Rock and roll music developed in the United States in the early nineteen-fifties. It was based on the music called rhythm and blues that was performed by African American musicians.
Early rock and roll singers developed their own kinds of music. Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan were the most popular rock and roll musicians in the early 1960’s. All were American. Then, in 1964, a new rock and roll group from England invaded America: the Beatles.
Some people say the Beatles’ music shook America like an earthquake. The Beatles changed rock and roll forever. Their early songs were influenced by American rock and roll musicians, including Chuck Berry. But the Beatles looked different and sounded different from any musical group before them.
The Beatles released their first album in the United States in 1964, when all of the top five records in America were by the Beatles. In 1967, they released an album called “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” It was one of the first “concept” albums. That is, all the songs were linked by a common story or idea.
The popularity of the Beatles led the way for more rock and roll bands from England to become popular in America. The Rolling Stones was the most important of these bands. The Rolling Stones is one of the few groups from the 1960’s that is still performing and recording today. In 1965, the group recorded one of its most famous songs, “Satisfaction”.
The musical instrument most linked to rock and roll is the guitar. Experts say Jimi Hendrix was one of the most influential guitar players in rock and roll during the late 1960’s. His “Purple Haze” was liked by many people.
By the 1970’s, rock and roll music became known as rock music. It expanded into many new forms. For example, there was country rock, hard rock, acid rock, and heavy metal rock. Punk rock, jazz rock, and glitter rock.
In the middle 1970’s, experts say rock music regained some of the energy of early rock and roll. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band became popular with their album “Born to Run”. Springsteen’s music was like the lively rock and roll music of the early nineteen-sixties. Many of his songs were about social issues. He sang about the effects of unemployment and the war in Vietnam.
1.The main topic of this passage is _______.
A. the history of American music
B. the famous rock and roll groups
C. the new forms of rock and roll music
D. the development of rock and roll music
2.Which of the following matches is NOT true?
A. the Beatles — Chuck Berry
B. the Rolling Stones — Satisfaction
C. Jimi Hendrix — Purple Haze
D. Bruce Springsteen — Born to Run
3.Whose songs were mainly about social problems like unemployment and war?
A. Elvis Presley’s. B. Bob Dylan’s.
C. Jimi Hendrix’s. D. Springsteen’s.
4.From the passage, we can know that _______.
A. one of the Rolling Stones’ albums was called “concept”
B. rock and roll music had many different forms at the beginning
C. rock and roll music probably came from African American music
D. the Beatles and the Rolling Stones became popular at the same time
Zoos have been around for centuries — and they’ve changed a lot over the years. In the Middle Ages, wealthy people kept animals in their gardens. Public animal parks appeared in European cities in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The Philadelphia Zoo, the first in the United States, opened in 1874.
Until a few decades (十年) ago, most zoos were organized by creatures — monkeys in one area, cats in another, birds somewhere else, just like museum collections. In recent years, zoos have instead begun grouping animals that would normally interact (互相作用) in the wild. Moreover, instead of closing animals behind bars, designers are creating landscapes like the environments in which these creatures would naturally be found. Nearby signs provide information about the animals and their habitats in parts of the world where they normally live.
The Denver Zoo’s new Predator Ridge exhibit, for example, aims to teach visitors about Africa. Eight acres of land provide homes for 14 animal species, including lions, porcupines, cranes, and wild dogs. Plants from the region grow alongside African-like landform. Ten-foot-tall mounds (土墩) give lions a place from which to survey their surroundings, just as they would do in the wild.
Landscape design makes visitors to the Denver Zoo’s Predator Ridge exhibit feel like they’re really in Africa.
Animals in Predator Ridge can’t actually be mixed with one another, for safety reasons. But hidden deep channels and other smart features allow visitors to see all the animals at once. Different species can see each other too.
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Protection of zoo animals.
B. Changes of zoos over the time.
C. The safety problem of zoos.
D. The living habits of zoo animals.
2.In the Denver Zoo ten-foot-tall mounds are built to _____.
A. protect the safety of visitors
B. separate lions from other animals
C. create a natural environment for lions
D. offer visitors a better view of lions
3.The underlined part “the region” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to _____.
A. Africa B. the Predator Ridge exhibit
C. the Denver Zoo D. the ten-foot-tall mounds
4.We can learn from the passage that _____.
A. the earliest zoos were probably rich people’s gardens
B. the Philadelphia Zoo is the first zoo in the world
C. the new Predator Ridge exhibit is held in Africa
D. more animals will be kept in zoos in the future
The first ancient Olympic Games for which we still have written records were held in 776 BC. Coroebus won the only event at the Olympics. This made him the first Olympic champion in history. Then the Olympic Games developed and continued to be held every four years. In 393 AD, the Roman Emperor Theodosius I, a Christian, put a stop to the Games.
In 1892, a young Frenchman named Pierre de Coubertin suggested starting the Olympic Games again but failed. Two years later, Coubertin organized a meeting with 79 people representing nine countries. At this meeting he got what he wanted. All the delegates at the meeting voted for the Olympic Games. They also decided to have Coubertin found an international committee (委员会) to organize the Games. This committee became the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Demetrious Vikelas from Greece was chosen to be its first president. Athens was chosen for the revival (复兴) of the Olympic Games and the planning began.
