Robert Todd Duncan was born in 1903 in the southern city of Danville,Kentucky．His mother was his first music teacher．As a young man,he continued his music study in Indianapolis,Indiana．
In 1930，he completed more musical education at Columbia University in New York City．Then he moved to Washington．For fifteen years, he taught music at Howard University in Washington．At that time, not many black musicians were known for writing or performing classical music．Teaching at Howard gave Duncan the chance to share his knowledge of classical European music with a mainly black student population．He taught special ways to present the music．These special ways became known as the Duncan Technique．
Besides teaching，Duncan sang in several operas with performers who were all black．But it seemed that he always would be known mainly as a concert artist．However，his life took a different turn in the middle 1930s．At that time, the famous American music writer George Gershwin was looking for someone to play a leading part in his new work Porgy and Bess．The music critic(评论家)of the New York Times newspaper suggested Todd Duncan．Duncan had almost decided not to try for the part as he knew it would not be easy to get it．But he changed his mind．He sang a piece from an Italian opera for Gershwin．He had sung only a few minutes when Gershwin offered him the part．He became famous because of the part in Porgy and Bess．
Todd Duncan gained fame as an opera singer and concert artist．But his greatest love in music was teaching．When he stopped teaching at Howard，he continued giving singing lessons in his Washington home until the week before his death．
(1)
What is this passage mainly about?
[ ]
A．
What Robert Todd Duncan loved most．
B．
How Robert Todd Duncan became famous．
C．
Robert Todd Duncan and his works of music．
D．
A brief introduction to Robert Todd Duncan．
(2)
According to Paragraph 2, while teaching at Howard University, Duncan _________．
[ ]
A．
discovered special new ways to write music
B．
opened doors for other black classical singers
C．
had the chance to know many famous black musicians
D．
became known for writing and performing classical music
(3)
What happened to Duncan in the middle 1930s?
[ ]
A．
He gave up teaching at Howard University．
B．
He was introduced by the New York Times in detail．
C．
He was asked to be in charge of the opera Porgy and Bess．
D．
He was given a big opportunity to become an opera singer．
(4)
We can infer that Robert Todd Duncan didn’t at first want to try for the part mainly because _________．
[ ]
A．
he was too busy to do it
B．
he was not interested in it
C．
he was not confident enough
D．
he didn’t want to become famous
(5)
Based on the passage, what did Robert Todd Duncan love most?
[ ]
A．
Singing in concerts．
B．
Writing music．
C．
Singing opera．
D．
Teaching music．
阅读理解
No poem should ever be discussed or "analyzed", until it has been read aloud by someone, teacher or student．Better still, perhaps, is the practice of reading it twice, once at the beginning of the discussion and once at the end, so the sound of the poem is the final thing one hears of it．
All discussions of poetry are, in fact, preparations for reading it aloud, and the reading of the poem is, finally, the most telling "interpretation" of it, suggesting tone, rhythm, and meaning all at once．Hearing a poet read the work in his or her own voice, on records or on film, is obviously a special reward．But even those aids to teaching can not replace the student and teacher reading it or, best of all, reciting it．
I have come to think, in fact, that time spent reading a poem aloud is much more important than "analyzing" it, if there isn't time for both．I think one of our goals as teachers of English is to have students love poetry．Poetry is "a criticism of life", and "a heightening(提升)of life"．It is "an approach to the truth of feeling", and it "can save your life"．It also deserves a place in the teaching of language and literature more central than it presently occupies．
I am not saying that every English teacher must teach poetry．Those who don't like it should not be forced to put that dislike on anyone else．But those who do teach poetry must keep in mind a few things about its essential nature, about its sound as well as its sense, and they must make room in the classroom for hearing poetry as well as thinking about it．
(1)
To have a better understanding of a poem, one should _________．
[ ]
A．
discuss it with others
B．
analyze it by oneself
C．
copy it down in a notebook
D．
practise reading it aloud
(2)
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a function of poetry?
[ ]
A．
Saving you when your life is at risk
B．
Criticizing life
C．
Expressing one’s true feelings
D．
Heightening life
(3)
According to the writer, one of the purposes of teaching English is to get students _________．
[ ]
A．
to understand life
B．
to enjoy poetry
C．
to become teachers
D．
to become poets
(4)
What does the last sentence in the third paragraph imply?
[ ]
A．
More stress should be laid on the teaching of poetry．
B．
The teaching of poetry is more important than any other subject
C．
One cannot enjoy life fully without an understanding of poetry．
D．
Poetry is the foundation of all language and literature courses．
(5)
The phrase “make room” in the last paragraph could be best replaced by _________．
[ ]
A．
build a booth
B．
provide equipment
C．
leave a certain amount of time
D．
set aside enough space
阅读理解
Maybe you have known that pearls grow inside oysters(牡蛎), but would you ever think to look for diamonds(钻石)inside an ostrich(鸵鸟)? Well, a hunter once shot an ostrich and discovered, to his great surprise, that the big bird had swallowed(吞)some diamonds．How could such a strange thing happen?
