A journey to China
14 days from just ￡2,090pp
Fully inclusive from the UK
Price cover international airfares, departure taxes, fuel charges, local transportation, accommodation, all meals, entrance fees, guides, daily tours and visas for UK citizens.
◆Days 1-3 UK-Shanghai
Fly to the great city of shanghai and in the evening sample traditional shanghai food. Visit the beautiful YU Gardens, Old Town. Shanghai Museum, cross the Great Nanpu Bridge and tour the Pudong area. Also explore Xintiandi with its 1920’s style Shikomen buildings and end your stay in shanghai with an amazing Huangpu river evening tour.
◆Days 4-7:Shanghai-Yangtze River Tour
Fly to Yichang and change （approx: one hour）to board your Yangtze River ship for the next four nights. Enjoy a tour of the three Gorges Dam（三峡大坝）before sailing on the grand Yangtze River, passing through the impressive Three Gorges. We take a side trip to the lesser Three Gorges or travel up the Shennong Stream in a peapod boat and enjoy various shore trips along the way.
◆Day8 :Chongqing—Chengdu
Get off in Chongqing and drive to Chengdu for an overnight stay.
◆Day9-10;Chengdu-Xi’an
Visit the famous Panda Reserve to see the lovely animals We then fly to the historic city of Xi’an for two nights stay and enjoy traditional Shuijiao. Next day, explore one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century—the Terracotta Warriors（兵马俑），followed by the ancient City wall and a performance of Tang Dynasty dancing.
◆Day11-13: Xi’an-Beijing
Visit little wild Goose pagoda and see the ancient objects at the well-known Shangxi Provincial museum before walking through the lively militia Quarter to see the Great Mosque. Later fly to Beijing for three nights’ stay and try Peking Duck. During our stay in Beijing, we stroll through Tiananmen Square to the Forbidden city, the largest and best preserved collection of ancient buildings in china, and visit the summer palace. Next day we take a walk on the Great wall, tour the unique Temple of Heaven and enjoy an attractive Chinese Acrzobatio show.
◆Day14:Beijing-UK
Fly back to the UK, arriving home later the same day filled with happy memories.
The underlined word “sample” in the passage probably means “ ” .
| A．buy | B．reserve | C．taste | D．make |
The first and last scenic spots to he visited in Xi’an are .
| A．the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Mosque |
| B．the Terracotta Warriors and shanghai provincial Museum |
| C．Little wild goose Pagoda and Great Mosque |
| D．Little wild goose Pagoda and the Muslim Quarter |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the ad?
| A．The tourists will have to pay extra for fuel and meals. |
| B．The tourists will visit the 1920’s Shikumen buildings in Beijing. |
| C．The tourists will take a side trip to the Three Gorges Dam during the tour. |
| D．The tourists will stay in Beijing for three nights before leaving for the UK. |
The ad is mainly intended to .
| A．encourage the British to travel in China |
| B．attract the British to traditional Chinese food |
| C．offer service of booking air tickets to tourists |
| D．provide the British with a better understanding of China. |
Almost two-thirds of children want their parents to spend more time reading to them before bed, and most prefer Mum’s storytelling to Dad’s, researchers said.
They carried out a study that showed younger children aged 3-4 were most hungry for more stories, with over three-quarters saying they wished their parents read to them more often.
More than half of all children aged 3-8 said story time was their favourite pastime with their parents.
"The results of our research confirm the traditional activity of storytelling continues to be a powerful learning and emotional resource in children's lives," said child psychologist Richard Woolfson.
Storytelling ranked higher than television or video games among pastimes for kids, and 82 percent said reading a story with their parents helped them sleep better, according the survey of 500 children aged 3-8 in Britain.
The best storytellers were mothers who used funny voices to illustrate different characters or made their own special sound effects to keep the story moving, researchers said.
When mum and dad are not at hand, celebrities(名人) will do: over 30 percent of children said they would like to hear a bedtime story from Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, with teen idols(偶像) Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus and Emma Watson.
"It can be very difficult for parents to find the time to read with their children, but these moments can help build strong relations and play a vital part in their child's development," said Woolfson.The underlined word “pastime” in the passage most probably means .
| A．old time | B．entertainment | C．emotion | D．character |
The author develops the passage mainly by .
| A．pointing out similarities and differences | B．following the natural time order |
| C．comparing opinions from different fields | D．providing examples and statistics |
Reading a story with their parents helped most kids aged 3-8 .
| A．grow stronger | B．become more emotional | C．sleep better | D．become more powerful |
Japanese couples, too busy for a normal social life, are increasingly turning to actors to play their friends on the most important days of their lives.
