If God could sing, his name must be Declan Galbraith. The boy was born on December 19, 1991 in the UK. He is an English singer of Scottish and Irish origin. His grandfather, who was in a band and played several instruments, often took Declan to concerts he was participating in. The mix of Scottish and Irish musical traditions inspired Declan and became his early musical influence. k%s5$u Declan's talent was publicly acknowledged for the first time when, at just 7 years old, he insisted on singing at the annual Rochester Dickens Festival, a two-day event where people were invited to dress up in Victorian costumes to celebrate the life and times of the famous novelist Charles Dickens and his links with town. Little Declan, dressed up as a chimney sweep, started singing. Soon after this, he started to enter local talent contests and within a year he had won 15 titles and more than PS1000. His first self-titled album, Declan, with Irish traditional songs and some specially written materials became a big success and charted in the UK and Ireland. Within the year of release , it had 200 000 copies in Germany. Although Declan is a British citizen and singer, Declan is better-known abroad, especially in China where his songs were chosen as part of the Chinese education curriculum for children learning English. In May 2008, Declan undertook a successful tour in China, and the cities included were Beijing and Shenzhen. What greatly affected Declan Galbraith in his early singing career? A) His great success in Irish traditional songs. B) His grandfather's band. C) Musical traditions of Scotland and Ireland. D) Charles Dickens' novels.
C
As jewelry designers,my sister Jodie and I are always traveling for work.We need to go to a lot of shows,so we can't pack lightly and usually bring about four suitcases filled with our work. Most of our stuff is made from heavy materials and metals.So part of the routine for us when we fly is getting stopped by security.Our jewelry sets off the alarms,and we've become accustomed to arriving early to go through private screenings.Most of the time,it's not troublesome. However,on our recent trip to a Paris trade show,we were stopped at security and asked to empty our bags. One of the agents walked over to another agent and they started whispering to each other.Both gentlemen came back,and one of them then told us that it seemed that we were carrying a very dangerous object. My sister and I just said,"Huh?"Of course,we were a little concerned,thinking that maybe someone put something dangerous in one of our bags when we weren't looking. One of the agents then started to unpack our bags.I kept asking what he was 1ooking for and then the object in question finally appeared.It was our Cosima necklace.It's a piece of jewelry,with large,metal triangular spikes. My sister and I 1ooked at each other and breathed a huge sigh of relief.We started laughing and explained to the two male agents that it was just a necklace from our collection.not a weapon of mass destruction.They thought we were lying,and one agent kept repeating that he believed it was a weapon. I tried to explain that we were jewelry designers going to a trade show,and this was simply a piece from our collection.But the agents didn't _ it.Then a few women guards came over to assist.One of the women guards was holding an earring up to her ear and another was trying on a ring.Apparently,they liked our stuff. It was only at this point that the male guards gave up.And I think they also got tired of listening to a bunch of women talk about jewelry.They let us through. We took the names of the women agents and sent them a piece of jewelry when we got back to say thanks. According to this passage,which of the following statements is NOT true? A) Someone put something dangerous in one of the writer's bags. B) The male agents didn't believe the writer at first. C) The female agents liked the jewelry. D) The writer is always travelling on business.
A
Ted Turner, achieved high goals and great success by the time he was 43. Best known for his CNN, Ted Turner launched a second nationwide all-news network, Headline News, purchased the Atlanta Braves baseball team, and became the world's best yachtsman at the America's Cup in 1977. In 1982 Ted Turner was named by Forbes one of the 400 richest people in the US. He was named Time magazine's "Man of the Year" in 1992. How did Ted Turner accomplish all of this at such a young age? Ted Turner's father, Ed, was a self-made millionaire who demanded that his only son try to achieve similar success. He instilled in the boy a strong belief that hard work was good. Besides reading a new book every two days, Ted Turner was also charged rent at home during summer vacations from boarding school. Ed Turner was a strong influence in his son's life. As a child, Ted Turner lived a very lonely life, often separated from his family. During World War II, his father served in the Navy. Ed Turner took his wife and daughter with him so they could live nearby but left his 6yearold son behind in a boarding school in Cincinnati, Ohio. When Ted Turner was in the fifth grade, his father enrolled him in a military academy. Even though Turner had friends at school, it didn't make up for the absence of his parents and sister. Eventually Ted Turner enrolled at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He attended college off and on, became involved in sailboat racing, and became a member of the U.S. Coast Guard for a while. In his early twenties, he became general manager of one of his father's branch offices -- the Turner Advertising Company in Macon, Georgia. Two years later after his father's suicide, Ted Turner took over the company. He soon discovered that he was more skilled than his father in managing the business. During the next twenty years, Ted Turner worked hard to accumulate enough power and money to fulfill his father's dream. Reflecting on his father's death, however, Ted Turner realized that it was dangerous to put too... Which of the following best describes an important change in Ted Turner's life? A) He became more determined and was feared by this workmates. B) He developed respect and admiration for his employees. C) H e revised his view of the world and his responsibility in it. D) He demanded the same level of success as he father.
C