1 . We take music for granted because it's everywhere. Although we don't realize it, music has the power to bring back old memories, change moods, etc.     1    

Music brings people together.     2     Personally, many relationships that I've developed throughout my life can be attributed to ( 归因于) music. Without it, I wouldn't have some of the friends that I have today.

    3     It has served as a distraction (使人分心的事物) from troubles as well as helped me get out of situations where nothing seems to be going right. Music expresses the emotions that we feel and is a good way to deal with those feelings.

Life without music is boring.     4     You must read Of Grammatology because you have a paper to write. Yes, I am speaking from personal experience. I found myself leaving the cafe and making my way back home because the material was too dry to read without some kind of music behind it.     5     You can have it play in the background while you do whatever it is you need to do.

Music is an amazing tool and gift. It has done nothing but inspire me to be better, pick up my mood, and help me avoid boredom. So please, anyone that reads this article, send me your favorite song so that I can give it a listen!

A．But we seldom realize the impact it has.

B．Music is not as distracting as TV shows.

C．Music is a powerful tool in our daily lives.

D．It has the ability to build relationships between people.

E．It has the ability to connect with people on an emotional level.

F．Music gives me the ability to face my problems in a healthy way.

G．Imagine going into a cafe to study and there was no background music.

2 . Jagadish Chandra Bose was born in Bikrampur (now in present-day Bangladesh) on November 30, 1858. His father believed that it was important for him to get a good education in his native language, which is Bengali, before being sent to an English-medium school. Thus, Bose received his early education completely in Bengali. He then attended St. Xavier’s School and later college, at Calcutta, where his interest in science was developed. He graduated from University of Calcutta in 1879.

Bose wanted to take the Indian Civil Service (文官) exams but his father insisted that he should take up a more academic pursuit (学术追求). Thus he went to study medicine at the University of London, England but could not complete his studies because of his ill health. He went on to study Natural Science at Christ's College, Cambridge.

He returned to India in 1885 and began teaching physics at Presidency College. His salary (工资), however, was half of what English professors earned at the time so he refused to accept his salary for three years until the administration gave in and gave him his previous salary as well. Another way in which he was discriminated (歧视) against was being asked to do unnecessary, unimportant work and not being provided with proper research facilities and support such as equipment for conducting experiments. Bose often had to buy equipment with his own money and conducted experiments late into the night after he had finished his tough daily tasks.

Though in the face of those challenges, he made great contributions in the study of plant nervous systems. He successfully showed that plants and animals have similar responses to stimuli in London on May 10, 1901. His discovery was extremely significant but was laughed at by many of his colleagues at first. However, his contributions are now widely accepted throughout the world. Bose's another great achievement is research into wireless technology and short radio waves. IEEE named him one of the fathers of radio science.

Bose published various journals and books, and founded the Bose Institute in 1917 for research in various fields such as physics, chemistry and microbiology. He received numerous honors. He died on November 23, 1937.

1. What can we learn about Bose’s early schooling?

A．It was conducted in Bengali.

B．It went against his father’s will.

C．It turned out challenging for Bose.

D．It was started at St. Xavier’s School.

2. Why did Bose go to England?

A．To find a job.

B．To see a doctor.

C．To learn English.

D．To continue his education.

3. What did Bose experience during his years at Presidency College?

A．Cultural shock.

B．Unfair treatment.

C．Poor mental health.

D．Lack of family support.

4. What made Bose earn international recognition?

A．His approaches to teaching physics.

B．His fight against racial discrimination.

C．His contributions to Western medicine.

D．His research into plant nervous systems.

3 . At the end of a math lesson that Diane Moon taught virtually ( 虚拟地) earlier this month to her students, the middle school teacher in Illinois had star-shaped stickers covering her face.

It was all part of an effort by Moon and other teachers across the country to keep their students engaged ( 参 与) while virtual learning continues as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens in the United States.

“It's been really difficult,” Moon said of trying to teach her students through computer screens. “Sometimes I feel like I'm just talking to myself and it's just slower because I have to wait for students to respond.”

