【推荐1】The term “folk song” has been current for over a hundred years, but there is still a good deal of disagreement as to what it actually means. The definition provided by the International Folk Music Council states that folk music is the music of ordinary people which is passed on from person to person by being listened to rather than learned from the printed page. Other factors that help shape a folk song include: continuity (many performances over a number of years); variation (changes in words and melodies either through artistic interpretation or failure of memory); and selection (the acceptance of a song by the community in which it evolves).

When songs have been subjected to these processes their origin is usually impossible to trace. For instance, if a farm laborer were to make up a song and sing it to a couple of friends who like it and memorize it, possibly when the friends come to sing it themselves one of them might forget some of the words and make up new ones to fill the gap, while the other, perhaps more artistic might add a few decorative touches to the tune and improve a couple of lines of text. If this happened a few times there would be many different versions, the song’s original composer would be forgotten, and the song would become common property. This constant reshaping and re-creation is the essence of folk music. Consequently, modern popular songs and other published music, even though widely sung by people who are not professional musicians, are not considered folk music. The music and words have been set by a printed or recorded source, limiting scope for further artistic creation. These songs’ origins cannot be covered and therefore they belong primarily to the composer and not to a community.

The ideal situation for the creation of folk music is an isolated rural community. In such a setting folk songs and dances have a special purpose at every stage in a person's life, from childhood to death. Epic (史诗) tales of heroic deeds, seasonal songs relating to calendar events, and occupational songs are also likely to be sung.

1. Which of the following statements about the term “folk song” is supported by the passage?

A．The International Folk Music Council invented it.

B．It has been used for several centuries.

C．There is disagreement about its meaning.

D．It is considered to be out of date.

2. The author mentions that published music is not considered to be folk music because ________.

A．the songs are generally performed by professional singers

B．the songs attract only the young people in a community

C．the original composer can be easily identified

D．the composers write the music in rural communities

3. What does the passage mainly discuss?

A．The standards of the International Folk Music Council.

B．Themes commonly found in folk music.

C．Influences of folk music on popular music.

D．Elements that define folk music.

【推荐2】Having spent more than a decade on the dance floor, Niccolo Filippi, a 23-year-old Italian dance performer, recently decided to explore Chinese culture and its traditional dance forms and believes that this experience will not only boost his career, but also broaden his horizons beyond the world of dance.

His interest in diversifying his skills grew after he stumbled upon a short video of traditional Chinese-styled dance on YouTube. “I saw it as an art that combines tradition and modernity, which was mostly the reason why I liked it.” says Filippi.

Ever since, he has been closely following Chinese dance performers and watching numerous videos to learn more about the traditional style that he admires. “I prefer the traditional style because of its light movements. It also reflects my personality with elegance,” he adds.

Filippi’s chance came when he was invited to perform for a Chinese New Year celebration in the central Italian city of Florence. He has fully committed himself to the art form, learning several pieces and putting his newfound passion into practice.

“The biggest difference that I found (compared to other disciplines) is the change of mood and emotional expressions among dances,” says Filippi, adding that he needed to shift from the dynamic moves of hip-hop to the graceful and fluid movements of Chinese dance. Despite various obstacles, Filippi’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Two of his friends shared videos of his performances on social media, and the response was overwhelming. One video gathered 500,000 views, while the other received 200,000 views.

Filippi believes that learning about different cultures is priceless, and he sees it as a means of personal growth. “I like to think of a person as a book,” he says. “Embracing different traditions and cultures, such as Chinese culture and many others, is like adding new chapters to my book, making it more diverse and wonderful.”

1. What was the main reason why Filippi fell in love with traditional Chinese dance?

A．Its potential to boost his career.

B．Its mix of traditional and modern elements.

C．Its graceful and light movements.

D．Its true reflection of his elegant personality.

2. How does the author illustrate the popularity of Filippi’s videos?

A．By listing numbers.	B．By giving an example.
C．By sharing a story.	D．By making a comparison.

3. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Chinese-styled dance videos go viral on social media.

B．An Italian’s dance journey towards specialization starts.

C．Filippi’s desire for Italian culture extends beyond dance.

D．An Italian dancer shows passion for Chinese-styled dance.

【推荐3】Top Music Festivals

The festival season is just kicking off, and there is a lot to look forward to in the upcoming months.

