Dickens & London Exhibition
Date: 9 December, 2011---10 June, 2012
Location: Museum of London
Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens in the first major UK exhibition for his Over 40 years.
By recreating the atmosphere of Victorian London through sound and projections. You’ll be taken on an unforgettable journe y to discover the city that inspired his writings.
Paintings, photograghs, costumes and objects will illustrate different themes that Dickens wrote into his works, while rarely seen manuscripts(手稿) including Bleak House and David Copperfield ---written
in the author’s own hand ---will offer clues to his creative genius.
During your visit you’ll discover how Dickens’ childhood experiences of London were introduced into the stories he wrote. The great social questions of the19th century will also be examined, all of which set the scene for Dickens’ greatest works.
Highlights of the exhibition will inc1ude an exciting audio-visual experience bringing to life the desk and chair where Dickens worked on his nove1s, and a special film shot by one of the UK’s leading documentary filmmakers.
Packages include afternoon entry (1:00 pm ---4:00 pm) to the exhibition plus overnight accommodation at a nearby hotel. If you wish to visit the exhibition the day after your hotel stay, p1ease call our reservation department. Call: 08712212717.
Book a trip online with us, with tickets to Dickens & London Exhibition ---afternoon entry and hotel accommodation included in the price. All taxes included. No credit card fees. No booking fees. No discount.
Price Information: a package costs an adult ￡180 and a child ￡90 ( 4---15 ) ; an afternoon entry costs an adult ￡28 and a child ￡14 ( 4---15 ).During the visit, visitors can ___________________
| A．read three Dickens’manuscripts, |
| B．experience a vivid picture of Victorian London |
| C．find the great social problems in London at present |
| D．sit at the desk where Dickens worked hard on his novels |
What do we know about Dickens in this passage?
| A．He used to be a filmmaker . |
| B．He lived a hard life in his childhood. |
| C．He wrote different themes into his works. |
| D．He wrote social violence into his books. |
If we book a trip online, we have the following benefits EXCEPT that ___________ .
| A．we can book it free of charge |
| B．we will pay none of the taxes |
| C．we will pay none of credit card fees |
| D．we will be given a discount |
How much should a couple with one child at 10 and another at 18 pay if they have a package ?
| A．￡360 | B．￡540 | C．￡630 | D．￡720 |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？
| A．The voyage through the wormhole is a considerable challenge． |
| B．A team of crime fighters uncovers a criminal plot in Big Hero． |
| C．President Coin pushes Katniss to protest Peeta． |
| D．Penguins have to wrestle with problems in District 13． |
The similarity that exists in the four films is that ________．
| A．each of them is a branch of film series |
| B．all of them are concerned with positive energy |
| C．they all have the best actors and actresses in the world |
| D．the four films all have something to do with exploration |
A glass a day keeps obesity at bay．Alcohol has always been thought to cause weight gain because of its high sugar content, but new research suggests a glass a day could form part of a diet．Looking at past studies they found that, while heavy drinkers do put on weight, those who drink in moderation can actually lose weight．
A spokesman for the research team at Navarro University in Spain says, “Light to moderate alcohol intake, especially of wine, may be more likely to protect against, rather than promote, weight gain”．The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research reviewed the findings and agreed with most of the conclusions, particularly that current data do not clearly indicate if moderate drinking increases weight．
Boston University’s Dr．Harvey Finkel found that the biologic mechanisms (生物学机制) relating alcohol to changes in body weight are not properly understood．His team pointed out the strong protective effects of moderate drinking on the risk of getting conditions like diabetes(糖尿病)，which relate to increasing obesity．Some studies suggest that even very obese people may be at lower risk of diabetes if they are moderate drinkers．
The group says alcohol provides calories that are quickly absorbed into the body and are not stored in fat, and that this process could explain the differences in its effects from those of other foods．They agree that future research should be directed towards assessing the roles of different types of alcoholic drinks, taking into consideration drinking patterns and including the past tendency of participants to gain weight．
For now there is little evidence that consuming small to moderate amounts of alcohol on a regular basis increases one’s risk of becoming obese．What’s more, a study three years ago suggested that reveratrol, a compound present in grapes and red wine, destroys fat cells．
The passage is mainly for those ______．
| A．who produce wine |
| B．who are eager to lose weight |
| C．who go on a diet |
| D．who have a drinking habit |
The underlined phrase “in moderation” in the first paragraph means ______．
| A．properly | B．carefully |
| C．excitedly | D．frequently |
Why has alcohol been thought to cause weight gain?
