The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has welcomed home two paintings by the Dutch master, more than 14 years after they were ripped (扯) off the museum’s wall in a nighttime theft. Museum director Axel Rueger called their return “one of the most special days in the history of the museum”. The paintings were discovered last year by Italian police while they were searching an Italian criminals’ farmhouse near Naples for evidence of drug dealing. They were in a box and hidden behind a wall in a toilet when they were found.
The paintings were considered among the artworks most searched for in the world. After years in darkness, they can now shine again. They are back on display at the museum before being taken to the conservation studio for repair. Fortunately, they suffered surprisingly little damage as thieves who had climbed up a ladder and broken a window to get into the museum in 2004 ripped them out of their frames.
“It is not only a surprise that the works have been recovered but it’s even more surprising they are in relatively unharmed condition,” Rueger said.
The museum director was on vacation when the call came last year from Italian authorities who believed they had recovered the paintings. He didn’t celebrate right away. He’d had calls like this before.
“I was hopeful but also a little hesitant. Over these years, we had so many occasions when people phoned us, contacted us, claiming that they knew something about the whereabouts (下落) of the works and each time it was false, the trace went cold,” he said. “So… the way has been full of disappointment.” But museum experts sent to Italy to check the authenticity (真实性) of the works quickly turned Ruegers doubts into delight.
Rueger said the paintings are now back at the museum, which is home to dozens of works by Van Gogh. “I’m very confident that everything is safe in the museum from now on,” he said.
1.How were the stolen paintings found?
A. The police found them by accident. B. The arrested thieves gave information.
C. Some drug dealers offered clues. D. The police knew the hidden place.
2.What surprised Rueger most about the lost paintings?
A. They were stolen at night. B. They were found at last.
C. They suffered little damage. D. The search took 14 years.
3.When Rueger got the call, he ________.
A. didn’t believe it at all B. felt quite satisfied
C. planned to celebrate D. doubted the news
4.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 6 probably mean?
A. Rueger gradually lost interest in the search.
B. The number of false calls was greatly reduced.
C. Rueger felt cold because of too many false calls.
D. The chance to find the paintings became small.
A new study, conducted by a British company — Mindlab International, has found that listening to music at work increases accuracy（准确度）and speed, The Telegraph reported. Perhaps, some parents disagree with this idea, saying, "Turn off the music and concentrate!" Well, if that's the case with your parents, you might now be able to make them believe that you have science on your side.
The company gave 26 participants a series of different tasks for five days in a row, including spell checking, mathematical word problems and data entry. The participants completed these tasks while listening to music or no music at all.
The results showed that while music was playing, 88% of the participants produced their most accurate test results and 81% completed their fastest work. David Lewis, chairman of Mindlab International, told The Telegraph, "Music is a very powerful management tool if you want to increase not only the efficiency（效率）of your workforce but also their emotional（情绪的）state... they are going to become more positive about the work."
However, you may have a list of your favorite songs, but not all kinds of music match all homework. "For maths or other subjects involving numbers or attention to detail, you should listen to classical music," the study found. In the study, pop music enabled participants to complete their tasks 58% faster. If you are reviewing your English writing, pop music will be the best choice, as it is the best kind for spell checking. It cut mistakes by 14%, compared to listening to no music. After finishing your homework, do you often spend time in checking your answers? Maybe some dance music is suitable for you.
1.What did the participants have to do in the study?
A.Persuade their parents to listen to music.
B.Listen to the same music together.
C.Finish tasks with music or without music at all.
D.Choose the most suitable music for different tasks.
2.The author describes the study conducted by Mindlab International mainly by ______.
A.giving examples using research delta
B.describing how it was conducted
C.comparing its results with previous studies
D.following the order of time
3.What does the underlined word "they" refer to in Paragraph 3?
A.Workforce. B.Results.
C.Tests. D.Tools.
4.When you are reviewing your English writing, what kind of music is the best choice?
A.Classical music.
B.Pop music.
C.Dance music.
D.Rock music.
A music festival is a community event mainly about live performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a main idea. On the list are the music festivals for fans around the world. Find your favourite now!
Field Day
January 1, 2018, Sydney
Field Day means New Year’s Day for young people in Sydney. Seen as the city’s original (独特的) outdoor party, it’s a gathering of friends coming together for a great fun-filled first day of the year. There’s an air of hope and active energy on a perfect summer’s day.
Envision Festival
February 21 - 26, 2018, Uvita
The Envision Festival is an annual event in Costa Rica that wants to provide a chance for different cultures to work with one another to create a better community. The festival encourages people to practise art, music and dance performances. At the same time, our connection (联系) with nature is expected to be strengthened.
McDowell Mountain Music Festival
March 2-4, 2018, Phoenix
The McDowell Mountain Music Festival is Phoenix’s musical celebration of community culture. Since its founding in 2004, it is the only 100% nonprofit (非营利的) music festival designed to support, entertain and educate the community. The festival attracts thousands of visitors each year from around the country, and it is an opportunity to experience true culture.
Old Settler’s Music Festival
April 19 -22, 2018, Tilmon
The Old Settler’s Music Festival is a nationally known music festival for American music. The festival is held in Tilmon, Texas at the height of the wild flower season. The Old Settler’s Music Festival offers great music and activities for the whole family.
1.In which city can people enjoy a fun New Year’s Day?
A.Sydney. B.Uvita.
C.Phoenix. D.Tilmon.
2.What is special about the McDowell Mountain Music Festival?
A.It encourages people to receive education.
B.It is not held lo make money.
C.Old provides a chance for friends to meet each other.
D.If focuses on culture spread.
3.Which festivals are connected with nature?
A.Field Day and Envision Festival.
