Still seeking a destination for your weekend break? There are some places which are probably a mere wall away from your college.
King’s Art Centre
A day at the Centre could mean a visit to an exhibition of the work of one of the most interesting contemporary artists on show anywhere. This weekend sees the opening of an exhibition of four local artists.
You could attend a class teaching you how to ‘learn from the masters’ or get more creative with paint – free of charge.
The Centre also runs two life drawing classes for which there is a small fee.
the Botanic Garden
The Garden has over 8,000 plant species; it holds the research and teaching collection of living plants for Cambridge University.
The multi-branched Torch Aloe here is impressive. The African plant produces red flowers above blue-green leaves, and is not one to miss.
Get to the display house to see Dionaea muscipula, a plant more commonly known as the Venus Flytrap that feeds on insects and other small animals.
The Garden is also a place for wildlife-enthusiasts. Look for grass snakes in the lake. A snake called ‘Hissing Sid’ is regularly seen lying in the heat of the warm sun.
Byron’s Pool
Many stories surround Lord Byron’s time as a student of Cambridge University. Arriving in 1805, he wrote a letter complaining that it was a place of “mess and drunkenness”. However, it seems as though Byron did manage to pass the time pleasantly enough. I’m not just talking about the pet bear he kept in his rooms. He spent a great deal of time walking in the village.
It is also said that on occasion Byron swam naked by moonlight in the lake, which is now known as Byron’s Pool. A couple of miles past Grantchester in the south Cambridgeshire countryside, the pool is surrounded by the fields. The cries of invisible birds make the trip a lovely experience and on the way home you can drop into the village for afternoon tea. If you don’t trust me, then perhaps you’ll take it from Virginia Woolf – over a century after Byron, she reportedly took a trip to swim in the same pool. As mentioned in the passage, there is a small charge for ____.
| A．attending the masters’ class | B．working with local artists |
| C．learning life drawing | D．seeing an exhibition |
“Torch Aloe” and “Venus Flytrap” are ____.
| A．common insects | B．impressive plants |
| C．rarely-seen snakes | D．wildlife-enthusiasts |
We can infer from the passage that Byron seemed ____.
| A．to fear pet bears | B．to like walking |
| C．to be a heavy drinker | D．to finish university in 1805 |
In the passage Byron’s Pool is described as a lake ____.
| A．surrounded by fields | B．owned by Lord Byron |
| C．located in Grantchester | D．discovered by Virginia Woolf |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Some places for weekend break. |
| B．A way to become creative in art. |
| C．The colorful life in the countryside. |
| D．Unknown stories of Cambridge University. |
Recently, I learned firsthand why it’s a bad idea to judge people prematurely (过早地).
I’m a nursing supervisor, and my job is to evaluate workers’ performances at the hospital.
Kenny was a new employee. After weeks’ probation (试用), I had to admit that he was clean, punctual and efficient.
But he had this self-assured and energetic presence. He was a large man, both physically and socially — he was independent and strong. I worried that our hospital, which demanded teamwork, was not right for such a personality.
We had a patient named Mary. At 94 years old, Mary was weak. She had outlived her husband and sisters.
Mary had an obsessive (强迫性的) belief that someone had taken her purse. She searched for it all the time. Unless tied to her wheelchair, she would go through the door onto the street mindlessly searching and never giving up. She was often sitting in her wheelchair in the hallway, where she stopped everyone who came near.
“Can you lend me a comb?” she would ask. “I’ve lost mine. It was in my red purse. Where is my purse?”
Every day it was the same. We all knew Mary didn’t have a purse, but we would answer: “Sure, if I see your purse I’ll bring it back.”
One afternoon, I saw Kenny walking down the hall with a grocery bag. He walked toward Mary in her wheelchair. He pulled out a red purse.
Mary’s old hands flew up to her face in a gesture of wonder and joy, and then flew out hungrily like a starved child taking bread. Mary grabbed the red purse. She held it for a moment, and then pressed it to her breast, rocking it like a baby.
Kenny leaned over, unzipped the purse open and showed Mary a comb inside. Tears of joy poured down Mary’s face.
Instead of paying lip service like the rest of us, Kenny had made Mary’s problem his problem. I had been wrong about Kenny.The author was worried that Kenny would not be fit for his job because ________.
| A．he had no working experience in medicine |
| B．he had a strong, confident and independent character |
| C．his performance during the probation didn’t meet their standards |
| D．he was too stubborn and wouldn’t listen to others’ opinions |
We can learn from the article that Mary ________.
| A．didn’t get along well with her husband |
| B．pretended that she had lost her red purse |
| C．was very happy when given the purse |
| D．asked for help in order to be taken home |
At the end of the story, the author felt ________ about her previous evaluation of Kenny.
| A．encouraged | B．puzzled | C．satisfied | D．guilty |
What kind of message does the author intend to convey?
| A．Pay attention to what people do instead of what they say. |
| B．We should treat older people with patience and kindness. |
| C．Don’t come to a conclusion too quickly when you don’t know all the facts. |
| D．We can always find a teacher in another, even when we least expect it. |
Amazon. com has received a patent(专利) right to send its products to customers by drone planes. The company is the largest US-based online seller of products by mail and other services. Now, the company has received a patent for its planned drone delivery system.
In March, federal officials allowed Amazon to test its drone delivery plan. But even with a patent and the ability of drones to make deliveries, it does not appear the company will put its new delivery system in place any time soon.
The US Patent Office published the document, which describes Amazon’s plans to use GPS to deliver products to homes and to wherever people are. The drone will use a customer’s mobile device --- usually a smartphone ---to avoid hitting people or buildings and to find a secure area to land. The company wants to deliver products within 30 minutes after people order them on its website.