Several agencies have sprung up(涌现)offering actors to attend weddings or even funerals.The first guest-for-hire company was established about nine years ago and around 10 agencies now send out dozens of pretend friends to family events.
Agencies such as Hagemashi Tai, which means “I want to cheer you up”, charge around ￡100 for each “guest”. Other services such as giving a speech in praise of a bride or the groom cost extra.
The appearance of the small fake friends industry has been linked to social and economic changes in Japan.With lifetime employment (终身雇佣制)a thing of the past, couples feel uncomfortable about inviting work colleagues to their wedding.Increasingly busy and put upon, many Japanese surround themselves with only a very small circle of friends.
When they marry, however, they are under pressure to match the number of their new partner’s wedding guests.
Office Agents, the largest provider of pretend friends, makes sure that its employees have done their homework and know all about the bride or groom before the wedding.
Hiroshi Mizutani, the company’s founder, said the fake friends he provides must look happy, be well dressed and look like people with good jobs.Why did fake friends industry come into being in Japan?
| A．Because of social and economic changes | B．Because of lifetime employment |
| C．Because of normal social life | D．Because of work pressure |
Pretend friends will be present at the following occasions except ________.
| A．weddings | B．funerals | C．work | D．family gathering |
The agents make sure that ________.
| A．fake friends have done their housework | B．fake friends have good jobs |
| C．fake friends must look happy and be well dressed | D．fake friends feel uncomfortable |
What is the best title of this passage?
| A．Japanese Couples are Under Pressure to Get Married | B．Japanese Couples’ Social Life |
| C．The First Guest-for-hire Company in Japan | D．Japanese Couples Rely on Fake Friends |
They like using the Internet. They have lots of pocket money to spend. And they spend a higher proportion of it online than the rest of us. Teenagers are just the sort of people an online seller is interested in, and the things they want to buy----games, CDs and clothing----are easily sold on the Web.
But paying online is a tricky business for consumers who are too young to own credit(信用) cards. Most have to use a parent’s card. They want a facility that allows them to spend money.
That may come sooner than they think: new ways to take pocket money into cyber (网络的) space are coming out rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic. If successful, these products can stimulate(刺激) online sales.
In general, teenagers spend huge amounts: $153bn (billion) in the US last year and ￡20bn annually in the UK. Most teenagers have access to the Internet at home or at school－88 percent in the US, 69 percent in the UK. According to the Jupiter Research, one in eight of those with Internet access has bought something online－mainly CDs and books.
In most cases, parents pay for these purchases with credit cards, an arrangement that is often unsatisfactory for them and their children. Pressing parents to spend online is less productive than pressing on the high street. They are more likely to ask “Why?” if you ask to spend some money online.
One way to help teenagers change notes and coins into cybercash is through prepaid cards such as InternetCash in the US and Smart cards in the UK. Similar to those for pay-as-you-go mobile telephones, they are sold in amounts such as￡20 or $50 with a hidden 14-digit number that can be used to load the cash into an online account.What does the word “They” in paragraph 1 refer to?
| A．Sellers. | B．Buyers. | C．Teenagers. | D．Parents. |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．More than half of the teenagers in the US and the UK have Internet access. |
| B．Teenagers pay for goods online with their own credit cards. |
| C．Most teenagers in the US and the UK have bought something online. |
| D．Teenagers found it easier to persuade parents to buy online than in a shop. |
A new way to help teenagers shop online is to use ______.
| A．a new machine | B．prepaid cards | C．special coins and notes | D．pay-as-you-go mobile phones |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Online shopping traps. | B．Internet users in the US and the UK. |
| C．New credit cards for parents. | D．The arrival of cyber pocket money. |
Fri, Jun. 1
Nightlife Back to the Age of Innocence
This performance, organized by the group Lifetime Wharf, will celebrate Children's Day and commemorate (纪念) the lost childhoods of office workers. Five bands will perform: DH & Chinese Hellcats, DUDE, Candy Monster, Residence A and Island Mood.
