Have you ever seen a Kunqu Opera, or heard the beautiful sound of a Guqin? These two traditional Chinese art forms are both included in UNESCO's list of "oral and intangible heritage of humanity" (人类口头和非物质文化遗产). This year, China has selected another art form to compete to join this special group. Muqam (木卡姆), the traditional folk music of Xinjiang's Uygure people will be considered alongside other countries' entries. "The intangible cultural heritage of different countries and different people should be treasured by the world," said Wang Wenzhang, president of the Chinese Academy of Arts.
Known as the "mother of Uygur music", Muqam has a long history. Some scholars believe that its origins can be traced back to the "Great Western Region Melody". This developed during the Han (206 BC—220 AD) and Tang (618 AD—907) dynasties and enjoyed great popularity in central China. In the mid-16th century, the Silk Road connected China and Europe. Xinjiang was at the center of the cultural exchange between east and west. Muqam music was spread across Uygur-populated areas during that time. The queen of Yarkant Kingdom (叶尔羌汗国), whose name was Amannisahan, was a poet and musician. She devoted all her efforts to collecting and sorting Muqam music. With the help of other experts she finally worked out 12 pieces of music, which became the famous Twelve Muqam. When Amannisahan was doing her work, she did not seek materials from the fully developed Arabian and Persian music. Instead, she exploited the rich resources of Uygur folk music that spread across the north and the south of the Tianshan Mountains. As a result, the Twelve Muqam has a strong Uygur flavour.
The Twelve Muqam includes more than 340 classical songs, folk songs, love songs and pieces of dance music and instrumental music. The whole set takes 24 hours to play. Ever since it spread among the Uygurs, the Twelve Muqam has played an important part in their lives. They sing songs and dance to the music. Kurban Mamut, editor-in-chief of a Uygur language magazine, says that he often listened to the Twelve Muqam when he was a child. "The Twelve Muqam helps bring moral ideas to the Uygur children, and gives them a noble and strong personality," he said. After New China was founded, the local government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region made every effort to preserve the Twelve Muqam. In 1960, two volumes of the Twelve Muqam were published. This finally protected this oral cultural heritage. Over the past two decades, local Xinjinang cultural institutions have supported research projects. A number of books about the Twelve Muqam have been published. CDs, VCDs, and DVDs of the Twelve Muqam have also been made. How many traditional Chinese art forms have been included in UNESCO's list of "oral and intangible heritage of humanity" by now?
| A．two | B．three | C．four | D．five |
According to the article, Muqam dates back to __________.
| A．Great Western Region Melody | B．Arabian and Persian music |
| C．the Twelve Muqam | D．kunqu Opera |
Who do you think it was that made the greatest contribution to the spread of Muqam?
| A．The king of Yarkant kingdom | B．The emperors of Tang dynasty |
| C．Kurban Mamut | D．Amannisahan |
What does the underlined word "This" in the last paragraph refer to?
| A．The Twelve Muqam. | B．Two Volumes of the Twelve Muqam. |
| C．A Uygur magazine. | D．the publishing of the Twelve Muqam. |
What is the best title of this article?
| A．Muqam, an art form of Xinjiang. | B．Please listen to Muqam. |
| C．The Twelve Muqam. | D．An introduction of Uygur folk music. |
Dolphins (海豚) are not fish, but warm-blooded animals. They live in groups, and speak to each other in their own language. In this way they are like other animals, such as bees and birds. But dolphins are very different from almost all land animals. Their brain is nearly the same size as our own, and they live a long time --- at least twenty or thirty years.
Like some animals, dolphins use sound to help them find their way around. They also make these sounds to talk to each other and to help them find food. We now know they do not use their ears to receive these sounds, but the lower part of the mouth, called the jaw.
Strangely, dolphins seem to like man, and for thousands of years there have been stories about the dolphin and its friendship with people.
There is a story about sailors in the 19th century. In a dangerous part of the sea off the coast of New Zealand, they learnt to look for a dolphin called Jack. From 1871 to 1903 Jack met every boat in the area and showed it the way. Then in 1903 a passenger on a boat called The Penguin shot and wounded Jack. He recovered and for nine years more continued to guide all ships through the area－except for The Penguin.
Today, some people continue to kill dolphins, but many countries of the world now protect them and in these places it is against the law to kill them.By telling the story of Jack the writer wanted to show that _____.
| A．people are cruel to animals |
| B．dolphins are friendly and clever |
| C．Jack is different from other dolphins |
| D．dolphins should be protected by law |
Dolphins are different from many other animals in that they _____.
| A．live in groups | B．have their own language |
| C．are warm-blooded | D．have large brains |
Which of the following does the dolphin use to help it find its way around?
| A．Its mouth. | B．Its ears. |
| C．Its nose. | D．Its eyes. |
Why did the sailors off the coast of New Zealand look for Jack?
| A．They wanted his help. |
| B．They enjoyed playing with him. |
| C．He was seriously wounded. |
| D．He was lonely and liked to be with people |
Butterflies are some of the most fascinating and beautiful insects in the world. Adult butterflies will live about two to four weeks. They use their senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell and taste to survive in the world, find food and mates, lay eggs in a proper place, migrate and avoid hungry enemies.
