Summer Holiday Fun 2015!
The summer holidays are upon us again. Here is our guide to summer holiday fun in Peterborough!
Peterborough Museum
The Age of the Dinosaurs is the museum's main attraction this summer. Get up close to prehistoric creatures via some great hands-on exhibits！Watch out for monsters lurking around every ember！The museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Saturday，and from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Sundays in August.
Call 01733 864663 for details.
School holiday fun：Young people aged 13—19 will be able to produce their own music，compete in sports activities，or try their hand at cooking at Saxon Youth Club，Saxon Community Centre，Norman Road，Peterborough every Monday and Wednesday from 3:00 pm. PLUS an aero ball tournament will take place on Thursday,12th August between 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm.
Call 01353 720274 for details.
Houghton Mill
Through the Looking Glass—a new production of the family favorite on Monday 30th，August. Bring rugs or chairs to sit on and a picnic if you wish to eat during the play. Gates open 5:30 pm，performance 6:30 pm—8:30 pm. Tea room will be open until the end of the interval. Adult ￡ 10. Child ￡7. Family ￡20.
Booking advisable on 0845 4505157.
Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey
Farmland Games：From Wellie Wanging to Pretend Ploughing matches，come and join the Farmland Team. Collect your sporting stickers and create a colorful rosette that is fit for a winner！No need to book，just turn up between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Thursday,19th August. Suitable for children aged four and above，each child should be accompanied by an adult and all activities are included in the normal admission price. Tickets Cost：￡ 7 per child.
For further information，call 01223 810080.
1.If you are interested in cooking，you can go to ________.
A. Peterborough Museum B. Houghton Mill
C. Saxon Youth Club D. Farmland Museum
2.You want to watch the new play with your parents，so it will cost you ________.
A. ￡ 7 B. ￡ 17 C. ￡ 27 D. ￡ 20
3.Which of the following activities needs parents' company?
A. Playing farmland games.
B. Watching the new play.
C. Competing in sports activities.
D. Visiting the dinosaur exhibition.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
The famous director of a big and expensive movie planned to film a beautiful sunset over the ocean, so that the audiences could see his hero and heroine in front of it at the end of the film as they said goodbye to each other forever. He sent his camera crew out one evening to film the sunset for him.
The next morning he said to the men, “Have you provided me with that sunset?”
“No, sir,” the men answered.
The director was angry. “Why not?” he asked.
“Well, sir,” one of the men answered, “we’re on the east coast here, and the sun sets in the west. We can get you a sunrise over the sea, if necessary, but not a sunset.”
“But I want a sunset!” the director shouted. “Go to the airport, take the next flight to the west coast, and get one.”
But then a young secretary had an idea. “Why don’t you photograph a sunrise,” she suggested, “and then play it backwards? Then it’ll look like a sunset.”
“That’s a very good idea!” the director said. Then he turned to the camera crew and said, “Tomorrow morning I want you to get me a beautiful sunrise over the sea.”
The camera crew went out early the next morning and filmed a bright sunrise over the beach in the middle of a beautiful bay. Then at nine o’clock they took it to the director. “Here it is, sir,” they said, and gave it to him. He was very pleased.
They all went into the studio. “All right,” the director explained, “now our hero and heroine are going to say goodbye. Run the film backwards so that we can see the ‘sunset’ behind them.”
The “sunset” began, but after a quarter of a minute, the director suddenly put his face in his hands and shouted to the camera crew to stop.
The birds in the film were flying backwards, and the waves on the sea were going away from the beach.
1.One evening, the director sent his camera crew out ________.
A. to film a scene on the sea
B. to find an actor and an actress
C. to watch a beautiful sunset
D. to meet the audience
2.Why did the director want to send his crew to the west coast?
A. Because he changed his mind about getting a sunset.
B. Because he was angry with his crew.
C. Because he wanted to get a scene of sunset.
D. Because it was his secretary’s suggestion.
3.The director wanted to film a sunset over the ocean because ________.
A. it went well with the separation of the hero and heroine
B. when they arrived at the beach it was already in the evening
C. it was more moving than a sunrise
D. the ocean looked more beautiful at sunset
4.After the “sunset” began, the director suddenly put his face in his hands ________.
A. because he was moved to tears
B. as he saw everything in the film moving backwards
C. as the sunrise did not look as beautiful as he had imagined
D. because he was disappointed with the performance of the hero and heroine
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
In order to help customers find what they want quickly, it’s important to keep the thousands of titles in the Main Street Movies store organized properly. This section of the Employee Handbook will tell you how to organize videos.
Each Main street Movies store has three main sections:
1. New Releases Wall.
2. Film library.
3. Video Games.
New Releases Wall. Almost 70 percent of movie rentals are new releases, and that is the first place where most customers go when they enter the store. The center section of shelves on this wall holds Hottest Hits. When new titles come into the store, place them on this wall in alphabetical order. The shelves beside Hottest Hits are called Recent Releases. The New Releases Wall, including the Hottest Hits and Recent Releases shelves, holds about 350 titles.
