【推荐2】Carnival (狂欢节) is the most famous holiday in Brazil. It is not about an important time in history or about a famous person, but it is important for the people because it’s a time of friendship, freedom, and almost a whole week without work. People can have parties or have a rest, and most people choose parties, day after day, night after night. It starts forty days before Easter (复活节). It lasts four days and four nights. It starts on Saturday and finishes on Wednesday. People wear their colourful clothes and go out into the streets or to the clubs. There are also groups of people who make a parade (游行) showing their music and cars. Every year the parade tells a different story. Each city has at least one group like this.

In the south, life returns to normal by Wednesday. However, it is not accepted by the church in the northwest, where Carnival is more common. There people don’t respect its end and continue to have parties until the next Sunday.

I like Carnival, but I don’t agree that the party should keep going on for so many days. Unfortunately, some people aren’t responsible and give it a bad name, and that makes people remember the bad things about this. However, it is the only national holiday that brings together the whole country and its different people and cultures.

1. Why is Carnival important for the people in Brazil?

A．Because it’s a time of friendship and freedom.

B．Because it’s about an important time in history.

C．Because it’s a time of almost a whole month without work.

D．Because it’s a time to remember a famous person.

2. People choose ways to celebrate Carnival EXCEPT_____________.

A．having parties	B．having a rest
C．making a parade	D．going shopping

3. In the following descriptions of Carnival, which one is NOT true?

A．It starts forty days before Easter.

B．It starts on Saturday and finishes on Thursday.

C．There are groups of people who make a parade showing their music and cars.

D．Every year the parade tells a different story.

4. What does the author think of Carnival?

A．The author doesn’t care for Carnival.

B．The author never joins in Carnival.

C．The author does not like Carnival.

D．The author likes Carnival, but he doesn’t agree the party goes on so many days.

【推荐3】Some of the world’s most famous musicians recently gathered in Paris and New Orleans to celebrate the first annual International Jazz Day. UNESCO( United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recently set April 30 as a day to raise awareness of jazz music, its significance, and its potential as a unifying(联合) voice across cultures.

Despite the celebrations, though, in the U.S. the jazz audience continues to shrink and grow older, and the music has failed to connect with younger generations.

It’s Jason Moran’s job to help change that. As the Kennedy Center’s artistic adviser for jazz, Moran hopes to widen the audience for jazz, make the music more accessible, and preserve its history and culture.

“Jazz seems like it’s not really a part of the American appetite,” Moran tells National Public Radio’s reporter Neal Conan. “What I’m hoping to accomplish is that my generation and younger start to reconsider and understand that jazz is not black and write anymore. It’s actually color, and it’s actually digital.”

Moran says one of the problems with jazz today is that the entertainment aspect of the music has been lost. “The music can’t be presented today the way it was in 1908 or 1958. It has to continue to move, because the way the world works is not the same,” says Moran.

Last year, Moran worked on a project that arranged Fats Waller’s music for a dance party, “Just to kind of put it back in the mind that Waller is dance music as much as it is concert music,” says Moran. “For me, it’s the recontextualization. In music, where does the emotion(情感) lie? Are we, as humans, gaining any insight(感悟) on how to talk about ourselves and how something as abstract as a Charlie Parker record gets us into a dialogue about our emotions and our thoughts? Sometimes we lose sight that the music has a wider context,” says Moran, “so I want to continue those dialogues. Those are the things I want to foster.”

1. Why did UNESCO set April 30 as International Jazz Day?

A．To remember the birth of jazz.

B．To protect cultural diversity.

C．To encourage people to study music.

D．To recognize the value of jazz.

2. What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Jazz becoming more accessible.

B．The production of jazz growing faster.

C．Jazz being less popular with the young.

D．The jazz audience becoming larger.

3. What can we infer about Moran’s opinion on jazz?

A．It will disappear gradually.

B．It remains black and white.

C．It should keep up with the times.

D．It changes every 50 years.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Exploring the Future of Jazz.

B．The Rise and Fall of Jazz.

C．The Story of a Jazz Musician.

D．Celebrating the Jazz Day.

【推荐2】In the field of educational technology, some apps might be getting too smart. There are more and more apps providing help for students.

