In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an intemational festival of music,dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
At the same time, the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge to the official festival.Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947,in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform,and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon,groups of studentsfirstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge,Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the “Fringe”,once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre,music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959,with only 19 theatre groups performing,some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1,25 million tickets were sold.Point was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at he beginning?
| A．To bring Europe together again. |
| B．To honor heroes of World War 11. |
| C．To introduce young theatre groups. |
| D．To attract great artists from Europe. |
Why did some uninvited theatre groups come to Edinburgh in 1947?
| A．They owned a public house there. |
| B．They came to take up a challenge. |
| C．They thought they were also famous. |
| D．They wanted to take part in the festival. |
Who joined the "Fringe" after it appeared?
| A．they owned a public house there |
| B．University students. |
| C．人rusts from around the world. |
| D．Performers of music and dance. |
We may learn from the text that Edinburgh Festival.
| A．has become a non-official event |
| B．has gone beyond an art festival |
| C．gives shows all year round |
| D．keeps growing rapidly |
Mark Twain was a great writer. He was from the USA. He was born in 1835. He was also a famous speaker. He was famous for his sense of humour. Many people liked to listen to him talk because he liked to tell some interesting stories to make people laugh all the time.
One day Mark Twain was going to a small town because of his writing. Before he was going to leave, one of his friends said to him that there were always a lot of mosquitoes(蚊子) in the town and told him that he’d better not go there. Mark Twain waved (摇动) his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter. The mosquitoes are no relatives of mine. I don’t think they will come to visit me.”
After he arrived at the town, Mark Twain stayed in a small hotel near the station. He went into his room, but when he was just about to have a rest, quite a few mosquitoes flew about him. The waiters felt very sorry about that. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Mark Twain. There are too many mosquitoes in our town.” One of them said to him.
Mark Twain, however, made a joke, saying to the waiter, “The mosquitoes are very clever. They know my room number. They didn’t come into the wrong room.” What he said made all the people present laugh heartily.
But that night Mark Twain slept well. Do you know why? That was because all the waiters in the hotel were driving the mosquitoes away for him during the whole night. That day Mark Twain went to the town _____.
| A．to see one of his friends |
| B．to see one of his relatives |
| C．because he was told there were a lot of mosquitoes there |
| D．because he wanted to do something there for his writing |
The waiters felt sorry because _____.
| A．their hotel was too small |
| B．the room was not very clean |
| C．they did something wrong to Mark Twain |
| D．there were quite a few mosquitoes in Mark Twain’s room |
All the people present laughed heartily because _____.
| A．Mark Twain made a joke |
| B．the mosquitoes knew Mark Twain’s room number |
| C．Mark Twain gave the waiters some nice presents |
| D．the mosquitoes were very clever and they didn’t come into the wrong room |
From the story we know _____.
| A．Mark Twain didn’t have a good rest that night |
| B．no mosquitoes troubled Mark Twain in the night |
| C．there were not mosquitoes in the hotel any longer |
| D．the owner of the hotel told the waiters to look after Mark Twain well at night |
A warm blanket is the ideal sleep aid for a freezing winter night. The right blanket can warm your bones but the wrong one can affect your sleep. I asked experts for advice on picking the perfect blanket for a good night’s sleep. Here’s what they told me.
When it comes to sleep temperature, experts recommend following the principle: not too cold, not too hot, but just right. “People seem to sleep best at temperature between 62 and 70 degrees F,” says Dr. Alice Hoagland. When the surrounding temperature falls too low, it can rouse you from sleep. A good blanket helps drive the coldness away.
At the other extreme, overheating yourself can affect your sleep as well. “Core body temperature typically drops during the first four hour’s of sleep,” says Dr. Hoagland. This decline in body temperature helps you fall asleep and stay asleep.
“In medical care, weighted blankets are one of our most powerful tools for helping people who are anxious, upset, and possibly losing control,” says Dr. Karen Moore. These special blankets are filled with weighted pellets. Weighted blankets are also marketed for general use as an aid to sleep and relaxation. Like a firm hug, weighted blankets help us feel safe.” This is the reason why many people like to sleep under a blanket even in summer.
“If you want to try this type of blanket, the best weight depends on your body size and personal preference. However, 15 to 30 pounds is typical for adults,” Moor says. She adds that weighted blankets are not recommended for those recovering from surgery.
“People can also have serious preferences for a particular blanket,” says Dr. Hoagland. “Regularly using a favorite blanket for sleep can help to develop a conditioned response so that sleep is quicker.” In fact, many sleep centers ask patients to bring their own blanket and pillow from home, which helps them fall asleep more easily.The author wrote the passage mainly to tell us _____.
| A．the importance of blankets |
| B．how to choose the perfect blanket |
| C．different materials used to make blankets |
| D．the history and usage of blankets |
The underlined word “rouse” in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to “______”.
| A．wake up | B．take up | C．make up | D．pick up |
What do we know from the passage?
| A．Body temperature rises when we fall asleep |
| B．The perfect sleep temperature should be above 70 degrees F. |
| C．Weighted blankets should be at least 30 pounds. |
| D．People are advised to use their own blankets. |
The booking notes of the play “The Age of Innocence”.
Price: $10
BOOKING
There are four easy ways to book seats for performance:
-----in person
The Box Office is open from Money to Saturday, 10 a.m.----8 p.m.
-----by telephone
Ring 01324976 to reserve your tickets or to pay by credit card (Visa, Master Card and Amex accepted)。
-----on-line/online
Simply complete the booking form and return it to Global Theatre Box Office.
