1 . Pullman is a superb writer and Seagull is a brilliant communicator. They had a debate after Seagull posted a question on his social media platform: “When you were trying to create an environment for learning, what were your best pieces of classical music to listen to?” He received hundreds of suggestions — and one negative reply, from Pullman: “That’s not what classical music is for. Treat it with respect.”
That did it! Everyone — professional musicians, students, teachers — weighed into the argument, and the majority supported Seagull and were criticizing Pullman.
It’s easy to see why people are annoyed. We all want classical music to be as accessible as possible, especially to the young. If some of them are using Bach or Schubert as a tool to help them study, what’s the problem? They may also develop an attachment to classical music.
So is Pullman ridiculous and supercilious by objecting to classical music being used as background music? At first sight, his idea seems stuffy and extreme. By suggesting that classical music should be “treated with respect” and not used as background music, Pullman seems to be closing classical music of to millions of people.
It’s worth pointing out, however, that he isn’t the first to express concerns about classical music being devalued by becoming too commonplace in today’s technologically shaped world. In Benjamin Britten’s 1964 speech, the composer expressed exactly the same worries as Pullman. Britten suggested, “The true musical experience demands some preparation, some effort, a journey to a special place, saving up for a ticket, some homework perhaps”. In short, it demands as much effort from listeners as from composers and performers.
I don’t agree with such an extreme viewpoint, but I do think it touches on a reality. You will never fully grasp the beauty of classical music if you half-hear it only in the background. That doesn’t necessarily matter. Music can be enjoyed on many levels. What Pullman and Britten are really saying is that, in a drive for “accessibility”, we shouldn’t deny the emotional and intellectual complexity underpinning (构成) much classical music.
1. What did Seagull’s posting result in?A.Great admiration for Seagull. |
B.Public criticism of classical music. |
C.A discussion about learning environments. |
D.An argument over the role of classical music. |
A.Self-important. | B.Open-minded. | C.Impatient. | D.Considerate. |
A.To show his affection for classical music. |
B.To introduce young people to classical music. |
C.To demonstrate classical music is demanding. |
D.To support Pullman’s idea over classical music. |
A.Favorable. | B.Doubtful. | C.Objective. | D.Uninterested. |
1.体育课活动项目;
2.课外活动项目;
3.你最喜欢的运动及感受。
注意:1.词数80左右;
2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
Dear Bob,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
3 . In 1665, Johannes Vermeer, one of the greatest painters in Netherlands, completed his masterpiece “Girl With a Pearl Earring.” On an April day 357 years later, Janine Strong slowed her bike to stop, paused her fitness app, and watched as the snaking line of her cycling route drew the shape of Vermeer’s masterpiece over the streets of Brooklyn.
Ms. Strong creates what has come to be known as “GPS art” — a practice that uses the Global Positioning System mapping capabilities of modern phone apps to create digital drawings with an athlete’s route. It has grown with the widespread availability of satellite tracking for use by ordinary people. In fact, the idea has been around since before the popularity of smartphones for fitness like Strava released in 2009.
In 2003, The New York Times Magazine told of how Jeremy Wood got the idea for GPS art. Mr. Wood said while he was using a GPS tracker on a flight and the plane flew in a holding pattern above Heath-row Airport, he was attracted by the pattern appearing on his Garmin GPS device. In recent years, technology has advanced enough to create visual maps in real time using a phone or smart watch.
“I get bored cycling on the same path in the same streets,” Ms. Strong said. “Creating GPS art gives me more reasons to hit the pavement, which makes cycling a lot easier. I always have a big smile on my face when it works out and I upload it and it’s done,” she added. “It’s a very satisfying feeling.”
To complete her digital vision of “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” she biked almost 50 miles around southern Brooklyn, carefully checking Strava to make sure each turn, circle, and straight line was achieving the shape of earring and head covering of Vermeer’s original.
