Duke Ellington is known as one of the most important composers of his time, and his work has been enjoyed for more than 80 years by music lovers all over the world. During his lifetime Ellington turned musical sounds into many compositions, mostly in the style known as jazz.

The Early Years

Edward Kennedy Ellington was born in 1899 in Washington, D. C. It wasn’t until Ellington was a teenager that his interest in music grew. He taught himself to play the piano by listening to local piano players. Sometime around 1916 Ellington began playing the piano at high school parties. Ellington realized that he enjoyed entertaining people with his music. He soon became a very popular musician, playing at parties and other events in the Washington area. Young adults seemed especially delighted by the modern pieces he composed.

Success in New York

In 1923, when Ellington was almost 24 years old, he joined The Washingtonians, a five-piece group of musicians in Washington, and became the group’s leader in early 1924. In 1927 Ellington and his orchestra won an engagement（雇佣期）at Harlem’s famous Cotton Club. For the next three years, his orchestra played at the Cotton Club nearly every night.

The Influence of the Cotton Club

    Working at the Cotton Club encouraged Ellington’s creativity. Since the shows changed every six months, he was challenged by the need to continually develop new material. He had to compose a wide variety of music to accompany the various acts in the Cotton Club shows and to adapt that music to the strengths and weaknesses of the players in his orchestra.

By 1928 the popular nightspot began radio broadcasts. From the broadcasts Ellington and his orchestra gained a national reputation.

On the Road

As Ellington’s popularity increased, he realized that his orchestra could do well on concert tours. They left the Cotton Club in 1931 and toured America and Europe almost continually for the next 43 years. In addition to touring, Ellington made recordings and continued to compose music.

Duke Ellington played the piano, composed music, and led his famous orchestra for more than 50 years, until his death in 1974. Music lovers all over the world agree that the large quantity of music he created will be enjoyed for many years to come.

 1.From the second paragraph, we know that Ellington ____________.

    A. could sing as well as he played the piano

    B. preferred mature audiences to young adults

    C. had a natural talent for musical composition

    D. learnt to play musical instrument from very young age

2.Which of the following can show us Ellington’s leadership ability?

A. Ellington was very popular at parties in the Washington area.

B. Ellington took the responsibility for a band for a long time.

C. Ellington did live radio broadcasts in New York City.

D. Ellington continually developed new material.

3.We may infer from the passage that ____________.

    A. Ellington’s career took off overnight

    B. Ellington loves touring around the world

    C. Ellington could compose a wide variety of songs

    D. Ellington had a great effect on the world of music

4.Which of the following shows the order in which the events happened in the story?

    a. Ellington joined a five-piece group of musicians in Washington.

    b. Ellington’s orchestra played at the Cotton Club.

    c. Ellington and his orchestra gained a national reputation.

    d. Ellington began playing the piano at high school parties.

    e. Ellington’s orchestra went on concert tours.

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

 

Paul was a good athlete when he was a middle school student. He liked running and jumping and won some medals at the sports meetings. So he was tall and strong. Suddenly war broke out and the young man joined the army. He was sent to the front and killed several enemy soldiers. Two years later he raturned to his home town and found a job at the police station. People had known about his bravery by then and they all liked the polite young man.

One day a few young men had drunk too much before they came in a cinema. They danced and sang there and the film couldn't be shown. Paul was ill that day and went to the hospital. When he was passing there, the young men were beating an old man. He went to stop them and they began to fight. He caught them all and sent them to the police station. Since then all the bad men in the town were afraid of the brave policeman.

It was a summer evening. The weather was hot and few people could stay indoors. Paul was on duty and sat by the telephone. Suddenly in rushed a beautiful girl with a book in her hand. She stood there, shaking in her shoes.

“What's the matter, madam? ”asked Paul.

“I wish you could protect me sir, ”answered the girl.

“Protect? ”Paul said in surprise. “For what? ”

The girl showed the book to Paul. The young man understood at once: it was a book about Ghosts（鬼）！

Paul won some medals because ____.   [    ]

A. he was a middle school student

B. he was tall and strong

C. he kept doing morning exercises

D. he was good at running and jumping.

Paul was ____ after he joined the army. [    ]

A. a good athlete

B. a brave soldier

C. a polite policeman

D. a brave policeman

Paul sent the young men to the police station because ____.       [    ]

A. they made some trouble（闹事）at the cinema

B. they drank much in the restaurant

C. they wouldn't see the filin

D. they wanted to fight with him

Paul sat by the telephone that evening because ____.   [    ]

A. he was waiting for an important call

B. he was going to call somebody

C. he was on duty

D. he wasn't afraid of hotness

Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday．The win makes Mo Yan the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel in its history．Informed of his win today, the author, who was having dinner at home, was “overjoyed and scared"．
Born in 1955 to parents who were farmers, Mo Yan－a pen name for Guan Moye，grew up in Gaomi in Shandong province in eastern China. At the age of 12, he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory. In 1976 he joined the army and during this time began to study literature and writing．
He published his first book in 1981, but found literary success in 1987 with Hong Gaoliang Jiazu, which was successfully filmed in the same year, directed by a famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. In his writing, Mo Yan draws on his youthful experiences and on settings in the province of his birth and his works show the life of Chinese people as well as the country's unique culture and folk customs. Mo Yan is known as a prolific（多产的）writer. In addition to his novels, he has published many short stories and essays on various topics. Despite his social criticism, he is seen in his homeland as one of the most famous contemporary authors. Dozens of his works have been translated into English, French, Japanese and many other languages．
The awarding ceremony will be held on December 10．The winner will win a medal, a personal diploma and a cash award of about $l million．
【小题1】How did Mo Yan feel when he was told about the news?

