For some people, music is no fun at all. About four percent of the population is what scientists call “amusic.” People who are amusic are born without the ability to recognize or reproduce musical notes(音调). Amusic people often cannot tell the difference between two songs. Amusics can only hear the difference between two notes if they are very far apart on the musical scale.
As a result, songs sound like noise to an amusic. Many amusics compare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other. Life can be hard for amusics. Their inability to enjoy music set them apart from others. It can be difficult for other people to identify with their condition. In fact, most people cannot begin to grasp what it feels like to be amusic. Just going to a restaurant or a shopping mall can be uncomfortable or even painful. That is why many amusics intentionally stay away from places where there is music. However, this can result in withdrawal and social isolation. “I used to hate parties,” says Margaret, a seventy-year-old woman who only recently discovered that she was amusic. By studying people like Margaret, scientists are finally learning how to identify this unusual condition.
Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different from the brains of people who can appreciate music. The different is complex, and it doesn’t include defective hearing. Amusics can understand other nonmusical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding ordinary speech. Scientists compare amusics to people who just can’t see certain colors.
Many amusics are happy when their condition is finally diagnosed(诊断). For years, Margaret felt embarrassed about her problem with music. Now she knows that she is not alone. There is a name for her condition. That makes it easier for her to explain. “When people invite me to a concert, I just say, ‘No, thanks. I’m amusic.’” says Margaret. “I just wish I had learned to say that when I was seventeen and not seventy.” Which of the following is true of amusics?
| A．Listening to music is far from enjoyable for them. |
| B．They love places where they are likely to hear music. |
| C．They can easily tell two different songs apart. |
| D．Their situation is well understood by musicians. |
According to paragraph 3, a person with “defective hearing” is probably one who _________.
| A．dislikes listening to speeches |
| B．can hear anything nonmusical |
| C．has a hearing problem |
| D．lacks a complex hearing system |
In the last paragraph, Margaret expressed her wish that __________.
| A．her problem with music had been diagnosed earlier |
| B．she were seventeen years old rather than seventy |
| C．her problem could be easily explained |
| D．she were able to meet other amusics |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Amusics’ strange behaviors. |
| B．Some people’s inability to enjoy music. |
| C．Musical talent and brain structure. |
| D．Identification and treatment of amusics. |
A couple of years ago, I received a $ 600 insurance dividend (保险股息).Sitting at the kitchen table, my wife and I discussed what we might do with the money.
I realized now that the refrigerator overheard our talk. The very next day it went wrong. The repairman told us we needed a new unit. Cost:$600. Not long after that, we got a refund（赔偿金）from the shop, enough to pay for a trip to Mexico. “I’ve something to tell you,” I said to my wife in a low voice. “How about the living-room?” she suggested. I remembered the color TV set was there. “No, not there. Let’s go out.” I showed her the check as we stood on the driveway. We held each other excitedly and hardly noticed the rain. My car was parked within5 meters. I didn’t think anything about it at the time. As I started for the airport the next day, the car began making strange sounds. Changing the engine cost about $ 1, 000.
Then I looked through our financial records. I discovered that during the last ten years we spent all our “found money” repairing a hot water heater, a television and a stove.
I never mention money in front of our mechanical equipment. But if this article is published and I am paid for, the word processor（文字信息处理机）is going to go for sure. It’ll know. What went wrong first as the writer’s?
| A．The refrigerator | B．The stove |
| C．The TV set | D．The engine of the car |
What has been repaired and still remains all right?
| A．The car | B．The color TV set |
| C．The stove | D．The hot water heater |
Which statement is wrong according to the passage?
- There are many pieces of modern equipment in the writer’s home
- The writer often discusses with his wife on how to spend their money.
- The writer has gone into a lot of trouble to repair hi
s things - The writer’s refrigerator can overhear him
What’s A Real Friend?
You can have the same neighbors for years．You love them or you think you love them．And you hope that they love you．But do you ever really understand them?
Charlie Kemp and his family lived next door to me for 15 years．We were good friends all the time．I enjoy friendship．I think it's the best thing in the world．And friendship with the Kemps was easy because they seemed to welcome it．
They were interesting and clever people．Their house caught fire twice, and twice the whole family slept in mine．They are always losing things like money, keys and watches．Pictures fell off the walls, the children fell out of bed …
I was their neighbor and their friend．Life was always interesting, never dull．Best of all, I liked the whole family．
One day, I lit a fire in the garden to burn some rubbish．After some time Charlie Kemp came out of his house and walked up the road．
“Morning, Charlie,” I said, “lovely day, isn’t it?” He smiled at me and nodded．I went on with my work．
Twenty minutes later, a policeman arrived．He walked into my garden and said, “You’ll have to put out that fire．Your neighbor has complained (抱怨) to us．He doesn't like the smell．”
“My neighbor …?” I asked．
“Yes,” the policeman took out his notebook and read, “Charlie Kemp．He lives next door, doesn’t he?”How many years did Charlie kemp and his family live next door to the wr
iter?
| A．5 years | B．10 years | C．15 years | D．20 years |
What things do the Charlie kemp’s family lose?
