Natalie Trayling is a famous street artist in Melbourne. At first, those who happened to pass by her and spare some change didn’t even realize what a musical genius was playing. The emotional tune was not only masterfully played but also composed by Natalie herself when she was only 14. Gradually, as long as she appears, people will stop, absorbed in her music. Her music makes you think about calmness, the good things in life, and never giving up.
But what people do not know is that behind the beautiful music of the old woman, it is full of bitterness. At the age of 12, she won a music scholarship at Santa Maria College. At 15 she knocked back a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London because her parents couldn’t pay non-tuition costs. When she left school, she taught piano at Santa Maria. Later she met her husband, Denis. They had four children, but the two of them died. In 1984, Denis asked for a divorce. Natalie’s son, Nathan, was given medication for depression. Natalie lived either outdoors in Royal Park or in boarding houses for nine years. In late 2003 Natalie collapsed with anaemia(贫血) and was hospitalized for six months.
For half a century, Natalie has been teased by fate. But even so, she never gave up her love for music. When asked why the music was so important to her, she said: “Music is everything. I do feel part of it. The whole world is music.”
When Natalie went on the Internet, she became a sign of Melbourne. People are impressed by her persistence in dreams and the optimism of life. Now she is no longer wandering around. She can play the piano at any time, but as long as the weather is good, she will walk to the streets of Melbourne, and play a touching melody for the rush of the city.
1.Why is Natalie’s music so touching to the passers-by?
A. It is full of bitterness.
B. She composed it herself.
C. It’s a reflection of her own life.
D. It reminds of the beauty of life.
2.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “knocked back” in Paragraph 2?
A. gave up
B. obtained
C. accepted
D. was awarded
3.What does music mean to Natalie?
A. It’s her hobby.
B. It’s the source of her misfortune.
C. It is part of her life.
D. It’s a way to earn a living.
4.What does the author try to tell us?
A. Natalie is a musical genius.
B. Life is not easy for everyone.
C. Never give up halfway.
D. Natalie has a strong and brave heart.
Four apps for students to learn English
Quizlet
Quizlet is a learning app---a computer program you use on your mobile device. It can help users build and test
their knowledge of English words and terms. Quizlet has word sets for millions of subjects. And, it is quickly becoming a useful mobile tool for language learners.
Socrative
In Socrative, teachers can create timed learning games. In class, students compete individually or as part of a team against classmates. One game students love is called space Race. In this game, if a team answers a question correctly, their rocket moves forward. This team whose rocket gets to the end first wins. Also, teachers can use Socrative as an “exit ticket,” a question they can ask students about what they learned in that day’s class. Students write their answers on their mobile devices. Then, the teacher can show the answers on a shared video screen.
QR Codes
A QR Code is a kind of sign that a smartphone can read with its camera. When your phone camera reads a QR code, it takes you to a website, image, video or anything you want to share. For example, one will take you to the VOA Learning English website.
Evernote
Evernote lets users store and share notes, images and recordings in one place. Teachers can also use Evernote to give homework.
1.Which is the best for students to build up vocabulary?
A. Quizlet.
B. QR Codes.
C. Evernote.
D. Socrative.
2.What can a teacher do by using Socrative?
A. Give homework.
B. Carry out a classroom test.
C. Look up new words.
D. Visit an English-learning website.
3.What’s the purpose of the text?
