Fairies today are the material of, children's stories, little magical people with wings, often shining with light. Typically pretty and female, like Tinkerbell in Peter Pan, they usually use their magic to do small things and are mostly friendly to humans.
One explanation suggests the origin of fairies is a memory of real people. So, for example when tribes with metal weapons invaded land where people only used stone weapons some of the people escaped and hid in forests and caves. Further support for this idea is that fairies were thought to be afraid of iron and could not touch it. Living outside of society, the hiding people probably stole food and attacked villages. This might explain why fairies were often described as playing tricks on humans. Hundreds of years ago, people actually believed that fairies stole new babies and replaced them with a "changeling"-a fairy baby-or that they took new mothers and made them feed fairy babies with their milk.
While most people no longer believe in fairies, only a hundred years ago some people were very willing to think they might exist. In 1917, 16-year-old Elsie Wright took two photos of her cousin, nine-year-old Frances Griffiths, sitting with fairies. Some photography experts thought they were not real, while others weren't sure. But Arthur Conan Doyle, the writer of the Sherlock Holmes detective stories, believed they were real. He published the original pictures, and three more that the girls took for him, in a magazine called The Strand, in 1920. The girls only admitted the photos were not real years later in 1983, and that they created them using pictures of dancers that Elsie copied from a book.
1.What does the underlined words "this idea" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A.Fairies used stone tools. B.Fairies used metal weapons.
C.Fairies are based on real people. D.Fairies are friendly to humans.
2.Why were fairies often described as playing tricks on humans?
A.Fairies were afraid of iron and could not touch it.
B.Fairies stole new babies and replaced them with a fairy baby.
C.People who were defeated would escape and hide in the forests.
D.The hiding people would probably steal food and attack villages.
3.Who thought the photos taken in 1917 were real?
A.Arthur Conan Doyle. B.Elsie Wright.
C.Most photography experts. D.Elsie Wright's cousin.
4.Which idea will the author most probably agree with?
A.Whether fairies exist or not is uncertain.
B.There are still many people believing in fairies.
C.Children should not believe in fairies any longer.
D.The attitude people hold towards fairies has changed.
Join the ranks of bright travelers and load up your smart phone with these must-have travel apps.
Sky Scanner
Stop wasting precious time clicking through website after website for airfare deals. Searching over 1,000 airlines and travel agents, Sky Scanner locates the cheapest dates to fly as well as the most affordable destinations. Got your heart set on some place special? Just enter your destination, dates, and the number of travelers and the app does all the heavy lifting for you.
Easy Travel
Just enter your city, or postal code into the search window, and Easy Travel will display the cheapest gas being served up near you. Whether you're driving in Canada, or the United States, Easy Travel is by your side helping you save money.
Bother Free
Don't be lost in translation. Here's an app that will serve as your travel translator, translating over 60 languages for your communication pleasure. It's easy! Just select the language you want to learn, speak or type a phrase into your phone, and the app will deliver a translation that you can read and hear.
World Atlas
You can have the whole world in your hands! National Geographic's beautiful award-winning World Atlas app is a must-have for armchair travelers and globetrotters alike. Spin, expand, and zoom the 3D globe to access detailed maps, tools to measure distances and need-to-know facts such as current weather, demographics and currency.
1.If one prefers self-driving tour, which app may help him or her save money?
A.Sky Scanner. B.Easy Travel.
C.Bother Free. D.World Atlas.
2.Who might be interested in Bother Free?
A.People with language difficulty. B.People who enjoy travel by plane.
C.People who want to travel cheaply. D.People with poor sense of direction.
3.In which part of a magazine can you most probably find this text?
A.Sports. B.Geography.
C.Travel. D.Traffic.
Directions: Write an English composition in 100-120 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
常言道：“良言一句三冬暖，恶语伤人六月寒”。一句鼓励的话能给人带来温暖，一句伤人的话会使人情绪低落。请你结合某一次经历，讲述自己的故事和感受。
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Directions: Translate the following sentence English, using the words given in the brackets.
