1 . J. K. Rowling frequently shows there is magic every day. Her Harry Potter series has helped people through times of stress and depression and she is always there to deliver wise words of encouragement.
She is one celebrity who is very active on Twitter. So when a single dad named Matt Burke sent her a message thanking her for the series, she noticed. Her series had helped strengthen his relationship with his 9yearold daughter Bailey.
He included a link to his article titled Being a Broke Parent. He explained how he hadn’t found a level of financial stability that allowed him to pay bills on time and take his daughter on more activities and events. The family also doesn’t have the Internet or TV, which means there’s no “digital babysitter” and he has to rely on his own creative ways to bond with his daughter. Since he received the series, the main thing that has occupied them these days is reading books together.
Burke admits that he thought he was “too cool” for the books when they first came out and he was in his twenties, but he’s loving reading them now. “We switch off chapter by chapter reading them out loud，“Burke explains.” This not only allows her to get more used to reading aloud in front of someone, but it gets me directly involved in something she loves, and it gives me the chance to be very dramatic when I read my chapters and bring myself into the characters in the book, which has proven to be a ton of fun.”
After hearing Burke’s story, Rowling said how honored she was when Harry Potter was a part of his family’s life and offered Burke more books. Besides, people are also offering to send Burke more books as gifts. For Burke, this experience, far more than gifts, will be what he treasures.
1. Why did Burke thank J. K. Rowling according to the text?| A．She guided him how to write a good story. |
| B．She encouraged him when he was in trouble. |
| C．Her books helped him through times of confusion. |
| D．Her books helped him improve his bond with his daughter. |
| A．He has found it interesting to read the series. | B．He was too old to understand the series better. |
| C．He has chosen a better way of reading the series. | D．He hopes to play a role in the drama in the future. |
| A．Useless. | B．Normal. | C．Valuable. | D．Boring. |
| A．J. K. Rowling chooses to help improve kids’ health. |
| B．J. K. Rowling gives a magical gift to a single father. |
| C．J. K. Rowling has a deep influence on others’ growth. |
| D．Burke comes to know J. K. Rowling through her series. |
Hongbao is commonly seen across China. But what are these little red
注意：1. 词数80左右；2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：the Spring Festival Gala春节晚会；lunar农历；couplets春联
Dear Peter,
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Yours,
Li Hua
4 . Gorillas (大猩猩) in films such as King Kong and Tarzan are wildly beating their chests when under threat. Researchers have tried to find out what the behavior might mean, and they doubt that the gorillas exhibit this behavior not to start fights, but to prevent themselves — and chest-beating could be used to advertise their body size to other gorillas.
Scientists observed 25 wild male mountain gorillas for over 3,000 hours. The research team used audio (音频) equipment to record the sound frequency, rate, duration, and amount of chest beats. To determine each gorilla’s size, the researchers used cameras to photograph and measure each gorilla’s back.
Although the rate, duration, and amount of beats did not correlate with the size of the gorillas, sound frequency did , the researchers report. The team also noticed that larger gorillas produced deeper-tone chest drumming. Previous research has shown that a gorilla’s larger body size is linked to reproductive success and social rank. The chest-beating could be a way for the gorillas to advertise their size to others and, in turn, avoid fights that could result in serious injury or death.
Though gorillas can obviously observe size just by getting a good look at others, the researchers suggest chest beating is copper-bottomed when trying to communicate through a thick forest. The sounds gorillas created by beating their chests are powerful enough to travel long distance through thick forests and signal others their size and fighting ability.
Animal expert Anna Nekaris says it would be interesting to see if smaller gorillas can imitate the deep tones of larger ones in future studies. Nekaris says, “For now, the researchers will continue to study chest-beating to see if the action can pass on other information, such as dominance rank, sex, and individual identity, to nearby gorillas.”
