For some people, music is no fun at all. About 4% of the population is what scientists call “amusic”. People who are amusic are born without the ability to enjoy musical notes. Amusic people often cannot tell the differences between two songs.
As a result, songs sound like noise to an amusic. Many amuics compare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other. Life can be hard for amusics. In fact, most people cannot understand what it feel like being amusic. Just going to a restaurant or a shopping center can be uncomfortable or even painful. That is why many amusics have to stay away from places where there is music. However, this can result in social loneliness. “I used to hate parties,” says Margaret, a seventy-year-old woman who only recently discovered that she was amusic. By studying people like Margaret, scientists are finally learning how to identify(辨别) this unusual condition.
Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different for those of people who can enjoy music. The difference is complex(复杂的), and it is not connected with poor hearing. Amusics can understand other non-musical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding common speech. Scientists compare amusics to people who just can’t see certain colors.
Many amusics are happy when their condition is finally diagnosed(诊断). For years, Margaret felt embarrassed about her music problem. Now she knows that she is not alone. That makes it easier for her to explain. “When people invite me to a concert, I just say ”No, thanks. I’m amusic.’” says Margret. “ I just wish I had learned to say that when I was seventeen and not seventy.”
1.Amusics are the people who _________.
A. like music B. are born unable to enjoy music
C. don’t like music D. have poor listening
2.Life is hard for amusics mainly because _________.
A. music seems noise for them.
B. amusics hate parties, restaurants or shopping center.
C. amusics try to stay at places full of music
D. people don’t understand amusics
3.In the last paragraph, Margaret expressed her wish that ________.
A. her problem with music had been diagnosed earlier
B. she were seventeen years old rather than seventy
C. her problem could be easily explained
D. she were able to meet other amusics
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Some people’s inability to enjoy music.
B. Musical ability.
C. Amusics’ strange behaviors.
D. Identification and treatment of amusic.
Early one morning, more than a hundred years ago, an American inventor called Elias Howe finally fell asleep. He had been working all night on the design of a sewing machine but he had run into a very difficult problem: It seemed impossible to get the thread to run around the needle without any problems.
Though he was tired, Howe slept badly. He turned and turned. Then he had a dream. He dreamt that he had been caught by terrible savages whose king wanted to kill him and eat him unless he could build a perfect sewing machine. When he tried to do so, Howe ran into the same problem as before. The thread kept getting caught around the needle. The king flew into the cage and ordered his soldiers to kill Howe. They came up towards him with their spears raised. But suddenly the inventor noticed something. There was a hole in the tip of each spear. The inventor awoke from the dream, realizing that he had just found the answer to the problem. Instead of trying to get the thread to run around the needle, he should make it run through a small hole in the center of the needle. This was the simple idea that finally made Howe design and build the first really practised sewing machine.
Elias Howe was not the only one in finding the answer to his problem in this way. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light, said his best ideas came into him in dreams. So did the great physicist Albert Einstein. Charlotte Bronte also drew in her dreams in writing Jane Eyre.
To know the value of dreams, you have to understand what happens when you are asleep. Even then, a part of your mind is still working. This unconscious(无意识的), but still active part understands your experiences and goes to work on the problems you have had during the day. It stores all sorts of information that you may have forgotten or never have really noticed. It is only when you fall asleep that this part of the brain can send messages to the part you use when you are awake. However, the unconscious part acts in a special way. It uses strange images which the conscious part may not understand at first. This is why dreams are sometimes called “secret messages to ourselves”.
1.The problem Howe was trying to solve was________.
A. what kind of thread to use
B. how to design a needle which would not break
C. where to put the needle
D. how to stop the thread from getting caught around the needle
2.Thomas Edison is spoken of because________.
A. he also tried to invent a sewing machine
B. he got some of his ideas from dreams
C. he was one of Howe’s best friends
D. he also had difficulty in falling asleep
3.Dreams are sometimes called “secret messages to ourselves” because ________.
