In the summer holiday following my eighteen birthday, I took driving lessons. I still remember how hard first day was. Before getting into the car, I thought I had learned the instructor’s orders, so once I started the car, my mind goes blank, I forgot what he had said to me altogether. The instructor kept repeating the word, “Speed up!” “Slow down!” “Turning left!” I was so much nervous that I could hardly tell which direction was left. A few minutes late, the instructor asked me to stop the car. It was a relief and I came to a suddenly stop just in the middle on the road.
It was August 2nd, 1927. The news had spread fast. A man named Ralph Peer was coming to the city of Bristol. He wanted to make recordings of local people singing and playing musical instruments. And he said he would pay fifty dollars for each song recorded. That was a lot of money in those days. Many people came to Bristol that day to play for Mr. Peer. But one group seemed to have just the sound that he was looking for. They were a man named A .P. Carter, his wife Sara, and her cousin Maybelle. They called themselves the Carter Family.
Their first recordings were sent to radio stations throughout the United States. Many listeners were surprised at what they heard. Instead of classical or jazz songs that radio stations usually played, a new sound was born. The Carter Family sounded different. They did not sound as if they had taken music lessons. But it did not matter. The people in poor rural areas thought they sounded just like their neighbors.
The Carters sang songs about living in the mountains of Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. They sang about the love of a young man for a special girl. They sang about the beauty of nature. They sang about death and sadness. And they sang religious songs that told of the hope for a better life after death.
A .P. Carter sang in the group and also searched for new songs. He often traveled long distances to small towns in the south-eastern United States. He wanted to hear the songs that local people sang in their communities. He wrote down the words but kept the music in his memory. When he returned home, he helped Sara and Maybelle fit them to the Carter Family musical style.
The Carter Family soon became famous. They recorded more songs. They traveled to many cities and towns in the eastern United States to perform. Thousands of people heard them sing and bought their recordings. Some people estimate that within three years, the Carter Family sold three hundred thousand recordings.
1.When Mr. Peer heard the Carter Family’s singing, he most probably felt _________.
A. disappointed B. calm
C. confused D. excited
2.Many listeners were surprised when they heard the Carter Family’s songs because _________.
A. the family did not seem to be good at singing
B. what the family sang sounded uncomfortable
C. the family sang classical and jazz songs in a very different way
D. the family sang something that they had never heard before
3.What was A.P.Carter’s purpose in traveling to small towns in the south-eastern United States?
A. To ask for some advice on his music.
B. To collect songs sung by the local people there.
C. To introduce his music to the local people there.
D. To see if the local people there had heard his music.
4.What does the last paragraph suggest?
A. The Carter Family’s songs were different.
B. The Carter Family’s songs were well received.
C. The Carter Family became famous by accident.
D. The Carter Family became good at singing later.
Global Positioning Systems are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellitebased systems provide turnbyturn directions to help people get to where they want to go. But, they can also cause a lot of problems, send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. ＂Most often＂, says Barry Brown, an expert in humancomputer interaction, ＂it is a combination of the two＂.
We spoke to Mr Brown by Skype (网络电话软件). He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPSequipped car to use during his stay. Barry Brown, ＂And they just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination. And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in. So again, the GPS is kind of ‘garbage in garbage out’＂.
Mr Brown says this is a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment. Barry Brown, ＂One problem with a lot of the GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn. Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it's going to the wrong place.＂
Barry Brown once worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called ＂The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS＂. It lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues related to when GPS commands are given.
Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.
1.In Paragraph 2, Mr Brown mentioned his friend in the conversation to _____________.
A. build up his own reputation
B. laugh at his stupid friend
C. prove the GPS system is only garbage
D. describe an example of human error
2.Which of the following statements would Barry Brown most likely agree with?
A. GPS units are to blame for most GPS service failures.
B. We should introduce higher standards for the driving licence.
C. Cameras are urgently needed to help improve GPS systems.
D. Drivers, GPS systems and passengers should unit to improve GPS systems.
3.What is Mr Brown’s attitude towards GPS?
A. Unconcerned. B. Subjective.
C. Objective. D. Critical.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. Driving with GPS can be difficult
B. Driving confusions can be caused by small screens
C. Driving without GPS should be much more convenient
D. GPS equipment in driving: to be deserted or improved?
Minutes after the last movie ended yesterday at the Plaza Theater, employees were busy sweeping up popcorns and gathering coke cups. It was a scene that had been repeated many times in the theater’s 75-year history. This time, however, the cleanup was a little different. As one group of workers carried out the rubbish, another group began removing seats and other theater equipment in preparation for the building’s end.
The film classic The Last Picture Show was the last movie shown in the old theater. Though the movie is 30 years old, most of the 250 seats were filled with teary-eyed audience wanting to say good-bye to the old building. Theater owner Ed Bradford said he chose the movie because it seemed appropriate. The movie is set in a small town where the only movie theater is preparing to close down.
