When you go to St. Petersburg, the number of at-tractions can seem overwhelming. If you’re short on time, or just want to make sure to hit the highlights, these are the top must-see sights in St. Petersburg.
The Hermitage Museum
The Hermitage Museum is one of the most important sights to see for any visitor to St. Petersburg. There you can see lots of different paintings of old masters inside the Hermitage. Prepare to come face-to-face with classic Western artists.
The Russian Museum
The Russian Museum holds one of the largest collections of Russian art in the world. View Russian art creations through the ages, from Byzantine (拜占庭)-style icons to the Socialist Realism of Stalin’s times.
Kizhi Island
Kizhi Island is an open-air museum of wooden buildings from the Karelia Region of Russia. These impressive structures are made without any nails (钉子) — the wood fits together with joints and grooves (沟槽).
Peterhof
Peterhof is as beautiful as it is fun. You’ll be charged for admission (门票), but go to Peterhof when the fountains (喷泉) are working — during the day in the summer. They are shut off in winter as well as in the evenings.
The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood
Love it or hate it, the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood is an attractive must-see sight. The beautiful look may make your eyes brighten, and the paintings inside the church will make you say “Wow!”
The Bronze Horseman Statue
The Bronze Horseman is a part of Russian Culture and a symbol of St. Petersburg. Made famous by Alexander Pushkin (普希金), this statue of Peter the Great sitting on his horse can truly show Peter the Great’s influence on the Russian idea of greatness.If you’re interested in paintings, you’d better go to _____.
| A.the Hermitage Museum and Peterhof |
| B.the Hermitage Museum and the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood |
| C.Kizhi Island and the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood |
| D.the Russian Museum and Kizhi Island |
The man on the Bronze Horse refers to _____.
| A.Peter the Great | B.Alexander Pushkin |
| C.Byzantine | D.Stalin |
What can we know from the passage?
| A.The fountains in Peterhof can be seen all year round. |
| B.The largest collection of Russian art is in the Hermitage Museum. |
| C.The buildings on Kizhi Island are made of wood. |
| D.You can visit Peterhof free of charge. |
The main purpose of this passage is to _____.
| A.show the wonderful history of Russia |
| B.introduce the famous buildings in Russia |
| C.persuade artists to study St. Petersburg |
| D.attract tourists to visit St. Petersburg |
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
"Have you ever been out on a boat and felt it lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the rush of energy as waves came over you.?" asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh. "There is certainly a lot of energy in waves," he said. Scientists are working to use that energy to make electricity. Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean. "The wind starts out by making little ripples (涟漪), but if they keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves," Taylor said. "Waves are one of nature's ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey." When waves come toward the shore, people can set up dams to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine (涡轮机). The turbine can then power an electrical generator to produce electricity.
"The resource is huge," said Janet Swain of the World Watch Institute. "We will never run out of wave power." Besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil or coal. Oceans cover three-quarters of the Earth's surface---that would make wave power seem ideal for creating energy throughout the world, though there are some weak points yet to overcome.
Swain said that wave power still costs too much money. She also said that its effects on sea animals are still unknown. What is more, wave power could affect fishing and boat traffic. Traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may someday run out. "Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is rising rapidly throughout the world," Swain said. In the future when you turn on a light, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!The underlined phrase "picking up" is closest in meaning to ______.
| A.starting again | B.speeding up |
| C.improving | D.gathering |
We can make better use of wave energy if we ______.
| A.shorten its journey to thousands of homes |
| B.build more small power stations on the oceans |
| C.reduce the cost of turning it into electric power |
| D.quicken the steps of producing electricity |
It can be inferred that some day we might not worry about ______.
| A.our power supply | B.our boat traffic |
| C.air pollution | D.our supply of sea fish |
Americans get some of their news and entertainment from public television and radio. These public media receive money to operate from private citizens, organizations and government. Many of their programs are educational. But most of the American media are run by businesses for profit. These privately owned media have changed greatly in recent years. Newspapers, magazines and traditional broadcast television organizations have lost some of their popularity. At the same time, online, cable and satellite media have increased in numbers and strength. So have media that serve racial groups and those communicating in foreign languages.
In general, more media than ever now provide Americans with news and entertainment. At the same time, fewer owners control them. Huge companies have many holdings(股份). In some areas, one company controls much of the media. One dramatic change in American media is the increased success of cable television. It comes into most homes over wires. It does not use the public airwaves to present programs, as broadcast television does. Like broadcast television, most cable television programs perform advertisements. This is true although people must pay to see cable television in their homes. Thirty years ago, few people had cable. Today, about sixty-eight percent of American homes have cable television. Television by satellite also is gaining popularity.