Butterflies have large compound eyes (复眼), which allow them to see in all directions without turning their heads. Like most insects, butterflies are very near-sighted, so they are more attracted to many flowers. Butterflies do not “see” colors such as red, green and yellow, but they can sense sunlight, which shows the direction in which the sun is shining, as well as ultraviolet light (紫外线), which is present on many flowers and guides butterflies to find honey sources.
Butterflies have a very well-developed sense of smell, but it is not in their nose, since they don’t have one. Sense receptors (感受器) are in their antennae (触角), feet and many other parts of the body. They can help butterflies find their favorite flower honey, food and mates.
Butterflies’ feet have sense organs that can taste the sugar in flower honey, letting the butterflies know if something is good to eat or not. Some females also carefully choose host plants by tasting to find proper places to lay their eggs. Adult butterflies feed their babies using a long tube. Butterflies force blood into the tube to straighten it out, allowing them to feed. Butterflies get all their food from this tube.
Butterflies don’t have ears. Instead they “hear” sounds through their wings by sensing changes in sound vibrations.
Butterflies may possess senses we haven’t known about till today, because their body structure is very different and difficult to understand, when observed through our own human senses. (325 words)What can we learn from the second paragraph?
| A．Butterflies have good eyesight. |
| B．Butterflies can see in all directions and don’t need to turn heads. |
| C．Butterflies are sensitive to bright colors including red and yellow. |
| D．Butterflies cannot sense the ultraviolet light. |
How do butterflies hear sounds?
| A．Using their feet to sense the vibration of things |
| B．Using their ears to listen directly |
| C．Using their wings to sense the sound vibrations |
| D．Using their antennae to judge the sound |
Why do female adult butterflies carefully choose the host plants?
| A．To find high-qualified honey. |
| B．To have a good place for living. |
| C．To make it easier for them to hide from the enemies. |
| D．To find a proper place for their eggs. |
What does the last paragraph imply?
| A．There’s a long way to understand butterflies well |
| B．Butterflies give great help to human beings |
| C．Butterflies are the most beautiful insects in the world |
| D．Butterflies possess more senses than humans |
The text mainly focuses on __________.
| A．butterflies’ living habits |
| B．butterflies’ beauty |
| C．butterflies’ daily activities |
| D．butterflies’ senses |
According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the U.K. has about 7.7 million families with dependent children, of which 3.7 million have just one child, compared to 3 million with two and 1.1 million with three children or more. The number of families today with just one dependent child is now 47 percent and will likely rise to more than 50 percent in a decade. As the ONS confirms, “It appears that families are getting smaller.”
One obvious reason for this could be that women are putting off having children until they have established careers when they miss the best time to be a mother. But it could just as well be a matter of choice. Parents must consider the rising cost of living, combined with economic uncertainty and an increasingly difficult job market. And this trend may continue growing as having an only child becomes more normal, which seems to be the mood on the mothers’ online forum Mumsnet, where one member announced that she “just wanted to start a positive thread(t帖子) about how good it is to have an only child”.
She had received 231 replies, overwhelmingly in the same high spirits. Parents of only children insist there are plenty of benefits. Nicola Kelly, a writer and lecturer who grew up as an only child and is now a married mother of one, says her 15-year-old son seems more grown-up in many ways than his classmates.
Not all products of single-child families are as keen to repeat the experience. In a moving recent account journalist Janice Turner wrote about her own keenness to “squeeze out two sons just 22 months apart” as a reaction to her only-child upbringing(抚养).
She was placed on a high position by her doting(溺爱的) parents, whom she punished with an “impolite, willful” rejection of everything they stood for. Desperate for a close friend she was repeatedly hurt by rejection and refers to her childhood as being “misery”.
Writer and doctor Dr. Dorothy Rowe, a member of the British Psychological Society, says that we all interpret events in our own individual way and there are some children who no matter what their circumstances feel slighted, while other children see the advantages of their situation.
However, the one part of life that is unlikely to get any easier for only children is when they grow up and find themselves looking after their own parents as they become older.According to the passage, how many families in the U.K. have an only child?
| A．7.7million | B．3.7 million |
| C．3 million | D．1.1 million |
The passage is written with the purpose of ________.
| A．illustrating the strength and weakness of having an only child |
| B．analyzing the reasons why having an only child becomes popular |
| C．presenting us with different opinions about having an only child |
| D．guiding people to look at the same issue from different perspectives |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean?
| A．Nearly half of families intend to have just one child. |
| B．All people don’t stand for the idea of having an only child. |
| C．Some people fail to recognize the advantage of having an only child. |
| D．People brought up in an only child family resist downsizing the family. |
From what Dr. Dorothy Rowe said, we know that ________.
| A．journalist Janice Turner experienced a miserable childhood |
| B．she has a positive attitude towards Janice Turner’s reaction |
| C．it’s necessary for us to look at the event from our own angle |
| D．some children are unable to make an objective assessment of their conditions |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．It’s normal to see the imperfection in character in only children. |
| B．Mumsnet is an online forum which promotes having an only child. |
| C．Economic development plays a determining role in the family size. |
| D．Only children will have difficulty in attending to their parents. |
Charlie Boswell has always been a great hero. He has inspired thousands of people to rise above circumstances and live out true meaning of life.
