A

If you think Declan Galbraith is an ordinary l5-yeat-old boy, you are wrong. This British boy is a singing genius(天才). He released his first album(专辑) at 10, since then he has been one of the most popular young singers in the wor1d.

Last week, Declan had a news conference in Beijing. He will do a concert tour in China next May. At that time Declan’s Chinese fans must be very happy about this.

Declan’s singing gift was discovered while he was a child. His grandfather was a musician. He often brought Declan along with him when he played music. Declan would sit for hours just watching and listening.

At the age of 8, he started taking part in competitions. He won 16 of them in 14 months. Soon EMI, a big record company, paid him 15,000,000 yuan to make records.

His first album Declan came out in 2001. It was a big success and Declan became well-known. It is said that he has “a powerful voice that rea1ly soars(飞翔)”. In 2006. Declan put out another album, called Thank You.

Declan works hard at his work. Every day he practices for two hours. When he is not singing, Declan is like most other 15-year-olds. He likes computer games, swimming, cycling, football and Harry Potter.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Declan Galbraith is the most popular young singer in the world.

B. Declan Galbraith’s grandfather was good at music.

C. Declan Galbraith has few hobbies except singing.

D. Declan Galbraith’s first album “Thank You” was put out in 2006.

2. Besides singing, Declan Galbraith is fond of doing the following EXCEPT .

A. surfing the Internet B. playing soccer

C. going climbing D. going swimming

3. Why did the grandfather bring Declan Galbraith along with him while playing music?

A. Because the grandfather was afraid that the boy would be lonely.

B. Because the grandfather wanted his grandson to learn music.

C. Because nobody took care of him at home.

D. Because the boy thought it was fun to go with his grandfather.

4. From the passage, we can infer .

A. he has a gift for music but doesn’t work hard at it

B. he was famous for singing songs all over the world before ten

C. everybody in the world knows him for his songs

D. Declan Galbraith got a lot of help in music from his grandfather

B

Ray Charles Robinson, a blind musician in America, was famous for his records of jazz, rock’n’roll, blues and country music. But the world knew him better as Ray Charles. He had an influence(影响) on American popular music.

The song Let’s Go Get Stoned is an example of Ray Charles’ own kind of mu-sic-his own sound. He worked hard for several years to create that sound. No one ever tried it before. He mixed black church music, blues and rock’n’roll. The sound was extremely successful. In the nineteen fifties, his records began to sell millions of copies. At the same time, Ray Charles recorded jazz music. Those records sold well, too. People said they were new and exciting.

Ray Charles became famous because he could play blues, rock and jazz. He also liked other kinds of music. He told the record company officials that he wanted to record an album(专辑) of country-and-western music.

The president of the record company told him it would be a mistake. He said Ray’s fans would not buy the album. Charles disagreed. He said he believed he would gain many new fans to replace the few he might lose. He produced the album and it was an immediate success.

The album was called Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. Many of the songs sold very well. One of the most popular songs was I Can’t Stop Loving You. It is a country-and-western song with Ray Charles’ sound of blues and black church music.

5. Ray Charles became popular with Americans because .

A. he worked hard to create his own sound

B. he mixed black church music, blues and rock’n’roll

C. he recorded Jazz music

D. he could play blues

6. Which is NOT true according to the Passage?

A. Ray Charles Robinson had a great effect on American popular music.

B. His album about country-and-western music didn’t sell well.

C. The president of the record company didn’t think that his new album would be popular with his fans.

D. Ray Charles though he would gain new fans though he would lose some old fans.

7. Thanks to , he achieved a great success after producing his album.

A. the president of the record company B. his supporters

C. his own confidence D. his own hard work

8. The song Let’s Go Get Stoned consists of all the following music EXCEPT .

A. black church music B. jazz C. blues D. rock’n’roll

C

In recent years, American students have fallen behind in many subjects like math, science and reading. In 2005, the U. S. was number nine among the developed countries in the number of students graduating from high school.

American education officials are searching for new ways to help students learn again. One tool that is getting some attention is the use of video games.

