What do you know about the music called "the blues"? Do you think it is the same things as jazz? Well, in
some ways the two types of music are related, but the blues has its own history and development that is quite
different from that of jazz.
     The beginnings of the blues date back to the nineteenth century. After the Civil War, when the slaves were
free in the South, life was hard. As African Americans came together and formed their own communities, the
blues began to develop out of some of their earlier music. Songs usually expressed the feelings of their
composers (作曲家) and many were about the difficult times.
     Some people say Mississippi was the birthplace of the blues, but early blues singers were also found in
Texas, Alabama, and several other Southern states. As time passed, the blues moved north. Chicago became
an important blues center.
     What does the blues sound like? Stringed instruments, especially the guitar, are important in blues playing.
A piano is also often used. Piano players frequently get the sound they want by"crushing(擠壓)" the keys, or
playing two notes not quite at the same time. Many blues songs are built around three grouped lines. The first
two lines are repeated, and then the third line is a sort of comment.
     Who were some legendary blues figures? Bessie Smith was an early female singer; Robert Johnson became
famous for his special way of playing music. Later blues greats, such as Muddy Waters, had a direct influence
on such groups as the Rolling Stones-in fact, until his death the Stones visited Muddy Waters whenever they
played in Chicago.

1. What did the blues develop from?

A. The Civil War.
B. Slaves' life.
C. African American music.
D. Composers' feelings.

2. Which place is a center for the blues?

A. Mississippi.
B. Texas. C. Alabama.
D. Chicago.

3. The underlined word "legendary" in the last paragraph probably means ______.

A. untrue
B. very famous
C. very loud
D. large

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A. The birthplace of the blues.
B. The development of the blues.
C. How the blues and jazz are similar.
D. Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters.

      About 150 years ago a German musician sat quietly at a concert in Vienna. They were playing for the first
time a new symphony (交響樂(lè) ) he had composed (創(chuàng)作 ). At the end he turned to face the people at the
concert. They were clapping widely.   1   
     The musician was Beethoven, one of the greatest composers in the world. Deaf people have a hard time.
   2   
     Even as a child Beethoven did not have a happy life. His father was a singer. But he was lazy and drank a
great deal. When the boy was only four, his father decided to make a musician of him.   3  Whenever he did
not put his heart into his practice, his father would be hard on him.
      It is a wonder that the boy did not hate music.   4    When he was 17, he won high praise from Mozart,
a great Austrian composer. A few years later Beethoven went to Vienna to study under Haydn, another great
Austrian composer. Soon he was writing a great deal of music himself. But after one illness, he suddenly found
himself deaf. At that time he was only 31. What a blow it was to him!
      But this did not stop Beethoven. He went on composing.   5   During his life, he composed about 300
pieces. The surprising thing is that he wrote some of his best, his most beautiful pieces after he became deaf.
Many of them are known and loved all over the world.

A. But he could hear nothing for he was deaf.
B. However, his father didn't come to listen to him play the beautiful music.
C. He learned so fast that he was able to go around and give concerts when he was only 11.
D. Beethoven left home and went out to practise his own music.
E. But it is even worse for a composer than for anyone else.
F. So Beethoven had to practice hour after hour on different musical instruments.
G. He wrote long pieces and short pieces, happy ones and sad ones, gentle music and powerful music.

     Today we talk about proverbs. A proverb is a short, well- known saying that expresses a common truth
or belief. Proverbs are found in most cultures and are often very old.
     In American history, Benjamin Franklin was famous for his proverbs. He lived in the 1700s and was a
leader of the American Revolution against English rule. He was also a scientist, inventor and writer.
     Franklin published a book called Poor Richard's Almanac. He included many proverbs he had heard or
created. Some of them are still used today, like:" Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy
and wise."
     Here are other examples of proverbs that Americans use. The first ones are about love. Some people say,
" All is fair in love and war." They mean that anything you do in a relationship or in battle is acceptable.
     Another proverb about love is," Absence makes the heart grow fonder." This means you love someone
even more when he or she is far away. But other people say,"out of sight, out of mind."You may not even
think about that person when he or she is not with you. Which of these proverbs do you think is most true?
      Another proverb says " Love is blind." In other words, when you are in love with someone, you may
refuse to see anything bad about that person.
     Some people are only interested in having a relationship with someone who is very good-looking. You
might tell them that "Beauty is only skin deep." Your girlfriend may be lovely to look at, but she may also have
some bad qualities. Or your boyfriend is a wonderful person, but not good-looking. So what a person looks
like is not really important.
     Sadly, we have no more time for this program. So we must say,"All good things must come to an end."
Thanks for listening.

