How similar are language and music
Language is part of our daily lives, no matter where we live m the world. 1. Both language and music play a huge role in our culture and here are some of their similarities.
·Both language and music have a writing system.
In English we record language using the alphabet, which is a collection of letters. Similarly, we use notes to keep a record of music. Musicians read notes and create meaning in the form of music. 2. By writing pieces of text or music, we are able to share experiences through time. We can read the ideas or hear the composition of someone who lived hundreds of years ago.
·3.
You can make a good guess at where someone is from by listening to the language they use. In the same way, we know that styles of music are different around the world, giving us the opportunity to explore many different cultures through their music and providing us with music for every situation.
·Both share emotion.
4. Of course you may be able to see it in my face, but you will know for sure through my word’. Similarly, music can sound angry, sad or happy. Music can show you exactly how the composer was or is feeling, and allows us to share in that emotion. When you feel happy, you might want to sing and dance to a happy song to celebrate your happiness. 5. I think we have all used music to express or process our emotions, often combining it with language in the form of song lyrics.
A. Both are expressive.
B. Both vary with culture.
C. How do you know that I am angry
D. We use language to express our thoughts.
E. So just as you read English, you can read music.
F. Similarly, music is part of many people’s lives.
G. In contrast, you probably also listen to sad music when you are feeling down.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Cultural journeys
Our cultural journeys will help you discover ancient civilizations: India, Thailand, Egypt and many more. Visit temples, palaces and ancient ruins—just remember to bring your camera! Get to know local ways of life by exploring markets, trying exotic foods and meeting local people.
Wildlife holidays
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1.Which would you prefer if you are a sports - lover?
A. Wildlife holidays. B. Cultural journeys.
C. Polar expeditions. D. Activity holidays.
2.What can a tourist do during a
A. Appreciate ancient buildings. B. Watch lovely animals.
C. Get closer to nature. D. Have extreme sports.
3.What is the purpose of this text?
A. To introduce ways of relaxation. B. To recommend different holidays.
C. To share traveling experience. D. To give advice on traveling.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
A gaming company in New Zealand is luring employees. from around the world by offering unlimited paid annual leave, a share in the company’s profits and no set work hours.
Dean Hall became famous in international gaming circles for being the lead designer on popular video game DayZ. After searching the world for a location for his new gaming studio, Rocketwerkz, New Zealander Hall settled on the small university town of Dunedin on the south island’s east coast, where land is cheap and creative start-ups have become an important pan of the city’s identity.
Rocketwerkz’s flexible work culture is now drawing talent from around the globe, with Hall receiving 300 messages of inquiry since a local newspaper wrote about his studio last week.
Last year, when the company was still in its infancy(婴儿期), baby cats would also make a regular appearance in the office as a form of fighting stress, and Friday afternoons are generally reserved for sports and games to end the week on a playful note.
“The first time I heard about the idea of unlimited paid leave in places like Silicon Valley it was about the problems it caused. A culture had appeared where employees took no leave,” said Hall.
“So to address that, our staff are issued the standard New Zealand annual leave of four weeks, but they can also take unlimited leave in addition to that.”
Emily Lampitt, from Britain, is a 3D junior artist who has been with the company for a year and a half. She says the flexible work culture was a huge factor in her decision to move to New Zealand.
“The flexibility here has made me feel much more relaxed” she says. I “That internal stress I used to feel in a traditional work environment has gone, so when I am at work now it is because I want to be, because I am passionate(有激情的), not because I am afraid of my boss or watching the clock.”
1.The underlined word “luring” in Paragraph I is closest in meaning to .
A. cheating B. disturbing
C. inspiring D. attracting
2.Why are baby cats mentioned in Paragraph 4?
A. To show the company focuses on pressure relief.
B. To explain how the company motivates its staff.
C. To stress the significance of harmony in workplaces.
D. To introduce a new way to promote creativity
3.According to the passage, unlimited paid leave in Silicon Valley .
A. set a good example to Rochetwerkz.
B. didn’t work out as expected.
C. helped develop the local culture.
D. solved the problem of unemployment.
4.What is the writing purpose of the above text?
