1 . Like flavors of ice cream, people have different tastes and preferences for music. You need to map out your playlist based on the theme of your essay. Here are a few film scores for different themes, you can decide which is the best music for writing:

Nutmeg by Alexandre Desplat

Fear Will Find You by Hans Zimmer

The Station Inspector by Howard Shore

If you are a student writing a reflection paper about a movie your teacher asked you to watch, listening to its film score would get your creative juices flowing. Besides, you can even add what you feel about the music and its impact on the movie. So less work for you and more additional points on your paper.

Some would be happy to listen to anything while others are more specific. For example, there are people who would happily listen to any music while some are more particular and prefer classical music to jazz. If you are one of them, here are a few classical pieces you can listen to while writing:

Tambourin chinois, Op. 3 by Fritz Kreisler

The Gadfly Suite, Op. 97a: VIII. Romance by Dmitri Shostakovich

The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams

The number one problem that writers complain about is writer’s block. Even if you are not a professional and just writing a 2000-word research paper, you can still experience writer’s block and not know how to get started. With that, here are a few songs to get you all pumped up to write:

Iron Maiden’s by The Trooper

Run Boy Run by Woodkid

Knights of Cydonia by Muse

If popular songs are not your thing, then you can just listen to famous scores from movies.

1. Which is classical music?

A．Nutmeg.	B．Run Boy Run.
C．Iron Maiden’s.	D．The Lark Ascending.

2. Whose work will you choose to get motivated with your writing?

A．Hans Zimmer.	B．Howard Shore.
C．Muse.	D．Fritz Kreisler.

3. What is the author’s advice for people who don’t like popular songs?

A．Listen to famous songs from movies.

B．Listen to songs recommended by others.

C．Listen to songs sung by famous singers.

D．Listen to songs created by famous artists.

2 . Why does the man choose the guitar?

A．He wants to be different.

B．He wants to be like his friends.

C．He thinks it is cool to play the guitar.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument,     1     (belong) to the plucked (拨弦的) category of instruments. Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has     2     unique pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets (琴格) ranging from 12 to 26. The pipa is one of the most popular Chinese instruments and     3     (play) for almost two thousand years in China.

In China, plenty of music and stories are associated     4     this instrument. The most popular one is about a beauty     5     (call) Wang Zhaojun. It is said that Wang Zhaojun began a journey northward     6     (marry) a nomad (游牧民族) ruler. She left her hometown on horseback on a bright autumn morning and along the way, the horse neighed (嘶鸣) making Zhaojun     7     (extreme) sad and unable to control her emotions. As she sat on the saddle, she began to play sorrowful melodies on a stringed instrument. A group of     8     (bird) flying southward heard the music, saw the beautiful young woman riding the horse, immediately forgot to flap their wings,     9     fell to the ground. From then on, Zhaojun acquired the nickname “drop birds” or “luoyan”. Later, the melody,     10     was played on the saddle, was regarded as Zhaojun’s Lament (《昭君怨》) and the stringed instrument was commonly described as a pipa.

4 . Taste in music varies considerably, but whatever people enjoy listening to, they often report an emotional response that has a touch of the physical to it. Maybe you feel beautiful music gives you the feeling of being cold, or makes your hair stand on end.

By studying a rare person, named BW, who does not like or respond to music at all, psychologist Psyche Loui of Northeastern University has discovered that connectivity patterns in the brain link finding music rewarding with finding social interaction enjoyable.

“BW said he had never understood why people enjoy music,” Loui says. BW is not someone who doesn’t like art, Loui says. “He goes to museums. He’s an enthusiastic photographer. He likes good food. He likes long walks on the beach. He just doesn’t like music.” He told Loui that when he saw a person at the grocery store with headphones in their ears dancing to music, he could never understand why anyone would do that. “This really seems to be a somewhat socially weakening experience,” Loui says.

“Given that music is important for social bonding across different cultures and that music is a way for the hearing system to connect to the reward system, one strong prediction is that music reward sensitivity can partially explain individual differences in sensitivity to social reward.”

This newly discovered connectivity between the hearing and reward systems may be why we feel emotions in response to music, Loui says. “I think that there’s a role of music for social bonding.” She also thinks there are influences from this work for other conditions with low social reward. “If people who don’t love music have differences in specific systems in the brain, then that shows these specific systems are related to the love of music. Then we can examine what else engages these same systems and what other abilities or human capacities are linked to music.”

1. Why are “being cold” and “hair stand on end” mentioned in Paragraph 1?

A．To develop the plot.	B．To draw a conclusion.
C．To make comparisons.	D．To support the argument.

2. What is BW’s attitude towards music?

A．He thinks music is important in social bonding.

B．He enjoys music while wandering on the beach.

C．He figures music is less important than art and food.

D．He takes little interest in and is unresponsive to music.

3. What will Loui probably examine in the follow-up study?

A．What role music plays in social bonding.

B．How people respond to music emotionally.

C．Whether specific music influences brain system.

