Passage 1

Claire always wanted to be a singer. Music was the most important thing in her life, but to tell you the truth, she had a terrible voice. She took lessons for years, practiced every day, but in spite of all this, her voice didn't improve. Honestly it didn't get better, it just got louder.

Her teacher finally gave up and stopped the lessons, but Claire refused to quit(放弃), and one day she decided to give a concert and invited her former teacher to attend.

The teacher was worried about what to say after the performance. She knew it would be awful and it was. She didn't want to tell a lie but she didn't want to hurt Claire's feelings either. Finally, she got an idea and went backstage to greet her former pupil.

"Well," said Claire, "What did you think of my performance?"

"My dear," said the teacher, "you'll never be better than you were tonight."

27. Clair _______________________.

A. was a good singer              B. was good at music

C. liked music very much          D. did well in the concert

28. The teacher had to stop the lessons because ______________________.

A. her student didn't work hard enough

B. Claire practiced every day

C. She didn't want to make her student disappointed

D. The student's voice remained poor no matter how hard she practiced

29. "She knew it would be awful" here the word awful means _______________.

A. terrible       B. well        C. wonderful      D. better

30.  After the performance____________________________.

A. the teacher was so glad that her student had done well.

B. The teacher had to hurt Claire's feeling

C. The teacher told the truth but sounded nice

D. The teacher praised her student

31. The story tells us that _____________________________.

A. it is always necessary to tell the truth

B. the teacher was clever enough to tell the truth in a proper way.

C. Claire's teacher was dishonest

D. The teacher didn't want to tell a lie, but she had to

Most musicians agree that the best violins were first made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. There violins sound better than any others. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments(乐器)like the Italian violins. But they aren't the same. Musicians still prefer the old ones.

Some people think it is the age of the violins. But not all old violins sound wonderful. Only the old violins from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer. Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. The wood must be from certain kind of trees. But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important, to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully. It has to be the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this was the secret of the Italians. Maybe they understood more than we do about how to cut the wood. Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists can make new ones that are exactly the stone size and shape. But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old ones. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish(清漆).Varnish is what covers the wood of the violin. It makes the wood look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. But no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish.

1. The passage is about__________.

A. making violins                           B. musical instruments

C. scientific ideas                         D. the old Italian violins

2 Some people think that modern violins__________.

A. will sound better in the future          C. will sound worse in the future

C. sound wonderful                     D. sound poor

3. Other people think the Italian violin makers__________.

A. were lucky                         B. did not know much about violins

C. used many kinds of wood             D. knew something special

4. Violins made today__________.

A. have the same size and shape as the old ones

B. sound the same as the old ones

C. are better than the old ones

D. have the same varnish as the old ones

5. Some scientists believe that the secret of the old violin was__________.

A. their sound       B. their color      C. their varnish      D. the music

Most musicians agree that the best violins were first made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. Their violins sound better than any other’s. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments(乐器) like the Italian violins. But they aren’t the same. Musicians still prefer the old ones.

Some people think it is the age of the violins. But not all old violins sound wonderful. Only the old violins from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer. Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. The wood must be from certain kind of trees. But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully. It has to be the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this was the secret of the Italians. Maybe they understood more than we do about how to cut the wood. Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists can make new ones that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old ones. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish(清漆).Varnish is what covers the wood of the violin. It makes the wood look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. But no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish.

1. The passage is about____________.

  A. making violins                           B. musical instruments

  C. scientific ideas                           D. the old Italian violins

2. Some people think that modern violins _____________.

  A. will sound better in the future           B. will sound worse in the future

  C. sound wonderful                     D. sound poor

3. Other people think the Italian violin makers_______________.

  A. were lucky                          B. did not know much about violins

  C. used many kinds of wood              D. knew something special

4. Violins made today____________.

  A. have the same size and shape as the old ones

  B. sound the same as the old ones

  C. are better than the old ones

  D. have the same varnish as the old ones

5. Some scientists believe that the secret of the old violin was ______________.

  A. their sound       B. their color        C. their varnish      D. their music

Mr. White grows the nicest vegetables in the village. He grows fruit too—big, sweet apples and oranges. And what else? Well, the biggest and the loveliest flowers.

