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You have signed on for months of hard work．You're far from home．The pay is bad．The food is worse．You find rare comfort in the simple songs that you and your work mates sing．
This is what a sailor's life was like in the 1800s．The songs sung aboard ships were called sea shanties．You have probably heard a shanty or two yourself．Many of these songs have lasted through the years．They can often be found in surprising places today．
Sea Shanties Then ．．．
Sea shanties were valuable friends to sailors．Some shanties, such as "Blow the Man Down," had lively words and melodies．They broke up the boredom of long trips．Other shanties, including one called "Oh, Shenandoah," had a sadder tone．They helped seafarers express longing and loneliness．Still other shanties, such as "Leave Her, Johnny," let sailors complain about their hard lives．
But the first job of the sea shanty was to help the men work as a team．Ships had sails that were controlled by a system of moving ropes．For many jobs, all of the sailors had to pull on the ropes at once．
When faced with such a job, the shantyman, or song leader, began a tune．The crew joined in on the chorus, and it might have sounded like a playful sing-along．But when the sailors came to a certain beat, they knew it was the signal to pull together with all their might．
Raising or lowering the anchor called for a rhythm with a slow, steady motion．Then, the shantyman would choose a shanty with a slow, steady beat to match the job．Each duty on the sailing ship had its own rhythm and its own kind of song．
．．．and Sea Shanties Now
Sea shanties have been passed down to us in much the same way as folk stories．Long ago, someone came up with a memorable idea and melody．Others repeated the shanty, often adding changes along the way．
Over time, people saw the sea shanty for the treasure it was．Like any treasure, shanties were collected．Many were written down in books．
Where do the old shanties appear now? Today's musical artists love the fun, beauty, and history of these songs．Many musicians, including Bob Dylan and Harry Belafonte, have their own versions of "Oh, Shenandoah．" One group, the Robert Shaw Chorale, recorded a collection of shanties．
In Hollywood, shanties serve as a symbol of the sea．A fisherman sings the shanty "Spanish Ladies" in the film Jaws．The cartoon character Woody Woodpecker whistles "Blow the Man Down" when he finds himself aboard a pirate's ship．
Today, shanties tell us about shipboard life more than one hundred years ago．They help us understand what the working sailor sang and perhaps thought about．
So the next time you're doing a boring task, try making up a tune to go along with it．Time may pass more quickly, and your job may seem easier．Also, you may understand why sailors loved those old songs of the sea．
1.The main purpose of the sea shanty in the 1800s was________．
A．to communicate with passing ships
B．to help sailors work together as a team
C．to allow sailors to complain about the food
D．to give sailors an opportunity to record their music
2.Today, sea shanties are mainly used________．
A．to provide material for musical artists to record
B．to provide a source of music for Hollywood films
C．to help sailors work together aboard modem ships
D．to help people understand the lives of sailors of the past
3.The author uses two subheadings(小标题) within the article in order to_______．
A．compare sea shanties to modem sailing songs
B．describe how popular sea shanties are with musicians
C．compare how sea shanties have been used over the years
D．describe how sea shanties have influenced Hollywood films
4.Which of these topics would most probably be included in this article?
A．The work of sailors today．
B．The cost of sailing ships in the 1800s．
C．Other sailing duties that were made easier by sea shanties．
D．Some music studios where sea shanties are recorded today．
45．5.According to information in the article, a movie director today would most likely use a shanty________．
A．to make a scene about sailors more realistic
B．to give a musician a chance to record the song
C．to make the crew's daily chores pass more quickly
D．to express the loneliness of making a film away from home
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January 1 — January 31
You are charming and intelligent．You are actually quite ambitious．You like to go to parties and chat with your friends．On the other hand, you are friendly, but you are also a very private person．
February 1 — February 28
You are determined and hard working．You are born under the sign of loyalty and evenness （公平）．You like parties and enjoy a lot of friends．On the other hand, you are quite famous for your courage．You really like to explore and you are an adventurer．
March 1 — March 31
You are very loyal, independent, and open-minded．You are a born leader, and when you set a goal, you go to it．You adore challenges and competitions．You are most likely to be the one who calls out, "Let's go!" you are always in a circle of friends．You love animals．You are like a roller coaster．
April I—April 30
You are artistic, well-mannered, intelligent, and diplomatic．You are usually sweet and kind, of course．You are sometimes famous for your artistic sense and good taste．You love throwing grand parties．Vacations and routines are very important to you．You are also fairly popular．
Mayl — May 31
You are talented, sincere, and most of all, enthusiastic．You are the master of ceremonies． You shine in the crowd．When you walk into a room, heads turn, and you hear whispers and gasps．You have a strong will to defeat any challenge in your way．You have a hunger for fashion．
June 1 — June 30
