1 . Music is one of the most interesting art forms on earth. We enjoy music because it makes us feel great.    1    We thought we’d take some time out to explore exactly how beneficial music is to your language development skills. Below is a list of all the ways that listening to music can improve your English skills.

Strengthen your vocabulary and listening skills.

When listening to a song, you’ll pick up new words that you haven’t heard before. Listening to a new song per week can help you learn 52 songs a year. Those songs are full of new vocabulary and phrases that are difficult to forget. For example, listening to a song like “Friday, I’m in Love”   is a great way to remember the days of the week!    2    Music can help your brain react more quickly to hearing English.

Perfect your pronunciation.

Once you have learned the lyrics, the words of a song, you can practice your pronunciation and explore different accents(口音).     3    Singing will help you to learn their correct pronunciation of the words and will also help you remember easily the new vocabulary you have learned.

Catch obvious grammar mistakes.

If you have a good eye for mistakes, you can find many grammar “exceptions” songwriters usually use. Sometimes singers need to adapt the lyrics to the rhythm of the song. Therefore, they may be creative enough to use grammatical mistakes on purpose. It’s not funny when you catch them.    4    

    5    Music can also increase your cultural understanding. Many songs talk about great stories and can teach you a lot about love, life, tradition, history, philosophy, literature, and more. You can find many great examples of a storytelling song on the Internet.

A．Discover more about English culture.

B．But rather it’s a good way to practice your English.

C．This exercise will also develop your listening skills.

D．Listening to songs can help you recover from illness.

E．Those accents depend on the areas the singers come from.

F．Write some storytelling songs to improve your English skills.

G．But did you know it is also a great way to help you learn English?

2 . Last year I went to the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, and it blew my mind. It had been my dream to attend the famous carnival for many years, so I was excited. However ,the moment I arrived, I was a little bit nervous because there were so many people on the streets. They say that five or six million people come to Rio during carnival time and about two million of them are on the streets on any given day. Luckily, I had a local guide, my sister’s friend Ronnie. He said he would take care of me and show me around at the carnival. He did not let me down.

Well, the carnival is all about the samba. It’s a style of music and dance which has its origins in Africa. Lots of Africans were used as slave labor by the Portuguese when Brazil was being conquered, so this mixed culture of African, Latin and European styles is really strong here.   Samba music is usually fast and exciting with a lot of drums and harmonic vocals(和声).It’s the kind of music that you couldn’t help dancing to. And I was learning that as I followed Ronnie through the crowd, I couldn’t help moving my hips and shoulders.

Ronnie had got us tickets for the samba parade inside the Sambadrome where the top samba schools compete for the championship, but we still had a long way to go through the street parties. He said most people enjoy the carnival by making their own parties in the street. About the samba parade, twelve main teams compete for the championship, and if they win, their performance will be talked about for years to come.

So, you must be wondering how it was. Well, I’m afraid I can’t tell you. Ronnie and I never made into the Sambadrome.   We spent the day moving from one street party to another. There were more snacks, more drinks and lots of dancing. Do I regret missing the main parade? Not at all. I experienced the carnival like the locals, and it was truly amazing.

1. How did the author feel once she arrived at the carnival?

A．Disappointed.

B．Anxious.

C．Excited.

D．Annoyed.

2. What can be known about samba in Paragraph 2?

A．It has a strong mixed culture.

B．Its music is always fast but soft.

C．It is not to the taste of the author.

D．It has its origins in South America.

3. Why didn’t the author regret missing the main parade?

A．She met some amazing local people.

B．She gave her own parties in the street.

C．She celebrated the festival in a local way.

D．She didn’t have the tickets for the parade.

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To recommend a helpful guide.

B．To encourage people to learn samba.

C．To share an unforgettable experience.

D．To tell a cruel history of Rio de Janeiro.

3 . While tea may have its origins in Asia, now it has found its way into their food culture and traditions in many countries. It is a special way of connecting people all over the world in different ways and ceremonies. That finally all results in a group of people sitting together and enjoying a cup of tea.

Chinese tea culture

Since China is considered as the birthplace of tea, it is no wonder that Chinese tea culture is rich in history and tradition. Today, Chinese tea continues to be used in Chinese medicine and is commonly used on both formal and informal occasions either for personal enjoyment or as a Chinese cultural tradition.

Japanese tea culture

Japan also has a long history with tea, especially Japanese Matcha, which is a kind of ground green tea. Japanese tea is commonly used in Japanese tea ceremonies and only in recent years has become popular in western culture.