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about according to the research?| A．Its findings. | B．Its purpose. | C．Its samples. | D．Its method. |
| A．To declare war on other gorillas. | B．To frighten other gorillas away. |
| C．To welcome their companions. | D．To celebrate their victory in a fight. |
| A．If smaller gorillas can make deep-toned chest drumming. |
| B．If gorillas’ chest-beating contains other information. |
| C．If larger gorillas are better at using their body influence. |
| D．If gorillas have other communication skills. |
| A．Health. | B．Entertainment. | C．Science. | D．Sports. |
Among the many arts in China are the performing arts. Like paintings, sculptures, carvings and other physical arts, the performing arts in China have a long history. The performing arts range from martial arts like kung fu
The performing arts in China date back to ancient times
The performing arts
Chinese art has
6 . Larry and I have always had our basic values in common, but our interests are as far apart as opera and basketball. I love art, and he is a huge sports fan. His big passion is seeing basketball games. He has been sharing season tickets with his friends for years. I must admit I’ve been always invited to see the games together.
This morning, I called my brother, Larry, and said, “I have a piece of good news and a piece of bad news. Which do you want to hear first?” “Good news first,” Larry answered. “You can go to sleep early tonight,” I said. “Okay. What’s the bad one?” he asked. “We’re going to the opera!” I answered, laughing loudly.
There was a reason for the joke. The last time I invited him to go to the opera, he fell asleep in the theater. I had to admit it was always boring for him, but when I gave him a ticket for my favorite opera, I really thought he might enjoy it. I woke him up, but soon he fell asleep again. When Larry found I was joking, he breathed a sigh of relief on the other end. He said, “But I want you to go to see the last basketball game this autumn with me.” I promised and complained, “Not again!” Actually, most of the time, when the game was on, I’d be texting or daydreaming. Sometimes, my telephone messages would be interrupted when the home team scored. I knew they scored because everyone jumped up and exchanged high- fives and fist bumps.
However, today, as I looked around at thousands of people cheering and getting increasingly excited, I decided to at least give it a try—for my brother’s sake, if not for my own. The game was intense, and I was fascinated soon. When the other team scored, I eventually felt a bit disappointed with the rest of my crowd. My brother was surprised to see me getting involved. I was astonished myself! I didn’t keep glancing at the clock, counting the minutes until we got out. Time flew. The game was over before I knew it.
1. Why does the author quote his conversation with Larry in paragraph 2?| A．To show their common values. | B．To show their sense of humour. |
| C．To show the trust between them. | D．To show the difference in their interests. |
| A．He was casual about it. | B．He was pleased to watch it. |
| C．He felt puzzled about it. | D．He was curious about it. |
| A．Bored. | B．Disappointed. | C．Addicted. | D．Satisfied. |
| A．Art and Sport | B．From Opera to Basketball |
| C．Cheering for the Home Team | D．Developing a Passion for Opera |
1. What does the woman think of Cape Town?
| A．Modern. | B．Safe. | C．Crowded. |
| A．His passport. | B．His traveler’s check. | C．His car keys. |
| A．A travel agent. | B．A hotel clerk. | C．A customs officer. |
| A．Drive around the poor areas. |
| B．Take a boat to Robben Island. |
| C．Buy some pills from a drugstore. |
| A．The concert is put off. |
| B．The man got tickets at last. |
| C．The woman should go to the concert as well. |
| A．Hong Kong. | B．Tokyo. | C．Seoul. |
10 . It takes a lot of courage to make a painting or drawing. All your skills, or lack of them, are plain to see and open to praise or criticism. It’s hard and takes persistent courage to keep going when things are not going your way.
Everyone knows that it is a good thing to practice drawing and painting every day.
If you produce frequent small-scale paintings, you will learn much faster.
It is likely that the paintings which inspire you will have qualities that you feel are lacking from your own.
| A．However, how many of us actually do it? |
| B．Produce works that are in line with people’s taste. |
| C．It’s a good idea to start by defining a clear achievable goal. |
| D．In this way, you clearly know what you like and what you don’t. |
| E．Imagine how much more you can learn from ten paintings than one. |
| F．Drawing has many benefits and can improve our lives in a variety of ways. |
| G．Besides, while learning, you will naturally seek out new artists and artworks. |