Pitchfork Music Festival

Anyone who likes indie (独立的) music and up-and-coming artists will have an amazing time at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago’s Union Park. It is an indie rock heaven where you can explore more underground and lesser-known bands than at the other big Chicago summer festival, Lollapalooza.

Date: July 14-16

Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Music Type: Indie rock

Price: $126-$2,700

Essence Music Festival

No matter what time of the year it is, New Orleans is an amazing place if you love live music. The Essence Music Festival is a celebration of well-known artists like Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, and Mary J. Blige.

Date: June 29-July 2

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Music Type: R& B, soul, rock

Price: $75-$365

Sziget Festival

Budapest knows how to hold a party, and Sziget is one of the biggest celebrations of music and culture in all of Europe. You can expect to find favorite artists like Bad Religion and Mac DeMarco playing here during this three-day festival.

Date: August 9-11

Location: Budapest, Hungary

Music Type: Eclectic, Indie rock

Price: $70-$296

Flow Festival

The Flow Festival is a great excuse to explore the city of Helsinki. Artists including Lana Del Rey and The XX will be playing, among many others. Come to this festival to enjoy yourselves with an earth-friendly belief.

Date: August 11-13

Location: Helsinki, Finland

Music Type: Rock, soul, jazz

Price: $106-$199

1. What do the music festivals have in common?

A．They are given in the open air.

B．They are held in the USA.

C．They include rock music.

D．They take place from July to August.

2. Which music festival will last for the longest time?

A．Essence Music Festival.

B．Sziget Festival.

C．Flow Festival.

D．Pitchfork Music Festival.

3. What can we know about Budapest from the text?

A．It has the longest cultural tradition in Europe.

B．It is home to many well-known bands.

C．It is a city of high living cost in all of Europe.

D．It is good at organizing parties.

【推荐1】Not so long ago, Shelly Ann Francis Pryce was just an average high school athlete. There was every indication that she was just another American teenager without much of a future. However, Stephen Francis observed then eighteen-year-old Shelly Ann and was convinced that he had seen the beginning of true greatness. Her time was not exactly impressive, but even so, he believed there was something the other coaches had overlooked when they had assessed her and found her lacking. He decided to offer Shelly Ann a place in his very strict training seasons. Their cooperation quickly produced results, and at Jamaica’s Olympic games in early 2008, Shelly Annbeat Jamaica’s unchallenged queen of the sprint(短跑).

Then, at the Beijing Olympic she became the first Jamaican woman ever to win the 100 meters Olympic gold. She did it again one year on at the World Championship in Briton, becoming world champion with a time of 10.73—the fourth record ever.

Shelly-Anner’s journey to becoming the fastest woman on earth has been anything but smooth and effortless. She grew up in one of Jamaica’s toughest inner-city communities known as Waterhouse, where she lived in a one-room apartment, sleeping four in a bed with her mother and two brothers. Waterhouse, one of the poorest communities in Jamaica, is a really violent and overpopulated place. Her mother Maxime, one of a family of fourteen, had been an athlete herself as a young girl but had to stop after she had her first baby. However, Maxime determined to ensure that her kids would not end up in Waterhouse’s poverty. One of the first things Maxime used to do was taking Shelly-Ann to the track.

Shelly-Ann’s victory was far greater than personal glory. The night she won Olympic gold, the routine murders in Waterhouse and the drug wars in the neighbouring streets stopped. The dark cloud above one of the world’s toughest criminal neighbourhoods simply disappeared for a few days. “I have so much fire burning for my country,” Shelly said. She plans to start a foundation for homeless children and wants to build a community centre in Waterhouse. She hopes to inspire the Jamaicans to lay down their weapons. She intends to fight to make it a woman’s as well as a man’s world.

1. Why did Stephen Francis decide to coach Shelly-Ann?

A．He had a strong desire to free her family from trouble.

B．He sensed a great potential in her despite her weaknesses.

C．She had big problems maintaining her performance.

D．She suffered a lot of defeats at the previous track meets.

2. What made Maxime decide to train her daughter on the track?

A．Her success and lessons in her career.

B．Her wish to get Shelly-Ann out of poverty.

C．Her interest in Shelly-Ann’s quick profit.

D．Her early entrance into the sprinting world.

3. What can we infer from Shelly-Ann’s statement underlined in Paragraph 4?

A．She was highly rewarded for her efforts.

