阅读理解 Pop music is the name for different forms of popular, commercial music. It had its beginning ——青夏教育精英家教网—

阅读理解

Pop music is the name for different forms of popular, commercial(商业) music. It had its beginning in
the USA and spread throughout the whole world during the 1950s and 1960s. It is widely liked by the young people. The best known early form of pop music was "rock' n' roll"; another was "blues". A more
recent development is "folk-rock". Pop music has taken the place of native music in many parts of the
world; it has caused the number of people for jazz to become much smaller than it was in the 1950s and
earlier, and it has now begun to rule musical stage productions. It's a big industry. Much pop music is
without artistic value, but the work of some pop singers, e.g. the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the groups like
Floyd and Crosby, Stills and Nash, is on a higher musical level. And there is still a great interest in it today. Pop music concerts and festivals are held all over the world.

1. All of the following forms belong to pop music EXCEPT _____.
A. blues
B. rock' n 'roll
C. jazz
D. folk-rock
2. According to the article, the number of people for jazz in the 1950s and earlier was _____ it is today.
A. much greater than
B. much smaller than
C. as great as
D. as small as
3. Which of the following is TRUE?
A. No pop music is on a high musical level.
B. Much pop music is very artistic.
C. Pop music is highly artistic.
D. Not all pop music is without artistic value.
4. "It is a big industry" means that _____.
A. it makes a lot of musical instruments (乐器)
B. it is a big musical and commercial business
C. the pop singers are very hard-working
D. pop music is on a very high musical level

阅读理解。

     Apple Inc co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, counted among the greatest American
CEOs of his generation, died on Wednesday at the age of 56, after a-year-long and highly
public battle with cancer. Jobs' death was announced by Apple in a statement late on
Wednesday. The Apple.com homepage featured a black-and-white picture of him with
the words "Steve Jobs, 1955-2011".
     A message on the site read, "Apple has lost an imaginary and creative genius, and the
world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to
know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring leader."
    "His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them
and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts."
     "Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever
be the foundation of Apple." The Silicon Valley hero who gave the world the iPod and the
iPhone had resigned as CEO of the world's largest technology corporation in August,
handing the position to current chief executive Tim Cook.
     Two years before the iPhone that forever transformed the way people around the
world access and use the Internet, Jobs talked about how a sense of his death was a
major driver behind that vision.
      "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever got to help
me make the big choices in life," Jobs said during a Stanford commencement ceremony
in 2005. "Because almost everything－all others' expectations, all pride, all fear of
embarrassment or failure－these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only
what is truly important."
     "Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of
thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to
follow your heart."

1. According to the passage, which statement of Steve Jobs is RIGHT?

A. Steve Jobs was the present CEO of Apple.
B. Steve Jobs was thought to have great talent.
C. Steve Jobs had no idea about his death before.
D. Steve Jobs fought against cancer for a year secretly.

2. What can we learn about iPhone from the passage?

A. People can use it to do anything they want.
B. It can teach people how to surf the Internet.
C. People can learn the spirit of Apple from it.
D. It can change the way people use the Internet.

3. In Jobs's speech in Stanford, we can learn that .

A. to make great achievements, you must lose everything
B. people should try to achieve everything regardless of death
C. people who will be dead soon must make big choices in life
D. in the face of death, nothing is truly important except to follow your dream

4. What's the main idea of the passage?

A. Steve Jobs changed the world.
B. Steve Jobs died on Wednesday.
C. Who will be the next Steve Jobs?
D. Steve Jobs, the greatest American CEO.