D．What other human abilities are linked with music.

4. What’s the text mainly about?

A．People’s emotional and physical reactions to beautiful music.

B．Connections between enjoyment of music and social interaction.

C．Relationships among social bonding, diverse cultures and music.

D．Links among music sensibility, hearing system and reward system.

5 . Sixteen years ago, while we were driving on vacation, my wife decided to pass the time by singing “The Christmas Song”. She sang it over and over again. Somehow, I decided to ________ with her.

When she got to the ________ “Jack Frost nipping (捏) at your nose,” I said, in my most horrified voice, “Why are you ________ that song?” As she looked confused, I proceeded to ________ her that Jack Frost was the name of a violent patient who ________ an asylum (精神病院) on Christmas in the 1920s and went around devouring (吞噬) faces, ________ noses, which he had acquired a ________ for.

Shocked and terrified, she ________ it completely.

Fast forward to this year. It’s snowing outside and I was in a good mood. I started singing “The Christmas Song” and my wife then ________ me that Jack Frost, the serial ________ biter, had forever ________ that song for her.

I laughed and ________ that I was teasing that day and that I honestly didn’t think she believed me. She got quite ________ since for all these years she had cheerfully shared this dark and shocking story with anyone who would listen and it turned out a ________.

As for me, though I am now the King of Lies who is never to be ________ again, it has become the most cheerful holiday story in our family ever.

1.

A．agree

B．mess

C．pass

D．drive

2.

A．line

B．song

C．story

D．sentence

3.

A．hearing

B．voicing

C．singing

D．playing

4.

A．blame

B．inform

C．award

D．teach

5.

A．made fun of

B．took charge of

C．broke out of

D．got ahead of

6.

A．rarely

B．frequently

C．usually

D．particularly

7.

A．taste

B．flavor

C．standard

D．skill

8.

A．accepted

B．bought

C．denied

D．liked

9.

A．wrote

B．sold

C．reminded

D．spared

10.

A．nose

B．patient

C．asylum

D．arm

11.

A．completed

B．ruined

C．broken

D．restored

12.

A．argued

B．confirmed

C．admitted

D．announced

13.

A．joyful

B．grateful

C．awkward

D．mad

14.

A．lie

B．comedy

C．drama

D．show

15.

A．teased

B．trusted

C．heard

D．loved

6 . Seba Stephens is only 10 years old, but he’s a very talented musician. He plays drums, bass, guitar and piano. Recently, he earned a professional certificate (证书) in music through the Berklee Online program at the famous Berklee College of Music.

Seba and his family live in Memphis, Tennessee — a place famous for music. He grew up with music all around, but he especially loved the drumming of Stewart Copeland from the band The Police.

Before he turned three, his parents asked him what he wanted for his birthday. “Drums!” he answered. His parents weren’t sure, but after seeing him play the drums at a local music store, they decided he was serious. They bought him a junior drum kit. It was a huge step. “He didn’t stop playing — ever,” said his dad, Everett.   

In just a few months, his drum teacher reported that Seba was learning extremely quickly and needed a higher level of training. He was still four.

Seba’s parents encouraged him to explore music in other ways. Seba learned bass, guitar and piano. He faced challenges. “I couldn’t see over my drum set,” he said. He also had trouble finding a good bass that was small enough,

In 2020, Everett got special permission for Seba to join a summer music program at Berklee as an 8-year-old boy. Seba studied bass in an online program. To keep up, he had to practise up to 36 hours a week.

After the intense summer, Everett thought Seba might want a break. He was wrong. Instead, Seba asked his parents to home-school him so he could keep going to Berklee during the school year. His parents had to make some big changes to make the plan work, but they agreed.

Last May, Seba became the youngest person ever to receive a professional certificate from Berklee. The certificate is equal to about four college-level classes.

1. What is Stewart Copeland?

A．A teacher.

B．A drummer.

C．A pianist.

D．A soldier.

2. How old was Seba Stephens when he got his first drum?

A．Three years old.	B．Four years old.
C．Eight years old.	D．Ten years old.

3. What were challenges for little Seba?

A．No time to practise.	B．Many things to learn.
C．Difficulties in finding proper instruments.	D．The requests made by the teacher.

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

A．The Musical Journey of a Famous Musician

B．An Online Program at Berklee College of Music

C．A Teenage Drummer Inspires Kids’ Music Education

D．A 10-year-old Drummer Earns Certificate From Berklee

7 . Everyone has their favourite Bond songs with the 007 movies offering so many different musical outings over the years from classic rock and pop to soul and even dance. Let us know in the comments.

Golden Eye — Tina Turner
Golden Eye (1995)

Golden Eye sees a cat-like Turner wandering about throughout its sound stage, flashing her claws where necessary. Its sweeping arrangement and sentimental brass (感伤的铜管乐) contribute to a powerful vocal performance. The strings are mixed with horns that sound like a passing train. This is effortless singing from Turner and her amazing control is a joy to hear.

