TheHarvardStudentledWalkingTou-优题课

When you go to St. Petersburg, the number of attractions can seem large. If you are short of time, or just want to make sure to hit the highlights, these are the top must-see sights in St．Petersburg．
●The Hermitage Museum
The Hermitage Museum is one of the most important sights to see for any visitor to St．Petersburg．There are lots of different paintings by the old masters in the Hermitage．Prepare to come face-to-face with classic Western artists．
●Kizhi Island
Kizhi Island is an open-air museum of wooden architecture from the Karelia Region of Russia．These impressive structures are made entirely without nails - the wood fits together with joints and grooves（沟槽）．
●Peterhof
Peterhof is as beautiful as it is fun．You’ll be charged for admission, but go to Petethof when the fountains are working—during the day in the summer．They are shut off in winter evenings．
●The Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood
Love it or hate it, the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood in St．Petersburg is an enthralling must-see sight．The beautiful look may make y our eyes brighten, and the painting inside the church will make you say “Wow!”
●The Bronze Horseman Statue
The so-called Bronze Horseman is a part of Russian culture and a symbol of St．Petersburg．Made famous by Alexander Pushkin, this statue of Peter the Great sitting on his horse can truly show Peter the Great’s influence on the Russian idea of greatness．
If you are interested in paintings, you’d better go to．

A．Peterhof and Kizhi Island

B．the Hernatage Museum and Peterhof

C．Kizhi Island and the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood

D．the hermitage Museum and the Church of Our Savior on the Spilt Blood

We can learn from the passage that ．

A．visitors can visit Peterhof for free

B．the buildings of Kizhi Island are made of wood

C．the fountains in Peterhof can be seen all year round

D．the largest collection of Russian arts is in the Hermitage Museum

The main purpose of the passage is to．

A．show the wonderful history of Russia

B．persuade artists to study St．Petersburg

C．recommend the famous buildings in Russia

D．introduce the must-see sights in St．Petersburg

The underlined phrase （in Para 1） “hit the highlights” means．

A．to save more time	B．to learn more knowledge
C．to go to the high buildings	D．to visit the most interesting sights

For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.
That’s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm. Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market. British pubs now offer something for everyone. A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men's Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all.
The passage mainly tells us something about

A．the past and present of British pubs

B．the decline of British pubs

C．the long history of British pubs

D．the importance of British pubs

Which may not be the cause of the decline of British pubs?

A．The credit crunch.

B．The ban of smoking.

C．The present closing time

D．Having no spare money.

We can infer from the passage that

A．British people used to like drinking slowly

B．closing the pubs early will reduce social problems

C．binge drinking means drinking less beer

D．British government aims to discourage people from binge drinking

We can see from the last paragraph that the author ________

A．is against the admission of too many women to the pubs

B．holds an optimistic attitude towards the British pubs

C．thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems

D．thinks that British pubs should offer everything you need

Like any good mother,when Karen found out that another baby was on the way,she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son,Michael,prepare for a new baby.Day after day,night after night,Michael sang to his mommy’s tummy(肚子).
Finally,Michael’s little sister was born.But she was in serious condition.With sirens (警报) howling in the night,the ambulance rushed the baby to St.Mary’s Hospital.The days inched by.The little girl became worse.The pediatric(儿科的) specialist told the parents to prepare for the worst.
Michael kept begging about singing to his sister,but kids are not allowed in pediatric department at St.Mary’s Hospital.Karen made up her mind to take Michael to see his sister.She dressed him in an oversized suit and marched him into the hospital.He looked like a walking laundry basket,but the head nurse recognized him as a child and shouted,“Get that kid out of here now!”Karen rose up strong,and the usually mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed into the head nurse’s face.“He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!”
Karen towed Michael to his sister’s bedside.He gazed at the tiny baby losing the battle to live.And he began to sing.In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old,Michael sang,“You are my sunshine,my only sunshine.You make me happy when skies are grey.”Instantly the baby girl responded.Her pulse rate became calm and steady.Her strained breathing became smoother.
“Keep on singing,Michael.”“The other night,dear,as I lay sleeping,I dreamed I help you in my arms…”Michael’s little sister relaxed as healing rest seemed to sweep over her.“Keep on singing,Michael.”Tears conquered the face of the nurse.“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.Please don’t take my sunshine away.”
The next day—the very next day—the little girl was well enough to go home!
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．It’s Hard to Raise a Baby	B．Mother’s Love
C．The Miracle of a Brother’s Song	D．An Unforgettable Day

From Karen’s action in the first paragraph we know that.

A．mothers often pay much attention to their newly-born babies

B．it often takes some time for a child to accept his/her newly-born brother or sister.

C．it is good for children to learn to sing songs to babies

D．mothers often tell their children how to look after their younger brothers or sisters

The underlined word“strained”means“”.

A．unnatural

B．exciting

C．deep

D．blocked

Which words can describe Michael?

