Stop thinking that you are too old to learn how to play the piano! You are able to learn the piano or any other instrument at any age. As long as you want to learn the piano, you can. When you decide to learn the piano, think about what you want out of it. Do you want to learn a specific piece of music, or are you more interested in learning techniques and the chord structures behind it? There are no limits, and you will get as much out of it as what you are willing to put into it.

    Adults have the ability to learn a musical instrument, although they usually have less time. So no matter what your age, whether you are ten or one hundred and ten, you can learn the piano well. So what are you waiting for? Start learning today! Here are some ways to learn the piano, each with its own advantages.

１． ．．．

    This allows you personal, face-to-face lessons — usually on a weekly basis where they are able to teach you and correct you. This is a great way to learn the piano, but you are limited in the contact hours you have with your teacher which may slow your learning.

２． ．．．

    This would have to be the hardest way because you are just working by yourself and you can never be sure if you have understood the books correctly.

３． ．．．

    These are quite new to the market. They are video or DVD lessons that you can work through at your own pace. The advantage here is that you have the teacher so you know if you are doing it right, and you can work at your own pace — as quickly or as slowly as you like.

1. What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To tell us why we need to learn to play the piano.

B. To tell us never to lose hope at any age.

C. To encourage us to learn the piano and to give some suggestions.

D. To tell us that nothing is difficult if you put your heart into it.

2. Match each of the following titles with each point.

a. Internet and Video Courses.   

b. Hire a Piano Teacher.

c. Teach Yourself with Books.   

A. 1-a 2-c 3-b               B. 1-b 2-c 3-a

C. 1-b 2-a 3-c               D. 1-c 2-b 3-a

3. According to the author, we know that ______.

A. people who are too old can’t learn the piano

B. kids learn much faster than adults

C. learning by oneself, one may misunderstand the books

D. learning with a teacher is the best way

4. Which of the following old sayings sums up the main idea of the first two paragraphs?

A. Every coin has two sides. 

B. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

C. Let’s cross the bridge when we come to it.

D. You are never too old to learn.

Glynis Davis:

I first piled on the pounds when I was in the family way and I couldn’t lose them afterwards. Then I joined a slimming club. My target was 140 pounds and I lost 30 pounds in six months. I felt great and people kept saying how good I looked. But Christmas came and I started to slip back into my old eating habits. I told myself I’d lose the weight at slimming classes in the new year…but it didn’t happen. Instead of losing the pounds, I put them on. I’d lost willpower and tried to believe that the old bag of fish and chips didn’t make any difference but the scales don’t lie.[来源:Z。xx。k.Com]

Roz Jumab:

To be honest, I never weigh myself any more. I’ve learnt to be happy with myself. It seemed to me that I would feel sorry about every spoonful of tasty food that passed my lips. My idea is simple. You shouldn’t be too much thinking about food and dieting. Instead, you should get on with life and stop dreaming of a super thin body. This is obviously the size I’m meant to be and, most of all, I’m happy with it.

Lesley Codwin:

I was very happy at winning Young Slimmer of the year. I’d look into the mirror unable to believe this slim lady was me! That might have been my problem—perhaps from then on I didn’t pay any attention to myself. Winning a national competition makes everything worse, though, because you feel the eyes of the world are fixed upon you. I feel a complete failure because I’ve put on weight again.

Ros Landfod:

Before moving in with my husband Gavin, I’d always been about 110 pounds, but the pleasant housework went straight to my waist and I put on 15 pounds in a year. Every so often I try to go on a diet…I’m really good on a few days, then end up having the children’s leftovers or eating happily chocolate—my weakness. I’d like to be slim, but right now my duty is the children and home. I might take more exercise when my kids are older.?

1．What do you think the four women were all talking about?

A．Their own slimming matter.      B．Their life after marriage.

C．Their work as a housewife.       D．Different diets they prefer.

2．Where are these short passage most likely to be taken from?

A．Talks on the air.       B．Advertisements on the wall.

C．Book in a library.      D．Magazines for housewives.

3．What does the underlined word “scales” possibly mean?

A．The coach in the slimming club.?B．Some tool to measure weight.

C．Glynis Davis’ dear husband.    D．The salesperson in a food shop.?

