The Green Gathering
Date:15th Aug. —22nd Aug.
Location: Chepstow Center
2018 Music Festivals, UK

Details: Over 100 live bands plus DJs on five private solar-powered stages. A wonderful site in a wooded area of outstanding natural beauty. 8 days of inspiration and relaxation are about traditional crafts, campaign stalls(活动摊位), and a magical kids’ area.

Sport Beat Music Festival
Date: 20th Aug. —29th Aug.
Location: Oxstalls Sports Park

Details: Time for fun in the sun with Sport Beat. The festival is for those who wish there are volleyball and netball games that take place over the weekend. Attractions include: ball coaching, food village, and bars. Please see details for VIP passes on our website.

Creamfields Festival
Date: 26th Aug.—28th Aug.
Location: Daresbury Court

Details: Creamfields is the world’s leading dance music festival. Creamfields is famous for many things, not just its traditional world class dancing but its unbeatable atmosphere! The festival mixes together style breaking pioneers from across the DJ and live music spectrum(声谱).

Wilkestock Charity Music Festival
Date: 27th Aug.—31st Aug. Location: Wilkestock Stadium

Details: With entertainment this year from mystery jets to a huge electronic lineup(阵容), this festival keeps turning up the heat year on year while keeping all profits donated direct to charity.

1. At which festival can children probably enjoy themselves thoroughly?

A．Creamfields Festival.	B．The Green Gathering.
C．Sport Beat Music Festival.	D．Wilkestock Charity Music Festival.

2. Where can a ball game be watched?

A．At Oxstalls Sports Park.	B．At Daresbury Court.
C．At Wilkestock Stadium.	D．At Chepstow Center.

3. How does Wilkestock Charity Music Festival differ from the other festivals?

A．It gives its earnings to people in need.	B．It offers performance in the open air.
C．It entertains people with live music.	D．It has five private solar-powered stages.

They aren’t great artists like Leonardo da Vinci or Vincent van Gogh, but their paintings are just as popular on Chinese social media, with millions of Chinese people willing to pay for them.

The 36 works were painted by ordinary Chinese people who live with autism (自闭症) or cerebral palsy (脑瘫), aged from their early teens to late thirties. They all studied art at World of Art Brut Culture (WABC), which is a Shanghai-based non-profit organization (非盈利组织) for art education. The project was started by WABC and supported by the Tencent Charitable Foundation. Users could buy a digital copy of each painting by donating (捐赠) 1 yuan or more. By Aug 29, donations totaled more than 15 million yuan, with about 5.8 million people participating (参与).

“The paintings by these autistic kids and adults are beautiful: the style is similar to that of the Dutch artist Van Gogh. I’m really impressed by their talent,” Feng Li, a customer service officer in Shanghai, told the South China Morning Post.

However, the popular campaign also led to certain questions.

Li Laoxi, an experienced special education teacher in Hangzhou, said that based on his experience, people with autism could only draw a few lines or fill in colors under the guidance of their trainers. “Maybe there are some geniuses out there, but I’ve never met them”. Others questioned where the money would go, as the donations went to WABC instead of the painters. In response to these concerns, Miao Shiming, founder of WABC, said the money would be used to employ art teachers, buy supplies, and rent facilities. Meanwhile, Tencent said that all donation information would be open to the public.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．An online painting exhibition.	B．A non-profit organization.
C．A public donation.	D．An online survey about paintings.

5. What does WABC do for people with autism?

A．It helps them cure autism.	B．It provides art education for them.
C．It gives them money	D．It offers schooling to them.

6. Why did Li Laoxi, an experienced special education teacher question the project?

A．Because he thought autistic people could not draw.

B．Because he doubted about the painting abilities of autistic people.

C．Because he didn’t trust the organization, WABC.

D．Because he believed the paintings were painted only by geniuses.

7. What is the author’s attitude towards the project?

A．Disappointed.	B．Appreciated.
C．Worried.	D．Objective.

Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt.

In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546. Thus it began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.

Though the belief in the merit of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War II. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea; clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?

Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children of touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease. On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist(免疫学家),encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground.

8. The kings of France and England in the 16th century closed bath houses because_______.

A．they lived healthily in a dirty environment.

B．they thought bath houses were to dirty to stay in

C．they believed disease could be spread in public baths

D．they considered bathing as the cause of skin disease

9. Which of the following best describes Henry IV's attitude to bathing?

A．Afraid	B．Curious
C．Approving	D．Uninterested

10. How does the passage mainly develop?

A．By providing examples.	B．By making comparisons.
C．By following the order of time.	D．By following the order of importance.

11. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?

A．To stress the role of dirt.

B．To introduce the history of dirt.

C．To call attention to the danger of dirt.

D．To present the change of views on dirt.

If you want to be productive， you must complete work． Almost everything we do has many stages to completion and in many situations， you don't actually create value until you finish the last stage． Farmers can't sell their grain until it is harvested． Automakers can't sell cars that have made it 90% of the way through the assembly line（生产线）． Most employers aren't going to pay you for having a degree unless you finished the last class and graduated．

Now all those things require starting， but if you have work in progress， the most valuable thing you can do is to pick something and finish it． Finishing is where you start benefiting from the value you've created． I've noticed that many successful people aren't the ones who are the smartest or have the best ideas． They are often the ones who do the best job of taking an idea and completing it． A good idea fully carried out is better than a great idea that never gets completed．

Does this mean you need to finish everything you start？ Not necessarily， but if you don't think something is worth finishing， be honest with yourself and terminate the project． Don't leave hundreds of half finished efforts lying around physically or mentally acting like you are going to come back and pick them up． If you need to drop something ， do so strategically and intentionally． If you've put significant effort into a project， you may still benefit from finishing it even if you wouldn't start it again based on changed circumstances． For example， if you are in your last few months before graduating from college and realize you don't want to career in what you are majoring in， you probably should go ahead and graduate because there is significant value in having the degree---even if you don't intend to actually work in that field．

What projects do you have that are currently in progress？ Can you find something and finish it？

12. Why do many people become successful according to the author？ ______

A．They are the smartest	B．They have the best ideas
C．They start things smoothly	D．They make ideas fully completed

13. What does the underlined word "terminate" in paragraph 3 mean？ ______

A．Develop	B．End
C．Plan	D．Support

14. According to the author， which of the following is the correct way of creating value？ ______

A．A man decides to finish all he starts to do

B．Farmers hurry to sell their crops before they are ripe

C．A college student chooses to study until he gets his degree

D．A student keeps a half-filled stamp album around for future use

15. What is the best title for the text？ ______

A．Finishing vs． Starting	B．Well Begun is Half Done
C．Planning vs． Performing	D．It is Easier Said than Done