Spring is just around the corner and it’s a time to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors.Here is a selection of festivals around the country that are a great excuse to travel and get back in the spring sunshine.
Dana Point Festival of the Whales
Dana Point, California
March 7 to 8 and 14 to 15, 2010
Each year, over two sunny weekends in March the town of Dana Point, California celebrates the return of migratory California gray whales to this part of the Pacific Ocean.Festivities include whale-watching, an arts festival and educational hands-on activities for the entire family.Prices start at $29 per adult and $19 for children.For more information, visit: www.dpfestivalofwhales.com
Chandler Ostrich Festival
Chandler, Arizona
March 13 to 15, 2010
Chandler is the center of ostrich(鸵鸟) ranching (农牧场工作) in the USA.You can see jockeys ride these feathered beasts around the ostrich track at Tumbleweed Park.General admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $7 for children aged 5 to 12 and kids 4 and under are free.For more information visit:
www.ostrichfestival.com
Festival of Houses and Gardens
Charleston, South Carolina
March 19 to April 18, 2010
The Historic Charleston Foundation gives curious travelers the opportunity to explore gardens of some of the finest private residences in America.Each 3-hour tour (afternoons from 2 to 5 pm and evenings from 6 to 9 pm) lets you visit 8 to 10 properties dating from the American colonial period.Prices range from $25 to $45.For more information, visit:
www.historiccharleston.org
Tulip Time Festival
Holland, Michigan
May 1 to 9, 2010
You don’t need to travel to the Netherlands this spring to see and smell some of the world’s finest tulips (郁金香).The town of Holland is home to millions of colorful bulbs. The 81st annual Tulip Time Festival, one of the largest flower festivals in America will kick off with fireworks on May 1.Admission fee ranges from $6 for the children’s area to $38 for theatre tickets.Tickets and more information are available at www.tuliptime.com.A couple with their 4-year-old son will go whale-watching, they have to pay _____.
A.$77 | B.$58 | C.$38 | D.$48 |
The underlined word “jockeys” in the passage is closest in meaning to _____.
A.judges | B.riders | C.children | D.travelers |
If you want to learn about the history of American colonial period, you can visit .
A.Tulip Time | B.Houses and Gardens |
C.Dana Point of the whales | D.Chandler Ostrich |
It can be concluded that .
A.all the festivals are held in March | B.all the Festivals are concerned with animals |
C.all the Festivals surely interest children | D.all the Festivals are held in the U.S.A |
Dear Alice,
I heard from you three days ago. I’m all right.
Good news! We moved to a new flat yesterday! There are more rooms here than in our old one. You know, I shared a room with my sister in the old flat. But now I have my own bedroom! It is small but it’s my favorite room! I can be alone in it. I can read books, draw pictures, listen to my radio and play CDs. I can also play games on my computer and send e-mails to my friends.
I also love the new bigger kitchen. I love helping my mother with our meals. Mom cooks well. She always teaches me how to make different kinds of dishes. She lived in China when she was young, so she can cook Chinese food. It’s delicious.
Write to me soon and tell me about your home. Please get on the Internet so that we can chat with each other.
All good wishes! Lily and her family moved to a new flat __________.
A.yesterday | B.last week |
C.last month | D.three days ago |
Lily is very happy mainly because ________.
A.she has just heard from Alice |
B.she has got her own bedroom |
C.she has a bigger bedroom now |
D.she shares a room with her sister |
Lily ________on her computer.
A.reads books and draws pictures |
B.learns to make different dishes |
C.plays CDs and listens to the radio |
D.plays games and sends e-mails |
From the letter we know all the following EXCEPT that ________.
A.there is a computer in Lily’s room |
B.Lily often helps her mother cook |
C.Lily’s mother is good at cooking |
D.Lily’s mother is Chinese |
It is a very common thing for a person to have a good friend. My good friend is Diana. She is a rich and proud girl. She often thinks that she is too good for anyone, so nobody wants to be her friend.
One day after school, I was waiting for Diana when Vivien came up to me. She gave me a biscuit. I accepted it. We talked and joked, and from then on, I began to spend more time with Vivien than with Diana. I felt a little uneasy.
