James Blunt is one of the most popular singers in the UK. His first album, Back to Bedlam, and his number one hit, You’re Beautiful, brought him fame in 2005. His music is a mix of pop, rock and folk.
Blunt comes to China for the first time this month, he will hold two concerts, one in Beijing and one in Shanghai on April 18 and 19 respectively.
Blunt, 34, took an unusual path to stardom. His father was a soldier and so was his grandfather.
“The only music he heard growing up was Happy Birthday and Silent Night. His father considered all music, even classical, to be unnecessary noise,” reads Blunt’s official website.
Even though Blunt did not want to join the military, he eventually followed his father’s wishes, and served as a soldier in Kosovo on peacekeeping duty.
“Like any parents, mine wanted me to have a secure job with a regular wage and career prospects,” Blunt said. “And the one job my father knew of, that he’d had experience of himself, was the army, so he could help me in that direction.”
Blunt eventually became a Captain. One of his final duties in the army before retirement was carrying the coffin (棺材) at the funeral of the Queen Mother of England in 2002.
But Blunt couldn’t escape his love for music. So, after leaving the British Army he moved to Los Angeles and worked on his first album. While in LA, Blunt lived with the actress Carrie Fisher, who played the lead female role in the Star Wars movie. He recorded his song, Goodbye My Lover, in his bathroom, where he kept a piano.
Blunt took his new album back to England where it was not very successful. But he kept performing and eventually his song, You’re Beautiful, became a number one hit.
Now Blunt has won numerous awards, sold millions of records and dated super models.
But his greatest accomplishment might be that his father now enjoys music!
1. All of the following belong to Blunt EXCEPT _____________.
A. Back to Bedlam B. Silent Night
C. Goodbye My Lover D. You’re Beautiful
2. Which of the following proves “Blunt took an unusual path to stardom”?
A. Blunt was 34 when he became famous.
B. Blunt recorded his most famous song in a bathroom.
C. Blunt’s father wanted him to have a secure job.
D. Blunt began to pursue a career in music after military service.
3. We can infer from the passage that _____________.
A. Blunt is living in Los Angeles at present
B. Blunt rose to fame two years after he left the army
C. Blunt became successful immediately he recorded his first song
D. Blunt has changed his father’s attitude towards music
4. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Blunt’s visit to China. B. Blunt’s military life.
C. How Blunt became famous. D. How Blunt’s father fell in love with music.
[1] Every year, whenever the Spring Festival arrives, a lot of Chinese people cannot wait to go home. They queue for long hours in front of the ticket offices in railway stations, or do whatever they can in order to get a ticket. They tolerate the long journey on the train only to want to ____________ with their near and dear ones.
[2] According to the Beijing Youth Daily, most Chinese celebrate the Spring Festival not only because they want to follow tradition, there are also some practical reasons to explain Chinese people's fever for the holiday. Compared with one's workplace, home provides a more humane environment for one to relax oneself.
[3] Society may do with or without you, but at home, you become unique and indispensable. You may be the father or mother, daughter or son, grandfather or grandmother in the family and the family will be incomplete if anyone is absent, because every member in the family is bound together, and everyone in the family is pleased with the feeling that he or she is unique and irreplaceable.
[4] In addition, family provides an ideal environment for one to fully relax oneself. At home, one can take one's time to do whatever he or she wants, and one can spend money whenever one likes. In society, however, one needs to do everything fast and with high efficiency, because society always requires efficiency and maximum profits. Such company principles make people merely a tool in modern society.
[5] Chinese people's strong desire for the Spring Festival shows that they feel oppressed and have a sense of predicament (困境) of existence in modern society. The Spring Festival provides a chance for them to escape from such anxiety and treasure the long-lost tradition of community spirit. With the Spring Festival, people can find back the warm, family atmosphere often seen in days gone by.What's the passage mainly talking about? (Please answer within 10 words.)
_____________________________________________________________________Fill in the blanks with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. (Please answer within 10 words. )
_____________________________________________________________________Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
You may not be a necessary part in society, but in your family, you are very important and no one else can take the place of you.
_____________________________________________________________________Do you think home is important for Chinese to celebrate the Spring Festival? Why or why not? (Please answer within 30 words.)
_____________________________________________________________________Translate the underlined sentence in the last paragraph into Chinese.
