Giacomo Puccini was born in 1858 and was a son of a musical director. __  51    He is remembered as a master of opera.

    52    Many early forerunners of Impressionistic Music including Rimsky-Korsakov, Strauss, Schoenberg and Stravinsky, inspired him greatly.

Turandot, an opera based on an Italian drama by the same name, is by far considered to be one of Puccini’s most popular and most performed works.

It’s a pity that Puccini had no chance to watch his own great opera himself.     53    

In this opera you can hear a traditional Chinese folk song, which is titled Molihua（茉莉花）or Jasmine Flower.     _____54____ Among them the version sung in Jiangsu, a province in south China, is the most popular one. By admiring the jasmine flower, the song celebrates the sweetness and beauty of romantic love.     55    In 1804 the song was published in a book by a British diplomat(外交官), making it the first Chinese folk song that gained popularity outside China.

A．During his music career, Puccini was also influenced by other musicians.

B．At the end of the 18th century, it was first translated into English.

C．Though Puccini received training in various areas of music, his true love was in opera.

D．Puccini’s operas are strong in emotion and conflict.

E. Turandot is performed regularly all over the world.

F. The opera was first performed in 1926, two years after Puccini’s death.

G. There are many different versions of Molihua or Jasmine Flower in different parts of China.

 

Giacomo Puccini was born in 1858 and was a son of a musical director. __ 【小题1】    He is remembered as a master of opera.
   【小题2】    Many early forerunners of Impressionistic Music including Rimsky-Korsakov, Strauss, Schoenberg and Stravinsky, inspired him greatly.
Turandot, an opera based on an Italian drama by the same name, is by far considered to be one of Puccini’s most popular and most performed works.
It’s a pity that Puccini had no chance to watch his own great opera himself.     【小题3】    
In this opera you can hear a traditional Chinese folk song, which is titled Molihua（茉莉花）or Jasmine Flower.     _____【小题4】____ Among them the version sung in Jiangsu, a province in south China, is the most popular one. By admiring the jasmine flower, the song celebrates the sweetness and beauty of romantic love.     【小题5】    In 1804 the song was published in a book by a British diplomat(外交官), making it the first Chinese folk song that gained popularity outside China.

A．During his music career, Puccini was also influenced by other musicians.

B．At the end of the 18th century, it was first translated into English.

C．Though Puccini received training in various areas of music, his true love was in opera.

D．Puccini’s operas are strong in emotion and conflict.

E. Turandot is performed regularly all over the world.
F. The opera was first performed in 1926, two years after Puccini’s death.
G. There are many different versions of Molihua or Jasmine Flower in different parts of China.

 (衡阳市八中2008届高三模拟试题A篇)

Sacagawea, the only woman on the Lewis and Clark expedition into the American West, was the daughter of a Shoshone chief. Around the age of 12, Sacagawea was captured by Hidatsa Indians, an enemy of the Shoshones. She was then sold to a French-Canadian trapper named Toussaint Charbonneau and became one of his wives.

In November 1804, an expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark arrived there. Often called the Corps of Discovery, the expedition planned to explore newly acquired western lands and find a route to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis and Clark hired Charbonneau to serve as interpreter on their expedition. Even though she was pregnant with her first child, Sacagawea was chosen to accompany them.

She was killed at finding eatable plants. When a boat she was riding on turned over, she was able to save some of its goods, including important documents and supplies. She also served as a symbol of peace---a group traveling with a woman and a child were treated with less suspicion than a group of men alone.

Sacagawea also made a miraculous discovery of her own during the trip west. When they met a group of Shoshone Indians, she soon realized that its leader was actually her brother Cameahwait. It was through her that the expedition was able to buy horses from the Shoshone to cross the Rocky Mountains.

After reaching the Pacific coast in November 1805, they remained there until March of the following year. Sacagawea, her husband, and her son remained with the expedition on the return trip east until they reached the Mandan villages. And for her contribution to the Crops of Discovery, she was even featured on a dollar coin issued in 2000 by the US Mint.

56.The text is mainly about_______.

  A. the whole life of Sacagawea          B. the difficulties the Corps of Discovery met

  C. American history in exploration       D. Sacagawea’s contribution to the Corps of Discovery

57.What’s one of the purposes of the Corps of Discovery?

  A. To drive the Indians away                 B. To explore the Rocky Mountains

  C. To find how to reach the Pacific            D. To look for Sacagawea for help

58.During the expedition, what excited Sacagawea most was that she______.

  A.bought horses for Lewis and Clark           B. saved important documents and supplies

  C.was considered as a symbol of peace         D. reunited with her brother Cameahwait

59.What can be inferred from the text?

  A.Sacagawea is still highly honored by Americans

  B.Sacagawea’s husband was unfamiliar with the West

  C.Sacagawea stayed on the Pacific coast for half a year

  D.Sacagawea’s husband did little for the expedition

The history of the United States is a history of people on the move. The Native Americans came to North America thousands of years ago. Some of them built villages and stayed there, but many moved from place to place.

The first travelers from Europe came to live in an unknown land. At first, they stayed near the coast, but then a few brave men went west, far into the country. Two of them were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. In 1804, they started on their long journey from St. Lois, Missouri, to the Pacific Ocean. They followed the Missouri River west, went across the Rocky Mountains, and followed the Columbia River to the Pacific. Then, they turned around, and traveled back to St. Louis.

During the next 150 years, millions of poor people came from the old cities of Europe. They built the new cities of US, and farmed the land. But they did not always stay in their new cities or on their farms. Many people moved on, deeper and deeper into the new land. Some followed religious leaders like Joseph Smith. He and his followers the Mormons(摩门教徒), built Salt Lake City in Utah. Others went to look for gold. After the California Gold Rush in 1849, San Francisco grew from a village to a city in only a few years.

People are still moving to the US and finding new homes there. Up to 1 million people come into the United States from Mexico in one year. At the same time, many more arrive from the Pacific nations and regions—from the Philippines, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan and also from Central and South America. The history of the US is still on the move.

1．Which of the following is NOT true about settlers from Europe?

      A．They came to North America thousands of years ago.

      B．Joseph Smith and his followers built Salt Lake City in Utah.

      C．They didn’t always stay in their new cities or on their farm.

      D．A few brave men went west, far into the country.

2．People from the following countries or regions except _______ are mentioned as still moving to the U.S.

      A．Mexico                                               B．Pacific nations and regions

      C．Central America                                   D．South Africa

3．Which of the following pictures describes the route of Lewis and Clark’s journey?

A                        B

C                            D

4．What does the underlined word “regions” in the last paragraph probably mean?

      A．countries             B．islands                 C．areas                   D．states