Photomath

The new, seemingly magic app allows users to take pictures of a math problem, and then receive a step-by-step solution. A Photomath spokeswoman says educators have welcomed the app with positive reviews, but the app causes a lot of angry public discussion and disagreement. Why? It is because students can use it to cheat when doing their math homework.

Price: Free

iHomework 2

Whether you’re a high school student or a college student, there’s one thing you’ve got for sure: a lot of schoolwork. iHomework 2 can hep you keep track of all your homework. It can help you arrange it in a particular order according to types, or based on deadlines.

Price: Free

WolframAlpha

WolframAlpha is similar to Photomath, but it focuses on older students studying high levels of math. The service also produces step-by-step solutions to advanced topics, making it a popular tool for college students.

Price: ¥18.00

Homework Helper

Chinese Internet search company Baidu has launched an app called Homework Helper with which students can get answers to homework. Users post a picture or type their homework questions onto online forums, and those who answer the questions can win e-coins that can be used to buy some products. The app has more than 800 million users, much to the concern of many parents who argue that the students spend less time thinking about challenging problems.

Price: Free

1. How does iHomework 2 benefit students?

A．By organizing homework in some order.	B．By offering answers to homework.
C．By keeping track of exam results.	D．By setting the deadline for homework.

2. Which app can help solve advanced math problems?

A．Photomath.	B．iHomework 2.
C．WolframAlpha.	D．Homework Helper.

3. What is special about Homework Helper?

A．It is free of charge.	B．It has online forums.
C．It can recognize pictures.	D．It raises some concern.

【推荐3】

Serving only adults, Ramsey House offers you professional hotel standards of accommodation and food service coupled with the friendly, relaxed atmosphere of a high﹣class non﹣Smoking guest house.

Situated within walking distance of St David's, the smallest city in Europe, the house stands in its own attractive garden's and has private off﹣road parking. In the opposite direction, there is easy access to the Pembroke shire Coast Path, where you can see some of Britain's most spectacular coastal scenery with its abundant bird life and wild flowers.

We have three double and three twin rooms. Each is individually furnished and decorated to 4﹣star standard with comfortable herds, central heating, remote control color TV, hair dryers and plenty of mirrors. All the rooms have a modern, well﹣lit en﹣suite bathroom with WC shaver socket and electric shower.

All first﹣floor rooms have views of either the sea, the Cathedral or open country, and there are three ground﹣ floor rooms with garden views, ideal for guests unable to climb stairs.

Our full welsh breakfast offers you a great start to the day with homemade bread cookies and preserves. We can also prepare fresh picnic lunches for your day out walking the Coast Path or on the beaches.

There is comfortable lounge with lots of books and leaflets about Pembroke shire to help you plan your trips. Weather permitting, guests may enjoy the peace and quiet of our gardens and watch the birds feeding. Drinks are served in both the garden and lounge.

We also have secure bicycle storage, a drying room and light laundry facilities.

Nearby are some of the safest and cleanest beaches in Europe offering a variety of water sports including sailing, surfing, wind﹣surfing and sea angling. Visitors are welcome at St. David's City Golf Club and several other Pembroke shire clubs. We are also conveniently situated for easy access to the bird sanctuary islands of ramset, Skimmer and Stockholm.

A warm welcome awaits you at Ramsey House all year round. You will find it the ideal touring center in all seasons House Owners： Ceria Elaine Morgan 0143772021.

1. According to the passage, St David's is the name of ______.

A．the Coast Path

B．a Welsh city

C．a bed & Break fast hotel

D．Ramsey House

2. Which of the following is TRUE？

A．On the Coast Path guests can enjoy water sports and play golf.

B．Guests have to eat their lunches out on the Coast Path or the beaches.

C．Guests staying in the lowest﹣level rooms have a good view of the sea.

D．Guests may come to this house by car or by bike without parking problems.

3. Which of the following tourists may not be interested in this ad？

A．Ana, a wheelchair user, who enjoys holidays by the coast.

B．Xavier, a bird﹣watching enthusiast, who knows little about the local area.

C．A married couple with two young children showing interest in Pembroke shire.

D．Tina, a PhD graduate, who attaches great importance to travel safety.