Think of some of your favorite singers. When you listen, they can make you happy or sad, peaceful or angry. They can make you relax or want to get up and dance. Gifted singers have the power to affect us in many ways — emotionally, physically and mentally.

But becoming a great singer isn’t as easy as listening to one. It takes practice, devotion and strong lungs! Just ask the well-known American opera（歌劇）star Carol Vaness.

At the Metropolitan Opera in New York City where she often sings, Carol’s voice must be loud enough to be heard by four thousand people. It must reach every person in the theater, without a microphone, even when she’s singing softly. The reason Carol can project her voice that far is the way she breathes.

“When you breathe, it’s like a swimmer taking a deep breath before going underwater, ” Carol explains. “You have to take a lot of air into your lungs.”

According to Carol, the main difference between pop singing and opera is “how you breathe, how much air you take in, and how you control it coming out. Regular singing is more like speaking, and it’s a lot softer. When I sing for children, they’re often surprised by how the vibrations strike their ears — like waves on a beach, ” Carol says. “In opera, the air doesn’t just go out of your mouth — it vibrates in your chest, the way a guitar vibrates when it’s played.”

Ever since she started piano lessons at the age of ten, Carol has loved music. As she got older, she decided to become a music teacher. When she went to college, she took singing lessons as part of her studies. Her voice teacher discovered that nineteen-year-old Carol had an exceptionally beautiful soprano voice – the highest singing voice for women.  

Carol decided to make opera her goal, not only because she loved to sing but also because she loved the drama. Opera is a play in which the characters sing the words instead of speaking them. The stories of opera can be tragic or comical. They can be personal stories about two people falling in love or grand stories about kings and queens who lived long ago. As the characters in an opera sing, the emotions(情感) expressed by words and music come to life.

Today, Carol performs throughout the United States and Europe and she has song for almost twenty years. But she has never forgotten where she started singing in the first palace.

“Put your heart into your singing and enjoy it,” says Carol, “because singing is a great joy. That’s why I sing. In fact, that’s why everybody sings.”

According to the passage, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City _____.

A. is a five-story building                B. can seat 4,000 people

C. has no microphone in it                D. can project the singer’s voice

What is the best title for this passage?

A. Opera Singing and Pop Singing          B. The Way an Opera Star Sings

C. An Opera Star                        D. Singing without a Microphone

Which statement is true?

A. A pop singer breathes more deeply than an opera singer when he or she sings.

B. Opera singing is more like speaking.

C. A pop singer takes in much more air than an opera singer when singing.

D. An opera singer breathes differently from a pop singer when singing.

From the passage you can conclude all the following EXCEPT that _____.

A. Carol once learned to play the piano              

B. Carol worked as a music teacher

C. Carol has been singing opera for 20 years or so     

D. Carol is popular with Americans and Europeans

The sentence “Put your heart into your singing” in the last paragraph means  “_____”.

A. devoting yourself to singing         B. taking trouble to sing

C. singing happily                   D. trying your best to sing  

It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.

The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries(食品雜貨)，saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.

I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before. People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity(人性) as a whole. And it has influenced us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.    

Why was the bike so important to the couple?

  A. The man’s job was bike racing.           B. It was their only possession.

 C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed.             D. They used it for work and daily life.

We can infer from the text that _______

 A. the couple worked 60 hours a week.   B. people were busy before Christmas

  C. the stranger brought over the bike    D. life was hard for the young family.

How did people get to know the couple’s problem?

  A. From radio broadcasts.              B. From a newspaper.

  C. From TV news.                       D. From a stranger.

Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The author’s husband often parked the bike beside the back door.

B. The author used to get to work by bike.

C. Several strangers offered bikes to them, but they only accepted one of them.

D. Somebody had stolen their bike before, but soon returned it to the author.

What do the couple learn from their experience?   

  A. Strangers are usually of little help.     B. One should take care of their bike.

  C. News reports make people famous.     D. An act of kindness can mean a lot.

My name is Jane Eyre and my parents died when I was a baby. For ten years I lived a ___1___ life with my aunt and cousins who treated me unfairly. My cousins teased me and my aunt never showed me any ___2___. The only person who cared about me was the maid, Bessie. One day my cousin John 3 me: “You should go and beg, not live with rich folks like us!” After fighting with him I was locked in a room, where I ___4___ for hours crying.

Things ___5___ the same until a tall gentleman called Mr Brockehurst came to visit. My aunt told me that I was going to a school ___6___ by the gentleman. “Train her to be useful and humble,” said Aunt. Two days later I ___7___ my home.

