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My violin is like a soul mate that whispers words of wisdom to me. Together, we’ve gone through both tears and happiness.
About 12 years ago, I made acquaintance with it following an order from my mom. Many hours of boredom were spent practicing it. And to make things worse, the disappointment in my teacher’s eyes as I played the wrong notes was like an invisible hammer, striking on my heart. One day, I finally decided: I hate it!
By chance, things changed when I was seven. I was at home lying on the sofa, wondering how those famous violinists dealt with this terrible dilemma. I searched online for the E-minor Concerto, a well-known violin work by German composer Felix Mendelssohn, and listened to it.
A beautiful and mysterious sound came from the violin as the bow moved across it. It was like the music slid over the flowers, rose up, and started to fill the air. The violin’s voice woke up the sun, made the trees green, and freshened the air. As the music changed, the sky turned back to gray. A gloomy shade covered the grass as all the sunshine disappeared. I could hear children crying and men shouting. It was like an invisible claw had grabbed my heart tightly, making it unable to beat.
That glorious day set off my passion and interest in violin — I grabbed mine and never let it go. Before the memories faded, I stared at my instrument. Without hesitating, I picked it up, rosined(用松香擦) the bow, and began to play. Peace filled my heart.
My violin has been by my side for 12 years. When I feel happy, an energetic tune makes it even better; when I’m deep in sorrow, a peaceful tune washes it away, when I’m walking on air, feeling especially pleased with my achievements, solemn(庄严的) tunes calm me down. Gradually, it has become a part of my life.
My violin, shall I compare you to a summer’s day?
1.What further contributed to the author’s dislike of violin-playing?
A.Orders from mum. B.Boredom of practice.
C.Loss of passion for violin. D.Disappointment in the teacher’s eyes.
2.What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
A.The author’s feeling was continuously influenced by the music.
B.The weather actually changed because of the tune.
C.The sudden change made the author’s heart unable to beat.
D.The scenery outside the room was quite attractive.
3.Why did the author pick up the violin again?
A.The invisible hammer and claw are gone.
B.The beautiful imagination changed his attitude.
C.A famous tune aroused his interest and passion.
D.He was crazy about Felix Mendelssohn’s works.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.Deep love for music B.My dislike and like of violin
C.An inspiring story of violin D.Musical soul mate—violin
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
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1.What is stressed in the ad?
A.The coin is of high quality and worth collecting.
B.The coin can be circulated as a currency.
C.Limited supplies guarantee a stable price of the coin.
D.Demand for the coin is bound to break records.
2.If you buy six 2012 U．S.Mint Silver Eagles by post, you should pay at least ________.
A.$230.7 B.$233.7 C.$240.7 D.$243.7
3.The ad strongly encourages people to purchase the silver coins by ________.
A.shopping online
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C.lining up in front of the stores
D.writing to the company
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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When you think of a national park, you generally picture fresh air and wild animals, right? Well, now you're going to have to add tea shops and something called "the Tube" to your definition, because London, England has signed up to be the first "National Park City."
London was established by the Romans around 2.000 years ago and has been continually inhabited (居住于) since then. In all that time, however, nobody had the idea to replace all the parks with big box stores or high buildings, which means London already has a much lower urban density (密度)than most of the worlds cities. Nowadays about a third of the city is green space,
In July 2019, London announced its willingness to become the world's first National Park City. Now the city is moving toward the goal of achieving 50% green space by the year 2050 by connecting and expanding public parks, greening up unused parking lots and the private yards of existing and new houses, fixing some green roofs on existing buildings and even cutting holes in fences for wildlife to pass through.
"Inspired by the aims and values of our precious rural national parks, the London National Park City is basically about making life better in the capital through both small everyday things and long-term strategic thinking." Daniel Raven-Ellison, who began the campaign to make London a National Park City six years ago said in a press release. "We’ ve been doing that in London for centuries, which is why London is so green and diverse.”
London will have a much easier job achieving this type of green transformation than more densely-urbanized cities like Paris and New York, which have 10% and 27% greenspace respectively. But that doesn't mean it's not possible--- the National Park City Foundation hopes to employ 25 more cities in addition to London by the year 2025. Glasgow. Scotland and Newcastle upon Tyne in northeast England are both currently considering becoming National Park Cities.
1.What makes London more likely to become a national park city than other cities?
A.Its smaller population. B.Its less dense urbanization.
C.Its citizens' great support. D.The government's efforts.
2.Where can we find the data on London's measures to achieve its goal?
A.In Paragraph 1. B.In Paragraph 2.
C.In Paragraph 3. D.In Paragraph 4.
3.What is Daniel Raven-Ellison trying to talk about in the fourth paragraph?
A.The significance of London's campaign.
B.The effects of national parks on London.
C.The resources of London's green space.
D.The strategic thinking of London for long.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.Trying to be a national park city is turning new trend.
B.National park cities are springing up around the world.
C.It is so easy for London to become a national park city.
D.National park cities are making improvements to our life.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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The okapi is a mammal living above the equator in one of the most biodiverse areas in central Africa. The animal was unknown to the western world until the beginning of the 20th century, and is often described as half-zebra, half-giraffe, as if it were a mixed-breed creature from a Greek legend. Yes its image is prevalent in the Democratic Republic of Congo-the only country in the world where it is found living in the world. The okapi is to Congo what the giant panda is to China or the kangaroo to Australia.
Although the okapi has striped markings resembling those of zebras’, it is most closely related to the giraffe. It has a long neck, and large, flexible ears. The face and throat are greyish white. The coat is a chocolate to reddish brown, much in contrast with the white horizontal stripes and rings on the legs and white ankles. Overall, the okapi can be easily distinguished form its nearest relative. It is much smaller (about the size of a horse) and shares more external similarities with the deer than with the giraffe. While both sexes possess horns in the giraffe, only males bear horns in the okapi.
The West got its first whiff of the okapi in 1890 when Welsh Journalist Henry Morton Stanley had puzzled over a strange “African donkey” in his book. Other Europeans in Africa had also heard of an animal that they came to call the “African unicorn.” Explorers may have seen the fleeting view of the striped backside as the animal fled through the bushes, leading to speculation that the okapi was some sort of rainforest zebra. Some even believed that the okapi was a new species of zebra. It was only later, when okapi skeleton was analyzed, that naturalists realized they had a giraffe on their hands.
In 1987, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve was established in eastern Congo to protect this rare mammal. But decades of political turbulence has seen much of the Congo’s natural resources spin out of the government’s control, and okapi numbers have fallen by 50 percent since 1995. Today, only 10,000 remain.
1.Which of the following is a picture of an okapi?
A.
B.
C.
D.
2.Which of the following descriptions is true about the okapi?
A.It is an important symbol of Congo.
B.It has been well protected since 1987.
C.It is a mystical creature from a Greek legend
D.It is more closely related to the zebra than the giraffe.
3.What does the underlined word“whiff”most likely mean in Paragraph 3?
A.Firm belief. B.Kind intention.
C.Strong dislike. D.Slight trace.
4.What can be inferred about Henry Morton Stanley?
A.He was the first Europeans to analyze okapi skeleton.
B.He had found many new species of animals in Africa.
C.He did not know the“African donkey"in his book was the okapi.
D.He had seen the backside of an okapi dashing through the bushes.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析