Roller skating is easy and fun, and it is popular all over the world, But many years ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, people never tried skating on wheels. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making instruments. In his free time he liked to play the violin.w Merlin was a man with many ideas and many dreams. People called him a dreamer.

One day Merlin received an invitation to go to an important party. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think. He wanted to find a way to make a wonderful entrance at the party. Merlin had an idea. He thought that he would attract a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.

Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skate shoes. Merlin was very proud of them. He dreamed of arriving at the party and skating into the room while playing the violin. He was sure that everyone would be very surprised.

On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing his violin. Everyone was really surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skating. He rolled on, playing the violin. Then, with all eyes on him, Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall. The mirror broke into many pieces with a very loud noise. But nobody forgot Merlin’s wonderful entrance after that.

34. The story tells us that people began to enjoy roller-skating          .

A. before the year 1750                              B. before the invitation

C. because of Joseph Merlin                          D. because it was dangerous

35. People called Merlin a dreamer because          .

A. he slept and dreamed a lot                   B. he was full of different ideas

C. he was a talented violinist                    D. he always made people’s dreams come true

36.           made Merlin think of skating on wheels.

 A. Merlin’s work    B. Merlin’s violin           C. A huge mirror    D. An important party

37. What was Merlin’s problem after he rolled into the room?

 A. He couldn’t stop his roller-skating.       B. He couldn’t attract a lot of attention

 C. Everyone was surprised at him.            D. He couldn’t play the violin while rolling.

Music is an international language. Popular music in America is what every student likes.
Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and
at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly when they drive
streets. Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio when they drive to work. They also listen to the News about sports, the weather, politics（政治）, and activities of the American people. Most of the radio broadcast is music.  
Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state(州). Once the popular singer is heard all over the country, young people buy his or her tape. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Whenever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.
There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music. It has stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country boy and his girl is called western or country music. Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music, such as the symphonies（协奏曲） of Beethoven.
【小题1】Almost every American student likes_________.                   .  

Music is an international language. Popular music in America is what every student likes.

Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and

at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly when they drive

streets. Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio when they drive to work. They also listen to the News about sports, the weather, politics（政治）, and activities of the American people. Most of the radio broadcast is music.  

Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state(州). Once the popular singer is heard all over the country, young people buy his or her tape. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Whenever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.

There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music. It has stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country boy and his girl is called western or country music. Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music, such as the symphonies（协奏曲） of Beethoven.

1.Almost every American student likes_________.                   .  

2.What do adult drivers do while they are driving?.

3.What’s one of the reasons that singers become national stars?

4._______ was started by cowboys.

5.What is the best title of the passage?