选择知识点

Strangely enough， music is no fun at all for some people． About four percent of the population is what scientists call "amusic"， People who are amusic are born without the ability to recognize or reproduce musical notes． Amusic people often cannot tell the difference between two songs． Amusics can only hear the difference between two notes if they are very far apart on the musical scale．
As a result， songs sound like noise to an amusic． Many amusics compare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other． Life can be hard for amusics． Their inability to enjoy music set them apart from others． It can be difficult for other people to identify with their condition． In fact， most people cannot begin to grasp what it feels like to be amusic． Just going to a restaurant or a shopping mall can be uncomfortable or even painful． That is why many amusics intentionally stay away from places where there is music． However， this can result in withdrawal and social isolation． "I used to hate parties，" says Margaret， a seventy-year- old woman who only recently discovered that she was amusic．
By studying people like Margaret， scientists are finally learning how to identify this unusual condition．
Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different from the brains of people who can appreciate music． The difference is complex， and it doesn't involve defective hearing． Amusics can understand other nonmusical sounds well． They also have no problems understanding ordinary speech． Scientists compare amusics to people who just can't see certain colorls．
Many amusics are happy when their condition is final diagnosed． For years， Margaret felt embarrassed about her problem with music． Now she knows that she is not alone． There is a name for her condition． That makes it easier for her to explain． "When people invite me to a concert， I just say， No， thanks， I am amusic"，"says Margaret． "I just wish I had learned to say that when I was seventeen and not seventy． "



Amusics have the following characteristics except that ______ ．

A. they are born without the ability to recognize musical notes
B. they hate music and often keep off places where there is music
C. they are set apart from others as they fail to enjoy music
D. they prefer to make metal noise rather than listen to music

How do scientists finally identify the unusual condition of amusic？ ______

A. By sorting documents and data．
B. By studying people with amusic
C. By making a lot of experiments．
D. By drawing on research results of others．

What does the underlined word most probably mean in the passage？ ______

A. detective．
B. acute．
C. imperfect．
D. artificial．

In the last paragraph， Margaret expressed her wish that ______ ．

A. she were seventeen years old rather than seventy
B. she hadn't felt embarrassed about her problem
C. her problem with music had been diagnosed earlier
D. there could be a better name for her condition

One of the executives gathered at the Aspen Institute for a day-long leadership workshop using the works of Shakespeare was discussing the role of Brutus in the death of Julius Caesar． "Brutus was not an honorable man，" he said． "He was a traitor（叛徒）． And he murdered someone in cold blood．" The agreement was that Brutus had acted with cruelty when other options were available to him． He made a bad decision， they said-at least as it was presented by Shakespeare-to take the lead in murdering Julius Caesar． And though one of the executives acknowledged that Brutus had the good of the republic in mind， Caesar was nevertheless his superior． "You have to endeavor，" the executives said， "our policy is to obey the chain of command．"
During the last few years， business executives and book writers looking for a new way to advise corporate America have been exploiting Shakespeare's wisdom for profitable ends． None more so than husband and wife team Kenneth and Carol Adelman， well-known advisers to the White House， whostarted up a training company called "Movers and Shakespeares"． They are amateur Shakespeare scholars and Shakespeare lovers， and they have combined their passion and their high level contacts into a management training business． They conduct between 30 and 40 workshops annually， focusing on half a dozen different plays， mostly for corporations， but also for government agencies．
The workshops all take the same form， focusing on a single play as a kind of case study， and using individual scenes as specific lessons． In Julius Caesar ， sly provocation（狡诈的挑唆） of Brutus to take up armsagainst the what was a basis for a discussion of methods of team building and grass roots organizing．
Although neither of the Adelmans is academically trained in literature， the programmes， contain plenty of Shakespeare tradition and background． Their workshop on Henry V， for example， includesa helpful explanation of Henry's winning strategy at the Battle of Agincourt． But they do come to the text with a few biases （偏向）： their reading of Henry V minimizes his misuse of power． Instead， they emphasize the story ofthe youth who seizes opportunity and becomes a masterful leader． And at the workshop on Caesar，
Mr． Adelmans had little good to say about Brutus， saying "the noblest Roman of them all" couldn't make his mind up about things．
Many of the participants pointed to very specific elements in the play that they felt related Caesar's pride， which led to his murder， and Brutus's mistakes in leading the after the murder，they said， raise vital questions for anyone serving as a business when and how do you resist theboss？



