Music education hasn’t changed much since the 1970s. Students are still taught to read notation(乐谱) so they can recite compositions that they would never listen to on their MP3 players or play with friends. Playing music enriches life. The question is： Why do schools teach music in a way that turns off so many young people rather than catch their imagination? Can we do a better job of using the power of music to get kids excited about school?
The experience of an organization called Little Kids Rock suggests the answer is yes — if we change the way music is taught. Little Kids Rock has helped music programs in over a thousand public schools and served 150，000 children. The organization has given 30，000 free instruments out， mainly guitars， and trained 1，500 teachers to run music classes in which students quickly experience the joys of playing their favorite songs， performing in bands(乐队)， and writing their own music.
The key to Little Kids Rock is that it teaches children to play music the way many musicians learn to play it — not by notation， but by listening， imitation(模仿) and meaningful experimentation. “The knowledge you need to get started playing rock music is very limited，” explains Dave Wish， the founder of Little Kids Rock. “In high school， my friend Paul taught me a couple of chords(和弦) and my life was changed forever. On the first day of class， Little Kids Rock teachers place guitars in the hands of their students and get them practicing chords that will enable them to play thousands of songs. The kids decide what songs they want to learn and the class is off and running. Their progress is surprising. Within a year， eight and nine-year-olds are playing musical instruments， and giving concerts， even performing their own songs.
One of the biggest advantages that music offers is the ability to encourage students who are otherwise bored by school. “I’ve had students start coming back to school because of this program，” said Adkison Thomas， who heads up music for the Dallas Independent School District. He added， “One of the best things is that the teachers discover a new side of their students. They see kids become successful who weren’t before.”
The expression “turn off” in Paragraph 1 means “______”.
| A．make kids feel cool |
| B．make kids feel bored |
| C．make kids feel confident |
| D．make kids feel nervous |
How did Little Kids Rock help the school?
| A．By writing music for kids. |
| B．By playing kids’ favorite songs. |
| C．By making instruments for school. |
| D．By training teachers for music classes. |
Little Kids Rock is successful because ______.
| A．it encourages kids to experience music |
| B．it helps kids learn from great musicians |
| C．it allows kids to decide how to learn music |
| D．it offers musical programs all over the country |
What does the writer want to tell us?
| A．Learning music is a good way to become successful. |
| B．Teaching in a proper way benefits students’ development. |
| C．It’s necessary for students to practice a lot in learning music. |
| D．It’s important for teachers to discover the new sides of students. |
Today we’ll talk about the history of blue jeans. For many people, blue jeans stand for (代表) American culture.
The history of blue jeans usually began with a man named Levi Strauss. He did not invent jeans. But he is the first person to produce and sell them in large numbers. Levi Strauss was born in Germany. In 1847, he and his family moved to the United States. He opened a small store and sold jeans. These pants were especially useful for miners (矿工) in California. They needed strong clothing. Levi Strauss worked with Jacob Davis, who had invented a step for making rivets (铆钉) for jeans. They helped make the blue jeans stronger.
In 1873, Strauss and Davis received a patent (专利) to own this invention. Nineteenth century workers would probably be surprised to know that their pants would one day become fashions. Today, jeans are worn by people of all ages. Jeans come in many colors other than blue and in many styles and prices. Fashion designers even create very costly jeans.
Writer James published a book called Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon (偶像). In the book, he says jeans serve as a sign for two American values, creativity and rebellion (叛逆). Why did Jacob use rivets for jeans?
| A．Because they made the blue jeans stronger. |
B．Because they had a history. |
| C．Because they are fashionable. |
D．Because they were dear. |
Which of the following is WRONG about blue jeans?
| A．Miners like to wear strong clothing. |
| B．Jeans have only one color — blue. |
| C．James wrote a book about jeans. |
| D．Levi Strauss is the first person to produce jeans in large numbers. |
The two American values are rebellion and _____________.
| A．protection |
B．ambition |
C．friendship |
D．creativity |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Jeans are popular. |
B．Jeans become fashions. |
| C．The history of blue jeans. |
D．Levi Strauss was a German. |
| I am 15. Now I’m studying English in London. I want to invent a language machine that can help me understand as many languages as possible. Marie, France Aug. 15, 2009 |
I am 13. I dream of going to a top university after I finish middle school. I want to be a reporter in the future. Michiko, Japan Sep.21, 2009 |
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| I am a 12-year-old girl. I like traveling very much. How I wish to visit Egypt some day! Masha, Russia Oct. 15, 2009 |
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| I am a 16-year-old girl in Tibet. The Qinghai Tibet Railway has been built. I’ll be able to reach Shanghai by train in about 50 hours. My dream is to go to Shanghai to visit Expo 2010. Joma, China June 10, 2008 |
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| I am 14 years old. I dream of inventing a machine that can send things or people from one place to another in a minute. Andrew, the USA Nov. 30, 2009 |
What is Michiko’s dream?
