Title	Time	Event
Grandmother Student	today	An  83—year—old great grandmother received a bachelor’s degree(学士学位) from South—Eastern University today, more than 50 years after she took her first college course.
Early Spring Storm	last night	An early spring heavy snow dumped 18 inches of snow on the city in less than six hours last night.
Two Men Win Freedom	today	Two men picked up for disorderly conduct(不法行为)won their freedom today when they helped police officers save 20 persons from burning North Side apartment building.
Henley Street Bridge Closed	On Friday	The Henley Street Bridge over the Tennessee will be closed at 8:00 on Friday, a State Highway official said today.
Husband Kills Wife	today	Just 15 minutes after  he shot and killed his unfriendly wife , a 22-year –old truck driver jumped to his death from the State Street Bridge.

【小题1】From the first piece of news we know that ______.

A．it took the old woman over 50 years to study at South-Eastern University.

B．the great grandmother was the oldest who received a bachelor’s degree.

C．the 83-year-old woman’s story surprised everyone.

D．the 83-year-old woman has a strong will.

【小题2】The underlined word “dumped” means____.

A．fell

B．left

C．hit

D．lasted

【小题3】In the third piece of news, “picked up” means ______.

A．given a ride

B．saved from danger

C．freed

D．caught

【小题4】Which of the following is right according to the last piece of news?

A．The wife was a 22-year-old truck driver.

B．The wife was shot after her husband died.

C．Shortly after having shot his wife, the young truck driver finished himself.

D．The wife died, but the husband didn’t.

【小题5】Which is TRUE according to the news above?

A．A person who is about 70 years old can get a bachelor’s degree.

B．It never snows heavily at night in spring.

C．There were only 20 persons living in North Side apartment building.

D．Maybe today is Wednesday.

 

Angela Chang (张韶涵) didn’t know it would be so hard to turn singing into a career (失业). She went to many different record companies. But she was always turned down for looking too young and small.

“I’d never had such difficulties before,” Chang said. But Chang’s talent was finally accepted in 2002. When she got a piece of work, she cried.

She soon became a star. Her first album Over the Rainbow sold very well. She won many awards.

“You wouldn’t believe such a beautiful voice could come from such a small body,” said one musician after hearing Chang sing. “She has a special voice. You can’t forget it.”

But the 25-year-old girl has other talents too. Chang is also an actress. She has played a role in the popular TV plays, My MVP Valentine and At Dolphin Bay. Many people remember her common-girl parts in the plays. But acting is difficult. Chang once acted so badly that she was nearly fired (解雇). Another time it took her 27 tries to get a scene (一场戏) right.

“I cried when I got back home,” Chang said. “But I knew that I wouldn’t always fail. You only fail when you give up.”

Now with four albums behind her - Over the Rainbow, Aurora, Pandora and Flower in the Wonderland, it’s clear that Chang and music were made for each other. As she sings in one song, “I have a pair of invisible wings (隐形的翅膀). They fly me to the skies and give me hope.”

1.The phrase “turned down” in the first paragraph means “______”.

         A. 承认                             B. 拒绝                             C. 开除                      D. 雇用

2. Many record companies refused to co-operate (合作) with her because ______.

         A. she looks very common                                          B. she is too young

         C. she doesn’t sing very well                                 D. she looks young and small

3. Although acting is difficult for her, she never gives up because ______.

         A. she is strong-minded                                          B. people like her films 

         C. she is interested in acting                                               D. she acted in the popular TV plays

4.Which do you think is the best title of the passage?

         A. The Small Girl.                                                           B. Four Albums.

        C. I have a Pair of Invisible Wings.                 D. A Poor Actress.

 

Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing(令人迷惑的). A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences. They decided that miscommunications(沟通误解)were always possible, even over something as simple as “yes” and “no”.
On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific(太平洋), Lisa thought people weren’t paying any attention to her. The day was hot. She went into a store and asked, “Do you have cold drinks?” The woman there didn’t say anything. Lisa repeated the question. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her: She had raised her eyebrows(眉毛)，which in Micronesia means “yes”.
Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was famous for its cabbage. She asked the waiter, “Do you have cabbage today?” He nodded his head. Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means “no”.
Tom had a similar problem when arrived in India. After explaining something in class, he asked his students if they understood. They answered with many different nods and shakes of the head. He thought some people had not understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake their heads in different ways depending on(依据)where they come from. You have to know where a person is from to understand whether they mean “yes” or “no”.
【小题1】The Americans teaching English in other countries found that they      .

A．should go abroad for vacations

B．needed to learn foreign languages

C．should often discuss their experiences

D．had problems with communications

【小题2】People in Micronesia show “yes” by          .

A．nodding heads

B．raising eyebrows

C．shaking heads

D．saying “no”

【小题3】Tom misunderstood（误解） his class at first because           .

A．he did not know much about Indian culture

B．he didn’t explain everything clearly enough

C．some students didn’t understand his questions

D．he didn’t know where the students came from

【小题4】Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

A．In Bulgaria, nodding heads means “no”.

B．Jan taught English on a Pacific island.

C．Lisa was trying to buy some cabbage.

D．In India, only shaking heads means “yes”.

【小题5】The passage is mainly about          .

A．body language in foreign restaurants

B．class discussion in India schools

C．miscommunication in different cultures

D．English teaching in other countries

 

Title	Time	Event
Grandmother Student	today	An  83—year—old great grandmother received a bachelor’s degree(学士学位) from South—Eastern University today, more than 50 years after she took her first college course.
Early Spring Storm	last night	An early spring heavy snow dumped 18 inches of snow on the city in less than six hours last night.
Two Men Win Freedom	today	Two men picked up for disorderly conduct(不法行为)won their freedom today when they helped police officers save 20 persons from burning North Side apartment building.
Henley Street Bridge Closed	On Friday	The Henley Street Bridge over the Tennessee will be closed at 8:00 on Friday, a State Highway official said today.
Husband Kills Wife	today	Just 15 minutes after  he shot and killed his unfriendly wife , a 22-year –old truck driver jumped to his death from the State Street Bridge.

1.From the first piece of news we know that ______.

A．it took the old woman over 50 years to study at South-Eastern University.

B．the great grandmother was the oldest who received a bachelor’s degree.

C．the 83-year-old woman’s story surprised everyone.

D．the 83-year-old woman has a strong will.

2.The underlined word “dumped” means____.

A．fell              B．left              C．hit               D．lasted

3.In the third piece of news, “picked up” means ______.

A．given a ride        B．saved from danger   C．freed             D．caught

4.Which of the following is right according to the last piece of news?

A．The wife was a 22-year-old truck driver.

B．The wife was shot after her husband died.

C．Shortly after having shot his wife, the young truck driver finished himself.

D．The wife died, but the husband didn’t.

5.Which is TRUE according to the news above?

A．A person who is about 70 years old can get a bachelor’s degree.

B．It never snows heavily at night in spring.

C．There were only 20 persons living in North Side apartment building.

D．Maybe today is Wednesday.