阅读理解

　　Music is an international language．The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to all people everywhere．

　　Popular music in America is what every student likes．Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch．Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the streets．

　　Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work．They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, politics, and activities of the American people．Most of the radio broadcast is music．

　　Pop or popular music singers make much money．They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state．Once the popular singer is heard throughout the country, young people buy his or her tapes．Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer．Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her．Now the singer has become a national star．

　　There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans．One is called folk music．It tells stories about the common life of Americans．Another is called western or country music．This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching．Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music．

　　Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music．Music for instruments is called orchestra music(管弦乐), such as the symphonies(交响乐)of Beethoven．There is opera(歌剧)for singers．There is ballet(芭蕾舞剧)for dancers like the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in China．

阅读理解

　　The first Europeans came to America in 1492 with Christopher Columbus．Since that time people have come to America from all over the world, from Europe, Africa, and Asia, and they have brought their music with them．This mixing of people and music has created American music．

　　Music is a very important part of our lives．Music is for dancing, drinking, eating, loving and thinking．Some songs remind us of our childhood or youth．Others remind of the people we love．Many important occasions, like weddings and funerals have special music．Every nation has a national song like the American “The Star-Spangled Banner”．In the US, high schools and colleges have school songs, too．

　　Music is a part of the history of America．It expresses the problems and feelings of its people．As the years pass, the music grows and changes．

　　Modern science has also changed music．Inventions like records, radios, movies, electric instruments, tape recorders, and videos have changed the way we play and listen to music．They have helped to make music an important form of international communication．

　　American music, from the earliest folk songs to modern“pop”, is known around the world．Music is one of America’s most important exports．It brings the people of the world together．Even when people cannot understand the same language, they can share the same music．Many people learn and practice English by singing songs, understanding American music can help you understand American people．“Put a dime(10 cents)in the juke box(自动点唱机), baby．” Let’s listen to the music!

阅读理解

　　Good evening．Tonight’s broadcast brings together music from different corners of the world．The records we have chosen for you are from classical Western music, Indian music, pop and a Negro spiritual(黑人的圣歌)．In this broadcast we shall study the language of music．We shall try to find out how music says what people feel．You will hear a Beethoven piano piece, a composition from the sitar(西他, 一种弦乐器), and songs sung by a pop group and some others．I shall be trying to explain why they are all good music．

　　The feeling in each of these four musical compositions is sadness．You can find sadness in words, in paintings, and in music．The word “music” comes from the Greek word “muse”．The muses were goddesses of the arts．Music is only one of the arts．It is like the spoken language, but uses sounds differently．In the spiritual and the pop song you will hear only the piano or the sitar．I shall be saying a few words after each record．Music is now heard everywhere, in shops and buses and at home．We shall be trying to find out more about how music works．It is worth making the effort．Only then can we say why one piece of music is good and another bad．

阅读理解

　　Many young people want to become pop-stars．It is their great ambition(雄心)of life．They think：pop stars earn a lot of money;they lead interesting and exciting lives;thousands of fans love them;they become famous!

　　Yes, but first they must become stars．Most performers start life with a group．This is the pattern nowadays．But there are many groups and the competition is hard．Groups appear and disappear almost overnight．Only a small number survive．Almost without exception(例外)they have to work very hard before they reach the top．

　　And very few reach the top－and stay there．In England there are perhaps thirty or so groups at the top．Most of these do not earn so much money：perhaps 500 pounds each time they perform．What’s more, they have quite a lot of expenses．They have to pay a manager, for example．He is the key person in their lives and he takes about 20％ of their earnings－perhaps more．Then there are their clothes, their instruments and their van(车)．Sometimes they are still playing for the last two items．

　　And don’t forget, they have to travel a great deal－sometimes 2000 miles in one week．At times they even sleep in their van instead of a hotel, just to save money．

　　So now, what do you think?Are pop-stars so rich?And do they have such exciting lives?

