Fred Astaire was born in Nebraska in 1899. Fred and his sister, Adele, learned to dance when they were very young. Their mother took them to New York to study dance. They performed in their first professional(专业的) show when Fred was ten years old and Adele was twelve. Later, as teenagers, the two danced in many shows throughout the United States. Their first big success was on Broadway in 1917.
The Astaires -- as they were known -- quickly became Broadway stars. During the nineteen twenties, they sang and danced in eleven different shows. They also performed in England. In 1932, Adele Astaire married a British man, and stopped performing. But Fred did not forego his dream. He would go on alone, in the movies.
Fred Astaire had the best skill among all dancers in history. He danced up walls and on the ceiling in the film Royal Wedding. He danced on rooftops in The Belle of New York. He danced on roller skates in Shall We Dance?
Fred Astaire made all this look easy. But it was not. He said: "Dancing is a sweaty job. You cannot just sit down and do it. You have to get up on your feet. It takes time to get a dance right, to create something memorable. I always try to get to know my dance so well that I do not have to think.”
In 1949, Fred Astaire won a special award for his film work from America's Motion Picture Academy. He also won awards from the television industry for a number of his television programs.
Fred stopped dancing in 1970. He was more than seventy years old at the time. He said a dancer could not continue dancing forever. He said he did not want to disappoint(使失望) anyone, even himself. He danced again in public only once after that. It was with another great male dancer, Gene Kelly, in the movie "That's Entertainment, Part Two".
Fred Astaire and his first wife, Phyllis, had three children. Phyllis died in 1954. Twenty-five years later, Fred married race horse rider Robyn Smith. Fred Astaire died on June 22, 1987. He was eighty-eight years old. He was called the greatest dancer in the world. His dancing was called perfect. And moviegoers everywhere will remember him as a great performer whose work will live forever in his films.
1.The first paragraph is mainly about_________.
A. Fred Astaire’s first success B. Fred Astaire’s education
C. Fred Astaire’s early life D. Fred Astaire’s family
2.What does the underlined word “ forgo” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. Get over B. Set up C. Go ahead D. Give up
3.What Fred Astaire said in Paragraph4 shows that ___________.
A.he knew his dance was wonderful
B.he thought dancing was not difficult
C.he devoted much time and effort to dance
D.he had ways to make people remember him
4.What is the correct time order of the following events?
a .Fred Astaire’s first wife died.
b .Fred’s sister Adele stopped performing.
c .Fred Astaire performed with Gene Kelly in a movie.
d .Fred Astaire won an award from America’s Motion Picture Academy.
A. abcd B. bdac C. dcba D. cbad
These days, picture news is very popular with young people. Here are some photos chosen by Jim.
China’s first Hello Kitty theme restaurant was opened on Dec 23 in the capital of China. It’s all pink and sweet inside the restaurant. The table cloth , chairs, ceiling and floor are all pink, even the lamp light shines soft and rosy. Dining at Hello Kitty Dreams Restaurant costs about 160 yuan ($25) per person. | |
Dustin and Sara from North Georgia &State University (NGCSU) of the United States perform Peking Opera at LiaoCheng University in East China’s Shandong Province. Eighteen students from NGCSU came to China to study Chinese culture during the summer vacation. | |
| Located in Miyun County north-east of Beijing, Fuling Mountain is a national-level forest reserve. As the mountain is cloudy and foggy all the year round, Fuling Mountain then began to be called Wuling Mountain. It is regarded as the Yellow Mountain in North China. |
Bill Gates,chairman of Microsoft, the world’s largest personal-computer software company, attended an anti-smoking event ahead of the 25th World No-Tobacco Day, in Beijing on May 29,2012. Some Chinese famous people also attended the event. World No-Tobacco Day falls on May 31 every year. |
1.What did Dustin and Sara do in China?
A. They climbed Fuling Mountain in Beijing.
B. They visited a Hello Kitty Dreams Restaurant.
C. They performed Peking Opera in Shandong.
D. They attended an anti-smoking event.
2.Which is true according to the passage?
A. Bill Gates set up World No-Tobacco Day on May 31.
B. Fuling Mountain is always cloudy and foggy.
C. Eight students from NGCSU studied Chinese culture in China.
D. You have to wear pink clothes at Hello Kitty Dreams Restaurant.
3.The photos may come from ______________.
A. The Internet news B. an advertisement
C. a science magazine D. a story book
One sunny afternoon, a seven-year-old girl went for a walk. She crossed a large area of grassland into the woods __ __ she realized that she was lost.
Sitting on a rock and __ __ what to do, she began crying. After a while,she__ __ to walk along a path with tall trees and thick bushes. When it was getting dark, she saw a small, dark wooden house. She opened the door and __ __ entered. Suddenly, she heard a strange noise, and she ran out of the door and back to the __ __. Cold and tired, she fell asleep near a stream(小溪).
The girl’s parents were out and her dog, Laddy, was at home. Laddy sensed that his mistress(女主人)was in danger. He jumped __ __ a window, breaking the glass. He looked in the fields. But he couldn’t find his mistress anywhere. However, from the ground came a __ __ scent (气味) as he lowered his head. He __ __ the scent and walked across the grassland. Barking __ __ into the air, the dog __ __ through the woods until he found the __ __. But the girl was not there, so he headed back to the woods. Much to his delight, he saw his mistress’ blue shirt in the distance. He __ __ over some bushes and saw the little stream, where the girl was __ __.
When she opened her eyes and her dog standing beside her, the girl said, “you me, Laddy,” and she kissed him several times. Seeing their daughter and dog coming back, the parents were happy. That night Laddy had a hero’s supper: a huge meal of pork.
1.A. before B. sinceC. while D. as
2.A. wondering B. forgettingC. rememberingD. repeating
3.A. preferred B. refused C. failedD. decided
4.A. carelessly B. carefully C. hopelesslyD. unwillingly
5.A. trees B. bushesC. woods D. grasses
6.A. atB. through C. in D. onto
7.A. terrible B. strangeC. pleasant D. familiar
8.A. missedB. discoveredC. followed D. noticed
9.A. calmlyB. loudly C. happily D. gently
10.A. searched B. found C. lookedD. travelled
11.A. windowB. girl C. house D. hero
12.A. jumped B. climbed C. walked D. flew
13.A. awake B. afraid C. available D. asleep[
14.A. listened B. watched C. heard D. saw
15.A. disturbed B. comforted C. saved D. scared
--- I’m thinking of the test tomorrow. I’m afraid I can’t pass this time.
--- _______ ! I’m sure you’ll make it.
A. Go on B. Good luck C. No problem D. Cheer up
______ the students were when they heard the good news!
A. How excited B. How exciting C. What excited D. What exciting
Professor White has written some short stories, but he is _____ for his plays.
A. more-known B. the most- known C. better- known D. the best- known