A bright yellow “M” tells you that it’s a McDonald’s restaurant; we also associate the cheerful theme tune “I’m Lovin’ It” with the famous US fast food.
A brand’s music has a similar effect on its customers as its logo. “It appeals directly to the heart, where consumers’ decisions are really made,” wrote Marketing Week.
This is probably why companies from around the world have recently focused more on building a “sonic (声音的) identity”.
An example is the software company Tencent QQ. Since 2014, this Chinese company has been trying to trademark (申请商标权) its “Di-Di-Di-Di-Di-Di” notification sound. The trademark was finally approved on Nov 15, which means that Tencent’s “Di-Di-Di-Di-Di-Di” notification sound is now protected by law and can only be used by QQ.
Sound and music can also help tell stories. In Game of Thrones (《权力的游戏》) there are so many characters that it is difficult to memorize them all. So, they wrote melodies (旋律) specific to each family. The result is that characters do not only look familiar, but sound familiar too.
“I think a huge reason why sound inspires action is that, on an unconscious level, we are always listening,” Lauren Nagel, executive creative director at Pandora Media, told GeoMarketing. “You can close your eyes, but you can’t shut your ears.”
1.What is the influence of a brand’s music, according to Marketing Week?
A. It creates a relaxing environment.
B. It helps to get customers’ attention.
C. It makes the brand better known.
D. It encourages consumers to make quick decisions.
2.The example of Tencent QQ is mainly used to show ______.
A. how companies value their sounds and music
B. the importance of trademark protection
C. the lasting impact of a brand’s music
D. what makes a good notification sound
3.How does music help Game of Thrones?
A. It helps to create more impressive scenes.
B. It tells about the characters’ personalities.
C. It suggests that important things are coming.
D. It makes the characters easier to remember.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Perhaps no one knows the power of imagination better than Chinese writer Liu Cixin. Until four years ago, Liu worked full-time as a computer engineer at a power plant in Shanxi province. He only wrote science fiction in his spare time. But it was during this time that Liu’s imagination took flight. He did what he might never have the chance to do in real life – wander in space, fight with aliens, and visit planets light-years away.
But even with such a powerful imagination, Liu, 55, probably hadn’t expected that he would become the first Asian to win the Hugo Award, science fiction’s highest prize, in 2015. Perhaps neither did he think that former US president Barack Obama would read his novel The Three-Body Problem, nor that on Nov 9 in Washington DC, he would win the 2018 Arthur C. Clarke Award for Imagination in Service to Society. It’s the first time a Chinese writer has ever won the award.
In his acceptance speech, Liu said that he owed his imagination to Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008), a famous UK sci-fi author. He said that reading Clarke’s 1968 classic novel 2001: A Space Odyssey in the early 1980s had a great effect on him.
“My mind opened up like never before. I felt like a narrow river finally seeing the sea,” Liu said. “That night, in my eyes, the starry sky was completely different from the past. For the first time in my life, I was awed (使……敬畏) by the mystery of the universe.”
But no matter how far away Liu’s imagination takes him, somehow his novels always stay rational.
In The Three-Body Problem, for example, Liu tells a tale of aliens invading Earth. But unlike other alien stories, Liu talks more about relationships between civilizations, rules of survival, and the meanings of life. And in The Wandering Earth, Liu looks ahead to the day when our solar system comes to an end and humans have to look for a new place to live. However, all his visions and solutions are based on “hard science”. Liu’s works aren’t simply daydreams.
1.What do we know about Liu Cixin?
A. He became a full-time writer when he was young.
B. He dreamed about wandering in space from childhood.
C. He is the first Asian to win the Arthur C. Clarke Award.
D. He is the first Chinese winner of the Hugo Award.
2.Liu Cixin’s words are used mainly to show ______.
A. his interest in mysteries of the universe
B. his love of reading science fiction
C. his confusion when he started writing
D. his feeling after reading Clarke’s work
3.Why did the author mention The Three-Body Problem and The Wandering Earth?