_____________________________________________________________________
Imagine your body is like the house you live in．Every day, your family creates rubbish．The rubbish builds up until it is put out for the weekly garbage collection．
Now, say you put three bags of garbage out, but because one of the collectors was away sick, only two bags are collected．You take the leftover bag inside to be put out again next week．The following week you put on another three bags, plus the leftover bag from last week．But again, only two bags are collected．Imagine this cycle is repeated over the following weeks．
This is a simple description of what happens to your body when your kidneys （肾脏）don't work efficiently．Your body is not thoroughly emptied of waste products．Other areas of the body such as blood pressure and red blood cell production are affected and the insidious process that may lead to kidney failure begins．
It's not uncommon for people to lose up to 90% of their kidney function before developing any symptoms．There may be no warning signs. This makes early detection （诊查）difficult．
Kidney's main job is to remove toxins（毒素） and unwanted water from our blood．Every day our kidneys clean an average of 200 litres of blood．Kidney failure may be a gradual and silent process, going unnoticed because there is no obvious pain．
Research shows that more than 35% of the patients requiring dialysis（透析）do not see a kidney specialist before they have to do so．Some risk factors for kidney disease such as age and genetic make-up are out of our control; however, some changes in lifestyle may help prevent kidney damage．Two major risk factors for kidney disease, diabetes （糖尿病）and high blood pressure, have been on the rise over the last few decades．Both conditions are chiefly affected by being overweight and not getting enough exercises, which are the potential (潜在的) risk factors for the kidney disease．The author gives the example of the house we live in to indicate that ______．
| A．it doesn't matter much if the waste in our body is not emptied in time |
| B．our body will not produce any waste if our kidneys work efficiently |
| C．it's important for our body to empty the waste in time every day |
| D．it's safe and harmless for our body to keep some waste |
The underlined word “insidious” in Paragraph 3 means .
| A．smooth and safe | B．apparent and fast |
| C．gradual and unnoticed | D．long and painful |
We can infer that when we find some symptoms related to our kidneys, .
| A．the kidney failure begins |
| B．the kidneys can still work properly |
| C．we have lost about 10% of kidney function |
| D．the kidneys may have been seriously damaged |
How many risk factors of kidney disease are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Six. | B．Five. | C．Four. | D．Two. |
Which of the following helps prevent kidney damage most effectively?
| A．Go to see a kidney specialist shortly before dialysis starts. |
| B．Take enough exercise and make early detection of kidney disease. |
| C．Try to keep low blood pressure and a stable lifestyle. |
| D．Go to hospital whenever you find any warning signs. |
Celebrity endorsements
Despite the fact that companies believe celebrities had a lot of pull with regard to the buying trends of consumers, researchers have discovered that this does not seem to be the case. British and Swiss researchers carried out a study showing that advertisements made by celebrities like David Beckham and Scarlett Johansson are not as effective as those by ordinary people.
In a sample of 298 students, researchers presented a magazine advertisement for a digital camera that was endorsed (为…做广告宣传) by a fictional student claiming the camera was “hot” and his “preferred choice”. The same advertisement was shown to other students, but with a difference: The camera was endorsed by a famous person in Germany.
While the students said that both advertisements were beneficial, the one made by the student topped the celebrity one if students aimed to impress others with their purchases (购买). More than half of the students, who admitted purchasing products that would impress others, said they were influenced by the student’s advertisement. Only 20％ said the celebrity one would affect their buying decision.
Professor Brett Martin of the University of Bath’s School of Management, explained that the findings could be used not only in Germany, but in other countries as well. “ Our research questions whether celebrities are the best ways to sell products,” said Prof Martin.“Celebrities can be effective but we found that many people were more convinced by an endorsement from a fictional fellow student. This is because many people feel a need to keep up with the Jones when they buy.”Some companies think the celebrities endorsement ．
| A．is popular with the consumers |
| B．can pull all the consumers into the shops |
| C．can affect the consumers’ purchasing |
| D．is as effective as an endorsement from common people |
Which of the following ads would be more effective to common consumers, according to
the experiment?
An ad featuring lovely pandas.
An ad made by David Beckham.
An ad made by fictional common people.
An ad with beautiful natural scenery. The underlined words “the Jones” in the last paragragh refer to“ ”．
| A．someone called Jones | B．common people |
| C．the Jones family | D．celebrities |
We can infer from the passage that ．
| A．celebrities cheat consumers in advertisement |
| B．the researchers here are against celebrity endorsement |
| C．the student’s ads are more reliable than those made by celebrities |
| D．companies needn’t spend so much money on celebrity endorsement |
We can probably read the article in ．
| A．a local newspaper | B．a science report |
| C．an academic journal | D．a textbook |
In the United States, friendships can be close, constant, intense, generous, and real, yet fade away in a short time if circumstances (环境) change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greeting for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while --- then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship where it left off and are delighted.
