5 . George Gershwin, born in 1898, was one of America's greatest composers. He published his first song when he was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs.

Many of Gershwin's songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way — from jazz to country.

In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him world­famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular.

In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition (作曲)with the well­known musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz­influenced style. While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics (评论家)were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was silly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It still remains one of his most famous works.

George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirty­nine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written.

1. Many of Gershwin's musical works were ________．

A．written about New Yorkers	B．composed for Paul Whiteman
C．performed in various ways	D．played mainly in the countryside

2. What do we know about the concert organized by Whiteman?

A．It proved jazz could be serious music.

B．It attracted more people to theatres.

C．It made Gershwin leader of the orchestra.

D．It caused a debate among jazz musicians.

3. What did Gershwin do during his stay in Paris?

A．He studied with Nadia Boulanger.	B．He created one of his best works.
C．He argued with French critics.	D．He changed his music style.

4. What do we learn from the last paragraph?

A．The death of Gershwin was widely reported.

B．Many of Gershwin's works were lost.

C．A concert was held in memory of Gershwin.

D．Brain cancer research started after Gershwin's death.

5. Which of the following best describes Gershwin?

A．Serious and boring.	B．Talented and productive.
C．Popular and unhappy.	D．Friendly and honest.

6 . Ancient Chinese folk paintings and many other art styles have been passed down from generation to generation, and are still practised in different parts of China. Here's a look at four unique Chinese folk art forms.

Chinese Opera (戏剧) is the traditional form of Chinese drama. According to incomplete statistics, in China's various ethnic regions there are about more than 360 kinds of operas. The most famous ones include Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera, Yueju Opera, Yuju Opera, Sichuan Opera, Fujian Opera, Hebei opera, Huangmei Opera arid so on, in total more than 50, among which Peking Opera is the most popular in China.

Shadow Play (皮影戏) dates back to Western Han Dynasty in Shaanxi more than 1,000 years ago. The moving figures, usually carved out from leather, are operated by folk artists, accompanied by music and singing. It is the world's first dubbed (配音的) motion picture art form, thus considered the "ancestor" of modern film. Today this art form is still popular in northern China.

Paper-cutting (剪纸) is one of the most popular traditional decorative arts in China with a long history. Paper-cutting can be seen across China and it has even developed into different local genres (流派). They are usually used to decorate gates and windows during festivals.

The Kite was invented by Chinese people. According to legend the earliest kite in China was a wooden bird by Mo Di in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Later his student Lu Ban improved the tech and used bamboo as material to make a kite. Today, various kite-flying activities can be found in different regions of China. Shandong Weifang Kite Festival is held every year and attracts lots of kite lovers and travelers.

1. Which Chinese Opera is the most popular in China?

A．Peking Opera.	B．Kunqu Opera.
C．Yueju Opera.	D．Yuju Opera.

2. Why is Shadow Play considered the ancestor of modern film?

A．It has a history of more than 1,000 years.

B．It was operated by ancient folk artists.

C．It is accompanied by music and dances on the stage.

D．It is the world's first dubbed motion picture art form.

3. What does the underlined word "They" in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Different local genres.

B．Traditional decorative pictures.

C．Paper-cutting art works.

D．Popular Chinese handwriting.

4. What was the earliest kite made of in China?

A．Paper.	B．Wood.
C．Bamboo.	D．Leather.

5. What is the main topic of this article?

A．Chinese folk art.	B．Chinese folk paintings.
C．Chinese operas.	D．Chinese folk plays.

7 . I took down the violin I made in the past two months, and walked towards the farmland outside. The violin shined in the sunlight, and I admitted, unwillingly, that it looked good. But I knew it was a mockery (笑柄) of my failure to find beauty.

“What makes a violin beautiful?”

I first asked this question as a three-year-old child and now again as a teenager. When I listened to a violin for the first time, I was so astonished by its beauty that I imagined a fairy living in the wooden frame. But fairies faded when I grew older. I wanted a reasonable answer to the question.

I referred to Professor Ruan, my violin teacher, who introduced the violin to me 14 years ago. This 85-year-old man rhapsodized about (热烈赞美) the legend of Antonio Stradivari. “His violins are the most beautiful works human has ever crafted.” “Make a violin with your own hands,” Professor Ruan suggested,“When you play it, you’ll know.”

However, when Professor Ruan introduced to me a violin workshop, what I saw was far from my expectation. In front of me was a fat worker, shirtless and sunburned, soon to become my master. What shocked me most was that the “master” knew nearly nothing about music. His rough hands had been tending crops, not instruments, for most of his life.

Two months later, standing outside the workshop, I was disappointed. Yes, I just finished or copied a Stradivarius violin. But I didn’t find beauty in it. Then I remembered Professor Ruan’s words, “When you play it, you’ll know.” So I closed my eyes, and focused on where my fingers and strings touched. Music flowed suddenly so beautifully that for a moment I doubted my own ears. Slowly I opened my eyes, and with surprise found the fairy of my childhood fantasy dancing to my music — the two-year-old daughter of the master.

