Think of some of your favorite singers. When you listen, they can make you happy or sad, peaceful or angry. They can make you relax or want to get up and dance. Gifted singers have the power to affect us in many ways—emotionally, physically and mentally.

       But becoming a great singer isn’t as easy as listening to one. It takes practice, devotion and strong lungs! Just ask the well-known American opera(歌剧)star Carol Vaness.

       At the Metropolitan Opera in New York City where she often sings, Carol’s voice must be loud enough to be heard by four thousand people. It must reach every person in the theater, without a microphone, even when she’s singing softly. The reason Carol can project her voice that far is the way she breathes.

       “When you breathe, it’s like a swimmer taking a deep breath before going underwater,” Carol explains. “You have to take a lot of air into your lungs.”

       According to Carol, the main difference between pop singing and opera is “how you breathe, how much air you take in, and how you control it coming out. Regular singing is more like speaking, and it’s lot softer. When I sing for children, they’re often surprised by how the vibrations strike their ears—like waves on a beach, ”Carol says. “In opera, the air doesn’t just go out of your mouth—it vibrates in your chest,the way a guitar vibrates when it’s played.”

       Ever since she started piano lessons at the age of ten, Carol has loved music. As she got older, she decided to become a music teacher. When she went to college, she took singing lessons as part of her studies. Her voice teacher discovered that nineteen-year-old Carol had an exceptionally beautiful soprano voice-the highest singing voice for women.

       Carol decided to make opera her goal, not only because she loved to sing but also because she loved the drama. Opera is a play in which the characters sing the words instead of speaking them. The stories of opera can be tragic or comical. They can be personal stories about two people falling in love or grand stories about kings and queens who lived long ago. As the characters in an opera sing, the emotions(情感)expressed by words and music come to life.

       Today, Carol performs throughout the United States and Europe and she has song for almost twenty years. But she has never forgotten where she started singing in the first palace.

       “Put your heart into your singing and enjoy it,” says Carol, “because singing is a great joy. That’s why I sing. In fact, that’s why everybody sings.”

According to the passage,  the Metropolitan Opera in New York City      .

       A.is a five-story building    B.can seat 4,000 people     

       C.has no microphone in it   D.can project the singer’s voice

What is the best title for this passage?

       A.Opera Singing and Pop Singing     B.The Way an Opera Star Sings 

       C.An Opera Star         D.Singing without a Microphone

Which statement is true?

       A.A pop singer’s lungs are usually stronger than those of an opera singer’s   

       B.Opera singing is more like speaking.     

       C.A pop singer takes in much more air than an opera singer when singing.

       D.An opera singer breathes differently from a pop singer when singing.

From the passage you can conclude all the following EXCEPT that      .

       A.Carol once learned to play the piano     

       B.Carol worked as a music teacher    

       C.Carol has been singing opera for 20 years or so    

       D.Carol is popular with Americans and Europeans

阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从21-40各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题纸上将该选项标号涂黑。
In the depths of my memory, many things I did with my father still live. These things come to represent, in fact, what I call __21__and love.
I don’t remember my father ever getting into a swimming tool. But he did __22__the water. Any kind of __23__ride seemed to give him pleasure. __24__he loved to fish; sometimes he took me along.
But I never really liked being on the water, the way my father did. I liked being __25__the water, moving through it, __26__it all around me. I was not a strong __27__, or one who learned to swim early, for I had my __28__. But I loved being in the swimming pool close to my father’s office and __29__those summer days with my father, who __30__ come by on a break. I needed him to see what I could do. My father would stand there in his suit, the __31__person not in swimsuit.
After swimming, I would go __32__ his office and sit on the wooden chair in front of his big desk, where he let me __33__anything I found in his top desk drawer. Sometimes, if I was left alone at his desk __34__ he worked in the lab, an assistant or a student might come in and tell me perhaps I shouldn’t be playing with his _35__. But my father always __36__and said easily, “Oh, no, it’s __37__.” Sometimes he handed me coins and told me to get __38__ an ice cream…
A poet once said, “We look at life once, in childhood,; the rest is __39__.” And I think it is not only what we “look at once, in childhood” that determines our memories, but __40__, in that childhood, look at us.  
21.A. desire      B. joy        C. anger        D. worry
22.A. avoid       B. refuse      C. praise        D. love
23.A. boat        B. bus        C. train        D. bike
24.A. But        B. Then       C. And          D. Still
25.A. on         B. off         C. by           D. in
26.A. having     B. leaving     C. making       D. getting
27.A. swimmer     B. rider      C. walker       D. runner
28.A. hopes       B. faiths      C. rights       D. fears
29.A. spending    B. saving      C. wasting      D. ruining
30.A. should     B. would       C. had to       D. ought to
31.A. next       B. only        C. other        D. last
32.A. away from  B. out of      C. by           D. inside
33.A. put up     B. break down  C. play with     D. work out
34.A. the moment   B. the first time   C. while           D. before
35. A. fishing net   B. office things    C. wooden chair    D. lab equipment
36. A. stood up     B. set out         C. showed up       D. turned out
37. A. fine         B. strange          C. terrible        D. funny
38. A. the student   B. the assistant   C. myself          D. himself
39. A. memory       B. wealth          C. experience      D. practice
40. A. which        B. who             C. what            D. whose


