When slaves were first brought over from West Africa to the southern parts of America, they brought along with them aspects of their own culture-religion, dance,language, music, and cuisine. A mix of the two cultures eventually appeared. The religious dance of the ring shout turned into modern dances like the Charleston, and tribal chants slowly transformed into sorrowful hymns (圣歌) sung by slaves that described their hardships.
These soulful accounts by slaves of the severe climate and conditions began to be called "the blues" , which continued in popularity among African Americans after the Civil War. This music increased in popularity into the early 1900s when many black musicians became an important part of the music industry.
The slaves that had been brought over were from all different regions of West Africa, but they worked together until they gradually formed a common culture. This strengthened the identity of their music that, in the 1950s, eventually led to the beginning of rock and roll. The Beatles, the most influential band of the 1960s, are often determined as the accelerator that resulted in the ideology (意识形态)surrounding music that is still around today. The freedom and individuality associated with that time period brought forth a whole culture surrounding music. It was not just music any more, but a lifestyle.
Over the decades, music has developed into such a vital part of society and pop culture. Musicians arc glorified, with tons of adoring and screaming fans. The modern technology of present day has allowed for a greater gap between the creator of the music and the fans, as well as a widespread commercialization of music. However, criticisms of modern pop music often arise due to its mass production, and now there is a lack of the same soul and quality of naturalness and simplicity in music that was rising in the early 20th century.
1.What contributed to the birth of the Charleston?
A. Various African religions.
B. People's love of tribal dances.
C.A mix of two different cultures.
D. The popularity of sorrowful hymns.
2.According to the passage, what can we learn about the blues?
A. It became popular in the late 20th century.
B. It may include the description of slaves' sad lives.
C. It mainly told the stories of the American Civil War.
D. It reflected the hard lives of many black musicians.
3.What does the underlined word "this” in the third paragraph refer to?
A. Slaves' collective work.
B. One region of West Africa.
C. The new common culture.
D. The music by the Beatles.
4.It can be learned that the music in the early 20th century____.
A. possessed soul and sincerity
B. became more commercialized
C. was blamed for its mass production
I). widened the gap between musicians and fans
Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have existed on the planet, and they can grow to a length of 100 feet and weigh more than 330,000 pounds. But recently researchers have found that these whales are on the move and they have migrated from California waters to areas off Canada and Alaska for the first time since commercial whaling ended in 1965.
The researchers identified 15 blue whales that have appeared off the coast of British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska since 1997. Four of these whales were recognized as ones that were once sighted off California shores, suggesting that the whales are returning to an old migration pattern between the coasts.
Before commercial whaling began in the early 1900s, blue whales were found widely throughout the North Pacific and California waters. But from the 1920s to the 1960s,whaling severely reduced the whale populations. Blue whales never recovered in the Northern Pacific, making sightings in this area rare. However, much larger groups of whales have been observed close to California since the 1970s.
The scientists had previously thought that the California population was separate from the population that had historically lived in North Pacific waters. But the current study shows that whales off the coast of British Columbia and the Gulf of Alaska are likely part of the California population.
To identify the blue whales, the researchers looked at photos of cetaceans taken in the North Pacific Ocean and compared them with a library of blue whale pictures taken along the West Cost of the United States and Southern Pacific. Up to now, the researchers are not quite sure why the whales are changing their migration patterns, but they suspect that the whales may be following their food moving farther north by the changes in ocean conditions.
1.According to the passage, blue whales are .
A. following a fixed route of migration
B. dying out due to commercial whaling
C. moving from the south to the north
D. rarely found in the Southern Pacific
2.The whale population in the northern Pacific .
A. is different from the California population
B. is probably part of the California population
C. has become the largest group since the 1970s
D. has lived there since the 1960s
3.The underlined word "cetaceans" in Paragraph 5 probably means .
A. land creatures B. whale species
C. ocean conditions D. migration patterns
4.What might make blue whales migrate according to the researchers?
A. Commercial whaling. B. Weather conditions.
C. Life reproduction. D. Food resources.
It-s the universal cry of parents. "Get a job! " Soliman's mother told Soliman on the second day of his college breaks.
After years of delivering furniture for his mother'-s store, he knew many people had things they wanted to get rid of. If he borrowed his mom's truck, he could make a little money by carrying away their garbage.
One night, Soliman came up with a name for his new business - College Hunks Hauling Junk. He advertised the next day, and within hours, his phone rang. He asked his friend Friedman to help. They made $ 220 in three hours by cleaning out a woman-s garage. Soliman and Friedman earned $ 10,000 that summer. But the two weren't readyto become full- time garbage mcn after graduation. "We were trained to finish college and get a good job," says Soliman, who first worked at a research firm. Friedman became an economic analyst.
