When she won the first ever season of American Idol 11 years ago, critics believed she had little chance of staying on top. Too “girl next door”, they said. Not stylish enough. Not thin enough, either.
But Kelly Clarkson, 31, has proven them all wrong with her string of worldwide hits, from Because of You to the recent Catch My Breath.
Being the first Idol winner in the US was not easy. In the past decade since that victory, Clakson has had to deal with the media’s scrutiny of her weight and personal style. “Everyone’s like, ‘You’re a pop star. You should be smaller’.” Clarkson told People Magazine. “But I’m the pop star. I’ll make the rules.”
Since middle school, Clarkson has been aware of the power of her voice. She first joined the school choir (合唱队) at age 13 when a teacher heard her singing in the hallway and demanded that she join. “Singing gave me confidence,” Clarkson told the Orange County Register, a newspaper in California. “Friends at school were nervous because they didn’t know what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives, but I had a peaceful feeling inside, because I knew. ”
Despite her enormous publicity, Clarkson has remained true to her down-to-earth personality. “The reason some winners fade away is that they’re trying to model themselves on somebody else. If we already have the original, why would we need a copy? You need to be offering something new, something that’s uniquely you, ”she told the Daily Mail. Around her rib cage (胸腔) is her new tattoo (纹身), indicating how strong she has become from all that she’s been through. It reads: “What doesn’t kill you.”
1. How did critics think of Kelly?| A．Unique. |
| B．Plain. |
| C．Beautiful-looking. |
| D．Extraordinary. |
| A．By losing weight. |
| B．By winning some medals. |
| C．By giving some worldwide concerts. |
| D．By publishing some very famous songs. |
| A．Tough inspection. |
| B．Extreme curiosity. |
| C．Complete exposure. |
| D．Accurate calculation |
| A．Being very confident. |
| B．Having a definite life goal. |
| C．Having tattoo around her cage. |
| D．Having down-to-earth personality. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Good music in the life of a child provides many benefits. Music has the ability to change a child’s mind, soul and body. Because music can create deep feelings and it can have a calming effect on a stressful child. According to many classroom teachers, children perform better under the influence of appropriate music. This is true even for older children. According to the Profiles of the SAT Program, students who take part in music scored much higher on the standardized test than those not involved in a music program.
Children can benefit from many types of music. Nursery songs, songs of nature, holiday songs and religious songs all teach children different things about the world around them. These songs should be incorporated (使并入) into a child’s life. In this way, music becomes more than just rhythms and sounds---it becomes a means for learning about different aspects of life.
Music helps develop a child’s intellectual abilities. On the left side of the brain are areas responsible for reasoning and language acquisition (知识技能的获得). These are areas that music can influence. Therefore, music can help children process language more efficiently. As a result, a child’s intelligence is improved through music.
Different styles of music can help children understand the culture of others. Each culture has a unique style of music. For example, a child who is exposed to music from AFRIC, India, China, and Europe will come to understand and respect those cultures as well as enjoy the difference forms of musical creativity. This also helps children understand how music can reach across the world and unite cultures.
Music has the ability to produce skills within children that will benefit them throughout their lifetime. Success in life requires such skills as problem-solving, creative thinking, risk-taking, effective communication and good teamwork. Participation in music requires study skills and communication skills.
1. Why is music able to influence children’s mind and soul?| A．Because music can calm down stressful children. |
| B．Because music makes children have a good impression on everything. |
| C．Because music teaches children how to relax. |
| D．Because background music makes children get high scores in exams. |
| A．one kind of music can teach children different things about the world around them. |
| B．music can affect the right side of the brain to improve intelligence. |
| C．different styles of music can help children understand their own culture. |
| D．music helps children develop different skills. |
| A．To let children know the uniqueness of music among different countries. |
| B．To prove the effect of music on helping children understand world cultures. |
| C．To make children enjoy worldwide music. |
| D．To explain how to learn different cultures. |
| A．An introduction to different kinds of music. |
| B．Music has a positive effect on culture. |
| C．Music benefits children a lot. |
| D．Advice on how to create music. |
【推荐2】Music is an international language. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to all people everywhere.
Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the street.
Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, politics, and activities of the American people. But most of the radio broadcast is music.
Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state. Once the popular singer is heard throughout the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.
