One of the most famous buildings in the United States is Carnegie Hall, the home of classical and popular music concerts in New York. Carnegie Hall is known not just for its beauty and history, but also for its amazing sound. It has been said that the hall itself is an instrument. It takes the music and makes it larger than life.

Carnegie Hall is named after Andrew Carnegie, who paid for its construction. He was a wealthy man who also gave a lot of money to schools and public libraries. Construction on Carnegie Hall began in 1890 and the official opening night was on May 5, 1891.

The hall was owned by the Carnegie family until 1924 when it was sold to Robert E. Simon. The building became very old and in 1960, the new owner made plans to destroy it and build an office block. Isaac Stem led a group of people who fought to save Carnegie Hall and finally, the city of New York bought it for $5 million. It was then fixed up between 1983 and 1995.

In 1986, people realized that Carnegie Hall had never kept proper records of its history. Advertisements and stories in newspapers about how Carnegie Hall needed help to recover its history led people to send in old concert programmes and information from all over the world. Over 12,000 concert programmes were received and with these it was possible to make a proper record of Carnegie Hall’s concert history.

Carnegie Hall is actually made up of several different halls, but the Main Hall, now called the Isaac Stern Hall, is the most famous. Most of the greatest performers of classical music since the time the hall was built have performed in the Main Hall, and its reception areas are decorated with signed photographs of these musicians. The hall itself can hold an audience of 2,804 in five levels of seating. Visitors to the top level have to climb up 105 steps to get there!

Because the best and most famous musicians of all time have played at Carnegie Hall, it is the dream of most musicians who want to be great to play there. This has led to a very old joke which is now part of Carnegie Hall’s history. Question: “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” Answer: “Practise, practise, practise.”

1.What do music lovers expect in Carnegie Hall?

   A. Musical concerts presented by first class performers.

   B. Exhibits and photographs of historical events.

   C. Musicians practicing for opportunities to play.

   D. People dancing merrily at parties.

2.What is the correct order of the following events?

  a. Robert E. Simon bought it in 1924.

b. Carnegie Hall got its name.

  c. Carnegie Hall recovered its history.

  d. New York City paid $5,000,000 for it. 

  e. Construction on Carnegie Hall began in 1890.

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

3.How long did it take Carnegie Hall to be fixed up?

   A. 9 years.   B. 10 years.   C. 11 years.   D. 12 years.

4. How did Carnegie Hall recover its concert history?

   A. Through newspaper reports.

   B. Through old concert programmes.

   C. Through old photographs.

   D. Through old jokes.

5.Why do you think the Main Hall is now called the Isaac Stern Hall?

   A. Because Isaac Stern is a famous musician.

   B. Because Isaac Stern built the Main Hall.

   C. Because Isaac Stern saved Carnegie Hall.

   D. Because Isaac Stern made up the Carnegie Hall joke.

 

The quality of drinking water in Shanghai will meet European Union standard by 2010 and, a decade later, citizens in Shanghai will drink the best water in the world.

These were the goals set out by the Shanghai Water Authority. With the city’s population expected to increase only slightly and the economy to boom by 2020, Chen Yin, and official with the water authority, said Shanghai’s water consumption will not increase from its present amount.

Zhang Yue, director of the Urban Construction Division under the Ministry of Construction, said, “Shanghai is the first city in the country to publicize these ambitions. They will not be easy to achieve.”

He said water saving will help keep the sustainable development of China’s economy.

Saving one cubic meter of water means saving the city’s infrastructure（基础设施）costs by 10,000 Yuan. Last year, Shanghai saved 300 million cubic meters of water either from readjustment of industrial structure or the employment of new technology.

 “The aim is to arouse public awareness of the seriousness of water shortages,” Chen said. “The abundant surface water and amount of rain of the city are so misleading that they result in improper use of water.”

Shanghai lacks drinkable water. The Huangpu River, which supplies 80 percent of the city’s drinkable water, is nearing exhaustion.

The city, therefore, has been exploring new sources from the Yangtze River and growing forests along it to conserve quality water.

Besides penning regulations, the authority is popularizing technology among the public to efficiently cut the amount of water used.

At present, the city has 600，000 family toilets, each using 13 liters of water per flush. These are to be renovated（整修）to use only 9 liters of water per flush.

The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households – at a cost of 40 Yuan each.

In three years, all the toilets will be renovated, which saves the city nearly 15 million Yuan every year in water conservation.

Another task the city is engaged in is the treatment of sewage（污水）to improve the water environment.

At present the city can only treat 44 percent of its daily 5.04 million tons of waste water. To meet the total demand, 27 more sewage treatment factories are to be established with an estimated investment of 18 billion Yuan.