4．What can we infer from Roz Jumab’s words?

A．Losing weight is a painful process which is unbearable.

B．Being thin can also be harmful.

C．It is necessary to force ourselves to lose weight.

D．We should learn to live comfortably with the way we look.

5．Which of the following best describes each of the four women’s attitudes towards slimming?

1．Glynis Davis    2．Roz Jumab   3．Lesley Codwinc   4．Ros Langfodd

a．I put on weight soon after I got married. b．Fame doesn’t necessarily mean success.

c．Facts speak much louder than words.  d．I like myself as I am, and to be what you are.

A．1- a; 2 – d; 3 – b; 4 – c        B．1 – c; 2 – b; 3 – d; 4 – a

C．1 – c; 2 – d; 3 – b; 4 – a        D．1 – a; 2 – b; 3 – c; 4 –d

Glynis Davis:

I first piled on the pounds when I was in the family way and I couldn’t lose them afterwards. Then I joined a slimming(减轻体重的) club. My aim was 40 pounds and I lost 30 pounds in six months. I felt great and people kept saying how good I looked. But Christmas came and I started to slip back into my old eating habits. I told myself I’d lose the weight at slimming classes in the new year…… but it didn’t happen. Instead of losing the pounds, I put them on. I’d lost willpower and tried to believe that the odd bag of fish and chips didn’t make any difference but the scales don’t lie.

Roz Juma:

To be honest, I never weigh myself any more---I’ve learned to be happy with myself. It seemed to me that I would feel sorry about every spoonful of tasty food that passed my lips. My idea is simple. You shouldn’t be too much thinking about food and dieting. Instead, you should get on with life and stop dreaming of a super-thin body. This is obviously the size I meant to be and , most of all, I’m happy with it.

Lesley Godwin:

I was very happy about winning Young Slimming of the Year. I’d look in the mirror unable to believe this slim lady was me ! That might have been my problem—perhaps from then on I didn’t pay any attention to myself. Winning a national competition makes everything worse, though, because you feel the eyes of the world are fixed upon you. I feel a complete failure because I’ve put on weight again.

Ros Langford:

    Before moving in with my husband Gavin, I’d always been about 110 pounds, but the domestic bliss(福佑) went straight to my waist and I put on 15 pounds in a year.       Occasionally I try to go on a diet…I’m really good for a few days, then end up having the children’s leftovers(吃剩的食物) or eating happily chocolate—my weakness. I’d like to be slim, but right now my duty is the children and home. I might take more exercise when my kids are older.

What do you think the four women were all talking about ?

   A. Their life after marriage          B. Their own slimming matter 

C. Their work as a housewife        D. Different diets they prefer

Where are these short texts most likely to be taken from?

   A. Talks on the air                 B. Advertisements in the newspaper

   C. Books in a library               D. Magazines for children

What does the underlined word “ scales”(paragraph 1 ) mean?

   A. the coach in the slimming club     B. some tool to measure weight

   C. Glynis Davis’ dear husband        D. The salesperson in a food shop

Which of the following best describes each of the four women’s attitudes towards slimming ?

   1. Glynis Davis                  a. I put on weight soon after I got married

2. Roz Juma                     b. Fame(名声) doesn’t necessarily mean success.

   3 Lesley Godwin                 c. Facts speak much louder than words

   4. Ros Langford                  d. I like myself as I am.

   A. 1-c ,2-d, 3-b, 4-a     B. 1-c ,2-b, 3-d,4-a    C. 1-d,2-a,3-b,4-c   D. 1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d

As the economy begins to recover, salary increases should do the same.

    In the past few years, employers have raised workers’ salaries by about 4 percent per year--except for 2009, when the figure dropped to a historically low 2.1 percent, according to a survey of World at Word. About one-third of companies froze raises altogether.

   For 2010, World at Work’s survey projects an average salary increase budget of 2.7 percent, a figure that shows the situation has improved but the job market is still weak. Between 10 percent and 15 percent of companies said they would freeze raises--far fewer than in 2009, but still more than in most years.

  How can you get a raise? Avalos and others offer the following tips:

* Do your job well. This means producing high-quality work, of course, but also keeping the big picture in mind.