A. To compare the different writing styles in the two books.
B. To explain how Liu Cixin came up with his ideas.
C. To show that Liu Cixin has a powerful imagination.
D. To prove that Liu Cixin’s works relate science to reality.
4.What’s the text mainly about?
A. Liu Cixin’s achievements and writing style.
B. Liu Cixin’s contributions to science fiction.
C. How Liu Cixin became a sci-fi writer.
D. How Liu Cixin started a new sci-fi style.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Giving generously and receiving gratefully make it easier to live happily with others. Yet, why do we have such difficulty accomplishing these things in our relationships? I think people refuse to be generous with others because they fear being used.
For example, my husband and I have family members who only contact us when they need money. We usually accept their requests, but we rarely receive a “thank you”. Most people would say that my husband and I are being used. But when we give, we shouldn’t be giving for the purpose of getting gratitude. Rather, we should be giving because it’s a good thing to do.
Everything that we have, from our ability to wake up each morning to the money in our bank account, is a gift from the world. In return, the world asks us to use these gifts to help others, either by giving them our time or our resources. The good news is that when we live our lives being nice to others, our lives run more smoothly.
If you’re generous, yes, some people will use you. But if you practice being generous, most of your relationships will improve. And at the same time, we should remember to receive gratefully. I truly believe that you cannot say “thank you” enough.
So often we get lazy about expressing gratitude. Parents can feel unappreciated by their children, and teachers can feel unappreciated by their students. Just because a task is part of someone’s job description doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t thank them for it.
Words of appreciation make others feel good about themselves like nothing else. It’s good for us to say “thank you” because we often need to tell ourselves how lucky we are.
If you are looking for a way to improve your life, I can give you one: Give generously and receive gratefully.
1.The author mentions her family members in the article mainly to explain ______.
A. why we should give even if we feel we are being used
B. why people have trouble expressing gratitude
C. what makes people refuse to offer help
D. why it’s necessary to express gratitude
2.According to the author, why should we be grateful to those who help us?
A. It can bring us good luck.
B. Words of gratitude make people happy.
C. It’s not other people’s duty to help us.
D. All we normally get are gifts from the world.
3.The author wrote this article mainly to ______.
A. tell the importance of generosity
B. persuade people to give generously and receive thankfully
C. show how to express our gratitude to others
D. give tips on how to improve other people’s lives
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Accidents happen more often than you think. Every year in China, 3.2 million people die in accidents – that’s an average of six people per minute. Experts say that the 10 minutes after an accident can make the difference between life and death. 1..
The second Saturday of September is World First Aid Day. It fell on Sept 8 this year. First aid refers to the first steps taken to help someone who’s injured. 2.. It also includes getting help, either by telling other people or calling 120.
3., do cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR, 心肺复苏), and treat things like burns, bleeding and broken bones. It takes as little as two hours to learn these skills.
4.. You can also read books or watch videos that can be found on free apps like First Aid(急救指南). 5.. The Peking Union Medical College Hospital offers these options.
“Learning first aid is good for everyone and it is better to start young,” Wang Jiangshan, a doctor in the hospital’s emergency room, told the China Youth Daily. “It can benefit oneself and others for the rest of one’s life.”
A. It includes keeping the person safe and staying calm
B. You can learn first aid by visiting the official website of China First Aid Training
C. This is why learning first aid is so important
D. Right now is a good time for us to learn more about first aid
E. Some hospitals also give courses or even hold first aid camps for kids
F. In the US, first aid is a basic skill that every student has to learn
G. Basic first aid training teaches you how to deal with emergencies
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
There are a great number of people in the world while few people are great. I think there is probably only one great person out of 10, 000 at best, and most probably much less than that. There’s no question that Walt Disney is one of the greatest people who changed the world. As the man behind Mickey Mouse and the entire Disney enterprise, his life’s work has __ children and adults for decades. And when he __ due to lung cancer in 1966, the world truly lost a great person.
