Once upon a time, there was an old man who couldn't read or write. When he was little, his family was so poor that he couldn't attend school. But he always dreamed of being able to read.
One day, he took his seven-year-old grandson to school.
Since he didn't have anything to do that day, he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he stood outside his grandson's classroom and looked in through the window.
The kids' teacher, who was an old man in his fifties, entered the classroom when the class began. The teacher was wearing thick glasses. He started teaching. Through watching him, the old man found something interesting, He noticed that the teacher could read nothing without putting his glasses on. As soon as he put on his glasses, he could read very well.
“How amazing! said the old man to himself.
He waited outside the classroom until the class was over and stopped the teacher.
“Excuse me, sir," said the old man to the teacher.
“Yes?” said the teacher.
“I noticed something amazing. You can't read without the glasses, right?" said the old man.
"Yes, that's true. I can read nothing without them," replied the teacher.
"But you can read once you put them on, can't you?" asked the old man.
"Yes, that's true, too," replied the teacher, wondering why the old man was asking such strange questions.
The teacher looked at the old man, who left in a hurry with a big smile on his face.
The old man, who was extremely happy, decided to go to town to find an eyeglasses store. After being unable to read so many years, he finally found an easy way to read, which cheered him up. He realized what he needed to read was just a pair of glasses.
"I can finally read,” said the old man to himself when walking to the town.
Finally, the man arrived at the town. He looked around and soon found a store with glasses in it, The man happily entered the store.
Paragraph 1:
After the old man entered the store, the store owner greeted him.
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Paragraph 2:
The store owner, thinking the old man didn't like that pair, picked another pair far him.
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2 . The view from the top of Marina Bay Sands, a giant hotel, mall and casino, takes in the skyscrapers of Singapore, the fleets of ships entering and leaving the city's ports, the scattered tropical islands of the Singapore Strait and the crowds of soggy but determined selfie- takers trying to capture a perfect image of it all from the enormous infinity pool. Among the celebrities the hotel has lured (吸引) for a damp snap are Jing Boran and Fu Xinbo, Chinese film and music stars. China Daily, a Chinese state-owned newspaper, has declared the spot the eighth most romantic in the world. The place displays itself all over Chinese social media and offers special discounts and packages to visitors from China.
Such spin is increasingly important. Last year, for the first time, China was the biggest source of tourists to Singapore, accounting for 3. 2m of its 17. 4m visitors. Between January and September alone they spent more than $3bn ($ 2.3bn).
All across South-East Asia， tourism is booming. The number of visitors jumped by 49% between 2010 and 2015， to more than 109m. Tourism in Asia and the Pacific is growing faster than anywhere else in the world. The region receives a quarter of the world's holidaymakers (Europe’s share is still a half).
South-East Asia’s Edenic islands, ancient temples and delicious food are strong enticements (诱惑，怂恿). Visitors also flock to countries with cheap currencies: the weakness of the ringgit last year helped draw visitors to Malaysia, for example. Many countries in the region depend on the cash: tourism accounts for about 28% of Cambodia’s GDP and more than 20% of Thailand’s.
The most remarkable growth has been in tourists from China. The number visiting South-East Asia has increased fivefold over the past decade. Newly wealthy Chinese spent almost $ 26lbn travelling abroad in 2016, up from $73bn in 2011.
Indonesia, for one, has relaxed its visa rules to attract more of them. More seats on cheap flights have also helped pull in tourists: between 2013 and 2016 the number available each week on flights to South East Asia from China increased from 92,000 to 188,500.
But for the frenzied holidaying to continue to grow, infrastructure must improve, reckons Paul Yong of DBS, a Singaporean bank. Airports in places such as Manila and Jakarta are crumbling and surrounded by snaking traffic. Plans are afoot to increase annual capacity at Bangkok’s airports by tens of millions over the next four years. Hanoi’s Noi Bai will be expanded at a cost of $5.5bn to accommodate 35m passengers by 2020. Airports in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are to be upgraded too.
