USA TODAY 10Best's Readers Choice Awards are ...

USA TODAY 10Best's Readers Choice Awards are currently on hold.We asked our readers to vote for the top events across six categories:music,general food,specialty food,film,cultural and emerging industries(founded in the past five years).These are some of the winners:

Kutztown Folk Festival

The nine-day Kutztown Folk Festival is the nation's oldest continuously operated folk life festival,drawing visitors from around the globe.A celebration of Pennsylvania Dutch culture and heritage,the event includes America's largest quilt sale,200 craftsmen and folk artists,local food and family friendly entertainment.

Water Lantern Festival

The Water Lantern Festival is all about connections.Magical nights in cities across the US include food,live music and the beauty of thousands of lanterns decorated with letters of love, hope and dreams floating on the water.

Carnaval of Quebec

The Quebec Carnaval is a 10-day festival of winter,the world's largest,complete with nighl parades(庆祝游行），ice skating,snow sculptures and a towering ice palace.Other highlighls include ice canoe racing,a sugar shack and iconic Caribou drinks.

San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade

San Francisco has celebrated its Chinese heritage during its annual Chinese New Year Festival&Parade since just after the Gold Rush.The parade ranks among the best in the world, with 100 units,fancy costumes,fireworks and a 268-foot Golden Dragon,which takes a team of 100 men and women to march through the streets.It has become one of the largest events of its kind in the world,drawing some three million spectators and television viewers.

1.What can you see during Kutztown Folk Festival?

A.Modern arts.

B.Quilts for sale.

C.Traditional weddings.

D.Shows on stage.

2.Which festival is meant to promote interpersonal relationships?

A.Kutztown Folk Festival.

B.Carnaval of Quebec.

C.Water Lantern Festival.

D.San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade.

3.Carnaval of Quebec and San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade both...

A.include special food

B.relate to parades

C.take place only at nights

D.have sculpture exhibitions

英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

In our annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey, we asked our readers to rate their favorite cities in the world for arts and culture. These cities are centers of music and dance, museums,and theaters. Here are four of them where you can find inspiration in the arts,starting with the top spot.

Rome, Italy

At its peak, the Roman Empire extended over nearly two million square miles of land across Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa. Today, that history is on display everywhere. The city’s main attractions are famous not because of tourist advertisements,but because they are really so impressive. No wonder it’s known as the Eternal City:You could spend forever here and find new artistic and cultural treasures every day.

Paris, France

Hemingway famously called Paris “a moveable feast”, but wherever you go while in the city, there is always something to see, hear, taste or feel. With some 150 museums, Paris doubles as an art history class, offering the very best of the discipline across centuries and styles.

London, United Kingdom

London is inspiration and setting for the rise of Shakespeare, Dickens, Orwell and Eliot and the breeding ground for all those iconic (标志性的) bands: The Kinks, The Clash and The Stones. London is also Banksy’s favorite canvas, home to more than 1,000 galleries, and the kind of place where you can spend a whole day in a single museum and still be ready for more when it opens the next morning.

Vienna, Austria

As we all know, Western music would be unrecognizable without Austria’s capital, which nurtured many famous musicians. It’s also the site of the Vienna Secession, a revolutionary art movement founded in 1897 by Gustav Klimt. Visitors today can see the fruits of all that creativity in the city’s 100 – odd museums.

1.Why is Rome regarded as the Eternal City?

A.It had an important role in history.

B.Its history can be seen everywhere.

C.People can easily find new art and culture.

D.People can spend money well there.

2.What does the underlined word “nurtured” in the last paragraph mean?

A.Produced. B.Affected.

C.Attracted. D.Changed.

3.Which column can we probably find the text?

A.History. B.Art.

C.Education. D.Life.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Enter your kid’s photo today and win! We’re giving away 52 weekly $250 prizes from Readers’ Choice votes. Plus, our editors will select one entry(参赛作品) to win our grand prize of $7,000.

