HK's family affair
The 32nd Hong Kong Art Festival, to be held early next year, will be based on the theme of “family”.
The art festival, considered to be Asia's best, was launched in 1973.
“We hope that people from Beijing and from all over the world will go to Hong Kong to enjoy the multiple performances in our art festival,” Douglas Gautier, the festival's management director, told a press briefing in the capital.
In the 34 days of the festival, which runs from February 8 to March 7, 2004, the audience can choose from 111 performances of 51 programmes staged by 700 foreign performers, 450 local artists and 160 actors from the mainland.
Programmes vary from classical music, jazz, world music, Western and Peking opera, drama and dance to outdoor spectaculars.
The programmes include Beethoven’s only opera Fidelio, Shakespeare’s drama Romeo and Juliet, the ballet Mozartina and African dances, to name just a few.
The lineup (阵容) includes the English Touring Theatre, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Zurich Ballet, the Spanish National Dance Troupe, as well as Europe Galante, the Petersen Quartet, pianists Angela Hewitt, and arc-Andre Hamelin, and saxophonist Jan Garbarek.
In an effort to increase attention, hotels and airlines are offering discount packages along with art festival ticket sales.
For more information, please check www.hk.artsfestival.org.The press briefing must have been held ______.
A.in Hong Kong | B.in Europe | C.in Beijing | D.in Zurich |
By means of "discount packages", you can pay ______.
A.more than the usual cost |
B.less than the usual cost |
C.for the air ticket but not for the festival ticket |
D.for the ticket but not for hotel rooms |
We do NOT have any information about ______.
A.what programmes there will be |
B.in which theatres there will be performances |
C.who will perform |
D.when the festival will be held |
Where is this material from?
A.Literature Magazine | B.Textbook |
C.Website www.hk.artsfestival.org. | D.Newspaper |
There is one foreign product the Japanese are buying faster than others, and its popularity has caused an uneasy feeling among many Japanese.
That product is foreign words.
Gairaigo—words that come from outside— have been part of the Japanese language for centuries. Mostly borrowed from English and Chinese, these terms are often changed into forms no longer understood by native speakers.
But in the last few years the trickle (涓涓流水) of foreign words has become a flood, and people fear the increasing use of foreign words is making it hard for
the Japanese to understand each other and could lead to many people forgetting the good qualities of traditional (传统的) Japanese.
“The popularity of foreign words is part of the Japanese interest in anything new,” says university lecturer and writer Takashi Saito. “By using a foreign word you can make a subject seem new, which makes it easier for the media(媒体) to pick up."
“Experts (专家) often study abroad and use English terms when they speak with people in their own fields. Those terms are then included in government white papers," said Muturo Kai, president of the National Language Research Institute.
“Foreign words find their way easily into announcements made to the general public, when they should really be explained in Japanese."
Against the flow of new words, many Japanese are turning back to the study of their own language. Saito's Japanese to Be Read Aloud is one of many language books that are now flying off booksellers' shelves.
“We were expecting to sell the books to young people," said the writer, “but it turns out they are more popular with the older generation, who seem uneasy about the future of Japanese.”
1.What advantages do foreign words have over traditional Japanese terms?
A.The ideas expressed in foreign words sound new.
B. Foreign words are best suited for announcements.
C. Foreign words make new subjects easier to understand.
D. The use of foreign words makes the media more popular.
2.In the opinion of Takashi Saito, Japanese people ________.
A. are good at learning foreign languages
B. are willing to learn about new things
C. trust the media
D. respect experts
3.Which of the following plays an important part in the spread of foreign words?
A.The media and government papers.
B.Best selling Japanese textbooks.
C.The interest of young Japanese.
D.Foreign products and experts.
4.The book Japanese to Be Read Aloud ________.
A.sells very well in Japan
B. is supported by the government
C. is questioned by the old generation
D. causes misunderstanding among the readers
Sometime today—perhaps several times—Dick Winter will think about the 19-year-old who saved his life.
Because of this young man, Winter enjoys things like friendships, colours and laughter every day.
The young man saved Winter's life by signing an organ donor card(器官捐献卡).
“I can't say thank you enough,” Winter said yesterday at a news conference marking the tenth anniversary of the Multi Organ Transplant program at Toronto General Hospital.
What Winter knows of the 19yearold who saved his life is only that he died in a car accident and that his family was willing to honour his wishes and donate
his organs for transplantation.
