Like many of the arts, music flourished during the Zhou dynasty. From this period we have instruments, models of performers, descriptions of musicians and dancers, and the Shijing, or The Book of Poetry, which contains poems and songs of court and common people during the Zhou dynasty. It is likely that music played an extremely important role in the Zhou dynasty for all social classes.
One of the most important sources of information the researchers have regarding Zhou-dynasty music is from the tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zeng (433 B. C. E.). This tomb was uncovered in 1977 in Hubei Province and contained the most extensive and well-preserved set of musical instruments ever found in an ancient Chinese tomb. This four-chamber (室) tomb was designed in imitation of a palace with a central courtyard, reflecting the belief that the Marquis Yi would require the same comforts in the afterlife that he had enjoyed during his lifetime. The central chamber of the tomb, which reflected a palace courtyard, contained most of the musical instruments found, including a complete set of sixty-five graduated bells fixed on wooden shelves. In addition, twenty-one young women were buried with the Marquis Yi, some of whom were likely his favorite musicians and dancers.
The Marquis Yi’s set of sixty-five bells is remarkable for a variety of reasons. First, they are clearly dated—an inscription (碑文) indicates that the bells were a gift given to him in 433B. C. E. . Second, the bells were very expensive to produce and to purchase, particularly a set of this size, so they are further evidence of the Marquis Yi’s status. Finally, the bells, along with the other instruments in the room, illustrate what an instrumental band might have consisted of during this period. Scholars predict that it would have required twenty-four musicians to play all instruments at once.
There are still many gaps in our knowledge of ancient Chinese music, partly because there was no system for recording music in a written form.
1. The Book of Poetry is mentioned in Paragraph 1 to ________.| A．show the significance of the book |
| B．show the popularity of music in the Zhou dynasty |
| C．describe the meaning and the history of the book |
| D．represent the life of people in the Zhou dynasty |
| A．It contains all kinds of musical instruments. |
| B．It is designed by the Marquis Yi of Zeng. |
| C．It reflects the wish of the Marquis Yi for his life after death. |
| D．It is of the same size as that of the palace. |
| A．Because it might prove the Marquis Yi’s position. |
| B．Because it was difficult to buy at that time. |
| C．Because it once was an expensive gift. |
| D．Because it needs 24 performers to play at the same time. |
| A．Health. | B．Business. | C．Sports. | D．Art. |
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【推荐1】Years ago, I appeared on stage with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir in the Town Hall. There I was, my feet in plain shoes, sweat dirtying my clean white shirt, singing my heart out in front of the big organ. I still have a tape recording of that performance somewhere, where I swear I can hear myself singing, high and thin and possibly off-key.
But life got in the way and I stopped singing. Then, in the summer of 2019, I found myself facing some gloom in my own life. It felt as if it had been a long time between songs, as if there was something unsung, some absent music in my ears. I began to fear I might be making myself ill and unable to breathe in a normal way.
Could singing help me reclaim my voice and calm my fast-beating heart? Research from the Royal Society noted that “group singing can improve physical and mental health, as well as promote social bonds”. So, rather than letting my unsung tunes strangle (扼杀) me, I decided to take on a new choral experience, one being in the Big Feminist Sing, a community choir.
“If you don’t know what to sing,” the choir director said, “find someone who looks confident and go and stand next to them.” Find a friend if you’re in trouble; take a risk; use your voice; be part of something bigger than yourself. I’ve been singing in the choir ever since, because group singing gives me a sense of safety — and each rehearsal (排练) is a lifeline, a connected thread, an intake of air working toward a collective voice. It doesn’t matter if I am a bit off-key to start with. Decades of unsung situations have changed, and I have flown.
1. How did the author feel during her performance in the Town Hall?| A．Excited. | B．Relaxed. | C．Nervous. | D．Curious. |
| A．Something unsung in the author’s life. |
| B．Some difficulty in the author’s life. |
| C．Some disease that stopped the author singing. |
| D．Something affecting the author’s voice. |
| A．Finding a true friend is never easy. |
| B．The choir director’s position counts. |
| C．Teamwork has benefited her a lot. |
| D．Singing alone improves her health. |
| A．To get a sense of safety out of singing. |
| B．To make changes from stage experiences. |
| C．To taste music in a choir. |
| D．To enjoy the amazing power of group singing. |
【推荐2】Born in an unknown village in Huarong county, Hunan province, Yi had few opportunities to play instruments when he was young.
At the age of 6, when most performers have already begun studying the piano at music academies, Yi learned the traditional stringed instrument the erhu from a group of people lodging at his home. It was not until much later that he first saw a piano when he visited his cousin’s house in Huarong.
