Each May since 1956 people from across Europe and around the world have gathered around their televisions with friends and family for an evening of international entertainment (娱乐): The Eurovision Song Contest. It may be a fun event but perhaps it’s not the shared celebration of European language that it could be. In the first ten years of Eurovision, the UK and Ireland were the only two countries to sing in English. Now English is what we expect. Is it that English has become the official language of music?
From high streets in Hungary to supermarkets in Sweden, from bus stops in Bulgaria to parks in Poland, people listen to English-language music everywhere. And people don’t just listen, they sing it too! From sporting events in Spain to nightclubs in Norway, from concerts in Croatia to fitness classes in France, people sing along to popular songs in their everyday lives, in English. But why?
For one evening each year Eurovision is the dinner party of Europe. A dinner party to which each guest brings something unique. Their clothing, tradition and food represent their culture and their language shows the character of a nation. Although there are 50 nations with 83 languages, for Eurovision, English is the only language. Does Eurovision really represent Europe?
English is an international language spoken by over 1 billion people worldwide. It is no surprise that so many musicians make music in English. Of course, music makes money and more listeners make more money. According to Ragnar Thorhallsson, a singer and guitarist, English is simpler and is easier to make rhymes (韵律). Could this be true?
Let’s remember that although English-language music is everywhere, music is not everything. As long as we continue to learn, to speak, to love, diversity (多样性) shall be valued. After all, what fun is a dinner party if the guests can’t communicate or express themselves in the way they choose?
1.What do we know about Eurovision?
A.Singers sing English songs.
B.It helps protect European cultures.
C.It is the most popular contest in the world.
D.Singers mainly come from the UK and Ireland.
2.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?
A.Music in daily life. B.The popularity of English music.
C.The official language of music. D.Music in different countries.
3.What can we infer about Ragnar Thorhallsson’s opinion of English?
A.It is easy and beautiful.
B.It should be used in all music.
C.It is the best language in the world.
D.It helps musicians make money easily.
4.What is mainly discussed in the text?
A.Why we should protect language diversity.
B.How language and music affect each other.
C.Whether English is the official language of music.
D.Why Eurovision is becoming more and more popular.
It was a cold morning, and Eduardo Ortega was nervous. He held a large envelope (信封). In it was his dream. “This is everything,” he said. “I’ve worked for this since I was a young boy.”
He remembered the long hours working in the fields, picking strawberries and beans. After work every day, his tired friends drank coffee or slept. Eduardo went to the evening school. He studied, read, and wrote poems and short stories. Although he missed many classes, he became the best student.
One school year, Eduardo wrote a poem that won a prize — a trip to San Francisco. As he flew, he felt free from his life of hard work in the fields. He promised himself not to return to that life. He loved to fly.
This morning, Eduardo caught the school bus and went to school with the envelope. He walked past his classmates and sat down at his desk. He took a deep breath, drew the envelope out of his pocket and carefully opened it and began reading the letter inside. It was the answer to his application to the state university. It was also the answer to the beginning of his dream of becoming a pilot.
Even though Eduardo worked to help his family, his father always encouraged him to go to school. So, while he worked, he also studied. Eduardo knew that his dream was his father’s dream, too. His father was a smart man, but he was too poor to go to college. He loved to read, but never had time, because he worked long hours.
Now, as he read the words, “Congratulations … you have been accepted,” he knew his dream was not lost. One day he would become a pilot, flying every day to all the exciting places in the world.
1.What did Eduardo do when his friends drank coffee or slept?
A.He attended classes. B.He studied and wrote.
C.He worked in the fields. D.He helped around his home.
2.What was Eduardo’s dream?
A.Becoming a pilot. B.Becoming a writer.
C.Travelling around the world. D.Realizing his father’s dream.
3.What was Eduardo’s father’s attitude toward his dream?
A.Doubtful. B.Unconcerned.
C.Supportive. D.Unclear.
4.What was in the envelope?
A.An invitation to a flying trip.
B.Encouragement from his father.
C.Congratulations from his friends.
D.An admission notice from a university.
The Woolly Monkey Mysteries: The Questio Save a Rain Forest Species
By Sandra Markle. Ages 8 to 10.
