1 . Taylor Swift, born on December 13,1989, in Reading, Pennsylvania, is an established American singer-songwriter whose career has made a lasting impact on the music industry. With love for music starting at a young age, Taylor’s journey to fame is an interesting story of talent, determination, and being true to herself.

At the age of 14, Taylor Swift decided to pursue a career in country music. She started by performing at local places and taking part in talent competitions, showing a talent that would soon capture the hearts of many. It was her sincere passion for telling stories through music that made her special-a quality that still defines her work today.

In 2006, Taylor Swift released her first album, named after herself, introducing the world to her unique mix of country and pop influences. The album was a huge success, earning her praise from critics and gaining a loyal fan base. Popular songs like Tim McGraw and Teardrops on My Guitar showed her skill in creating relatable, emotionally charged lyrics.

Taylor’s later albums, such as Fearless, Speak Now, and Red continued to reveal her growth as an artist. The shift from country to pop in the album 1989 was a very important moment, making her a global superstar. The attractive tunes and thoughtful lyrics of songs like Shake It Off and Blank Space resonated(共鸣)with people worldwide, bringing her numerous awards.

Besides her musical talent, Taylor Swift is known for her advocacy(提倡)and charity work. Whether speaking out on social issues or supporting good causes, she uses her influence to make a positive impact.

Taylor Swift’s ability to reinvent herself, along with a strong commitment to being true, has made her one of the most influential figures in the music industry. With each album, she continues to attract the world with her storytelling skills, proving that her journey is ongoing and that her influence will last for generations.

1. What can we learn about Taylor Swift according to the text?

A．She was born in Texas.

B．Her first album was a failure.

C．She mainly focuses on pop music.

D．Her musical journey began in 2003.

2. Which album made Taylor Swift internationally famous?

A．Fearless.

B．Speak Now.

C．Taylor Swift.

D．1989.

3. Which words can best describe Taylor Swift?

A．Patient and sensitive.	B．Gifted and caring.
C．Humorous and positive.	D．Curious and outgoing.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Taylor Swift’s path to fame.	B．Taylor Swift’s worldwide fans.
C．Taylor Swift’s talent for music.	D．Taylor Swift’s impact on music industry.

2 . There’s no end to the work to do with improving diversity in children’s media, especially for storybooks. Children need to be able to see themselves in the characters of the stories they hear and read, at a stage where they’re building their understanding of the world around them.

Shachi Kaushik’s new book, Diwali in My New Home, brings the festival of lights to life for an immigrant community.

This picture book is for children aged 5 to 8. It speaks to Indian children’s experiences living abroad when they’ve experienced life in India. The story is about a girl, Priya, who loves being with family and friends to celebrate Diwali. But Priya and her parents began living in the United States this year, and no one seems to know about the holiday. Priya misses the traditions in India. As she joins the lights together and creates rangoli art(地画艺术), Priya introduces the festival of lights to her neighbors. And even though the celebration is different this year, it’s still Diwali.

Kaushik was a lawyer before she discovered the joy of telling stories to young children. Storytelling began when she volunteered in Texas, where she hosted a monthly storytime for children. Seeing the joy on the children’s faces inspired her to write children’s books.

When asked “What’s the secret to making children pay attention to stories?”, she said, “I would say the secret is to be present and not to be shy from acting, singing or dancing. Be a performer. While reading, use facial expressions and voice to add excitement to the story. Also try asking questions like ‘What do you think will happen?’. Let the little ones’ imagination flow. Lastly, try adding a finger play song and some dance moves to get those little ones into the mood.”

1. What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．To give explanation of diversity.	B．To explain the aim of the storybooks.
C．To show the importance of children’s media.	D．To lead in the introduction of Shachi Kaushik’s book.

2. What is Diwali?

A．A festival.

B．A country.

C．A community.

D．A character.

3. What encouraged Kaushik to write children’s books?

A．The joy from children listening to stories.	B．The job as a lawyer.
C．The experience of selling storybooks.	D．The money earned by hosting storytime.