B．She was eager to do more for her country.

C．She became an athletic star in her country.

D．She was the envy of the whole community.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Making of a Great Athlete	B．The Dream for Championship
C．The Key to High Performance	D．The Power of Full Responsibility

【推荐2】A woman whose sports car was stolen with her dog in it put up notices all over the area that made it clear getting back her pet was more important than her car．
“Whoever did this can keep my car．Please let Benjerman come home,” the notice said．
It is not known whether the thief showed any pity, but almost 30 hours after the 1 pm theft Friday, Atkins and Benjerman，a 12-year-old black retriever（猎犬），were reunited after police located them in Barrington．
“He’s hungry, he’s dirty, but he’s very happy to be home，”Atkins said．
The car was found at about 5 pm Saturday off Route 125 in a swampy area frequented by off-the-road cars and dirt bikes．However, the police couldn’t control Benjerman，and they had to call Atkins to come and get him．
Atkins said the thief cared for Benjerman a little by providing him with some dry cat food．She believed Benjerman ended up drinking some muddy water in the area．
She said they have been together for nearly 11 years after she took him back from a society shelter in Dallas, Texas．
Before Benjelman was found，Atkins and several friends put up notices all over the city and in Somersworth．They also contacted animal shelters，throughout southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts The notice stated there was a reward，and also that the dog needed medication．Any caller could remain anonymous（匿名的）．
Atkins had parked the car outside a hardware store with the keys inside and gone in to rent a carpet cleaner．
¨It was l0 minutes and I came out and my car was gone along with Benjerman in broad daylight，” Atkins said．The car thief threw Atkins’wallet and other personal items out of the car before escaping from the scene．
1. Which of the following shows the correct order of what happened?
a．Notices were put up saying there was a reward．
b．Atkins saw Benjerman again．
c．Police found Atkins’car．
d．Atkins took Benjerman back from a society shelter．
e．Atkins hired a carpet cleaner in a hardware store．

A．d,e,a, b,c	B．d,e,a,c,b
C．e,a,d,b,c	D．e,a,c,d,b

2. We can infer from the passage ．

A．the dog was treated extremely badly by the thief

B．car stolen accidents happen frequently nowadays

C．the dog was found because of the reward

D．the thief stole the car easily

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Benjerman was sent back immediately after Atkins put up the notices．

B．Atkins and her friends made a great effort to look for Benierman．

C．The thief gave the dog back but kept the sports car．

D．The dog was back at 1 pm on a Friday．

【推荐3】It is every kid’s most frightening dream and six-year-old Jaden Hayes has gone through it-twice. First, he lost his dad when he was four and then last month his mom died unexpectedly in her sleep.

“I tried and I tried and I tried to get her awake-I couldn’t,” said Jaden.

Jaden is understandably heartbroken.

But there’s another side to his sadness. He first made this side public a few weeks ago when he told his aunt，now guardian(监护人), Barbara DiCola, that he was sick and tired of seeing everyone sad all the time. And he had a plan to fix it.

“And that was the beginning of it,” said Barbara. “That’s where the adventure began.” Jaden asked his aunt Barbara to buy a bunch of little toys and bring him to downtown Savan-nah, Georgia near where he lives, so he could give them away.

“I’m trying to make people smile,” said Jaden. Jaden aims at people who aren’t already smiling and then turns their day around. He’s gone out on four different occasions now and he is always successful. Even if sometimes he doesn’t get exactly the reaction he was hoping for.

It is just so amazing to some people that a six-year-old orphan would give away a toy-ex-pecting nothing in return-except a smile.

“I’m counting on it to be 33,000,” said Jaden. When asked if he thinks he can make that goal, he answered: “I think I can.”

1. Why did Jaden begin his plan?

A．He wanted the public to help him.	B．He was tired of seeing everyone.
C．He wanted to make people happy.	D．He was sad about his parents’ death.

2. Who will probably get Jaden’s help?

A．Those who have no ability to smile.	B．Those who want toys to play with.
C．Those who are not successful.	D．Those who feel sad about life.

3. How do people react to Jaden’s kindness?

A．They give him toys in return.	B．All of them don't react as expected.
C．They give him nothing in return.	D．They are amazed about the toys.

4. How does Jaden feel about his plan?

A．Pessimistic.

B．Optimistic.

C．Worried.

D．Amazed.