“My family was too poor to buy a piano for me, so I often used to visit my cousin, even though it took about an hour to travel the 20 kilometers to his home over rocky roads just for the opportunity to sit at the keyboard,” Yi said.
Yi first arrived in Shenzhen 19 years ago and worked in factories, on construction sites and in kitchens. He had not played a piano for nearly 30 years.
The public pianos in Huaqiangbei offered him a fresh start. On a hot summer’s day, while taking a break from work at a nearby construction site, Yi and his son passed one of the instruments. Encouraged by his son, Yi decided to give it a try.
He rubbed his hands nervously on his clothes, but the moment he placed his fingers on the keys, he felt more comfortable and his confidence returned. Although his masterly performance at the piano keyboard quickly made him an online sensation in China and overseas, Yi is not the only one to benefit from the pianos in Huaqiangbei.
Inspired by the British artist Luke Jerram, who has placed more than 2,000 street pianos in over 70 cities worldwide since 2008 with the words “Play Me, I’m Yours” printed on their sides, the public piano project in Huaqiangbei was launched by the local government in 2018.
Zhang Chen, deputy director of the Huaqiangbei subdistrict office, said: “Huaqiangbei is located in the commercial district in the center of Shenzhen. We have been trying to provide diverse facilities to bring high-quality public cultural services to the area. We are surprised that the public piano project has attracted so many people to play the instruments, and others to watch them perform.”
1. What do we learn about young Yi from the passage?| A．He smoothed the path to piano lessons. |
| B．He was fascinated by musical instruments. |
| C．He received musical training at the age of 6. |
| D．He familiarized himself with erhu at his cousin’. |
| A．Awkward. | B．Confident. | C．Amazed. | D．Refreshed. |
| A．The artist’s popularity. | B．The project’s origin. |
| C．The artist’s creativity. | D．The project’s challenge. |
| A．A city culture featuring the piano needs changing. |
| B．The street piano project fuels urban development. |
| C．Huaqiangbei gets in tune with its cultural ambitions. |
| D．Shenzhen takes the lead in promoting cultural prosperity. |
【推荐3】If you ever visit an English village,make sure to look out for morris dancing.Undoubtedly one of the strangest of English culture, morris dancing is a form of folk dancing that dates back to the 15th 15th century.If you ever get the opnortunity,you really have to see it.
Men and women wearing old-fashioned,tattered(褴褛的)clothing dance in the street of towns and villages across the country during the holiday periods. Women wear long，frilly (有 褶皱边的）skirts and men wear short trousers w.th bells attached to them. They dance to traditional folk music which is often played on traditional musical instruments.
Some groups carry heavy black sticks which they bash (击打）against each other while they dance. Other groups wave handkerchiefs in the air whilst they perform. The dances are usually performed near a pub so that when it s over, the dancers and spectators (观众）can sing some traditional folk songs over a pint of beer. The festivities (欢庆）will often continue long into the night, by which point most people are too drunk to think about performing again.
Morris dancing is a great English tradition but it’s facing a big crisis (危机).As the years go by, fewer and fewer young people are joining morris dancing groups. The dancers are getting older and older and eventually, if nothing is done to change this trend, the tradition will die out within the next few decades.
If you’ve ever had the fortune to see morris dancing, you may understand why teenagers aren’t rushing to sign up. Putting it bluntly (直截了当地)，it’s not exactly the coolest thing for an 18-year-old to be doing. Why dress up in bells and funny costumes when you could be going clubbing (逛夜店)？ Or playing sport? Or doing anything else?
However, it would be a great shame to lose such a fun and vibrant (有活力的)part of England’s history and culture. It’s important to look after some traditions and customs especially when it’s something as harmless and happy as morris dancing. So here's a toast to the next generation of would-be morris dancers! Let's hope they don’t leave it too late.
1. What is the article mainly about?| A．The popularity of morris dancing in the UK. |
| B．The origins of mortsdancing in the UK. |
| C．Different attitudes toward morris dancing in the UK. |
| D．traditions and development of morris dancing in the UK. |
| A．Dancers usually wear long dresses with bells attached. |
| B．People sing traditional folk music while they dance. beers |
| C．Dancers perform with sticks or handkerchiefs in their hands. |
| D．People prefer to dance till nighttime in pubs and then stop to drink beers. |
| A．There is a lack of professional dancers. |
| B．It is losing appeal among young people. |
| C．It is accused of lacking fun and variety. |
| D．Its traditions and customs have been forgotten. |
| A．It is a good way for people to stay healthy and positive. |
| B．It is a cultural heritage that deserves more attention. |
| C．It is too old-fashioned and needs to be improved. |
| D．It is flin and vibrant and every teenager should learn to do it. |
【推荐1】Nurses have saved almost 800 lives in just one year by using iPads, iPods and mobile phones to record patients' vital (至关重要的) signs instead of paper charts.
