周末加油站 主题测试-高考英语二轮复习备考Task 1During my senior year in college I was still short of a few credits before graduating， so I skimmed through the class schedule looking for something to fill the hours. When I came across “Private Voice” instruction， as in singing lessons， I thought， “Why not step outside my comfort zone and give it a try？”I was careful to sign up for private lessons instead of group lessons because I didnt want to make a fool of myself by singing in front of other students.Things went fine until the end of the term when my singing professor brought the shocking news. “By the way， Sean， have you decided which song you want to sing at the recital？”“That would not be a good idea，” I said. The thought of singing in front of a group made me physically sick.“Courage， Sean，” I kept rehearsing in my mind. “Youve got to at least try.”That awesome day finally arrived. As I stood in front of the class， all eyes fell upon me. I couldnt help but think， “How？ How in the world did I get myself into this situation？”Even before I reached the second line， the expressions of excitement on the students faces turned to anguish（痛苦）. I was so nervous that my body felt as tight as jeans just pulled from the dryer.Near the end of the song is a really high note. I dont recall if I hit that note or missed it. All I remember is that a few students were so embarrassed that they couldnt even look at me.I finished and sat down quickly. Silence. No one knew what to say.But do you know what？ Although that experience nearly killed me， when I left that classroom， I was so proud of myself. I felt a great sense of personal accomplishment， and I frankly didnt care what anyone else thought about my high note. I had survived and I was proud of it.1. Why did the author choose the private lessons？A. He didnt like to be with others. B. He didnt want to sing in public.C. He wanted to get more attention. D. He wanted better teaching quality.2. How did the author feel when hearing the news from his singing professor？A. Surprised and nervous. B. Moved and thankful.C. Excited and confident. D. Disappointed and worried.3. What do we learn about the authors performance？A. He didnt finish it. B. It was a great success.C. Few students watched it. D. It turned out to be a failure.4. Why did the author feel proud of himself？A. He had overcome himself. B. He had hit the high note.C. He had conquered the audience. D. He thought he had sung very well.Task 2Music makes you more creative. 1 ， they come up with more creative solutions， according to researchers. It may be because music improves your brains flexibility. Another reason may be that it relaxes you enough for the creative juices to flow. But dont play music too loudly.Music can help during surgery. 2 . After surgery， it helps reduce pain. An analysis of 73 studies confirmed that listening to music before， during or after surgery reduces anxiety and pain levels， which in turn means less pain medication.3 . Studies have found that when youre running， biking or walking， youll go farther with music on. Music relieves your discomfort and motivates you to stay on. The effect is so obviously great that the author of a review examining the psychological effects of music on exercise called music “a type of legal performance? improvement drug”.Music aids sleep. Listening to music before bed can help you fall asleep faster and wake up less often during the night. 4 . In one study， seniors with sleep problems who listened to 45 minutes of soft slow music before bed reported a 35 percent improvement in their sleep.Music gets you to ignore the passing of time. Scientists have shown repeatedly that people judge a period of waiting shorter when music is playing. Businessmen use that to their advantage， playing music so that you stay longer and spend more. For instance， more drinks and food are sold in bars and restaurants when music is played. 5 ， grocery sales increase by 38 percent.A. In this case， youll feel more relaxed in the morningB. And if the background music is slowC. Then you play a piece of brief musicD. When people listen to happy music silentlyE. When music is played varying from a tune to anotherF. Music makes you get rid of the idea of quitting a workoutG. Listening to music before surgery has been shown to ease anxietyTask 3For a long time， Gabriel didnt want to be involved in music at all. In his first years of high school， Gabriel would look pityingly at music students， 1 across the campus with their heavy instrument cases， 2 at school for practice hours 3 anyone else had to be there. He swore to himself to 4 music， as he hated getting to school extra early.5 ， one day， in the music class that was 6 of his schools standard curriculum， he was playing idly（随意地） on the piano and found it 7 to pick out tunes. With a sinking feeling， he rea