Chinese Ministry of Education (教育部) is changing its traditional policy of encouraging schools to give special admission (入学) opportunities to those students with special talents in sports, music and art, even though their grades didn’t reach the standard.
The policy was flawed because some parents expose their not-so-talented child to plenty of expensive and demanding training courses in order to improve their child’s slim chances of approaching a good school. And then there was the problem of corruption (贪污腐败), which means some local officials selling the talent certificates (证书) and medals to those ambitious parents. According to a press conference held by the Ministry of Education in March, 2018, the “special talent” policy is expected to be completely called off by 2020.
Although the policy is ending, it should not imply that students should give up developing their talents and interests. These extracurricular (课外的) activities may not have a direct effect on academic performance, but they are ways for students to begin building a “talent stack” that will help them in their future careers.
The idea of a “talent stack” comes from the American cartoonist Scott Adams. According to Adams, people shouldn’t focus on the goal of becoming the best at something because very few people are actually the best. There are not many Michael Jordans or Albert Einsteins. Instead, people should cultivate a variety of skills that work well together.
Jack Ma (马云) is a typical example of what Adams is talking about. Ma liked English and became an English teacher. He learned some business skills by operating an English language training school. He also had an interest in computers. On a visit to the United States, he discovered the internet and the way it was being used to buy and sell things. Although Ma wasn’t the best English speaker or a computer expert, he was able to “stack” them —to put them together—to learn about internet trading and then start Alibaba, the world’s largest online trading website.
Although you may not realize it, you have already begun building your talent stack by learning English. If you have other interests like art and sports, you should continue to develop them. They will add to your talent stack and give you an advantage in the job market. Your unique set of skills, even if you may not be the best at any of them, may also lead you into new careers you may not have previously considered. Having a talent may no longer give students a shortcut in getting into a good school, but developing that talent will have long-term benefits as part of your “talent stack.”
1.What does the word “flawed” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.perfect. B.complicated. C.imperfect. D.pointless.
2.Which of the following statements about the “talent stack” is NOT true?
A.It was carried out by an American cartoonist.
B.Michael Jordan and Albert Einstein has one of the best talent stacks in the world.
C.Studying a foreign language is an effective way to build one’s “talent stack”.
D.The power of talent stacks may be beyond your imagination.
3.Why does the author take Jack Ma’s personal experience as an example?
A.To prove that Jack Ma is good at running a business.
B.To show that one’s “talent stack” has nothing to do with his academic performance.
C.To tell the readers that mastering English is the most efficient means to build one’s “talent stack”.
D.To point out that “talent stack” can helps a person take advantage of benefits from different professional fields.
4.What can we infer(推断) from the article?
A.Students with special talents will have fewer opportunities to study in good schools in two years.
B.Having talents and interests doesn’t help a student’s academic performance at all.
C.Developing a talent in sports, music or art is certain to cost a lot of money.
D.The author holds a negative attitude towards the newly-launched policy.
The ancient art of opera can be brilliant entertainment; it is a(n) _________ of music, drama, and sometimes dance, staged with elaborate(精心制作的) sets of costumes. Opera is often _________ by many, however, partly because of some of the stereotypes(成见) associated with it. Some of its critics say that the narratives are too complex. Others complain that operas cannot be understood because they are often performed in _________ languages. Stereotypes aside, opera is an art form enjoyed by many _________ lovers. Operas can be comedies or tragedies or stories taken from history.
The story of an opera is generally simple so as to avoid _________ the audience from the music. The libretto, or script, sets each scene and describes the action in both words and stage directions. The music of an opera—the way it advances the action and the feelings it inspires in the listeners—is _________ important. The three principal musical _________ are the overture(前奏曲), the recitative(朗诵调), and the aria(咏叹调).
The overture is the instrumental introduction to the opera, the purpose of which has been _________ over time. During the nineteenth century, the overture began to combine snippets of melodies from arias, ballets, and other musical elements in a medley of the opera’s musical themes.
A recitative is less a song than a monologue(独白) that is sung rather than _________. A recitative is an element, older than the overture, which was invented at the beginning of the seventeenth century as a means of telling__________ in music; the first operas were actually a series of recitatives joined by musical interludes. Because an opera is basically a play set to music, the recitative is a means of telling the __________ what is going on and what is about to happen.
