My violin is like a soul mate that whispers words of wisdom to me. Together, we’ve gone through both tears and happiness.
About 12 years ago, I made acquaintance with it following an order from my mom. Many hours of boredom were spent practicing it. And to make things worse, the disappointment in my teacher’s eyes as I played the wrong notes was like an invisible hammer, striking on my heart. One day, I finally decided: I hate it!
By chance, things changed when I was seven. I was at home lying on the sofa, wondering how those famous violinists dealt with this terrible dilemma. I searched online for the E-minor Concerto, a well-known violin work by German composer Felix Mendelssohn, and listened to it.
A beautiful and mysterious sound came from the violin as the bow moved across it. It was like the music slid over the flowers, rose up, and started to fill the air. The violin’s voice woke up the sun, made the trees green, and freshened the air. As the music changed, the sky turned back to gray. A gloomy shade covered the grass as all the sunshine disappeared. I could hear children crying and men shouting. It was like an invisible claw had grabbed my heart tightly, making it unable to beat.
That glorious day set off my passion and interest in violin — I grabbed mine and never let it go. Before the memories faded, I stared at my instrument. Without hesitating, I picked it up, rosined (用松香擦) the bow, and began to play. Peace filled my heart.
My violin has been by my side for 12 years. When I feel happy, an energetic tune makes it even better; when I’m deep in sorrow, a peaceful tune washes it away, when I’m walking on air, feeling especially pleased with my achievements, solemn (庄严的) tunes calm me down. Gradually, it has become a part of my life.
My violin, shall I compare you to a summer’s day?
1.What further contributed to the author’s dislike of violin-playing?
A.Orders from mum. B.Disappointment in the teacher’s eyes.
C.Loss of passion for violin. D.Boredom of practice.
2.What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
A.The author’s feeling was continuously influenced by the music.
B.The weather actually changed because of the tune.
C.The sudden change made the author’s heart unable to beat.
D.The scenery outside the room was quite attractive.
3.Why did the author pick up the violin again?
A.The invisible hammer and claw are gone. B.The beautiful imagination changed his attitude.
C.A famous tune aroused his interest and passion. D.He was crazy about Felix Mendelssohn’s works.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.Deep love for music B.My dislike and like of violin
C.An inspiring violin D.Musical soul mate—violin
European architecture in Tianjin is a window showing China’s historical changes. In a one-day tour, you can see some old western-style private residences, former Imperial Gardens and enjoy Tianjin snacks, like a time traveler.
The Garden of Jingyuan
The Garden of Jingyuan was constructed in 1921. It’s now an excellent example of an old private residence in Tianjin, which is now well-preserved. The last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi, once lived here after his abdication(退位), from July 1929 to November 1931. He changed the name to Jingyuan, which references his desire to strengthen and ennoble his spirit by living in a peaceful environment.
Address: 70 Anshan Road, Heping District
Transport: Anshan Road (Subway Line 1)
Tickets & Opening Hours: Closed Monday; Tuesday to Sunday, 8:30-5:00p.m. RMB ¥20 per person
Zhangyuan Garden
This grand mansion was built in 1915 by Zhang Biao, a former high-ranking official in the Qing Court. In 1924, Dr. Sun Yat-sen and his wife Soong Ching Ling stayed in it for several months. In 1925, Puyi, the last emperor of China, had a brief stay here after his abdication from Beijing. It is certainly a strange coincidence that the founder of the Republic of China and the last emperor chose exactly the same place to live, though at different times.
The mansion is visible from the street, but the buildings and gardens are not open to the public at present.
Italianate Street
Nearly 200 European-style buildings have been conserved in the old Italian Concession(租借地)and form the modern --Italian-style Street on the north bank of the Haihe River. The street has been developed as a shopping center and entertainment district. A square named after Marco Polois surrounded by numerous Italianate large buildings. Pictures of their former residences will be a highlight of your photo albums.
Address: The Cross Between Shengli Road and Ziyou Road, Hebei District
Transport: Jianguo Road (Subway Line 2)
Tickets & Opening Hours: Access all day for nothing
If you want to feel old-people’s lives and taste snacks in Tianjin, you can tour to Confucian Temple near the Ancient Culture Street . Most snacks in Tianjin are made of flour. Some are deepfried or baked while some are made into sticky sweets. Goubuli steamed stuffed baozi, ear-hole fried cake and Guifaxiang fried dough twists are the top three local snacks.
1.What can we know from Puyi’s renaming the place to Jingyuan?
A.He wanted to feel old-people’s lives and taste snacks.
B.He desired to strengthen and ennoble his imperial palace.
C.He was determined to well preserve this Chinese-style residence.
D.He would like to lead a quiet and calm life after his abdication.
2.Which of the following tourist attractions is not open to the visitors?
