One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift． Unlike other gifts，it came without wrap（包装）．
On September 11 ^th , 1 958，Mum gave birth to Richard．After she brought him home from hospital，she put him in my lap，saying, “I promised you a gift, and here it is．” What an honor! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own．I played with it day and night． I sang to it, I told it stories．I told it over and over how much I loved it!  
One morning, however，I found its bed empty． My doll was gone! I cried for it．Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital．It had a fever． For several days，I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”，“pitiful"，and “dying”, which sounded Ominous．
Christmas was coming, “Don’t expect any presents this year,” Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room． “If your baby brother lives, that’ll be Christmas enough．” As he spoke，his eyes filled with tears． I’d never seen him cry before．
The phone rang early on Christmas morning．Dad jumped out of bed to answer it．From my bedroom I heard him say, “What? He’s all right?” He hung up and shouted upstairs． “The hospital said we can bring Richard home!” “Thank God!” I heard Mum cry．
From the window upstairs，I watched my parents rush out to the car．I had never seen them so happy． And I was also full of joy． What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home． I ran downstairs． My socks still hung there flat．But I knew they were not empty: they were filled with love !
【小题1】What happened to the author on September 11^th,1958?

A beautiful and very successful actress（女演员）was the star for a new musical show. Her home was in the countryside, but she did not want to go back there every night, so she bought an expensive house in the centre of the city, got some beautiful furniture and got a man to paint the rooms in new colours.

It was very difficult to get tickets for her show, because everybody wanted to see it. So she decided to give the painter two of the best seats. She hoped that this would make him work better for her. He took the tickets without saying anything, and she heard no more about them until the end of the month, when she got the painter’s bill（账单）. At the bottom(底部) of it were these words: “ Four hours watching Miss Hall sing and dance : 3 pounds,” with this note: “ After 5 p.m., I get 15 shillings（先令）an hour instead of 10 shillings.”

The actress bought a house in the centre of the city because _______.

   A. she liked to live in the busiest place

   B. she didn’t like to live in the country

   C. her home was far away from where she worked

   D. she didn’t want to go back to her hometown any longer

In order to make the painter work better for her, the actress ___________.

   A. gave him two tickets for her show

   B. sang and danced for him for hours

   C. paid him 3 pounds

   D. decided to pay him 15 shillings an hour

The actress got the painter’s bill ______.

   A. to ask for the money of his painting work

   B. to ask to pay for his watching her show

   C. in which he showed his thanks for the tickets

   D. in which he expressed his dissatisfaction

It can be learned from the text that one pound is___________ shillings.

   A. 10        B. 12         C. 20          D. 15

What kind of man was the painter?

   A. He was a careful man.              B. He was a poor man.

   C. He was not friendly to others.        D. He knew little about music and dances

Vitas 2008 Beijing Concert

Venue:  Capital Gymnasium

Time:　 2008-01-24 19:30

Price:　 TBD(Booking)

Tel.:    86-10-64177845

God Blessed Boy

Extremely Beautiful Voice

Unforgettable Hot Live

First appeared on the Russian stage in December 2000, this show became an extreme classic in Vitas' music history. Since then, moreover, more fans from other countries were caught by him from this video especially in China. The lack of Russian language was not in the way for dozen thousands of admirers from China, Taiwan, Singapore and Japan first to pay attention and then to love Vitas' creative work, his voice and songs. Undoubtedly his 2008 concert will also be considered as the yearly expectable concert in Chinese music scene and the most important event among his fans. Let's expect it!

Lang Lang Piano Solo Concert

Venue:  National Grand Theater-Concert Hall

Time:　 2008-01-03 19:30:00/2008-01-04 19:30:00

Price:　 TBD(Booking)

Tel:     800-810-1887

Acclaimed in the major concert halls of North America, Europe and Asia, Lang Lang - at the age of 20s - has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to connect with audiences on a deeply personal level and has established himself as one of the most exciting pianists of our time. Lang Lang's talent and personality make him an ideal ambassador for classical music and a role model for young people. He is the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic and all "Big Five" American orchestras.

Li Yun Di Piano Recital（独奏会）

Venue:  National Grand Theater-Concert Hall

Time:　 2008-3-27 19:30:00 

Price:　 TBD(Booking)

Tel:    010-64177845

Remarks: The tickets for Li Yun Di Piano Recital will be available soon!

Called "extravagantly gifted and highly accomplished" by the Los Angeles Times, China pianist Li Yundi was born in 1982 in Chongqing and first gained worldwide attention after winning first prize at the 2000 Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw. He was the first person in 15 years to be awarded a first prize.

Soprano Te Kanawa Solo Concert

Venue:  National Grand Theater-Concert Hall

Time:　 2008-01-02 19:30:00 

Price:　 180(Out)280(Selling)480(Selling)680(Selling)880(Selling)1680(Out)

Tel:     400-810-1887

Dame Kiri Janette Te Kanawa is an internationally famous New Zealand opera singer. In 1981, she was seen and heard around the world by an estimated 600 million people when she sang Handel's "Let the Bright Seraphim" at the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.

72．The main purpose of this passage is______.

      A．to attract people to attend these concerts

      B．enrich your knowledge of some famous musicians

      C．rouse your interest in music

      D．call on young people to learn from them

73．Which concert will you attend if you want to hear an opera?

       A．Vitas 2008 Beijing Concert        B．Lang Lang Piano Solo Concert

       C．Li Yun Di Piano Recital           D．Soprano Te Kanawa Solo Concert

74．About the tickets to Li Yun Di Piano Recital, which of the following is right?

       A．The price for the tickets hasn’t been determined.

       B．The tickets have been sold out.

       C．The price of the tickets is too high.

       D．It will be long before you can book the tickets for it.

75．What can you know from the advertisement?

      A．The lack of Russian language stops people in China loving Vitas’s songs.

      B．Some of the tickets for Soprano Te Kanawa Solo Concert have been sold out.

       C．Lang Lang is one of the first Chinese pianists to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic and all "Big Five" American orchestras.

       D．You have to pay the telephone bill if you call to book the tickets for Soprano Te Kanawa Solo Concert

【小题1】The actress bought a house in the centre of the city because _______.

1.The actress bought a house in the centre of the city because _______.

   A. she liked to live in the busiest place

   B. she didn’t like to live in the country

   C. her home was far away from where she worked

   D. she didn’t want to go back to her hometown any longer

2.In order to make the painter work better for her, the actress ________. A. gave him two tickets for her show   

B. sang and danced for him for hours

C. paid him 3 pounds                

D. decided to pay him 15 shillings an hour

3.The actress got the painter’s bill ______.

 A. to ask for the money of his painting work

 B. to ask to pay for his watching her show

 C. in which he showed his thanks for the tickets

 D. in which he expressed his dissatisfaction

4.It can be learned from the text that one pound is __________ shillings.

 A. 10          B. 12           C. 20            D. 15

5. What kind of man was the painter?

A. He was a careful man.           

B. He was a poor man.

C. He was not friendly to others.     

D. He knew little about music and dances.