Like many other birds, the ostrich swallows small stones that stay inside its “gizzard”．The gizzard is a bird’s second stomach．The small stones help to digest(消化)what they eat, because birds don’t have teeth．The bird simply had expensive taste in rocks, for it used the diamonds to digest its dinner．
Diamonds and stones aren’t all that an ostrich will swallow．If there are no stones around, it will eat just anything．Sadly for ostriches in zoos, this can be a fatal habit．To swallow anything it sees has caused the death of many吸收ostriches．Cruel or careless people often throw things into the bird’s living space．They throw keys, coins, and even large objects．The ostrich swallows them without hesitation(犹豫)．Coins can be the worst．Inside the ostrich, they will cut open the bird’s gizzard from the inside．When one young zoo ostrich died, 484 coins weighing more than eight pounds were found in its gizzard．
(1)
According to the passage, what is the function of “gizzard”?
[ ]
A．
It can help an ostrich to store water．
B．
It can help an ostrich to store food．
C．
It can help an ostrich to find food．
D．
It can help an ostrich to digest food．
(2)
What does the underlined part mean in Paragraph 2?
[ ]
A．
The diamonds were expensive food for the ostrich．
B．
The ostrich preferred the taste of the diamonds．
C．
The ostrich liked to use the diamonds to digest food．
D．
The ostrich just took the diamonds for ordinary stones．
(3)
What may lead to the death of the ostrich?
[ ]
A．
Rocks．
B．
Coins．
C．
Diamonds．
D．
Small stones．
(4)
The last paragraph is mainly to _________．
[ ]
A．
introduce an interesting habit of the ostrich
B．
give a brief introduction of a kind of bird
C．
call on the public to care more about the food given to the ostrich in the zoo
D．
inform the readers of the eating habit of the ostrich
(5)
The underlined word “fatal” has a similar meaning to “_________”．
[ ]
A．
kind
B．
good
C．
deadly(致命的)
D．
hateful
阅读理解
Today, the paintings by Vincent van Gogh(梵高)are world-famous and worth millions of dollars but while he was alive, Vincent van Gogh sold only one painting．He was a lonely, unhappy man suffering from mental illness, and he died at 37．
Vincent van Gogh was born in Holland in 1853．His first connection with paintings came in 1869, when he got a job in the Goupil Gallery．He worked for this art dealer(经销商)in London and Paris for four years before he became a teacher in England for a short time．He moved back to France in 1877 and soon began to paint．
Gogh was influenced by the famous artists that he met in Paris, where he returned to live in 1886．He did not stay long in the French capital．He was attracted by the vivid(鲜艳的)colors of the countryside and, in 1888, he moved to Aries, a small town in the south of France．There, he painted his most famous paintings, using strong brush strokes(画笔的笔触)and bright colors．Vincent van Gogh mainly painted landscapes(风景画), but he also produced portraits(肖像)of local people, such as the doctor and the postman．
It was around this time that Vincent van Gogh began to show signs of mental illness．In 1889, following an argument with another artist, he cut off his own ear．For a time, he lived in a mental hospital in Saint Remy．In 1890, Vincent van Gogh moved to a town called Auvers．For two months, he painted feverishly(狂热地)．Then, one day, he went into the fields with a revolver(左轮手枪)and shot himself．He died from his wounds the next day．
(1)
Living in Paris helped Vincent van Gogh to be a better artist because ．
[ ]
A．
he began to make money there
B．
he met some famous artists there
C．
he got well again after being ill
D．
he found many beautiful scenes there
(2)
What’s the right order of the following events?
a．Vincent van Gogh moved to a town called Auvers．
b．Vincent van Gogh met some famous artists in Paris．
c．Vincent van Gogh cut off his own ear．
d．Vincent van Gogh got a job in Goupil Gallery．
[ ]
A．
d b c a
B．
d b a c
C．
a c d b
D．
d a c b
(3)
Which of the following is TRUE about Vincent van Gogh?
[ ]
A．
He liked to paint using bright colors．
B．
He never painted people．
C．
He was quite rich because his paintings were valuable．
D．
He began painting in his early childhood．
(4)
What’s the main reason for Vincent van Gogh’s death?
