Public schools in Washington, D.C. provide students with musical instruments for free. When something goes wrong with an instrument, Charles West and Larry Jernigan do the repairs. Both men approach their work with a passion(激情). For them, it’s important that students have a joyful experience with music.
The two have worked together for almost 20 years. This year alone, they’ve fixed about 450 instruments. Both men are musicians and music lovers, so learning to do repairs came naturally.
“I have been a musician all my life.” says West. “I played in an orchestra here in the city. I majored in music in college. I played in an army band.”
Jernigan’s musical interests are varied. “I was formerly trained in the piano and guitar. The alto sax, and the flute, I picked up while working here.”
In addition to fixing instruments, the two also go to schools to instruct teachers and students on how to make minor repairs on their own.
West believes if children start early and stay involved with music, it enriches other areas of their lives. “I see that in other kids. I see it in myself. I have seen it hundreds of times and it works,” he says. “They learn teamwork. They learn patience and respect.
But West has concerns about the future of music in the electronic age.
“This instant age has taken away from the sit-down, the patience. And to learn to play an instrument, it takes patience, it takes diligence, it takes time.”
Being able to enjoy music on the job is one of the benefits of the job. Both men agree their best rewards are the students’ performances.
小题1: What’s the job of West and Jernigan at school? | A．Teaching music. | | B．Writing music. | | C．Making musical instruments. | | D．Repairing musical instruments. |
小题2:They love the job because they can .| A．earn more money | B．learn repair skills | | C．enjoy music | D．watch performances |
小题3: Which of the following is true of the two men?| A．They have fixed 450 instruments in the past 20 years. | | B．They can play and repair musical instruments. | | C．Jernigan used to play in an army band. | | D．West was trained to play the piano. |
小题4: According to West, what can people learn from music?| A．Teamwork and patience. | B．The value of time. | | C．The truth of society. | D．Diligence and confidence. |
小题5: What is mainly talked about in the text?| A．How to repair musical instruments. | | B．Learning experiences of two repairmen. | | C．How to prepare a musical performance. | | D．The enjoyable job of two music lovers. |
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| 小题1:D小题1:C小题1:B小题1:A小题1:D |
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核心考点
试题【Public schools in Washington, D.C. provide students with musical instruments for】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
Perhaps a parent’s most important contribution toward raising a trustful child is to develop a relationship founded on trust. A child of any age will feel proud and grown-up if parents frequently show their trust. In court a defendant(被告) is innocent until proved guilty. But in the family, a teenager “defendant” is too often assumed guilty.
Even when the child is caught in a complete lie, this should not be the end of trust. A parent can tell a child that a single lie is forgivable. Yet it should be clear that if lies continue, the child, like the boy who cried wolf, will suffer loss of trust.
When my wife and I discovered that our son Tom, then 13, had lied about throwing a party while we were away, we grounded him for a month. We also told Tom that we could no longer trust him, and we could not allow him to stay alone overnight again. This loss of freedom was an important lesson; he learned how hard it is to live with people when they don’t trust him. As a result, now more than three years later we can again trust Tom to stay alone overnight.
Parents must always remember there is no easy answer to this universal problem of lying. We can set a good example, allow for privacy, monitor friendship, develop trust and punish wrong doing, but still we discover our child has lied to us. Finally that’s why there is a need for trust on both sides of a parent-child relationship. Lying destroys closeness and friendship. For that reason, parents should always try to give a child the feeling that they can be trusted with the truth. Parents may start with a child’s trust, but as the child grows older, parents must earn it.
小题1:When the writer and his wife discovered that their son had lied, they _________.| A．took all his freedom from him | | B．decided never to trust him again | C．forbade hi m to stay alone overnight | | D．arranged him to stay at home. |
小题2:We can infer from the passage that very often ________.| A．parents don’t trust their child as they should | | B．defendants are usually proved not guilty in court | | C．parents have too much trust in their child | | D．some children are founded guilty in court |
小题3:According to the passage, the writer believes that _____________.| A．parents shouldn’t punish their children even if they lie | | B．it is not easy to deal with the problem of lying as parents | | C．there are effective ways to prevent children from lying | | D．children will stop telling lies as they grow up |
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Thousands of dead red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky in an Arkansas town on New Year’s Eve after massive injuries, tests by Arkansas offici als concluded on Monday. Some 5,000 birds mysteriously fe ll from the sky in Beebe, Arkansas after dark on New Year’s Eve. “The birds suffered from acute physical injuries leading to internal hemorrhage（大量出血） and death. There was no sign of infectious disease,” the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said in a statement. The birds were otherwise healthy, it said.
