3 . When people talk about American popular music, they don’t just mean country music or rock music. There are two other types of popular music with national and international appeal that are basically American. One is jazz. The other is a musical form associated with New York City theaters.

Jazz dates from African religious and folk music. The themes and songs of jazz music have historical origins. They come from songs sung by black Americans in church or at work. There have been different kinds of jazz music: bebop, ragtime, swing, boogie-woogie and others.

In playing jazz music, the performers combine rhythms and songs with their skills of improvisation (即兴创作). Modern jazz music has developed into a complex musical style enjoyed more by musicians and older jazz lovers than by the general public.

American theater has developed another American musical style. It is associated with a street in New York City, Broadway. Broadway musicals are dramatic productions in which the story is told partly by dialogue and partly through songs. The lyrics of these songs give background information about the story and express the feelings of the characters in the story. Many Broadway musicals have been made into movies that have been shown all over the world. Oklahoma, Sound of Music, My Fair Lady and West Side Story are some good examples.

Songs from these musicals and others have translations in various languages that are sung around the world. Many of them have become popular with people who have not even seen the musicals for which they were written.

1. What does jazz belong to?

A．Rock music.	B．Country music.
C．Traditional music.	D．American popular music.

2. What can we learn about jazz from Paragraph 2?

A．Its playing method.

B．Its popularity.

C．Its origin.

D．Its historical position.

3. Which of the following best describes modern jazz music?

A．It needs special skills to perform.	B．It is not well received by ordinary people.
C．It is welcomed only among musicians.	D．It is popular with the general public.

4 . Jack London, one of America’s major writers of adventure tales, was born in California in 1876. During his life, London worked at many jobs. His broad life experiences would become the background for his writing.

London, loved to read. As a teenager, he spent many hours educating himself at the Oakland, California, public library. He attended college at the University of California at Berkeley, but he stayed for only six months. He though Berkeley was “not lively enough” and wanted to do something more exciting.

London wrote stories about working people and the hard times they had making a living. He knew their problems first hand. He worked as a sailor, farmer, factory employee, railroad worker, and gold prospector, to name just a few of his many jobs.

London grew up near the waterfront in Oakland. He loved the water. When he was fifteen years old, he bought a small sailboat called a sloop. Later he sailed to Japan on a schooner, which is much large sailing boat. Like many people of the time, London caught the Klondike Gold Rush Fever. In 1897, he headed for Alaska. He didn’t find gold, but he discovered something even more valuable. He discovered that people enjoyed listening to the stories he made up with his vivid imagination. London entertained the miners with story after story. Later, using his experiences during the Gold Rush, he created many more colorful stories.

London resolved to live a full, exciting life. He once said, “I would rather be a superb meteor (流星), every atom of me in magnificent glow,than a sleepy and permanent planet.” Each day, he pushed himself. Once London determined that he was going to be a writer,nothing could stop him. His goal was to write at least one thousand words everyday. He refused to stop even when he was sick. In eighteen years, the writer published fifty-one books and hundreds of articles. He was the best-selling and highest-paid author of his day. Many people also considered him to be the best writer. White Fang and The Call of the Wild are his most famous stories and are about surviving in the Alaskan wilderness. Readers can enjoy Jack London’s energy and his talent for telling wonderful stories each time they open one of his novels.

1. Why was Jack London able to write on many topics?

A．He pushed himself to reach goals.

B．He had a variety of experiences and jobs.

C．He was drawn to the Klondike Gold Rush.

D．He was the best-selling and highest-paid author.

2. What prevented Jack London from finishing college?

A．That he was hired to sail to Japan.

B．That he traveled to Alaska in 1897.

C．That he spent much of his time writing.

D．That he was not interested in college life enough.

3. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph indicates that Jack London________.

A．is expert at universe.

B．aims high and strive to succeed.

C．is excited about life of the wildness.

D．face a choice between life and death.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To support the statement that London was the “best writer”.

B．To describe life during the Klondike Gold Rush.

C．To provide information on Jack’ s life.

D．To identify books written by Jack London.

5 . “Every life is a boat, the dream is the boat sail.” Every child has a dream of what they want to be. When Renee Butts was little, her dream was to become a volunteer fire fighter because her father was one. Sadly, when she was 14, her beloved father died and she was never able to do volunteer work with him. However, Renee’s story didn’t end there. She was determined and never gave up, which makes for a good firefighter.

Now Renee is a member of the Carmel Fire Department, where she is required to be an Emergency Medical Technician. She should also be ready to deal with any emergency, like fighting a fire, dealing with a car accident or helping someone who’s sick. Sometimes she is in the driver’s seat or using the water pump. Renee works nine to eleven days a month on 24-hour shifts. She also has a family to care for, as her husband is also a busy fire fighter. Dealing with housework and working so much can show her great determination.

When I asked Renee what the best part of her job was, she replied, “Helping people and saving lives.” I think that shows signs of being a true hero. She’s always willing to do anything for anyone in need. Renee says that her job is frightening at times, but extremely exciting. “The worst part of my job is that I see death. Actually, sometimes people die in the accident, for which I am very sorry.” With 140 people in her station, Renee is one of the only three women, but that doesn’t bother her. She says everyone can get a fair shot and do the same jobs.

I was inspired by this because I knew I would be very scared to do her job and didn’t know if I could handle seeing people die. We would never live without people like her who have the courage to risk their lives. Renee’s determination rubs off on me and makes me believe that I can do anything.

