If you’re travelling in the following cities, these exciting events may drag you out of the house.
CONCERTS
Mayday Noah’s Ark World Tour
Info: Jul 13, Xiamen; Jul 19/20, Shanghai; Aug 3, Shenzhen; Aug 17, Beijing
The rock band Mayday is about to bring their attractive tour to an end — and, as usual, it’s going to happen in a grand way. On Aug 17, they will rock the National Stadium, or the Bird’s Nest Stadium, and hold their last Noah’s(诺亚方舟) Ark concert in China, before heading to Europe in September.
Tanya Chua 2013 Concert Tour
Info: Aug 10, Shanghai; Aug 31, Beijing
In her music career of more than 15 years, the 38-year-old Singaporean singer-songwriter has never been short of popular songs that astonish the heart. Now, for the first time since 2008, when she played a small Christmas concert in Shanghai, Chua is visiting China as part of a concert tour.
THEATER
What is Success?
Director: Edward Lam
Performers: Chu Hung-chang, Ethan Wei, Shi Yi-hsiu
Info: Aug 9-10, Guangzhou; Aug 16-17, Chongqing; Aug 29-Sept 1, Beijing
In Part Three of Edward Lam’s Four Great Classics Series, which looks back at Luo Guanzhong’s novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it is sure to give you a surprise. Will it be true? Find out for yourself!
To Live
Director: Meng Jinghui
Performers: Huang Bo, Yuan Quan
Info: Jul 30-Aug 4, Beijing; Aug 6-7, Tianjin; Aug 9-11, Hangzhou; Aug 13-18, Shanghai
After their world show in September, theater director Meng Jinghui and his team are back for another tour around China. While audiences can renew their memories of Yu Hua’s new realism works, film stars Huang Bo and Yuan Quan will also impress audiences with their excellent performance.
EXHIBITIONS
Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal(永恒)
Info: Apr 29-Jul 28, Shanghai
Launched in 2012 — the 25th anniversary of the pop artist Andy Warhol’s death — the exhibition brings the largest ever collection of Warhol’s work to Asia. It includes more than 300 paintings, photographs, drawings and 3-D art, including his works such as Marilyn Monroe, Mao, Campbell’s Soup and Self-Portrait.You may find the above advertisements ____.
| A．in a newspaper | B．in a school magazine |
| C．in a store window | D．on a company notice-board |
The rock band Mayday is going to give concerts in ____ after they perform in Beijing.
| A．Australia | B．Japan |
| C．Europe | D．the USA |
Tanya Chua 2013 Concert Tour is her ____ concert in China.
| A．third | B．Fourth |
| C．first | D．second |
Travelling in Hangzhou on Aug 10, you can watch film star Huang Bo’s works ____.
| A．What is Success | B．To Live |
| C．Campbell’s Soup | D．Self-Portrait |
The main purpose of the advertisements is to tell you ____ when you are in these cities.
| A．how to enjoy these activities | B．how to improve your artistic level |
| C．how to amuse yourselves | D．what to enjoy |
Bicycle Safety
Operation Always ride your bike in a safe, controlled manner on campus(校园). Obey rules and regulations. Watch out for walkers and other bicyclists, and always use your lights in dark conditions.
Theft Prevention Always securely lock your bicycle to a bicycle rack---even if you are only away for a minute. Register your bike with the University Department of Public Safety. It’s fast, easy, and free. Registration permanently records your serial number, which is useful in the possible recovery of the bike stolen.
Equipment
Brakes Make sure that they are in good working order and adjusted properly.
Helmet A necessity, make sure your helmet meets current safety standards and fit properly.
Lights Always have a front headlight---visible at least 500 feet in front of the bike. A taillight is a good idea.
Rules of the Road
Riding on Campus As a bicycle rider, you have a responsibility to ride only on streets and posted bicycle paths. Riding on sidewalks or other walkways can lead to a fine. The speed limit for bicycles on campus is 15mph, unless otherwise posted. Always give the right of ways to walkers. If you are involved in an accident, you are required to offer appropriate aid, call the Department of Public Safety and remain at the scene until the officer lets you go.
Bicycle Parking Only park in areas reserved for bikes. Trees, handrails, hallways, and sign posts are not for bicycle parking, and parking in such posts can result in a fine.
