One of the most famous buildings in the United States is Carnegie Hall, the home of classical and popular music concerts in New York. Carnegie Hall is known not just for its beauty and history, but also for its amazing sound. It has been said that the hall itself is an instrument. It takes the music and makes it larger than life.
Carnegie Hall is named after Andrew Carnegie, who paid for its construction. He was a wealthy man who also gave a lot of money to schools and public libraries. Construction on Carnegie Hall began in 1890 and the official opening night was on May 5, 1891.
The hall was owned by the Carnegie family until 1924 when it was sold to Robert E. Simon. The building became very old and in 1960, the new owner made plans to destroy it and build an office block. Isaac Stem led a group of people who fought to save Carnegie Hall and finally, the city of New York bought it for $5 million. It was then fixed up between 1983 and 1995.
In 1986, people realized that Carnegie Hall had never kept proper records of its history. Advertisements and stories in newspapers about how Carnegie Hall needed help to recover its history led people to send in old concert programmes and information from all over the world. Over 12,000 concert programmes were received and with these it was possible to make a proper record of Carnegie Hall’s concert history.
Carnegie Hall is actually made up of several different halls, but the Main Hall, now called the Isaac Stern Hall, is the most famous. Most of the greatest performers of classical music since the time the hall was built have performed in the Main Hall, and its reception areas are decorated with signed photographs of these musicians. The hall itself can hold an audience of 2,804 in five levels of seating. Visitors to the top level have to climb up 105 steps to get there!
Because the best and most famous musicians of all time have played at Carnegie Hall, it is the dream of most musicians who want to be great to play there. This has led to a very old joke which is now part of Carnegie Hall’s history. Question: “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” Answer: “Practise, practise, practise.”What do music lovers expect in Carnegie Hall?
| A．Musical concerts presented by first class performers. |
| B．Exhibits and photographs of historical events. |
| C．Musicians practicing for opportunities to play. |
| D．People dancing merrily at parties. |
What is the correct order of the following events?
a. Robert E. Simon bought it in 1924.
b. Carnegie Hall got its name.
c. Carnegie Hall recovered its history.
d. New York City paid $5,000,000 for it.
e. Construction on Carnegie Hall began in 1890.
| A．a; c; b; d; e; | B．e; d; c; a; b | C．e; b; a; d; c | D．a; e; c; d; b |
How long did it take Carnegie Hall to be fixed up?
| A．9 years. | B．10 years. | C．11 years. | D．12 years. |
How did Carnegie Hall recover its concert history?
| A．Through newspaper reports. |
| B．Through old concert programmes. |
| C．Through old photographs. |
| D．Through old jokes. |
Why do you think the Main Hall is now called the Isaac Stern Hall?
| A．Because Isaac Stern is a famous musician. |
| B．Because Isaac Stern built the Main Hall. |
| C．Because Isaac Stern saved Carnegie Hall. |
| D．Because Isaac Stern made up the Carnegie Hall joke. |
The slogan “a dog is for life, not just for Christmas” has been going strong for 27 years now. Dogs and cats have been popular Christmas gifts in the gifts in the UK and Europe for many years. But some people still haven’t quite got the message.
The slogan still holds good. Some 105,000 dogs were rounded up by local government last year because they had been abandoned, many of them shortly after the festival season.
The main reason given by owners for handing their dogs over to the Dogs Trust is that the dogs need more attention than they can give; behavioral problems and moving home are also reasons given.
But Eleanor Silk, the Trust’s communications director, says, “It’s often four or five months after Christmas, in early summer, when owners find that the dog has got too big and too active, or it hasn’t been trained properly and has caused damage around the home.”
In any case, some organizations that help pets are quick to point out that if you are serious about getting a puppy(小狗) as a pet, Christmas is not the time to do it. Puppies need to get used to their new surroundings, to be introduced to a routine, and to be looked after like small children. It’s hard to meet any of these needs at Christmas. What’s more, pulling a puppy out of a Christmas stocking in itself sends the wrong message to children. It encourages children to think of the puppy as a toy, rather than a responsibility.
Appreciating what you’re taking on with a dog can be a sobering (清醒的) realization. “For life” means thinking about the effect they’ll have on your life. It also infers you will need to care for the dog for its whole life.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Dogs and Cats—the Most Popular Christmas Gifts. |
| B．A pet is for Life, Not just for Christmas. |
| C．How to Take Care of Your Pets over Christmas. |
| D．Let’s Help Those Abandoned Pets |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a reason for pets to be abandoned?
| A．Pets spread some diseases. |
| B．Pets damage some things in the house. |
| C．The owners can’t take good care of the pets. |
| D．The owners have to move to other places. |
The underlined words “rounded up” in Paragraph 2 mean “________”.
| A．given out as gifts |
| B．thrown away |
| C．gathered into one place |
| D．raised to make money |
The fifth paragraph mainly tells us________.
| A．how to take best care of Christmas pets |
| B．the right time to have a puppy as a pet |
| C．the reasons why Christmas is not the time to get a pet |
| D．the worries about Christmas pets from organizations that help pets |
Why is the author against the idea of putting a dog in the Christmas stocking as a Christmas gift?
| A．Because these dogs can still cause damage. |
| B．Because children will not take dogs seriously. |
| C．Because children don’t like to have dogs as Christmas gifts. |
| D．Because a Christmas stocking is not big enough to put a dog in. |
A 70-year study of personality suggests that pessimism is a risk factor for early death, especially among men.