Things grow in Mr. White’s garden the whole year. He cuts some flowers for his sitting room table, and, of course he eats some fruits and vegetables. He sells everything else in the market.

He knows a few other gardeners, but he does not have any friends. People do not understand him. And they know little about his garden. It’s a wonderful garden. Mr. White plants things in spring. After that he does very little work. He sits in the garden with his small radio. And everything grows all year round.

People asks, “How does Mr. White grow those wonderful things? He waters the plants sometimes, but he doesn’t do anything else. He just sits under an orange tree with his radio. He listens to the music nearly all day!” And that is quite true. People can not understand it, and so they don’t like it very much.

Mr. White likes music. But what about the garden? Who does the work? Let me tell you: the music does the work. All plants like music, and Mr. White knows that.

Do you want big vegetables and the loveliest flowers? Well, just give your plants a lot of music.

(     )46. Mr. White grows ______.

A. vegetables, apples and oranges     B. vegetables and flowers

C. vegetables, apples and flowers     D. vegetables, fruit and flowers

(     )47. In Mr. White’s garden, there are plants ______.

A. in spring and summer            B. in autumn and summer

C. in warm seasons                D. in four seasons

(     )48. The new way of growing plants is ______.

A. to stay with the plants            B. to keep the garden cool

C. to let the plants listen to the music  D. to sit under an orange tree

(     )49. Mr. White has few friends because ______.

A. he doesn’t want to have many friends

 B. people don’t like him

C. people don’t understand him and his garden.

D. Mr. White has everything in his garden and other people don’t.

(     )50. This passage mainly talks about ______.

A. Mrs. White’s Wonderful Garden     B. Music

C. Music and Plants                 D. How to Grow

Michael Jackson’s sudden death really astonished(震惊) his fans, but soon they are glad to find another younger “King of Pop” has appeared.

 Wang Yiming, who is known as Xiao Bao, has already been popular across the world with his wonderful dance moves. He once appeared on U.S. television show “Ellen” and performed successfully at the World Expo 2010.     About seven years ago, Xiao Bao was born prematurely（早产）, which made his mother really worried. He was so weak. What could he do? Doctors suggested that moving his body to music would help make him strong, but soon his parents were surprised by how quickly Xiao Bao fell in love with music!

“When he was young, we just started playing music to him and he started moving around like this. But we didn’t think that he had such a strong feeling for music. When he was just several months old, we would let him listen to music and he would stop crying and calm down at once,” the proud mother once said.

So far, Xiao Bao has learned the moonwalk and other Jackson’s moves well. His fans are crazy about his wonderful shows. He has drawn more people’s attention. He is fast becoming internationally popular.

There are lots of problems waiting for him, but Xiao Bao will never give up. He is serious about his dancing career(事业). Where there is a will, there is a way. We are sure that Xiao Bao’s dream will come true one day.

1.Xiao Bao has been famous for ___________.

A. his young age      B. his dance moves

C. his television shows          D. his strong body

2.Why did doctors advise Xiao Bao to dance?

A. Because they knew Xiao Bao’s feeling for music.

B. Because Xiao Bao’s parents wanted them to do so.

C. Because Xiao Bao likes Michael’s dancing a lot. 

D. Because they thought dancing would be good for his health.

3.How did Xiao Bao’s parents feel when they first saw his reaction(反应) to music?

A. Surprised.        B. Happy.              C. Proud.                         D. Worried.

4.What can we learn from the passage?

A. People have paid little attention to Xiao Bao.

B. Xiao Bao’s fans are not satisfied with his moves.

C. Xiao Bao works seriously and never gives up dancing.

D. His parents worry about their son’s crazy love for music.

5.What’s the best title for the passage?

A. A Boy’s Dancing Career.              B. A Younger “King of Pop”.

C. Michael Jackson’s Moves.             D. Wang Yiming’s Hobby.

Michael Jackson’s sudden death really astonished(震惊) his fans, but soon they are glad to find another younger “King of Pop” has appeared.

