There are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece. The one most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama came from ritual (宗教仪式). The argument for this view goes as follows. In the beginning, human beings viewed the natural forces of the world, even the seasonal changes, as unpredictable, and they sought through various means, to control these unknown and feared powers. Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results were then kept and repeated until they hardened into fixed rituals. Eventually stories arose which explained the mysteries of the rites. As time passed some rituals were abandoned, but the stories, later called myths (神话), coutinued to exist and provided material for art and drama.
Those who believe that drama came from ritual also argue that those rites contained the seed of theater because music, dance, masks, and costumes were almost always used. Furthermore, a suitable site had to be provided for performances and when the entire community did not participate, a clear division was usually made between the “acting area” and the “watching area.” In addition, there were performers, and, since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in performing, religious leaders usually undertook that task. Wearing masks and costumes, they often imitated other people, animals, or supernatural beings, and used gestures about the desired effect, success in hunt or battle, the coming rain, the revival (复活) of the Sun. Eventually such dramatic representations were separated from religious activities.
Another theory traces the theater’s origin from the human interest in storytelling. According to this view, tales about the hunt, war, or other feats are gradually added in detail, at first through imitation, action, and dialogue by a narrator and then through the assumption of each of the roles by a different person. A closely-related theory traces theater to those dances that are primarily rhythmical and gymnastic or that are imitations of animal movements and sounds.What does the passage mainly discuss?
| A．The origins of theater. | B．The role of ritual in modern dance. |
| C．The importance of storytelling. | D．The variety of early religious activities. |
What aspect of drama does the author discuss in the first parapraph?
| A．The reason why drama is often unpredictable. | B．The seasons in which dramas were performed. |
| C．The connection between myths and dramatic plots. | D．The importance of costumes in early drama. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a common element of theater and ritual?
| A．Dance. | B．Costumes. | C．Music. | D．Magic. |
According to the passage, what is the main difference between ritual and drama?
| A．Ritual uses music whereas drama does not. | B．Ritual is shorter than drama. |
| C．Ritual requires fewer performers than drama. | D．Ritual has a religious purpose and drama does not. |
Honey(蜂蜜)from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people, and many animals, like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees' nest(巢)and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper一a little bird called a honey guide.
The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax (蜂蜡) in the beehives (蜂房). The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees' nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or people as it leads them to the nest. When they finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey, and the wax, always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.
Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very determined in its efforts to get it. The birds seem to be able to smell wax from a long distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.
| 1． |
Why is it difficult to find a wild bees' nest?
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| 2． |
What do the words "the follower" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
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| 3． |
The honey guide is special in the way.
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| 4． |
What can be the best title for the text?
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Are you looking for some new and exciting places to take your kids (孩子) to? Try some of these places:
l Visit art museums. They offer a variety of activities to excite your kids' interest. Many offer workshops for making land-made pieces, traveling exhibits, book signings by children's favorite writer, and even musical performances and other arts
l Head to a natural history museum. This is where kids can discover the past from dinosaur(恐龙) models to rock collections and pictures of stars in the sky. Also, ask what kind of workshops and educational programs are prepared for kids and any special events that are coming up.
l Go to a Youtheater. Look for one in your area offering plays for child and family visitors. Pre-show play shops are conducted by area artists and educators where kids can discover the secret about performing arts. Puppet(木偶)making and stage make-up are just a couple of the special offerings you might find.
l Try hands-on science. Visit one of the many hands-on science museums around the country. These science play-lands are great fun for kids and grown-ups alike. They'll keep your child mentally and physically active the whole day through while pushing buttons, experimenting, and building. When everyone is tired, enjoy a fun family science show, commonly found in these museums.If a child is interested in the universe, he probably will visit .
| A．a Youtheater |
| B．an art museum |
| C．a natural history museum |
| D．a hands-on science museum |
What can kids do at a Youtheater?
| A．Look at rock collections. |
| B．See dinosaur models. |
| C．Watch puppet making. |
| D．Give performances. |
What does "hands-on science" mean in the last paragraph?
| A．Science games designed by kids. |
| B．Learning science by doing things. |
| C．A show of kids' science work. |
| D．Reading science books. |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．A science textbook. |
| B．A tourist map. |
| C．A museum guide. |
| D．A news report. |
[1] Ashley Power’s mother bought a computer for her when she was eight. When she was thirteen, she was surfing the Internet regularly, but she couldn’t find anywhere for teenagers to meet and talk. And one day she thought, “If I had my own website, I’d make it a really interesting site for teenagers.”
[2]So, when Ashley was sixteen, she launched her own website, called Goosehead. She had no idea how big a success it would be, but three years later, the site was the most successful teen site in the USA! It was getting 100,000 hits every day, and Ashley had about 30 employees.