A. To encourage companies to be more flexible.
B. To describe what a creative company should be like.
C. To give a report on the flexible management of a company.
D. To discuss how to make a traditional company more competitive.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The influence of America is increasing in my country. Spanish people drink Coca Cola, wear blue jeans, watch Hollywood movies, listen to American music, and eat fast food, and they do these things every day.
I think that American movies are a good way to spread American culture because people are often influenced by what they see in the movies. Most of the programs and documentaries(记录片) we watch on TV are from America, and most of the movies we go to see are made in Hollywood.
In the last few years, the government has tried to protect the Spanish movies. Now, in our cinemas, at least twenty percent of the movies which are shown must be from Spain or from other countries in Europe.
American culture is a part of Spanish life now. It’s certain that many things from America are as much a part of people’s lives as Spanish things. For example, Coca Cola is as familiar to everybody as any typical Spanish product. I’ve known about Coca Cola for my whole life.
However, it’s different with Western fast food. For example, I don’t think McDonald’s is as successful in Spain as it is in other countries. In my opinion, one of the reasons may be the lifestyle of the Spanish people, The Spanish people normally eat at home.
On the other hand, maybe McDonald’s hamburgers will eventually replace the famous Spanish tapas. It’s true that in every city in Spain you can find a McDonald’s, and it is more popular among the Spanish children than among the adults. In any case, it’s obvious that American culture is becoming more and more a part of our lives every day.
1.From the first paragraph we can know that .
A. the influence of America on Spain can be found everywhere.
B. most Spanish people don’t like to listen to their own music,
C. fast food spreads from Spain to the United States.
D. some Spanish actors go to America to improve their acting skills.
2.What plays an important part in the spreading of American culture in Spain?
A. American novels. B. Hollywood movies.
C. McDonald. D. American music.
3.Why did the government set some rules for the films shown in Spain?
A. To protect foreign culture in Spain.
B. To earn more money from Spanish films.
C. To limit the number of foreign movie.
D. To unite European Communities.
4.What do you think Spanish tapas might be?
A. The name of a drink. B. The name of a restaurant.
C. A clothing brand. D. A certain kind of food.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
According to a team of researchers, an animal’s ability to perceive(感知) time is linked to their pace of life.
“Our results lend support to the importance of time perception in animals where the ability to perceive time in a very short time may be the difference between life and death for fast moving creatures.” commented lead author Kevin Healy from Trinity College Dublin.
The study was done with a variety of animals using phenomenon based on the maximum speed of flashes of light an individual can see before the light source is seen as constant. Dogs, for example, have eyes with a refresh rate higher than humans.
One example of this phenomenon at work, the authors say, is the housefly and its ability to avoid being hit. The research showed flies “observe motion In a shorter time than our own eyes can achieve,” which allows them to avoid being hit.
Professor Graeme Ruxton of the University of St Andrews in Scotland, who worked jointly on the research project, said in a statement, “Having eyes that send updates to the brain at much higher frequencies than our eyes do is of no Value if the brain cannot process that information equally quickly. Thus, this work highlights the impressive abilities of even the smallest animal brains. Flies might now be deep thinkers, but they can make good decisions very quickly.”
In comparison, the tiger beetle (虎甲虫) runs faster than its eyes can keep up, basically becoming blind, which requires it to stop periodically to re-evaluate its prey’s(猎物) position.
Our results suggest that time perception offers an as yet unstudied dimension along which animals can specialize and there is considerable range to study this system in more detail.
1.What is the research mentioned in the passage mainly about?
A. Pace of life of animals. B. Time perception of animals.
C. Lifetime of small animals. D. Impressive abilities of animals.
2.What does Kevin Healy’s comment mean in Para. 2?
A. The ability of animals to perceive time depends’ On their high moving speed.
B. The survival of fast moving animals relies on their ability to perceive time.
C. Animals with quicker pace of life have better perception of time.
D. Animals with poor ability of time perception have a shorter life.
3.Why can houseflies avoid being hit?