Professor Ruan was right. I didn’t find beauty until I played music with the violin, because beauty isn’t in the instrument itself. It’s just here, deep down, in ourselves.

1. When he listened to a violin for the first time, what happened to the writer?

A．He found the violin looked beautiful.

B．He was astonished to see a fairy in the violin.

C．He became interested in the violin.

D．He began to learn how to play violin.

2. After consulting Professor Ruan, what did the writer think made a violin beautiful?

A．The person who makes the violin.

B．The person who plays the violin.

C．The appearance of the violin.

D．The sound of the violin.

3. What did the writer do in the workshop during two months?

A．He listened to the legend of Antonio Stradivari.

B．He taught the master knowledge of music.

C．He played music with the violin for the daughter of the master.

D．He made his own violin with the help of the master.

4. Why did the writer feel disappointed when he was outside the workshop?

A．He created an ugly-looking violin.

B．His master knew little about music.

C．He failed to find beauty in the violin.

D．He had to work in a terrible workshop.

5. The text mainly tells us that ________.

A．music brings beauty	B．beauty lies in our hearts
C．we should develop a hobby	D．teachers are important to students

8 . A scientist working at her lab bench and a six-old baby playing with his food might seem to have little in common.After all,the scientist is engaged in serious research to uncover the very nature of the physical world,and the baby is,well, just playing…right?Perhaps,but some developmental psychologists have argued that this “play” is more like a scientific investigation than one might think.

Take a closer look at the baby playing at the table. Each time the bowl of rice is pushed over the table edge, it falls in the ground—and, in the process, it belongs out important evidence about how physical objects interact; bowls of rice do not flood in mid-sit, but require support to remain stable. It is likely that babies are not born knowing the basic fact of the universe; nor are they ever clearly taught it. Instead, babies may form an understanding of object support through repeated experiments and then build on this knowledge to learn even more about how objects interact. Though their ranges and tools differ, the baby’s investigation and the scientist’s experiment appear to share the same aim(to learn about the natural world), overall approach (gathering direct evidence from the world), and logic (are my observations what I expected?).

Some psychologists suggest that young children learn about more than just the physical world in this way—that they investigate human psychology and the rules of language using similar means. For example, it may only be through repeated experiments, evidence gathering, and finally overturning a theory, that a baby will come to accept the idea that other people can have different views and desires from what he or she has. For example, unlike the child, Mommy actually doesn’t like Dove chocolate.
Viewing childhood development as a scientific investigation throws on how children learn, but it also offers an inspiring look at science and scientists. Why do young children and scientists seem to be so much alike? Psychologists have suggested that science as an effort—the desire to explore, explain, and understand our world—is simply something that comes from our babyhood. Perhaps evolution provided human babies with curiosity and a natural drive to explain their worlds, and adult scientists simply make use of the same drive that served them as children. The same cognitive systems that make young children feel good about figuring something out may have been adopted by adult scientists. As some psychologists put it, “It is not that children are little scientists but that scientists are big children.”
1. According to some developmental psychologists, ________.

A．a baby’s play is nothing more than a game.

B．scientific research into babies; games is possible

C．the nature of babies’ play has been thoroughly investigated

D．a baby’s play is somehow similar to a scientist’s experiment

2. We learn from Paragraph 2 that ________.

A．scientists and babies seem to observe the world differently

B．scientists and babies often interact with each other

C．babies are born with the knowledge of object support

D．babies seem to collect evidence just as scientists do

3. Children may learn the rules of language by ________.

A．exploring the physical world

B．investigating human psychology

C．repeating their own experiments

D．observing their parents’ behaviors

4. What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．The world may be more clearly explained through children’s play.

B．Studying babies’ play may lead to a better understanding of science.

C．Children may have greater ability to figure out things than scientists.

D．One’s drive for scientific research may become stronger as he grows.

5. What is the author’s tone when he discusses the connection between scientists’ research and babies’ play?

A．Convincing.	B．Confused.
C．Confidence.	D．Cautious.

9 . Failure is probably the most exhausting experience a person ever has. There is nothing more tiring than not succeeding.
We experience this tiredness in two ways: as start-up fatigue(疲惫) and performance fatigue. In the former case, we keep putting off a task because it has either too boring or too difficult. And the longer we delay it, the more tired we feel.
Such start-up fatigue is very real, even if not actually physical, not something in our muscles and bones. The solution is obvious though perhaps not easy to apply: always handle the most difficult job first.
Years ago, I was asked to write 102 essays on the great ideas of some famous authors. Applying my own rule, I determined to write them in alphabetical(按字母顺序), never letting myself leave out a tough idea. And I always started the day’s work with the difficult task of essay-writing. Experience proved that the rule works.
Performance fatigue is more difficult to handle. Though willing to get started, we cannot seem to do the job right. Its difficulties appear so great that, however hard we work, we fail again and again. In such a situation, I work as hard as I can-then let the unconscious take over.
When planning Encyclopaedia Britannica (《大英百科全书》), I had to create a table of contents based on the topics of its articles. Nothing like this had ever been done before, and day after day I kept coming up with solutions, but none of them worked. My fatigue became almost unbearable.
One day, mentally exhausted, I wrote down all the reasons why this problem could not be solved. I tried to convince myself that the trouble was with the problem itself, not with me. Relived, I sat back in an easy chair and fell asleep.
An hour later, I woke up suddenly with the solution clearly in mind. In the weeks that followed, the solution which had come up in my unconscious mind proved correct at every step. Though I worked as hard as before, I felt no fatigue. Success was now as exciting as failure had been depressing.
Human beings, I believe must try to succeed. Success, then, means never feeling tired.
1. People with start-up fatigue are most likely to ________.

