1 . There is an interesting, but at the same time a sad phenomenon now：there is a rise in the number of singers and bands that have little to do with good music.Many singers or bands know little about what good music means. What is the cause of this rise?
Most of these singers have taken music as a“job” because it is a good source of making money. And if you have a good appearance and also expensive clothes to show off at your concerts or at different appearances in public, then your voice is not as important as it should be. The public will prefer to admire more the most interesting parts of your body, whether you are a girl or a boy.They will even forget about the fact that you are there to show your music skills, not your dancing, which is important too, but not at such a high level.
Therefore, we can see many young girls on TV who look very good but who have nothing to do with music.They choose to wear very provocative (挑逗性的) clothes to catch attention, but when it comes to singing they are a complete mess and one doesn't need to have an ear for music to notice their lack of talent. But anyway, they have concerts and they enjoy travelling from one place to another. It is the public's fault because they accept this and are pleased with this commercial music. People who enjoy this kind of music are generally young people while adults prefer listening to old good bands.
However, the young generation should understand while appearance is important, it is less important than talent and a good voice. If somebody has a great voice and wants to become a singer, he should take some special courses in this area, because they will help him improve singing abilities.
1. The passage shows that many singers consider music as_____.| A．an art serving the public |
| B．a good way of making money |
| C．a way of living fully |
| D．a fashionable lifestyle |
| A．appearance is the most important thing in the world of music |
| B．all people who have received training in singing can become famous |
| C．adults should help young people improve their abilities |
| D．a singer's talent and voice are the most important factors |
| A．Critical. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Tolerant. | D．Worried. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Sport. |
| C．Comment. | D．Story. |
Then their good relationship broke. It began with a small thing, then bitter words, and then weeks of silence. One morning Farmer John woke up to find a stream between the two farms. “It must be Bob,” John thought.
Then one day there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a carpenter (木匠) standing at the doorway.
“I’m looking for a few days’ work,” the carpenter said.
“I do have a job for you,” John said. “Look across the stream at that farm. That’s my neighbour Bob. He dug a stream between the two farms. I want you to build a fence—an 8-foot fence. I don’t want to see his place or his face any more. I don’t have such a neighbour!”
The carpenter said, “I think I know what to do, sir, and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”
Farmer John helped the carpenter get the materials (材料) ready and then he was off for the day.
About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide. There was no fence there at all!
It was a bridge! And the neighbour, Bob, was coming across, with his hand outstretched (伸出). “Hi, John! You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge!”
Then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hands. “I’m terribly sorry for what I have said and done. We should be good to each other.” said Farmer Bob.
Then they turned to see the carpenter, who was ready to go. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I have a lot of other jobs for you,” said Farmer John. “I’d love to stay,” the carpenter said, “but I have more bridges to build.”
1. What does the sentence “You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge!” mean?
| A．John was great to build this bridge. |
| B．John was not good at building bridges. |
| C．John was foolish to build such a bridge. |
| D．John should build the bridge earlier. |
| A．Shy. | B．Wise. | C．Proud. | D．Careless. |
| A．What a Big Fence! | B．A Strong Bridge |
| C．Three Kind Men | D．A Fence or a Bridge? |
When I was 13, my family moved away. Linda and I kept in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special times—like my wedding and Linda’s. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new houses, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back, stamped “Address Unknown”. I had no idea how to find Linda.
Over the years, I missed Linda very much. I wanted to share happiness of my children and then grandchildren. And I need to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.
One day I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagmans—Linda’s married name. “There must be thousands of Wagmans.” I thought, but I still wrote to her.
She called as soon as she got my letter. “Ms Tobin!” she said excitedly, “Linda Evans Wagmans is my mother.” Minutes later I heard a voice that I knew very much, even after 40 years, laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives. Now the empty place in my heart is filled. And there’s one thing that Linda and I know for sure: We won’t lose each other again!
1. What happened to me when I was 13?
| A．My father died of an illness. |
| B．I got married and had a son. |
| C．My family removed to a new place. |
| D．Linda moved away with her family. |
| A．I forgot to write the address. |
| B．The address couldn’t be found. |
| C．Something was wrong with the card. |
| D．Linda was sent to a foreign country. |
| A．Linda could fill my dream |
| B．Linda made a promise that she would visit me |
| C．Linda had a deep effect on my choice of life |
| D．I wanted to share happiness and sorrow with Linda |
| A．A photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda. |
| B．Linda was still looking for me in the newspaper. |
| C．Linda fell in love with a man called Wagmans. |
| D．Linda was still living in the nearby city. |
4 . Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasize the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in “small talk”, usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries, like the UK or France, people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafe rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion, instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values, however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.
1. What’s the probable meaning of the underlined word “emphasize”?| A．To draw special attention to. | B．To ignore. |
| C．To laugh at. | D．To get close to. |
| A．the English prefer to make long speeches |
| B．too many words are of no use |
| C．people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature |
| D．even talk and silence can be culturally different |
| A．By sharing different ways of life. | B．By accepting different habits. |
| C．By recognizing different values. | D．By speaking each other’s languages. |
| A．Multicultural Environment. | B．Cross-Cultural Differences. |
| C．How to Understand Each Other. | D．How to Build Up a Relationship. |
5 . Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture (文化) the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion (困惑) across cultures. For example, many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities).Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough. In Southeast Asian cultures, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.
Our faces show emotions (情感), but we should not attempt to "read" people from another culture as we would "read" someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions.
Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressions permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.
It is difficult to generalize about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of "reading" the other person incorrectly.
1. What does the smile usually mean in America?| A．Love. | B．Politeness. |
| C．Joy. | D．Thankfulness. |
| A．show friendliness to strangers |
| B．be used to hide true feelings |
| C．be used in the wrong places |
| D．show personal habits |
| A．Learn about their relations with others. |
| B．Understand their cultural backgrounds. |
| C．Find out about their past experience. |
| D．Figure out what they will do next. |
| A．Cultural Differences |
| B．Smiles and Relationship |
| C．Facial Expressiveness |
| D．Habits and Emotions |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
I just come back from Britain last week. I was luckily enough to be one of the student from different countries to visit the UK from Feb. 16 to 28. We paid a visit to many places, like London, Oxford or the Lake District. I learned much about British culture and history in London, where was my favorite. I also liked Oxford, in which I saw much more old buildings. The Lake District was beautiful, but it was pity that it rained heavily when they were there. The most excited thing for me in the Britain was that I made a lot of friends there.
