Most musicians agree that the best violins were first made in Italy．They were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago．These violins sound better than any others．They even sound better than violins made today．Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins．But they aren’t the same．Musicians still prefer the old ones．No one really knows why these old Italian violins are so special, but many people think they have an answer．

Some people think it is the age of the violins．They say that today’s violins will also sound wonderful someday．But there is a problem here．Not all old violins sound wonderful．Only those from Cremona are special．So age cannot be the answer．There must be something different about Cremona or those Italian violin makers．

Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood．The wood of the violin is very important．It must be from certain kinds of trees．It must not be too young or too old．Perhaps the violin makers of Cremons knew something special about wood for violins．

But the kind of wood may not be so important．It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way．Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully．It has to be the right size and shape．The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin．Musicians sometimes think that this was the secret of the Italians．Maybe they understood more than we do about how to cut the wood．

Size and shape may not be the answer either．Scientists measured these old violins very carefully．They can make new ones that are exactly the same size and shape．But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old one．Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish, which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny．It also helps the sound of the instrument．No one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish．So no one can make the same varnish today．

There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona．Their secret may be lost forever．Young musicians today hope this is not true．They need fine violins．But there aren’t very many of the old violins left．Also, the old violins are very expensive．Recently, a famous old Italian violin was sold for about US $ 300,000!

This passage is about _______．

　   A．making violins 　　　　　            B．musical   instruments

　   C．scientific ideas 　　　　              D．the old Italian violins

The best violins _______．

       A．are made with modern techniques 　    B．were lost   many years ago

       C．were made in Italy 200 years ago       D．were made by scientists．

Some people think that modem violins ______．

       A．will sound better in the future 　   B．will sound worse in the future

       C．sound wonderful naturally          D．will never be as old as those from Cremona

Violins made today _______．

　   A．look the same as the old ones

　   B．sound the same as the old ones

　   C．are better than the old ones　

       D．have the same varnish as the old ones

Can feeling of nostalgia(怀旧) be good for you? Or is it unhealthy to have a strong love for the past?

For years, medical experts have studied nostalgia and the reasons for it. Many experts warn that too much nostalgia is harmful. They say living in the past shows that a person is unhappy with his present life. These feelings keep the person from living his life to its fullest.

　　However, experts say it is normal to love the past sometimes. In fact, a little nostalgia can enrich a person’s life.

　　Dr. Louise Kaplan has written several books about nostalgia. She says these feelings often begin when a young person is between 13 and 19 years old.

　　“This is the time when you must face the loss of your childhood, “Kaplan says. “You see your new life is easily destroyed. But you think romantically about a golden past. You remember your childhood as a time when life is perfect.”

　　These feelings continue as the person gets older, Kaplan adds. She says many grown persons have a hard time keeping up with changes in the modem world, so they think back to their younger years. At that time the world seemed simple and more harmless.

　　Kaplan says these feelings do not always actually exist. The good old days did not always exist. The good old days weren’t always good. However, she says nostalgia can be helpful, if used properly.

　　“Feelings of nostalgia can cause you to remember a time when you had high hopes and dreams, “Kaplan says. “It might give you the strong wish to catch those dreams today in your past life.” She adds that nostalgia can prevent you from “cutting yourself off from your aim”.

1.Feeling of nostalgia ______.

A．can cause you to think of your past which was full of hopes and dreams

B．might cause you to try to realize the golden dream in the present life

C．fill one with hopes for the future no matter what happens

D．bring about a love for the past and a hope for the future

2.The reason for grown persons to think back to their past is that ______.

A．time is hard, so they cannot keep up

B．they can hardly keep up with changes in today’s world with changes

C．many grown persons have little time keeping up with changes

D．they lived in the past, of which they are always proud

3.Which of the following is NOT talked about in the passage?

A．Too much nostalgia is harmful to our health.

B．Nostalgia shows that a person is not satisfied with his present life.