Film Library. The thousands of titles in the Film Library are organized into categories. The films within each category are displayed alphabetically. Here are the categories and their two-letter computer codes:
| AC | Action | DR | Drama | HO | Horror |
| CH | Children | FA | Family | MU | Music |
| CO | Comedy | FL | Foreign Language | SC | SCIENCE Fiction |
Foreign Language titles include films that were originally made in a foreign language and films with foreign language subtitles. A sticker on the back of each box tells which type of film it is.
Video Game. All the video games in Main street Movies are arranged in alphabetical order. Although video games represent only a small percentage of our inventory(库存), they are stolen more often than any other type of goods in our store. Therefore, video games are never displayed on the shelves. Shelves in the Video Game section hold cardboard with pictures and information about each game. When a customer wants to rent a particular game, you then find the game from the locked case behind the counter.
1.Whom do you think this passage is most probably addressed to?
A. The readers in the store.
B. The manager of the store.
C. The customers in the store.
D. The salespersons of the store.
2.In which order are the new movies moved in the store?
A. From Hottest Hits to Film Library to Recent Releases.
B. From Film Library to Hottest Hits to Recent Releases.
C. From Recent Releases to Film Library to Hottest Hits.
D. From Hottest Hits to Recent Releases to Film Library.
3.Why can’t video games be seen on the shelves?
A. Because they’ve been sold out.
B. Because they’re in the storehouse.
C. Because they’re in a locked case behind the counter.
D. Because they represent a small percentage of the inventory.
4.How can a customer find a film with foreign language subtitles?
A. Check the computer.
B. Look at the back of the box.
C. Check the center section.
D. Watch a few minutes of the film.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The Enigma (谜）of Beauty
The search for beauty spans centuries and continents. Paintings of Egyptians dating back over 4,000 years show both men and women painting their nails and wearing makeup. In 18th-century France, wealthy noblemen wore large wigs (假发）of long, white hair to make themselves attractive. Today, people continue to devote a lot of time and money to their appearance.
There is at least one good reason for the desire to be attractive：beauty is power. Studies suggest that good-looking people make more money, get called on more often in class, and are regarded as friendlier.
But what exactly is beauty? It's difficult to describe it clearly, and yet we know it when we see it. And our awareness of it may start at a very early age. In one set of studies, six-month-old babies were shown a series of photographs. The faces on the pictures had been rated for attractiveness by a group of college students. In the studies, the babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones.
The idea that even babies can judge appearance makes perfect sense to many researchers. In studies by psychologists, men consistently showed a preference for women with larger eyes, fuller lips, and a smaller nose and chin while women prefer men with large shoulders and a narrow waist. According to scientists, the mind unconsciously tells men and women that these traits —the full lips, clear skin, strong shoulders —equal health and genetic well-being.
Not everyone thinks the same way, however. " Our hardwiredness can be changed by all sorts of expectations —mostly cultural, " says C. Loring Brace, an anthropologist at the University of Michigan. What is considered attractive in one culture might not be in another. Look at most Western fashion magazines：the women on the pages are thin. But is this "perfect" body type for women worldwide? Scientists' answer is no; what is considered beautiful is subjective and varies around the world. They found native peoples in southeast Peru preferred shapes regarded overweight in Western cultures.
For better or worse, beauty plays a role in our lives. But it is extremely difficult to describe exactly what makes one person attractive to another. Although there do seem to be certain physical traits considered universally appealing, it is also true that beauty does not always keep to a single, uniform standard. Beauty really is, as the saying goes, in the eye of the beholder.
1.People's ideas about beauty ________.
A. have existed since ancient times
B. can be easily described
C. have little influence on a person's success
D. are based upon strict criteria
2.In Paragraph 3, the babies in the study ________.
A. were rated for their appearance
B. were entered in a beauty contest
C. were shown photos of a group of college students
D. were able to tell attractive faces from unattractive ones
3.The underlined word “traits” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________.
A. qualities B. measurements
C. judgments D. standards
4.We can learn from the passage that ________.
A. the ideas of beauty vary as people grow up
B. the search for beauty is rooted in lack of confidence
C. the standards for beauty are based on scientific researches
D. the understanding of beauty depends on cultural backgrounds
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项中有两项为多余选项。（注意：若你选择的答案为E, 请在机读卡上填涂AB；答案为F, 填涂AC；答案为G, 填涂AD）
How can we all get more laughter into our lives? Here is what the experts suggest:
1._________
Nancy Alguire, a teacher in Clifton Park, N.Y. was once painfully shy and she seldom laughed. Then she married a circus clown (小丑). “I became interested in the clowns,” she recalls,“ One day I put on a costume and paint my face. That afternoon my whole life changed. I learned to laugh and enjoy life in a way I had never done before.” 2._________ To this day, she still makes it a rule to be with people who enjoy life and laughing.
3._________
It doesn’t take you too much time and can be easy. Collect favorite cartoons and jokes. Also, keep a paper for writing down humor you find in everyday life.“Good ideas come and go fast, you have to capture them quickly or they are gone,” says Virginia Tooper.
Laugh when you need it most.
