After I mastered my first concerto (协奏曲) at age 14, my parents decided to get me a nice violin. I tried out dozens of instruments before I found my match: a German violin. It was beautiful, but what I liked best about it was its voice. Confident and strong, it was everything I longed to be.

I’m not sure how much that violin cost, but my parents made me promise never to let it out of my sight. They didn’t understand that dragging a large violin case ran counter to my daily middle school task of being invisible (看不见). I was a strange, absent-minded kid. When I spoke up in class, my comments brought confused silence from teachers and wild laughter from students. Like a deer in a wolf pack, I tried to be quiet and still.

In contrast, my new violin was almost shockingly loud. Together, we could drown out the rest of my middle school orchestra—which was encouraged, since the other kids made sounds like cats’ crying. For one glorious hour every day, I was showered with attention. Everyone wanted to hear what I had to say.

Between classes, I bent under the combined weight of my violin case and a backpack filled with books. My posture suffered, but my confidence grew. With my violin by my side, I found my voice. More and more, I contributed to class discussions and even made a couple of friends.

Today, I’m just an amateur violinist with a regular day job. As I sit in my community orchestra, sometimes I feel jealous (嫉妒的) of my fellow musicians’ instruments with their elegant voices. I may not be the best violinist around, but at least I’m still the loudest.

21．The underlined part “ran counter to “ in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.

A．was similar to                                    B．went along with

C．was the opposite of                                  D．had something in common with

22．We know from Paragraph 2 that the author ________.

A．did not fit in at school                        B．was an excellent student

C．was strong and confident                         D．did not attend classes regularly

23．What kind of feeling is expressed in Paragraph 3?

A．Disappointment.           B．Anger.            C．Pride.                    D．Regret.

24．What can we infer from the text?

A．The violin changed the author in some way.

B．The author hated the loud voice of his violin.

C．The violin always made the author embarrassed.

D．The author was the best violinist in his community orchestra.

What if our babies could somehow tell us what they’re thinking about, what they want, and what makes them unhappy? Robyn Holt, researcher for Baby Talk New Zealand, says they can. Holt heard about baby sign language through an advertisement and decided to go along to a workshop (研讨会).

“Sign language is something that’s always interested me, and I thought, it could be really cool to try this with a baby because we are always guessing all the time what they actually want.”

Holt started using baby sign language with her baby son Benjamin, now 12, and within two weeks he started to sign the sign for milk. She has since used it with her two younger sons Dominic, 8, and Matthew, 3.

Baby sign language is nothing new: the practice (which is based on adult sign laguange) has been out in America for more than 30 years. But it is enjoying a rebirth in New Zealand.

The idea behind baby sign language is that babies do have the ability to communicate their needs if they are given the right tools to do so. Although many mothers develop an intuition (直觉) about whether their baby’s crying is from hunger, tiredness, or pain, baby sign language creates a direct form of communication that unlocks the mystery.

When babies are between 6-months and 12 to 13-months, parents can begin to teach them sign language: use the sign for milk while feeding, and also talk about milk, so that the child begins to make the link (关联) in their brain. Then they can begin to add other signs, i.e. food, sick or pain.

“I know of one parent. Her child was signing the sign for hurt by his month, and she realized his first teeth were growing. It makes life so much easier,” said Holt.

25．Why did Holt go to the baby sign language workshop?

A．To entertain her own children.

B．To better understand babies’ needs.

C．To help babies with language problems.

D．To develop a new system of sign language.

26．According to the text, baby sign language ______.

A．has been used in New Zealand for 30 years

B．can easily make the parents understood

C．has developed from adult sign language

D．was designed by Robyn Holt

27．What does the underlined part “the mystery” in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A．The ability to communicate.                            B．Mothers’ intuitions.

C．The cause of the baby’s crying.               D．Baby sign language.

28．Holt mentioned a parent and her child to show baby sign language is _____.

A．helpful                   B．difficult           C．interesting                    D．special

Fourth-grader Jaden Darnell has an Xbox 360 and a PlayStation 3. Like many other kids, he also plays games on his phone. At times, he says, it can be hard to tear himself away from a device (设备), especially when he’s playing NBA General Manager.

What makes some video games so attractive? Raph Koster, an expert on game design, says game makers employ a great deal of knowledge about what keeps people playing. He says that whether they know it or not, players like getting feedback (反馈) that they can see or hear. The game Peggle, for example, plays the song “Ode to Joy” every time you succeed at beating a level. “It gives you this amazing amount of celebration,” says Koster.