| A．pen | B．book | C．money and keys | D．clothes |
According to the passage, ________．
| A．Charlie Kemp is the author's neighbor and his real good friend |
B．Charlie Kemp is the author's neighbor but not his real good friend |
| C．Charlie Kemp treats the author as his real good friend |
| D．the author doesn't treat Charlie Kemp as his real good friend |
The author was blamed by the po
liceman because ________．
| A．he was found burning the rubbish by the policeman |
| B．he was found polluting the environment by burning the rubbish |
| C．his neighbor Charlie Kemp complained(抱怨) about his action and called the policeman |
| D．he burnt something of his neighbors |
The auth
or's experience tells us that ________．
| A．a friend in need is a friend indeed |
| B．it is difficult to understand a person, even your friend |
| C．anyone is sure to be friendly to you if you are friendly to him |
| D．friendship is the best thing in the world |
One is not born able to speak a language．One is born able to make a noise．I have heard babies cry in America and in China．I can't tell any difference．But when I hear someone from America speak English and hear someone speak Chinese, I can tell you there are a lot of differences．
I believe a common problem with Chinese students’ learning English is that they were not taught to think in English．They have an idea spoken in English and want to translate the idea into Chinese, Then they think in Chinese of the proper reply and translate it into English．After a long period of speaking the language, one begins to think in the foreign language naturally．You will learn faster if you begin to think in English at the very beginning of your study．Many students ask me: What can I do to improve my spoken English?
My reply is: The more English you speak, the better English you will speak．There are many things you can do to improve your spoken English．Of course, the best way is to live where English is spoken as a language of the country．The cries of American and Chinese babies are ________．
| A．different | B．the same | C．not like each other | D．like each other |
The underlined sentence ( in Paragraph 2 ) means that ________．
| A．some teachers didn't teach students to think in English |
| B．teachers never gave the students the way of learning English |
C．students didn't remem ber the way teachers taught them |
| D．teachers didn't want their students to think in English |
The underlined word “they” ( in Paragraph 2 ) refers to “________”．
| A．Chinese students | B．English students |
| C．Chinese teachers | D．English teachers |
According to the article, which
of the following is TRUE?
| A．You must think in English all the time． |
| B．If you translate a sentence into Chinese, you should think about the meaning of the sentence in Chinese carefully first． |
| C．After speaking English for a long time, you may probably think in English naturally． |
| D．The best way of learning English is to live in America． |
Looking back on my childhood, I am quite sure that naturalists are born and not made. Although we were all brought up in the same way, my brothers and sisters soon left their pressed flowers and insects completely forever. Unlike them, I had no ear for music and
languages. I was not an early reader and I could not do mental mathematics.
Before World War I, we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the dim memory of the house we lived in, of my room and of my toys. Nor do I remember clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door. But I do have a clear memory of the dogs, the farm animals, the local birds, and above all, the insects
I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love of the natural world and my interest had led me into varied investigations. I love discussing my favorite subjects and enjoy burning the midnight oil reading about other people’s discoveries. Then something happens that brings these discoveries together in my mind. Suddenly you imagine you see the answer to the question, because it all seems to fit together. This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books, which some might honor with the title of scientific research.
But interest, a good eye, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist: one of the outstanding and necessary qualities required is self-discipline(自我修养), a quality I lack. A scientist, up to point, can be made. A naturalist is born. If you can combine the two, you get the best of both worlds.The first paragraph tells us the author __________.
| A．was interested in flowers and insects in his childhood |
| B．lost his hearing when he was a child |
| C．didn’t like his brothers and sisters |
| D．was born to a naturalist’s family |
The author can’t remember his relatives clearly because __________.
| A．he didn’t live very long with them |
| B．the family was extremely large |
| C．he was too young when he lived with them |
| D．he paid more attention to nature |
The author says that he is a naturalist rather than a scientist probably because he thinks he __________.
| A．has a great deal of trouble doing mental mathematics |
| B．lacks some of the qualities required of s scientist |
| C．just reads about other people’s discoveries |
| D．comes up with solutions in a most natural way |
At 50 I was the first woman to travel alone to the North Pole. But what should I do to celebrate my 60th birthday? What else, but a journey at the opposite end of the world, Antarctica. I began my almost 400-mile jour
ney on November 1st, 1997,a few days before my birthday. I walked and skied alone. My dog team were not with me to pull my sled. Another journey of challenge and danger was about to begin.
The first days the weather was very good. The wind was icy but not very strong and there was bright sunshine 24 hours a day. But changes were just around the corner. On the third day I was struggling through stormy weather and during the nest week the wind grew stronger and I found myself spending a whole day in my tent.
I had traveled only two hours one day when the winds increased so much that I had to put my tent up before the winds became too strong. Within a few minutes the winds increased to a howling storm that threatened to blow me and the tent away, but none of that happened.from the text we know the writer was born on ___.
| A．1st November 1937 | B．12th November 1937 |
| C．22nd November 1947 | D．1st November 1957 |
Another journey of challenge and danger
was about to begin. “ Another journey” here means ___.
| A．the travel to the North Pole. | B．another journey to Antarctica. |
| C．400- mile journey on November 1st 1997. | D．a new trip that she was planning. |
After reading the short passage, we can guess that ___.
| A．the trip to the North Pole must be the same hard as that to the South Pole. |
| B．The trip to the Antarctica may be more dangerous than that to the Arctic |
C．There was no danger though the trip to the South Pole w as hard. |
| D．During the trip to the Antarctica, the weather, most of the time, was not so bad. |
Do you think which kind of people the writer is?
| A．mean | B．generous | C．brave | D．handsome |
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