At first my ___8___ at Lowood School was easy. The food was bad and I was often cold but I made ___9___ and enjoyed studying. But after an illness killed several students, new owners ___10___ the school and life improved. Six years later I ___11___ a teacher and was very happy. But eventually(最后) I felt that I should explore more of the world and found a job as a private teacher in a ___12___.

Before I left Lowood, I was ___13___ by Bessie, who told me that seven years ago my father’s brother had come ___14___ me but left again to go abroad. “He looked like quite a gentleman,” said Bessie. I wondered if he would ever look for me again.

My new life ___15___ at Thornfield Hall, a large country house, ___16___ a little girl called Adele. She was the adopted(被收養(yǎng)的) daughter of the owner of the house, Mr Rochester. He ___17___ stayed at Thornfield and ___18___ my time was mainly spent with Adele and the servants. My life was quite happy now although there was something ___19___ about my new home. Often I heard odd(奇怪的) sounds ___20___ from the top floor of the house.

1. A. happy     B. long    C. sad     D. comfortable

2. A. food       B. love    C. method      D. schooling

3. A. shouted at      B. cried over C. found out   D. talked with

4. A. lived      B. stayed C. studied       D. beat

5. A. appeared B. worked      C. seemed       D. remained

6. A. built       B. designed     C. owned D. opened

7. A. built       B. reached      C. left     D. sold

8. A. food       B. life     C. book   D. study

9. A. noise      B. friends       C. mistakes     D. faces

10. A. took over     B. took up      C. took off     D. took away

11. A. turned   B. met     C. became      D. found

12. A. school  B. home  C. library       D. country

13. A. taught   B. visited C. brought      D. required

14. A. looking for  B. looking after      C. looking into       D. looking at

15. A. stopped B. continued   C. started D. remained

16. A. showing       B. teaching     C. searching    D. wanting

17. A. often    B. hardly C. happily      D. quietly

18. A. yet       B. so       C. still     D. though

19. A. interesting    B. good   C. instructive  D. strange

20. A. come    B. drop   C. fall     D. go

Disney’s cartoon, Finding Nemo, tells a touching story of a father called Martin and his son Nemo.

Martin loses his wife and an entire family of unhatched eggs to a huge shark. Only one fish egg remains, Nemo. Martin promises his dead wife that he will protect his young son at any cost. So, Martin becomes fearful of almost everything in the ocean. That makes him over protective-he hopes to keep his kid safe from the challenges that life presents. Martin’s nagging（嘮叨）makes Nemo feel that he doesn’t need his dad telling him what to do.

 So on his first day of school, Nemo and some friends swim to the edge of their coral reef, a place Martin always thinks is very dangerous. When Martin shouts at Nemo come back, Nemo refuses to listen to him and swim out to a boat in the distance. Suddenly, he gets caught by some divers. So begins Martin’s journey to find Nemo, who ends up in an aquarium in an office in Australia. Soon the worried father runs into Dory, a forgetful blue fish, who helps Martin find his son. Meanwhile, Nemo misses his father terribly. He soon hears that he will be given to an eight-year-old girl who likes to kill fish.

Can Martin find his son before it is too late?

Finding Nemo is a physical and mental journey. Martin overcomes his shyness and anxieties and Nemo discovers his own and his father’s hidden strengths. It celebrates the relationship between fathers and their sons.

The cartoon paints a sea world that is alive with color. All the characters are very human-like and have their own personalities.

Finding Nemo was released in the US on may 30, earning about US $70.6 million in just three days, it has set a new opening records for a cartoon.

11. What is the passage mainly about?

How a father finds his son.

How to get home when getting lost.

A brief introduction to a cartoon film.

The love between a father and his son.

12. Which of the following statements is True according to the second paragraph?

Martin’s wife and most of his children died because of disease.

Martin is a coward（膽小鬼）that he is afraid of everything.

Nemo has grown up and doesn’t need his father’s protection any longer.

Martin loves his son so much that he becomes so protective.

13. It can be concluded according to the cartoon that ________.

Nemo has a wonderful journey after leaving his father.

Martin has met a lot of difficulties finding his son.

Nemo is really independent after leaving his father.

Nemo never needs any protection from his father.

14. What is the theme of the cartoon?

We should always listen to our parents.

Parents should let their children have an independent life.

Parent should take care of their children in case they get lost.

Parental love is the greatest love in the world.

15. In which section of a newspaper can you probably find this article?

A. Entertainment    B. News     C. Society       D. Advertisement 

When several different people look at the same person, it’s not unusual for each of them to see different things; when you alone observe one behavior or one person at two different times, you may see different things. The following are but some of the factors that lead to these changing perceptions(感知認可)

(1) Each person’s perceptions of others are formed by his or her own cultural conditioning education, and personal experiences.

