Millions of girls grow up with the hope of becoming a famous singer. Some even win local talent competitions as children, but only a few such early successes and dreams turn into reality. Jessica Andrews is one of the few whose dreams have come true.
Andrews, first taste of success came at the age of 10. She won a talent competition in her home town of Huntingdon, Tennessee, singing I Will Always Love You, originally sung by Whitney Houston. Houston's version of the song appeared on The Bodyguard sound track, which happened to be the first album Andrews ever bought.
Within two years, talk of Andrews had spread to Nashville and caught the attention of producer Byron Gallimore, whose credits include work with Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Jo Dee Messina. With Gallimore signed on to produce, Andrews soon had a recording contract (合同)with Dream Works' Nashville label.
Andrews' professional career was launched with 1999's Heart Shaped World, recorded when she was 14 years old. The album included the country hit I Will Be There For You, which also appeared on The Prince Of Egypt . She followed up the release of the album by touring as a support act for such country superstars as Faith Hill and Trisha Yearwood.
With the release of 2001’s， Who I Am, Andrews became a star in her own right. The album was certified (证明）gold for sales of 500,000 copies. Andrews returned in April 2003 with Now，an album that she promised would show a new side of the young artist. "This album has a very different feeling for me," she said. "It's a lot more personal and there's a confidence that wasn't quite there on the first two. I feel especially connected to this group of songs."
【小题1】According to the passage, who mostly helped Andrews to achieve success ?

Millions of girls grow up with the hope of becoming a famous singer. Some even win local talent competitions as children, but only a few such early successes and dreams turn into reality. Jessica Andrews is one of the few whose dreams have come true.

Andrews, first taste of success came at the age of 10. She won a talent competition in her home town of Huntingdon, Tennessee, singing I Will Always Love You, originally sung by Whitney Houston. Houston's version of the song appeared on The Bodyguard sound track, which happened to be the first album Andrews ever bought.

Within two years, talk of Andrews had spread to Nashville and caught the attention of producer Byron Gallimore, whose credits include work with Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Jo Dee Messina. With Gallimore signed on to produce, Andrews soon had a recording contract (合同)with Dream Works' Nashville label.

Andrews' professional career was launched with 1999's Heart Shaped World, recorded when she was 14 years old. The album included the country hit I Will Be There For You, which also appeared on The Prince Of Egypt . She followed up the release of the album by touring as a support act for such country superstars as Faith Hill and Trisha Yearwood.

With the release of 2001’s， Who I Am, Andrews became a star in her own right. The album was certified (证明）gold for sales of 500,000 copies. Andrews returned in April 2003 with Now，an album that she promised would show a new side of the young artist. "This album has a very different feeling for me," she said. "It's a lot more personal and there's a confidence that wasn't quite there on the first two. I feel especially connected to this group of songs."

1.According to the passage, who mostly helped Andrews to achieve success ?

2.What's the meaning of the underlined word “launched，，in the fourth paragraph?

3.Which of the following statements is WRONG according to the passage?

4.Which of the following may NOT be Andrews' album?

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

阅读理解

　　Metals usually occur (发生,出现) in nature as minerals(矿石). At present, about 80 different metals are known to man. But with so many metals to choose from the question arises: which metal shall we use? Is there any metal that is “best for everything”? Of course not. For example, iron is strong but it rusts easily, while gold, one of the first metals found by man, does not rust at all. Should we use gold, therefore, to build fences? Imagine the cost of a fence made of gold! It’s important to consider the cost and the supply (提供)of a metal. Also, when we choose a metal for a certain job, we examine its physical properties. Is it strong enough to be used as a support for a bridge? Can it he used in a telephone to conduct (传导) electncity? Is it light enough to be used in an air plane wing? Can it he drawn out to make a fine wire? We also examine its chemical properties. Will it resist acid (酸) ? Is it too active to use? Is it easy to combine [ (使)结合] with other elements? Each use must be studied carefully. Then we can choose the right kind of metal, or combinations(结合)of metals.