Death rates at two major hospitals dropped by more than 15% after the nursing stall started using hand-held devices instead of paper notes to monitor (监督) the condition of patients, according to the research published recently.
Nurses recorded patients' blood pressure, pulse, oxygen levels and other indicators on tablets and mobiles. Specialist software, called VitalPAC, automatically told them if the patient was deteriorating. If this is happened the nurse was warned to increase the frequency of their monitoring of the patient and, in some cases, to warn a doctor or a response team.
The introduction of the new system led to a fall of almost 400 patient deaths in just 12 months at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, and a drop of more than 370 in the same period at University Hospital, Coventry, according to the study in BMJ Quality & Safety. An editorial in the journal described the research as "an important milestone" in improving patient safety and said the lowering of death rate at these two hospitals "represents a truly dramatic improvement".
Data recorded on the hand-held devices is automatically uploaded to a hospital-wide system allowing nurses, doctors and managers to monitor the health of patients across all wards. Staff on ward rounds have instant access to information from any device connected to the hospital network.
The system is now installed in 40 hospitals across England and could eventually be rolled out across the whole of the NHS. The system was developed by doctors and nurses at Portsmouth working together with health improvement company The Learning Clinic.
Dr. Paul Schmidt, of Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, one of the leaders of the project, said: "Observing patients and making accurate records provides a safety net to guard against their deterioration. We believed traditional paper charts were not doing the job well enough so we designed an electronic system to support staff. This study shows its introduction was followed by a significant drop in deaths."
1. What can be learned about VitalPAC?| A．It works with the hand-held devices. |
| B．It was applied by all the members of the NHS. |
| C．It can replace the nurses to take care of patients. |
| D．It was designed by The Learning Clinic independently. |
| A．Getting excited. | B．Getting out of order. |
| C．Getting worse. | D．Getting impatient. |
| A．The brief introduction of VitalPAC. | B．The improvement of VitalPAC. |
| C．The rules of operating VitalPAC. | D．The significance of VitalPAC. |
| A．A fashion magazine. | B．A story book. |
| C．A science fiction. | D．A news report. |
【推荐2】It has been more than 40 years since anyone has spotted a Japanese river otter. And the once common Yangtze River dolphins have either disappeared or are very rarely seen. These are just a few of the species that have been listed as extinct or locally extinct in recent years. But the advancement of technology could mean that the expunction of other species is not a given.
A huge challenge scientists and conservationists encounter is tracking species facing extinction in order to help them. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) has brought about a revolution in the way data on these species is collected and analyzed. One example is the Maui dolphin, one of the rarest and most threatened dolphins in the ocean. Familiar with their summer. Behavior, researchers knew that there were just 54 of these elusive mammals living off the coast of New Zealand. However, because of weather conditions, researchers knew next to nothing about their winter behavior. After four years of developing, testing and fundraising, these scientists received permission to use a drone (无人机) with AI that tracked the dolphins no matter the season. The result was the extension of a marine sanctuary to protect their habitat.
In parts of Australia, the koala was declared endangered in 2022 due to bushfires, habitat destruction and road accidents. Saving them was challenging because their whereabouts and numbers were relatively unknown. So Grant Hamilton, an associate professor of eco logy at Queensland University of Technology, began using drones with infrared imaging to locate them. An AI algorithm analyzes images to determine if a sighting is a koala. That information is then used to monitor and protect the species by restoring their habitats and providing health protection.
In Zambia’s Kafue National Park, home to 15 more than 6,000 elephants, AI is being used to enhance traditional methods of preventing poaching. Cameras record any boats that try to enter the park on Lake Itezhi-Tezhi, an illegal entry point. Al immediately detects this activity and alerts park rangers, who deal with the illegal hunters.
The use of Al has helped to expedite action and increase conservationists’ ability to protect the natural world for generations to come.
