Perhaps your childhood piano lessons made you never want to play the piano again. Perhaps a piano is too expensive for you to afford. Now, thanks to a program in Sydney called “Play Me, I'm yours”， people are able to play the piano in public places for free. They share beautiful music, and the program also helps them communicate with each other.
Thirty pianos have been placed in different parts of the city, including in several parks, at a bus stop and on some streets. The pianos have the logo “Play Me, I'm yours” on them. People are invited to play music or sing songs with the pianos, no matter what level of ability they have. Lots of people have been attracted to the program and stopped to watch or play the pianos.
“Play Me, I'm yours” is a part of the Sydney Festival. It is a project of the British artist, Luck Jerram. He wants to help people in the city connect with each other. He thinks that so many people are sitting in front of computers and busy with their work all hours, and they almost have no chance to enjoy music. So the purpose of the project is to help them relax and make new friends.
The program “Play Me, I'm yours” has also reached England and Brazil (巴西) before. It was warmly welcomed there. But its greatest success seems to come at the Sydney Festival. “It's a chance for people to be creative, connect with strangers and just have some fun，” Jerram said.
1. According to the first sentence of the passage, your childhood piano lessons may be ________.| A．boring | B．valuable | C．interesting | D．meaningful |
| A．in parks | B．at a bus stop | C．on streets | D．in a school |
| A．sing songs | B．play the piano for free |
| C．relax and make friends | D．enjoy beautiful music |
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
| A．Beautiful Music. | B．A British Artist, Luck Jerram. |
| C．The Sydney Festival. | D．A Program “Play Me, I'm yours”. |
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【推荐1】It may be strange that three fourths of the world is covered with water, but we still don’t have enough fresh, clean and safe drinking water. Most of the earth’s water is saltwater of the seas. Less than 3% of the water in the world is fresh. 68.7% of freshwater is in the form of ice in the polar areas, and much freshwater is polluted and dangerous to use. Polluted water usually causes death among children under five in the poor countries.
In some countries, women and children spend much of their time going out to collect water. They often walk many kilometers each day to get just enough water for their families to cook, wash and drink. And they can’t carry back much because they have to walk over rough (坑洼的) fields and carry a heavy bucket (桶).
Children have to help their mothers carry water, so they may not be able to go to school, or they may be so tired when they get there that they have difficulty studying. They may even have to spend the whole day without drinking any water as there may not be any clean water at school, either.
A large part of UNICEF’s work is bringing safe water to people in need of it. Last year, UNICEF built up almost 90,000 water systems (系统) for 20 million people. It just wants to help more people keep alive. A well (井) may mean the difference between life and death.
1. Which may not be the reason for not having enough freshwater?| A．Much of the freshwater is polluted. |
| B．Most of the freshwater is in the form of ice. |
| C．Most of the water is salty. |
| D．There are too many people on the earth. |
| A．water can spread diseases |
| B．there would be no life without water |
| C．water is important |
| D．it is hard for some people to get water |
| A．75% of the earth is covered with water. |
| B．In some countries people have to go a long way to get water. |
| C．If children aren’t able to get water home, they can’t go to school. |
| D．UNICEF is trying its best to help people in need of water. |
| A．death is different from life | B．a well can save someone |
| C．you can get water from the well | D．if you don’t use a well, you may die |
【推荐2】Nowadays, “toilet revolution” is a thing in China.
Experts have agreed that a “toilet revolution” is very important. Better toilets mean healthier lives and better living standards. Better toilets can also help encourage tourism and improve the economy.
“Toilet revolution” was started in 2015. Chinese president Xi Jinping then called for improvement to toilets across China. The government has invested more than 1.6 billion yuan in the project since then. Nearly 70,000 toilets have been built or upgraded. By the end of 2017, 45 percent of rural residents (居民) had been using standard toilets.
In cities popular with tourists, more expensive toilets have been built.
China, in fact, is not alone in focusing on toilets. According to Bill Gates’ foundation, forty percent of the world’s population doesn’t have flush toilets. UNICEF says at least 1.2 million young children die of diarrhea (腹泻) each year.
| A．In 2013, that number was only 36 percent. |
| B．China is investing seven billion yuan in the project. |
| C．Contact with human waste is the main cause. |
| D．However, it is not easy to start a “Toilet revolution”. |
| E．These toilets have ATMs, WiFi and recharging (充电) stations for mobile phones. |
【推荐3】In 1992, a group of architects(建筑师)and engineers in Seattle had collected hundreds of canned goods for charity. “We wanted to give back to the community,” said Deborah Ashcraft, organizer for the Construction project. Volunteers also wanted to have some “creative fun,” so they used the cans to create a huge map of the State of Washington.
