Cittaslow has discovered China, and it is awarding a little village in Jiangsu the title of "slow city"
The bored teenagers of Gaochun are impatient with the leisurely pace of hometown life．For them there is no nightlife to speak of, no bright lights, no excitement and they cannot wait to grow up and leave for the urban attractions of the big cities．But it is this laid-back lifestyle that has attracted international attention．At least, a quiet village within Gaochun county has come under the spotlight．Yaxi village, population 20,000, is about to be designated China’s first "slow city" by Cittaslow, the sustainable lifestyle movement that first surfaced in Italy 11 years ago．
At home, the residents at Yaxi are unfazed and pretty much unimpressed by the honor．To them, life has been like this for as long as they can remember．Here, growing old gracefully is natural．
Nobody living in this little county had heard of Cittaslow or the words "slow city" before this．
"The first time I heard the term was last July, when the vice-president of Cittaslow, Angelo Vassallo, visited Yaxi village," says Zuo Niansheng, the chief editor of local newspaper Gaochun Today．
"Vassallo was deeply impressed by this village’s natural and cultural resources and said it perfectly fitted the requirements for a slow city," says Zuo．"That was how Yaxi became connected with Cittaslow．
The Slow City must also be committed to protect and maintain the natural environment as well as promote a sustainable way of development ?all of which are the current strategies adopted in Gaochun．"We’ve been doing this for years," adds Zuo．
Cittaslow was founded in Tuscany, Italy in 1999．It was a spin-off from the Slow Food movement which started, also in Italy, in 1986 as a protest against the first McDonald ’ s opening near the Spanish Steps in Rome．The movement championed a return to healthy, nutritious home-grown, home -cooked food．
Slow Food has since expanded globally to more than 130 countries．Its mission has also broadened to include the promotion of sustainable foods and local small businesses, and the localization as opposed to globalization of food production．
Cittaslow is an expansion of the Slow Food movement, and it actively advocates a lifestyle that is sustainable, that will improve quality of life, and will preserve cultural and culinary （烹饪的）heritage．According the passage, Cittaslow is a（n） ____．
| A．organization | B．person | C．lifestyle | D．honor |
What’ s the reaction of the residents at Yaxi to the award according the passage? They feel
| A．very excited． | B．very shocked |
| C．indifferent | D．very happy |
Why is the village Yaxi awarded the title of “slow city”? Because .
| A．it is full of excitement and activities of nightlife |
| B．the residents at Yaxi enjoy a leisure life |
| C．it is very rich and has a lot of attractions |
| D．foreign people like small towns than big cities. |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．young people at Yaxi enjoy their life very much |
| B．China is more and more popular with foreign people |
| C．the first McDonald’s in Europe was opened in Spain |
| D．the lifestyle of “slow city” will be good to environment and people |
EVENTS
Long March exhibition
The Shanghai History Museum is putting on an exhibition to mark the 60th anniversary of the Long March．On show are more than 220 photos and 40 items that explain with pictures how the communist Red Army drew back from its besieged(被围困的) bases in Jiangxi Province and fought its way to northern Shanxi Province in the mid-1930s．Explanations are all in Chinese．The show will end on November 20.
Time: 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Address: 1286 Hongqiao Road
Admission: 8 yuan for Chinese /15 yuan for foreigners
Thai elephants
Eight elephants from Thailand are entertaining visitors at Changfeng Park by riding bikes, playing basketball, balancing on a pole, dancing and blowing a mouthorgan（口琴）．People are encouraged to have a tug-of-war(拔河比赛)with the animals or lie on the ground and have the elephants walk over them．The elephants give three shows a day at 9:30 am, 3:30 pm and 8:00 pm and there is an additional show at l:30 pm at weekends．The show will end on November 15．
Address: 189 Daduhe Road
Admission: 30-40 yuan
Dancing dolphins
Dolphins jumping from the water to touch a ball, swaying their bodies to music, kissing people and doing math by tapping their tails have made the dolphinarium（海豚馆） in Peace Park an attraction for children．Seals and sea lions also perform.