A. To make an advertisement.
B. To encourage using mobile phones.
C. To improve English learning.
D. To introduce some learning apps.
It was a cold December day． After saying goodbye to his neighbor， David， Tom set out for a run with his dog， Taz．As a professional athlete， Tom often went for training runs by himself， and had done this particular route many times before， but that day something unusual happened to him．
About an hour later， Tom hit some black ice． He found himself slipping down the rock face， which became steeper and steeper （陡峭的）until suddenly he was in free fall． He fell 60 feet into the canyon （峡谷），landing on grass and dry branches． If he'd missed them， there was no way he would have survived． He could feel his legs，so he knew he wasn't paralyzed （瘫痪的），but he was in great pain． Taz had managed to find his way back to Tom， so Tom knew there must be a way out of the canyon， but he couldn't stand or even crawl （爬行）． He later learned that he had broken his pelvis （骨盆）．
Tom shouted for help， and tried to pull himself forward． Every inch was an effort． It took him five hours to go a quarter of a mile． Eventually it got so dark that he couldn't see where he was going． He decided to stay next to a river which he could drink some water from． All he had on him were his jogging clothes， a water bottle， two boxes of medicine， a bar of chocolate， and a shower cap which adventure racers often wear to prevent heat loss．
At night， the temperature dropped below freezing． Tom couldn't go to sleep or he would die， so he stayed awake lifting his head a few inches，over and over． Throughout the night，Taz curled up next to him and kept him company． The next morning， he couldn't move any more． He tried to stay positive． He was sure somebody would find he was missing or hear him screaming for help． But there was nobody around．
注意：
1．所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2．应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3．续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4．续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语．
Paragraph 1：
As time went by， Tom felt himself growing weaker and he knew he must take action，
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2：
About three hours later， Taz returned and Tom heard an engine in the distance．
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定你是李华，新落成的外文书店为增加访客量现向市民征求建议，请给书店经理Mr． Bowie 写一封建议信，内容包括：
1．拥有宽敞的空间以提供良好的阅读体验；
2．提供公益讲座（public lecture）等服务；
3．其他建议（至少一条）．
注意：
1．词数80左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯．
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语法填空
Do you judge people by their appearance？
This week I was talking to some guys at Planet Fitness，1.told me about their boss' experience of buying a new car． The salesmen didn't know that this man had a lot of money． It was because he often dressed 2.（he） in worn-out clothes， just like a homeless man on the street． When the boss arrived at the first shop， the salesmen 3.（total） ignored him and treated him like he wasn't worth their time． He 4.（ leave） the shop with a smile on his face． Later that day，he walked into another shop，5.（wear） the same clothes as usual． The salesmen greeted him with kindness and respect． Then this man paid almost ﹩20 million 6.new car!
There's a Bible text that tells us how 7.（treat） people that you learn little about． It says， "Don't forget to show 8.（warm） to strangers， because anyone who does it may entertain angels without realizing it!" Don't judge 9.book by its cover! The boss was not an angel 10.you never know who just might be．
Four months into her pregnancy （孕期）， my mother learned that my brother would be born with Down syndrome （唐氏综合症）． Never having dealt with anyone with the disease，the entire family began to _______． Would he learn to walk and talk ________like the other kids？ Would he be liked by others？ Would he have some _______？ All these thoughts and every detail ________us， though we knew we would ________him exactly the way he is．
Thankfully，after birth，Lipe was ________than we expected， with no heart problems in general connected with Down syndrome． He is the most ________person I have ever met． Anything is a reason for him to flash a smile． Even if it took him some extra ________to learn new things， he always did extremely well． Although we were glad to see that， we still ________what others would say about him． In order to ________him． I kept his condition a secret． I was also afraid of being treated ________by others because of his condition． But I soon realized ________I truly loved him， I shouldn't be ________of him． The first time I told a friend about Lipe's disease， she just reminded me that all that my brother needed was my love and _______． It was my friend's understanding that ________me to be proud of Lipe．
Because of my brother， I have learned the meaning of _______． Before his birth， if I saw someone who acted or looked differently， I simply thought it to be ________and started laughing． I am now glad that I have changed in these ways． I now consider what they could possibly be ________in life， and the many reasons why they could be behaving like that． We may live in a world in which the society coldly ________every inch of you， but we can at least treat others with _______． Only in this way can we expect to create a better society．
1.A. practice B. worry C. complain D. understand
2.A. quickly B. easily C. quietly D. normally
3.A. friends B. classmates C. teachers D. students
4.A. left B. troubled C. helped D. inspired
5.A. change B. shock C. accept D. remember
6.A. younger B. happier C. calmer D. healthier
7.A. curious B. cheerful C. suitable D. confident
8.A. luck B. praise C. effort D. power
9.A. gave up B. believed in C. learned from D. cared about
10.A. care B. protect C. follow D. comfort
11.A. badly B. excitedly C. seriously D. politely
12.A. if B. although C. because D. unless
13.A. proud B. afraid C. scared D. ashamed
14.A. hope B. peace C. support D. interest
15.A. made B. encouraged C. required D. attracted
16.A. pride B. honesty C. patience D. respect
17.A. poor B. troublesome C. strange D. difficult
18.A. achieving B. choosing C. enjoying D. experiencing
19.A. judges B. refuses C. improves D. discovers
20.A. pleasure B. difference C. kindness D. determination
