Singing had always been an important part of Gloria Estefan’s life. “Since I was three years old, I sang. I sang everything,” Gloria said. “Cubans,” she added, “are a musical people”.

Gloria was born in Cuba in 1957. Her family left the country just before Fidel Castro came to power. In Miami, where the family settled, many people did not accept Cuban immigrants. In first grade, she spoke little English, but she worked hard to learn the language. Six months after she entered school, she won an award for reading in English!

When Gloria was ten, her father returned from the Vietnam War. Soon, the family realized he wasn’t well. They soon found out that he was badly ill. Her mother went back to teaching at school to support the family. Gloria cared for her father and her younger sister.

She still made the honor roll, and she still had her music, but Gloria was lonely. However, when the band leader Emilio Estefan came to speak at her high school, Gloria sang for him. He asked her to join his band. It was the beginning of the Miami Sound Machine.

Within a few months, the Miami Sound Machine was the top band in Miami. In 1978 Gloria and Emilio married.

At first, the Miami Sound Machine was known only in Miami. Then the band signed with CBS Records. Estefan and his band became stars.

Since then, the Miami Sound Machine has sold millions of records. Gloria has done more than just singing when Hurricane Andrew hit central Florida in 1992. She used only two weeks to organize an all-star concert that raised $2 million for the people who suffered in the hurricane. “We needed a party after that disaster,” she said.

Gloria said, “You have to stay true to the music you really love to do. There will always be people who will tell you, ‘that won’t work.’ You’ve got to be firm in spite of difficulties. Stick to it—that’s the main thing.”

Gloria’s father was ill        .

       A. when they settled down in Miami.

       B. before they left their home country

       C. after he returned from Vietnam War

       D. as soon as she finished high school

According to the passage, probably Gloria did the following except        .

       A. organizing an all-star concert for Hurricane victims

       B. winning an award for reading in English

       C. teaching at school to support the family

       D. taking care of her father and sister

The underlined word “disaster” in this passage refers to        .

       A. the concert B. the celebration   C. the victims D. the hurricane

This passage mainly tells about Gloria Estefan’s        .

      A. life story   B. happy marriage   C. music style    D. Cuban background

Life on-line can be a much richer experience when you aren’t restricted to just written words and still pictures.Even if you’re new to the Net,you’ve probably heard about multimedia on-line—listening to audio,watching animations and videos,even playing in three-dimensional space.Sound and movement make information come alive.

To experience it,you’ll need special pieces of software called plug-ins.The term “plug-in” refers to a small,add-on piece of software which extends the capabilities of your web browser,like Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Explorer,turning your computer into a radio or TV.

When you arrive at a web page which contains a file requiring a plug-in which you don’t have,you will usually receive a message asking if you want to get it by downloading it and installing it into your computer.Most of the time,the installation will be automatic.

Occasionally,you’ll run into a downloaded file which needs to be decompressed or un-zipped before installation.Once installed,plug-ins run automatically,without you having to do anything.

Many multimedia controls still need to be obtained from the developer but are installed automatically.

Shockwave is a good example of this.All you need to do is go to the Macromedia site and click on the link to install the ActiveX control.The rest happens automatically.The next time you go to a “Shocked” website,the Shockwave control loads and plays the movie.

Most plug-ins and controls can be downloaded for free on the Internet,although not all will work with every system.Some of them,for instance,only work with Windows 95.

Plug-ins can help us to do all of the following except _________.

A.listening to music

B.watching animations and videos

C.playing three-dimensioned games

D.searching for information on the net

The correct explanation about “plug-in” is _________.

A.a radio or TV connected with a computer

B.a small,add-on piece of hardware which improves your web browser

C.a small,add-on piece of software which can turn your computer into a radio or TV

D.a small,add-on piece of software like Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Explorer

When we go to a “shocked” website a second time,_________.

A.we should go to the Macromedia site and click on the link to install the Active X control

B.the shockwave control loads itself and plays the movie for us

C.we will be asked whether to download the shockwave control or not

D.we have to buy the shockwave control and load it

Most of the time,how can we get a plug-in before automatic installation?

