In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow to audition (试演) for My Kind of people, a televised talent show popular in the UK. She was immediately rejected. She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn't perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks. Boyle was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub.
Boyle suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away. After his death. Boyle put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother Bridget Boyle. The mother and daughter often talked of Susan's possible fame. Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions. “She was the one who said I should enter Britain's Got Talent. We used to watch it together.” Susan later told reporters. “She thought I would win.”
In 1999, Boyle used all of her savings to pay for a professional demo (样本唱片) tape. which she sent to record companies. In 2002, Boyle began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O'Neil.
In 2007, Boyle's mother passed away at the age of 91. A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldn't come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone.” She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles. For over a year, she refused to sing. But in August of 2008, O'Neil urged her to try out for Britain's Got Talent. Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Boyle auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland. She sang I Dreamed A Dream in the first round of the show, which was aired on 11 April 2009.
The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharp contrast (对比) to her powerfully beautiful voice. The performance astonished the audience and the judges. Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week. Although she failed to win the final of Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular. Her first album I Dreamed A Dream has sold over five million copies.Bridget Boyle's attitude towards her daughter's musical talent can be described as .
| A．critical | B．doubtful | C．indifferent | D．optimistic |
From Para. 4 we learn that Boyle .
| A．was slightly discouraged by her voice coach |
| B．entered Britain's Got Talent to prove her ability |
| C．decided to give up her singing career |
| D．was deeply affected by her mother's death |
Which of the following is TRUE about Susan Boyle?
| A．Her international fame grew rapidly in 2008. |
| B．Her audition for My Kind of People failed. |
| C．She has never stopped singing since 1995. |
| D．She was the winner of Britain's Got Talent. |
In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to .
| A．tell us how Boyle's dream came true |
| B．let us know more about Boyle's personal life |
| C．show how Boyle was influenced by her family |
| D．explain how to enter and win a talent show |
You may have heard of the man who decided to repair the roof of his house. To be safe, he tied a rope around his waist and threw the other end of it over the top of the house. He asked his son to tie it to something secure. The boy fastened the safety rope to the bumper(保险杠) of their car parked in the driveway. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But a little while later, his wife, unaware of the rope securing her husband, she started the car and drove away. Imagine what the result would be.
This story, factual or not, points to a great truth. It is a truth about where we place our security; about those things to which we’ve tied our safety lines. What is your rope tied to? Think about it. What do you depend on to keep you from disaster? Is your rope tied to a good job? Is it tied to a relationship with somebody you rely on? Is it tied to a company or an organization?
Writer Susan Taylor tells of discovering how unreliable some of our safety lines really are. She tells of lying in bed in the early hours of the morning when an earthquake struck. As her house shook, she fell out of bed and managed to go to the doorway, watching in horror as her whole house cracked down around her. Where her bed had once stood, she later discovered nothing but a pile of bricks. She lost everything — every button, every dish, her automobile, every article of clothing. Susan trembled, scared and crying, in the darkness. In the early morning she cried and called out for help.
Thoroughly exhausted, she thought that maybe she should be listening for rescuers instead of crying. So she grew still and listened. In the silence around her, the only sound she heard was the beating of her own heart. It occurred to her then that at least she was still alive and, amazingly enough, unhurt.
She thought about her situation. In the stillness, fear abandoned her and a feeling of indescribable peace and happiness flooded in, the likes of which she had never before known. It was an experience that was to change her life forever.
In the deepest part of her being, Susan realized a remarkable truth. She realized she had nothing to fear. Amazingly, whether or not she was ever rescued, whether she ever made it out alive, she sensed she had nothing to fear.
For the first time in her life she understood that her true security did not depend on those things in which she had placed her trust. It lay deep within. And also for the first time, she knew what it was to be content in all circumstances. She realized that whether she had plenty or hardly enough, somehow she would be all right. She just knew it. She later wrote, “Before the quake I appeared very successful, but my life was out of balance. I wasn’t happy because I had been making money and always wanting more. My home, my job, my clothes, a relationship — I thought they were my security. It took an earthquake and losing everything I owned for me to discover that my security had been with me all along…There’s a power within us that we can depend upon no matter what is happening around us.”
She had tied her rope to the wrong things. It took a disaster for her to understand that those things are not trustworthy. So she let go of the rope and discovered peace. She found that her true security was a power within- dependable and sure.
