3 . Once I told someone I wanted to get a master’s degree of fine arts in creative writing and they told me it was the second-to-worst post-graduation plan they’d ever heard from a student. Arts degrees—especially fine arts degrees, which usually come in the form of music, studio art, creative writing and theater—have been, over the years, labeled useless.

It’s true that for the most part, STEM degrees lead to higher paying jobs than liberal and fine arts degrees, and it’s understandable why young people care about a higher starting salary and financial security. Student loan debt is playing a role in the physical and mental stress of young people.

And while STEM majors usually have starting salaries that are $20,000 higher than those of liberal arts majors, by the time people reach the age of 40, the salaries between those who majored in the liberal arts and those who majored in STEM are virtually the same. For example, women who major in STEM earned nearly 50% more than social science and history majors at ages 23-25, but only 10% more by ages 38-40, a New York Times analysis reported. So even in terms of salary, which doesn’t solely determine whether or not a degree is useful, liberal arts degrees aren’t all that far behind STEM.

It seems too that since people nowadays are going to have to work longer, it’s more important than ever that we actually like and care about what we’re doing. Pursuing something enjoyable, or else a passion, is continuously found to be a key factor in maintaining healthy relationships, mental health, physical health and energy. In other words, not useless.

Art is also a method of communication. It allows people from different backgrounds, from different walks of life to communicate with each other. In a world where borders and division seem to be all over the place, we need art more than ever. We need liberal arts majors. And more than anything, we need to be able to pursue what we love with confidence, and we need to not get caught up in the ”usefulness“ of what we love.

And just because someone’s primary job isn’t in their field of study—a writer who teaches high school for example—doesn’t make the degree useless. It just means that their way of finding a stable income is different. The same goes for artists who have to work multiple jobs to support themselves. They might have to find other means of supporting themselves and their artistry. It might be copy editing or it might be tutoring,

So I am going to graduate school, and I am going to graduate school for writing. I might be paying rent by way of overnight restaurant shifts—there’s so much I’m not sure of. But one thing I am sure of is this—I would rather be a writer working two jobs to pay my bills than be no writer at all.

1. A New York Times analysis report is mentioned in Paragraph 3 to           .

A．analyse the potential value of different majors

B．put forward the opinion on majors by example

C．prove the argument against arts degrees wrong

D．demonstrate the link between majors and incomes

2. Why does the author think learning arts is useful?

A．Following one’s dream of arts keeps one in good condition.

B．Doing what one loves builds up one’s self-confidence in arts.

C．Mastering arts improves one’s understanding of different jobs.

D．Developing a love for arts helps one maintain passion for work

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Students learning arts are more concerned about the value of life.

B．People tend to place income in the first place when choosing majors.

C．The man who doesn’t love his work won’t stick with the job for long.

D．Graduates can find a broader space of development in the field of arts.

4 . Amsterdam Destination Guide

Amsterdam is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, famous for its beautiful canals, top art museums, cycling culture and so on. It is the capital and most populous city in the Netherlands and often referred to as the “Venice of the North” because of its expansive system of bridges and canals. Here are some of the key points to remember as you plan your trip to Amsterdam.

Boom Season	Population	Language(s)	Currency	January Climate	July Climate
May to October	813,562	Dutch	Euro	Average high: 5.8℃	Average high: 22.0℃

Must-See Attractions

Most visitors begin their Amsterdam adventure in the Old Centre, which is full of traditional architecture, shopping centers, and coffee shops. You’ll also want to check out Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter in the South District, which is great for shopping at the Albert Cnyp Market and having a picnic in the Vondelpark. The top museums to visit there are the Rijksmusuem, the Ann Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum.

If You Have Time

There are several other unique districts in Amsterdam, and you should try to explore as many of them as time allows. The Canal Ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was originally built to attract wealthy home owners and is a center for celebrity spotting and nightlife today. The Plantage area has most of the city’s museums, including the Jewish Historical Museum, the Scheepvaart Museum, and the botanical gardens.

Money Saving Tips

●Unless you really want to see the tulips blooming, avoid booking between mid-March and mid-May. This is when hotel and flight prices rise.

●Look for accommodations in Amsterdam’s South District, where rates are generally cheaper than in the city center.

●Buy train tickets at the machine instead of the counter to save a bit of money.

●Instead of hiring a tour guide, hop on a canal boat. They’re inexpensive and will give you a unique point of view of the city,

Check out our homepage to view price comparisons for flights, hotels, and rental cars before you book.

1. What can be learned about Amsterdam from this passage?

A．Amsterdam is called the “Venice of the North” because of its location.

B．The Van Gogh Museum lies in Amsterdam’s Museum Quarter.

C．The Old Centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

D．The Canal Ring is a place to attract garden lovers.

2. In order to save money in Amsterdam, you can           .

A．arrange a guided canal tour

B．buy train tickets at the counter

C．reserve a hotel in the South District

D．book flights between mid-March and mid-May

3. Where is the passage most probably taken from?

A．A magazine.

