Visiting Balboa Island, in sunny southern California, proved an exciting experience that I will never forget. I had never been to Balboa Island, even though it is only about an hour from my home in northern San Diego. Our first stop was for a specialty called a "Balboa Bar". It is a famous chocolate covered ice cream on a stick, created many years ago. As we drove along the streets toward the boat, I also saw some interesting buildings that stood for many years. Many of the building designs seemed like dollhouses and someone in our group said that the style was called, Victorian. After we parked our car on one of the streets, we got on the boat sailing to Balboa Peninsula. As I looked around the boat, I saw a bird flying very close to the water and our boat. A little girl near the boat' s edge jumped out to touch it and shockingly fell into the water! Her dad, who stood nearby, jumped in after her at once and everyone on the boat ran to help. The boat's engine stopped and both father and daughter got saved with the help of people on the boat. On Balboa Peninsula my family and I went to various shops, especially for food! We saw a restaurant at the very end. We enjoyed our lunch there, at the first Ruby's Diner ever opened in southern California. Although I have been to other restaurants of this popular chain , being at the very first is a great memory. On our way back to Balboa island we stopped at the huge Ferris Wheel, bought some sugars and played games. It was an exciting afternoon walking around on Balboa Island. I look forward to returning soon to spend some time on the beach again or maybe even to try fishing! The author' s dining experience at the first Ruby' s Diner was A) boring B) interesting C) unpleasant D) unforgettable
D
English songs have been very popular for people around the world for many decades. Songs from Elvis Presley to Ricky Martin, from the Beatles to Eminem and from Natalie Cole to Britney Spears have all been enjoyed by people around the world, even for people who don't speak English, and even for people who speak zero English. From my experience, some people listen to English songs for 20-30 years but still don't achieve any good English skills. Some people choose English songs to be their main learning method, but most of them fail. Listening to English songs does not help you to speak English fluently. It does help you gain some vocabulary, but most of these words are unusual ones that you don't use in everyday life. You won't learn the sentence "It is a difficult project. We really need to meet the deadline." in any English songs. All you will hear are love, passion, affection, hate and blue, for the feeling, not the color1. People like using English songs to practice English skills because it's easy and enjoyable. They think that sitting in the car listening to English songs day after day will improve their English skills. It actually will not. You will definitely not improve your listening skills because normal people don't speak with a tune. People don't talk like Eminem's songs. You can't get yourself familiar with English pronunciation or accent just from listening to English songs. The words that they pronounce in the songs are not the words that you will hear in your everyday life. They can even confuse you more about how English is pronounced. I would fully encourage you to watch English movies and listen to radio news or other normal talks, but not music. Of course, you can consume it for fun but not with the aim of improving your English skills. Having good English skills is not that easy. Remember you should work hard to improve your English step by step.ks5u It can be inferred from the passage that the writer may be _ . A) an experienced English learner B) a well-known pop singer C) a Chinese music fan D) an American teacher
A
Q: The sun had gone behind a cloud. I was very tired and wanted nothing in the world so much as to be at home. At last I got to the gate of Hide Park. But this was worse than ever; there were buses there--high and terribly red cars, taxis and still more buses in an endless line. Everywhere there were people hurrying past or waiting to get into the buses, while I stood lost in the middle of them. I was ready to cry. In despair, I crossed the street on to an "island", where I found a policeman. I took my last bit of courage in both hands and said, "Please, sir, where is Addison Road?" He began to explain, but when he saw that I couldn't understand he became helpless, too. "Are you French at school?" A few minutes later, he smiled and raised his hand. How wonderful! The traffic stopped. Even the red buses stood still and waited until I had crossed the road. That _ is the most probable reason why she was tired out. A) it had been very hot by then B) the writer had been standing lost for a long time C) the writer had been completely lost D) the writer had been wandering in the park for a long time
A: D
Question: All of us love music; we just differ in the kind of music we like to play and listen to. Music plays a huge part in our life. Even when we were still inside our mother, we heard music. Babies easily fall asleep when they hear lullabies and most mothers believe that making their child listen to music at an early age can develop their musical skills. Aside from improving sleep quality and making us feel relaxed, music also helps develop our brain. Studies have proven that musical education or training helps develop the left side of the brain which is responsible for processing language. We easily remember things when we link them to a particular song and this can help them get good grades especially in math since they can link the songs they sing to the elements of math. Music can also cure people. These days music is used to help treat depression , high blood pressure, brain injuries and many other problems. Most of all, according to researchers, music can help improve people's memory, if not totally bring it back. Doctors play the favorite songs of their patients to help them recall things. Music is also used to reduce pain after a person receives a surgery. Music also affects the way we live and get along with other people. Creating music together with people in a band can help a person learn how to communicate well with other people. Music activities provide enjoyment for children and adults alike. They have fun making music together with friends and at the same time learn how to sing or play a musical instrument. Music really has amazing effects on us; it may be physical, emotional, social, or psychological . Make sure to enjoy life by listening to your favorite music along with your family and friends. What does the passage mainly talk about? A) The effects of music on us. B) The importance of music teaching. C) How to create music by ourselves. D) How to teach children music.
Answer: A
(Q).
Big Ben Big Ben is not the name of a man. It is the name of a huge clock in London. London is the capital of England. This clock has four faces. So,no matter where you stand,you can read the time on the face of Big Ben. Each face is the size of a double decker bus. The hands are about four meters long. It is about the size of two people standing on top of each other. If you go to London,you may want to visit the Houses of Parliament. There you will find Big Ben sits at the top of the clock tower in the Houses of Parliament. Maybe you will hear it as well as see it. The huge clock makes such a loud noise. "Ding dong,ding dong,"it goes every quarter of an hour. The clock was named after a big man. He was Sir Benjamin Hall. This man did much building work in London many years ago. Big Ben is _ . A) a double decker bus B) a huge clock C) the name of Ben D) a building
(A).
B