1 . How to Avoid an Internet Addiction

It may seem like everyone surfs the web these days. But if you can’t have interest in other aspects of your life because of the Internet, you may be on your way to an Internet addiction. You might fear you’re the only one who has experienced that feeling.    1     Luckily, there are some ways to avoid living your life in front of the computer.

    2    

More and more people in the world are becoming addicted to the Internet, and you are not the only one with this problem. So do not be embarrassed. Just be brave to admit that you are on your way to an Internet addiction. And then find others with the same problem and help each other beat it.

Set aside limited time for computer use.

Make sure not to turn it on too many times a week. If you have a laptop, make sure to put it somewhere that you can remember but not somewhere that you see every day. Try keeping the lid closed when you are not using it.     3       If you have a desktop PC, try not to go near it or put something over it like a sheet.

Call people instead of sending instant messages or texts.

If you are free on weekends, call friends and ask them to go outside to do something you enjoy, like playing a sport. This will take your mind off the computer.     4    

Use an alarm clock or timer (计时器).

Before using your computer, decide on a time limit such as 30 minutes. Set the clock or timer and make sure that you get away from the computer when the time is up. Alternatively create a shutdown timer on your desktop.     5    

A．Being addicted to it is quite normal.

B．Admit you are at risk of an addiction.

C．The truth, though, is that it’s quite common to be an addict.

D．When the computer is not looking at you, you are less likely to use it.

E．This can be programmed to shut down your computer after the set time.

F．If you have a problem on weekdays, phone your friends or ask for help in person.

G．This will prevent you from using the Internet so often or going on to another page.

3 . 假定你是李华是学校的学生会主席，因近段时间许多学生感染流感，请你给全校学生写一封倡议书， 呼吁大家积极参与运动，增强抵抗力，要点如下：
1.倡议目的；
2.具体做法；
3.期待参与。
注意：1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Boys and girls,
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The Students’ Union

4 . Four famous classic Italian writers

When it comes to Italian literature, many people come up with Dante. But there are many other famous Italian authors. Below are four recommended writers and their masterpieces.

Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533)   

Ariosto is best known for his epic(史诗般的) poem Orlando Furioso, which was published in 1977. As a poet always with new ideas, Ariosto invented the way of“singing the poem to the audience”. The poem presents a rich variety of characters, which has been an encouragement for many paintings and musical works.

Italo Calvino (1923-1985)

Calvino was the author of If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler published in 1979. The novel differs from others for its unique description of a frame story — a unifying story within which several tales are related. It has encouraged musicians like Sting to create their works. At the time of his death in 1985, Calvino was one of the world’s most translated Italian writers.

Umberto Eco (1932-2016)   

Eco wrote The Name of the Rose, a historical murder mystery novel published in 1980. In the story, he skilfully applied the use of signs and symbols to it. A number of his books deal with the meaning and understanding of communication.

Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873)     

Manzoni is most famous for his novel The Betrothed published in 1827. The novel was regarded to be connected with Risorgimento, the Italian unification movement in the 19th century. Probably we can say, without this great novelist and this masterpiece of world literature, Italy wouldn’t be Italy.

1. What can we know about Orlando Furioso?

A．It has influenced musical works.	B．It was published in 1979.
C．It was written by Manzoni.	D．It has been translated into many languages.

2. What can readers probably find in The Name of the Rose?

A．A unique describing style.	B．The use of signs and symbols.
C．A mix of new ideas.	D．The history of a movement.

3. Whose work is related to the formation of Italy?

A．Ludovico Ariosto.	B．Italo Calvino.
C．Umberto Eco.	D．Alessandro Manzoni.

5 . It’s always exciting to receive a letter in the mail. Even today, when the world is digitally connected, receiving an actual letter in your mailbox from a distant land is a great way for children to make new friends.

The Peaceful Pen Pals Project is a beautiful initiative that combines global connection and self-expression. The project is part of the nonprofit Kids for Peace, founded by Jill McManigal and Danielle Gram in California, in 2006. Letter writing is most certainly hands-on and helps strengthen relationships throughout the world.

The Peaceful Pen Pals Project is open to all children, ages 2 through 17. To date, there are 1500 children from 17 countries participating in the program. Each child is assigned a pen pal of a similar age. This establishes a point of connection right off the bat for the children and promotes a stronger bond. If the letter writers are in the same grade, they can chat about their schools, teachers, and what they are studying. They can also compare and contrast what different states or countries learn about and how the dynamics of the classroom are, whether socially or academically.

Children may be more inclined to write about their issues if they feel like they are speaking to a peer in a similar situation. They also write about the local weather, who the letter writer lives with, and their favorite things to do at home. This will give the pen pal a good sense of the writer’s home life, and they may relate to certain aspects, such as their parents, the number of siblings, or if they share a room. Although pen pals may live in different countries, they may find common ground according to this information.