阅读理解。

     It came as something of a surprise when Diana, Princess of Wales, made a trip to Angola in 1997,
to support the Red Cross campaign for a total ban on all anti-personnel landmines. Within hours of arriving in Angola, television screens around the world were filled with images of her comforting victims injured
in explosions caused by landmines. “I knew the statistics,” she said. “But putting a face to those figures
brought the reality home to me; like when I met Sandra, a 13- year-old girl who had lost her leg, and
people like her.”
     The Princess concluded with a simple message: “We must stop landmines”. And she used every
opportunity during her visit to repeat this message.
     But, back in London, her views were not shared by some members of the British government, which
refused to support a ban on these weapons. Angry politicians launched an attack on the Princess in the
press. They described her as “very ill-informed” and a “loose cannon”. (乱放炮的人)
     The Princess responded by brushing aside the criticisms: “This is a distraction (干扰) we do not need. All I’m trying to do is help.”
     Opposition parties, the media and the public immediately voiced their support for the Princess. To
make matters worse for the government, it soon emerged that the Princess’s trip had been approved by
the Foreign Office, and that she was in fact very well-informed about both the situation in Angola and the
British government’s policy regarding landmines. The result was a severe embarrassment for the
government.
     To try and limit the damage, the Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkidnd, claimed that the Princess’s
views on landmines were not very different from government policy, and that it was “working towards" a
worldwide ban. The Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo, claimed the matter was “a misinterpretation or
misunderstanding.”
     For the Princess, the trip to this war-torn country was an excellent opportunity to use her popularity
to show the world how much destruction and suffering landmines can cause. She said that the experience
had also given her the chance to get closer to people and their problems.
1. Princess Diana paid a visit to Angola in 1997_____.
A. to clarify the British governments stand on landmines
B. to establish her image as a friend of landmine victims
C. to investigate the sufferings of landmine victims there
D. to voice her support for a total ban of landmines
2. Some members of the British government criticized Diana because _____.
A. she had not consulted the government before the visit
B. she was ill-informed of the governments policy
C. they were actually opposed to banning landmines
D. they believed that she had misinterpreted the situation in Angola
3. How did Diana respond to the criticisms?
A. She paid no attention to them
B. She made more appearances on TV.
C. She met the 13-year-old girl as planned
D. She rose to argue with her opponents
4. What did Princess Diana think of her visit to Angola?
A. It had caused embarrassment to the British government.
B. It had greatly promoted her popularity.
C. It had brought her closer to the ordinary people.
D. It had affected her relations with the British government.

阅读理解
     The literal meaning of philosophy is "love of wisdom". But this meaning does not tell us very much.
Unlike the other disciplines,_philosophy cannot be defined by what you study, because it is actually
unlimited.Anything can be the subject matter of philosophy: history, law, language, literature, mathematics, and in fact, the other academic disciplines are directly related to philosophy.For this reason you get a
Doctorate (博士学位) of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in biochemistry, or computer science, or psychology.
     Two broad subfields of philosophy are logic and the history of philosophy.Logic is the science of
argument and critical thinking.It provides sound methods for distinguishing good from bad reasoning.The
history of philosophy involves the study of major philosophers and periods in the development of
philosophy.
     Of what use is philosophy? First it is useful in educational advancement.It is necessary for understanding other disciplines.Only philosophy questions the nature of the concepts used in a discipline, and its relation
to other disciplines.And through the study of philosophy, one develops sound methods of research and
analysis that can be applied to any field.
     There are a number of general uses of philosophy.It strengthens one's ability to solve problems, to
communicate, to organize ideas and issues, to persuade, and to take what is the most important from a
large quantity of data.These general uses are of great benefit in the career field, not necessarily for
obtaining one's first job after graduation, but for preparing for positions of responsibility, management and
leadership later on.It is very shortsighted after all, to take a course of studies only for the purpose of
getting one's first job.The useful skills developed through the study of philosophy have significant
longterm benefits in career advancement.No other discipline systematically follows the ideals of wisdom,
leadership, and capacity to resolve human conflict.
1. According to Paragraph 1, philosophy can best be described as the study of ________.
A. social sciences
B. natural sciences
C. both social and natural sciences
D. the subject matter of politics
2. What does the underlined word "discipline" mean in the first paragraph?
A. Subject.
B. Science.
C. Literature.
D. Occupation.
3. With the study of philosophy, you can ________.
A. become a great leader
B. succeed in everything
C. find a good job soon after graduation
D. make progress in your career development
4. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Philosophy is an independent discipline.
B. Logic helps you to become a better thinker.
C. The study of philosophy brings you immediate benefits.
D. The meaning of philosophy is too limited to define.
5. From the passage, we can conclude ________.
A. not all the subjects have to do with philosophy
B. a person will get a Ph.D.if he/she studies philosophy
C. philosophy can be helpful for the study of any other subjects
D. philosophy is the only solution to all the problems in the world