If Things Go Wrong
If you break the rules, you will be fined. Besides violating rules while riding bicycles on campus, you could be fined for:
No bicycle registration------------------------$25
Bicycle parking banned-------------------------$30
Blocking path with bicycle -------------------$40
Violation of bicycle equipment requirement -----$35Registration of your bicycle may help you __________.
| A．find your stolen bicycle |
| B．get your serial number |
| C．receive free repair services |
| D．settle conflicts with walkers |
If you lock your bicycle to a tree on the campus, you could be fined __________.
| A．$25 | B．$30 | C．$35 | D．$40 |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A guide for safe bicycling on campus. |
| B．Directions for bicycle tour on campus. |
| C．Regulations of bicycle race on campus. |
| D．Rules for riding motor vehicles on campus. |
Children love playing games. That is a well-known fact. Kids learn how to play games at a very early age, and once they find a game they love, they can play for hours and hours. In fact, games for kids are so popular that there is an entire industry dedicated(献身) to designing and selling them. There seems to be a fun game for kids for every occasion. Christmas and birthday are often celebrated with the family tradition of gifting a new game.
In recent years, however, Internet games and gaming system seem to have taken kids’ world by storm. Online games for kids have quickly become a very popular way to pass the time with small children and teens alike. Online games are a great way to have fun, and they can be quite educational as well. Many online games created for specific age groups encourage grade-appropriate development and educational skills.
Hundreds of websites offer fun and educational games to kids. Many of these sites are created by big names, such as National Geographic, which we can trust. They offer free games that parents know are proper for children. Parents are encouraged to go online and research online games proper for their children’s age before allowing their kids to play these games. Parents want to look for parental controls such as the ability to set or monitor their children’s playtime.
With so many options to choose from, parents and children will find it easy to find fun games and activities on the Internet. And nowadays, being able to use a computer is a very important skill for children to learn, so playing on the computer is definitely both educational and fun. Children are sure to learn new skills about any subject with the right, trusted website.The industry of games for kids is fast growing probably because ________.
| A．the workers are good at designing |
| B．children are mostly crazy about games |
| C．people would like to celebrate birthdays |
| D．kids don’t like to do their homework |
Which of the following is TRUE of National Geographic Games?
| A．The news is updated every day. |
| B．There is a large amount of information. |
| C．It can help parents to control kids’ playtime. |
| D．The games on it are good for kids’ mental and physical health. |
What’s the author’s attitude to children’s playing computer games?
| A．Supportive. | B．Worried. | C．Negative. | D．Doubtful. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Traditional games and modern games |
| B．Computer games harmful to the youth |
| C．Games for kids changing a lot ever since |
| D．Internet games with fun and education |
Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life of the people and develop in their own way.
Our expression today is “to face the music”. When someone says, “Well, I guess I’ll have to face the music,” it does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you didn’t do this or that. Awful music indeed, but it has to be faced. At sometime or another, every one of us has to face the music, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you.” and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Looper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting to go on the stage. When they got their cue(提示) to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that was exactly what they did—facing the orchestra(管弦乐队) which was just below them. And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of an audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” came to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.”
Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced an inspection(视察) by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shiny enough to pass the inspection? Still the men had to go out and face the music of the band as well as the inspection. What else could they do?
Another army explanation is more closely linked to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. For example, when a man is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse.How many ways does the phrase “to face the music” comes from?
| A．1. | B．2. | C．3. | D．4. |
What’s the meaning of “to face the music”?
| A．To face something far less pleasant. | B．To face the stage. |
| C．To face the back of one’s horse. | D．To face one’s leader. |
The underlined word “hostile” means ________.
| A．unfriendly | B．dislike | C．unkind | D．unnecessary |
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while—then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us develop more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality(好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!The writer of this passage must be ________.
| A．an American | B．a Chinese | C．a professor | D．a student |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
| B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
| C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
| D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ________.
| A．warmly welcomed at the airport | B．offered a ride to his/her home |
| C．treated hospitably at his/her home | D．treated to dinner in a restaurant |
The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ________.
| A．strict with time | B．willing to spend time |
| C．careful with time | D．serious with time |
A suitable title for this passage would probably be “________”.
| A．Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships | B．Americans’ hospitality |
| C．Friendships between Chinese | D．Friendships between Americans |
In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without first asking if it will disturb them.
At American restaurants and coffee shops you are usually served tap water(自来水) before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill.
Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing times for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.
Servings in restaurants are often large, too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you’re taking the food for yourself. Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have “Sunday dinner”. This is an especially big noon meal.
Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.Which statement is TRUE?
| A．American people like sitting with people they don’t know. |
| B．A hostess always seats a small group at a large table. |
| C．American people never sit with people they don’t know. |
| D．American people will not light a cigarette if the people who sit at the same table mind their smoking. |
What is served before you order?
| A．Bread | B．Butter | C．Coffee | D．Cold water |
What are the opening and closing times for stores and restaurants in the US?
| A．There are no rules about opening and closing times for stores and restaurants. |
| B．Stores may be open 24 hours a day in every city. |
| C．Especially in large cities, stores may be open around the clock. |
| D．You can enter a bar at any time in the US. |