Besides pop music, there are two other kinds of music that is important to Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. The other is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.
1. According to the passage, most of the car radio broadcast is .| A．sports | B．the weather |
| C．politics | D．music |
| A．Three. | B．Four. |
| C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．Music in America | B．Music Listeners |
| C．Cowboys in America | D．An International Language |
【推荐3】You dash through a crowded railway station, tripping over bags, spilling (泼出) your coffee, only to have the doors slide shut in your face, leaving you breathless on the platform as the train pulls away.
But at least, if you’re in France, someone may be playing the piano for you. But it won’t be performed by a paid musician, or even a street entertainer playing for coins. It will just be a random passer-by, jamming for the fun of it on one of the pianos that the national railroad company, S. N. C. F., has fixed in nearly 100 stations across France. They are free for anyone to play, and travelers from all walks of life have taken to doing just that.
Gares & Connexions, the S. N. C. F. division that manages its stations, rents the instruments from the producer, Yamaha: which maintains them and tunes them every month or two. The first one was set up in the Gare Montparnasse in Paris in 2012.
The music, mixed with the sounds of shouting passengers, screaming trains and rolling suitcases, gives French stations a special soundscape. The amateur musicians have included Irish soccer fans and even babies. In 2014, Gares & Connexions and Yamaha organized a nationwide contest called Your Turn to Play, asking participants to submit videos of themselves using one of the pianos. It drew nearly 900 entries.
Isn’t the railroad company taking a big chance? Apparently not: “None of the instruments has been vandalized to this day, or even merely damaged,” said Claire Foumon, a spokeswoman for Gares & Connexions. “They are shared and respected by all.”
So if you miss a train in Paris; Bordeaux or Marseille one day, perhaps someone will be playing a favorite piece that will ease your pain. Or perhaps you’ll sit down and play your annoyance away yourself.
1. Why did Gares & Connexions fix pianos in railway stations?| A．To advertise Yamaha’s products. | B．To make stations more attractive. |
| C．To let travelers have a relaxing trip. | D．To help street artists make a living. |
| A．The contest has proved a hit. | B．The pianos are very popular. |
| C．Railway stations are crowded. | D．Everyone can be an amateur musician. |
| A．Selected carefully. | B．Checked regularly. |
| C．Reserved in advance. | D．Destroyed on purpose. |
| A．Miss a train yet catch a tune | B．A soundscape in the memory |
| C．The role of piano in French life | D．An amazing train with a piano bar |
【推荐1】As the planet gets hotter, the need for cool living environments is becoming more urgent. But air conditioning is a major contributor to global warming since units release powerful greenhouse gases and use lots of energy.
Now, researchers from McGill University, UCLA and Princeton have found in a new study an inexpensive, sustainable alternative to mechanical cooling with refrigerants (制冷剂) in hot and dry climates, and a way to relieve dangerous heat waves during electricity blackouts.
The researchers set out to answer how to achieve a new benchmark (基准) in passive cooling inside naturally conditioned buildings in hot climates such as Southern California. As an attempt, they examined the use of roof materials that radiate (辐射) heat into the cold universe, even under direct sunlight, and how to combine them with temperature-driven ventilation (通风). These cool radiator materials and coatings are often used to stop roofs overheating. Researchers have also used them to improve heat rejection from chillers. But there is untapped potential for integrating them into architectural design more fully, so they can not only reject indoor heat to outer space in a passive way, but also drive regular and healthy air changes.
“We found we could maintain air temperatures several degrees below the current surrounding temperature, and several degrees more below a reference ‘gold standard’ for passive cooling,” said Remy Fortin, lead author and PhD candidate at the Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture. “We did this without sacrificing healthy ventilation air changes.” This was a considerable challenge, considering air exchanges are a source of heating when the aim is to keep a room cooler than the outside.
The researchers hope the findings will be used to positively impact communities suffering from dangerous climate heating and heatwaves. “We hope that materials scientists, architects, and engineers will be interested in these results, and that our work will inspire more complete thinking for how to integrate breakthroughs in radiative cooling materials with simple but effective architectural solutions,” said Remy Fortin.