Moon said she had no hesitation to have a try when a colleague ( 同事) showed her a video in which a teacher put a sticker on her face each time a new student spoke out during class.

“I put some competition into it because I made it a battle between my three classes,” she said. “I told them that every time someone new takes part, I would put a new sticker on and we'll see which class has the most.”

Moon said she heard from students who had not spoken out all term, and saw her students come together and encourage each other to speak up, saying things like, “It's OK if the answer is wrong.”

Inspired by the success, Moon took a video of her face covered in stickers and shared it on the Internet, where it went viral (疯传).

In response to Moon's post, a fifth-grade teacher, Isa, later shared that she was using pipe cleaners in her hair to encourage students to turn on their cameras and speak up in class. She said, “The stickers started to irritate (刺激) our skin, so we moved on to pipe cleaners in our hair! Huge hit! We recommend it!”

“It shows that we're all doing all we can to engage students,” said Moon.

1. What made Moon put stickers on her face?

A．A teaching failure.

B．The competition for attention.

C．The desire to engage students.

D．A challenge from her colleagues.

2. What was Moon's students' attitude towards the battle?

A．They loved it.

B．They doubted it.

C．They were curious about it.

D．They showed little interest in it.

3. Why did Isa use pipe cleaners instead of stickers?

A．Her students disliked stickers.

B．She didn't have enough stickers.

C．It was cheaper to use pipe cleaners.

D．Stickers made her skin uncomfortable.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To support virtual learning.

B．To praise teachers' creativity.

C．To recommend a teaching aid.

D．To encourage students to learn.

4 . The John Carew Swim School

Tel: (07) 3878 6388
E-mail: admin@carewswim.com.au

The John Carew Swim School has been a family-run business since the early 1960s. John Carew, who coached the Australian Swim Team at the Olympics on three separate occasions, founded his own swim school to pass on his knowledge. His wife and son now carry on his beliefs at the swim school.

We have two pools, which are heated to 31℃ all year round. Sufficient seating is provided around our swimming areas so you can watch your child in comfort.

Programs:
Babies and Toddlers

Classes are divided into three levels based on the child's ability and previous experiences. Your child will learn basic survival skills while improving their balance in the water.

Age: 6 months-3 years old
Duration (持续时间): 30 minutes
Class size: 8 pupils at most
Learn to Swim

After developing water safety skills, the journey of learning the four swimming strokes (游泳姿势) is started. We will take time to ensure the basic skills for each stroke are correct before progressing your child.

Age: 3 years +
Duration: 30 minutes
Class size: 4 pupils at most
Mini Squad (队)

Once your child is trained in all four strokes, they can become a part of our mini squad. We offer beginner and advanced levels in which your child will learn starts, turns and finishes along with basic training skills.

Age: Entry is based on the child's ability
Duration: 60 minutes
Club Night

We offer a family-friendly club night each term. The night is intended to provide feedback ( 反 馈 信 息 ) to parents and teachers in a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

Cost: FREE
Fees (费用):

	Babies and Toddlers	Learn to Swim	Mini Squad
Monthly (4 classes)	$68	$80	$90
Term (10 classes)	$155	$180	$200

1. What can we learn about the John Carew Swim School?

A．It has warm pool water.

B．It has three swimming pools.

C．It has classes by John Carew.

D．It has a history of about 40 years.

2. In which program will a child take one-hour classes?

A．Club Night.

B．Mini Squad.

C．Learn to Swim.

D．Babies and Toddlers.

3. How much should Jack pay if he signs his 1-year-old son up for a term?

A．$68.

B．$90.

C．$155.

D．$180.

5 . Boredom has, surprisingly, become quite interesting to academics lately. In early May, London’s Boring Conference celebrated seven years of delighting in dullness. At this event, people flocked to talks about weather traffic jams, and vending-machine sounds, among other sleep-inducing topics.

