When 47-year-old volunteer Susan Boyle stepped onto the stage of Britain’s Got Talent and announced she was unemployed, had never been married and “never been kissed, actually”, few in the audience would have wondered why. This Ms Boyle, looking unfashionable, from a village in Scotland, shocked the three judges and the audience with the song I dreamed a dream from the musical Les Miserables on a show of Britain’s Got Talent, one of the hottest reality shows in Britain.

She couldn’t hide the awkwardness when walking to the center of the stage in a housedress, and everyone — including the judges — seemed laughing at her when she said she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Paige. As soon as she began singing, however, everyone in the auditorium fell silent, then rose within seconds to applaud her incredible voice as the celebrity judges sat open-mouthed, and remained standing to the end.

After her performance, one of the judges Piers Morgan said, “Without doubt that was the biggest surprise I’ve had in three years of this show. When you stood there everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was amazing.” Actress Amanda Holden followed, “I’m so thrilled because I know that we everybody were against you. I honestly think that we were all being very cynical (愤世嫉俗的) and I think that’s the biggest wake up call ever.”

Susan obviously won over the hearts of millions around the world with sensation spreading across the Atlantic. Hollywood actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore — who between them have nearly 1.5 million followers — speak highly of her. Kutcher posted a link to the video clip (片段). The Scottish talent made her live American debut via satellite connection on CBS’s The Early Show, doing an interview and singing live from her room. And she already accepted an invitation from talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

Now Boyle has become one of the world’s hottest celebrities. The video clip of her performance has been viewed more than 50 million times on Youtube, becoming a hit on the Internet.

1.We learn from the passage that Susan Boyle ______.

A. rose from a low social class

B. had an unhappy marriage

C. lived with a dog alone on a farm

D. won the championship in the Britain’s Got Talent show

2. At the beginning of the show, almost everybody ______.

A. looked forward to her wonderful performance

B. was attracted by her beautiful dress

C. looked down upon her

D. placed great hope on her

3. We can infer that ______ contributed most to her global popularity.

A. the judges   B. the Internet   C. the newspaper   D. the advertisement

4.The 4^th paragraph intends to tell us ______.

A. how Susan Boyle achieved her success

B. the comment made by American actor Ashton Kutcher

C. Susan Boyle’s influence in the USA

D. Oprah Winfrey’s invitation to Susan Boyle

The Jonas Brothers are an American pop-rock band from Wyckoff，New Jersey．Born to musical parents．the Jonas Brothers grew up in a home where music was a large part of everyday life．Father Kevin Jonas，Sr．is the co-founder of Christ For The Nations Music，as well as a pastor(牧师)at a local church，in Wyckoff, NJ．Growing up in such a musically accomplished family gave the boys a love for music，as well as a bit of inside knowledge about the workings of the music industry．
19-year-old Kevin Jonas is the oldest of the three boys．At 13，Kevin taught himself to play me guitar, simply by studying a “Teach Yourself Guitar” book that he had found lying around his parents’home in New Jersey．Kevin spent about three days learning all of the major guitar chords(和弦)while he was home from school，due to illness．Even before their band was formed，Kevin had already appeared in several television commercials for Disney, Lego，and Burger King．
Joseph Jonas is 17 years old．While Joe originally wanted to be a comedian，he always had a love for music as well．Joe’s appearance in Baz Luhrmann’s Broadway production of“La Boheme” was his first performance as a singer．Joe said that watching his brother, Kevin，perform on Broadway was what motivated him to want to give musical theatre a try．Since discovering his talent for musical performances，Joe has never turned back．
Nick Jonas is 14 years old, and the youngest of the three Jonas Brothers．Despite his young age, he is sometimes referred to as the motivation behind the band. At 6 Nick was singing while getting his hair cut at a local barber shop, when a lady heard him, and gave him a card, suggesting that he should meet with a professional manager. From then on Nick was performing in front of audiences, big and small. Nick landed roles in Broadway shows like “Annie Get Your Gun”, “Beauty and the Beast”, and “Les Miserables”.
64．Kevin Jonas learned to play the guitar         
A．by himself                 B．from his father
C．at a music school           D．under his teacher’s guidance
65．Joseph Jonas decided to try singing on stage because      
A．he had longed to do so since his childhood
B．his parents wanted the brothers to sing together
C．he was invited to act in a show at a local theatre
D．Kevin’s performance on Broad way inspired him
66．From the passage，we can infer that     ．
A．the barber decided to give Nick Jonas a free hair cut
B．the owner of the shop considered Nick Jonas a VIP
C．Nick Jonas was advised to discuss his future career
D．Nick Jonas’handsome appearance attracted a woman
67．The passage is intended to      ．
A．offer readers information about the Jonas Brothers
B．prove strong family ties combine the boys together
C．explain why the three brothers began singing together
D．show how the boys are different from one another

