Intermediate)
By Bev Kusuya, Nako Zeki
ISBN: 0583338050
“Teach the students about your culture and help them talk about their own．” How often are these worthy goals kept from being achieved by the limitations of your beginner level learners? Students at all levels want to talk about culture．
Topics include food, shopping, sports, fashion, the roles of men and women, health, music, and many more．
These are all chosen from surveys of over 15,000 students about their own interests in cross-cultural communication．
“Let’s Speak” and “Speak Up” share a special but excellent way that allows all students to take part in．
The series has questions which start thinking and then help collect opinions about personal topics． Conversation practice is provided by ready to use （现成的)models of basic exchanges on the topic． Also, the cultural information presented in the series comes in the form of interesting, relevant（相关的）facts and ideas from other countries through listening tasks and Culture Quiz exercises．
Team activities in books provide lively problem solving games to enable sharing and comparison of cultural values．
“Let’s Speak” is fit for entry level students of all ages． “Speak Up” provides for the needs of higher level beginners, offering the same careful listening and speaking help, but with slightly more open ended discussion．
For any information about AWL’s books, please get in touch with the following addresses:
Beijing Addison Wesley Longman Information Center
Room 2306, FLTRP Beijing
19 Xi San Huan Beilu, Beijing 100081
Tel: （010)68917488 （010) 68917788
Fax: （010) 68917499E-mail: zrh@public．bat．net．cn
【小题1】In the sentence “Teach the students about your culture and help them talk about their own”, “your culture” here means the culture of ．
| A．the English native speakers | B．the English learners |
| C．the readers of the two books | D．the readers of the newspaper |
a．publisher b．titles c．content d．writers
e．prices f．pages g．book number
| A．a,b,d,f | B．a,c,d,g | C．b,c,d,e | D．b,c,e,f |
A．the same interesting topics
B．the same level of learners
C．proper ways to excite the learners to talk
【小题4】The passage above is probably taken from the section in a newspaper．
| A．EDUCATION | B．NEWS |
| C．ENTERTAINMENT | D．BOOKSHELF |