B．An essay.

C．A report.

D．A website.

5 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空，在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Shakespeare and Company is an English-language bookshop in the heart of Paris. It    1    (be) a meeting place for writers and readers for almost seventy years. In 1951, a bookshop named Le Mistral was opened by George-Whitman. In 1964, it was renamed Shakespeare and Company    2    honor of a bookseller he admired, Sylvia Beach, who founded the original Shakespeare and Company. Beach’s bookstore had been a gathering place for great writers of the time, including Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Pound. From the first day, writers, artists, and intellectuals were invited    3    (sleep) for free among the shelves.

8 . When I was 13 my only purpose was to become the star on our football team. That meant________Miller King, who was the best player at our school.

Football season started in September and all summer long I worked out. I carried my football everywhere for________.

Just before September, Miller was struck by a car and lost his right arm. I went to see him after he came back from hospital. He looked very pale, but he didn’t cry.

That season, I________all of Miller’s records while he watched the home games from the bench. We went 10-1 and I was named the most valuable player, but I often had crazy dreams in which I was to blame for Miller’s accident.

One afternoon, I was crossing the field to go home and saw Miller________going over a fence — which wasn’t hard to climb if you had both arms. I’m sure I was the last person in the world he wanted to accept________from. But even that challenge he accepted. I helped him move slowly over the fence. When we were finally________on the other side, he said to me, “You know, I didn’t tell you this during the season, but you did________. Thank you for filling in for me.”

His words freed me from my bad________. I thought to myself, how even without an arm he was more of a leader. Damaged but not defeated, he was still ahead of me. I was right to have________him. From that day on, I grew________and a little more real.

1.

A．cheering for

B．beating out

C．relying on

D．staying with

2.

A．practice

B．show

C．comfort

D．pleasure

3.

A．held

B．broke

C．set

D．tried

4.

A．stuck

B．hurt

C．tried

D．lost

5.

A．praise

B．advice

C．assistance

D．apology

6.

A．dropped

B．ready

C．trapped

D．safe

7.

A．fine

B．right

C．quickly

D．normally

8.

A．memories

B．ideas

C．attitudes

D．dreams

9.

A．challenged

B．cured

C．invited

D．admired

10.

A．healthier

B．bigger

C．cleverer

D．cooler

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。

1. What seems to be the woman’s problem?

A．She didn’t feel well.

B．She lost her wallet.

C．Her car broke down.

2. Where is the woman going now?

A．To the hospital.

B．To her home.

C．To a taxi company.

10 . In recent years, wooden buildings have reached new heights, with soaring wooden skyscrapers completed or underway in countries like Norway, Switzerland and Australia. Sweden, likewise, has come up with a plan as big as a city — building the world’s biggest wooden city. As the world’s largest urban construction project in wood, Stockholm Wood City will be built in Sweden’s capital, Stockholm in 2025.

By using wood, the project is expected to reduce carbon footprint by up to 40%, compared with building in concrete and steel, says Annica Anäs, CEO of Atrium Ljungberg, a Swedish urban development company. Some people may have concerns over fire risks posed by wooden buildings, but experts say engineered timber (木材) can resist fire as well. As with other modern construction projects using wood, Wood City will still use some concrete and steel in places like the foundations, but the overall amounts will be greatly reduced. As wooden buildings are much lighter, their foundations can be smaller.

The construction will not be as noisy as it is built from concrete and bricks, adds Ms Anäs. This makes wooden buildings particularly suitable for urban redevelopment in general, since putting them up is less likely to annoy the neighbours. It should also be profitable. Ms Anäs is looking for a return on investment of 20% or better. “Sweden is progressive when it comes to wood construction,” she says.

The world’s largest wooden city is supposed to make commute (通勤) easier and shorter, decreasing emissions from transportation. The website for the project describes Stockholm Wood City as a “five-minute city”, which means that anywhere one would need to go — work, grocery stores, or school, for example—would only be a five-minute walk away. As Anäs concluded, “We want to create an environment where our customers, those who will live and work here, can participate in the development and design of the city district of the future.”

1. What is the project about?

A．Making Stockholm a low-carbon city.

B．Creating more wooden skyscrapers in Sweden.

C．Building the highest wooden building in Europe.

D．Constructing the largest wooden city in the world.

2. What advantage do wooden buildings have over concrete and steel buildings?

A．They can strongly resist fires.

B．They are more comfortable to live in.

C．They are more environmentally friendly.

D．They are built on a more stable foundation.

3. Why are wooden buildings suitable for urban redevelopment?

A．They are profitable for investors.

B．They cause less noise when built.

C．They have a short construction period.

D．They are less costly to maintain and repair.

4. How can we describe the future life in the wooden city?

A．Secure.

B．Stressful.

C．Convenient.

D．Fashionable.