1 . What could well extend your life, and might assist you in the life to come? Answer: singing in a choir. It’s not a new discovery: there are endless studies on the subject.
But there was a specific angle to this latest study done by Oxford Brookes University researchers, which compared the collective experience of choral singing to that of taking part in team sports. Choirs apparently win hands down. And as someone who since childhood has used singing as an excuse to stay off the sports field, I take no issue with that.
In fact, I take no issue with any of these piles of research. The only thing I find annoying is that such an endlessly repeated truth results in relatively little action from the kind of people who could put it to good use. Not least, in government.
From time to time I get invited as a music critic to the launch of some program to encourage more collective singing among school-age children. Expert s like Howard Goodall usually turn up. Then, six months later, everything goes quiet.
The hard fact is that most state schools don’t bother much with singing. They say they don’t have the resources or the time. And even when a worthwhile singing project drops into their lap, they turn it down. I know a woman named Golda who’s been trying hard to organize a performance of Benjamin Britten’s The Little Sweep — perhaps the greatest work for young children to sing together. But has she found her local schools responsive? Sadly not: it was all too much trouble.
I got the chance to tour with a choir at age 11. It opened a world to which an 11-year-old from unfashionable parts of east London doesn’t generally get access. It spoke possibilities. All the physical and mental pluses are a happy bonus. But the joy of access to that world of music is what counts.
Just think: if we could finally get Britain’s children singing. we wouldn’t need university researchers. We’d just do it, and be all the better for it.
1. What does the underlined part “take no issue with” in Paragraph 2mean?| A．Feel confused about. |
| B．Make no comment on. |
| C．Get unfamiliar with. |
| D．Have no objection to. |
| A．Most children think little of singing. |
| B．Most children prefer singing to doing sports. |
| C．Most schools attach little importance to singing. |
| D．Most schools don’t have the money or the time to form a choir. |
| A．She couldn’t find a choir to join. |
| B．She failed to win local schools’ support. |
| C．Howard Goodall turned down her invitation. |
| D．The government was unwilling to provide resources. |
| A．Eye-opening. |
| B．Identity-awakening. |
| C．Soul-comforting. |
| D．Character-shifting. |
| A．To review the latest study on singing. |
| B．To advocate choir singing for children. |
| C．To recommend musical works for the young. |
| D．To compare the benefits of recreational activities. |
2 . For too many years now, the teaching of the English language in our grammar and high schools has been uninspiring, leaving an entire generation with only unclear ideas about how to write and speak clearly and well. Now The Handbook of Good English, a comprehensive, easy-to-use guide to modern grammar, punctuation, usage, and style, puts the best available advice about writing and using the English language at your fingertips.
Intended to replace Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style and a host of other desk-reference books on careful writing, The Handbook of Good English is organized for both rapid reference to check specific points and for leisurely study to improve personal and professional writing.
This comprehensive book explores syntax, punctuation, style, organization and tone. Edward D. Johnson does more than issue the rules; he gives examples, exceptions, and, more important, clear, easily understood explanations of why grammar has the rules it does. He also gives full attention to styling, the important matter of giving consistent treatment to numbers, abbreviation, generic terms, forms of address, foreign terms, etc., in good writing.
A special feature of this book is the combined Glossary/Index（词汇表/索引）, arranged from A to Z, to give instant answers to the most commonly asked questions about misused words, phrases, and constructions, and cross-referenced to the text of a longer explanation is desired. For the novice, the professional, for anyone who cares about the language, The Handbook of Good English is the crucial guide to proper communication.
“The Handbook of Good English fills a real need for a basic and strict handbook of standard English grammar, punctuation rules and conventions of editorial styling. Because grammar has been taught so carelessly for the past 20 years, Johnson takes pains to explain reasons for and relationships between grammatical rules,” comments Booklist, a book-review magazine.
