D. Realize you can’t change everything about yourself.
39. The underlined phrase “put yourself down” in the first paragraph probably means “______”.
A. make yourself fall down
B. write down your name somewhere
C. force yourself to do something
D. say negative things about yourself
40. The passage is mainly about _______.
A. how to adjust to the changes of your body
B. how to build confidence by changing your body
C. how to keep an attractive body image
D. how to find pleasure in your day
41. After reading the passage, what can we learn the author is most probably like?
A. He or she is fat and short. B. He or she is skinny and tall.
C. He or she is optimistic and confident D. He or she is kind-hearted and considerate.
C
Long ago, poems were recited out loud instead of being written down. When the Greeks first started the Olympics, they held poetry contests as well as athletic competitions.
Now, poetry competitions have been revived (恢复). This year 120,000 high school students competed in the first Poetry Out Loud national recitation contest, performing poems from memory for $100,000 in prizes. The first competitions were held in classrooms. The winners went on to school wide contest and then they competed in city and state competitions. Finally the 50 state champions, along with the District of Columbia champion came to Washington, D.C., last week
for the last showdown. After the 51 champions competed against one another, 12 went on to the finals. Then the field was narrowed to five. The final five had one last chance to “perform” a poem. The overall champion, Jackson Hille, a high school senior from Ohio, won a $20,000 scholarship.
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation started Poetry Out Loud because they realized that hearing a poem performed is a different experience from reading it on a page.
It’s not just a matter of saying the words in the right order. It’s the tone of voice, the pauses, the gestures, and the attitude of the performer that bring the words to life. “Each time we hear somebody recite a poem, we understand again what we found fresh and interesting about it,” says National Public Radio broadcaster Scott Simon, master of ceremonies for the finals. Hearing it in a new voice offers something new to the listeners.
Not only do the people hearing poems have a new experience, but memorizing and presenting poems helps the participants(参加者) understand those poems in a new way. Another benefit of a competition such as Poetry Out Loud is that the participants learn public-speaking skills that can help them for life.
42. From the first paragraph, we can know _________.
A. the Greeks were the first to write poems.
B. the Olympics used to start with poem recitation
C. poems were spread orally in the past
D. athletes were asked to recite poems before competing
43. How many rounds of competitions did the state champions take before they went to
Washington, D.C.?
A. Three B. Four C. Five D. Six
44. According to the passage, hearing a poem recited in a new voice can ________.
A. bring a new life to listeners
B. help listeners find their interest
C. make listeners learn the words
D. offer something new to listeners
45. One benefit the participants get from a competition such as Poetry Out Loud is that they can
______.
A. become confident while speaking in public
B. write good poems themselves
C. change their attitudes towards life
D. make friends with many great poets
46. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Reciting Poems Improve Your Memory
B. Remembering a Lot of Poems Is Fun
C. Poets Have a Great Time
D. Poetry competitions freshen us up
D
Why should mankind explore space? Why should money, time and effort be spent exploring and researching something with so few apparent benefits? Why should resources be spent on
space rather than on conditions and people on Earth? These are questions that, understandably, are very often asked.
Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup(基因构成) as human beings. What drove our ancestors to move from the trees into the plains, and on into all possible areas and environments? The wider the spread of a species, the better its chance of survival. Perhaps the best reason for exploring space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible.
Nearly every successful civilization has explored, because by doing so, any dangers in surrounding areas can be identified and prepared for. Without knowledge, we may be completely destroyed by the danger. With knowledge, we can lessen its effects.
Exploration also allows minerals and other potential (潜在的) resources to be found. Even if we have no immediate need of them, they will perhaps be useful later. Resources may be more than physical possessions. Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration. The techniques may have medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives. in satellites for weather forecasting and in communications systems. Even non-stick pans and mirrored sunglasses are by-products (副产品) of technological developments in the space.