阅读理解

　　Ice dancing developed from ballroom dancing, particularly the waltz, and was very popular in the early 1900s．It requires well-trained, exact footwork;conformity(协调)with one another’s steps;and a keen sense of timing and rhythm．Ice dancing differs from pairs skating in that ice dancers are restricted(限制)to lifts no higher than the man’s shoulders and there are no jumps．One skate must be on the ice at all times．

　　Ice dancing competitions are made up of three principal parts：compulsories, original dance, and free dance．In compulsories, partners must perform two dances selected by the ISU, for example, waltz, tango, or polka．Compulsories involve set patterns in which dancers perform and repeat steps at certain points around the arena(竞技场)．Although the steps are predetermined, dancers are encouraged to interpret(display)them for artistic charming．Each compulsory dance counts for 15 percent of a pair’s final score．

　　The original dance, formerly known as the original set pattern dance, requires skaters to design their own performance to their choice of music, set to a speed and rhythm previously announced by the ISU．It counts for 35 percent of the final score, and skaters receive marks for composition and presentation．In the free dance, the partners perform a dance to music of their choice．They are given marks for presentation and style as well as for technical value．This dance counts for 50 percent of the final score．

阅读理解

　　Personal computers and the Internet give people new choices about how to spend their time．

　　Some may use this freedom to share less time with certain friends or family members, but new technology will also let them stay in closer touch with those they care most about．I know this from personal experience．E-mail makes it easy to work at home, which is where I now spend most weekends and evenings．My working hours aren’t necessarily much shorter than they once were but I spend fewer of them at the office．This lets me share more time with my young daughter than I might have if she’d been born before electronic mail became such a practical tool．

　　The Internet also makes it easy to share thoughts with a group of friends．Say you do something fun see a great movie perhaps－and there are four or five friends who might want to hear about it．If you call each one, you may tire of telling the story．

　　With E-mail, you just write one note about your experience, at your convenience, and address it to all the friends you think might be interested．They can read your message when they have time, and read only as much as they want to．They can reply at their convenience, and you can read what they have to say at your convenience．

　　E-mail is also an inexpensive way stay in close touch with people who live far away．More than a few parents use E-mail to keep in touch, even daily touch, with their children off at college．

　　We just have to keep in mind that computers and the Internet offer another way of staying in touch．They don’t take the place of any of the old ways．

阅读理解

　　How to protect children Web fans from unsuitable material on-line while encouraging them to us the Internet has long been discussed in USA．For some parents the Internet can seem like a jungle, filled with danger for their children．But jungles contain wonders as well as dangers．With good guides, some education and few precautions(预防措施), the wilds of the Internet can be safely navigated(航行)．“Kids have to be on-line．If we tell our kids they can’t have access to the Internet we’re cutting them from their future, ” said an expert．Most kids have started to learn to use search engines．Many of them are great for finding tons of interesting sites, and they can also locate places where you might not want your kids to go．There are search engines designed just for kids．A certain software contains only sites that have been selected as safe．But the most popular that was to limit access would be to use what is known as “a content screener(过滤器)”．But this can’t be wholly reliable(可靠的), and the best thing parents can do is to talk to their kids and let them know what’s OK or not OK to see or do on the Internet．Another way is that mum or dad is nearby when the child is surfing the Internet．A few other tips：

　　－Don’t put the PC in a child’s room but keep it in an area where mum or dad can keep an eye on things．That also makes the Internet more of a family activity．

　　－Ask your child what he or she has been doing and about any friends they make on-line．

　　－Tell your child not to give on-line strangers personal information, especially details like address and phone number．

　　－And tell your children never to talk to anyone they meet on-line over the phone, send them anything, accept anything from them or agree to meet with them alone．

