She belongs to no one but the whole world that can understand her language. Her music is appreciated across the globe but it is Singapore, China, Thailand and Britain that have helped to shape her talent.

Violinist, Vanessa-Mae, best known for her pioneering mix of pop and classical music, has just completed her Asian tour. She has a magic power that has attracted an audience from around the world but the violin genius has always drawn fans by blazing a new trail.

“I don’t like playing it safe, I like jumping into new styles,” she said. She started her Asian performance tour in China’s Hong Kong on September 19 and visited the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumper. The tour, aiming to promote her new album, “The Best of Vanessa-Mae”, ends in Thailand’s capital Bangkok on September 30.

The graceful and beautiful musician has attracted lots of fans in the places she has visited. She said although she enjoys trying out different forms of performance, including fashion shows and singing, she feels more comfortable with her violin. She has promised her fans she will never abandon the classical music that was the foundation of her training.

Vanessa-Mae, now 23, first picked up the violin at five. After six months of intensive training in Beijing, he turned professional at 10. it was her fusion (融合) of classical and rock in her 1995 album “The Violin Player”, that shot the then 17-year-old to international recognition. The record sold 3 million copies worldwide.

She has a Chinese-Singaporean mother and a Thai father. She was born in Singapore and grew up in Britain. Vanessa-Mae has released seven albums and plans two more in the near future—first a classical album,, then a pop recording.

She has said she wants to perform for the next 10 years, but after that she may settle down with her boyfriend, a 33-year-old wine-dealer from France, and concentrate on writing music.

68. Vanessa-Mae started her Asian performance tour           .

A. to concentrate on writing music                               B. to go on a lobng journey

C. to sell her new album “The Best of Vanessa-Mae”      D. to attract her fans

69. She has given performance in these forms EXCEPT         .

A. playing the violin      B. fashion shows                     C. singing              D. playing the piano

70. What can we know about Vanessa-Mae from the passage?

A. Her music is a mix of pop and classical music.

B. She has released nine albums.

  C. Her music is a fusion of Chinese and Western music.

 D. Being born in Singapore and growing up in Britain have resulted in popularity of her music.

If a diver surfaces too quickly, he may suffer the bends. Nitrogen (氮) dissolved (溶解) in his blood is suddenly liberated by the reduction of pressure. The consequence, if the bubbles (气泡) accumulate in a joint, is sharp pain and a bent body — thus the name. If the bubbles form in his lungs or brain, the consequence can be death.

Other air-breathing animals also suffer this decompression (减压) sickness if they surface too fast: whales, for example. And so, long ago, did ichthyosaurs (鱼龙). That these ancient sea-animals got the bends can be seen from their bones. If bubbles of nitrogen form inside the bone they can cut off its blood supply. This kills the cells in the bone, and consequently weakens it, sometimes to the point of collapse. Fossil(化石)bones that have caved in on themselves are thus a sign that the animal once had the bends.  

Bruce Rothschild of the University of Kansas knew all this when he began a suty of ichthyosaurs bones to find out how widespread the problem was in the past. What he particularly wanted to investigate was how ichthyosaurs adapted to the problem of decompession over the 150 milllion years. To this end, he and his colleagues traveled the world’s natural-history museums, looking at hundreds of ichthyosaurs from the Trassic period and from the later Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

When he started, he assumed that signs of the bends would be rarer in younger fossils, reflecting their gradual evolution of measures to deal with decompression. Instead, he was astonished to discover the opposite. More than 15% of Jurassic and Cretaceous ichthyosaurs had suffered the bends before the died, but not a single Trassic specimen showed evidence of that sort of injury.

If ichthyosaurs did evolve an anti-decompression means, they clearly did so quickly — and, most strangly, they lost it afterwards. But that is not what Dr Rothchild thinks happened. He suspects it was evolution in other animals that caused the change.