What, exactly, is everyone studying? One widely accepted psychological definition of boredom is “the unpleasant experience of wanting, but being unable, to engage in satisfying activities.” But how can you measure a person’s boredom level and compare it with someone else’s?

In 1986, psychologists introduced the Boredom Proneness Scale, designed to measure an individual’s overall tendency to feel bored. By contrast, the Multidimensional State Boredom scale, developed in 2008, measures a person’s feelings of boredom in a given situation.

Boredom has been linked to behavior issues including inattentive driving mindless snacking excessive drinking, and addictive gambling. In fact, many of us would choose pain over boredom.

One team of psychologists discovered that two-thirds of men and a quarter of women would rather have electric shocks than sit alone with their thought for 15 minutes. Researching this phenomenon, another team asked volunteers to watch boring, sad, or neutral films, during which they could have electric shocks. The bored volunteers shocked themselves more and harder than the sad or neutral one did.

But boredom isn’t all bad. By encouraging self-reflection and daydreaming, it can encourage activity. An early study gave participants abundant time to complete problem-solving and word-association exercises. Once all the obvious answers were exhausted, participants gave more and more inventive answers to fight boredom. A British study took these findings one step further, asking subjects to complete a creative challenge (coming up with a list of alternative uses for a household item). One group of subjects did a boring activity first, while the others went straight to the creative task. Those whose boredom pumps had been prepared were more productive.

In our always-connected world, boredom may be a hard-to-define state, but it is a fertile one. Watch paint dry or water boil, or at least put away your smartphone for a while, and you might unlock your next big idea.

1. When are people likely to experience boredom, according to an accepted psychological definition?

A．When they can’t do what they want.

B．When they experience unpleasant things.

C．When they are engaged in some routines.

D．When they don’t enjoy what they are studying.

2. What does the author say boredom can lead to?

A．Great determination.	B．Mental health.
C．Huge pain.	D．Harmful conduct.

3. What is the findings of one team of psychologists in their experiment?

A．Volunteers prefer watching a boring movie to sitting alone deliberating.

B．Many volunteers are unable to resist boredom longer than fifteen minutes.

C．Male volunteers are more immune to the effects of boredom than females.

D．Mary volunteers choose to hurt themselves rather than endure boredom.

4. What does the author suggest one do when faced with a challenging problem?

A．Unlock one’s smartphone.	B．Stop worrying and think big.
C．Spare some time to be bored.	D．Look around oneself for inspiration

6 . Some of Harry Potter’s stories have been made into movies. After a long search, the filmmakers found Daniel Radcliffe to play the part of Harry in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The movies turn out to be a big success. Have you ever read Harry Potter’s adventures?     1    .

The boy wizard

Harry Potter is an unhappy 11-year-old boy. He lives with his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley and their awful son Dudley.

Harry is a wizard, but he doesn’t know it!     2    . They both died in the fighting with the evil wizard Voldemort when Harry was just a baby. Harry was hidden in the unmagical Dursleys to protect him from Voldemort.

Harry’s adventures begin when he is accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, he meets adults like Headmaster Albus Dumbledore and Groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid. He also befriends schoolmates like Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, and meets rivals like Draco Malfoy.     3    , a game a little like soccer that is played on flying broomsticks.

The Harry Potter novels tell the adventures of Harry at Hogwarts. Each book covers one school year in Harry’s life, starting at age 11.

Success story

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was a big success.     4    . It was then published in North America with a slightly different title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The story was very popular there, as well.

Other books about Harry followed: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The novels have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold millions and millions of copies.     5    !

A．His mother was a witch and his father was a wizard

B．Once you have read about Harry Potter, you will understand him easier

C．Harry is also quite brave, though he still has fear

D．It won Prizes for Children’s Literature in the United Kingdom

E．If not, then let’s quickly introduce him

F．He learns magic and how to play Quidditch

G．The arrival of a new Harry Potter book is a worldwide event

7 . There are more than 10 million people in the world who are unable to speak and they depend on computerized equipment to provide their voices. But because there are so few recorded voices for them, the same voice used by the physicist and writer Stephen Hawking is used by little children.