阅读理解

The uses of computers

　　Not very long ago, the computer was a strange machine．Not many people understood it．Not many people said yes to it．Today much of that is changing．The first computer system(系统)was introduced for use in business in the mid-1950s．Since then, the number of computer systems used in business, government offices, and institutions has grown rapidly．In 1975, about 250 000 systems were in use in the United States．This is growing by tens of thousands every year．

　　The electric computer is an important factor(因素)in our lives．Each year we use computer more and more to help us to collect data(数据)and to provide us with information．At one time people thought computers were only useful to banks, department stores, and governments．But today the rapidly increasing number of computers are used for many other purposes．Have you ever stopped to think how you are affected(影响)by a computer?The clothes you wear were probably made with the help of a computer．The newspaper you read could have been edited(编辑)and typed by a computer．Even radio programmes are often prepared by computers．

　　Computers today are playing important roles(作用)in education, transportation(交通)and medicine．They are used to predict(预报)the weather, to examine the ocean, and to develop defense systems．They are being used by businesses, governments, and institutions．There is no reason to think that their uses will become a greater part of our lives．

　　The influence(影响)of the computer is great．The list of its uses could go on and on．Computers now affect millions of people in countless(无数的)ways every day．

阅读理解

　　Jonathan James looks like just another kid about to graduate from high school．But this 19-year-old Swede is anything but ordinary．From the computer in his parents’ home he helps the US Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI)find out the world’s most wanted cyber criminals(网络犯罪分子)．

　　Jonathan first made headlines when he and another Swede，Fredrik Bjoerck，found out the maker of the “Melissa” virus(病毒)in March 1999．He came to the aid of the FBI again on May 7，finding out the suspected(嫌疑的)sender of the dangerous“I LOVE YOU” virus．The suspect was caught in Manila on May 8．

　　Jonathan’s special skills are in hot demand as officials around the world express alarm at the “virtual” crimewave．

　　In between studying for final exams，hanging out with friends and refereeing his younger brother’s football matches，the quiet，gentle teenager also gives lessons on e-security(电子安全)to large companies．He reads a lot and exchanges information with other computer experts to learn much about the latest tricks of the hacker(黑客)trade．

　　Many companies have already tried to employ him，but he is not interested at the moment．Instead，he plans to begin law school in the autumn at Sweden’s Uppsala University and start up his own e-security company．

　　Although he works with the FBI now，his family insists he’s just “a regular kid”．“Jonathan is a great kid，he has his friends and he does a lot more than just play with the computer，” his little sister Tessa said，adding that he helps the FBI because “he likes to help”，not because he’s looking for fame and recognition．

　　When the world was hit by the “Love Bug”virus，Jonathan was too busy preparing a speech on e-security to look into the problem．“Finally on May 7，I had some free time，so I began looking．” Within a few hours，he had found the suspect and e-mailed his method and results to the FBI．He said his work on the “Melissa” virus，which took three weeks to solve，was a big help in finding the suspect so quickly．

　　“This time I knew exactly where to start．I knew what to disregard and what to look at．”

阅读理解

　　You’ve probably heard of a lot about the Internet, but what is it?

　　The Internet is a computer network that uses the telephone system to connect together millions of computers around the world．

　　Maybe that isn’t very exciting but once you’re connected to the Internet, there are lots and lots of different things you can do．You can send electronic messages or“e-mails” to your friends(as long as they’re on the Internet, too), or you can sort through all kinds of information on something called the World Wide Web(WWW世界信息网)．

　　You don’t need to know how the Internet works in order to use it, but if you understand the basics, it may help you work out any technical problems you have－and of course you can help your friends with your Net knowledge!

　　You may think that your telephone is just for talking．But as long as you have the equipment, you can use a telephone line to send computer data(数据)as well as sounds．If you connect your computer with the telephone system it can receive information from, and send information to other computers(as long as they are connected with the telephone system, too)．

　　Because there is not an organization which operates the Internet, no one exactly knows how many people are connected to it．It’s thought that there could be 60 million people on the Net, connected up to over 15 million computers!