1.父亲参与家庭教育对孩子的成长有积极的影响。(involve)
2.这款应用程序操作便捷，不妨下载一个在手机里。(better)
3.我的祖父人老心不老，他很幽默，常常会逗乐年轻人。(remain)
4.虽然过春节时城市里不准燃放烟花，但人们仍觉得少不了要热闹庆祝一番。(it)
Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.
Are You Treated Too Nicely?
A new study found that when trying to build high self-esteem in children, parents may unconsciously be creating little narcissists (自恋狂). 1.
Parents who are always praising their children may be trying to develop high self-esteem. 2. In fact, too much special treatment can lead to narcissistic behavior.
"3. That may not be good for them or for society." Brad Bushman, co-author of the study and professor of communication and psychology at the Ohio State University, said in a press release. "People with high self-esteem think they're as good as others, whereas narcissists think they're better than others."
This study, as well as previous studies about parent-child relationships Bushman has worked on, caused him to alter his own parenting style. When he began his research, he thought that children should be treated like they are special by their parents. 4. He said that interventions (干预) can help parents learn how to better support their children.
"Parent training interventions can, for example, teach parents to express affection and appreciation toward children without telling children that they are superior to others," Bushman said. "Future studies should test whether this can work."
A. Now he is careful not to follow that model.
B. Children whose parents tell them they are special are more likely to become narcissists.
C. But actually, they have realized that they are running their children.
D. Children believe it when their parents tell them that they are more special than others.
E. And he carefully carries out the principle.
F. However, the study showed that loving and emotionally warm parents are more likely to have confident kids.
Music. We hear it everywhere, every day. Getting into a lift, going around a supermarket or simply relaxing at home, music is our constant companion. And music can have a significant effect on the way we think and feel, so it's worth paying attention to what we're listening to.
Music can have a powerful effect on our moods, in terms of both reducing and increasing stress. Listening to calm gentle music in bed can help us drop off to sleep. Some airlines play smoothing music on board planes at take-off and landing, to calm nervous travelers. Athletes often listen to fast loud music to help them prepare for games. The American swimmer Michael Phelps is known to listen to rap music before important races to help pump him up.
The mood-altering effect of music can be especially acute for the people who actually play the music. Musicians who do not have high self-esteem (自尊心) can suddenly overflow with confidence once they go on stage. It's as though the music gives them a different personality.
And it's not only those who feel ill at ease with themselves who can benefit. Scientists have conducted research into the effect of music on students studying for exams. They found that listening to calm music with a regular beat can actually help students recall facts and improve their performance in exams. Classical music, preferably something by Mozart, seems to have the most beneficial effect. A word of caution, however: it's best not to over-rely on this method, as you won't be able to listen to music in an exam.
For most of us though, music is one of life's great pleasures. And it's a pleasure that endures. Researchers have found that we don't often grow out of the music that we love as teenagers, because our musical tastes are such a huge part of our identity, personality and outlook on life. So don't delete those songs you downloaded when you were fifteen - you'll probably still love them when you're fifty.
1.What would be the best kind of music to play to nervous drivers stuck in traffic jam?
A.Rap music. B.Gentle classical music.
C.Cheerful folk music. D.Heavy metal music.
2.The word "acute" in paragraph 3 most probably means _______ in the passage.
A.powerful B.controllable
C.complex D.opposite
3.Which of the following statements about music is true according to the passage?
A.Pop music improves students' academic performance.
B.Music has magic power to change musicians' personality.
C.Music generally influence people's thoughts and emotions.
D.Sportsmen listen to fast music to relieve their stress before games.
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.Musical tastes affect our characters to a great extent.
B.We have to find ways to make the pleasure of music last.
C.We will be fond of different kinds of music as we grow up.
D.A part of our personality and tastes are well developed in our teens.