British tea culture

When it comes to British tea, British tea culture is what comes to mind. A hot cup of Earl Grey tea often serves with a little milk and a biscuit in the afternoon as a pick-me-up for the day, which makes you feel better and more energetic. Even though tea may not be native to England, this British tea tradition is still going strong today.

Moroccan tea culture

When you visit Morocco, it is hard to miss the outstanding tea culture that is such a special way to welcome guests. Before any gathering, a pot of mint(薄荷)tea is always prepared and served among the host and guests. This is an expression of Moroccan tradition and kindness, which should always be accepted by guests as a sign of appreciation and respect to the host.

1. What do Chinese and Japanese tea cultures have in common?

A．They have a long history.

B．They are used in medicine.

C．They are well known for green tea.

D．They have long been widely recognized.

2. Why do the British prefer the afternoon tea?

A．To show kindness.

B．To get new energy.

C．To bring out respect

D．To observe a tradition.

3. What word can best describe Moroccan people?

A．Honest.

B．Confident.

C．Grateful.

D．Friendly.

4 . The first day of school we were challenged to get to know a new classmate.I_______around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.I found a little _______lady with a warm smile.

She said，“Hi! I’m Rose.I’m 87 years old.Can I give you a hug?” I laughed and heartily_______，“Of course!”“Why are you in college at such a young，innocent age?”I asked.She_______replied，“I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, have children，and then travel around.”“No，_______，”I asked.I was curious why she _______this challenge at this age.“I always _______having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.We became instant friends.

_______，Rose became a campus icon(偶像)and she easily made friends wherever she went.She loved to dress up and she enjoyed the_______from the other students.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet.I’ll never forget what she________us.“We do not stop playing because we are old;we grow old________we stop playing.Here are the secrets to staying ________.You have to laugh and find ________every day.You’ve got to have a dream.When you lose your dreams，you die.________ we have many people like this walking around!”she said.“There is a huge ________ between growing older and growing up.Anybody can grow older.That doesn’t ________ any talent or ability，”she added.“But growing up requires ________ the opportunity in change，having no   ________.The elderly usually don’t regret what they did, but regret things they did not do.”

One week after graduation that year，Rose died peacefully in her sleep.She taught us ________   that it’s never too ________ to be all you can possibly be.

1.

A．stopped

B．showed

C．asked

D．looked

2.

A．old

B．exciting

C．strange

D．nervous

3.

A．added

B．claimed

C．responded

D．offered

4.

A．slowly

B．jokingly

C．quickly

D．simply

5.

A．seriously

B．wisely

C．really

D．secretly

6.

A．took off

B．put up

C．took on

D．put on

7.

A．dreamed to

B．looked back on

C．looked up to

D．dreamed of

8.

A．Over the year

B．At the moment

C．Once again

D．As usual

9.

A．jokes

B．questions

C．attention

D．followers

10.

A．inspired

B．taught

C．requested

D．lectured

11.

A．when

B．because

C．so

D．although

12.

A．young

B．healthy

C．growing

D．developing

13.

A．goals

B．humor

C．person

D．interest

14.

A．Unfortunately

B．Naturally

C．Generally

D．Fairly

15.

A．division

B．change

C．cross

D．difference

16.

A．use

B．take

C．compare

D．prefer

17.

A．winning

B．improving

C．meeting

D．finding

18.

A．doubts

B．fear

C．regrets

D．worry

19.

A．in time

B．by herself

C．by example

D．in practice

20.

A．late

B．old

C．early

D．young

5 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

The summer holiday is coming, that makes me excited. I have been looking forward to relax myself. I’d like to go swimming, climb mountains and saw several movies. I can play the basketball with my classmates. How a wonderful time I’ll have during the summer holiday! However, my parents think different. They don’t want me go out. They are afraid I’ll be knocked down by a truck, fall off a tree, or fight about others. Besides, they are worried that I may lose my ways. I really hate being treated like a bird kept in a cage. To get more freedom, I will try to persuade him.

6 . 假定你是李华，你的英国朋友 Peter 来信向你倾诉他在学习中文的过程中遇到的困难，并向你寻求帮助。请你给他回一封邮件，内容包括：
1. 表示安慰 2.具体建议(至少 2 条) 3.表达祝愿
注意：1. 词数 100 左右; 2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯;
Dear Peter,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . The bus company made an a________to passengers for any inconvenience caused. (根据首字母单词拼写)

8 . Don’t let other people’s n________attitude towards life affect your own life. （根据首字母单词拼写）

9 . It is impolite to make unfavorable c________ on a person’s appearance. （根据首字母单词拼写）

10 . J________ from his accent, he must be from Sichuan province. （根据首字母单词拼写）