A．Naughty and annoying.	B．Strong and brave.
C．Active and careless.	D．Concerned and determined.

Everyone has done experiments in high school laboratories, but have you ever thought about designing a satellite to explore space?
On Nov. 19, a team of students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in the US awed peers and even scientists by successfully launching a satellite.
The first satellite designed and built by high school students was sent up into space along with a record-setting. 28 other small ones on a rocket were sent from a NASA center in Virginia, CNN reported. It took the students seven years to build.
The students call their tiny satellite TJ3Sat, which is named after their school. It is just 10x10x12 centimeters and weighs only 0.89 kilograms, according to Orbital Sciences, a company which developed the rocket and supported the students’ project. It can be controlled with a smartphone.
Like most satellites, TJ3Sat can send and receive data. The small spacecraft is equipped with a voice synthesizer (合成器), which can switch text to voice and transmit those sounds back to Earth over radio waves, said Orbital officials. In this case, anyone can give it a try via the project’s website (school website) by submitting (提交) a text. The texts that get approved will be sent to the satellite, changed to voice and then broadcast back to Earth via radio waves.
“I can say ‘Go Colonials’ on our ground station and when it is on the other side of the world, in India, someone can hear ‘Go Colonials’over the radio,” the team explains on the website.
The satellite will stay in space for at least three months.
School principal Evan Glazer told The Washington Post that the project started in 2006 as an activity in the spare time. Later it became a research project for a select group of seniors.
At a time when American students are busy with SATs, the launch of the satellite shows what diligent teenagers can achieve when allowed to pursue their own curiosities, Glazer said.
“It used to be that kids growing up wanted to be an astronaut,” Andrew Petro, program executive (主管) for small spacecraft technology at NASA, said in a statement. “I think we might be seeing kids saying what they want to do is build a spacecraft. The idea here is that they really can do that.”
The underlined word “awed” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ___.

A．influenced

B．amazed

C．delighted

D．inspired

Which of the following statements about TJ3Sat is TRUE according to the article?

A．It took a group of students about a decade to build the satellite.

B．Besides TJ3Sat, 28 other small satellites were built by the students.

C．TJ3Sat can receive text messages that the students send into space, which it can change to voice messages and broadcast back to Earth.

D．TJ3Sat is expected to stay in orbit for the next year, sending out messages together with information about its position in space.

According to the article, the launch of the satellite _______.

A．is evidence of the advance of spacecraft technology

B．proves that hard-working teenagers can achieve a lot

C．shows the importance of extracurricular activities at school

D．has inspired many people to take an interest in space travel

Whether you’re eating at a fancy restaurant or dining in someone’s home, proper table manners are likely to help you make a good impression. According to a US expert, Emily Post, “All rules of table manners are made to avoid ugliness.”
While Henry Hitchings of the Los Angeles Times admits that good manners can reduce social conflict, he points out that mostly their purpose is protective – they turn our natural warrior-like selves into more elegant ones.
So where did table manners come from?
In medieval England, a writer named Petrus Alfonsi took the lead to urge people not to speak with their mouths full. And King David I of Scotland also proposed that any of his people who learned to eat more neatly be given a tax deduction (减除).
Disappointingly, that idea never caught on. It was during the Renaissance, when there were real technical developments, opinions of correct behavior changed for good. “None of these was more significant than the introduction of the table fork,” wrote Hitchings. “Gradually, as forks became popular, they brought the new way of eating, making it possible, for instance, to consume berries without making one’s fingers dirty.”
Forks were introduced to Britain in 1608 and 25 years later, the first table fork reached America. Yet while most of the essentials (基本要素) are the same on both sides of the Atlantic, there are a few clear differences between what’s normal in the US and what holds true in the UK. For example, in the US, when food needs cutting with a knife, people generally cut a bite, then lay aside the knife and switch the fork to their right hand. Then they pick up one bite at a time. By contrast, Britons keep the fork in the left hand and don’t lay the knife down.
Though globalization has developed a new, simpler international standard of table manners, some people still stick with the American cut-and-switch method.The Los Angeles Times noted, “They are hanging on to a form of behavior that favors manners above efficiency.”
What does the story mainly talk about?

A．The importance of proper table manners .

B．The development of table manners in Western countries.

C．Some unwritten rules of table manners in the US and UK.

D．Differences between American and British table manners.

The underlined phrase “caught on” in the passage probably means ______.

A．worked in practice	B．became popular
C．drew attention	D．had a positive effect

Which of the following events influenced people’s table manners most according to the article?

A．The introduction of forks.

B．The tax deduction policy.

C．The rise of the Renaissance.

D．Petrus Alfonsi’s efforts in promoting table manners.

What can we conclude from the article?

A．British and American table manners are completely different from each other.

B．American people pay more attention to their table manners than British people do.

C．With globalization, the American cut-and-switch method has been abandoned in the US.

D．British people’s way of using a knife and fork may be more efficient than American people’s.