A new study, conducted by British company Mindlab International, has found that listening to music at work increases accuracy and speed, The Telegraph reported. Perhaps, some parents disagree with this idea, saying, "Switch off the music and concentrate!" Well, if that's the case with your parents, you might now be able to convince them that you have science on your side.
The company gave 26 participants a series of different tasks for five days in a row, including spell checking, mathematical word problems, data entry, and abstract reasoning. The participants completed these tasks while listening to music or no music at all.
The results showed that while music was playing, 88% of participants produced their most accurate test results and 81% completed their fastest work. David Lewis, chairman of Mindlab International, told The Telegraph, "Music is a very powerful management tool if you want to increase not only the efficiency of your workforce but also their emotional state... they are going to become more positive about the work."
However, you may have a list of your favorite songs, but not all kinds of music match all homework. For maths or other subjects involving numbers or attention to detail, you should listen to classical music, the study found. In the study, pop music enabled participants to complete their tasks 58% faster than when listening to no music at all. If you are reviewing your English writing, pop music is the best choice, as it is the best kind for spell checking. It cut mistakes by 14%, compared to listening to no music. After finishing your homework, do you often take time to check your answers? Maybe, some dance music is suitable for you.
1.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Music helps us to learn
B. We cannot live without music
C. Different music, different lives
D. Music in the classroom.
2.What did the participants have to do in the study？
A. Persuade their parents to listen to music.
B. Listen to the same music together.
C. Try their best to choose the most suitable music.
D. Finish tasks with music or without music at all.
3.What does the underlined word "they" refer to in Para 3？
A. tools B. results
C. tests D. participants
4.When you review your English writing, what kind of music is the best choice？
A. Classical music B. Dance music
C. Pop music D. Rock music
The Leaning Tower of Pisa was straight like a pole when the construction began in 1173. It started to shift direction soon after construction because of poor foundation in addition to the loose layer of subsoil(底土). At the beginning, it leaned to the southeast before the shaky foundation started to shift leaning towards the southwest. After the period of structural strengthening at the beginning of the 21st century, now the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans at an angle of 3.97 degrees.
In 1178, the shift in direction was observed for the first time when the construction had progressed further to the third floor. The tower was heavy for the three-meter foundation that was built on a weak area of land.
For compensating(补偿) the leaning position, the builders started to construct the upper floors with one side higher than the other one. This caused the tower to lean in the other direction. This unusual structure led to the tower being actually curved. In spite of these efforts, the tower kept on leaning.
The government of Italy started to plan prevention of the complete collapse of the tower in 1964. However, a request was put forward by the authorities to keep the leaning position because of the tourism industry of the region.
After nearly two decades of careful planning by engineers, historians and mathematicians, the stabilization efforts for the Leaning Tower of Pisa started in 1990. The tower was closed for the general public and the people living nearby moved away. For reducing the total weight of the tower, its seven bells which represented the seven musical notes were removed. The tower was reopened for the general public on December 15, 2001.
In May 2008, after removing another 70 metric tons of earth, the engineers announced that the tower had been finally stabilized and it would remain stable for at least 200 years.
1.The Leaning Tower of Pisa began to lean probably because ________.
A. it was too high like a pole
B. its foundation shook badly
C. the work of repair was delayed
D. the soil of its foundation was too weak
2.People noticed the Leaning Tower of Pisa shift its direction ________.
A. as soon as it was constructed
B. during the construction
C. at the end of the construction
D. as soon as it was completed
3.Who preferred not to change the leaning position of the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
A. The authorities.
B. The government.
C. The engineers.
D. The historians.
4.Which of the following is the right order according to this passage?
a. People noticed the tower began to shift its direction.
b. The repair work was carried out last time.
c. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was repaired for the first time.
d. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was built.
e. The tower was opened to the visitors again.
f. The government started to make a plan for the tower.
A. c,d,a,f,b,e B. f,e,a,d,c,b
C. d,a,f,c,e,b D. d,e,b,f,c,a
Owning a smart phone may not be as smart as you think. They may let you surf the Internet, listen to music and snap photos wherever you are… but they also turn you into a workaholic（工作狂）, it seems.
A study suggests that, by giving you access to emails at all times, the smart phone adds as much as two hours to your working day. Researchers found that Britons work an additional 460 hours a year on average as they are able to respond to emails on their mobiles. The study shows the average UK working day is between 9 and 10 hours, but a further 2 hours is spent responding to or sending work emails, or making work calls.
