Three years ago, when Steve Baker's stepson was stationed （駐軍）in Iraq, the soldier received a birthday present from home．It was a guitar, and it was a hit．Word spread, and his friends began asking for instruments．

 Steve and his wife, Barb, are longtime musicians who believe in music's power to comfort and inspire．"With music, for just a minute, you're back home," Steve says．

The Bakers organized a silent auction （拍賣(mài)）at the local American Legion and raised $900． The Bakers sent off 22 guitars three days later．

They named their effort Operation Happy Note, and in the following months, Steve and Barb boxed and mailed banjos, mandolins, trumpets, clarinets, harmonicas and other instruments．A man in Iowa donated four boxes of violins．A left-handed guitarist sent four guitars for lefties．A retired couple in Florida mailed a check for $2,000．

Eventually Barb left her part-time job to devote herself to Operation Happy Note．"We feel that this is our task in life," she says．"The money isn't that important．We're not starving, and our light bill's paid．"

 Last Christmas, the Bakers shipped 48 guitars, drumsticks, harmonicas, and extra strings and picks． The instruments arrived in Iraq three days before Christmas．"Before, you'd see guys with their iPods on, listening to music, staying away from everybody else," says Sgt．Kashia．"But when the guitars came, people got together．We'd have four or five guys playing the guitar, and 25 or 30 others laughing and singing．"

In the past three years, Operation Happy Note has sent nearly 630 free instruments to American troops around the world．Scores of thank-you e-mails from soldiers make it all worthwhile．This Christmas, the Bakers plan to ship Santa hats, decorations, holiday CDs and sheet music along with the instruments．

Sgt．Timothy Hall, a mapmaker in the 3rd Infantry Division, put it this way: "The music takes me away to another world—one that is peaceful and calm, where there is no hate, death or dirt．That sort of military transport is a miracle （奇跡）． The Bakers are our heroes．"

1． The sixth paragraph mainly tells us about ________．

A． the arrival of instruments                    B． the miracle effects of music

C． the soldiers’ happy experiences               D． the Bakers’ wishes

2． Which of the following is true?

A． The Bakers are thought to be heroes because they make the soldiers less stressful．

B． Barb gave up her job because she was badly needed by Operation Happy Note．

C． The Bakers auctioned all their musical instruments in order to raise money．

D． All the Americans joined the Operation Happy Note．

3． What does the passage mainly talk about?

A． Music's power to comfort and inspire soldiers．

B． Steve Baker and his wife, Barb．

C． The Bakers’ efforts to calm soldiers with music．

D． Nearly 630 kinds of musical instruments．

—I'm afraid I can't finish the novel this week．

—________．

A．Please go ahead                                           B．That's right

C．Not at all                                                    D．Take your time

________ the text a second time, the meaning will become clearer to you．

A．Read               B．Reading                  C．If reading                D．When you read

It's natural that a house made of wood or bamboo may stay up in an earthquake while it's easier for __________ made of steel and concrete to fall down sometimes．

A．one                 B．that                 C．it                     D．what

I want to buy that kind of cloth because I ____ the cloth ___ well．

A．have told; washes                                       B．have been told; washes

C．was told; washed                                       D．have been told; is washed

Flood-stricken people are in need of blankets, and even ____ food．

A．bad off          B．worse off for        C．lack in        D．in want for

It is I_________ my parents who ____ to blame for the accident．

A．rather than; am                             B．other than; are

C．more than; are                              D．than; is

This computer is of good quality．If it ___break within the first year, we would repair it at our expense．

A．would          B．should           C．could          D．might

He has behaved in the most extraordinary way recently; I wonder what can ____ his actions．

A．a(chǎn)nswer for       B．wish for         C．a(chǎn)sk for         D．a(chǎn)ccount for

With no rain for three months and food supplies_______ out, the situation here is getting from bad to worse．

A．run                 B．to run               C．running               D．to be run