Nicola’s Love for Her Violin
Can love between partners with a 237-year age gap (差距) lead to the perfect match (绝配)? Nicola Benedetti thinks so. The 18-year-old   36  and her “partner, a 255-year-old Italian violin,   37  to China for the first time last weekend. She   38  in Beijing on September 15 and also performed in Hangzhou and Shanghai.
Nicola is from Scotland and   39  playing the violin when she was four years old.   40 , it was not something her parents   41  her do. She went with her sister to violin lessons and   42  it and improved very quickly.
“There are so many different things I am fond of about the  43 ,” she said. “I can’t really   44  it but I love giving live performances, I like the feeling of playing and communicating with the   45 . I love the feeling of the violin under my chin (下巴).”
However, playing violin six hours a day is not a/an   46  job. “I usually   47  in an upstairs bedroom when I’m at home.” she said. “But sometimes, when it’s   48  outside, it can be upset. The house is right on the   49  and I can see others having fun   50  I’m on my own.”[来源:学_科_网]
Although practising is sometimes lonely, Nicola   51   felt she was lucky. “You can’t have   52 . I am really lucky to do what I love doing,” she said. Her   53  paid off (终有回报). Nicola won BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2004 at 16.
  54  her performing and recording activities, Nicola is a/an   55 of UNICEF (联合国儿童基金会). She said that she would travel to Lesotho in southern Africa at the end of this year to help poor kids there.

Many immigrants(移民) to the United States find the decision to seek better lives for their families in America can have an unexpected and tragic consequence(后果). Deep differences with their children develop over language and culture.

“Many immigrants arrive here without much education. Their kids soon gain language skills and also street marts(耍时髦) on how to live in America, leaving the parents at a disadvantage,” Ileana , Roses, pastor of a Methodist church group operating in Virginia, said.

“Not only that but they find they cannot relate to children who quickly absorb American culture,” she said.

According to the US Census Bureau(人口调查局), the number of foreign born or first generation Americans reached 55 million last year, a record one in five of the total population.

A government survey of 922 immigrants in 2000 found that nearly 40 percent of those who had been in the United States for more than 15 years would still like to take English classes if they had the time.

Two thirds of low income households depended on their children for translation.

Psychologists(心理学家) and sociologists say parents can lose their position of authority(权威) in a family as a result and the effects of that can be far-reaching.

Children exposed to American pop culture that glorifies(颂扬) youth and sexuality(性感) often rebel when their parents try to impose the conservative values they brought with them.

“Americanization erodes(侵蚀) all important aspects of parenting,” said Richard Weissbourd, who teaches education at Harvard University.

“I feel a part of me is dying with my children. They don’t listen to my music. I have to play it on Sunday morning when they are not around,” said an immigrant.

What troubles the immigrant parents most is ___________.

A. that they can’t understand the English language

B. that they lose their position of authority in their families

C. that their children have lost sense of their own national values

D. how they can master the English language as soon as possible

From the passage we can infer that the population of the states at present is about____.

A. 275 million    B. 220 million   C. 255 million   D. smaller than 250 million

Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. All the immigrants had expected the troubles they would meet before they went to the US.

B. Two thirds of immigrant families are low income households.

C. American culture shows a spirit against conservative social and cultural values.

D. American pop culture puts the immigrant families at a disadvantage.

Which of the following is probably the title of the report?

A. The Result of the US Census

B. The Differences Between Parents and Children in the US

C. The Troubles of the American Immigrants

D. Role Reversal(颠倒) Troubles Many Parents and Children

Poor weather. Technical difficulties. These are some of the typical causes of cancelled trains and planes. But sometimes, the excuse can be a lot more trivial.

Just recently, passengers waiting for a train to Peterborough heard the following announcement, “For reasons beyond our control, we regret to inform passengers that the 13:46 Train to Peterborough has been cancelled. The next train will be arriving on Platform in approximately 36 minutes.”

Oh, well, another delayed train, thought most passengers. But a couple of them decided to enquire further. Incredibly, they were informed that the real reason for the non-arrival of the train was that the driver refused to do his job because his seat was wet.

“A wet seat? That’s got to be a joke,” said one passenger angrily. “I wouldn’t normally complain if the train is just a bit delayed, but this was unbelievable, ” he added. “What really made me angry is that this driver refused to get in the train,” said another passenger. “He probably went off for a cup of tea after that!” she added.

A spokesperson for the rail company apologized for the incident, but said the driver couldn’t sit on the damp seat, and wouldn’t be able to drive the train standing up. The spokesperson went on to explain that the seat had become wet after water entered through an open window when the train was being cleaned in a “train wash”

In another transport-related incident, a flight from Chicago to Frankfurt made an emergency landing in Canada after the pilot spilled his coffee. Apparently, the spilt liquid caused the plane’s radio to send out “transponder code 7500”, which is used to inform ground control that there’s been a hi-jacking (劫机). After landing in Toronto, the 255 passengers crew members were put up in a hotel for the night, then flown on to Frankfurt the following afternoon. “What a disgusting trip!” said one tired passenger after the painful experience had ended.