Today Construction has thousands of volunteers across the United States and Canada, for the purpose of creating a world without hunger. Construction members build their delicious artwork in shopping areas and museums.
In some cities, such as Tampa Bay, Florida, Construction artists are made up of school kids, “Our class built a Wurlitzer organ(风琴)out of cans,” said Jasmine Heaggans, a student at Lanier Elementary. “We based ours on the 77-year-old organ at the Tampa Theater.”
Beginning in September, architects Danni Anstett and Danielle Williams visited class weekly. After a field trip to see the real Wurlitzer, the architects showed the class how to draw pictures of the organ from all sides. They instructed students to do a plan view. And they helped the young artists count up how many cans would be used.
On October 24, Construction workers from Lanier and three other Tampa Bay schools gathered at the local shopping area to build and display their artworks. The students got to stack (堆)cans. With 1,800 cans, Lanier students had nine hours to get the Wurlitzer ready for the judges.
“The cans had to be perfectly stacked,” student Courtney Keenam recalled, “or everything would fall.”
After four hours, the students were feeling pretty good. The organ was taking shape. Then the kids had an “uh-oh” moment. The cans were facing the wrong way. They had to be turned around.
At last, the Wurlitzer stood shiny and tall, just in time for the judges to name it “most creative.”
1. What is the aim of the Construction project?| A．To sell canned food. | B．To end world hunger. |
| C．To bring people much fun. | D．To build better communities. |
| A．By helping design the artwork. | B．By building an organ with cans. |
| C．By drawing pictures of an organ. | D．By offering them a real Wurlitzer organ. |
| A．To collect cans used by the shopping area. | B．To do volunteer work for the shopping area. |
| C．To enter a can building competition. | D．To get more people to join Construction. |
| A．The real Wurlitzer organ. | B．The 77-year-old organ at the Tampa Theater. |
| C．The huge map of the State of Washington. | D．The Wurlitzer organ built out of cans. |
1. On January 1st, Mo Hongwei is going to ________.
| A．check his email | B．do his homework |
| C．clean his room | D．visit his friends |
| A．in the evening of 1st January |
| B．in the morning of on 2nd January |
| C．in the evening of 2nd January |
| D．in the afternoon of 3rd January |
①get some advice from Mo Yan
②have a party for Mo Yan
③take Mo Yan to visit the school
④do the homework at home
| A．①②③④ | B．④②①③ |
| C．③④②① | D．④③②① |
【推荐2】“Joe, did you book your ticket yet?” I asked. “No. I changed my mind. I’m not going to go.”“What? You aren’t going to Australia? We’ve been planning this vacation for months!”“Yeah, I don’t feel like it. We’ll go some other time.”
Over the coming weeks, I tried to get my friend to reconsider, but failed. Our trip to Australia was off. And none of my friends wanted to replace him. If I wanted to travel, it would have to be on my own.
It’s taught me that if I wait for others, I’ll never go anywhere. But there are places I want to visit, people to see, experiences to have, and food to try—and only so much time to achieve it all. So I refuse to wait. I won’t let others keep me from realizing my dreams. It can be scary travelling alone, especially then you’ve never done it before. But, to me, growing old without experiencing everything you want from life is more frightening.
If you’re been putting off a trip because you’re waiting for someone to go with—stop. Just go. Don’t let others hold you back from your dreams. Trust me, along the way you’ll make plenty of friends. More than that, travelling alone gives you real freedom. You wake up and it’s just you—what you want, where you want, when you want. In that freedom and great space of possibility, you meet yourself.
It’s sink or swim and you have to learn how to survive—who to trust, how to make friends, how to find your way around alone. That’s the greatest reward（奖赏） of travelling alone. Each time you go away, you learn to become a little more independent and confident.
Travelling alone is not for everyone. Some people return home soon after starting off, some cry for weeks before accepting it, and others just accept it right away. But you’ll never learn that if you don’t travel once by yourself. Whether a weekend away, a two-week vacation, or a trip around the world, try it at least once.