Where: Yugong Yishan Livehouse, 3-2 Zhangzizhong Lu. Dongcheng District
When: 8 pm
Admission: 60 yuan pre-sale. 80 yuan at door
Tel: 64042711
Sun. Jun. 3
Movie Chinese Girl by Guo Xiaolu
The indie film Chinese Girl directed by Guo Xiaolu , is about the life of a girl who lives in the countryside. The lead actress, Huang Lu , will attend the screening and answer participants’ questions afterwards.
Where: UCCA, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
When: 7pm
Admission: 15 yuan (10 yuan for students , free for VIP)
Tel: 57800200
Mon, Jun. 4
Script Reading
Scripts written by students from the 166th Middle School of Beijing will be performed. They include: Love Sleeping Beauty, Lucky Ferris Wheel Production, Jane Eyre, Our Self-study Class and Farewell -- Bing Xin.
Where: Penghao Theater, 35 Dongmianhua Hutong, Dongcheng District
When: Until Jun. 5, 7: 30 pm
Admission: 80 yuan (40 yuan for students)
Tel: 64006472
Thu, Jun. 7
Movie Invictus
This film is directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman , both of whom were nominated for Academy Awards.
Where: China Film Archive, 3 Wenhuiyuan Lu, Haidian District
When: Until Jun 8, 7:30-10pm
Admission: 120-480yuan
Tel: 66550000If Mr. Green (VIP), together with his wife and his three schoolchildren watches the movie Chinese Girl, how much will they pay for the admission?
| A．30 yuan. | B．45 yuan. | C．50 yuan. | D．60 yuan. |
Which of the following does NOT agree with what is said in the above advertisements?
| A．The movie "Invictus" will be on until June 8. |
| B．The scripts written by the students include Love Sleeping Beauty. |
| C．Chinese Girl is about the life of a girl who lives in the countryside. |
| D．Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman were the directors of the film Invictus. |
If Marry would like to know the content of Jane Eyre, where will she watch the program?
| A．In UCCA, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. |
| B．In China Film Archive, 3 Wenhuiyuan Lu, Haidian District. |
| C．In Penghao Threater, 35 Dongmianhua Hutong, Dongcheng District. |
| D．In Yugong Yishan Livehouse, 3 -- 2 Zhangzizhong Lu, Dongcheng District. |
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Smoking not only can wrinkle(起皱纹) the face and turn it yellow -- it can do the same to the whole body, researchers reported on Monday.
The study, published in the Archives of Dermatology, shows that smoking affects the skin all over the body -- even skin protected from the sun.
"We examined non-facial skin that was protected from the sun, and found that the total number of packs of cigarettes smoked per day and the total years a person has smoked were linked with the amount of skin damage a person experienced," Dr. Yolanda Helfrich of the University of Michigan, who led the study, said in a statement.
"In participants older than 65 years, smokers had significantly more fine wrinkling than nonsmokers. Similar findings were seen in participants aged 45 to 65 years," Helfrich's team added in their report.
The researchers tested 82 people, smokers and nonsmokers, taking pictures of the inner right arms. They ranged in age from 22 to 91 and half were smokers. Independent judges decided how wrinkled each person's skin was.
When skin is exposed to sunlight, notably（尤其）the face, it becomes coarse, wrinkled and discolored with a pale yellow tint, Helfrich's team wrote.
Several previous studies have found that cigarette smoking contributes to premature（过早的）skin aging as measured by facial wrinkles, the study said, but little has been done to measure the aging of skin not exposed to light.
The report did not discuss the mechanism involved but previous research has found that cigarette smoke, among other things, causes blood vessels（血管）beneath the skin to constrict（紧缩）, reducing blood supply to the skin.
Smoking can also damage the connective tissue (组织)that supports both the skin and the internal organs.The best title for this passage would be_______.
| A．The danger of smoking | B．Smoking causes skin aging |
| C．Quit smoking for health | D．A survey of smokers |
It can be inferred from the study _______ .
| A．smoking won’t make skin protected from the sun |
| B．smoking will do damage to skin rather than other organs |
| C．smokers over 65 usually won’t worry about their skin |
| D．the age of smokers is not connected with the result of the test |
From the passage smoking results in skin aging mainly because_____.
| A．it will lower blood supply to skin | B．it can make you feel tired |
| C．it can make skin come off | D．it can make blood run faster |
The main purpose of the passage is to ______.
| A．inform people about the result of the study |
| B．advise people how to protect skin |
| C．warn people not to smoke again |
| D．introduce a new way of avoiding skin aging |