Book now to see Keira Knightley and Elisabeth Moss star in The Children’s Hour at the Comedy Theatre in London．
Dates: 22 January 2011 to 31 January 2011
Times: 22 Jan 2011 6:30 PM; 24—29 Jan 2011 7:30 PM; 29 Jan 2011 2:30 PM; 31 Jan 2011 7:30 PM．
Place: Comedy Theatre
The Children’s Hour
The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman is a striking play about the power of a lie． Karen Wright （Keira Knightley） and Martha Dobie （Elisabeth Moss） run a girls’ boarding school in the 1930s New England． When an angry student starts a rumour that the two headmistresses are having a lesbian （女同性恋者） affair, it gradually destroys the women’s careers, relationships and lives． The Children’s Hour is an upsetting story of cheat, shame and courage．
Banned in London and several cities across America, The Children’s Hour received its world opening on Broadway in 1934． Generations on, its exploration of a culture of fear remains remarkably relevant．
Keira Knightley and Elisabeth Moss Star
Keira Knightley, nominee （被提名者） for Best Actress 2010 Evening Standard Awards for The Misanthrope, returns to the London stage． Knightley starred in Love Actually, The Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy, Pride and Prejudice．
Elisabeth Moss, best-known for playing Peggy Olson in Mad Men, made her Broadway stage debut （首映） in David Mamet’s Speed the Plow in 2008． The Children’s Hour will be her West End debut．
Book The Children’s Hour Tickets
Book theatre tickets to see The Children’s Hour at London’s Comedy Theatre today． With two big stars in the leading roles, The Children’s Hour tickets are sure to sell fast． Book yours online now with Visit London’s secure ticket booking partner on this wetsite． Just click the green book button to buy your The Children’s Hour tickets． If you visit London in January, at which time can you see the play?
| A．21 Jan 2011 6:30 PM． | B．23 Jan 2011 2:30 PM． |
| C．26 Jan 2011 2:30 PM． | D．31 Jan 2011 7:30 PM． |
We can learn from the passage that The Children’s Hour____________．
| A．used to be forbidden | B．is about the power of love |
| C．was set in England in the 1930s | D．is not popular these days |
Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?
| A．Keira Knightley was awarded Best Actress 2010 Evening Standard Awards． |
| B．Elisabeth Moss ever performed on the Broadway stage． |
| C．Without the two big stars, people would not buy the play’s tickets． |
| D．You can only buy a ticket with Visit London’s secure ticket booking partner． |
Where shall we probably read this passage?
| A．In a movie magazine． | B．In the newspaper． |
| C．On the website． | D．In an academic journal． |
Almost 55,000 people who have had a major impact on British society are profiled in a new 60-volume book that has taken 12 years to compile.
It has cost more than ￡25million and taken 10,000 writers to update the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Murder victims Stephen Lawrence and James Bulger are among those joining the likes of Queen Victoria and Gandhi.
The new version of the dictionary, which was founded in 1882, costs ￡7,500 and takes up 12 feet of shelf space.
Projects director Robert Faber said Stephen Lawrence was included because his death triggered "dramatic developments in British policing and social policy".
Women make up 10% of the entries - double the previous share - and include Queen Elizabeth I, Dusty Springfield, Linda McCartney and Virginia Woolf, whose father compiled the first edition.
Alongside the famous names are lesser known individuals such as the inventor of snooker, army reservist(预备役军人)Neville Chamberlain.
Stephen Lawrence and James Bulger were both included because of the "overwhelming soul-searching(真挚的自我反省、深思)and examination of education and social policy" which followed their deaths.
Mr Faber said: "These are not just people who were killed but people who had an impact. Jill Dando is there as much for her career but also because her death became a public event.