Sixteen-year-old John Diaz says he loves playing video games but doesn’t like traditional schoolwork. During his summer vacation, Diaz is continuing his studies at home. That is because his courses are available on his home computer.

Florida Virtual School’s head master, Julie Young, says the school teaches students with the technology they most enjoy using in and out of school. “We have so many students who feel free in our school,” Young said. “They lose interest when they go to school. And we're very hopeful that Conspiracy Code will attract the learners to really get into the detail of learning.”

Conspiracy Cold is a video game that teaches U. S. history. Students guide two heroes in a quest to stop a conspiracy(阴谋) to change the past. Along the way, students learn about events such as the Civil War, and report back to their teacher who is a spy(间谍).

John Diaz says he enjoys American history now. “I like to do the game every day,” he said.

9. In the first paragraph, we can learn that American students .

A. do better in science than reading

B. do not want to go to college

C. have been less interested in studies recently

D. do worst in math among the developed countries

10. How does John Diaz continue to study in summer vacation?

A. By having an experienced tutor. B. By going to a vacation camp.

C. By studying on the computer. D. By watching videos.

11. Conspiracy Code is a video game that .

A. introduces the ways of finding a spy B. teaches students American history

C. helps students learn computers D. trains people to become heroes

12. What is the text mainly about?

A. Video games becoming new teaching tools.

B. How Conspiracy Code helps students study.

C. How Florida Virtual School teaches students.

D. American officials caring about education.

D

Riding the bus in India can be a difficult experience. First, getting on the bus is a difficult problem. Usually, you have to jump on, all the while looking for a grip(握把) among a crowd of others who are also trying to get on. Once you get on, it doesn’t get any easier. Indian buses are crowded, dusty and uncomfortable. You seldom find a place to sit; most of the time you are filled into the aisles(通道), holding a grip someplace.

Today I was on a very busy bus. I was standing in the aisle when the seat right next to me opened up. Usually when this happens there is a mad fight to fill the seat. But when one opens up in front of me, I like to first look for someone in need of a break. There was a young guy with short hair and a red shirt on the other side of the seat for whom I gestured(做手势) to take it. Surprisingly, he politely refused with a big smile. Then I sat down.

Not more than 2 minutes later at the next stop, an old woman walked towards the seat. Feeling encouraged by the young man, I looked at her and gestured to ask her whether she would like to sit. She nodded quietly, sat down and gave a quick “thank you”.

As I looked for a new place to park myself, I looked at the young man. We locked eyes and smiled to each other. He knew I had passed on his small act of kindness. I gave him a pat on the shoulder and moved on.

13. Taking a bus in India is considered to be uncomfortable because .

A. there are too many people taking the bus

B. there are not enough seats on the bus

C. there is something wrong with the bus

D. buses travel much more slowly on the road

14. According to the writer, when people find an empty seat on the bus, they usually .

A. feel relaxed B. fight to fill it

C. offer it to others D. look for a grip first

15. Why did the writer offer the seat to the old woman?

A. The writer felt ashamed.

B. The writer would get off the bus soon.

C. The writer was moved by the young man.

D. The young man asked the writer to do so.

第二节（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Did you know that a turtle(乌龟) can lay 12 eggs in one minute? A large sea turtle lays around 150 eggs at a time. 16

Large sea turtles live in the warm seas of the world. Except for when they lay their eggs, they spend their whole lives in the water. 17 They usually return to the place where they themselves were born. How they find their way back there is unknown.

When they reach shore, the big, heavy turtles crawl slowly up to the high water mark. 18 They must struggle like mountain climbers.

When they finally reach dry sand, they rest before beginning the difficult task of laying eggs. 19 The sand protects the eggs from harm. Then the females leave them. After a few weeks, if you happened to be walking along the beach, you might see the sand begin to shake. 20 The tiny heads of baby turtles!

A. Using their flippers, they pull themselves along the sand.

B. She lays all these eggs in just a few minutes.

C. The turtle always moves very slowly in water.

D. When it is time to lay their eggs, the females swim to land.

E. The turtles lay t