Game makers also know that once players have put in the time and effort to achieve a goal, they don’t like to give up. So some games are easy at first and become more challenging (挑战性的). At that point, the players may be offered a resource (资源) that makes winning easier. “The game creates a problem that it offers to solve for you in exchange for cash,” explains Ian Bogost, a professor who studies video games at the Georgia Institute of Technology. When players are connected to the Internet, developers can observe what they do. By recording players’ choices, game companies can find out what keeps people interested in and what makes them most likely to buy things.

Besides game developers, scientists are also paying attention to the power of games. Adam Gazzaley, a scientist at the University of California, has developed games that improve attention and memory in older adults. Now Gazzaley and his team are designing brain-building games for kids. “We think that how video games really pull you in and demand your attention can be used to help improve how the brain process (处理) information,” he says. To test the games’ effects on the mind, Gazzaley records brain activity while people play. He says that one day, doctors might advise patients to play video games to improve their intelligence.

29．It’s difficult for Jaden Darnell to ______.

A．stop playing games                                  B．play with other kids

C．play NBA General Manager                     D．turn his attention to new games

30．Why do game makers create games that are easy at first and then become more challenging?

A．To attract more players.                           B．To make lots of money.

C．To challenge themselves.                        D．To test players’ intelligence.

31．What’s Adam Gazzaley’s attitude towards the future of video games?

A．Worried.                                            B．Hopeful.

C．Doubtful.                                           D．Uninterested.

32．What would be the best title for the text?

A．Say no to video games                            B．The future of video games

C．It is game time!                                        D．More than a game?

With Disney parks recently raising their ticket prices to $89 now is the perfect time to start thinking about smaller, regional theme parks. Here are four theme parks where the daily price of adult admission is under $50.

Luna Park, Coney Island, NY.

How much you spend in enjoying Luna Park really depends on which rides you choose to go on. For anyone as indecisive as I am, stick with the $29 four-hour Unlimited Luna Park Ride Wristband or the $39 Ride and Play package, a four-hour unlimited ride wristband that comes with a $20 game card.

Dorney Park, Allentown, PA.

Dorney Park is a popular theme park located about an hour outside of Philadelphia. Kids love Planet Snoopy, a fun area with attractions centered around the lovable Snoopy. Adult tickets are available online for $39.99 (or at the gate for $49.99) and kids are $27.99 online (or $29.99 at the gate). You can also buy a Starlight Admission ($29.99 online or at the gate), good for visits between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. during the summer months when the park is open late, or from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. when the park closes earlier.

Knotts Berry Farm, Buena Park, CA.

Home to some of the country’s craziest rides, Knotts Berry Farm also has calmer, more family-friendly rides. Ages 12-61 get in for $39.99 when tickes are bought online, while children ages 3-11 and adults over 62 pay $26.99.

Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, CA.

Sitting on the warm beaches of Santa Cruz—about 90 minutes south of San Francisco—the Boardwalk is home to big roller coasters, mini-golf, enough food and games to keep people of all ages busy. The best part? An all-day unlimited rides wristband is only $31.95.

33．All of the four theme parks ______.

A．have calm rides                                        B．are family-friendly

C．require online booking                      D．are cheaper than Disney Parks

34．The Ride and Play package at Luna Park costs you _____.

A．$20                       B．$29                C．$39                       D．$59

35．What can we learn about the Starlight Admission at Dorney Park?

A．It is aimed for kids.                                   B．It can be used twice.

C．It is designed for summer use.                 D．It’s for visits in the later part of a day.

How to free your imagination

Believe in yourself

Why is it important to use your imagination?   36   It came from an idea that probably sounded crazy at first. So you should believe in your ideas.

Get insprired

If your imagination needs a kick-start, take inspiration from other people.   37   Exposing (使受影响) yourself to all this activity is certain to get you thinking.

Make it

      38   Just pay attention in class, ask questions if you’re not sure about anything, try your hardest and don’t talk during lessons. Easy!

Act up

Spend an afternoon pretending to be someone else. Use your imagination to creat funny characters for your friends to pretend to be, too. Give them cool clothes and have a laugh.  39

Dreamy ideas

When you sleep, your mind can throw out amazing ideas in the form of dreams. People have been known to have created parts of songs in their sleep!   40   Who knows where they could lead?

Write it

Read a story, then stop three quarters of the way through. Then get a pen and paper, so sit at your computer, and make up your very own ending! Let your imagination go crazy.

A．Read a new book or check out works of art.

B．Want to stay on the good side of your teachers?

C．Whoever comes out of character first has to be punished!

D．So keep a dream diary and start writing down your ideas.

E．If you are a shy person, imagine somewho who you want to be.

F．It can give us good feelings as we let our imagination take over.

G．Every idea and invention in the world first started in someone’s imagination.