1. What can we infer about Janine Strong in paragraph 1?A.She tests a fitness app. | B.She is an innovative cyclist. |
C.She likes pearl earrings. | D.She is a painter of some note. |
A.It is rarely used by common people. | B.It arose after the popularity of fitness apps. |
C.It is based on apps’ GPS mapping functions. | D.It is a practice of creating realistic drawings. |
A.The origin of GPS art. | B.The prospect of GPS art. |
C.The function of a GPS tracker. | D.The advancement of a GPS device. |
A.Painting lovers. | B.Mobile game players. |
C.Software developers. | D.Running enthusiasts. |
增加:在缺词处加一个漏词符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下画一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Last term, I hosted an exchange student naming Jacob from the Great Britain to our school. He really cares for Chinese Culture. Jacob asked me to show himself around the city on weekends. I took him to many local place of interest and we also go to the theater to watch a show of Peking Opera. He was so attracted by the performance as he decided to learn it. My father happened to know a master of Peking Opera and introduced Jacob to him. Jacob was great honored to be one of his students. Put his heart into it, Jacob made a rapid progress. When he returned England, he gave a performance, for what he won much admiration from his classmates.
5 . If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and
philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺陷)of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
1. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to______________.A.provide some key facts about Confucius |
B.attract the readers' interest in the subject |
C.show great respect for the ancient thinker |
D.prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
A.have a great interest in studying Chinese |
B.take an active part in Chinese competitions |
C.try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
D.fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
A.Forgotten Wisdom in America |
B.Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
C.Chinese Culture for Westerners |
D.Old Thinker with a Big Future |
A.a personal biography | B.a history paper |
C.a cultural newspaper | D.a philosophy textbook |
6 . Going to college was not optional. In my family, it was just another step toward the American dream. As soon as I graduated, I enrolled (入学)in the English Department of Colorado State University. I went on to earn two scholarships, and membership in the National Honor Society. I truly believed the hard work was worth it.
It wasn't until a few months ago that I realized how clueless I was. I had been combing through the classifieds when my eyes fell upon my dream job: “National College Magazine looking for writers ”.
Thrilled, I spent the weekend composing a resume . Needless to say, I was stunned when the interviewer barely took one glance before throwing it aside.
"No experience," he said flatly.
I felt like screaming, "What do you mean, no experience? Look at these grades."
I was left to absorb the shock of rejection, thinking that nobody ever told me that a 4. 0 student would be turned down for a job.
Didn't all of my hard work count for anything?
I see plenty of demands for two years of experience at a print publication, but none requiring extensive knowledge of how to write academic papers. Yet 95% of my energy in school went toward the latter, leaving me little time to devote to anything else. If career preparation is supposed to be the point of college, then why isn't it the focus?
Has a college degree just become another societal status symbol like fancy cars or designer clothes?
Given my experience, I feel that a college degree would be a lot more valuable if students were required to get some outside experience to supplement their in — class knowledge. Instead of requiring four science classes, why not three science classes and an internship? In my college career, I took one class that taught me how to write and submit essays for publication. This ever — so — brief taste of the real world was like holding an ice cream sundae in front of a child and only giving her a small bite.
1. Why did the author study so hard at college?A.To maintain a family tradition. | B.To land an ideal job. |
C.To fulfill parents' expectations. | D.To win scholarships for the tution |
A.His dull resume. | B.His misjudgment in high scores. |
C.His lack of experience. | D.His poor performance in the interview. |
A.Academic writing is a small part of college life. |
B.College education always covers unimportant things. |
C.Competition in college is not as fierce as that in the real world. |
D.The author feels held back by his lack of real — world experience. |
A.Get a college degree and you will go far. |
B.College students should make the best of their time. |
C.Career preparation is a necessity for college education. |
D.Landing a successful career is better than a college degree. |
7 . At the age of seven, while his friends were spending their allowances on things like candy and toys, Jose Adolfo Quisocola was busy saving money for basic purchases. To try to get his peers(同 龄 人 ) to do the same, the boy from Peru came up with the idea of an eco-bank, the Bartselana
Student Bank, which allows kids of all ages to become financially independent while also helping the environment.
