B
For a 400-year-old art form, operas had a bad fame: overweight actresses singing the words which are hard to understand in one of those romance languages you were supposed to learn in high school. And with tickets costing as much as $ 145 a performance, opera goers also have a certain appearance in people’s mind: rich, well-dressed and old.
But now opera companies around the country are loosening their ties and kicking off their shoes in an attempt to bring the opera to the audience. It needs to keep it alive, the young and not-so-rich.
Opera producers have found that to attract this crowd, they need to make the opera closer to common people. That means no formal suits, old-styled theatre or band-breaking ticket prices. And because young people don’t or won’t come to the opera, companies are bringing the opera to them, giving performances in such unusual places as parks, libraries and public schools.
The Houston Grand Opera’s choice is the public library, where it performs “mobile operas”, shortened versions (剧本) of child-friendly operas. This summer’s production is Hansel & Gretel. By performing smaller versions of large productions, producers are able to make people interested while keeping costs at a reasonable level. The San Francisco Opera, which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, is staging Cinderella free of charge, keeping costs down by employing students from its Young Artists’ Training Program.
45．Which is the main idea of this passage?
A．Opera is famous for its long history.
B．Opera is only performed for rich people.
C．Young people are not interested in opera.
D．Opera companies are trying to keep opera alive.
46．The underlined phrase “loosening their ties and kicking off their shoes” (paragraph 2) means ______.
A．breaking up the old rules B．changing the formal suits
C．making the audience at ease D．advertising themselves
47．The San Francisco Opera Company employs student actors in order to ______.
A．celebrate its 75th anniversary B．reduce the cost
C．attract young people D．make Cinderella popular
48．From the passage we can infer that ______.
A．the tickets for operas are very expensive
B．operas are performed in a difficult language
C．operas are not so popular an art form today
D．students enjoy performing operas very much
Recipients（接受者）of this year's Annenberg scholarships were announced on June 19. Brittany Blythe was one of them.
In seventh grade，Brittany Blythe dreamed of being a cheerleader（啦啦队队员）. Her school’s coaches were less than enthusiastic. “They said. ‘I don't know how you’ll be able to do it’. ”she recalls. “‘You won’t be able to do it’.”
But Brittany，now a junior at Strath Haven High School near Philadelphia，refused to give up. And when the junior school cheerleaders won a tournament last year, she was right there，dancing and cheering with the rest of the team.
Not bad for someone whose legs were cut off below the knee when she was two years old.
Brittany,18,was born without shinbones(胫骨）—“just blood and muscle tissue，”as she puts it. When she tried to walk, her legs twisted.
After the operation, she adapted quickly. “From day one，I basically jumped up and wanted to do everything,’’ she says. Prostheses(假肢)allowed her to move around upright. But too slowly to keep up with her friends. Brittany’s solution was to take the legs off and walk on her knees something she still does when safety and comfort permit.
She has been rarely discouraged. Other children laughed at her through the years，especially in junior high school，but she says the challenge only made her stronger. Now she’s trying to convince her coaches to let her remove the prostheses and be a flyer. The cheerleader who's thrown in the air and caught by her teammates.
Brittany doesn’t think her problems put her at a disadvantage. “My disability was the first thing I had to get through., and that’s going to prepare me for the future. ”she says. “It’s all just a test：If someone throws you a difficult problem，what are you going to do?” What was the coaches’ first attitude towards Brittany's dream?
| A．Supportive | B．Enthusiastic | C．Optimistic | D．Doubtful |
What was Brittany’s reaction after the operation?
| A．She abandoned herself to self-pity. |
| B．She refused to use the prostheses. |
| C．She accepted the result and tried to get used to it. |
| D．She challenged the children who laughed at her. |
What does Brittany want to achieve at the moment?
| A．To stop others’laughing at her. |
| B．To prove her coaches wrong. |
| C．To remove her prostheses. |
| D．To be a flyer. |
We can learn from the last paragraph that Brittany _________.
| A．doesn’t think she is better than others |
| B．is not well prepared for the future |
| C．takes a positive attitude towards life |
| D．likes the challenge of learning new things |
. What's the best title for the text?
| A．A new leg，a new life | B．A new cheerleader, a new record |
| C．Passing the test | D．Seeking advantages |
Federal regulators Wednesday approved a plan to create a nationwide emergency alert（警报）system using text messages delivered to cell phones.
Text messages have exploded in popularity in recent years，particularly among young people.The wireless industry’s trade association, CTIA，estimates（估计）more than 48 billion text messages are sent each month.