1. What does the underlined worlds “a given” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．A serious problem. | B．A rare phenomenon. | C．A certain event. | D．A false inference. |
| A．To observe Maui dolphins’ winter behavior. |
| B．To get the exact number of Maui dolphins in the wild. |
| C．To demonstrate the current situation of Maui dolphins. |
| D．To show AI’s application in tracking the wild animals. |
| A．Identifying koalas. | B．Tracking koalas. | C．Collecting data. | D．Preventing hunting. |
| A．Saving Nature with Technology’s Help | B．Restoring the Habitats of Endangered Species |
| C．Providing Healthy Protection for Animals | D．Protecting Wild Species from Extinction |
【推荐3】Mobile phones should be kept from classrooms, the UK minister for schools has said. Nick Gibb said he had concerns about the effect that the phone was having on children, and also said the Government should introduce lessons for pupils on how to limit their screen time.
Mr Gibb said, “Schools obviously are free to set their own behaviour policies but my own view is that schools should ban （禁止）mobile telephones and smart phones inside school, and particularly inside classrooms. I believe very strongly that children should be limiting their own use at home. Every hour spent online and on a smart phone is an hour less talking to family, and it's an hour less exercise and it's an hour less sleep. And of course it is a lack of sleep that research is showing can have a damaging effect on a child's mental health.”
The parents are told that children will be asked to break off at least every two hours and avoid social media before bedtime. The UK would be following in the footsteps of European countries if schools were to introduce a ban. with French pupils being told to leave their smart phones at home when they returned from their summer holidays last year.
At the Festival of Education at Wellington College last summer, Professor Michael from America said that any sensible head would ban mobile phones. “It's far too distracting for children having mobile phones. Texting, playing games, all this takes place. Mobile phones go off in classrooms, disrupting lessons. Ban them. If children want to use a phone in an emergency they can use the school phone.”
1. What's Nick Gibb's attitude towards using mobile phone in school?| A．Cautious. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．An hour less exercise a week. | B．More effects on sleep quality. |
| C．Less communication with family. | D．An improvement in mental health. |
| A．UK. | B．New Zealand. |
| C．USA. | D．France. |
| A．Mobile Phones cause bad effects on our study. |
| B．Mobile phones should be banned from classrooms. |
| C．Parents should forbid their kids to use mobile phones. |
| D．Students can use mobile phones in case of emergency. |
【推荐1】Archaeologists in Mexico have discovered the remains of a lost Maya city hidden deep within the jungles of the Yucatán Peninsula.
The site, located in the Balamkú ecological reserve in the Mexican state of Campeche, contains numerous large pyramids that were built during the Classic Period of the Maya civilisation. The archaeologists named the location Ocomtún, meaning “stone column (石柱)” in Yucatec Maya language, in a nod to the many stone columns spreading around on the over 123-acre site.
The team found the city while mapping the Maya lowlands with billions of lasers shot from an aircraft flying overhead. This technique, known as light detection and ranging, is a noninvasive (非创伤的) way for researchers to understand the geography of human-made structures hidden beneath leaves. In this case, the technique revealed a Maya city with several pyramidal structures, with the tallest towering nearly 50 feet.
“The site serves as an important center at the regional level,” lead archaeologist Ivan Šprajc said in the statement, “and it is a breakthrough in Maya archeology.”
The Maya had numerous city sites spread across southern Mexico and Central America; the civilization reached its peak during the first millennium AD until it “collapsed” between 800 and 1000. In addition to finding the pyramids and columns, while on foot, the archaeologists discovered ceramics (陶瓷), three squares, a court used to play ball games and a complex comprising low and thin structures arranged almost in circles.
However, the archaeologists are still investigating how the Maya used some of the structures. “It is possible that they are markets or spaces designed for community events,” Šprajc said. “The most common ceramic types that we collected on the surface and in some test pits are from the Late Classic. However, the analysis of samples of this material will offer us more reliable data on the sequences of occupation.”
1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?| A．There are many stone structures dotted on the site. |
| B．The pyramids built by Egyptians used to be huge. |
| C．The stone columns cover an area of nearly 124 acres. |
| D．The site discovered used to be an ecological reserve. |
| A．Frightening and puzzling. | B．Incredible and romantic. |
| C．Complex and fictional. | D．Invaluable and significant. |
| A．The Maya city was once a booming city. |
| B．Some tall and thin structures lay on the squares. |
| C．The ancient Mayas lived on ceramic manufacturing. |
| D．The pyramids and columns were found quite by accident. |
| A．The long-lost ancient civilization | B．Lost Maya city discovered in jungles |
| C．Archaeologists’ new discoveries in Mexico | D．Human-made structures hidden beneath leaves |
【推荐2】That dinosaurs ate the mammals (哺乳动物) that ran beneath their feet is not in doubt. Now an extraordinary fossil newly described in Scientific Reports, unearthed by a team led by Gang Han at Hainan Vocational University of Science and Technology in China, shows that sometimes the tables were turned.