Over the years, traditional broadcast organizations have tried to appeal to as many watchers as possible. Many cable companies, however, present programs for one special group of viewers. For example, there are cable stations for people who like books, cooking, travel, golf or comedy.Which of the following is true about American public media?
| A.They depend on the government. |
| B.They are controlled by the government |
| C.They are free |
| D.They can earn money. |
Which of the following properly shows the change in these privately owned media?
| A.Newspapers are getting more popular. |
| B.Satellite media is getting more popular. |
| C.Traditional media also serve racial groups. |
| D.Some media make their programs in foreign languages |
From the second paragraph, we learn that .
| A.broadcast TV and cable TV programs include sales messages |
| B.more media are out of control |
| C.American media is dramatic |
| D.cable TV is free |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A.American news and entertainment |
| B.Public television and radio media |
| C.media in the United States |
| D.Cable programs in the United States |
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
If you see a group of people dancing and singing on the street or in the railway station, you don't need to feel surprised. They are a flash mob(暴民). Who are they? Are they mobs? Don't be confused by their name. Actually, a flash mob is a group of people who gather suddenly in a public place, do something unusual for a brief period of time, and then quickly disappear.
They are usually organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communications networks. The messages may be sent to friends, who send to more people. At a predetermined time, they gather and perform some activities such as exchanging books, coming together to look at the sky, waving their hands and yelling something at the top of their voice for 30 seconds. Then, they quickly disappear before the police can arrive. Using mobile phones, the flash mob can change its place if the first one has been cancelled for any reason.
Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper's Magazine, organized the first flash mob in Manhattan in May 2003 and the first successful flash mob gathered on June 3, 2003. Wasik claimed that he created the flash mob as a social experiment designed to laugh at fashion seekers and stress the cultural atmosphere of wanting to be an insider or part of “the next big thing”.
Flash mob gatherings can sometimes shock people. Such an activity might seem amusing and magical, but it also might frighten people who are not aware of what is taking place. Undoubtedly, flash mob can serve as good political tools and have great potential, such as using flash mob to advertise a product.
The flash mob is now becoming more and more popular. People use it to do many things. For example, in 2009, Michael Jackson’s fans took part in a flash mob to remember him. Hundreds of his fans gathered singing and dancing Michael’s famous song “Beat It” together. Flash mobs give people from all walks of life an opportunity to come together to create a memory.What is NOT the feature of the flash mob?
| A.It can get together quickly. |
| B.It can change its place freely. |
| C.It can do activities suddenly. |
| D.It can injure people seriously. |
How do flash mobs inform one another?
①By using the Internet.
②By writing letters.
③By yelling.
④By waving hands.
⑤By using mobile phones.
⑥By holding a meeting.
| A.③④ | B.①⑤ | C.②⑥ | D.⑤⑥ |
Why did Bill Wasik create the flash mob?
| A.To advertise some products. |
| B.To help people make friends. |
| C.To laugh at fashion seekers. |
| D.To create some memories. |
What can we learn about the flash mob from the passage?
| A.Bill Wasik organized the first successful flash mob in May, 2003. |
| B.People are encouraged to take a more active part in an activity. |
| C.Flash mobs tend to do something illegal for a short time. |
| D.Flash mob gathering can frighten all the people present. |
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
If you have a little child, who hates sitting in a car seat, then the FreedomRide is the answer to your problem.
Would you want to be stuck in an unchangeable position every time you’re in the car? No. You wouldn’t.
When an adult sits in a car for any length of time, we stretch, we change the position, we move our legs again and again. We do this without thinking. But kids in a traditional car seat can’t do this. They are stuck in one position, and they can’t move. We move because the circulation of blood needs to be recovered in our legs as we sit in the same position for any longer.
In a traditional car seat, the child can’t move to reduce the pain, so it puts them in anger.
The FreedomRide lets them have a little freedom, and still be safe. The 5-Point Harness(背带)gives them additional safety over a traditional child car seat.
I am the Webmaster for islandbreeze.com, and when JoeySafe asked us to redo their website, I was attracted by this system. That is because I have two small children, both girls, aged 3 and 4 and we obviously use car seats. I lived in Southern California, and every couple of months, my wife, the girls and I, go to see grandma who lives in Nevada. It’s a 5-hour drive, so the FreedomRide works well. Our trips are so much better now, especially since there is more room in the car without the car seats.