Official Contest Rules

No purchase necessary to enter or win.

The Kid of the Year Photo Contest entry period begins at 12：00 am March 23,2013, and ends December 21, 2013 (the “Entry Period”). Entries must be received by 9：00 pm on December 21,2013 (“Entry Deadline”). Entries will not be acknowledged or returned.

SPONSOR: Meredith Corporation, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa.

ENTRY: There will be two methods of entry.

Share My Entry：

Visit http：//www.parents.com/photos/photo­contests­1/kid­of­the­year and click the button to enter.

Facebook Entry：

Visit Facebook. com/Parents Magazine and click the Kid of 2012 tab (选项卡)．

Then complete the registration form and follow the instructions to upload one album of up to six photos of your child aged three months to eight years. You may provide one description and one album title that will be applied to all photos.　 Photos, without any brand names or trademarks, must be taken by participants, non­professional, unpublished and may not have won any prize or award. Photos must be.jpeg or.bmp image formats (格式) and cannot be over 3 MB.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, supported or run by, or associated with Facebook.

You are providing your information to Parents Magazine and not to Facebook.　 The information you provide will only be used to run the promotion and register for Parents. com.

Photos must not contain material that infringes (侵犯) the rights of another, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement. Photos must not contain brand names or trademarks.

LIMIT: One entry per household, per eligible (有资格的) child, per week. One weekly prize per child. For entries of more than one eligible child in the household, the entry process must be completed separately for each child. No group entries.

1.To enter the contest, photos must ________.

A．have won some prize or award

B．contain parents’ personal information

C．contain brand names or trademarks

D．be taken by non­professional participants

2.Linda, a mother with seven­year­old twins, wants to enter the contest. She must ________.

A．complete the entry process separately for each of her kids

B．go to Meredith Corporation to fill out the registration forms

C．provide a description and an album title for the kid’s photos

D．provide the information to Facebook if she chooses Facebook Entry

3.We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．you should buy something first before you enter the contest

B．you should send your entry before 9：00 pm on December 21,2013

C．your entry will not be returned even if you don’t win the contest

D．the editors of the contest will decide who will win the 20,000 dollars in prizes

4.The purpose of the passage is ________.

A．to advertise the website Facebook. com

B．to encourage parents with children to enter a photo contest

C．to introduce two methods of entering a photo contest

D．to attract photographers’ interest in a photo contest

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Books, which give instructions on how to do things, are very popular in the USA today. A lot of books like these begin with titles that start with the words “how to”. Many “how to” books give advice on careers. They tell you how to choose a career and how to succeed in it. If you would like to become very rich, you can buy a book How to Make a Million. If you never make any money, you need a book called How to Live on Nothing.

One of the most popular kinds of books is one that helps you with personal problems. If you are unhappy with your life, you can read How to love Every Minute of Your life. If you are tired of books on happiness, you may prefer a book called How to Make Yourself Sad.. Many of these books help people use their free time better. Some people want books which will give them useful information about sports, hobbies and travels.

Other people use their free time to make repairs and improvements in their homes. They like books which give step-by-step instructions on how to repair things like electrical writing, or how to decorate a house or make it larger.

Why have “how to” books become so popular ? Maybe because life has become so popular. Maybe because life has become so complex. Today people have far more free time to use , more choices to make, and more problems to solve. “How to” books help people deal with modern life.　　　　　 根据材料内容选择最佳答案，并将其标号填入题前括号内。

1. When one wants to change his job, he probably needs to read　　 　　　 .

A. How to Succeed in A Job

B. How to Turn Failure into Success

C. How to Choose A Career

D. How to Be A Successful Worker

2. If you never make enough to feed yourself at all, you can buy a book with the title　　 　　 .

A. How to Live on Nothing

B. How to Love Every Minute of Your Life

C. How to Make Yourself Happy

D. How to Make Yourself Sad

3.Which of the following is not mentioned in this passage ?