[3] After a few years, the website closed down. Then Ashley, who lives in Los Angeles, was asked to write a book called The Goosehead Guide to Life. The book is about how to design a website and start a business. It begins with a section called “All About Ashley,” where Ashley tells readers what it is like to be the boss of a company when you are only sixteen. “ I was so happy. But it was crazy in a lot of ways. I got very stressed. I mean, I was only sixteen — I didn’t even have a car! If you were sixteen and you had your own company, you’d be stressed, too！“
[4] In an interview Ashley gave advice to teenagers who wanted to start their own business, “Just be strong and have your dreams and work hard at them. And don’t listen when _______, because I heard ‘no’ a lot. Just keep going until you hear ‘yes’!”For what purpose did Ashley create GooseHead?(no more than 10 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________What is the main idea of Paragraph 2？ （no more than 6 words）
_______________________________________________________________________________According to paragraph 3, what did Ashley do after GooseHead closed down?(no more than 10 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________How did Ashley feel as a young boss of a company?(no more than 5 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________Fill in the blank in Paragraph 4 with proper words.
_______________________________________________________________________________
For those who are tired doing the laundry, Samsung has found an answer: a washing machine that can tell you when your laundry is done via a smartphone app(application).
Strange though it may seem - "my wife already does that" was a common response among attendees viewing the device when it was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week - Samsung is just one of many appliance makers racing to install (安装) a large number of internet-connected features in machines in an effort to make them "smart".
Last year, it was a refrigerator that tweeted. This year, it's Wi-Fi-enabled laundry machines and fridges that can tell you when your groceries are going bad.
The washers and dryers, available starting in the spring, connect to any smartphone through a downloadable application. The phone can then be used as a remote control, so the machines can be turned on and off while their owners is at work or on the bus.
Samsung says it's not just something new - the app connection actually has some practical uses.
"If you started to dry clothes in the morning and forgot to take them out, you can go to your phone and restart your dryer for the time when come home, so your clothes are refreshed and ready to go," said spokesperson Amy Schmidt.
The company also says that with electricity rate(电价)varying depending on the time of day, more control over when the machines are used can help save money.
Perhaps, but what they will probably really accomplish is what all good technologies do -enable laziness. Rather than getting up to check on whether the laundry is done, users will instead monitor it on their phones while watching TV.
| 1． |
What can be inferred from the common response of the attendees at the CES?
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| 2． |
What can we learn about the new laundry machines?
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| 3． |
We can conclude form Samsung's statements that.
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| 4． |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
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San Francisco has its cable cars. Seattle has its Space Needle. And, Longview has its squirrel bridge. The bridge, which has attracted international attention, is now a local landmark.
The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in 1963 by a local builder, Amos Peters, to give squirrels a way to cross the busy road without getting flattened by passing cars.
The original bridge was built over Olympia Way on the west edge of the library grounds. Before the bridge was built, squirrels had to avoid traffic to and from the Park Plaza office building where office staff put out a nutty feast for the squirrels. Many times, Peters and others who worked in and near Park Plaza witnessed squirrels being run over.
One day Peters found a dead squirrel with a nut still in its mouth, and that day’s coffee break discussion turned into squirrel safety. The group of businessmen cooked up the squirrel bridge idea and formed a committee to ask the blessing of the City Council(市政会).The Council approved, and Councilwoman Bess LaRiviere named the bridge “Nutty Narrows.”
After architects designed the bridge, Amos Peters and Bill Hutch started Construction, They built the 60-foot bridge from aluminum and lengths of fire hose(消防水带). It cost 1,000.
It didn’t take long before reports of squirrels using the bridge started. Squirrels were even seen guiding their young and teaching them the ropes. The story was picked up by the media, and Nutty Narrows became know in newspapers all over the world.
In 1983, after 20 years of use, Peters took down the worn-out bridge. Repairs were made and crosspieces were replaced. The faded sign was repainted and in July 1983, hundreds of animal lovers attended the completion ceremony of the new bridge.
Peters died in 1984, and a ten-foot wooden squirrel sculpture was placed near the bridge in memory of its builder and his devotion to the project. The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in order to ________.
| A．offer squirrels a place to eat nuts |
| B．set up a local landmark |
| C．help improve traffic |
| D．protect squirrels |
What happened over the coffee break discussion?
| A．The committee got the Council’s blessing. |
| B．The squirrel bridge idea was born |
| C．A councilwoman named the bridge |
| D．A squirrel was found dead. |
What does the underlined phrase “teaching them the ropes” probably means in the text?
| A．passing them a rope |
| B．Directing them to store food for winter |
| C．Teaching them a lesson |
| D．Showing them how to use the bridge. |
Which of the following is true of the squirrel bridge?
| A．It was replaced by a longer one. |
| B．It was built from wood and metal. |
| C．it was rebuilt after years of use. |
| D．It was designed by Bill Hutch. |
What can we learn about Amos Peters?
| A．He is remembered for his love of animals. |
| B．He donated $1,000 to build the bridge. |
| C．He was a member of the City Council. |
| D．He was awarded a medal for building the bridge. |
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