However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is worried about the safety. Although it allowed Amazon to test the system, the agency said the operators must be able to see the planes. That greatly limits the delivery area.
Loretta Alkalay is a professor at the Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in New York. Although Amazon is not yet offering drone delivery, Professor Alkalay says it will not be long before it does. She says there are worries that the drones will hit buildings or people, or that the products and drones will be stolen or damaged by people on purpose. But she says that is because many people believe the drones would only deliver the products to the front door of a house. “However, it is possible that homes will one day have special area on their roofs designed to receive product deliveries,” she adds.What is special about the new delivery system?
| A．It can deliver heavy products by plane. |
| B．It uses planes without human operators. |
| C．It can delivery many products at a time. |
| D．It is much safer than other delivery ways. |
The underlined word “secure” in Paragraph 3 means “__________”.
| A．safe | B．large | C．special | D．empty |
After reading the passage, we can infer that FAA__________
| A．doesn’t really like Amazon |
| B．totally support the drone delivery system |
| C．doesn’t think Amazon should get the patent |
| D．doubts about the drone delivery system |
With all the wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, it's not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us get through each and every day of our lives. Putting a smile on someone's face when you know they are feeling down in the dumps ( 处于沮丧中), as the saying goes, makes me feel good and warms my heart.
How would you feel if you could not joke around with your wife, husband, child, co-worker, neighbor, close friend, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your corner store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don't know the person I'm joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is common courtesy (礼貌) to speak to others that are around you.
I know of a few people that don’t have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say. Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their face. They don't get the joke that makes others laugh. I am busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?
Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness in this present world. It drives people crazy. We all need to find a way to bypass the sadness and bring a little light into our lives. So, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.According to the author, humor is useful in the aspect that ____________.
| A．it makes people more confident |
| B．it can pick up people' s spirits |
| C．it can help rid the cruelty in the world |
| D．it can help people get on well with others |
The phrase “busting a gut" in the third paragraph can be replaced by __________.
| A．explaining carefully | B．speaking loud |
| C．keeping silent | D．laughing hard |
In writing the passage, the author mainly intends to __________.
| A．talk about his own understanding of humor |
| B．encourage people to be humorous in daily life |
| C．introduce a practical way to get through daily life |
| D．convince people of the power of being optimistic about life |
What is the author' s attitude towards the present world?
| A．Positive. | B．Critical. |
| C．Satisfied. | D．Indifferent. |
Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes "the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don't seem to learn from history." Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
The second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We can not even understand why we are and where we are without history, much less (更不必说) try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio (录音机) tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. if, in doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for. In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because _______________.
| A．it makes the current political situation go smoothly |
| B．it helps us realize the importance of historical events |
| C．it helps us understand why things are the way they are |
| D．it helps people accept the present situation where they live |
Some historical figures(人物) are mentioned in the last paragraph to show ______________.
| A．people can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil |
| B．people may also learn from bad historical figures |
| C．more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements |
| D．today’s people can also achieve what they achieved |
What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
| A．How to teach history effectively. |
| B．Some negative reasons for studying history. |
| C．How to get more people to study history. |
| D．Some bad historical figures. |
The main purpose of this passage is to ____________.
| A．inspire the parents to teach their children history |
| B．show the importance of history in politics |
| C．explain the reasons why children study history |
| D．introduce the writer' s own way of teaching history |
Put your car keys away and forget about your travel pass --- it’s time to do a bit of walking.
National Walking Month is organized every May by Living Streets, an organization that campaigns for the rights and the needs of pedestrians, so the organization is previously known as the Pedestrians’ Association. The association’s aim is to make streets safe, attractive and enjoyable spaces for people to live, work, shop and play. By putting people (rather than vehicles) first, Living Streets wants to create streets and spaces where people feel happier, healthier and more sociable.
The annual campaign gives participants a great opportunity to experience the many virtues of walking. These include the physical health benefits of becoming fitter; the environmental advantages of not using vehicles; the delight of local discoveries --- seeing more of your local areas on foot; the enjoyment of walking with other people, whether family, friends or work colleagues and finally the stress relief that comes from walking --- walking can clear your head.
Walk to School Week, 18 to 22 May, is part of the month’s activities and its aim is to encourage parents to send children to school on foot, rather than take them in the car or let them use public transport. The movement was started in 1995 with only five participating schools and now two decades later, more than one million children take part.
Similarly, there is Walk to Work Week, 11 to 15 May, where grown-ups are encouraged to walk. In the morning, getting off the bus a stop early or parking a few streets away is a good way to add more steps to the daily total. And during the working day, after having lunch at the desks or in the canteen, take a walk and get some fresh air. Walk home with your workmates and chat away about everything under the sun but work!What’s the purpose of Living Streets?
| A．To let people keep away from vehicles. |
| B．To build safer walkways for pedestrians. |
| C．To help people enjoy walking in the street and enjoy life. |
| D．To make people aware of environmental pollution. |
Paragraph 3 is intended to show that walking is __________.
| A．so interesting | B．very relaxing |
| C．perfectly safe | D．highly beneficial |
What can we learn from Walk to School Week?
| A．It is organized by the government. |
| B．It is held before Walk to Work Week. |
| C．It has developed rapidly over the last 20 years. |
| D．It encourages students to walk to school alone. |
What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．An introduction to Walk to Work Week. |
| B．A nationwide health movement. |
| C．The influence of working day. |
| D．National Walking Month’s history. |