| A．Visiting Egypt. |
| B．Going from one place to another in a minute. |
| C．Going to a top university |
| D．Inventing a language machine. |
How old is Joma when Expo 2010 Shanghai are held?
| A．Fifteen. | B．Sixteen | C．Seventeen. | D．Eighteen. |
The best title for this passage would be ____________.
| A．I Have a Dream |
| B．Different Students From Different Countries |
| C．Five Middle School Students |
| D．Our Inventions |
Steven Jobs, the designer of Apple Computer, was not clever when he was in school. At that time, he was not a good student and he always made troubles with his schoolmates. When he went into college, he didn’t change a lot. Then he dropped out（退学）. But he was full of new ideas.
After he left college, Steven Jobs worked as a video game designer. He worked there for only several months and then he went to India. He hoped that the trip would give him some new ideas and give him a change in life.
Steven Jobs lived on a farm in California for a year after he returned from India.
In 1975, he began to make a new type of computer. He designed the Apple Computer with his friend in his garage (汽车库). He chose the name “Apple” just because it could help him to remember a happy summer he once spent in an apple tree garden.
His Apple Computer was such a great success that Steven Jobs soon became famous all over the world. Steven Jobs was not a good student in school because he ___________.
| A．never did his lessons |
B．was full of new ideas |
| C．always made troubles with his schoolmates |
D．dropped out |
Steven Jobs designed his new computer _____________.
| A．in India |
B．with his friend |
| C．in an apple tree garden |
D．by himself |
Steven Jobs was famous for his ________ all over the world.
| A．new ideas |
B．apple |
C．Apple Computer |
D．video games |
From this passage we know ___________
| A．Steven Jobs liked travelling in India and California |
| B．Steven Jobs could only design video games |
| C．Steven Jobs didn’t finish his studies in the college because he hated his schoolmates |
| D．Steven Jobs liked trying new things and making his new ideas become true |
We know that many animals do not stay in one place. Birds,fish and other animals move from one place to another at a certain time. They move for different reasons: most of them move to find food more easily,but others move to get away from places that are too crowded.
When cold weather comes,many birds move to warmer places to find food. Some fishes give birth in warm water and move to cold water to feed. The most famous migration（迁移）is probably the migration of the fish which is called “salmon”.This fish is born in fresh water but it travels many miles to salt water.There it spends its life. When it is old,it returns to its birthplace in fresh water. Then it gives birth and dies. In northern Europe, there is a kind of mouse. They leave their mountain homes when they bccome too crowded. They move down to the low land. Sometimes they move all the way the seadide,and many of them are killed when they fall into the sea.
Recently, scientists have studied the migration of kind of lobster（龙虾）.Every year, when the season of the bad weather arrives, the lobsters get into a long line and start to walk across the floor of the ocean. Nobody knows why they do this, and nobody know where they go.
So,sometimes we know why humans and animals move from one place to another,but at other times we don’t. Maybe living things just like to travel.Most animals move from one place to another at a certain time to _____
A.give birth B.enjoy warmer weather C.find food more easilyThe fish called “salmon”spends a long time in____
A.salt water B.rivers C.fresh waterThe mice in northern Europe move when_____
A.they give birth B.the place gets too crowded
C.they haven’t enough foodThe lobsters move_______.
A.to the fresh water B.at a certain time C.to find more foodWhat is the main idea of the passage?
A.Animals move to find food more easily.
B.The migration of the fish called“salmon”is the most famous migration.
C.Sometimes we know why and how living things move from one place to another,but sometimes we don’t.
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 an hour?”
“If you must know, I make $20 an hour.”
“Oh,”the little boy replied,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 being so selfish（自私的）!”
The little boy quietly went to his roomand shut the door. After about an hour, 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 alread 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 an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.”How much does the boy’s father make an hour? ______
A.$10 B.$20 C.$30In this passage,the underlined word “furious”means_____
A.very angry B.quite happy C.too excitedAt firs,the father refused to lend the boy any money because____.
A.he thought the boy wanted to keep the money for himself
B.he thought the boy would buy somethingof no use
C.the boy always borrowed money from himThe boy wanted to buy______with twenty dollars.
A.a new book for himself B.a nice present for his father
C.an hour of his father’s timeFrom the passage, we can infer（推断）that the boy’s father____.
A.often played with his son B.spent little time with his son
C.often came back home early
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