阅读理解Passage 4 The striving of countries in Central Europe to enter the European Union may offer an unprecedented chance to thecontinents Gypsies (or Roman) to be recognized as a nation, albeit one without a defined territory

阅读理解Passage 3 The structure of a family takes different forms around the world and even in the same society

阅读理解Do you know how to use a mobile phone without being rude to the people around you? Talking during a performance irritates people

阅读理解Text A Parents are often upset when their children praise the homes of their friends and regard it as a slur on their own cooking, or cleaning, or furniture, and often are foolish enough to let the teenagers see that they are annoyed

阅读理解In education there should be no class distinction

阅读理解Passage 1 Unlike most of Western Europe, where paid vacations for regular workers are typical four to six weeks, the U

阅读理解Text 4 Castles were brought to Britain by William the Conqueror, when he invaded England in 1066 from his homeland in France

阅读理解Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions orunfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You shoulddeicide the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single linethrough the center.Passage ThreeNowadays if you ask most people what “rap” means, they’re likely to state that it’s the reciting of rhymes to the best of music. It’s a form of expression that has its roots deep, in ancient African culture and oral tradition. Throughout history here in America there has always been some form of verbal skills involving rhymes within the Afro-American community. School yard rhyme, prison “jail house’ rhymes and double Dutch jump rope’ rhymes are some of the names and ways that various forms of rap have manifested.Rap caught on because it offered young urban New Yorkers a chance to freely express themselves. This was basically the same reason why any of the verbal or rhyme games manifested themselves in the past. More importantly, it was an art form that anyone can use. One did not need a lot of money or expensive resources to rhyme. One didn’t have to invest in lessons, or anything like that. Rapping was a verbal skill that could be practiced and improve to perfection at almost anytime.Rap also became popular because it offered unlimited challenges. There were no real set rules, except to be original and to rhyme on time to the beat of music. Anything was possible. One cou1d make up a rap about the man in the moon or someone else. The final goal was to be regarded as being good by one’s peers. The praises and positive approval a rapper received put him or her on a par with any other urban hero (sports star, tough guy, comedian, etc.), which was another special attraction.Finally, rap, because of its inclusive aspects, allowed one to accurately and efficiently add their personality. If you were laid back, you could rap at a slow pace. If you were too much active, you could rap at a fast pace. No two people rapped the same, even when reciting the same rhyme. There were many people who would try and emulate someone’s style, but even that represented a particular personality.Rap continues to be popular among today’s urban youth for the same reasons it was a draw in the early days: it is still a form of self-expression capable of winning positive approval from one’s peers. Because rap has evolved to become such a big business, it has given many kids the false illusion that it is a quick escape from the harshness of inner city life. There are many kids out there under the belief that they need to do is write a few fresh rhymes arid they’re off to the good life.

阅读理解Text A According to Andrew, it never would have happened if he had not had a flat tire on Highway 10 last night about7:30

阅读理解Passage H For office innovators, the unrealized dream of the paperless office is a classic example of high-tech hubris

阅读理解【C1】 The battle that will decide the future of the English is going on all round us

阅读理解Passage Four Greece, economically, is in the black

阅读理解Twentieth century literature can be broadly divided into two stylistic periods: Modernism, and Postmodernism, These periods roughly correspond to literature written before the Second World War (1939-1945) and literature written after it

阅读理解Passage 2 [Scientists have long debated how the ancestors of birds evolved the ability fly

阅读理解Why the inductive and mathematical sciences, after their first rapid development at the culmination of Greek civilization, advanced so slowly for two thousand yearsand why in the following two hundred years a knowledge of natural and mathematical science has accumulated, which so vastly exceeds all that was previously known that these sciences may be justly regarded as the products of our own timesare questions which have interested the modern philosopher not less than the objects with which the

阅读理解Passage 4 Global warming could actually chill down North America within just a few decades, according to a new study that says a sudden cooling event gripped the region about 8,300 years ago

阅读理解Passage 1 A new study from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University shows that todays youth vote in larger numbers than previous generations, and a 2008 study from the Center for American Progress adds that increasing numbers of young voters and activists support traditionally liberal causes

阅读理解The earliest controversies about the relationship between photography and art centered on whether photographys fidelity to appearances and dependence on a machine allowed it to be a fine art as a distinct from merely a practical art

阅读理解Text D There are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece

阅读理解How we look and how we appear to others probably worries us more when we are in our teens or early twenties than at any other time in our life