“4._________” says comedian Bill Cosby.“And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it,” he insists.
Gray Alan, a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota, claims that laughter is a skill we can all gain—because it comes naturally. 5._________ Just remember: we are just here for a period, so get a few laughs.
A. You can soften the worst blows through humor.
B. Mix with people who laugh.
C. Practise the art of laughing.
D. Keep a laughter file.
E. He who laughs last laughs best.
F. But it’s also something that has to be developed.
G. People’s joy can affect those around them.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项 (A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I lost my elderly mother a few weeks ago. Actually, my mother had fallen over during the night and had not been able to ________again. She had woken up the neighbors by banging on the wall. The ________ called an ambulance, which took her ________ to the hospital.
My mother has ________ thought that hospitals are a real horror. She believes that doctors and hospitals give you ________ diseases. My father went to hospital a year ago, and after a few weeks, he ________ . The fact that he was also in the final ________ of lung cancer was certainly related, but by my mother's logic, my father's death was ________ with the hospital.
When a neighbor ________ me up and told me that my mother had been taken off in an ambulance, the first thing I did was similar, which was to ring Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The paramedics(护理人员) had told my neighbor that my mother would ________ be taken there, ________ I was told that no one by that name had been ________ , so they gave me the numbers of two other West Midland hospitals. Both of them also ________ that they were holding my mother. I rang the ________ and asked them to find her, but the nice officer said he could only do that if she had been reported as a(n) ________ person.
It took six calls to ________ my mother. She had been in Queen Elizabeth Hospital all along, but because their computer system hadn't been updated overnight, there was no record of her ________ . My mother had spent more than a ________ in the hospital when it turned out there was nothing 59 with her. I managed to get her out within 10 days, but only by agreeing that in the future, she would live downstairs. In return, the hospital said they would ____ for a social worker to visit the house three or four rimes a day.
Luckily, my mother is safe. Thank all the people who have given their help to us.
1.A. wake up B. get up C. stay up D. light up
2.A. neighbors B. strangers C. relatives D. friends
3.A. out B. up C. away D. from
4.A. consequently B. occasionally C. always D. rarely
5.A. final B. special C. fatal D. strange
6.A. passed away B. went away C. passed by D. went by
7.A. measures B. cures C. stages D. years
8.A. connected B. faced C. equipped D. pleased
9.A. cheered B. rang C. scolded D. held
10.A. willingly B. happily C. likely D. easily
11.A. but B. and C. when D. or
12.A. adopted B. admitted C. adjusted D. adapted
13.A. refused B. said C. denied D. insisted
14.A. police B. family C. doctors D. nurses
15.A. old B. dead C. missing D. sick
16.A. rescue B. locate C. comfort D. persuade
17.A. illness B. arrival C. checkout D. medicine
18.A. month B. year C. week D. day
19.A. interesting B. wrong C. special D. vital
20.A. allow B. answer C. arrange D. call
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的的正确形式。
Woman: Our design class is really interesting. Don't you think so?
Man: Yeah, I like Professor Vargas, 1. sometimes he goes too fast, and I feel like I'm missing something. There's a lot we have 2. (remember).
Woman: True. There are a lot of details about all the different styles.
Man: Yeah, there are Art Nouveau, and Art Deco, and Art Moderne... I have a hard time 3. (keep) it all straight.
Woman: I know what you mean.
Man: For example, it seems to me 4. Art Deco and Art Moderne are the same things.
Woman: Well, it's somewhat confusing. They were both popular in 5. 1930s although Art Deco came a little before Moderne. I think Professor Vargas 6. (say) Art Deco started at an exhibition in Paris in 1925. Let me check out my notes. Right, Art Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1923 until the 1940s, 7. (affect) the decorative arts such as architecture and 8. (industry) design, as well as the visual arts such as fashion, painting, the graphic arts and film.
Man: So, they were about the same time. It's one thing that gets confusing. 9. thing is, they seem so similar that it's hard to see why they're 10. (consider) different styles.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错 (共10小题； 每小题1分， 满分10 分)
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文， 请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加: 在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除: 把多余的词用斜线( \ )划掉。
修改: 在错词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意: 1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Last weekend, I helped my grandparents with their trip to the Dalian. On Saturday morning, together with my grandparents, I search the Internet for the train schedule, the weather in Dalian, and some hotel informations. In the afternoon, they went to the train station and managed to buy two tickets for my grandparents although there had a long queue. After dinner, I packed the things into the suitcase, what my grandparents would need, such as clothes, glasses, an umbrella, a map. The next morning, I went to the station to show them off. Waved goodbye to them on the platform, I felt happily for them and wished them a safe journey.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假如你是李华，你的美国笔友Mike想了解你校开设的新课程《通用技术》的情况，你向他作如下的介绍：
1. 这门课旨在提高学生的实际运用能力；
2. 通过这门课的学习，你已经学会了修理、设计和制作一些物品；
3. 你的感受。
注意：1. 词数不少于100；
2. 开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数；
3. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
4. 通用技术— General Technology
Dear Mike,
Thank you for your letter asking about the General Technology, a new course that…
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析