Whether it’s a carol（圣诞颂歌）service or an evening of karaoke in the pub, many people will enjoy a good old singsong this Christmas. Singing aloud will not just lift the spirits---it’s good for your physical health as well. Filling the lungs（肺）with air, increasing the heart rate and getting blood pumping round the body faster can all help our physical health.
For the past few years Heart Research UK has been Funding a Christmas campaign aimed at getting people singing, simply for the benefit it can bring. The organizer of the campaign says singing is a safe, simple and social activity that everyone can enjoy. “Singing is linked to long life, stress reduction, and general health protection. It also brings a great amount of happiness. It is impossible to sing well with a long face because it affects your pitch（音高）.”
Professor Graham Welch, who leads the International Music Education Research Centre at the University of London, has spent more than 30 years studying the effects of singing. He says that singing is a form of exercise. It means we’re also having a strong aerobic activity（有氧运动）when we’re singing, which results in increasing the feeling of pleasure while decreasing that of stress.
“And communal（共同的）singing—like in a singing group, a church service or even a singsong in the pub—helps improve our sense of self-respect. It increases our sense of satisfaction with ourselves, a greater sense of feeling included. ”
Helen Astrid, a singing teacher, also sees the great effects that singing brings. “It lifts us up on a spiritual level, it helps our self-respect, and it’s great for all ages from small kids to grannies—you can have a good sing and let your hair down.”
But she warns people not to have too many beers or glasses of wine, though a glass may help them gather courage before taking to the stage during the holidays.
1.Heart Research UK holds a campaign to __________.
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A．encourage people to sing for God at Christmas |
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B．study the effects of singing on people |
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C．get people to sing and improve their health |
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D．bring happiness to people during holidays |
2. What are the benefits of singing according to Graham Welch?
a. Singers’ living longer.
b. Singers’ general health protection.
c. Singers’ feeling happier.
d. Singers’ stress reduced.
e. Singer’s self-respect improved.
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A．a, b, c |
B．b, c, d |
C．c, d, e |
D．a, b, e |
3. The underlined part “let your hair down” probably means __________.
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A．feel at ease |
B．protect yourself |
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C．dress casually |
D．cover your nervousness |
4. What can we infer from the passage?
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A．Singing at Christmas is good for health. |
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B．In a low mood one is not able to sing well. |
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C．Experts have disagreement on singing. |
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D．Singing is the same as other aerobic activities. |
5.Which is the best title of the passage?
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A．Karaoke—Best Place for Singing! |
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B．Christmas—Best Time for Singing! |
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C．Singing—Healthy but Difficult |
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D．For Health—Let’s Sing! |
The worst earthquake in 40 years shook South Asia on Sunday, starting with horrible waves that swept entire villages into the sea. At least 20,000 people in six countries were killed in the disaster, and millions were left homeless.
The quake shook deep beneath the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It was felt more than 3000 miles away in East Africa, where heavy tides kept fishermen at home and resorts（度假胜地）closed.
It was as if the sea had struck the land. Residents of Sri Lanka, a small island country off the coast of India, ran to the hills to find safety from the tsunami. Many took their radios, televisions, and other valuables with them. The disaster hit Sri Lanka hardest. Of its 20million people, 1 million lost their homes, and 10000 died.
“The water simply raised itself up and huge waves came ashore,” wrote eye-witness（目击者）Peter Thomas from India. “It was moving very fast. The force broke the glass walls of a restaurant on the beach here and damaged hundreds of boats.”
In some places, the tsunami struck with no warning. “The weather was fine with no clouds,” wrote an eye-witness in Indonesia. “Suddenly the seawater just hit the city. In some parts the water was up to chest level.”
A massive（大众的）effort to help the affected countries is already underway. Leaders from around the world have promised to help, and teams of aid workers and doctors are rushing to the sea. “The United States stands ready to offer all the help to those nations most affected.” Said White House spokesman Trent Duffy. Organizations from the Red Cross to the International Monetary Fund have started fund-raising（筹款）drives to make up the costs of rebuilding.