1. What might cause researchers to look for an alternative to air conditioning?| A．The severe shortage of energy. | B．The greenhouse effect of air conditioning. |
| C．The increasing dangerous heatwaves. | D．The need for cool living environments. |
| A．To obtain ideas for their research. | B．To prevent roofs from overheating. |
| C．To find the best material for roofs. | D．To make roofs well ventilated. |
| A．Uncaring. | B．Disapproving. | C．Positive. | D．Worried. |
| A．An effective architectural solution |
| B．A major contributor to global warming |
| C．A sustainable alternative to air conditioning |
| D．A more complete thinking for cooling materials |
【推荐2】In a world with limited land, water and other natural resources, the harm from the traditional business model is on the rise. Actually, the past decades has seen more and more forests disappearing and globe becoming increasingly warm. People now realize that this unhealthy situation must be changed, and that we must be able to develop in sustainable (可持续的) ways. That means growth with low carbon or development of sustainable products. In other words, we should keep the earth healthy while using its supply of natural resources.
Today, sustainable development is a proper trend in many countries. According to a recent study, the global market for low-carbon energy will become three times bigger over the next decades. China, for example, has set its mind on leading that market, hoping to seize chances in the new round of the global energy revolution. It is now trying hard to make full use of wind and solar energy, and is spending a huge amount of money making electric cars and high-speed trains.
In addition, we are also seeing great growth in the global markets for sustainable products such as palm oil (棕榈油), which is produced without cutting down valuable rainforest. In recent years the markets for sustainable products have grown by more than 50%.
Governments can fully develop the potential of these new markets. First, they can set high targets for reducing carbon emissions (排放) and targets for saving and reusing energy. Besides, stronger arrangement of public resources like forests can also help to speed up the development.
Finally, governments can avoid the huge expenses that are taking us in the wrong direction, and redirecting some of those expenses can accelerate the change from traditional model to a sustainable one.
The major challenge of this century is to find ways to meet the needs of growing population within the limits if this single planet. That is no small task, but it offers abundant new chances for sustainable product industries.
1. The traditional business model is harmful because of all the following EXCEPT that____________.| A．it makes the world warmer |
| B．it consumes natural resources |
| C．it brings severe damage to forests |
| D．it makes growth hard to continue |
| A．China lacks wind and solar energy. |
| B．China is the leader of the low-carbon market. |
| C．High-speed trains are a low-carbon development. |
| D．Palm oil is made at the cost of valuable forests. |
| A．cut public expenses |
| B．forbid carbon emission |
| C．develop public resources |
| D．encourage energy conservation |
| A．develop sustainable products |
| B．explore new natural resources |
| C．make full use of natural resources |
| D．deal with the major challenge |
| A．To introduce a new business model. |
| B．To compare two business models. |
| C．To predict a change of the global market. |
| D．To advocate sustainable development. |
【推荐3】Biodiversity is defined as the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem. Back in 1993, the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly decided we needed an International Day for Biological Diversity(IDB)to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues, now observed on May 22.
Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history—and the rate of species extinctions is accelerating, with grave impacts on people around the world now. The following is a letter by Tim Mohin, Chief Executive of Global Reporting Initiative, and I think it does a great job of summing things up and what needs to be done:
“As the global community marks International Biodiversity Day(22 May), we also face the sobering fact that human impact on the planet has entered a stage that is fast approaching a point of no return.
Fundamentally, biological integrity and diversity is the safety net that provides us with the resources we need to live and thrive on this planet. The problem is that our short-term focus means we have lost our connection and relationship with the natural environment. We cut down pristine forests that perform essential functions like storing carbon in order to support beef production. We take fish out of the ocean at unsustainable rates that can collapse intricate food chains.
What all this point towards is a looming biodiversity catastrophe—and an urgent need for us to do much, much more to rescue our earth.
Corporate reporting on sustainability impacts—by businesses, organizations and governments around the world—is part of the solution. Through sustainability reporting, organizations can better understand and communicate their impacts, engage stakeholders and make choices and changes that safeguard biodiversity on a local, regional and global scale, as well as optimize their own performance.
Ultimately though, actions speak louder than words. We need to tip the balance back in both earth’s and humanity’s favor, before it’s too late. Time is running out. We seem to be a pretty smart species, we create symphonies and 3D printed hearts and can take pictures of Mars. But really, how smart is a species that knowingly destroys its own habitat, to the point that it becomes unsurvivable? It is up to us, right now, to ensure that we protect biodiversity and treat the natural world with the care and respect required to support our species. It’s not about saving the earth, the planet will go on and be just fine without us—but if we want future generations of humans to thrive, let alone exist, we need to be taking biodiversity much more seriously!”
