The kind of music, song, and dance a people generates, with its characteristic rhythm and beat, forms one of the best indexes of its cultural style, and in America, the dominant musical styles are blues, swing and jazz. The lyrics to this music are often foolishly sentimental and sometimes non-sensical, but frequently they embody a wild and earthy humor, or a sad and tragic strain. As distinguished from most American popular tunes, American hot music is not written to be danced to. Yet there is an internal beat in jazz which relates deeply to dance: the movements of the body interpret the music's intent better than words can. When there is dancing, however, the dances break away from a formal pattern and, at their bat, keep with the improvisation (即兴) of the music. Unlike earlier American folk dances, which are collective, so-called ballroom dancing is performed by couples. Each couple is comparatively alone, not being well enough acquainted with the other couples on the dance floor to join them. But, in the swing dancing, as the music mounts the partners separate to execute complicated solo variations and then rejoin each other. As the music approaches one of its climaxes, the dancers pay the musicians the tribute(赞美) of gathering around to cheer them on. In popular dance and music, Americans come closer to reaching a native idiom of religious feeling than they do in any other aspect of their lives.
1. The main idea of the passage is that _____.
[A] popular dance and music are an important aspect of American life
[B] the American hot music is different from most American popular tunes
[C] modern dancing is different from earlier American folk dances
[D] all of the above
2. The difference between American hot music and most American popular tunes is that _____.
[A] the lyrics to hot music are nonsensical
[B] most American popular tunes are written to be danced to
[C] there is not internal beat in hot music
[D] hot music can not be interpreted by dance
3. According to the passage,the swing dancing _____.
[A] collective
[B] performed by couples
[C] individual improvising
[D] gathering around the musician
4. Which is the relationship between jazz and dance?
[A] Both the music and the dance have formal pattern.
[B] The dances always keep the music to interpret it.
[C] Jazz has nothing to do with dance.
[D] Jazz can be interpreted by dance,though not so well as by words.
5. In the swing dancing,the musicians _____.
[A] cheer the dancers on
[B] gather around the dancers
[C] execute complicated variations
[D] were gathered around by the dancers
参考答案：A B C D B
The heritage of English law brought with it the seeds of American liberty-not the flower and the fruit, which were to be produced after long labor and painful struggle. Nevertheless, the seeds were there and they sprouted, took root and have continued to grow. To this extent, the inheritance was valuable, but it is not to be denied that even though English law gave us the seeds of liberty, it also imposed upon us a vast amount of useless lumber that we have not swept away entirely --- after three hundred years of unceasing effort. Even the system of trial by jury, in spite of its enormous value, came to us with burdensome, outworn ideas and unnecessary precautions, on the one hand, and with no adequate means of adaptation to changing conditions, on the other. For one thing, in the early days it was assumed that ignorance of the facts was a guarantee of a juror's impartiality. At that time, when means of communication were few and slow, there was something to be said for the idea; but today, when means of communication were abundant and almost instantaneous, ignorance of the facts is evidence, not of impartiality, but of extraordinary stupidity, or of extraordinary indifference. The rule that a juror must be ignorant of the facts is, therefore, a rule that operates against, not for the effort to fill the jury box with honest men of ordinary intelligence. It has become so hopeless, indeed, that the courts literally ceased long ago trying to enforce it. It is, nevertheless, still a theoretical part of the system.
1 The passage is main about _____.
[A] the seeds of American literty
[B] the system of trial by jury
[C] a theoretical weakness of the jury system
[D] the changing conditions in the jury system
2. The inheritance of English law brought with it _____.
[A] the seeds of American literty
[B] the flower and fruit of American literty
[C] some ideas and precautions which were useless
[D] both A and C
3. The assumption that ignorance of the facts was a guarantee of a juror's impartiality _____.
[A] was reasonable neither in the past nor at present
[B] was extraordinary stupid or indifferent
[C] is not valid under the changing conditions
[D] has been proved reasonable
4. The rule that a juror must be ignorant of the facts is _____.
[A] no longer a theoretical part of the system
[B] no longer strictly enforced
[C] against the theoretical basis
[D] still strictly enfore
5. Which of the following statements is true?
[A] The rules of the trial system should be more flexible to adapt to the changing conditions.
[B] The members of the jury should be of extraordinary intelligance.
[C] Ignorance of the facts on the part of a juror today is evidence of impartiality.
[D] When means of communication had proved abundant,there was nothing to be said for the idea.
参考答案：C D C B A