Set up in 2012, the bank is the world’s first bank for kids. To become a member, a kid has to bring in at least 5 kilograms of solid waste and set a savings goal. Once accepted, all bank “partners” are required to deposit at least one additional kilogram of recyclables on a monthly basis and observe other requirements, such as attending financial education and environmental management workshops.
The waste accumulated is sold to local recycling companies, who, thanks to Jose’s efforts, pay a higher-than-market rate for everything brought in by the bank members. The money received is placed in the personal account where they collect until the savings goal is reached. The account holder can then withdraw the money, or choose to leave it and continue to grow for a bigger target. “At the beginning, my teachers thought I was crazy or that a child could not undertake this type of project,” Jose recalls, “They did not understand that we are not the future of the country but its present. Luckily, I had the support of the school headmaster and an assistant in my class.”
The boy’s efforts paid off, and by 2013, the bank had over 200 members, who brought in one ton of recyclable waste. Today, the eco-bank, which now has the support of several local institutions, boasts ten educational centers. They are designed to teach the over 3,000 students, aged 10 to 18 , to become financially independent, use their money wisely, and help the environment.
Not surprisingly, Jose’s efforts have earned him several national and international awards. On November 20, 2018, Jose won Children’s Climate Prize, which comes with a medal and $5,500 in prize money and is given to a child or youth who has accomplished an extraordinary achievement for the climate or environment.
1. Why did Jose set up the bank?A.To raise money and set up a recycling company. |
B.To buy necessities and donate them to needy kids. |
C.To save much money and protect the environment. |
D.To educate the students and help them win prizes. |
A.By donating to the eco-bank. |
B.By turning in one kilogram of waste in a month. |
C.By sending in an application. |
D.By presenting a goal and a certain amount of waste. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Excited. |
C.Moved. | D.Worried. |
A.How the environment is improved. | B.What the project has achieved. |
C.How tons of waste has been recycled. | D.What support the local institutions get. |
8 . Bicycle Safety
Operation Always ride your bike in a safe, controlled manner on campus. Obey rules and regulations. Watch out for walkers and other bicyclists, and always use your lights in dark conditions.
Theft Prevention Always securely lock your bicycle to a bicycle rack---even if you are only away for a minute. Register your bike with the University Department of Public Safety. It's fast, easy, and free. Registration permanently records your serial number, which is useful in the possible recovery of the bike stolen.
Equipment.
Brakes Make sure that they are in good working order and adjusted properly.
Helmet A necessity, make sure your helmet meets current safety standards and fit properly.
Lights Always have a front headlight---visible at least 500 feet in front of the bike. A taillight is a good idea.
Rules of the Road
Riding on Campus As a bicycle rider, you have a responsibility to ride only on streets and posted bicycle paths. Riding on sidewalks or other walkways can lead to a fine. The speed limit for bicycles on campus is 15mph, unless otherwise posted. Always give the right of ways to walkers. If you are involved in an accident, you are required to offer appropriate aid, call the Department of Public Safety and remain at the scene until the officer lets you go.
Bicycle Parking Only park in areas reserved for bikes. Trees, handrails, hallways, and sign posts are not for bicycle parking, and parking in such posts can result in a fine.
If Things Go Wrong
If you break the rules, you will be fined. Besides violating rules while riding bicycles on campus, you could be fined for:
No bicycle registration---------------------------------------------------$25
Bicycle parking banned--------------------------------------------------$30
Blocking path with bicycle ---------------------------------------------$40
Violation of bicycle equipment requirement -------------------------$35
1. Registration of your bicycle may help you _____________.A.find y our stolen bicycle | B.get your serial number |
C.receive free repair services | D.settle conflicts with walkers |
A.Brakes. | B.A helmet. |
C.A headlight. | D.A taillight. |
A.ride on posted bicycle paths and sidewalks |
B.cycle at a speed of over 15 mph |
C.put the walkers' right of way first |
D.call the police before leaving in a case of accident |
A.$25 | B.$30 |
C.$35 | D.$40 |