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Here are some Chinatowns for those outside of China wishing to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
London
Although it may not be as large or as long-built as others, having only become a center for the Chinese community during the 1950s, London’s Chinatown is perfectly formed little firework (烟花) that knows how to see in the year with a bang. Decorated (装饰) with red lanterns, previous years have seen shows with acrobatics, martial arts, dance and opera nearby.
San Francisco
San Francisco’s Chinatown is perhaps the most famous in the USA. The city was the main entry-point for Chinese who had crossed the Pacific to the USA during the early 19th century. Between the Grant Avenue and the Stockton Street, this historic area is a local treasure, attracting more visitors per year than the Golden Gate Bridge.
Bangkok
With an about 100-year-old history, the Thai capital’s Chinatown contains complex streets offering all kinds of tasty food, clothes, and toys. Sunday market days are such a good time to get the full atmosphere of the neighborhood. The area is also famous for its gold dealers, and there are lots of gold shops along the road.
Mauritius
Found in Port Louis, this Mauritian Chinatown shows the island nation’s rich multicultural diversity. Built in the early years of the 20th century by settlers from China, its tiny shops and restaurants serve locals and visitors. During the Chinese Spring Festival, the most exciting sight is the Dragon Dances on Rue Royale when Chinese musicians and dancers perform the traditional lion dances through the streets.
1.Which of the following has the longest history?
A.London’s Chinatown. B.San Francisco’s Chinatown.
C.Mauritius’s Chinatown. D.Bangkok’s Chinatown.
2.What’s special about Bangkok’s Chinatown?
A.It is crowded with Chinese restaurants.
B.It is the major entrance for the Chinese.
C.It is well-known for its gold business.
D.You can enjoy fireworks there.
3.If you want to enjoy the Dragon Dances, you can go to ________.
A.Rue Royale in Port Louis, Mauritius B.the Sunday market in Bangkok
C.the Grant Avenue in San Francisco D.the Chinese community in London
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
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In many ways, Alma Deutscher is like other 11-year-olds. She loves to climb trees, dance, read, and draw. But Alma, who lives in Dorking, England, has made one very special achievement. She has composed a full opera and brought it to the stage. Her opera, a retelling of Cinderella (灰姑娘), premiered (首次演出) in December 2016, in Vienna, Austria.
“I’ve loved Cinderella since I was 3,” Alma said. But she felt the story needed an improvement. “I didn’t like the thing about the shoe,” she says. “Why should the prince find her because of her feet?”
In Alma’s version (版本), Cinderella is a composer. She creates a melody (旋律) that she sings to the prince before fleeing the ball. “He remembers the beginning but not how it went on,” Alma says. The prince realizes that only Cinderella would know how the melody continues. He uses that knowledge to find her.
Alma began writing the opera when she was 8. It premiered on December 29, 2016, and the audience stood up and cheered. Alma played the piano and violin and performed in the show. “It was something that was completely inside my head, in my imagination, and then it came to life,” Alma says.
Alma says she is sure that music will remain a major part of her life. “I have lots of things that I want to compose,” she says. “The first one is a piano concerto (协奏曲). Then I’m writing a novel, and I want to write a movie based on it, and the music for that.”
She also has advice for kids who want to achieve their big dreams. “It’s a lot of work to reach a high level,” Alma says. “But if you love what you are doing, it doesn’t feel like hard work. Don’t let anyone stop you from doing it.”
1.What does the author mostly want to tell us about Alma Deutscher in Paragraph 1?
A.She is a cute girl. B.She lives in Vienna Austria.
C.She has a special music talent. D.She is always ready to help others.
2.What can we learn from Alma’s version of Cinderella?
A.The prince knows how the melody continues.
B.The prince finds Cinderella because of a melody.
C.The prince finds Cinderella because of her shoes.
D.The prince sings a melody to Cinderella before her fleeing the ball.
3.How was the performance of Alma’s Opera Cinderella?
A.It was a great success. B.It disappointed the audience.
C.It set a good example for other kids. D.It was something in Alma’s imagination.
4.What can we learn from Alma’s advice to other kids in the last paragraph?
A.Knowledge is power. B.A good beginning is half done.
C.Failure is the mother of success. D.Nothing is difficult if you’re enthusiastic.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they express regret, lost chances, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take another minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “another minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something small like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a table, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (粘贴衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.
I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone a chance to say “I love you” or “I forgive (原谅) you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up a chance to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.
I know there will still be times when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is certainly better because of my rule of doing everything possible to avoid that possibility. And even though it takes another minute to do something right, or it sometimes takes an hour or two in my busy timetable to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for avoiding saying “if only”.
1.Why does the writer regard “if only” as two of the saddest words in the English language?
A.Because people use them when they feel sad.
B.Because they mean sadness in the English language.
C.Because they mean regrets and disappointment in life.
D.Because they make the writer think of some sad experiences.
2.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “foregone” in Paragraph 3?
A.given up. B.looked for.
C.waited for. D.made use of.
3.The author decided to go to her office on Good Friday to .
A.see a doctor B.finish her work
C.join a celebration D.create a chance to see her father
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A.Advice from My Father B.The “Another Minute” Rule
C.Avoidance of saying “If Only” D.The Saddest Words in English
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Some caterpillars’ warning signals (信号) may have evolved (进化) from walking. A team, writing in the journal Nature Communications, reported that the hair-like structures the living things use to make sounds evolved from legs.
The team studied caterpillars which use these structures to communicate their ownership of leaves. This means the caterpillars are able to “tell” strangers to go away without risking injury in fighting. “These are really interesting caterpillars,” said Dr. Jayne Yack from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, who led the research. “They make signals using hair-like structures which are on their back ends.”
The caterpillars drag these structures across the leaf to make scraping (刺耳的) sounds when strangers enter the area of their leaves. “When they make this signal, the strangers leave,” explained Dr. Yack. “It’s like saying ‘I’m here, get out of here — I already own this leaf’.”
The scientists looked at other species (物种) within the same group of caterpillars and created their “family tree”. They used chemical markers (标记物) to work out the relationship between the animals, showing which in the group were the more ancient species and which species evolved more recently. “Those more ancient species actually don’t have these sound-producing structures. They have legs that they use to walk towards strangers,” said Dr. Yack. These more ancient species, she explained, walk towards strangers and try to fight against them. “They can kill each other in the fighting,” Dr. Yack added. She said that the evolution of the scraping show had allowed the caterpillars to solve their fighting without injury. “So our idea is that these signals actually avoid harm to both sides — they solve fighting in a more ‘friendly’ way.”
The study also provides a map of an evolutionary process that many other biologists are researching.
1.What can we learn about caterpillars’ warning structures from the text?
A.They have the same use as hair.
B.They are found in caterpillars’ heads.
C.They are used to fight against strangers.
D.They may have evolved from caterpillars’ legs.
2.According to the text, Dr. Yack’s team did NOT ________.
A.draw a family tree of caterpillars
B.create a map to show how caterpillars evolve
C.study species within the same group of caterpillars
D.make clear the relationship between different species of caterpillars
3.What does the underlined word “They” in the fifth paragraph refer to?
A.The ancient species. B.The chemical markers.
C.The sound-producing structures. D.The more recently evolved species.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A.How caterpillars evolved.
B.How caterpillars warn strangers.
C.Communication between caterpillars.
D.Caterpillars’ warning signals evolved from walking.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析