A group of teenagers: they laugh and talk over each other, dance and make faces — you wouldn’t believe they had just played on the same stage as famous American singers Kid Cudi and Eminem.
These seven kids, all under the age of 20, are members of the band Kids These Days (KTD).
Fresh out of high school, the band already has done things that most teens couldn’t even imagine. They played at festivals including the recent SXSW in Austin and Lollapalooza in their hometown, Chicago, to crowds of loyal fans.
KTD uses a mix of hip-hop, jazz, blues and classic rock to make a sound of their own.
“KTD simply mixes most, if not all of my favourite music styles,” said Kamia Jones, as Chicago high school student.“I like that they aren’t afraid to be different and that their music is real and speaks to the soul.”
The band formed two years ago. Now, as well as local fans, they are becoming popular around the world. Their facebook page is filled with supportive posts from admirers from California to Tokyo.
“It’s really strange to me that people from London, Australia and Russia... They have heard
of us and they like our music because it’s really cool feeling,” says Marcie Stewart, who plays keyboard for the band.
Despite their recent fame, KTD is a group of normal teenagers and they remain very close to one another. While talking to the reporters, they dance and make fun of each other.
When asked what advice they would give to other teen musicians, Greg Landfair, KTD’s drummer, said, “Keep your heart in it. Never lose the music and what you are doing, because that’s what you’re here for. Let the music always be first.”
【小题1】KTD’s music is popular among teenagers mainly because ________.

It was the second day of the three-day Golden Beach Music Festival on Huangdao Peninsula, west of Qingdao, one of China's most renowned coastal tourist cities. Lines of orange beach umbrellas stood out along the coastline against the big blue sea and sunny sky. Brightly colored tents dotted Golden Beach, which is said to be the best beach in China with the longest stretch of untainted silver sand.
With one hour to go before the start of the show on September 13, Liu Siyuan, one of the festival's chief promoters, was sitting alone at the sound-mixing station with his head buried in a box lunch. His cellphone, which was close at hand, kept ringing from time to time and Liu picked it up to answer all kinds of questions and give orders on everything from booking train tickets to disposing of trash.. “I'm so busy these days, since I have to arrange everything for the festival. How would I know how to deal with the garbage on the beach?” he said.
But that didn't matter a bit to festival goers. On the first day, more than 1,000 music fans, local residents and tourists gathered at Golden Beach to enjoy dynamic music mixed with local beer, sea breeze and sunshine.
“This is the most unforgettable music festival I've ever attended,” said Mu Er, a music fan and magazine editor who came all the way from Shanghai especially for the beach festival. Mu has been to many other domestic music festivals, including those held on grassland and in city parks.
“Nothing can compare to the beach music experience, which is so extraordinary, relaxing and so much fun,” she said, while wandering around a market where vendors sold postcards, CDs, hats, masks, rock-themed T-shirts and other small handmade products.
Festival goers turned the beach into a giant playground—playing football, swimming, riding motorcycles, flying kites, or just simply sitting on the beach and drinking beer. "(The beach is) damn awesome!" said Joe, a musician from Wales who plays bass with a local five-piece rock band called The Dama Llamas, as he was about to go on stage.
60. Mu Er, a music fan and magazine editor, came to Golden Beach            
A. to see the best beach                  B. to be on holiday
C. to play his own music                D. to attend the music festival
61. Mu Er felt the most interested in        
A. buying postcards                   B. wandering around
C. experiencing the beach music         D. selling hats and T-shirts
62. It can be inferred that festival goers         
A. have a lot of fun on the beach       B. have built a giant playground
C. play football every day             D. sit and drink free beer every day

It was the second day of the three-day Golden Beach Music Festival on Huangdao Peninsula, west of Qingdao, one of China's most renowned coastal tourist cities. Lines of orange beach umbrellas stood out along the coastline against the big blue sea and sunny sky. Brightly colored tents dotted Golden Beach, which is said to be the best beach in China with the longest stretch of untainted silver sand.

With one hour to go before the start of the show on September 13, Liu Siyuan, one of the festival's chief promoters, was sitting alone at the sound-mixing station with his head buried in a box lunch. His cellphone, which was close at hand, kept ringing from time to time and Liu picked it up to answer all kinds of questions and give orders on everything from booking train tickets to disposing of trash.. “I'm so busy these days, since I have to arrange everything for the festival. How would I know how to deal with the garbage on the beach?” he said.

But that didn't matter a bit to festival goers. On the first day, more than 1,000 music fans, local residents and tourists gathered at Golden Beach to enjoy dynamic music mixed with local beer, sea breeze and sunshine.

“This is the most unforgettable music festival I've ever attended,” said Mu Er, a music fan and magazine editor who came all the way from Shanghai especially for the beach festival. Mu has been to many other domestic music festivals, including those held on grassland and in city parks.

“Nothing can compare to the beach music experience, which is so extraordinary, relaxing and so much fun,” she said, while wandering around a market where vendors sold postcards, CDs, hats, masks, rock-themed T-shirts and other small handmade products.

