1 . Samuel Osmond is a 19-year-old law student from Cornwall, England. He never studied the piano. However, he can play very difficult musical pieces by musicians such as Chopin and Beethoven just a few minutes after he hears them. He learns a piece of music by listening to it in parts. Then he thinks about the notes in his head. Two years ago, he played his first piece Moonlight Sonata(奏鸣曲)by Beethoven. He surprised everyone around him.
Amazed that he remembered this long and difficult piece of music and played it perfectly, his teachers say Samuel is unbelievable .They say his ability is very rare, but Samuel doesn’t even realize that what he can do is special. Samuel wanted to become a lawyer as it was the wish of his parents, but music teachers told him he should study music instead. Now, he studies law and music.
Samuel can’t understand why everyone is so surprised. “I grew up with music. My mother played the piano and my father played the guitar. About two years ago, I suddenly decided to start playing the piano, without being able to read music and without having any lessons. It comes easily to me ---I hear the notes and can bear them in mind---each and every note,” says Samuel.
Recently, Samuel performed a piece during a special event at his college. The piece had more than a thousand notes. The audience was impressed by his amazing performance. He is now learning a piece that is so difficult that many professional pianists can’t play it. Samuel says confidently,” It’s all about super memory---I guess I have that gift.”
However, Samuel’s ability to remember things doesn’t stop with music. His family says that even when he was a young boy, Samuel heard someone read a story, and then he could retell the story word for word.
Samuel is still only a teenager. He doesn’t know what he wants to do in the future. For now, he is just happy to play beautiful music and continue his studies.
1. What is special about Samuel Osmond?A.He has a gift for writing music. |
B.He can write down the note he hears. |
C.He is a top student at the law school. |
D.He can play the musical piece he hears. |
A.Samuel chose law against the wish of his parents. |
B.Samuel planned to be a lawyer rather than a musician. |
C.Samuel thinks of himself as a man of great musical ability. |
D.Samuel studies law and music on the advice of his teachers. |
A.received a good early education in music |
B.played the guitar and the piano perfectly |
C.could play the piano without reading music |
D.could play the guitar better than his father |
A.He became famous during a special event at his college. |
B.He is proud of his ability to remember things accurately. |
C.He plays the piano better than many professional pianists. |
D.He impressed the audience by playing all the musical pieces. |
A.The Qualities of a Musician |
B.The Story of a Musical Talent |
C.The Importance of Early Education |
D.The Relationship between Memory and Music. |
Peter examined the box, and, sure enough, it was completely covered in factory-sealed plastic. And he saw a date of 1973 on the back of the box.
“You should put that up for auction (拍卖) on the Internet, and see what happens.”the salesgirl said.
“Yes, you’re right. People like something rare.” Peter agreed, “I can’t imagine there being very many unopened boxes of this game still around 40 years later.”
“Don’t forget to tell me if you sell it.” the salesgirl smiled.
“No problem.” Peter said.
After he got home, Peter went online to several auction websites looking for his game. But he couldn’t find it. Then he typed in the name of the word game and hit Search. The search result was 543 websites containing information about the changes of the game. Over the years, the game had been produced using letters in different sizes and game boards in different colors. He also found some lists of game fans looking for various versions of the game. Peter emailed some of them, telling them what he had.
Two weeks later, Peter went back to the shop.
“Hello. Do you still remember the unopened word game?”
The salesgirl looked at him for a second, then recognized him and said, “Oh, hi!”
“I’ve got something for you,” Peter said. “I sold the game and made $1,000. Thank you for your suggestion.” He handed her three $ 100 bills.
“Wow!” the salesgirl cried out. “Thank you, I never expected it.”
1. Which of the following best describes Peter’s word game?
A.It was made around 40 years ago. |
B.It had game boards in different sizes. |
C.It was kept in a plastic bag with a seal. |
D.It had little pieces of wood in different colors. |
A.Old and handy. |
B.Rare and valuable. |
C.Classic and attractive. |
D.Colorful and interesting |
A.an auction |
B.the Internet |
C.a game shop |
D.the second-hand shop |
A.Peter gave the girl $300 as a reward. |
B.The salesgirl became Peter’s friend. |
C.Peter returned the word game for $ 1,000. |
D.The salesgirl felt confused to see Peter again. |
A.It’s important to keep a promise. |
B.It’s great to share in other people’s happiness. |
C.We should be grateful for the help from others. |
D.Something rare is worth a large amount of money. |
From my wheelchair experience, I see the best in people, but sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily. They don’t get to see this soft side of others often. We try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness, which includes a lot of pretending. But only when we stop pretending we’re brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that’s in them.
Last month, when I was driving home on a busy highway, I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual. People behind me began to get impatient and angry, with some speeding up alongside me, horning (按喇叭) or even shouting at me. At the moment I decided to do something I had never done in twenty four years of driving. I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed.
No more angry shouts and no more horns!