In the States, you can feel free to visit people’s homes, share their holidays, enjoy their children and their lives without fear that you are taking on a lasting obligation. Do not hesitate to accept hospitality because you cannot give it in return. No one will expect you to do so for they know you are far from home. Americans will enjoy welcoming you and be pleased if you accept their hospitality easily.
Once you arrive there, the welcome will be full and warm and real. Most visitors find themselves readily invited into many homes there. In some countries it is considered inhospitable to entertain at home, offering what is felt as “merely” home cooked food, not “doing something” for your guest. It is felt that restaurant entertaining shows more respect and welcome. Or for various other reasons, such as crowded space, language difficulties, or family custom, outsiders are not invited into homes.
In the United States, both methods are used, but it is often considered more friendly to invite a person to one’s home than to go to a public place, except in purely business relationships. So, if your host or hostess brings you home, do not feel that you are being shown inferior (差的) treatment.
Don’t feel neglected (被忽视) if you do not find flowers awaiting you in your hotel room either. Flowers are very expensive there, hotel delivery (递送，投递) is uncertain, arrival times are delayed, changed, or canceled – so flowers are not customarily (通常) sent as a welcoming touch. Please do not feel unwanted! Outward signs vary in different lands; the inward welcome is what matters, and this will be real.In the United States, you will find friendships __________ if circumstances change.
| A．die suddenly | B．pass away |
| C．disappear gradually | D．last forever |
Americans _________ their foreign friends to make a return for their hospitality.
| A．ask | B．wish | C．never allow | D．don’t expect |
In some other countries, giving a dinner party at home is considered _______ than in a restaurant.
| A．less formal | B．less hospitable |
| C．more natural | D．more popular |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Flowers are available at all time. |
| B．Flowers are expensive. |
| C．Flowers are signs of outward welcome. |
| D．Flowers are not necessarily sent to guests. |
Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
| A．American Hospitality | B．American Friendships |
| C．American Invitation | D．American Welcome |
Remember how great exercise was when you were a little kid? Back then，racing around the playground or skipping rope for hours，you weren't thinking fitness，you were thinking entertainment．But in this age of high-tech home equipment and underused(未充分利用的)gym memberships，the simple joy of jumping rope has been forgotten．Rediscovering it will give you a total-body exercise you can find．
Although considered an excellent form of exercise，jumping rope has never gained widespread acceptance because of two fundamental reasons．First，most people recognize jumping rope as an excellent form of cardiovascular (心血管的) exercise，but they also believe that it is simply too difficult．In other words，they don't think they'll be able to continue jumping for the near 20 minutes that it takes to achieve a beneficial physical result．Second, many view it as somewhat boring and too repetitive-not as something fun or enjoyable．
As a matter of fact，jumping rope can be great fun if you find a proper way to practise it．Instead of doing the usual two-foot bounce over and over again，people good at rope-jumping often change their pattern every 10 or 20 jumps．A single bounce，a double bounce，a skip，a knee-up，side swings，as well as a variety of other easy-to-learn free-style rope-jumping．
Now researchers are learning that jumping rope also prepares the brain for learning．It is an exercise allowing both brain hemispheres(半球)to perform in parallel(并行地)to each other．In short，jumping rope can be a life-long activity requiring little equipment，time and space，yet leading to a much healthier life．From the first paragraph we learn that_______ ．
| A．all people now have more advanced equipment |
| B．jumping rope has disappeared from people's memories |
| C．racing around the playground was preferred |
| D．people now like to have exercise in a gym |
Rope jumping has not spread widely because_______ ．
| A．it benefits the cardiovascular system |
| B．it requires little equipment，time and space |
| C．it is neither easy nor enjoyable |
| D．it is considered boring |
The first sentence in the 3rd paragraph implies_____ ．
| A．there are many ways to follow |
| B．the usual way should not be used |
| C．the easiest way is always the best |
| D．there is only one proper way to follow |
According to the researchers, jumping rope _____.
| A．only prepares the brain for learning. |
| B．is suitable for students only |
| C．helps both brain hemispheres work together |
| D．can be dangerous for old people |
What is the author's attitude towards rope jumping?
| A．He is arguing against it. | B．He is sitting on the fence of it. |
| C．He is in favor of it. | D．He is not clear about it. |
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