Almost one in ten admits spending up to three hours outside their normal working day checking work emails. Some workers confess they are on call almost 24 hours a day. Nearly two-thirds say they often check work emails just before they go to bed and as soon as they wake up, while over a third have replied to one in the middle of the night. The average time for first checking emails is between 6 am and 7 am, with more than a third checking their first email in this period, and a quarter checking them between 11pm and midnight.
Ghadi Hobeika, marketing director of Pixmania, said: “The ability to access millions of apps has made smart phones invaluable for many people. However, there are disadvantages. Many companies expect their employees to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and smart phones mean that people cannot get away from work. The more constantly in contact we become, the more is expected of us in a work capacity.”
1.With a smart phone the average UK working day is ________.
A．2 hoursB．8 hoursC．9 to 10 hoursD. 11 to 12 hours
2.It could be inferred from the text that the British people ________.
A．prefer to check emails in the morning
B．are crazy about different smart phones
C．work extra hours with smart phones
D．shorten their normal working hours
3.What does Ghadi Hobeika feel about smart phones?
A．They are unimportant for most of people.
B．They have disadvantages for some companies.
C．They are useful to improve a work ability.
D．They make it impossible for people to rest.
4.What can we conclude from the text?
A．Every coin has two sides.
B．All that glitters is not gold.
C．It never rains but pours.
D．It’s no good crying over spilt milk.
Discover Artistic Talents across the Country
Tank Loft, Chongqing
This 12,000-square-meter art center was established on the site of a used military tank warehouse(仓库). It is the largest contemporary art base in western China, featuring modern exhibition, galleries, design studios and art bookstores. The art zone is located on the campus of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and was created by the school in the early 2000s.
Where: No. 108 Huangjueping Center Street, Jiulongpo District, Chongqing
Opening hours: 9 am—5 pm (closed Mondays)
Redtory, Guangzhou
Redtory, established in 2009, is a spacious art district often referred to as Guangzhou’s 798. Made up of more than 30 old halls, mostly buildings of red brick, the place was originally built in 1956 as Chinese largest can factory. Some of the rusty machines from the old factory have been kept as art equipment, giving the zone an old charm.
Where：No. 128 Yuancun Siheng Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou
Opening hours：Mon.-Sun. 10:30 am-9 pm
M50, Shanghai
M50, also known as 50 Moganshan Road, is the center of Shanghai’s contemporary art scene, with more than 100 artists whose studios are open to the public. This district, on the bank of Suzhou Creek, was previously a textile factory until it seized production in 1999. Xue Song, a Shanghai artist, was the first to establish a studio there in 2002.
Where: No. 50 Moganshan Road, Pudong District, Shanghai
Opening hours: 10 am-5 pm (closed Mondays)
798 Art Zone, Beijing
Attracted by ordered designing, convenient traffic and unique style of Bauhaus architecture, art organizations and artists have crowded in the vacant plants and transformed them since 2001, gradually forming a district gathered galleries, art studios, cultural companies, fashion shops etc. As the earliest area where the organizations and artists moved in located in the original area of 798 factory, this place was named as Beijing 798 Art Zone.
Where: No. 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Opening hours: 10 am-6 pm
1.If you are going to visit an art zone at 7pm, which one can you go to?
A. Tank Loft, Chongqing.
B. Redtory, Guangzhou.
C. M50, Shanghai.
D. 798 Art Zone, Beijing.
2.Tank Loft, Chongqing is quite different from the others in ________.
A. sizeB. featureC. siteD. weather
3.Which of the following was built first?
A. 798 Art Zone, Beijing.
B. Tank Loft, Chongqing.
C. M50, Shanghai.
D. Redtory, Guangzhou
假设你是学生李华，进入高三后你发现很多同学为了学习不吃早饭，经常熬夜等不健康学习生活方式。学校校报的英语专栏正在开展以“健康生活方式”为主题的英语征文活动，你打算投稿。请根据以下提示信息写一篇英语短文。
1．指出现在部分高三同学不健康的学习生活方式；
2．结合实际从以下三方面提出具体健康生活方式：
a．膳食； b．体育锻炼； c．人生态度。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可适当增加细节．以使行文连贯。
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下短文。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：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），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：在错的词下画一横线，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。
A city, whether big and small, should be clean. Only when we live in a clean city we live a happy life. As we know, a clean city, that disease may be reduced and people’s health may be better, are good both for our mind and body. No one believes people lived in a dirty city with waste everywhere can live happy. However, for more and more people moved into our city, it is not easy to keep our city clean. Beside, some factories will pour waste into the air, the river and onto the ground, making it is hard to keep our city clean. To make our city the better place to live in, we still have a lot to do
