The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival held 46 days before Easter, especia
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The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival held 46 days before Easter, especially famous for the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Carnival celebrations are believed to have roots in the festival of Saturnalia, which, adapted to Christianity, became a farewell to bad things in a season of religious discipline to regret and prepare for Christ’s death and coming back to life.
Modern Brazilian Carnival dates back to Rio de Janeiro in 1641. It originally copied the European form of the festival, later taking in elements of Native American and African cultures.
In the late 19th century, the strings (弦乐器) were introduced in Rio de Janeiro. These were pageant (游行) groups that paraded through city avenues performing on instruments and dancing. Today they are known as blocks, consisting of a group of people who dress in costumes or special T-shirts with themes or logos. Blocks are generally connected with particular neighborhoods; they include both a music group and a lot of revelers.
Block parades have become an expressive feature of Rio’s Carnival. Today, they number more than 100 and the groups increase each year. Blocks can be formed by small or large groups of revelers with a clear title. Before the show, they gather in a square, then parade in sections of the city, often near the beach.
Carnival time in Rio is very interesting, but is also the most expensive time to visit Rio. Hotel rooms and other lodgings (住宿) can be up to four times more expensive than the regular rates. There are big crowds at some locations and life is far from ordinary in many parts of town.
小题1:What can we infer from the first paragraph?| A．The Carnival of Brazil is often held after Easter. | | B．The Carnival of Brazil comes from Easter and Saturnalia. | | C．The Carnival of Brazil is a festival to regret and begin a new life. | | D．The Carnival of Brazil is mainly to celebrate the birth of Christ. |
小题2:How long is the history of the people’s celebrating modern Brazilian Carnival?| A．About 100 years. | B．Less than two centuries. | | C．About 370 years. | D．Over five centuries. |
小题3:Which of the following statements is TRUE about the blocks in Rio de Janeiro?| A．They are always wearing costumes or special T-shirts with themes or logos. | | B．They always parade through countryside villages singing and dancing. | | C．There are no more than 50 blocks today. | | D．They don’t parade before the show. |
小题4:What is the passage mainly about?| A．The famous carnivals in the world. | | B．How the carnival was introduced in Brazil. | | C．The carnival in Rio de Janeiro. | | D．The happy life of the people in Rio de Janeiro. |
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答案
小题1:C
小题2:C
小题3:A
小题4:C |
解析
试题分析：
小题1:C 推理题。根据第一段2，3,4行Carnival celebrations are believed to have roots in the festival of Saturnalia, which, adapted to Christianity, became a farewell to bad things in a season of religious discipline to regret and prepare for Christ’s death and coming back to life.说明巴西的狂欢节是为了表示与过去的旧生活告别开始新生活的节日。故C正确。
小题2:C 计算题。根据第二段第一行Modern Brazilian Carnival dates back to Rio de Janeiro in 1641可知现在是2012年，那么这个节日大约有了370多年，故C正确。、
小题3:A 细节题。根据第三段3,4行Today they are known as blocks, consisting of a group of people who dress in costumes or special T-shirts with themes or logos.说明A正确。
小题4:C 主旨大意题。本文主要讲述的是巴西的狂欢节。故C正确。
点评：本文介绍了巴西的狂欢节历史及其它的具体的信息。阅读本文要消灭词汇障碍，提高猜词的能力，要求考生要在上下文中推敲不熟悉的单词的具体含义。 |
举一反三
Gallows humor(黑色幽默) may seem like a mistake, or at least in poor taste. But psychologists say that gallows humor can be an important way to relieve stress.“Humor makes you feel in control and it can give you that feeling that everything is okay even when it’s not,”says James M.Jones, a psychology professor at the University of Delaware.
Psychologists say that just because you’re laughing doesn’t mean you’re wasting time. Occasional tease among colleagues, particularly if it is associated with the job, can inspire creativity, departmental cohesiveness(凝聚力) and performance.
“There are a lot of stresses out there,”says Ed Dunkelblau, a psychologist in Chicago.“Gallows humor is a way of making difficult things a little less difficult.”
This is as long as the humor is used for the right purpose. The main point of it should be inspiring people—not laughing at them. “Anything that would lift morale(士气) in terms of the company would be good humor,”says Thierry Guedj, a professor.
You want to give your employees and co-workers a sense of belonging, so don’t make observations that are aggressive. Most obviously, Dr. Guedj says, don’t make comments about people’s physical appearance or faith. If you have any doubt about its appropriateness, don’t go through with it.