　　The metals used for constructing buildings, cars, planes and ships must he strong and easy to form by casing, machining, and cutting. These metals are called structural(生锈)metals. The two most important structural (结构的) metals are iron (steel) and aluminum. Aluminum, which is much lighter than iron, has made possible the modem aviation (航空) industry.

　　Very few of the metal things we use in industry and every day life are made of a single pure metal. Most of them are combinations of metals called alloys (合金). Alloys are formed when two or more metals are melted together and allowed to cool and harden. It has been known for a long time that when some metals are combined in this way, the alloy takes on new physical properties (性质). The use of alloy makes it possible to manufacture (制造) many articles which must have special properties. Nowadays, if an inventor cannot find a metal that suits his purpose, he tries to have a new alloy made that will. The search for new alloys is going on all the time.

1．Metals are usually ________.

[　　]

A．best for everything

B．made use of in daily life in pure forms

C．found in nature as minerals

D．in the same quality

2．________ According to the text, uses of metals depend on their ________.

[　　]

3．The properties most important to a structural are its ________.

[　　]

A．lightness and activity

B．electric conductivity and heat conductivity

C．strength and easiness of shaping

D．resistance to acids and capability of being bent

4．A combination of two or more metals is called ________.

[　　]

5．The characteristic of alloy is ________.

[　　]

A．new chemical properties

B．new physical properties

C．special ways of formation

D．rarity

阅读理解

　　“Let’s go down one more, push your enter key… ”says a volunteer helping senior (老年的) citizens work a web session on the Internet.

　　David Lansdale has found a way to light up the lives of the elderly. He gets them wired to the Internet. “If you hit your enter key, it will bring up this particular email… ”

　　Pauline Alien is one of those who have started using the Internet. “I thought I was through with life, I was ready for a rocking chair, because I was 86 years old. And I haven’t found the rocking chair yet. ”“You found the keyboard? ”asks the reporter. “That’s right. I found the keyboard. ”

　　The average age of Lansdale's students is around 68．All are in nursing or assisted care homes. He used family relationships to introduce them to the World Wide Web.

　　David Lansdale says, “Here they are in California, the family are back in New York, the opportunity to connect, to cross the time and space, is precious to them. ”

　　“I hear you are so beautiful. ”Lillian Shyer writes an email to a newborn great-granddaughter. Working with one another, the seniors learn as a group. They learn to master the Internet and to overcome what Lansdale calls the maladies of the institutionalized: loneliness, helplessness, boredom and loss of memory.

　　Mary Harvey says, “Bingo just doesn’t interest me. But this does, believe me, this does. ”

　　Ninety-four years old Ruth Hyman is a star pupil and instructor. She says, “When I send a letter to my grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, they hang it up in their offices, just like I used to hang their drawings on my refrigerator. Ha, ha. ”

　　David Lansdale says, “There’s a collective benefit. This is a treatment. Remember we started as a support group. ”

　　Dixon Moorehouse says, “I just wish I was 15 years old and getting to learn all this. ”The seniors call their weekly meeting Monday Night Live. And many say the meetings have given them new life.

　　Ruth Hyman says, “Three years ago. they told me I wasn't going to live. But I showed them, and got work. and I've worked ever since. ”

1．The purpose of David Lansdale's work is to ________ .

[　　]

A．keep the health of the mind of the seniors

B．popularize the use of computers among the old

C．organize the seniors as a group to work

D．help the seniors connect with their families

2．The underlined words“the maladies of the institutionalized”used in the passage refer to ________ .

[　　]

A．the difficulties in learning

B．the problems caused by getting old

C．some kinds of treatments

D．the worries about the Internet

3．How many examples does the writer give to prove that the seniors enjoy the Internet?

[　　]

4．It can be inferred that Ruth Hyman’s younger generations hang her mails up ________ .

[　　]

A．in order not to lose the letters

B．in order not to forget something important

C．to make the offices more beautiful

D．to take pride in their grandmother’s work