1. What does the writer think is more frightening?| A．Travelling alone for the first time. |
| B．Changing your mind all the time. |
| C．Waiting for others during a long trip. |
| D．Failing to experience life in your growth. |
| A．get you out of trouble | B．stop you from travelling |
| C．keep you waiting for them | D．wake you up from your dream |
| A．the experience of travelling |
| B．the freedom to go anywhere |
| C．the chance to taste delicious food |
| D．the possibility of meeting new people |
| A．where to travel | B．when to travel |
| C．how to travel safely | D．why to travel alone |
At seven o'clock that evening, four actors(演员)come to Mrs. Sato's house——a woman, a man, and two children. "Happy Birthday!"the actors say. The actors are with Mrs. Sato for three hours. They talk with her, eat dinner with her, and watch TV with her. Then they go home. Mrs. Sato is happy.
1. Mrs. Sato is sad because ____________.
| A．her husband died | B．her daughter lives far away |
| C．no families come for her birthday | D．her son is working |
| A．her daughter | B．her son | C．a company | D．nobody |
| A．her daughter's family | B．some people near her house |
| C．some people from the company | D．her son |
| A．买 | B．租 | C．借 | D．卖 |
It is not necessary to bring a gift when you are invited to dinner. After all，you are the honored guest. Several years ago，it was almost unpleasant to bring sweets or a bottle of wine. But this is not true today. Nowadays it is a custom which is becoming popular with many Indians. Fruit，flowers or a box of sweets are perfect gifts，and will make no one unhappy.
In all classes of society，both in the city and in the country，food is only taken to the mouth with the right hand. This is the most important part of the etiquette（礼节）of eating in India. When you watch Indians eat something，you will see that they keep their left hands on their legs.
If you want to find a conversation topic in India，talk about families. Another useful subject to start with is cricket（板球）.But once you get to know a person better，any topic is acceptable. Indians love to talk about politics and religion. They enjoy heated discussions. Conversation is an art form and people take the time to really talk.
1. While visiting an Indian home，your hosts will be __________ to get a gift from your country.
| A．happy | B．angry | C．worried | D．sad |
| A．you should pay for the food |
| B．you will hurt your hosts if you take anything |
| C．it is fashionable to take flowers or sweets |
| D．it is traditional to take whisky |
| A．only talk about family matters | B．prefer to have heated discussions |
| C．don't like talking about themselves | D．get away from religion and politics |
| A．you can buy these things easily in India |
| B．they don't make these things in India |
| C．they never avoid these things in India |
| D．you can't get these things in India |
| A．your choice of gift will depend on who your hosts are |
| B．playing cricket with left hand is popular in India |
| C．Indians normally use their right hands for food they eat |
| D．Indians like to talk about serious things with guests |
【推荐2】Members of a native community in the arctic areas of Sweden say their reindeer (驯鹿) are facing possible starvation (饥饿) from unusual weather related to climate change. The Sami indigenous community takes care of about 8,000 reindeer throughout the year. The animals are moved between traditional feeding areas in high mountains near Norway in the summer and forests farther east in the winter.
Community member Niila Inga is worried about his reindeer. He said climate change has affected the area’s weather activity and created food shortages. “If we don’t find better areas for them where they can graze and find food, then the reindeer will starve to death,” Inga said. He demonstrated the problem by reaching down into the snow and pulling up a hard piece of ice close to the soil.
The area received unusual snowfall early in the fall, followed by rain that froze (结冰). Inga said this keeps the plants that reindeer eat under a thick cover of ice. Some of the hungry reindeer have now moved away from their traditional migration (迁徙) areas in search of food.
Community members say half the reindeer moved towards the east as planned. But the rest headed back to the mountains, where they face the risk of attacks by other animals or being caught in an avalanche. Older members of the Sami community say that in the past, they only encountered bad winters about once every ten years. But now, Inga says “extreme and strange weathers are getting more and more normal,” happening several times a year.
Snowfall is normal for the area. But as temperatures increase, rain can also fall, creating a “rain-on-snow” effect. When this happens, food stays underneath the ice where the reindeer cannot reach it. This causes the animals to grow weaker and struggle to make it through the winter. Weather changes have hit the Sami community hard.
Sanna Vannar is president of the Swedish Sami Youth organization. The group made an action to force the European Union (EU) to reduce human-caused greenhouse gases.