One theory is that birds were frightened by New Year"s fireworks and flew into buildings or other objects. “Loud noises were reported shortly before the birds began to fall from the sky,” the statement said, adding that blackbirds have poor night vision and seldom fly at night.
Another theory was that severe weather such as lightning accounted for the loud noises but this was discounted because the violent weather had already left the area. “We’re leaning more toward a stress event," said Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens.
The commission also is trying to determine what caused the deaths of up to 100,000 fish over a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River near a dam in Ozark, 125 miles west of Beebe. The fish were discovered on December 30. Stephens said the commission expected results on the fish tests in probably a month. Since almost all the fish were one species -- bottom-feeding drum, Stephens said, the test was very important. Stephens also said: “The events do not appear related.” Both that section of the river and the air at the site of the bird deaths were tested for toxins(毒素). Beebe is a town of about 4,500 people located 30 miles northeast of the state capital.
小题1:What is NOT the probable reason why the dead red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky?| A．Internal hemorrhage | B．Fireworks | | C．Lightning weather | D．Murder |
小题2:In the third paragraph, the underlined word discounted probably mean________. | A．not to reduce cost | B．not to believe | | C．to make up a part | D．to explain mystery |
小题3:According to Stephens, we can infer the probable cause of the dead fish is _________.| A．cold weather | B．poor management | | C．disease | D．lack of food |
小题4:The passage is mainly developed by __________.| A．analyzing causes | B．making comparisons | | C．examining differences | D．following the time order |
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完型填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑;
For Senior 3 students, choosing which college to attend can be the most exciting and thrilling time in their entire school lives. This is also true for an American girl 21 Melanie.
Melanie’s dad, James Porter, who is the chief of police for a Chicago suburb, wants Melanie to 22 nearby Northwestern University, where she’s 23 been accepted. But Melanie, 17,really wants to go to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C, where she’s been wait-listed.
When she gets an unexpected 24 from Georgetown University, she decides to 25 a road trip with a few 26 female friends. Melanie believes it is her first step 27 adulthood.
But 28 the fact that this trip is “girls only”, James isn’t 29 with the prospect(期望) of his little princess 30 the world without him. He wants to protect her, so he joins the girls and hopes he can convince Melanie to go to Northwestern. 31 Melanie’s father only has the best of 32 , his presence 33 an endless series of comic encounters（遭遇）.
After following their faulty device 34 into the backwoods (偏远地区), James and Melanie 35 Melanie’s little brother and his pet pig have been hiding in the spare compartment (隔间). What should be a simple change 36 the expensive car rolling down a mountain, forcing them to hike to a nearby hotel…
All these disasters add spice to their trip while along the way a father and a daughter 37 get the chance to really 38 each other.
All parents, 39 they have college students or not, can relate to the bittersweet realization that their kids are growing up. 40 what Melanie and James have done, we all can find the delicate (脆弱的) balance between staying connected and letting go.
| 小题1: | | A．named | B．naming | C．namely | D．names |
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| 小题2: | | A．join | B．send | C．attend | D．pass |
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| 小题3: | | A．still | B．always | C．yet | D．already |
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| 小题4: | | A．appointment | B．interview | C．visit | D．meeting |
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| 小题5: | | A．provide | B．offer | C．take | D．hold |
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| 小题6: | | A．closing | B．close | C．closed | D．closely |
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| 小题7: | | A．toward | B．for | C．during | D．with |
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| 小题8: | | A．though | B．in spite | C．once | D．despite |
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| 小题9: | | A．satisfying | B．successful | C．comfortable | D．meaningful |
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| 小题10: | | A．seeking | B．examining | C．searching | D．exploring |
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| 小题11: | | A．Since | B．Because | C．While | D．When |
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| 小题12: | | A．intentions | B．attempts | C．efforts | D．planning |
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| 小题13: | | A．comes about | B．leads to | C．calls in | D．turns out |
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| 小题14: | | A．lately | B．late | C．deeply | D．deep |
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| 小题15: | | A．discover | B．invent | C．recognize | D．realize |
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| 小题16: | | A．succeeds in | B．brings in | C．results from | D．certainly |
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| 小题17: | | A．hopefully | B．finally | C．firstly | D．certainly |
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| 小题18: | | A．agree to | B．speak to | C．talk to | D．turn to |
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Will Nanfang University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen announce a new beginning for China’s higher education reform? It’s too early to answer. But its presence is challenging the Ministry of Education. Even without the approval of the ministry it seems that the school is determined to move forward and enroll(招收)50 students, so-called child prodigies(奇才), to begin classes on March l, 2011.On graduating in 2015, these students will receive a diploma unauthorized by the Ministry of Education-unlike the students of their age from the state-run universities.