__ , Disney made an impact in another way. Legend has it that he wrote one last __ before his death, said Disney historian Jim Korkis. Titled “TV Projects In Production: Ready for Production or Possible for Escalation and Story,” the note __ four names: Ron Miller, 2 Way Down Cellar, Kurt Russell, and CIA-Mobley.
Still, the note’s true __ remained a mystery for decades. What did Disney’s last message to the world intend to __ ?
According to former Disney archivist Dave Smith, who __ the note, Disney was listing possible __ projects for his company. And one name __ out: Kurt Russell.
Disney had expressed his __ of the then-15-year-old’s talent before, praising him on television and __ ensuring that the boy received a studio contract (合同). In October 1966, just months before his __ , Disney even predicted “a great __ future” for Russell. But in the end, it was Disney’s last __ that ended up launching Russell’s career as an actor.
Russell __ this during a 2013 episode of The View. “I assume, as [does] everybody else, that he was __ about some movie that he was thinking about having me in … I don’t know what to make of it __ that,” Russell said.
The young actor would go on to star in dozens of Disney __ , including The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band. So in the end, we have Disney to __ for one of the most memorable talents on our screens.
1.A. guided B. inspired C. challenged D. taught
2.A. fell down B. passed down C. passed away D. carried away
3.A. However B. Besides C. Therefore D. Meanwhile
4.A. book B. invitation C. report D. message
5.A. listed B. counted C. matched D. checked
6.A. rule B. function C. benefit D. meaning
7.A. speak B. convey C. mention D. prove
8.A. read B. wrote C. found D. accepted
9.A. future B. stable C. normal D. difficult
10.A. broke B. worked C. made D. stood
11.A. love B. concern C. need D. requirement
12.A. personally B. naturally C. certainly D. practically
13.A. loss B. death C. retirement D. disease
14.A. acting B. singing C. dancing D. showing
15.A. contract B. project C. ideas D. words
16.A. arranged B. confirmed C. promoted D. questioned
17.A. inquiring B. talking C. arguing D. worrying
18.A. regardless of B. better than C. other than D. along with
19.A. magazines B. broadcasts C. programs D. films
20.A. answer B. apply C. ask D. thank
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
在空白处填1个单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Currently，both women and men 1.(surround) by magazines and websites full of tips about dieting，exercise and fashion. Gone are the days 2. all men had to think about wearing a nice suit to be smart and handsome. Things have changed.
Now，a survey has suggested that 80% of men admit 3. (be) unhappy about their body. The biggest body issues for 4. (they) were beer bellies and lack of muscles. Some think it is because 5. the pressure of influence of role models we see on TV and in magazines. People end up with a perception of 6. the perfect body should look like. But not everybody wants to put in the effort to have perfect muscles like Arnold Schwarzenegger. An opportunistic designer has even invented a muscleenhancing shirt 7.(make) the buyer look more of a strong man．
But Joe Warner，the former editor of Men’s Fitness magazine，thinks the muscleenhancing shirt is just 8. trick. He thinks many people in the country are overweight and should accept they need to do more exercise 9.(regular)．Exercise is always good. But we mustn’t forget beauty is only skin deep. Character is 10. (important) than appearance.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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。
As it is known to all, it is interesting to visit another country, but sometimes there are some problem when we don’t know the language very well. It may be difficult to talk about the people there. We may not know how to use the telephone in the country which are visiting. We may not know what to buy the things we need. In a strange country we may not know where to eat and what to order in a restaurant. It is not easy to decide how many money to tip waiters or taxi drivers. When we are helpless, we may not know how to ask help. After a short time later, however, we learn what to do and what to say. We learn to enjoy life in another country which we are used to living.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
众所周知，许多野生动物面临灭绝。请写一篇有关保护野生动物的文章。
主要内容：1. 野生动物濒临灭绝的原因；2. 拯救措施。
注意：1.词数100字左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.书写工整。
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
难度: 中等查看答案及解析