D
Tess still stood hesitating like a swimmer about to make his dive, hardly knowing whether to return or move forward, when a figure came out from the dark door of the tent. It was a tall young man, smoking.
He had an almost black face, though red and smooth. His moustache was black with curled points, though he could not be more than twenty-three or-four. There was all unusual force in his face, and in his daring rolling eyes.
“Well, my beauty, what can I do for you?” said he, coming forward. And seeing that she was quite at a loss: “Never mind me, I am Mr. d’Urbervilles. Have you come to see me or my mother”
This differed greatly from what Tess had expected. She had dreamed of an aged and dignified face. She tried to keep calm and answered-“I came to see your mother, sir.”
“I am afraid you cannot see her-she is ill in bed,” replied the representative of the house; for this was Mr. Alec, the only son of the noble family. “What is the business you wish to see her about?”
“It isn’t business-it is-I can hardly say what.”
“Pleasure”
“Oh no. Why, sir, if I tell you, it will seem…”
Tess’s sense of a certain ridicule was now so strong that despite her general discomfort at being here, her rosy lips curved(弯曲)towards a smile, much to the attraction of the young man.
“It is so foolish,” she stammered(结结巴巴地说); “I fear I can’t tell you”
“Never mind; I like foolish things. Try again, my dear,” said he kindly.
“Mother asked me to come,” Tess continued, “and, indeed, I was in the mind to do so myself.  But I did not think it would be like this. I came, sir, to tell you that we are of the same family as you.”
“Ho! Poor relations!”
“Yes.”
“Stokes”
“No; d’Urbervilles.”
“Ay, ay; I mean d’Urbervilles.”
“Our names are worn away to Durbeyfield; but we have several proofs that we are d’Urbervilles. The local scholars hold the view that we are, …and…and we have an old seal(印章)and a silver spoon marked with the same castle as yours. So mother said we ought to make ourselves known to you, as we’ve lost our horse by a bad accident; we can hardly make a living.”
“Very kind of your mother, I’m sure.” Alec looked at Tess as he spoke, in a way that made her uneasy. ”And so, my pretty girl, you’ve come on a friendly visit to us, as relations.”
“I suppose I have,” looking less confident and uncomfortable again.
“Well—there’s no harm in it. Where do you live? What are you?”
—Tess of the d’Urbervilles By Thomas Hardy
67. How does Tess feel in the whole course of the meeting with Alec?
A. Excited and hopeful                                 B. Nervous and uncomfortable
C. Surprised but comfortable                       D. Pleased but embarrassed
68. In the eyes of Tess, Alec is ________.
A. forceful and daring                                  B. unfriendly and talkative
C. a gentle and reliable man                       D. older than she had expected
69. Why does Tess pay the visit to the d’Urbervilles?
A. To see Alec himself.    
B. To see Alec’s mother.
C. To confirm that they are of the same family.
D. To make known their relationship and seek help.
70. Alec appears quite friendly to Tess mainly because ________.
A. Tess is his distant relation                      B. Tess looks polite to him
C. Tess is a pretty girl                     D. Tess looks ridiculous

Loch Ness, the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles, is twenty four miles long and, at one point, one mile wide. It has an average depth of four hundred and fifty feet and at times drops close to a thousand. It is cold and murky (混沌的), with dangerous currents. In short, it is the perfect place to hide a monster from even the sharpest eyes of science.
The Loch Ness Monster, also called Nessie, is supposedly living in this area. The earliest recorded sighting of the Loch Ness Monster was in the biography of Life of St. Columba by Adamnan in the year AD 565. The monster apparently attacked a man who was swimming in the River Ness.
The monster didn’t make headlines again until August 27, 1930, when 3 fishermen reported seeing a creature with 20 feet long approaching their boat, throwing water in the air. In 1933, after a new road was built along the edge of the Loch, the number of reports rose suddenly. Early in 1934, Author Grant, a young student, was out on his motorcycle one evening when he almost ran into the monster as it crossed the road. Grant’s description of the thing – small head, long thin neck and tail with a big body, seemed to match the appearance of the plesiosaur (蛇颈龙), an aquatic (水生的) type of dinosaur that has been extinct (已灭绝的) for 65 million years.
The Loch Ness Investigation Bureau was formed in 1962 to act as a research organization for information about the creature. Even now, efforts have continued to find the monster. A great deal of information was discovered about the Loch, but there isn’t any yet to produce any specific evidence of a monster.
Skeptics (怀疑论者) argue that the water in the Loch is too cold for a plesiosaur to live in. They also argue that an air-breathing animal, like a whale or seal, would spend much more time on the surface than the creature seems to, and would be spotted more often.
Some scientists have wondered if the sightings might be caused by an underwater wave which is known to sometimes occur in deep, long, and cold lakes, like Loch Ness. Such a wave might push debris (废弃物) to the surface that might look like a strange animal.
However, none of these is identified.
【小题1】According to the skeptics, which of the following is TRUE?

