Maths and Music An excellent way to kill a conversation is to say you are a mathematician． Tell others you are also a musician， however， and they will be hooked． Although there are obvious similarities between mathematical and musical activity， there is no direct evidence for the kind of magical connection many people seem to believe in．
I'm partly referring here to the "Mozart effect"， where children who have been playing Mozart compositions are supposedly more intelligent， including at maths， than other children． It is not hard to see why such a theory would be popular： we would all like to become better at maths without putting in any effort． But the conclusions of the experiment that expressed the belief in the Mozart effect were much more modest． If you want your brain to work better， you clearly have to put in hard work． As for learning to play the piano， it also takes effort．
Surely a connection is quite reasonable． Both maths and music deal with abstract structures， so if you become good at one， then it is likely that you become good at something more general that helps you with the other． If this is correct， it would show a connection between mathematical and musical ability． It would be more like the connection between abilities at football and tennis． To become better at one， you need to improve your fitness and coordination （协调）． That makes you better at sport and probably helps with the other．
Abstract structures don't exist only in maths and music． If you learn a language then you need to understand its abstract structures like grammar． Yet we don't hear people asking about a connection between mathematical and linguistic （语言的） ability． Maybe this is because grammar feels mathematical， so it wouldn't be surprising that mathematicians were better at learning grammar． Music， however， is strongly tied up with feelings and can be enjoyed even by people who know little about it． As such， it seems different from maths， so there wouldn't be any connection between the two．
Let's see how we solve problems of the "A is to B as C is to D" kind． These appear in intelligence tests but they are also important to both music and maths． Consider the opening of Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik （小夜曲）． The second phrase （小节） is a clear answer to the first． The listener thinks： "The first phrase goes upward and uses the notes of a G major chord （和弦）； what would be the corresponding phrase that goes downward and uses the notes of a D7？" Music is full of puzzles like this． If you are good at them， expectations will constantly be set up in your mind． The best moments surprise you by being unexpected， but we need the expectations in the first place．
1.What does the author say about "Mozart effect"？ ______
A. The goal of it was not carefully thought about．
B. The findings from it gave people wrong information．
C. The interest people showed in it was unexpected．
D. The way it was carried out proved to be ineffective．
2.The author mentioned football and tennis in Paragraph 3to show that ______ ．
A. football and tennis are played in a similar way．
B. certain skills may be developed through practice．
C. music and maths have something in common．
D. abstract structures bring benefits to various fields．
3.We can infer from Paragraph 4that ______ ．
A. language seems more like maths than music does．
B. language is less appealing to learners．
C. mathematicians are good at music learning．
D. the structure of language is easier to learn than that of music．
4.What does the writer intend to state in the last paragraph？ ______
A. How music differs from maths．
B. Why musicians possess mathematical abilities．
C. Why Mozart is so highly considered by mathematicians．
D. How abstract thinking applies to both music and maths．
Blue Planet II's latest episode focuses on how plastic is having a disastrous effect on the ocean and slowly poisoning our sea creatures． Researchers recently also found that sea creatures living in the deepest place on Earth， the Mariana Trench， have plastic in their stomachs． Indeed， the oceans are drowning in plastic．
Though it seems now that the world couldn't possibly function without plastics， consumerplastics are a remarkably recent invention． The first plastic bags were introduced in the 1950s； the same decade that plastic packaging began gaining in popularity in the United States． This growth has happened so fast that science is still catching up with the change． Plastics pollution research， for instance， is still a very early science．
We put all these plastics into the environment and we still don't really know what the outcomes are going to be． What we do know， though， is disturbing． Ocean plastic is estimated to kill millions of marine animals every year． Nearly 700species， including endangered ones， are known to have been affected by it． One in three leatherback turtles， which often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish， have been found with plastic in their bellies． Ninety percent of seabirds are now eating plastics on a regular basis． By 2050， that figure is expected to rise to 100percent．
And it's not just wildlife that is threatened by the plastics in our seas． Humans are consuming plastics through the seafood we eat． I could understand why some people see ocean plastic as a disaster， worth mentioning to the same degree as climate change． But ocean plastic is not as complicated as climate change． There are no ocean trash deniers （否认者）， at least so far． To do something about it， we don't have to remake our planet energy system．
This is not a problem where we don't know what the solution is． We know how to pick up garbage． Anyone can do it． We know how to dispose （处理） of it． We know how to recycle． We can all start by thinking twice before we use single----use plastic products． Things that may seem ordinary， like using a reusable bottle or a reusable bag----when taken collectively， these choices really do make a difference．
1.Why is plastics pollution research still a very early science？ ______
A. The plastics pollution research is too difficult．
B. Plastics have produced less pollution than coal．
C. The world couldn't possibly function without plastics．
D. Plastics have gained in popularity too fast for science to catch up．
2.How did the author support his opinion in Paragraph 3？ ______
A. By statistics．
B. By quotations from leading experts．
C. By using examples from his own experience．