C．Only women have feelings of nostalgia.

D．A little nostalgia can make a person’s life more colorful.

4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Thoughts on Nostalgia

B．The Reasons for Nostalgia

C．Why Not Think Back to the Past

D．Nostalgia, Good or Bad

Can feeling of nostalgia(怀旧) be good for you? Or is it unhealthy to have a strong love for the past?
For years, medical experts have studied nostalgia and the reasons for it. Many experts warn that too much nostalgia is harmful. They say living in the past shows that a person is unhappy with his present life. These feelings keep the person from living his life to its fullest.
　　However, experts say it is normal to love the past sometimes. In fact, a little nostalgia can enrich a person’s life.
　　Dr. Louise Kaplan has written several books about nostalgia. She says these feelings often begin when a young person is between 13 and 19 years old.
　　“This is the time when you must face the loss of your childhood, “Kaplan says. “You see your new life is easily destroyed. But you think romantically about a golden past. You remember your childhood as a time when life is perfect.”
　　These feelings continue as the person gets older, Kaplan adds. She says many grown persons have a hard time keeping up with changes in the modem world, so they think back to their younger years. At that time the world seemed simple and more harmless.
　　Kaplan says these feelings do not always actually exist. The good old days did not always exist. The good old days weren’t always good. However, she says nostalgia can be helpful, if used properly.
　　“Feelings of nostalgia can cause you to remember a time when you had high hopes and dreams, “Kaplan says. “It might give you the strong wish to catch those dreams today in your past life.” She adds that nostalgia can prevent you from “cutting yourself off from your aim”.
【小题1】Feeling of nostalgia ______.

Disposing (处理) of waste has been a problem since humans started producing it. As more and more people choose to live close together in cities, the waste-disposal problem becomes increasingly difficult.

During the eighteenth century, it was usual for several neighboring towns to get together to select faraway spot as a dump site. Residents or trash haulers (垃圾拖运者) would transport house hold rubbish, rotted wood, and old possessions to the site. Periodically (定期的) some of the trash was buried and the rest was buried .Me unpleasant sights and smells caused no problem because nobody lived close by.

Factories, mills, and other industrial sites also had waste to be disposed of. Those located on rivers often just dumped the unwanted remains into the water. Others built huge burners with chimneys to deal with the problem.

Several facts make these choices unacceptable to modern society. The first problem is space. Dumps, which are now called landfills, are most needed in heavily populated areas. Such areas rarely have empty land suitable for this purpose. Property is either too expensive or too close to residential (住宅区的) neighborhoods. Long-distance trash hauling has been a common practice, but once farm areas are refusing to accept rubbish from elsewhere, cheap land within trucking distance of major city areas is almost nonexistent.

Awareness (意识) of pollution dangers has resulted in more strict rules of waste disposal. Pollution of rivers, ground water, land and air is a price people can no longer pay to get rid of waste. The amount of waste, however, continues to grow.

Recycling efforts have become commonplace, and many towns require their people to take part. Even the most efficient recycling programs, however, can hope to deal with only about 50 percent of a city's reusable waste.

The most suitable title for this passage would be

A．Places for Disposing Waste　　　　　 B．Waste Pollution Dangers

C．Ways of Getting Rid of Waste　　　　 D．Waste Disposal Problem

During the 18th century, people disposed their waste in many ways EXCEPT for__________.

A．burying it　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．recycling it.

C．burning it　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．throwing it into rivers

What can be inferred from the fourth paragraph?

A．Farm areas accept waste from the city in modern society.

B．There is cheap land to bury waste in modern society.

C．It is difficult to find space to bury waste in modem society.

D．Ways to deal with waste in modem society stay the same.

The main purpose of writing this article is to________.

A．draw people's attention to waste management

B．warn people of the pollution dangers we are facing

C．call on people to take part in recycling programs

D．tell people a better way to get rid of the waste