British parents encourage their children to play musical instruments as part of a family tradition(传统) rather than raise their children’s competitiveness as the American parents do.
Dr. Aaron Reeves from Oxford University found that the UK parents did not see musical practice as character building or useful in getting university places or jobs for their children. Instead, they usually encouraged their children to follow their interests.
This is different from what the other researchers had found in America. Middle-class parents in the US appear to associate(与……相联系) these cultural practices with other worldly benefits and often center these music activities around the school subjects.
Researchers think that it may be due to(由于) the fact that the US parents have become increasingly worried about providing their children with skills and abilities enabling them to stand out from their competitors.
However, for British parents, no such direct connection was made with future educational or job advantages. The parents interviewed here did not connect music with usefulness but rather they just paid attention to the value of music as a family tradition and, to some degree, as something valuable in its own right.
One Scottish parent said during an interview, “We’ve got two learning musical instruments. If they think it is fun, we try and encourage them, but we wouldn’t force them.” Another housewife said, “My son has just turned five and I want him to play the guitar because his uncle is good at it, but it’s up to my son.”
“Lots of UK parents don’t think music practice could be very helpful for the children’s confidence or school success. They say that it takes time and some talent for the children to gain a competing advantage,” said Dr. Reeves. “I think they are right.”
1.What does the underlined word “their” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A.The US parents’. B.The UK children’s.
C.The UK parents’. D.The US children’s.
2.What do British parents think Of music learning?
A.It is useful for their children to get better jobs.
B.It can be helpful to build their children’s confidence.
C.It helps their children to succeed in their schoolwork.
D.It would be better to take it as a hobby for the children.
3.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.Both the US and UK parents are right.
B.The other researchers’ findings are misleading.
C.Dr. Reeves agrees more with the UK parents.
D.Only the talented children can benefit from music learning.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.The benefits of extra music learning for children.
B.The American parents’ attitude towards music learning.
C.Differences in the British and American parenting styles.
D.Different attitudes towards music learning in the UK and USA.
The endangered pandas in Qinling Mountains might face a new threat(威胁): the loss of their food, bamboo, which makes up 99% of their meals.
Adult pandas spend most part of the day eating bamboo and have to take in at least 40 pounds a day to stay healthy. However, a new study published in Nature and Climate Change warned that they may soon find their food gone because most of the bamboo in Qinling Mountains might disappear by the end of the century as a result of rising temperature worldwide.
A team made up of researchers from Michigan State University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has studied the effects of climate change on the bamboo in Qinling Mountains. They have found that bamboo is very sensitive to climate changes. “80% to 100% of the bamboo would be gone if the average temperature increases 3.5 degrees worldwide by the end of the century.” said Liu Jianguo, one of the report’s authors.
He added, “This is how much the temperature would rise by 2100 even if all countries will keep their promises in the Paris Agreement. But you know what is happening around the world.”
In recent years, China has been trying its best to protect the endangered pandas by setting up more and bigger natural reserves.
“But it is far from being enough and the endangered pandas need cooperation from the rest of the world, because their future is not just in the hands of the Chinese,” said Shirley Martin from World Wildlife Fund but not a member of the team.
The Qinling Mountains, in the southwest of China, are home to about 260 pandas. That is about 13% of the China’s wild panda population. In addition, about 375 are living in research centers and zoos in China.
1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A.Lots of the bamboo in Qinling Mountains will probably disappear.
B.Qinling Mountains cannot provide enough bamboo for the pandas.
C.Pandas in Qinling Mountains are just threatened by the loss of food.
D.Pandas have already eaten 99% of the bamboo in Qinling Mountains.
2.What does Liu Jianguo mean?
A.China needs more help from World Wildlife Fund.
B.Bamboo is sensitive to the changes of temperature.
C.China is making great efforts to protect the pandas.
D.It is difficult to control the temperature rise within 3.5℃.
3.How many wild pandas are there in China?
A.About 260. B.About 635.
C.About 2,000. D.About 2,635.
4.Which can be the best title for the text?
A.The Disappearance of Bamboo B.Necessity to Change Pandas’ Food
C.Efforts Made to Save Pandas D.A New Threat Faced by the Pandas
Raegan Byrd tries to complete her homework every night. But the high school student in Hartford, Connecticut, has to use her mobile phone to search for the necessary information because she does not have internet connection at home.
In May, the US Department of Education(DOE) published its findings that the number of homes without access(接入) to internet has been getting smaller, but 14 percent of homes in city areas and 18 percent of homes in the countryside still do not have internet connections.
In some states, the problem is much more serious. For example, in the countryside of northern Mississippi, a third of the 294 homes in Maben do not have computers. And close to half have no access to internet whether they can pay for it or not.
Sharon Stidham, a mother in Maben, has to take her four boys to the school library at East Webster High School. Her husband works there, so the children can use the internet for their schoolwork. A signal tower can be seen through the trees from their home, but they could not put aside any money for the internet.
Research results from the National Center for Education(NCE) have shown that students with internet at home get much better scores in reading, math and science than the ones who do not.
Some teachers call this problem “the homework divide”. Jessica Rosenworcel, an NCE member, said, “The so-called homework divide is the cruelest part of the digital age and it is hurting the poor students and creating a big obstacle to their dreams.”
