【推荐1】I remember that it was on a fall morning that the orchestra (管弦乐队) teachers came into Miss Newell’s third-grade classroom. “You have hands for the viola (中提琴),” Miss Ciano told me. I was excited because my hands were finally good at something. I told my parents I wanted to play, and naturally, they agreed.

Since I first touched the viola, I haven’t been able to put it down. Ignoring the difficulty, I am pulled closer to it each day.

Classical music is truly my best friend. It is the trusted friend of every man, woman and child. Various feelings are expressed in classical music. I discovered that when I was eleven and played a cello concerto (大提琴协奏曲) of Bach in a competition, the first movement was joyful, but the second movement was mysterious and full of pain. From that piece, I learn that music expresses not only feelings, but also sudden mood changes. By listening to classical music, I know that someone else shares these feelings. Since I am lucky enough to be able to play classical music, I am comforted by it when I am upset. It gives me a way to escape from my problems. Classical music can express my joy, sadness and anger.

Now looking back on that fall day in the third grade, I realize how gullible I was for believing that anyone, even music teachers, could tell whether hands were perfect for a certain instrument. I’m certain they told me that I had “viola hands” not because they were fortune-tellers (算命师), but because there was a lack of violists in our district. Classical music is one of the best things that ever happened to mankind. If you get introduced to it in the right way, it will become your friend for life.

1. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the first and second paragraphs?

A．To introduce an interesting music class.

B．To show the importance of a proper guide.

C．To offer the evidence of the author’s gift for music.

D．To tell the power of support from parents.

2. According to the passage, in what way does classical music help the author?

A．By developing the author’s social skills.

B．By broadening the author’s life experience.

C．By improving the author’s mental health.

D．By improving the author’s sense of beauty.

3. What does the underlined word “gullible” mean in the last paragraph?

A．Firmly opposed.	B．Easily tricked.
C．Greatly affected.	D．Secretly hidden.

4. Which could be the best title for the passage?

A．Life long dream, great effort

B．Happy childhood, unforgettable experience

C．Special event, sweet memory

D．Classical music, endless friendship

【推荐2】Justin Bieber used to be an ordinary Canadian boy, but his life totally changed in 2008. With his great musical talent, this seventeen-year-old boy has become a superstar in the music industry.
Justin Drew Bieber was born in 1994 in Stratford, Ontario and was raised by his single mother. Bieber learned to play musical instruments when he was very young. In 2007, he took part in a local singing competition in his hometown, and he did it just for fun. He never took singing lessons before but surprisingly he placed second in the competition. Then, with the help of his mother, he uploaded (上传) videos of him singing on a website and they successfully attracted the attention of thousands of viewers. His videos got popular through word of mouth and some of them have received up to 10,000,000 views.
Justin Bieber would have never gotten a career in the music business without his videos. Scooter Braun, a former marketing executive (主管) of So So Def Recordings, had watched Bieber’s videos and he was impressed by the boy’s talent. Braun then contacted Bieber and he flew the boy into Atlanta seven months after the first video was posted. Bieber showed his talent in singing as well as his ability in playing musical instruments. He then got a record deal.
In 2009, Justin Bieber released (发行) his first single “One Time” while he was recording the debut album (首张专辑). The single “One Time” tells a story about love. This song had success not only in Canada and the US, but also in the international market. Then he released his debut album “My World 2.0” in 2010 and the song “Baby” became the lead single. This album successfully entered the Top Ten Charts in seven countries. In June 2010, he started his first world tour in Hartford, Connecticut. One month later, he started recording his second album.
1. Justin Bieber’s career in music began to take off when _____.

A．he met with Scooter Braun

B．he released his debut album

C．he won second place in a competition

D．his singing videos were uploaded to a website

2. It can be inferred from the text that Justin Bieber _____.

A．owed his success to good luck

B．showed a gift for music when he was young

C．is the youngest superstar ever in the music industry

D．released his debut album with the help of Scooter Braun

3. What do we learn about Justin Bieber’s “One Time” according to the text?

A．It is about love and was released in 2010.

B．It attracted the world’s attention after released.

C．It successfully entered the Top Ten Charts in seven countries.

D．It is the lead single of his debut album “My World 2.0”.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Justin Bieber’s journey to success

B．Lucky boy — Justin Bieber

C．What made Justin Bieber a singer?

D．Secrets of Justin Bieber’s success

【推荐3】Numerous studies in the past have shown musical training can improve a person’s language skills, the authors of a new study noted. So the team who did the study wanted to understand whether music lessons develop a person’s cognitive (认知的) ability, or if music helps the brain process different sounds.