According to the passage， the Adelmans set up "Movers and Shakespeares" to ______ ．

A. help executives to understand Shakespeare's plays better
B. give advice on leadership by analyzing Shakespeare's plays
C. provide case studies of Shakespeare's plays in literature workshops
D. guide government agencies to follow the characters in Shakespeare's plays．

Why do the Adelmans conduct a workshop on Henry V？ ______

A. To highlight the importance of catching opportunities．
B. To encourage masterful leaders to plan strategies to win．
C. To illustrate the harm of prejudices in management．
D. To warn executives against power misuse．

It can be inferred from the passage that ______ ．

A. the Adelmans" programme proves biased as the roles of characters are maximized．
B. executives feel bored with too many specific elements of Shakespeare's plays．
C. the Adelmans will make more profits if they are professional scholars．
D. Shakespeare has played an important role in the management field．

The best title for the passage is ______ ．

A. Shakespeare's plays： Executives reconsider corporate culture
B. Shakespeare's plays： An essential key to business success
C. Shakespeare's plays： a lesson for business motivation
D. Shakespeare's plays： Dramatic training brings dramatic results

A jobless man applied for the position of"office boy"at Microsoft．The HR manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test．
"You are employed，"he said．"Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the application to fill in，as well as date when you may start．"
The man replied，"But I don't have a computer，neither an e-mail．"
"I'm sorry，"said the HR manager．"If you don't have an e-mail，that means you do not exist．And who doesn't exist cannot have the job．"
The man left with no hope at all．He didn't know what to do，with only ten dollars in his pocket．He then decided to go to the supermarket and buy 10kg tomatoes．He then sold the tomatoes from door to door．In less than two hours，he succeeded to double his capital．He repeated the operation three times，and returned home happily with 60 dollars．
The man realized that he can survive in this way，and started to go every day earlier，and return late．Thus，his money doubled or tripled every day．Shortly，he bought a cart，then a truck，and then he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles．Five years later，the man is one of the biggest food retailers in the US．
He started to plan his family's future and decided to have a life insurance．He called an insurance broker and chose a protection plan．
When the conversation was concluded the broker asked him his e-mail．The man replied，"I don't have an e-mail．"
The broker answered curiously，"You don't have an e-mail，and yet have succeeded to build an empire．Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e-mail？"The man thought for a while and replied，"Yes，I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!"



The underlined word"triple"can be replaced by ______ ．

A. become large
B. become 3 times
C. increase quickly
D. decrease quickly

According to the passage，which of the following is TRUE？ ______

A. The man is one of the biggest food retailers in the world．
B. The man didn't give up though he failed the interview．
C. He started his career by selling tomatoes in the supermarket．
D. Those who have e-mails can work at Microsoft．

The man can be described as ______ ．

A. helpful and considerate
B. positive and generous
C. smart and hardworking
D. stubborn and unselfish

Which proverb can best describe the story？ ______

A. Misfortune may be an actual blessing．
B. Where there is a will，there is a way．
C. Accidents will happen．
D. No pains，no gains．

Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it． It is not the amazing complexity of television， nor the impressive technology of transport． The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noise without mouths， and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other's minds．①This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle it is．
②Obviously， the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animals． Of course， some animals have powers just as amazing． Birds can fly thousands of miles by observing positions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year． In Nature's talent show， humans are a species of animals that have developed their own special act． If we reduce it to basic terms， it's an ability for communicating information to others， by varying sounds we make as we breathe out．
③Not that we don't have other powers of communication． Our facial expressions convey our emotions， such as anger， or joy， or disappointment． The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad． This is so-called "body language"． Bristling （直立的） fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals． Similarly， the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering．
Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals， including human beings， instinctively（本能地）acquire and display．④If so， how did human beings acquire this amazing skills？ Biologists can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function， but this doesn't tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history．



According to the passage， the wonder we take for granted is ______ ．

A. the amazing power of technology
B. our ability to use language
C. the unforgettable miracle of nature
D. our ability to make noises with mouth