Hours: 10:30 am, 4:00 pm, and 7:30 pm
Admission: 20 yuan for adults and 10 yuan for children.(252 words)If you go to visit the Long March exhibition with an Australian, how much will you pay altogether for the admission?
| A．16 yuan． | B．30 yuan． | C．23 yuan. | D．20 yuan. |
Which of the following is NOT done by the Thai elephants?
| A．Riding bicycles. |
| B．Blowing a mouth-organ． |
| C．Having a tug-of-war with people. |
| D．Doing math． |
The dolphinarium in Peace Park is a hall where you can see ______.
| A．only seals and sea lions perform |
| B．only dolphins perform |
| C．not only dolphins but also seals and sea lions perform |
| D．only seals perform |
Eyesight problems are common among all ages and if they are left untreated, they can cause serious headaches or other problems. The good news is that most eyesight problems can easily be sorted out by wearing glasses.
Regular eye tests are important for everyone. Children and teenagers, under the age of 16 and up to the age of 19 for those full-time education, have the right to have eye tests for free in Britain. As the eye test is free, theres no excuse for not having a regular eye test. Doctors suggest that its better to have an eye test about once a year.
Wearing glasses isnt always regarded as all that cool and teens who suddenly need to wear glasses may find it difficult to accept. If theyve grown up wearing glasses, then they may be more used to it. However, if your eyes are in poor health, not wearing glasses can put even more pressure on your eyes and could make them even worse.
Thankfully, the days of little choice of glasses frames (框架) for teenagers are gone and there’s now a wide selection of frames. If a teen does need to wear glasses, then it’s good to let him or her choose the type, as he or she will be able to choose something he or she feels comfortable. Dont forget to be guided by the experts on glasses too.According to the text, teens in the UK ______.
| A．have few eyesight problems |
| B．can design their own glasses |
| C．change their glasses very often |
| D．can check their eyes without paying |
How often do doctors suggest teens to have an eye test?
| A．Once a month. |
| B．Once every six months. |
| C．Once a year. |
| D．Twice a year. |
It can be learned from the text that teens ______.
| A．find it difficult to buy comfortable glasses |
| B．prefer to wear cool glasses at an early age |
| C．are advised to wear glasses if their eyesight is poor |
| D．think they are much cooler when wearing glasses |
In the past, teens who wanted to buy glasses ______.
| A．were unable to find the right glasses |
| B．only had a few styles to choose from |
| C．could not find an expert to ask for advice |
| D．were worried about the quality of glasses |
When Xia Min started drinking alcohol（酒精，乙醇） with her classmates at a friend’s birthday, she didn’t realize what would happen to her. She drank a lot and fell into a coma (昏迷). The 15year-old girl from Chongqing never recovered.
Xia’s death is warning to other students. A new rule went into effect on January 1, 2006. Teens are not allowed to buy or drink alcohol. Shops are not allowed to sell it to them.
A 1999 Chinese law forbade (禁止) shops to sell alcohol to youths under 18. But it is not taken seriously by shopkeepers because it doesn’t have specific rules. People hope the new rule will work.
I tasted alcohol when having the dinner of the last New Years Eve, said Lian Yuqi, a 16-year-old girl in Xiamen. She believes that the new rule will stop teens from drinking and help them grow in a healthy way.
Although it may be a little disappointing not to have beer at parties, I think we can have soft drinks instead, she said.Xia Min died from alcohol at the age of ______.
| A．15 | B．16 | C．17 | D．18 |
The underlined rd it means ________.
| A．a warning sing | B．a shopkeeper |
| C．the new rule | D．a 1999 Chinese law |
We can know that ________.
| A．it is against the new rule for youths under 18 to drink alcohol |
| B．shops can sell alcohol to a 16 years old youth. |
| C．without an ID card, young people cant buy alcohol |
| D．it seems that the young girl, Liang Yuqi, likes to drink alcohol |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The new rule has worked very well. |
| B．Shopkeepers can sell alcohol to teens above 18. |
| C．Chinas legal drinking age is clearly under18. |
| D．Many teens drink alcohol to show theyve grown up. |
If your mother wants to tell you something , she uses words . Birds can not talk as we do . But some birds can make sounds to warn their young of danger . They have their own ways to make the young birds do certain thing .
