I was 11 years old when I asked my mom for piano lessons in 2010. We were badly off in the recession (经济衰退). She said a_______“no”.
That didn’t stop me. I Googled the_______for a keyboard, drew the keys on a piece of paper and ________it on my desk. I would click _______on an online keyboard and “play” them back on my paper one – keeping the_______we they made on the computer in my _______. I spend six months playing without______a real piano. Once my mom saw that I was_______, she got into debt to buy me ten lessons.
In the first lesson I was_______by how real the sound of the piano was. I sat my grade one after eight lessons.________we couldn’t afford lessons again. I________grade three, then grade five,_______only on my piece of paper. When I was about 13, my mom said she had a_______for me: it was an electronic keyboard, bought with more______money.
My school didn’t offer music A-level. I found the Purcell School for young_______. The tryouts (选拔) were________. Some of the questions involved a judgment on the composer (作曲家) or when it was written. I felt stuck. To my amazement I was offered a_____. There, I worked as hard as I could to improve my performance and save enough money to buy my _______piano.
I feel proud: it’s been 10 years since I drew my paper piano, and now I’m at one of the world’s leading music schools. However, the irony is that I________doing a lot of my practice away from the piano: what we call________practice. The paper piano helped spark my curiosity about how music works, the building blocks that form the pieces.
1.A.determined B.polite C.flat D.strong
2.A.measurements B.colors C.design D.principle
3.A.laid B.stuck C.threw D.folded
4.A.links B.tunes C.notes D.buttons
5.A.noise B.video C.image D.sound
6.A.voice B.hand C.head D.ear
7.A.touching B.seeing C.buying D.hearing
8.A.patient B.serious C.interested D.optimistic
9.A.terrified B.confused C.annoyed D.struck
10.A.Lately B.Meanwhile C.Sometimes D.Afterwards
11.A.passed B.missed C.organized D.quit
12.A.operating B.focusing C.practicing D.experimenting
13.A.prize B.surprise C.secret D.chance
14.A.borrowed B.hidden C.earned D.pocketed
15.A.students B.programmers C.musicians D.performers
16.A.difficult B.various C.common D.formal
17.A.job B.mark C.class D.place
18.A.best B.favorite C.first D.new
19.A.set about B.keep on C.turn to D.jump at
20.A.junior B.casual C.regular D.mental
Slow Walking and Ageing
Getting old might not be something that’s yet to cross your mind. 1., so it’s something I’m sure we’d all like to control. That’s why scientists are constantly seeking out evidence that will show us what we need to do to achieve longevity.
2.. To walk 10,000 steps a day or do three brisk 10-minute walks plays an effective role in our health. But the latest research might put a spring in your step if you’re accustomed to walking at a fast pace. That’s because the speed at which people walk is a sign of how much their brains, as well as their bodies, are ageing.
According to the result of those tested, slower walkers tended to show signs of “accelerated ageing”. Their lungs, teeth and immune systems were in worse shape than those who walked faster.3.. Professor Terrie E Moffitt, has proved that a slow walk is a problem sign decades before old age.
This might be seen as a wake-up call for people with a slower gait who might feel it’s time to work out and get fitter. But it might be too late; researchers predict the walking speed of 45-year-olds using the results of intelligence, language and motor skills tests from when they were aged three.4..
So, what’s the point of knowing that a slower walking pace might mean a smaller brain? Well, researchers say measuring walking speed at a younger age, and understanding what this might mean, could be a way of testing treatments to slow human ageing.5.. Any steps we can take to prolong a good mental and physical state is a no brainer!
A.Everyone wishes to keep young
B.There are various ways to exercise
C.We all know that regular exercise is good for us
D.But ageing is unavoidably going to get the better of us one day
E.This might help us make lifestyle changes while we’re still young and healthy
F.In other words, some signs even in early life will show who will live younger and healthier
G.To add insult to injury, the result also indicates the faces of slower walkers usually look older and they have smaller brains
Elon Musk has expressed his company – Neuralink is close to announcing the first brain-machine interface (接口) to connect humans and computers. Musk told followers in Twitter the technology would be “coming soon” – though he failed to provide details.
