Whether you admit or not, music is rooted in our daily life, weaving its beauty and emotion through our thoughts, activities and memories. So if you’re interested in music theory, music appreciation, Beethoven, Mozart, artists and performers, we hope you’ll spend some time here and learn from those music articles of note for all ages and tastes.
When I first started studying the history of music, I did not realize what I was getting into. I had thought that music history was somewhat of an unimportant pursuit（追求）. In fact, I only took my history of classical music class because I needed the credits（学分）. I did not realize how really attractive music history was. You see, in our culture many of us do not really learn to understand music. When I began to learn about the history of Western music, however, it changed all that for me.
When most of us think about the history of music, we think of the history of rock music, we assume that the history is simple because the music is simple. In fact, neither is the case, The history of music, whether you’re talking about classical music, rock music, jazz music, or any other kind, is never simple.
Even when the class was over, I would not stop learning about the history of music. It had attracted my interest, and I wanted more.
【小题1】What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A week ago, I read When Money Talks, Listen! by Rich Ezzo. It took only about an hour to read, and that included one trip to the coffee maker and about 10 distractions (分心)from Alex, our cat, who thinks he is the center of the universe.

When I first received a copy, I thought it was a get-rich-quick type of publication. There is nothing wrong with that kind of book, but my mind just doesn’t chase after dreams of wealth. I figure that if God ever wants me to be rich, he knows where to find my purse.

When I began reading When Money Talks, Listen!, I was overjoyed to find that Rich Ezzo isn’t money hungry either. He, too, is hungry for things far more important than money.

I absolutely love this e-book. Why did I wait a week to write the review ? simple. I wanted to see if the impact it had on me could keep up. After reading the last word of the e-book, I totally agreed with the subtitle(副标题)which promised to forever change the way we thought about money. I had so many thoughts running around my mind that I had to install a stop light to stop some while others made their way into the picture. I had a mental traffic jam, which only goes to show how slow the traffic usually is.

It has been a week and the impact is the same. I guarantee this is an e-book you’ll want to read. I urge you to visit the author’s website, MysterMoney. Com, and to download the e-book. You won’t

regret it.

What’s the purpose of the passage?

     A．to strongly recommend an e-book          

         B．to show the author’s attitude to money

     C．to introduce the general idea of an e-book

     D．to tell us Rich Ezzo isn’t money hungry

The author didn’t write the review right after reading because _____.

     A．he was too excited to write anything 

         B．he was not sure whether he liked the book

     C．he had to wait for Rich Ezzo’s permission

     D．he wondered if this book had a long influence on him

Which of the following is true according to the passage?

         A．The author had known Rich Ezzo before

         B．The author hasn’t dreamed of getting rich instantly

         C．The author always prefers e-books to paper books

         D．The author likes the get-rich type of publication

A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher stressed the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience.
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished. Gently shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders, he said, “You don’t say!” “You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not a proper topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic.” So I said to him, “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was wonderful.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it”. Soon I was interrupted again by his words：“You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t request you to do so,” he answered, greatly surprised. I said, “Didn’t you say ‘you don’t say’?” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, “‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘really?’ It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.” Only then did I know I had made a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions.
Always remember: what the English teachers say is always right to us students.
【小题1】A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because _______.

I don’t want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it’s like to work in a field dominated (controlled) by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space, time and the nature of black holes.
At 19, when I began studying astrophysics(天体物理学), it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement—jobs, research papers, awards—was viewed through the lens (镜片) of gender (性别) politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus (相对于) right brain, or nature versus nurture (培育), I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind.
Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations (挑衅) : I don’t talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn’t want to deal with gender issues. Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don’t study sociology or political theory.
Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women’s college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how many of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I don’t dismiss those concerns. Still, I don’t tell them “war” stories. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And that’s a sight worth talking about.
【小题1】Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从第每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Learning to Accept

I learned how to accept life as it is from my father.  1, he did not teach me acceptance when he was strong and healthy, but rather when he was  2and ill.

My father was  3a strong man who loved being active, but a terrible illness  4all that away. Now he can no longer walk, and he must sit quietly in a chair all day. Even talking is  5. One night, I went to visit him with my sisters. We started  6about life, and I told them about one of my  7. I said that we must very often give things up  8we grow --- our youth, our beauty, our friends --- but it always  9that after we give something up, we gain something new in its place. Then suddenly my father  10up. He said, “But, Peter, I gave up  11! What did I gain?” I thought and thought, but I couldn’t think of anything to say.  12, he answered his own question: “I  13the love of my family,” I looked at my sisters and saw tears in their eyes, along with hope and thankfulness.

I was also  14by his words. After that, when I began to feel irritated (愤怒的) at someone, I  15remember his words and become  16. If he could replace his great pain with a feeling of love for others, then I should be  17to give up my small irritations. In this  18, I learned the power of acceptance from my father.

Sometimes I  19what other things I could have learned from him if I had listened more carefully when I was a boy. For now, though, I am grateful for this one  20.

本文中作者通过和父亲的一次谈话感悟到了什么是生活中的得与失，以及该如何看待得和失，充满人生哲理。

1.A. Afterwards       B. Therefore       C. However       D. Meanwhile

2.A. tired            B. weak            C. poor          D. slow

3.A. already          B. still           C. only          D. once

4.A. took             B. threw           C. sent          D. put

5.A. impossible       B. difficult       C. stressful     D. hopeless

6.A. worrying         B. caring          C. talking       D. asking

7.A. decisions        B. experiences     C. ambitions     D. beliefs

8.A. as               B. since           C. before        D. till

9.A. suggests         B. promises        C. seems         D. requires

10.A. spoke           B. turned          C. summed        D. opened

如：There was a brief silence, then Gerald spoke up.；sum up 总结

11.A. something       B. anything        C. nothing       D. everything

12.A. Surprisingly    B. Immediately     C. Naturally     D. Certainly

13.A. had             B. accepted        C. gained        D. enjoyed

14.A. touched         B. astonished      C. attracted     D. warned

15.A. should          B. could           C. would         D. might

16.A. quiet           B. calm            C. relaxed       D. happy

17.A. ready           B. likely          C. free          D. able

18.A. case            B. form            C. method        D. way

19.A. doubt           B. wonder          C. know          D. guess

20.A. award           B. gift            C. lesson        D. word