The French word renaissance means rebirth. It was first used in 1855 by the historian Jules Michelet in his History of France, then adopted by historians of culture, by art historians, and eventually by music historians, all of whom applied it to European culture during the 150 years spanning 1450-1600. The concept of rebirth was appropriate to this period of European history because of the renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman culture that began in Italy and then spread throughout Europe. Scholars and artists of this period wanted to restore the learning and ideals of the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome. To these scholars this meant a return to human. Fulfillment in life became a desirable goal, and expressing the entire range of human emotions and enjoying the pleasures of the senses were no longer frowned on. Artists and writers now turned to religious subject matter and sought to make their works understandable and appealing.

These changes in outlook deeply affected the musical culture of the Renaissance period--- how people thought about music as well as the way music was composed and experienced. They could see the architectural monuments, sculptures, plays, and poems that were being rediscovered, but they could not actually hear ancient music --- although they could read the writings of classical philosophers, poets, essayists, and music theorists that were becoming available in translation. They learned about the power of ancient music to move the listener and wondered why modern music did not have the same effect. For example, the influential religious leader Bernardino Cirillo expressed disappointment with the learned music of his time. He urged musicians to follow the example of the sculptors, painters, architects, and scholars who had rediscovered ancient art and literature.

The musical Renaissance in Europe was more a general cultural movement and state of mind than a specific set of musical techniques. Furthermore, music changed so rapidly during this century and a half-though at different rates in different countries---that we cannot define a single Renaissance style.

1. What does the author mean by using the word “eventually” in line 3?

A. That music historians used the term “Renaissance” after the other historians did

B. That most music historians used the term “Renaissance”

C. The term “Renaissance” became widely used by art historians but not by music historians

D. That music historians used the term “Renaissance” very differently than it had been used by Jules Michelet

2. The phrase "frowned on" in line 9 is closest in meaning to

A. given up     B. forgotten about   C. argued about  D. disapproved of

3. It can be inferred from the passage that thinkers of the Renaissance were seeking a rebirth of__.

A. communication among artists across Europe

B. spirituality in everyday life

C. a cultural emphasis on human values

D. religious themes in art that would accompany the traditional secular themes

4. According to the passage, why was Bemardino Cirillo disappointed with the music of his time?

A. It was not complex enough to appeal to musicians.

B. It had little emotional impact on audiences.

C. It was too dependent on the art and literature of his time.

D. It did not contain enough religious themes.

5. Which of the following is mentioned in the passage as a reason for the absence of a single Renaissance musical style?

A. The musical Renaissance was defined by technique rather than style.

B. The musical Renaissance was too short to give rise to a new musical style.

C. Renaissance musicians adopted the styles of both Greek and Roman musicians.

D. During the Renaissance, music never remained the same for very long.

According to some talk, the younger generation in Smithville is the most antisocial in history. This seems far from the truth. Young people today as a whole are better, more informed, more ambitious, healthier, and more smart than ever before. Why then, it may be asked, do we see such restlessness and such antisocial behavior among our young people?

For the answer the citizens of this community must look at themselves. What have they done to the grounds that have been built in the last fifteen years? How many swimming pools are there? How many vocational training projects have been started? How many community – organized youth parties and picnics have been held?

The average citizen will answer that the responsibility for these activities belongs to the schools. But the schools cannot be held responsible for all the free – time activities of all the young people of this community. The job of the schools is formal education, not free – time recreation（娱乐）.

This community needs a youth center suitable for such activities as picnics, camping, sports, music, art and so on. There should be social and recreational activities to meet the needs and interests of every member of our school age youth.

Mayor Elmo D. Greely has proposed the formation of a Youth Club as the first step in the direction of a Youth Center. Mayor Greely has called a meeting at the City Hall on Friday, August 15, at noon.

Giving up a lunch hour is a very little sacrifice for a project that can be of great importance to this community.

This newspaper urges every adult and young person of Smithville to attend this important meeting. We believe our industrial, business, and professional leaders have an especially strong duty to be present.

This newspaper will be present and intends to support this project with vigor.

The underlined word “antisocial” probably means “           ”.

       A．opposed to an orderly society or way of life    B．promising

       C．suitable to present society      D．having a lot of social experience

What does the writer think of the sentence “The younger generation in Smithville is the most

antisocial in history.”?

       A．He thinks it is true.         B．He thinks it is not true.

       C．He thinks it is partially true.   D．He thinks it is nonsense.

The main idea of Paragraphs 2 and 3 is                 .

       A．to give us lots of questions to show that problem is serious.

       B．that school should hold the responsibility for education rather than free – time recreation.

       C．to analyze the reasons why the youth are antisocial.

       D．that we should take more activities or start many vocational projects.

In a six-week study, experts found people who played online games designed to improve their cognitive(认知的) skills didn't get any smarter.

More than 8,600 people aged 18 to 60 were asked to play online brain games designed by the researchers to improve their memory, reasoning and other skills for at least 10 minutes a day, three times a week. They were compared to more than 2,700 people who didn't play any brain games, but spent a similar amount of time surfing the Internet and answering general knowledge questions. All participants were given a sort of I.Q test before and after the experiment.

Researchers said the people who did the brain training didn't do any better on the test after six weeks than people who had simply been on the Internet. On some sections of the test, the people who surfed the Net scored higher than those playing the games.

"If you're (playing these games) because they're fun, that's absolutely fine," said Adrian Owen, the study's lead author. "But if you're expecting (these games) to improve your I.Q., our data suggests this isn't the case," he said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

One maker of brain games said the company's games have been proven to boost brain power.

