-
Monthly Talks at London Canal Museum
Our monthly talks start at 19:30 on the first Thursday of each month except August. Admission is at normal charges and you don’t need to book. They end around 21:00.
November 7th
The Canal Pioneers, by Chris Lewis. James Brindley is recognized as one of the leading early canal engineers. He was also a major player in training others in the art of canal planning and building. Chris Lewis will explain how Brindley made such a positive contribution to the education of that group of early “civil engineers”.
December 5th
Ice for the Metropolis, by Malcolm Tucker. Well before the arrival of freezers, there was a demand for ice for food preservation and catering, Malcolm will explain the history of importing natural ice and the technology of building ice wells, and how London’s ice trade grew.
February 6th
An Update on the Cotsword Canals, by Liz Payne. The Stroudwater Canal is moving towards reopening. The Thames and Severn Canal will take a little longer. We will have a report on the present state of play.
March 6th
Eyots and Aits-Thames Islands, by Miranda Vickers. The Thames had many islands. Miranda has undertaken a review of all of them. She will tell us about those of greatest interest.
Online bookings:www.canalmuseum.org.uk/book
More into:www.canalmuseum.org.uk/whatson
London Canal Museum
12-13 New Wharf Road, London NI 9RT
www.canalmuseum.org.uk www.canalmuseum.mobi
Tel:020 77130836
1.When is the talk on James Brindley?
A.February 6th. B.December 5th.
C.November 7th. D.March 6th.
2.What is the topic of the talk in February?
A.The Canal Pioneers. B.An Update on the Cotsword Canals
C.Eyots and Aits-Thames Islands D.Ice for the Metropolis
3.Who will give the talk on the islands in the Thames.
A.Miranda Vickers B.Malcolm Tucker
C.Chris Lewis D.Liz Payne
-
China’s artistic swimming duo (双人表演) Ms Jiang and her twin sister made history on Tuesday by gaining a sixth gold at the Asian Games, the most earned by any athletes in artistic swimming in its history. What makes the twin sisters’ achievement more remarkable is the fact that both of them returned from giving birth to baby daughters to do so.
"I’ve been their coach for over 20 years," said Ms Zheng. Women’s Duet coach, "ever since they were 8 years old. When they came back after having babies, their training plans were completely changed. I think they have already showed that female athletes can return to their best form after having a baby. "
The twin sisters announced their retirement after finishing a third at the 2013 China National Games. They went on to get married on the same day and their baby daughters arrived in 2015 and 2016. And after a three-year absence, the twins decided to come back to the pool.
"I think to reach a mature state in artistic swimming, athletes have to go through years of training. What keeps us going is our love of the sport," said one of them.
The 31-year-old twins won a well-deserved gold at the 2017 China National Games. At the third Asian Games, they claimed their sixth gold at the multi-sports meet to be a record in artistic swimming at the Games, and a result their coach wasn’t sure could happen when they first decided to come back.
"Because of our love of the sport, we overcame many hard times, especially the physical obstacles. After all, we’re no longer young. But now I think we are even better than before," said the other.
To be a mother while training and competing at the highest level means this gold medal seems much more than any of the others from before.
1.Why was the twins' achievement regarded to be extraordinary?
A.They won six gold medals at the Asian Games.
B.They got trained by plans that were totally different.
C.They got the most medals in artistic swimming in history.
D.They returned from giving birth to baby daughters to do so.
2.What was their coach's attitude to their winning when they first decided to come back?
A.Skeptical. B.Determined.
C.Confident. D.Unclear.
3.What does the twins' victory tell us?
A.Practice makes perfect. B.Failure is the mother of success.
C.Knowledge comes from practice. D.Nothing is too hard for a determined mind.
4.Where does the text probably come from?
A.A sports textbook. B.A research paper.
C.A news report. D.A sports brochure.
-
Something’s happening at the lowest point on our planet.
The Dead Sea, a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and Palestine to the west, is shrinking at an alarming rate - about 3. 3 feet per year, according to the environmentalist group Eco Peace Middle East. And human actions are largely to blame.