[ ]
A．
No one bought his paintings．
B．
He used up all his inspiration．
C．
He had mental illness．
D．
He died by accident．
(5)
This passage is mainly about ________．
[ ]
A．
Vincent van Gogh’s paintings
B．
Vincent van Gogh’s death
C．
Vincent van Gogh’s illness
D．
Vincent van Gogh’s life
阅读理解
Believe it or not, if you do not use your arms or your legs for a long time, they become weak．When you start using them again, they slowly become strong again．Everybody knows that．Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way．
When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it．When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong．
If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his fault．But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame, and few of us know that it is just his own fault．
Have you ever found that some people can't read or write but they have better memories? This is because they cannot read or write and they have to remember things; they cannot write them down in a little notebook．They have to remember days, names, songs and stories; so their memory is the whole time being exercised．
(1)
The main reason for one's poor memory is that _________．
[ ]
A．
his memory is not often used
B．
he does not use his arms or legs for some time
C．
he can't read or write
D．
his father or mother may have a poor memory
(2)
If you do not use your arms or legs for some time, _________．
[ ]
A．
you can't use them any more
B．
they will become stronger
C．
they will become weak but they slowly become strong again
D．
they will become weak and won't become strong until you use them again
(3)
Which of the following is NOT true?
[ ]
A．
Your memory like your arms or legs, becomes weak if you do not give it enough chance for practice．
B．
Don't learn how to read and write if you want to have a better memory．
C．
A good memory comes from more practice．
D．
Your memory works in the same way as your arms or legs．
(4)
Some people can't read or write, but they usually have better memories, because _________．
[ ]
A．
they have saved much trouble
B．
they have saved much time to remember things
C．
they can't write everything in a little notebook
D．
they have to use their memories all the time
(5)
Give the best title for this passage．
[ ]
A．
Don't Stop Using Your Arms or Legs
B．
Strong Arms and Good Memories
C．
How to Have a Good Memory
D．
Learn From the People
阅读理解
An Englishman, a Frenchman and a Russian were discussing happiness．"Happiness," said the Englishman, "Happiness is when you return home tired after work, yet find your slippers(拖鞋)warming by the fire．"
"You English have no romance," said the Frenchman．"Happiness is when you go on a business trip, meet a pretty girl who entertains(招待)you －then afterwards you part(分手)without regrets．"
"You are both wrong," said the Russian．"True happiness is when you are at home in bed and at 4∶00 a. m., you hear a hammering at the door and outside stand the secret police, who say to you, 'Ivan ,Ivan, you are under arrest(逮捕)', and you say, 'Sorry, Ivan lives next door．'"
(1)
The Englishman's happiness suggests that _________．
[ ]
A．
he should have no time to warm his slippers
B．
he thinks it the most important to have slippers
C．
he enjoys the warmth of the family
D．
he wants someone to warm his slippers
(2)
What the Frenchman said means that _________．
[ ]
A．
a man can be free to play with any pretty girl when possible
B．
he wants to marry a girl he loves
C．
the Englishman should have more romance
D．
he is interested in going on a business trip
(3)
The Russian thought that _________．
[ ]
A．
both the Englishman and the Frenchman were not right
B．
neither the Englishman nor Frenchman were wrong
C．
neither the Englishman nor the Frenchman were right
D．
either the Englishman or the Frenchman were wrong
(4)
The meaning of the Russian's words is that _________．
[ ]
A．
he would like to have a good sleep at night
B．
he will feel happy if his neighbor is arrested
C．
he will feel afraid if anyone knocks at his door at night
D．
he thinks it happiness to feel safe
(5)
The best title for this story is "_________"．
[ ]
A．
How to Get Happiness
B．
Different Attitudes towards Happiness
C．
The Effect of Happiness
D．
The Importance of Happiness
阅读理解
Can you believe that satellites are helping to forecast(预报)the weather now? Being in space, they can reach any part of the world．The satellites take pictures of the atmosphere(大气), because this is where the weather forms．They send these pictures to the weather stations, so meteorologists(气象学家)can see the weather of any part of the world．From the pictures, the scientists can often say how the weather will change．
Today, nearly five hundred weather stations in sixty countries receive satellite pictures．When they receive new pictures, the meteorologists compare them with earlier ones．Perhaps they may find that the clouds have changed during the last few hours．This may mean that the weather on the ground may soon change, too．In their next weather forecast, the meteorologists can say this．
So the weather satellites are a great help to the meteorologists．Before satellites were invented, the scientists could forecast the weather for about 24 or 48 hours．Now they can make good forecasts for three or five days．Soon, they may be able to forecast the weather for a week or more ahead．
(1)
Satellites travel ________．
[ ]
A．
in space