After a few days, I went to see Diana with some snacks when Vinien came and sat with me. She offered me a sandwich. She also offered one to Diana, but Diana refused it. She walked away. I was angry with Diana for being so rude(无礼的).
“Never mind.” Vivien said, “I’m used to it.”
After school, I tried to catch up with Diana. While walking home, I tried to correct her attitude(态度), but she didn’t listen to me. She said, “Go and join your dear Vivien. I know you make a new friend and forget the old one.”
For the next few weeks, we didn’t talk to each other. Then one day, Diana came to Vivien and me, saying, “I’m really sorry about what I did. Would you please forgive me?” Vivien and I looked at each other and smiled. From then on, Diana, Vivien and I have been best friends.The writer was angry with Diana ___________.
A.because she was too good for anyone |
B.when Diana refused Vivien’s sandwich |
C.though she asked the writer to forgive me |
D.when she was waiting for Vivien |
Vivien’s words “I’m used to it.”show that __________.
A.someone refused to give her things |
B.Vivien used to be rude to others |
C.she cared a lot about it |
D.Diana had been rude to her before |
Diana asked Vivien and the writer to forgive her because ___________.
A.they didn’t spend much time with her |
B.she realized she was wrong |
C.Vivien and the writer didn’t talk to her |
D.she was rich and proud girl |
According to the passage, it is clear that ____________.
A.Diana, Vivien and the writer became good friends at last |
B.Diana didn’t like the sandwich |
C.Vivien didn’t want to make new friends at all |
D.the writer forgot her old friend after she had a new one |
How important is your mobile phone, better known to Americans as a cellphone? Jack said, “I use my phone all the time. I’m always on my phone.” Ann said, “It’s important to me because it’s like my life saver.” Jenny said, “I need my cellphone. I cannot live without it.”
So far, no studies have proven beyond question that the radio signals from cellphones cause brain cancer or other health problems. But a new study by government scientists in the United States has some people wondering what to think. The scientists have found that holding a cellphone to your ear for more than fifty minutes increases brain cell activity. Even the scientists themselves are not sure about the meaning of their findings.
Dr Nora Volkow led the study. She heads the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health. Dr Volkow says she is not concerned that fifty minutes of cellphone exposure (暴露) would harm anyone. But she says the research does show the need to study whether there are long-lasting effects of repeated exposure over several years.
Her team studied forty-seven healthy volunteers between January and December of 2009. The volunteers had cellphones placed against both ears while the scientists made images of their brain activity. As part of the test, one phone was activated (使激活)for fifty minutes. The other phone was off. After that, the volunteers were tested with both phones turned off. Dr Volkow says the brain scans(扫描) showed increased activity in brain cells closest to the activated phone.
The scans showed how the brain cells used sugar to produce energy, a normal activity. The activity was seven percent higher in areas of the brain closest to the cellphone antenna(天线).
Dr Giuseppe Esposito is a nuclear medicine expert at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington. He says after many years of studies, better kinds of research are still needed to settle questions about cellphone safety. These studies would take years.What the three people said in Paragraph 1 shows that .
A.not everyone needs to use a cellphone |
B.cellphones are the most important thing in our life |
C.cellphones play an important role in our life |
D.cellphones have different functions for different people |
According to Paragraph 2, what is still unknown to scientists?
A.Whether radio signals cause health problems or not. |
B.Whether using a cellphone for too long can lead to brain cancer. |
C.Whether cellphones have more advantages than disadvantages. |
D.Whether people worry about talking on the cellphone for too long. |
The results of the study tell us that .
A.people use cellphones for too long every day |
B.using cellphones has an effect on brain cells |
C.cellphones that are powered off can also affect the brain |
D.increased activity in brain cells has many causes |
Which statement would Dr Giuseppe Esposito probably agree with?
A.Cell phone safety is not an important issue. |
B.It goes without saying that cell phones harm people’s health. |
C.Few studies have been done on whether cell phones are safe to use. |
D.There is still a long way to go to find out whether cell phones are safe to use. |
There is one language that is used in every country in the world. The people who use it are young and old, short and tall, thin and fat. It is everybody’s second language. It is easy to understand, although you can’t hear it. It is sign language.