Local communities(社区) have started to help. They made lists of restaurants and other businesses with Wi-Fi places where children are welcome to come and do their homework. And many public libraries have also planned to provide free access to the students next year.
1.What has DOE found out in its survey?
A.Students with internet at home are doing better at school.
B.4% more homes in the countryside don’t have internet access.
C.About 33% of the students in Mississippi do not have internet at home.
D.An increasing number of students do not have access to internet at home.
2.Why does Sharon Stidham take her sons to the East Webster High School library?
A.Her husband is a teacher in the library.
B.She does not want to pay for the internet at home.
C.She wants her sons to study in a better environment.
D.Her sons have to use the internet to do their schoolwork.
3.Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “obstacle” in paragraph 6?
A.Block. B.Help.
C.Goal. D.Chance.
4.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.Local communities are called on to take actions.
B.Libraries have opened their doors to the students.
C.Restaurants have volunteered to take in the children.
D.Helps are coming from the public and the local communities.
There are so many websites to help you plan trips and book trips and save money on trips. Here is a selection of 4 you should consider bookmarking(收藏).
Dishtip. com
If I had to pick just one site to help with restaurant information around the world, it would be Chowhound. com. However, Dishtip. com organizes the world of eating out in the United States in a totally new way: By turkey sandwich or blueberry pie. In other words, by single dish, not by restaurant.
Stay. com
I’m generally doubtful of sites that say they can plan your trips for you. But for a quick information collection, Stay. com is not bad at all.
Here’s what you do: Choose one destination. Then go through the list of top attractions, museums and the like. Click on whatever you want. Those choices will turn into a personalized plan that can be either printed out or sent to your smartphone with an online city map.
Skypicker. com
Skypicker seems like the “explore” page of Kayak. com, but just provides flights within Europe, at very, very cheap price.
I once booked a $48 round trip between Ryanair and Nimes in the south of France at Skypicker. com. When I actually went to Ryanair to book, the cost was $55. think the final cost might be a bit more. But still, a good deal.
Vayama. com
Vayama is a flight search engine that specializes in international travels. It sometimes gives you a lower price on a “secret carrier” whose name and exact cost you don’t know until you’ve actually your ticket.
1.Which website should you go to find the general information about a restaurant?
A.Chowhound. com. B.Dishtip. com.
C.Kayak. com. D.Stay. com.
2.The Stay. com will provide its visitors with .
A.a reliable trip plan B.useful information for their trip planning
C.an off-line guide D.printed and personalized schedules
3.How is Vayama. com different from Skypicker. com?
A.It sells tickets at much lower prices.
B.It does not show the exact ticket prices.
C.It only lists flights operating within Europe.
D.It just provides flights for international travels.
阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。
Rebecca stretched her tired back. “That’s the last seedling(种树苗), Pa. Have we planted enough?” Pa walked to the end of the row of cottonwood seedlings. “No,” he said. “We have to plant trees all the way to that rock over there. We’ll need about twenty more seedlings.”
“I’ll get the seedlings,” offered Rebecca. She longed to cool her feet in the shallow river running through the cotton field. “You’d better let me go,” teased her twin brother, William. “There are dangers all over this prairie(牧场）. “You may both go,” said Pa.
They went across the shallow river to a sandbar where small cottonwood seedlings grew. Gently, they pulled the seedlings from the sand. “There! That’s twenty, with a few to spare.” said Rebecca. “OK,” said William. He led the way to the riverbank, then stopped.
“Look! There’s the dugout(防空壕）we lived in when we moved here last year.” He pointed to a hole in the grassy river bank. “Come on, let’s go inside.” “No,” Rebecca said. “Then you start back.” said William, handing the seedlings to Rebecca. I’ll catch up.” He ran to the dugout and stepped inside.
Rebecca tied the seedlings into her long apron(围裙）and began to walk. Suddenly she froze in her tracks. A huge prairie rattlesnake(响尾蛇）moved along the river bank. It stopped right in front of the dugout and lay still, coiled up on the warm sunny bank. “William!” Rebecca shouted. “Don’t come out!”
“Huh?” William's face appeared at a tiny window beside the door of the dugout. Rebecca pointed toward the rattler. William's face paled when he saw the snake blocking the doorway. He turned desperate eyes toward Rebecca, then he glanced behind himself.
Rebecca’s mind raced, trying to think of a way to get William out of there. An idea popped into her head. It was their only hope. It was risky, but it was the only hope. “Don’t move,” she said to William in a soft voice. “When I say NOW, you run out of there as fast as you can.” Rebecca removed the skirt-like petticoat(衬裙）from beneath her dress, then dipped it into the river. She squeezed out some of the water, then climbed to the top of the bank, directly above the dugout’s opening.
Paragraph 1:
"Get ready to run, William,” she said, keeping an eye on the motionless snake.
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Paragraph 2:
"Are you OK?" he asked, breathing heavily. Rebecca nodded.
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假定你是李华，近期你校举办了主题为“美丽中国”的现场国画（traditional Chinese painting）比赛。请为校报英文专栏写一篇活动报道。内容包括：
1. 活动时间、地点：
2. 活动概况：
3. 活动意义。
注意：
1. 词数100左右：
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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