More than 50 music students of New Milford High School in New Jersey, US, got a letter from their headmaster. The letter said that the music department (系) of the school was in big trouble. The students had to pass a test, or the department would be closed.
The test came on Saturday. The nervous students were required to play a piece of music created by Richard Strauss. And they had to sing the words to the music — German words! There were also other difficult tasks. One student had to sing Mary Had A Little Lamb, a children’s song, in an operatic (歌剧的) voice.
After three hours of testing, the students all waited for the results. They met some students from the New Jersey Youth Orchestra (管弦乐团) while waiting. They had the same test and only got a passing grade.
The worried New Milford High School students started to realize they had no chance. “I thought it was over,” said Bryan Olsen-Santana. “The girl next to me was crying. I felt bad for her. I felt bad for myself, too, because music is everything to me.”
But then the headmaster came and told them something very dramatic (戏剧性的), “Someone has played a joke on you!”
What was going on?
The test was part of a new reality TV show called “Schooled”. The students’ parents, the school and a TV network had made it together. Everything was faked. The “students from New Jersey Youth Orchestra” were students from another school. There were hidden cameras.
The students’ parents were hiding as they watched.
As a reward for putting up with the joke, the students got gifts: MP3 players, digital cameras and school supplies (文具). They were all from the show’s sponsor (赞助商).
1. At the beginning of the story, the music students got a letter which said .
A. the headmaster would be in big trouble
B. the school had a problem with money
C. the students had to pass a test to save the music department
D. the students had to give up music
2.The students were nervous before the test, because .
A. they were not good at music
B. the test was very simple
C. they thought they couldn’t pass
D. the test meant so much
3.According to Olsen-Santana, he must be feeling that .
A. they had failed the test
B. he could have passed the test
C. the test was just a joke
D. the test was never over
4.The underlined word “faked” in the passage means .
A. not real B. not serious C. popular D. stupid
For nearly 250 years, Debrett’s has advised the British public on suitable social manners. Now, it has listed modern guide to good manners, answering the questions that most trouble the British public in 2014.
★Using mobile phone in public
More questions are asked about mobile use than any other case. According to Debrett’s, it is always rude to pay more attention to a phone than the people around you, and they should always be put away when you’re paying for something in a shop. They should be turned off in theatres, cinemas or any space where silence is required.
★Smoking e-cigarettes at work
As electronic cigarettes become more popular, questions about whether they are acceptable in the workplace are asked more often. According to Debrett’s, they should never be used in a work environment. Smoking e-cigarettes at work shows that you’re not focused on your work and may also have a bad influence on your workmates.
★Giving up your seat on public transport
In a recent university experiment only 20 per cent of London tube passengers are willing to give up their seat to people in need. According to Debrett’s, passengers should always offer to give up their seat to any person that is pregnant, elderly, or clearly in need. It is important to remember, however, that it is just as impolite to rudely refuse the offer of a seat as it is to not offer a seat.
★Eating before everyone is served
The final question is one that we’ve all asked ourselves: is it rude to start eating at the table before everyone else has been served? According to Debrett’s, the simple answer is yes, unless the host or hostess permits dinners to start.
1.How many questions about good manners are listed in the passage?
A. 250.B. 2014.C. 4. D. 20.
2.British people are most interested in the guide to ______.
A. using mobile phone in public
B. smoking e-cigarettes at work
C. giving up seats on public transport
D. eating before everyone is served
3. From the passage, we know ______.
A. people should turn off mobile phones when shopping.
B. more people smoke e-cigarettes at work than before.
C. it’s always polite to refuse when others offer a seat to you.
D. we can start eating as soon as all of us sit at the table.
完形填空
Sherlock Holmes is probably the best-known detective character in the world. But do you know that there was a Chinese detective who had similar ?
He was Detective Dee—Di Renjie. Di Renjie appeared the main character in a number of crime novels and films. In these novels and films, Detective Dee many cases.
“The first of solving cases is that you need a good memory. The second is that you need to watch people’s facial (面部的) expressions and judge (判断) their speeches,” explained Detective Dee in a movie.
there were always made-up stories in movies and novels, Detective Dee was a person in history. This is unlike Holmes, who was by UK writer Arthur Conan Doyle. Di Renjie was a prime minister (宰相) of the Tang Dynasty. Di Renjie is for his wisdom. In some films, Dee is also a kung fu who is good at fighting.
The written history of Dee can date back to the 1950s, Robert van Gulik from Dutch wrote a series of detective novels tells stories of Detective Dee. In history, , Dee was more than a detective, he was also a judge (法官). It was said that working as the head of the Supreme Court (大理寺), he was a great judge. During that time, he judged 17,000 in a year and not a single person complained.
1.A. ages B. skillsC. appearances D. lifestyle
2.A. forB. with C. byD. as
3.A. discovered B. solved C. studied D. introduced
4. A. ruleB. law C. lessonD. reason
5.A. livelyB. politely C. closelyD. simply
6. A. Unless B. Because C. Although D. When
7.A. realB. truely C. liveD. clear
8.A. written B. played C. created D. covered
9. A. known B. seen C. shownD. acted
10.A. actor B. master C. writerD. player
11.A. unless B. what C. whenD. if
12.A. those B. which C. it D. who
13. A. anyway B. sometime C. however D. moreover
14.A. while B. before C. untilD. after
15. A. cases B. questions C. problems D. mysteries
—That young woman has something to do with the kidnapping, doesn’t she?
—________, though she insisted she was at home then.
A. I don’t agree
B. I don’t think so
C. That’s a good idea
D. I think so
--- Would you like to say something about the car show yesterday?
--- Sorry.NickI went to see it.
A. Either, or B. Neither, nor
C. Not only, but also D. Both, and
.---A number of students _________ in the dining hall.
---Yes, the number of the students ______ 800.
A. is, isB. are, are C. is, are D. are, is