| A．Because its calories are stored in fat． |
| B．Because it is rich in sugar． |
| C．Because it changes drinking patterns． |
| D．Because it increases the risk of diabetes． |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The specific roles of different types of alcoholic drinks are very clear． |
| B．Resveratrol is proved to increase the risk of becoming fat． |
| C．The research found moderate drinking has a strong protective effect． |
| D．Current data clearly show that moderate drinking increases weight． |
What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
| A．How to do some easy experiments． |
| B．How to prove the finding mentioned above． |
| C．How to make wine in a healthy way． |
| D．How to reduce the calories contained in wine． |
In my first week as a graduate student at Cambridge University in 1964 I met with a fellow student, two years ahead of me in his studies; he was unsteady on his feet and spoke with great difficulty．This was Stephen Hawking．I learned that he had a bad disease and might not live long enough even to finish his PhD degree．
But, amazingly, he has reached the age of 73．Even mere survival would have been a medical miracle, but of course, he didn’t merely survive．He has become arguably the most famous scientist in the world for his brilliant research, for his bestselling books, and, above all, for his astonishing victory over hardship．
Stephen received his “death sentence” in 1964, when I thought it was hard for him to go on with his study．Stephen went from Albans School to Oxford University．He was said to be a “lazy” undergraduate, but his brilliance earned him a first class degree, an “entry ticket” to a research career in Cambridge and a uniquely inspiring achievement．Within a few years of the burst of his disease he was wheelchair bound, and his speech was so unclear that it could only be understood by those who knew him well．But his scientific career went from strength to strength: he quickly came up with a series of insights into the nature of black holes (then a very new idea) and how the universe began．In 1974 he was elected to the Royal Society at the exceptionally early age of 32．
The great advances in science generally involve discovering a link between phenomena that were previously conceptually unconnected — for instance, Isaac Newton realized that the force making an apple fall to earth was the same as the force that holds the moon and planets in their orbits．Stephen’s revolutionary idea about a link between gravity and quantum(量子) theory has still not been tested．However, it has been hugely influential; indeed, one of the main achievements of string theory(弦理论) has been to confirm and build on his idea．He has undoubtedly done more than anyone else since Einstein to improve our knowledge of gravity and he is one of the top ten living theoretical physicists．
What impressed the author most about Stephen Hawking?
| A．His brilliant research． |
| B．His bestselling books． |
| C．His serious disease． |
| D．His defeating hardship． |
What made Stephen Hawking start his research career at Cambridge?
| A．His death sentence． |
| B．His “lazy” attitude． |
| C．His above average talent and ability． |
| D．His rich experience． |
It can be inferred that Stephen Hawking was born ________．
| A．in the early 1940s |
| B．in the late 1940s |
| C．in the early 1930s |
| D．in the late 1930s |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Hawking’s theory was proved years ago． |
| B．Hawking was not as successful as Newton． |
| C．String theory built on Hawking’s idea． |
| D．Hawking’s theory has had little influence on others． |
Which of the following is Not True according the passage?
