Bamboo (竹子) is one of nature’s (自然) most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.
Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist reported one bamboo plant which grew 1.5 metres (4 feet) in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1, 000 kinds of bamboo.
Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimeters wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimetres (1 foot) across. This plant also comes in different colors, from yellow to black to green.
Bamboo has been used to make many things such as hats and kitchen tools. Because it is strong, bamboo is also used to build buildings.
Many Asian countries have used bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for buildings and supporting new buildings and bridges while they are being built.
In Africa, poor farmers are taught how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap way to find water because they have no money, and their crops often die from no rain and no water. Bamboo pipes help poor farmers bring water to their thirsty fields without spending a lot of money. How is bamboo like grass?
| A．It grows quickly. | B．It’s wood. |
| C．It is easy to cut | D．It is very thin |
Though you can see bamboo everywhere, it doesn’t grow ______.
| A．in China | B．in Europe |
| C．on mountains | D．in Africa |
Why is bamboo used by African poor farmers?
| A．Because it is cheap. |
| B．Because it has different colours . |
| C．Because it is strong. |
| D．Because it has been used by Asians. |
Bamboo pipes can ______.
| A．make money | B．be trees |
| C．grow quickly | D．carry water |
The purpose of communication is to get your message across to others. This is a process that involves both the sender of the message and the receiver. This process leaves room for error, with messages often being misunderstood by one or more of the parties involved. This causes unnecessary confusion.
In fact, a message is successful only when both the sender and the receiver perceive (感知) it in the same way. By successfully getting your message across, you convey your thoughts and ideas effectively. When not successful, the thoughts and ideas that you convey do not necessarily reflect your own, causing a communication breakdown and creating roadblocks that stand in the way of your goals — both personally and professionally.
In a recent survey of recruiters (招募者) in companies with more than 50,000 employees, communication skills were cited as the single more important factor in choosing managers. The survey, conducted by the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Business School, points out that communication skills, including written and oral presentations, as well as an ability to work with others, are the main factors leading to job success.
In spite of the increasing importance placed on communication skills, many individuals continue to struggle with this, unable to communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively — whether in oral or written form. This inability（无能） makes it nearly impossible for them to compete effectively in the workplace, and stands in the way of career progression. Getting your message across is essential to progressing. To do this, you must understand what your message is, what audience you are sending it to, and how it will be perceived. You must also weigh-in the circumstances surrounding your communication, such as situational and cultural context.
47. The underlined word “This” in the first paragraph refers to ______.
A. the purpose of communication
B. the process of getting your message across to others
C. the process of letting others know your purpose
D. the cause of unnecessary confusion
48. A communication failure occurs when ______.
A. the sender and the receiver understand the message in the same way
B. the receiver purposely understands the message wrong
C. the way you send the message creates problems with the receiver
D. the sender creates problems in a professional way
49. _______ make for job success.
A. Communication skills and ability to cooperate
B. Communication skills along with written presentations
C. Written presentations together with ability to work with others
D. The abilities to cooperate with others
50. What is the attitude of the writer towards the communication skills?
A. Neutral. B. Opponent. C. Supportive. D. Indifferent.
Jazz was originally sung or played by the African slaves in America. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Africans were sold in America as slaves to work in large plantations（种植园）. After a hard day’s work, these people would gather together and sing, both to forget their worries and also to teach their children about the land and culture they came from. Early jazz music was basically the soulful and sad composition performed by black musicians who had little or no training in western music.
Many different kinds of music helped to create jazz. Jazz probably had its roots in the 19th century. African Americans created blues music from church music and sad songs from the times of slavery. In large cities, African Americans mixed these songs with music from other immigrants and then formed jazz. Sounds from West African, Spanish, French and even Arabic cultures can be heard in jazz music. In this way, jazz is like American culture. Jazz brings many ideas together from around the world to make something new.
There are many different ideas about where the word “jazz” came from.Some experts think that the word just borrows ideas from many different languages. They think that people may have made up their own word to describe the excitement of hearing and playing a new kind of music. Others think that the word comes from the Arabic word jazb. Middle Eastern jazb music and jazz have similar sounds. Several musicians from the Middle East have come to America to study jazz. They mix traditional jazz sounds with music from their own countries. This kind of jazz is called “fusion” and it is one of the most popular forms of jazz in America today.
43. African slaves in the plantations played early “jazz” to _____.
A. earn some money
B. entertain their slave owners
C. develop a kind of soulful and sad music
D. forget worries and keep their land in mind
44. Some experts think that the word “jazz” is a word for people to ______.
A. pronounce the Arabic word “jazb”
B. form a new kind of culture
C. express their inner feeling
D. create a way to explain themselves
45.What can we infer from the passage?
A. By comparison, African Americans have the greatest talent in the world.
B. American culture is a mixture of different cultural and social patterns.
C. The native Americans started jazz music in the time of slavery.
D. The music was created by some professional musicians from Africa.
46. The title of the passage could be ____.
A. Basic Information of Jazz
B. The Features of Jazz Music
C. Different Forms of Jazz Music
D. The Prospect of Jazz Music
Show Your Bones is the newest album from a musical group with an unusual name, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The energetic music made by these rock musicians is becoming very popular in America.
A singer, a guitar player and a drummer make up the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Their rock sound is creative, unusual, and full of personality. Their music is considered an example of “indie”(short for independent) rock. Indie musicians like to protect their independence and artistic freedom. One way to do this is to avoid using major record companies. The lead singer Karen O is known for wearing wild clothing and having wild hairstyles while performing. Sometimes she even pours beer over herself and the audience. Imagine Karen O dancing around on stage as you listen to her sing the song, Phenomena.
