1 . By day, Robert Titterton is a lawyer. In his spare time though he goes on stage beside pianist Maria Raspopova — not as a musician but as her page turner. “I’m not a trained musician, but I’ve learnt to read music so I can help Maria in her performance.”
Mr Titterton is chairman of the Omega Ensemble but has been the group’s official page turner for the past four years. His job is to sit beside the pianist and turn the pages of the score so the musician doesn’t have to break the flow of sound by doing it themselves. He said he became just as nervous as those playing instruments on stage.
“A lot of skills are needed for the job. You have to make sure you don’t turn two pages at once and make sure you find the repeats in the music when you have to go back to the right spot.” Mr Titterton explained.
Being a page turner requires plenty of practice. Some pieces of music can go for 40 minutes and require up to 50 page turns, including back turns for repeat passages. Silent onstage communication is key, and each pianist has their own style of “nodding” to indicate a page turn which they need to practise with their page turner.
But like all performances, there are moments when things go wrong. “I was turning the page to get ready for the next page, but the draft wind from the turn caused the spare pages to fall off the stand,” Mr Titterton said, “Luckily I was able to catch them and put them back.”
Most page turners are piano students or up-and-coming concert pianists, although Ms Raspopova has once asked her husband to help her out on stage.
“My husband is the worst page turner,” she laughed. “He’s interested in the music, feeling every note, and I have to say: ‘Turn, turn!’ Robert is the best page turner I’ve had in my entire life.”
1. What should Titterton be able to do to be a page turner?| A．Read music. | B．Play the piano. |
| C．Sing songs. | D．Fix the instruments. |
| A．Boring. | B．Well-paid. |
| C．Demanding. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．Counting the pages. | B．Recognizing the “nodding”. |
| C．Catching falling objects. | D．Performing in his own style. |
| A．He has very poor eyesight. | B．He ignores the audience. |
| C．He has no interest in music. | D．He forgets to do his job. |
Many people have the hobby of collecting things, e.g. stamps, postcards or antiques. In the 18th and 19th centuries,
The parts of a museum open to the public
Many museums are lively places and they attract a lot of visitors. As well as looking at exhibits, visitors can play with computer simulations (模拟) and imagine
3 . POETRY CHALLENGE
Write a poem about how courage, determination, and strength have helped you face challenges in your life.
Prizes
3 Grand Prizes:Trip to Washington, D.C. for each of three winners, a parent and one other person of the winner’s choice. Trip includes round-trip air tickets, hotel stay for two nights, and tours of the National Air and Space Museum and the office of National Geographic World.
6 First Prizes:The book Sky Pioneer:A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart signed by author Corinne Szabo and pilot Linda Finch.
50 Honorable Mentions:Judges will choose up to 50 honorable mention winners, who will each receive a T-shirt in memory of Earhart’s final flight.
Rules
Follow all rules carefully to prevent disqualification.
■Write a poem using 100 words or fewer. Your poem can be any format, any number of lines.
■Write by hand or type on a single sheet of paper. You may use both the front and back of the paper.
■On the same sheet of paper, write or type your name, address, telephone number, and birth date.
■Mail your entry to us by October 31 this year.
1. How many people can each grand prize winner take on the free trip?| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Six. |
| A．A plane ticket. | B．A book by Corinne Szabo. |
| C．A special T-shirt. | D．A photo of Amelia Earhart. |
| A．Typing your poem out. | B．Writing a poem of 120 words. |
| C．Using both sides of the paper. | D．Mailing your entry on October 30. |
4 . The Lake District Attractions Guide
Dalemain Mansion & Historic Gardens
History, Culture & Landscape(景观). Discover and enjoy 4 centuries of history, 5 acres of celebrated and award-winning gardens with parkland walk. Owned by the Hasell family since 1679, home to the International Marmalade Festival. Gifts and antiques, plant sales, museums & Mediaeval Hall Tearoom.
Open:29 Mar-29 Oct，Sun to Thurs.Tearoom，Gardens & Gift Shop:10:30-17:00(16:00 in Oct).
House:11:15-16:00(15:00 in Oct)
Town: Pooley Bridge & PenrithAbbot Hall art Gallery & Museum
Those viewing the quality of Abbot Hall’s temporary exhibitions may be forgiven for thinking they are in a city gallery. The impressive permanent collection includes Turners and Romneys and the temporary exhibition programme has Canaletto and the artists from St Ives.
Open: Mon to Sat and Summer Sundays. 10:30 -17:00 Summer.10:30 -16:00 Winter.Town: Kendal
Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery
Discover, explore and enjoy award-winning Tullie House, where historic collections, contemporary art and family fun are brought together in one impressive museum and art gallery. There are four fantastic galleries to visit from fine art to interactive fun, so there’s something for everyone!