After working for the firm and the company for a while, both of them changed their minds. They quit their jobs and restarted their business, but had trouble finding a bank willing to lend them money. "Within months," says Friedman, "we were pretty upset. "
At last, one bank risked lending them $ 50,000. At first, they lost money. One customer asked them to deal with a dozen garbage cans filled with construction garbage. They measured the job by volume instead of by weight and charged just $ 130. "The cans were so heavy that it took us two and a half hours," says Soliman, "And it cost us more than $ 250 to carry the load. "
However, the tough experience taught them a lesson. They reduced the cost of unloading by recycling metals and electronics. Just four years later, they ran a nationwide company that earned $ 3 million in 2014. " I figured if Nick and I failed, we'd learn more from failing than from not trying at all," says Soliman.
1.What does Soliman find when helping to deliver furniture?
A. Some parents want their kids to work at college breaks.
B. Many families have things they don't want to keep.
C. His mom's truck works well in carrying heavy furniture.
D. It's hard to make money by carrying away the garbage.
2.What makes Soliman think of starting his new business?
A. His working experience in his mother's store.
B. His strong desire to make use of the garbage.
C. His hatred for people's throwing away things.
D. His much available time at college breaks.
3.How did Soliman and Friedman cut the cost of the company?
A. By filling the cans with more garbage.
B. By measuring the job by volume.
C. By reducing the working hours.
D. By recycling something useful.
4.Which of the following can be learned from the passage?
A. Easier said than done.
B. Nothing succeeds like success.
C. Two heads are better than one.
D. Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.
When you're looking forward to taking a holiday in Egypt, you're certainly not short of choices. The country has so many to see that you'll probably not want to limit yourself to just one city.
Hurghada-A Water Sports Paradise
With 250 hotels ranking from comfortable 3-star hotels
Lip to 5-star accommodation, the main attraction of staying here is the activities in and on the warm waters. It has become an international centre for water sports, allowing visitors to take part in surfing, sailing and deep sea fishing. The waters are also home to a huge variety of coral and fish, making it a dream spot for diving. If all that isn-t enough, Hurghada is home to some of the world's finest underwater gardens.
Luxor-An Open Air Museum of Ancient History
For those with an interest in Egyptian history, Luxor is an excellent place to stay and is built upon the site of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. If you make this the base for your Egypt holiday, you're basically staying in an open air museum!
The modern city of Luxor has the ruins of Karnak. Across the Nile lie many more monuments, temples and tombs including the Valley of the Kings and the Queens. The Nile sailing is necessary for those with an interest in the country's ancient history.
Cairo- The Capital City
Finally, of course, there's Cairo. It-s definitely a starting point for most of Egypt holiday makers. Cairo offers an excel-llent mix of culture, art, cooking and sightseeing chances. With the famous pyramids, various temples and some fascinating museums, Cairo is a fantastic choice if you can come to the city.
1.Visitors flood to Hurghada mainly because it can offer them _ .
A. the funniest botanic gardens
B. choices of water activities
C. a brief history of Egypt
D. the mix of culture and art
2.Which of the following cities do most tourists visit first in Egypt?
A. Cairo. B. Luxor. C. Thebes. D. Hurghada.
3.This passage is most probably taken from _ .
A. a historical document B. a science magazine
C. a travel guide D. a book review
书面表达
你校正在进行“英语读书周”活动。该活动要求学生摘录名言佳句(quote)并相互交流。以下是某同学摘录的句子：“Your future depends on many things, but mostly on you”。请按下列要求用英语写一篇100－120个词的短文：
1. 针对摘录句中的观点谈谈你的看法； 2. 举例说明理由。注意：短文的开头已给出(不计词数)。
In_the_English_Reading_Week,_one_of_my_classmates_recommended_a_quote_to_us,_which_goes_lik this：“Your_future_depends_on_many_things,_but_mostly_on_you.”_
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下短文。短文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧), 并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改： 在错的词下划一横线, 并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1、每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2、只允许修改10处, 多者(从第11处起) 不计分。
With the development of people’s living condition, more and more people possess their own cars. Some of us think it is good to own a car. For instance, it’s convenient, fast and comfortable means of transportation. Moreover, it shows that people are becoming richer and the country is much more stronger. It also made relative businesses and industries develop faster.
However, others have different opinions, thinking that cars give up waste gases and pollute the environment around. Too much cars will have some bad effects, such as more accidents and crowdedness. Besides, lack parking lots is another big problem.
As far as I’m concerned, we ought to think careful before buying cars. As if we have cars, we may use it less.
