It goes without saying that many Western wedding customs are completely different from those of Asian cultures. Some are so rooted in history that many Westerners have no idea whether they even exist.
Traditionally,June has been the most popular month for people to get married. One reason is that June 1 was the date of an ancient Roman festival celebrating the marriage of the god Jupiter and his wife Juno.Another reason will likely. astonish you. Centuries ago, taking a bath was not as common as it is today. Some people took a bath only once a year, typically in May. Since June was a time most wedding guests would not be too smelly, that month was preferred.
Another wedding custom is for the bride to "wear something old, something new,something borrowed,and something blue."Having something old is said to protect the newlyweds' future baby, while the new item shows optimism for the future. Meanwhile, something borrowed is meant to bring good luck, and something blue is a promise of being faithful. Lesser known is the fact that the bride is also supposed to have a sixpence in her shoe for prosperity(兴旺)。 Interestingly,in Sweden, brides are given two coins before getting married-one gold from her mother and the other silver from her father-also to put in her shoes. These fascinating customs show just how important certain wedding traditions are in Western cultures.
The concept of the “white wedding”， in which the bride wears a white wedding dress, is a familiar one. It is thought, mistakenly though, that this is a tradition that developed in ancient times and originates from the belief of white being a symbol of purity. Actually, the custom of brides wearing this color dates back less than 200 years and is attributed to the wedding of Queen Victoria. The queen's choice of white for her wedding was unusual for the time as other colors, especially red, were much more common.
After news of Victoria's highly publicized wedding to Prince Albert spread, not just around the United Kingdom,but to other nations including the United States,women began following in her footsteps and wearing white dresses at their wedding ceremonies. With white being the choice of a powerful royal figure like Queen Victoria, the color became associated with wealth. nobility. and the fashion-conscious.
1. Based on the text, June has been a popular month to get married probably because| A．Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in June of 1840 |
| B．June is the month in which Romans recall the soul of gods |
| C．some people didn't take a bath before May in ancient times |
| D．it is considered to be the luckiest time of year to get married |
| A．Wearing something old. |
| B．Wearing something blue. |
| C．Wearing a shoe with a coin in it. |
| D．Wearing something borrowed. |
| A．The white wedding dress is a symbol of purity and nobility. |
| B．Red rather than white was once popular in English weddings. |
| C．Queen Victoria wore white in the hope of breaking old customs. |
| D．The custom of the white wedding started thousands of years ago. |
| A．Routines of marriage ceremonies. |
| B．Highlights of traditional weddings. |
| C．Reflecting on old traditions. |
| D．Exploring western wedding customs. |
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【推荐1】Humans are social animals. They live in groups all over the world. As these groups of people live apart from other groups, over the years and centuries they develop their own habits and ideas, which are different from other cultures. One important particular side of every culture is how its people deal with time.
Time is not very important in nonindustrial (非工业的) societies. The Nuer people of East Africa, for example, do not even have a word TIME that is in agreement with the abstract thing we call time. The daily lives of the people of such nonindustrial societies are likely to be patterned around their physical needs and natural events rather than around a time schedule (时间表) based on the clock. They cook and eat when they are hungry and sleep when the sun goes down. They plant crops during the growing seasons and harvest them when the crops are ripe. They measure time not by a clock or calendar, but by saying that an event takes place before or after some other event. Frequently such a society measures days in terms of “sleeps” or longer periods in terms of “moons”. Some cultures, such as the Eskimos of Greenland measure seasons according to the migration of certain animals.
Some cultures which do not have a written language or keep written records have developed interesting ways of “telling time”. For example, when several Australian aborigines want to plan an event for a future time, one of them places a stone on a cliff or in a tree. Each day the angle of the sun changes slightly. In a few days, the rays of the sun strike the stone in a certain way. When this happens, the people see that the agreed-upon time has arrived and the event can take place.
In contrast (成对比), exactly correct measurement of time is very important in modern, industrialized societies.