阅读理解。

     There were red faces at one of Britain's biggest banks recently. They had accepted a telephone
order to buy ￡100,000 worth of shares(股票) from a fifteen-year-old schoolboy (they thought he
was twenty-one). The shares fell in value and the schoolboy was unable to pay up. The bank lost
￡ 20,000 on the deal which it cannot get back because, for one thing, this young speculator(投机者)
does not have the money and, for another, being under eighteen, he is not legally liable for his debts.
If the shares had risen in value by the same amount that they fell, he would have pocketed  ￡ 20,000
profit. Not bad for a fifteen-year-old. It certainly is better than delivering the morning newspaper. In
another recent case, a boy of fourteen found, in his grandmother's house, a suitcase full of foreign
banknotes. The clean, crisp, banknotes looked very convincing but they were now not used in their
country of origin or anywhere else. This young boy headed straight to the nearest bank with his
pockets filled with notes. The cashiers did not realise that the country in question had reduced the
value of its currency by 90%. They exchanged the notes the notes at their face value at the current
exchange rate. In three days, before he was found out, he took  ￡ 200,000 from nine different banks.
Amazingly, he had already spent more than half of this on taxi-rides, restaurant meals, concert tickets
and presents for his many new girlfriends (at least he was generous!) before the police caught up with
him. Because he is also under eighteen the banks have kissed goodbye to a lot of money, and several
cashiers(出纳员) have lost their jobs.
     Should we admire these youngsters for being enterprising(有创业精神的) and showing initiative
(主动精神) or condemn them for their dishonesty? Maybe they had managed for years with tiny
amounts of pocket money that they got from tight-fisted parents. Maybe they had done Saturday jobs
for peanuts. It is hardly surprising, given the expensive things that young people want to buy, such as
fashionable running shoes and computer games, if they sometimes think up more imaginative ways of
making money than delivering newspapers and baby-sitting. These lads saw the chance to make a lot
of money and took it.
     Another recent story which should give us food for thought is the case of the man who paid his
six-year-old daughter ￡ 300 a week pocket money. He then charged her for the food she ate and for
her share of the rent and household bills. After paying for all this, she was left with a few coins for her
piggy bank. "She will soon learn the value of money," he said. "There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Everything has to be paid for and the sooner she learns that the better." At the other extreme there are
fond parents who provide free bed and board for their grown-up children. While even the most
hard-hearted parents might hesitate to throw their children out on the streets, we all know people in
their late twenties who still shamelessly live off their parents. Surely there comes a time when everyone
has to leave the parental nest, look after themselves and pay their own way in life. But when is it?

1. One of Britain's biggest banks recently _________.

A. received a telephone order to buy shares for a twenty-one year old
B. lost a lot of money because the shares they bought fell in value
C. bought quite a lot of shares for a customer and caused him to lose money
D. lost money as its young customer did not have the money to pay his debts

2. According to the passage, the young customer would have _________.

A. earned ￡20,000, if the shares had gone up in value by the same amount they fell
B. paid his debts, if he had had the money to do so
C. continued to cheat banks, if he had not been found out
D. to go to prison, if he did not pay the money back

3. The writer's attitude to the example of the two boys who cheated the banks is ______.

A. positive
B. questioning
C. neutral
D. negative

4. The reason why the man paid his daughter ￡ 300 a week pocket money and then required her to pay
for her living expenses was that he wanted her to learn _________.

A. to bear the hardships of life
B. how to live comfortably on her own pocket money
C. the value of money
D. how to save money

5. It can be concluded from the article that the writer believes that _______.

A. parents should give more pocket money to their children
B. children should leave the parental nest as soon as possible
C. grown-up children should support themselves
D. children should learn to be economical

阅读理解。

     You might say that one reason Barack Obama is the President of the US is because he knows how to
give a good speech. In 2004, when Massachusetts Senator(参议员) John Kerry was the Democratic
Party’s nominee（被提名者） for the presidency, a little-known senator from Illinois gave the keynote
speech at the Democratic National Convention. That senator was Obama. It was a remarkable speech -- poetic, and inspiring. The people who heard it would remember it for a long time.
     Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. These are usually praised for
two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent adults, and he is able to express complicated ideas in
an easy, natural way. Before becoming president, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a
successful writer -- his two memoirs(回忆录) have become best-sellers. The skills he needed to succeed
in his previous jobs have also contributed to his success as a speechmaker.
     Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for
hours about what he wants to say. They listen to recordings of past presidential addresses and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits and rewrites the drafts several times.
     Obama’s tricks for a lighthearted speech that stays on message:
     Make fun of the guests. Obama starts his speech by gently teasing his guests. His opening lines grab the audience’s attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other.
     Make fun of yourself. A good rule for speechmakers: If you’re going to make a joke about someone
else, be sure to make one about yourself, too. Obama mocks his own poor choices for filling the position
of Commerce Secretary, saying, "No President in history has ever named three Commerce Secretaries this quickly.”
1. Obama made the poetic and inspiring speech in 2004 as________.
A. president
B. a nominee for the presidency
C. a senator
D. a secretary
2. What’s the meaning of the underlined word in paragraph 2?
A. Difficult to understand.
B. Easy to understand.
C. Different from others
D. Interesting to say.
3. According to the passage, we know that before becoming president, _________.
A. Obama was once a lawyer, a doctor and a college professor.
B. Obama was a successful writer.
C. Obama’s three memoirs have become best-sellers.
D. Obama’s former jobs have nothing to do with his speech.
4. According to paragraph 3, we know that _________.
A. Obama writes his speech himself.
B. the writers chat with Obama only for minutes before writing.
C. the writers never listen to recordings of past presidential speeches.
D. Obama is serious with his speech.
5. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Secret of Obama’s successful speeches.
B. Obama’s successful speeches.
C. Obama’s way of making speeches.
D. Problems of Obama’s speeches.

