1 . It is difficult for a teacher to decide whether to allow students to listen to music in the classroom. Every time students need to write an essay or work on a problem, they say, “Can I put my headphones on? I think better that way.” But is that really true? Does music help concentrate?
Research offers little to back up the idea that listening to music improves concentration. In one small study, 133 students performed reading tasks while listening to either light music, hip hop, or no music at all. Students who performed the reading tasks in silence scored the highest. Music with a higher intensity (强度) like hip hop was more distracting and had a bad effect on task performance.
Volume (音量) plays a more important role than the type of music. The study found that the louder the music, the worse the performance in concentration. The type of music didn’t matter. Data from the study showed once again that silence was the best environment to improve concentration.
However, music has a positive effect on work performance. Studies have showed that listening to music leads to positive changes in mood, as well as creativity. In fact, in music-listening cultures, which students are certainly part of, there’s actually a change in mood when the music is taken away.
It’s hard to convince my students that music doesn’t help with their concentration. Taj, a senior told me, “I wouldn’t be able to concentrate if I were listening to music and trying to read. However, when I write, I feel like music helps me concentrate deeply. I don’t have writer’s block. It’s easy for me to put my words on paper.”
“Maybe not with reading, but when it comes to math, listening to music certainly helps,” Danela told me. “You could actually be singing along with what you’re listening to and doing well in math.”
1. What does the underlined word “distracting” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Making it difficult for someone to concentrate. |
| B．Causing great excitement. |
| C．Making someone want to do something. |
| D．Making someone feel frightened. |
| A．Students do well in reading tasks while listening to music. |
| B．Music can’t improve people’s mood and creativity. |
| C．Different types of music lead to different performances. |
| D．The volume of music affects concentration. |
| A．They believe music doesn’t help concentrate. |
| B．They use music to help with their paper-writing. |
| C．They can’t focus on reading while listening to music. |
| D．They don’t listen to music while doing math problems. |
| A．Should Students Listen to Music? | B．Does Music Help Concentration? |
| C．Is Music Related to Reading? | D．Can Music Change Mood? |
2 . Jim Thorpe is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He had amazing athletic abilities and was well-known during his lifetime, yet that did not make Thorpe a stranger to adversity.
Thorpe was an American Indian from Oklahoma who developed his extraordinary athletic skills in his youth through hard labor. It was also in his youth that he learned to endure hardship brought upon by racial prejudice. Many would say his childhood was not easy. He grew up poor and at age 9 his twin brother passed away and a few years later he lost both of his parents.
But that did not stop him from doing what he loved and pursuing his dreams. Nothing seemed to stop him, not even stolen shoes. Just hours before Thorpe was going to compete in the 1912 Olympics, somebody stole his shoes. Thorpe improvised (临时拼凑) by getting shoes out of the garbage. The shoes were two different sizes. He wore an extra pair of socks on one foot to even them out.
He still went on to win two gold medals—winning each event he competed in except for one, the javelin (标枪). The javelin was the only event he didn’t win, probably because he had never competed in that event before. It is interesting to note that Thorpe had tried to throw the javelin once before in the Olympic trials. At the time, he didn’t know that he could throw it with a running start. He threw it standing still and was placed second.
At the Olympics，he also took part in the decathlon (十项全能运动). He finished first in two events, third in four events, and fourth in two more. Thorpe ended up finishing third in the world. He was undoubtedly a dominating force that couldn’t be stopped and just kept on going.
I think Paul Dughi said it best, “It’s hard to imagine now that pro athletes get paid millions of dollars just to wear a particular brand of shoes. For Jim Thorpe, it didn’t matter what kind he wore.”
1. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．The adversity Thorpe met with led to his success. |
| B．Thorpe’s success was no guarantee of a better life. |
| C．Thorpe’s career brought him both gains and losses. |
| D．Thorpe suffered many hardships despite his success. |
| A．To prevent the foot from injury. | B．To make the shoe fit the foot. |
| C．To stop the shoe from being stolen. | D．To show his problem-solving skills. |
| A．Loss of his own sports shoes. | B．A casual attitude towards the event. |
| C．Lack of experience in the event. | D．A shortage of talent for the event. |
| A．Loyal and enthusiastic. | B．Genuine and creative. |
| C．Tough and strong-minded. | D．Selfless and good-tempered. |
3 . Putting more green space around a school may help students develop some mental abilities, a study suggests. Researchers tested students repeatedly over the course of a year on attentiveness (专注力)and working memory, which is the ability to keep something in mind temporarily for performing a task. On the whole, students whose schools were surrounded by more green space improved more than pupils from schools with less green space.
The study tracked more than 2,000 students in 36 primary schools in Barcelona, Spain. The pupils were in the second to fourth grades when the study began. Green space may help mental development by reducing air pollution from vehicles, according to an article by the researchers that included pollution data from the schools. It may also help by reducing noise and encouraging physical activity, researchers said.
Policy makers should know that “more green around the school is better for cognitive development and that they should make sure that kids can see and play in green areas,” one author Mark Nieuwenhuijsen said. “Existing urban schools should think about replacing concrete or other hard surfaces with green space,” he suggested, “and even a few trees may help.”
The researchers used satellite images to group schools according to how much green space appeared on the school grounds and within about 55 yards of the school property. Their analysis showed that differences in socio-economic factors between schools did not account for the study outcome.
Sally Augustin, a psychologist, said the results made sense to her. She said the results fit with previous findings that views of nature help children and adults lower stress and perform mental tasks better.
1. What does the text mainly tell us?| A．Green space makes schools more beautiful. |
| B．Schools are lack of green space for students. |
| C．Students’ mental abilities need to be improved. |
| D．Green space is good for students’ mental abilities. |
| A．Moved. | B．Helped. | C．Followed. | D．Found. |
| A．More trees should be planted for kids. |
| B．Noise should be cleared near the school. |
| C．Kids should be encouraged to play more sports. |
| D．Air pollution should be reduced from vehicles. |
| A．To show a different opinion. |
| B．To introduce another interesting study. |
| C．To present Augustin’s view about the study. |
| D．To make the findings of the study more convincing. |
| A．Health. | B．Education. | C．Nature. | D．Technology. |
4 . Born and raised in Hawaii, I learned to appreciate and respect a diversity of cultures as a member of its very successful Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Most of my classmates stayed in Hawaii for college or went to schools on the West Coast, but I decided to broaden my horizons by attending Purdue University in Indiana. While there, I discovered I was a minority — something I had never experienced back home.
Being a minority for the first time, I felt like an outsider. My ideas, interests and values were constantly considered not as important as my heritage (传统). After sharing an alternate point of view, I would often hear “What do you know? You’re from Hawaii.” These responses eventually made me less enthusiastic about telling people where I was from; I had lost pride in my heritage.
That summer I went home to work for a political non-profit in Honolulu, where I discovered a love for working on laws. Slowly, my pride in my heritage came back. I came to the realization that everyone is raised differently, and the people who had previously thought little of me were so forced on their ideas of where I came from — a remote, beautiful island — that they were ignorant of my culture and the value that other views and opinions can offer.
I returned to Purdue with a newfound love for my background, I decided to share my culture with everyone I could and, after I did, I found people were more willing to hear my ideas. I changed my major to political science and decided I wanted to be a civil servant, with the goal of helping people of Asian American Pacific Islander backgrounds. I strongly believe if more AAPIs are given opportunities to expand their horizons by attending universities across America and the globe, the ignorance will go away and more voices will be heard.