1. Which of the following is a proverb?

A. I love you more than I can say.
B. Mind your own business.
C. When in Beijing, please call me.
D. Rome wasn't built in one day.

2. From the passage, we know the following about Franklin except ____.

A. he was good at creating and collecting proverbs
B. he was a fighter who was strongly against English rule
C. he was a person who lived more than 400 years ago
D. there were many proverbs in his book Poor Richard's Almanac

3. Most proverbs mentioned in this passage are about _____.

A. wealth and health
B. love and relationship
C. beauty and truth
D. work and studies

4. What is this passage likely to be used for?

A. An English TV program.
B. An English radio program.
C. An English speech contest.
D. An English textbook.

     Alice's Adventures in Wondertand is one of the most loved children's books of all time, and many adults
enjoy it as well. It tells the story of a young girl named Alice, who follows a rabbit entering a magical world
called Wonderland: she has many experiences which seem to change the rules of reasoning or common
sense. The popularity of the book comes from its imagination, interesting story, and art work.
     The writer of the book is Lewis Carroll-In fact, Lewis Carroll was not the writer's real name. His real
name was Charles Dodgson. One day, he took a boat ride down the Thames River to have a picnic with
three little girls who were friends of the family. To keep them entertained on the ride, he told them a story
in which Alice, the middle child, was the main character. They enjoyed the story very much.
     Charles later wrote the story down under the name Alice's Adventures Under Ground and gave it to Alice
as a Christmas present. Later, he gave a copy to his friend George MacDnald George read it to his children
and they loved it. George suggested to Charles that he make a book from his story. Charles then wrote more
parts to the story until it was around 35 000 words. It was first printed in 1866, with art work by John
Tenniel, under the name Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The book was an immediate success.
     One of its first fans was Queen Victoria. She imrnediately requested a collection of all of Lewis Carroll's
works. She was surprised to find that they included many works on math. In fact, Charles Dodgson was a
highly respected mathematician.This can be seen in nmny puzzles and plays on reasoning that appear in his
books and poems.
     Since the story was first printed, it has kept selling up to the present day. It has been translated into over
fifty languages and has had several rnovies based on it. The story is even mentioned in the popular 1999 film
The Matrix by the character Morpheus.

1. The passage is mainly about _____.

A. Charles' family life
B. a girl's adventurous experience
C. a magical world called wonderland
D. the birth of a book and its lasting influences

2. Which of the followiIlg statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The writer published his works under his real name.
B. The character Alice originated from George's child.
C. John contributed partly to the popularity of the book.
D. Charles offered a copy to George for advice.

3. We can learn from the passage that _____.

A. Queen Victoria asked for a few of Charles' writings
B. Charles had a gift for reasoning and writing
C. Charles had an his works translated into fifty languages
D. The Matrix was based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

4. Which of the following is the right order of the passage?
    a. Charles gave his story to Alice as a Christmas present.
    b. Charles had a picnic with three little girls on the Thames. 
    c. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was first printed in l866.
    d. More parts were added to the story by Charles. 
    e. The book won a large number of fans.