“Hearing first-hand stories from an international pen pal can encourage teens to take someone else’s perspective and to think outside of themselves,” writes Rebecca Fraser-Thill on Very Well Family. “It can also encourage interest in geography, politics, and history, and promote many key skills, including reciprocation, empathy and mutual concern.”

1. What is the purpose of paragraph 2?

A．To prove the importance of making friends.

B．To briefly introduce the Peaceful Pen Pals Project.

C．To present the history of the nonprofit Kids for Peace.

D．To encourage kids to communicate with others by letters.

2. What can children do in the project?

A．Visit different countries with their parents.	B．Learn foreign languages online.
C．Share their lives by writing letters.	D．Solve difficult problems for their pen pals.

3. What can we infer from Rebecca Fraser-Thill’s words?

A．It is necessary for every teenager to have a pen pal.

B．Writing letters helps teenagers to make more friends.

C．Communicating by letters benefits teenagers in many aspects.

D．Teenagers make great progress in their studies by writing letters.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．The benefits of having a pen pal from another country.

B．New ways for kids to communicate with their friends.

C．Letter writing is becoming popular among kids worldwide.

D．The Peaceful Pen Pals Project connects kids around the world.

6 . Inside а tiny shop in Manchester, Adam Birce carefully carves at а woodblock. He looks carefully at each piece to ensure they fit and match before gently setting them together. Adam Birce, the owner of Four Strings, restores stringed instruments like violins, and his passion is restoring and appreciating what has already been crafted and loved.

Birce started playing the violin in grade school and grew to truly appreciate it. He played semiprofessionally out of high school and later got his degree in music at Virginia Commonwealth University as a violinist. After graduating, he landed a job selling violins. “As fate would have it, I was asked by my employer to learn to fix violins 15 years ago,” he says. “I soon moved off on my own to do restoration.” Since 2014, he has been on a mission with Four Strings to offer excellent fine-instrument restoration services to the community.

Violin restoration isn’t a self-taught skill. Each summer for the past decade, Birce has traveled to the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts for up to two weeks to study under famous violin restoration expert Hans J. Nebel. Here, students learn everything from delicate edging repair to violin identification. “A lot of the work itself is learning as you go,” Birce says. “It’s a lot of problem-solving and critical thinking, like coming up with a woodworking plan.

“How long а job takes varies. Most are about 3-6 months for major work, unless a full top-to-bottom restoration is needed, which can take even longer,” Birce explains. “I leave that up to the client if they want to commit to that.” One of his longest jobs was working on a Scottish violin from the early 1800s that had been water-damaged. “I had to use every skill in my toolbox to fix it,” Birce laughingly recalls. “It was a very onerous job.”

If there’s one thing to be learned from Birce’s passion, it’s that each violin is unique in its own right. He compares the fine instruments market to the fine arts market. “A lot of these instruments are fine art,” he says. “I kind of say this is a Picasso I’m playing or a Degas. I’ve worked on a few, which is always a joy.”

1. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．The special features of Four Strings.	B．The procedures of violin restoration.
C．Birce’s life experience with the violin.	D．Birce’s influence in the music industry.

2. What does the author think of violin restoration?

A．It’s effortless.

B．It’s self-taught.

C．It’s extremely dull.

D．It’s highly professional.

3. What does the underlined word “onerous” probably mean in paragraph 4?

A．Creative.

B．Well-paid.

C．Dangerous.

D．Demanding.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Birce prefers art to music.	B．Birce has a deep love for his job.
C．Birce wants to be as famous as Picasso.	D．Birce has become a master of violin restoration.

7 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

I have a warm story to share with you. A school in San Francisco not only accepted a deaf student, but also    1    (teach) the entire class sign language to allow them to better communicate with him. The moving story began in September last year when a woman asked the primary school in her neighborhood    2    (accept) her six-year-old son, James,     3    had a hearing disability. The teacher, Lily, agreed almost immediately,    4    on the first day of school, she noticed James sitting all    5     himself, unable to communicate with any of his classmates.    6    (determine) to find a way out, Lily tried developing a few signs of     7    (she) own. But a parent of another child came up with    8    even better idea — getting the whole class to learn sign language along with James. So they got a sign language teacher on board, and three months later, James was able to communicate     9    (happy) with all his classmates about regular things like homework and    10    (game). He was no longer sitting alone from then on.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where are the speakers?

A．In a railway station.

B．At the airport.

C．At DJ company.

2. What was the man’s journey like?

A．It was tiring.

B．It was enjoyable.

C．It was disappointing.

3. What will they do next?

A．Go to London.

B．Explore the city.

C．Go to the hotel.