1. What is the purpose of sharing this article?| A．To observe May 22, the Day for Biological Diversity. |
| B．To arouse people’s awareness of protecting biological diversity. |
| C．To introduce the writer Tim Mohin and his association GRI. |
| D．To sum up the things needed by Global Reported Initiative. |
| A．Questions—Answers—Results |
| B．Definition—Development—Consequence |
| C．Problem—Reasons—Solutions |
| D．Impact—Results—Solutions |
| A．To arouse readers’ confidence in human intelligence of solving the problem. |
| B．To form an ironic contrast between the unsustainable development and the catastrophe of nature. |
| C．To deny the intelligence of human beings and question their achievement. |
| D．To make a comparison between the quick development of humanity and wise protection of nature. |
| A．We Are Witnessing the Collapse of Natural Biodiversity |
| B．Happy International Day for Biological Diversity |
| C．Human Beings Are Facing Extinction Due to the Declining Nature |
| D．Development and Environmental Protection Can’t Be Integrated |
【推荐1】Frequent goodbyes to her family come hand-in-hand with Wang Yaping’s intensive training. This time, however, her goodbye has sparked joy in her 5-year-old daughter’s eyes as she is “shooting for the stars.”
Known for broadcasting a 40-minute live lesson during her first space trip, she is very likely to draw global attention again during her second space mission.
Wang was born in 1980 to a rural family in Shandong Province. “When I was young, my world was small,” Wang recalled. “My dream was much more simple: to go beyond the village and to pay back all that my parents had given me.”
Her space dream started in 2003 when China sent Yang Liwei into space. “I watched the bright rocket flame on TV, and an idea flashed through my mind: China now has a male taikonaut, when will there be a female one?” Wang said. After racking up safe flights for 1,600 hours over nine years, Wang became a strong candidate (候选人) for China’s first flight by a female taikonaut. However, she did not pass her final tests. Wang did not lose heart but pushed forward even harder. She always ran three laps more than others in physical courses; she volunteered to be held to the same standards as her male partners during desert survival training, and she asked to train in the pressure chamber for an extra 30 minutes each time. “You can’t catch a break simply for being a woman,” she said.
Her efforts were not in vain. Wang became a crew member of the Shenzhou-10 space mission in 2013. And more notably, she earned the title of China’s first space teacher after giving a lecture to students from an orbit more than 300 km above the Earth’s surface.
Liu Cixin, China’s famous sci-fi writer and Hugo Award winner, said Wang’s lesson was like a “brush,” which painted a space world for children that is different from Earth.
1. What do we know about Wang Yaping?| A．She is the first Chinese woman to enter space. |
| B．She went to space just for a lecture in 2013. |
| C．She is the first Chinese to give a lesson in space. |
| D．She dreamed to pay back her hometown as a child. |
| A．She was puzzled about her future for a period. |
| B．She felt down completely under great pressure. |
| C．She volunteered for heavier tasks than men. |
| D．She strengthened herself through hard practice. |
| A．Learned and generous. | B．Wise and cooperative. |
| C．Honest and ambitious. | D．Determined and hard-working. |
| A．Simile. | B．Quote. |
| C．Repetition. | D．Personification. |
【推荐2】You may read the questions first.
Indian Heroes and Great Chieftains
The book mainly presents us with the American Indian leaders of the past. It features many profiles and biographies including Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, Little Crow and Lozen Quanah etc. written by author Charles Eastman, and I’m sure you will be interested in it.