Tomorrow Never Dies — Sheryl Crow
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

This rock/pop little number has always felt rather clear to the listeners. It is a bit Bond-aping (邦德式模仿) rather than creating something new all by itself, which is what it should ideally be aiming for. Crow gives it her all with her soft voice.

You Know My Name — Chris Cornell
Casino Royal (2006)

Right from the brilliantly exciting intro, the whole track just sounds so strong, as if it was chiseled (镌刻) out of the very finest stone. A lot of this is down to Chris Cornell’s powerful and deeply rich voice. One of the greatest singers of his generation, he absolutely nails this track.

Writing’s On The Wall — Sam Smith
Spectre (2015)

The title theme that most people can’t actually remember. By all accounts, Sam Smith’s Writing’s On The Wall was written very quickly, and frankly, it shows. Far from being a terrible song, it just lacks basically everything that a Bond theme needs. Sure, it certainly feels empty.

1. Who gives an impression of joy to hear through his/her voice?

A．Tina Turner.	B．Sheryl Crow.
C．Chris Cornell.	D．Sam Smith.

2. How does the song Tomorrow Never Dies sound to the listeners?

A．Sweet.

B．Strong.

C．Gentle.

D．Terrible.

3. Which song lacks a Bond theme according to the author?

A．Golden Eye.

B．Tomorrow Never Dies.

C．You Know My Name.

D．Writing’s On The Wall.

8 . 假如你是李华，在昨天的班会上，你们班针对课间休息时有些班级利用多媒体来播放音乐的现象，开展了主题为“课间是否要播放音乐”的讨论。请你根据以下信息用英语写一篇稿件向校报投稿。
1.同学们的观点：
◆大部分同学认为播放音乐可以活跃气氛，放松身心，带来快乐，提高学习效率。
◆部分同学认为课间音乐时间短，没效果，而且课间时最需要的是安静，而不是音乐产生的噪声。
2.说明你的观点。
注意：词数80左右。

Should Music Be Played During the Class Break?

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9 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

The Greatest Audience

I was 16 years old, and like many other teenage boys, I was in a band. One day, we were told to perform for a charity event at a large rehabilitation (康复) hospital. It wouldn’t pay much, but it was our first real job. For two weeks we practised hard, getting together every day after school to sharpen our skills and learn enough songs to fill a one-hour show.

Finally came the big day. We showed up early to check out the stage, then the hospital’s entertainment director came over to us. “OK, boys, I just want to share some details with you,” she said. “A lot of the people in the audience are suffering from severe physical or mental disabilities. Many of them are old, in their sixties and seventies. These patients have very few chances to see live entertainment, so they enjoy any kind of musical talent that we can bring in. Just play your regular show.” With that, she left, going into the auditorium (礼堂) to assist the patients to their seats.

Soon it was show time. As we picked up our instruments, we got our first real look at the audience. The auditorium was full. The majority of the people watching us had either been seriously injured in accidents or born with major birth defects (缺陷). Some were talking quietly, but most were just sitting there. The quiet was disturbing, as we were used to energetic audiences.

Tommy, the lead singer, signaled us to start the first song. Everything was perfect, and we played probably the best show of our lives. We hardly missed a note on any of our songs, even the ones that we’d only recently learned. My guitar solos seemed to flow effortlessly out of my fingers, and I felt surrounded by a wall of music. However, we couldn’t enjoy our performance.

注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

As each song finished, we didn’t receive thundering applause.

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What happened next shocked me more than anything.

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10 . Music is present in any part of the world, and it is appreciated and felt everywhere. Without its presence, life could be boring. Studies show that music is good for your body and mind.     1    

Music can increase pain management. Listening to music can help increase your pain tolerance (耐痛性).     2     Listening to music can help you gain a sense of control over your ability to deal with pains. If you have a certain pain, for example, listening to music that you enjoy can help reduce the pain that you experience.

●    3     Listening to certain types of music, such as relaxing music, can naturally reduce both your heartbeat rate and breathing rate. Additionally, music has shown promising results as a treatment for heart disease. Whether it involves listening to music or composing music, the calming effect that music produces further improves your heart’s health by supporting it throughout the healing process.

●Music can reduce anxiety and depression     4     When it comes to anxiety and depression, music treatment can help to reduce the amount of stress hormones. For example, listening to music that you enjoy can naturally decrease the amount of cortisol (皮质醇) that your body releases.

●Music can improve self-expression and communication. Self-expression and communication are an important part of the human experience, especially when it comes to basic emotional and mental health needs.     5     By listening and singing along to music, kids who struggle to interact and communicate with others can practice using the very skills needed to do so.

A．Music can improve heart health.

B．Music can increase your heartbeat rate.

C．Here are some benefits of music treatment.

D．They are two common pains in your daily life.

E．It has been proved to be helpful for anxious and depressed people.

F．Listening to music can also help decrease the strength of your pains.

G．For kids weak in both areas, music treatment can help develop their relative skills.