A. They can think very deeply before they act.
B. They can fly much faster than their eyes can keep up.
C. They can process the information as quickly as they receive it.
D. they can send information to brain more quickly than to their eyes.
4.What will a tiger have to do to catch a moving prey’
A. Try to run as fast as it can.
B. Prevent itself from becoming blind.
C. Slow down to gain its time perception.
D. Stop occasionally to spot the prey again.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
As a child I was always good at drawing and art. I won ____, got constant attention, and even saw my face in the ____ and on television because of my natural ability to ____.
Most people who ____ to come across something that they are good at are ____ to take it and run with it. Of course, my life was no ____. From teachers, to principals, to family members, ____ seemingly had a ton of advice to give me in regards to art.
All the while, my true desire was ____. I entered poetry, essay, and short - story contests and ____ them all. It was such a contrast from my artistic ____ experience! It was so bad that I ____ a good friend of mine who told me once, “If you are so good at drawing why do you even care about writing? ____ drawing!”
Though well intended, eighteen years later I’m ____ I didn’t take his words to heart. Years went by with me still writing and still occasionally entering ____.It wasn’t until my first year in college that I finally got honorable ___ in a poetry contest. As a writer I’ve truly ____.
I’m sure there are things in your life that are ____ and yet, rewarding. Endurance (忍耐), especially when it comes to things you truly love is ____. Take some time to devote some more ____ to the “thing” that didn’t come ____ and see what happens.
1.A. praise B. awards C. supports D. success
2.A. street B. school C. newspaper D. book
3.A. draw B. act C. learn D. show
4.A. want B. mean C. agree D. happen
5.A. encouraged B. invited C. developed D. permitted
6.A. perfect B. different C. similar D. lucky
7.A. everyone B. who C. that D. no one
8.A. art B. fixing C. writing D. music
9.A. won B. ignored C. missed D. lost
10.A. interest B. competition C. career D. talent
11.A. had B. made C. found D. met
12.A. Give up B. Take in C. Stick to D. Put away
13.A. glad B. sorry C. sad D. sure
14.A. training B. contests C. articles D. trouble
15.A. appearance B. change C. mention D. name
16.A. forgot B. regretted C. expected D. grown
17.A. challenging B. beautiful C. appealing D. hopeful
18.A. meaningless B. popular C. essential D. painful
19.A. consideration B. energy C. money D. education
20.A. young B. bad C. usual D. easy
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Each year thousands of 1. (explore) and tourists visit the polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctica. But the increasing number of people travelling to the ends of the Earth’ can have a negative effect 2. fragile ecosystems. Should tourists 3. (allow) to visit polar regions?
About 40,000 tourists visit Antarctica each year, More than five million travel to the Arctic and sub-Arctic. Transporting tourists to the regions 4. (increase) ship and airplane traffic, adding to the risk of pollution, oil spills, and other 5. (environment) damage. Because the places where wildlife is accessible 6. (be) few in numbers, tourist traffic can become concentrated in specific areas, 7. (put) Arctic vegetation at risk.
Others say that access 8. these very special parts of the world should not be restricted to only researches and scientist. Polar tourism allows people to develop deep personal connections with polar regions. “Those 9. travel to the Arctic or Antarctica often become cheer leaders for supporting those places” Jim Sano, vice president for travel and 10. (conserve) at World Wildlife Fund, told TFK.
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。
Travelled abroad, you should follow the customs of the country where you are visiting. When you invited, it is good manners to refuse or accept an invitation, either by writing or by telephoning. If you go to the patty, it polite to arrive on time. It is good manners to shake hand with your host. You can take a present if you like, possible a bottle of wine，a box of chocolates and some flowers. However, it was not bad manners to take nothing. It is not polite to stay too late before the other guests have gone. Also, it is suggested to or telephone a day or two late to thank your host.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
某英文报正举办题为“A personal habit I’d like to change”的征文比赛。请你根据征文题目写一篇短文，参加该征文活动，具体要求如下：
1. 简述你想改变的这一行为习惯；
2. 说明你改变这一习惯的理由及措施；
3. 字数100左右。
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析