阅读下面短文和问题，根据短文内容和每小题后的具体要求，在答题卡相应题号后的横线上写下相关信息，完成对该问题的回答。答语要意思清楚，结构正确，书写工整。
It might surprise you that Tejana music did not start either in Texas or in Mexico, but in Europe. It all began with the polka. This was a folk dance from Bohemia. It was for young lovers, and so was very lively. It was made up of a hop and three short steps, and the music that went with it had a marked beat. The polka appeared in Paris in about 1843, and immediately became a great success. It quickly spread throughout Europe. Eventually even serious musicians such as Smetana and Dvorak used its beats in their work. It traveled east to the Russian court at St. Petersburg, and as far west as the new world. German introduced the polka and its music to Texas, where once again it became a huge popular success.
It was there on the US-Mexican border that local musicians started to mix the European polka with Mexican mariachi music. Mariachi music was traditionally played at weddings in Mexico, and it is possible that that is how it got its name. Mariachi might well be a Spanish version of the French word for marriage. Soon the pleasant European accordions (手风琴) mixed with the Mexican bass guitar to produce a completely new and very unusual type of music. This music acquired two different names: “Tejana” in the United States and “Nortena” in Mexico.
For decades Tejana music did not go beyond the dance halls and popular gatherings of it birthplace. It was not until about seventy years after its appearance that Tejana music began to spread widely. Then a young Mexican-American singer, “Selena”, made it popular throughout the United States, and in other countries too.
In the hundred years since its birth Tejana music has suffered great changes. The accordion still there, but the electric guitar has replaced the Mexican bass. The latest Tejana/Nortena hits more elements of US country and western and rock, as well as Colombian cumbia. The unique musical form that began with a European folk dance continues to develop and grow in popularity.
1.According to the passage, what was a polka? (不多于三个单词)
2.In what occasion (场合) was Mexican mariachi music traditionally played? (不多于两个单词)
3.When did Tejana music begin to spread widely? (不多于六个单词)
4.What does the passage mainly talk about? (不多于五个单词)
The woman was terrified. What could she do? She dialed 999.The emergency call operator (接线员) Robert Naylor answered the call immediately.
“Please help me! It’s in my bathroom!” the woman shouted.
Her voice suddenly got louder. “It’s moving!” she screamed.
“What is it that’s moving?” Robert asked calmly.
“A spider (蜘蛛)!” the woman yelled back at him.
Robert believes that a significant number of the calls he answers are not emergencies. The actual figure across the country is close to 75%.
Firstly, there are “silent calls”. The emergency number is dialed, but when an operator answers, no one actually speaks. Often it’s a small child or even a pet, who has been playing with a phone and has accidentally rung the emergency number. More commonly these days, they are pocket calls from mobile phones. “We sometimes hear some odd conversations!” Robert says. “But we have to listen to decide whether it’s a real emergency or not”.
Then there are “joke calls”, often from teenagers. An operator answers the phone and the caller immediately hangs up. Robert believes these are declining, as there are far fewer public payphones these days.” “People are less tempted to make a call when they’re doing it from their own mobile phone and they know we have their number!”
The police always follow up both types of call and there is often no other way than visiting the address where the call came from. It’s a huge waste of money; the average cost of responding a silent or joke call is around £250.
The vast majority of the non-emergency calls, though, are like those from the woman above.
A situation like this isn’t an emergency, at least not one that people like Robert are meant to be dealing with. But this example is far from the worst that people like Robert experience all over the world on a daily basis. What do you think of the following?
● A teenage girl in America called the police because her parents had decorated her room and she didn’t like the color.
● A mother in Italy rang the emergency services when her 16-year-old son refused to get out of bed.
● A Brazilian teenage boy rang and asked the police to remove a video of him from YouTube. In the video, the boy was falling of his bike. He told the police it was “really embarrassing”.
There are many other examples, from complaints about the wrong pizza delivery to people who want to know today’s date. And most of these are from adults. These calls waste more than time and money. “If someone makes a joke call and the police manage to find them, then they can expect a fine of up to £5,000 and, in some cases, a prison sentence, “warns Robert.” But for people whose emergencies aren’t really serious, we simply try to deal with their calls as quickly as possible,” he continues. “The person often quickly realizes their situation isn’t really an emergency and ends up apologizing for calling us. But if someone refuses to listen, then we have to hang up. Someone with a real emergency is probably waiting to speak to us.”