The FreedomRide really did make it easier to go on trips. The only thing you need when you use the JoeySafe instead of your old child car seat is a pillow. Besides, my kids want to take a pillow anyway! As a dad, I feel safe driving with the kids in the FreedomRide. I am a very safety-oriented person.From the text we can infer the FreedomRide is a _______.
| A.car seat | B.car for children |
| C.safety belt | D.game on islandbreeze.com |
The FreedomRide is likely to be designed for________.
| A.a person hating sitting in the car for long |
| B.an adult often driving a traditional car |
| C.a child requiring some freedom in the car |
| D.a driver needing comfortable seats |
The purpose of the last two paragraphs may be to ________.
| A.support the topic of the child car safety |
| B.describe the advantage of the FreedomRide |
| C.introduce the detail of the author’s work and web. |
| D.describe what the author does with his child car seat |
The next part following the last paragraph may mention________.
| A.the way of ordering |
| B.the way of communicating |
| C.the inventor of this product |
| D.the advantage of the product |
请认真阅读下列短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Oliver Twist was born in a workhouse, and when he arrived in this hard world, it was very doubtful whether he would live beyond the first three minutes. He lay on a hard little bed and struggled to start breathing.
Oliver fought his first battle without much assistance from the two people present at his birth. One was an old woman, who was nearly always drunk, and the other was a busy local doctor, who was not paid enough to be very interested in Oliver’s survival. _______________
However, Oliver managed to draw his first breath, and then announced his arrival to the rest of the workhouse by crying loudly. His mother raised her pale young face from the pillow and whispered, “Let me see the child, and die.”
The doctor turned away from the fire, where he had been warming his hands. “You must not talk about dying yet,” he said to her kindly. He gave her the child to hold. Lovingly, she kissed the baby on its forehead with her cold white lips, then stared wildly around the room, fell back—and died. “Poor dear!” said the nurse, hurriedly putting a green glass bottle back in the pocket of her long skirt.
The doctor began to put on his coat. “The baby is weak and will probably have difficulties,” he said. “If so, give it a little milk to keep it quiet.” Then he looked at the dead woman. “The mother was a good-looking girl. Where did she come from?”
“She was brought here last night,” replied the old woman. “She was found lying in the street. She’d walked some distance, judging by her shoes, which were worn to pieces. Where she came from, where she was going to, or what her name was, nobody knows.”
The doctor lifted the girl’s left hand. “The old story,” he said sadly, shaking his head. “No wedding ring, I see. Ah! Good night.”
And so Oliver was left with only the drunken nurse. Without clothes, under his first blanket, he could have been the child of a king or a beggar. But when the woman dressed him later in rough cotton clothes, yellow with age, he looked exactly what he was—an orphan in a workhouse, ready for a life of misery, hunger, and neglect.
Oliver cried loudly. If he could have known that he was a workhouse orphan, perhaps he would have cried even more loudly.
There was no one to look after the baby in the workhouse, so Oliver was sent to a special “baby farm” nearby. There, he and thirty other children rolled around the floor all day, without the inconvenience of too much food or too much clothing. Mrs Mann, the old woman who “looked after” them, was very experienced. She knew what was good for children, and a full stomach was very dangerous to their health. She also knew what was good for herself, so she kept for her own use the money that she was given for the children’s food. The board responsible for the orphans sometimes checked on the health of the children, but they always sent the beadle, a kind of local policeman, to announce their visit the day before. So whenever the board arrived, of course, the children were always neat and clean.
This was the way Oliver was brought up. Consequently, at the age of nine he was a pale, thin child and short for his age. But despite frequent beatings by Mrs Mann, his spirit was strong, which was probably the reason why he managed to reach the age of nine at all.
On Oliver’s ninth birthday, Mr Bumble, the beadle, came to the house to see Mrs Mann. Through the front window Mrs Mann saw him at the gate, and turned quickly to the girl who worked with her.
“Quick! Take Oliver and those others upstairs to be washed!” she said. Then she ran out to unlock the gate which was always kept locked.According to the passage, a workhouse was where ________.
| A.many women died unexpectedly |
| B.workers helped each other |
| C.the poor and homeless lived |
| D.people were only interested in money |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A.Oliver was born into the world on a cold day. |
| B.Many people, especially women, drank heavily at that time. |
| C.The children in the baby farm were taken good care of. |
| D.Doctors were usually paid too little for the work they did. |
Which sentence is most suitable for the blank in Paragraph 2?
| A.Therefore, he felt very lonely in the world. |
| B.Frightened at the sight of the two, he started to cry. |
| C.After all, death was a common event in the workhouse. |
| D.In fact, the world was privileged to have him in it. |
It can be inferred that the gate of the baby farm was always kept locked in order to ________.
| A.protect the children inside from dangers outside |
| B.prevent official visitors walking in unexpectedly |
| C.keep the children inside working all the time |
| D.ensure the children were always neat and clean |
According to the passage, Mrs. Mann ________.
| A.was mad keen on looking after children |
| B.provided children with little food and few comforts |
| C.beat children frequently to make them mentally strong |
| D.cared little about Mr Bumble’s abrupt appearance |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A.Oliver’s early life. | B.Oliver’s personality. |
| C.Mother’s death. | D.People’s selfishness. |