Which is the most suitable place for "Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct？" ______

A. ④
B. ③
C. ②
D. ①

This passage is mainly about ______ ．

A. the development of body language
B. the special role humans play in nature
C. the power to convey information to others
D. the difference between humans and animals

These days having a best friend seems so important to girls． However I have learned that having one best friend is not the way to go． It's so much better to have many great friends．
As I was coming into Middle School， I was really excited because my friend Jennifer was going to be in the same Middle School! At first things were great， she introduced me to her friend Amy and we had lots of fun together． Then things started to change． Jennifer was very controlling： I couldn't make new friends， and pretty soon being Jennifer's friend was a struggle．
Jennifer wanted to be the "leader" of our little group． Amy and I were never partners with each other in class projects or gym； it was always， "Who gets the privilege（特权） of being Jennifer's partner．" Amy and I both wanted to be Jennifer's number one．
I always waited for Jennifer and Amy after classes． They chatted by Jennifer's desk as Jennifer packed her books up and I waited by the door． Sometimes when they left， they'd walk right past me． No "Thanks for waiting．" No "Sorry we took so long．" It was as if they couldn't even see me．
After months of living through school this way， I had really changed． I was moody， depressed， lonely． I spent lots of days trying not to cry， I felt so left out．
Finally， near the very end of the school year， I was so incredibly sick of having to battle for friendship． I stopped sitting with Jennifer at lunch and stopped waiting for her after class．
It was tough at first， but now， I have tons of friends． We have fun and happy times together and I love them all to bits． It amazes me how easy our friendship is． There's no struggling to be on top． I wish Jennifer could understand． Maybe one day she'll look back at what happened and she'll change， but even though I lost a friend， I am a happier person．



What is the purpose of the writer writing this passage？ ______

A. To describe her school life
B. To talk about the way Jennifer treated her friends
C. To advise girls to make many friends instead of one
D. To show her regret towards losing a friend．

What does the sentence Things started to change（paragraph 2）refer to？ ______

A. The writer lost interest in study．
B. Being Jennifer's friend became a struggle．
C. Lessons became more and more difficult．
D. The writer gave up the friendship with Jennifer．

What can be implied from the last paragraph？ ______

A. All of the writer's new friends are equal．
B. The writer regretted a lot about losing a friend．
C. Jennifer has changed herself．
D. The school life is always difficult for the writer．

When John was growing up， other kids felt sorry for him． His parents always had him weeding the garden， carrying out the garbage and delivering newspapers． But when John reached adulthood， he was better off than his childhood playmates． He had more job satisfaction， a better marriage and was healthier． Most of all， he was happier． Far happier．
These are the findings of a 40-year study that followed the lives of 456teenage boys from Boston． The study showed that those who had worked as boys enjoyed happier and more productive lives than those who had not． "Boys who worked in the home or community gained competence （能力） and came to feel they were worthwhile members of society，" said George Vaillant， the psychologist （心理学家） who made the discovery． "And because they felt good about themselves， others felt good about them．"
Vaillant's study followed these males in great detail． Interviews were repeated at ages 25， 31 and 47． Under Vaillant， the researchers compared the men's mental-health scores with their boyhood-activity scores． Points were awarded for part-time jobs， housework， effort in school， and ability to deal with problems．
The link between what the men had done as boys and how they turned out as adults was surprisingly sharp． Those who had done the most boyhood activities were twice as likely to have warm relations with a wide variety of people， five times as likely to be well paid and 16 times less likely to have been unemployed． The researchers also found that IQ and family social and economic class made no real difference in how the boys turned out． Working--at any age--is important． Childhood activities help a child develop responsibility， independence， confidence and competence--the underpinnings （基础） of emotional health． They also help him understand that people must cooperate and work toward common goals． The most competent adults are those who know how to do this． Yet work isn't everything． As Tolstoy once said， "One can live magnificently in this world if one knows how to work and how to love， to work for the person one loves and to love one's work．"



Vaillant's words in Paragraph 2serve as ______ ．

A. a description of personal values and social values
B. an analysis of how work was related to competence
C. an example for parents" expectations of their children
D. an explanation why some boys grew into happy men