A. How to Drive Car

B. How to Repair Electrical Writing

C. How to Make Your House Larger

D. How to Make Your Room Look More Beautiful

4.Why are so many people interested in these books beginning with titles “How to . . .” ?

A. Because life has become so difficult.

B. Because people haven’t much free time to use.

C. Because people have more money on books.

D. Because people want to deal with all kinds of problems well.

5. This passage makes us think that　　 .

A. “how to” books are helpful

B. it’s a waste of time to read “how to” books

C. there’s no need to publish so many “how to” books

D. people seem to be tired of reading “how to” books

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Selena Gomez won Favorite Female Singer at 2014 Kids’ Choice Awards on March 29. It is a very important awards show held every year in America.

Gomez was born on July 22,1992 in Texas. The 22-year-old girl is an all-round star----she not only acts well but also sings a lot of popular songs. At the age of 7, Gomez first played with a purple dinosaur on the TV show Barney and Friends. In 2007, Gomez acted in Wizards of Waverly Place (《少年魔法师》)，which was a big success. After that, she played different roles in many films and become more and more popular.

Gomez made her own band at the age of 17. Fans love her songs because of her beautiful voice. By fan, she has released (发行) three albums (专辑). She also has a good sense of fashion. Gomez wore a beautiful dress at the Kids’ Choice Award. It made her lovely and she shone the whole night.

Charity is an important part in Gomez’s life. In October 2008, she was named UNICEF’s spokes-person （联合国儿童基金会的发言人）for Trick-or-Treat, which encourages children to raise money on Halloween to help poor children around the world. She said that she was excited to encourages other kids to make a difference in the world.

1.The underline word “all-round” means “ 　　　　 ” in Chinese.

A. 闻名世界的　 B. 受人尊敬的　　 C.多才多艺的　　 D.能言善辩的

2.　　　　　　 was (were) very successful and after that Selena Gomez become more and more popular.

A.Barney and Friends　　　　　　 B. Wizards of Waverly Place

C. Her three albums　　　　　　　　 D. Her charity activities

3.People like her songs because　　　　　　 .

A. her voice is beautiful　　　　　　 B. she is a movie star

C. she looks pretty　　　　　　　　　　 D. she is lovely

4.We can learn from the last paragraph that Selena Gomez is 　　　　　 .

A. fond of Halloween　　　　　　　　 B. helpful to children

C. good at dress up　　　　　　　　 D. talented in music

5.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Selene Gomez played a purple dinosaur in Barney and Friends.

B. Selene Gomez started a band at the age of 7.

C. Selene Gomez wore a dress on the night of March 29, 2014.

D. Selene Gomez loves to spend Halloween with children.

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Selena Gomez won Favorite Female Singer at 2014 Kids’ Choice Awards on March 29. It is a very important awards show held every year in America.

Gomez was born on July 22,1992 in Texas. The 22-year-old girl is an all-round star----she not only acts well but also sings a lot of popular songs. At the age of 7, Gomez first played with a purple dinosaur on the TV show Barney and Friends. In 2007, Gomez acted in Wizards of Waverly Place (《少年魔法师》)，which was a big success. After that, she played different roles in many films and become more and more popular.

Gomez made her own band at the age of 17. Fans love her songs because of her beautiful voice. By fan, she has released (发行) three albums (专辑). She also has a good sense of fashion. Gomez wore a beautiful dress at the Kids’ Choice Award. It made her lovely and she shone the whole night.

Charity is an important part in Gomez’s life. In October 2008, she was named UNICEF’s spokes-person （联合国儿童基金会的发言人）for Trick-or-Treat, which encourages children to raise money on Halloween to help poor children around the world. She said that she was excited to encourages other kids to make a difference in the world.

1.The underline word “all-round” means “ 　　　　 ” in Chinese.

A. 闻名世界的　 B. 受人尊敬的

C.多才多艺的　　 D.能言善辩的

2.　　　　　　 was (were) very successful and after that Selena Gomez become more and more popular.