A.We have to buy it from the developer.

B.We have to borrow it from the developer.

C.We have to rent it from the developer.

D.We can obtain from the developer without paying.

Mike Maietta was eating lunch when he got a text message from his mom.

“Notre Dame,” it said. “Big envelope!”

Mike, a senior at a Californian high school, shouted with joy. The big envelope meant that the excellent university in Indiana had offered him a place in its Class of 2013. But the $51,300 annual fee is a big trouble. So Mike and his parents are considering offers from several other colleges and are figuring out the costs of tuition, housing and holiday trips home.

This year, money is the driving factor(因素) for a growing number of high school seniors, who have to decide what colleges to attend this fall. Less jobs and house prices have changed family spending.

“We’re excited that Mike got into eight great schools,” said Mike’s father, an engineer at Microsoft. “But if you consider going to school out of state, you’ve got to think about all of the other costs: moving, flying back and forth for the holidays. You’re looking at about $3,000 a year, just for travel.”

As families weigh their choices, some are going back to financial aid offices hoping help packages can be increased.

Rachel Brown was happy to get a thick envelope from New York University (NYU). Although she has always wanted to live in Manhattan, she is seriously considering the University of California San Diego (UCSD), because of the high cost in New York.

“The tuition for NYU is twice as much as UCSD,” said Rachel, 17. “My mom doesn’t want me to have a big debt when I graduate, and I don’t want that either. I’d have to take out a loan of $15,000. I’ll check and see if there’s any way that NYU can offer me any financial aid.”

More than 7.6 million American students have filled out the Free Application for Students Aid, 19.9 percent increase over last year.

This month the Federal Department of Education urged college financial aid officers to give more help to certain families. A record 30,428 students applied for 2,300 places at Stanford, partly because the university increased financial aid for families earning below $10,000.

1.Mike may give up Notre Dame because of ______.

A.travel fees

B.financial concerns

C.poor exam results

D.worries about living far away from home

2.The phrase “Big envelope” in paragraph 2 probably refers to“______”.

A.A text message                         B.A large gift package

C.An admission letter                      D.A scholarship letter

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A.The number of American senior students applying for financial aid is increasing.

B.Rachel Brown has given up NYU because of its high tuition and big debts.

C.It is inevitably hard for college students to borrow money to cover costs.

D.An interest-free loan for students helps more students apply for Stanford.

4.The passage mainly focuses on ______

A.the calculation of different costs including tuition

B.the extremely hard financial situation in America

C.the excitement of students’ being able to enter ideal colleges

D.the financial crisis of families over college entrance

 

Everyone wants to win a first-place blue ribbon, to be the best in something. Even kids in Kindergarten want that blue ribbon. In sports, I was never a blue-ribbon person. In a race, I was always  36 . In baseball I was likely to be  37  on the head or drop the ball. During the spring of my kindergarten year, our class had a field trip to a park in a town about twenty miles away. Making that drive now is no big  38  but when you’re six and you’ve lived in a town of 300 people all your life, going to a big town of a couple of thousand people is really something.

I don’t remember too much about it. But there was one that I will never forget —the __39__ race. The parents tied our feet together. One little boy got me for a  40  . He was the second most   41 boy in our class so he usually won at everything and I knew that with me tied to him he didn’t have a chance. And I’m sure he knew he was in trouble. The gun sounded and we were off. Some couples were falling and stumbling all around us,  42   we stayed on our feet and made it to the other side.  43  , when we turned around and headed back for home, we were in the lead! Only one couple had a chance to win, and they were a good several yards behind us.

A few feet from the finish line, disaster struck: I tripped and fell. We were   44  enough that my partner could have easily dragged me across the finish line and won. But he didn’t. Instead he stopped,   45   down and helped me up — just at the other couple crossed the finish line. As a result, we received a small red ribbon for coming in second.