【推荐2】If you have a high temperature or are recovering from a surgery, it is difficult to be fully focused at work. Sick days are meant to prevent people from hurting themselves, their co-workers, or customers on the job. However, working from home has changed this logic.

The work-from-home revolution has raised the bar for what counts as being sick. At the height of the pandemic, people worked from home even with some serious symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath or sickness. Many still have to.

Nicholas Bloom of Stanford University has been tracking work-from-home habits since before the Covid-19 popularized them. In a recent working paper, he presents the results of a randomized controlled trial at a large multinational company, where sick days fell by 12% for employees working from home compared to those coming in full time.

To be in bed not doing anything means discomfort both physically and mentally. Salaried workers,who are often evaluated on the basis of their attendance, find it hard to call in sick for a few days now that they don’t need to worry about spreading germs in the office. For high-achievers, putting in the hours is not a chore but a way of life. As the economic recession(萧条) puts future job security into question, showing yourself to be useful becomes even more important.

Though all this is understandable, it is also troubling. Being even mildly sick can impair brain function. It is difficult to exercise proper judgment if one cannot focus on the task at hand. It is why people with lower oxygen concentration sometimes remove protective clothes atop Mount Everest some freeze to death. Firing off emails while feeling dizzy will put the body under further stress.

Soldiering on (硬挺) may make the employee both sicker and less productive for longer. Digital presenteeism(超时工作),for that is what such persisting amounts to,is in no one’s interest.

1. How has the work-from-home revolution affected employees?

A．It has popularized relevant studies.

B．It has made it harder to ask for sick leave.

C．It has improved their well-being and health.

D．It has heightened their enthusiasm for work.

2. What can we learn from the study of Nicholas Bloom?

A．Those who work full time tend to get more sick leave.

B．The Covid-19 has popularized work-from-home habits.

C．Whether to take a sick or not is a random choice for you.

D．Work-from-home habits mostly happen in big companies.

3. What might be the biggest concern for the salaried workers on a medical leave?

A．Feeling uncomfortable in bed.

B．Bringing germs to their office.

C．Endangering their current jobs.

D．Failing to be the high-achievers.

4. What will the author probably talk about next?

A．The importance of staying healthy.

B．The future of flexible working habit.

C．The benefits of working from home.

D．The proper attitude to taking a sick leave.

【推荐3】The COVID-19 has led to a great demand for bikes and biking. Bikes stores are struggling hard to keep up with the demand. In the United States, bike sales have seen their jump since the 1970s. Sales of adult bikes in April of 2020 were three times as high as last year. The situation is similar in Asia and Europe. Around 90% of the bikes sold in the US are made in China. But because of the COVID-19, even the normal supply of bicycles wasn’t being created. That demand began to go up in mid-March, as people began looking for ways of getting around that didn’t involve crowded public transportation. Because biking happens in the open air, and the chance of catching the disease while riding is very low.

Biking has also grown more popular because it is one of the few forms of exercise allowed in many lockdowns. With gyms and fitness shut down, biking fills a need for many active people. Families appreciate biking, too. With school closed and kids unable to hang out with their friends, biking is a welcome activity. Bikes are also practical. Many cities are seeing this as an opportunity to make their streets safer and greener. Cities around the world are adding mils and miles of bike lanes to their streets to encourage biking. New York says it will close off up to 160 kilometers of roads so they can be used by bikers and walkers. Paris has set up over 650 kilometers of new bike lanes. The United Kingdom plans to double its number of bike lanes. In Milan, Italy, 35 kilometers of roads have been metamorphosed.

Though many of these bike lane additions are temporary, and some people assume these additions seem to destroy the overall beauty of cities, if changes in biking habits become permanent because of additions, they could seriously cut down car traffic and help make cities a lot greener.

1. What can we conclude about the present bike situation?

A．It is more expensive.	B．It is safer than a car.
C．It is in short supply.	D．It is all made in China.

2. What does the underlined word “metamorphosed” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Repaired.

B．Changed.

C．Protected.

D．Designed.

3. What is the author’s attitude toward the bike lane additions?

A．Negative.

B．Doubtful.

C．Indifferent.

D．Positive.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Increasing Interest in Biking	B．Ride Bikes, Clean the Earth
C．More Bikes, Fewer Traffic Jam	D．A Great drop for Bike Exercise