1 . Can you imagine a world without music? Studies show that public schools across the country are cutting back on music classes to save money. Worse, some schools have never had music classes to begin with. But without them,students’ academic growth and emotional health could suffer. In fact, music classes are necessary for all students in schools.

Recent studies by Brown University have shown that students who received music education classes were better in maths and reading skills than those without music classes. Another study by the College Board found that students taking music and art classes got higher points. Students' academic success seems to depend on their taking part in music education.

Music programmes in public schools also help to add to a students sense of pride and self-confidence. Teens today have too many learning tasks. Besides, they have family problems, self-confidence problems, relationship troubles, and other troubles. All of these can stop academic success, but music education can help. A study by the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse found that students who took part in school music programmes were less likely to turn to drugs. Music programmes encourage students to work together to produce an excellent performance.

Music crosses language, class, cultural and political boundaries. Music allows students from different countries to connect. For example, at a school talent show, a new Japanese student played a piano duet with an American classmate. Although they could not communicate verbally, they were able to read the music in order to play the duet. Two students from different cultures worked as a team with self-confidence and common purpose through music.

The gift of music is priceless. We need to be sure to have necessary music classes for all students. The world is losing its music, and putting music into schools is the first step to get it back.

1. What can we learn about education with music classes?

A．It allows schools to make more profits.

B．It leads to a lot of emotional problems easily.

C．It helps students to improve their schoolwork.

D．It has a great influence on the culture of the country.

2. What do the two studies seem to show?

A．Not all students take part in music lessons.

B．Students with great success like to attend music lessons.

C．Music plays an important role in students’ success.

D．Students having music classes are better in all lessons.

3. The example in Paragraph 4 mainly suggests that ________.

A．different cultures have different styles of music

B．music makes cross-country communication possible

C．Japan has a good international relationship with America

D．Japanese and American students are good at playing the piano

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．How to Get Music Back	B．Music Education in Schools
C．Music—a Bridge to Understanding	D．The Importance of Listening to Music

2 . 阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

In schools all over the world boys and girls are learning foreign languages.______ knows his own language, but ______ is very useful, especially when we travel to other countries. ______   we go to France, we ought to be able to speak French, and in Germany people will ______ us to understand German.

How many languages are there in the world? There are about fifteen hundred, but many of them are not very ______. English is one of the most important languages______so many people use it, not only in England and the USA,______in other parts of the world. More than 200 million people speak it ______ their native language, and about another 200 million people use it as a foreign language. It is ______ to say how many people are learning it. Many millions of school boys and school girls are trying to do so.

English children study French,______ is also a very important language. An Englishman can_______ find someone in almost all parts of the world who is able to talk to him in either English or ______.

Which is the best way to learn a language? We should remember that we all learnt our own language well when we were children. If we could learn another one in the same way, it would not seem so ______. Think of what a child ______. It listens to what people say, and it tries to imitate(模仿) what it hears. When it wants something, it ______ ask for it. It is ______ the language, talking in it, and thinking in it all the time. If people have to use the language they are learning all the time, they will master it quickly.

____ is also important to remember that we learn our own language by hearing people speak it, not by seeing ______ they write. We imitate what we hear. In school, ______ you learn to read and write as well as to hear and speak, it is ______ to learn all the new words first through the ear. You can read them, spell them, and write them later.

1.

A．No one

B．Someone

C．Everybody

D．Any one

2.

A．one

B．the one

C．the others

D．another one

3.

A．Unless

B．If

C．Though

D．However

4.

A．hope

B．insist

C．expect

D．help

5.

A．necessary

B．easy

C．important

D．official

6.

A．although

B．because

C．when

D．and

7.

A．but

B．or

C．and

D．nor

8.

A．as

B．like

C．for

D．with

9.

A．easy

B．difficult

C．different

D．interesting

10.

A．as

B．what

C．that

D．which

11.

A．hardly

B．sometimes

C．freely

D．easily

12.

A．German

B．Russian

C．French

D．Japanese

13.

A．useful

B．easy

C．hard

D．useless

14.

A．does

B．speaks

C．learns

D．likes

15.

A．ought to

B．is able to

C．decides

D．has to

16.

A．learning

B．studying

C．using

D．trying

17.

A．That

B．It

C．This

D．What

18.

A．how

B．what

C．why

D．as

19.

A．although

B．because

C．as soon as

D．among

20.

A．necessary

B．best

C．better

D．possible

3 . Sometimes people can have fights, but friendship is a valuable gift.    1     But with a little effort to step outside of your comfort zone(舒适区), you can easily make friends. Here you can find some places to make new friends.

Join an organization or a club. This is a great way to find other people who have common interests.    2     In fact, some of the most valuable friendships are between two people who don’t have much in common at all. However, if you like a specific topic, try finding a place where you can meet people who share that interest.

    3     A common mistake is that you have to be really good at playing a special sport in order to make friends with others on the team. In fact, as long as you enjoy the sport and support your teammates, joining a team with a relaxed attitude could be a great way to make new friends.