The jackdaw is a kind of blackbirds that lives in Europe . Jackdaws live together in flocks. (群) Yong jackdaws do not know their enemies . When an older jackdaw sees a dog , it makes a loud tattling (格格响的)sound. The young birds know this sound means an enemy is nearby. The sounds warns them to know their enemy .
If a young jackdaw is in a dangerous place, a jackdaw parent flies over him from behind .The parent bird flies low over the young bird’s back, the parents’ tail feathers move quickly from side to side, It is trying to say , “ Follow me .”
At the same time , the parent calls out , “ Key-aw ,Key-aw .” The parent means , “ Fly home with me .” The young bird then follows the older one home .
Young jackdaws do not have to learn what certain sounds mean. They know the meaning of these sounds from the time they hatch （孵化，小鸡等出壳）.The jackdaw lives in _____ .
| A．Europe | B．Australia |
| C．America | D．Africa |
When an old jackdaw sees a dog , it _____ .
| A．calls out “Follow me .” | B．makes a loud sound |
| C．flies away | D．fights the dog . |
Parent jackdaw can use their tail feathers to ______ .
| A．ask their young to follow them |
| B．play a game with the young |
| C．tell the meal time |
| D．give a warning of a fire |
Which of the following does this story lead you to believe ?
| A．All animal parents can talk to their young. |
| B．Dogs are the most dangerous enemies for jackdaws. |
| C．Young jackdaws know the meaning of their parentssound when they grow older. |
| D．Some birds can give certain information to one another. |
BEIJING, Feb. 26 (China Daily) -- As the smog orange warning continues, tourist attractions in Beijing are experiencing a significant decline (下降) in visitor number.
A new report launched by Beijing authorities on the morning of February 24 indicates that the concentration of PM 2.5 has risen, with no sign of decreasing, the orange warning will still be in effect, according to Xinhua News Agency.
According to data released by the Beijing Tourism Website, by 2:00 pm, February 24, popular tourist attractions including The Great Wall and Palace Museum had been affected by the smog in terms of tourist numbers.
As for the Palace Museum, the number of visitors was only 11,200 that day, far from the figure of 40,000, which is the daily average number of visitors it normally receives.
There were a few visitors in Beihai Park on the morning of February 24, and two visitors from Hebei province planned to end their morning tour earlier than scheduled because of the smog. One of them said, “The visibility is so poor that we can’t take good photos, or even see clearly. We’d better leave early.”
In response to worsening air conditions, travel agencies have also taken some measures to avoid a further decline in tourist numbers. An employee with China Youth Travel Service, Wang Tao, said the agency will inform tourists of the weather conditions at their destinations. A tour guide with China Travel Service also told the media that it was a tour guide’s duty to inform foreign visitors of the smog conditions in Beijing, and the agency will provide free face masks to those in need. But efforts to do so merely treat the symptom rather than the disease itself, because the root cause is air pollution. China will introduce various emergency responses and long-term measures against air pollution. Officials and experts called for combined efforts by governments, industries and the public to cooperate more efficiently and to jointly solve the problem.In the following statements, which one is NOT TRUE?
| A．The tourism in Beijing was influenced by the hazy weather. |
| B．Both the Great Wall and Palace Museum had been affected by the smog. |
| C．The concentration of PM 2.5 has risen, but it will decrease soon. |
| D．According to the data released by the Beijing Tourism Website, we can know the information. |
According to the passage, if the weather is fine, how many visitors will the Palace Museum receive in a week?
| A．About 11,200. | B．About 78,400. |
| C．About 40,000. | D．About 280,000. |
The most effective way to solve the problem of air pollution is to _______.
| A．take some measures of treating the symptom merely |
| B．unite the power of governments, industries and the public |
| C．provide free face masks to those in need |
| D．inform tourists of the weather conditions at their destinations |
What does the author most probably mean by saying “efforts to do so merely treat the
symptom rather than the disease itself” in the last paragraph?
| A．These efforts could treat the symptom and the disease. |
| B．Treating the symptom is more important than the disease. |
| C．These efforts are not enough to solve the problem thoroughly. |
| D．These efforts couldn’t treat the disease, so they are unnecessary. |