This is because industrialized societies require the helpful efforts of many people in order to work. For a factory to work efficiently (well, quickly and without waste), for example, all of the workers must work at the same time. Therefore, they must know what time to start work in the morning and what time they may go home in the afternoon. Passengers must know the exact time that an airplane will arrive or depart. Students and teachers need to know when a class starts and ends. Stores must open on time in order to serve their customers. Complicated (复杂的) societies need clocks and calendars. Thus, we can see that if each person worked according to his or her own schedule, a complicated society could hardly work at all.
1. By saying “Humans are social animals”, the author means .| A．they live all over the world |
| B．They are all connected in one society |
| C．they live in their own groups as a whole |
| D．they are divided into many groups |
| A．don’t have the word TIME in their languages |
| B．don’t get used to using clocks and other timepieces |
| C．don’t measure time in their daily-lives around an exact time schedule |
| D．don’t need to plan their daily lives around an exact time schedule |
| A．the change of the angle of the sun | B．the way sunlight was reflected |
| C．the position of the stone | D．the position of the tree or the cliff |
| A．Time and Culture | B．The Measurement of Time |
| C．Time Schedule and Daily Life | D．Clock, Calendar and Society |
Foreign tourists are often confused(困惑的)in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks(地标)in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “ Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat. In many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “ Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map. They measure distance in time, not miles. “ How far away is the post office?” you ask. “ Oh,” they answer, “ it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “ Yes, but how many miles is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn't know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “ Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “ I don't know”. People in Yucatan believe that “I don't know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
1. When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually _______ .
| A．describe the place carefully |
| B．show him a map of the place |
| C．tell him the names of the streets |
| D．refer to recognizable buildings and places |
| A．New York. | B．Los Angles. |
| C．Kansas C. Iowa | |
| A．in order to save time | B．as a test |
| C．so as to be polite | D．for fun |
| A．It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences. |
| B．It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly. |
| C．People have similar understanding of politeness. |
| D．New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors. |
【推荐3】There are many classical cultures in China. All of them have a very long history. Here we introduce four of them.
 | Chinese Handwriting Chinese handwriting is a special art to Asian cultures. Brush handwriting is much loved around the world. Wang Xizhi is very famous for his handwriting. He made a great difference to the development of Chinese handwriting. |
 | Chinese Folk Music Chinese folk music has a long history. It is connected with Chinese ancient stories. One of the classics, Shijing, includes some folk songs in 15 different areas from the West Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period. Traditional Chinese musical instruments include guqin, guzheng, pipa, erhu, xiao and so on. |
 | Chinese Painting Chinese painting is one of the oldest traditional painting forms in the world. Most of the Chinese paintings in ancient China were done on paper or silk. Traditional Chinese painting includes mountains and water, figures (人物), flowers and birds. The paintings show different features during the different historical periods. |
 | Weiqi Weiqi, called “yi” in ancient China, is a smart board game between two players with a history of over 3, 000 years. The game can be treated as the beginning of all ancient chess games. It was introduced to Korea about 2, 000 years ago and was popular among the higher classes. |
| A．piano | B．violin | C．pipa | D．guitar |
| A．mountains and water | B．figures |
| C．flowers and birds | D．dogs |
| A．It is a game between two people. |
| B．It is only popular in China. |
| C．It has a history of over 2, 000 years. |
| D．It was introduced to Korea about 3, 000 years ago. |
【推荐1】I’m a pig, and my son is a rabbit. I have snakes for daughters, and my wife, believe it or not, is a dragon! Do I live in a zoo? No, of course not! I am talking about Chinese zodiac signs. Depending on the year of your birth, each person has an animal for a sign. That’s why I am a pig and my wife is a dragon. If you, like me, were born in the year of the pig, then you are brave, thoughtful and loyal. The year of the pig is filled with good fortune.
Now let’s take a closer look at this interesting animal.
Pigs were first raised by man about 9,000 years ago, and are still a very common farm animal in many parts of the world. We don’t just use pigs for their meat — almost every part of the animal is used. The hair is used for artists’ brushes. The fat is used to make floor wax, rubber and plastics.