His liver(肝脏) went to Winter, who was dying from liver trouble. “Not a day goes by that I don't think of what a painful thing it must have been for them,”Winter said yesterday.
“They are very, very special people.”
Winter, 63, is fitter now than he was 10 years ago, when he got the transplant. He has five medals from the 1995 World Transplant Games in swimming and hopes to
collect some more next year in Japan.
“At one time, we were probably strange people in the eyes of other people. Now it's expected you should be able to go back and do everything you did before, only better.”
The biggest change for Winter, however, isn't that he has become a competitive athlete. The biggest change is how deeply he appreciates every little thing about
his life now.
“I have no time for arguments,” said Winter.
“You change everything. Material things don't mean as much. Friendships mean a lot.”
Also at yesterday's news conference was Dr Gray Levy, Winter's doctor.
Levy said he has bittersweet feelings when he looks at Winter and hears of his athletic exploits.
Levy knows that for every recipient(接受者) like Winter, there are several others who die even though they could be saved because there aren't enough donated organs.
“For every Mr Winter,we have five to 10 people that will never be given the chance that Mr Winter was given,” Levy said.
Levy said greater public awareness and more resources are needed. He noted that in Spain and the United States, hospitals receive 10,000 per donor to cover the costs of the operating room, doctors, nurses and teams to work with the donors' families.
1.Which of the following is true about the 19-year-old?
A.He died of liver trouble.
B.He got wounded in a battle.
C.He was willing to donate his organs.
D.He became a recipient of a prize.
2.What do we learn about Dick Winter?
A.He is becoming less competitive now.
B.He is always thinking about his early life.
C.He knows all about the young man and his family.
D.He values friendships more than material things.
3.Dr Levy would agree that ________.
A.Spanish hospitals have more favorable conditions for organ transplant
B.the Canadian public have realised the importance of organ donation
C.Spanish hospitals received more money from the donors
D.Canadian hospitals now have enough donated organs
4.What's the author's purpose in writing this article?
A.The public should give more support to organ transplant.
B.Transplant patients are thankful for the help they receive.
C.Transplant can change a patient's life greatly.
D.It is not easy to get organs for transplant.
True friends double your happiness and half your burdens.Basically how you would like a true friend to be is what you should be like to your true friends.Trust,forgiveness,
responsibility are some elements of a true friendship.True friendships are hard to achieve.
And what’s more,life is short.So treasure these friends if you already have them.If you don’t,
continue to search,because once you have them,life will become so much easier to live,no matter what happens.I have been through very difficult times and I dare say,without my friends,
I would not have made it.
Friendships need lots of energy and patience to maintain them.Not to mention time.When your friend needs you,and when things are not going too well on your side,it is often so easy to turn a deaf ear to their requests.It is especially during these times that you must find the strength to help your friend.
And it is during these times that your friendship will be made stronger.
And you must always be happy for their successes,even when things are not going too well for you.It might be hard to do this,but it is something that you need to learn.Think about all the sacrifices your friend has made for you and all the times when he was happy for you despite his own troubles.Think aboutall the happy times you enjoyed and the sad,difficult times you went through together.That should give you plenty of patience to actually be a true friend.Remember,true friends are the next best thing to family.They will always be your supporters. What is the best title for this passage?
A.A Precious Friendship |
B.A True Friend |
C.A Happy Time |
D.Friend,a Treasure |
According to the passage,to be a true friend,you do NOT need to ___ .
A.trust your friends |
B.forgive your friends’ mistakes |
C.spend much money on friends |
D.be helpful to your friends |
True friendships are hard to achieve because ____.
A.friendships can help you through difficult times |
B.friendships need lots of energy and patience |
C.your friends need you to give more help to them |
D.you should be always on your friends’ side |
The underlined phrase “turn a deaf ear to” in Paragraph 2 probably means “______”.
A.pretend not to know |
B.take no measures to |
C.have no means to |
D.turn to a deaf for |
From Paragraph 3,we can conclude that .
A.a friend won’t achieve success without your support |
B.most people in trouble are not happy about their friends’ successes |
C.you should support your friends on any conditions |
D.a true friend appears only when you have troubles |
WHEN an Iraqi journalist threw a shoe at former US President George W.Bush at a news conference last December,the president’s bodyguards quickly moved to protect him.
Those bodyguards were from the US Secret Service.Their job is to protect the president.Now America’s first black president Barack Obama also has the same people at his side.Here are some details about these mysterious men and women.
History
◇The Secret Service is known today for protecting public officials and their families.