The plan comes from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act，a 2006 federal law that requires improvement to the nation's emergency alert system.The act tasked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with coming up with new ways to alert the public about emergencies.
“The ability to deliver accurate and timely warnings.and alerts through cell phones and other mobile services is an important next step in our efforts to help ensure that the American public.has the information they need to take action to protect themselves and their families before, and during,disasters and other emergencies. ”FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said following approval of the plan.
Participation in the alert system by carriers—telecommunications companies is voluntary, but it has received solid support from the wireless industry.
The program would be optional for cell phone users. They also may not be charged for receiving alerts.
There would be three different types of messages，according to the rules.
The first would be a national alert from the president，likely involving a terrorist attack or natural disaster.The second would involve “approaching threats，”which could include natural disasters like hurricanes or storms or even university shootings. The third would be reserved for child abduction（绑架）emergencies,or so-called Amber Alerts.
The service could be in place by 2010. What is the purpose of the approved plan?
| A．To warn people of emergencies via messages. |
| B．To popularize the use of cell phones. |
| C．To estimate the monthly number of messages. |
| D．To promote the wireless industry. |
The improvement to the present system is in the charge of ________.
| A．CTIA | B．the Warning Alert and Response Network |
| C．FCC | D．federal regulators |
The carriers' participation in the system is determined by ________.
| A．the US federal government | B．mobile phone users |
| C．the carriers themselves | D．the law of the United States |
. Which of the following is true of cell phone users?
| A．They must accept the alert service. |
| B．They may enjoy the alert service for free. |
| C．They must send the alerts to others |
| D．They may choose the types of messages |
. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A，Cell Phone Alerts Protecting Students
B. Cell Phone Alerts by Wireless Industry
C. Cell Phone Alefts of National Disasters
D. Cell Phone Alerts Coming Soon
While reading a story on 20-somethings complaining about how the economy was ruiningg their life plans, I couldn’t help but think the 20-somethings sounded like a bunch of spoiled who grew up expecting everything to be easy for them. As a 20-something myself, certainly share their disappointment : my husband and I probably won’t be able to buy a house until we’re in our 40s, and we two are burdened by student loans(贷款). But why should it be any different? Being young persons in America, shouldn’t they take up all of the challenges and opportunities that this country offers?
Consider some of these views shared in the story: Jennifer, 29, owner of a two-bedroom apartment with her husband, worries that she won’t be able to have children for at least a decade because they can’t afford to buy a house yet.
I read that, and I thought what planet she is living on where you need to own a house in order to have kids? Has she ever visited a developing country, or even downtown areas in this one? Home ownership is a luxury(奢华), not a fertility requirement.
A 26-year-old in the story is disappointed that he can’t afford to get a Ph. D in literature. Well, that sounds a bit like expressing disappointment that no one will pay you to write poetry on the beach in Thailand for five years.
Yes, it’s sad that these young people feel so lost. But I think the problem is their extremely high expectations, not economic reality. Beth Kobliner, author of Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, says that she thinks people’s expectations grew up at a time when everyone’s wealth appeared to be increasing, Their parents probably saw their home values rise along with their investments. “So you have people who have grown up in an environment where people had great expectations of what living well means,” says Kobliner.
This recession(经济衰退) will certainly play a role in forcing those expectations into more realistic group. In the meantime, it seems a lot better for our mental health to focus on being grateful---for our one-bedroom apartments, for living in modern cities, or perhaps just for being able to eat three meals a day---than on longing for some kind of luxury life. . What makes the author think the 20-somethings sound like a bunch of spoiled children?
| A．They expect everything to be easy for them. |
| B．They complain that the economy is spoiling their life plans. |
| C．They are unwilling to face all of the challenges. |
| D．They are burdened by student loans. |
. The underlined word “fertility” in paragraph 3 probably means“_____”.
| A．baby production | B．pleasant | C．baby comfort | D．comfortable |
. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the complaints of the 20-somethings?
| A．They can’t have children for at least a decade a decade to buy a house. |
| B．They have only a one-bedroom apartment to live in. |
| C．They can’t buy a house until 40 and are burdened by student loans. |
| D．They despair at not being able to afford a PH. D in literature. |
. What’s the Kobliner’s attitude towards the 20-somethings with high expectations?