"It's not just like one country is punishing the Dead Sea: it's more like the whole area,” said photographer Moritz Kustner, who visited the area in February to work on his series "The Dying Dead Sea”.
The Dead Sea needs water from the other natural sources surrounding it, such as the Jordan River basin. But around the 1960s, some of the water sources it relied upon were diverted. Israel, for instance, built a pipeline during that time so it could supply water throughout the country.
Mineral extraction industries are another main reason the water levels are falling, experts say. The Dead Sea's minerals have been used as medicine and can often be found in cosmetics and other consumer products.
And then, of course, there's the Middle East's hot, dry climate, which makes it difficult for the lake to replenish itself. Last year, Israel and Jordan signed a $900 million deal in an effort to keep the Dead Sea's water levels stable. It includes building a canal from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea which would be able to not only supply water to Israel and Jordan but also to pump water into the Dead Sea.
But for now, Kustner shows us that the Dead Sea remains very much a place of interest, with people from all over the world going there to swim in its salty waters
The Dead Sea, known as the Salt Sea in the language of Hebrew, is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world. And because of what has been happening over the years, the salt is only getting saltier.
1.How many reasons for the Dead Seas shrinking does the author mention in the text?
A.One B.Two
C.Three D.Four
2.What can we learn about the Dead Sea 's minerals?
A.They have practical value.
B.They are controlled by Israel.
C.They can be extracted very easily.
D.They are mainly used in heavy industry.
3.What does the underlined word "replenish” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?
A.To clean something. B.To improve something.
C.To fill something again. D.To find something again.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A.What we should do to save the Dead Sea. B.More people travel to the Dead Sea.
C.Why the Dead Sea is salty. D.The Dead Sea is drying out.
-
Stephen Hawking was both one of the world's most famous scientists and most famous disabled people. His life was a juxtaposition of sparkling intellect and failing body. Prof Hawking was diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone(运动神经元) diseases when he was 21.
The nerves that controlled his muscles were failing and he became trapped in his body, but his mind was still free. He reached the height of his field while being a wheelchair user.
Professor Hawking certainly raised awareness of motor neurone diseases. One of his major contributions to disability in general was simply being visible---often at a time when disabled voices were missing from popular culture. He made small-screen appearances on The Simpsons, Star Trek and The Big Bang Theory. His life was dramatised (将…改成剧本)by the BBC and in the film The Theory of Everything.
Steve Bell, from the MND association, said: "He was probably the most famous person with a physical disability and it almost normalises it to see his absolute genius. I think it affected a lot of people, seeing he's more than a trapped body. The public's view of disability has changed.
But Prof Hawking’s life was exceptional. He lived five decades longer than doctors expected. Many others with motor neurone diseases die in the years after diagnosis. He was a theoretical physicist. His laboratory was in the mind; his scientific equipment was mathematics.
Prof Hawking was able to continue to pursue his career in a way that would have been much harder in other scientific disciplines and impossible in many other professions. It remains an open question how much he would have achieved if he was disabled from birth rather than after graduating with a first at Oxford. Today, disabled people are more than twice as likely to be unemployed than people without disability. Prof Hawking 's only advice on disability was to focus on what could be achieved. "My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don 't regret the things it interferes with. Don't be disabled in spirit, as well as physically,” he said in an interview with the New York Times.
1.What does the underlined word juxtaposition in Paragraph 1 mean?
A.Combination. B.Trouble.
C.Difficulty. D.Mess.
2.How did Hawking raise awareness of motor neurone diseases?
A.By trying not to get trapped by the disease.
B.By making the voice of the disabled heard.
C.By making people be used to the small screen.
D.By working for the BBC and film companies.
3.What did Steve Bell think of Hawking?
A.He was the most well-known person.
B.He was affected greatly by many people.
C.He changed people's view of disabled people.
D.His physical disability affected his mind.
4.What's Hawking’ s tip to disabled people?
A.Try to find a job and don't be unemployed.
B.Don't ignore your health.
C.Stick to the goals that you can reach.
D.Don’t think you are physically disabled.
)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
)，并在其下面写出该加的词。