1. Why did the author go to Purdue University?| A．Because she was tired of life in Hawaii. |
| B．Because she wanted to go out and expand her mind. |
| C．Because her classmates chose to study on the West Coast. |
| D．Because she was interested in the variety of cultures there. |
| A．Her ability was challenged. |
| B．Her identity was questioned. |
| C．She was made fun of because of her accent. |
| D．She was laughed at owning to her background. |
| A．Being a lawyer in Indiana. | B．Being a civil servant for AAPIs. |
| C．The work for a political non-profit. | D．Her major to political science. |
| A．Proud. | B．Cautious. | C．Upset. | D．Depressed. |
| A．Live My Minority Life | B．Overcome Culture Shock |
| C．Live with Others’ Pride | D．Fit into a Different Society |
5 . In this first year, the Nature Festival will be celebrating South Australian nature with over 100 events for various ages. It is full of creative ways to get you out and about enjoying all that nature has to offer.
Its 10-day program, starting from 25th September 2023, provides a wide range of both free and ticketed experiences. From “adventure” and “learning” experiences to “slowing down” and “helping out” experiences, there will be something for everyone. Here are just some of the events.
Build-a-Birdbox Workshop
Saturday 26th September @ 9 am
Explore the role of tree hollows and learn how to build a backyard bird box.
Byards Road Wetland Nature by Night
Tuesday 29th September @ 6 pm
Take your torch and discover, on a guided walk, the creatures that come out at night.
For the Love of Trees
Tuesday 29th September @ 12:30 pm
Hear Dr Palph Body share his understanding of artist Hans Heysen.
Grey-headed Flying-fox Bat Ramble
Tuesday 1st October @ 5:45pm
Walking with local bat experts and hear how the grey-headed flying-fox bat came to be in our city.
Coastal Dune Walk
Sunday 4th October @ 9:30am
Walk along the coastline and learn about the working being done at the dunes.
Port River Alive
Sunday 4th October @ 11 am
See a short film about who and what lives in the Port River.
The full Nature Festival program is available on the website https://www.naturefestival.org.au. If you’re interested in any of the experiences above, please register as soon as possible.
1. What do we know about the Nature Festival?| A．It lasts about half a month. |
| B．It welcomes visitors of all ages. |
| C．It requires visitors to pay for their tickets. |
| D．It is held to call on people to protect nature. |
| A．Port River Alive. |
| B．Coastal Dune Walk. |
| C．Build-a-Birdbox Workshop. |
| D．Byards Road Wetland Nature by Night. |
| A．On 1st October. | B．On 4th October. |
| C．On 29th September. | D．On 26th September. |
| A．By seeing a short film. | B．By exploring the role of tree. |
| C．By walking with local bat expert. | D．By taking a torch and discovering. |
| A．Buying a brochure. | B．Reading advertisements. |
| C．Searching online. | D．Booking a magazine. |
6 . Carbon dioxide emissions from transportation are now thought as the top source of green-house gases. One of the most effective ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to reconsider how much, and how often, you travel.
Going car free for a year could save about 2. 6 tons of carbon dioxide, according to a study from the University of British Columbia. How can you stop using a car? Try taking a train, bus or better yet, riding a bike.
But let’s be realistic. You will likely need to use a car this year. So, when you do, here are some tips to make your trip more climate-friendly. Driving efficiently can help to reduce emissions. Go easy on the gas and brakes and drive like you have an egg under your foot. Regularly service your car to keep it more efficient. Keeping your tires pumped correctly can re-duce emissions. Low tire pressure will hurt your fuel economy. Air conditioning and frequent city driving can make emissions go up. So cut down on these as often as possible. Use cruise control (定速巡航) on long drives-in most cases, this can help to save gas. Don’t weigh your car down with extra things that you don’t need on your trip.
Fly often? Taking one fewer long round-trip flight could reduce your personal carbon footprint significantly. If you use public transportation often and fly less, your carbon foot-print might still be relatively sustainable, but if you drive and fly a lot, your emissions will be sigher. If you can’t avoid flying, you can offset them by donating money to sustainable proacts, such as supplying efficient stoves to rural homes, or projects which help farmers deal with crop waste environmentally.