He was blinded during World War II while rescuing his friend from a tank that was under fire. He was a great athlete before the accident. In order to prove his talent and determination, he decided to try a brand new sport, a sport he never imagined playing, even with his eyesight – golf! Through determination and a deep love for the game he became the National Blind Golf Champion! He won that honor 13 times.
One of his heroes was the great golfer Ben Hogan, so it truly was an honor for Charlie to win the Ben Hogan Award in 1958.
Upon meeting Ben Hogan, Charlie was respectful and stated that he had one wish and it was to have one round of golf with the great Ben Hogan. Mr. Hogan agreed that playing a round together would be an honor for him as well, as he had heard about all of Charlie’s accomplishments and truly admired his skills.
“Would you like to play for money, Mr. Hogan?” asked out Charlie.
“I can’t play you for money, it wouldn’t be fair!” said Mr. Hogan.
“Aw, come on Mr. Hogan…$ 1,000 per hole!”
“I can’t, what would people think of me, taking advantage of you and your circumstance?” replied the sighted golfer.
“Chicken, Mr. Hogan?”
“Okay,” replied the embarrassed Hogan, “but I am going to play my best!”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” said the confident Boswell.
“Now that you’re on. Mr. Boswell, you name the time and the place!”
The very self – assured Boswell responded, “10 o’clock … tonight!”Why didn’t Mr. Hogan want to play Charlie for money?
| A．He was worried he would lose the match. |
| B．He thought it was unfair for Charlie. |
| C．He didn’t care about money. |
| D．He preferred chicken to money. |
According to the text, what does the underlined word “self - assured” probably mean?
| A．ignorant | B．selfless | C．confident | D．sincere |
It can be inferred from the text that_____.
| A．Mr. Hogan was not good at playing golf. |
| B．Charlie did well in other sports before playing golf. |
| C．Mr. Hogan didn’t try his best to play. |
| D．Charlie Boswell was born blind. |
What would be the result of the match?
| A．Charlie won. | B．Hogan won. |
| C．Neither of them won. | D．Not mentioned. |
Which of the following can best describe Charlie?
| A．Competitive and generous. |
| B．Energetic and reliable. |
| C．Careful and considerate. |
| D．Confident and smart. |
Texting pedestrians aren' t just an annoyance to their fellow walkers, but something dangerous to themselves.
"I was checking emails while walking to work this morning," said Wolbert van den Hoorn. "But it has a serious influence on the safety of people who type or read text while walking. "
Anecdotes back him up. A tourist from Taiwan walked off a port near Melbourne last month while checking Facebook-bringing an abrupt, and icy end to a penguin-watching visit. Another shopper in the U.S. was too addicted to his mobile phone to notice the fountain ahead, walking straight into it.
And as mobile-phone use has grown-to about 77% of the world's population, the study says-so has the number of phone-related accidents. The number of U. S. emergency-room visits linked to phone use on the move doubled to as many as l,500 between 2005 and 2010, an Ohio State University study recently showed.
Authorities world-wide have taken note. Signs on Hong Kong's subway system advise passengers in three languages to keep their eyes off their phones. Police and transport authorities have also warned the danger in Singapore, where the Straits Times newspaper ranked it as "No.2 Bad Habit", due to the rising number of road deaths.
Some U.S. states, including New York and Arkansas, are even considering bans on this act.
The Australian study used 26 volunteers, a third of whom admitted having hit objects while texting. They were fitted with different equipment in different parts of their body, and asked to walk 8.5 meters three times-once without a phone, once while reading a text and once while writing a text-while eight cameras captured the action.
Volunteers using the phone walked slower and with shorter steps (and slowest of all when typing), and, more seriously, they locked their arms and elbows in-like "robots", in the researchers' words. That forced their heads to move more, throwing them off balance.
"In a pedestrian environment, inability to maintain a straight path would be likely to increase potential for hits, falls and traffic accidents," said Mr. van den Hoorn. "The best thing to do is to step aside and stop, or keep off the phone."Which of the following about "Texting pedestrians" is WRONG?
| A．People who type while walking. |
| B．People who phone while walking. |
| C．People who text while walking. |
| D．People who read text message while walking. |
The writer uses the two examples in Paragraph 3 to show
| A．the advantages of mobile phones |
| B．the use of mobile phones in water |
| C．the use of mobile phones in a wrong way |
| D．the popularity of mobile phones |
What is New York and Arkansas' attitude to texting pedestrians?
| A．Considering forbidding their acts. |
| B．Ranking it as "No.l Bad Habit". |
| C．Setting up signs to warn them. |
| D．Equipping them with advanced machines. |
Why are texting pedestrians likely to hit or fall according to the passage?
| A．They walk too fast. |
| B．They lock their arms and elbows. |
| C．They are out of balance. |
| D．They walk with longer steps. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Text message or e-mail only? |
| B．Ways to avoid falls |
| C．Mobile phones for entertainment |
| D．Safety or text message? |
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