"So many of these people have seized the public imagination and have contributed to public debate." How much does a volume of the new version cost on average?
| A．More than ￡25million. | B．More than ￡400, 000. |
| C．￡7, 500. | D．￡125. |
How many women are profiled in the New Oxford Dictionary of National Biography?
| A．About 5. | B．About 55. | C．About 550. | D．About 5500. |
It can be inferred that Jill Dando _____.
| A．died in a case of murder which drew the public much attention |
| B．isn’t included in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |
| C．is the director of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |
| D．is included in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography only for her death |
_____ are collected in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
| A．Those who were murdered in history | B．Those who have shaped Britain |
| C．Those who are famous all over the world | D．Those who live in Britain |
A black hole is created when a large star burns out. Like our sun, stars are unbelievably hot furnaces(熔炉) that burn their own matter as fuel. When most of the fuel is used up, the star begins to die.
The death of a star is not a quiet event. First there is a huge explosion. As its outer layer is blasted off into space, the dying star shines as brightly as a billion suns.
After the explosion gravity pulls in what’s left of the star. As the outside of the star sinks toward the center, the star gets smaller and smaller. The material the star is made of becomes tightly packed together. A star is so dense that a teaspoon of matter from it weighs billion of pounds.
The more the star shrinks, the stronger the gravity inside it becomes. Soon the star is very tiny, and the gravity pulling it in is unbelievably strong. In fact, the gravity is so strong that it even pulls light into the star! Since all the light is pulled in, none can go out. The star becomes black when there is no light. Then a black hole is born!
That’s what we know about black holes. What we don’t know is this: What happens inside a black hole after the star has been squeezed into a tiny ball? Does it keep getting smaller and smaller forever? Such a possibility is hard to imagine.
But if the black hole doesn’t keep shrinking, what happens to it? Some scientists think black holes are like doorways to another world．They say that as the star disappears from our universe, it goes into another universe. In other words a black hole in our universe could turn into a “white hole” in a different universe. As the black hole swallows light, the white hole shines brightly — somewhere else. But where? A different place, perhaps, or a different time — many years in the past or future.
Could you travel through a black hole? Right now, no. Nothing we know of could go into a black hole without being crushed．So far the time being, black hole must remain a mystery.
Black holes are a mystery—but that hasn’t stopped scientists from dreaming about them. One scientist suggested that in the future we might make use of the power of black holes. They would supply all of Earth’s energy needs, with plenty to spare. Another scientist wondered if a black hole could some day be used to swallow earthly waste—a sort of huge waste disposal (处理) in the sky!When the star begins to die ______.
| A．there is no fuel left in it | B．its outer layer goes into space first |
| C．a huge explosion will happen | D．it doesn’t give off light any longer |
Which of the following doesn’t help produce a black hole?
| A．The gravity inside the star is very strong. |
| B．The light can’t go out of the star. |
| C．The star becomes smaller and smaller |
| D．The dying star shines very brightly. |
The black hole ______.
| A．continues becoming smaller and smaller all the time |
| B．goes into another universe and becomes a white hole |
| C．can pull in everything we know of in the world |
| D．will appear at another place at a different time |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．A New Scientific Discovery: Black Holes |
| B．How Do Black Holes Come Into Being? |
| C．What Are Black Holes? |
| D．Travel Through A Black Hole |
The diagram is mainly about ______.
| A．the food chain of the animal | B．the system of energy flowing |
| C．how to get food for man | D．the growth of the energy |
Which is not the result of photosynthesis of the plant?
| A．Oxygen is released into the air. | B．Food is provided for animals. |
| C．Certain forms of energy is produced． | D．The air is cleaned． |
What occurs when the energy flows through the system?
| A．Energy is consumed and one becomes the food of others. |
| B．Energy is stored and plants become animals. |
| C．Man plays an important part in energy flowing. |
| D．The more energy is consumed, the more energy the sun will supply. |
What should be done in order to improve the living conditions according to the diagram?
| A．More animals should be raised． | B．Decomposers should be made full use of. |
| C．More trees should be planted． | D．Man should be controlled． |
Perhaps the most astonishing theory to come out of kinetics, the study of body movement, was suggested by Professor Ray Birdwhistell. He believes that physical appearance is often culturally programmed．In other words, we learn our looks; we are not born with them.
