1 . By day, Robert Titterton is a lawyer. In his spare time though he goes on stage beside pianist Maria Raspopova — not as a musician but as her page turner. “I’m not a trained musician, but I’ve learnt to read music so I can help Maria in her performance.”
Mr Titterton is chairman of the Omega Ensemble but has been the group’s official page turner for the past four years. His job is to sit beside the pianist and turn the pages of the score so the musician doesn’t have to break the flow of sound by doing it themselves. He said he became just as nervous as those playing instruments on stage.
“A lot of skills are needed for the job. You have to make sure you don’t turn two pages at once and make sure you find the repeats in the music when you have to go back to the right spot.” Mr Titterton explained.
Being a page turner requires plenty of practice. Some pieces of music can go for 40 minutes and require up to 50 page turns, including back turns for repeat passages. Silent onstage communication is key, and each pianist has their own style of “nodding” to indicate a page turn which they need to practise with their page turner.
But like all performances, there are moments when things go wrong. “I was turning the page to get ready for the next page, but the draft wind from the turn caused the spare pages to fall off the stand,” Mr Titterton said, “Luckily I was able to catch them and put them back.”
Most page turners are piano students or up-and-coming concert pianists, although Ms Raspopova has once asked her husband to help her out on stage.
“My husband is the worst page turner,” she laughed. “He’s interested in the music, feeling every note, and I have to say: ‘Turn, turn!’ Robert is the best page turner I’ve had in my entire life.”
1. What should Titterton be able to do to be a page turner?A.Read music. | B.Play the piano. |
C.Sing songs. | D.Fix the instruments. |
A.Boring. | B.Well-paid. |
C.Demanding. | D.Dangerous. |
A.Counting the pages. | B.Recognizing the “nodding”. |
C.Catching falling objects. | D.Performing in his own style. |
A.He has very poor eyesight. | B.He ignores the audience. |
C.He has no interest in music. | D.He forgets to do his job. |
2 . We journalists live in a new age of storytelling, with many new multimedia tools. Many young people don’t even realize it’s new. For them, it’s just normal.
This hit home for me as I was sitting with my 2-year-old grandson on a sofa over the Spring Festival holiday. I had brought a children’s book to read. It had simple words and colorful pictures — a perfect match for his age.
Picture this: my grandson sitting on my lap as I hold the book in front so he can see the pictures. As I read, he reaches out and pokes (戳) the page with his finger.
What’s up with that? He just likes the pictures, I thought. Then I turned the page and continued. He poked the page even harder. I nearly dropped the book. I was confused: Is there something wrong with this kid?
Then I realized what was happening. He was actually a stranger to books. His father frequently amused the boy with a tablet computer which was loaded with colorful pictures that come alive when you poke them. He thought my storybook was like that.
Sorry, kid. This book is not part of your high-tech world. It’s an outdated, lifeless thing. An antique, like your grandfather. Well, I may be old, but I’m not hopelessly challenged, digitally speaking. I edit video and produce audio. I use mobile payment. I’ve even built websites.
There’s one notable gap in my new-media experience, however: I’ve spent little time in front of a camera, since I have a face made for radio. But that didn’t stop China Daily from asking me last week to share a personal story for a video project about the integration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province.
Anyway, grandpa is now an internet star — two minutes of fame! I promise not to let it go to my head. But I will make sure my 2-year-old grandson sees it on his tablet.
1. What do the underlined words “hit home for me” mean in paragraph 2?A.Provided shelter for me. | B.Became very clear to me. |
C.Took the pressure off me. | D.Worked quite well on me. |
A.He took it for a tablet computer. | B.He disliked the colorful pictures. |
C.He was angry with his grandpa. | D.He wanted to read it by himself. |
A.Socially ambitious. | B.Physically attractive. |
C.Financially independent. | D.Digitally competent. |
A.He lacks experience in his job. | B.He seldom appears on television. |
C.He manages a video department. | D.He often interviews internet stars. |
3 . Theatres and Entertainment
St David’s HallSt David’s Hall is the award winning National Concert Hall of Wales standing at the very heart of Cardiff’s entertainment centre. With an impressive 2,000-seat concert hall, St David’s Hall is home to the annual Welsh Proms Cardiff. It presents live entertainment, including pop, rock, folk, jazz, musicals, dance, world music, films and classical music.
The Hayes, Cardiff CF10 1AHwww.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk
The Glee Club
Every weekend this is “Wales” premier comedy club where having a great time is the order for both audiences and comedy stars alike. It is hard to name a comedy star who hasn’t been on the stage here. If you are looking for the best comedies on tour and brilliant live music, you should start here.
Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff CF10 5BZwww.glee.co.uk/cardiff
Sherman Cymru
Sherman Cymru’s theatre in the Cathays area of Cardiff reopened in February 2012. This special building is a place in which theatre is made and where children, artists, writers and anyone else have the opportunity (机会) to do creative things. Sherman Cymru is excited to present a packed programme of the very best theatre, dance, family shows and music from Wales and the rest of the world.
Senghennydd Road, Cardiff CF24 4YEwww.shermancymru.co.uk
New Theatre
The New Theatre has been the home of quality drama, musicals, dance and children’s shows for more than 100 years. Presenting the best of the West End along with the pick of the UK’s touring shows, the New Theatre is Cardiff’s oldest surviving traditional theatre. Be sure to pay a visit as part of your stay in the city.
Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3LNwww.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk
1. Where is the Welsh Proms Cardiff hosted?
A.At the New Theatre. | B.At the Glee Club. |
C.At Sherman Cymru. | D.At St David’s Hall. |
A.Watch musicals. | B.Enjoy comedies. |
C.See family shows. | D.Do creative things. |
A.www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk | B.www.shermancymru.co.uk |
C.www.glee.co.uk/cardiff | D.www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk |
4 . My life as a tax-paying employed person began in middle school, when, for three whole days, I worked in a baking factory.
My best friend Betsy’s father was a manager at Hough Bakeries, which, at Easter time,
Our
Dad
A.sold | B.ordered | C.made | D.reserved |
A.stores | B.families | C.schools | D.citizens |
A.generous | B.financial | C.technical | D.temporary |
A.plans | B.problems | C.excuses | D.hobbies |
A.offer | B.earn | C.set | D.suggest |
A.worked | B.closed | C.developed | D.survived |
A.ambition | B.permission | C.experience | D.invitation |
A.joys | B.ideas | C.roles | D.choices |
A.Save | B.Keep | C.Stop | D.Remove |
A.harder | B.better | C.longer | D.cheaper |
A.Calm down | B.Slow down | C.Stay on | D.Move on |
A.indicated | B.witnessed | C.expected | D.remembered |
A.cried | B.smiled | C.hesitated | D.refused |
A.tasting | B.finding | C.sharing | D.delivering |
A.withdraw | B.donate | C.receive | D.appreciate |
1. 读报的经历;2. 喜爱的栏目;3. 期望和祝福。
注意:1. 写作词数应为80左右;
2. 请按如下格式写字答题卡的相应位置作答。
Youth and Me
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 . Over the last seven years, most states have banned texting by drivers, and public service campaigns have tried a wide range of methods to persuade people to put down their phones when they are behind the wheel.
Yet the problem, by just about any measure, appears to be getting worse. Americans are still texting while driving, as well as using social networks and taking photos. Road accidents, which had fallen for years, are now rising sharply.
That is partly because people are driving more, but Mark Rosekind, the chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said distracted(分心)driving was "only increasing, unfortunately."
"Big change requires big ideas." he said in a speech last month, referring broadly to the need to improve road safety. So to try to change a distinctly modern behavior, lawmakers and public health experts are reaching back to an old approach: They want to treat distracted driving like drunk driving.
An idea from lawmakers in New York is to give police officers a new device called the Textalyzer. It would work like this: An officer arriving at the scene of a crash could ask for the phones of the drivers and use the Textalyzer to check in the operating system for recent activity. The technology could determine whether a driver had just texted, emailed or done anything else that is not allowed under New York's hands-free driving laws.
"We need something on the books that can change people's behavior,” said Félix W. Ortiz, who pushed for the state's 2001 ban on hand-held devices by drivers. If the Textalyzer bill becomes law, he said, "people are going to be more afraid to put their hands on the cell phone."
1. Which of the following best describes the ban on drivers' texting in the US?A.Ineffective. | B.Unnecessary. |
C.Inconsistent. | D.Unfair. |
A.Where a driver came from. | B.Whether a driver used their phone. |
C.How fast a driver was going. | D.When a driver arrived at the scene. |
A.Advice. | B.Data. | C.Tests. | D.Laws. |
A.To Drive or Not to Drive? Think Before You Start |
B.Texting and Driving? Watch Out for the Textalyzer |
C.New York Banning Hand-Held Devices by Drivers. |
D.The Next Generation Cell Phone: The Textalyzer- |
7 . Sometime in the early 1960s, a significant thing happened in Sydney, Australia. The city discovered its harbor. Then, one after another, Sydney discovered lots of things that were just sort of there — broad parks, superb beaches, and a culturally diverse population. But it is the harbor that makes the city.
