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Museums, art galleries and fantastic archaeological sites — they can all be inspirational reasons to travel. Below are several best culture and art group tours for 2017.
1. Caravaggio in Naples
Ace Cultural Tours is offering a new 10-day Route of Caravaggio, which explores the influence of the great painter Caravaggio on the art of his contemporaries and followers. Dr Peter Higginson guides the trip and highlights (亮点) include evening lectures and walking tours of old Valletta.
Departures between November and December,
2. Alexander the Great in Turkey
Offering the chance to be among the first to visit the brand new archaeological museum in Troy which opens early next year, this 12-day The Conquest of Asia Minor tour follows in the footsteps of Alexander the Great. The tour, led by Peter Sommer, includes visits to the temple of Apollo, the tomb of Achilles and the Castle of St Peter.
Departures between March and May,
3. The American dream
This new nine-day Museums of Washington DC and New York tour led by Dr Peter Smith offers visits to some of the US's most celebrated museums. It includes a private tour of the Museum of Modern Art before it opens its doors to the public. There are also stops at George Washington’s home at the White House.
Departures between August and October,
4. Capability Brown landscapes
The influence of landscape (风景) architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown's ‘natural’ style has had a deep impact on the English landscape tradition as well as garden styles worldwide. This four-day Brown landscapes tour, led by Dr Paula Nuttall, visits some of Brown’s most striking landscapes and parklands including Croome Court and Bowood House.
Departures between June and October .
1.When can visitors go to visit the Castle of St Peter?
A.In September. B.In November.
C.In April. D.In July.
2.What can visitors do on Route of Caravaggio?
A.Visit the temple of Apollo.
B.Go to Museum of Modern Art.
C.Learn something about a great artist.
D.Enjoy striking landscapes and parklands.
3.Who will lead visitors to visit the White House?
A.Dr Peter Smith. B.Dr Paula Nuttall.
C.Peter Sommer. D.Dr Peter Higginson.
4.Which tour can you choose if you only have a six-day holiday?
A.Route of Caravaggio.
B.Brown landscapes tour.
C.The Conquest of Asia Minor tour.
D.Museums of Washington DC and New York tour.
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Stephen Edwin King, one of the best-selling authors of all time, has inked numerous novels. He once received the ‘National Medal of the Arts’ from the US President Barack Obama and was called “one of the most popular and productive writers of our time”
His carrier as a novelist began with the creation of ‘Carrie’. At that time he was a teacher and during the summer vacation he did part-time work to earn a little money to make his ends meet. However, the publication of ‘Carrie’ was a milestone in his life and it also helped to better his standard of living.
His books earned him fame and money and not being able to deal with the sudden success that he turned to alcohol. His book ‘Cujo’ was written around that time and according to him, he does not remember having written it. The character of Jack Torrance in the novel ‘The Shining’ is a reflection of King himself, but after his family took to questioning him about his drinking habits, he quit and never went back to it.
His book ‘Rage’ was about a school shooter and his violent doings, which the author wrote under the penname Richard Bachman. Years later, some school kids did such horrible crime and said they had read the book ‘Rage’. For the greater good of the society, the author suggested the book not be printed any longer.
All knows him as an author but very few know that King, together with contemporary writers Mitch Albom, Amy Tan and cartoonist Matt Groening forms the band ‘Rock Bottom Remainders’ and they even perform once in a while.
Though creating horror stories, King often skips 13 as it petrifies him. In an interview he said, “When I’m writing, I’ll never stop work if the page number is 13 or a multiple of 13; I’ll just keep on typing till I get to a safe number.”
1.Which book had a great effect on King’s life?
A.Carrie B.Cujo
C.The Shining D.On Writing: A Memoir ofthe Craft
2.The underlined word “petrifies” in the last paragraph can be replaced by .
A.hates B.excites
C.frightens D.comforts
3.What can we know about King?
A.He is addicted to alcohol.
B.He has a sense of social responsibility.
C.He is also famous for his music talent.
D.He does part-time jobs to experience life.