You are very elegant, wise, and compassionate(有同情心的)．You are very attractive and people are attracted to you．Your friends rely on you for advice．You will be someone like Jacqueline Onassis．You are also very lucky in many ways．
Julyl — July 31
You are mostly agreeable, energetic, and popular．You like to try new things wherever you go．You know how to dress and you always look your best．You are talented and you love sports． You are always one step ahead of anyone else．You adore freedom and independence．
August 1 — August 31
You are empathetic, easygoing, and compliant．You can get along with almost everyone． Many people admire you for your talent and creativity．On the other hand, you are sensitive and compassionate．You always like to dream．You enjoy peace and quiet at night．
September 1 — September 30
You are individualistic, sociable, and very entertaining．You are capable of anything．You have an excellent memory．You like long, friendly conversations with your closest friends．You turn boring things into the life of the party．
October 1 — October 31
You are thoughtful, intelligent, and the class comedian．You are also very popular, and nice around friends．You love to save the best for last．You are amusing and very fun to be around with．You love to spend hours each day reading and studying for final exams, when the school year has just started．You almost never turn on your friends．
November 1 — November 30
You are unselfish, knowledgeable, and friendly．You are loyal to your friends and family． You can see the difference between right and wrong．You are very honest and you speak out when you feel something has gone wrong．You are the person who likes trendy clothes．
December 1 —December 31
You are smart, optimistic, and willing to help others．You are like a rare diamond．You are intentionally the nicest while you are with friends．You are also very affectionate．You are too good to be true．Your friends trust in you easily．You are also popular in the "Being Nice" way．
1.People born in the months of_______ are usually very fashionable．
A．May, July and November
B．May, July and October
C．July, October, and November
D．April, May and October
2.If you are born in March, the sentence "You are like a roller coaster" is probably linked with which of the following characteristics?
A．Being loyal．
B．Being open-minded．
C．Loving animals．
D．Adoring challenges and competitions．
3.Who is the combination of very different characteristics?
A．A person born during April 1 — April 30．
B．A person born during August 1 — August 31．
C．A person born during January 1 — January 31．
D．A person born during February 1 — February 31．
4.Which of the following is most likely to have the combination of very different characteristics?
A．July — having an excellent memory．
B．October — loving to save the best for last．
C．September — enjoying peace and quiet at night．
D．August @ being always one step ahead of anyone else．
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Ask anyone what is the most difficult part of changing their lifestyle habits and they are most likely to say, "Staying motivated．" But a 36-year-old professor from Carnegie Mellon University claims it may have the answer in the form of robot weight loss coach that dishes out daily health advice and encouragement．
Autom is the work of Intuitive Automata, a company based in Sha Tin which claims to be a pioneer in commercial socially-interactive robots．
The robot, which stands around 38 centimeters tall, has a head that swivels (旋转), blue eyes, and a touch screen which allows the user to input information daily about exercise and diet Its creators say Autom will have a daily conversation with its user lasting up to five minutes, giving feedback and encouragement．Over time, it will interact more with the user as it gathers more information about them．
Cory Krdd, a research team manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency claims research has shown that people find robots a more reliable source of information than on-screen-based character．
In a controlled study in Pittsburgh City Council, 15 dieters were given Autom for six weeks． Another 15 received a touch-screen computer with identical software and 15 were given a paper log．The study found, people using the robot are more likely to stick with their diets longer, in fact twice as long as those using just a paper log．
"While not one person among the computer or paper groups continued past six weeks, most who had Autom did not want to give her back at the conclusion of the study," he said．
The bottom line is that a robot creates a more powerful and long-lasting relationship with the user than a character on the screen．
Autom is expected to go on sale later this year in the United States for around $500．A robot which speaks and understands Cantonese and Mandarin in addition to English according to the demands is also being developed．
1.What's the passage mainly about?
A．The development of Autom．
B．The automated way to motivation．
C．The working principle of robots．
D．The way to change the lifestyle habits．
2.What can we know about the controlled study?
A．The study was led by Cory Kidd．
B．The subjects were divided by two．
C．Every person with Autom continued past six weeks．
D．People using Autom gain more benefits than other people．
3.Which is true about Autom according to the passage?
A．The price of this robot is very high．
B．It can communicate with people freely．
C．Autom can act as a coach to help lose weight．
D．These robots called Autom have been used widely．
4.Which institution is responsible for the development of Autom?
A．Intuitive Automata．
B．Pittsburgh City Council．
C．Carnegie Mellon University．
D．Federal Emergency Management Agency．
5.What can we infer from the passage?