Whales that suffer the bends often do so because they have sufaced to escape a predator (捕食动物) such as a large shark. One of the features of the Jurassia oceans was an abundance of large sharks and crocodiles, both of which were fond of ichthyosaurs lunches. Trassic oceans, by contrast, were mercifully shark-and crocodile-free. In the Trassic, then, ichthyosaurs were top of the food chain. In the Jurrasic and Cretaceous, they were prey (猎物) as well as predator —and often had to make a speedy exit as a result.

64. Which of the following is a typical symptom of the bends?

  A. A twisted body.                             B. A gradual decrease in blood supply.

  C. A sudden release of nitrogen in blood.                D. A drop in blood presure.

65. The purpose of Rothchild’s study is to see              .

  A. how often ichthyosaurs caught the bends       B. how ichthyosaurs adapted to decompression

  C. why ichthyosaurs bent their bodies            D. when ichthyosaurs broke their bones

66. Rothchild’s finding stated in Paragrapg 4            .

  A. confirmed his assumption                    B. speeded up his research process

  C. disagreed with his assumption                D. changed his research objectives

67. Rothchild might have concluded that ichthyosaurs          .

  A. failed to evole an anti-decompression means

  B. grdually developed measures against the bends

  C. died out because of large sharks and crocodiles

  D. evoled an anti-decompression means but soon lost it

Salvation Army Angel Program

Angel Tree collects gifts for children and families in need. Participate by selecting an angel from any Angel Tree at all Cyprus Credit Union location or any Utah Macy's Department store. Shop for your angel, then return your new, unwrapped gift to the same Angel Tree. Gifts must be returned before December 14. For more information, call (801) 988-5678 in the Salt Lake area,(801) 374-2588 in the Provo area.

Utah Association for People with Intellectual Disabilities Holiday Gift Box Program

The program serves primarily low-income adults with intellectual disabilities who don't qualify for other programs because of age limits, said Joyce Whalen, the association's board president. To donate, visit the association at 1326 S.2100 East from 9am to about 5:30 pm to choose an ornament (装饰物) that provides information about an individual who will benefit from the program. Shop for new items and return them by December 14. Donations of generic items, such as towels, socks and hygiene products also accepted, as are monetary donations. For more information, call 801-440-1674.

Utah Foster Care Foundation's Giving Tree Program

The program seeks new gifts and cash donations to fulfill the holiday wishes of more than 1,000 children in state-licensed foster homes." Many of the children in care have been removed from their biological homes because of neglect or abuse," said Nikki Mackay, the foundation's director. " Christmas can be a difficult time for them." To learn how to support the program, call 877-505-5437.

Utah State Hospital Forgotten Patient Program

The program provides Christmas gifts for hundreds of patients with mental illness. In the history of the program--which may go back as far as 60 years, organizer Shawna Peterson said, "we've never had a forgotten patient." And she doesn't want this year to change that. To support the program, contact Peterson at 801-344-6088. 

60. After you buy an angel, you should ________.

A. post it to where you bought                      B. open its package to examine it

C. send it to families in need for yourself        D. bring it back in its original form

61. If you want to help adults with intellectual disabilities, you should call_____.

A. 801-440-1674              B. 801-988-5678           C. 877-505-5437           D. 801-344-6088

62. The underlined phrases "biological homes" in the third program refers to ______.

A. homes where they are just brought up        B. homes where their natural parents live

C. homes where they learn biology                D. homes where are related to bacteria

63. From the last program, we can infer that ______.

A. the patients often forgot to come to the hospital

B. the patients are often forgotten to be looked after

C. the patients are being taken good care of

D. the patients had a poor memory in the hospital

Can people change their skin colour without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes. Scientists have found the gene that determines skin colour. The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 per cent of Europeans. The other is found in 93 to 100 per cent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science.

Scientists have changed the colour of a dark-striped zebra fish to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment (色素) gene into a young fish. As with humans, zebra fish skin colour is determined by pigment cells, which contain melanosomes (黑色素体). The number, size and darkness of melanosomes per pigment cell determines skin colour.

