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George Gershwin, born in 1898, was one of America’s greatest composers. He published his first song when he was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs.
Many of Gershwin’s songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way — from jazz to country.
In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him world-famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular.
In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition (作曲)with the well-known musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style. While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics (评论家)were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was silly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It still remains one of his most famous works.
George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirty-nine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written.
1.Many of Gershwin’s musical works were ________ .
A. composed for Paul Whiteman
B. performed in various ways
C. played mainly in the countryside
D. written about New Yorkers
2.What do we know about the concert organized by Whiteman?
A. It attracted more people to theatres.
B. It made Gershwin leader of the orchestra.
C. It caused a debate among jazz musicians.
D. It proved jazz could be serious music.
3.What did Gershwin do during his stay in Paris?
A. He argued with French critics.
B. He studied with Nadia Boulanger.
C. He changed his music style.
D. He created one of his best works.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. Many of Gershwin’s works were lost.
B. Brain cancer research started after Gershwin’s death.
C. A concert was held in memory of Gershwin.
D. The death of Gershwin was widely reported.
5.Which of the following best describes Gershwin?
A. Serious and boring B. Talented and productive
C. Popular and unhappy D. Friendly and honest
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Mark felt that it was time for him to take part in his community activities, so he went to the neighborhood meeting after work. The city councilman(议员) was leading a discussion about the decreasing life quality. The neighborhood faced many problems.
Mark looked at the charts taped to the walls. There are charts for crime, parking problems, and for problems in vacant(空置的)buildings. People were supposed to suggest solutions to the councilman.
It was too much for Mark. “The problems are too big,” he thought. He turned to the man next to him and said, “I think this is a waste of my time. Nothing I could do would make a difference here.”
Mark thought some more on his way to the bus stop. “People should just take care of themselves,” he decided. “That’s enough to do. I can’t take on all the problems of the world.”
As he neared the bus stop, Mark saw a woman carrying a grocery bag and a baby. She was trying to unlock her car, but she didn’t have a free hand. As Mark got closer, her other child, a little boy, suddenly darted into the street. The woman tried to reach for him, but as she moved, her bag shifted and groceries started to fall out. Mark ran to take the boy’s arm and led him back to his mother. Then he picked up the groceries while the woman smiled in relief. “Thanks!” she said. “You have got great timing!”
“Just being neighborly,” Mark said. As he rode home, he glanced at the walls of the bus. On one of them was “Small acts of kindness add up.” Mark smiled and thought, “ Maybe that’s a good place to start.”
1.We learn from the passage that_____.
A. Mark always played an active part in community activities
B. the city councilman was responsible for the decreasing of life quality
C. the seriousness of problems is made known to people in the community
D. many people were discouraged by the many problems facing them
2.The underlined word “darted” in Paragraph 5 means______.
A. walked B. looked C. fell D. ran
3.The words on the bus wall imply that______.
A. if you are kind to others, you will be treated the same way
B. everyone can play his own part to make things better
C. all small acts will add up to kindness
D. it is a small act to help a person in need
4.This passage mainly wants to tell us______.
A. how each of us can help make a difference
B. how a neighborhood meeting can solve its problems
C. how citizens react to the problems they face
D. how problems are solved through group action
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Facing fear is one of the most important things you can do. Some people have a fear of failure and others a fear of success. It may seem strange but neither one is a good fear. You might think the fear of failure could be a good thing but it’s not, particularly if the fear of failure keeps you from accomplishing anything.
For myself, I have a huge fear of failure but I am good at facing that fear and overcoming it. I don’t let my fear of failure cause me to delay(延误) my decision or get me off the track. I use the fear to make sure I’m doing my absolute best at all times because I know if I don’t do my best I will fail. That frightens me. I’m not afraid of trying at all.
I started a business when I was married to my first wife. The business became successful and I was getting ready to make some huge money. However, my wife just wanted us to stay small because she was comfortable there. She feared what success might bring and did every little thing she could to make sure we didn’t grow any bigger. I’m sure you can see the problem. I had a fear of failure and she had an even bigger fear of success. Finally I couldn’t stand any more of her fear and we got a divorce.
Facing fear and overcoming fear is very important. People even have a fear of fear. I’m sure that it is normal. People fear change more than anything else and fight that change with fear. They fear what they don’t know or understand. They fear anything new to them. But we need to keep in mind that the world is changing all the time and that change is inevitable (不可避免的). You can live a life free of fear by learning to face your fears.
1.From the first paragraph, we can learn that the fear of failure________.
A. is better than the fear of success
B. is a good thing to most of us
C. is more common than the fear of success
D. may stop us from getting successful
2. It can be inferred that when the writer’s small business became successful, _____.
A. he feared to grow bigger
B. he feared to lose his money
C. something went wrong with their marriage
D. he was as comfortable as his wife
3.What’s the writer’s purpose of telling his own experience with his first wife?