Volunteer. Volunteering is also a good way for people of all ages to meet others. By working together, you’ll build relationships with people.    4    

Make yourself available. If you want to make friends, you first need to put yourself out there somehow to meet people.    5     It doesn’t have to be a crowded table, but one with at least two other people. Remember, friends seldom come knocking on your door while you sit alone at home.

A．Join a sports team.

B．If you’re still in school, sit somewhere with other people.

C．Do well in sport in order to make new friends.

D．Sometimes, good friends are hard to find.

E．You don’t need to have lots of common interests with people to make friends with them.

F．It is not easy at all to get along with new friends when you study in a middle school.

G．So you can devote your time to a local nursing home or a hospital.

4 . When my daughter Sara was in the fifth grade, she came to me with a problem. “Marcy hates me!” she cried. “Because Kathy is my friend, too. She wants me to be her friend and nobody else’s. You talk to Marcy. You tell her that I want to be her friend, but I can have other friends, too!”

Oh! I looked at her for a few moments, wondering how I got into this mess (困境), when suddenly an idea came to me.

Picking up two baskets from the living room, I explained, “When everyone is born, he or she has a little basket. This little one here is yours. The big one is mine. As you grow, so does the basket. You can see your little basket is inside mine because when you were born, there were too many things you couldn’t do for yourself. I did everything you couldn’t do on your own.”

She nodded.

“Well, as you grew older and began to do some things on your own, I began placing a few more things in your basket. When you learned to tie your shoes, that went in your basket.”

She said softly, “I can tie my own shoes.”

“Right. As you grow older, there will be more and more things you must do on your own.” As I spoke, I gradually took her basket out of mine and handed it to her. “You will finally carry your own basket with things only you can do.”

She looked up at me and said, “I understand. There are some things that I have to do for myself because they are in my basket.”

1. What was Sara’s problem?

A．She didn’t have a basket.	B．She didn’t want her own basket.
C．She couldn’t deal with her friendship.	D．Her mother was too hard on her.

2. What did the author feel when she heard her daughter’s problem?

A．Angry.	B．Crazy.
C．Proud.	D．Helpless.

3. We can infer that Sara ________.

A．would talk to Marcy herself	B．wouldn’t make friends with Kathy
C．was too young to deal with anything	D．managed to persuade her mother to help her

4. The baskets mentioned in the passage refer to ________.

A．gifts given by God when everyone is born

B．something that people use to keep vegetables

C．growing abilities as you grow up

D．friendship that needs repairing

5 . Top Sites to See in New York

Central Park

For more than 150 years, visitors have come to Central Park’s 843 green acres in the heart of Manhattan. Since 1980, the Park has been managed by the Central Park Conservancy, in partnership with the public. You can visit the official website of Central Park to learn more about Park happenings and activities and to learn how to help Central Park.

Telephone: 212-310-6600

Location: 59th to 110th Street, Manhattan Borough, from Central Park West to 5th Avenue, New York City, NY10022

Open Hours: 06: 00-23:00

The National 9/11 Memorial Museum

The national 9/11 Memorial & Museum is a place of remembrance honoring those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The 9/11 Memorial Museum displays Monumental artifacts linked to the events of 9/11, while presenting stories of loss, sympathy and recovery that are central to telling the story of the 2001 attacks and the consequence. It also explores the global impact of 9/11 and its continuing significance.

Telephone: 212-312-8800

Location: 180 Greenwich St, World Trade Center, New York City, NY 10007

Open Hours: 09: 00-20: 00

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

At New York City’s most visited museum and attraction, you will experience over 5,000 years of art from around the world. The Met is for anyone as a source of inspiration, insight and understanding. You can learn, escape, play, dream, discover and connect.

Telephone: 212-535-7710

Location: 1000 5th Avenue, New York City, NY 10028-0198

Open Hours: 10: 00-17: 30

1. How can you get more information about the activities in Central Park?

A．By calling the park.

B．By visiting its website.

C．By consulting the staff.

D．By writing to the manager.

2. Where can you go if you’re interested in art?

A．59th to 110th Street.

B．180 Greenwich St.

C．World Trade Center.

D．1000 5th Avenue.

3. Where can you probably find the text?

A．An official report.

B．A popular magazine.

C．A tourist brochure.

D．A product handbook.

6 . I was born in Thailand, where I feel at home. I am used to jumping on to a song taow (red taxi), and squeezing (挤过) in between two strangers. I am used to bargaining at the market to get a shirt that I like. I love telling bilingual (双语的) jokes and I am used to the surprised looks I get from the Thais when I can speak their language fluently.
Every two years my family goes to America for the summer, and every two years my world is turned upside down. The prices of everything are three times what they were in Thailand, but there is the sweet drink Dr. Pepper! And Bluebell Ice-cream! And everything you could imagine! I am amazed at it all, but the biggest change for me is the people. There are white people everywhere. I am not tall but average (中等的), my yellow hair is no longer out of place, and speaking English no longer draws looks. I should feel comfortable. I’m not out of place anymore, and nobody is looking at me, but I feel like they are. Now I feel out of place and different. I’m not used to giving people handshakes and hugs when I meet them for the first time. I get looks when I have trouble figuring out how much money to pay. I know different music, different places, and different fashion. I can’t understand these people who have never left their town or city.
Still, there are quite a few perks about living overseas. I get to meet people from all over the world, and I know how to adjust to (适应) different cultures and places. I have been to places most people see only in geography books. Still, being so different makes it hard to know who you are. I’m not Thai, but I am not American either. I am a mix of both cultures, a third culture kid.
1. When the Thais give the author surprised looks, she feels _____.

