Music plays an important role in our daily life. We can hear music when we’re at a store or a restaurant. People call it background music. Recorded background music was first used in shops and restaurants, but it soon became popular in other public places. Now many sports centers, children centers and theaters also like to use background music.
Why do many stores use it? Well, because they want to make customers stay longer. Then customers may buy things if they stay longer. In fact, some background music is soft. However, some background music is too loud. Many customers don’t like any background music. When they hear it, they may get angry and walk out of the shop.
According to a study, 75% of the customers care about the background music when they go into a store. If they like the music, they’ll stay longer and they’ll come to the store again. However, 50% of the customers will leave the store because they don’t like the music. They even say that they may not return to the store again.
So stores should choose a proper ‘sound’ for their customers. The proper background music is a good way to attract (吸引) more customers. Some restaurant owners even say that background music is as important as the taste of the food.
1. The theaters and sports centers were the first to use recorded background music.2. Many stores use background music to make the customers stay longer.
3. 85% of the customers care about the background music when they go into a store.
4. The background music can make the owner’s places look more beautiful.
5. The text mainly talks about background music in shops and restaurants.
2 . If you want to be a better reader, what should you know about the speed of reading? Some people read very quickly, while others read very slowly. But which one is better? The quick reader may be a good reader when he reads a story—book for fun. But he may not be able to slow down to read instructions (说明书) carefully. The slow reader may be a good reader. But he may spend too much time reading a story for fun. So the reader who reads everything quickly or the one who reads everything slowly isn’t really a good reader. Here are four things to remember about the speed of reading.
Knowing why you are reading will help you to know whether to read quickly or slowly.
Some things should be read slowly throughout. Examples are instructions for making or doing something. Math books, science books and story books are full of important information. You must read these things slowly to understand and remember every important idea.
Some things should be read quickly throughout. Examples are stories for enjoyment, letters from friends, and some news from newspapers.
In some of your reading, you must change your speed.You will need to read some pages quickly and then slow down and do more careful reading when you come to important ideas.
1. Which of the following is TRUE?| A．Reading instructions must be careful. |
| B．A slow reader is a good reader. |
| C．You must not change your speed. |
| D．Reading everything quickly is a good reader. |
| A．穿过 | B．开始 | C．结束 | D．始终 |
| A．Letters from friends. |
| B．Important information from storybooks. |
| C．News from newspapers. |
| D．Picture books for fun. |
| A．read it at any speed you like | B．read it slowly for important ideas |
| C．change your speed from time to time | D．read it quickly for enjoyment |
| A．How to Read Quickly? | B．Reading Slowly Is Better. |
| C．How to Be a Good Reader? | D．Reading Is a Good Hobby. |
Travel study—a new way to spend your holiday. Have you ever heard about it?
When you have a travel study, you can see Big Ben, Sydney Opera House, the Statue of Liberty and so many other places. During the travel study, you may go traveling by yourself, or with your family or your friends.
When you travel, you are in a different culture every day. You will be served with different new food and make new friends. You read all these from books in the past, but now it is real and you are part of it. Besides, you may also learn other cultures from your new friends because they are from different countries.
Maybe you already have foreign teachers in your school to teach you English. But he or she will not stay to speak English with you all the time, right? During the travel study, you have to speak it every day and almost everywhere because you are in an English-speaking country!
It also gives you a chance to live alone. That will teach you how to live. “What should I do if I lose my way in a foreign country?” “How can I buy what I want with my poor English?” You have to be clever and find answers for yourself.
In short, you can get a lot from the travel study.
1. Your parents are not allowed to be with you during the travel study.2. Enjoying different cultures is an important part of the travel study.
3. Foreign teachers can stay with you and teach you English all the time.
4. Travel study is a good chance to learn to deal with challenges in a new environment.
5. The writer mainly talks about the advantages of travel study.
4 . In ancient China, willow branches (柳枝) were often used as a gift to friends and family members who would leave. Do you know why willow branches are a symbol of saying goodbye?
One reason is that willow trees are strong. They can live in any soil, wet or dry, north or south.
Because of this special feature, when saying goodbye to loved ones, giving a willow branch is a way to tell them you hope they will easily get used to their new living environment.
Another reason is that, in Chinese, the pronunciation for the willow tree “柳” is similar to the character “留”. So giving a willow branch in ancient China was like asking the others to stay, even though you know that they must leave.
It’s said that this custom became popular during the Han Dynasty. At that time, Baqiao, a bridge in Chang’an, today’s Xi’an, was a common place to say goodbye. People often stopped there and handed willow branches to people who were going to depart.
Willow branches, as a symbol of saying goodbye, were often mentioned in poems, especially at the time of the Tang and Song dynasties.
