The ancient art of opera can be brilliant entertainment; it is a(n) _________ of music, drama, and sometimes dance, staged with elaborate(精心制作的) sets of costumes. Opera is often _________ by many, however, partly because of some of the stereotypes(成见) associated with it. Some of its critics say that the narratives are too complex. Others complain that operas cannot be understood because they are often performed in _________ languages. Stereotypes aside, opera is an art form enjoyed by many _________ lovers. Operas can be comedies or tragedies or stories taken from history.
The story of an opera is generally simple so as to avoid _________ the audience from the music. The libretto, or script, sets each scene and describes the action in both words and stage directions. The music of an opera—the way it advances the action and the feelings it inspires in the listeners—is _________ important. The three principal musical _________ are the overture(前奏曲), the recitative(朗诵调), and the aria(咏叹调).
The overture is the instrumental introduction to the opera, the purpose of which has been _________ over time. During the nineteenth century, the overture began to combine snippets of melodies from arias, ballets, and other musical elements in a medley of the opera’s musical themes.
A recitative is less a song than a monologue(独白) that is sung rather than _________. A recitative is an element, older than the overture, which was invented at the beginning of the seventeenth century as a means of telling__________ in music; the first operas were actually a series of recitatives joined by musical interludes. Because an opera is basically a play set to music, the recitative is a means of telling the __________ what is going on and what is about to happen.
An aria is a solo performance—often one of the highlights of the opera. Arias can be declarations of love or __________ of hope, happiness, sorrow, or anguish. Many composers have written arias to __________ the vocal gifts of singers; some sopranos(女高音歌手) were indeed famous for the very high notes that they could sing. __________, arias are not the only songs in opera. Duets, compositions for three or four voices, and large-group numbers are also common. These diverse musical elements, __________ visual elements in costumes and sets as well as the dramatic content of the story, make the opera the complex art form that it is.
1.A.exploration B.mixture C.research D.experiment
2.A.unappreciated B.composed C.enjoyed D.favored
3.A.local B.native C.foreign D.official
4.A.gossip B.history C.movie D.music
5.A.releasing B.separating C.distracting D.disappointing
6.A.particularly B.rarely C.originally D.historically
7.A.tastes B.elements C.skills D.talents
8.A.stated B.described C.lacked D.evolved
9.A.imagined B.reminded C.spoken D.written
10.A.stories B.news C.jokes D.lies
11.A.musicians B.audience C.directors D.performers
12.A.rights B.reasons C.expressions D.expenses
13.A.improve B.show C.involve D.practise
14.A.Moreover B.Otherwise C.Therefore D.However
15.A.broken into B.applied to C.combined with D.matched with
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.
I used to hate waiting in line, thinking of it as a big waste of time and a test on my patience, but 1.(live) in Israel for three years, I have changed my attitude toward it.
Probably because the country is not very big, with limited resources, 2. you’re at the bank, the post office or the bus stop, you’ll always find a straight line of people waiting. But instead of worrying or hurrying some are drinking hot coffee; 3. are chatting to each other, even though a minute ago they were just strangers.
4. seemed to me that they were enjoying queuing and taking the chance to relax.
Gradually I came to realize that 5. (obey) rules, which can be clearly seen in queuing up, is an important part of their culture. Once I saw a young foreigner trying to jump the queue and be shouted at by an old Israeli man, with others joining in. The poor guy was so ashamed6. he slipped away as fast as he could.
But don’t think Israeli people are cruel. If you have to leave for a short time, 7. the person behind you agrees, you can always come back and stand in front of him or her. However, if you miss him or her, you’ll have to start over. If you wait next to the basketball court or tennis court for more than five minutes, someone on the court will definitely offer 8.(switch) places with you. This has become part of the culture in Israel.
Their culture 9. (reflect) Israelis’ belief in equal opportunities, which may have played a role in helping Israel to stay on its feet in the world even after the cruel Holocaust.