-----online/on-line
Complete the on-line booking form at www. Satanfiedtheatre. com.
DISCOUNT
Saver: $2 off any seat booked any time in advance for performances from Monday to Thursday. Savers are available for children up to 16 years old, those over 60 and full-time students.
Supersavers: half-price seats are available for people with disabilities and one companion. It is advisable to book in advance. There is a maximum of eight wheelchair spaces available and one wheelchair space will be held until an hour before the show.
Standby: best available seats are on sale for $6 from one hour before the performance for people eligible for Saver and Supersaver discounts and thirty minutes before for all other customers.
Group booking: there is a ten percent discount for parties of twelve or more.
School: school parties of ten or more can book $6 standby tickets in advance and will get every tenth ticket free.
PLEASE NOTE: we are unable to exchange tickets for refund money unless a performance is cancelled due to unpredicted circumstances.If you want to book a ticket, you CANNOT______.
| A．go to the Box Office on Sundays |
| B．use the Internet |
| C．ring the booking number and pay the tickets by credit card |
| D．complete a booking form and post it to the Box Office |
If you make a group booking for a group of 14 adults, how much should you pay?
| A．$120 | B．$126 | C．$140 | D．$150 |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．There are only 8 wheelchair spaces in the theatre. |
| B．A school party of 15 students should pay $90 for the standby tickets. |
| C．Full-time students can get best seats for $6 from one hour before the performance. |
| D．The audience can’t refund money if the performance is on show. |
What kind of tickets are the cheapest?
| A．The standby tickets for school parties of ten or more. |
| B．The standby tickets. |
| C．The ticket for saver discount. |
| D．The tickets for group booking. |
An African-American man named John Henry was the hero of former slaves and the people who built the railroads in the US in the 19th century.
John Henry was born a slave. He was known for his strength. Many people say he represents the spirit of growth in America during that period.
John Henry grew up in a world that did not let children stay children for long. Before he was six years old, he was carrying stones for workers building a nearby railroad. By the time John Henry was a young man, he was one of the best railroad workers in the country.
John Henry was asked to lead workers on a hard project, creating a tunnel through a mountain. The project required about 1,000 laborers and lasted three years. Hundreds of men became sick as a result of the hot weather and tiredness. John Henry was the strongest and fastest man. Concerned his friends might lose their jobs, he picked up their hammers and began doing their work. He worked day and night, rarely stopping to have a rest.
One day, a salesman came to the work area with a new drilling machine powered by steam. He said it could drill holes faster than twelve men working together.
John Henry looked at the machine and saw images of the future. He saw machines taking the place of America’s best laborers. He saw himself and his friends unemployed and sanding by a road, asking for food. He decided he would never let the machine take their jobs. Therefore, a competition between a man and a machine began .At first, the steam-powered drill worked twice faster. Then, John Henry started working with a hammer in each hand. He worked faster and faster. People cheered when the machine broke down and was pulled away. But they were sad to find John Henry fall to the ground, with blood spilling all around, and still holding a hammer in one of his hands.“I beat them,”he said. Then he took his last breath.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?
| A．Many children in those days starved to death. |
| B．Children at that time grew much faster. |
| C．Children in those days had to work like adults. |
| D．Children at that time couldn’t stay together. |
Why did hundreds of workers become sick?
| A．Because they had to work long hours. |
| B．Because the weather was hot and they were tired. |
| C．Because the project was too hard. |
| D．Because they didn’t have time to eat. |
John Henry helped do his friends’ work.
| A．because he was the strongest and fastest man |
| B．for fear that his friends would lose their jobs |
| C．so that they could regain their strength |
| D．in order be the hero of the railroad workers |
Which of the following best describes John Henry?
| A．Kind and determined. | B．Cautious and considerate. |
| C．Brave and strict. | D．Hardworking and stubborn. |
Think about the different ways that people use the wind. You can use it to fly a kite or to sail a boat. Wind is one of our cleanest and richest power sources, as well as one of the oldest. Evidence shows that windmills(风车) began to be used in ancient Iran back in the seventh century BC. They were first introduced to Europe during the 1100s, when armies returned from the Middle East with knowledge of using wind power.
For many centuries, people used windmills to grind(碾碎) wheat into flour or pump water from deep underground. When electricity was discovered in the late 1800s, people living in remote areas began to use them to produce electricity. This allowed them to have electric lights and radios. However, by the 1940s when electricity was available to people in almost all areas of the United States, windmills were rarely used.
During the 1970s, people started becoming concerned about the pollution that is created when coal and gas are burned to produce electricity. People also realized that the supply of coal and gas would not last forever. Then, wind was rediscovered, though it means higher cost. Today, there is a global movement to supply more and more of our electricity through the use of wind.From the text we know that windmills________.
| A．were invented by European armies |
| B．have a history of more than 2,800 years |
| C．used to supply power to radio in remote areas |
| D．have rarely been used since electricity was discovered |
What was a new use for wind power in the late 19th century?
| A．Sailing a boat. |
| B．Producing electricity. |
| C．Grinding wheat into flour. |
| D．Pumping water from underground. |
One of the reasons wind was rediscovered in the 1970s is that_______.
| A．wind power is cleaner |
| B．it is one of the oldest power sources. |
| C．it was cheaper to create energy from wind |
| D．the supply of coal and gas failed to meet needs |
What would the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
| A．The advantages of wind power. |
| B．The design of wind power plants. |
| C．The worldwide movement to save energy. |
| D．The global trend towards producing power from wind. |