| Name: Sitting Bull Birth: 1831 Death: 12-15-1890 He was a great hero and is respected by many American Indians. In a 1997 documentary (纪录片) — The Great Tribes, he was known as a holy man, a composer of songs and an artist. Under him, the Sioux and Cheyenne Nations unified. He was advised to go on a European tour in 1887, but he turned it down to defend these two nations from being separated again. He led his people during years of resistance to United States government policies and was killed by Indian agency police on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. |  |
| Name: Crazy Horse Birth: 1842 Death: 9-5-1877 Crazy Horse was a legendary warrior(勇士) and a gentle leader as well as a brave man who stood for the highest ideal of the Sioux, celebrated for his battle skills as well as his efforts to preserve Native American traditions and way of life. Resisting efforts to force the Sioux on to reservations, he fought alongside Sitting Bull and others in the American-Indian Wars. Charles Eastman described him in his book Indian Heroes as “a man of deeds and not of words”. |  |
| Name: Red Cloud Birth: 1822 Death: 12-10-1909 He was against the movement of the white settlers into the Black Hills. In 1868, he refused to sign a treaty (条约), which stated that the Black Hills didn’t belong to people. The treaty also stated that these areas couldn’t be entered without the government’s permission. According to Eastman’s book Indian Heroes, he was said to have fought against the treaty, forcing the government to give in and pull out of the area. |  |
| Name: Lozen Quanah Birth: late 1840s Death: 1890 Known as the youngest sister of Red Cloud, she devoted herself to the people. She was described in Peter Aleshire’s Warrior Woman as a heroine good at riding horses and using a bow and arrow to drive attackers away. This skill was considered to be “one of the most honored skills among the Indians”. |  |
| A．He was friendly to his soldier. | B．He showed great courage. |
| C．He was a great talker. | D．He was respected. |
| A．Sitting Bull disliked traveling |
| B．Indian Heroes was a book on Indian history |
| C．in the 1880s Indian soldiers were mainly armed with bows and arrows |
| D．in the 1850s Indian women were not allowed to ride horses |
| A．show Indians’ lives to readers |
| B．describe great Indian heroes and heroines |
| C．show the history of the Indians |
| D．comment on a history book |
【推荐3】Do you think cookies can tell stories? Jasmine Cho, 35, does.
A baker, artist, entrepreneur and activist, Cho tries to spread knowledge about social justice issues and diversity through the delicious medium of cookies.
It was in high school that she discovered her love of baking. At a sleepover a friend taught her how to make a dessert, “sort of demystifying baking and that whole process”.
Later, Cho realized her second passion: learning more about her Asian, American culture. An elective in college that taught Asian-American immigrant experiences brought an emotional moment for her. “So many emotions came up that I just couldn’t articulate. It was like this mix of anger, of relief, empowerment, sadness...” Cho said.
Cho realized she could combine these two passions to educate others about influential Asian American people and showcase matters that were important to her. With her online bakery, she designed cookie portraits about people she admired and posted the images on Instagram. “I don’t think I ever really knew how to communicate these stories until I found cookies,” Cho said. “Cookies are just so disarming. Who doesn’t like cookies?”
One cookie that Cho has identified with deeply is one she made of George Helm, a Hawaiian activist in the 1970s.
“It’s insane the amount of injustice that the native Hawaiian population has faced as well through the whole annexation (吞并) of the kingdom. There were so many horrific stories that I heard about nuclear testing and the fallout ( 核爆炸后的沉降物) impacting native Hawaiian populations in all of this,” Cho said, “George Helm was one of those activists who really represented the spirituality of the native Hawaiians and the connection to their land, to nature.”
Among her amazing cookie art are other political figures such as Larry Itliong, a Filipino-American labor organizer, and pop culture figures such as Keanu Reeves, a Canadian actor.
Cho hopes her cookie art continues to inspire people to be creative and think positively.
“Instead of trying to think of something new and original, just look inward and see, maybe there’s already a passion or a love that you have,” Cho said. “Use that for something that will serve the world in a better way.”
1. What inspired Cho to take an interest in Asian-American culture?| A．One of her sleepover experiences. |
| B．One elective course she took at college. |
| C．The process of learning baking from her friend. |
| D．A book she read about Asian-American immigrant experiences. |
| A．get rid of | B．put up with |
| C．express in words | D．stay focused |
| A．Cookies don’t cost much. | B．Cookies are easier to make. |
| C．Cookies have different images. | D．Cookies are liked by many people. |
| A．To inform the reader of Helm’s contributions to Hawaii. |
| B．To show what knowledge Cho focuses on with her cookies. |
| C．To introduce the spirituality of native Hawaiians. |
| D．To explain why Cho is interested in political activists. |
| A．Think outside the box to break new ground. |
| B．Spread something original to one’s heart content. |
| C．Hold your horses for a better self. |
| D．Throw yourself into your inner world for a better one. |
