On Nov.18,1995,Itzhak Perlman,the violinist,came on stage to give a concert.If you have ever been to a Perlman concert,you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him.He was stricken with polio as a child,and so he walks with the aid of two crutches. The audience sat quietly while he makes his way across the stage to his chair and begins his play.But this time,something went wrong.Just as he finished the first few bars,one of the strings on his violin broke.We thought that he would have to stop the concert.But he didn't.Instead,he waited a moment,closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again. Of course,anyone knows that it is impossible to play a pleasant work with just three strings.I know that,and you know that,but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that. When he finished,there was a breathtaking silence in the room.And then people rose and cheered.There was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium. He smiled,wiped the sweat from this brow and then he said-not proudly,but in a quiet,holy attitude-"You know,sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left." This powerful line has stayed in my mind ever since I heard it.And who knows?Perhaps that is the meaning of life-not just for artists but for all of us. So,perhaps our task in this fastchanging,puzzling world in which we live is to make music,at first with all that we have,and then,when that is no longer possible,to make music with what we have left. What is the best title for the passage? A) When you lose the most important thing. B) How can you give it up easily. C) Playing a violin with three strings. D) Playing a violin by yourself.
C
"Hey, Jenna, do you think we'll still be friends when we're eighty-two?" I asked my friend.It was clear that she was wondering where I had come up with such a question.Losing Jenna would be like losing a very close sister.We hung out together.We gave each other advice. "Of course, we'll still be friends when we're eighty-two." Jenna announced loudly. The next year, in the fourth grade, we met Jamie.The three of us soon became close friends.We played together almost every day.I thought even time couldn't pull us apart, but I was sadly mistaken. The three of us started fighting a lot.Before Christmas, we had a really big fight, and Jamie and Jenna were against me, both saying _ .I felt helpless and lonely.I thought Christmas would be horrible! I was surprised when Jenna came to my house and gave me an awesome Christmas card she had made for me.I was so sure that she was still disappointed with me. "Wow, " I said, breaking the silence as we stood on either side of my front door."Thanks." "Okay...well...I have to go," she said softly. "Okay.See you later then..." and I closed the door. "Who was that at the door?" my mum asked. The card started off with "Merry Christmas", but then it said, "I am so glad we're friends.I am sorry about what I said when we were fighting.A fight won't stop us from being friends.Besides, we said we were going to be friends even when we're eight-two." I stopped reading and started laughing.I couldn't believe I had forgotten what she said that day in her backyard.I couldn't believe I had been so selfish in making my friends feel sorry for me that I had forgotten about real friendship. The author was delighted when she read the card from Jenna because _ . A) what Jenna wrote was funny B) Jenna would be her friend again C) she was happy about the coming Christmas D) she was happy to receive a Christmas card
B
In the United States you will find yourself being urged from every page of every newspaper and every television station to buy all kinds of goods. Not only is there a wide range of prices for goods in America, there is also a wide range in the quality of goods offered for sale. Unlike some countries, Americans generally pay the price of a product without question, instead of trying to get a lower price by bargaining. However, there are many "sales" in the United States, during which time stores will lower their normal prices. This may all be very confusing to visitors. How are you going to know how to "get your money's worth" when you shop? Perhaps the best advice is: Don't hurry. Visit various stores and determine the quality of goods. Read the advertisements so that you can compare prices. There is a great variety of shops in the United States, ranging from very large stores called "department stores" to very small shops. There are "discount houses" offering goods at low prices, and "dime stores" specializing in a wide range of inexpensive items. Most department stores in large cities carry better quality products at higher prices. However, they offer the shoppers great convenience since they contain such a wide variety of products. If convenience isn't as important to you as price, you may want to shop in discount houses. These stores have nearly as great a variety of goods as department stores, but offer lower prices. They can do so for several reasons. They don't offer the same services to buyers that department stores do; there may be fewer sales people; and the store probably doesn't deliver purchases. Another popular shop is the "dime store". No longer selling many things for five or ten cents, these stores got their name in the last century when it was decided that a small profit on a great quantity of goods would be better than a large profit on fewer sales. Dime stores specialize in a wide variety of inexpensive items and today, prices range from a quarter or 50 cents up to several dollars. Where can we most probably read this passage? A) In a research paper. B) In a science report. C) In a geography book. D) In a travel magazine.
D