| A．He achieved one success after another in his career despite his disease． |
| B．He couldn’t walk when the author first met him at Cambridge． |
| C．He not only survived his disease but contributed greatly to science． |
| D．He is among the greatest scientists to improve the knowledge of gravity． |
Sina Weibo, one of the country’s most popular micro blogging sites,has launched a paid service．For a 10 yuan ($ l．57) monthly fee, users get a membership on their Sina Weibo accounts．
According to Xu Yuanyuan, a member of the marketing team at Sina, themove is to guarantee a more convenient and safer environment for users．But despite the company’s efforts to increase income, it seems that most of its 300 million users still prefer the free version．
The premium membership (高级会员) plans ,announced by the company on Monday, brought about negative comments from its users ．
“The current service is good enough for me”, said a Beijing based micro blogger．“I don’t really need those value added services and it might be a waste of money．I might consider paying for it if some more features are added．”
Dong Xu, an analyst with consulting firm Analysys International, said that Sina shouldn’t expect a great increase in income brought by the new services．The free services are enough for most users, Dong said．“The company has been making attempts at different profit models since last year．A potential source of income could be gaming．Games and advertisements are so far the two biggest sources of income．” she said．
Other micro blogging service providers have not yet followed suit．Fang Gang, vice president of rival Sohu, said via e mail on Tuesday that Sohu’s micro blogging service will never charge users．“It’s good news for us．Users can come to our website if they have to pay for services (at Sina)．” Fang said．
Most of Sina Weibo’s users______．
| A．aren’t satisfied with its free version |
| B．show no interest in its paid services |
| C．are looking forward to new services |
| D．think highly of its new paid version |
What’s Dong Xu’s attitude towards Sina Weibo’s new services increasing income?
| A．Negative． | B．Confident． |
| C．Indifferent． | D．Positive ． |
Why did Fang Gang consider Sina Weibo’s charging its users good news?
| A．Because Sina will make more money． |
| B．Because Sina will lose the whole Weibo market． |
| C．Because Sohu will attract more users． |
| D．Because Sohu will offer free services． |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．Most of Weibo websites will charge their users． |
| B．Sina Weibo’s new move will be a great success． |
| C．Sina Weibo’s users will enjoy more services． |
| D．A large number of Weibo users like playing games． |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Sina Weibo Faces Great Challenges |
| B．Sina Weibo Launches Paid Services |
| C．Sina Weibo Expects Income Increase |
| D．Sina Weibo Becomes More Convenient |
Every day we are exposed to images, videos, music and news．In this age of visual and aural hyper stimulation, the medium of radio is making a great comeback.
“We’re at the beginning of a golden age of audio,” said US based podcaster Alex Blumberg in an article in The Sydney Morning Herald．In the last month alone, 15 percent of US adults listened to a radio podcast (播客)．These statistics, released by Edison Research, show the successful evolution of traditional radio broadcasts to the present day’s digital podcast format．The term “podcast” was invented in 2004, but the trend only started gaining mainstream popularity in recent years．With the sharp increase in consumer demand for smartphones and tablets, podcast sales have jumped.
The appeal of the podcast partly lies in its multiplatform delivery and on demand capabilities (功能)．You can listen during those extra minutes of the day when you’re walking to the shops, waiting in a queue or riding the subway．Similar to television shows, podcasts are generally free to download and most offer new content every week.
Donna Jackson, 22, Sydney University media graduate, listens to podcasts two or three times a week, via iTurns．“I listen while I’m wandering around the house doing something else．It makes completing a boring task much more enjoyable… And it’s an easy way of keeping in touch with what’s going on in the rest of the world,” she said, “I mainly listen to BBC podcasts, but recently I’ve also been listening to This American Life and Serial．They have a special skill to really draw you in.”
Unlike television and music, the audio format has the potential to create a deep impression on readers．Blumberg says this owes to the podcast’s ability “to create close relationship and emotional connection.” Sydney University undergraduate Hazel Proust, majoring in social work and arts, agrees．“When you’re listening, it feels as if the voice of the podcast’s storyteller is talking directly to you．It’s comforting, ” said Proust.
It seems the age old tradition of verbal storytelling is very much alive and well.From the first two paragraphs, we can learn that ________.
| A．traditional broadcast has come back |
| B．Americans love listening to the radio |
| C．podcasts have become very popular today |
| D．smartphones sell well because of podcasts |
The writer mentions Donna Jackson mainly to ________.
| A．tell how young people relax themselves |
| B．explain why young people like podcasts |
| C．introduce what programs podcasts are presenting |
| D．show how popular podcasts are presenting |
Paragraph 5 is mainly about ________.
| A．the influence of radios |
| B．the advantage of podcasts |
| C．readers’ impression on radios |
| D．people’s reaction to the medium |
What is probably the best title of the passage?
| A．Return of Radio |
| B．Opinions of Podcast |
| C．Features of Radio |
| D．Technology of Podcast |