The first modern Olympic Games opened in the first week of April, 1896. Since the Greek government didn’t have enough money to build a stadium, a wealthy Greek man, Georgios Averoff, donated over $100,000 to repair the Panathenaic Stadium built in 330 BC.Since the Games were not well publicized (宣传) internationally, athletes were not nationally chosen but rather came by themselves. Some athletes were tourists who happened to be in the area during the Games.
1.What can we know about the first Olympic Games?
A. There was only one event in it.
B. It opened in the first week of April 1896.
C. Coroebus was the first man to take part in it.
D. It was stopped by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I.
2.Coubertin made his dream come true in ________.
A. 776 B. 1892 C. 1894 D. 1896
3.Which of the following is the right order according to the passage?
a. Coubertin first brought forward his idea to start the Olympic Games.
b. Demetrious from Greece was selected as the first president of IOC.
c. Coroebus became the first Olympic champion.
d. Georgios donated money to repair the Panathenaic Stadium.
A. acdb B. cabd C. bdac D. dcba
4.The best title for the passage would be ________.
A. The History of the Olympics
B. How Coubertin Set up IOC
C. The First Modern Olympic Games
D. Great Changes in Olympic Games
Yinxu (Ruins of Yin) is the ruins of the last capital of China’s Shang Dynasty (1600 BC - 1046 BC). The capital served 255 years for 12 kings. It shows the golden age of early Chinese culture, crafts and science, a time of great prosperity (繁荣) during the Chinese Bronze Age (青铜时代).
Discovered in 1899, Yinxu is one of the oldest and largest archeological sites (考古遗址) in China and is one of the historical capitals of China and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It lies in central Henan Province, near the modern city of Anyang, and is open to the public as the Garden Museum of Yinxu. It is famous as the source of oracle bone script (甲骨文), the earliest recorded form of Chinese writing. The oracle bone script has recorded almost everything from dream-explaining to events such as harvests, birth of a child, the weather and the success of military campaigns.
Over 3,000 tombs, 2,200 pits, and 200 houses have been dug out at Yinxu. The large number of burial accessories found there shows the high level of the Shang crafts industry.
The site includes a main palace and an ancient tomb. Besides, there are a number of large buildings, at least 53 of which have been dug out.
Yinxu has seen many years of research, first researched by the Academia Sinica in the late 1920s to the early 1930s and most recently by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
1.During which period may Yin have been the capital of Shang Dynasty?
A. 1600 BC - 1500 BC B. 1500 BC - 1200 BC
C. 1200 BC - 1050 BC D. 1050 BC - 850 BC
2.From the passage, we can know that Yinxu _______.
A. was discovered in the 1920s
B. can be visited by the public
C. now proved the failure of the Shang Dynasty
D. was the last capital of China’s Shang Dynasty
3.We can infer from the passage that ________.
A. there are 200 houses in Yinxu
B. many things are still to be dug out
C. Anyang is a city of the Shang Dynasty
D. no research has been carried out on Yinxu
Having said good-bye to his parents, Alvin, with his wife and one-year-old son, set off back home. Still , Alvin and Clare talked and laughed happily. And even little Alex from time to time. The family were their trip.
But about three hours later things began to . It was starting to snow. Alvin up the car, hoping to arrive home before dark. But it was too dangerous to drive fast now, because it was snowing more and more heavily. So Alvin had to down. The snow on the was getting deeper and deeper until it was hard to on it. Their car slipped (滑落) off the way and got stuck in the deep snow and the engine to start again.
“The snow doesn’t seem to . Shall we stay in the car waiting to be frozen to death or walk ahead through the snow?” Alvin asked. Clare said she to walk. So they got out of the car with their son and began walking. But was to come. Soon they lost their way and had to walk on and on.
Night came. They were not afraid of the dark. But they that poor Alex would die of cold. However, their faith to keep Alex filled them with courage, warmth and strength. They __ and rested in turn and then continued their walk. They had falls but each time true love encouraged them to rise to their feet again.
One, two, three … seven days passed. On the eighth day, help at last from Alvin’s , the police and local people. But the young had to have their feet cut off because of the bad frostbite (冻伤). , there was nothing serious wrong with little Alex!
1.A. worried B. sorry C. excited D. anxious
2.A. cried B. laughed C. smiled D. coughed
3.A. enjoying B. having C. taking D. starting
4.A. happen B. change C. come D. finish
5.A. climbed B. turned C. took D. sped
6.A. get B. look C. go D. slow
7.A. land B. highway C. fields D. car
8.A. walk B. stay C. wait D. depend
9.A. set B. allowed C. refused D. prepared
10.A. end B. fall C. continue D. melt (融化)
11.A. liked B. preferred C. decided D. wished
12.A. better B. something C. worse D. nothing
13.A. aimlessly B. lonely C. hopelessly D. pleasantly
14.A. thought B. feared C. wanted D. supposed
15.A. happy B. silent C. alive D. dead
16.A. ate B. worked C. watched D. slept
17.A. few B. several C. countless D. some
18.A. parents B. friends C. teachers D. neighbours
19.A. husband B. wife C. baby D. couple
20.A. Then B. Finally C. Fortunately D. Therefore
--- Can you help me search for some information from your computer?
--- _______, but I must finish my homework first.
A. I’d love to B. I’m afraid not C. Certainly not D. Never mind