“We’ve said we don’t want money because we can’t buy better weather with money,” Vannar said. “We’ve said we need the EU to take action and they need to do it now.”
1. What problem are the reindeer facing now?| A．Hot weather. | B．Food shortage. |
| C．The risk of migration. | D．The loss of their home. |
| A．Eat grass. | B．Give birth. |
| C．Have a sleep. | D．Move around. |
| A．To escape being attacked by other animals. |
| B．To find a warmer place for winter. |
| C．To escape from natural risks. |
| D．To search for food. |
| A．To get some money. | B．To join the European Union. |
| C．To improve weather conditions. | D．To protect the soil of the arctic areas. |
【推荐3】Butterflies are common all over the world, but butterflies in hotter countries are usually bigger and more brightly colored than those in cooler countries, and there are more different kinds.
Usually the male(雄性的) butterflies are more brightly colored than the females. The females have bigger and heavier bodies since they carry the eggs. The bright colors of the males help to attract the females, and the duller(较暗淡的) colors of the females make them less likely(可能的) to be caught by enemies before they have laid their eggs.
Some butterflies have bright pattern colors on the upper surface of their wings that show when flying, but when they rest on a tree or leaves, they close their wings. On the undersides of their wings there are green and brown marks which look like the tree or leaves. They are then difficult to be seen. The best example of this is the Dead Leaf Butterfly. When its wings are closed, it looks exactly like a dead leaf. There are even marks that look like the holes in a dead leaf. When the butterfly is run after by a bird, it closes its wings and seems to have disappeared completely.
Many butterflies have round marks on their wings that look like eyes. The round marks have a useful function(功能). When the butterflies are resting, their wings are closed, and these marks can’t be seen. When a bird sees one, and begins to attack it, the butterfly will open its wings. The bird thinks that it sees two eyes staring at it, frightened, and flies away.
1. The female butterflies have bigger and heavier bodies than the males because _______.| A．the females carry the eggs | B．the females eat more |
| C．the males are more active | D．the males have smaller wings |
| A．help to fly easily | B．help to attract the males |
| C．make them look fearful | D．make them harder to be caught |
| A．their wings | B．pattern colors |
| C．green leaves | D．some butterflies |
| A．is frightened and flies away at once |
| B．opens its eyes and stares at the bird |
| C．closes its wings and seems to have gone |
| D．opens its wings to frighten the bird away |
| A．why the butterfly can not be seen |
| B．how the butterfly opens its wings |
| C．what the round marks look like |
| D．what the function of the round marks is |
【推荐1】Let children learn to judge(判断) their own work. A child doesn’t learn to talk by being corrected all the time. If he is corrected too much, he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the differences between the language he uses and the language others use. Little by little, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s.
In the same way, children learn to do all the other things without being taught—to walk, run, climb or ride a bicycle. They compare their performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes and correct them himself. We do it all for him. We thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to. Soon he becomes dependent on the teacher. Let him work out with the help of other children if he wants it.
If it is a matter in math or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such daily work? Our job should be to help the children when they tell us that he can’t find the way to get the right answer. Let the children learn what all educated persons must learn, how to measure(估量) their own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know.
Let them get on with this job in their ways. School teachers can offer help if they ask for it. Some parents and teachers are worried that the children might fail to learn something that they will need to get in the world. Don’t worry! If it is important, they will go out into the world and learn it.
1. According to the passage, the best way for children to learn things is by ________.| A．being always corrected |
| B．following adults’ advice |
| C．doing as other people do |
| A．encourage students to learn from eacho ther |
| B．teach students how to get the answers directly |
| C．tell students what is wrong as often as possible |
| A．teachers can’t correct students’ papers |
| B．teachers needn’t waste time teaching students in class |
| C．teachers should helpstudents improve their learning ability |
| A．students can face any challenge easily |
| B．students can learn a lot in the real life |
| C．students can grow up without others’ help |
| A．Let Us Teachers Stop Working |
| B．Let Children Learn by Themselves |
| C．Let Parents Understand Their Kids |
【推荐2】Imagine that your friend is cutting the cake to share with all the guests at the birthday party. The first three guests are handed large pieces of cake, while you are handed a teeny-tiny one. How would you feel? Is this fair? Most of us have a clear sense of what is fair and what is not, but where does this come from? Scientists try to study fairness in primate species (灵长类物种) to understand how fairness came about.
