The University of South Carolina has developed a sociology course dedicated to the life, work and rise to fame of pop star Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga and the Sociology of the Fame is to be taught by Professor Mathieu Deflem, a fan of the singer. The course, which has its own blog, is due to start in spring 2011. The Belgian born sociologist, whose research interests also include counter-terrorism, international policing, crime control and internet technology, says he has seen Lady Gaga in concert 30 times. "We're going to look at Lady Gaga as a social event," Prof Deflem told the USC student newspaper, the Daily Gamecock. "So it's not the person, and it's not the music. It's more this thing out there in society that has 10 million followers on Facebook and six million on Twitter. I mean, that's a social phenomenon.". It will look at business and marketing strategies, the role of old and new media, fans and live concerts, gay culture, religious and political themes, sex and sexuality, and the cities of New York and Hollywood, it says. Prof Deflem said he initially planned to call the course the Sociology of Fame or the Sociology of Celebrity, and to use Lady Gaga as an example. Also a fan of Frank Zappa, Prince, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Status Quo and Ritchie Blackmore, Prof Deflem says his interest in Lady Gaga began when he first saw her perform on television on 9 January 2009. "They don't have to be hardcore fans. The better fan will not necessarily be the better student. But you have to have some interest in the topic. So if you really don't like her, you probably shouldn't take the course." What course will the University of South Carolina develop in spring 2011? A) Lady Gaga and the Economy of the Fame. B) Lady Gaga and the Sociology of the Fame. C) Biochemistry and the Sociology of the Fame. D) Internet Trade and Lady Gaga.
B
(Question)
Once there was a king who never ate a meal unless there was a dish of fish with it, but one day there was a big storm and the fishermen were not able to go out to catch fish, so the king had no breakfast and no lunch. Then he ordered his servants to tell everybody in his capital that if anyone brought him a fish, he would give him anything that he asked for. At last, a fisherman caught a big fish late in the afternoon and hurried to the king's palace with it. But the king's Prime Minister would not let him in until he promised to give him half of whatever the king gave him for the fish. The king was very happy when he saw the fish. He asked the fisherman what he wanted for his fish. To his surprise, the fisherman said, "I want you to beat me two dozen times with a stick." When the king began to beat him a dozen times, the fisherman jumped away and said, "That is enough for me. I promised the other dozen to your Prime Minister." Then he told the king what had happened between the Prime Minister and himself. The king was very angry. He not only gave the Prime Minister the dozen hits, but also said, "Because you have been dishonest, you will not be my Prime Minister any more. The fisherman will take your place." . The king got rid of his Prime Minister because _ . A) the fisherman was cleverer than his Prime Minister B) the Prime Minister did not know how to catch fish C) the Prime Minister was not an honest man D) the Prime Minister took half of what the king gave the fisherman
(Answer)
C
Ques: When you think of an artist, you probably think of someone painting on canvas . But Guido Daniele creates fantastic paintings of birds, elephants, tigers, and giraffes by painting on skin. Born in Soverato, Italy, Guido Daniele has been called"Ha nd Gogh" (after artist Vincent van Gogh) since he began creating works of art on people' s hands in 1990. Painting on the hands can be a challenge because, unlike canvas, the skin moves when rubbed. Daniele' s models must remain perfectly still for hours as he paints. He often uses his daughter and his son as his "canvases". Before he can begin to create his "manimals" ( the artist' s name for his hand animals), Daniele studies photographs of the animal that he will be painting in order to be able to understand its character and give it life. "Next," he says, "I look at the hand from different perspectives ,and I begin to imagine what is the best way to position the hand for me to paint the animal. "He also studies the skin of the model, preferring it to have little hair and few blemishes . Daniele starts by drawing on the model' s hand with a pencil. He next paints the skin using watercolor1s made specifically for body art. The eyes of Daniele' s painted animals look amazingly real, and they are the most difficult part to paint. Paintings on hands must eventually be washed away. Guido Daniele says that he's gotten used to this part and that he doesn' t really mind seeing his work washed down the drain . " Tomorrow, I will paint the next one. The important thing is to take many good photo- graphs before washing the hand!" What do we learn about Daniele from the passage? A) His real name is Hand Gogh. B) His works are mainly drawn with pencils. C) He is an artist who paints on hands. D) He often asks his wife to be his model.
Ans: C
Ques: If your mother wants to tell you something , she uses words . Birds can not talk as we do . But some birds can make sounds to warn their young of danger . They have their own ways to make the young birds do certain thing . The jackdaw is a kind of blackbirds that lives in Europe . Jackdaws live together in flocks. Yong jackdaws do not know their enemies . When an older jackdaw sees a dog , it makes a loud tattling sound. The young birds know this sound means an enemy is nearby. The sounds warns them to know their enemy . If a young jackdaw is in a dangerous place, a jackdaw parent flies over him from behind .The parent bird flies low over the young birds back, the parents' tail feathers move quickly from side to side, It is trying to say , " Follow me ." At the same time , the parent calls out , " Key-aw ,Key-aw ." The parent means , " Fly home with me ." The young bird then follows the older one home . Young jackdaws do not have to learn what certain sounds mean. They know the meaning of these sounds from the time they hatch (,). The jackdaw lives in _ . A) Europe B) Australia C) America D) Africa
Ans:
A