To test their idea, researchers at MIT and the McGovern Institute at Beijing Norma University divided 74 children aged between four to five into three groups. One set took 45-minuted piano lessons three times a week. The second group had extra reading instructions for the same amount of time. The third group acted as controls, taking no extra lessons beyond their usual routine (常规).

Six months later, the children took a test to measure their ability to distinguish between Mandarin (普通话) words based on difference in vowels (元音) and consonants (辅音) or tone (声调). This variety was important because many words in Mandarin differ in tone, and the ability to spot the difference between them is an important part of learning to read.

Both the children who took piano lessons and those who had additional reading lesson were better at telling the difference between similar words with different vowels. But the participants who were given piano lessons were better than the children in the reading group in differentiating between word with one consonant.

To gain a deeper understanding of how the lesson affected the participants’ brain activity, the researchers further tested the students. The test showed children who had piano lessons were more sensitive to a series of tones of different pitches (高音), suggesting this is what helped the participants in learning new words. The piano lessons did not, however, appear to change a child’s IO, which the researchers used as a basis to measure their cognitive ability. Neither did it improve their attention span nor working memory. Anyway, the piano lessons were such a success that the schools in Beijing retained them.

However, researchers only looked at the little kids from a Mandarin-speaking background. Given Mandarin’s reliance on tonal differentiation, the researchers admit that it might have influenced the results.

1. Why did the researchers do the study?

A．To prove that musical training can improve people’s language skills.

B．To see how brain processes different sounds in music lessons.

C．To check whether music plays a role in making people wiser.

D．To see what influences music lessons have on people.

2. Which group performed the best in the test?

A．The first group.	B．The second group.
C．The last group.	D．Both the first and the second group.

3. What did the researchers most probably conclude?

A．Reading can improve a child’s working memory.

B．Music training can expand a child’s attention span.

C．Musical training can help to improve language skills.

D．Reading can help improve a child’s cognitive ability.

4. What does the underlined word “retained” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Charged.	B．Continued.
C．Changed.	D．Contained.

【推荐1】Minor Snow(小雪), the 20th solar term of the year, begins this year on Nov. 22 and ends on Dec. 6. Minor Snow refers to the time when it starts to snow, mostly in China’s northern areas.    1    

Light snow

As an ancient Chinese book puts it, “In Minor Snow, the weather is cold and it is going to snow.”     2    . Meanwhile, in the lower and middle reaches of the Yellow River, the average time of the first snow falls during this solar term.

Wearing hats and scarves

In China, starting in Minor Snow, the wind blows from the northeast a lot.    3    , many people do not wear hats or scarves yet. In fact, according to an old Chinese saying, the head is the place where all passages of the body gather. It’s sensible to keep one’s head warm.

Drinking soup

Indoor heating begins to work, which means most people might find their nose and mouth feel a bit dry. This accumulation (积累) of “inner heat” in one’s body can cause problems.    4    , such as cabbage and bean curd soup.

Making preserved pork

After Minor Snow, the temperature declines sharply and the air becomes dry.    5    . In the past, when storage conditions were poor, people developed many ways to store food and preserved pork is one such example.

A．Because it’s still not bitterly cold

B．Various soups are more appealing

C．The solution is to drink more hot soup

D．It is the best time to start making preserved pork

E．Whether preserved pork is healthy remains unknown

F．Here are four things you should know about Minor Snow

G．The temperature in most areas in the north drops to zero degrees and below

【推荐2】What are martial (武术的)arts and swordsmen like? To most Chinese, the answer to this question can be found in the works of the late novelist Jin Yong. Jin, whose real name was Zha Liangyong, died on Tuesday evening in Hong Kong, aged 94. The news soon spread all over Chinese mainland, where he inspired a generation, guiding them into the world of Wuxia, namely, swordsmen.

In his books, readers can learn about Chinese calligraphy(书法), painting,music,medicine and wine. He was the most successful writer in popularizing traditional Chinese culture. Chinese people had a deeply-rooted admiration for noble qualities and love for the country. So he won many people’s heart. Many people are fond of watching films and TV dramas adapted from his books, which influenced many peopled personality and value.

Jin’s influence knew no national boundary. No matter in New York, Singapore or Vancouver, where there are Chinese, there are his readers. His death marks the end of an era for martial art novels. We can hardly expect to see other writers with such influence and artistic achievement as him.

In terms of writing technique, Jin borrowed from Western plays. Some of his plots were just like ancient Greek tragedy. For instance, in his Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (《天龙八部》), the hero was like a tragic figure in Greek mythology. Writers in the West created new worlds like the one in the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. If there is an imagined world in China, that is the world with martial arts and swordsmen Jin wrote for us.

1. How does Jin influence his readers?

A．By making films and TV dramas.

B．By making his readers read his books.

C．By making his readers love for country.

