In no particular order, here are some songs on the Music app of my phone:
On a Sunday Afternoon by Lighter Shade of Brown—A student of mine introduced this rap song lo me all the way back in the early 1990s, when 1 was teaching Spanish at a local university. The story in the song takes place not too far from where I live in Los Angeles. It’s a good “driving” song, nothing complicated or “deep”.
Say Something by A Great Big World—A more recent song about a couple losing contact with each other. The piano part is very little playing but beautiful.
American Pie by Don McLean—Another song from my youth in the 80s, very popular with almost every American of my generation. It retells some of the key events of the middle 20th century, a song of happy memories of the past and wanting to return to those better times.
The Weight by The Band—Another old song, originally made public in 1968, but one I didn’t hear until I was in high school more than 10 years later. I don’t understand the words to the song completely, but the feeling of the song is very comforting to me.
Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers—This Los Angeles group wrote a song that 1 used to listen to when I first moved to LA more than 25 years ago. I didn’t know anyone here when I first arrived. When I got bored, I used to drive up and down the major streets that cross the city from east to west, listening to this song about the “city of angel” being as “lonely as I am. (Don t worry! I have plenty of friends now.)
1.What does the underlined word “deep” probably mean?
A.with skill B.with comfort
C.with a normal meaning D.with a significant meaning
2.When did the author probably hear the Weight by The Band?
A.In 1968. B.In 1970.
C.in the 1980s. D.in the 1990s.
3.When the author first moved to LA, the first song he heard was .
A.Say Something B.American Pie
C.The Weight D.Under the Bridge
Directions: Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
经过一段时间的网上学习之后，明启中学在高三学生中进行了一个题为”你最喜欢的在线上课模式”的调查，调查结果如图所示。
A. 直播课并且有师生互动 B. 录播课并且之后有师生互动时间
C. 直播课但无师生互动 D. 录播课且之后也无师生互动时间
你可能会用到的词汇:
直播课:live streaming lesson 录播课: prerecorded lesson
请你根据该图标写篇作文，你的文中需包含以下信息:
1. 简要描述该图标；
2. 谈谈你的看法
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Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
1.该论文声称，独处能够让我们更好地进行自我反思。(It ...)
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2.地方政府应当采取什么样的措施来维持物价的稳定呢？(measure)
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3.即将拍摄一部影片，致敬这些无私奉献的义务工作者。(honor)
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4.互联网教育资源丰富，爱学习的人可以获得各种免费课程，足不出户、学遍天下。(So ...)
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Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
Britain’s Buses are Getting Emptier
In Britain, buses account for more public - transport trips than trains, tubes and trams put together. People love them, in theory: one poll by Transport Focus, a consumer group, found that 74% of young people think they are a good way of getting around and 85% believe it is important for a place to have a good bus service. There is just one problem. In practice, Britions are taking buses less and less.
Why are London buses emptier? One thing that has changed is young people’s behavior. The young are heavy bus users when they travel. But, increasingly, they do not travel. According to Transport for London, the average 17 - to 24-year-old took 2.3 transport trips per day in the year 2011- 12 but only 1.7 in 2018 - 19. The National Travel Survey confirms that no group has cut back harder on travel since the early 2000s than teenagers. Young people are more diligent these days, and stay in school for longer. They can do the things that young people love to do on their phones, without going out.
The other big bus users are the poor and the old, especially outside London, but both are turning away from buses to cars. Lower lending standards have made cars easier to acquire; a fuel-tax freeze and fuel - saving engines make them cheaper to run. Cars are ever more comfortable and easier to operate, with parking-assist technology and lane-drifting alerts to help starters. Outside London, the average free bus pass was used 90 times in the year 2010-11 but only 74 times in 2018-19, according to the Department for Transport.
Finally there is the gig economy(零工经济). Online shopping and Uber probably substitute of bus trips as well as private car journeys. And they put new vehicles on the roads, which slows everything down. The number of light-goods vehicles in London has risen by 28% since 2012. Tony Travers of the London School of Economics points out that bus speeds have fallen slightly in the capital, even though private cars have almost been cleared up from the city center. The average London bus now travels at 9.3 miles per hour. Just as people become less inclined to run after buses, they are becoming easier to catch.
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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.
How the British and American Tell Children’s Stories
If Harry Potter and Huckleberry Finn were each to represent British versus American children’s literature, a curious situation would emerge : In a literary competition for the hearts and minds of children, one is a wizard(巫师)- in - training at a boarding school in the Scottish Highlands, while the other is a barefoot boy drifting down the Mississippi, bothered by cheats, slave hunters, and thieves. One defeats evil with a magic stick, the other takes to a raft(筏)to right a social wrong. 1.
The small island of Great Britain is an unquestionably powerhouse of children’s bestsellers: Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Significantly, all are fantasies. 2. Stories like The Call of the Wild. Charlotte’s Web, Little Women, and the Adventures of Tom Sawyer are more notable for their realistic portraits of day-to-day life in the towns and farmlands on the growing frontier. If British children gathered in the dim light of the kitchen fireplace to hear stories about magic swords and talking bears, American children sat at their mother’s knee listening tales with moral messages about a world where life was hard, obedience emphasized, and Christian morality valued. Each style has its virtues, but the British approach undoubtedly creates the kinds of stories that appeal to the furthest reaches of children’s imagination.