(2) Sometimes perceptions differ because of what we choose to observe and how we deal with what we’ve observed. It is not necessarily true that person’s perception is based on observations of a particular person. Your observations may be totally controlled by what others have told you about this per??son; or you may focus (聚集) primarily on the situation or role relationship. Most people do not use the same yardstick (標準)to measure their parents, their friends, and strangers.

(3) Sometimes we see only what we want to see or don’t see what may be obvious to others because of our own needs, desires, or temporary emotional states. This is a process known as selective perception. Selective perception is obviously more difficult when contradictory (矛盾的) information is particular??ly obvious, but it can be done. We can ignore (忽視) the stimulus He’s basically a good boy so what I saw was not shoplifting.

We can reduce the importance of the contradictory information — All kids (孩子) get into mischief (頑皮). Taking a book from the bookstore isn’t such a big deal. "We can change the meaning of the contradictory information." It wasn’t shoplifting because he was going to pay for it later. (from www.nmet113.com)

9. The first factor given by the author that affects our perception is ________.

A. the abilities of one’s auditory (聽覺的) and visual (視覺的) sensors

B. cultural background and personal experiences

C. experiences one learns from others

D. critical measures taken by other people

10. While observing a particular person, ________.

A. one is likely to take all aspects (方面) to consideration

B. one pays more attention to his/her advantages

C. children often differ from grown-ups in perception

D. one tends to choose certain cues (提示) to look for

11. Observation of the same person by two people at the same time may differ because________.

A. their measuring yardsticks are not the same

B. either of them may be slow to catch information

C. the time for observation is not long enough

D. each of them uses different language to express his/her impressions

12. The word "stimulus" in paragraph 4 refers to________.

A. something attractive                B. selective perception

C. contradictory information            D. shoplifting

13. The worst thing in selective perception is that________.

A. perceived information runs against your desire

B. facts can be totally ignored or distorted (扭曲)

C. importance of the contradictory information can be overrated (估計過高)

D. the same information may not be dealt with in the same way

A Chilean(智利) soap-opera star, a beauty from Ancient Pompeii and a freckled (雀斑的)boyish girl hardly make an average beauty show line-up.

The first world-wide digital beauty contest to the surprise of many online fans was won by a woman who is virtually(虛擬) real flesh and bones. “Virtual models are not the anti-real, they are a different representation of reality,” said Franz Cerami, the organiser of Miss Digital World (數(shù)字世界小姐).

Each of the contestants had to provide the charming photo of high degrees, with date of birth and body measurements.

Chilean Rodolfo Perez Ayala decided that no figure of his imagination could beat the beauty of his wife, Katty Kowaleczko, so he hired artist Flavio Parra to recreate her. Kowaleczko, who plays Paula Sandoval in the popular Latin American soap opera Tentacion, was transformed into Katty-ko and won the digital contest with more than 17,000 online votes.

“I’m so happy Katty-ko won. I think her strength is her similarity to a real woman-not too luxurious or exposed”, Kowaleczko, 40, told reporters. “Her beauty is in her simplicity.” Kowaleczko was not afraid of being replaced by her 3D clone in movies or theatres, but hoped she would become “a sort of ambassador(使者) of Chilean beauty”.

Cerami said Latin American interest in Miss Digital World had greatly increased since Katty-ko joined the contest, which attracted about 3600 entries from countries from Iran to Australia and even from the ancient Roman empire.

“Pompea” was the digital reconstruction of a young woman killed by the outbreak of Vesuvius in 79 AD. “She was a slave, but also a rich man’s lover. When her body was discovered, many jewels and a bangle(手鐲) with the writing ‘from the master to his servant girl’ were found” said Genny Tortora, a professor at the University of Salerno who led Pompea’s creative team.

Other contestants included Kaya, the most realistic model with digital freckles, pouty (噘起的) lips and upturned nose.

Now, Cerami’s dream is to manage a form of virtual beauties, introducing them for calendars, games, ads, and movies. One is even reported to be heading for Playboy’s front page.

8.The winner in the first Miss Digital World contest was ________.