Or you can take aim at the person that you know won’t be offended(冒犯): yourself. “If there’s going to be a joke or story, it should be you,”Mr Dunkelblau says.
“People with the ability to laugh at themselves can give other people permission to laugh at themselves, too,”Mr Jones says.“And if you can laugh at yourself, you feel better about yourself.”
小题1:According to the passage, gallows humor has the following functions EXCEPT .| A．leading to a big mistake | B．reducing pressure | | C．making people more creative | D．improving performance |
小题2:What is Ed Dunkelblau’s attitude towards gallows humor?| A．Negative. | B．Positive. | C．Neutral.(中立的) | D．Uncertain. |
小题3:When people use gallows humor, they should .| A．observe who is aggressive | | B．show a sense of belonging | | C．doubt about the result of humor | | D．try to avoid involving private things |
小题4:What can we infer from the passage?| A．People tend to laugh at others rather than themselves. | | B．Laughing at yourself can make others free from stress. | | C．People can’t avoid offending others with gallows humor. | | D．People who laugh at themselves are easy to gain others’ permission. |
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Why is pink or purple a color for girls and blue or brown for boys?
The answer depends largely on cultural values as well as personal experiences. To the Egyptians, green was a color that represented the hope and joy of spring, while for Muslims, it means heaven. Red is a symbol of good luck in many cultures. In China, children are given money in a red envelope to bring good fortune in the New Year. For many nations, blue is a symbol of protection and religious beliefs. Greek people often wear a blue necklace hoping to protect themselves against evils（灾祸）.
People’s choice of colors is also influenced by their bodies’ reactions （反应）toward them. Green is said to be the most restful color. It has the ability to reduce pain and relax people both mentally and physically. People who work in green environment have been found to have fewer stomach aches.
Red can cause a person’s blood pressure to rise and increase people’s appetites（食欲）. Many decorators will include different shades of red in the restaurant. Similarly, many commercial websites will have a red “Buy Now” button because red is a color that easily catches a person’s eye.
Blue is another calming color. Unlike red, blue can cause people to lose appetite. So if you want to eat less, some suggest that eating from blue plates can help.
The next time you are deciding on what to wear or what color to decorate your room, think about the color carefully.
小题1:Muslims regard green as a symbol of heaven mainly because of their .| A．cultural values | B．commercial purposes | | C．personal experiences | D．physical reactions to the color |
小题2:Why will many commercial websites have a red “Buy Now” button?| A．To relax people physically. | | B．To increase people’s appetites. | | C．To encourage people to make a purchase. | | D．To cause a person’s blood pressure to rise. |
小题3:What color might help lose weight according to the text?| A．Red | B．Green. | C．Blue. | D．Purple. |
小题4:Which of the following would be the most proper title for the text?| A．Colors and Human Beings | B．The Cultural Meaning of Color | | C．Colors and Personal Experiences | D．The Meaning and Function of Color |
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Cars are an important part of life in the United States． Without a car， most people feel that they are___36___．And even if a person is poor， he doesn’t feel___37___poor when he has a car．
Henry Ford was the man who first started ___38___cars in large numbers． He probably didn’t know how much the car was going to ___39___American culture．The car made the United States a nation on ___ 40___． And it ___41___to make the United States what it is today．
There are three main reasons that the car has become so___42___in the United States． ___43___，the country is a huge one and Americans like to __44__around in it ．The car__45__the most comfortable and cheapest form of transportation． With a car， people can go any place___46___spending a lot of money．The second reason is that the United States never really developed an efficient（有效地） and inexpensive form of public___47___． Long distance trains have never been as ___48___in the United States as they are in other parts of the world．Nowadays there is a good system of air-service provided by ___49__．But it is too expensive to be used ___50__． The third reason is the most ___51__one．The American spirit of ___52___is what really made cars popular． Americans don’t like to wait for a bus or a train ___53___a plane． They don’t like to have to ___54___an exact schedule． A car gives them the freedom to schedule their own time．And this is the freedom that Americans want___55___to have．
| 小题1: | | A．healthy | B． poor | C．pretty | D．rich |
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| 小题2: | | A．actually | B．truly | C．really | D．exactly |
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| 小题3: | | A．making | B．doing | C．designing | D．owing |
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| 小题4: | | A．afford | B．affect | C．effort | D．effect |
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| 小题5: | | A．foot | B．horse backs | C．wheels | D．chairs |
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| 小题6: | | A．helped | B．tried | C．hoped | D．got |
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| 小题7: | | A．well-known | B．popular | C．lovely | D．famous |
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| 小题8: | | A．In all | B．After all | C．Above all | D．First of all |
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| 小题9: | | A．walk | B．transport | C．move | D．go |
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| 小题10: | | A．provides | B．offers | C．takes | D．proves |