A. strange images are used to communicate ideas
B. images which have no meaning are used
C. we can never understand the real meaning
D. only specially trained people can understand them
It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The streams were long gone back into the earth. If we didn't see some rain soon we would lose everything.
I was in the kitchen making lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He was obviously walking with a great effort... trying to be as still as possible. Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house.
Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow purposeful long step toward the woods. This activity went on for over an hour: walking very carefully to the woods, then running back to the house. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me. I quietly walked out of the house and followed him on his journey.
He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked; being very careful not to spill(洒出) the water he held in them. Branches and thorns slapped his little face but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much greater purpose. As I looked at him secretly, I saw the most amazing site.
Several large deer appeared threatening in front of him. But Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away. And I saw a baby deer lying on the ground, obviously suffering from heavy loss of water and heat exhaustion, lift its head with great effort to lap up the water cupped in my beautiful boy's hand.
I stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known working so hard to save a life. As the tears that rolled down my face began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops... and more drops... and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, Himself, was crying with pride.
1.Why did the author follow her son?
A. Because there might be danger.
B. Because her son was doing a good deed.
C. Because she intended to help.
D. Because she was curious.
2.Which of the following statements is Not True according to the passage?
A. Rain was in great need.
B. Billy carried water with his small hands.
C. There were few trees in the woods.
D. Billy walked into the woods and then returned over and over again.
3.Which is the correct order of the development of the story?
① The author was moved to tears.
② Billy fed the water to the baby deer.
③ Billy walked towards the large deer.
④ It began to rain.
⑤ The author followed Billy into the woods.
A. ③②⑤①④ B. ⑤③②①④
C. ④①③②⑤ D. ⑤②①③④
4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. The water of life B. Importance of water
C. How to save animals D. Animals in danger
Every year thousands of people get hurt or die when they are crossing the road. Most of these people are old people and children. Old people often get hurt or die because they can’t see or hear very well. Children usually meet with accidents because of their carelessness. They forgot to look and listen before they cross the road.
How can we lessen(减少) traffic accidents? All of us must obey the traffic rules. For the drivers, they shouldn’t drive too fast. If they drive too fast, it will be very difficult to stop the cars in a very short time. For the pedestrians(行人), it’s very important to be careful when they are walking on the road. Therefore, when we walk across the road, we must try to walk along the pavements. We must stop and look both ways before crossing the road. Look left first, next look right, then look left again. Only when we are sure that the road is clear, we can cross it. The right way to cross the road is to walk quickly. It’s not safe to run. If people run across the road, they may fall down. Teens should try to help children, old people or blind people to cross the road, and never play in the street.
1.Which of the following is NOT the right way to cross the road?
A. Stop and look both ways. B. Walk quickly.
C. Make sure that the road is clear D. Run quickly.
2.Why do most old people often get hurt or die when they are crossing the road?
A. Because they are not careful.
B. Because they forget to look and listen.
C. Because they can’t see or hear very well.
D. Because they often run across the road.
3.The best title for this article may be .
A. How to cross the road? B. How to lessen traffic accidents?
C. Please obey the traffic rules. D. Meeting with traffic accidents.
4.As a student, you can to try to lessen traffic accidents.
A. let drivers drive slowly B. play in the street carefully
C. run across the road quickly D. help children to cross the road
下面的柱状图(bar chart)显示了你校上周针对“用电脑，手机和纸媒学习”的调查结果。请你用英语给21st Century报社写一篇短文，报道你校的调查结果，并对此结果发表你的看法。 注意：词数100左右。
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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处错误，每句中最多有两处，错误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：在错的词下画一横线，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。
Nowadays, there are a lot of films and TV plays that are adapted to popular novels or classical work. Some people think better to read the original, while others are against it.
I think reading the original is too much better than watching its film or TV version because I can experience more after reading the original. Just as a famous saying go, there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people’s eye. Different people have different feelings about the book or a certain role. But in the film or TV version, though we can get a main idea more direct, we may miss some wonderful, even important plots. And we are easily misled by the actors or actresses, so they act according to their understand of the book.
In a word, I think reading the original is much better than watching its film or TV version.