Compared 10. Israel, our way of queuing up is much more casual. People always go out of their way to get the “privilege” of a shorter wait.
假如你是李华。你的美国朋友Alex来信说，考试临近时，他总会感到焦虑。请你给他回信。内容：
1.向Alex表示问候和安慰。
2.提出建议。（至少两点）
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
根据下列句子所提供的意思及所给单词的首字母，在答题卷上按题号写出各单词的正确形式（每空限填一词）。
1.Did you report the l_____________of your jewelry to the police?
2.Music is the u________________language of human beings.
3.He p______________to be doing his homework when the teacher came in.
4.She was very glad to receive an i_____________to the party.
5.We have a lot in c____________, so we often have a lot to talk about.
6.Even though the work was difficult, he m___________to finish it himself.
7.The thief was s___________by police boarding a plane for London.(发现)
8.This kind of food _______________(含有) a lot of fat.
9.I will tell him the news on his _________________(到达).
10.Smoking is not p___________in the office.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
In your daily life, there are many examples where your parents control hundreds1. things for you when you are a kid, such as the clothes you wear, the food you eat, where you go and how you get there. It is a good thing. Kids need this kind of 2. (protect) and help because they are not old enough3.(take) care of themselves and make decisions 4.(correct). But with you growing5.(old), the part of being a teen is developing your own identity—one that is separated from your parents. Different 6. (attitude) towards events like partying may lead to arguments, because your parents will always want to protect you and keep you safe, no matter how old you are. As a result, your parents feel 7.hard to get used to the new situation with8. (increase) anxiety. What kids should keep in mind is9.in most cases, your parents can relate to what you’re going through because they10.(be) teens once.
During Plant Week, my kindergarten students learn all about the importance of plants and how plants grow. Each student got their own little pot and was shown how to ______them with dirt, plant seeds, and water them. So we did our ______in the classroom and the next ______was to take them just outside and ______each of them.
One student in particular was still a little behind on his planting skills, and pretty much flooded his pot when ______ to water it. His classmates laughed at him, of course, which really _________ him, and I had to ______ him that he would be able to redo his flower pot after we had a ______. Well, little did we all know that his pot was going to have a(n) ______sprout (嫩芽)．
Of course, being late spring in Mississippi, it was an especially ______afternoon. So as we were ______ our door after a break, which took us past right their flower pots. I heard this ______ “Miss Welch, Miss Welch！！______ what's coming out of my flower pot！！”
Knowing that it had only been about an hour since we planted the seeds，I had no ______ what I was about to see. But there ______was, a frog appearing in his flower pot filled with too much water. ______， that frog found its way into the pot to ______ on that hot day, and his flower pot, which had been made fun of by his classmates, was now the main ______ for the rest of the day.
The frog was ______ the next day, but my student didn't want to redo his flower pot ...He did, however, put fresh water in it every day just ______ the frog came back to cool off ...
1.A.support B.replace C.cover D.fill
2.A.designing B.cleaning C.activity D.homework
3.A.step B.method C.subject D.project
4.A.paint B.water C.improve D.weigh
5.A.trying B.promising C.affording D.choosing
6.A.satisfied B.upset C.stopped D.frightened
7.A.challenge B.warn C.remind D.assure
8.A.tool B.lesson C.break D.conversation
9.A.native B.beautiful C.long D.unexpected
10.A.quiet B.cloudy C.hot D.windy
11.A.approaching B.breaking C.occupying D.reforming
12.A.confused B.excited C.amused D.satisfied
13.A.Look B.Remember C.Say D.Believe
14.A.attitude B.suggestion C.advice D.idea
15.A.nobody B.anything C.it D.he
16.A.Thus B.Besides C.However D.Somehow
17.A.grow up B.go on C.cool off D.come out
18.A.message B.attraction C.connection D.chance
19.A.buried B.gone C.noticed D.followed
20.A.in case B.now that C.because D.until