A.Barney and Friends　　　　　　 B. Wizards of Waverly Place

C. Her three albums　　　　　　　　 D. Her charity activities

3.People like her songs because　　　　　　 .

A. her voice is beautiful　　　 　 B. she is a movie star

C. she looks pretty　　　　　　　 　 D. she is lovely

4.We can learn from the last paragraph that Selena Gomez is 　　　　　 .

A. fond of Halloween　　　　　　　 B. helpful to children

C. good at dress up　　　　　　 　　 D. talented in music

5.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. Selene Gomez played a purple dinosaur in Barney and Friends.

B. Selene Gomez started a band at the age of 7.

C. Selene Gomez wore a dress on the night of March 29, 2014.

D. Selene Gomez loves to spend Halloween with children.

九年级英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists today are making greater effort to study ocean currents (洋流) . Most do it using satellites and other high-tech equipment. However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way -- by studying movements of random floating garbage. A scientist with many years’ experience, he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the shores of the northwest coast of the United States. There were so many shoes that people were setting up swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.

Ebbesmeyer found out in his researches that the shoes — about 60,000 in total — fell into the ocean in a shipping accident. He phoned the shoe company and asked if they wanted the shoes back. As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.

The Pacific Northwest is one of the world's best areas for beachcombing(海滩搜寻) because winds and currents join here, and as a result, there is a group of serious beachcombers in the area. Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents, and publish the findings of their study.

As the result of his work, Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. He has even started an association of beachcombers and ocean experts, with 500 subscribers from West Africa to New Zealand. They have recorded all lost objects ranging from potatoes to golf gloves.

1.The underlined phrase swap meets in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______________.

A. fitting rooms

B. trading fairs

C. business talks

D. group meetings

2.Ebbesmeyer phoned the shoe company to find out _____________.

A. what caused the shipping accident

B. when and where the shoes went missing

C. whether it was all right to use their shoes

D. how much they lost in the shipping accident

3.How did Ebbesmeyer prove his assumption?

A. By collecting information from beachcombers.

B. By studying the shoes found by beachcomber.

C. By searching the web for ocean currents models.

D. By researching ocean currents data in the library.

4.Ebbesmeyer is most famous for ___________________.

A. traveling widely the coastal cities of the world

B. making records for any lost objects on the sea

C. running a global currents research association

D. phoning about any doubtful objects on the sea

5.What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?

A. To call people's attention to ocean pollution.

B. To warn people of shipping safety in the ocean.

C. To explain a unique way of studying ocean currents.

D. To give tips on how to search for lost objects on the beach.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists today are making greater effort to study ocean currents (洋流) . Most do it using satellites and other high-tech equipment. However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way --- by studying movements of random floating garbage. A scientist with many years’ experience, he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the shores of the northwest coast of the United States. There were so many shoes that people were setting up swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.

Ebbesmeyer found out in his researches that the shoes — about 60,000 in total — fell into the ocean in a shipping accident. He phoned the shoe company and asked if they wanted the shoes back. As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.

The Pacific Northwest is one of the world's best areas for beachcombing(海滩搜寻) because winds and currents join here, and as a result, there is a group of serious beachcombers in the area. Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents, and publish the findings of their study.

As the result of his work, Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. He has even started an association of beachcombers and ocean experts, with 500 subscribers from West Africa to New Zealand. They have recorded all lost objects ranging from potatoes to golf gloves.

1. The underlined phrase swap meets in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ___________.

A. fitting rooms B. trading fairs

C. business talks　 D. group meetings

2.Ebbesmeyer phoned the shoe company to find out ___________.

A. what caused the shipping accident

B. when and where the shoes went missing

C. whether it was all right to use their shoes

D. how much they lost in the shipping accident

3. How did Ebbesmeyer prove his assumption?

A. By collecting information from beachcombers.

B. By studying the shoes found by beachcomber.

C. By searching the web for ocean currents models.

D. By researching ocean currents data in the library.

4. Ebbesmeyer is most famous for _________________.

A. traveling widely the coastal cities of the world

B. making records for any lost objects on the sea

C. running a global currents research association

D. phoning about any doubtful objects on the sea

5.What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?

