Do you like music? Do you often listen to it at loud volumes? You should know that this habit is bad for your hearing, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Over 1 billion young people are at risk of hearing loss due to listening to loud noise for long periods of time, WHO said. Listening to music or watching a TV show at loud volumes can harm your hearing.

The United Nations has standards for safe listening. It is not safe to listen to sounds that are louder than 85 decibels for eight hours or 100 dB for 15 minutes. The sound of a busy road is about 85 dB and the sound of a rock concert can be about 100 dB.

Loud noise is harmful to the inner ear. Most of us are born with about 16,000 hair cells in our inner ears. These cells detect sounds. However, listening to loud noise for a long time can make these cells work too hard and cause some of them to die. This is what causes hearing loss.

Some people might think that their music isn’t all that loud. But this can depend on where you are. For example, if you are in a noisy place like the subway, you might turn up your music too loud without realizing it. Later, when you listen to it at the same volume in a quiet place, you might feel uncomfortable.

WHO said the “safe level” for most sound is below 80 decibels for up to 40 hours a week. A level of 80 decibels is nearly the same as the noise of a subway.

Word Bank:

decibel n. (dB 分贝) inner ear 内耳detect vt. 探测

1.According to the story, WHO suggests that it is NOT safe to _____.

A.listen to music every day B.watch TV for over an hour

C.listen to loud sounds for a long time D.go to a rock concert

2.The sound level of a busy road is about _____.

A.80 dB B.85 dB C.100 dB D.115 Db

3.Why can listening to loud music cause hearing problems?

A.Because it puts our brains under great pressure.

B.Because it can cause hair cells in the inner ear to die.

C.Because it prevents our ears from resting.

D.Because it allows people to get used to listening to loud sounds.

4.What does the fifth paragraph tell us?

A.People love to listen to loud music.

B.It’s reasonable to listen to loud music in some places.

C.People are likely to listen to music on the subway.

D.People don’t always realize how loud their music is.

A Letter from Antioche

Saturday, May 23, AD 526

Dear Father

I write to tell you the shocking news that has happened since you left here last month. On Wednesday, Antioch had a terrible earthquake. Mother and I are safe, and our house is damaged but still standing. However, over 220,000 people in the city have died, and officials expect even higher numbers as the survivors search everywhere for their loved ones. Hundreds are fleeing the city, carrying their few undamaged things on their backs.…

Many of the churches, markets, theaters, and buildings were in bad shapes. All the city was in a mess. Fallen trees, broken windows and rubbish everywhere. One of the saddest losses was theGreat Church. Although it survived the aftershocks, it caught fire yesterday and burned.

Thieves have hit some people who are fleeing the city. But all hope is not lost. Just this morning, brave people saved a young woman and her child from a broken house. As I write, volunteers are getting back many of our pieces of fine mosaic art. They are putting them into boats to take them to other places. And Emperor Justin sent a message this morning, He has promised to help us rebuild.

I wish you a safe journey.

Your son,

Simeon

Word Bank:

Antioch n.安条克（古叙利亚首都，现为土耳其南部一城市）damage vt.损害 survivor n. 生存者flee vt. 逃离 loss n.损失

1.From the letter we can infer that ________________.

A.Antioch was a small city

B.Most people were calm after the earthquake

C.only a small number of people died in the earthquake

D.before the earthquake, Antioch was a cultured city.

2.Why are people probably fleeing the city?

A.They are afraid to be stolen.

B.They are afraid of more earthquakes.

C.They are going to search for lost loved ones.

D.They want to save the city’s art works.

3.What is the theme（主题） of this letter?

A.most people stay calm during the difficulties.

B.People only enjoy what they have after they lose it.

C.Even in difficulties, good things happen.

D.Saving people is more important than protecting art.

请听下面一段独白。根据所听到的内容，写出可以填入下表1—5空格处的适当单词，每空限填一词。（独白读两遍）

1.________

2.________

3.________

4.________

5.________

My hobby is collecting stickers（贴画）. It is also one of the most popular hobbies among children. Children can enjoy this pastime because it is not 1. expensive hobby.

