You have probably heard of the Mozart effect. It's the idea that if children or even babies listen to music composed by Mozart, they will become more intelligent. A quick Internet search reveals plenty of products to assist you in the task. Whatever your age is there are CDs and books to help you taste the power of Mozart's music, but when it comes to scientific evidence that it can make you more clever, the picture is more mixed.
The phrase “the Mozart effect” was made up in 1991, but it was a study described two years later in the journal Nature that sparked real media and public interest about the idea that listening to classical music somehow improves the brain. It is one of those ideas that sound reasonable. Mozart was undoubtedly a genius himself; his music is complex and there is a hope that if we listen to enough of it, we'll become more intelligent.
The_idea_took_off,_with thousands of parents playing Mozart to their children, and in 1998 Zell Miller, the Governor of the state of Georgia in the US, even asked for money to be set aside in the state budget so that every newborn baby could be sent a CD of classical music. It was not just babies and children who were exposed to Mozart's music on purpose, even an Italian farmer proudly explained that the cows were played Mozart three times a day to help them produce better milk.
I'll leave the debate on the impact on milk yield to farmers, but what about the evidence that listening to Mozart makes people more intelligent? More research was carried out but an analysis of sixteen different studies confirmed that listening to music does lead to a temporary improvement in the ability to handle shapes mentally, but the benefits are short－lived and it doesn't make us more intelligent.
1.What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
A. Mozart composed many musical pieces for children.
B. Children listening to Mozart will be more intelligent.
C. There are few products on the Internet about Mozart's music.
D. There is little scientific evidence to support the Mozart effect.
2.Why did many people believe in the idea of the Mozart effect?
A. Because a study described it in the journal Nature.
B. Because Mozart himself was a genius.
C. Because Mozart's music is enjoyable.
D. Because Mozart's music makes people relaxed.
3.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 suggests that ________.
A. people were strongly against the idea
B. the idea was accepted by many people
C. Mozart played an important part in people's life
D. the US government helped promote the idea
4.What is the author's attitude towards the Mozart effect?
A. Favorable. B. Objective.
C. Doubtful. D. Positive.
When athletes at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics collect their medals, they'll not only be wearing something that celebrates their sporting performance, but something that symbolizes lastingness. For both the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, organizers aim to make all of the gold, silver, and bronze medals out of used electronics. This strong message about how to make use of e-waste has gotten a lot of Japan involved.
Starting in April 2017, the Japanese Olympic Committee began collecting old laptops, digital cameras, smartphones, and other abandoned electronics. The initiative(倡议）has achieved great success. Already, the quantity needed for bronze medals has been met, and they're in the homestretch for silver and gold medals, meaning the collection process can pack up at the end of March.
When looking just at the number of cell phones collected, the amount of waste is shocking. In a period of about 18 months, a little over 5 million smartphones were collected thanks to cooperation with NTT DOCOMO. Japan's largest mobile phone operator allowed the public to turn in phones at their shops, which counted a lot in the project’s success.
After being taken apart and sorted, the small electronics underwent a smelting process to extract(提炼）all the gold, silver，and bronze elements. Thanks to this initiative, the worldwide struggle with e-waste will have a global platform. According to a study published by the United Nations University—44.7 million metric tons of e-waste were made in 2016. Only 20% of that was actually recycled. Unfortunately, this figure is set to rise significantly in the coming years, moving to 52.2 million metric tons by 2021. So while the Tokyo Olympics initiative might be just a drop in the bucket, it’s a good start in showing what the public can do if they're made more aware of the issue.
1.What can be learnt about Tokyo Olympics initiative from the passage?
A. E-waste in the world is increasing significantly.
B. It is easy to get elements needed from the used electronics.
C. Only producers of electronics participated in the project.
D. NTT DOCOMO contributed to the success of the project.
2.Which can best replace the underlined word “homestretch” in Paragraph 2?
A. starting period B. collection effort
C. final stage D. hard search
3.What influence does the Tokyo Olympics initiative have?
A. It offers an effective method to solve the problem of e-waste.
B. It shows the power of advanced technology in daily life.
C. It saves the expense spent in making all the medals.
D. It encourages the public’s involvement in dealing with e-waste.
4.What is the writer’s attitude to the Tokyo Olympics initiative?
A. Positive B. Negative
C. Ambiguous D. Indifferent
When my father married my mother in 1943, he gave my mother a 1937 crown coin and told her to keep it in the back of her purse and not to spend it. This would mean that she always felt that she was protected and would always have money if she really needed it.