Vaillant's team obtained their findings by ______ ．

A. recording the boys" effort in school
B. assessing the men's mental health
C. comparing different sets of scores
D. measuring the men's problem solving ability

What does the underlined word "sharp" probably mean in Paragraph 4？ ______

A. Quick to react
B. Having a thin edge
C. Clear and definite
D. sudden and rapid

What can be inferred from the last paragraph？ ______

A. competent adults know more about love than work．
B. Emotional health is essential to a wonderful adult life．
C. Love brings more joy to people than work does．
D. Independence is the key to one's success．

Housework is a frequent source of disputes （争论） between lazy husbands and their hard-working wives， but women have been warned not to expect men to pull their weight any time soon．
A study from Oxford University has found that men are unlikely to be doing an equal share of housework before 2050． Mothers， the researchers warned， will continue to shoulder the burden of childcare and housework for the next four decades， largely because housework such as cleaning and cooking is still regarded as "women's work"．
The gap between the amount of time men and women spend on housework has narrowed slowly over the past 40 years． But it will take another four decades before true housework equality is achieved， the study concluded．
The research found that in the Nordic countries， the burden of housework is shared more equally between men and women． In the UK， women spend an average of four hours and forty minutes each day on housework， compared with two hours and twenty-eight minutes for men． This is an improvement from the 1960s， when British women typically spent six hours a day on housework， while men spent just 90 minutes every day．
But progress towards housework equality appears to be slowing in some countries． Dr． Oriel Sullivan， a research reader from Oxford's Department of Sociology， said， "We've looked at what is affecting the equality in the home， and we have found that certain tasks seem to be given according to whether they are viewed as ‘men's work" or ‘women's work"．"
Dr． Sullivan said cultural attitudes taught at school may be responsible for the views of housework． " At school it is much easier for a girl to be a tomboy， but it is much more difficult for a boy to enjoy baking and dancing，" she said．



The underlined part "pull their weight" in Paragraph 1 probably refers to " ______ "．

A. lose weight B. be lazy C. earn money D. do equal housework

Women will continue to do more housework before 2050 mainly because ______ ．

A. men are too busy to help
B. they would like to do so
C. they can do better in housework
D. housework will still be considered as women's work

From Paragraph 4 we know that in the UK ______ ．

A. men now spend just 90 minutes a day on housework on average
B. women now are too busy with their work to do housework
C. women now spend less time on housework than before
D. housework is shared equally between men and women

In Dr． Sullivan's opinion， what is to blame for the housework inequality？ ______

A. Cultural attitudes towards housework．
B. Policies made by the government．
C. The time spent on work．
D. The type of housework．

It is quite reasonable to blame traffic jams， the cost of gas and the great speed of modern life， but manners on the road are becoming horrible． Everybody knows that the nicest men would become fierce tigers behind the wheel． It is all right to have a tiger in a cage， but to have one in the driver's seat is another matter．
Road politeness is not only good manners， but good sense． It takes the most cool-headed drivers great patience to give up the desire to beat back when forced to face rude driving． On the other hand， a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the possibility of quarrelling and fighting． A friendly nod or a wave of thanks in answer to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of good will and becomes so necessary in modern traffic conditions． But such behaviors of politeness are by no means enough． Many drivers nowadays don't even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it．
However， misplaced politeness can also be dangerous． Typical examples are the driver who waves a child crossing the street at a wrong place into the path of oncoming cars that may not be able to stop in time． The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they want to．
An experienced driver， whose manners are faultless， told me it would help if drivers learnt to correctly join in traffic stream without causing total blockages（堵塞） that give rise to unpleasant feelings． Unfortunately， modern drivers can't even learn to drive， let alone master the roadmanship （公路驾车技能）． Years ago， experts warned us that the fast increase of the car ownership would demand more give-and-take from all road users． It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart．



According to the passage， troubles on the road are often caused by ______ ．

A. the great speed of modern life
B. traffic jams
C. terrible road conditions
D. the behavior of the drivers

In the writer's opinion， a good driver should ______ ．

A. beat back when forced to face rude driving
B. show road politeness properly
C. join in traffic stream quickly however other people feel
D. encourage old ladies to cross the roads whenever they want to