So, does your job have the potential to cause such disorder?

1.Why did the driver of the train refused to do his job?

A. His seat was damp.             B. His pay was low

C. The weather was terrible                D. His coffee was spilled

2.The underlined word “trivial” in Paragraph 1 means “____”.

A. damp      B. unimportant     C. emergent      D. convincing

3.The flight made an emergency landing in Canada because “_______”.

A. the plane was hijacked

B. the plane engines went wrong

C. the pilot ran out of coffee

D. the plane’s radio sent out a wrong signal

4.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A. Wet seat, Canceled Train!

B. Spilled Coffee, Emergency Landing!

C. Small Incident, Big Disruptions!

D. Innocent Driver, Angry Passengers!

Many immigrants(移民) to the United States find the decision to seek better lives for their families in America can have an unexpected and tragic consequence(后果). Deep differences with their children develop over language and culture.

“Many immigrants arrive here without much education. Their kids soon gain language skills and also street marts(耍时髦) on how to live in America, leaving the parents at a disadvantage,” Ileana , Roses, pastor of a Methodist church group operating in Virginia, said.

“Not only that but they find they cannot relate to children who quickly absorb American culture,” she said.

According to the US Census Bureau(人口调查局), the number of foreign born or first generation Americans reached 55 million last year, a record one in five of the total population.

A government survey of 922 immigrants in 2000 found that nearly 40 percent of those who had been in the United States for more than 15 years would still like to take English classes if they had the time.

Two thirds of low income households depended on their children for translation.

Psychologists(心理学家) and sociologists say parents can lose their position of authority(权威) in a family as a result and the effects of that can be far-reaching.

Children exposed to American pop culture that glorifies(颂扬) youth and sexuality(性感) often rebel when their parents try to impose the conservative values they brought with them.

“Americanization erodes(侵蚀) all important aspects of parenting,” said Richard Weissbourd, who teaches education at Harvard University.

“I feel a part of me is dying with my children. They don’t listen to my music. I have to play it on Sunday morning when they are not around,” said an immigrant.

1. What troubles the immigrant parents most is ___________.

A. that they can’t understand the English language

B. that they lose their position of authority in their families

C. that their children have lost sense of their own national values

D. how they can master the English language as soon as possible

2. From the passage we can infer that the population of the states at present is about____.

A. 275 million    B. 220 million    C. 255 million    D. smaller than 250 million

3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. All the immigrants had expected the troubles they would meet before they went to the US.

B. Two thirds of immigrant families are low income households.

C. American culture shows a spirit against conservative social and cultural values.

D. American pop culture puts the immigrant families at a disadvantage.

4. Which of the following is probably the title of the report?

A. The Result of the US Census

B. The Differences Between Parents and Children in the US

C. The Troubles of the American Immigrants

D. Role Reversal(颠倒) Troubles Many Parents and Children

COURSE: Introduction to American History

INSTRUCTOR: Dr Jane Klammer

OFFICE: 305 Marshall Hall

OFFICE HOURS: 11: 15~12: 30 M W F (Monday Wednesday Friday)

CLASS: 363 Marshall Hall 3: 35~5: 00 T Th (Tuesday Thursday); 10: 10~ 11: 00 M W F; Other time by appointment

TELEPHONE: 255 4786

TEXTBOOK: The American Tradition: A History of the United States (written by Green& Robert. Published by Ohio State University Press, 1973), which is bought at the College Bookstore.

Attendance is not required, but you are responsible for all the information given in the class lectures. In the lectures I will talk about the chapters in the textbook and other materials that I choose to add to the course. The exams will cover all this information. Therefore, I advise you to come to the class as much as possible. If you have to miss a class, be sure to get the class notes from another student.

Your homework assignments are listed on the next page. If there are any changes in the assigned homework reading, I will announce them in class.

You are supposed to read the chapter about which I will be lecturing before you come to class. This is to make sure that you understand as much as possible while taking notes in my lectures. Be prepared when you come to class.

The term paper is 40% of your final grade. It should not be more than fifteen pages(Another thinking of majoring in history may write twenty-five pages). Before the midterm exam you will choose the topic for your paper.

72. If a student wants to know what the homework assignments are, ______.

A. Prof. Klammer announces them in class

B. he（she）reads the list on the next page

C. Pro. Klammer gives a list every week in class

D. he（she）goes to the professor’s office

73. If a student cannot see Prof. Klammer during her office hours, he ______.

A. sees her after class              B. calls her at home

C. makes an appointment with her     D. asks another student

74. According to the passage, which of the following is probably TRUE?

A. The textbook is written by Dr Klammer.

B. If you have to miss a class, be sure to say sorry to Prof. Klammer.

C. The students can buy “Introduction to American History” at the College Bookstore.

D. Prof. Klammer encourages his students to take notes in her class.

75. It can be judged that ______.

A. before the final exam, you will choose the topic for you paper

B. the students who will take the course had better attend the lectures as much as possible

C. your term paper should be more than fifteen pages

D. you will have a class at 11:15~12:30 on Sunday