Other threats to thriving tourism are far harder to plan around, Travel operators tremble at the thought of economic downturns, volcanic eruptions and epidemic diseases. The head of one luxury holiday company says the regional outbreak of SARS, a respiratory disease, more than 15 years ago almost brought the industry to its knees. Political spats between China and its neighbours are another problem. So too is the manner in which Chinese visitors have been vilified in the region for snaffling prawns at buffets, barging into queues and misbehaving on planes. It makes many of them feel unwanted. But given that just 135m of China's 1. 4bn people have ever travelled abroad, South East Asian countries should prepare to welcome many more Chinese — even when they clog up the infinity pool.
1. What can Marina Bay Sands be defined as?| A．A base for making films and musicals. |
| B．A complex for consumption and recreation. |
| C．A romantic spot for newly-married couples. |
| D．A financial center for international businessmen. |
| A．Locals. | B．Chinese. | C．Singaporeans. | D．Europeans. |
| A．The convenient transportation. |
| B．The improvement of local security. |
| C．The relatively economical prices. |
| D．The extreme poorness in that region. |
| A．The rise of Chinese financial capacity. |
| B．The strong desire to consume in cash. |
| C．Various preferential treatments in that region. |
| D．Rich resources of tourism in these countries. |
| A．To upgrade their basic facilities. |
| B．To advertise their quality service. |
| C．To weaken their cheap currencies. |
| D．To slow down the growth in tourism. |
| A．They should mind their manners. |
| B．They should handle political conflicts. |
| C．They should prevent epidemic diseases. |
| D．They should avoid natural disasters. |
It was a rainy November morning. Overcome with anger I knew if I didn’t leave the house soon I would lose my temper with my husband, Joe. As rain came down in sheets, Joe offered to take me to work. I struggled into my jacket, seized my bag and teaching plans and ignored him.
He insisted and reached for his boots. I looked at the piles of newspapers and the dirty dishes still on the table. “Don’t you have enough to do？I can take care of myself.” I stormed out, not even kissing him good-bye. Joe shouted after me not to take the shortcut.
Joe and I had been eagerly looking forward to our retirement when heart a attack that past spring forced him to leave his job earlier than we had planned. As the medical bills mounted we realized I would have to continue working full-time while Joe stayed home and took over the housework.
The new arrangement was a disaster. Exhausted after a day of full work, all I wanted was hot homecooked meal and a good night’s sleep. However, what greeted me at the table was a microwave package. Sometimes he would serve oatmeal for several nights in a row. One night when I dragged myself to bed, I was terrified to discover Joe had turned our white sheets blue: He told me he had found out how to save on water, soap and electricity. He patted his blue trousers and announced proudly washing everything together was just the secret.
Ten minutes later, ignoring Joe’s warning I turned off the main route. I thought it hadn’t rained enough to flood the road, but as I rounded the corner water rushed across my path. After a few feet, the car got stuck. I opened the door and water poured in. I hurriedly closed the door. I couldn’t risk walking in this. Almost 20 minutes passed. The car began to shake. I got frightened to death when I heard three long honks.
注意：
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4.续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
Looking over my shoulder, I stared into the flashing lights of a truck.
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Paragraph 2:
I screamed that I couldn’t make it.
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Sally had trouble speaking in social situations. I’m a registered nurse and I love kids and dogs. I wanted to use Bella to bring her joy, comfort and confidence the way only a dog can.
That morning in January, her teacher led us to a room by the school office. “Sally hasn’t spoken outside her home in two years,” she told me. “Her parents have taken her to doctors, but nothing has worked.” A little girl stood shyly just inside the doorway. Her eyes brightened when noticing my dog.
“This is Isabella Rose. I call her Bella,” I said. “Would you like to pet her? She doesn’t know anyone here and she’d like to meet you. She does tricks. Would you like to see?”
Sally nodded. I motioned with my hand. Bella lay down and then rolled over. Sally’s eyes cheered up. “She’ll do it for you too,” I said. “I can teach you.”
