In the past, going to a piano teacher was the most popular way to learn how to play the piano. You could get one-to-one teaching and have the opportunity to learn as much as the teacher knew. If you didn’t have private lessons, you could still learn the piano, but you would have to teach yourself. This was easy for some, but very difficult for most. However, with technology developing today, there is at last another way that you can take piano lessons. You can take an online course.
An online course is much cheaper than a private lesson. If a private lesson costs 30-40 dollars per week, just think about how quickly that adds up. You can take a whole online course in piano for just a fraction(小部分) of the money that you would spend on weeks of private lessons. Also, private lessons are usually only one hour per week. So you would have to wait for your next lesson to continue your learning. However, online piano courses are quite different.
With an online piano course, you can work at your own pace. You can also take as many lessons per week as you want, or go back and listen to your last lesson if you have forgotten anything. Most adults who want to learn how to play the piano enjoy being able to go back and listen to the lessons again.
Of course if you need someone to sit beside you and offer you immediate feedback(反馈) as you are playing, you might not get that from an online piano course. However, the lessons online can be viewed（观看） at any time, or as often as you’d like, which means that you can get your own type of feedback from an online piano course.This passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．the disadvantages of the traditional ways of learning to play the piano |
| B．the differences between traditional piano courses and online courses |
| C．why people prefer online piano courses to traditional piano courses |
| D．the advantages of learning to play the piano through an online course |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 want to tell us?
| A．That private piano lessons shouldn’t be that expensive. |
| B．That taking private piano lessons really costs a lot. |
| C．That not everyone can afford to take piano lessons. |
| D．That the price for private piano lessons has increased greatly. |
How did the writer make his points clear?
| A．By giving detailed data. |
| B．By giving many examples |
| C．By writing about his own experiences |
| D．By comparing with the old ways. |
Can dogs and cats live in perfect harmony in the same home? People who are thinking about adopting a dog as a friend for their cats are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found a new recipe of success. According to the study, if the cat is adopted before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. Two-thirds of the homes interviewed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog.
However, it wasn't all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals were just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals aggression, while a dog doing the same signals submission.
In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behaviour. They are learning how to talk each other's language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk 'dog', and dogs can learn how to talk 'Cat'.
What's interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn how to read each other's body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than we previously suspected. Once familiar with each other's presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom (梳理) each other.
The significance of the research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets─to people who don't get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.The underlined word swimmingly in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _____.
| A．early | B．sweetly | C．quickly | D．smoothly |
Some cats and dogs may fight when _____.
| A．they are cold to each other |
| B．they look away from each other |
| C．they misunderstood each other's signals |
| D．they are introduced at an early age |
What is found surprising about cats and dogs?
| A．They eat and sleep each other. |
| B．They observe each other's behaviors. |
| C．They learn to speak each other's language. |
| D．They know something from each other's voices. |
It is suggested in Paragraph 4 that cats and dogs _____.
| A．have common interests |
| B．are less different than was thought |
| C．have a common body language |
| D．are less intelligent than was expected |
What can we human beings learn from cats and dogs?
| A．We should learn to live in harmony. |
| B．We should know more about animals. |
| C．We should live in peace with animals. |
| D．We should learn more body languages. |
“Have you ever heard the old saying, “Never judge(判断)a book by its cover”? This is a good rule to follow when you try to judge the cleverness of others by their looks and performance. Some people have minds that shine only in certain situations. A young man with an unusual gift(天赋)in novel writing may find himself speechless before a pretty girl. But don’t make the mistake of thinking he might not be that clever. With a pen and paper, he can tell what he thought very well.
Other people may fool you into mistakenly thinking they are clever by putting up a good front.
A student who listens carefully and takes notes in class is sure to make a good impression(印象)on his teachers. But when it comes to exams, he may get scores much lower than his classmates.
We may conclude that: you can’t judge someone by appearances. The only way to tell whether a person is clever or not is to get to know him by observing(观察) how he reacts to(反映)different situations. The more situations you observe, the more accurate(准确的)your judgement is likely to be. So take your time. Don’t judge the book by its cover.The best title for this passage is___________________________
| A．Judging cleverness |
| B．Choosing a book |
| C．A speechless young man |
| D．Putting up a good front |
The main idea of the passage is ___________________
| A．don’t judge a book by its cover |
| B．don’t judge a person’s cleverness by appearance |
| C．people may fool you by putting up a good front |
| D．make sure you know someone well before observing him |
The young man mentioned in the passage________________.
| A．is stupid | B．is a good student |
| C．is a good writer | D．is successful with girls |
According to the passage, true knowledge of a person’s cleverness comes from_____________.
| A．the grades he gets in school |
| B．his manners at parties |
| C．his outward appearance |
| D．how he behaves in different situations |
Thepassage suggests that in judging a person’s intelligence we should_____________.
| A．make quick judgements |
| B．be creative |
| C．have patience and be careful |
| D．give him a test |
Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for Paris. The bus for Paris would not leave until five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting at the station. Some were standing in line, others were walking around. A teacher was trying to keep a group of schoolgirls in line. Tom looked around but there was no place for him to sit.