An aria is a solo performance—often one of the highlights of the opera. Arias can be declarations of love or __________ of hope, happiness, sorrow, or anguish. Many composers have written arias to __________ the vocal gifts of singers; some sopranos(女高音歌手) were indeed famous for the very high notes that they could sing. __________, arias are not the only songs in opera. Duets, compositions for three or four voices, and large-group numbers are also common. These diverse musical elements, __________ visual elements in costumes and sets as well as the dramatic content of the story, make the opera the complex art form that it is.
1.A.exploration B.mixture C.research D.experiment
2.A.unappreciated B.composed C.enjoyed D.favored
3.A.local B.native C.foreign D.official
4.A.gossip B.history C.movie D.music
5.A.releasing B.separating C.distracting D.disappointing
6.A.particularly B.rarely C.originally D.historically
7.A.tastes B.elements C.skills D.talents
8.A.stated B.described C.lacked D.evolved
9.A.imagined B.reminded C.spoken D.written
10.A.stories B.news C.jokes D.lies
11.A.musicians B.audience C.directors D.performers
12.A.rights B.reasons C.expressions D.expenses
13.A.improve B.show C.involve D.practise
14.A.Moreover B.Otherwise C.Therefore D.However
15.A.broken into B.applied to C.combined with D.matched with
Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
I used to hate waiting in line, thinking of it as a big waste of time and a test on my patience, but 1.(live) in Israel for three years, I have changed my attitude toward it.
Probably because the country is not very big, with limited resources, 2. you’re at the bank, the post office or the bus stop, you’ll always find a straight line of people waiting. But instead of worrying or hurrying some are drinking hot coffee; 3. are chatting to each other, even though a minute ago they were just strangers.
4. seemed to me that they were enjoying queuing and taking the chance to relax.
Gradually I came to realize that 5. (obey) rules, which can be clearly seen in queuing up, is an important part of their culture. Once I saw a young foreigner trying to jump the queue and be shouted at by an old Israeli man, with others joining in. The poor guy was so ashamed6. he slipped away as fast as he could.
But don’t think Israeli people are cruel. If you have to leave for a short time, 7. the person behind you agrees, you can always come back and stand in front of him or her. However, if you miss him or her, you’ll have to start over. If you wait next to the basketball court or tennis court for more than five minutes, someone on the court will definitely offer 8.(switch) places with you. This has become part of the culture in Israel.
Their culture 9. (reflect) Israelis’ belief in equal opportunities, which may have played a role in helping Israel to stay on its feet in the world even after the cruel Holocaust.
Compared 10. Israel, our way of queuing up is much more casual. People always go out of their way to get the “privilege” of a shorter wait.
假如你是李华。你的美国朋友Alex来信说，考试临近时，他总会感到焦虑。请你给他回信。内容：
1.向Alex表示问候和安慰。
2.提出建议。（至少两点）
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
根据下列句子所提供的意思及所给单词的首字母，在答题卷上按题号写出各单词的正确形式（每空限填一词）。
1.Did you report the l_____________of your jewelry to the police?
2.Music is the u________________language of human beings.
3.He p______________to be doing his homework when the teacher came in.
4.She was very glad to receive an i_____________to the party.
5.We have a lot in c____________, so we often have a lot to talk about.
6.Even though the work was difficult, he m___________to finish it himself.
7.The thief was s___________by police boarding a plane for London.(发现)
8.This kind of food _______________(含有) a lot of fat.
9.I will tell him the news on his _________________(到达).
10.Smoking is not p___________in the office.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
In your daily life, there are many examples where your parents control hundreds1. things for you when you are a kid, such as the clothes you wear, the food you eat, where you go and how you get there. It is a good thing. Kids need this kind of 2. (protect) and help because they are not old enough3.(take) care of themselves and make decisions 4.(correct). But with you growing5.(old), the part of being a teen is developing your own identity—one that is separated from your parents. Different 6. (attitude) towards events like partying may lead to arguments, because your parents will always want to protect you and keep you safe, no matter how old you are. As a result, your parents feel 7.hard to get used to the new situation with8. (increase) anxiety. What kids should keep in mind is9.in most cases, your parents can relate to what you’re going through because they10.(be) teens once.