1.The beginning of the passage ________.
A.starts a story B.introduces the topic
C.lists questions D.raises an argument
2.What does the underlined word “declining” probably mean?
A.Losing importance. B.Turning worse.
C.Getting useless. D.Becoming less.
3.Why are there so many non-emergency calls?
A.Operators give excellent service.
B.Callers do not take any responsibilities.
C.Dealing with non-emergency calls costs little.
D.Many do not consider it an improper behavior.
4.Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
A.Who is to blame? B.Types of call
C.Is it an emergency? D.Emergency service
Is traffic a big problem where you live? Increased cycling may be the answer. Where are the best places to live and cycle? A new report lists the best bike-friendly cities around the world.
Top of the list is Amsterdam, the bike capital of the world. An incredible 40% of all traffic movements are by bicycle. There’s an extensive network of safe, fast and comfortable cycle routes. Copenhagen, the city of bikes, is a city where 32% of workers cycle to work because it’s fast and easy. Berlin is another European city that’s great for cycling. The city has about 80 kilometers of bike lanes, and 50 kilometers of pavement paths. Cycling accounts for 12% of total street traffic.
Barcelona has been praised for its cycle service “Bicing”. This was introduced in March 2007. It’s a bicycle service that allows users to take bicycles from any of the 100 stations spread around the city. Later, they can leave them at any other bike station inside the urban area of the city. The city has created a “green ring” that surrounds the city area of Barcelona with a bike path. There are 3,250 parking spaces for bikes at street level at present. Barcelona City is also building a new underground car park for bicycles.
The UK has its cycle-friendly cities too. Bristol is the birthplace of “Sustrans” —the cycle-route charity which was formed 30 years ago. One of their projects was turning an old rail line between Bristol and Bath into a bike route. Other bike-friendly cities in the UK include Cambridge and York Cambridge is an old city but has still managed to build good cycle infrastructure (基础设施), and cyclists are considered at every stage of any new developments.
Bicycle is a most popular means of transportation in China. Nowadays, riding a bicycle is also a good way to support low-carbon living. Beijing can be one of the best bike-friendly cities in China. There are many riding routes in Beijing for outdoor-lovers to explore. Cyclists can get close enough to experience the history and culture of Beijing, including the Forbidden City, Drum Tower, the Water Cube, the Bird’s Nest, Hutong etc.
1.In Amsterdam, traffic movements by bicycle account for
A.80% B.40%
C.32% D.12%
2.What do we know about “Bicing” in Barcelona?
A.There are 100 bike stations spread around the city.
B.Cyclists can leave their bikes anywhere in the city.
C.There were 3,250 parking spaces for bikes in 2007.
D.Underground bike parking stations are everywhere.
3.A rail line was changed to a bike route in________.
A.Beijing B.Cambridge
C.York D.Bristol
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.The history of cycling. B.The best cities for cycling.
C.The development of cycling. D.The rules for cycling.
How to survive in the jungle
When you’re in the jungle (丛林), you need to leave all your mobile phone, your favorite coffee and your chocolate bars at home. When you’re in the jungle, you need only four things—water, food, shelter, and fire. You can find all of these easily, but you must know what to look for.
Let’s start with water. Even though there’s a lot of water in the jungle, you may not find it Insects can also be a good sign, because they usually build their nests near water. However, don’t only look for rivers. You can also find water in some plants such as roots and palm trees.
You can usually find a lot of food in the jungle, but you must be happy to eat things you wouldn’t normally want to, for example, insects. However, you need to know the difference between those you can eat and those that are poisonous, so start reading about them now!
For cooking and for warmth, collect dry firewood, leaves, and grass. Then make fire using dry sticks-take a box of matches or a lighter with you!
The type of shelter you need depends on the weather and the kind of animals in the jungle. Some insects can be very dangerous, so protect yourself against bites .If you don’t have any insect repellent (驱虫剂), try putting mud on your skin.
Of course, if you’re lost in the jungle and want to get home again, the sun and stars can help you find your way.
1.If you adventure in the jungle, you should bring ________.