1. What does the author think of classroom English language teaching?| A．Engaging. | B．Time-consuming. |
| C．Creative. | D．Ineffective. |
| A．To list English words commonly used in daily conversations. |
| B．To provide advice on proper English communication. |
| C．To further develop the idea in The Elements of Style. |
| D．To highlight the importance of grammar learning. |
| A．Its diverse content. | B．Its unique organization. |
| C．Its publishing process. | D．Its target readers. |
| A．It has multiple glossaries for different users. |
| B．It has extensive references for further reading. |
| C．It has a section devoted to readers’ frequent confusions. |
| D．It adopts a conversational approach to explaining grammar. |
| A．Effective means of learning standard English. |
| B．A further recommendation for Johnson’s book. |
| C．An expectation of Johnson’s creation. |
| D．An introduction to the history of English grammar. |
3 . Only positive thinking is not enough to attain our goals. Our
In the 2008 summer Olympics, Michael Phelps was ready to
In psychology, the
Mental contrasting can make sure we consider realistic obstacles when
| A．concepts | B．evaluations | C．dreams | D．wishes |
| A．life | B．night | C．situation | D．path |
| A．break | B．establish | C．hold | D．write |
| A．shut off | B．stood against | C．filled with | D．took on |
| A．neglect | B．adjust | C．update | D．remove |
| A．and | B．but | C．as | D．if |
| A．slow | B．memorable | C．precious | D．short |
| A．prepare | B．rescue | C．refresh | D．control |
| A．contributed | B．discovered | C．kept | D．created |
| A．fact | B．turn | C．detail | D．addition |
| A．partly | B．precisely | C．generally | D．rapidly |
| A．counted | B．imagined | C．designed | D．remembered |
| A．trial | B．task | C．effort | D．practice |
| A．original | B．deep | C．positive | D．strange |
| A．requires | B．allows | C．urges | D．commands |
| A．unrealistic | B．accidental | C．desired | D．delayed |
| A．reforms | B．decisions | C．budgets | D．progressions |
| A．supporting | B．explaining | C．transforming | D．developing |
| A．warm | B．lead | C．remind | D．forbid |
| A．eventually | B．astonishingly | C．abruptly | D．secretly |
4 . A friend and I were having lunch and I asked about her son who was getting professional help for some behavioral problems he was having. Our conversation went like this: “There’s a good change in his attitude. He’s staying out of trouble, but I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.” she said. “It’s hard to trust him yet. He is doing things that he’s never done before, which is great. But I still need to supervise him just in case.”
I asked a couple of questions: “Have you told him how proud you are of how far he’s come? Have you thanked him for the things he’s now doing but never did in the past?” She said no. And because she’s a very bright woman she followed it up with: “I really need to say those things because I am proud of him and I am grateful for what he’s doing now. All I keep doing is looking at what he’s still doing wrong and getting on him about that. How’s he ever going to feel good about himself and continue to improve if I don’t acknowledge him for all his improvements and growth?”
“If I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, it will!” I just smiled and told her I loved her and that she’s a great mom. The conversation moved on to a new topic. It’s worth taking a look at your close relationships, especially with your kids and asking yourself: Do I spend too much time letting them know what they’re doing wrong? Do I ignore their efforts toward positive change? Do I still find ways to be unsatisfied with their behavior?
If you answer yes to any of those questions, you’re now the one who needs to do some changing. Never forget that people love to be acknowledged — not just for the big things but the little things, too. Appreciation and love are the driving force that keeps them wanting to do well and do something nice for others.
1. The author’s friend ______.| A．was already satisfied with her son’s behavior |
| B．was particular about her son’s attitude |
| C．was still worried about her son’s behavior |
| D．already fully believed in her son |
| A．favorable | B．negative |
| C．unconcerned | D．doubtful |
| A．If I keep waiting for kids to correct mistakes, they will. |
| B．If I keep waiting for kids to change positively, they will. |
| C．If I keep waiting for kids to wear the other shoe, they will. |
| D．If I keep waiting for kids to make mistakes, they will. |
| A．direct rejection and scolding |
| B．proper affection and admiration |
| C．blind love and appreciation |
| D．strict requirements and standards |
| A．A Dialogue Between Two Women |
| B．Are You Proud of Your Child? |
| C．Be Patient When You Are a Parent |
| D．One Major Thing Most Parents Forget to Do |
| A．that | B．where |
| C．what | D．how |
—Yes. Before this, we had to search shop after shop, only ________ tired or disappointed.
| A．done; to be | B．being done; being | C．doing; to be | D．doing; being |
| A．of which | B．of whose | C．of whom | D．of its |
| A．promise | B．remind | C．inform | D．assure |
9 . Starting a daily running routine needs determination. Looking back on my old running routine, it wasn’t so much the passion that affected my sticking to a regular schedule — but it was the environment. There had to be no rain pouring down, there had to be not many people on the basketball court and the ambient (周围的) temperature had to be just right. Or maybe I was just making an excuse for myself not to get up at 5 in the morning?