A．Excited and proud．	B． Happy and surprised
C．Worried and cautious	D． Uncertain and shocked

【小题2】Mo Yan developed his ability for writing when he was        ．

A．on a farm

B．in a factory

C．in a school

D．in the army

【小题3】One of Mo Yan's characteristics of writing is that he         .

A．writes about topics he is familiar with

B．focuses on social problems in the country

C．describes his characters in a unique way

D．explains difficult matters in simple words

【小题4】Which of the statements is true?

A．Mo Yan published his first book when he was 20 years old.

B．The movie Hong Gaoliang was made in 1987.

C．Mo Yan only writes novels.

D．Mo Yan’s works are mostly about city life.

【小题5】What's the best title for this passage?

A．How Mo Yan Gets Nobel Prize	B．An Introduction to Nobel Prize
C．Mo Yan Wins Nobel Prize in Literature	D．A World Famous Writer, Mo Yan

He only finished fourth in this year's Super Boy talent show. But it didn't stop him capturing the hearts of thousands of fans. He can hit high notes with ease. And he is very modest. Zhang Jie,25,shed(流) sweat and tears all the way through the competition, but he never gave up.

“No matter how life treats him, he always fights back bravely ,”said Wu Chunyan, a Senior 2 student in Hubei. “He has never lost his dream of being a singer.” The road to fame is always rocky, and Zhang is no exception. As a college student he was majoring in tourism. He was considering becoming a tourist guide after graduation until he entered a singing competition.

His life changed after he competed in My Show. He won first place and signed with a record company. “I was very excited and regarded it as a way to take me closer to my dream,” he said. But the company gave him little money to make music and slowly began to ignore him. Zhang even borrowed money to buy costumes. “Life has its ups and downs. But the tough reality only makes me stronger,” he said.

He forgot he was once a champion of a talent show and joined Super Boy. His decision got support from his family who worked hard to make ends meet. His mother sold rice noodles on a street in his hometown, but she said she would “support him forever.”

“I have the dream to buy a large house for my parents, where my mom can get a large window sill to grow flowers,” said Zhang.

Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

   A. An easy way to success            B. A rocky path to success

   C. A clever boy                     D. A successful boy  

From the passage, we can know that _________.

   A. he once won the first place in Super Boy talent show.

   B. he finished fourth in My Show.

   C. he is an exception on his way to fame.

   D. after signing with a record company, he didn’t get much money.

When he met with difficulty in a record company, he decided to _______.

   A. join Super Boy                  B. tell the others he was a champion  

   C. give up on his way to success       D. quarrel with the boss

Before he joined in a singing competition, his dream was to become________.

   A. a great scientist                  B. a good college student 

   C. a famous singer                  D. a tourist guide

A
Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday．The win makes Mo Yan the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel in its Ⅲ-year history．Informed of his win today, the author, who was having dinner at home, was “overjoyed and scared"．
Born in 1955 to parents who were farmers, Mo Yan－a pen name for Guan Moye，grew up in Gaomi in Shandong province in eastern China. At the age of 12, he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory. In 1976 he joined the army and during this time began to study literature and writing．
He published his first book in 1981, but found literary success in 1987 with Hong Gaoliang Jiazu, which was successfully filmed in the same year, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. In his writing, Mo Yan draws on his youthful experiences and on settings in the province of his birth and his works show the life of Chinese people as well as the country's unique culture and folk customs. Mo Yan is known as a prolific（多产的）writer. In addition to his novels, he has published many short stories and essays on various topics. Despite his social criticism, he is seen in his homeland as one of the most famous contemporary authors. Dozens of his works have been translated into English, French, Japanese and many other languages．
The awarding ceremony will be held on December 10．The winner will win a medal, a personal diploma and a cash award of about $l  million．
【小题1】How did Mo Yan feel when he was told about the news?

A．Excited and proud．	B． Happy and surprised．
C．Worried and cautious	D． Uncertain and shocked．

【小题2】Mo Yan developed his ability for writing when he was      ．

A．on a farm

B．in a factory

C．in a school

D．in the army

【小题3】One of Mo Yan's characteristics of writing is that he

A．writes about topics he is familiar with	B．focuses on social problems in the country
C．describes his characters in a unique way	D．explains difficult matters in simple words

【小题4】What's the best title for this passage? 

A．How Mo Yan Gets Nobel Prize	B．An Introduction to Nobel Prize
C．Mo Yan Wins Nobel Prize in Literature	D．A World Famous Writer, Mo Yan