What is your rope tied to? And what would happen if you found the courage to let go of it?In Paragraph 1, the writer tells the story of the man to___________.
| A．describe a scene | B．introduce a topic |
| C．offer an argument | D．satisfy the readers’ curiosity |
If the story of the man was true, the most probable result would be that___________.
| A．the bumper of the car broke up |
| B．the house was destroyed by the car |
| C．the man was badly injured or even killed |
| D．the wife was scolded by her husband |
Why was Susan crying in the darkness?
| A．Because she was afraid of staying in the dark. |
| B．Because she wanted to be heard by the rescuers. |
| C．Because she was frightened and felt helpless. |
| D．Because she had tied her rope to the wrong thing. |
What did Susan feel after she thought about her situation?
| A．She felt she was still alive. |
| B．She felt very peaceful. |
| C．She felt completely hopeless. |
| D．She wanted to change her life forever. |
How did Susan like interpersonal relationship and income before the earthquake?
| A．They were meaningless. |
| B．They were very important. |
| C．They were unnecessary. |
| D．They were among some choices. |
Which of the following should be the best title?
| A．An Experience from an Earthquake. | B．A Rope Tied to a Car. |
| C．Please Let Go of Your Trust. | D．What to Depend on. |
Close your eyes for a minute and imagine what life would be like if you had a hundred dollars less. Also imagine what it would be like spending the rest of your life with you eyes closed. Imagine having to read this page, not with your eyes but with your fingertips.
With existing medical knowledge and skills, two-thirds of the world’s 42 million blind should not have to suffer. Unfortunately, rich countries posses most of this knowledge, while developing countries do not.
ORBIS is an international non-profit organization which operates the world’s only flying teaching eye hospital. ORBIS intends to help fight blindness worldwide. Inside a DC-8 aircraft, there is a fully-equipped teaching hospital with television studio and classroom. Doctors are taught the latest techniques of bringing sight back to people there. Project ORBIS also aims at promoting peaceful cooperation among countries.
ORBIS tries to help developing countries by providing training during three-week medical programs. ORBIS has taught sight-saving techniques to over 35,000 doctors and nurses, who continue to cure tens of thousands of blind people every year. ORBIS has conducted 17 plane programs in China so far. For the seven to ten million blind in China, ORBIS is planning to do more for them. At the moment an ORBIS is working on a long-term plan to develop a training center and to provide eye care service to Shanxi Province. ORBIS needs your help to continue their work and free people from blindness.
For just US$38,you can help one person see; for $380 you can bring sight to 10 people; $1,300 helps teach a doctor new skills; and for $13,000 you can provide a training program for a group of doctors who can make thousands of blind people see again. Your money can open their eyes to the world. Please help ORBIS improve the quality of life for so many people less fortunate than ourselves.The first paragraph is intended to ______.
| A．introduce a new way of reading |
| B．advise the public to lead a simple life |
| C．direct the public’s attention to the blind |
| D．encourage the public to use imagination |
What do we learn about existing medical knowledge and skills in the world?
| A．They are enough. |
| B．They are not equally distributed(分布，分配). |
| C．They have not been updated. |
| D．They have benefited most of the blind. |
ORRIS aims to help the blind by ______.
| A．teaching medical students |
| B．training doctors and nurses |
| C．running flying hospitals globally |
| D．setting up non-profit organization |
What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．ORRIS in China | B．Fighting Blindness |
| C．Sight-seeing Techniques | D．ORRIS Flying Hospital |
Many of us enjoy doing it: you turn on the camera on your mobile phone and hold it at a high angle--- making your eyes look bigger and your cheekbones more defined. You turn to your best side and click.
There it is - your selfie.
Over the past year, "selfie" has become a well-known term across the globe. This August the Oxford dictionary added the word to their online dictionary and define it as: "A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website."
Today it's not difficult to find social networking pages full of photos people have taken of themselves and their friends. And selfie culture has become especially relevant for young people. As many as 91 percent of teenagers have posted photos of themselves online, according to a recent survey by the US Pew Research Center.
So what are the reasons for the rise of selfie culture?
"The craziness about the selfie celebrates regular people," Pamela Rutledge, a professor at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, told Vogue magazine. "There are many more photographs available now of real people than models."
Posting selfies also allows you to control your image online. "I like having the power to choose how I look, even if I'm making a funny face:' Samantha Barks, 19, a high school student in the US, told Vogue.
In addition to self-expression and documentation (记录), selfies "allow for a close friendship for long-distance friends, because you can see each other's faces every day", wrote Casey Miller at The Huffington Post.
But US psychologist Jill Weber is concerned that selfies might lead to social problems. "There's a danger that your self-esteem (自尊心) may start to be tied to the comments and '1ikes' you get when you post a selfie, and they aren't based on who you are - they're based on what you look like," Weber told Vogue. "When you get nothing or a negative response, your confidence can decrease."Why does the writer mention the fact that "selfie" was added to an online dictionary?
| A．To inform readers where to find the meaning of the word. |
| B．To recommend the dictionary to readers. |
| C．To show that the online dictionary is widely used. |
| D．To indicate that the word has become very popular. |
According to the passage, "selfie" mainly involves _______.
| A．young people | B．models | C．students | D．celebrities |
How many reasons are mentioned for the rise of selfie?