1. Who were willow branches often used as a gift to in ancient China?| A．One’s parents who would stay. |
| B．One’s friends and family members who would leave. |
| C．One’s love who would come back after being away for a long time. |
| D．One’s friends who would get married. |
| A．magic | B．beautiful | C．strong | D．special |
| A．asking the others to stay | B．asking the others for help |
| C．wishing the others to leave | D．wishing the others can be successful |
| A．返回 | B．离开 | C．相遇 | D．分手 |
| A．A kind of strong tree—Willow trees. | B．A common place to say goodbye—Baqiao. |
| C．A symbol of saying goodbye—Willow branches. | D．A meaningful custom—plant Willow trees. |
5 . Yunnan, a magical place with amazing biodiversity (生物多样性), is home to plants, insects and animals of different kinds. The 25 ethnic (少数民族的) groups enrich its culture as well.
Kunming, the capital of Yunnan, is also known as the Eternal Spring City, and as “the City of Flowers” around the world. The reason why Kunming is the flower center is because of the pleasant weather in Yunnan and the soil is perfect for growing flowers. Every year, a large number of people come to this city to revel in its sea of colors. Dounan Flower Market is the largest flower trading market in Asia which is almost five football fields in size, selling nearly 1, 600 kinds of flowers.
In the southern most point of Yunnan, there are wild Asian elephants living with the local people in the tropical (热带的) rainforest in Xishuangbanna. And it is the most well-protected ecosystem in China.
Pu’er is widely known for tea and it is grown on the side of the mountains. When the tea leaves are ready, they are picked leaf by leaf with hand and sent for processing. And then the tea is sent to many different countries and places around China. The tea ceremony(茶道)is getting more and more popular, and it’s also a very important part of business in Yunnan.
If you ever get a chance to visit Yunnan, please don’t miss the special food and performances of each ethnic group.
1. Yunnan is home to different kinds of ________.| A．wild Asian elephants and tropical rainforest | B．tree, flowers and birds |
| C．rivers, lakes and mountains | D．plants, insects and animals |
| A．1,500 | B．1,600 | C．1,700 | D．1,800 |
| A．There are 25 ethnic groups in Yunnan Province. |
| B．The pleasant weather in Yunnan is perfect for growing flowers. |
| C．The tea produced in Pu’er is only sent to other countries in the world. |
| D．The wild Asian elephants live in the tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna. |
| A．a guidebook | B．a newspaper | C．a story book | D．an advertisement |
| A．Take a trip in Yunnan. | B．Amazing biodiversity. |
| C．Tea ceremony in Yunnan. | D．The wild Asian elephants. |
6 . The Egyptian Pyramids (埃及金字塔) are really something special. They have a history of four to five thousand years. Every year millions of tourists from all over the world travel there.
It is said that many people want to experience the feeling of climbing to the top of the Pyramids. Unluckily, none of them can achieve it. According to the police records, since 1940, no one who climbed the Pyramids could come back alive, which is a great mystery of the Pyramids.
The gate of the Pyramid weighs about 20 tons. But the amazing thing is that you can push the door with one hand easily. It’s really unbelievable.
The Pyramids in Egypt also have much magic power: For example, when you have a headache, it will stop the pain if you sleep in the Pyramids; Vegetables or fruit can be kept for longer time in the Pyramids. So people think that there must be an energy that can’t be discovered in the Pyramids. But what could it be?
Another mystery of the Pyramids is that when we enter the Pyramids with electronic instruments, they won’t work well. It seems that something disturbs (打扰) them.
The Pyramids are magical, and everyone has a common question: How were they built? We haven’t known the answer yet.
1. How old are the Pyramids according to the passage?| A．Two to three thousand years old. | B．Four to five thousand years old. |
| C．Five to six thousand years old. | D．Six to seven thousand years old. |
| A．gate | B．top | C．size | D．history |
| A．In a storybook. | B．In a novel. | C．In a dictionary. | D．In a magazine. |
| A．Those who reached the top of the Pyramids died. |
| B．It’s hard for us to open the heavy gate of the Pyramid. |
| C．The Pyramids can keep food fresh. |
| D．There are many mysteries about the Pyramids. |
| A．The advantages of the Pyramids. | B．The position of the Pyramids. |
| C．The mysteries of the Pyramids. | D．The changes of the Pyramids. |
7 . Bike-to-Work Day is held every year across North America on the third Friday of May. It was started by the League of American Bicyclists in 1956. Its aim is to promote (促进) the bicycle as a serious choice of getting to and from work. In today’s world where global warming is a serious issue, the bicycle is a perfect way of reducing our carbon (碳) footprint.
Cycling to work is a healthy alternative (选择) to driving or taking public transport. A healthier society means there is not so much pressure on the country’s health system. Of course, it depends on how far you live from your place of work.Another benefit of cycling is feeling more creative and full of energy once you get to work, which will improve your performance.
Bicycles are the most common form of transport in the world. There are about one billion worldwide. This makes it the most popular invention ever. Even in high-tech Japan, it is impossible not to see businessmen, farmers, mothers or workers in the streets on their bikes.
Bicycles were invented in the 19th century and haven’t changed much since. Its shape is the same as before. We use bicycles today for amusement, fitness, Olympic competition, mail delivery and lots more. Without the bicycle, much of the world might stop working!
根据短文内容， 判断正误（正确“T”，错误“F”）。1. Every year, people in North Africa celebrate Bike-to-Work Day.