Woolly Monkeys spend most of their time high up in 150-foot-tall trees. That makes them difficult animals to count and to study. But cameras have provided valuable information and taken, as this book shows, amazing pictures. Experts now believe that Peru’s lowland monkeys and the waste they produce are necessary to the survival of the rain forest.
Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild
By Catherine Thimmesh. Ages 10 to 12.
The giant panda is much-beloved in China, but in the past 40 years, at least half of its places has been destroyed. Camp Panda tells about efforts to reintroduce the giant pandas into the wild so that they might have a future. As part of the efforts, people wear panda costumes (服装) that smell like pandas while weighing and measuring the young pandas. They aren’t supposed to get used to seeing and being around people, because people could bring a threat to them in the wild.
Beyond Words: What Elephants and Whales Think and Feel
By Carl Safina. Ages 10 and older.
Carl Safina studied elephants in an African national park and killer whales off the coast of Washington state. He learned about their strong family bonds, the surprising ways they communicate and how they play and hang out with one another. This book makes a strong case for protecting the ability of these animals to live freely.
Back from the Brink: Saving Animals from Extinction
By Nancy F Castaldo. Ages 10 and older.
This book focuses on seven groups of animals—including whooping cranes, California condors and American alligators—that were brought back to healthy numbers by a lot of efforts. As she celebrates these successes, Nancy F. Castaldo also makes clear that dangers, such as the effects of climate change, still cloud the future of these creatures.
1.Which is the most suitable book for readers below 10?
A.The Woolly Monkey Mysteries: The Questio Save a Rain Forest Species.
B.Beyond Words: What Elephants and Whales Think and Feel.
C.Back from the Brink: Saving Animals from Extinction.
D.Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild.
2.Why do people wear panda costumes?
A.To attract visitors.
B.To make pandas feel safe.
C.To take photos of pandas in the wild.
D.To celebrate the increasing number of pandas.
3.What do these four books focus on?
A.Animal rights. B.Climate change.
C.Animal protection. D.Rain forests.
4.What’s the purpose of the author to write the text?
A.To introduce four books. B.To get to know some writers.
C.To describe some rare animals. D.To educate children to love animals.
假如你是高二学生李华，你班交换生Charles即将结束假期从美国返回，你想委托他 为你代购一个剃须刀，作为生日礼物送给爸爸。请按以下要求给他写一封电子邮件。
1. 品牌：Gillette;
2. 价格：30美元左右
参考词汇：剃须刀shaver
要求：1. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
2. 词数：100词左右；
3. 开头和结尾已经给岀，不计入总词数。
Dear Charles,
I haven't seen you for over three weeks.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours truly,
Li Hua
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（∧) ）,并在其下面写岀该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下面划一横线，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。
With our city's first subway comes into use, great changes have been taken place recently. Many people preferred to take the subway instead of driving cars, because it's fastly and eco-friendly. Under the help of the subway network, traffic jams and road accidents have declined sharply, making that convenient for people to travel. In the meantime, we can enjoy clean airs and see a blue sky. Living in the present city, I can feel the strong sense of happiness. Beside, what makes us excited is it has connected the city with the towns nearby. I wish our city would be better and better.
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Roald Dahl was bom in Wales, in 1916. He was an unhappy schoolboy, so after 1. (graduate) from school he decided to look for adventure. He first worked for the Shell Company in East Africa, where he lived in the jungle, and then he joined the Royal Air Force, as a pilot, when the Second World War broke out. He 2. (injure) while flying, so in1942 he went to Washington, where he started his career3.a writer.
4. (published) in 1943, Dahl's first children's book, The gremlins, was followed by many others. They were all very 5. (success) because he really connected with the children^ interests. He later admitted he couldn't have written children's stories 6. he hadn’t had children of his own. 7. (actual), his books are based on bedtime stories he made up for his own children.
As for his family life, he married Patricia Neal, 8. actress, and they had five children. However, they were not happy. Patricia suffered a stroke but later recovered. Their 9. (marry) ended in divorce. Dahl died in Oxford in 1990. He, 10. always donated money to those in need, was a generous man. He was awarded several important prizes. His secret of becoming a good writer is a lively imagination and hard work.