When speech scientist Rupal Patel was at a meeting and saw a young girl talking to a grown man and both were using the same computer voice, she knew something had to be done. So Patel worked to create custom (定制的) voices for custom people. To start the process, a voice donor (捐赠者) records a series of short stories and sentences. They don’t record every single word a person might say, but they typically cover all the different combinations of sounds that happen in language.

The process might take between five and seven hours, but it doesn’t have to be done all at once and it can be done in the donor’s home. The voice donor can start, stop and pick up whenever it’s convenient. They’re encouraged to record from the same place each time so the sound is continuous. Those recordings are then divided into little pieces of speech to be kept in a database (数据库). The person who will receive the voice also records a few special sounds. Patel’s team then searches the voice database for a perfect voice match. Finally, that donated voice is joined with the receiver’s sounds, which makes a custom voice.

So far, more than 14,000 speakers from 120 countries have contributed to what the company, VocaliD, calls “The Human Voicebank”. People who want to donate can record from anywhere they have a computer or phone, sharing their voice with anyone who needs it or even banking it for themselves. “English speakers from English-speaking countries share their voice as part of our Human Voicebank because they want to help bring speech to the speechless,” VocaliD spokesperson Elisabeth Nuboer said. “We have voice donors all over the world, ranging in age from 6 to 91 and welcome everyone and all your wonderful voice.”

1. How do the speechless people speak, according to the passage?

A．They write their words on paper.

B．They use computerized equipment.

C．They depend on body language.

D．They type their words on phones.

2. What caused the problem that Rupal Patel discovered at a meeting?

A．There were so few recorded voices.

B．No recorded voices were for children.

C．Recorded voices didn’t sound perfect.

D．Recorded voices were not easy to understand.

3. Why do the speechless ones who want to get the donated voice also need to record a few special sounds?

A．Because they also need to make a contribution to the database.

B．Because their special sounds will be needed for the study in the future.

C．Because their throats need to be examined before using special equipment.

D．Because Patel’s team needs their special sounds to get a perfect voice match.

4. Which of the following can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．English-speaking voice donors are more important than others.

B．English is the main language in VocaliD’s Human Voicebank.

C．Many people around the world are willing to help the speechless.

D．The donor whose age is below six will be refused by the company.

8 . Debbie Parker Solo Recent Work at Latrobe Artspace

Talented and award-winning artist Debbie Parker is excited to be one of the first artists exhibit in the ALL NEW Latrobe Artspace in October!

This exhibition features paintings inspired by Debbie’s leisurely walks in Mount Coot-Tha National Park. Each painting offers a different way of looking at a familiar Australian landscape.

Debbie never gets tired of developing new ideas from the pictures she takes of the local area and the result is a collection of expressive paintings celebrating the unique Australian landscape and local birds and flowers.

With over 25 years of experience as an artist. Debbie developed her expressionist style in the early 1990s. Since then, she has competed and exhibited around Australia. She has also completed workshops with well-known artists in Queensland. Her work has been recognized in national and local competitions.

Usually, Debbie would have been exhibiting in competitions around Australia throughout this year but COVID-19 has set new challenges for artists.

However, Debbie is looking ahead and can’t wait to meet you at her latest exhibition! She will be on-site from 6th to 11th October 2020 Tuesday to Saturday 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday 10 am to 3 pm at the ALL NEW Latrobe Artspace. 134 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington Queensland 4064.

As we spend more time in our homes, consider buying a unique, affordable piece of art. Debbie’s unique drawing skills are sure to remain a talking point in your home for many years to come!

Got a question? Email Debbie on Debbie parker@bigpond.com or contact 040351 1268 to learn more about her artwork.

1. The exhibits are about _____.

A．Australian landscape	B．The relaxed life of locals
C．Unique Australian animals	D．Familiar items for daily use

2. What do we know about Debbie Parker?

A．She has won some international prizes.

B．She holds a private exhibition each year.

C．She earns national awards through her work.

