Visitors worry that London is an expensive city but there really are so many free things to do here. The following ideas should get you started.
All of London's major museums are free, but most offer some special exhibitions for a fee. My favorite is the Museum of Londonwhere you can learn the history of London from Roman times to today. And I love theGeffrye Museumwhich shows English domestic interiors and helps bring to life what it was really like to live in London.
I regularly hear people tell me theQueen Mary's Rose Gardens in Regent's Parkis their favorite spot in London, and who am I to argue? I would also recommend St. James's Park as it offers one of the best views ofBuckingham Palace. Hyde Park is enormous and Kensington Gardens nearby includes the ever popular Diana Memorial Playgroundand thePeter Pan Statue.
No visit to London is complete without seeing this military tradition. The Queen's Guard in London changes in the Forecourt inside the gates ofBuckingham Palaceat 11.30am every day in the summer and every other day in the winter. Get there early and view the spectacle from outside the front gates.
Trafalgar Square is one of Britain's greatest visitor attractions and was designed by John Nash in the 1820s and constructed in the 1830s. This iconic square has many sights to see including Nelson's Columnand theNational Gallery. It is both a tourist attraction and the main focus for political demonstrations. Every December, Norway donates a marvelous Christmas tree, to thank Britain for liberation from the Nazis.Where can visitors find thePeter Pan Statue?
| A．in Regent's Park. | B．in St. James's Park. |
| C．in Hyde Park. | D．in Kensington Gardens. |
Which of the following desrciptions is True ?
| A．In theGeffrye Museumvisitors can learn the history of London from Roman times to today. |
| B．The Queen Mary's Rose Gardens is in Buckingham Palace. |
| C．There is the Queen's Guard change inside the gates ofBuckingham Palaceat 11.30 am every day all year around. |
| D．Trafalgar Square is both a tourist attraction and a place for political demonstrations. |
The writer wrote the passage to ________.
| A．compare some free places in London. |
| B．advertise some free places in London. |
| C．recommend some free places in London. |
| D．expose some free places in London. |
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was one of the most private women in the world, yet when she went to work as an editor in the last two decades of her life, she revealed（展现）herself as she did nowhere else．
After the death of her second husband, Greek shipping magnate（巨头）Aristotle Onassis, Jacqueline’s close friend and former White House social secretary Letitia Baldrige made a suggestion that she consider a career in publishing．After consideration, Jacqueline accepted it．Perhaps she hoped to find there some idea about how to live her own life．She became not less but more interested in reading．For the last 20 years of her life, Jacqueline worked as a publisher’s editor, first at Viking, then at Doubleday, pursuing（追求）a late-life career longer than her two marriages combined．During her time in publishing, she was responsible for managing and editing more than 100 successfully marketed books．Among the first books were In the Russian Style and Inventive Paris Clothes．She also succeeded in persuading TV hosts Bill Moyer’s and Jose Campbell to transform their popular television conversations into a book, The Power of Myth．The book went on to become an international best-seller．She dealt, too, with Michael Jackson as he prepared his autobiography（自传）, Moonwalk．
Jacqueline may have been hired for name and for her social relations, but she soon proved her worth．Her choices, suggestions and widespread social relations were of benefit both to the publishing firms and to Jacqueline herself．In the books she selected for publication, she built on a lifetime of spending time by herself as a reader and left a record of the growth of her mind．Her books are the autobiography she never wrote．Her role as First Lady, in the end, was overshadowed by her performance as an editor．However, few knew that she had achieved so much．We can learn from the passage that Jacqueline _________
| A．became fond of reading after working as an editor |
| B．was in charge of publishing 100 books |
| C．promoted her books through social relations |
| D．gained a lot from her career as an editor |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that_________
| A．Jacqueline was more successful as an editor than as First Lady |
| B．Jacqueline’s life as First Lady was more colorful than as an editor |
| C．Jacqueline ended up as an editor rather as First Lady |
| D．Jacqueline’s role as First Lady was more brilliant than as an editor |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Jacqueline’s two marriages lasted more than 20 years |
| B．Jacqueline’s views and beliefs were reflected in the books she edited |
| C．Jacqueline’s own publishing firm was set up eventually |
| D．Jacqueline’s achievements were widely known． |