A. c-b-a-d-e
B. c-a-b-e-d
C. b-a-d-c-e
D. b-a-c-e-d

     Language is always changing. In a society where life continues year after year with few changes, the
language does not change, either. The earliest known languages had difficult grammar but a small, limited
vocabulary. Over the century, the grammar changed, and the vocabulary grew. For example, the English
and Spanish people who came to America during the sixteenth century gave names to all new plants and
animals they found. In this way, hundreds of new words were introduced into English and Spanish
vocabularies. Today life is changing very fast, and language is changing fast too.
     There are several major language families in the world. Some scientists say there are nine main families,
but other scientists divide them differently. The languages in each family are connected, and scientists think
that they came from the same parent language About 3 percent of the people in the world speak languages
that are not in these major families.

1. The early language had ______.

A. a lot of problems
B. words and easy grammar
C. words but no grammar
D. grammar but not many words

2. In the next few hundred years we can expect language to ______.

A. stay exactly the same
B. change a great deal
C. change only a little
D. add more words and drop some grammar

3. What this article shows is that ______.

A. languages change fast
B. languages really don't want to change
C. language changes with changes of society
D. Spanish and English change

4. From this article we can see that ______.

A. language can change very slowly or very quickly
B. if we don't change, then our language won't change, either
C. we should give our plants new names
D. English and Spanish are the only languages that have changes

    People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother's Day, on the second Sunday
in May, and Father's Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for
parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These
two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the
home. More fathers must help with child care. 
    These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother's Day people wear carnations
which have two colors. A red one symbolizes (象征) a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is
dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are
dead visit the cemetery. On these two days families get together to have parties at home, as well as in
restaurants. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
    Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own
presents. These are valued (珍愛(ài)) more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is
important, but it is "the thought that counts". Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone
companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.

1. Which of the following is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?

A. Parents bring children
B. Parents give love and care to children
C. Parents educate children to be good persons.
D. Parents pass away before children grow up

2. Which do you think is right about "carnation"?

A. It has only two kinds of colors.
B. It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother's Day or Father's Day.
C. It's a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.
D. People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May.

3. What do you know from the passage?

A. Mother's Day and Father's Day are both in May.
B. Fewer women worked outside the home in the past
C. Not all the children respect their parents
D. Fathers are not as important as mothers at home

4. On Mother's Day and Father's Day, _____.

A. people usually have family parties
B. everyone goes to visit the cemetery
C. children always go to parents' home
D. hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts

     HK Disneyland gives sneak preview Hong Kong Disneyland gave journalists a sneak peek two months
before the park opens, showing off classic thrill rides like the Space Mountain roller coaster (過(guò)山車) and
giving tours of restaurants serving all the major Chinese cuisines (烹調(diào)). 
                                                            
     The park features an East-meets-West theme, with a trademark (標(biāo)志性的) Sleeping Beauty Castle and
a Main Street that recreates small-town America. The food is distinctly Asian, catering to the masses of
tourists Disney hopes to attract from across the border in mainland China.
     Robert Iger, who takes over as Disney's CEO in October, told reporters he dreamed of going to Disneyland
when he was a child.
     "I'm convinced that the children of this region will have that same dream. They will dream of one day
being able to come to Hong Kong Disneyland," Iger said.
     The park plans to attract 5.6 million visitors a year and opening day on September 12 is already sold out,
said Don Robinson, managing director of the Hong Kong Disneyland Group.
     Robinson said 95 percent of the park is completed and that workers are rehearsing (彩排) shows and
testing rides.
     The park has eight restaurants-with 29 000 seats-serving all the major Chinese cuisines, like Cantonese,
Shanghainese and northern noodle dishes.
     Visitors will also be able to dig into Japanese sushi and Kashmiri chicken curry.
     The park will feature popular rides like Space Mountain as well as a jungle river cruise and a Buzz Lightyear
ride, named after the spaceman warrior in the movie "Toy Story".
     A long palm tree-lined driveway leads to the park. At the front gate, there's a huge water fountain with
a bronze statue of a whale spouting a stream of water on which Mickey Mouse is surfing.
     Throughout the park, signs are in Chinese and English.
     Robinson said the park hopes to eventually attract 10 million people a year, and when that goal is reached,
Disney will expand the attractions.