 

41．People in Shanghai get their daily water mainly from _______now.

A．the underground                          B．the rain     

C．the Yangtze River                         D．the Huangpu River

42．According to the passage, some people have the wrong opinion of using water

because      .

A．the renovating of family toilets will save plenty of water

B．about half of waste water has been treated already

C．advanced technology makes people use water as much as possible

D．there is plenty surface water and large amount of rain at present

43．The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households to          .

A．make people’s living more convenient     

B．improve people’s living standards

C．ease employment pressure      

D．meet the total demand of water

44．Which group of measures are all mentioned in the passage to save water?

a．improve drinking water quality

b．change some industrial structure

c．introduce or use some new technology    

d．speed the economic development of Shanghai

e．renovate some family toilets    

f．build more sewage treatment factories

A．a, b, c, d                       B．b, c, e, f                       

C．b, c, d, e              D．a, b, e, f

45．We can infer from the passage that          .

A．the boom of economy will need a larger amount of water in the future

B．citizens today in Shanghai drink the best quality of water in the world

C．not everyone today in Shanghai is aware of water shortage

D．all the family toilets will be renovated to save water within 3 years

 

The quality of drinking water in Shanghai will meet European Union standard by 2010 and, a decade later, citizens in Shanghai will drink the best water in the world.

These were the goals set out by the Shanghai Water Authority. With the city’s population expected to increase only slightly and the economy to boom by 2020, Chen Yin, an official in the water authority, said Shanghai’s water consumption will not increase from its present amount.

Zhang Yue, director of the Urban Construction Division under the Ministry of Construction, said, “Shanghai is the first city in the country to publicize these ambitions. They will not be easy to achieve.” He said water saving will help keep the sustainable development of China’s economy.

Saving one cubic meter of water means saving the city’s infrastructure（基础设施）costs by 10,000 Yuan. Last year, Shanghai saved 300 million cubic meters of water either from readjustment of industrial structure or the employment of new technology.

“The aim is to arouse public awareness of the seriousness of water shortages,” Chen said. “The abundant surface water and amount of rain of the city are so misleading that they result in improper use of water.”

Shanghai lacks drinkable water. The Huangpu River, which supplies 80 percent of the city’s drinkable water, is nearing exhaustion. The city, therefore, has been exploring new sources from the Yangtze River and growing forests along it to conserve quality water.

Besides penning regulations, the authority is popularizing technology among the public to efficiently cut the amount of water used.

At present, the city has 600,000 family toilets, each using 13 liters of water per flush. These are to be renovated（整修）to use only 9 liters of water per flush. The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households – at a cost of Yuan each. In three years, all the toilets will be renovated, which saves the city nearly 15 million Yuan every year in water conservation.

Another task the city is engaged in is the treatment of sewage（污水）to improve the water environment. At present the city can only treat 44 percent of its daily 5.04 million tons of waste water. To meet the total demand, 27 more sewage treatment factories are to be established with an estimated investment of 18 billion Yuan.

1.People in Shanghai get their daily water mainly from _______now.

  A．the underground              B．the Huangpu River

  C．the rain                     D．the Yangtze River

2.According to the passage, some people have the wrong opinion of using water because      .

  A．the renovating of family toilets will save plenty of water

  B．about half of waste water has been treated already

  C．there is plenty surface water and large amount of rain at present

  D．advanced technology makes people use water as much as possible

3.Which group of measures are all mentioned in the passage to save water?

    a．improve drinking water quality

    b．change some industrial structure

c．introduce or use some new technology

d．speed the economic development of Shanghai

e．renovate some family toilets

f．build more sewage treatment factories

  A．a, b, c, d           B．a, b, e, f

  C．b, c, d, e           D．b, c, e, f

4.We can infer from the passage that          .

  A．not everyone today in Shanghai is aware of water shortage

  B．citizens today in Shanghai drink the best quality of water in the world

  C．the boom of economy will need a larger amount of water in the future

  D．all the family toilets will be renovated to save water within 3 years

 

Computers. Love them or hate them, it is impossible to escape from them in the modern age. They are so much a part of our everyday lives—from instant messaging to e-mails. With many people preferring to use e-mail rather than traditional regular mail, it has become very important to be aware of how we express ourselves when using e-mail. The requirement of etiquette（网络礼仪）is obviously needed.

Grammar and spelling

Firstly, if you are dealing with a formal e-mail, pay close attention to grammar and spelling. Don’t forget to run your spell-check (program) at the end of the document, but don’t treat it as the final word. Carefully re-read it yourself, as sometimes even spell and grammar checking programs come up with some strange explanations. Remember, your first e-mail to a potential employer or college could be your last — you won’t want to spoil your first impression by making basic errors.