阅读理解。

     Language is a major problem for the European Union(EU)．The agreement or treaty(条约) which
created the organization that finally became the EU,the Treaty of Rome,stated that each country's
language must be treated equally.The original(原来的) six countries had only three languages between
them:French,German and Dutch/Flemish.However.there are now 15 countries in the EU,with a total
of 12 languages.EU documents must be translated into all these languages,and at official meetings the
speeches must be translated into all the languages by interpreters.
     All this translating is very expensive and timeconsuming(费时的)．It is said that nearly half of all
employess of the EU are engaged in translating documents and speeches,and nearly half of the EU's
administrative(管理方面) costs are spent on this task.In the near future it is probable that several
more countries,most of them having their own languages,will join the EU,thus making the situation
even worse.
     The problem is not just cost；there are practical difficulties as well.With 12 languages,there are
132 possible "translation situations" that might be needed.It is often difficult to find people in the right
place at the right time who can translate from(for example) Danish into Greek,or Dutch into Portuguese,
at a high professional(专业) standard.
     In practice the problem has been made less serious by the use of English in many contacts(接触)
between EU officials,since almost all of them speak some English.However,any move to reduce the
number of official languages (perhaps to four or five) would be a blow to the pride of the smaller
countries.Another commonly suggested solution is to make English the official language for all EU
business.However,this is strongly resisted by powerful member countries like France and Germany.

1.The organization that finally became the EU________.

A．was started by France and Germany
B．started with three countries
C．was set up by the Treaty of Rome
D．included 132 languages

2．What's the main purpose of this passage?

A．To give a solution to a problem.
B．To find out a problem and show how serious it is.
C．To criticize the European Union for inefficiency(低效率)．
D．To show that the problem cannot be solved.

3．According to the writer,the use of English in contacts among EU officials has________.

A．angered the officials who don't speak English
B．reduced the number of official languages
C．lessened the effect of the problem
D．been opposed by powerful member countries

4．The writer mentions "Danish into Greek" as an example of________.

A．a situation that might be difficult to deal with
B．a situation that occurs often
C．one of the 12 situations that requires an interpreter
D．languages easily being interpreted

阅读理解。

Dear editor,
     I am writing to ask what has happened to our young people. They are not as polite or hard-working as
my generation (一代人). I will give you two examples.
     Last Friday, I got on the underground at 9:15 a.m. It was very crowded so there was no free seat. There
were some boys sitting on the seats near me. I didn't know why they were not at school. They were talking
and laughing loudly. It was difficult for me to read my newspaper with all the noise. At the next stop, a
pregnant (怀孕的) woman and her daughter got on with lots of shopping bags. I expected the boys to let them
sit down. They saw the woman but they did nothing. I had to ask them to give the woman and her daughter
seats. They did so but gave me a rude look.
     Last Saturday, I had dinner with my friend's family. I was glad to see his children, who I hadn't seen for
ten years. During the dinner, I started talking about world politics with the children. It soon became clear that
they didn't know much about it. They couldn't tell me the name of the King of Spain or President of Italy. All
they knew about was the Internet or which singers were the most beautiful. In my days, students knew the
kings, the queens and the presidents of every country in Europe.
    I worry about the future of Germany. How could these young people become good workers and parents?
They sit around Mcdonald's after school instead of going to the library as I did at their age. Maybe they have
too much money. Perhaps some readers can give us some ideas about what to do with this "lost generation".
                                                                                                                                  Yours sincerely,
                                                                                                                                   Frantz Vogts