Do you want to get home from work knowin...

    For some people,music is no fun at all. About four percent of the population is what scientists call “amusic.” People who are amusic are born without the ability to recognize or reproduce musical notes(音调). Amusic people often cannot tell the difference between two songs. Amusics can only hear the difference between two notes if they are very far apart on the musical scale.

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. Their inability to enjoy music sets them apart from others. It can be difficult for other people to identify with their condition. In fact, most people cannot begin to grasp what it feels like to be amusic. Just going to a restaurant or a shopping mall can be uncomfortable or even painful. That is why many amusics intentionally stay away from places where there is music. However, this can result in withdrawal and social isolation. “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 this unusual condition.

Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different from the brains of people who can appreciate music. The difference is complex, and it doesn't involve defective hearing. Amusics can understand other nonmusical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding ordinary 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 problem with music. Now she knows that she is not alone. There is a name for her condition. 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. “I just wish I had learned to say that when I was seventeen and not seventy.”

1.Which of the following is true of amusic?

A.Listening to music is far from enjoyable for them.

B.They love places where they are likely to hear music.

C.They can easily tell two different songs apart.

D.Their situation is well understood by musicians.

2.According to Paragraph 3, a person with “defective hearing” is probably one who ___________.

A.dislikes listening to speeches

B.can hear anything nonmusical

C.has a hearing problem

D.lacks a complex hearing system

3.In the last paragraph, Margaret expressed her wish that __________.

A.her problem with music had been diagnosed earlier

B.she were seventeen years old rather than seventy

C.her problem could be easily explained

D.she were able to meet other amusics

4.What is the passage mainly concerned with?

A.Amusics' strange behaviours.

B.Some people's inability to enjoy music.

C.Musical talent and brain structure.

D.Identification and treatment of amusics.

    In modern society loneliness can be seen as a social phenomenon and people can experience loneliness for many reasons. It is a very common, though normally temporary, _______ of a breakup, divorce, or loss of any important long-term relationship. In these cases, loneliness may result both from the loss of a specific person and from the _______ from social circles. The loss of a significant person in one’s life will typically initiate a grief response; in this situation, one might feel lonely, even while in the company of others.

Loneliness may also result from any socially disruptive (破裂的) event, such as moving from one’s home town into _______ communities leading to homesickness. Loneliness can also occur in places with low population densities in which there are comparatively few people to _______.

There are many different ways used to _______ loneliness. The first step that most doctors recommend to patients is therapy. Short term therapy typically occurs over a period of ten to twenty weeks. During therapy, emphasis is put on understanding the cause of the problem, _______ the negative thoughts, feelings, and attitudes resulting from the problem, and exploring ways to help the patient feel connected. Some doctors also recommend _______ therapy as a means to connect with other sufferers and establish a support system. It may take several attempts before a suitable anti-depressant medication is found. Some patients may also develop a resistance to a certain type of medication and need to _______ periodically.

Another treatment is animal-assisted therapy. Studies and surveys indicate that the presence of animal companions such as dogs, cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs can _______ feelings of loneliness or depression among some sufferers. Beyond the companionship the animal itself provides there may also be increased opportunities for ________ with other pet owners. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there are a number of other health benefits associated with pet ownership, such as lowered blood pressure. In addition, some other alternative approaches may include exercise, dieting, etc, which many patients find have a ________ effect on relieving symptoms. Results of a study also suggest that correcting maladaptive social cognition (认知) offers the best chance of ________loneliness.

Nevertheless, loneliness can sometimes play an important role in the ________ process. In some people, temporary or prolonged loneliness can lead to notable artistic and creative expression, for example, as was the case with poet Emily Dickinson, and numerous musicians. This is not to imply that loneliness itself ensures this creativity, ________, it may have an influence on the subject matter of the artist and more likely be present in individuals ________creative activities.

1.A.type B.concern C.consequence D.evidence

2.A.withdrawal B.absence C.disappearance D.presence

3.A.informal B.uncertain C.relevant D.unfamiliar

4.A.turn to B.interact with C.long for D.share with

5.A.release B.observe C.monitor D.treat

6.A.reversing B.directing C.measuring D.pursuing

7.A.long-term B.sightseeing C.patient D.group

8.A.quit B.evolve C.switch D.exercise

9.A.confirm B.protest C.enhance D.ease

10.A.socializing B.interfering C.comparing D.coping

11.A.historic B.restorative C.decisive D.permanent

12.A.promoting B.enhancing C.reducing D.striving

13.A.creative B.musical C.artistic D.poetic

14.A.however B.therefore C.rather D.otherwise

15.A.restricted to B.engaged in C.concerned about D.altered by

Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Nook’s arrival, Good or Bad?

