Do you know there is a connection between music and language? You may not believe it. But recent studies give us the answer: Music can improve certain language abilities in the brain. Now, let's look at two examples.

Recently, researcher Kris has done a research which shows that playing a musical instrument can improve a person's hearing ability. In his study, he divided the people into two groups. The people in the first group were musicians, while those in the other group had no musical training. He asked these people to listen to a person talking in a noisy room. As a result, the musicians were able to hear the talking person more clearly.

You may wonder why. The answer is that musicians can hear better because they learn to pay attention to certain sounds. Think about violinists. When they play with the group, they hear their own instrument and many others’ too. But they must listen closely to what they are playing, and pay no attention to the other sounds. In this way, musicians are able to focus on certain sounds, even in a room with lots of nose.

A doctor at Harvard Medical School works with stroke（中風(fēng)）patients. These people cannot say their name, addresses or other information normally because of their illness. However, they can still sing. He was surprised to find that singing words helped his patients to speak. Why does this work? The doctor isn’t sure. Music seems to make different parts of the brain work, including the damaged（損壞的）parts. This might help patients to use that part of the brain again.

Music can improve concentration（注意力）, memory, listening skills and overall language abilities. It can even help sick people get better. Playing an instrument or singing can help us do better in school and keep our brain sharp as we get older. Music is not only enjoyable but also good for us in many other ways.

1.Musicians can hear better in a noisy room because they_________

A.can focus on certain sounds B.are cleverer than normal people

C.are trained to hear noises D.have a gift in this

2.The underlined word "sharp" probably means “_________"in the last paragraph.

A.quick to react B.having a thin edge

C.strong or forceful D.sudden and rapid

3.What is the passage mainly about'?

A.Music can improve our hearing abilities. B.The relationship between music and language.

C.Music can keep our brain clear. D.Singing words can help sick people.

When John was growing up, other kids felt sorry for him. His parents always had him weeding the garden, carrying out the garbage and delivering newspapers. But when John reached adulthood, he was better off than his childhood playmates. He had more job satisfaction, a better marriage and was healthier. Most of all, he was happier. Far happier.

These are the findings of a 40-year study that followed the lives of 4,56 teenage boys from Boston. The study showed that those who had worked as boys enjoyed happier and more productive lives than those who had not. " Boys who worked in the home or community gained competence(能力）and came to feel they were worthwhile members of society," said George Vaillant, the psychologist(心理學(xué)家）who made the discovery. "And because they felt good about themselves，others felt good about them.”

Vaillant’s study followed these males in great detail. Interviews were repeated at ages 25, 31and 47.Under Vaillant, the researchers compared the men’s mental－ health scores with their boyhood一activity scores. Points were awarded for part-time jobs, housework, effort in school, and ability to deal with problems.

The link between what the men had done as boys and how they turned out as adults was surprisingly sharp. Those who had done the most boyhood activities were twice as likely to have warm relations with a wide variety of people, five times as likely to be well paid and 16 times less likely to have been unemployed. The researchers also found that IQ and family social and economic class made no real difference in how the boys turned out.

Working--at any age-- is important. Childhood activities help a child develop responsibility, independence, confidence and competence-the underpinnings(基礎(chǔ)） of emotional health. "They also help him understand that people must cooperate and work toward common goals. The most competent adults are those who know how to do this. Yet work isn’t everything. As Tolstoy once said, “One can live magnificently in this world if one knows how to work and how to love, to work for the person one loves and to love one's work.”

1.What do we know about John?

A.He enjoyed his job and marriage. B.He had few childhood playmates.

C.He received little love from his family. D.He was admired by others in his childhood.

2.Vaillant’s words in Paragraph 2 are mentioned as_________

A.a description of personal values and social values

B.an analysis(分析)of how work was related to competence

C.an example for parents' expectations of their children

D.an explanation why some boys grew into happy men

3.Vaillant's team made some discoveries by_________

A.recording the boys’ effort in school B.judging the men’s mental health

C.comparing different sets of scores D.measuring the men's problem solving ability

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A.Competent adults know more about love than work.

B.Emotional health is necessary to a wonderful adult life.

C.Love brings more joy to people than work does.

D.Independence is the key to one's success.

閱讀短文，根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容回答問題。

British people love going to pubs. They often say "If you haven't been to a pub,you haven't been to Britain.”

The word "pub" is short for "Public House". There are over 60,000 pubs in the UK（53,000 in England and Wales, 5,200 in Scotland and 1,600 in Northern Ireland）. One of the oldest pubs, Fighting Cocks in St. Albans Herts, is located(位于）in a building that dates back to the eleventh century.

Pubs are an important part of British life. People talk, eat, drink, meet their friends and relax there.

Pubs often have two bars, one usually quieter than the other. Many have a garden where people can sit in the summer. Children can go in pub gardens with their parents.

In pubs, groups of friends normally buy “rounds" of drinks, where the person whose turn it is will buy drinks for all the members of the group. It is sometimes difficult to get served when pubs are busy: people do not queue, but the bar staff will usually try and serve those who have been waiting the longest at the bar first. If you spill a stranger's drink by accident, it is good manners to offer to buy another drink.

Most pubs belong to a brewery（a company which makes beer) but sell many different kinds of beer, some on tap (from a big container under the bar) and some in bottles. The most popular kind of British beer is bitter, which is dark and served at room temperature (not hot, not cold). British beer is brewed from malt and hops.

Pubs have traditional names which date back over 600 years. Some typical names are The Chequers, The White Swan, The Crown, The King's Arms, The Red Lion and The White Horse. There is usually a sign outside the pub showing the pub’s name with a picture.

British pubs are required to have a license, which is difficult to get. And they are allowed to open for 24 hours every day. Most pubs are open from 11 to 11.

So next time when you go to UK, please go to one of the pubs. After all, seeing is believing!

1.What is the word "pub" short for?

2.What do people do in pubs in the UK?

3.Is it good manners to offer to buy another drink if you spill a stranger's drink by accident?

4.How long are British pubs allowed to open every day?

5.What does the passage mainly tell us?

題目①

假如你是李華，正在教你校的英國(guó)交換生Peter學(xué)習(xí)漢語請(qǐng)你寫封郵件告訴他下次上課的計(jì)劃。內(nèi)容包括：上課的時(shí)間、地點(diǎn)，學(xué)習(xí)內(nèi)容及課前準(zhǔn)備。

提示詞語;Chinese character, Chinese song，notebook

提示問題：When and where are you going to have class?

What are you going to learn?

What do you advise Peter to prepare for it?

Dear Peter,

How is it going?

I’m writing to inform you of the plan for the next Chinese class.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

If there is anything that I can do,please let me know.

Yours,

Li Hua

題目②

我們的生活是多姿多彩的，每一天都不一樣，在你的印象中肯定有特別的一天。

假如你是李華，英語�？�正在開展以“A.Special Day”為題的征文活動(dòng)。請(qǐng)你寫一篇短文分享你“特別的一天”。內(nèi)容包括：你在哪，那天發(fā)生了什么，為什么是特別的。

提示詞語：birthday party; sing and dance, play games, grow up

提示問題：Where were you?

What happened on that day?

Why was it special?

It is great fun to play in Shanghai Disneyland.

A.the B./ C.an D.a

Could Nancy solve that difficult maths problem by ?

A.she B.her C.hers D.herself

The Class Four students had a barbecue in Luxun Park last Sunday.

A./ B.in C.on D.at

The students are busy for the English reading competition.

A.prepare B.to prepare C.prepared D.preparing

At weekends, some people like to have a rest at home, like to go shopping with their friends.

A.the others B.others C.another D.other