A. To explain two kinds of fears.
B. To tell his problem in his early career.
C. To explain the bad effects of different fears.
D. To show the fear of failure is a good thing.
4.People who have a fear of fear___________.
A. often fail to understand something new to them
B. just want to live an unchangeable life
C. believe that change is inevitable
D. fear that they can’t change
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Teenagers at one German school are learning how to achieve happiness alongside subjects like maths and languages.
The class sit in a circle with their eyes shut and count from one to ten: one begins, the next voice comes from the far right, a third from the other side. The aim is to listen for an opportunity to shout the number without clashing(冲突) with another voice or leaving a pause. On the first try, most of the young Germans try to be first, while a few are too shy to join in. But by the fifth round, they develop a rhythm.
The message: giving other people space but also confidently claiming your own space is a requirement for social well-being.
While the game suggests a soft course for the less bright, the school says it is trying to make it affect even clever pupils. The Willy Hellpach School is the first in the nation to develop a happiness course, intended for 17-19-year-olds preparing for university-entrance exams. “The course isn’t there to make you happy,” Ernst Fritz-Schubert, the school principal, warned the pupils who were taking the course, “but rather to help you discover the ways to become happy.” Cooking a meal together will be one of the class exercises, along with improving body language under the guidance of two professional actresses.
“In the first period, we had to each say something positive about another member of the class and about ourselves. No laughing at people or teasing,” said Fanny, 17.
The message: self-esteem(自尊) improves happiness too.
The course is taught for three periods a week and will be graded as a part of overall assessment. Despite the happy subject, the pupils themselves insist it is no laughing matter. Max, 18, says he is happy when he finds people who share his interests. Janina, 18, says she needs to be fit to feel happy.
“We want to show how proper food or exercise can help in becoming happy,” the principal said. He hopes other schools in Germany will copy the idea. The school has attracted national interest since it announced its new course.
1.What would be the best title of this passage?
A. Basic Things for Happiness.
B. Tips to Be Happy.
C. Learning How to Be Happy.
D. Laughing a Lot at School.
2.Why is the happiness course compared with maths and languages?
A. It has been developed as a school subject.
B. It is more important than traditional courses.
C. It is part of the research.
D. It arouses the students’ interest.
3.Who are expected to take the course at the school?
A. First year students.
B. All the students.
C. Students with mental problems.
D. Students who are going to graduate.
4.Which of the following is NOT true about the happiness classes?
A. Students learn through playing games.
B. Cooking a meal together is a class activity.
C. Students are only made to be happy.
D. Students say positive things about each other.
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FIVE Americans swept the three Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology (生理学) or Medicine last week. It was the first American sweep of the Nobel science prizes since 1983.
It’s rare for Americans not to receive any of the science prizes, especially in recent years. In 2004, seven Americans were among the 10 laureates (获奖者) for the science prizes. Last year, the figure was five out of 10.
The huge sums of money invested in scientific research is one factor that has helped many Americans to win awards. Another reason is the vast number of researchers working in the US. American universities also often have a more “creative university environment”where people can focus on research for a long period without any pressure, said Anders Liljas, member of the Nobel Committee.
New hope for AIDS patients?
AMERICAN scientists Craig Mello (top) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Andrew Fire (above) of Stanford University School of Medicine won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine last Monday. Their discovery is a process that researchers hope to use to silence disease-causing genes (基因). It offers new ways for disease treatment.
Scientists now hope to develop a new technique that could be used to treat diseases, such as cancers, AIDS and Parkinson’s disease.
Like father, like son?
AS the son of a Nobel Prize winning professor, Roger D. Kornberg (left) had a lot to live up to. But, nearly half a century after his father, won his award, Kornberg, 59, a Stanford University professor, won his own last Wednesday: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His research into how cells read their genes is very important. It could help lead to the development of new drugs to fight cancer (癌症), heart disease and other illnesses, experts said.
First light of the universe
TWO Americans won the Nobel Prize in Physics last Tuesday for measuring the oldest light in the heavens. It is considered as “one of the greatest discoveries of the century”. It convinced (使确信) scientists that the Big Bang theory (大爆炸理论) of the universe’s origin is correct. George F. Smoot (top), 61, of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, and John C. Mather (above), 60, of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre, will share the US$1.4 million prize for their work. Beginning in 1989, they measured weak light that originated (源于) as early as 380,000 years after the Big Bang.
1.What does the underlined word “swept” in Paragraph 1 mean ?
A. cleaned by brushing B. crossed completely
C. spread quickly D. took each of the winning
2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Craig Mello and Andrew Fire have found the way to cure cancers, AIDS and Parkinson’s disease.
B. Roger D. Kornberg’s father once won a Nobel Prize.
C. George F. Smoot will get US$1.4 million prize for his work.
D. Roger D. Kornberg is the youngest of the Nobel Prize owners of this time.
3.The passage is probably taken from________.
A. a science report B. a news report
C. a history lecture D. an advertisement
