They are among the 250, 000 people under the age of 25 who are out of work in the Netherlands, a group that makes up 40 percent of the nation’s unemployed. A storm of anger boils up at the government-sponsored (政府资助的) youth center, even among those who are continuing their studies.

   “We study for jobs that don’t exist,” Nicollets Steggerda, 23, said.

   After thirty years of prosperity, unemployment among 10 member nations of the European Community has reached as much as 11 percent, affecting a total of 12.3 million people, and the number is climbing.

   The bitter disappointment long expressed by British youths is spreading across the Continent. The title of a rock song “No Future” can now be seen written on the brick walls of closed factories in Belgium and France.

    One form of protest(抗议) tends to put the responsibility for a country’s economic troubles on the large numbers of “guest workers” from Third World nations, people welcomed in Western Europe in the years of prosperity.

    Young Europeans, brought up in an extended period of economic success and general stability, seem to be similar to Americans more than they do their own parents. Material enjoyment has given them a sense of expectation, even the right to a standard of living that they see around them.

    “And so we pass the days at the discos, or meet people at the café, and sit and stare,” said Isabella Cault. "There is usually not much conversation. You look for happiness. Sometimes you even find it.”

1.Unemployment in the Netherlands has affected _______

A. about 0.6 million people                       B. 250,000 people

C. 1ess than half of the population                  D. one million people

2.What Nicollete Steggerda said (Para.2) means that ________.

A. what the students learn is more than necessary

B. the students cannot get work after graduation

C. the students’ aim in study is not clear

D. school education is not sufficient

3.The underlined word ‘‘it” in the last paragraph most probably refers to ________.

A. material enjoyment                                       B. a sense of expectation

C. a job                                                               D. happiness

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. British youths have pity on the unemployed on the Continent．

B. British youths care about unemployment in France and Belgium．

C. British youths show their disappointment over joblessness．

D. British youths have confidence to find work on the Continent．

 

 

“I grew up on Jackson’s music and I still have all his stuff on My iPod. I think that Michael Jackson will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers. His brilliance as a performance also was paired with a tragic and in many ways，sad personal life.”

Michael Jackson was a singer，songwriter，dancer and celebrity icon with a vast catalog of hit records and countless awards to his credit. Beyond that，he had transfixed the world like few entertainers before or since. As a solo performer，he had enjoyed a level of superstardom previously known   ——Barack Obama

only to Elvis Presley，the Beatles and  Frank Sinatra.

Michael Jackson was unquestionably the biggest pop star of the 80s’，and certainly one of the most popular recording artists of all time.

Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29,1958.The fifth and youngest son of steelworker Joe Jackson，Michael displayed a talent for music and dance from an extremely young age. His father began to organize a family musical group around his three eldest sons in 1962，and Michael joined them the following year，quickly establishing himself as a dynamic stage performer. Dubbed the Jackson 5，the group signed to Motown in 1968 and issued their debut single in October 1969，when Michael was just 11 years old. I Want You Back，ABC，The Love You Save and I’ll Be There all hit number one in 1970，making the Jackson 5 the first group in pop history to have their first four singles top the charts. Later in 1972，Jackson had his first number one solo single，Ben. In 1977，he met producer/composer Quincy Jones for the first time. With Jones producing，Jackson recorded his first solo album as an adult，Off the Wall.

Released（发行） in 1982，the Quincy Jones produced Thriller refined the strengths of Off the Wall：the dance and rock tracks were more driving，the pop tunes and ballads softer and more soulful，and all of it was recognizably Michael. There was no surprise that Thriller was a hit；what was a surprise was its staying power .Jackson’s duet with McCartney，The Girl Is Mine，was a natural single choice，and it peaked at number two；then Billie Jean and the Van Halen track Beat It both hit number one，for seven and three weeks respectively.

Michael Jackson died from heart disease on June 25 at age 50.

1.What does Barack Obama mean by saying “His brilliance as a performance also was paired with a tragic and in many ways，sad personal life”？

A．Michael Joseph Jackson was a success in his career as well as in life.

B．Michael Joseph Jackson was a success in his career.

C．Michael Joseph Jackson led a happy life.

D．Michael Joseph Jackson gained a lot in his career，but he also suffered a lot in his life.

2.According to the passage，which of the following is NOT true?

A．Barack Obama likes Michael Jackson’s song very much.

B．Barack Obama and Michael Jackson are good friends.

C．Michael is good at music as well as at dance.

D．Michael Jackson had his first number one solo single when he was 14 years old.