The study results also indicate that pessimism can be linked to increased risk for sudden death from accidents or violence, according to the report published in the March issue of Psychological Science.
Christopher Peterson of the University of Michigan and his colleagues analyzed data from the Terman Life-Cycle Study, which began by studying California public-school children with high IQs in 1921 and followed them through their life. Most of the 1,528 children were teenagers when the study began. Those still living are now in their 80s. In 1936 and 1940, participants were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to obtain information about difficult life events and their effect on overall outlook. One such question was, “What do you regard as your most serious fault of personality or character?”
Pessimists were defined as fatalistic(宿命论的)people who tend to blame themselves when things go wrong and who believe that one bad event can ruin the rest of their life. They also tend to expect bad things to happen to them and feel that they have little or no ability to change their situation.
Males were more likely than females to be classified as pessimistic. Compared with individuals with a more cheerful and optimistic outlook, pessimists were more likely to die from accidents and violence (including suicide).
A pessimistic personality may lead to poor problem-solving ability, social difficulties and risky decision-making. Taken together, these variables put the pessimist at higher risk of untimely(不适时的) death, say the researchers. Such a person is less likely to avoid or escape potentially dangerous situations, the researchers concluded. “A pessimistic way of thinking in which people worry too much about bad events, predicts untimely death decades later,” according to Peterson.According to the passage, you may be a pessimistic person, if one failure makes you feel________.
| A．other people have been unfair to you. |
| B．other people will help you. |
| C．you cannot change a bad situation. |
| D．you can do better next time. |
According to the passage, pessimists may feel all of the following EXCEPT________
| A．helpless when faced with difficulties. |
| B．cheerful when faced with troubles. |
| C．hopeless when one bad event occurs. |
| D．guilty when things go wrong. |
Which of the following statements is true, according to the passage?
| A．Pessimists believe that everything in life depends on fate. |
| B．There are more pessimists among women than among men. |
| C．Most pessimists will end up committing suicide. |
| D．All pessimists will eventually die from accidents. |
The Terman Life-Cycle Study is a research program that studies________.
| A．people over 70 years old. |
| B．people since their childhood. |
| C．pessimistic people over 80 years old. |
| D．only younger people. |
The analysis made by Christopher Peterson and his colleagues shows that pessimistic people________
| A．will die from violence if they learn to be optimistic. |
| B．will more likely die from violence than optimistic people. |
| C．will die from violence because their IQs are low. |
| D．will die untimely if they are not able to learn to be cheerful and optimistic. |
When I was 13, my bedroom walls were covered with posters of the Monkees and Beatles. I wrote fan letters and daydreamed about meeting the objects of my affections. I begged my parents to attend every rock concert and watch every TV show featuring my favorite celebrities; my friends and I discussed for hours all the things we would say and do when we met our favourite movie stars and pop singers. I drove my mother crazy ! But after a few years, my obsession stars faded as I matured and gained the confidence to socialize with “real” boys.
In the 35 years since I was a teenager, celebrity worship (崇拜) has increased among teens due to the explosion of television celebrity gossip shows, and instant access to celebrity news on the Internet. It’s no wonder that many teens are obsessed with stars when news programs are often filled with entertainment stories and the lives of celebrities.
Celebrity worship syndrome (综合征) is now considered a personality disorder. While it is normal for teenagers to follow the lives of their favorite stars, parents should try to monitor everything their child finds interesting. Parents should take action if they suspect a teen is too obsessed with celebrities and showing little interest in school or withdrawing from the family. When teens talk a lot about celebrities and view them as just means of entertainment, this is considered normal celebrity worship. However, when a teenager is obsessed with a star and often expresses a desire to have a close personal relationship with a celebrity or feels they have a special connection to a star, this may be the time for concern. Recent studies have shown that teens who develop an unhealthy obsession with celebrities often suffer from low self confidence and depression. Teens who are overly obsessed with stars often have damaged relationships with their parents. The first paragraph is intended to tell us________.
| A．parents needn’t worry about celebrity worship |
| B．celebrity worship can cause serious problems |
| C．it’s normal for a teen to have celebrity worship |
| D．celebrity worship only exists among teens |
We can learn from the second paragraph that________.
| A．the media greatly contributes to celebrity worship today |
| B．the author is surprised at celebrity worship |
| C．teens today are not so obsessed with celebrities |
| D．celebrities expose their lives too much |
Parents should become concerned when their children________.
| A．talk a lot about celebrities with others |
| B．put up celebrity posters in their bedrooms |
| C．ask to go to their favourite star’s concert |
| D．desire a close personal relationship with their favorite star |
The last paragraph implies that________.
| A．parents should not care too much about a child’s celebrity worship |
| B．celebrity worship syndrome can be a serious problem if left overlooked |
| C．children can normally get out of celebrity worship when they are older |
| D．children with celebrity worship usually have high opinion of themselves |
What is most likely to be talked about in the paragraph following the passage?
| A．The harm of celebrity worship syndrome. |
| B．More signs of celebrity worship syndrome. |
| C．What to do with children’s celebrity worship syndrome. |
| D．Who will suffer most from celebrity worship syndrome. |
Even if you are naturally shy, these three tricks will help you to quickly build a new social circle in any new city.
