1、 2017 2014 Probably no other musical instrument is as popular around the world as the guitar. Musicians use the guitar for almost every kind of music. Country and western music would not be the same without a guitar. The traditional Spanish folk music called Flamenco could not exist without a guitar
2、. The sound of American blues music would not be the same without the sad cry of the guitar. And rock and roll music would almost be impossible without this instrument. Music experts do not agree about where the guitar first was played. Most agree it is ancient. Some experts say an instrument very m
3、uch like a guitar was played in Egypt more than 1,000 years ago. Some other experts say that the ancestor of the modern guitar was brought to Spain from Persia sometime in the twelfth century. The guitar continued to develop in Spain. In the 1700s it became similar to the instrument we know today. M
4、any famous musicians played the instrument. The famous Italian violinist Niccolo Paganinni played and wrote music for the guitar in the early 1800s. Franz Schubert used the guitar to write some of his famous works. In modern times Spanish guitarist Andres Segovia helped make the instrument extremely
5、 popular. In the 1930s, Les Paul began experimenting with ways to make an electric guitar. He invented the solid body electric guitar in 1946. The Gibson Guitar Company began producing its famous Les Paul Guitar in 1952. It became a powerful influence in popular music. The instrument has the same sh
6、ape and the same six strings as the traditional guitar, but it sounds very different. Les Paul produced a series of extremely popular recordings that introduced the public to his music. They included Paul playing as many as six musical parts at the same time. Listen to this Les Paul recording. It wa
7、s the fifth most popular song in the United States in 1. The passage is organized in the pattern of_. A. time and events B. comparison and contrast C. cause and effect D. definition and classification 2. What can we infer from the first paragraph? A. Music would not be the same without the guitar. B
8、. The choice of musical instrument is important for a band. C. Guitar was the most popular musical instrument in the past. D. Every musician likes playing music with the guitar. 3. The passage introduces _. A. the method of playing the guitar B. the exact time of the guitars origin C. the way that t
9、he guitar is made D. some musicians who play the guitar 4. Where could we find the passage? A. In a newspaper. B. On the air. C. In a magazine. D. In a history book. 1. A 2. A ry and western music would not be the same without a guitar. The traditional Spanish folk music called Flamenco could not ex
10、ist without a guitar. The sound of American blues music would not be the same without the sad cry of the guitar. And rock and roll music would almost be A 3. D D A C B 4. B A,B,C D Decision- making under Stress A new review based on a research shows that acute stress affects the way the brain consid
11、ers the advantages and disadvantages, causing it to focus on pleasure and ignore the possible negative( ) consequences of a decision. The research suggests that stress may change the way people make choices in predictable ways. how p positive than negative For example, two recent studies looked at h
12、ow people learned to connect images ( ) with either rewards or punishments. In one experiment, some of the participants were first stressed by having to give a speech and do difficult math problems in front of an audience; in the other, some were stressed by having to keep their hands in ice water.
13、In both cases, the stressed participants remembered the rewarded material more accurately and the punished material less This phenomenon is likely not surprising to anyone who has tried to resist eating cookies or smoking a cigarette while under stress at those moments, only the pleasure associated
14、with such activities comes to mind. But the findings further suggest that stress may bring about a double effect. Not only are rewarding experiences remembered better, but negative consequences are also less easily recalled. The research also found that stress appears to affect decision- making diff
15、erently in men and women. While both men and women tend to focus on rewards and less on consequences under stress, their responses to risk turn out to be different. Men who had been stressed by the cold- water task tended to take more risks in the experiment while women responded in the opposite way
16、. In stressful situations in which risk- taking can pay off big, men may tend to do better; when caution weighs more, however, women will win. This tendency to slow down and become more cautious when decisions are risky might also help explain why women are less likely to become addicted than men: t
17、hey may more often avoid making the risky choices that eventually harden into addiction. 1. We can learn from the passage that people under pressure tend to . A. keep rewards better in their memory B. recall consequences more effortlessly C. make risky decisions more frequently D. learn a subject mo
18、re effectively 2. According to the research, stress affects people most probably in their . A. ways of making choices B. preference for pleasure C. tolerance of punishments D. responses to suggestions 3. The research has proved that in a stressful situation, . A. women find it easier to fall into ce
19、rtain habits B. men have a greater tendency to slow down C. women focus more on outcomes D. men are more likely to take risks 1 3 AAD 2014 Thousands of teenagers get their GCSE results today and the big challenge of finding a job or apprenticeship( ) begins. Jonathan K pleased with my results and ha
20、d already decided what I wanted to do after school horticulture( ) says Jonathan, 17, from Garstang, Lancs. Physical outdoor work was the career he had in mi Every Wednesday I spent the day on a farm, working and learning Jonathan had to get work experience and contacted local companies begging for
21、a chance. Nichols, the owner of the Country Gardener, took me on and that convinced me this was what I wanted to do with my career Jonathan contacted David again to see if there was any work and David offered to take him on as a horticultural apprentice. The National Apprenticeship Service has up to
22、 17,000 apprenticeship vacancies available online 21 stressful time. The good news is that with ever more apprenticeships there is an increasing range of high quality options for young people. Apprentices have the opportunity to gain nationally recognised Jonathan says ove the work. We do everything
23、 fr agstones. That side has definitely made me stronger. And the good news is that with my qualification certificate I can work A college assessor visits every three or four weeks to see how things are going and to go through written work or assignm 1 Why did Jonathan choose to be an apprentice? A.
24、To please his parents with hard work. B. To make some pocket money after school. C. To achieve his GCSE result in a different way. D. To get a chance to work in an office of a company. 2 To gain a certificate of horticulture Jonathan should _. A. look for some gardens and complete some physical work
25、 B. get work experience and finish required assignments C. make it a forever career and never have it changed D. love the subject and have it in mind all the time 3 Who is David Nichols according to the passage? A. Jonathans professor and employee. B. Jonathans school teacher and boss. C. Jonathans
26、trainer and best friend. D. Jonathans employer and director. 4 What is the advantage of having an apprenticeship? A. It offers teenagers both qualification and jobs. B. It offers parents a right to give children a job. C. It offers apprentice a place to make money. D. It offers employers free employ
27、ees. 1 C SE results today and the big challenge of finding Jonathan GCSE General Certificate of Secondary Education 2 B 3 D took me on David Nichols Jonathan David 4 A 1. Which of the following is discouraged by the Friends organization? A. To build massive complexes for public amusement. B. To prev
28、ent possible damages to the National Park. C. To help protect and improve the Park for all to enjoy. D. To sponsor publications and projects in local school. ( ) 2. One of the benefits for members of Friends is to B. visit any place not open to the public C. take part in work parties if they want to
29、 D. give talks in their fields on current issues ( ) 3. The purpose of this poster is to invite more people to_. A. raise money for the Friends organization B. join the Friends organization and be members of it C. work as managers for Pembroke shire National Park D. enjoy the landscape of Pembroke s
30、hire National Park 60. Activities we keep an eye on planning applicati A Friends 61. Benefits. C 62. B Aims A C D Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choos
31、e the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read. 2013 (A) Most people who live in Seattle, Washington, love their city. There is a never-ending flow of fun things to do. But, people who live there do not always enjoy the day-after-day absence of sunshine
32、 during the winter months. It is a documented fact that sunshine (or lack of it) plays a major role in how each of us meets the day. It also affects how we perform at school or work. When people are deprived of sunlight, they can develop seasonal affective disorder, which makes it difficult for them to feel happy or get things accomplished. No major city