3.Choose the right time order of the following events.

a．Barack Obama，President of the US，assessed the whole life of Michael Jackson.

b．The family musical group signed to Motown.

c．Michael joined the family musical group.

d．His father began to organize a family musical group.

e．Thriller became a hit.

A．a－c－e－b－d  　　  B．d－c－b－e－a

C．b－e－a－c－d  　　  D．d－e－b－c－a

4.What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Michael Jackson’s job.  　　B．How Michael Jackson performed.

C．Michael Jackson’s great achievements.  D．Michael Jackson’s life.

 

Let's pretend we're sailing down the Rhine River on a pleasure boat. The Rhine is one of the main waterways of Germany, and the river traffic is heavy. It's interesting to watch the many boats going up and down the river. But the river traffic is not nearly so interesting as the beautiful scenery along the banks and hillsides. The boat is passing many old castles. We can see people working in the vineyards (?????) on the hillsides. There are vineyards as far as the eye can see. Wine from the Rhine Valley is famous all over the world.

Suddenly our boat slows down and begins to turn a little. We are coming to a sharp bend in the river. On our right we can see a rocky cliff over 400 feet high. At first it looks quite ordinary, but there is nothing ordinary about it. There are many stories, poems, and songs about the cliff. We are looking at the Lorelei.

The someone on the boat begins to sing in German, the song of the Lorelei. It is a song about a beautiful siren (???) who has lured many sailors to their deaths.

The siren is supposed to sit on the rock combing her long golden hair and singing. The sailors who hear her forget to steer, and the current of river hurls their boats on the rocks and dashes them to pieces.

Soon other people on the boat begin to sing. The beautiful song adds to special magic to the moment, and you begin to realize why so many people have made this trip down the Rhine to see the rock of the Lorelei.

1.The more interesting thing to those who are sailing down the Rhine River on a pleasure boat is      .

A. to watch many boats going up and down the river

B. to see the beautiful scenery along the banks and hillsides

C. to hear a song about beautiful siren

D. to see a beautiful siren combing her golden hair

2. Which of the following is famous all over the world?

A. The Rhine River.                   B. The River Traffic.

C. Wine from the Rhine Valley.          D. The Lorelei.

3. We can see a rocky cliff over 400 feet high      .

A. on our right when coming to a sharp bend       B. on the Rhine hillsides

C. from the Rhine Valley                 D. on the boat

4. The song of the Lorelei is about      .

A. The Rhine wine                   

B. a rocky cliff

C. the beautiful scenery along the Rhine River 

D. a beautiful and dangerous woman genie

 

根据短文内容，从下框的A~F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余项。

A.   Bollywood pays great attention to traditional values.

 

B.   Bollywood is lees famous than Hollywood, and yet it produces the most films in the world.

 

C.   Bollywood films are full of ideal things and free of daily worries.

 

D.   Bollywood is a decent refreshing replacement for those over-stimulating Hollywood films.

 

E.   Bollywood has gradually won its reputation on the world stage.

 

F.    Bollywood films are mostly comic romances with light-hearted incidental music.

 

Hollywood movies are regularly filled with sex and violence. They can be exciting films but sometimes all you want is a little light-hearted entertainment.

1.____    Have you heard of Bollywood? All singing, all dancing and unrealistic, it is the perfect alternative to normal Hollywood movies. Bollywood is the Indian film industry, based in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. Most Chinese school kids have probably never seen an Indian film. Yet Bollywood is the largest producer of films in the world. This year the Indian Filmgare Awards, Bollywood's Oscrs, turn 50 years old.

2.__     The typical Bollywood movie usually has the following ingredients: a cup of romance, a tea-spoon of comedy, a dash of international sight-seeing, served with a huge slice of singing and dancing. There will also be one brave hero, one beautiful heroine and one baddie. The result is a fun-filled musical.

3.__     There is never any mention of politics, poverty or war. The actors change clothes and locations within a single song. But the audience don't mind. To Indian movie lovers, especially the poor, such films are a gateway to heaven and the stars are their gods. The films take them to a magical world away from their everyday troubles. The films tell them the impossible is possible and that true love conquers all.

4.___    But, behind the beautiful scenes, Bollywood still emphasizes traditional family values. In most films, if two lovers want to break an arranged marriage, they can't just run away. They must win over their parents.

5.__    So if you're tired of all that Hollywood actions, check out the following Bollywood films. They will take you to a brighter, cheerier and more colourful world, where it's still cool to dance around a tree and sing a love song.

 

My neighbour came to ask me why there was so much noise in my house yesterday afternoon. I told her that some children          an English song.

  A. praticed       B.would practice     C. have practiced       D. were practicing