The passage is mainly______________
| A．a brief account of Jacqueline’s career as an editor in her last 20 years |
| B．a brief description of Jacqueline’s lifelong experiences |
| C．an introduction of Jacqueline’s life both as First Lady and as an editor |
| D．an analysis of Jacqueline’s social relations in publishing |
Argentina in the late nineteenth century was an exciting place．Around 1870, it was experiencing an economic boom, and the capital, Buenos Aires, attracted many people．Farmers, as well as a flood of foreigners from Spain and Italy, came to Buenos Aires seeking jobs．These jobs didn’t pay well, and the people felt lonely and disappointed with their new life in the city．As the unhappy newcomers mixed together in the poor parts of the city, the dance known as the tango （探戈舞） came into being
At the beginning the tango was a dance of the lower classes．It was danced in the bars and streets．At that time there were many fewer women than men, so if a man didn’t want to be left out, his only choice was to dance with another man so that he could attract the attention of the few available women．Gradually, the dance spread into the upper classes of Argentinean society and became more respectable．
In Europe at this time, strong interest in dance from around the world was beginning．The interest in international dance was especially evident in Paris．Every kind of dance from ballet to belly dancing could be found on the stages of the Paris theaters．After tango dances from Argentina arrive in Europe, they began to draw the interest of the public as they performed their exiting dance in cafes．Though not everyone approved of the new dance, saying it was a little too shocking, the dance did find enough supporters to make it popular．
The popularity of the tango continued to grow in many other parts of the world．Soldiers who returned to the United States from World War I brought the tango to North America．It reached Japan in 1926, and in 2003 the Argentinean embassy in Seoul hired a local tango dancer to act as a kind of dance ambassador, and promote tango dancing throughout South Korea．The origin of the tango is associated with _________．
| A．Belly dances | B．American soldiers |
| C．the capital of Argentina | D．Spanish city |
Which of the following is true about the tango?
| A．It was created by foreigners from Spain and Italy． |
| B．People of the upper classes loved the tango most |
| C．A dancer in Seoul became the Argentinean ambassador． |
| D．It was often danced by two male in the beginning |
Before World War I, the tango spread to __________．
| A．America | B．Japan | C．France | D．South Korea |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．How to Dance the Tango | B．The History of the Tango |
| C．How to Promote the Tango | D．The Modern Tango Boom |
B
| Café en Seine The wildly luxury （奢华） new art style of this huge bar has been a huge hit since it first opened in 1995, and while it may not be the “in” place it once was, it is still very popular with the after-work crowd and out-of-towners．Maybe it’s the glass frames, or the real 12m-high trees; but most likely it’s the beautiful people supporting the wood-and-marble bar． Good for: decoration, cocktails, amazing food and service Address: 40 Dawson St Transport: all city centre Phone: 01 677 4369 |
| Gravediggers （aka Kavanagh’s） The gravediggers from the neighboring Glasnevin Cemetery had a secret serving hatch （舱口） so that they could drink on the job – therefore the pub’s nickname．Founded in 1833 by one John Kavanagh and still in the family, this pub is one of the best in Ireland, almost unchanged in 150 years．In summer time the green of the square is full of drinkers bathing in the sun, while inside the hardened locals ensure that never a hint of sunshine disturbs some of the best Guinness in town．An absolute classic． Good for: Guinness, traditional pub, pub food Address: 1 Prospect Sq Glasnevin Transport: 13 from city centre Phone: 830 7978 |
| Davy Byrne’s James Joyce, an Irish author and a poet （1882-1941）, would hardly recognize the bar that Leopold Bloom rushed into for a gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of wine in Ulysses．It doesn’t stop Davy Byrne’s from making the most of its Joyce’s connections, even though today's version is strictly for out-of-towners and the rugby crowd． Good for: socializing with the locals, tasty Irish food, watching TV Address: 21 Duke St Transport: all city centre Website: www．davybyrnes．com Phone: 01 677 5217 |
People choose Café en Seine most probably because they enjoy _____as well as its cocktails and service．
| A．its location | B．its decoration |
| C．its history | D．its environment |
“Guinness” in Gravediggers probably refers to ________．
| A．a kind of tea | B．the name of the boss |
| C．a kind of beer | D．the name of the town |
We can infer that Davy Byrne’s is ________．
| A．a newly-opened bar |
| B．an old-fashioned bar |
| C．a bar with a long history |
| D．a bar popular with foreigners |
What do Café en Seine and Davy Byrne’s have in common?
