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Section B
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. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.
(A)
Yo-Yo Ma is one of the most gifted cellists (大提琴手) in the world today. He is known internationally for not only the many classical pieces he performs but also his willingness to think outside of the box musically.
Yo-Yo Ma has recorded over 75 albums; many of them strictly considered classical in arrangement, while others differ greatly from classical music. He’s worked with musicians like Bobby Mcferrin and Sting, and explored musical forms that range from traditional Chinese music to bluegrass. His musical explorations, including the scoring or performance in numerous films, have won Ma many awards and honors.
Born to Chinese immigrant parents in Paris in 1955, Yo-Yo Ma was already a gifted musician by the time his family moved to the U.S., when he was seven. One of his first performances where he was much noted was a 1962 performance for U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Ma was certainly a genius, appearing on television by the time he was eight and performing with numerous orchestras through his teens.
Like many young extraordinary musicians, Yo-Yo Ma’s educational path included the study at the distinguished Juilliard School of Music. Unlike geniuses that stay on a singular path, Ma felt that he wanted to expand his education by taking a traditional liberal arts course at first Columbia and then Harvard University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1976. He wasn’t always certain that he should continue to pursue his career as a cellist, and refers to hearing the work of Pablo Casals, the famous Spanish cellist, as inspiration to continue his studies and performance.
By the early 1980s, Yo-Yo Ma had become internationally known. He also began to express considerable interest in the possibilities of musical education for children. To that end, he made appearances on Sesame Street and other shows targeted at children.
In 1998, Ma started the Silk Road Project, which promotes cooperation among artists, including musicians from around the world. His devotion to bringing together the various cultures represented by the ancient Silk Road is expressed in Ma’s political attitude of peace through music. In 2006, the UN Secretary General Kofi Anan named Ma a Peace Ambassador.
66. Which of the following statements is TRUE about Yo-Yo Ma?
A. He has explored a wide range of musical forms.
B. He wasn’t well-known in the U.S. until the 1980s.
C. He is famous only for the classical pieces he performs.
D. He was determined to become a cellist since childhood.
67. Whose work has had an influence on Ma in deciding to pursue a career as a cellist?
A. Bobby McFerrin’s. B. Kofi Anan’s. C. Pablo Casals’. D. Sting’s.
68. Through the Silk Road Project, Yo-Yo Ma intended to ___________.
A. continue his studies while performing with musicians all around the world
B. bring together many different cultures represented by the ancient Silk Road
C. become a UN Peace Ambassador by expressing his political attitude of peace
D. promote musical education for children in the countries along the ancient Silk Road
69. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A. To Be Known as Early as Possible
B. Growth Process of a Peace Ambassador
C. University Education: Key Factor to Yo-Yo Ma’s Success
D. A Talented Musician with Sense of Social Responsibility
( B )
Kuringai Chase National Park Guided Walks and Nature Activities
SUNDAY MAY 7 EASY
Early Morning Stroll in Upper Lane Cove Valley
Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the end of Day RD, Cheltenham, while the bush is alive with birdsong.
Round trip: 4 hours
FRIDAY MAY 12 MEDIUM
Possum prowl
Meet 7:30 p.m. at Seaforth Oval carpark. Enjoy the peace of the bush at night. Lovely water views. Bring torch and wear non-slip shoes as some rock climbing involved. Coffee and biscuits supplied.
Duration: 2 hours
SUNDAY JUNE 4 HARD
Baime Basin Track
Meet 9:30 a.m. Track#8, West Head Road, Magnificent Pittwater views.
Visit Beechwood cottage. Bring lunch and drink. Some steep sections.
Reasonable fitness required. FRIDAY JUNE 6 EASY
Poetry around a campfire
Meet 7:00 p.m. Kalkaari Visitor Center. Share your favourite poem or one of your own with a group around a gently cracking fire. Drinks and food to follow. Bring a cup and a blanket (or a chair).
Cost: $4.00 per person.