4. Why does Kaushik ask questions when telling stories to children?

A．To test if they are shy.	B．To attract their attention.
C．To encourage them to use facial expressions.	D．To teach them to be a performer.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Liu Wenwen is the first suona player to study for a doctor’s degree in China. On social media platforms, Liu’s name is often followed by a video of her    1    (perform) at a concert in Sydney. The audience    2    (impress) by the unfamiliar instrument and the music.

Both of Liu’s parents’ families     3    (play) suona for generations. But it takes time and hard work    4    (become) a musician. “To avoid disturbing the neighbors, my parents would take me to a park to practice at 4 a.m. everyday.” Her primary school classmates laughed at her,    5    (say) her whole family was engaged only in “weddings and funerals”. These are the two major     6    (occasion) where the instrument is played in China.

She found suona music beautiful    7    the first time in 2008, when entering Shanghai Conservatory of Music to learn the instrument systematically from Professor Liu Ying,    8    top player. “The music played by Professor Liu was amazing,    9    was quite different from what I’d heard before,” she said.

Speaking of the popular video, Liu said, “I felt my hard work paid off. I trained for over 20 years,    10    (probable) just to win cheers for traditional Chinese music on the international stage.”

4 . From woodworker to great artist—this was the course of Qi Baishi’s life. He achieved success by coupling talent with hard work. In 1953, he was honoured with the title “People’s Artist” by the Chinese government.

For most of the general public, his masterpieces are his paintings of shrimps. At the beginning, he painted these small animals by following ancient models. Later, he developed a personal style by using shades of black ink to show a shrimp’s body, giving it an almost real-life feel. Besides, his paintings of flowers and vegetables, indicating rich harvests (丰收), are famous as well. People love these nature-based paintings because the works remind them of the countryside and of their hometowns. The dove is another common image in Qi’s art during his later years, showing his wish for world peace.

Be it landscapes, birds, flowers or figures, Qi’s paintings are rich in expression and detail. Using heavy ink, bright colors and energetic strokes (运笔), he created works in a fresh and lively manner, expressing his love of nature and life. His art reflects an international trend (趋势) in modern art at the time, yet he expressed it in a typical Chinese way.

Qi was hard-working even in his 70s. He kept looking for higher goals, especially as he got older. While many other Chinese artists retire from public life at an old age, Qi actively took on more social responsibilities. He said: “I love my hometown, my country and all the lives there. In recent years, I have realized that what I run after is world peace.”

In 1956, he was awarded the International Peace Prize by the World Peace Council.

1. Why are Qi Baishi’s nature-based paintings popular?

A．They lift people’s spirits.	B．They touch people’s feelings.
C．They inspire people’s passions.	D．They reflect people’s wishes.

2. What does paragraph 3 focus on about Qi Baishi?

A．His masterpieces.	B．His influence.
C．His painting subjects.	D．His painting style.

3. Why was Qi Baishi still hard-working at an old age?

A．To popularize Chinese paintings.	B．To involve the youth in arts.
C．To shoulder more social responsibilities.	D．To earn international reputation.

4. Which of the following words can be used to best describe Qi?

A．Remarkable and admirable.	B．Passionate and confident.
C．Intelligent and generous.	D．Realistic and professional.

5 . On Lake Pitkajarvi, Pasi Widgren made an image of a fox that measures 90 meters from head to tail. For the sixth year in a row, the 40-year old building designer in Finland has ________ a very large work of art on the ________ lake. Widgren lives near the lake. He ________ a shovel (铲子) to create the artworks on ice. They melt from sight over time or ________ under snow.

Widgren made his first ice picture in the ________ of 2016. The idea to make such pieces came to him ________. He visited Lake Pitkajarvi on December 4. He tested the ________ of the ice after he arrived to ________ it was strong enough to walk and ________ on. It was about 10-15 centimeters thick. After four hours of work, Widgren was ________.

He then walked up a hillside about 150 meters above the lake to get a good ________ at his large artwork. He took some pictures to mark the ________.

However, several days later the image was harder to ________ because it then snowed a little. But its lack of permanence (永久) was not a ________ for its creator. He hoped the artwork would make people happy and move them to go for a walk in what he called “beautiful nature”. “It’s important to me that making this kind of art doesn’t leave any ________ on nature, ” Widgren said.