1. What does the author think of going car free?| A．Efficient. | B．Costly. | C．Impractical. | D．Reliable. |
| A．Maintaining your car properly. | B．Using cruise control in the city. |
| C．Stepping hard on the gas and brakes. | D．Geiting rid of all the necessary loads. |
| A．Make up for. | B．Team up with. | C．Set foot in. | D．Put up with. |
| A．How to save fuel when driving cars | B．How to reduce your carbon footprint |
| C．Reduce carbon footprint by all means | D．Lower carbon footprint in transportation |
7 . It was a cold winter. The wind blew all night and the snow was blinding. When morning came, my three children and I got up and made our way to the windows. As we looked out the window, we saw that the henhouse was gone. Our three hens had been blown away.
I looked at the emptiness outside. Then I saw all three chickens sat around the edge of a white bucket. How was this violent wind not blowing them into the field beyond? I quickly pulled on long snow pants and heavy winter coat, wrapped a scarf and stuck my feet into very large boots.
I shouted at the wind as it blew. I was alone, struggling in the snow. They stared out the window into the vast white sea of snow, their eyes peeled for any sign of movement. Outside I heard the sound of my boots as I braved the elements.
The snow circling around me, I steadily made my way to the soft cluck-cluck-cluck sound my hens always made. When I reached them, I saw that their little feet were holding on to the edge of the bucket, heads bent forward and away from the wind. I gently lifted each hen and put it carefully into the warm inside. Then I began the freezing walk back to the small shed directly behind our house. One by one I laid my chickens on the cold floor, and they began to cluck softly.
As I shut the shed doors, my eyes went directly to the window where my children were watching. They jumped up and down cheering, and so did I! I wasn’t some dragon slayer (屠龙者) from a fairy tale. I was simply a mom, but the look on my children’s faces told me that they thought I was a hero mom.
1. What was the author’s feeling when seeing all three chickens sitting around the bucket?| A．unbelievable. | B．frightened. | C．ashamed. | D．confident. |
| A．By shouting at the henhouse. | B．By wearing protective clothes. |
| C．By searching for the white bucket. | D．By following the sound of the hens. |
| A．The author struggled to be a hero. |
| B．The author enjoyed herself in the snow. |
| C．The author’s children liked dragon slayers. |
| D．The children watched their mother all the way. |
| A．Hero in the snow. | B．Hens in trouble. |
| C．Weather in extreme. | D．Kindness in need. |
To: All students
From: Agnes Smith, Secretary of the Computer Club
Date: 8th September
Subject: A New Year for the Computer Club
Welcome back to school. It is a new year for the Computer Club, and there are lots of things to tell you about, so here goes.
First of all, we have redesigned the school website home page. It is now more interesting, and contains information about updates to the school website. You can now click on the right places to see our new school motto, the information about our 25th School Anniversary and a Chinese version. Why not have a look at it, and tell your friends about it, as well? The school website address is http://school.web/wms/index.html.
Secondly, the 15th Joints Schools Computer Exhibition will be held from the 3rd to the 10th of July next year. The theme of the exhibition is ‘Computer Technology 20 Years from Now’. All participating schools must submit a project proposal (方案) by the 28th of April next year. We want our school to participate in the exhibition, and we will prepare a project proposal for the school to submit before the deadline. If you have an idea for a proposal, please e-mail Kevin Shum or Amy Yale.
Finally, the Computer Club will hold a Get-Acquainted lunch on Saturday, the 20th of September, at 12:30 pm in Room 12. We invite you all to the lunch, and we welcome you to come whether you are interested in joining the Computer Club, or you just want to learn something about computers. We look forward to seeing you there!