The fossil -dated to about 125 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period-was formed when a flow of boiling volcanic mud swallowed two animals seemingly locked in a life-and-death fight. The one on top is a mammal. This animal is a herbivorous species closely related to the Triceratops (三角恐龙). Animal interactions such as this are exceptionally cam e in the fossil record.
One possibility is that the mammal was eating something already dead, other than hunting live prey. These days it is uncommon for small mammals to attack much larger animals. But it is not unheard of. And Dr. Han and his colleagues point out that those mammals which eat dead bodies typically leave tooth marks all over the bones of the animals. The dinosaur’s remains show no such marks. There is also a chance the fossil could be a fake. More and more convincing fake s have emerged, as this one did -though Dr. Han and his colleagues argue that the complexly connected nature of the skeletons (骨骼) makes that unlikely, too.
Assuming it is genuine, the discovery serves as a reminder that not all dinosaurs were enormous during the Cretaceous and not all mammals were tiny. From nose to tail, the dinosaur is just 1.2 meters long. The mammal is a bit under half a meter in length. Despite being half the size, the mammal has one paw firmly wrapped around one of its prey’s limbs, and another pulling on its jaw. It is biting down on the dinosaur’s chest, and has ripped off two of its ribs. Before they were interrupted, it seems that the mammal was winning.
1. Which idiom is closest in meaning to underlined part “the tables were turned” in paragraph 1?| A．The fittest survives. | B．The hunters become hunted. |
| C．Fortune always favors the brave. | D．The truth will always come to light. |
| A．To prove the fossil was fake. | B．To show the forming of the fossil. |
| C．To illustrate the process of hunting. | D．To suggest the dinosaur was hunted alive. |
| A．The size of the fossil. | B．The absence of fake fossils. |
| C．The complexity of the skeletons. | D．The consistency of the opinions. |
| A．It offers a cause. | B．It highlights a solution. |
| C．It justifies the conclusion. | D．It provides a new discovery. |
【推荐3】While many of us might long to just sleep through this entire winter, humans, unlike a lot of other mammals - don’t have the capacity to hibernate (冬眠). But researchers think they have found some tell-tale marks on the fossils, which suggests that early humans may have survived the harsh winter by hibernating.
Bears have specialized metabolic (新陈代谢的) processes to protect them from this extended sleep, but sometimes this process doesn’t quite go to plan. For example, hibernators can end up with a host of diseases after hibernation if they don’t get enough food reserves before they go down for the winter. The researchers believe this may have been the circumstance of some human ancestors whose remains with deep cracks in bones were discovered in a Spanish cave called Sima de los Huesos. This deep hole is home to an incredible number of fossils, with archaeologists having discovered thousands of early humans’ skeletal remains that are around 430,000 years old and probably the ancestors of the Sima people or others.
In a paper published in L’Anthropologie, two experts argue that the fossils found in Sima de los Huesos show seasonal variations that suggest that bone growth got interrupted for several months of each year. They suggest these early humans found themselves being in metabolic states that helped them to survive for long periods of time in extremely cold conditions with limited stores of body fat.
The researchers admit the idea “may sound like science fiction”, but they point out that many mammals including primates (灵长类动物) do this. “This suggests that the genetic basis and physiology for such slow metabolism could be preserved in many mammalian species including humans," state Arsuaga and Bartsiokas.
However, Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London pointed out that large mammals such as bears do not actually hibernate, because their large bodies cannot lower their core temperature enough. Instead, they enter a less deep sleep known as torpor. In such a condition, the energy demands of the human-sized brains of the Sima people would have remained very large, creating an additional survival problem for them during torpor.
1. Why does the author mention the example in Paragraph 2?| A．To explain the special ability of bears. | B．To provide the background to the research. |
| C．To show the basis of researchers’ evaluation. | D．To discuss a new cause of hibernating disease. |
| A．They were badly preserved with deep cracks. |
| B．Their growth discontinued temporarily for some reason. |
| C．Their appearances varied from individual to individual. |
| D．They showed signs of people living in comfort in the past. |
| A．It’s quite possible. | B．It merely appears in science fiction. |
| C．It’s an exception to human genetics. | D．It solved the mystery of humans’ evolution in Europe. |
| A．They might have developed smaller brains. |
| B．Their daily sleep quality might become poor. |
| C．Their body temperature might increase rapidly. |
| D．They might suffer from life-threatening starvation. |