| A．Unbearable | B．Opposite | C．Doubtful | D．Understanding |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Young people afford to continue their study |
| B．Young people can’t afford to buy a house |
| C．Young people’s high hopes create despair |
| D．The 20-somethings’ high expectations |
I’ve changed my mind. “ I wanted to have a telescope, but now I want my dad back.” Lucien Lawrence’s letter to father for Christmas written after his schoolteacher’s father had been knifed to death outside his school gate, must have touched everyone’s heart. Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn’t see the stars in the sky. When those whom we love depart from us, we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucien, the stars are still there, and one day, when you are older and your tears have gone, you will see them again. And, in a strange way, I expect that you will find your father there too, either in your mind and heart. I find that my parents, who died years ago, still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive. I still live to please them and I’m still surprised by their reactions. I remember that when I became a professor, I was so proud, or rather so pleased with myself that I couldn’t wait to cable my parents. The reply was a long time in coming, but when it did, all my mother said was “ I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!” I haven’t forgotten. The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care. Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors, and to lay down my life for those in my care? How many people would want me back for Christmas? It’s a serious thought, one to give me pause.
I pray silently, sometimes, in the dead of night, that ancient cry of a poet “Deliver my soul from the sword, and my darling from the power of the dog.” Yet I know the death comes to us all, and sometimes comes suddenly. We must therefore plan to live forever, but live as if we will die tomorrow. We live on, I’m sure, in the lives of those we loved, and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure. If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true, there might be fewer knives on our streets today. . According to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph ________.
| A．puts forward the subject of the text. |
| B．shows the author’s pity on the kid. |
| C．acts as an introduction to the discussion. |
| D．makes a clear statement of the author’ views |
. In the second paragraph the author mainly wants to explain to us _______.
| A．how much he misses his parents now |
| B．why his parents often appear in his dream |
| C．when Lucien will get over all his sadness |
| D．how proud he was when he succeeded in life |
. What feeling did the author’s mother express in her reply?
| A．Proud | B．Happy | C．Disappointed | D．Worried |
In the author’s opinion, the value of a person’s life is ________.
| A．to leave a precious memory to the people related |
| B．to have a high sense of duty to the whole society |
| C．to care what others will remember and treasure |
| D．to share happiness and sadness with his family |
. What does the writer mean by the sentence taken from an old poem?
| A．Call on criminals and murderers to lay down their guns. |
| B．Advise parents stay with their children safely at home. |
| C．Spend every day meaningfully in memory of the death. |
| D．Try to keep violence and murder far away from society. |
Sir,
Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare. Your company, Cosmo books Ltd., offered this set (eight books of plays and two books of poetry) at what was claimed to be a ‘remarkable’ price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing. I had wanted a set of Shakespeare’s plays and poems for some time, and these books, in red imitation leather, looked particularly attractive; so I sent for them.
Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of the complete works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered. So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare. Two more weeks passed. Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French. Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all. However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you at the end of August of last year, instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice.
You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds, and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German. Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have. The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside.
I have no room for any more books, and even if I read from now until the Last Judgment, I should not finish reading all the books that you have sent me.
Please send no more books, send no more bills, send no more angry letters demanding payment. Just send one large lorry and take all the books away, leaving me only with the one set of the complete works of Shakespeare for which I have paid.
Yours faithfully,
SIMON WALKER Simon Walker wrote the letter to ________
| A．urge for the final solution to the problem with the unwanted books. |
| B．complain about getting books he didn’t want. |
| C．advise readers not to order books from Cosmo Books Ltd.. |
| D．show his anger to Cosmo Books Ltd.. |
The advertisement that Mr. Walker saw in the Morning Mail was for ________
| A．unlimited number of Cosmo Books. |
| B．fifteen pounds and fifty pence. |
| C．a set of 10 books of the works of Shakespeare. |
| D．a book containing all the plays and poems of Shakespeare. |
Mr. Walker answered the advertisement because ________
| A．he claimed that the books were being offered at a remarkable price. |
| B．he wanted a set of Shakespeare’s works which was a good bargain |
| C．he had ordered the set and had been waiting for them to come for some time. |
| D．the set he already had was not particularly attractive. |
It can be inferred that _______
| A．Cosmo Books have sent bills for books that they have not sent. |
| B．Several sets of books have been sent to Mr. Walker free of charge. |
| C．Mr. Walker hasn’t received the books that he ordered. |
| D．Mr. Walker took some action after receiving the books he did not order. |
. The tone of the letter is that of _______
| A．bitterness | B．respect | C．humor | D．annoyance |
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