1. The underlined word “tsunami” in Paragraph 5 can probably be replaced by “__________.”
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A．fierce wind |
B．heavy rain |
C．terrible storm |
D．large waves |
2. Which of the following is NOT true when this disaster happened?
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A．A sudden storm started with thunder and lightning. |
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B．The seawater rose suddenly and flooded the land. |
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C．Huge waves came upon the land, damaging the buildings and boats. |
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D．The sea struck the land, causing heavy losses. |
3.In the last paragraph, the writer mainly states __________.
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A．lack of help |
B．international efforts |
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C．the fighting against the disaster |
D．the result of disasters |
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
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A．Tens of Thousands of People Are in Danger |
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B．Storm Caused Disasters in South Asia |
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C．Terrible Quake Hits South Asia |
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D．International Aid for South Asia |
5.Where would you probably see this passage?
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A．In a textbook. |
B．In a newspaper. |
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C．In a travel guide. |
D．In a dictionary. |
The story I am going to tell you happened about three years ago when I started to learn how to drive. At first, I was very frightened, and I thought I could never learn how to drive a car. Driving a car frightened me because in my home country women never drive, but in the United States every woman has to know how to drive. My husband paid an instructor to teach me how to drive. After that, my husband practiced with me for a long time. My husband always told me that I had to learn. It was important to me and my family.
However, I couldn’t get my license right away. I failed my driving test two times. After practicing for a long time, I decided to go for my third driving test. I had failed my first test because I was very nervous. Everybody encouraged me to continue practicing. Three weeks later, I decided to try it again, but I failed again. After that, I was very embarrassed（困窘的）, and I said I couldn’t get it, so I stopped practicing for a while.
Not knowing how to drive was bad because I couldn’t do anything. I had two kids, my husband works, and I have to take care of everything. Driving was so necessary that I decided to try it again. And finally, that time, I passed the test. Now I have my license. I know how to drive, and it has changed my life in some important ways. Now I’m driving to the college, learning English and hoping I will get a good job in the future.
1.Why did the author think that she could never learn how to drive a car?
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A．Because she was not an American woman. |
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B．Because she was afraid of a car or a bus. |
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C．Because in her own country women never drive. |
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D．Because her husband didn’t know how to teach her. |
2. The underlined word “instructor” in the first paragraph probably means __________.
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A．someone who teaches a special skill |
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B．someone who teaches a sport skill |
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C．someone who teaches in an American college |
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D．the information telling you how to drive a car |
3. How many persons in the author’s family are mentioned except the author herself?
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A．2 |
B．3 |
C．4 |
D．5 |
4.The passage mainly shows us that the author failed for quite a few times but she never gave up and __________.
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A．she succeeded in driving her car to send her two children |
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B．she succeeded in driving to the college to get a good job |
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C．she succeeded in driving to the college and learned English |
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D．she succeeded in passing driving test and got her license in the end |
5.The best title of this passage should be “__________”.
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A．My Driving License |
B．My Husband and I |
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C．Passing the Test |
D．Never Give Up |
As I got up today, I smelt fresh coffee. I woke up to 36 a cup of it with some biscuits on my bedside table. This reminded me of 37 , the old school and college days, when mom used to wake me up by serving a 38 cup of coffee. The taste is still so 39 in my memories.
A 40 thought hit me, “I was in bed, so who prepared this coffee for me? Is it a dream?”
I pinched（掐）myself, ouch… that hurt, which meant I was not 41 . I walked out of the room with the cup of coffee, 42 my roommate. I asked him whether he prepared that for me, and the answer was YES.
I was relaxed 43 somehow my heart wanted him to say NO, because I wanted to be in a 44 that my mom prepared it for me. The whole 45 reminded me of mom and I 46 her at that moment.
On my way to my office, I was thinking about those days when mom used to cook my 47 meal. I could not 48 any single day when I slept without food. But now, I no longer 49 the food mom cooked.
This very thought 50 tears to my eyes and I decided to call up mom. I reached the office and gave her a call.
The first thing she asked was, “Is everything all right?” I was 51 . And I thought, “How the time has 52 ”.
When I was with her, I used to call her after every hour when I was out with my friends. In those days she 53 asked me what was wrong, as she knew that it was my habit. My call at this point of the day to her meant that I was in 54 .
Time has changed, she is still the same, and it is 55 who have changed.
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Pierre is a 25-year-old penguin at the California Academy of Sciences. Due to his old age, he was going bald, which made him feel too cold to swim in the pool. Therefore, biologists at the academy had a wetsuit created for this penguin to help him get back in the swimming pool.