“It really comes down to positioning yourself as a high performer, somebody who is aware of business goals and helps the company meet their goals as an organization”, Avalos said

* Be visible. When times are tough, some workers think. “I’m going to hunker down and hope that nobody notices me, because I don’t want to be on a layoff list,” said Richard Phillips, owner of Advantage Career Solutions. This is a mistake, because you’re unlikely to get a raise if no one knows what you have accomplished. “If anything, what you want to do is be more visible.”

 * Make your boss’s life easier. This means everything from having a good attitude to taking on extra tasks. If you don’t know how you can help your boss, ask.

* Ask for a raise. Talk to your boss and present your case: Here’s what I’ve done, here’s how it fits with the company’s goals, and here is why I think it’s worth a salary increase. In some cases, even if your company has an official raise freeze, you can get a raise if you make good case.

  If the answer is no -- or if you’re not ready to ask directly -- Phillips suggests asking, “What would you like to see from me that would put me in line for a raise?”

A question like this can improve your standing. “Just asking the question says to the boss, ‘I’m thinking about where I fit in here, what I can do,” Phillips said, “That in and of itself has value.”

1.The passage is mostly from a\an________.

A. novel                                                           B. science fiction

C. magazine                                                            D. biography

2.Employers have raised workers’ salaries by about _______percent in 2007.

A. 4                                   B. 2.1                          C. 2.7                    D. 10

3.If you want to get a raise, the most important thing you should keep in your mind is to ______.

A. have your job done well                                  B. be visible everywhere as possible as you can

C. ask your boss for a raise directly                D. change your job

4.All the statements are true except________.

A. the situation has improved but the job market is still weak

B. salary increases should recover as the economy does

C. producing high-quality work will surely help you get a raise

D. that in and off an employee makes no difference

As the economy begins to recover, salary increases should do the same.

    In the past few years, employers have raised workers’ salaries by about 4 percent per year--except for 2009, when the figure dropped to a historically low 2.1 percent, according to a survey of World at Word. About one-third of companies froze raises altogether.

   For 2010, World at Work’s survey projects an average salary increase budget of 2.7 percent, a figure that shows the situation has improved but the job market is still weak. Between 10 percent and 15 percent of companies said they would freeze raises--far fewer than in 2009, but still more than in most years.

  How can you get a raise? Avalos and others offer the following tips:

* Do your job well. This means producing high-quality work, of course, but also keeping the big picture in mind.

“It really comes down to positioning yourself as a high performer, somebody who is aware of business goals and helps the company meet their goals as an organization”, Avalos said

* Be visible. When times are tough, some workers think. “I’m going to hunker down and hope that nobody notices me, because I don’t want to be on a layoff list,” said Richard Phillips, owner of Advantage Career Solutions. This is a mistake, because you’re unlikely to get a raise if no one knows what you have accomplished. “If anything, what you want to do is be more visible.”

 * Make your boss’s life easier. This means everything from having a good attitude to taking on extra tasks. If you don’t know how you can help your boss, ask.

* Ask for a raise. Talk to your boss and present your case: Here’s what I’ve done, here’s how it fits with the company’s goals, and here is why I think it’s worth a salary increase. In some cases, even if your company has an official raise freeze, you can get a raise if you make good case.

  If the answer is no -- or if you’re not ready to ask directly -- Phillips suggests asking, “What would you like to see from me that would put me in line for a raise?”

A question like this can improve your standing. “Just asking the question says to the boss, ‘I’m thinking about where I fit in here, what I can do,” Phillips said, “That in and of itself has value.”

The passage is mostly from a\an________.

A. novel                                                   B. science fiction       

C. magazine                                              D. biography

Employers have raised workers’ salaries by about _______percent in 2007.

A. 4                      B. 2.1                   C. 2.7               D. 10

If you want to get a raise, the most important thing you should keep in your mind is to ______.

A. have your job done well                        B. be visible everywhere as possible as you can

C. ask your boss for a raise directly           D. change your job

All the statements are true except________.

A. the situation has improved but the job market is still weak

B. salary increases should recover as the economy does

C. producing high-quality work will surely help you get a raise

D. that in and off an employee makes no difference