Neuralink was set up in 2016 with the ambitious goal of developing hardware to strengthen the human brain. However, little about how this will work has been made public. Neuralink describes the interface as an extremely high-speed connection between the human brain and computers.
Musk has frequently claimed the rapid rise of artificial intelligence poses an existential risk to humanity. Such an interface, he says, is essential if humans are to compete with such technology in the future. At a technology conference in 2016, Mr Musk said humans risked being treated like house pets by AI machines if a brain-computer interface was not built. Last year on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Musk said Neuralink’s technology would allow humans to “effectively combine with AI”.
A paper published in Nature Nanotechnology in 2015 described a concept for this connection, explaining how a flexible circuit (回路) could be injected into a living brain. “We’re trying to lessen the distinction between electronic circuits and neural circuits,” said Harvard researcher Charles Lieber, who co-authored the study. Despite the technology’s potential to increase the human brain, experts have warned that brain-computer interfaces risk being controlled by vicious (恶意的) artificial intelligence.
Such an action could lead to AI controlling the thoughts, decisions and emotions of a person using a brain-computer link. “Technological developments mean that we are on a path to a world in which it will be possible to discover people’s mental processes and directly operate the brain mechanisms underlying their intentions, emotions and decision,” stated a Nature comment piece written by 27 scientists and machine intelligence engineers. “The possible medical and social benefits in it are vast. But we must guide their development in a way that respects, protects and enables what is best in humanity.”
1.What message did Musk convey about his Neuralink?
A.It sells brain-machine interfaces.
B.It offers rich data about interfaces.
C.It has followers to connect humans and computers.
D.Its new technology will be accessible to the public soon .
2.What can we know from Paragraph Two?
A.Neuralink aims to know the human brain better.
B.How the hardware functions is already known.
C.The brain-machine interface was invented in 2016.
D.The interface is expected to link the human brain and computers rapidly.
3.According to Musk, why are brain-machine interfaces important?
A.Because they may treat human like house pets.
B.Because they may make AI serve human better.
C.Because they build neural circuits in human brains.
D.Because they rapidly develop artificial intelligence.
4.What is the attitude of Nature to brain-machine interfaces?
A.Objective B.Favorable
C.Opposed D.Indifferent
The coronavirus（冠状病毒）outbreak has sparked panic buying of toilet paper and cleaning products in countries across the world, but one UK businessman is determined to spread some happiness among the anxiety and confusion.
Rob Braddick, 48, who owns Braddick’s Holiday Park in Westward Ho, Devon, in the southwest of England, has filled the toy grabber machines in his amusement park with two of the country’s most sought-after cleaning products.
Customers could previously try their hand at grabbing “Frozen 2” or “Peter Rabbit” toys from the machines, but no more. “They got removed this morning,” Braddick said of the toys, replacing them with toilet roll and hand sanitizer (洗手液). Visitors can now pay 50p for three goes on the toilet roll grabber, or ?1 a go for Carex, which Braddick described as the “Rolls- Royce of hand sanitizers.”
Braddick said that his decision was born of a desire to make people feel less stressed in uncertain times. “It’s a bit of light relief with everything that’s going on,” he said. “Hopefully it will raise a smile, which I think everybody needs.”
Around the world, travel plans have been severely affected, and tens of millions of people remain at home as part of global efforts to fight against coronavirus. Supermarkets have seen shortages of toilet paper and hand sanitizer as anxious consumers stockpile the products.
Braddick said the family business, which has been running since 1932, has received more than a dozen calls from potential customers who say they don’t want to travel abroad for their holidays and would rather stay in the UK. As for his own measures against coronavirus, Braddick said staff have been told to wash their hands every half hour, which is particularly important for those handling money.
1.What does the underlined word “sought-after” in paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.Practical B.Amusing
C.Popular D.Confusing
2.What is the third paragraph mainly about?
A.Price for a try.
B.Prizes of the game.
C.New practice of the game.
D.People’s love for grabbing toys.
3.What’s the purpose of Braddick’s new idea?
A.To make higher profits.
B.To ease people’s anxiety.
C.To support his family business.
D.To attract more people to play the game.
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Tourism may fall into a decline.
B.Braddick’s business is experiencing a hard time.
C.Cleaning products will be in shortage for a long time.