I 2.(start) collecting stickers when I was four years old. One day when I was playing in his house, he showed me his stacks of stickers albums. I was amazed to see so many colorful stickers of all shapes and sizes. He gave me a few pieces from his collection. My 3. (interest) in stickers started from that day.

During my free time, I will bring out all my lovely collections, lay them on the ground and enjoy them.

In China, PE tests are required to graduate from both middle school and high school. To get good grades on the PE tests, Chinese students 1.(need) to practice running as well as doing sit-ups and pull-ups（引体向上）. But have you ever 2.(wonder) what PE classes are like in the US?

In my high school, we are required to take two semesters(学期) of PE 3. (graduate). We play real sports during PE classes, such as basketball and volleyball. There are also some other kinds of American sports that we often play, such as kickball.

I didn’t know the rules of kickball 4. I first came to the US. The teacher allowed me to sit on the sidelines and watch how other students played it in order to let me know the rules.

We also learn some 5.(use) life skills in PE. Last year, I learned how to do CPR（心肺复苏）which is a life-saving skill. We 6.(teach) how to provide first aid to someone who is choking（窒息）.These skills are a large part of the final grade for the PE class in my high school.

I prefer PE classes in the US to the 7. in China. I think they are more fun and useful.

The day when the jobs were handed out was one of the most exciting for all the children in the class. Some jobs were more interesting than others. When giving them out, the teacher took account of(考虑) which pupils had been most responsible before. Among them Rita stood out. All the children knew Rita was the favorite to be given the best job of all: to look after the class dog.

But this year there was a big surprise. Each child received one of the normal jobs, like telling the time, cleaning the blackboard, looking after pets and so on. But Rita was given a little box with some sand and one ant （蚂蚁）. Most of her classmates felt sorry for her. Even her father became very angry with the teacher. However, Rita preferred to show the teacher by doing something special with such a boring job.

So Rita started studying all about her little ant. She gave the ant the very best food, and as a result it grew quite a bit bigger than anyone had expected.

One day a man came into the classroom. The teacher said with great joy, “This is Doctor Martinez. He has come to tell us a wonderful piece of news. Isn’t that right?”

“Exactly! "said the Doctor. “This class has best cared for the little ant given to you. You have been chosen to go with me, this summer, on a journey to the rainforest. Congratulations!”

That day everyone thanked Rita for having been so patient and responsible.

1.What is Rita’s job this year? (no more than 9 words)

2.What did Rita’s classmates think after the teacher gave the job to her? (no more than 5 words)

3.Why did everyone in Rita’s class thank her? (no more than 13 words)

4.请将文中画线的句子翻译成汉语。

5.请给短文拟一个适当的英文题目。

英语课上，你们开展了一次以“What can we do to make home a happier place？”为主题的讨论，同学们把自己的想法写在卡片上。请结合卡片信息，用英语写一篇短文，向校刊English Learning投稿。

注意：1.短文必须包括卡片所给的信息，适当发挥，并谈谈自己的想法；

2.文中不得出现与你身份相关的信息；

3.词数：80-100（短文首句仅供选择使用，不计入总词数）。

In our English class，we had a discussion about what we can do to make home a happier place. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

根据汉语意思及括号内所给英文提示语，将下列句子翻译成英语。

1.我只想让我的孩子成为一个健康的人。(want sb. to do sth.)

________________________________________

2.也许坏事情会不断发生。(keep on doing sth.)

________________________________________

3.依我看，她儿子能上一所好大学。(in one’s opinion)

________________________________________

4.尽量不要让孩子们玩火。(try not to do sth.)

________________________________________

5.你可以帮我找一下我的眼镜吗？(look for)

________________________________________

China is ________ancient country and people all over the world come to learn Chinese culture.

A.a B.an C.the D./

We should be calm ________ the face of dangers.

A.at B.with C.of D.in