D. By comparison and contrast．
3.What can we infer about climate change？ ______
A. Climate change is caused by human activities．
B. Some people hold some doubts about climate change．
C. Climate change is less important than ocean pollution．
D. Ocean plastic is more complicated than climate change．
4.What is the main idea of this passage？ ______
A. Ocean plastic is a global issue．
B. The oceans become choked with plastic．
C. Blue Planet II has left viewers heartbroken．
D. Plastics gain in popularity all over the world
Construction on Knolly's Tunnel began in 1896， and it was opened on August 13th， 1898 by the man it was named after--Sir Clement C． Knolly， Acting Governor of Trinidad． It linked Rio Claro with Port of Spain． Its architecture is still admired and studied today， and many are amazed that Knolly's Tunnel has stood up to the earth's movement over so many years．
Much research is being done on the tunnel． At the top of Knolly's Tunnel are cottages covered with leaves， where visitors can sit and enjoy the beauty of nature． Standing at the beginning of Knolly's Tunnel， you can see nothing but the tiny light at the end． The train tracks have been removed and replaced with small stones． Visitors can drive through the tunnel or walk through， but should do so in groups for safety． In the old days， there were no lights， but now there are street lights on the way to the tunnel， though not inside．
On your way in， you may notice some manholes on the walls of the tunnel． These were there for individuals to step into for safety as the train passed． Knolly's Tunnel can be accessed through Tabaquite and through Mitchell Gap． The road was recently improved， but is better when you enter from Tabaquite， and there are signs on the road directing you to Knolly's Tunnel．
On the drive to Knolly's Tunnel there are two other cottages where visitors can sit and just enjoy nature． At the site itself， there is nothing to purchase to eat or drink， but in Tabaquite there are several bars， a restaurant， and food outlets． A gas station and a health centre are also close by．
For those who admire architecture， Knolly's Tunnel is a must-see when visiting Trinidad． For the nature lovers， there is no better place for them to be and for the historians， they can walk or drive through Knolly's Tunnel knowing that many of our ancestors toiled （worked hard） on its structure． So when you visit Trinidad， don't forget to take a look at Knolly's Tunnel!
1.Knolly's Tunnel is special in ______ ．
A. its environment B. its function
C. its location D. its architecture
2.The underlined word "site" in the paragraph 4 refers to ______ ．
A. Trinidad B. Tabaquite
C. Mitchell Gap D. Knolly's Tunnel
3.What is the purpose of the passage？ ______
A. To suggest a visit to Knolly's Tunnel．
B. To introduce the history of Knolly's Tunnel．
C. To evaluate the value of Knolly's Tunnel．
D. To witness the change of Knolly's Tunnel
4.The passage above is probably taken from ______ ．
A. a geography textbook B. a travel journal
C. a sports report D. a health and fitness magazine
Amsterdam's Best Flea MarketsIjhallen Flea Market
First or second weekend of every month
Perhaps the most impressive of them all is Ijhallen， located in the north of Amsterdam． With more than 1，500 stands and 3，000 free parking spaces， the monthly market attracts visitors from not only the Netherlands， but Europe-wide．
There is a five euro admission fee， but you can be pretty sure that you can browse second-hand treasures for most of the day． Anything and everything can be found here； old guitars and antique chairs， art prints and military gear．
Noordermarkt Flea Market
Saturday， 9am-4pm
Monday， 9am-2pm
In the centre of the Jordaan， the Noordermarkt Flea Market on Saturdays includes vintage（老式的） goods and organic food produce from local farmers．
On Mondays， the market transforms into an antique-hunter's goldmine． There are piles of vintage clothes， antique books， coins and furniture．
Waterloopein Market
Monday-Saturday， 9am-6pm
The most centrally located of all flea markets in Amsterdam， Waterlooplein Market offers visitors a range of snacks， second-hand clothes and vintage treasures．
There's a maze of second-hand goods， from old globes and hanging lamps， to African drums， antique rugs and used bikes．
Spui Book Market
Friday 10am-6pm
Ideally situated among bookstores， you'll find a collection of tents sheltering second-hand and antique books at the book market on Spui．
You can find a variety of literature from biographies and poetry to fantasy-fiction， history， psychology and geography． While most books are from the Netherlands， some English and international titles are for sale． As well as antique maps， prints and record．
1.Which flea market do you need to pay some extra money？ ______
A. Ijhallen Flea Market． B. Noordermarkt Flea Market．
C. Waterlooplein Market． D. Spui Book Market．
2.What can you pick up at Noordermarkt Flea Market？ ______
A. You can get enough parking space． B. You can choose a range of snacks．
C. You can buy some fresh vegetables． D. You can dig some gold mines here．
3.When is a good time to visit a favorite market for a crazy book fan？ ______
A. First weekend of every month． B. Friday， 10am-6pm．
C. Monday， 9am-6pm． D. Saturday， 9am-4pm．
成语是中国文化的重要组成部分．假定你是李华，你的外国笔友 Peter对中国成语很感兴趣，向你咨询有关中国成语的信息．请你写封邮件，介绍成语相关内容：
1． 成语的特点；2． 学习成语的益处；3． 自己学习成语感受和体会．
注意：
1． 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
2． 词数100左右；
3． 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数．
Dear Peter，
I am glad that you are interested in Chinese idioms．
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours，
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（Λ），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：在错的词下画一横线，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只限一词；
2． 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分．
This is a survey of students' after-class activities， that can reflect many problems we students have． Obvious，the percentage of the time that students spend doing their homework adds up 39%． The number of the students who do leisure activities come next，including watching TV，listening to the music and surfing the Internet． To our surprised，few students do sports or housework，with each choose by 10% and 5% of the students．
In my opinion， students are supposing to spend fewer time in front of the TV or the computer． We'd better go out to take some exercises and visit some friends!