Open: High Season 1 Apr – 31 Oct: Mon to Sat 10:00 – 17:00, Sun 11:00 – 17:00.Low Season 1 Nov – 31 Mar: Mon to Sat 10:00 – 16:30, Sun 12:00 – 16:30.
Town: CarlisleDove Cottage & The wordsworth Museum
Discover William Wordsworth’s inspirational home. Take a tour of his Lakeland cottage, walk through his hillside garden and explore the riches of the collection in the Museum. Visit the shop and relax in the café. Exhibitions, events and family activities throughout the year.
Open: Daily, 09:30 – 17:30 (last admission 17:00).
Town: Grasmere
1. When is the House at Dalemain Mansion & Historic Gardens open on Sundays in July?| A．09:30-17:30. | B．10:30-16:00. | C．11:15-16:00. | D．12:00-16:30 |
| A．Enjoy Romney’s works. |
| B．Have some interactive fun. |
| C．Attend a famous festival. |
| D．Learn the history of a family |
| A．Penrith. | B．Kendal. | C．Carlisle. | D．Grasmere. |
5 . No one is born a winner. People make themselves into winners by their own
I learned this lesson from a(n)
It was a tradition for the school’s old team to play against the
I started doing anything I could to help them build a little
Six months after suffering our
From the experience I learnt a lot about how the attitude of the leader can
Winners are made, but born.
1.| A．luck | B．tests | C．efforts | D．nature |
| A．experiment | B．experience | C．visit | D．show |
| A．operating | B．editing | C．consulting | D．coaching |
| A．successful | B．excellent | C．strong | D．new |
| A．cheer for | B．prepare for | C．help with | D．finish with |
| A．believe | B．agree | C．describe | D．regret |
| A．realize | B．claim | C．permit | D．demand |
| A．reacting to | B．looking for | C．depending on | D．caring about |
| A．decision | B．attitude | C．conclusion | D．intention |
| A．pride | B．culture | C．fortune | D．relationship |
| A．leaders | B．partners | C．winners | D．learners |
| A．rewards | B．vacations | C．health | D．honor |
| A．risked | B．missed | C．considered | D．practiced |
| A．defeat | B．decline | C．accident | D．mistake |
| A．relax | B．improve | C．expand | D．defend |
| A．shame | B．burden | C．victory | D．favor |
| A．chances | B．thrills | C．concerns | D．offers |
| A．surprise | B．serve | C．interest | D．affect |
| A．encouraged | B．observed | C．protected | D．impressed |
| A．honestly | B．individually | C．calmly | D．differently |
1.活动的目的、时间、地点；
2.活动的注意事项；
3.欢迎全校师生参加。
注意：
1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Notice
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7 . Stepping out of your comfort zone (区域) helps you to improve yourself and become a happy and fun person. You’ll experience greater enjoyment as you try out new experiences.
Unplug (拔掉插头)
Take a break from today's interconnected world.
Go to another country
You will experience new cultures, different customs, unique landscapes and another language from travel.
Try diving, skydiving or a roller coaster ride. If those are too frightening, try giving a speech or taking a dance class. Once you overcome your inner fear, you will have a sense of satisfaction that comes from overcoming it.
Talk with someone new
This doesn’t have to be a complete stranger. Start a conversation with someone new at work, the barista (咖啡师) in your local coffee shop, a neighbour or someone in the queue.
| A．Do something that is fearful for you |
| B．Become uncomfortable with the Internet |
| C．You can end your conversation with your friends anytime |
| D．Leave your phone at home, turn off the TV and the Internet |
| E．Here are some ways that can probably lead you to a new life |
| F．See if you can continue the conversation for 30 seconds or longer |
| G．Besides, using cash from different countries is also good for your brain |
8 . What will restaurants look like in the future? What would your dinner taste like if a robot cooked it? A robot restaurant in Tianjin may give you the answers.
Covering an area of over 400 square meters with a total of 112 seats, the X Future Restaurant is a robot restaurant that opened in November 2018. The restaurant has amazed customers with its fully-automated (全自动的) technology, which covers every step of the dining experience, from ordering to cooking to serving the dishes and even taking payment.
Entering the restaurant, one can order dishes by simply scanning the QR codes on the table. There are over 40 choices of dishes. After taking the order, “robot cooks” prepare dishes using fixed time, temperature and ingredients designed by famous Chinese cooks.
“As the cooking is controlled by a computer system, the taste and quality of dishes can be good,” said Li Xiaokui, manager of the X Future Restaurant.