A．delay tasks	B．work hard
C．seek help	D．accept failure

2. What does the author recommend doing to prevent start-up fatigue?

A．Writing essays in strict order.

B．Building up physical strength.

C．Leaving out the toughest ideas.

D．Dealing with the hardest task first.

3. On what occasion does a person probably suffer from performance fatigue?

A．Before starting a difficult task.

B．When all the solutions fail.

C．If the job is rather boring.

D．After finding a way out.

4. According to the author, the unconscious mind may help us ________.

A．ignore mental problems	B．get some nice sleep
C．gain complete relief	D．find the right solution

5. What could be the best title for the passage?

A．Success Is Built upon Failure

B．How to Handle Performance Fatigue

C．Getting over Fatigue: A Way to Success

D．Fatigue: An Early Sign of Health Problems

10 . Two friends have an argument that breaks up their friendship forever, even though neither one can remember how the whole thing got started. Such sad events happen over and over in high schools across the country. In fact, according to an official report on youth violence, "In our country today, the greatest threat to the lives of children and adolescents is not disease or starvation or abandonment, but the terrible reality of violence". Given that this is the case, why aren't students taught to manage conflict the way they are taught to solve math problems, drive cars, or stay physically fit?
First of all, students need to realize that conflict is unavoidable. A report on violence among middle school and high school students indicates that most violent incidents between students begin with a relatively minor insult (侮辱). For example, a fight could start over the fact that one student eats a peanut butter sandwich each lunchtime. Laughter over the sandwich can lead to insults, which in turn can lead to violence. The problem isn't in the sandwich, but in the way students deal with the conflict.
Once students recognize that conflict is unavoidable, they can practice the golden rule of conflict resolution (解决) stay calm. Once the student feels calmer, he or she should choose words that will calm the other person down as well. Rude words, name-calling, and accusation only add fuel to the emotional fir On the other hand, soft words spoken at a normal sound level can put out the fire before it explodes out of control.
After both sides have calmed down, they can use another key strategy for conflict resolution; listening. Listening allows the two sides to understand each other. One person should describe his or her side, and the other person should listen without interrupting. Afterward, the listener can ask non-threatening questions to clarify the speaker’s position. Then the two people should change roles.
Finally, students need f. consider what they are hearing. This doesn’t mean trying to figure out what's wrong with the other person. It means understanding what the real issue is and what both sides are trying to accomplish. For example, a shouting match over a peanut butter sandwich might happen because one person thinks the other person is unwilling to try new things. Students need to ask themselves questions such as these: How did this start? What do I really want? What am I afraid off As the issue becomes clearer, the conflict often simply becomes smaller. Even if it doesn't, careful thought helps both sides figure out a mutual solution.
There will always be conflict in schools, but that doesn’t mean there needs to be violence. After students in Atlanta started a conflict resolution program, according to Educators for Social Responsibility, “64 percent of the teachers reported less physical violence in the classroom; 75 percent of the teachers reported an increase in student cooperation; and 92 percent of the students felt better about themselves”. Learning to resolve conflicts can help students deal with friends, teachers, parents, bosses, and coworkers. In that way, conflict resolution is a basic life skill that should be taught in schools across the country.
1. This article is mainly about _______.

A．the lives of school children	B．the cause of arguments in schools
C．how to analyze youth violence	D．how to deal with school conflicts

2. From Paragraph 2 we can learn that ________.

A．violence is more likely to occur at lunchtime

B．a small conflict can lead to violence

C．students tend to lose their temper easily

D．the eating habit of a student is often the cause of a fight

3. Why do students need to ask themselves the questions stated in Paragraph 5?

A．To find out who to blame.

B．To get ready to buy new things.

C．To make clear what the real issue is.

D．To figure out how to stop the shouting match.

4. After the conflict resolution program was started in Atlanta, it was found that ______.

A．there was a decrease in classroom violence

B．there was less student cooperation in the classroom

C．more teachers fell better about themselves in schools

D．the teacher-student relationship greatly improved

5. The writer’s purpose for writing this article is to _______.

A．complain about problems in school education

B．teach students different strategies for school life

C．advocate teaching conflict management in schools

D．inform teachers of the latest studies on school violence