However,when it began in 1865,it was started to protect money.A third to a half of all US money during the Civil War was fake (假的).President Abraham Lincoln created the United States Secret Service to find those responsibly.
◇The first 25 presidents had no special protection.That changed after President William Mckinley was murdered in 1901.
Who gets protection?
About 30 people get full-time protection in the United States (more in an election year).
Included are:
◇Presidents and vice-presidents and their wives,for up to 10 years after leaving office,and their children up to age 16.Anyone can decline protection after leaving office.Richard Nixon did.◇Candidates for president and vice-president,their wives and children at a cost of $500,000 a month for 30-plus special agents (特工).
◇The Secretary of State,National Security Adviser and others.The Secret Service also protects 80 to 200 visiting foreign political leaders every year.
Getting around
Rules for president
◇Limousines (豪华轿车) that can withstand a missile are used.
◇Entering and exiting are never done on a street.
◇Exact travel plans are kept secret.
◇Bulletproof reading stands for speeches are used.
Agent’s task
◇Teach the president how to wave and move.
◇Test his food for poison.
◇Use special radio channels for the police and the Secret Service.
◇Use X-ray checks before allowing entry to secure areas,and search bags.
◇Check lists of hundreds of people known to be dangerous.
◇Keep files on thousands of people who have made even vague threats.
◇Be part of counter-sniper (反狙击) teams.What’s the purpose of writing the passage?
A.To tell us how to be a bodyguard. |
B.To introduce the US Secret Service to us. |
C.To give us some information about US presidents. |
D.To inform us of the incident at a news |
conference. Which is the special agent’s task according to
the US Secret Service?
A.Have dinner with the president’s family. |
B.Teach the president to behave politely in public. |
C.Keep a record of possible murderers. |
D.Check people carrying bags with X-ray. |
What do you know about the US Secret
Service from the passage?
A.It is made up of 30 people. |
B.It protects only US presidents. |
C.It is responsible for the safety of all Americans. |
D.It was created to protect money. |
Which of the following can be inferred from
the passage?
A.The bodyguards from the US Secret Service have no privacy. |
B.The US Secret Service bodyguards’ job is full of challenges. |
C.No one knows the exact travel plan of presidents. |
D.Every president in American history has a |
bodyguard.
Whoever has made a voyage up the Hudson River must remember the Catskill Mountains. They are a branch of the great Appalachian family, and can be seen to the west rising up to a noble height and towering over the surrounding country. When the weather is fair and settled, they are clothed in blue and purple, and print their beautiful shapes on the clear evening sky, but sometimes when it is cloudless, gray steam gathers around the top of the mountains which, in the last rays of the setting sun, will shine and light up like a crown of glory (华丽的皇冠).
At the foot of these mountains, a traveler may see light smoke going up from a village.
In that village, and in one of the houses (which, to tell the exact truth, was sadly time-worn and weather-beaten), there lived many years ago, a simple, good-natured fellow by the name of Rip Van Winkle.
Rip's great weakness was a natural dislike of all kinds of money-making labor. It could not be from lack of diligence (勤劳), for he could sit all day on a wet rock and fish without saying a word, even though he was not encouraged by a single bite. He would carry a gun on his shoulder for hours, walking through woods and fields to shoot a few birds or squirrels. He would never refuse to help a neighbor, even in the roughest work. The women of the village, too, used to employ him to do such little jobs as their less helpful husbands would not do for them. In a word, Rip was ready to attend to everybody's business but his own.
If left to himself, he would have whistled (吹口哨) life away in perfect satisfaction; but his wife was always mad at him for his idleness (懒散). Morning, noon, and night, her tongue was endlessly going, so that he was forced to escape to the outside of the house -- the only side which, in truth, belongs to a henpecked husband.
68. Which of the following best describes the Catskill Mountains?
A. They are on the west of the Hudson River.
B. They are very high and beautiful in this area.
C. They can be seen from the Appalachian family.
D. They gather beautiful clouds in blue and purple.
69. The hero of the story is probably_____________.
A. hard-working and likes all kinds of work
B. idle and hates all kinds of jobs
C. simple, idle but very dutiful
D. gentle, helpful but a little idle
70. The underlined words "henpecked husband" in the last paragraph probably means a man who____.
A. likes hunting B. is afraid of hens
C. loves his wife D. is afraid of his wife
71. What would be the best title for the text?
A. Catskill Mountains. B. A Mountain Village.
C. Rip Van Winkle. D. A Dutiful Husband.