He walked into the station cafe. He looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found a seat and sat down before a large mirror(镜子) on the wall. Just then, Peter, one of Tom's workmates came in and sat with Tom. "What time is your bus?" asked Peter. "There is a lot of time yet." answered Tom. "Well, I'll get you some more tea then." They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again. "Oh! It's going backward(反方向的)!" he cried. "A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it's half past eleven." "You are looking at the clock in the mirror." said Peter. Tom was so sad. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. Since then Tom has never liked mirrors.Tom went into the station caf ? Because _____.
| A．Peter asked him to have a cup of tea |
| B．it was quite early and he could find a seat there |
| C．he didn't like to stay with the schoolgirls |
| D．he wanted to have a drink with his workmate there |
What time was it in fact when Tom looked at the clock in the mirror the last time?
| A．Half past twelve | B．Twenty to twelve |
| C．Half past eleven | D．Half past one |
From the story we know that when we look at a clock in a mirror, we will find _____.
| A．the time is right | B．it's going slower |
| C．it's going backward | D．it's going faster |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Tom arrived in Paris on time |
| B．The next bus would leave in half an hour |
| C．After that Tom didn't like clocks any longer |
| D．Tom looked at the clock in the mirror only once |
Which of the following is the best title for the story?
| A．The Mirror of the Station |
| B．Not a Careful Man |
| C．Missing a bus |
| D．The Man and the Mirror |
It is not easy to reach Panjiayu, a village in the countryside around Thangshan, Hebei province. To get to the isolated village, visitors first have to take a bus ride of about an hour to the Fengrun district before taking a long-distance bus, which usually runs five times a day.
Surrounded by mountains and bathed in plentiful sunlight, Panjiayu is nicknamed “Turpan”, after the city in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region that is famous for its sweet grapes.
The fruit is the Panjiayuy’s main money spinner(摇钱树) ------ the courtyard of almost every home boasts at least one grape trellis(棚架), and the main road is enlaced(围绕) by vines.
Last year, about 200,000 tourists from nearby cities visited Panjiayu. Even so, the place has retained its traditional feel. When night falls, except for a few road lamps that send out a dim light, the village is shrouded(覆盖) in darkness, the silence only broken by the occasional bark of a dog.
So why does this village of just 1,500 residents attract so many visitors? Grapes are only part of the reason; most of the tourists visit to commemorate a massacre(大屠杀) that happened 73 years ago. The modern building that seems so at odds with the traditional feel of the place is a memorial to the events of Jan 25, 1941, two days before Lunar New Year, when the Japanese army carried out a frenzied(疯狂的) slaughter of unarmed villagers.
“About 1,298 of the 1,700 villagers were murdered. Of the survivors, 273 were not in the village that day, and although nearly 200 others survived, 98 of them were badly injured,” said Pan Ruishen, the leader of the Panjiayu compensation(补偿) Team for Japanese Atrocities(暴行).
Panjiayu was just one of many massacres committed by the Japanese during the occupation of China before and during World War II, however, it is now a patriotism-education base because the village is full of sites of historical interest, such as the big lotus tree, whose hollow trunk was used to hide secret files of the Eighth Route Army, and the metal doors at the village entrance, which are scarred with countless white marks left by Japanese bayonets(刺刀).Where can you most probably read the text?
| A．In a telephone book. |
| B．In a newspaper. |
| C．In a travel guide. |
| D．In a textbook. |
What does the underlined phrase “at odds” in the fifth paragraph mean?
| A．attractive | B．original |
| C．contradictory | D．conventional |
What can we know about Panjiayu from the text?
| A．It is an isolated village with a long history in Hunan province. |
| B．Many tourists visited Panjiayu last year despite the fact that the place hasn’t kept its traditional feel. |
| C．Panjiayu is viewed as a patriotism-education base in view of its historical events and many sites of historical interest . |
| D．All the residents were slaughtered by the Japanese during the occupation of China before World War II. |
It was Mother’s Day morning last year and I was doing shopping at our local supermarket with my five-year-old son, Tenyson. As we were leaving, we found that only minutes earlier an elderly woman had fallen over at the entrance and had hit her head on the concrete. Her husband was with her, but there was blood everywhere and the woman was embarrassed and clearly in shock.
Walking towards the scene, Tenyson became very upset about what had happened to the couple. He said to me, “Mum, it’s not much fun falling over in front of everyone.”
At the front of the supermarket, a charity group had set up a stand selling cooked sausages and flowers to raise funds. Tenyson suggested that we should buy the lady a flower. “It will make her feel better,” he said. I was amazed that he’d come up with this sweet idea. So we went over to the flower seller and asked her if we could buy a flower for the lady to cheer her up. “Just take it,” he replied. “I can’t take your money for such a wonderful gesture.”
By now paramedics(急救人员) had arrived, and were attending to the injured woman. As we walked up to her, my son became intimidated by all the blood and medical equipment. He said he was just too scared to go up to her.
Instead, I gave the flower to the woman’s husband and told him, “My son was very upset for your wife and wanted to give her this flower to make her feel better.”
At that, the old man started crying and said, “Thank you so much, you have a wonderful son. Happy Mother’s Day to you.”
The man then bent down and gave his wife the flower, telling her who it was from. Though badly hurt and shaken, the old lady looked up at Tenyson with love in her eyes and gave him a little smile.1What does the author intend to tell us?
| A．One can never be too careful. |
| B．Actions speak louder than words. |
| C．Love begins with a little smile. |
| D．A small act of kindness brings a great joy. |
The underlined word “intimidated” in the fourth paragraph probably means “____”.
| A．astonished | B．struck |
| C．frightened | D．excited |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The elderly woman was knocked down by Tenyson. |
| B．Tenyson’s care for the elderly woman puzzled the flower seller. |
| C．Tenyson’s idea of buying a flower gained his mother’s support. |
| D．The elderly woman was moved to tears by Tenyson’s gesture. |
Which best describes the writer’s attitude in the passage?
| A．Approving | B．Hopeless |
| C．Doubtful | D．Pessimistic |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Mother’s Day |
| B．Flower Power |
| C．An Accidental Injury |
| D．An Embarrassing Moment |
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