I showed Sally the hand signals for various commands. She was a natural with Bella. Soon Sally was able to take Bella at her pace all on her own. I could see her standing taller, more sure of herself each time we met.
One morning, when she was working with Bella, I heard a tiny voice, barely a whisper: “Good dog.” Sally didn’t take her eyes off Bella, but I wanted to jump for joy. Sally spoke a little more each week, only to Bella at first, but then to me. Later, she started giving voice commands with her hand signals and her confidence rose. Still, she hadn’t spoken in her classroom.
“Could you bring Bella to my class and show the other kids her tricks?” Sally asked me one day. An idea struck me. “Why don’t you do it?” I said. “I know you can. You’re as good with Bella as I am.” Now, Sally stood nervously in front of her kindergarten class, with Bella sitting calmly by her side. Her classmates focused on Sally, waiting for her to speak.
注意:
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4.续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
But not a word came out.
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Paragraph 2:
The next week, she told me she wanted to try again, looking up at me with determination.
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5 . Her eyes fell to the box, and I removed the covers so we could view the contents. Her hands lifted a handful of buttons before slowly
I pulled out a large, dark brass
As we
Pulling a small key from the box， I heard the
More items like a Sunday school pin， snaps and ruby buttons took her
| A．falling | B．dropping | C．sinking | D．reaching |
| A．of | B．as | C．for | D．with |
| A．pearl-buttoned | B．single-buttoned | C．flower-buttoned | D．mouse-buttoned |
| A．after | B．while | C．before | D．when |
| A．commercial | B．fantastic | C．delicate | D．military |
| A．warn | B．remind | C．inform | D．rid |
| A．sound | B．punctual | C．alive | D．safe |
| A．death | B．retirement | C．return | D．arrival |
| A．the problem | B．the matter | C．the way | D．the things |
| A．made up for | B．took charge of | C．took control of | D．looked out for |
| A．went for | B．went through | C．went ahead | D．went out |
| A．ranging from | B．dating from | C．differing from | D．separating from |
| A．observed | B．tested | C．bore | D．stood |
| A．judgment | B．impression | C．effect | D．comment |
| A．sharp | B．large | C．high | D．good |
| A．rolled | B．shone | C．lit | D．lowered |
| A．his | B．its | C．theirs | D．hers |
| A．back | B．further | C．on | D．away |
| A．just as | B．as if | C．even though | D．so that |
| A．carry | B．allow | C．forbid | D．pull |
6 . Exams never made me break out in a nervous sweat with tears threatening to ruin my already-trembling façade — but this one did. Even booking my piano exam reduced me to a blubbering mess of anxiety.
I feel permanently scarred inside churches — no longer admiring their beauty because, over the years, I have received such terrible marks from examiners hiding behind the stained-glass partitions. Despite being 15 — too old, too cool to be frightened — I remember trembling inside the bathroom stalls before my tests. I wished I never had to play in front of others.
But this time, after booking my Level 8 Royal Conservatory of Music piano exam, I went back to my normal routine. A little practice here, a little practice there. And then it happened.
My trusty, 10-year-old electric piano gave out. Middle C started to sound like an F-sharp and all other keys sounded like they were a fourth above their natural tone. Thankfully, my precious, boredom-saving buttons still worked. I could still change my piano’s settings from “piano” to “harpsichord .” I admit, it was a lot of fun banging on my wacky keys. Each note bonged like the sound on children’s TV shows when a character repeatedly runs into a wall.
Goofiness aside, I had to get my act together. I hated practicing but I really wanted a good mark. When I told my father what had happened to my piano, he only glared at me with disappointment, “When I was your age, I learned to be resourceful.”
Hmm. I had a broken piano, an exam coming up in a few months and a father who refused to buy me a new piano because he wanted to teach me a “life lesson”. I finally came upon a decision: I’d practice at school.
Going to a private school had to have its benefits, so I looked for a place to play. The school had many pianos but only a few in tune. Within a few days of searching, my piano books, my artistic best friend and I headed off to a music room at every available opportunity.