Pigs have also been important in the world of entertainment. In 1995 the film ‘Babe’ starred a loveable talking pig as its main character. The film won an Oscar and was nominated for 6 more. In England you can even go to watch pig racing. A farmer, Rob Shepherd, has been raising money for charity by holding pig races on his farm. The events have been very successful. People don’t just want to eat pigs, it seems!
Pigs also play an important role in the English language. For example, if someone says that he will travel to the sun one day, you can say “pigs might fly!” to him. Hungry? Well then, you can “pig out” and eat lots of food. And what if someone rescues you? Well, you can say that they “saved your bacon”.
1. The writer wrote the first paragraph in a ______ tone.| A．sad | B．confused |
| C．serious | D．humorous |
| A．people in England like pigs more than other animals |
| B．pigs are more useful than ordinary people imagine |
| C．pigs are the first animals raised by man |
| D．more people don’t want to eat pigs now |
| A．What you have just said is impossible |
| B．Pigs are great animals |
| C．I don’t understand your words |
| D．I can’t agree with you more |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
【推荐2】The Curb-cut Effect (路缘坡效应) refers to the fact that supporting small groups of people often ends up helping much larger ranges of society.
Curb cuts: Easing the walking
In the 1940s, hundreds of thousands of World War Ⅱ soldiers returned home with disabilities. Disappointed by the difficulties they faced, Jack Fisher of Kalamazoo, Michigan, as one of them, asked his city government to build an experimental curb cut-a gentle slope that brings the end of a sidewalk down to meet the level of the street-at the corners of several blocks downtown. A few months later, Fisher reported that even residents without wheelchairs were enjoying the impact of the little slopes.
Reading machines: Getting the message
In 1976, technologist Ray Kurzweil invented a machine for the blind and visually damaged to change images into text that it then read aloud. Smart speakers with those voices are now in roughly one-quarter of US homes. By detecting street signs and house numbers, it is helping build the maps that self-driving cars use to navigate the world.
Closed captions (字幕): Following the conversation
Sears launched the first TV with a built-in equipment that allowed deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers to read along with their favorite programs in 1980. In the 1990s, text became increasingly common as DVDs and, later, streaming services added the ability to switch the words on at will. A 2006 survey found that only around 20 percent of the people using captions had hearing problems.
DeafSpace designs: Keeping things quiet
More than 150 designs of the DeafSpace Project came from architect Hansel Bauman. One aim is to clear distracting noises, which can make it difficult for people to use their limited hearing abilities. By keeping conversations and other sound disturbances from walking and jumping around the room, these ways also make it easier for all sorts of students and workers to focus.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
1. Who were the four inventions initially intended to serve?| A．The army. | B．Special groups. | C．All human beings. | D．Professionals. |
| A．A city designer. | B．A city governor. | C．A disabled soldier. | D．An ordinary roadman. |
| A．Sears'. | B．Jack Fisher's. | C．Ray Kurzweil's. | D．Hansel Bauman's. |
【推荐3】Researchers continue to show the power behind our sense of smell. Recent studies have found, among other things, that the smell of foods like pizza can cause uncontrollable anger in drivers on roads.
The study explains that smell is unique in its effects on the brain. According to Conrad King, the researcher who carried out the study, “more than any other senses, the sense of smell goes through the logical part of the brain and acts on the systems concerned with feelings. This is why the smell of baking bread can destroy the best intentions of a dieter.”
Smell, which determines the unbelievable complexity of food tastes, has always been the least understood of our senses. Our noses are able to detect up to 10,000 distinct smells. Our ability to smell and taste this extremely large range of smells is controlled by something like 1,000 genes (基因), which make up an amazing 3% of the human genome.
According to Conrad King’s study, smelling fresh pizza or even the packaging of fast foods can be enough to make drivers feel impatient with other road users. They are then more likely to speed and experience uncontrollable anger on roads. The most reasonable explanation is that these can all make drivers feel hungry, and therefore desperate to satisfy their appetites. In contrast, the smells of peppermint （薄荷）and cinnamon（桂皮香料） were shown to improve concentration levels as well as reduce drivers’ impatience. Similarly, the smells of lemon and coffee appeared to promote clear thinking and mental focus.
