1 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What was Timmy most interested in?

A．Playing the piano.

B．Playing the violin.

C．Classical music.

2. What’s Timmy’s main purpose at the moment?

A．Make some new friends.

B．Go to some concerts.

C．Learn from others.

3. What were they both weak in?

A．Sports.

B．Music.

C．Theory of music.

4. Whom would they turn to?

A．Timmy’s uncle.

B．Lily’s uncle.

C．Their teacher.

3 . My violin is like a soul mate that whispers words of wisdom to me. Together, we’ve gone through both tears and happiness.

About 12 years ago, I made acquaintance with it following an order from my mom. Many hours of boredom were spent practicing it. And to make things worse, the disappointment in my teacher’s eyes as I played the wrong notes was like an invisible hammer, striking on my heart. One day, I finally decided: I hate it!

By chance, things changed when I was seven. I was at home lying on the sofa, wondering how those famous violinists dealt with this terrible dilemma. I searched online for the E-minor Concerto, a well-known violin work by German composer Felix Mendelssohn, and listened to it.

A beautiful and mysterious sound came from the violin as the bow moved across it. It was like the music slid over the flowers, rose up, and started to fill the air. The violin’s voice woke up the sun, made the trees green, and freshened the air. As the music changed, the sky turned back to gray. A gloomy shade covered the grass as all the sunshine disappeared. I could hear children crying and men shouting. It was like an invisible claw had grabbed my heart tightly, making it unable to beat.

That glorious day set off my passion and interest in violin — I grabbed mine and never let it go. Before the memories faded, I stared at my instrument. Without hesitating, I picked it up, rosined (用松香擦) the bow, and began to play. Peace filled my heart.

My violin has been by my side for 12 years. When I feel happy, an energetic tune makes it even better; when I’m deep in sorrow, a peaceful tune washes it away, when I’m walking on air, feeling especially pleased with my achievements, solemn (庄严的) tunes calm me down. Gradually, it has become a part of my life.

My violin, shall I compare you to a summer’s day?

1. What further contributed to the author’s dislike of violin-playing?

A．Loss of passion for violin.	B．Boredom of practice.
C．Orders from mum.	D．Disappointment in the teacher’s eyes.

2. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

A．The scenery outside the room was quite attractive.

B．The sudden change made the author’s heart unable to beat.

C．The weather actually changed because of the tune.

D．The author’s feeling was continuously influenced by the music.

3. Why did the author pick up the violin again?

A．A famous tune aroused his interest and passion.

B．He was crazy about Felix Mendelssohn’s works.

C．The invisible hammer and claw are gone.

D．The beautiful imagination changed his attitude.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．An inspiring violin	B．Musical soul mate—violin
C．Deep love for music	D．My dislike and like of violin

4 . Music is not just a set of sounds and rhythms. Its influence on brain is much deeper than any other human experience. Keep on reading to know all these amazing power of music.

A recent study suggests that preterm (早产的) babies appear to experience less pain and feed more when listening to music. Experts led by Dr. Manoj Kumar of the University of Alberta,Canada,found that music had a beneficial effect on reducing pain for preterm babies experiencing painful medical tests. It also appeared to benefit full-term babies during operations.

Many people experiencing brain damage have speech and movement-related problems. Music can help recover from brain injuries. As a different and effective treatment, doctors often advise such patients to listen to good music to improve the parts of the brain responsible for these two functions. When people with neurological (神经的) disorders hear a musical beat, it helps them to regain a balanced walk.

Though music cannot make deafness disappear, it really can stave off the loss of hearing. There was an experiment involving 163 people where 74 were musicians. Participants were asked to pass some listening tests. Musicians heard the sounds better than non-musicians, and this difference gets clearer with age. This means that a 70-year-old musician hears better than a 50-year-old non-musician, even in a noisy environment.

Besides, music mends a broken heart. It is not about a thrown-away love,   but about a heart attack. The matter is that music can help people recover from a heart attack or heart operation by reducing blood pressure, slowing down the heartbeat rate, and reducing anxiety. Listening to the quality music produces positive emotions, improves the movement of blood, and expands blood vessels, thus, promoting quick recovery of the whole cardiovascular (心血管的) system.

1. How does music affect preterm babies?

A．It helps develop their potential in music.

B．It helps reduce their pain.

C．It helps improve their hearing systems.

D．It helps repair their neurological systems.

2. What does the underlined phrase “stave off” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Cause.	B．Increase.
C．Prevent.	D．Expand.

3. Why can music mend a broken heart?

A．It has a positive effect on human body systems’ work.

B．It can encourage people to do sports.

