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In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music,dance and theater in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
At the same time, the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge to the official festival.Eight theater groups turned up uninvited in 1947,in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform,and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon,groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge,Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theater by little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the “Fringe”,once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theater,music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959,with only 19 theater groups performing,some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1,25 million tickets were sold.
1.What was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at he beginning?
A. To bring Europe together again.
B. To honor heroes of World War 11.
C. To introduce young theater groups.
D. To attract great artists from Europe.
2.Why did some uninvited theater groups come to Edinburgh in 1947?
A. They owned a public house there.
B. They came to take up a challenge.
C. They thought they were also famous.
D. They wanted to take part in the festival.
3.Who joined the "Fringe" after it appeared?
A. Popular writers.
B. University students.
C.Artists from around the world.
D. Performers of music and dance.
4.We may learn from the text that Edinburgh Festival___.
A. has become a non-official event
B. has gone beyond an art festival
C. gives shows all year round
D. keeps growing rapidly
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Science can't explain the power of pets, but many studies have shown that the company of pets can help lower blood pressure (血压) and raise chances of recovering from a heart attack, reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer.
Any owner will tell you how much joy a pet brings. For some, an animal provides more comfort than a husband/wife. A study by Karen Allen of the State University of New York measured stress (紧张) levels and blood pressure in people - half of them pet owners –while they performed 5 minutes of mental arithmetic (算术) or held a hand in ice water. Subjects completed the tasks alone, with a husband/wife, a close friend or with a pet. People with pets did it best. Those tested with their animal friends had smaller change in blood pressure and returned most quickly to baseline heart rates. With pets in the room, people also made fewer math mistakes than when doing in front of other companions. It seems people feel more relaxed around pets, says Allen, who thinks it may be because pets don't judge.
A study reported last fall suggests that having a pet dog not only raises your spirits but may also have an effect on your eating habits. Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital spent a year studying 36 fat people and their equally fat dogs on diet-and-exercise programs; a separate group of 56 people without pets were put on a diet program. On average, people lost about I1 pounds, or 5% of their body weight. Their dogs did even better, losing an average of 12 pounds, more than 15% of their body weight. Dog owners didn't lose any more weight than those without dogs but, say researchers, got more exercise overall-mostly with their dogs - and found it worth doing.
1.What does the text mainly discuss?
A．Pets’ value in medical research.
B．How pets help people calm down.
C．People's opinions of keeping pets.
D．What pets bring to their owners.
2.We learn from the text that a person with heart disease has a better chance of getting
well if ．
A．he has a pet companion
B．he has less stress of work
C．he often does mental arithmetic
D．he is taken care of by his family
3.According to Allen, why did the people do better with pets around when doing stressful tasks?
A．They have lower blood pressure.
B．They become more patient.
C．They are less nervous.
D．They are in higher spirits.
4.The research mentioned in the last paragraph reports that ．
A．people with dogs did more exercise
B．dogs lost the same weight as people did
C．dogs liked exercise much more than people did
D．people without dogs found the program unhelpful
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Doctors are known to be terrible pilots. They don't listen because they already know it all. I was lucky: became a pilot in 1970, almost ten years before I graduated from medical school. I didn't realize then, but becoming a pilot makes me a better surgeon. I loved flying. As I flew bigger, faster planes, and in worse weather, I learned about crew resource management (机组资源管理), or CRM, a new idea to make flying safer. It means that crew members should listen and speak up for a good result, regardless of positions.
I first read about CRM in 1980. Not long after that, an attending doctor and I were flying in bad weather. The controller had us turn too late to get our landing ready. The attending doctor was flying; I was safety pilot .He was so busy because of the bad turn, he had forgotten to put the landing gear (起落架) down. He was a better pilot - and my boss - so it felt unusual to speak up. But I had to: Our lives were in danger. I put aside my uneasiness and said, "We need to put the landing gear down now!" That was my first real lesson in the power of CRM, and I've used it in the operating room ever since.
CRM requires that the pilot/surgeon encourage others to speak up. It further requires that when opinions are from the opposite, the doctor doesn't overreact, which might prevent fellow doctors from voicing opinions again. So when I'm in the operating room, I ask for ideas and help from others. Sometimes they're not willing to speak up. But I hope that if I continue to encourage them , someday someone will keep me from “landing gear up”.
1.What does the author say about doctors in general?
A. They like flying by themselves.
B. They are unwilling to take advice.
C. They pretend to be good pilots.
D. They are quick learners of CRM.
2.The author deepened his understanding of the power of CRM when_______.
A. he saved the plane by speaking up
B. he was in charge of a flying task
C. his boss landed the plane too late
D. his boss operated on a patient
3.In the last paragraph”landing gear up” probably means ______.
A.following flying requirements.
B.overreacting to different opinions.
C.listening to what fellow doctors say
D.making a mistake that may cost lives
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.CRM:A New Way to Make Flying Safe
B.Flying Makes Me a Better Doctor
C.The Making of a Good Pilot
D.A Pilot-Turned Doctor
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Welcome to the world-famous house where William Shakespeare was born in l564 and
where he grew up .The property (房产) remained in the ownership of Shakespeare’s family until 1806 .The House has welcomed visitors travelling from all over the world for over 250 years.
◆Enter through the Visitors’ Centre and see the highly-praised exhibition Shakespeare's World，a lively and full introduction to the life and work of Shakespeare.
◆Stand in the rooms where Shakespeare grew up.
◆Discover examples of furniture and needlework from
Shakespeare’s period.
◆Enjoy the traditional English garden，planted with trees and flower mentioned in the poet’s works.
The Birthplace is within easy walking distance of all the car parks shown on the map；nearest is Windsor Street(3 minutes’ Walk).
The House may present difficulties but the Visitors’ Centre，its exhibition,and the garden are accessible (可进入的)to wheelchair users.
The Shakespeare Coffee House (opposite the Birthplace).
1.How much is the admission for a family of two grown-ups and two children？
A．￡9.80． B．￡12.00． C．￡14.20． D．￡16.40．
2.Where is the nearest parking place to Shakespeare’s Birthplace？
A．Behind the exhibition hall．
B．Opposite the Visitors’ Centre．
C．At Windsor Street．
D．Near the Coffee House．
3.A wheelchair user may need help to enter ．
A．the House B．the garden
C．the Visitors’ Centre D．the exhibition hall
难度: 中等查看答案及解析