3. For one, the British have always been in touch with their pagan(异教徒的)folk traditions and stories, says Maria Tatar, a Harvard professor of children’s literature. After all, the country’s very origin story is about a young king tutored by a wizard. Legends have always been accepted as history, from Merlin to Macbeth. “Even as the British were digging into these magical worlds, Americans, much more realistic, always viewed their soil as something to exploit,” says Tatar.
American write fantasies too, but nothing like the British, says Jerry Griswold, a San Diego State University professor of children’s literature. He said, “4.” To prove it, he mentioned Dorothy, the heroine of Wizard of Oz(绿野仙踪)who unmasks the great and powerful Wizard as a cheat. Meanwhile, American fantasies differ in another way: They usually end with a moral lesson learned - for example, in Oz, Dorothy’s journey ends with the realization: “There’s no place like home.”
A.It all goes back to each country’s distinct cultural heritage.
B.American stories are rooted in realism; even our fantasies are rooted in realism.
C.Both boys are characterized by their unique roles, thus breathing life into the fancy stories.
D.Meanwhile, the United States, also a major player in children’s classics, deals much less in magic.
E.Britain’s time-honored countryside, with ancient castles and restful farms, lends itself to fairy-tale invention.
F.Both orphans took over the world of children’s literature, but their stories unfold in noticeable different ways.
Changing the Game
On a warm September evening in London, The Arch climbing wall, just south of the River Thames, is packed. Scores of people wander around on the thick crash pads, chatting, waiting their turn and offering the odd shout of encouragement to those clinging on to the colourful climbing walls.
Rock climbing was once classified as an “extreme sport”. But indoor centres like The Arch, which offer climbing without the need for rocks, are bringing it into the mainstream. The British Mountaineering Council estimates there are at least 248 public climbing walls in Britain, a number that has risen by 30% since 2010. In 2020 the sport’s governing bodies are hoping to see an even bigger increase in interest. Along with skateboarding, surfing and karate(空手道), rock climbing will be making its first appearance as an Olympic sport at the summer games in Tokyo.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is frank about the ambition to appeal to a younger crowd who may be less familiar with longer-standing sports such as athletics and weightlifting. The crowd at the Arch is exactly what the IOC has in mind: mostly young professional letting off steam after work, who see climbing as a more engaging ans sociable alternative to jogging on running machines or pumping iron in a gym. Between them, the new sports will mean another 18 events and 474 athletes at the Tokyo games.
Officially, all four sports are delighted with their new status. But with the exception of karate, all of them have counter-cultural, anti-establishment roots. Some stars have wondered whether accepting the Olympic torch means going against their beliefs. Owen Wright, a famous surfer, has said that surfing is more art form than sport, and therefore not suitable for the games - though he has since gone back on his word, and hopes to represent Australia in Tokyo.
Adam Ondra, a Czech who is one of the world’s climbers, said he might steer clear of the games because of the format. The eventual Olympic champion will have to master all the three disciplines including bouldering (climbing without a rope, low to the ground, with a focus on hard, gymnastic moves), lead climbing (roped climbing up a tall wall of increasing difficulty) and speed climbing. Bouldering and lead climbing feature new routes in each stage of a competition, in an effort to imitate the variety of real rock. But speed climbing takes place on a standard, unvarying course. Because of this, said Mr. Ondra, “speed is a kind of artificial discipline ... and this is against the soul of climbing.”
Skateboarders, also notably rebellious, can be strikingly young. Sky Brown is set to become Britain’s youngest Olympian and has settled down to training. By the time of the Tokyo games, she will have turned 12.
1.Which of the following statements is true about rock climbing？
A.It originated in The Arch, a sports centre on the River Thames.
B.It has evolved from a mainstream sport into an extreme sport.
C.Spectator’s encouragement contributes to its rapid expansion.
D.The increase in climbing walls reflects a growing interest in it.
2.IOC introduced rock climbing into the Olympics in order to _________
A.familiarize the global population with the new sport
B.attract young people who lack interest in traditional sports
C.enable the young to let off their energy after work
D.challenge the dominant status of traditional sports
3.What can you infer from the star athletes’ responses according to the passage?
A.Surfers are expected to strike a balance between art and sport in the Olympics.
B.Rock climbers must be self-disciplined if they are to win the championship.
C.Adam believes that the soul of climbing consists in its harmony with nature.
D.Strikingly young skateboarders have an advantage over other opponents.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.With the addition of new Olympics sports, stars are divided on whether to participate.
B.Rock climbing, skateboard, surfing and karate are accepted as Olympics sports.
C.Extreme sports athletes rebel against traditions while training for the Olympics.
D.The appeal of a new sport event consists is changing for format of this game.