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| 小题11: | | A．with | B．by | C．for | D．without |
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| 小题12: | | A．journey | B．transportation | C．travel | D．trip |
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| 小题13: | | A．unusual | B．usual | C．common | D．ordinary |
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| 小题14: | | A．bikes | B．ships | C．planes | D．rockets |
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| 小题15: | | A．completely | B．continuously | C．frequently | D．fully |
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| 小题16: | | A．important | B．funny | C．common | D．simple |
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| 小题17: | | A．dependence | B．independence | C．selfishness | D．self-confidence |
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| 小题19: | | A．take | B．receive | C．accept | D．follow |
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| 小题20: | | A．most | B．worst | C．best | D．least |
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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 music loudly as they drive on the street． Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work． They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, and the life of American people． Most of the radio programmes are music．
Pop or popular music singers make much money． They make CDs or tapes which radio stations in many places broadcast（广播）． Once the popular singer is heard all over the country, young people buy his or her tapes． Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer． Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her． Now the singer has become a pop star．
There are other kinds of music that are popular among Americans． One is called folk music． It tells 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 life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music．
小题1:________ kinds of music are mentioned(提到) in this passage．| A．Two | B．Four． | C．Three | D．Five |
小题2:When pop singers ________, they are regarded as pop stars．| A．become popular with their fans | | B．make a CD or tape | | C．make much money | | D．are wanted to sing on the radio |
小题3:From the passage we know that country music is about ________．| A．the common life of Americans | | B．the life of cowboys | | C．the country life and love stories | | D．the school life in America |
小题4:What would be the best title for this passage？| A．Western Music | B．Popular Music | | C．History of Music | D．American Music |
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Here I must put in a few words about my experience here in China. If I have ___36__ with a Chinese host, he always presses(硬塞给)___37__ food onto my plate as soon as I have emptied the previous helping(份额). That often makes me ___38___awkward(尴尬). I have to eat the food even if I don’t ___39___ it, because it is ___40___ manners in the West to _41__ one’s food on the plate. I have also ___42__ that when a Chinese sits at an American’s dinner party, he often ___43___ the offer of food or drink though he is in fact still hungry or ___44___. This might be good manners in China, but it is
certainly__45___ in the West. In the United States, it is___46___ to keep asking someone again and again or press something on him. Americans are very ___47___. If they want something, they will ask for it. If not, they will say, “__48__” Here’s an example: When an American is offered ___49_ by the host, and he doesn’t feel like beer, he will probably say, “No, thanks. I just don’t feel like it. I’ll ___50___ some Pepsi-Cola （百事可乐）if you have it.” That is ___51__ an American will do. ___52___are taught that “Honesty is the best policy”. But in some countries, courtesy(谦虚) might be more important than ___53___. So when I am here in China, I have to observe（遵循） the __54__ here. But when you go to ___55___, you had better “Do as the Romans do.”
| 小题1: | | A．trouble | B．words | C．dinner | D．difficulty |
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| 小题2: | | A．enough | B．much | C．more | D．little |
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| 小题3: | | A．think | B．taste | C．feel | D．smell |
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| 小题5: | | A．important | B．rude | C．polite | D．bad |
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| 小题6: | | A．take | B．leave | C．forget | D．pass |
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| 小题7: | | A．minded | B．noticed | C．heard | D．informed |
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| 小题8: | | A．accepts | B．refuses | C．nods | D．gives |
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| 小题9: | | A．happy | B．angry | C．thirsty | D．full |
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| 小题11: | | A．impolite | B．good | C．kind | D．sad |
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| 小题12: | | A．direct | B．honest | C．short | D．kind |
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| 小题13: | | A．I’m sorry | B．Yes, I want | C．No, thanks | D．Yes, please |
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| 小题14: | | A．food | B．beer | C．coffee | D．tea |
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| 小题15: | | A．bring | B．offer | C．take | D．like |
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| 小题16: | | A．that | B．what | C．whether | D．how |
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| 小题17: | | A．Englishmen | B．Frenchmen | C．Americans | D．Australians |
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| 小题18: | | A．manners | B．honesty | C．request | D．order |
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| 小题19: | | A．ways | B．habits | C．action | D．customs |
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| 小题20: | | A．China | B．the United States | C．Rome | D．the United Nations |
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