However, the way genes control smell differs from person to person. A study by researchers in Israel has identified at least 50 olfactory(嗅觉) genes which are switched on in some people and not in others. They believe this may explain why some of us love some smells and tastes while others hate them. The Israel researchers say their study shows that nearly every human being shows a different pattern of active and inactive smell-detecting receptors.
1. What does the author think of human sense of smell?| A．It is complex. | B．It is uncontrollable. |
| C．It is changeable. | D．It is powerful. |
| A．To find out how smell influences people. |
| B．To teach people how to choose proper food. |
| C．To study why some food like pizza harm people. |
| D．To explain why different people love different foods. |
| A．Only a few genes decide our sense of smell. |
| B．Different genes have different effect on people. |
| C．Different people are sensitive to different smells. |
| D．Every person owns at least 50 different olfactory genes. |
| A．Logic and behavior. | B．Smell and its influence. |
| C．Sense ability and food tastes. | D．Olfactory genes and our olfactory system. |
【推荐1】Sydney Observatory Family Tours
Sydney Observatory Family Tours will go on from now until 31 March 2019.During the tour, you and your kids will have fun with rockets and explore the Sun, the Moon and some planets through our telescopes(望远镜).
Tours are held in all weathers.If viewing through the telescopes is not possible because of sky conditions, the tour still continues with a tour of the night sky in our planetarium(天文馆) and other fun family activities.
Please be on time as the tour starts from inside the Observatory building shortly after the doors open.Night visits need to be booked and prepaid. Bookings, including group bookings, can be made in advance online or by calling＋61(02)9217 0111 during office hours(9:00 am－5:00 pm).
Opening hours:
Day Visit: Monday—Sunday, 10:00 am—5:00 pm
Night Visit: Monday—Sunday(Start times change according to the time of year.)
Closed: Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Eve.
Tickets:
Day Tour: Family: $26;Adult: $10;Child(4—15yrs):$8
Night Tours: Family:$70; Adult: $27;Child(4—15yrs):$20
All children must be accompanied(陪同) by an adult.
1. Which of the following is excluded in the Sydney Observatory Family Tours?| A．Visiting the planetarium. |
| B．The family activity. |
| C．Telescope viewing. |
| D．Space traveling. |
| A．will enjoy discounts |
| B．need book in advance |
| C．can go on Boxing Day |
| D．should get there at 5:00 pm |
| A．26 dollars. | B．28 dollars. |
| C．70 dollars. | D．74 dollars. |
【推荐2】April Fools' Day is supposed to be a day to play jokes on others in hopes of getting a good laugh and making one feel like a fool.However，the April Fools' Day of 2019 was quite different for my mom and me.
That day my friend Jimmy and I were playing a game.I had dropped down from a bar (横木) many times in the past without ever having a problem，but that day the simple act of dropping to the ground became a nightmare (噩梦)．I broke my arm.
Jimmy's dad heard my crying and rushed out to see what was going on.When he saw the problem，he quickly put me into his truck and went inside to telephone my mom and let her know he would take me to the hospital.As that day was April Fools' Day，Mom was not buying it and really thought all this was a big joke.Mom was finally convinced by Jimmy's mom.When she saw me，she broke down in tears because she felt so bad－she simply believed that was just a big trick.
I guess one could compare this to the story The Boy Who Cried Wolf.Since I had played bad tricks before，it was no wonder that my mom didn't believe it.I as well as my mom was made to look like a fool that day.We both learned a valuable lesson.
