Old Cremona Violins
Most musicians(音乐家) agree that the best violins(小提琴) were first made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. These violins sound better than any others. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments(乐器) like the Italian violins. But they aren’t the same. Musicians still prefer the old ones.
Some people think it is the age of the violins. But not all old violins sound wonderful. Only the old violins from Cremona are special(特殊的). So age cannot be the answer.
Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. The wood must be from certain kinds of trees.
But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully. It has to be the right size and shape(形状). The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this was the secret of the Italians. Maybe they understood more than we do about how to cut the wood.
Size and shape may not be the answer, either. Scientists can make new ones that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old ones. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish. Varnish is what covers the wood of the violin. It makes the wood look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. But no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish.The passage is about .
| A．making violins | B．musical instruments |
| C．scientific ideas | D．the old Italian violins |
Other people think the Italian violin makers .
| A．did not know much about violins | B．were lucky |
| C．used many kinds of wood | D．knew something special |
Violins made today .
| A．have the same size and shape as the old ones |
| B．sound the same as the old ones |
| C．are better than the old ones |
| D．have the same varnish as the old ones |
Some scientists believe that the secret of the old violins was .
| A．their sound | B．their colour | C．their varnish | D．the music |
A man came home from work late, tired, to find his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door.
“Daddy, how much money do you make each hour?”
“If you must know, I make $20 each hour.”
“Oh,” the little boy answered, with his head down. He thought for a moment, looked up and said, “Daddy, could you lend me $10?”
The father was furious, “If you asked for the money to buy a toy or some other rubbish, then go straight to your room and think about why you are so selfish!”
The little boy went to his room with no words and shut the door. After a short while, the father calmed down, and started to think, “Maybe he really needs to buy something and he didn’t really ask for money very often.” So he went to the little boy’s room.
“Sorry！Maybe I was too hard on you just now.” said the man, “Here’s $10.”
“Oh, thank you Daddy!” he said happily. Then the boy took out some coins. When the father found that the boy already had money, he got angry again.
“Why do you want more money since you already have some?” the father shouted angrily.
“Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do.” the little boy replied, “Daddy, I have $20 now. Can I buy one hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.”In this passage, the underlined word “furious” in Paragraph 5 means _________.
| A．very angry | B．quite happy | C．too excited | D．a little nervous |
At first, the father didn’t lend the money because _________.
| A．he thought the boy wanted to keep the money for himself. |
| B．he did not have enough money at that moment |
| C．he thought the boy would buy something useless |
| D．the boy always borrowed money from him |
The boy wanted to buy _________ with twenty dollars.
| A．a new novel for himself | B．a nice present for his father |
| C．a toy for his own birthday | D．one hour of his father’s time |
| Landing card Welcome to the United States of America 1. First (Given) name: William 2. Date of birth (dd/mm/yy): 12/08/98 3. Flight no. AA3751 4. Number of family members traveling with you: None 5. Country of citizenship: Spain 6. Purpose of visit: To see family 7. Are you carrying any of these things: Food, animal, plants, guns or cash over 10,000? Some chocolate 8. Have you had any illnesses in the last 3 months? No 9. How long will you be staying in the USA? Two weeks 10. Is this your first visit to the USA? No 11. In which city will you spend the most time during your stay? New York 12. What is your next destination? Madrid, Spain |
When is William’s birthday?
| A．August 8 | B．December 8 | C．August 12 | D．December 12 |
How long will William stay in the USA?
| A．Two weeks. | B．Two months. | C．One week. | D．One month. |
Where can you find the card?
| A．At the school. | B．In the airplane. | C．At the bus stop. | D．In the hospital. |
In Xinjiang, most people knew the stories of Avanti. Avanti was a very clever man. People liked him because he not only spoke for the poor but also was always ready to help them.