It appears that, like the golden zebra fish, light-skinned Europeans also have a mutation (突变)in the gene for melanosome production. This results in less pigmented skin. However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in human and zebra fish genes.

Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about 1.5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra-violet rays of the sun, which can cause skin cancer. But when modern humans leave Africa to live in northern latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D. So the related gene changes, according to Cheng. Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin colours, said Cheng.

The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer. It also could lead to research into ways to change skin colour without damaging it like chemical treatment done on Michael Jackson.

56. According to the passage, scientists have found          .

A. people living in northern latitudes need more sunlight

B. the reason why people change their skin colour

C. the reason why people get skin cancer

D. the gene that determines skin colour

57. We can infer from the passage that         .

A. people like to change their skin colour

B. a mutation in the gene for melanosome production is different in human and zebra fish gene

C. people will be able to change their skin colour without chemical treatment in the future

D. skin cancer can be cured now

58. Which of the following is NOT mentioned according to the passage?

A. The version of the pigment gene of Asians and that of Africans are the same.

B. Scientists have succeeded in turning the colour of a dark-striped zebra fish into uniform gold.

C. Dark skin can protect bodies from utral-violet rays of the sun.

D. People like pop king Michael Jackson.

59. The passage is probably taken from __________.

A. a novel           B. a science report        C. a story book      D. a science fiction

 When I was a child, my parents taught me the difference between good and bad behavior by showing me specific examples. My mother told me that you don’t   36   other kids because you would not like    37   if they hit you. That makes   38   . But, if my mother told me to be “nice” to someone, it was too vague for me to   39  . But if she said that being nice               40    delivering daffodils to a next door neighbor, that I could understand.

         I believe that doing practical things can  41    the world a better place. When I was in my twenties I thought a lot about the meaning of life. At the time, I was getting started in my  42     of designing more humane facilities for animals at big farms and slaughterhouses(屠宰场). Many people would think that to even work at a slauterhouse would be inhumane, but they   43   that every human and animal   44   dies. In my mind, I had a(n)   45    of a way to make tht dying as   46   as possible.

       Back in the 1970s, I went to fifty different feedlots and big farms in Arizona and Texas and       47   them work cattle. I cataloged the parts of each facility that ­  48   effectively. I took the best loading ramps, and other components and  49     them into an ideal new system. I get great   50   when a farmer tells me that my corral (畜栏)  51   helps cattle move through it quietly and   52  . When cattle stay calm, it means they are not scared. And that makes me feel I’ve    53   something important.

       Some people might think if I could snap my   54   I’d choose to be “normal”. But, I wouldn’t want to give up my    55    to see in beautiful, precise pictures. I believe in them.

36. A. knock                 B. hit                            C. beat                         D. strike

37. A. this                     B. which                      C. it                             D. that

38. A. sense                    B. difference            C. sail                       D. way

39. A. recognize            B. realize                      C. know                       D. understand

40. A. meant                 B. minded                     C. missed                            D. admitted

41. A. give                    B. turn                         C. make                       D. take

42. A. job                            B. career                      C. trade                        D. industry

43. A. regret                 B. remember                 C. forgive                     D. forget

44. A. constantly           B. eventually                 C. immediately              D. directly

45. A. description          B. scene                       C. picture                            D. image

46. A. peaceful              B. calm                        C. quiet                        D.silent

47. A. required                     B. asked                       C. promised                  D. helped

48. A. solved                 B. worked                    C. acted                       D. conducted

49. A. collected             B. gathered                   C. assembled                D. met

50. A. satisfaction          B. expectation               C. explanation               D. presentation

51. A. aim                     B. intention                   C. plan                         D. design

52. A. hardly                 B. difficultly                  C. easily                       D. happily

53. A. reached               B. accomplished            C. adapted                    D. polished

54. A. fingers                B. hands                       C. arms                        D. feet

55. A. skill                    B. possibility                 C. talent                       D. ability

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