E-mail addresses

Also, for official e-mails, carefully consider your existing e-mail address. A funny e-mail address (such as pinkfluffycutiepie@…com) may be fine for using with your friends, but what impression do you think this address might give to an employer or college admissions officer? Consider using one address for personal e-mails and a different one for formal use.

Upper case（大写字母）

Take care also NOT TO TYPE UNNECESSARILY IN UPPER CASE, as this is the e-mail version of shouting.

Personal information

You should beware too about giving away too much personal information over the Internet. It may feel much more comfortable to “talk” using instant messages as there are no uncomfortable silences or awkward moments, but never forget that—unless the person you are speaking to is a friend or family member—you really know nothing about them, so be careful. Further to this, NEVER agree to meet a stranger that you have spoken to online, as it can be extremely dangerous.

My final message though is—have fun! The Internet is exciting, useful and informative. But, as with so many things that we believe we can’t live without, it is a much better servant than a master.

60．The text is mainly about______.

      A．how to express ourselves when using e-mail

      B．computers, so much a part of our everyday lives

       C．the Internet, a much better servant than a master

       D．paying close attention to grammar and spelling when dealing with a formal e-mail

61．What does the underlined word “beware” mean?

      A．think           B．be careful           C．care     D．know

62．If you use all capital letters, it looks like you are______.

      A．yelling              B．careful              C．unprofessional        D．childish

63．Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?

      A．As time goes by, many people prefer to use traditional regular mail again.

      B．It’s fun to meet a stranger that you have spoken to online.

      C．If you want to apply for a job, you can’t use a funny e-mail address when writing e-mails..

      D．Grammar and spelling are not important when you write e-mails.

The quality of drinking water in Shanghai will meet European Union standard by 2010 and, a decade later, citizens in Shanghai will drink the best water in the world.

These were the goals set out by the Shanghai Water Authority. With the city’s population expected to increase only slightly and the economy to boom by 2020, Chen Yin, and official with the water authority, said Shanghai’s water consumption will not increase from its present amount.

Zhang Yue, director of the Urban Construction Division under the Ministry of Construction, said, “Shanghai is the first city in the country to publicize these ambitions. They will not be easy to achieve.”

He said water saving will help keep the sustainable development of China’s economy.

Saving one cubic meter of water means saving the city’s infrastructure（基础设施）costs by 10,000 Yuan. Last year, Shanghai saved 300 million cubic meters of water either from readjustment of industrial structure or the employment of new technology.

 “The aim is to arouse public awareness of the seriousness of water shortages,” Chen said. “The abundant surface water and amount of rain of the city are so misleading that they result in improper use of water.”

Shanghai lacks drinkable water. The Huangpu River, which supplies 80 percent of the city’s drinkable water, is nearing exhaustion.

The city, therefore, has been exploring new sources from the Yangtze River and growing forests along it to conserve quality water.

Besides penning regulations, the authority is popularizing technology among the public to efficiently cut the amount of water used.

At present, the city has 600，000 family toilets, each using 13 liters of water per flush. These are to be renovated（整修）to use only 9 liters of water per flush.

The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households – at a cost of 40 Yuan each.

In three years, all the toilets will be renovated, which saves the city nearly 15 million Yuan every year in water conservation.

Another task the city is engaged in is the treatment of sewage（污水）to improve the water environment.

At present the city can only treat 44 percent of its daily 5.04 million tons of waste water. To meet the total demand, 27 more sewage treatment factories are to be established with an estimated investment of 18 billion Yuan.

1.People in Shanghai get their daily water mainly from         now.

A．the underground         B．the rain

C．the Yangtze River         D．the Huangpu River

2.According to the passage, some people have the wrong opinion of using water because      .

A．the renovating of family toilets will save plenty of water

B．about half of waste water has been treated already

C．advanced technology makes people use water as much as possible

D．there is plenty surface water and large amount of rain at present

3.The authority is renovating the first 200 toilets for households to          .

A．make people’s living more convenient

B．improve people’s living standards

C．ease employment pressure         

D．meet the total demand of water

4.Which group of measures are all mentioned in the passage to save water?

a．improve drinking water quality    b．change some industrial structure

c．introduce or use some new technology      

d．speed the economic development of Shanghai

e．renovate some family toilets        f．build more sewage treatment factories

A．a, b, c, d      B．b, c, e, f       C．b, c, d, e      D．a, b, e, f

5.We can infer from the passage that          .

A．the boom of economy will need a larger amount of water in the future

B．citizens today in Shanghai drink the best quality of water in the world

C．not everyone today in Shanghai is aware of water shortage

D．all the family toilets will be renovated to save water within 3 years