Robots also complete the delivery of dishes. Without following any designed route, the robot waiters serve meals thanks to automated driving technology, which helps each robot timely change its route when something is in the way.
These eye-catching technologies have received wide praise from customers. “The dishes taste surprisingly good. I couldn’t believe that they were made by robots, especially dishes that were difficult to cook.” one customer said. “The application of robots has increased our efficiency and cut down our costs,” Li said, “I think robot restaurants will develop fast and have a bright future.”
1. What do we know about the X Future Restaurant?| A．It covers over 112 square meters with 400 seats. |
| B．Robot waiters deliver dishes following fixed routes. |
| C．Customers could enjoy fully-automated services. |
| D．Robot cooks design dishes by themselves. |
| A．They are prepared by human cooks. |
| B．They are not easy for robots to prepare. |
| C．They are not accepted by customers. |
| D．They are ordered by scanning QR codes. |
| A．The choices of dishes are limited. |
| B．It takes a long time for the robots to prepare the dishes. |
| C．Customers are willing to dine in the restaurant. |
| D．The delivery routes are designed by the waiters. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Doubtful. | C．Puzzled. | D．Worried. |
9 . What a day! I started at my new school this morning and had the best time. I made lots of new friends and really liked my teachers. I was nervous (紧张的) the night before, but I had no reason to be. Everyone was so friendly and polite. They made me feel at ease. It was like I’d been at the school for a hundred years!
The day started very early at 7:00 a.m. I had my breakfast downstairs with my mom. She could tell that I was very nervous. Mom kept asking me what was wrong. She told me I had nothing to worry about and that everyone was going to love me. If they didn’t love me, mom said to send them her way for a good talking to. I couldn’t stop laughing.
My mom dropped me off at the school gate about five minutes before the bell. A little blonde (金黄色的) girl got dropped off at the same time and started waving (招手) at me. She ran over and told me her name was Abigail. She was very nice and we became close straight away. We spent all morning together and began to talk to another girl called Stacey. The three of us sat together in class all day and we even made our way home together! It went so quickly. Our teacher told us that tomorrow we would really start learning and developing new skills.
I cannot wait until tomorrow and feel as though I am really going to enjoy my time at my new school. I only hope that my mew friends feel the same way too.
1. How did the author feel the night before her new school?| A．Tired. | B．Excited. | C．Worried. | D．Relaxed. |
| A．She met many nice people. | B．She had a hurried breakfast. |
| C．She learned some new skills | D．She arrived at school very early. |
| A．On foot. | B．By bus. |
| C．In her mother’s car. | D．By train. |
| A．She disliked Stacey. | B．She was shy and quiet. |
| C．She got on well with the author. | D．She was an old friend of the author. |
10 . With the approaching of New Year, more and more visitors will come to China. Don’t know where you should go? Here are some places recommended for you.
Shanghai Expo Culture Park
The Shanghai Expo Culture Park will soon open its northern section to the public, in which the major attractions include a traditional garden that is similar in design to Shanghai’s famous Yuyuan Garden and a 400-meter avenue exhibiting the history of the area, while in the southern section lies a grand theater.
Macao Tower AJ Hackett Bungee Jump
The Macao Tower, 338 meters tall, is the world’s 10th highest tower, with a variety of activities, such as eating and entertainment. One of the activities which enjoy good fame is the bungee jump. The AJ Hackett Macao Tower Bungee Jump is 233 meters high, making it a Guinness World Record as the highest commercial (商业的) bungee jump in the world. Raise your arms and off you go!
Harbin’s Frozen World
For those who have never been to Harbin, there is an almost endless list of things to do. At Harbin Ice—Snow World, you can not only see the world—famous ice architecture, but also have great fun! You can have hotpot at the restaurants which are made of ice, enjoying the product of both ice and fire, go down the world’s longest ice slide (滑梯) and join in the popular Ice and Snow Electronic Music Festival to welcome 2024.
The winter is cold and the night is long, so why not go to the theatre? Harbin was listed by the United Nations as a “music city” in 2010. Harbin Grand Theater is where artistic souls defrost (化霜) a little to share their love of art.
1. Where should visitors go if they want to do extreme sports?| A．Shanghai Expo Culture Park. | B．The Macao Tower. |
| C．Shangha’s Yuyuan Garden. | D．Harbin Ice—Snow World. |
| A．Attend a famous music festival. | B．Play with both ice and fire. |
| C．Turn water into instant ice. | D．Learn to make ice architecture. |
| A．They have a high tower. | B．They have a long ice slide. |
| C．They have a grand theater. | D．They have traditional architecture. |