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
Many people post photos of themselves online to _________.
| A．make fun of themselves | B．become powerful |
| C．beautify themselves | D．choose how they look |
In Jill Weber's opinion, selfies may cause one to _________.
| A．be cheated | B．feel discouraged |
| C．lose money | D．succeed more easily |
If you really want to go green, here’s good news: eating green is good for you. The very foods with a high carbon cost---meat, pork, dairy products, processed snacks---also tend to be filled with fat and calories. A green diet would be mostly vegetables and fruits, whole grains, fish and lean meats like chicken---a diet that’s eco- and waistline-friendly. Eating green can be healthier and beneficial to the climate.
It may be hard to believe that a meal at McDonald’s produces more carbon than your trip to a far away place. More than 37% of the world’s land is used for agriculture, much of which was once forested. Deforestation (砍伐森林) is a major source of carbon. The fertilizer (化肥) and machinery needed on a modern farm also have a large carbon footprint, as does the network of ships and trucks that brings the food from the farm to your plate.
The most efficient way to reduce the carbon footprint of your menu is to eat less meat, especially beef. Raising cattle takes a lot more energy than growing the equivalent (相等的) amount of grains, fruits or vegetables. What’s more, the majority of cattle in the U.S. are fed on grain and loads of it---670 million tons in 2002---and the fertilizer used to feed that creates separate environmental problems.
Focus on eating lower on the food chain, with more plants and fruits and less meat and dairy. It’s simple. We can change today what goes into our bodies for the health of our planet and ourselves.According to the passage, eating green will_____.
| A．protect the animals from being killed |
| B．promote the development of agriculture |
| C．help us lose weight and keep self-confidence |
| D．be good for our health and make a change for the climate |
What will not lead to carbon in the agriculture?
| A．Deforestation | B．Fertilizer |
| C．Machinery | D．Grains |
In the author’s opinion, the most efficient way to reduce carbon is to_____.
| A．eat more vegetables than meat |
| B．stop raising the cattle |
| C．plant more grains |
| D．use less fertilizer |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The benefits of eating green. |
| B．How to reduce the carbon. |
| C．The change of our menu. |
| D．The ways of keeping healthy. |
Cultural events that take place in Edinburgh during August draw most people’s attention, but plenty of other festivals can also entertain you throughout the rest of the year.
Ceilidh Culture Festival
Where: various places
When: Date late Mar/early Apr
Tel & website: 228 1155, www.ceilidhculrure.co.uk
Backed by the local authorities, this is a community-focused celebration of traditional Scottish music, dance, song and storytelling. City-wide over a period of nearly four weeks, prices are different for different events.
Beltane Fire Festival
Where: Calton Hill, Calton Hill & Broughton
When: 30 Apr
Website: www. beltane.org
An ancient tradition marking the transition (转变) from winter to spring, the Beltane fire festival was revived (恢复) in the 1980s and has grown into quite a drama: fire, costume, body-paint, dancing and drumming. If the weather holds, it can attract up to 12,000 people. Tickets cost around ￡5 in advance from the Hub; a limited number are available for ￡7 on the night.
Doors Open Day
Where: various places
When: weekend, late Sept
Tel & Website: 557 8686, www.cockburnassociation.org.uk
Each year, heritage (遗产) body the Cockburn Association works with organizations and individuals (个人) to allow public access to buildings that few people usually get to see---everything from private homes to lighthouses. It’s all free.
Capital Christmas
Where: various places
When: late Nov till early Jan
Website: www.edinburghschristmas.com
What started out as a few accidental events has grown into a large, popular, city-wide festival. The main part is the Winter Wonderland in Princes Street Gardens, including fairground (露天市场) rides, crafts market, a skating rink (溜冰场) and the Edinburgh Wheel (a Ferris wheel next to the Scott Monument).If you want to find out more about the Ceilidh Cultural Festival, you can visit_____ .
| A．www. ceilidhculrure.co.uk |
| B．www.cockburnassociation.org.uk |
| C．www.edinburghschristmas.com |
| D．www. beltane.org |
Why do people celebrate the Beltane Fire Festival?
| A．To celebrate traditional Scottish music. |
| B．To exhibit ancient architecture. |
| C．To celebrate the transition from winter to spring |
| D．To celebrate the invention of fire. |
Doors Open Day may be on______ .
| A．a Monday in late September |
| B．a Saturday in late September |
| C．a Saturday in late November |
| D．a Monday in late November |
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