The underlined word "give-and-take" in the passage means ______ ．

A. politeness and impoliteness
B. willingness to give in to each other's wishes
C. offering help to others as much as possible
D. good manners and bad manners

What is the best title of the passage？ ______

A. Road politeness
B. Traffic problems
C. Good manners
D. Modern drivers

In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition． Some value it highly， believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity． Others say that competition is bad； that it sets one person against another； that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people．
I have taught many children who held the belief that their selfworth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills． For them， playing well and winning are often lifeanddeath affairs． In their singleminded pursuit of success， the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten．
However， while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed， others take an opposite attitude． In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players， they strongly blame competition． Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society． Teaching these young people， I often observe in them a desire to fail． They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success． By not trying， they always have an excuse： "I may have lost， but it doesn't matter because I really didn't try．" What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost， that would mean a lot． Such a loss would be a measure of their worth． Clearly， this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves． Both are based on the mistaken belief that one's selfrespect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others． Both are afraid of not being valued． Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve can we discover a new meaning in competition．



What does this passage mainly talk about？ ______

A. Competition helps to set up selfrespect．
B. Opinions about competition are different among people．
C. Competition is harmful to personal quality development．
D. Failures are necessary experiences in competition．

The underlined phrase "the most vocal" in Paragraph 3 means ______ ．

A. those who try their best to win
B. those who value competition most highly
C. those who are against competition most strongly
D. those who rely on others most for success

What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a "desire to fail"？ ______

A. One's worth lies in his performance compared with others"．
B. One's success in competition needs great efforts．
C. One's achievement is determined by his particular skills．
D. One's success is based on how hard he has tried．

Which point of view may the author agree to？ ______

A. Every effort should be paid back．
B. Competition should be encouraged．
C. Winning should be a lifeanddeath matter．
D. Fear of failure should be removed in competition．

A common argument for expanding renewable energy sources is that technologies such as solar panels （太阳板）release far less carbon dioxide than power plants（发电厂） that burn oil．
Only about 3 percent of the Earth's water is freshwater， most of which is frozen-That means only 0.8 percent of the planet's water can be served for human use． Water is a necessary， but limited product． And nearly 1 billion people worldwide lack of fresh water． In the U．S．， 45.3 percent of the freshwater is used to cool off thermoelectric （热电）power plants： nuclear reactors and plants that burn oil．
To provide electricity for an average home， a nuclear power plant requires 615 gallons of cooling water a day， a coal-fired plant， 199 gallons per day， and a natural gas power plant， 114 gallons per day． Let's look at how much water each power source takes to make one megawatt（兆瓦）-hour of electricity．
Nuclear reactors are the highest， at 13，000 gallons． Then comes coal， natural gas． The water needed by solar panels is lower． These numbers only reflect operations to make electricity； they do not include water used to get the fuel or make the power． For example， fracking （水力压裂）can use hundreds of thousands of gallons each time to make a rock cracked to release natural gas． Large quantities of water becomes vapor． The rest is sent back to the environment， but some of that is fixed with chemicals， and most of it is hot， which can kill fish and other living things．
Natural gas， coal and nuclear power plants ranked one， two and three in 2016， according to the total amount of U．S． electricity made in a year． And natural gas is projected to become even more important through 2050．
To protect fresh water， it seems clear that the country should change toward renewables． This would make more freshwater for food production and human use．



Which uses the most water to make electricity？ ______

A. Coal-fired plant．
B. A natural gas power plant．
C. Solar panels．
D. A nuclear power plant．

For what purpose does the author provide so many numbers？ ______

A. To provide proof to scientists．
B. To state the fact of making electricity．
C. To tell readers to treasure freshwater．
D. To prove that non-renewable energy uses much more water．

What suggestion does the author make in the passage？ ______

A. Fresh water should be protected．
B. Renewable energy should be put into use．
C. Non-renewable energy should use less water．
D. People should save fresh water．

What is the main idea of the text？ ______

A. Non-renewable energy pollutes environment．
B. Renewable energy saves water．
C. Electricity needs much water to make．
D. Ways are listed to make electricity．