A baby has generally unformed facial features. A baby, according to Birdwhistell, learns where to set the eyebrows by looking at those around family and friends. This helps explain why the people of some regions of the United States look so much alike. New Englanders or Southerners have certain common facial characteristics that cannot be explained by genetics (遗传学) “The exact shape of the mouth is not set at birth, it is learned after. In fact, the final mouth shape is not formed until well after permanent (永久的) teeth are set. For many, this can be well into adolescence (青春期). A husband and wife together for a long time often come to look somewhat alike. We learn our looks from those around us. This is perhaps why in a single country there are areas where people smile more than those in other areas. In the United States, for example, the South is the part of the country where the people smile most frequently. In New England they smile less, and in the western part of New York State still less. Many Southerners find cities such as New York cold and unfriendly, Partly because people on Madison Avenue smile less than people on Peach Tree Street in Atlanta, Georgia．People in densely (稠密地) populated urban areas also tend to smile and greet each other in public less than people in rural areas and small towns. Ray Birdwhistell believes that physical appearance ______.
| A．has little to do with culture | B．can be influenced by culture |
| C．is decided by culture | D．varies from place to place |
Ray Birdwhistell can tell what region of the United States a person is from by ______.
| A．how much he or she laughs | B．how he or she raises his or her eyebrows |
| C．what he or she likes best | D．the way he or she talks |
People who live _____ are more friendly according to the passage.
| A．in densely populated areas | B．in the country |
| C．in New York City | D．in the North |
This passage might have been taken out of a book dealing with ______.
| A．physics | B．health | C．chemistry | D．none of the above |
The UN Security Council was created in 1945. It is made up of 10 rotating (轮值的) members and five permanent members, which have a veto, the power to stop a resolution (决议). Most UN members now consider the organization's structure outdated． But any changes need the agreement of two-thirds of the 191 members, and no veto from any of the five permanent council members.
Last year, Japan, Germany, Brazil and India formed a lobbying (游说) group to get permanent council seats. But North and South Korea have doubts about Japan, Italy opposes Germany for a seat, Pakistan is against India's candidacy (候选资格) and Mexico and Argentina frown on Brazil.
A wave of emotion swept through China last week as millions voiced their opposition to Japan's permanent membership of the United Nations (UN) Security Council. By last Friday over 22 million Chinese had signed an online petition (请愿) against Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the council.
According to major Chinese websites, such as sina.com, more than 170,000 overseas Chinese also signed． This is the first online activity of its kind．
The petition was started by US-based Alliance for Preserving the Truth of the Sino-Japanese War (抗日战争史实维护会). They want Japan to apologize for crimes during World War II. The group also plans to present the petition to the UN this autumn.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said he didn't think the petition shows anti-Japanese feeling. He believed instead it is a request for Japan to take a responsible attitude towards history.What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A．Function of the UN in world affairs. | B．Members of the UN. |
| C．Facts about the UN Security Council. | D．Reform of the UN Security Council. |
Which statement is true according to the text?
| A．Four countries, such as Japan, Germany, Brazil and India are applying for joining the UN. |
| B．Some countries, such as North and South Korea, Italy, Pakistan, Mexico and Argentina propose ticking the four countries out of the UN. |
| C．If the countries’ bids for permanent membership of the Council are turned down, the opponent countries will take the place. |
| D．The UN Security Council is going to take in new members. |
The underlined phrase “frown on” in the third paragraph can be replaced by _____.
| A．agree on | B．disapprove of |
| C．give a firm support to | D．say yes to |
What’s the main reason for China’s opposition to Japan’s permanent membership of the
Council?
| A．Japan is unwilling to admit to its crimes against the Chinese in the World War II. |
| B．Millions of people in Asia signed a petition against it. |
| C．The Chinese people have strong anti-Japanese feeling. |
| D．Japan is an irresponsible country that once had a history of invasion. |