Bradford said that large modern theaters in the city made it impossible for the Plaza to compete. He added that the theater’s location(位置) was also a reason. ＂This used to be the center of town,＂ he said. ＂Now the area is mostly office buildings and warehouses.＂
Last week some city officials suggested the city might be interested in turning the old theater into a museum and public meeting place. However, these plans were abandoned because of financial problems. Bradford sold the building and land to a local development firm, which plans to build a shopping complex on the land where the theater is located.
The theater audience said good-bye as Bradford locked the doors for the last time. After 75 years the Plaza Theater had shown its last movie. The theater will be missed.
1.Why was The Last Picture Show put on?
A. It was an all-time classic.
B. It was about the history of the town.
C. The audience requested it.
D. The theater owner found it suitable.
2.What will probably happen to the building?
A. It will be repaired.
B. It will be turned into a museum.
C. It will be knocked down.
D. It will be sold to the city government.
3.What can we infer about the audience?
A. They are disappointed with Bradford.
B. They are sad to part with the old theater.
C. They are supportive of the city officials.
D. They are eager to have a shopping center.
Fifteen years ago, I took a summer vacation in Lecce in southern Italy. After climbing up a hill for a panoramic(全景的) view of the blue sea, white buildings and green olive trees, I paused to catch my breath and then positioned myself to take the best photo of this panorama.
Unfortunately, just as I took out my camera, a woman approached from behind, and planted herself right in front of my view. Like me, this woman was here to stop, sigh and appreciate the view.
Patient as I was, after about 15 minutes, my camera scanning the sun and reviewing the shot I would eventually take, I grew frustrated. Was it too much to ask her to move so I could take just one picture of the landscape? Sure, I could have asked her, but something prevented me from doing so. She seemed so content in her observation. I didn’t want to mess with that.
Another 15 minutes passed and I grew bored. The woman was still there. I decided to take the photo anyway. And now when I look at it, I think her presence in the photo is what makes the image interesting. The landscape, beautiful on its own, somehow comes to life and breathes because this woman is engaging with it.
This photo, with the unique beauty that unfolded before me and that woman who ＂ruined＂ it, now hangs on a wall in my bedroom. What would she think if she knew that her figure is captured(捕捉) and frozen on some stranger’s bedroom wall? A bedroom, after all, is a very private space, in which some woman I don’t even know has been immortalized(使……永存). In some ways, she lives in my house.
Perhaps we all live in each others’ spaces. Perhaps this is what photos are for: to remind us that we all appreciate beauty, that we all share a common desire for pleasure, for connection, for something that is greater than us.
That photo is a reminder, a captured moment, an unspoken conversation between two women, separated only by a thin square of glass.
1.What happened when the author was about to take a photo?
A. Her camera stopped working.
B. A woman blocked her view.
C. Someone asked her to leave.
D. A friend approached from behind.
2.The photo on the bedroom wall enables the author to better understand ____________.
A. the need to be close to nature
B. the importance of private space
C. the joy of the vacation in Italy
D. the shared passion for beauty
3.The passage can be seen as the author’s reflections upon _____________.
A. a particular life experience B. the pleasure of traveling
C. the art of photography D. a lost friendship
One moment it was quiet and calm in the forest, the next, the air was charged with tension. The elephant had heard the distant alarm calls of animals and her mood suddenly changed. I urged the elephant deeper into the forest. We sounded like a forest fire-crackling, snapping, trailblazing. But through all the noise came a sharp warning cry. The elephant stopped and we heard it again — the tell-tale call of a spotted deer.
I looked quickly around the shadows of the forest. Rays of sunlight shone through tree branches, beneath which the patchwork (交错) of green plants and shadows-within-shadows would make tiger stripes (条纹) look more attractive. Apart from an occasional noise from the elephant’s stomach, the forest was silent.
Gradually, the tension slipped from our bodies. The elephant seized a nearby branch and put it into her mouth. I reached forward and gently moved my hand over the elephant’s neck; there was a soft part, free of wrinkles and hairs, behind her ear.
This was my fourth time to sense the aura of the forest in Corbett, although I saw no tigers in the end. Located at the foot of the Himalayan mountains, Corbett is home to about 135 Bengal tigers, but the forest seemed to be guarding their whereabouts(出没处), a silent reminder of their secrecy and rarity. Still, I was happy enough touching the elephant behind the ear. If I had so desperately wanted to see a tiger, I could have gone to a zoo. After all, spotting tigers merely confirms their beauty; tracking them can make you aware of something more.
1.Which of the following was a clear signal of alarm?
A. The elephant stopped.
B. A spotted deer called.
C. The elephant seized a branch.
D. The forest was silent for a while.
2.The author begins his account of the tour in the forest mainly by ____________.
A. describing various sounds
B. comparing different animals
C. listing different activities
D. introducing various plants
3.What does the underlined part ＂to sense the aura＂ most probably mean?
A. To see the diversity.
B. To enjoy the scenery.
C. To feel the atmosphere.
D. To experience the freedom.
4.How does the author feel after several visits to Corbett?
A. Seeing a Bengal tiger is quite thrilling.
B. It is very time-consuming to travel in Corbett.
C. It is really worthwhile to study the animals in Corbett.
D. The process of finding Bengal tigers is most appealing.