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Boxwars is a fast-growing entertainment phenomenon that takes the childhood pastime of playing with cardboard boxes to a whole new level. Participants use cardboard to create weapons, trucks, tanks, huge animals and so on. Then they put on monumental battle shows during which every creation is completely destroyed!
Boxwars is the brainchild of Australian friends Hoss Siegel and Ross Koger, who came up with it nearly a decade ago over drinks. They did it at a party and had a great time, and then they decided to do it again.
With each new boxwar party, the suits and structures became more and more carefully prepared until they couldn't fit in their back gardens any more. So they moved the party to a local park on Boxing Day 2002, and people who were having barbecues at the park rushed over to watch them. And that's when they realized that their silly games actually had huge entertainment value.
That was the beginning of Boxwars. They go to the same spot every year on Boxing day.
Today, Boxwars builds complex structures for each themed battle. The sport has expanded beyond Boxing Day — it is now a part of nearly every major festival or event in Australia and around the world.
Boxwars is now run by the Boxwars Council, and has lots of fans across the globe. “One of our main aims is to bring cardboard back to the consumers who deserted it in the first place without realising its true potential,” the official website states. “Cardboard, or the street name ‘box’, we quickly discovered had brilliant properties for engineering. The limits of scale and awesomeness were continuously pushed to greater commanding heights with the development of our skills with this great thing.”
1.What can we infer about Boxwars?
A.America is its birthplace.
B.It is considered to be a waste of money.
C.Its first appearance was on Boxing Day 2002.
D.All the weapons made for it will be destroyed.
2.What is a main purpose mentioned in the text to run Boxwars?
A.To prepare people for possible war.
B.To exercise children’s ability of using hands.
C.To make people realize the use of deserted box.
D.To provide a chance to satisfy people's curiosity.
3.What did Hoss Siegel and Ross Koger think of their idea of Boxwars at first?
A.Significant and popular. B.Fun but foolish.
C.Interesting but expensive. D.Challenging but beneficial.
4.What might be the best title for the text?
A.Boxwars — a creative design B.Boxwars — a popular game
C.Boxwars — a new kind of box D.Boxwars — a fierce competition
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An image is worth a thousand kilos? Okay, so maybe not a thousand kilos, exactly, but a study shows how a photo diary can keep dieters motivated, making them more likely to achieve their target weight.
Elias Kuzmar Daza, a medical professional from Colombia, studied the motivation levels of patients on weight loss programs at a nutrition clinic.
Different measurements were taken of the patients each week, including body mass index (指标) food and exercise diaries, etc. to record their progress. In addition, full-body photographs were taken each week, which proved to be very motivating and a key factor in patients completing the full program.
Over the course of the sixteen-week program, a full ninety percent of patients, aged between 16 and 72, saw the treatment through to the end, with seventy percent successfully meeting their weight loss aims. Among those monitored, one measurement proved particularly motivating: waistline.
This finding indicates that the majority of the patients who attended the clinic did so motivated by image, rather than any underlying condition. It should be pointed out that eighty percent of them were female.
Another useful finding of this study was that patients did not necessarily need to attend the clinic in person for the program to be effective. A support line was set up, which patients could call to submit their measurements. They also took and sent their own full-body photographs to the researcher. Fifty percent of patients completed the program in this way.
Summarizing the findings, Kuzmar says: “What patients want is a photo, rather than cold numbers.” These photos serve as visual confirmation that all their hard work is paying off, encouraging them on to further weight loss.
1.What is the purpose of the study?
A.To show losing weight is very easy.
B.To compare several ways to lose weight.
C.To prove the effect of images in weight losing.
D.To see how many people can lose weight successfully.
2.How many patients in the clinic reached their weight-loss goals?
A.50%. B.70%.
C.80%. D.90%.
3.What can give people most motivation when they are trying to lose weight?
A.Friends’ encouragement. B.Others’ strong muscles.
C.Their slimmer waistline. D.Their standard blood pressure.
4.What must the patients do to complete the weight-loss program?
A.Go to the clinic every week.
B.Call to submit their measurements.
C.Report to the professional every day.
D.Take full-body photographs each week.
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