B．
in the atmosphere
C．
above the ground
D．
above space
(2)
Why do we use the weather satellites to take pictures of the atmosphere? Because ________．
[ ]
A．
the weather satellites can do it easily
B．
clouds form there
C．
the weather forms there
D．
the pictures can forecast the weather
(3)
Meteorologists forecast the weather ________．
[ ]
A．
when they have received satellite pictures
B．
after they have compared new satellite pictures with earlier ones
C．
before they received satellite pictures
D．
during they study satellite pictures
(4)
Maybe we’ll soon be able to forecast the weather for ________．
[ ]
A．
one day
B．
two days
C．
five days
D．
seven days or even longer
(5)
The main idea of this passage is that satellites are now used in ________．
[ ]
A．
taking pictures of the atmosphere
B．
receiving pictures of the atmosphere
C．
doing other work in many ways
D．
weather forecasting
阅读理解
Do you like singing? Nowadays we often heard of people talking about Karaoke．But what on earth it is about，still remains a question for many people．
Karaoke is a sort of acoustic equipment which was invented in Japan around the middle of the 1970's．It means "a band without people" in Japanese．In fact, it is just a music tape without words．This equipment first appeared in some public houses and snack bars, and mainly for the customers to enjoy themselves．Most of the music in Karaoke was popular music．Therefore, at times, when anyone felt like it, he might sing songs to the accompaniment(伴奏)of the music that came from the equipment．
Shortly after its invention, Karaoke was spread to the whole world．It was introduced to China and was welcomed by many people．Although you are not a good singer, or even sometimes you may sing out of tune, you can always enjoy yourself by singing Karaoke．
(1)
In this passage “band” means “group of persons ________．”
[ ]
A．
who play music together
B．
who play games on the sports ground
C．
living in the same neighborhood
D．
doing things together under a leader and with a common purpose
(2)
Karaoke is just a ________．
[ ]
A．
band from Japan
B．
cassette tape recorder
C．
cassette tape with only music
D．
voice recording equipment
(3)
People went to public houses and snack bars ________ when Karaoke appeared．
[ ]
A．
to have a good time
B．
to have something to drink
C．
to get something to eat
D．
to buy the equipment
(4)
Karaoke was spread to the whole world ________．
[ ]
A．
as soon as it was invented
B．
long before
C．
not long after it was invented
D．
before long
(5)
The main idea of this passage is ________．
[ ]
A．
all persons like to play Karaoke
B．
to introduce Karaoke to the people
C．
Karaoke is wonderful equipment
D．
Karaoke is used everywhere including snack bars
We must do what we can to protect the plants because plants are very
important for living things. Life could not go on if there were no plants. This
is because plants can make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals and man
cannot make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals get their food by eating
plants and other animals. Therefore animals and man need plants in order to
live. This is why we find that there are so many plants around us.
If you look carefully at the plants around you, you will find that there are two
kinds of plants: flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Flowering plants can
make seeds. The seeds are protected by the fruits. Some fruits have one seed,
some have two, three or four, and some have many seeds. But a few fruits have no
seeds at all. An example of a fruit without seeds is the banana fruit. Most
non-flowering plants do not grow from seeds. They grow from spores（胚芽）. Spores
are very small. Some spores are so small and light that they can float in the
air. We may say that spores are quite the same as seeds. When these spores are
all on wet and shady places, they usually grow into new plants.
(1)
1. Plants can make food from______.
[ ]
A．
flower, water and air
B．
water, sunlight and air
C．
C. air, water and soil
D．
air, sun and light
(2)
The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______.
[ ]
A．
plants are important for life
B．
plants cannot grow without air
C．
there are many plants in the world
D．
we can not live without water
(3)
What can we infer(推断)from the passage?
[ ]
A．
Of all living things animals are most important
B．
Spores are seeds
C．
All fruits of flowering plants have seeds
D．
Without plants, man will die out
(4)
This passage may be taken from ________．
[ ]
A．
a medicine book
B．
a novel
C．
a science magazine
D．
an experiment report
(5)
The underlined word “protected” in the passage can be replaced by ________．
[ ]
A．
damaged
B．
polluted
C．
prevented
D．
guarded
阅读理解
When I told you the news, I was very sad．Please read the following：
Guangzhou(Xinhua)－12 people were killed and 20 injured early yesterday morning when they jumped from a burning train car into the path of an oncoming(即将到来的)goods train in Southern China．When No．247 Wuchang－Guangzhou passenger train was passing the Dayaoshan Tunnel in Guangdong Province, South China at 00∶17 hours yesterday, a fire caused by passengers' smoking broke out on No．17 car．They wanted to extinguish fire．When the train stopped, some frightened passengers jumped from windows．As a result, 12 passengers were crushed to death and 20 others were injured by a northward passing goods train-No．1766．