A.The Garden of Jingyuan B.Italianate Street
C.Zhangyuan Garden D.Confucian Temple
3.What’s the best thing you can do in Italianate Street?
A.Buying Italian clothes for your family.
B.Taking pictures with Italian friends.
C.Enjoying European-style buildings.
D.Walking around the Marco Polo Square.
假定你是学生会主席李华，当前新冠状病毒（the COVID-19）肆虐，请你围绕“从小事做起共战疫情”这一主题，给全校学生写一封英文倡议书。
要点如下：
1.倡议的原因和目的。
2.倡议的具体内容。
3.发出倡议。
注意：
1.词数120左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear schoolmates,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Students’ Union
July 11th, 2020
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。
I used to pay little attention to the important of breakfast. I often studied late into the night and choose to skip breakfast. By this way I could have a few extra minutes in bed. Felt hungry in class, I found it difficult to concentrate on my lessons. What’s worse, I was even failed in one of the most important exam. Now, I have realized that breakfast, that can provide 30 percent of the whole day’s energy, plays essential role. Therefore, it is necessary for we students to start our day with a regularly breakfast.
I fell in love with Yosemite National Park the first time I saw it, when I was 13. My parents took us there for camping. On the way out, I asked them to wait while I ran up to E1 Capitan, a _______ rock of 3,300 feet straight up. I touched that giant rock and knew _______ I wanted to climb it. That has been my life’s passion (钟爱) ever since — _______ the rocks and mountains of Yosemite. I’ve long made Yosemite my _______
About 15 years ago I started seeing a lot of _______, like toilet paper, beer cans, and empty boxes, around the area. It’s _______ me why visitors started respecting the place less and treated such a _______ home-like place this way.
I tried _______ trash (垃圾) myself, but the job was too big. I would _______ an hour or two on the job, only to find the area trashed all over again weeks later. Finally, I got so ________ it that I decided something had to ________.
As a rock-climbing guide, I knew ________ about organizing any big event. But in 2004, together with some climbers, I set a date for a ________. On that day, more than 300 people ________. Over three days we collected about 6,000 pounds of trash. It was ________ how much we were able to accomplish. I couldn’t believe the ________ we made — the park looked clean!
Each year volunteers come for the cleanup from everywhere. In 2007 alone, 2,945 people picked up 42,330 pounds of trash and ________ 132 miles of roadway.
I often hear people ________ about their surroundings. If you are one of them, I would say the only way to change things is by ________ rather than complaining .We need to teach by ________. You can’t blame others unless you start with yourself.
1.A.distant B.hard C.loose D.huge
2.A.gradually B.finally C.immediately D.recently
3.A.painting B.climbing C.measuring D.approaching
4.A.home B.palace C.garden D.shelter
5.A.dust B.waste C.materials D.resources
6.A.against B.over C.beyond D.within
7.A.new B.safe C.happy D.beautiful
8.A.picking up B.breaking down C.throwing away D.digging out
9.A.wait B.save C.kill D.spend
10.A.delighted in B.tired of C.satisfied with D.used to
11.A.aim B.stress C.change D.depend
12.A.nothing B.anything C.everything D.something
13.A.concert B.picnic C.party D.cleanup
14.A.showed up B.called back C.dropped out D.looked around
15.A.puzzling B.amazing C.amusing D.interesting
16.A.plan B.visit C.difference D.contact
17.A.covered B.crossed C.measured D.designed
18.A.argue B.complain C.quarrel D.talk
19.A.thinking B.questioning C.doing D.watching
20.A.method B.explanation C.research D.example
Self-esteem (自尊) plays a role in almost everything you do. 1. If you want to improve your self-esteem, here are some useful tips.
★Try to stop having negative thoughts about yourself. If you’re used to focusing on your shortcomings, start thinking about positive aspects of yourself. 2.
★View mistakes as learning opportunities. Accept that you will make mistakes because everyone does. 3. Remind yourself that a person’s talents are constantly developing, and everyone does well in different things.
★4. If you realize that you’re unhappy with something that you can change, then start today. If it’s something you can’t change (like your height), then start to work toward loving yourself the way you are.
★Make a contribution. Help a classmate who’s having trouble, offer to clean up your neighborhood or volunteer your time in some other way. 5.
★Have fun. Enjoy spending time with the people you care about and doing the things you love. Relax and have a good time.
It takes some work to develop good self-esteem, but once you do it’s a skill you’ll have for life.
A.Mistakes are part of learning.
B.Recognize what you can change and what you can’t.
C.Each day, write down the things that make you happy.
D.Low self-esteem is a negative evaluation (评价) of oneself.
E.That your help is valued can do wonders to improve self-esteem.
F.Experience is the great thing that enables you to recognize a mistake.
G.People with high self-esteem do better in school and find it easier to make friends.