 Wang Yiming, who is known as Xiao Bao, has already been popular across the world with his wonderful dance moves. He once appeared on U.S. television show “Ellen” and performed successfully at the World Expo 2010.     About seven years ago, Xiao Bao was born prematurely（早产）, which made his mother really worried. He was so weak. What could he do? Doctors suggested that moving his body to music would help make him strong, but soon his parents were surprised by how quickly Xiao Bao fell in love with music!

“When he was young, we just started playing music to him and he started moving around like this. But we didn’t think that he had such a strong feeling for music. When he was just several months old, we would let him listen to music and he would stop crying and calm down at once,” the proud mother once said.

So far, Xiao Bao has learned the moonwalk and other Jackson’s moves well. His fans are crazy about his wonderful shows. He has drawn more people’s attention. He is fast becoming internationally popular.

There are lots of problems waiting for him, but Xiao Bao will never give up. He is serious about his dancing career(事业). Where there is a will, there is a way. We are sure that Xiao Bao’s dream will come true one day.

1 Xiao Bao has been famous for ___________.

   A. his young age      B. his dance moves C. his television shows          D. his strong body

2 Why did doctors advise Xiao Bao to dance?

   A. Because they knew Xiao Bao’s feeling for music.

   B. Because Xiao Bao’s parents wanted them to do so.

   C. Because Xiao Bao likes Michael’s dancing a lot. 

   D. Because they thought dancing would be good for his health.

3 How did Xiao Bao’s parents feel when they first saw his reaction(反应) to music?

   A. Surprised.        B. Happy.              C. Proud.                         D. Worried.

4 What can we learn from the passage?

   A. People have paid little attention to Xiao Bao.

   B. Xiao Bao’s fans are not satisfied with his moves.

C. Xiao Bao works seriously and never gives up dancing.

D. His parents worry about their son’s crazy love for music.

5What’s the best title for the passage?

   A. A Boy’s Dancing Career.              B. A Younger “King of Pop”.

   C. Michael Jackson’s Moves.             D. Wang Yiming’s Hobby.

Michael Jackson’s sudden death really astonished(震惊) his fans, but soon they are glad to find another younger “King of Pop” has appeared.

Wang Yiming, who is known as Xiao Bao, has already been popular across the world with his wonderful dance moves. He once appeared on U.S. television show “Ellen” and performed successfully at the World Expo 2010.　　 About seven years ago, Xiao Bao was born prematurely（早产）, which made his mother really worried. He was so weak. What could he do? Doctors suggested that moving his body to music would help make him strong, but soon his parents were surprised by how quickly Xiao Bao fell in love with music!

“When he was young, we just started playing music to him and he started moving around like this. But we didn’t think that he had such a strong feeling for music. When he was just several months old, we would let him listen to music and he would stop crying and calm down at once,” the proud mother once said.

So far, Xiao Bao has learned the moonwalk and other Jackson’s moves well. His fans are crazy about his wonderful shows. He has drawn more people’s attention. He is fast becoming internationally popular.

There are lots of problems waiting for him, but Xiao Bao will never give up. He is serious about his dancing career(事业). Where there is a will, there is a way. We are sure that Xiao Bao’s dream will come true one day.

41. Xiao Bao has been famous for ___________.

　 A. his young age　　 B. his dance moves C. his television shows　　　　 D. his strong body

42. Why did doctors advise Xiao Bao to dance?

　 A. Because they knew Xiao Bao’s feeling for music.

　 B. Because Xiao Bao’s parents wanted them to do so.

　 C. Because Xiao Bao likes Michael’s dancing a lot.

　 D. Because they thought dancing would be good for his health.

43. How did Xiao Bao’s parents feel when they first saw his reaction(反应) to music?

　 A. Surprised.　　　 B. Happy.　　 　　　　 C. Proud.　　 　　　　　　　　　 D. Worried.

44. What can we learn from the passage?

　 A. People have paid little attention to Xiao Bao.

　 B. Xiao Bao’s fans are not satisfied with his moves.

　 C. Xiao Bao works seriously and never gives up dancing.

　 D. His parents worry about their son’s crazy love for music.

45. What’s the best title for the passage?

　 A. A Boy’s Dancing Career.　　　　　　 B. A Younger “King of Pop”.

　 C. Michael Jackson’s Moves.　　　　　　 D. Wang Yiming’s Hobby.