B.Envision Festival and McDowell Mountain Music Festival.
C.Old Settler’s Music Festival and McDowell Mountain Music Festival.
D.Envision Festival and Old Settler’s Music Festival.
假设你是晨光中学的高三学生李津，最近你美国的笔友 Brown 来信说他的学校利用网络辅助老师教学和学生学习，深受师生欢迎。他想了解你的学校是否也有这样的网络教学。 请你给他回一封信，主要内容如下：
（1）学校有一个叫 SmartPage 的网站；
（2）师生如何利用网站以及对这种学习方式的看法（如:是否有助于学习等等）；
（3）自己的体验和感受。注意：
（1）词数不少于 100；
（2）可以适当增加细节使内容充实、行文连贯；
（3）文章开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Brown,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Jin
阅读短文，按照题目要求用英语回答问题。
I was in a local store recently when I saw something that opened a window into my soul, which helped let in a little more light.
I had just picked up some shampoo and was headed to the pet supplies to get some dog food for my furry friends. I decided to take a shortcut through one of the toy aisles. Blocking my way, however, was a young father and his four-year-old daughter. The little girl was pleading (恳求 ) with her dad to buy her a new doll. The dad was being gentle but firm, telling her they couldn’t afford it right now. Finally, the daughter burst into tears and said angrily, “I hate you!”
I thought that the father would get mad at her for this outburst. I knew that I probably would do so when I was his age. Instead he just smiled down at her, put his hand on her head, and said, “That’s alright. You’ll love me later.” I stood there in amazement as he took her hand and they walked off. Then it dawned on me that I had been in this situation many times myself over the years but not as the father.
In my childhood, many times I grew angry with my parents when I felt my requests weren’t being answered. Through them all, though, my parents were still patient, loving, and kind to me. They knew that I didn’t understand why certain things had to happen the way they did. They knew that my anger was a part of my growing up spiritually in this world. They knew that I would love them later.
Now I have grown up and become a parent of two children. I have deeper understanding of parents’ behavior in different situations. They love their next generation, but more than that, they also know that they should love them in a proper way. Raising a healthy child means to help him grow both mentally and physically. That is why we need to trust our parents’ love and give them ours as well. It is never too late to love them. It is never too late to invite them into your soul. It is never too late to let their light guide your life.
1.How did the girl feel towards her father’s refusal? (no more than 10 words)
2.What reaction of the father made the author amazed? (no more than 10 words)
3.How do you understand the underlined part in Para.3? (no more than 15 words)
4.What’s the author’s understanding of parents’ love after growing up? (no more than 15 words)
5.Have your parents ever refused your request? What do you think about it now? (no more than 20 words)
Smartphones are our constant companions. For many of us, their glowing screens are a ubiquitous (十分普遍的) presence, drawing us in with endless distractions. They are in our hands as soon as we wake, and command our attention until the final moments before we fall asleep.
Steve Jobs would not approve.
In 2007, Jobs took the stage and introduced the world to the iPhone. If you watch the full speech, you will be surprised by how he imagined our relationship should be with this iconic invention. This vision is so different from the way most of us use these devices now.
In his remarks, Jobs spent an extended amount of time demonstrating how the device utilized (应用) the touch screen before detailing the many ways Apple engineers had improved the age-old process of making phone calls. It’s the best iPod we’ve ever made,” Jobs exclaimed at one point. “The killer app is making calls,” he later added. Both lines drew thunderous applause.
The presentation confirms that Jobs imagined a simpler iPhone experience than the one we actually have more than a decade later. For example, there was no App Store when the iPhone was first introduced, and this was by design. Jobs was convinced that the phone’s carefully-designed native features were enough. He did not seek to completely change the rhythm of users’ daily lives. He simply wanted to take experiences we had already found important－listening to music, placing calls, generating directions－and make them better.
The minimalist (简约主义者) vision for the iPhone Jobs offered in 2007 is unrecognizable today－and that is a shame.
Under what I call the “constant companion model,” we now see our smartphones as always-on portals (通道) to information. We have become so used to it over the past decade that it is easy to forget the novelty (新奇之处) of the device. It seems increasingly clear to me that Jobs probably got it right from the very beginning: Many of us would be better-off returning to his original minimalist vision for our phones.
Practically speaking, to be a minimalist smartphone user means only using your device for a small number of features that do things of value to you. Otherwise, you simply put it away outside of these activities. This approach dethrones (废黜) this device from the position of a constant companion down to a luxury object, such as a fancy bike, that gives you great pleasure when you use it but does not dominate your entire day.
Early in his 2007 keynote, Jobs said, “Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone.” What he didn’t add, however, was the follow-up promise: “Tomorrow we’re going to reinvent your life.” The smartphone is fantastic, but it was never meant to be the foundation for a new form of existence.
If you return this innovation to its original role, you will get more out of both your phone and your life.
1.The underlined word “it” in the last but two paragraphs probably refers to .
A.information B.the smartphone
C.the always-on portal D.the constant companion model
2.According to Steve Jobs, what was the main selling point of Apple’s first iPhone?
A.It allowed the users to have access to the internet.
B.It was actually an iPod that could make phone calls.
C.It was installed with applications by third-party developers.
D.It could fulfill people’s desire to multitask in their daily lives.
3.According to the article, a minimalist smartphone user tends to .
A.expect to reinvent his life with the device
B.buy the latest model of iPhone and see it as a luxury
C.remove all the unnecessary applications from the device
D.spend more time working than playing with his device
4.The author’s purpose in writing the article is to .
A.tell readers why Steve Job created the iPhone
B.remind readers not to be addicted to their smartphones
C.show readers that smartphones can greatly change our lives
D.encourage readers to block internet access on their smartphones