In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow to audition（试镜）for My Kind of People, a televised talent show popular in the UK. She was immediately rejected. She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn’t perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks. Susan was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub.
Susan suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away. After his death, Susan put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother, Bridget Boyle. The mother and daughter often talked of Susan’s possible fame. Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions. “She was the one who said I should enter Britain’s Got Talent. We used to watch it together,” Susan later told reporters. “She thought I would win.”
In 1999, Susan used all of her savings to pay for a professional demo（样本唱片）tape, which she sent to record companies. In 2002, Susan began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O’Neil.
In 2007, her mother passed away at the age of 91. A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldn’t come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone”. She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles. For over a year, she refused to sing. But in August of 2008, O’Neil urged her to try out for Britain’s Got Talent. Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Susan auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland. She sang I Dreamed A Dream, a hit song from the musical Les Miserables（《悲惨世界》）, in the first round of the show, which was aired on April 11, 2009.
The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharp contrast（对比）to her powerfully beautiful voice. The performance astonished the audience and the judges. Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week. Although she failed to win the final of Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular. Her first album I Dreamed A Dream has sold over five million copies.
【小题1】Bridget Boyle’s attitude towards her daughter’s musical talent can be described as ___.

Modern life is a lot les s to the advantage of friendships and neighborliness than it used to be. The average American moves every five years. People drive straight into their garages, hire lawn services, hang out in their backyards instead of their front porches (前走廊). These days, neighbors don't even know each other's names. 

Good neighbors and good friends are a lot like electricity or running water: We don't know how much we depend on them until we don't have them. In fact, the authors of a recent book, Refrigerator Rights, claim that refrigerators are signs of close relationships--after all, you wouldn't snatch a drumstick(鸡腿) from the refrigerator of a stranger.

The surprising thing is that all it takes to strengthen your relationship with friends and neighbors is respect for their feelings, concern for their property, and a helping hand when it's needed. Here's how to develop your relationships with two types of vitally important people in your life. 

_________________. A true friend doesn't flee when changes occur. The sign of a good friend is one who stays true through it all--marriage, parenthood, new jobs, new homes, the losses. Just because situations change doesn't mean the person has to.

Friendships fade away if there isn't an balance between the give and the take. So make sure you aren't being a burden to your friends. Be sensitive to how much your friend can and can't offer you--be it time, energy, or help -- and don't step over the line. Meanwhile, friendships that drain(耗尽) you will not last. If a friendship is out of balance in this way, you'll need to talk the situation through.

1. Which sentence in the passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?

A true friend will stay the same even when the situations change. 

2. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 4 with a proper sentence. (Within 10 words)

3. What advice is given in the last paragraph? (Within 10 words)

4. What do you think the author will go on talking about if the passage continues?(Within 10 words)

5. Translate the underlined sentence in the last paragraph into Chinese．

Before she appeared on the reality show (真人秀) Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle was just an ordinary middle­aged British woman.Now all this is going to change.

She lives in a house with her cat Pebbles in a tiny Scottish town.Because of learning difficulties, she doesn't have much education.But what she does have is a very good voice.As a kid, she sang in church and choirs and school plays.For a living, she sang at local pubs.

When she took the stage on April 10th her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just_one_step_up_from rags.The audience laughed at her.

But then she opened her mouth.A few bars into the song and the laughing audience went silent.A beautiful voice was singing I Dreamed a Dream from the musical Les Miserables.Everyone was amazed.At the end of her song, the audience jumped to their feet and applauded wildly.

Almost overnight, Susan became a household name.She won fans and millions of admirers.Her online videos have drawn over 85.2 million hits.

Susan's story proved the truth of an old saying: “Never judge the book by its cover.” Susan may look ordinary, and doesn't have much dress sense, but she can certainly sing.

Susan's fans admire her courage, as much as they do her voice.She has experienced mockery and many disappointments, but her love for music has kept her going, which is worth anyone's respect.

1.According to the passage, Susan Boyle ________.

A．is a famous young actress                 B．became famous after a show

C．used to be a good student                 D．is good at dancing and has millions of admirers

2.The underlined phrase “just one step up from” in the third paragraph probably means ________.

A．far from          B．close to           C．different from      D．the same as

3.The audience jumped and applauded wildly because ________.

A．her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags

B．she looked very funny

C．she sang so well that everyone was amazed

D．she made a foolish mistake in the end

4.Susan Boyle has many fans now because of ________.

A．her beautiful face                       B．her knowing how to dress

C．her good education                      D．her beautiful voice and courage

5.The passage is mainly about ________.

A．how to win fans                         B．how to sing well

C．a woman's sudden success                D．a woman's simple life