Having finished her homework, Ma Li wants some music for relaxation^①. As usual, she starts her computer and goes to Baidu.com to download music files. But this time she is surprised when an announcement about protecting songs’ copyright bursts onto the screen. The age of free music and movie downloads may have come to an end as Web companies like Baidu are accused of pirating copyright. Lawsuits^② have been filed against four websites offering free downloads. In September 2005, a Beijing court ordered Baidu to pay recording company Shanghai Push compensation for their losses. Baidu was also told to block the links to the pirated music on the website. This caused a heated discussion on Interact file sharing.

“Baidu’s defeat in the lawsuit shows it is not right to get copyrighted songs without paying. Downloaders may face lawsuits or fines,” said an official.

Like many teens, Huang Ruoru, an 18-year-old girl from Puning in Guangdong Province, doesn’t think that getting music from websites is wrong. She always shares her favourite songs downloaded from Baidu with her friends. When told about the lawsuit, she began to feel a little guilty about obtaining others’ work without paying.

However, other teenagers have different ideas. Wang Yafei, a Senior 2 girl from Jinan, Shandong Province pointed out that file sharing is a good way to promote pop singers. “If I download a song and really like it, I will buy the CD,” she said. “So what the recording companies really should concentrate on is improving their music, rather than pursuing^③ file-sharers.”

Notes:

relaxation  n. 娱乐

lawsuit  n. 诉讼

pursue  vt. 追赶，追击

Choose the best answers according to the above:

Which of the following best describes the passage?

A. Music on the Internet is of better quality. B. Downloading material can be illegal.

C. It’s good to get free music on the Internet.      D. Baidu is a popular web company.

The four web companies were put to court because _________.

A. they got copyrighted songs without paying           

B. they downloaded copyrighted music for people

C. they make copyrighted files for free downloads

D. they offer free music on line

How do some of the teenagers feel while downloading free music after the lawsuit?

A. A bit guilty.        B. A little sad.      C. Extremely angry.   D. Awfully sorry.

What’s the advantage of tile sharing for recording companies?

A. Getting more money from web companies.    

B. Enabling people to download favorite songs.

C. Helping to improve the music.               

D. Making pop singers more popular.

It can be inferred from the text that _________.

A. Web companies are still ignoring the copyright laws.

B. Teenagers haven’t got money to buy CDs.

C. Teenagers are probably still downloading free music.

D. Teenagers prefer CDs with copyright to pirated music.

Having finished her homework, Ma Li wants some music for relaxation^①. As usual, she starts her computer and goes to Baidu.com to download music files. But this time she is surprised when an announcement about protecting songs’ copyright bursts onto the screen. The age of free music and movie downloads may have come to an end as Web companies like Baidu are accused of pirating copyright. Lawsuits^② have been filed against four websites offering free downloads. In September 2005, a Beijing court ordered Baidu to pay recording company Shanghai Push compensation for their losses. Baidu was also told to block the links to the pirated music on the website. This caused a heated discussion on Interact file sharing.
“Baidu’s defeat in the lawsuit shows it is not right to get copyrighted songs without paying. Downloaders may face lawsuits or fines,” said an official.
Like many teens, Huang Ruoru, an 18-year-old girl from Puning in Guangdong Province, doesn’t think that getting music from websites is wrong. She always shares her favourite songs downloaded from Baidu with her friends. When told about the lawsuit, she began to feel a little guilty about obtaining others’ work without paying.
However, other teenagers have different ideas. Wang Yafei, a Senior 2 girl from Jinan, Shandong Province pointed out that file sharing is a good way to promote pop singers. “If I download a song and really like it, I will buy the CD,” she said. “So what the recording companies really should concentrate on is improving their music, rather than pursuing^③ file-sharers.”
Notes:
①    relaxation  n. 娱乐
②    lawsuit  n. 诉讼
③    pursue  vt. 追赶，追击
Choose the best answers according to the above:

1. 1.

   Which of the following best describes the passage?

   1. A.
      Music on the Internet is of better quality
   2. B.
      Downloading material can be illegal
   3. C.
      It’s good to get free music on the Internet
   4. D.
      Baidu is a popular web company
2. 2.

   The four web companies were put to court because _________

   1. A.
      they got copyrighted songs without paying
   2. B.
      they downloaded copyrighted music for people
   3. C.
      they make copyrighted files for free downloads
   4. D.
      they offer free music on line
3. 3.

   How do some of the teenagers feel while downloading free music after the lawsuit?

   1. A.
      A bit guilty
   2. B.
      A little sad
   3. C.
      Extremely angry
   4. D.
      Awfully sorry
4. 4.

   What’s the advantage of tile sharing for recording companies?

   1. A.
      Getting more money from web companies
   2. B.
      Enabling people to download favorite songs
   3. C.
      Helping to improve the music
   4. D.
      Making pop singers more popular
5. 5.

   It can be inferred from the text that _________

   1. A.
      Web companies are still ignoring the copyright laws
   2. B.
      Teenagers haven’t got money to buy CDs
   3. C.
      Teenagers are probably still downloading free music
   4. D.
      Teenagers prefer CDs with copyright to pirated music

Playing with toy blocks (积木) may lead to improved language development in young children, a new study reported.

    Early childhood is an important period in the development of young minds. The newborn brain grows three times in size between birth and age 2. Scientists have said that certain activities during this important period may promote (促进) healthy development while others may hold it back, and development of memory and language may especially be helped by imaginative play.

    After six months, language scores among half of the 175 children aged 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 who were sent plastic blocks were 15 percent higher than a matched group that did not receive the free blocks, according to the study by researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle.

    Parents were given ideas about how to help their children play with the blocks, then were told to keep diaries of their children’s activities over four days. Finally, all the parents filled out questionnaires that judged their children’s vocabulary, grammar, and other language abilities. Study author Dimitri Christakis said unstructured play with blocks motivated children’s thinking, memory and physical skills at a time when a child’s brain is growing rapidly. “They are the foundation of thought and language,” he wrote of the skills learned from building blocks. “Older children begin to make up stories for these objects .”

Such play may also take the place of less helpful activities such as watching TV, he said, adding parents ought to have doubts about some toy-makers’ words. “An increasing number of media-based products are making ungrounded (无根据的) claims that they can make children smarter, more literate, and more musical,” Christakis said.

1.What can we learn from the second paragraph?

A. Parents should allow their children to play as long as they want.

B. The brains of kids develop very quickly before they are two years old.

C. Playing blocks can help children do well in sports at school.

D. Activities, like imaginative play, may delay the development of the brain.

2.According to the study, about ________ children’s language scores were 15 percent higher than those of children who didn’t play with blocks.

A. 87         B. 55     C. 23       D. 157

3.Building blocks helps kids gain language skills because _________.

A. young children always talk to themselves while building blocks

B. their parents can teach them when they are playing with blocks

C. their parents are given ideas on how to develop their brains

D. it can help them improve thinking, memory and physical skills

4.The aim of the passage is probably to _______.

A. raise the present level of children’s language ability

B. encourage parents to let their babies play with blocks

C. improve parents’ knowledge of raising children

D. encourage makers of blocks to develop more toys

5.We can infer from what Mr Christakis said that _____.

A. television will be definitely replaced by blocks

B. the market will be full of media-based toys

C. we can’t always believe what toy makers say

D. toy makers care about kids’ development very much

Sometimes we need both cultural________ and government action—a change in values and a change in policy—to promote the kind of society we want.