When I put on my flashlights, I was saying to other drivers, “I have a problem here. I am weak and doing the best I can.” And everyone understood. Several times, I saw drivers who wanted to pass. They couldn’t get around me because of the stream of passing traffic. But instead of getting impatient and angry, they waited, knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak.
Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don’t feel that way. But those are few and far between. More often, it would be better if we don’t pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we are brave when we are scared.
1. The author has discovered that people will feel happy when ________.
A.they offer their help |
B.they receive others’ help |
C.they feel others’ kindness |
D.they show their weakness |
A.he has a soft heart |
B.he relies much on others |
C.some people pretend to be kind |
D.some people fail to see the kindness in others |
A.They speed up to pass. |
B.They waited with patience. |
C.They tried their best to help. |
D.They put on their flashlights too. |
A.handle problems by ourselves |
B.accept help from others |
C.admit our weakness |
D.show our bravery |
A.A Wheelchair Experience. |
B.Weakness and Kindness. |
C.Weakness and Strength. |
D.A Driving Experience. |
However, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals were just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals aggression, while a dog doing the same signals submission.
In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behaviour. They are learning how to talk each other’s language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk ‘Dog’, and dogs can learn how to talk ‘Cat’.
What’s interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn how to read each other’s body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than we previously suspected. Once familiar with each other’s presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom (梳理) each other.
The significance of the research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets ─ to people who don’t get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.
1. The underlined word “swimmingly” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ________.
A.early | B.sweetly | C.quickly | D.smoothly |
A.they are cold to each other | B.they look away from each other |
C.they misunderstood each other’s signals | D.they are introduced at an early age |
A.They eat and sleep each other. |
B.They observe each other’s behaviors. |
C.They learn to speak each other’s language. |
D.They know something from each other’s voices. |
A.have common interests | B.are less different than was thought |
C.have a common body language | D.are less intelligent than was expected |
A.We should learn to live in harmony. |
B.We should know more about animals. |
C.We should live in peace with animals. |
D.We should learn more body languages. |
“You could win prizes,” our teacher told us as she wrote the poster information on the blackboard. She passed out sheets of construction paper while continuing, “The first prize is ten dollars. You just have to make sure that the words on the blackboard appear somewhere on your poster.”
We studied the board critically. Some of us looked with one eye and held up certain colors against the blackboard, rocking the sheets to the right or left while we conjured up our designs. Others twisted their hair around their fingers or chewed their erasers while deep in thought. We had plans for that ten-dollar grand prize, each and every one of us. I’m going to spend mine on candies, one hopeful would announce, while another practiced looking serious, wise and rich.
Everyone in the class made a poster. Some of us used parts of those fancy paper napkins, while others used nothing but colored construction paper. Some of us used big designs, and some of us preferred to gather our art tidily down in one corner of our poster and let the space draw the viewer’s attention to it. Some of us would wander past the good students’ desks and then return to our own projects with a growing sense of hopelessness. It was yet another grown-up trick of the sort they seemed especially fond of, making all of us believe we had a fair chance, and then always—always—rewarding the same old winners.
I believe I drew a sailboat, but I can’t say that with any certainty. I made it. I admired it. I determined it to be the very best of all of the posters I had seen,and then I turned it in.
Minutes passed.
No one came along to give me the grand prize, and then someone distracted me, and I probably never would have thought about that poster again.
I was still sitting at my desk, thinking, What poster? when the teacher gave me an envelope with a ten-dollar bill in it and everyone in the class applauded for me.
1. What was the teacher’s requirement for the poster?
A.It must appear in time. |
B.It must be done in class. |
C.It must be done on a construction sheet. |
D.It must include the words on the blackboard. |
A.formed an idea for |
B.made an outline for |
C.made some space for |
D.chose some colors for |
A.looked very serious |
B.thought they would be rich |
C.began to think about their designs |
D.began to play games |
A.loved their own designs more |
B.thought they had a fair chance |
C.put their own designs in a corner |
D.thought they would not win the prize |
A.enjoyed grown up tricks very much |
B.loved poster competitions very much |
C.felt surprised to win the competition |
D.became wise and rich after the competition |
Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look,the way you act,the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is,make a list if you need to,but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.
It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren’t good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile,get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you don’t wear the latest trends,buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.
The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective,and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat yourself on the back,you’ll know you're well on your way. Good luck!
1. You need to build a positive self-image when you___________.
A.dare to challenge yourself | B.feel it hard to change yourself |
C.are unconfident about yourself | D.have a high opinion of yourself |
A.have positive effects | B.are hot true |
C.are often changeable | D.have different functions |
A.To keep a different image of others. | B.To make your life successful. |
C.To understand your own world. | D.To change the way you think. |
A.How to prepare for your success. | B.How to face challenges in your life. |
C.How to build a. positive self-image. | D.How to develop your good qualities. |
A.Parents. | B.Adolescents. | C.Educators. | D.People in general. |