Festival goers turned the beach into a giant playground—playing football, swimming, riding motorcycles, flying kites, or just simply sitting on the beach and drinking beer. "(The beach is) damn awesome!" said Joe, a musician from Wales who plays bass with a local five-piece rock band called The Dama Llamas, as he was about to go on stage.

60. Mu Er, a music fan and magazine editor, came to Golden Beach            

  A. to see the best beach                  B. to be on holiday

  C. to play his own music                 D. to attend the music festival

61. Mu Er felt the most interested in         

 A. buying postcards                   B. wandering around

 C. experiencing the beach music         D. selling hats and T-shirts

62. It can be inferred that festival goers         

 A. have a lot of fun on the beach        B. have built a giant playground

 C. play football every day             D. sit and drink free beer every day

It was the second day of the three-day Golden Beach Music Festival on Huangdao Peninsula, west of Qingdao, one of China's most renowned coastal tourist cities. Lines of orange beach umbrellas stood out along the coastline against the big blue sea and sunny sky. Brightly colored tents dotted Golden Beach, which is said to be the best beach in China with the longest stretch of untainted silver sand.

With one hour to go before the start of the show on September 13, Liu Siyuan, one of the festival's chief promoters, was sitting alone at the sound-mixing station with his head buried in a box lunch. His cellphone, which was close at hand, kept ringing from time to time and Liu picked it up to answer all kinds of questions and give orders on everything from booking train tickets to disposing of trash.. “I'm so busy these days, since I have to arrange everything for the festival. How would I know how to deal with the garbage on the beach?” he said.

But that didn't matter a bit to festival goers. On the first day, more than 1,000 music fans, local residents and tourists gathered at Golden Beach to enjoy dynamic music mixed with local beer, sea breeze and sunshine.

“This is the most unforgettable music festival I've ever attended,” said Mu Er, a music fan and magazine editor who came all the way from Shanghai especially for the beach festival. Mu has been to many other domestic music festivals, including those held on grassland and in city parks.

“Nothing can compare to the beach music experience, which is so extraordinary, relaxing and so much fun,” she said, while wandering around a market where vendors sold postcards, CDs, hats, masks, rock-themed T-shirts and other small handmade products.

Festival goers turned the beach into a giant playground—playing football, swimming, riding motorcycles, flying kites, or just simply sitting on the beach and drinking beer. "(The beach is) damn awesome!" said Joe, a musician from Wales who plays bass with a local five-piece rock band called The Dama Llamas, as he was about to go on stage.

60. Mu Er, a music fan and magazine editor, came to Golden Beach            

  A. to see the best beach                  B. to be on holiday

  C. to play his own music                 D. to attend the music festival

61. Mu Er felt the most interested in         

 A. buying postcards                   B. wandering around

 C. experiencing the beach music         D. selling hats and T-shirts

62. It can be inferred that festival goers         

 A. have a lot of fun on the beach        B. have built a giant playground

 C. play football every day             D. sit and drink free beer every day

Follow the following tips to reduce your stress to manageable levels!

    Avoid "Must" think. Let go of the idea that you must do something in a certain way—for ex-ample, "I must get a great score on a test, or else." This thought pattern only adds to the stress you'll feel. Evaluate your situation coldly and logically, and not as a "life or death" situation.

Watch the Mess. Don't study in a messy or cramped area. Clear yourself a nice, open space that's free of distractions.

Set Manageable Goals. Break large projects into smaller and doable parts and you' 11 feel a positive sense of accomplishment as you finish each part.

Ocean Dumping. Imagine yourself walking on a beautiful beach, carrying a sand bucket. Stop at a good spot and put your worries into the pail. Drop the bucket and watch as it drifts away into the ocean.

Think Good Thoughts. Create a set of positive but brief affirmations and mentally repeat them to yourself just before you fall asleep at night, and you will feel a lot more positive in the morning.

Imagine Yourself Succeeding. Close your eyes and remember a real life situation in which you did well. Imagine facing your stressful situation with the same feelings of confidence.

Use Your Bed for Sleeping, Not Studying. Your mind may start to associate your bed with work, which will make it harder for you to fall asleep.

Comforting Sounds. If you want to play music, keep it low in the background. Classical mu-sic especially can aid the learning process.

Take a Hike, Pal. Need a study break? Take a short, brisk walk. Clear your mind.

1 .Suppose you meet a great difficulty, how can you reduce your stress?

    A. To imagine that you are successful.

    B. To draw back from it.

    C. To turn to others for help.

D. To divide it into small parts and finish them one by one.

2. "Ocean Dumping" really means _______.

     A. forgetting one's worries                     B. swimming in the ocean

     C. throwing things into the ocean                      D. sailing across the ocean

3. According to the passage, which kind of people are easy to come under pressure'?

     A. Self confident people.                        B. People with tidy habits.

     C. Open minded people.                       D. Work addicts.

4. From the passage we can learn _______.

     A. rock music can help the learning process

     B. you can think clearly while you are in bed

     C. thinking of your real - life success will do you good while facing difficulty

     D. you must treat everything as a "life - or- death" situation and consider it carefully