Unlike marine mammals, which have a layer of fat to keep them warm, penguins depend on their waterproof feathers. Without them, Pierre was unwilling to jump into the swimming pool and ended up trembling on the side of the pool while his 19 peers played in the water.
"He was cold; he would shake," said Pam Schaller, a senior biologist. Schaller first tried a heat lamp to keep Pierre warm. Then she got another idea: if wetsuits keep humans warm in the cold Pacific, why not make one for Pierre?
Schaller designed the suit, which covered Pierre’s body and had small openings for his flippers.
“I would walk behind him and look at where there were any gaps, and cut and refit and cut and refit until it looked like it was extremely suitable,” she said.
One concern was that the other penguins would reject Pierre in his new suit, but in fact, they accepted his new look. He swam freely and got along with others well, although he was the only penguin with a black stomach.
Schaller couldn’t say for sure whether the wetsuit allowed Pierre to recover his fine feathers, but “certainly we were able to keep him comfortable during a period of time that would have been very difficult for him to stay comfortable”.
Pierre will take off his suit after his new feathers grow back.
1.Pierre felt too cold to swim in the pool because of _____.
A. not having a layer of blubber B. having few feathers due to old age
C. having no wetsuit D. others penguins rejecting him
2.The idea of making a wetsuit for Pierre came from _____.
A. total invention B. waterproof feathers
C. the use of wetsuit on humans D. the use of heat lamp
3.Schaller followed Pierre in order to see _____.
A. whether other penguins would reject him
B. if anywhere of wetsuit needed to be cut and refit
C. if the wetsuit kept warm
D. whether the wetsuit would keep the feathers from recovering
4. The best title of the passage is _____.
A. Wetsuit for An Old Penguin B. Old Penguin Getting Bald
C. Unwilling to Swim D. Strange Look of Pierre
A couple of years ago, I went to a lady’s house to buy some vitamins. Upon entering the house, I 36 that there was an electronic keyboard on a stand, leaning 37 the wall. Being a piano music lover and 38 , I asked, if the woman played. She nodded and added that she had been
39 lessons at age 54! I told her that it was very 40 that she was pursuing （追求） her passion（热情）to play the piano. . .
Then she asked me 41 question. “I have been playing for 8 years now,” I answered.
“Then you must play a song for me before you leave,” she 42 .I thought she was joking and I simply smiled. At the end of the deal of the vitamins, she 43 me of our musical “ 44 _”. She then showed me to an old upright piano in the living room, 45 asked me to play a song for her. I thought 46 and decided to play David Lantz’s “Return to the Heart”, since she had so much passion for 47 ,and it was my soul-searching song.
I played the song to the best of my ability,
and with my emotions 48 into it as possible. She loved
it. 49 I was about to step out of the door, I heard a
weak voice calling out, “Young man!”
I turned around. And there was an old lady 50 one little step at a time with the help of another woman. “I wanted to come out to 51 you for the beautiful song that you played. I have been very sick, and it’s very hard for me to 52 my bed, but your music made me feel good ”she said. With that, she turned around and walked 53 back to her room.
I was deeply 54 by her appreciation and felt a deeper understanding for the song. It served its purpose beautifully, returning to one’s 55 for peace and joy.
1. A. observed B. watched C. noticed D. caught
2. A. on B. at C. over D. against
3. A. player B. teacher C. composer D. starter
4. A. giving B. attending C. teaching D. reviewing
5. A. interesting B. wonderful C. moved D. impressive
6. A. another B. a different C. the same D. other
7. A. advised B. ordered C. demanded D. requested
8. A. warned B. reminded C. asked D. required
9. A. course B. task C. discussion D. deal
10. A. and B. but C. as a result D. what’s more
11. A. for the moment B. at the moment C. for a moment D. at a moment
12. A. music B. songs C. the piano D. vitamins
13. A. dropping B. falling C. pouring D. running
14. A. Since B. As C. While D. Because
15. A. taking B. making C. having D. giving
16. A. thank B. praise C. admire D. owe
17. A. get on B. get up C. get off D. get down
18. A. quietly B. calmly C. happily D. slowly
19. A. shocked B. touched C. delighted D. disturbed
20. A. world B. heart C. brains D. dreams