| A．Their represent the same architecture style． |
| B．They give the same description about transport． |
| C．They both serve cocktails and tasty Irish food |
| D．They are both popular with the rugby crowd． |
Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with her Lord．She did it her way．
I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly．Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven．I hated going there every weekend．There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception．
My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land．The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat．We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me．
In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen．I sang the melody and Mom harmonized．Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over．Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk．
As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit them every week or two．The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad．Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm．While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle（喧闹）of my life at home．But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced．
Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio．Music always comforted me．
My heart skipped a beat．"Moon River" was playing on the radio．I sat there stunned, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note．From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________．
| A．left the small farm with Lord |
| B．passed away four years ago |
| C．left for Lord to live her own way |
| D．preferred to be with Lord |
The underlined word reminisced in the fifth paragraph probably means ________．
| A．shouted | B．comforted |
| C．recalled | D．sighed |
The writer didn’t like staying in the farm for the following reasons except that ________．
| A．she could only sing one song in the small farm |
| B．it was too cold and quiet |
| C．there was nothing more that could make her excited |
| D．the place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? _______
| A．Cherish（珍惜） life | B．My happy childhood |
| C．Our small farmhouse | D．Mom’s music |
Just 25 years ago，the top three career hopes for young people in Britain were teacher，banker and doctor. Now，they want to be sports star，pop star and actor，according to a survey by the Guardian newspaper.
Rachel，a character in the popular TV show Glee，may be said to speak for British teenagers. “Nowadays being nobody is worse than being poor，” he said.
Emma Brockes，a reporter from Guardian，believes it is “the bad influence of celebrity(名人) culture” that is to blame. “When children wanted to be doctor，it wasn't because they were really more interested in the functions of human organs than they are now；you go where the respect is，”she wrote.
It could explain why there has been such an increase in levels of anxiety and depression. Dr. Carlo Strenger，of Tel Aviv University，studied the sense of self for his new book The Fear of Insignificance：Searching for Meaning in the 21st Century. He told Daily Mail that young people now are affected by the close connection to the global entertainment network，which has turned ranking and rating people according to wealth and celebrity into an obsession(痴迷)．
“As humans，we naturally measure ourselves against those around us，but now we live in a global village. We are comparing ourselves with the most ‘important’ people in the world and finding ourselves wanting，” he said. Today，even high achievers constantly fear that they are insignificant when they compare themselves to success stories in the media.
The way out？Simply stop measuring your achievements through a fantasy of wealth and celebrity. Dr. Strenger said that it is a process called “active self-acceptance through a constant search for self-knowledge through life”．
“The fear of insignificance can only be overcome through strong individual and cultural identity over and above measurable achievements，” he said.Nowadays，young people in Britain want to ________.
| A．choose jobs based on interests |
| B．become famous |
| C．be teacher，banker or doctor |
| D．earn more money |
According to Emma Brockes，what causes the increasing level of anxiety?
| A．The choice of future career. |
| B．The access to the global network. |
| C．The bad influence of celebrities. |
| D．The endless comparison with others. |
Which of the following is true of Dr. Carlo Strenger?
| A．He is a newspaper reporter. |
| B．He is a spokesman of teenagers. |
| C．He tells success stories on TV. |
| D．He is against ranking people by wealth. |
Dr. Carlo Strenger suggests that young people should ______.
| A．seek active self-acceptance |
| B．stick to their own dreams |
| C．make great achievements |
| D．search for the secret of wealth |
The text is mainly written to ________.
| A．talk about job choices |
| B．analyze a social phenomenon |
| C．encourage celebrity culture |
| D．introduce three famous people |