Duration: 2.5 hours
SUNDAY JUNE 25 EASY
Morning Walk at Mitchell Park
Meet 8:30 a.m. entrance to Mitchell Park, Mitchell Park Rd. Cattai for a pleasant walk wandering through rainforest, river flats and dry forest to swampland（沼泽地）. Binoculars（双筒望远镜）a must to bring as many birds live here. Finish with morning tea.
Duration: 3 hours
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GRADING
EASY suitable for ALL fitness levels
MEDIUM for those who PERIODICALLY exercise
HARD only if you REGULARLY exercise
70. If you seldom exercise, prefer nature to literature and are used to getting up early, you’re most likely to join __________.
A. Early Morning Stroll in Upper Lane Cove Valley
B. Baime Basin Track
C. Poetry around a campfire
D. Morning Walk at Mitchell Park
71. If you want to enjoy the peace of the bush at night, you are required to __________.
A. meet at 7:30 p.m. June 6 B. bring slippers with you
C. prepare a torch D. climb rocks for two hours
72. How many guided walks and nature activities provide food or drink?
A. 1. B. 2. C. 3. D. 4.
73. In the activity “Morning Walk at Mitchell Park”, one may have no chance to ___________.
A. appreciate bird watching B. enjoy mountain climbing
C. take a relaxing walk D. have morning tea
( C )
ESP, Extra Sensory Perception, is a catch-all expression for the so-called ability of certain people to receive transmitted thoughts from others, to transmit their own thoughts, to see what will happen in the future or to be able to move objects from one place to another without physically touching them. These special people are called psychics. Some believe that we all have this ability to some degree but that most of us choose not to develop it.
Many people are skeptical about ESP. Alongside the existence of documented evidence, there are plenty of claims that have turned out to be cheating. For most people, it is difficult to accept such claims without having had first hand experience. The lack of scientific evidence is another factor to take into account. On the other hand, most of us have, at some time, experienced a seemingly unexplainable occurrence; hearing the telephone ring and knowing who will be on the other end of the line or cases of coincidence that seem to be too extreme to be accidental.
Over the years there have been numerous ESP experiments conducted by serious scientists in serious institutions. Joseph Banks Rhine, a botanist at Duke University published a famous book in 1934 called “Extra-Sensory Perception” in which he claimed to have enormous evidence of ESP. However, other scientists have been unable to copy his results since, which has resulted in the book losing much of its original credibility and fame.
The Ganzfield Experiments are considered to have been the most carefully examined ESP experiments. So-called psychics had their eyes covered and ears blocked while a “sender” attempted to transmit messages. Later the psychics would compare the messages received to the original messages sent out. There was a great deal of excitement and interest at the time, but the research failed to produce convincing results.
One of the strongest criticisms against ESP is that in order for it to exist, the fundamental laws of physics would necessarily have to be broken.
Human beings are attracted to the whole range of supernatural phenomena. ESP will always continue to fascinate. This becomes clear when we see how much of the media is dedicated to the topic: magazines, journals, web sites, television and radio programs. Some of the most successful films in recent years have fuelled interest among the younger generations who are starting to ask the same questions and to look for explanations for the same phenomena as their parents and grandparents before them. Who knows? One day we might just find these answers because one thing is certain: “The truth is out there! ”
74. According to the 1st paragraph, a psychic can do the following EXCEPT __________.
A. read what his parents are thinking about
B. transmit one friend’s thought to another
C. predict what’ll happen at tomorrow’s meeting
D. change the position of a chair without touching it
75. The underlined word “skeptical” in the second paragraph can be replaced with __________.
A. enthusiastic B. doubtful C. particular D. curious
76. What can be learned about the book “Extra–Sensory Perception” and “the Ganzfield Experiments”?
A. They both failed to prove the existence of ESP scientifically.
B. They were both the products of casually-designed research.
C. Others followed their examples and got the same consequences.
D. The writer and the experiment operators lost their fame eventually.
77. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Whether ESP exists. B. How ESP works.
C. Who ESP attracts. D. Why ESP fails.
