1 . Reading can be a social activity. Think of the people who belong to book groups. They choose books to read and then meet to discuss them. Now, the website Book Crossing.com turns the page on the traditional idea of a book group.
Members go on the site and register (登记) the books they own and would like to share. Book Crossing provides an identification number (识别码) to stick inside the book. Then the person leaves it in a public place, hoping that the book will have an adventure, traveling far and wide with each new reader who finds it.
Bruce Pederson, the managing director of Book Crossing, says, “The two things that change your life are the people you meet and books you read. Book Crossing combines both.”
Members leave books on park benches and buses, in train stations and coffee shops. Whoever finds their book will go to the site and record where they found it.
People who find a book can also leave a journal entry describing what they thought of it. E— mails are then sent to the BookCrossers to keep them updated about where their books have been found. Bruce Pederson says the idea is for people not to be selfish by keeping a book to gather dust on a shelf at home.
Book Crossing is part of a trend (趋势) among people who want to get back to the “real” and not the virtual (虚拟).The site now has more than one million members in more than one hundred thirty—five countries.
1. Why does the author mention book groups in the first paragraph?A.To explain what they are. | B.To introduce Book Crossing. |
C.To stress the importance of reading. | D.To encourage readers to share their ideas. |
A.An adventure. | B.A public place. |
C.The book. | D.The identification number. |
A.Keep it safe in his bookcase. | B.Mail it back to its owner. |
C.Meet other readers to discuss it. | D.Pass it on to another reader. |
A.Online Reading: A Virtual Tour | B.Electronic Books: A New Trend |
C.A Book Group Brings Tradition Back | D.A Website Links People through Books |
2 . If you could travel in time, where would you go? Perhaps you would watch an original performance of a Shakespeare’s play in Elizabethan England? What about hanging out with Laozi in the Spring and Autumn Period? Or maybe you’d voyage far ahead of the present day to see what the future holds.
The possibility of time travel is indeed appealing. Stories exploring the subject have been around for hundreds of years. Perhaps the best known example is the science fiction novel The Time Machine, which was written by H. G. Wells and published in 1895 for the first time. It was adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel using a vehicle that allows an operator to travel purposefully and selectively. The term “time machine”, coined by Wells, is now universally used to refer to a vehicle transporting people into the far future.
But could time travel actually be possible? Some scientists say yes, in theory. They propose using cracks in time and space called “wormholes”, which could be used as shortcuts to other periods. Einstein’s theory of relativity allows time travel in extreme circumstances. And British physicist Stephen Hawking said you could travel into the future with a really fast spaceship—going at nearly the speed of light. Though building such a spaceship would of course be no simple task.
Even if you could travel into the past, there is something called the “grandfather paradox”. It asks what would happen if a time traveller were to go back in time and have his own grandfather killed for some reason, and therefore prevent himself from being born. If the time traveller wasn’t born, how would he travel back in time?
And would you really like to visit the future? In H. G. Wells’ book, the main character travels into distant time where he arrives at a beach and is attacked by giant crabs. He then voyages 30 million years into the future where the only living thing is a black object with tentacles (触角). If that’s what’s in store, maybe we are better just living in the present day after all.
1. The novel The Time Machine mentioned in Paragraph 2 aims to show .A.people’s interest in time travel |
B.the special features of the book |
C.the long history of time travel |
D.the contribution of H. G. Wells |
A.have similarities in many ways |
B.push the invention of the first spaceship |
C.have proved wrong by some time travellers |
D.suggest the possibility to invent the time machine |
A.the traveller is prevented from meeting his grandfather |
B.the traveller goes back in time to seek for his grandfather |
C.the grandfather’s death makes the traveller’s birth impossible |
D.The reunion of the traveller and his grandfather brings happiness |
A.Unclear. | B.Skeptical. |
C.Supportive. | D.Unconcerned. |
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9 . In a school in England, a few years ago, a teenager girl heard a boy singing in a room.
They did and started singing together as a team. They also become very good friends.
They did the first audition (试音) in April 2012. When they came onto the stage, they were very nervous. The four judges didn’t think they looked good.
All the judges thought Charlotte and Jonathan were great. One judge, Simon Cowell, said while the girl was good, the boy was fantastic.
Jonathan didn't think for long. He looked at his friend, and then looked back at the judges, and said that he wanted to stay in the competition with Charlotte.
They carried on together, but they didn't win the competition—they came second. However, they weren’t disappointed (沮丧的).
A few weeks later, Simon Cowell gave them the chance to record a CD.
A.Charlotte invited Jonathan to sing together with her. |
B.But when they began to sing, everyone was amazed. |
C.Simon asked Jonathan if he wanted to be his student. |
D.They made the CD, and then they thought about a name for it. |
E.So he suggested that Jonathan sing on his own without Charlotte. |
F.She likes it, and found out that the boy’s name was Jonathan Antoine. |
G.Around that time, there was a television show called Britain’s Got Talent. |
10 . Recently I visited the classroom of Jeremy Coleman, a music teacher. Coleman was preparing for a fresh group of students at his school in Austin, Texas.
Coleman has taught classical guitar at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) for many years. “Everyone should be given a chance to learn music and guitar," he said.
The TSBVI was founded in 1856 to provide a specialized education for young Texans who couldn’t see clearly. In the early years, students made brooms (扫帚)and other products that were sold to pay for the school’s operational (运营的)costs.
Since then, the school has developed, and hundreds of students from across the state live and learn there. The educational focus (重点) has changed from vocational (职业的) training to academic (学业的) and life skills. Students also take part in sports, music, and other after-school activities.
Coleman brought classical guitar lessons to TSBVI in 2011. “Teaching guitar to students with poor eyesight isn’t easy,” Coleman said. For one thing, the music course has to be translated into Braille, a form of printing for blind people to read.
“Instead of sight reading, these students will read Braille music and remember it,” Coleman said. “Once they realize what they can do, they love making music.”
Coleman said that after kids leave his program, they often find it difficult to continue their study of music. “The real difficulty is when the students return to their own communities,” Coleman said. “Finding a proper teacher for lessons is sometimes impossible.”
For that reason, Coleman and some other TSBVI teachers developed an online program called “Let’s Play.” The program serves as a guide for classical guitar training for students with poor eyesight and their teachers.
“The program continues to grow,” Coleman said. He hopes that it will help musicians with poor eyesight continue to develop their skills.
1. Coleman’ s school is different from common schools in ________.A.its class size | B.its opening time |
C.its type of students | D.its type of teachers |
A.Its entry requirements for students. |
B.Its after-school activities. |
C.What it teaches students. |
D.How it keeps running. |
A.He founded the TSBVL. |
B.He started leaning Braille music. |
C.He sold handmade products for a living. |
D.He started teaching classical guitar at TSBVI. |
A.By setting up an online program. |
B.By organizing after-school activities. |
C.By connecting them with other teachers. |
D.By visiting them in their own communities. |