1. What happened to the writer on the April Fools' Day of 2019?| A．He dreamed a terrible dream. |
| B．He was hurt by Jimmy. |
| C．He had an accident. |
| D．He fooled his mom with his friend. |
| A．Because he wanted to play a joke on her. |
| B．Because he wanted her to go to the hospital to pay the money. |
| C．Because he wanted to see how deeply she loved her son. |
| D．Because he wanted to inform her of the accident. |
| A．She didn't believe what Jimmy's dad said. |
| B．She would not like to pay the money. |
| C．She had no preparation for the bad news. |
| D．She thought her son deserved (应受) it. |
| A．Because he thought it was his mom's fault. |
| B．Because he had a lesson like that. |
| C．Because he was proud of his story. |
| D．Because he felt he was luckier than that boy. |
| A．the writer's mom didn't care much about him |
| B．the writer was a dishonest person |
| C．the writer won't play jokes as before |
| D．the writer will lose interest in games |
【推荐3】Do you like watching movies? The following movies are coming on soon. Please check and find the one you like. Click the name of each movie to get more information.
Brahms: The Boy II
Horror | Mystery |Thriller
Soon after a family moves into the Heelshire Mansion, their only son makes friends with a life-like doll called Brahms.
Director: William Brent Bell
Stars: Katie Holmes, Ralph Ineson, Owain Yeoman, Christopher Convery
Little Joe
Drama | Sci-Fi
Alice, a single mother, is a devoted senior plant breeder at a corporation engaged in developing new species. Against the company policy, she takes one plant home as a gift for her teenage son, Joe. The plant was created by genetic engineering and anyone touching it will become strange. Director: Jessica Hausner:
Stars: Emily Beecham, Ben Whishaw, Kerry Fox, Kit Conor
The Aeronauts
Action | Adventure I Biography | Romance
Pilot Amelia Wren (Felicity Jones) and scientist James Glaisher (Eddie Redmayne) find themselves in a hard fight for survival while attempting to make discoveries in a gas balloon. Director: Tom Harper
Stars: Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne, Himesh Patel, Phoebe Fox
Apparition
Horror | Adventure
A group of young people, guided by an APP that connects the living with the dead, find themselves at an abandoned castle, a place with a horrific history tied to each of them, for reasons they’ll soon discover.
Director: Waymon Boone
Stars: Mena Suvari, Kevin Pollak, Megan West, Jon Abrahams
1. What can we learn about Brahms: The Boy II?| A．William Brent Bell is in charge of it. |
| B．Brahms can live a life as a man does. |
| C．The audience may be amused by the movie. |
| D．The story was created by William Brent Bell. |
| A．Brahms; The Boy II. | B．The Aeronauts. |
| C．Apparition. | D．Little Joe. |
| A．They are liked by teenagers. |
| B．Their plots are both horrible. |
| C．They are played by young actors. |
| D．Their characters all behave strangely. |
【推荐1】Most people, when they travel to space, would like to stay in orbit (轨道) for a few days or more. And this stands to reason, if you’re paying $ 20,000 for your trip to orbit! So in order for tourism to reach its full potential there’s going to be a need for space hotels. What would a space hotel actually be like to visit? Hotels in orbit will offer the services you expect from a hotel — private rooms, meals, bars. But they’ll also offer two unique experiences: impressive views — of Earth and space — and the endless entertainment of living in zero gravity — including sports and other activities that make use of this.
The hotels themselves will vary greatly — from being quite simple in the early days to huge luxury (奢侈的) structures at a later date. It’s actually surprising that as later as 1997, very few designs for space hotels were published. This is mainly because those who might be expected to design them haven’t expected the costs to come down far enough to make them possible.
Lots of people who’ve been to space have described vividly what it’s like to live in zero gravity. There are obviously all sorts of possibilities for dancing, gymnastics, and zero-G sports. Luckily, you don’t need to sleep much living in zero gravity, so you’ll have plenty of time for relaxing by hanging out in a bar with a window looking down at the turning Earth below.
Of course all good things have come to an end, unfortunately. And so after a few days you’ll find yourself heading back to the earth. You’ll be thinking how soon you can save up enough to get back up again-or maybe you should change jobs to get to work in an orbiting hotel!
