George Gershwin, born in 1898, was one of America's greatest composers. He published his first song when he was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs.
Many of Gershwin's songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way — from jazz to country.
In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him worldfamous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular.
In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition (作曲)with the wellknown musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazzinfluenced style. While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics (评论家)were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was silly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It still remains one of his most famous works.
George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirtynine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written.
【小题1】Many of Gershwin's musical works were ________．| A．written about New Yorkers | B．composed for Paul Whiteman |
| C．performed in various ways | D．played mainly in the countryside |
| A．It proved jazz could be serious music. |
| B．It attracted more people to theatres. |
| C．It made Gershwin leader of the orchestra. |
| D．It caused a debate among jazz musicians. |
| A．He studied with Nadia Boulanger. | B．He created one of his best works. |
| C．He argued with French critics. | D．He changed his music style. |
| A．The death of Gershwin was widely reported. |
| B．Many of Gershwin's works were lost. |
| C．A concert was held in memory of Gershwin. |
| D．Brain cancer research started after Gershwin's death. |
| A．Serious and boring. | B．Talented and productive. |
| C．Popular and unhappy. | D．Friendly and honest. |
Until recently, several lines of evidence — from fossils genetics, and archaeology — suggested that humans first moved from Africa into Eurasia (the land of Europe and Asia) about 60,000 years ago, quickly replacing other early human species, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, that they may have met along the way.
However, a series of recent discoveries, including 100,000-year-old human teeth found in a cave in China, have clouded this straightforward statement. And the latest find, a prehistoric jawbone at the Misliya Cave in Israel dating back to nearly 200,000 years ago, which is almost twice as old as any Homo sapiens (智人) remains discovered outside Africa, where our species was thought to have originated from, has added new and unexpected twist.
The find suggests that there were multiple waves of migration across Europe and Asia and could also mean that modern humans in the Middle East were interacting, and possibly mating, with other human species for tens of thousands of years. “Misliya breaks the mould (模式) of existing assumptions of the timing of the first known Homo sapiens in these regions,” said Chris Stringer, head of human origins at the Natural History Museum in London. “It’s important in removing long-lasting-constraint (限制) on our thinking.”
Prof. Hershkovitz, who led the work at Tel Aviv University said, “What Misliya tells us is that modern humans left Africa not 100,000 years ago, but 200,000 years ago. This is revolution in the way we understand the evolution of our own species.” He also added that the record now indicates that humans probably travelled beyond the African continent whenever the climate allowed it. “I don’t believe there was one big departure from Africa,” he said. “I think that throughout hundreds of thousands of years humans were coming in and out of Africa all the time.”
The discovery means that modern humans were potentially meeting and interacting during a longer period with other ancient human groups, providing more opportunity for cultural and biological exchanges. It also raises interesting questions about the fate of the earliest modern human pioneers. Genetic data from modern-day populations around the world strongly suggest that everyone outside Africa can trace their ancestors back to a group that left around 60,000 years ago. So, the inhabitants of the Misliya Cave are probably not the ancestors of anyone alive today, and scientists can only guess why their branch of the family tree came to an end.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “they” refer to in Paragraph 1?| A．Early human species living in Europe. |
| B．Neanderthals and Denisovans. |
| C．People first moving from Africa into Eurasia. |
| D．Ancient people living in Africa all the time. |
| A．Our ancestors were powerful and kind of aggressive. |
| B．Our ancestors left Africa much earlier than thought. |
| C．The origins of modern humans are from Europe. |
| D．Homo sapiens, Neanderthals and Denisovans once lived together. |
| A．Climate was a big factor in human migration from Africa. |
| B．There was a large-scale human migration from Africa. |
| C．Human migration was occasional in Africa 200,000 years ago. |
| D．The Misliya find is against our understanding of human evolution. |
| A．They were ancestors of people living in China. |
| B．They left evidence for their mysterious disappearance in history. |
| C．They probably contributed little to present-day people genetically. |
| D．They could be traced by their remains left on their travelling route. |
London is considered as one of the greatest cities on Earth. From historical sites to the modern-day metropolis, it can seem an infinite feast of activities and possibilities. For the budget-minded traveler, London might not appear to be the most wallet-friendly destination.
One of the most surprisingly free things to do in London is visit top museums and art galleries.
London has a long history of influencing the musical world, and the wise traveler knows that concerts are some of the best free things to do here in various seasons. Particularly in the summer, free concerts are available along the banks of the Thames River, and frequently advertised in entertainment guides.
While London is full of exciting opportunities for the luxury traveler, it doesn't exclude those on a budget. The free things to do in London will often help travelers escape from the tourist attractions and catch a look at local life.
| A．However, this is not the case. |
| B．Literary lovers will find many free things to do in London. |
| C．That's because London is among the world's priciest cities. |
| D．The National Gallery is free to visitors favoring world-class paintings. |
| E．Even in winter, certain areas are usually crowed with musicians and performers. |
| F．Nobody can refuse such charming music with the beautiful sceneries along the river. |
| G．Combining them with some well-chosen costly additions will give you a balanced look at the beautiful city. |
A new report by the World Bank shows that the effects of climate change could force 140 million people to move within their countries by 2050.
The report looked at three developing regions of the world-sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America.
Climate migrants are people who are forced to move within their country because of water scarcity, crop failure, rising sea levels and storm surges due to climate change.
The report noted that the effects of climate change will often force people to move from rural areas suffering from droughts or crop failures to cities where there are different opportunities.
The report recommends key actions to help prevent wide-scale climate migration: cutting global greenhouse gas emissions; improving development planning at the local level for climate migration; and investing in data to better understand climate migration trends in each country. The report notes that any rise in climate migration will be in addition to millions of other migrants within countries, moving for economic, social, political or other reasons.
| A．We would see increased tensions and conflict as a result of pressure on scarce resources. |
| B．The report shows that with proper efforts the number of climate migrants could be reduced dramatically, from 140 million to 40 million by 2050. |
| C．Some measures that could help helpless people adapt to climate change were on the agenda. |
| D．However, it noted that cities must take the time to plan for the possibility for a flood of people. |
| E．Countries that are becoming more restrictive on migration are those who are largely responsible for global warming. |
| F．It found that unless urgent action is taken, the regions will likely have to deal with tens of millions of so-called climate migrants. |
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