A. To call people's attention to ocean pollution.

B. To warn people of shipping safety in the ocean.

C. To explain a unique way of studying ocean currents.

D. To give tips on how to search for lost objects on the beach.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists today are making greater effort to study ocean currents(洋流). Most do it using satellites and other high-tech equipment. However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way-by studying movements of random floating garbage. A scientist with many years’ experience, he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the shores of the northwest coast of the United States. There were so many shoes that people were setting up swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.

Ebbesmeyer found out in his researches that the shoes — about 60,000 in total — fell into the ocean in a shipping accident. He phoned the shoe company and asked if they wanted the shoes back. As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.

The Pacific Northwest is one of the world's best areas for beachcombing(海滩搜寻) because winds and currents join here, and as a result, there is a group of serious beachcombers in the area. Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents, and publish the findings of their study.

As the result of his work, Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. He has even started an association of beachcombers and ocean experts, with 500 subscribers from West Africa to New Zealand. They have recorded all lost objects ranging from potatoes to golf gloves.

1.The underlined phrase swap meets in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______________.

A. fitting rooms　　 B. trading fairs

C. business talks　　 D. group meetings

2.Ebbesmeyer phoned the shoe company to find out _____________.

A. what caused the shipping accident

B. when and where the shoes went missing

C. whether it was all right to use their shoes

D. how much they lost in the shipping accident

3.How did Ebbesmeyer prove his assumption?

A. By collecting information from beachcombers.

B. By studying the shoes found by beachcomber.

C. By searching the web for ocean currents models.

D. By researching ocean currents data in the library.

4.Ebbesmeyer is most famous for ________.

A. traveling widely the coastal cities of the world

B. making records for any lost objects on the sea

C. running a global currents research association

D. phoning about any doubtful objects on the sea

5.What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?

A. To call people's attention to ocean pollution.

B. To warn people of shipping safety in the ocean.

C. To explain a unique way of studying ocean currents.

D. To give tips on how to search for lost objects on the beach.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists today are making greater effort to study ocean currents (洋流) . Most do it using satellites and other high-tech equipment. However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way -- by studying movements of random floating garbage. A scientist with many years’ experience, he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the shores of the northwest coast of the United States. There were so many shoes that people were setting up swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.

Ebbesmeyer found out in his researches that the shoes — about 60,000 in total — fell into the ocean in a shipping accident. He phoned the shoe company and asked if they wanted the shoes back. As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.

The Pacific Northwest is one of the world's best areas for beachcombing(海滩搜寻) because winds and currents join here, and as a result, there is a group of serious beachcombers in the area. Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents, and publish the findings of their study.

As the result of his work, Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. He has even started an association of beachcombers and ocean experts, with 500 subscribers from West Africa to New Zealand. They have recorded all lost objects ranging from potatoes to golf gloves.

1.Ebbesmeyer phoned the shoe company to find out _____________.

A. what caused the shipping accident

B. when and where the shoes went missing

C. whether it was all right to use their shoes

D. how much they lost in the shipping accident

2.How did Ebbesmeyer prove his assumption?

A. By collecting information from beachcombers.

B. By studying the shoes found by beachcomber.

C. By searching the web for ocean currents models.

D. By researching ocean currents data in the library.

3.Ebbesmeyer is most famous for ___________________.

A. traveling widely the coastal cities of the world

B. making records for any lost objects on the sea

C. running a global currents research association

D. phoning about any doubtful objects on the sea

4.What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?

A. To call people's attention to ocean pollution.

B. To warn people of shipping safety in the ocean.

C. To explain a unique way of studying ocean currents.

D. To give tips on how to search for lost objects on the beach.

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析