A.chocolate bars B.coffee
C.a mobile phone D.a box of matches
2.According to Paragraph 2, people go after insects and birds for ________.
A.food B.fire
C.water D.shelter
3.Which of the following is the writer’s advice?
A.Learning about what food is safe.
B.Protecting the skin from sunlight.
C.Predicting the weather by the sun and stars.
D.Collecting leaves to build a place to live in.
4.Where is the passage most probably from?
A.A business newspaper. B.A health guide.
C.A travel magazine. D.A science journal.
Sunshine High School
EcoCentral
This website is all about looking after the Earth. There are facts about different animals, as well as information about forests, deserts and oceans: You can upload your own videos onto the site for everyone to see.
TeenPress
This is one of the best sites on the web for teenagers who love writing. You can share your work with others, and there are message boards where you can chat about things that are important to you.
ChannelTwenty
On this site you can watch a daily news program and search for information about big news stories. There are also videos on different subjects, articles about famous bands, games and competitions.
Inside-the-cover
Finding out about your favorite writers is easy on this site. There are lots of interesting articles and information about the latest books. You can read blogs by well-known writers and post questions to them. And you are likely to get replies from them.
Tune-in
There are millions of songs on this website for you to download or listen to online. You can save your favorite songs in your own list. If you’re in a band, you can record your music and upload it. The website is large, but the menus are easy to use.
ScienceZone
There’s lots of information on this site about maths, chemistry and biology. You can visit some of the world’s most famous museums, or watch wildlife via webcams. There are also some very cool games, such as Save the Planet.
1.TeenPress is a website for teenagers who ________.
A.enjoy writing B.care about the Earth
C.like watching the news D.are interested in music
2.On Inside-the-cover, you can ________.
A.take writing classes B.share your articles
C.learn about the latest books D.answer the writers’ questions
3.If you like visiting online museums, which website is best for you?
A.EcoCentral. B.ScienceZone.
C.Tune-in. D.ChannelTwenty.
4.The author writes the passage to________.
A.introduce websites to teenagers
B.teach teenagers to design websites
C.encourage teenagers to create websites
D.compare different websites for teenagers
Tomorrow will be another day
On my way home from work every evening, there would be a homeless middle-aged man standing by the walkway. He was always ________ smiling, and sometimes almost dancing.
Every day after work I would remember to gather any spare ________, and put it aside. If l saw him I’d give him the coins. A feeling of ________ would come over me every time I saw him as he looked to feel joyful. Sometimes we would ask each other about our day. His ________ would be the same, “I’m fine. Have a bright day.”
I knew what his reply was going to be every time, ________ I would still ask. It ________ me of how lucky me that even in his situation of being homeless, he was so cheerful. He ________ me how lucky I was, a single mother of four kids, with a good job to provide for them.
Then one day I was called into my boss’s office and was told that I was ________ due to the weak economy (经济). A feeling of worry filled my mind immediately, and for the rest of that day all I could think about was “how am I going to ________ my family, and how am I going to pay rent?”
That day I was very sad and upset on my way home. I ________ forgot to prepare some coins for the homeless man as usual. As I waited for the red light to turn, he walked over with a big smile and asked, “How is everything going?” I told him I lost my job and felt really bad. “OK, I will ________ you a dollar today. Tomorrow will be another day,” said the man.
I was deeply ________ and burst into tears. I wanted to hug him! That day what the man handed me was more than a dollar bill. He taught me a ________ lesson. Whatever material things are taken from you, no one can take away your ________ to be joyful. Tomorrow will be a bright day and full of ________.
1.A.happy B.shy C.nervous D.careful
2.A.time B.food C.change D.water
3.A.pity B.pain C.anger D.joy
4.A.demand B.answer C.view D.reason
5.A.but B.for C.or D.so
6.A.satisfied B.frightened C.disappointed D.amazed
7.A.informed B.advised C.reminded D.warned
8.A.fired B.examined C.questioned D.invited
9.A.miss B.support C.trust D.check
10.A.still B.once C.even D.always
11.A.charge B.find C.show D.give
12.A.moved B.hurt C.lost D.relaxed
13.A.terrible B.valuable C.hard D.strange
14.A.cost B.secret C.stress D.choice
15.A.doubt B.regret C.hope D.praise
