One cannot discuss Chinese music without mentioning the guqin，one of the four arts-along with game of go，calligraphy（书法）and painting.It first appeared over 3，000 years ago and stands for China's solo musical instrument tradition.
At first，the guqin had only five strings（弓玄），meaning the five elements（元素）of metal，wood，water，fire and earth.Later，in Zhou Dynasty，King Wen of Zhou added a sixth string for his son.King Wu of Zhou，added a seventh string to encourage his army to fight with the Shang.
Ambiencewas important in playing the guqin.Usually，it was practiced in a quiet setting and never for public performance.Ancient artists enjoyed performing by a stream in the mountains.The sound of the guqin mixed with the echoes（回音）from the mountains，until the musician felt he was at one with nature.Playing it in snow was also an enjoyable activity for ancient artists，who believed the instrument was the purest of its kind in the world.Also，a night with moonlight was considered wonderful for playing the guqin.Wang Wei（701-761），a highly talented man of the Tang Dynasty，liked playing it in a bamboo forest on nights with moonlight most.
Guqin pieces are usually three to eight minutes long，with the longest being Guangling Verse，which is 22 minutes long.Other famous pieces include Plum Blossoms in Three Movements，Wild Geese Landing on the Sandbank and Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute.
Nowadays，there are fewer than one thousand well﹣trained guqin players and perhaps no more than fifty living masters.The original number of several thousand pieces has greatly reduced to only one hundred works by today.The guqin and its music was added to the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity（人类非物质文化遗产）in 2003.
（1）Today，the guqin has strings.
| A． |
four |
| B． |
five |
| C． |
six |
| D． |
seven |
（2）What's the meaning of the underlined word "Ambience" in Paragraph 3？
| A． |
演奏技巧. |
| B． |
环境氛围. |
| C． |
天气状况. |
| D． |
弹奏曲目. |
（3）According to the passage，playing the guqin is a right choice.
| A． |
at a quiet restaurant |
| B． |
at a welcome party |
| C． |
in a peaceful yard with flowers |
| D． |
on a dark night with rainstorm |
（4）According to the passage，which of the following is TRUE？
| A． |
The guqin has a history of less than 3000 years. |
| B． |
The strings mean metal，wood，water，fire and stone. |
| C． |
The longest guqin piece is Guangling Verse. |
| D． |
The guqin is very popular and many people can play it. |
（5）What does the passage mainly talk about？
| A． |
The guqin and its music. |
| B． |
The guqin and its players. |
| C． |
Four Chinese traditional arts. |
| D． |
The development of guqin music. |
Americans think much about time . From childhood they learn to value (珍视) time .They are taught to be on time to go to school , to work and to do everything . When they are having a good time, they say that time goes easily . When a person is dying , they say he is living on a borrowed time .
Time is money . Time is knowledge . Time is everything in America . A working American has to work hard for eight hours a day or forty hours a week . This is the working time . In his free time, he also works hard for more money . Even on Saturday and Sunday he also works hard as usual. In the street you can hardly see a man walking slowly . They walk very fast . In fact , they are running .
They love time because time can bring them money and lots of things . But sometimes they also hate time, because they feel they have become servants (仆人) of the clock .What do the Americans mean by "Time is money"?
| A．It is not easy to make money. |
| B．It takes quite a lot of time to make money. |
| C．Working hard can bring people health. |
| D．If someone has time and works hard, he can make much money. |
Americans think it wrong _______.
| A．to work late | B．to get up early |
| C．to be late for school | D．to be on time to do everything |
This passage says that a dying person _______.
| A．is having a good time |
| B．is living on a borrowed time |
| C．thinks time goes easily |
| D．is saving time |
From this passage we can be sure that _______.
| A．Americans live a hard life |
| B．Americans always walk fast |
| C．Americans live in a quick rhythm (节奏) |
| D．Americans are good at saving time |
Which of the following is the best title for this passage ?
| A．Americans' ideas about time | B．Never waste time |
| C．Time is money | D．Learn to be on time |
A poor farmer had never left his small village. After he made a lot of money, he decided to spend a holiday in an excellent hotel in a big town.
When lunchtime came on his first day there, he went to eat it in the restaurant of the hotel in his new clothes. The headwaiter showed him to the table, took his order and went away. When he returned and looked at the farmer again, he was surprised. The farmer had tied his table cloth round his neck.