1. When traveling in space, most people would like to stay in orbit for a few days because ________.| A．it is expensive to travel in space |
| B．they would find the possible life in other star systems |
| C．they could enjoy the luxury of space hotels |
| D．they want to realise the full potential of tourism |
| A．The gravitational pull. | B．The special views. |
| C．The relaxation in a bar. | D．The space walk. |
| A．When was the space traveling made possible? |
| B．What are the unique experiences that space hotels will offer? |
| C．Why were there not many published designs for space hotels? |
| D．How can the travelers enjoy themselves in space hotels? |
| A．traveling in space | B．the ways of living in space hotels |
| C．zero gravity and space hotels | D．the description of space hotels |
【推荐2】Strange Museums You Never Know
Some museums hold stranger collections than others. Here's our list of the extremely unusual ones.
The Museum of Bad Art
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and to the curators at the Museum of Bad Art, none of these pieces are beautiful. They're either bad pieces made by otherwise talented artists, or bad pieces made by untalented artists. The collection includes portraits, landscapes, and still life pieces.
International Banana Museum
You can find practically every object shaped like a banana at this museum in Mecca, California. Some examples ： staplers, statues, record players, and salt and pepper shakers. Even better, you can also eat practically any banana-flavored treat here, like banana ice cream, banana soda, and, of course, banana splits.
Busy Beaver Button Museum
Learn about the history of buttons. Appreciate a collection of political, humorous, and just plain entertaining buttons. You can even make your own button at this hidden Chicago museum. And you can get a reward if you complete some 18th century puzzles.
National Museum of Roller Skating
This museum in Lincoln. Nebraska, has the largest collection of historical roller skates, in the world. Some skates are almost 200 years old! There are also skating costumes, thousands of photos of skaters and programs from national and international roller skating competitions.
International UFO Museum and Research Center
Do aliens （外星人）exist? If so, what is their preferred mode of transportation? The IUFOMRC in Roswell, New Mexico, is dedicated to answering these questions and researching UFO activity. It includes exhibits on crop circles, Area 51 and other alien-related events. It even keeps an official record of UFO sightings across the country.
1. What can we do in the Busy Beaver Button Museum?| A．Learn about the museum's history. |
| B．Admire buttons of all kinds. |
| C．Find the hidden buttons in the museum. |
| D．Reward those who complete puzzles. |
| A．The Museum of Bad Art. |
| B．International Banana Museum. |
| C．National Museum of Roller Skating. |
| D．International UFO Museum and Research Center. |
| A．Rich history. | B．Practical impact. |
| C．Unusual exhibition. | D．International influence. |
【推荐3】I used to be an average student in Bohunt High school until I took Dr. Whitworth’s class. He was such a life-changer to me that I left that class determined never to underachieve again. He not only taught me to perform better and achieve more success than expected, he, more importantly, taught me to think. He convinced me, as much by example as words that it was my moral obligation to do so and to serve others.
Neither of us could know how our relationship would evolve over the years. When I came back to Bohunt to teach English, I worked for Dr. Whitworth, the department chair. My discussion with him was like graduate seminars in adolescent development, classroom management and school leadership.
After several years, I was named department chair, and our relationship shifted again. I thought that it might be awkward chairing the department, since all of my former English teachers were still there, but Dr. Whitworth supported me throughout. As the former chair, he knew when to give me advice about curriculum, texts and personnel, and when to let me chart my own course.
In 1997, I needed his opinion about leaving Bohunt to become principal at another school. If he had asked me to stay at Bohunt, I might have. Instead, he encouraged me to seize the opportunity.
Five years ago, I became the principal of Bohunt. Once again, Dr. Whitworth was there for me, letting me know that I could count on him. I have learned from him that great teachers have an inexhaustible (用不完的) wealth of lessons to teach.
1. The underlined word in Paragraph 1 could be best replaced by ________.| A．underperform | B．underestimate |
| C．undertake | D．understand |
| A．They became teacher and student again. |
| B．They chaired the department together. |
| C．They were colleagues and Dr. Whitworth worked for him. |
| D．They were colleagues and he worked for Dr. Whitworth. |
| A．in time order | B．in space order |
| C．by giving examples | D．by comparison |
| A．A speech. | B．An autobiography. |
| C．A newspaper. | D．A poster. |