C．It helps make a person outgoing.

D．It helps patients recover more quickly than medicine does.

4. What may be the best title for the text?

A．People Who Can Benefit From music.

B．The Best Time to Listen to Music.

C．The Way to choose Quality Music.

D．How Music Affects Our Mind and Body.

5 . For some people, music is no fun at all. About 4% of the population is what scientists call “amusic”. People who are amusic are born without the ability to enjoy musical notes. Amusic people often cannot tell the differences between two songs.

As a result, songs sound like noise to an amusic. Many amusics compare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other. Life can be hard for amusics. In fact, most people cannot understand what it feels like to be amusic. Just going to a restaurant or a shopping center can be uncomfortable or even painful. That is why many amusics have to stay away from places where there is music. However, this can result in social loneliness. “I used to hate parties,” says Margaret, a seventy-year-old woman who only recently discovered that she was amusic. By studying people like Margaret, scientists are finally learning how to identify (辨别) this unusual condition.

Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different from those of people who can enjoy music. The difference is complex(复杂的), and it is not connected with poor hearing. Amusics can understand other non-musical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding common speech. Scientists compare amusics to people who just can ’t see certain colors.

Many amusics are happy when their condition is finally diagnosed (诊断). For years, Margaret felt embarrassed about her music problem. Now she knows that she is not alone. That makes it easier for her to explain. “When people invite me to a concert, I just say   ’No, thanks. I ’m amusic, ’” says Margaret.

1. Amusics are the people who ______.

A．like music	B．are born unable to enjoy music
C．don ’t like music	D．have poor listening

2. Life is hard for amusics mainly because ______.

A．they know they cannot enjoy music

B．they hate parties, restaurants or shopping centers

C．they try to stay at the place full of music

D．they are not understood by others

3. What causes amusics to be different from most people according to scientists?

A．Their lack of colors.	B．Their poor hearing.
C．Their brains.	D．Their problems with speech.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Some people ’s inability to enjoy music.

B．Some people ’ s musical ability.

C．Amusics ’ strange behaviors.

D．Diagnosis and treatment of amusics.

6 . I first went to hear a live rock concert when I was eight years old. My brother and his friends were all _______ of a heavy metal group called Black Wednesday. When they _______that Black Wednesday were going to perform at our local theatre, they all bought _______for performance. However, at the last minute, one of the friends couldn’t go, so my brother _______me the ticket. I was really _______!
I remember the buzz (嘈杂声) of excitement inside the theatre as we all found our _______After a few minutes, the lights went down and everybody became _______. I could barely make out the stage in the _______. We waited. Then there was a roar from the crowd, like an explosion, as the first members of the band _______the stage. My brother leaned over and shouted something in my ear, but I couldn’t ____________what he was saying. The first song was already starting and the music was as ____________a jet engine. I could ____________the drum beats and bass notes in my stomach.
I can’t recall any of the songs that the band played. I just ____________that I really enjoyed the show and didn’t want it to ____________. But in the end, after three encores (加演), the show finished. We left the ____________and walked unsteadily out onto the pavement. I felt a little dizzy, as if I had just ____________from a long sleep. My ears were still ____________with the beat of the last song.
After the ____________, I became a Black Wednesday fan too for a few years before getting into other kinds of music. Once in a while, ____________, I listen to one of their songs and ____________I’m back at that first show.1.

A．members

B．friends

C．fans

D．volunteers

2.

A．guessed

B．discovered

C．thought

D．predicted

3.

A．flowers

B．drinks

C．clothes

D．tickets

4.

A．booked

B．offered

C．returned

D．found

5.

A．relaxed

B．embarrassed

C．excited

D．encouraged

6.

A．seats

B．entrance

C．spots

D．space

7.

A．comfortable

B．quiet

C．serious

D．nervous

8.

A．silence

B．noise

C．darkness

D．smoke

9.

A．fell upon

B．got through

C．broke into

D．stepped onto

10.

A．forget

B．hear

C．repeat

D．bear

11.

A．loud

B．hard

C．sweet

D．fast

12.

A．feel

B．touch

C．enjoy

D．digest

13.

A．realize

B．understand

C．believe

D．remember

14.

A．continue

B．delay

C．finish

D．change

15.

A．party

B．theatre

C．opera

D．stage

16.

A．escaped

B．traveled

C．benefited

D．woken

17.

A．aching

B．burning

C．ringing

D．rolling

18.

A．competition

B．performance

C．interview

D．celebration

19.

A．though

B．otherwise

C．instead

D．besides

20.

A．decide

B．regret

C．conclude

D．imagine