The headwaiter immediately told another waiter to go to the farmer and tell him that people mustn’t do such a thing in his restaurant. So the waiter went to the farmer and said in a friendly voice, “Good morning, Sir. Would you like a haircut.?”The farmer decided to spend a holiday in a big town because__________
| A．he always spent his holiday there |
| B．he wore his new clothes |
| C．he never went to the big town |
| D．he had become richer and wanted to see big town |
To his surprise, the headwaiter found that the farmer__________.
| A．was sitting at the table along |
| B．he wore his new clothes |
| C．used the table cloth as a napkin（餐巾） |
| D．took the restaurant for a barber’s shop |
Why do you think the farmer tied the cloth round his neck? __________.
| A．He didn’t want to make his clothes dirty |
| B．He want to have his hair cut |
| C．The headwaiter told him to do that |
| D．He saw some other people doing this |
The headwaiter told another waiter to __________
| A．take some food to the farmer |
| B．stop the farmer tying the cloth round his neck |
| C．tie the table cloth round the farmer’s neck |
| D．drive him out of the restaurant |
From the sentence “Would you like a haircut?” we know the waiter wanted to_______
| A．have the farmer’s hair cut |
| B．make an apology to the farmer |
| C．cut the farmer’s hair himself |
| D．make the farmer know his mistake |
阅读下面短文，根据短文内容完成下面表格中的有关信息（共5小题，每小题2分，满分10分）。
Which is the best city in Europe? Each city has its own special features.It depends on what a person likes and dislikes. Now let’s see the three most popular cities in Europe.
London, the United Kingdom
If you like ale（麦芽酒）, or you are interested in history, you will like this city. The best time to visit London is from May to October. You can visit the British Museum, the Tate Modern and Westminster Palace.
Amsterdam, Holland
People who like art will like this city. And it is also a great place to go bike riding. In April or May you can see many beautiful tulips（郁金香）there. July and August are the best two months to visit. The Royal Palace and the Van Gogh Museum are great places to see.
Paris, France
Tourists who love art or traditional food will like this city. Spring is the best time to visit. Summer is also a good time. The Louvre, The Eiffel Tower and the Montparnasse are the greatest places to visit.
| The three most popular cities in Europe |
|
| London |
People who love ale or The best time to visit it is |
| Amsterdam |
It is a great city for people who like art and who want to If you visit the city in April or May, you can see |
| Paris |
If you like art or traditional food, you will like to visit this place. |
A soap opera called “Tiger Mother and Cat Father” is popular in China now. The tiger mother is pretty strict with her daughter and the little girl is not allowed to watch TV or play computer games. On the other hand, she makes all efforts to buy the expensive house near the key school, in order to let her daughter have a better education. However, the cat father has an opposite view of how to raise their child. He gives her daughter more independence and doesn’t make many rules for her. Which one is better, “ Tiger Mother”or “Cat Father”?
In China, it seems that in each family, there is tiger mother and a cat father, even worse, some families have two tigers. Children can’t decide anything for themselves. What’s worse, Chinese mothers believe key school will bring a better future to their children. This soap opera fully shows us a common problem in China. And maybe it is the real reason why such kind of TV shows can get popular.
Whether the tiger mother or the cat father, respecting(尊重)children and growing together are the keys to family education. Confidence, kindness, honesty and independence are the most important qualities to develop a child, not the grades. Just like a poem said, “Educating children is like walking with a snail(蜗牛), and the steps are gentle and slow.”In the soap opera, the little girl isn’t allowed to_______.
| A．eat vegetables | B．get good grades |
| C．go to the key school | D．watch TV or play computer games |
In the soap opera, the father is called “Cat Father” because______
| A．he enjoys eating fish just like a cat |
| B．he gives her daughter more independence |
| C．he is afraid of his wife |
| D．he always stays up late just like a cat |
The underline word “view” mean“________”in Chinese in this passage.
| A．风景 | B．磁带 | C．观点 | D．观察 |
We can infer(推断)from the last paragraph(段落)that the writer thinks it’s good to_______.
| A．slow your steps and grow together with your children |
| B．take a walk with your children often |
| C．be strict with your children like “Tiger Mother” |
| D．buy an expensive house near the key school |
Yao Beina was not only a popular singer but also an energetic and warm-hearted angel. She donated her corneas(眼角膜)to two men after her death.
Yao was born in a music family in September 1981 in Wuhan. She started to learn music at the age of 4, and she sang her first song on the stage when she was 9. Yao did quite well in singing, so she took part in the 13th Youth Singing Competition and won the first prize.
She became well-known to the pubic after making some songs for the hit TV drama The Legend of Zhenhuan(甄環传), and the mandarin version(中文版本)of Let It Go from Disney’s Frozen(冰雪奇缘). In July 2013, she competed in The Voice of China Ⅱ and finally got the second place in Na Ying’s team. She had won many music prizes.
Yao Beina was unlucky to be diagnosed(诊断)with breast cancer(乳腺癌). She had a successful operation(手术)in 2011. She has fought against the illness for about four years while keeping singing, but sadly she failed. Although she’s gone, her fans will remember her beautiful voice and kindness forever.How old was Yao Beina when she started to learn music?
| A．Four | B．Nine | C．Thirteen | D．Fourteen |
Yao was born in a________family in September 1981 in Wuhan.
| A．doctor | B．farmer | C．music | D．teacher |
Which is TRUE about Yao Beina according to the passage?
| A．She donated her corneas to help two men. |
| B．She had a great voice and won a few music prizes. |
| C．She won over the breast cancer in the end. |
| D．she sang her first sang on the stage at the age of 4 |