Individuality is the particular character, or aggregate (total) of qualities that distinguishes one person or thing from others. Many artists late in the last century were in search of a means to express their individuality. Modern dance was one of the ways some of these people sought to free their creative spirit. At the beginning there was no exacting technique, no foundation from which to build. In later years, trial, error and genius founded the techniques and the principles of the movement. Eventually, innovators (改革者) even drew from what they considered the dread ballet, but first they had to get rid of all that was academic so that the new could be discovered. The beginnings of modern dance were happening before Isadora Duncan, but she was the first person to bring the new dance to general audiences and see it accepted and acclaimed (称赞).
Her search for a natural movement form sent her to nature. She believed movement should be as natural as the swaying of the trees and the rolling waves of the sea, and should be in harmony with the movements of the Earth. Her great contributions are in three areas.
First, she began the expansion of the kinds of movement that could be used in dance. Before Duncan danced, ballet was the only type of dance performed in concert. In the ballet the feet and legs were emphasized, with virtuosity (高超技巧) shown by complex, codified positions and movements. Duncan performed dance by using her body in the freest possible way. Her dance stemmed from her soul and spirit. She was one of the pioneers who broke tradition so others might be able to develop the art.
Her second contribution lies in dance costume. She rejected ballet shoes and stiff costumes. These were replaced with flowing Grecian (希腊式的) tunes, bare feet, and unbound hair. She believed in the natural body being allowed to move freely, and her dress displayed this ideal.
Her third contribution was in the use of music. In her performances she used the symphonies of great masters including Beethoven and Wagner, which was not the usual custom.
She was as exciting and eccentric (怪异) in her personal life as in her dance.According to the passage, what did nature represent to Isadora Duncan?
| A．Something to conquer. | B．A model for movement. |
| C．A place to find peace. | D．A symbol of disorder. |
Compared to those of the ballet, Isadora Duncan’s costumes were less _________.
| A．costly | B．colorful |
| C．graceful | D．restrictive |
Which of the following is not mentioned as an area of dance that Duncan worked to change?
| A．The stage set. | B．The music. |
| C．Costumes. | D．Movements. |
We can infer from the passage that the author _________.
| A．appreciates modern dance very much |
| B．dislikes Isadora Duncan’s dance |
| C．thinks highly of individuality |
| D．knows a lot about modern arts |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Artists of the Last Century |
| B．Evolution of Dance in the 20th Century |
| C．Natural Movement in Dance |
| D．A Pioneer in Modern Dance |
BUS SERVICE
New York City — Brennan, New Jersey
(Trip time: 30 minutes each way )
Timetable
●Buses leave the Railway Station, New York 7:00 a.m. and every half-hour thereafter(此后) until 11:30 p.m. (7 days a week).
●Buses leave Brennan Station 20 minutes before and after every hour from 6:20 a.m. to 10:40 p.m. (7 days a week ).
●Evening rush hours(5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) buses leave the Railway Station, New York every 15 minutes (Monday — Friday).
●Holidays: buses leave every hour on the hour time, each direction.
All tickets must be bought at Window 12, the Railway Station, New York, or at the Brennan Station Window before boarding buses. What time does a bus leave New York for Brennan every Thursday?
| A．10:20 a.m. | B．6:30 a.m. |
| C．6:45 p.m. | D．4:40 p.m. |
Which is the latest bus you should take from Brennan if you have to arrive at the Railway Station, New York before 4:00 p. m. on Monday?
| A．The 3:20 p. m bus | B．the 3:00 p. m bus |
| C．The 3:30 p. m bus | D．The 3:40 p. m bus |
What time does a bus leave Brennan for New York on Christmas Day?
| A．1:00 p. m | B．9:40 a. m | C．3:15 p. m | D．8:30 a. m |
In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. This means a hostess may not seat a small group until a small table is available, even if a large one is. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without asking if it will disturb them.
At American restaurants and coffee shops you are usually served tap water before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill.
Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.
Serving in restaurants is often large; too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you’re taking the food for yourself.
Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have “Sunday dinner”. This is an especially big noon meal.
Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.Which statement is true?
| A．American people like sitting with people they don’t know. |
| B．A hostess always seats a small group at a large table. |
| C．American people never sit with people they don’t know. |
| D．American people will not light a cigarette if the people who sit at the same table mind their smoking. |
What is served before you order?
| A．bread | B．butter | C．coffee | D．cold water |
What do American people always do when servings are too large for them?
| A．They take the food home with a doggie bag for their dogs. |
| B．They leave the food on the table and go away. |
| C．They take the food home with a doggie bag and enjoy the food later. |
| D．They ask the waitress or waiter to keep the food for them. |
Sunday dinner is_______.
| A．a dinner in the evening | B．A big noon meal |
| C．a big lunch on Sunday | D．A supper on Sunday |
One silly question I simply can’t stand is “How do you feel?” Usually the question is asked of a man in action—a man on the go, walking along the streets, or busily working at his desk. So what do you expect him to say? He’ll probably say, “Fine, I’m all right,” but you have put a bug in his ear—maybe now he’s not sure. If you are a good friend, you may have seen something in his face, or his walk, that he overlooked(忽略) that morning. It starts worrying him a little. First thing you know, he looks in a mirror to see if everything is all right, while you go merrily on your way asking someone else “How do you feel?” Every question has its time and place. It’s perfectly acceptable, for instance, to ask “How do you feel?” if you’re visiting a close friend in the hospital. But if the fellow is walking on both legs, hurrying to take a train, or sitting at his desk working, it’s silly to ask him that silly question. When George Bernard Shaw, the famous writer of plays, was in his eighties, someone asked him. “How do you feel?” Shaw put him in his place. “When you reach my age”, he said, “either you feel all right or you’re dead.” According to the writer, greetings such as “How do you feel?” _______.
| A．show one’s consideration for others |
| B．are a good way to make friends |
| C．are proper to ask a man in action |
| D．generally make one feel uneasy |
The question “How do you feel?” seems to be correct and suitable when asked of _______.
| A．a man working at his desk |
| B．a person having lost a close friend |
| C．a stranger who looks somewhat worried |
| D．a friend who is ill |
George Bernard Shaw’s reply in the passage shows his _______.
| A．cheerfulness | B．cleverness |
| C．ability | D．politeness |
“You’ve put a bug in his ear” means that you’ve _______.
| A．made him laugh |
| B．shown concern for him |
| C．made fun of him |
| D．given him some kind of warning |
A man was selling medicine at a fair（集市）．At first he sold bottles of a cure（药剂）for colds（感冒）for just a dollar a bottle．
Many people wanted to buy it and the man's young assistant moved quickly through the crowd collecting money and handing out bottles of the cure．
Then，when he had a big crowd， the man held up a very small bottle．
“And now，ladies and gentlemen,” he shouted，“Here is the medicine you have been waiting for．The cure for old age．Drink just one bottle of this and you will live forever.”
“And，ladies and gentlemen,” the man continued，“I'm not going to charge you a hundred dollars a bottle for this wonderful medicine．I'm not going to charge you fifty dollars a bottle．I'm not going to charge you twenty-five dollars a bottle. Now，ladies and gentlemen，I'm going to charge you just ten dollars a bottle. Think，my friends，for ten dollars you can live forever.”
Most of the people in the crowd did not believe this．
One person shouted，“If it can make you live forever，why don't you drink it?”
Then another person cried，“Yes，you look as if you're at least sixty years old．
“Thank you，sir，thank you,” the man answered，“I'm so glad you said that． My real age is three hundred and twenty-nine.”
The crowd laughed at this but there were still some people who wanted to believe the man. One of them spoke to the man's assistant as she passed by, “Is that true？”he asked．“Is he three hundred and twenty-nine？”
“Don't ask me,” the assistant said，“I've only worked for him for a hundred and fifty years.”What did the man sell at first at the fair？
| A．a cure for colds |
| B．bottles |
| C．a cure for old age |
| D．a medicine that made people live forever |
How much did the man charge for the cure for old age？
| A．one dollar a bottle |
| B．twenty-five dollars a bottle |
| C．ten dollars a bottle |
| D．fifty dollars a bottle |
What does the word “assistant” mean in this passage？
| A．仆人 | B．朋友 | C．同伴 | D．助手 |
What does this passage really mean？
| A．The cure for old age is very useful and not so expensive． |
| B．The man is not honest，and neither is his assistant． |
| C．The cheaper the medicine is，the more people will buy． |
| D．The two men are very honest，and they would like to help people live forever． |
阅读以下材料，然后按要求完成材料后面的三个小题。
There are all kinds of stress ( 压力) in our daily lives such as stress from work, stress from study and stress from examinations. How to manage stress is thus a very important problem that we have to deal with properly. Stress itself doesn’t exist. It’s only because we consider things to be bad and regard all of them as our own fault and won’t forgive ourselves. As we all know, there is nothing you can do without error. So it’s impossible to expect everything to be perfect. If we have done our best, although not successfully, there is nothing to regret. And we don’t need to blame ourselves continuously. In fact we have done a quite good job. Then we will feel the stress less. We will stay healthy and do well in the future. Eventually we will be successful.
（1）请根据阅读信息填写下面句子According to the passage, the stress that the students have is from _______ and _______.
The stress exists because we expect everything to be _________ and won’t __________ ourselves if we don’t do things well.
( 2 ) 将画线部分翻译成汉语。___________________________________________________________________________
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