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?| A．The school has redesigned a new website address. |
| B．The students can see the old school motto on the home page. |
| C．The school will celebrate their anniversary on September 25th. |
| D．The students can read the information in Chinese on the school website. |
| A．Offer a special lunch. | B．Submit a project proposal. |
| C．Redesign a home page. | D．Hold a computer exhibition. |
| A．To report what the Computer Club did last year. |
| B．To tell about the activities of the Computer Club. |
| C．To teach the students how to learn computer well. |
| D．To persuade the students to join the Computer Club. |
9 . Cyndi Decker, a schoolteacher in Florida, had recently taken an art class and made a painting of a huge white bird called an egret (白鹭). Her proud son posted a photograph of Decker on Reddit, shyly holding her painting. Below it he wrote, “My mom painted this and said no one would like it.“
Then Kristoffer Zetterstrand, an artist in Sweden, saw the photo, deciding to pay respect to the teacher by painting Decker holding her painting. He even captured the shy look on her face. Zetterstrand photographed himself holding his painting of Decker holding her painting. He posted the image on Reddit. The caption for his photograph is “I painted somebody’s mom.” Two days later, Amer, a student in Canada, painted a picture of Zetterstrand holding his painting of Decker holding her painting. Her caption read, “I painted the guy who painted the other guy’s mom.” The artist Vince Law was the next to join in. The caption for his photo of his painting is “I painted the girl who painted the guy who painted the other guy’s mom who painted an egret.” Artist Travis Simpson continued the fun.
And it happened again and again and again!
By this time, more than one million people had seen the paintings and pictures of paintings on a number of social media websites. Many artists around the world jumped into the process, many at the same time.
“I was in fear I was going to read a lot of hateful comments. You all have proven me so wrong. I’m assuming most of you could be my kids, and you all get an unjust accusation in this world. You all are caring and a ton of fun! Thanks for uplifting me! You all have inspired me instead,” she wrote on Reddit.
1. How did people join in the painting?| A．By painting the same bird. |
| B．By means of sharing painting process. |
| C．By organizing voluntary painters on the Internet. |
| D．By painting the photo posted by the previous painter. |
| A．Considerate and entertaining. | B．Ambitious and patient. |
| C．Demanding and stubborn. | D．Caring and funny. |
| A．She was afraid of her painting skill. |
| B．Most of kids like non-photorealistic art form. |
| C．There exists language violence on the Internet. |
| D．She was instructed by the professionals. |
| A．The Social Media Changed a Woman Art-lover. |
| B．One Painting Started a Worldwide Painting Party. |
| C．How the Painters Reacted to a Kid’s Hope. |
| D．How a Woman Won the Respect of People. |
10 . Being blind is hard. But things were even harder for those disabled kids who were born in a small village in India, where most people thought that kids with disabilities were useless. Srikanth Bolla was one of them. Luckily, Srikanth’s parents loved their son and refused to give in to social pressure. They encouraged the blind boy to reach for the stars.
Srikanth didn’t disappoint his parents. The 24-year-old young man is the founder and CEO of Bollant Industries, a successful company that makes environmentally friendly packaging.
Of course, getting here wasn’t easy. As a young boy, Srikanth went to a regular school. But the students and teachers there didn’t accept his disability. As a result, the young boy often was largely ignored.
Worried about Srikanth’s study, his parents finally sent him to a special needs school. The young boy soon rose to the top of his class, but he was not allowed to study sciences, because it was believed too dangerous for a blind student. This was a big setback since it meant that he couldn’t take the entrance exams for any of India’s top engineering colleges to realize his dream.
Not one to give up, Srikanth managed to study in the University of Cambridge in the UK. After graduating with a degree in computer science and business management, Srikanth decided to return to India and devoted himself to helping the country’s disabled people.
In 2012, he built Bollant Industries. In just four years, Bollant Industries has become a success with over 450 workers, 70% of whom are physically disabled.
Srikanth owes his success to his parents. Though being poor and uneducated, they encouraged Srikanth to realize his dreams and taught him that true happiness comes from helping others.
1. Why do the disabled kids in the small village lead a difficult life?| A．They are often looked down upon. |
| B．They can do nothing for society. |
| C．Their parents are too poor to support them. |
| D．They have no chance to realize their dreams. |
| A．He was the top of his class. |
| B．He made no friends and felt lonely. |
| C．He wasn’t allowed to learn science. |
| D．He was encouraged to start his own business. |
| A．Support. | B．Difficulty. |
| C．Fault. | D．Chance. |
| A．He builds schools for them. |
| B．He supports them to study aboard. |
| C．He lets them manage his company. |
| D．He provides job opportunities for them. |