I loved finding new pianos in hidden corners of the school and I laughed at the dusty old historic pianos. They really had character. I spent hours in those music rooms while my friend honed her art skills in sketching and drawing. She suffered through my annoying, repetitive scales while I looked over my shoulder once in a while and admired her work. Not only did I become a better musician, but I also managed to gain a few subpar skills as an art critic.
As my exam drew close, all the music teachers knew to look for me in the piano rooms during recess, after school and late on Fridays. In anticipation of my assessment, one of my music teachers let me perform for her as a mini practice exam. To my surprise, she was greatly impressed.
Within a few months I went from not caring about my playing to feeling actually, maybe, kind of proud of my work. And over countless hours spent in my favorite, soundproof music room, I discovered that behind the piano, I could become anyone. Talking to other people never came easy to me, but I was able to express myself through music. I became overjoyed. It was like I had developed a sixth sense, one that only musicians could understand.
When I played, my worries about what others thought of me and how I viewed myself merged to reveal who I really am. All my adolescent musings made me feel like I was in a cage, but music gave me the key. Sitting behind a piano and creating music combined the movement of my body and the inner workings of my heart.
Music had never been the love of my life but that was changing. I loved the idea of being on a stage and creating something for others to enjoy and remember. Actually, it wasn’t a something, but rather a feeling that the audience would carry outside into a world where music wasn’t the only thing that people cared for.
When the time came to play in front of an examiner, instead of fearing my judge, I feared nothing but being unable to represent all my hard work. All the anxiety I had about going up on stage dimmed, and when the lights went on, all I could think about was the marvellous journey I’d had to get here. Trilling the keys reminded me of when I’d spent nearly two hours alone in a music room, more content than I had been anywhere else. Playing the melody reminded me of the bittersweet music experiences of past years.
Many days later, I received my mark. Not only did I earn a rarely mentioned “well done” and an 82 per cent, I had rewritten what music meant to me.
Now whenever I get caught up in the daily struggle, I remember the hard work that it took to reach my goal. Whenever I feel discouraged, I never forget to look at the gleaming keys of my new upright piano. As my father always says, some lessons are just learned the hard way.
1. What made the author so stressful inside churches these years?| A．The religious atmosphere. | B．The artistic performance. |
| C．The horrible surroundings. | D．Her colorful fantasy. |
| A．The author’s family was too poor to afford a new piano. |
| B．The father was quite angry about the author’s bad behavior. |
| C．The author showed great dissatisfaction about her father. |
| D．The father wanted the author to address the problem independently. |
| A．mixed | B．separated | C．interacted | D．exploited |
| A．Her good friend accompanied her to get through hard time. |
| B．Her teachers treated her much better than before. |
| C．Her family supported her quite well. |
| D．Her own understanding of musical value. |
| A．Nervous — disappointed — angry — calm |
| B．Curious — frustrated — hopeful — grateful |
| C．Frightened — indifferent — passionate — proud |
| D．Depressed — satisfied — disappointed — peaceful |
| A．An important Music Test |
| B．A Hard but Enjoyable Life |
| C．The Key to Happiness |
| D．My Favourite Piano |
7 . Editor’s note: Believe it or not, children’s homework is making their parents ill. One parent suffered a heart attack because of the stress of helping their child with homework, according to a post on Sina Weibo. Who is to blame for the parent’s heart attack?
Li Haonan,16:
I think the student should be responsible for this tragedy. As we students grow older, we should be more independent than we used to be. We can take good care of ourselves. Doing homework with the help of our parents sounds unreasonable. It’s obvious that we can finish it alone. So it’s the student’s dependence that leads to such a sad story.
WangKerui,16:
In my opinion, there’s a connection between this sad incident and school. Homework gives students a chance to examine the knowledge they’ve got. However, school always gives us tons of homework at once. If we have problems, we will turn to our parents for help. When our parents are very busy, they will get angry.