1. Take pictures
One of the great things about taking pictures at an event or party is that it gives you an excuse to get in touch with the person later. Everybody loves seeing pictures of themselves, and it’s very easy after taking a picture to say “If you’d like I can email it to you”. This can be the seed that leads to new connections. The next time you hear about a fun event email your new contacts to let them know about it.
2. Eat alone in public
You might feel self-conscious eating by yourself but it has an important benefit: you are much easier to approach when you are alone. People may be afraid of interrupting you or being rude if you are in a conversation with someone else. Bring a book or newspaper to read (this will make you feel less self-conscious). Plus, having an interesting book with you will give others an excuse to start a conversation if they’ve read it.
3. Join a class, sports team, or club
Yoga, salsa dancing, volleyball, Toastmasters (a public speaking club), a class for work, etc. Take up a new hobby or continue an old one!
These are all great places to meet new people, primarily because you will be forced to see the same people over and over again in the class. You will automatically make friends with them if you have a common interest and are forced to see each other again.
Tips:
* In the beginning, never turn down an invitation from someone, even if it’s something you wouldn’t normally do.
* Email your new friends with fun things to do instead of always asking what their plans are. If they have a better plan you can drop yours and join them. This will help establish you as someone who is contributing value instead of just taking it (people want this in a friend).
* Don’t let little things in life upset you or be a negative person. People don’t want to be around someone like that!________ can give you an excuse to start new connections.
| A．Taking pictures of others |
| B．Eating by yourself in public |
| C．Reading interesting books |
| D．Joining group activities |
When having meals, you’d better ________ if you want to make new friends.
| A．approach others to show conscious friendliness |
| B．start a conversation with those who have friends aside |
| C．invite others to your apartment to eat together |
| D．sit on your own in public places |
According to the text, which of the following is NOT mentioned as an advantage of joining a class?
| A．It helps you find out people who share a common interest with you. |
| B．It helps you find out your interest and take up a new hobby. |
| C．It offers an opportunity to meet the same people repeatedly. |
| D．It is a good way to meet new people and make friends in a new city. |
Which of the following pieces of advice is a tip from the text?
| A．Try to be outgoing and talkative instead of being shy. |
| B．Never turn down an invitation from your friends. |
| C．Offer suggestions on how to spend time together. |
| D．Always give a positive response to any request. |
By writing the text, the author intends to tell us ________.
| A．why you should change when you move to a new city |
| B．how you can make new friends in a new city |
| C．why you should make new friends in a new city |
| D．how you can keep in touch with strangers |
A new report says the number of foreign students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by three percent last year. This has been the first obvious increase since 2001.
American schools last fall had 583,000 foreign students. The record is 586,000. That was set in 2002 after many years of gains. But after that the numbers fell. The terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 led to more visa (签证) requirements. Now stronger efforts are being made to get more foreign students to study in the United States.
China remained in second place in front of South Korea but behind India, whichsent almost 84,000 students last fall. The number of Japanese fell sharply by nine percent, although it remained in fourth place.
There were three percent drops from Indonesia and Kenya, the only African country in the top twenty last year. But there were obvious increases from Saudi Arabia, Nepal and Vietnam. The number of Saudi students more than doubled, rising to nearly eight thousand.
For a sixth year, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles had the most foreign students. Columbia University in New York was second. Other schools in the top five were New York University, the University of Illinois and Purdue University.
Unlike American students in other countries, who often choose history and language study, the leading area of study in the USA was business and management. Second was engineering.
The new report also says more than 220,000 Americans studied in other countries. That was during the 2005-2006 school year. It was a record number, and an increase of eight and a half percent from the year before. But only five percent of them stayed for a full year.
| A．Americans were worried that foreign students might attack them |
| B．few American universities welcomed students from abroad |
| C．their own countries could offer them a better education |
| D．it was harder for foreign students to get permission to study in the USA |
in the USA?
| A．China. | B．Japan. | C．South Korea. | D．India. |
| A．Business and management. | B．History. |
| C．Engineering. | D．Language. |
| A．Kenya is the only African country that has students in the USA |
| B．now foreign students are encouraged to study in the USA |
| C．the number of students studying in America always increases |
| D．the number of foreign students in the USA will keep increasing in the future |
| A．Culture. | B．Science. | C．Education. | D．Business. |
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