"Their conclusion would be like saying, 'I cannot run a mile in under 4 minutes and therefore it is impossible to do so," Aldrich said in a statement.

"There is precious little evidence to suggest the skills used in these games transfer to the real world," said Art Kramer, who was not linked to the study and has no ties to any companies that make brain training games.

Instead of playing brain games, Kramer said people would be better off getting some exercise. He said physical activity can spark(激发) new connections between nerves and produce new brain cells. "Fitness changes the building blocks of the brain's structure," he said.

1.. It can be inferred that the online brain games mentioned in the text are_____________.

A. costly     B. unreliable      C. illegal    D. effective

2.. Which of the following statements is true about the experiment in the second paragraph?

   A. The experiment lasted for a week.

B. Age didn’t affect the result of the research.

C. Every person played online brain games three times a day.

D. People who didn’t play online brain games did better in I.Q test

3.. What can we learn from the text?

   A. Playing games which are fun can improve your I.Q.

B. There is a lot of evidence to suggest skills can transfer to the real world.

   C. Do physical activity can boost your brain power.

D. Playing online games can spark new brain cells

4.The underlined sentence suggests that ___________.

   A. The research was not linked to the study  

B. Those playing the games can score higher in the test

C. playing the games can spark new connections between nerves

D. This isn’t the case that these games can improve your I.Q. 

         Blind photography sounds strange．But a striking exhibition of photographs in California argues that it develops as a result of the contemporary art．The show "Sight Unseen", at the California Museum of Photography until Aug．29, includes everything: underwater scenes, landscapes, abstracts and everything else you might expect from a "sighted" photographer．

         How do the blind take their photographs? Some rely on assistants to set up and then describe the shots （镜头） , and others just point and shoot in the right place．"Just like any good artists," says McCulloh．"They have their unique ways of operating．" One participating photographer is Pete Eckert, an artist with multiple degrees in design and sculpture who only turned to photography after losing his vision in the mid-1990s．He opens the shutter （快门） on his camera and then uses flashlights, lights, and candies to paint his scene on film．A former fashion photographer in Chicago, Weston, lost his vision due to AIDS in 1996 and focuses on images of destruction and disability．His photos are also a star of the show．

         What do gallery-goers say? "I was very impressed by it．The technique and experience was amazingly different," says John Hesketh, a printmaker in Anaheim．"You never have a sense of feeling sorry for these people because they've worked very hard to prove their value．"

         Beyond the praise, however, the exhibition also makes a great example for disabled people everywhere．That point was explained in early May during a discussion on the TV show．At the very end of the talk, one attendee expressed his opinion．"This exhibition is extraordinary and revolutionary for many reasons．I think that by being an artist with a disability, you are continuing the work of those people who fought for basic civil rights to gain access and to have a voice．In that way, it's so wonderful that your photographs say it all．"

1. From the passage we know that some blind people take photos by ________.

A．describing the things to their assistants

B．holding the camera and shooting randomly

C．opening the shutter with the help of others

D．using special equipment designed for them

2. We can learn from the passage that blind photographers ______

A．were not born blind                                       

B．do jobs related to art

C．focus on different subjects                          

D．like photos of destruction

3. What is people's reaction to the blind photography show?

A．They admire the blind photographers' hard work．

B．They feel really sorry for those blind photographers．

C．They think some have good techniques while others not．

D．They can understand the real meaning of each photograph．

4. The significance of the exhibition lies in the fact that ______．

A．the California Museum of Photography receives praises for holding the show

B．the public have a chance to know what the blind people are concerned about

C．the blind photographers have a good place to show their works

D．the exhibition can be very inspiring to the blind in the world

What kind of job do you want to do in the future ? One that earns the most money or one that gives you the highest social position? What about a job that makes you feel happy? Surprisingly, these three things do not always go together in the job world .

According to a general social survey by the National Organization for Research at the University of Chicago in the US, the ten happiest jobs are not those with better pay or higher social position. They are ordinary jobs.

But what is it that makes a “happy” job?

Researchers found that people are happier when they feel they are doing something worthwhile. Six of the top ten happiest jobs are based heavily on helping others, such as firefighters, teachers, and physical therapists(理疗师 ).

Being able to express oneself is also important for people to feel satisfied . Take authors as an example. Their pay is “ridiculously low or non-existent”, but “the freedom of writing down the contents of your own mind leads to happiness ,”wrote business author Steve Denning on his blog on Forbes.com.

These jobs are greatly different to the top ten “hated jobs”, according a website survey earlier this year. Director of information technology, sales manager, technical specialist and others that are generally considered respectable jobs are on the list.

Todd May from The New York Times didn’t find the results strange. He argued that

“ a meaningful life must, in some sense then , make people feel worthwhile”. If a person doesn’t participate in the causes “ that are generally regarded as worthy, like feeding and clothing the poor, their life will lack meaning ,”he said . Work takes up the greater part of most people’s  lives . It’s no wonder that the people with the most worthwhile jobs are the happiest of all.

However, it’s important to remember that these two surveys are broad ones and that it doesn’t matter whether your dream job is on the two lists. Now it is the time to think about the future . After all, something that satisfies your mind will always bring you happiness.

1.According to the passage , which of the following is probably a happy job?

2.Steve Denning thinks that being an author is happy mainly because authors_____.

3.From the passage we learn that_________.

4.In the last paragraph the author stresses that_________.