A．upset	B．strange
C．normal	D．different

2. When the author returns to America, _____.

A．she makes more friends

B．she becomes more polite

C．she can’t find what she needs

D．she is like a fish out of water

3. The underlined word “perks” in the last paragraph can be replaced by _____.

A．reasons	B．problems
C．advantages	D．suggestions

4. In this text, the author mainly wants to describe _____.

A．her different lifestyles

B．a kind of culture shock

C．a feeling of loneliness

D．her ability to face difficulties

7 . Where would you most like to go on vacation? Paris? London? The Amazon Rainforest? Each of these destinations is attractive.     1    

As a new word, staycation refers to people staying at home during their vacation time, and going sightseeing around their hometown.

Staycations have become really popular recently, as a way of having an enjoyable vacation, without spending too much money. There are shortcomings to every positive thing, however.

    2     You also might prevent yourself from enjoying things to the fullest, as the atmosphere might be the same as any other time.

    3     It means you won’t be available for work or other activities.

What can you do to make your staycation fun?

1.Go to a nearby town, or to a fancy hotel in your hometown and stay over night. Treat yourself to room service and any other fun things the hotel has to offer.
2.    4     You would have done it on a vacation, right? Treat yourself to this, at least for one day!
3.Throw a small party. Think about the money you are saving by not going away. You will still save money, but have more fun, and you will help other people to have fun too!
4. Go shopping! Window shopping, or the super fun type, where you buy things! You would have bought souvenirs (纪念品) if you had gone on a vacation, so treat yourself during your staycation!

The most important thing to remember is to do things that make you and your family excited!

    5    

A．Eat out for every meal!

B．Go on a day trip to a nearby town, or to a beach.

C．But why not remain at home and enjoy a staycation?

D．If you are on a staycation, you might get calls from work.

E．Most of the time it involves dining out more frequently than usual.

F．Make sure you all have fun, and when it is over, you feel refreshed.

G．The trick is to make sure your friends and coworkers know you are on a staycation.

8 . A little boy almost thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world because a disease made his leg lame(跛的). He_____played with his classmates. When the teacher asked him to answer questions, he always ____his head without a word.
One ___ the boy’s father asked for some saplings(树苗)from the neighbor. He wanted the ____to plant a sapling(树苗) each person in front of the house. The father said, “Whose sapling grows best, I will buy him or her a favorite ______” Seeing his brothers and sisters watering the trees , however, the boy had an idea .He hoped that the tree he planted would _______ soon. So ,after watering it once or twice, he never ______it.
A few days later, when the little boy went to see his tree again, he was ___ to find that it didn’t fade but grew some fresh leaves. ______the trees of his brothers and sisters , his tree was even greener. His father kept his _____,   bought the little boy his favorite gift and said that from the tree he planted, he would become an outstanding _____when he grew up.
Since then, the little boy slowly became_______. One night, he lay on the bed but could not sleep. Then he got up and came to the_______ To his surprise, his _____was splashing(喷洒)something onto his tree. _____, he understood---his father had been ______fertilizing(施肥)his small tree!
He returned to his room, ____ running down. _____passed. The little boy didn’t become a botanist(植物学家)，but he was elected President of the United States. His name was Franklin Roosevelt. Love is the______nourishment(营养)of life________it is just a drop of clear water, it can still help the tree of life thrive(茁壮成长).1.

A．bravely

B．seldom

C．freely

D．always

2.

A．raised

B．nodded

C．lowered

D．knocked

3.

A．spring

B．moment

C．winter

D．week

4.

A．neighbors

B．friends

C．children

D．boys

5.

A．sapling

B．tree

C．gift

D．toy

6.

A．die

B．grow

C．break

D．survive

7.

A．led to

B．attended t

C．belonged to

D．objected to

8.

A．pleased

B．upset

C．worried

D．surprised

9.

A．Compared with

B．Similar to

C．Connected to

D．Popular with

10.

A．request

B．schedule

C．promise

D．secret

11.

A．president

B．botanist

C．artist

D．researcher

12.

A．smart

B．desperate

C．optimistic

D．practical

13.

A．field

B．courtyard

C．park

D．farm

14.

A．brother

B．sister

C．father

D．neighbor

15.

A．All of a sudden

B．For a moment

C．In time

D．From then on

16.

A．busily

B．quietly

C．cautiously

D．secretly

17.

A．water

B．tears

C．sweat

D．rain

18.

A．Hours

B．Months

C．Decades

D．Centuries

19.

A．last

B．only

C．least

D．best

20.

A．Even if

B．Now that

C．If only

D．What if