I still remember that moment when the young boy decided that helping a friend get on her feet was more important than winning a blue ribbon. And 13 years later, I still have that little ribbon because it’s a   46   that a friend like this boy is one who really   47  .  

1.                A.last            B.first            C.quick D.successful

 

2.                A.touched        B.felt            C.hit   D.beaten

 

3.                A.question        B.event          C.one  D.deal

 

4.                A.one-legged      B.two-legged      C.three-legged   D.four-legged

 

5.                A.partner         B.helper          C.supporter D.competitor

 

6.                A.tallest          B.youngest        C.athletic   D.handsome

 

7.                A.but            B.therefore       C.however  D.and

 

8.                A.Obviously       B.Unbelievably     C.Secretly  D.Undoubtedly

 

9.                A.strong          B.brave          C.clever    D.close

 

10.               A.lay            B.slowed         C.moved    D.reached

 

11.               A.warning        B.reminder       C.gift   D.notice

 

12.               A.depends        B.counts         C.supports   D.worthy

 

 

阅读下面短文,从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。

    Each of us fails from time to time. If we are wise, we accept these failures as a   36  part of

the learning process. But all too often as parents and teachers we disallow this  37  right to our

children.

    When I see a child  38  to this kind of pressure, I think of Donnie.

    Donnie was my youngest third grader. His   39  of failure kept him from classroom games

that other children enjoyed. He   40  answered questions—he might be wrong.

I tried my best to build his    41    .But nothing changed until midterm , when Mary Anne , a student teacher , was assigned(安排) to our classroom .

She was young and pretty , and she loved children . My pupils , Donnie included , all   42     her.

One morning , we were working on math problems at the chalkboard . Donnie had    43    the problems with pains-taking tidiness . Pleased with his progress , I     44   the children with Mary Anne and went for art materials . When I returned , Donnie was in    45    . He’d missed the third problem .

My student teacher looked at me in despair . Suddenly her face   46     . From the desk we shared , she got a container filled with pencils .

“Look , Donnie,” she said, kneeling beside him and gently   47     the tear-stained face from his arms . “I’ve got something to    48    you.” She removed the pencils , one at a time , and placed them on his desk .

“See these   49     , Donnie,” she continued . “They belong to Mrs . Lindstrom and me . See how the erasers are    50    ? That’s because we make mistakes too . But we erase the mistakes and try again . That’s what you    51    learn to do , too.”

She kissed him and stood up . “Here”, she said , I’ll leave one of these pencils on  52      desk so you’ll remember that everybody makes mistakes,   53    teachers.” Donnie looked up with love in his eyes and a smile .

The pencil became Donnie’s   54  possession . That, together with Mary Anne’s frequent encouragement, gradually    55    him that it’s all right to make mistakes—as long as you erase them and try again .

1.A.small                       B.basic                 C.necessary             D.large

2.A.correct                    B.same                 C.important              D.natural

3.A.suffering                  B.object               C.fall                       D.subject

4.A.fear                        B.lesson               C.chance                  D.sense

5.A.always                    B.often                C.never                   D.seldom

6.A.self protection B.self improvement C.self confidence D.self learning

7.A.respected                 B.disliked             C.avoided                D.minded

8.A.worked out B.copied                            C.gone over             D.learned

9.A.left                         B.offered             C.missed                 D.parted

10.A.surprise                 B.astonishment      C.anger                   D.tears

11.A.darkened               B.brightened         C.pulled                  D.loosened

12.A.lifting                   B.picking             C.holding                D.pushing

13.A.help                      B.show                C.reward                 D.promise

14.A.pencils                  B.mistakes            C.marks                  D.containers

15.A.used                      B.built                 C.worn                   D.damaged

16.A.may                      B.must                 C.will                      D.can

17.A.my                       B.someone’s         C.the teacher’s         D.your

18.A.still                       B.also                  C.even                    D.not

19.A.prized                    B.own                  C.kept                     D.expected

20.A.warned                  B.informed           C.persuaded             D.reminded

 

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