2. Carbon footprint can be reduced by riding the bicycle.
3. Cycling to work can make you feel more creative and full of energy.
4. In Japan, you can not see people ride bikes in the streets.
5. Bicycles have changed a lot since the 19th century.
8 . China’s Double Ninth Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar every year. It is a traditional folk holiday focusing on good health and long life. Let’s take a look at some key words related to this festival.
Nine
Nine is an important number in Chinese culture because its pronunciation means “long” in Chinese. According to the Book of Changes (《易经》), the number six is considered yin while nine is yang. The ninth day of the ninth lunar month in the Chinese calendar features two nines, so the day is given the Chinese name “Chongyang”.
Plants
When it comes to the Double Ninth Festival, two important plants, the cornel (茱萸) and chrysanthemum (菊花), have to be mentioned.
Cornel, famous in traditional Chinese medicine, is widely planted in the north and south of China. Ancient people believed that wearing the cornel on this day could help prevent illness and avoid disasters.
They also believed that the chrysanthemum could drive away bad luck and prevent one from getting a cold in late autumn. So, drinking chrysanthemum wine has always been a traditional custom at this festival.
Elders
As times change, the festival has been given more meaning. In 1989, the Chinese government set it as a day for the elders, to encourage all to respect and love them, so as to build a beautiful, age-friendly society.
1. What does the Double Ninth Festival focus on?| A．Wealth and happiness. | B．Good luck and healthy life. |
| C．Success and fame. | D．Good health and long life. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．Technology. | B．Culture. | C．Nature. | D．Business. |
| A．The Double Ninth Festival falls on August 9th each year. |
| B．The number nine is considered yin while six is yang. |
| C．People plant cornel widely in the north and south of China. |
| D．It was believed that the chrysanthemum could bring wealth. |
| A．Two Important Plants | B．An Important Number |
| C．A Traditional Folk Holiday | D．Key Words in Double Ninth Festival |
9 . Now satellites are helping to forecast (预报) the weather. They are in space, and they can reach any part of the world. The satellites take pictures of the atmosphere (大气), because this is where the weather forms (形成). They send these pictures to the weather stations. From the pictures, meteorologists (气象学家) can often say how the weather will change.
Today, nearly more than one hundred weather stations in over ninety countries receive satellite pictures. When they receive new pictures, the meteorologists compare them with earlier ones. Perhaps they may find that the clouds have changed during the last few hours. This may mean that the weather on the ground may soon change, too. In their next weather forecast, the meteorologists can say this.
So the weather satellites are a great help to the meteorologists. Before satellites were invented, they could forecast the weather for about 24 or 48 hours. Now they can make good forecasts for two weeks. Soon, perhaps, they may be able to forecast the weather for fifteen days or more ahead (提前).
1. Satellites travel ________.| A．in space | B．in the atmosphere |
| C．above the ground | D．above space |
| A．clouds form there |
| B．the weather forms there |
| C．the weather satellites can do it easily |
| D．the pictures can forecast the weather |
| A．during they study satellite pictures |
| B．before they received satellite pictures |
| C．when they have received satellite pictures |
| D．after they have compared new satellite pictures with earlier ones |
| A．five days | B．one week |
| C．two weeks | D．fifteen days or even longer |
| A．weather forecasting | B．taking pictures of the atmosphere |
| C．doing other work in many ways | D．receiving pictures of the atmosphere |
10 . How many stars can you see in the night sky? If the answers are “just a few” or “none”, you might be living with light pollution.
Light pollution happens when too much man-made light harms nature and people. Scientists have found that it is especially harmful to nocturnal animals which sleep in the day and are busy at night. Animal scientist Christopher Kyba said man-made light is “the biggest change” humans have brought to these animals.
Small animals use darkness to hide from predators (捕食者). But, he said, cloudy skies near cities are now “hundreds of times” brighter at night. This means that, for example, cats can catch more rats. Then, there will be too many cats and not enough rats to feed them all.
Baby sea turtles are born on beaches in the nighttime. They find the water by the light of the ocean horizon (海平线). Man-made lights lead them away from the ocean. In Florida alone, “Millions… die this way every year,” said the US-based International Dark-Sky Association.
Also, birds that travel or hunt at night need moonlight and starlight. Man-made light can lead them in the wrong direction. Every year, millions of birds die by flying into brightly-lit buildings.
1. The underlined words “these animals” refer to __________.| A．the animals which are friendly to humans | B．the animals which are harmful to humans |
| C．the animals which are sleeping at night | D．the animals which are busy at night |
| A．the man-made light is bad for the balance of nature |
| B．the small animals use man-made light to hide |
| C．the skies near cities are cleaner at night now |
| D．the rats will always be enough to feed the cats |
| A．In the water. | B．On the beaches. |
| C．By the ocean horizon. | D．Away from the ocean. |
| A．die of illness | B．find their way home | C．get lost easily | D．hit into the planes |
| A．a guidebook | B．a magazine |
| C．a cookbook | D．a diary |