I was quite successful at doing so when I was 15 and when it was summer. When I was overweight, I ate more snacks than the actual full meals in a day, and I hardly got off the sofa. One summer day, I decided that it was time to put a stop to the idea that I was just the fat kid. I didn’t want to put in that box anymore. There was a tipping point (临界点) where inspiration happened, and discipline (自律) just took over from there. I needed to make sure that I ran 10 laps of the park a day — this was the contract (契约) I made with myself that summer. And if I achieved that, I knew I’d be closer to my goal of being just a kid with normal weight.
Ten laps, six days a week — sometimes no breakfast, hardly a bite at dinner, one snack a day—this lasted two months. I’d lost over 30 pounds that summer, which was roughly a quarter of my body weight. Some days, I didn’t have the motivation. But the contract I made with myself kept reminding me — if I’d break it, would I even bother making future self-contracts anymore? There were sleepy days, and there were days when I should have rested my trembling knees, but discipline won over them all.
1. What do we know about the author’s past running routine?| A．It was made by the author’s parents. | B．It mainly depended on the environment. |
| C．It referred to many people at site. | D．It failed in the end. |
| A．The author didn’t live a healthy lifestyle. |
| B．Summer is a season for people to be fat. |
| C．Good eating habits could make one put on weight. |
| D．Getting up late made him a fat kid. |
| A．He felt looked down upon when he was fat. |
| B．He couldn’t find a right word to describe his size. |
| C．He made up his mind to achieve his goal of losing weight. |
| D．He was too fat to find the right size of clothes or shoes. |
| A．My Running Routine Was Affected by the Environment. |
| B．It Was Unpleasant to Be Overweight. |
| C．I Made a Contract on Running. |
| D．Discipline Helps Achieve My Goal. |
10 . There has been a recent wave in Hollywood where studios take popular animated (动画的) films and “improve” upon them by changing them into live-action remakes. The thought that live-action movies are better because they follow the laws of the natural world degrades the style of animation.
The beauty of animation is that its use of caricatures (漫画) and exaggerations (夸张) reflects an amazing amount of creative depth in characters stories that reality cannot. Looking at the bigger picture, it becomes clear that the true purpose of Disney’s ever growing list of live-action remakes is not to comment on the value of animation, although it indirectly does, but a quick way to take advantage of nostalgic (怀旧的) fans.
For evidence, look no further than Disney’s 2019 The Lion King live-action remake, a retelling of the 1994 animated classic. It broke several box office records, raking in a whopping $543.6 million globally in box office sales alone. However, in comparison to the original, the audience satisfaction with the remake decreased greatly on Rotten Tomatoes. This is similar to the the remakes of Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Dumbo, Aladdin, and the countless other live-action remakes Disney has produced within the last 5 years. This means that Disney no longer needs to come up with new and original content because they can make a big profit just by taking beloved stories and remaking them.
In fact, Disney looks at itself as a business, and therefore considers making a profit as one of their main aims.
The problem with this mentality (心态) is that, while Disney makes a huge profit, audiences, artists, and art suffer. They may no longer create new stories or art styles, but rather serve as money-making machines that require directors to produce the same stories with a fresh coat of paint every 10 years or so. If this cycle continues, artists will be held back from creating new lovable characters and stories full of creativity. The feeling of nostalgia when we see old Disney films could possibly never happen-to newer generations if this cycle does not stop.
1. What does the author think of live-action remakes?| A．They slow down Hollywood development. |
| B．They’ve failed to become a popular art form. |
| C．They are poor at showing the beauty of nature. |
| D．They destroy the artistic expression of animation. |
| A．It bases its stories on reality. | B．It uses many special effects. |
| C．It explores characters fully. | D．It brings back fans’ memories. |
| A．To tell us Disney has given up its originality. |
| B．To show Disney has focused more on making money. |
| C．To prove too many remakes have been produced. |
| D．To show audiences have high expectations of remakes. |
| A．It reduces Disney’s incomes. | B．It demands more from directors. |
| C．It hurts new-generation audiences. | D．It causes artists to be less creative. |