D.Everyone in the park is told to wash their hands every half hour.
Born in Shanghai in 1981, Yang Ji studied accounting in college before becoming a civil servant in 2005, fulfilling his parents’ wishes of him securing a stable job. But he only lasted a year in that role. “I’ve loved animals since I was a child. I raised many animals, such as goldfish, turtles and pigeons during my school years,” he says. “Raising animals was my hobby and my dream.”
Yang made a career switch in 2006, and started working at a chicken farm to learn about breeding (培育) birds.
“The first five years were very difficult for me. I made many mistakes along the way, but I also learned a lot,” he says. “For example, there are huge differences between raising a chicken and a swan.”
He shared that the first swans he bought eventually became crippled (瘸的), and some even died, even though he went to great lengths to feed them good food and ensure that their pens were warm. But after consulting with experienced experts, he learned that the animals just needed to eat grass. In addition, the swans should not have been cooped up in their pens but let out to exercise in the cold water.
He then went to learn more about the trade with experienced bird keepers and experts from zoos, working alongside them for days and observing how they raised the animals.
In 2011, Yang bought a small, deserted zoo and renovated (改造) it for his rare-bird breeding center. In 2014, he received his license to breed first-tier protected animals from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. He has since introduced several endangered birds to his center.
“They’re all native species in China and I’ve succeeded in breeding and raising their babies,” he says. His breeding center, which supplies birds to zoos around China, isn’t all about profit. Yang says that he is planning to release some endangered birds to help grow the population in the wild. “I am passionate with my work and never feel exhausted,” he says. “Living with the birds and seeing them every day makes me a happy man.”
1.Yang Ji started working at a chicken farm because ___________.
A.he loved raising chickens
B.he wanted to learn bird raising
C.chickens were much easier to raise
D.he had a preference for small animals
2.What mistake did Yang Ji make when he first started breeding swans?
A.He fed wrong food to the swans.
B.He didn’t keep the swans warm.
C.He bought some crippled swans.
D.He let the swans swim in cold water.
3.What do we know about Yang Ji’s breeding center?
A.It was rebuilt on an open grassland.
B.It has kept all kinds of endangered animals since 2014.
C.It intends to increase the number of some endangered birds by setting them free.
D.It aims at making money out of supplying endangered birds to zoos all over China.
4.Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
A.Yang Ji and His Birds
B.From Chickens to Swans
C.A Successful Career Switch
D.Flying High with His Dreams
New to Hindi language cinema? We’ve got you covered! Dhaliwal has created a list of the best Bollywood movies for beginners.
Mughal-e-Azam (1960)
Mughal-e-Azam tells the tale of a Mughal prince’s romance with a court dancer. The film’s dialogue, music, and the breathtaking chemistry of the leading couple have been buried in the minds of generations.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)
Nothing could possibly go wrong given Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’s winning blend: an all-star cast, super-hit music, and to top it all, an excellent script. If you were to watch only one Indian film to get an idea of what most of us go to the movies for, let it be this one.
Lagaan (2001)
Bringing together the top three things that Indians absolutely love – the sport of cricket, superstar Aamir Khan and patriotism (爱国主义) – Lagaan is nothing short of great. The story focuses on an Indian village standing up by challenging the British to a cricket match. It’s no wonder that it’s one of the only three Bollywood movies to have ever been nominated (提名) for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars.
Wake Up Sid (2009)
The reason why Wake Up Sid is well-received is the simplicity with which it explores the modern relationships of urban youth. At the core of the story is a sweet, heartfelt romance between a girl struggling to find her place in a new city and a boy trying to find himself. There’s also a gentle underlying romance with the remarkable city – Mumbai.
1.Which film can best present the charm of films to the audience?
A.Lagaan B.Wake Up Sid
C.Mughal-e-Azam D.Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
2.Dhaliwal speaks highly of the movie Lagaan because it ___________.
A.has an all-star cast
B.possesses an excellent script
C.reflects what Indians value most
D.has won an award at the Oscars
3.What do the film Mughal-e-Azam and Wake Up Sid have in common?
A.Superstars performed in them.
B.They are stories with romance.
C.Music is one of their highlights.
D.Both of them deals with urban youth