1. What happened to Renee when she was fourteen?

A．She got lost in a boat sailing.	B．She dropped out of school.
C．Her father passed away.	D．Her dream to be a firefighter came true.

2. Why does the author believe Renee Butts is a true hero?

A．She always tries her best to help anyone in need.	B．She is one of the only three women in her station.
C．She has been a firefighter for a long time.	D．She feels sorry for the people dying in the accident.

3. How does Renee think of her job?

A．Simple and pleasant.	B．Frightening but exciting.
C．Relaxing and comfortable.	D．Challenging but promising.

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

A．Renee’s story is an inspiration to the author.	B．The author feels very scared to do Renee’s job.
C．The author could handle seeing people die.	D．Renee encourages the author to risk the life.

8 . Although computer technology is often necessary today, using a pen or pencil activates more areas of your brain than a keyboard does You can potentially remember more by handwriting. according to a new study.

The potential benefits of handwriting for memory have been debated for some time. The new study set out to answer one question: How does handwriting compare to using a keyboard when it comes to remembering new information?

In total 24 participants took part. Researchers asked each of them to write with a pen and then each was also asked to type on a keyboard, While performing these tasks, each volunteer wore a cap that held electrodes (电极) next to their head. It looked somewhat like a hair net fitted with 256 sensors, Those sensors recorded the participants’ brainwaves. The electrodes noted which parts of the brain turned on during each task. And they showed that writing turned on memory areas in the brain while typing didn’t.

Audrey van der Meer, the new study’s leader, says this suggests that when we write by hand, we remember better. “This is because writing involves complex movements that activate more areas of the brain. The increased brain activity gives the brain more ‘hooks’ to hang your memories on. ” she explains. Van der Meer also points out that writing by hand is related to visual notetaking. “Rather than typing blindly. the visual notetaker has to think about what is important to write down, Then. key words can be interlinked by boxes, arrows and small drawings,” she adds.

This study does not recommend banning digital devices. In fact, its authors point out. computers and other devices with keyboards have become indispensable in modern society. Keyboarding can especially benefit those with certain special needs (such as if they have trouble using their hands) and typing beats writing when it comes to speed. they add.

1. Why did researchers ask participants to wear caps in the study?

A．To prevent them from being hart.

B．To record their brainwaves.

C．To find out their hair’s difference.

D．To test the new products.

2. What can be known about handwriting?

A．It detects your memories for further recalling.

B．It reminds you to have regular reviews.

C．It helps us remember more details.

D．It eases your tension of memorizing things.

3. What does the underlined word “indispensable” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Necessary.

B．Amazing.

C．Precious.

D．Relaxing.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．How Can We Grasp New Knowledge?

B．Handwriting Helps Us Keep Healthy

C．Handwriting Is Better for Memory Than Typing

D．Should All the People in the Office Give Up Handwriting?

9 . The message is drummed into us from childhood: forgive people who’ve wronged you, because it’s the right thing to do. Forgiveness is a virtue, we’re told, the only way for us to truly move on and heal. But forgiving someone is not always what’s best for us. In fact, if someone has hurt you deeply and the relationship isn’t healthy, trying to “fix” things can do more harm than good.

Most of us would probably agree that forgiving a wrongdoer means letting go of negative feelings like anger towards them. Actually it pressures us to minimize our feelings and revise our boundaries — to say “it’s OK” when for us, it isn’t. And when someone doesn’t make us feel seen or safe, forgiving them can actually weaken our self-respect. A 2010 research paper published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology called this “the doormat effect”. It found that people who forgave partners that didn’t make them feel valued had less respect for themselves, along with a weakened sense of self.

If you keep on forgiving someone who’s done wrong, it can encourage that person to keep hurting you. That’s what 2011 research by psychology professor James K McNulty argues. He looked at how 72 newlywed couples expressed forgiveness towards acts of aggression (攻击性), and whether this caused any changes in the wrongdoer’s behaviour. He found that when a partner was more likely to forgive those acts, the aggressor was more likely to keep committing them. This is because facing the consequences of their actions is what motivates people to change their ways, and being offered a clean sheet can allow them to avoid making changes. Forgiving frequent and major offenses (冒犯), like verbal or physical abuse, can do more harm than good.

What if, instead of looking to forgiveness like a magic medicine, we put our energies towards accepting a situation for what it is? This way, we can focus on recognizing what happened and coming to terms with it, however that looks for us and without any sense of obligation towards our offender. It’ll still be a process, sure, but it’s one centred around you and your needs.

1. What will happen if we forgive a wrongdoer according to “the doormat effect”?

A．We’ll be free from negative thoughts.

B．The relationship will be strengthened.

C．The wrongdoer will change his behavior.

D．We’ll have less self-respect and self-awareness.

2. How does the writer mainly illustrate his argument?

A．By making comparisons.	B．By listing examples.
C．By citing research results.	D．By giving definitions.

3. What can be concluded from James K McNulty’s research?

A．Forgiving a wrongdoer’s behavior stops him from hurting others.

B．Facing the consequences of aggression does more harm than good.

C．Ignoring major offenses encourages a wrongdoer’s acts of aggression.

D．Forgiving frequent aggression prevents a wrongdoer from making changes.

4. What does the writer suggest readers do?

A．Forgive and forget.	B．Learn to take the situation as it is.
C．Center on yourself.	D．Keep on good terms with offenders.