A. a star who performed in some soap operas

B. a beauty who came from Chilean

C. a beauty who was from the ancient Roman empire

D. a made-up beauty based on a real woman.

9. Which group of the following are the names for the digital beauties mentioned in the passage?

A. Katty-ko, Pompea, Kaya.   B. Katty Kowaleczko, Pompea, Playboy.

C. Flavio Parra, Genny Tortora, Franz Cerami.

D. Rodolfo Perez Ayala, Pompea, Franz Cerami

10. The digital beauty “Pompea” was created by ________.

A. Genny Tortora   B. a group of people  C. by a young woman    D. a rich man

11. What the organiser of Miss Digital World wants to do next is ________.

A. sell pictures of beauties for calendars     B. hold another contest

C. put the digital beauties into practical use.  D. start an ads company

Today, ultrasonic(超聲的) waves are being put to work in laboratories and factories. If an ultrasound generator is placed in a liquid, the waves move the liquid back and forth hundreds of thousands of times each second. This causes materials to mix quickly or to dissolve(使分解，使溶解) in liquids. Paint manufacturers(制造商) use ultrasound to do a better job of blending colors. The companies that make film for your camera find that mixing chemicals by the use of sound waves will produce a more sensitive film.

The new lightweight(輕量的) type of washing machine uses ultrasonic waves to get clothes clean. Its special ultrasound generator is put into a pail of soapy water containing the soiled clothes. The sound waves drive the soapy water back and forth through the cloth so fast that everything is soon clean. There is also a new kind of dishwasher that works in much the same way.

Ultrasonic waves can shake a liquid so fast that tiny holes form all through it. The liquid is actually torn apart by this action. Almost as soon as these holes are made, they fall together again. The result is a powerful pounding action. In the dairy industry this is used for the double purpose of making homogenized(使均勻，使勻質(zhì)) milk and sterilizing(使無菌) it at the same time. If you look at some raw milk with a microscope, you find that it is made up of little drops of butter fat floating around in a watery liquid. In order to make milk easier to digest, these fat droplets(微粒) may be broken up by forcing the milk through very small openings. The result is called homogenized milk. When the ultrasonic method is used, the sound waves not only break up the droplets but also kill the germs in the milk by pounding them to pieces. (from www.nmet84.com)

8. Why does a paint manufacturer use ultrasound to do a better job of blending colors?

A. Because it is cheap to use ultrasound to blend colors.

B. Because the waves move the liquid so quickly that it can make materials mix quickly or dissolve in liquids.

C. Because they can mix chemicals by the use of sound waves.

D. Because the waves can clean the paint.  

9. What properties does ultrasound wave have?

A. Homogenizes and sterilizes the milk.   B. Mix materials and break droplets.

C. Kill germs and sterilize milk.          D. Move liquids quickly.

10. What exists in the raw milk?

A. Little drops of butter fat.  B. Small holes.  C. Fat droplets and germs.   D. Chemicals.

11. Where is ultrasound wave not used?

A. In the paint manufacture.               B. In the shop mixing bread flour.

C. In the film-making company.   D. In the dairy industry.

Topping the class academically was certainly an advantage. Studying was a breeze for

Nigel. The reward was certainly incomparable to the little effort that he had to put it. It begin when he was selected to help the teachers in the computer laboratories.

The peak of his school career came not when he topped the school but when he was selected for the nationwide competition. Unlike everyone else, Nigel wanted to join the contest because he liked playing with the Lego sets and making something out of them. Nigel spent the next two months rebuilding the robot. It was during the time that Nigel found out about the prizes for the competition. Its well us auspices competitor. Alicia, from a neighboring school. His early intentions were forgotten. Getting the thousand-dollar prize was more important than anything else. Nigel decided to befriend Alicia. Unaware of his intentions, she told him all about the robot that she had been building for the competition. He even helped her to put the finishing branches to her robot. He was glad with the way things had progressed. His robot looked even better than Alicia’s and it was able to become a ball with its arms, something Alicia had failed to do.

On the day of the competition, he says Alicia. Everything dawned on her the minute she saw him among the competition. She stared at him, puzzled at first, then angry and finally a look of helplessness came over her.

The flashbulbs of the camera exploded in Nigel’s try. The robot bird performed actions so unique and different that the specialist judgments were the same. Nigel was so personal with himself that he did not even notice the girl standing a few feet away from him. Without her, he would never win the competition.

What reward did Nigel receive for doing well in his school work?

A. He was offered a part-time job      B. He was honored with a scholarship

C. He helped his teacher construct a robot      D. He helped in the computer laboratories

Nigel’s original intention of joining the contest was to ___.

A. be the top student of the school             B. being great honor to his school

C. constructs a robot with the Lego sets         D. wins the thousand-dollar prize

Why did Nigel help Alicia finish her robot?

A. He tried to make friends with her       B. He was fond of building robots

C. He intended to help her               D. He didn’t want her to suspect him

What is the author’s attitude towards Nigel’s actions?

A. He is mildly critical           B. He is strongly critical

C. He is in favor of them          D. His attitude is not clear

The shop doesn’t open until 11 am, _______ it loses a lot of business.

A. for 　　　　　　 B. or 　　　　　　C. but 　　　　　D. so