A．The robot can help people change their lifestyle habits．
B．The robot can't speak English except Cantonese and Mandarin．
C．The robot that can speak many languages has been popular with the users．
D．The robot that can speak many languages meets the demand of the customers．
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I cheated on a unit test in math class this morning during second period with Mr Burke Afterward, I was too sick to eat lunch just thinking about it．
I came straight home from school, went to my room, and lay on the floor trying to decide whether it would be better to run away from home now or after supper．Mostly I wished I was dead It wasn't even an accident that I cheated．
Yesterday Mr．Burke announced there'd be a unit test and anyone who didn't pass would have to come to school on Saturday, most particularly me, since I didn't pass the last unit test I did plan to study just to prove to him that I'm plenty smart - which I am．mostly - except in math．
Anyway, I got my desk ready to study on．Just when I was ready to work, Nicho came into my room with our new rabbit and it jumped on my desk and knocked the flashcards all over the floor．What a mess! Nicho and I finally took the rabbit outside but then Philip came to my room and also Marty from next door and before long it was dinner．
After dinner my father said I could watch a special on television if I'd done all my homework．Of course I said I had．That was the beginning．I felt terrible telling my father a lie about the homework．
It was nine o'clock when I got up to my room and that was too late to study for the unit test so I lay in my bed with the light off and decided what I would do the next day when I was m Mr．Burke's math class not knowing the 8- and 9-times tables．
So, you see, the cheating was planned after all．
The next day, I'd go into class as usual, acting like things were going just great．I'd sit down next to Stanley Plummer - he is so smart in math it makes you sick - and from time to time, I'd glance over at his paper to copy the answers．Everything was okay except that my stomach was upside down and I wanted to die．
The fact is, I couldn't believe what I'd done ．in cold blood．I began to wonder about myself．I've never been a wonderful kid that everybody in the world loves．I have a bad temper and I like to have my own way and I argue a lot．Sometimes I can be mean．But most of the time I've thought of myself as a pretty decent kid．Mostly I work hard, I care for little kids, and I tell the truth．Now all of a sudden I've turned into this criminal．It's hard to believe I'm just a boy．And all because of one stupid math test．
Lying on the floor of my room, I begin to think that probably I've been bad all along．It just took this math test to clinch it．I'll probably never tell the truth again．
I tell my mother I'm sick when she calls me to come down for dinner．She doesn't believe me, but puts me to bed anyhow．1 lie there in the early winter darkness wondering what terrible thing I'll be doing next when my father comes in and sits down on my bed．
"What's the matter?" he asks．"I've got a stomachache," I say．Luckily, it's too dark to see his face．"Is that all?" "Yeah．" "Mommy says you've been in your room since school．" "I was sick there too," I say．"She thinks something happened today and you're upset．" That's the thing that really drives me crazy about my mother．She knows things sitting inside my head the same as if I was turned inside out．
"Well," my father says．I can tell he doesn't believe me．"My stomach is feeling sort of upset．" I hedge．"Okay," he says and he pats my leg and gets up．
Just as he shuts the door to my room I call out to him in a voice I don't even recognize as my own．"How come?" he calls back not surprised or anything．So I tell him I cheated on this math test．To tell the truth, I'm pretty much surprised at myself．I didn't plan to tell him anything．
He doesn't say anything at first and that just about kills me．I'd be fine if he'd spank me or something．And then he says I'll have to call Mr．Burke．It's not what I had in mind．"Now?" I ask surprised．"Now," he says．He turns on the light and pulls off my covers．"I'm not going to," I say．
But I do it．I call Mr．Burke, and I tell him exactly what happened, even that I decided to cheat the night before the test．He says I'll come on Saturday to take another test, which is okay with me, and I thank him a whole lot for being understanding and all．
"Today I thought I was turning into a criminal," I tell my father when he turns out my light．
Sometimes my father kisses me good night and sometimes he doesn't．I never know．But tonight he does．
1.After the author cheated on the math test, he felt________．
A．pleased that nobody knew it
B．excited that he had succeeded
C．frightened because he might be caught
D．unhappy because he had done something wrong
2.By saying "It wasn't even an accident that I cheated", the author means that_______．
A．he had planned not to study before the test
B．he had planned to cheat with Plummer before the test
C．he decided to cheat after he had wasted the whole evening
D．he decided to cheat when he knew there was going to be a test
3.Before the cheating, the author thought that_______．
A．he was a bad boy in everything
B．he always did what he was told
C．he was a boy that everyone loved
D．he was a decent child but not perfect
4.The author thinks his mother often drives him crazy because________．
A．she is very strict with him
B．she doesn't care for him actually
C．She always knows what he is thinking
D．she always tells him to look after himself
5.After he was informed of what he had done, the father________．
A．scolded the author severely
B．didn't say anything and left
C．called Mr．Burke immediately
D．let the author make a call to Mr．Burke
6.The author's father kissed the author good night because________．
A．he had done something unusual
B．he promised to study math harder
C．he was willing to take a make-up test
D．he realized his mistake and had the courage to admit it
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