Booklovers, most of them, will tell you 1. a pleasure it is to lend a favorite read to a friend – the novel you stayed up all night to get to the end of; the travel book that made you feel 2. you yourself were on a train ride through India. For a while it seemed that e-book users were to be denied this pleasure of lending to friends. You could buy a book or magazine for your reading device, but you couldn’t lend it out.

But now, with the Nook, the US book chain Barnes and Noble’s response to Amazon’s Kindle, electronic readers will be able to have their latest literary enthusiasm 3.(press) on their friends, just like readers of physical books can. You simply email the book from your Nook and your friend can read it for two weeks, 4.(use) any device with the Barnes & Noble e-book reader software. It’s a big improvement from previous e-book readers.

The Nook offers other features too. You read in black and white on the main screen, just like with Kindle. The difference is 5. on the lower part of the device there’s a color touch screen, 6. allows you to browse through a book or magazine, but goes black when you’re not using it so that you save power.

7. exciting thing about the Nook is that it offers Wi-Fi, arguably a big advance on previous e-book readers. Customers in the United States can use the Internet connection 8.(read) whole e-books at Barnes and Noble’s hundreds of bookstores for free. None of Barnes and Noble’s competitors can come close to this.

But the Nook, ironically, 9.(turn out) to be a money-loser for Barnes and Noble, or at least a job-loser for Barnes and Noble’s employees. According to Marian Maneker at The Big Money Website, 10. the Nook is successful it might take sales from the company’s bookstores, eventually forcing their closure and the loss of thousands of jobs.

请阅读下面文字，并按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。

Li Jiang: Have you heard this? Our school will set up a selective course, teaching students basic techniques for making a kite.

Su Hua:Yes, I have.The course is meant to inherit (传承) the kite-making craft.

Li Jiang: It's really exciting. I've always been interested in making kites. I want to enroll（报名）in the course.

Su Hua: I want to attend kite-making classes too. But I'm afraid the craft is too difficult for me.

Li Jiang: Don't worry about it.We can learn together.

Su Hua: There is another problem. My parents won't permit me to take part in such activities.They want me to spend more time on my subjects.

Li Jiang: By making kites we can be innovative, which is good for our study. I think they will support you.

Su Hua:Yes, that's right. I'll think about it.

（写作内容）

1.用约30个词概括上述信息的主要内容；

2.如果你是该校学生，你会报名参加风筝制作课程吗？请说明理由（不少于两点）。

（写作要求）

1.写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；

2.作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；

3.不必写标题。

（评分标准）

内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。

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请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。

In the course of researching my book, I asked people on five continents, “Who listens to you?” and the response was usually a long, awkward pause. Even those who were married and claimed vast networks of friends struggled to come up with someone who they felt truly listened to them.

It's fueling what public health officials are calling a worldwide epidemic of loneliness, which increases the risk of dying young. Indeed, studies link loneliness with heart disease, stroke, dementia and poor immune function.

To fight loneliness people are told to “Get out there! Join a club, take up a sport, volunteer, or invite people to dinner.” How do you connect with people once you're “out there” and “face-to-face”? Truly listening to someone is a skill many seem to have forgotten or perhaps never learned in the first place.

Listening goes beyond hearing what people say. It's also paying attention to how they say it and what they do while they are saying it, in what context, and how what they say resonates within you.

Listening is not about simply holding your peace while someone else holds forth. Quite the opposite. A lot of listening has to do with how you respond-the degree to which you elicit clear expression of another 's thoughts and, in the process, express your own clearly. It starts with an openness and willingness to follow another person's story without presumption or getting sidetracked by what's going on in your own head.

Good listeners ask good questions. Everyone is interesting if you ask the right questions. If someone seems dull or uninteresting, it's on you. Good questions don't have a hidden agenda of fixing, saving, advising, convincing or correcting. They don't begin with “Don't you think...?”or “Wouldn't you agree…?” and they definitely don't end with "Right?" The idea is to find out more about the speaker's point of view, not to influence it.

Also avoid asking appraising questions like “What do you do for a living?” and “What part of town do you live in?” and “Are you married?” These are not honest attempts to get to know people so much as rank them in the social hierarchy. It makes people strongly defensive and is likely to reduce the conversation to a CV recitation.

Instead, ask expansive questions such as, “What's the best gift you ever received?” and “If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?” Listening to people in this way is also essential to reaching compromise. You might not agree with them, but you gain understanding about their background and influences.

Listening is a skill and, like any skill, it degrades if you don't do it enough. The more people you listen to, the more aspects of humanity you will recognize and the better your judgments. To listen poorly, selectively, or not at all, will stop you from having a better understanding of the world.