【個(gè)性思考】 Which is the biggest and whose admission fee is the highest?
     In my view___________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

     The first English dictionary was published in 1604. The dictionary was actually nothing more than a list
of about 3, 000 difficult words, each followed by a one-word definition.
     The author, Robert Cawdrey, made no attempt to include everyday words in his dictionary. No one, he
reasoned, would ever have to look up a word in a dictionary if he already knew the meaning of the word.
During the 1600's more dictionaries were published. Each followed Cawdrey's lead and presented a few
thousand hard words. Around 1700 one dictionary maker, John Kersey, did define easy words as well as hard
words. But until the 1750's all the dictionaries were rather crude and not very valuable.
     A man named Dr Samuel Johnson changed all this. In 1755 Dr Johnson produced the first modern
dictionary. He included in his dictionary all important words, both easy and hard, and he gave good meanings.
He also gave good sentences to show how each word was actually used in speech and in writing. By the end
of the 1700's most dictionary makers had followed Johnson's example. Dictionaries were getting better and
better.
      The 1800's saw the greatest improvement in the quality of dictionaries. In England scholars planned and
prepared the Oxford English Dictionary, a twenty-volume (卷；冊(cè)；部) work. One of the most interesting
features of the Oxford Dictionary is its word histories. It traces (追溯；探索) the history of each word from
its earliest recorded use up to the time of the printing of the dictionary.

1. The first English dictionary _______.

A. defined easy words as well as hard ones
B. was just a list of difficult words with one-word definitions
C. included a number of everyday words
D. was considered to be a very valuable one

2. According to the passage, before 1755 all English dictionaries _______.

A. were of no value
B. only defined hard words
C. defined both easy words as well as hard words
D. were far from being perfect

3. Which of the following statements is not true about Dr Johnson's dictionary?

A. It was not very valuable.
B. It was the first modern English dictionary.
C. It included easy words as well as hard ones.
D. It gave sentences to show the usage of words.

4. The most interesting feature of the Oxford Dictionary was that ______.

A. it had a complete list of difficult words
B. it gave sentences showing how each word was actually used
C. it was a 20-volume work
D. it showed the history of each word

5. This passage is mainly about _____.

A. the difference of English dictionaries
B. the origin of English dictionaries
C. the development of English dictionaries
D. the features of English dictionaries

     Canada is a very large country. It is the second largest country in the world. By contrast it has a very small
population. There are only about 29 million people there. Most Canadians are of British or French origin, and
French is an official language of Canada as well as English. About 45%of the people are of British origin, that
is, they or their parents or grandparents, etc, come from British. Nearly 30%are of French origin. Most of the
French-Canadians live in province of Quebec.
     Over the years, people have come to live in Canada from many countries in the world. They are from many
countries in the world. They are from most European countries and also from China, besides other Asian
countries.
     However, Canada was not an empty country when the Europeans began to arrive. Canadian Indians lived
along the coast, by the rivers and lakes and in forests. Today, there are only about 350 000 Indians in the
whole country, with their own languages. In the far north live the Inuit. There are only 27 000 Canadian-Inuit.
Their life is hard in such a difficult climate.

1. About ____ live in Quebec.

A. 30% of the French-Canadians
B. 45% of the Canadians
C. 29 000 000 people
D. 8 700 000 French -Canadians

2. The official languages of Canada are ____.

A. English and Chinese
B. French and English
C. Indian and French
D. Chinese and Inuit

3. The word "origin" in the passage means ____.

A. 血統(tǒng)
B. 后裔
C. 先驅(qū)
D. 猿人

4. About 23% of people came from ____.

A. China
B. England
C. France
D. some other countries except France and Britain

5. Which of the following is true according to this passage?

A. There are 27 000 Canadian-Indians in Canada.
B. More than 13 million people have come from Britain and France recent years.
C. There are 30% of the population whose parents or grandparents come from France.
D. There are no people when the Europeans began to arrive in Canada.