The words in the songs on Show Your Bones are poetic and also a little strange. It is not always clear what the songs mean. In the song called The Sweets, Karen O describes colors and the motion of water. Also, she wonders about meeting someone again.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs started playing music together in New York City.
Now Karen O has moved to Los Angeles, California. She says that she likes flying between the two cities and the band is now “bi-coastal”. Karen O also said that this album was the most difficult to make. The band was trying to find a different sound from their earlier albums. Their work seems to have been worth the effort. Critics say Show Your Bones might be one of the best albums of the year.
39. How many people are there in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs?
A. Two. B.One. C. Four. D. Three.
40. According to the passage, we know that_______.
A. Karen O usually drinks beer on stage while singing
B. The Sweets is an album made by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
C. Karen O doesn’t sing in New York any longer
D. the group had made more than one album before Show Your Bones
41. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Most major record companies follow certain The words on
B. Show Your Bones are all difficult to understand.traditions.
C. Show Your Bones has got a lot of criticism.
D. Show Your Bones is the best-seller of the year.
42. The writer’s attitude towards the Yeah Yeah Yeahs can be best described as _______.
A. indifferent B. curious C. positive D. negative
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
Robby was 11 when his mother dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer students to begin at an earlier age. Robby insisted that it had always been his mother’s dream to hear him play the piano, so I took him on as a student.
Robby tried and tried while I listened and encouraged him and gave him more instructions. But he just did not have any inborn ability.
I only saw his mother from a distance. She always waved and smiled but never came in. Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons. I thought about calling him but I guessed he had decided to try something else.
I was also glad that he stopped coming for the sake of my career. However, several weeks before the recital (演奏会) of my students, Robby came，telling me that he never stopped practicing and begged me to allow him to take part in. I agreed, but I made him perform last in the program, so I could save his poor performance through my “curtain closer”.
I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen one piece of Mozart’s. Never had I heard a piece of Mozart’s played so well by someone at his age. When he finished, everyone was cheering.
I ran up and put my arms around Robby in joy. “I’ve never heard you play like that, Robby! How could you do it?”
“Well, Miss Hondorf. Do you remember I told you my mom was sick? Actually she died this morning. She was born deaf, so tonight was the first time she could hear me play in heaven. I wanted to make it special. I knew I could.”
That night, Robby was the teacher and I was the student. He taught me so many important things about life.
36. Why did Robby stop coming to piano lessons suddenly?
A. He lost heart and believed that he would never make it.
B. His mother might had been seriously ill.
C. He thought that his teacher disliked him.
D. His mother died and he didn’t need to play any longer.
37. We can know from the passage that ________.
A. the writer thought that students shouldn’t begin playing the piano too early
B. the writer thought that Robby had given up his piano lessons
C. only by practicing at home did Robby learn to play well
D. no one else could play the piece of Mozart’s as well as Robby
38. The writer made Robby perform last because ______.
A. the one who performs last always performs very well
B. Robby asked the writer to do so
C. she wanted to do something to save a poor performance
D. Robby thought his mother would come at last
Arnold followed Eugie down the slope, stealing, as his brother did, from one stock of wheat to another. Eugie paused before climbing through the wire fence that divided the Wheatfield from the marshy pasture （牧场）around the lake. They were screened from the ducks by the trees along the lake’s edge.
“If you hit your duck, you want me to go in after it?” Eugie said.
“If you want.” Amold said.
Eugie lowered his eyelids, “You’d drown before you got it, the legs of yours are so weak.” he said contemptuously（轻蔑地）.
He shoveled the tub under the fence and, pressing down the center wire, climbed through into the pasture.
Arnold pressed down the bottom wire, pushed a leg through and leaned forward to bring the other leg after. His rifle caught on the wire and he pulled at it. The air was rocked by the sound of the shot. Feeling foolish, he lifted his face, uncovering it to an expected shower of derision （嘲弄）from his brother. But Eugie did not turn around. Instead, from his crouching position, he fell into his knees and then fell forward onto hi
s face. The ducks rose up crying from the lake, cleared the mountain background and beat away northward across the pale sky.
Arnold squatted beside his brother. Eugie seemed to be climbing the earth, as if the earth ran up and down, and when he found he couldn’t scale it he lay still.
“Eugie?”
Then Arnold saw it, under the rolling hair at the back of the need — a slow rising of bight blood. It had an unpleasant movement, like that of a parasite（寄生虫）.
“Hey, Eugie, ” he said again.
He was feeling the same discomfort he had felt when he had watched Eugie sleeping; his brother didn’t know that he was lying face down in the pasture.
Again he said, “Hey, Eugie,” an anxious push in his voice. But Eugie was as still as the morning about them.
72．What does the underlined word “screened” in Para 1 probably mean?
A．Separated. B．Stopped. C．Dragged. D．Hidden.
73．According to the passage, we know that .
A．Eugie always laughed at Arnold
B．Eugie would help Arnold hit the ducks
C．Arnold begged Eugie to go in after the ducks
D．Eugie was worried that Arnold might drown
74．Why did Eugie lie still?
A．Arnold shot him intentionally. B．Arnold killed him accidentally.
C．He pretended to be unconscious. D．He was ready to shoot some ducks.
75．It can be inferred from the passage that .
A．the relationship between Arnold and Euie was not so good
B．Arnold followed Eugie approaching the lake to steal ducks
C．they were crouching forward to steal the wheat
D．Eugie was always
taking care of Arnold
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