D．She has run workshops in Queensland herself.

3. Which of the following should visitors know about the exhibition?

A．The exhibition lasts 7 hours each day.

B．They can meet some other artists there.

C．The exhibition takes place in Queensland.

D．Debbie and other artists’ artworks are for sale.

9 . During my visit to Xi’an, 1 met with a strange instrument. It has a loud and high-pitched (声调高的) sound, and is often used in traditional Chinese music ensembles (乐团), especially those that perform outdoors,     1    . He told me that it is a Chinese instrument called the suona. To find more information, I visited some Chinese online lesson websites.

Actually, the suona is a loud Chinese instrument, It’s loud and high-pitched sound is perfect for outdoor performances.     2     It is now widely used at traditional festival events, weddings and funerals (葬礼) in the countryside of North China.

    3     It was developed from Central Asian instruments such as the “surnay” or “zurna”, from which its Chinese name comes. A musician playing an instrument very similar to a suona is shown in a drawing at a historic place on the Silk Road in what is now the western Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, dating back to the third to fifth century CE.

The suona only has eight holes, and breath and fingers (手指) are all a performer depends on lo control the pitch and tone (音质).     4     The instrument looks simple, but it can vividly imitate (生动地模仿) the voice or singing of a human being or even the sounds of Chinese opera.     5     The eight-hale instrument has been called the “eight-eyed monkey” because like a monkey it is difficult to control.

A．Actually, it is difficult to master the suona.

B．The suona is beyond a musical instrument

C．The sound of the suona is also endangered.

D．It was used for festivals and military (军事的) purposes.

E．The suona was firstly introduced to China from Central Asia.

F．People use a metal mouthpiece to make an even louder sound.

G．I didn’t know the name of the instrument, so l asked my Chinese friend.

10 . The boulders (巨石) look generally unremarkable, besides the fact that they stretch up and down the ridge in a curved line. Most people who don’t know their story would probably choose to look at the sweeping view of San Jose below them instead.

The timeworn line of boulder, is part of a system of stone walls, the remains of which stretch along the East Bay Hills all the way from Grimly Peak in Berkeley to where I watched a man tie his shoes at the Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve above East San Jose.

They exist only in sections, and some are better preserved than others — where I found the man, the walls are short and thick and half-sunk into the earth, hut further north at Ed R. Levin County Park in Milpitas, they remain almost perfectly assembled and stand several feet tall.

The first recorded mention of the walls is from an article in the San Francisco Chronicle from 1896. “Half a mile east of Grizzly Peak stand the remains of stone walls which have long baffled the researchers. By whom they were built, when and why is an unsolved mystery,” the article stated. The unnamed author went on to write a generally-accepted theory of the walls that they were constructed by “some long-forgotten race, possibly Aztec”.

Of course, the people who originally inhabited the hills and the land surrounding them are far from forgotten. The Ohlone people thrived in the area for thousands of years until they were largely displaced by European settlers — however, there’re no records of them constructing stone walls.

“Some of my colleagues have heard the rocks were placed there by Spanish settlers clearing their fields, and there have been speculations that it could have been part of Indigenous practice,” said Charlotte Graham, a spokesperson for the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. “We’ve also heard it could be a natural occurrence.”

However, there isn’t enough evidence on the walls to be entirely certain. A study dated lichen (地衣) on the walls in Berkeley as being from 1851 to 1880, though other sections of the walls haven’t been tested, and there’re few historical accounts on their presence.

1. How may most people never hearing about the boulders react when seeing them?

A．Ignore them.	B．Collect them.
C．Post the photos of them online.	D．Report them to the government.

2. Which section of the stone walls is most probably best preserved?

A．The one along the East Bay Hills.

B．The one near Grizzly Peak in Berkeley.

C．The one at Ed R. Levin County Park in Milpitas.

D．The one at the Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve.

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

A．Prevented.

B．Confused.

C．Annoyed.

D．Inspired.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Functions of stone walls	B．Newly-found boulders
C．The history of boulders	D．Stories behind mystery walls