Concern with money, and then more money,...

1685 was a very good year for German composers. Within the space of a month, two of the greatest were born: Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.

Handel’s father was a barber and surgeon, which sounds like a strange combination today, but back then those occupations went hand in hand. Even though Handel was very interested in music, his father didn’t think that was a good way to earn a living, so he wanted his son to be a lawyer. The story goes that Handel smuggled a quiet piano into the house so that he could practice in secret.

One day, Handel went along when his father went to shave a duke. While his father was working, Handel sat down and played the duke’s organ. The duke was so impressed that he convinced Handel’s father to let his son study music, and Handel finally got to learn how to compose.

Handel soon discovered that what he liked most was opera. In fact, he was so passionate about opera that he even fought a duel (决斗) over it with one of his friends. Since Italy was the place to learn about opera composing, Handel went off to Italy to study. When he got home, he got a job as court composer for a German prince.

Having landed such a wonderful job, Handel immediately asked his boss for time off. He wanted to go to England, where he’d heard that there weren’t nearly enough composers to satisfy the British taste for Italian opera.

After great success writing opera in London, Handel came back to Germany. Then fate played a funny trick on Handel and his boss. The Queen of England died, and it just so happened that the prince Handel worked for was next in line to the British throne. When he arrived in London as King George, followed Handel, his court composer in Germany.

In addition to serving the King, Handel became one of the most successful opera composers of his time. And he also produced them and traveled all over Europe to hire the best singers. There are stories of battles with rival opera producers and of fights between rival singers. Handel apparently had quite a temper.

If you ever go to London, look for Handel’s grave in Westminster Abbey, where there’s a wonderful monument to him.

1.How did Handel begin to learn to compose?

2.What does the underlined word “smuggled” mean in the passage?

3. Why did Handel later settle down in Britain instead of Germany?

4.Which of the following words can NOT be used to describe Handel, as shown in the passage?

5. Which of the following statements is WRONG according to the passage?

John was presented with his award at a ceremony which recognized the bravery of ten people 16   had saved the life of another. John was studying in the room     17   he heard screaming. When he and his father rushed outside, a man ran from   18   scene. They discovered that Anne Slade, mother of three, had been cut    19    (repeat) with a knife. She was lying in her front garden    20    (bleed) very heavily. Her hands had almost been cut     21   .

It was John’s quick action and knowledge that saved Ms Slade’s life. He immediately asked many people    22   bandages, but when nobody could put    23    hands on any, his father got some tea towels and tape from their house. John used these to dress the most severe injuries to Ms Slade’s hands. He slowed the bleeding by applying pressure to the wounds    24   the police and the ambulance arrived.

“I’m proud of what I did, but I was just doing what I    25    (teach),” John said.

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had    1    a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and    2   his father could well    3   it, he told him that was all he wanted.

On the morning of his graduation day his father called him into his own study and told him how    4   he was to have such a fine son. He handed his son a beautiful gift box.   5    but slightly disappointed, the young man    6    the box and found a lovely book.     7   , he raised his voice at his father and said, “with all your money you give me a book?” And rushed out of the house,    8    the book in the study.

He did not contact his father for a whole year until one day he saw in the street an old man who looked like his father, he     9    he had to go back home and see his father.

When he arrived at his father’s house, he was told that his father had been in hospital for a week. The moment he was about to     10    the hospital, he saw on the desk the still new book, just as he had left it one year ago. He opened it and began to     11    the pages. Suddenly, a car key     12    from an envelope taped behind the book. It had a tag(标签) with the dealer’s name, the     13    dealer who had the sports car he had    14   . On the tag was the date of his graduation and the     15    PAID IN FULL.

12..

13..

假设你是高三学生李华，你的笔友Tony在最近一次考试中失利，他写信向你求助，请从以下几个方面写一封回信，给他一些建议。内容要点如下：

    1． 保持乐观心态，自信应对挑战；

    2． 调整学习方法，制定合理的学习计划；

    3． ……

注意：

    1． 词数100左右;

    2． 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

    3． 信件开头和结尾已为你写好。

Dear Tony,

    Sorry to hear that you failed in the last exam． I hope my advice can cheer you up．

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

                                            Li Hua

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作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅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（），并在其下面写出该加的词。

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。

Three years ago, I became a student in an ordinary school． Disappointing as I felt at the shabby campus and the poorly-equipped classroom, I find the teachers patient and considerate． However, I enjoyed the friendly atmosphere in class． I decided to make the best for it． I worked hardly and got along well with teachers and classmates． Whenever I had difficulties, they were always available． Soon, I became one of the top student in my class, what greatly increased my confidence and I got more motivated．

My experience tells me that it is not what you are given but that how you use it that determine who you are．