2 . Art is everywhere. Any public space has been carefully designed by an artistic mind to be both functional and beautiful. Why, then, is art still so widely considered to be "the easy subject" at school, insignificant to wider society, a waste of time and effort?

Art can connect culture with commercial products in a way that not many other things can; art generates money and holds significant emotional and cultural value within communities. When people attend a concert, they are paying for music, sure, maybe even hotel rooms, meals, and transport, but they also gain an incredible experience, a unique atmosphere and a memory that will go through the rest of their lives. People don't just want material things anymore, they want to experience life一the arts are a perfect crossover（交迭）between culture and commerce.

Furthermore, the arts can bring communities together, reducing loneliness and making people feel safer. Social bonds are created among individuals when they share their arts experiences through reflection and discussion, and their expression of common values through artworks in honour of events significant to a nation's experience.

The arts clearly have a pretty positive impact on physical and psychological health. It is found that people who frequent cultural places or participate in artistic events are more likely to gain good health compared to those who do not; more engagement with the arts is linked to a higher level of people's wellbeing. The Royal Society of Public Health discovered that music and art, when used in hospitals, help to improve the conditions of patients by reducing stress, anxiety and blood pressure.

Children who are involved with the arts make greater achievements in their education: those engaged with drama have greater literary ability while others taking part in musical practice exhibit greater skills in math and languages. Kids with preference for the arts have a greater chance of finding employment in the future. Participating in the arts is essential for child development; encouraging children to express themselves in constructive ways could help to form healthy emotional responses in later life.

Vital to human life, art is celebrated and used by nations across the world for various purposes. Life without art would be boring and dead still, for art is a part of what makes us human.

1. Art products differ from most other commercial products because .

A．most people purchase them for collection

B．they are more expensive and less accessible

C．they have both commercial and cultural values

D．their prices may climb up as time passes

2. By sharing their arts experiences, community members can .

A．keep the community safe from illnesses

B．develop a stronger tie between them

C．learn to appreciate their own works of art

D．offer honourable solutions to their problems

3. What can we learn about people who are involved in artistic activities?

A．They enjoy better living conditions.

B．They like to compare themselves with others.

C．They are particularly good at both music and art.

D．They tend to be healthier physically and mentally.

4. How does kids' engagement with the arts benefit them?

A．It promotes their academic performance and emotional growth.

B．It gives them more confidence in exhibiting their learning skills.

C．It inspires their creativity in designing their future career.

D．It helps to make responsible people out of them.

5. What is the best title for this passage?

A．How Art Cures Our Hearts

B．Art: A Blessing to Humankind

C．How Art Benefits Communities

D．Art: A Bridge Between Cultures

3 . When people ask me how I started writing, I find myself describing an urgent need that I felt to work with language. Having said that, I did not know for a long time what I was looking for. It was not until I followed this feeling to its source that I discovered I had a passion for writing. With some encouragement from my colleagues, I had one of my poems published. This bit of success, however, was the point where my problem began.

Back in 1978, I had to travel between three different campuses in the morning, teaching freshman composition. Afternoons I spent taking my daughter to her ballet and horse-riding lessons. I composed my lectures on the way, and that was all the thinking time I had. When I returned home, there was not enough of me left for writing after a full working day.

As a way out, I decided to get up two hours before my usual time. My alarm was set for 5:00 A.M. The first day I shut it off because I had placed it within arm's reach. The second day I set two clocks, one on my night table, and one out in the hallway. I had to jump out of bed and run to silence it before my family was awoken. This was when my morning writing began.

Since that first morning in 1978, I have been following the habit to this day, not making or accepting many excuses for not writing. I wrote my poems in this manner for nearly ten years before my first book was published. When I decided to write a novel, I divided my two hours: the first for poetry, the second for fiction. Well or badly, I wrote at least two pages a day. This is how my novel, The Line of the Sun. was finished. If I had waited to have the time, I would still be waiting to write my novel.

What I got out of getting up in the dark to work is the feeling that I am in control. For many people, the initial sense of urgency to create easily dies away because it requires making the tough decision: taking the time to create, stealing it from yourself if ifs the only way.

1. What motivated the author to start her writing career?

A．Her strong wish to share.

B．Her keen interest in writing.

C．Her urgent need to make a living.

D．Her passionate desire for fame.

2. What problem did the author face when she decided to begin her writing?

A．She was too exhausted to write after a busy day.

B．She had trouble in deciding on her writing style.

C．She had to take time to discipline her daughter.

D．She was unsure about her writing skills.

3. Why did the author place an alarm clock in the hallway?

A．In case the clock in her room broke down.

B．In case she failed to hear the ringing.

C．To force herself out of bed.

D．To wake up her family.

4. How did the author manage to finish her novel?

A．By sticking to writing every morning.

B．By writing when her mind was most active.

C．By drawing inspirations from classic novels.

D．By reducing her teaching hours at school.

5. What can we learn from the author's success in her writing career?

A．It is never too late to change your job.

B．Imaginative ideas die away if not taken in time.

C．A tight schedule is no excuse for lack of action.

D．Daily life provides ideas for creative writing.

5 . Such a simple experiment can effectively ________ people’s doubts about the new technology, so they are willing to embrace the innovation.

A．bring forth

B．go over

C．put away

D．wipe out