A.It is impossible for a monster to live in cold water.
B.The Loch Ness Monster often stays under the water.
C.The Loch Ness Monster is an air-breathing animal.
D.There is no so-called monster in Loch Ness.
【小题2】Which of the following is the correct order for the things that happened in the passage?
a. A young student met with a monster crossing the road.
b. A swimmer was attacked by a monster in Loch Ness.
c. A new road was built along the edge of the Loch.
d. The Loch Ness Investigation Bureau was set up.
e. Three fishermen saw a creature swimming towards their boat.
A.b, e, c, a, dB.a, b, e, d, c
C.b, d, a, c, eD.d, c, e, b, a
【小题3】What does this passage mainly talk about?
A.The natural scenery of Loch Ness.
B.The Nessie.
C.Skeptics’ opinions on Loch Ness Monster.
D.The Loch Ness Investigation Bureau’s research results.

A tall figure appeared from the dark door of the tent. It was a smoking young man about twenty three or four. He had an almost black face, though smooth. His moustache was black with curled points. There was an unusual force in his face, and in his daring rolling eyes. cef

  Rebecca still stood hesitating like a swimmer about to make his dive, hardly knowing whether to return or move forward.

         "Hi, my beauty, what can I do for you?" said he, approaching. Realizing that she was quite at a loss, the man spoke in a gentle voice, "Never mind. I am Mr. Thackeray. Have you come to see me or my mother?"

  This scene differed greatly from what Rebecca had expected. She had dreamed of an aged and dignified(威严的) face. She told herself to be calm and answered "I came to see your mother, sir."

  "I am afraid you cannot see her-she is ill in bed," replied the representative of the house; for this was Mr. Alee Thackeray, the only son of the noble family. "What is the business you wish to see her about?"

  "It isn't business-it is-I can hardly say what!"

  "Pleasure?"

  "Oh no. Why, sir, if I tell you, it will seem..."

  Rebecca's sense of a certain ridicule(奚落,讥笑) was now so obvious and strong that, despite her general discomfort at being here, her rosy lips curved(弯曲) towards a smile, much to the attraction of the young man.

  "It is so foolish", she murmured. "I fear I can't tell you!"

  "Never mind; I like foolish things. Try again, my dear," said he kindly.

  "Mother told me to come," Rebecca continued; "and, indeed, I was in the mind to do so myself. But I did not expect it would turn out like this. I came…sir, I came to tell you that we are of the same family as you."

  "Ho Ho! Poor relations?"

  "Yes."

  "Rossetti?"

  "No. Thackeray."

  "Ay, ay; I mean Thackeray."

  "Our names are worn away to Durbeyfield; but we have several proofs that we are Thackeray. The local scholars hold the view that we are, and...and we have an old seal and a silver spoon marked with the same castle as yours. So mother said we ought to make ourselves known to you, as we've lost our horse by a bad accident. We can hardly make a living."

    "It’s very kind of your mother, I'm sure." Alec looked at Rebecca as he spoke, in a way that made her uneasy. "And so, my pretty girl, you've come on a friendly visit to us, as relations?"

  "I suppose I have," looking less confident and uncomfortable again.

"Well, there's no harm in it. I mean it doesn’t hurt to come and make yourself known to me. Where do you live? What are you?" …

1.While meeting with Alec, Rebecca feels _______during the whole course.

A. nervous and uneasy

B. excited and hopeful

C. amazed and comfortable

D. pleased but embarrassed.

2.Which of the following is suitable to describe Rebecca’s impression of Alec?

A. unfriendly and ta lkative

B. forceful and daring

C. gentle and reliable

D. older than expected

3.What is Rebecca’s real purpose of making this visit?

A. To see Alec himself.

B. To see Alec's mother.

C. To confirm that they are of the same family.

D. To make known their relationship and seek help.

4.From the passage, we can conclude that Alec appears quite friendly to Rebecca largely because __________.

A. Rebecca is his distant relation

B. Rebecca looks polite to him

C. Rebecca is a pretty girl

D. Rebecca looks ridiculous

 

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