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Task 1

During my senior year in college I was still short of a few credits before graduating， so I skimmed through the class schedule looking for something to fill the hours. When I came across “Private Voice” instruction， as in singing lessons， I thought， “Why not step outside my comfort zone and give it a try？”

I was careful to sign up for private lessons instead of group lessons because I didnt want to make a fool of myself by singing in front of other students.

Things went fine until the end of the term when my singing professor brought the shocking news. “By the way， Sean， have you decided which song you want to sing at the recital？”

“That would not be a good idea，” I said. The thought of singing in front of a group made me physically sick.

“Courage， Sean，” I kept rehearsing in my mind. “Youve got to at least try.”

That awesome day finally arrived. As I stood in front of the class， all eyes fell upon me. I couldnt help but think， “How？ How in the world did I get myself into this situation？”

Even before I reached the second line， the expressions of excitement on the students faces turned to anguish（痛苦）. I was so nervous that my body felt as tight as jeans just pulled from the dryer.

Near the end of the song is a really high note. I dont recall if I hit that note or missed it. All I remember is that a few students were so embarrassed that they couldnt even look at me.

I finished and sat down quickly. Silence. No one knew what to say.

But do you know what？ Although that experience nearly killed me， when I left that classroom， I was so proud of myself. I felt a great sense of personal accomplishment， and I frankly didnt care what anyone else thought about my high note. I had survived and I was proud of it.

1. Why did the author choose the private lessons？

A. He didnt like to be with others. B. He didnt want to sing in public.

C. He wanted to get more attention. D. He wanted better teaching quality.

2. How did the author feel when hearing the news from his singing professor？

A. Surprised and nervous. B. Moved and thankful.

C. Excited and confident. D. Disappointed and worried.

3. What do we learn about the authors performance？

A. He didnt finish it. B. It was a great success.

C. Few students watched it. D. It turned out to be a failure.

4. Why did the author feel proud of himself？

A. He had overcome himself. B. He had hit the high note.

C. He had conquered the audience. D. He thought he had sung very well.

Task 2

Music makes you more creative.? ? 1? ?， they come up with more creative solutions， according to researchers. It may be because music improves your brains flexibility. Another reason may be that it relaxes you enough for the creative juices to flow. But dont play music too loudly.

Music can help during surgery.? ? 2? ?. After surgery， it helps reduce pain. An analysis of 73 studies confirmed that listening to music before， during or after surgery reduces anxiety and pain levels， which in turn means less pain medication.

3? ?. Studies have found that when youre running， biking or walking， youll go farther with music on. Music relieves your discomfort and motivates you to stay on. The effect is so obviously great that the author of a review examining the psychological effects of music on exercise called music “a type of legal performance?improvement drug”.

Music aids sleep. Listening to music before bed can help you fall asleep faster and wake up less often during the night.? ? 4? ?. In one study， seniors with sleep problems who listened to 45 minutes of soft slow music before bed reported a 35 percent improvement in their sleep.

Music gets you to ignore the passing of time. Scientists have shown repeatedly that people judge a period of waiting shorter when music is playing. Businessmen use that to their advantage， playing music so that you stay longer and spend more. For instance， more drinks and food are sold in bars and restaurants when music is played.? ? 5? ?， grocery sales increase by 38 percent.

A. In this case， youll feel more relaxed in the morning

B. And if the background music is slow

C. Then you play a piece of brief music

D. When people listen to happy music silently

E. When music is played varying from a tune to another

F. Music makes you get rid of the idea of quitting a workout

G. Listening to music before surgery has been shown to ease anxiety

Task 3

For a long time， Gabriel didnt want to be involved in music at all. In his first years of high school， Gabriel would look pityingly at music students，? ? 1? ? across the campus with their heavy instrument cases，? ? 2? ? at school for practice hours? ? 3? ? anyone else had to be there. He swore to himself to? ? 4? ? music， as he hated getting to school extra early.

5? ?， one day， in the music class that was? ? 6? ? of his schools standard curriculum， he was playing idly（隨意地） on the piano and found it? ? 7? ? to pick out tunes. With a sinking feeling， he realized that he actually? ? 8? ? doing it. He tried to hide his obvious pleasure from the music teacher， who had? ? 9? ? over to listen. He might not have done this particularly well，? ? 10? ? the teacher told Gabriel that he had a good? ? 11? ? and suggested that Gabriel go into the music storeroom to see if any of the instruments there? ? 12? ? him. There he decided to give the cello（大提琴） a? ? 13? ?. When he began practicing， he took it very casually. But he quickly found that he loved playing this instrument， and was devoted to practicing it so that within a couple of months he was playing reasonably well.