Fairness often involves equal outcomes (平等的结果)
Do monkeys behave in ways that lead to equal outcomes? To find out, scientists give monkeys choices about how to share food. Scientists ask a monkey to choose between two options—to provide a piece of food just for themselves, or to provide food for another monkey nearby, as well as for themselves (Figure 1). If monkeys are trying to achieve equal outcomes, they would give food to both themselves and another. Do they? Sometimes.
 |  |
The left monkey has just chosen the board to give food to himself and the neighboring monkey. | The left monkey has just chosen the board that provides food for himself only. |
（Figure 1）
Whether monkeys favor equal outcomes seems to depend on the species. The species which live in groups will prefer equal outcomes, but not all the time.
What else might be influencing whether monkeys create equal outcomes? If the two monkeys are friends, one is more likely to share food with the other. It also seems that monkeys would make the equal choice when they cannot see the actual food—some scientists use pictures of food.
But wait, does effort matter?
Scientists have developed a way to test whether monkeys prefer everyone to be paid equally for doing the same work. In this study, monkeys are trained to work for food by exchanging small coins with a scientist. To determine if and how monkeys respond to unfairness, scientists have two monkeys take turns exchanging coins and give them different food—their favorite food or a less-preferred food (Figure2). If the monkey getting the less-preferred food refuses to keep exchanging coins, scientists conclude the monkeys respond to unfairness.
 | The monkey on the left exchanges the coin for a piece of banana. Next, the neighbor monkey will also exchange a coin, but receive a less-preferred piece of food. |
（Figure 2）
The results of the study have suggested differences across monkey species. Generally, monkeys living in groups do not respond to unfairness, while other monkeys do respond to it. However, monkeys do not appear to mind if they get a better food than others.
All in all, monkeys’ sense of fairness does not seem to be as well-developed as our own. By studying their preferences for fairness and responses to unfair situations, we can learn more about how these values developed in humans. And this also helps us to better understand the natural world and how to care for animals as well.
1. In the first monkey study, ________.| A．scientists use more pictures of food than actual food |
| B．scientists let monkeys choose from a variety of foods |
| C．the left monkey will get no food if it provides food for another |
| D．the left monkey can choose between two ways of providing food |
| A．Monkeys living in groups value effort more. |
| B．Monkeys of different species enjoy different work. |
| C．Not all monkeys stop working when treated unfairly. |
| D．Monkeys seem to mind if the neighbor gets less food. |
| A．Do Monkeys Care What Is Fair? |
| B．Can Equal Outcomes Bring Fairness? |
| C．Why Do Monkeys Value Fairness and Effort? |
| D．How Do Monkeys Develop a Sense of Fairness? |
【推荐3】Whenever the sun dropped and the blue sky came up, my father and I used to climb the mountain near my house. Walking together, my father and I used to have a lot of conversations through which I learned lessons from his experiences. He always told me, "You should have goals like climbing the mountain." Without the mountain-climbing that we both enjoyed, We couldn't have enough time to spend together because my father was very busy. I really got a lot from mountain-climbing. It gave me time to talk with my father and to be in deep thought as well as develop my patience.
Once we climbed a very high mountain. It was so challenging for me because I was only ten years old. During the first few hours of climbing, I enjoyed the flowers and trees, and the birds' singing, but as time passed, I got a pain in both of my legs. I wanted to quit climbing. In fact, I hated it at that mountain, but my father said to me, "You can always see a beautiful sky at the top of the mountain, but you can't see it before you reach the top. Only there at the top can you see all of the nice things, just like in life."
At that time, I was too young to understand his words. But later after that, I got new hope and confidence. I found myself standing at the top of the sky, which was as clear as crystal(水晶).
1. The passage tells us that mountain-climbing was ________ for Father and Son.| A．hard | B．enjoyable | C．painful | D．comfortable |
| A．carry on | B．put off | C．give up | D．pick up |
| A．You will get all you need at the top of the mountain. |
| B．The sky is always as clear as crystal. |
| C．You can find life is full of nice things. |
| D．Never give up half-way. |
| A．the writer was very successful in his life |
| B．the writer reached the top of the mountain |
| C．though the writer was young, he could understand his father |
| D．the writer used to stop half-way when he climbed the mountain |
| A．Reaching the Top of the Mountain | B．Standing at the Top of the Mountain |
| C．Conversations between Father and Son | D．How to Get to the Top of the Mountain |