The school is committed to modeling itself on Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, but if the government will not approve the school, the situation could cause a lot of trouble for those 50 students if they want to do graduate studies at other higher learning institutions. Other schools could turn their applications down for their unauthorized diplomas.
The difficulties, however, have not frightened students and their parents away. On Dec.18, 2010 more than 1,000 students and their parents visited Nanfang University of Science and Technology for interviews.
Private investment marks the school out from other higher learning institutions in the nation. Not a penny comes from the government. So the government will have no voice in how the school will be run.
The Ministry of Education has published a comprehensive plan for education reform and development between 2011 and 2020.The goal is to make China’s higher education internationally competitive. To accomplish this goal, the government should have the courage to let the educators who have big ideas try them out. The ministry should have applauded the independence the school in Shenzhen has shown and encouraged more to do likewise.
Education reform in China has reached a new and crucial stage. Nanfang University of Science and Technology has a long way to go to prove itself competitive rather than a diploma mill.
小题1: What will makes those 50 students different from others?| A．They are all child prodigies. | | B．They will study much longer time. | | C．They are willing to challenge the Ministry of Education. | | D．They will receive an unauthorized diploma. |
小题2: Over 1,000 students and parents visited the school because .| A．they believe that the school will have a bright future | | B．they believe the government is sure to approve the school | | C．the school models itself on Hong Kong University successfully | | D．they will never do graduate studies at other higher learning institutions |
小题3:The trouble the students in the school may have is that .| A．the government will have no voice in the school | | B．they won’t receive any diploma when graduating from the school | | C．other schools are unlikely to accept their diploma from the school | | D．they will not learn how to be competitive |
小题4: What does the author think of Nanfang University of Science and Technology?| A．It is another kind of diploma mill. | | B．It’s impossible for the school to be competitive. | | C．It will never get the approval from the Ministry of Education. | | D．Its independence from the government may benefit the education reform. |
小题5:What is the best title of the passage?| A．University of New Style. | B．China’s Education Reform. | | C．Modeling Hong Kong University. | D．Authorized or Not? |
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Never go into a supermarket hungry! This is a good piece of advice. If you go shopping for food before lunchtime, you’ll probably buy more than you plan to. Unfortunately, however, just this advice isn’t enough for consumers these days. Modern shoppers need an education in how and how not to buy things at the store. First, you check the weekly newspaper ads. Find out the items that are on sale and decide if you really need these things. In other words, don’t buy anything just because it’s cheaper than usual! “New and Improved!” or “All Natural” on the front of a package influence you. Instead, read the list of ingredients(contents) on the back. Third, compare prices: that is, you should examine the prices of both different brands and different sizes of the same brand.
Another suggestion for consumers is to buy ordinary items instead of famous brands. Ordinary items in supermarkets come in plain packages. These products are cheaper because producers don’t spend much money on packing or advertising. The quality, however, is usually as good as the quality of well-known name brands. In the same way, in buying clothes, you can often find high quality and low prices in brands th at are not famous. Shopping in discount clothing stores can help you save a lot of money. Although these stores aren’t very attractive, and they usually do not have individual dressing rooms, not only are the prices low, but you can often find the same famous brands that you find in high-priced department stores.
Wise consumers read magazine ads and watch TV commercials, but they do this with one advantage: knowledge of the psychology behind the ads. In other words, well-informed consumers watch for information and check for misinformation. They ask themselves questions: Is the advertiser hiding something in small print at the bottom of the page? Is there any real information in the commercial, or is the advertiser simply showing an attractive image? With the answers to these questions, consumers can make a wise choice.
小题1:All the following statements are true about the phrase “ordinary items” in Paragraph 2 EXCEPT __________.| A．ordinary items never say “New and Improved” or “All Natural” | | B．ordinary products are usually cheaper than famous brands | | C．producers spend less money on packaging of ordinary items | | D．the quality of ordinary items is usually as good as that of famous brands |
小题2:What does the writer think about ads? __________| A．They are believable. | B．They are attractive. | | C．They are full of misinformation. | D．They are helpful to consumers. |
小题3:One of the author’s suggestions to consumers is __________.| A．to make use of ads | | B．not to buy items with words like “New and Improved” or “All Natural” | | C．to buy high quality items such as famous brands after lunch | | D．to buy any ordinary items instead of famous brands |
小题4:The author implies that __________.| A．going into the supermarket hungry, you may buy more than you plan to | | B．the quality of ordinary items is usually high and the prices are relatively low | | C．discount clothing stores are good places to go to | | D．ads sometimes don’t tell the truth |
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