When I was married in 1970, my husband, who had heard this story, obtained a 1937 crown coin for me and I have always kept it in my wallet, and I have always had enough for my needs.
A friend recently fell on hard times, partly through external (外部的）circumstances and partly through poor planning. Friends and I have loaned her money, paid her bills, given her food, and even tried to teach her budget techniques, but none of them has been a solution. She has just slipped deeper and deeper into financial trouble and depression.
Last week she looked pale and unwell, very depressed and hopeless, very sad for a friend to see and I then thought about how the crown coin, a physical reminder of another's care and love had protected me, so I went to the bank for a $ 100 dollar-bill.
I told my friend the story and asked her to keep the $ 100 in the back of her wallet. It turned out that she didn't have a wallet, so she put the money in a little pencil case where she kept her coins. She immediately felt better—“I feel rich, and thank you for being a good friend,” she said, and we were both a bit teary.
I went home and remembered a little wallet I had that I’d never used, and thought, “I’ll give that to my friend. ” I opened it, and inside, found $ 100.
1.What did the 1937 crown coin from the author’s father mean to her mother?
A. His concern for her. B. His pity and protection for her.
C. His care and love for her. D. His pride and respect for her.
2.Where did the author’s friend keep the $ 100 dollar-bill?
A. In the back of her wallet. B. In a little pencil case.
C. In the pocket of her raincoat. D. In the layer of her suitcase.
3.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. The author became rich all of a sudden.
B. The author's friend would receive a wallet as a gift.
C. The author's friend was not touched by her story.
D. The author felt uncomfortable when receiving the bill.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A. A crown coin B. The help to a friend
C. A hard life D. A gift from my father
For the business traveler who’s all about efficiency: check out these hotels that will get you in and out with a minimum trouble.
When you’re pressed for time on a business trip, nothing can annoy you more than a slow hotel check-in process. On your next trip, try these hotels that offer a speedier check-in process.
◆ Marriott Detroit Airport
Another option for business travelers in a hurry: Marriott is rolling out its mobile check-in app to 325 hotels this year, including the Marriott Detroit Airport hotel. (I’ve tested the app itself but not for a real visit quite yet.) here is the basic idea: you download the iPhone or Android app. The night before, you can “check-in” virtually. When you arrive, you get an alert that the room is ready and your key, which is already tied to your reservation, is waiting for you at the desk.
◆Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
I happened to stay at this hotel recently and liked how fast the kiosk check-in works. The kiosk asks you to insert your credit card, similar to an airport terminal. The whole process took about 3 minutes. When I left, I was equally impressed with the fast check-out: An agent meets you in the lobby with, an iPad and asks for an email to use for a receipt. The big advantage: you never have to wait in line.
◆Radisson LaCrosse
The Radisson is trying to make the kiosk process even faster. At a few select hotels like the Radisson Lacrosse in Wisconsin，you use a mobile app to register and then receive a barcode by email or text. When you get to the kiosk, you can scan the barcode to get your key without any other steps required. It’s super fast. You can find this new check-in system at the Radisson hotels in Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Phoenix as well.
1.Which two hotels offer a mobile app for customers to check in?
A. Marriott Detroit Airport and Yotel New York .
B. Marriott Detroit Airport and Radisson LaCrosse.
C. Marriott Detroit Airport and Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.
D. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis and Radisson LaCrosse.
2.Which hotel will send you a receipt by email?
A. Yotel New York. B. Marriott Detroit Airport.
C. Radisson LaCrosse. D. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.
3.What is the best title for the passage?
A. Checking out the hotels will make you in trouble
B. Three hotels that will make your life easier
C. Try these hotels that offer you comfort
D. Hotels for the travelers
假定你是李华，在你校学汉语的美国交换生Frank对中国诗词感兴趣，观看了CCTV举办的”中国诗词大会”(Chinese Poetry Competition)后，想要报名参加比赛，但不知如何准备，于是发邮件向你求教，请用英语给他回复。
注意:
1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Frank,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes,
Li Hua
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。
Hearing you’re worried the coming exam, I can quite understand you because we’re in the same boat. But I think we can deal with it properly and my suggestion are as follows.
First of all, it’s normal for us to be nervous till faced with the exam which we think is important. Secondly, we’d better try our best to study hard and built a solid foundation, and then we’ll feel confidence of winning by then. Thirdly, no matter how we felt, the exam is still approaching. So, why not to face it bravely? After all, it is our learning process which really determines our success. If we always spare no effort on your studies, there is no need to worry, because we’ve done all we should. So please stay calm and relaxing. I hope my suggestions will be of help to you.