When you wave to a friend who is across the street, you are using sign language. When you smile at someone, you are saying, “I want to be friendly”, but you are not using speech. You are using sign language. When you raise your hand in class, you are saying, “Please ask me. I think I know the correct answer.”
Babies who can’t talk can point at things. They are using sign language. A policeman who wants to stop traffic holds up his hands. He is using sign language.
Many years ago, a French priest, Charles Michel de Epee, became interested in education for deaf people. He invented a finger alphabet (字母表). It is still in use. People can make the sign for letters and spell words with their hands, and deaf people can read and understand them. Soon there were schools for the deaf in many countries. The only university for the deaf is Gallaudet College in Washington, D.C.
Today, in the United States, there are special TV news programs for deaf people. The newsreader tells the news in sign language. At the same time, the words appear on the TV screen.
The actors in the Theatre of Deaf don’t spell every word. Sometimes they use hand signs. When they put two hands together, it means sandwich. They can make a roof with their hands when they want to show a house. One finger in front of an actor’s mouth can mean quiet. You can talk to people who are behind windows that are closed. And when you go swimming with your friends, you can have conversations under water.
How many hand signs do you use every day?Which of the following about sign language is TRUE?
A.It is a special language used in a few countries in the world. |
B.It is a way to express one’s ideas without words. |
C.It is only used by the deaf. |
D.It can be heard. |
If you want to express the idea that “I am very friendly” to someone, you will ______.
A.raise your hand |
B.put one hand onto the other |
C.smile to the person |
D.make a roof with your hands |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Hand signs instead of finger signs are used everyday.
B. There are schools, colleges and universities for the deaf in the USA.
C. The French priest Charles invented sign language.
D. Even babies are using sign language.The passage is mainly about ______.
A.an introduction to sign language |
B.the importance of sign language |
C.a famous priest in France |
D.how to use sign language |
Camp memories last forever! We make sure they are unforgettable!
Shadow Ridge Summer Camps offer so many exciting things for campers to do. Unlike other camp programs that include horses as a small part of their program, at Shadow Ridge horses ARE the program! We are 100%horse from stable(马厩)management, nature walks, and track rides to bedroom furnishings.
Horses help us achieve many of our aims. Girls can learn to develop responsibility, self-confidence and personal connections in their lives while having fun. Using horses as a wonderful tool for education, our camps offer an interesting place for growth and learning.
Imagine each girl having her very own horse to spend time with and a best friend to love and take care of. Each camper is responsible for a horse for the week. Our riding program provides a lot of riding and lesson time. Campers will learn how to take care of the horse and the tack(马具), as well as how to ride. Days are filled with horse-related activities to strengthen the connection between each girl and horse, as the girls learn to work safely around the horses.
At Shadow Ridge we try to create a loving, caring family atmosphere for our campers. We have “The Bunkhouse”(4 girls), the“ Wranglers Roost”(4 girls), and “The Hideout”(2 girls)in our comfortable 177-year-old farm house. All meals are home cooked, offering delicious and healthy food for the hungry rider.
Our excellent activities create personalized memories of your child's vacation, Each child will receive a camp T-shirt and a photo album(usually 300-500 pictures)of their stay at camp.
Our camps are offered during June, July and August , for small groups of girls aged 13-16 years, not only from Canada but also other parts of the world.
We will send you full program descriptions at your request.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To attract people to the camps. |
B.To talk about camping experiences. |
C.To describe the programs of the camps. |
D.To explain the aims of the camps. |
What do we know about the camp programs at Shadow Ridge?
A.Campers are required to wear camp T-shirts. |
B.Horses play a central role in the activities. |
C.Campers learn to cook food for themselves. |
D.Horse lessons are offered all the year round. |
The programs at Shadow Ridge mainly aim to help people .
A.understand horses better |
B.enjoy a family atmosphere |
C.have fun above other things |
D.achieve an educational purpose |
The passage is written mainly for .
A.horse riders |
B.teenage girls |
C.Canadian parents |
D.international travelers |