One day Avanti walked on the street and saw two men arguing with each other. A lot of people stood around them. One of the two men was the owner of the eating house in the town and the other was a young man. The young man just passed by the eating house. The owner of the eating house told the young man to pay him money. The young man explained（解释）that he hadn’t taken anything from the eating house. But the owner said that the young man had taken the smell of the nice food from the eating house, and he must pay for it. So Avanti went up to the owner and said, “ I’ll pay you the money.” Avanti took out some coins（硬币） from his pocket and put them into his bags. He shook his bag, and people heard the sound of the coins. Then Avanti said to the owner, “ Take away the sound of the coins. That’s what I pay for the smell of your food.”People liked Avanti because ______________.
| A．he was clever and disliked helping the poor |
| B．he was rich and liked helping the poor |
| C．he was wise and liked to help the poor |
| D．he was too poor to help the rich |
One day Avanti saw two men _____________.
| A．arguing about the eating house |
| B．arguing about the payment |
| C．eating in the eating house |
| D．laughing at the people around them |
The owner of the eating house told the young man ____________.
| A．to pay enough money for his food |
| B．to pay the money for broken bowls |
| C．to pay for the smell of the food |
| D．to pay for the service |
Avanti wanted to help the young man, so _____________.
| A．he helped the young man out of trouble |
| B．he would pay for the money instead of the young man |
| C．he asked the owner not to ask the young man for money |
| D．he asked the young man to make friends with the owner |
Avanti paid the owner of the eating house _____________.
| A．enough money | B．some coins |
| C．a lot of things | D．the sound of coins |
There are seabirds as well as land-birds. The most ordinary seabird is the seagull. It has a white body, a white head and a yellow beak. There is a very, very spot of red at the very end of the beak, underneath. All gulls have very strong wings so that they can fly far out to sea. If a gull flies out too far, so that it is too tired to fly back to the shore(岸边), it does not get frightened, for it can sit and rest upon the waves(波浪). A seagull’s wings do not get wet because all its feathers have a kind of oil over them, so that when the water gets on to the feathers, it just runs off again. Gulls can even sleep upon the waves.
Sailors(水手) know a lot about seagulls and they never kill them. When the gulls fly a long way out to sea, sailors say that it means fine weather is coming. When the gulls stay near the shore, sailors say they there will be much wind and rain, and perhaps a storm, for the gulls know more about the weather than sailors do.The seagull is a kind of ________.
| A．fish | B．land-bird | C．seabird | D．animal |
Every gull is able to fly far out to sea because it _________.
| A．is very light | B．has very strong wings |
| C．always flies high | D．is strong enough |
A seagull does not get frightened even when it is far away from the shore and it is too tired to fly back because it can ____________.
| A．swim under the sea | B．stay under the sea |
| C．rest and sleep upon the waves | D．jump into the sea |
The water can’t make the seagull’s feathers wet because the feathers are __________.
| A．thick | B．long | C．light | D．oily |
If seagulls stay near the shore, it will be ___________.
| A．windy, rainy or stormy | B．sunny and hot |
| C．fine and warm | D．freezing cold |
All students need to have good habits (习惯): When you have good study habits, you can learn things quickly. You can also remember (记住) them easily.
Do you like to study in the living room? This is not a good place because it is usually too noisy. You need to study in a quiet place, like your bedroom. A quiet place will help you only think about one thing, and you will learn better.
Before you study, do not forget to clean your desk. A good desk light is important (重要的), too. You’ll feel tired easily if (如果) there is not enough light.When you have good study habits, you will ________.
| A．learn things quickly | B．remember things easily |
| C．think about one thing | D．both A and B |
The living room is not a good place for study because it is too ________.
| A．quiet | B．noisy | C．good | D．clean |
You should remember to ________ before you study.
| A．clean the desk | B．clean the room | C．open the door | D．open the window |
You’ll feel tired easily if the light is ________.
| A．enough | B．good | C．bad | D．wonderful |
The best title (标题) for this passage is ________.
| A．Study in the Bedroom | B．Good Study Habits |
| C．How to Study | D．Desk Light Is Important |
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