Andrew Reynolds, a cheerful fellow in his early 30s, pilots Sydney ferryboats for a living. I spent the whole morning shuttling back and forth across the harbor. After our third run Andrew shut down the engine, and we went our separate ways — he for a lunch break, I to explore the city.
“I’ll miss these old boats,” he said as we parted.
“How do you mean?” I asked.
“Oh, they’re replacing them with catamarans. Catamarans are faster, but they’re not so elegant, and they’re not fun to pilot. But that’s progress, I guess.”
Everywhere in Sydney these days, change and progress are the watchwords (口号), and traditions are increasingly rare. Shirley Fitzgerald, the city’s official historian, told me that in its rush to modernity in the 1970s, Sydney swept aside much of its past, including many of its finest buildings. “Sydney is confused about itself,” she said. “We can’t seem to make up our minds whether we want a modern city or a traditional one. It’s a conflict that we aren’t getting any better at resolving (解决).”
On the other hand, being young and old at the same time has its attractions. I considered this when I met a thoughtful young businessman named Anthony. “Many people say that we lack culture in this country,” he told me. “What people forget is that the Italians, when they came to Australia, brought 2000 years of their culture, the Greeks some 3000 years, and the Chinese more still. We’ve got a foundation built on ancient cultures but with a drive and dynamism of a young country. It’s a pretty hard combination to beat.”
He is right, but I can’t help wishing they would keep those old ferries.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?A.Sydney’s striking architecture. | B.The cultural diversity of Sydney. |
C.The key to Sydney’s development. | D.Sydney’s tourist attractions in the 1960s. |
A.He goes to work by boat. | B.He looks forward to a new life. |
C.He pilots catamarans well. | D.He is attached to the old ferries. |
A.It is losing its traditions. | B.It should speed up its progress. |
C.It should expand its population. | D.It is becoming more international. |
A.A city can be young and old at the same time. |
B.A city built on ancient cultures is more dynamic. |
C.Modernity is usually achieved at the cost of elegance. |
D.Compromise should be made between the local and the foreign. |
8 . Popularization has in some cases changed the original meaning of emotional (情感的) intelligence. Many people now misunderstand emotional intelligence as almost everything desirable in a person's makeup that cannot be measured by an IQ test, such as character, motivation, confidence, mental stability, optimism and “people skills.” Research has shown that emotional skills may contribute to some of these qualities, but most of them move far beyond skill-based emotional intelligence.
We prefer to describe emotional intelligence as a specific set of skills that can be used for either good or bad purposes. The ability to accurately understand how others are feeling may be used by a doctor to find how best to help her patients, while a cheater might use it to control potential victims. Being emotionally intelligent does not necessarily make one a moral person.
Although popular beliefs regarding emotional intelligence run far ahead of what research can reasonably support, the overall effects of the publicity have been more beneficial than harmful. The most positive aspect of this popularization is a new and much needed emphasis (重视) on emotion by employers, educators and others interested in promoting social well-being. The popularization of emotional intelligence has helped both the public and researchers re-evaluate the functionality of emotions and how they serve people adaptively in everyday life.
Although the continuing popular appeal of emotional intelligence is desirable, we hope that such attention will excite a greater interest in the scientific and scholarly study of emotion. It is our hope that in coming decades, advances in science will offer new perspectives (视角) from which to study how people manage their lives. Emotional intelligence, with its focus on both head and heart, may serve to point us in the right direction.
1. What is a common misunderstanding of emotional intelligence?A.It can be measured by an IQ test. | B.It helps to exercise a person’s mind. |
C.It includes a set of emotional skills. | D.It refers to a person’s positive qualities. |
A.To explain a rule. | B.To clarify a concept. |
C.To present a fact. | D.To make a prediction. |
A.Favorable. | B.Intolerant. |
C.Doubtful. | D.Unclear. |
A.Its appeal to the public. | B.Expectations for future studies. |
C.Its practical application. | D.Scientists with new perspectives. |
Ecotourism is commonly regarded as low impact (影响) travel to undisturbed places. It is different from traditional tourism because it allows the traveler to become
Ecotourism has
Due to
·Minimize the impact of
·Build respect for and awareness of the environment and cultural practices.
·Provide
·Make sure that the tourism provides experiences for both the visitors and the hosts.
Komodo National Park, officially recognized in 1980, is popular for ecotourism because of its unique biodiversity.
The Xi’an City Wall is the most complete city wall that has survived China’s long history. It
We accessed the wall through the South Gate. The wall is 12 meters high and from here you can see streams of people moving inside and outside the City Wall.
After
We