1.

A．identified

B．imagined

C．discovered

D．created

2.

A．clear

B．smooth

C．frozen

D．distant

3.

A．measures

B．steals

C．donates

D．uses

4.

A．disappear

B．escape

C．recover

D．prove

5.

A．spring

B．summer

C．autumn

D．winter

6.

A．suddenly

B．secretly

C．normally

D．absolutely

7.

A．weight

B．area

C．thickness

D．length

8.

A．give away

B．make sure

C．wake up

D．take over

9.

A．work

B．rely

C．concentrate

D．live

10.

A．nearby

B．done

C．prepared

D．concerned

11.

A．journey

B．time

C．look

D．impression

12.

A．effort

B．promotion

C．performance

D．course

13.

A．control

B．see

C．protect

D．confirm

14.

A．protest

B．balance

C．reason

D．problem

15.

A．values

B．marks

C．chances

D．evidences

6 . A few extraordinary female singer-songwriters from the 1970s helped from music as we know it today, and continue to inspire so many with their soulful melodies (旋律).

Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchells influence goes beyond her own generation. Her songwriting continues to be a source of inspiration for many, who regard her position as a pioneer of female expression in music.

The 1971 album Blue showed Joni’s truthful self, telling the stories of her experiences in life and in love. Blue was later chosen by the New York Times as one of the 25 albums that represented “turning points and the highest points in 20th-century popular music”.

Carole King

Carole King wrote or co-wrote over 118 hits between 1955 and 1999, making her the most successful female songwriter in the second half of the 20th century. However, King found herself less recognized than her husband and writing partner at the time, Gerry Goffin.

As the 1970s arrived, so did Carole King in full bloom. 1971 saw the release (发行) of her album Tapestry. The album was highly significant not only commercially but symbolically.

Joan Armatrading

Still in the 1970s but putting in the work on this side of the pond, Joan Armatrading became the first black British female artist to achieve international praise. Joan’s place as a female pioneer in music continued as she became the first UK female artist to be nominated (提名) for a Grammy in the blues category, going on to receive two further nominations. An artist who is confident with who she is and what she wants to create, Armatrading famously keeps her private life to herself and lets her music do the talking.

1. What is the album Blue about?

A．Female wisdom.	B．Female creativity
C．Joni’s musical dream.	D．Joni’s life experiences.

2. When was King’s album Tapestry available to the public?

A．In1955.

B．In1999.

C．In1970.

D．In1971.

3. Which of the following best describes Joan Armatrading?

A．Brave.

B．Self-confident.

C．Honest.

D．Easy-going.

7 . Young Taylor Swift

For a certain 11­year­old, a spring break trip to Nashville, Tennessee, was life­changing. Nashville was the center of the country music industry.

While her mom waited in the car, the girl walked into all the big record companies in town.    1    None of the people there took her seriously then—but they should have.                      

Because that girl was Taylor Swift.     2     She listened to country music albums until she knew all the lyrics. She performed at county fairs near her hometown of Wyomissing，Pennsylvania. At age 12, she taught herself to play guitar and wrote her first song.

Making music came easily to Taylor, but making friends did not.     3    “They all thought I was strange,”Taylor remembers. “I spent a lot of time alone.” So she focused on her music.

    4    So they moved their family to Nashville. By age 14, Taylor was working part­time as a songwriter and performing new songs. That’s how she got her big chance. She was offered a record contract (合同) before she was old enough to drive a car!

You probably know how this turned out. Since her first album came out in 2006, Taylor has won 10 Grammy Awards. Her album, 1989, has sold more than 9 million copies.     5    Her fans say her songs are honest. They feel as though she understands them—and could even be their friend. Taylor’s fans like how her music makes them feel.

A．What kind of music does Taylor sing?

B．So what makes Taylor so popular?

C．Taylor’s parents knew she was talented.

D．She introduced herself and dropped off recordings of her singing.

E．Taylor’s parents have made her into a successful singer­songwriter.

F．Taylor has been interested in singing since she was little.

G．Kids would move to a different table when she tried to sit with them at lunch.