This? ? 14? ?， of course， that he arrived at school early in the morning， dragging his heavy instrument case across the campus to the? ? 15? ? looks of the non?musicians he had left behind.

1. A. travelling B. marching C. pacing D. struggling

2. A. rising up B. coming up C. driving up D. turning up

3. A. before B. after C. until D. since

4. A. betray B. accept C. avoid D. appreciate

5. A. Therefore B. However C. Thus D. Moreover

6. A. part B. nature C. basis D. spirit

7. A. complicated B. safe C. confusing D. easy

8. A. missed B. disliked C. enjoyed D. denied

9. A. run B. jogged C. jumped D. wandered

10. A. because B. but C. though D. so

11. A. ear B. taste C. heart D. voice

12. A. occurred to B. took to C. appealed to D. belonged to

13. A. change B. chance C. mission D. function

14. A. proved B. showed C. stressed D. meant

15. A. admiring B. pitying C. annoying D. teasing

Task 4

第一節(jié)〓語法填空

I have been collecting the music of the Beatles from England for a long time. I first 1.? ? ? ? ? ?（see） them on the television and I was 2.? ? ? ? ? （entire） attracted at once by their great personalities and the fun they brought. Actually， it is funny in a way because 3.? ? ? ? ? （I） favorite song is Yesterday， 4.? ? ? ? ? ?is very sad. However， not all their songs are like that. Some are funny， others are cheerful and all express original 5.? ? ? ? ? （idea） and have lovely tunes， which their fans are quite familiar 6.? ? ? ? ? .

They were able to attach their hopes and fears 7.? ? ? ? ? ?their music. There is no doubt

8.? ? ? ? ? ?their music will 9.? ? ? ? ? （remember） many years from now. They were 10.? ? ? ? ? ?most famous band in the 1960s and it is still possible to enjoy and admire their music even today.

第二節(jié) 書面表達

你校于上周舉行了學(xué)生合唱比賽。作為校英文報記者，請你寫一篇報道，內(nèi)容包括：

1. 前期準備;

2. 比賽情況。

注意：

1. 寫作詞數(shù)應(yīng)為80左右;

2. 不得出現(xiàn)真實學(xué)校、班級和姓名。

Task 5

閱讀下面材料，根據(jù)其內(nèi)容和所給段落開頭語續(xù)寫兩段，使之構(gòu)成一篇完整的短文。

I am a photographer running a studio in the inner city. We are well known for our childrens portraits（肖像）， and we range from high?end portraits for modelling jobs to fun sibling photos and birth announcements. We do a bit of everything; as such， we are extremely busy， and it states on our website that we do not accept walk?ins. We are usually booked up six months in advance. One day， ten minutes before closing， a mum walked in with a young girl around six or seven behind her. I internally sighed.

The mother said， “Hello. I know youre closing soon， but I have a special favour to ask.”

At that point the little girl peeked around her mothers legs and I was lost for words. Under her thick winter coat and hat， she was skinny with huge dark circles under her eyes. From what I could tell， she had no hair， and a tube taped to her cheek that fed into her nose. It was immediately clear that this kid was very， very sick.

The mother said again， nearly teary. “My daughter saw one of your photos taped to the wall at the hospital. She really loves unicorns （獨角獸） and the photo that had a girl photoshopped onto a horse. I know youre booked up， and its months before the next appointment， but...”

At that point she actually started crying. I realized that our next available appointment was probably way too far away for this particular kid. The little girl squeezed her mothers hand. I am a very big guy with a beard， but Im not ashamed to say I needed a minute before I spoke.

I smiled and said with the softest voice I had ever had， “Ahh， thats just for regular customers. Ive been waiting all day to take a photo of someone as beautiful as you！ Whats your name， sweetheart？”

注意：

1. 續(xù)寫詞數(shù)應(yīng)為150左右;

2. 請按如下格式作答。

Paragraph 1：

I locked the front door and invited them to the changing room.

Paragraph 2：

The mother thanked me over and over and came up front， holding out her credit card.