D．By making traditional Chinese culture popular.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A．Jin knew no national boundary.

B．Other writers can get achievement as him.

C．An era of martial art novels was ended as he died.

D．People live in foreign countries are his readers.

3. By which did Jin make his writing technique better?

A．Chinese novels.	B．Western plays.
C．Greek tragedy.	D．Greek mythology.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．The Basic Introduction of Jin's Life

B．Jin's Writing Technique of His Books

C．Jin's Making Martial Arts and Swordsmen Better

D．The World of Jin's Martial Arts and Swordsmen

【推荐1】Sweat slips down my cheek as I glide (滑动) my fingers through the cool water. I’ve reached the turnaround point of the day’s kayaking (皮划艇) trip. I attempt a shoulder stretch and look around. It’s just me, a couple of seabirds, and shining freshwater to the horizon. This, I whisper to myself, is awesome.

Solo (独自的) outings had never crossed my mind before because I always had a friend with me. But three years ago, I moved to Cleveland. Meeting friends in a new city was tough.

In October 2020, I decided to take adventure on a solo hiking trip. I went to Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) to admire the autumn leaves. Four miles in, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so alive. I was more aware of my surroundings than I’d ever been while hiking that day. I studied the markings of trees, focused my ears on each forest sound and did something I almost never made time for: I listened to my own thoughts. Every word bubble in my mind pointed to a newfound truth-solo hiking is my happy place.

When spring arrived, I decided to check off another solo sport: kayaking. My chest, initially tightened by nerves, was bursting with happiness when I finally reached the middle of the river that I’d long admired back on shore.

Since that first solo hiking, adventuring alone has become like medicine for me. It has also pushed me to go beyond my comfort zone and to meet new people. Through meetups and social media, my adventure-friend circle has ballooned. But at least once per month, I schedule time to hit nature with my favorite friend: me.

1. What pushed the author to start going on solo outings?

A．A longing for a peaceful life.

B．A desire to challenge herself.

C．Living close to a national park.

D．Difficulty in finding companions.

2. What did the author do during her first solo hiking trip in CVNP?

A．She explored a new route for hiking.

B．She paid attention to her inner voice.

C．She collected a variety of autumn leaves.

D．She recorded the forest sounds on her phone.

3. How did the author feel after her first kayaking trip?

A．Surprised.

B．Delighted.

C．Nervous.

D．Lonely.

4. What does the underlined word “ballooned” in the last paragraph mean?

A．restarted

B．transformed

C．disappeared

D．expanded

【推荐2】It was a Sunday and I was with my mom in a mall. Mom is short. It is easy to overlook her in a crowd because she is nothing extraordinary to see.

We walked down the mall, glancing at windows briefly because we both knew we wouldn’t buy much, like always. I remember I was looking up at the people we passed — at first indifferently, but then attentively. Ladies wore five-inch heels and bright clothing. Men strode (阔步行走) by smelling of perfume.

An uneasy feeling started to settle in my chest. I tried to push it out, but once it took root it refused to be tossed away. I could not deny it; I was ashamed of my mother.

We were in a high-class neighborhood, I knew that. We lived in a small, overpriced apartment building that mom chose to move to because she knew the schools were good. But as I scrutinized the passers-by and then turned accusing eyes on Mom, I realized for the first time that we didn’t belong there.

I could see the heavy lines around Mom’s eyes and mouth. She wore cheap, ragged clothes. Her eyes were tired from working long hours to make ends meet and her hair too gray for her age.

I looked at her, and I was ashamed. My mom is nothing extraordinary, yet at that moment she stood out because she was just so plain.

I didn’t want to be seen with her. Just then, pointing to a sweater in a high-end store, mom said, “This will look good on you. Do you want it?” I almost agreed, thoughtlessly. Then I took a closer look at the small, weary woman and my words died in my throat. Her clothes were old because she spent money buying me new ones. She looked tired because she was busy working to provide for me. She didn’t wear jewelry because she was just content with me.

Suddenly, Mother was beautiful and extraordinarily wonderful in my eyes.

I was no longer ashamed of her, but of myself.

“No, thanks.” I said.

1. What was beneath the author’s uneasy feeling?

A．A financial burden.	B．Her plain appearance.
C．A feeling of inferiority.	D．Her mother’s status.

2. What does the underlined word “scrutinized” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Completely ignored.	B．Carefully examined.
C．Directly contacted.	D．Secretly avoided.

3. Why did the author finally refuse her mother’s offer?

A．She wanted to make up for her loss.

B．She was moved by her mother’s words.

C．She intended to save money for the future.

D．She understood her mother’s devotion to her.

4. What can be the best title of the text?

A．A Poor Mother	B．Nothing Extraordinary
C．An Unwanted Sweater	D．Something Different