Zhou Xueyao,17:
I think parents themselves are to blame. They always put great pressure on their children, which has bad effects on both parents and children. They should take it easy and let their children do their homework by themselves.
【写作内容】
1. 用约 30 个单词概述上文中的主要内容；
2. 分析引起那位家长心脏不适的原因可能会是什么；
3. 谈谈你对这一现象的看法, 并提出解决方法。
【写作要求】
1. 写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
【评分标准】
内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。
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These days, people
9 . A scientist
Now the question is why the monkey was unable to understand
| A．kept | B．rose | C．fed | D．caught |
| A．moving | B．removed | C．discovered | D．covered |
| A．happily | B．anxiously | C．hurriedly | D．instantly |
| A．suddenly | B．accidentally | C．occasionally | D．quickly |
| A．as | B．that | C．what | D．until |
| A．But | B．When | C．Therefore | D．Thus |
| A．directions | B．explanations | C．performances | D．instructions |
| A．effort | B．strength | C．power | D．force |
| A．expecting | B．interesting | C．satisfying | D．desired |
| A．what | B．how | C．why | D．which |
| A．Probably | B．Likely | C．Simply | D．Nearly |
| A．put | B．send | C．pay | D．shift |
| A．gesture | B．mouth | C．hand | D．eye |
| A．taken away | B．taken off | C．taken over | D．taken on |
| A．that | B．the | C．those | D．this |
10 . To move visual technology into the future, sometimes it helps to make a little noise. Researchers have used sound waves to produce floating 3-D images, create a sense of touch and even supply a soundtrack.
Since the 1940s, scientists have toyed with the concept of acoustic levitation(声悬浮), the use of soundwave vibrations to trap tiny things in midair. The technology has gained greater capabilities in the past decade. Some researchers believe this improvement could lead to applications such as contributing to novel 3-D printing methods, or creating displays that would be visible from any angle without requiring a screen.
Other researchers have also worked on visual displays that use acoustic levitation. In addition to visuals, the system can also produce audible noise to give the display a soundtrack. And the ultrasound speakers can also concentrate vibrations in one spot so that a finger might feel a sense pushing back—a little like the object shown by the floating image is really there. Soundwaves create a 3-D display!
Display without a screen is remarkably useful. It means that everybody in the room can see the image—any angle, location—and that’s extremely helpful. As a communications system, such a display might one day allow users to chat with a 3-D projection(投影) of a person who can turn his or her head to follow as they move around a room.
The display will require a lot more work before you can install it in your living room, however. So far, this has been done in the research laboratory. We need to push it a little bit harder. We need to do more analysis to see if it would make sense to create a real display that people would have at home. The current system can only show simple graphics, such as a smiley face or figure eight, in real time.
Still, we are optimistic about the potential for this type of technology. If the system had only one speaker-covered surface instead of two, it could generate images that are bigger than the device itself. We can’t make a TV image that’s bigger than the TV—even a projector has to have a projection screen that’s bigger than the image itself. But with a volumetric(容积的) display, a small, portable device might produce a much larger picture. We can imagine, in the future, having volumetric displays in watches, for example, that create large images that just project out of your watch.
1. From the first two paragraphs soundwave vibrations can be used to _________.| A．catch very small objects in midair |
| B．develop 3-D printer’s capabilities |
| C．replace a creative display screen |
| D．compose soundtracks by making no noise |
| A．It has resulted in visual technology. |
| B．It is possible to see the image from any direction. |
| C．It is already ripe to create a real one at home. |
| D．It has yet to be tested in the research laboratory. |
| A．Outlooks for the new technology. |
| B．Situations of the modern technology. |
| C．Praise for the cutting-edge technology. |
| D．Room for the technical improvement. |
| A．Hearing Is Seeing—Sound Waves Create a 3-D Display |
| B．Seeing is Believing—3-D Printing Methods Arrive |
| C．Advancing Sense of Touch—3-D Images Float in the Air |
| D．Promoting TV Technology—Chat with 3-D Projections |
