Heritage Open Days 2023
CITYWIDE *Sep 8th-17th, 2023 *free *family friendly
Heritage Open Days is an annual celebration of England’s architecture and culture that gives people access to historical buildings that either are not ordinarily open to the public or require an entrance fee. It also consists of architectural and cultural events and activities.
HISTORY
The history of Heritage Open Days can actually date back to 1994 when England joined European Heritage Days Community along with some other countries, but the first-ever Heritage Open Days was not held until September 2018. Heritage Open Days does not cover the entire UK; it only operates in England except for London.
DATE
Every year, the dates of visit are announced and new activities and events are planned. Although the dates differ annually, the holiday usually lasts for 10 days in September. This year, it is held from September 8th to 17th.
ACTIVITIES
| ※Visit a Heritage Open Days site: Take advantage of these days and visit some of the many historical landmarks that are part of Heritage Open Days. You can also participate in the different events and activities that are organized for visitors. |
| ※Volunteer: If you are in the visit area, volunteer for Heritage Open Days. You could donate time, money, or efforts to the festivities and become a part of the celebration in a new and more meaningful way. |
| ※Learn more: If you are not in England or unable to participate, take this chance to learn about the history and culture of England and how Heritage Open Days came into existence. |
| A．Organize family activities at will. | B．Visit historical buildings for free. |
| C．Learn more about European Heritage Days. | D．Attend the celebration throughout September. |
| A．It was first held in 1994. | B．It is celebrated across the UK. |
| C．Its dates rarely change each year. | D．Its programs vary from year to year. |
| A．How to celebrate the festival. | B．Where to volunteer for the celebration. |
| C．Why to participate in the celebration | D．What to enjoy during the festival. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】For more than a century, it was a simple way of making a child’s dreams come true during Christmas. Volunteers could go to the post office, examine piles of letters that children had sent to Santa Claus and pick one or more that tugged at their heartstrings. Gifts were then acquired, wrapped and shipped to families whose space beneath the tree might otherwise be empty.
With the covid-19 still raging, however, the US Postal Service announced that it was taking its annual “Operation Santa”campaign nationwide, and that letters to Santa could be read online by people across the country.
Some things aren’t changing: much as it had over the past 108 years, the Postal Service said that it was inviting American children to write letters and to mail them to the North Pole, using a special address and ZIP code.
This year, however, the letters will be uploaded to the Operation Santa website, so long as they are clear to be read and make specific requests for items like toys, clothes or games. Postal customers can then read them and choose to send gifts with their responses, with a signature saying it’s from Santa.
“Covid -19 has caused hardships, both financially and emotionally, to so many Americans this year,” a spokeswoman for the Postal Service said in an email. “The program provides kids and families with an opportunity to receive gifts during the holidays from anonymous, generous postal customers.’’
1. What does the underlined word “raging” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Spreading quickly | B．Reducing briefly |
| C．Performing well | D．Existing narrowingly |
| A．The “Operation Santa” campaign is online held every year. |
| B．All Americans can read the letters to Santa Claus. |
| C．It is a tradition for American kids to be invited to write letters to Santa Claus. |
| D．Only famous postal customers send gifts to American kids and families. |
| A．They can only be read online. |
| B．They will be signed by Santa Claus. |
| C．They will reach Santa Claus in the North Pole. |
| D．They will be delivered with a unique address and ZIP code. |
| A．A medical magazine | B．A news section |
| C．A science book | D．A health guide |
【推荐2】Christmas Traditions
Since about 400 AD, Christmas day has been celebrated on 25th December. This date was the old mid-winter festival in pre-Christian times, around the time of the longest night and the shortest day. Christmas in the 21st century has many traditions.
Shops can make about 60 per cent of their year's income in the three months before Christmas. So most shops get ready for it in October. The shopping centres are beautifully decorated and stay open late at night. The first time this happened was in 1867 when Macys', a famous shop in New York, stayed open until midnight on Christmas Eve (24th December).
By mid-December, almost every house, shop and street has a Christmas tree. This tradition was started by the Germans as early as 700 AD. In the northern countries of the world, winter is cold and dark and most trees lose their leaves. The beautiful green trees decorated with lights and coloured glass balls give people hope that spring will come again.
Father Christmas is known across the world with his white hair, red coat and big bag of toys. Young children are told that he lives it in the north of Finland and makes toys for them. By tradition, he brings the toys to children at midnight, on the night before Christmas.
On Christmas day a traditional meal is eaten, usually turkey and a rich, spicy cake. Some people hate Christmas. Others feel it is a magical and exciting time. They love seeing family and friends; they also love the traditions. Love it or hate it, Christmas is a time to look back over the old year and forward to the new one.
1. Christmas has been celebrated ________.| A．for over 3,000 years | B．for over 1,600 years |
| C．since the start of the 21st century | D．for 400 years |
| A．they can stay open later | B．they are beautifully decorated |
| C．much of the income is made | D．more people go shopping |
| A．they make people think of Germany | B．they are easy and cheap to get |
| C．they lose their leaves in winter | D．they make people think of spring |
| A．a real person who lives in Finland | B．a magical story for kids |
| C．a character in a film | D．a real person who makes toys |
| A．On Christmas day people love to visit friends. |
| B．Christmas time is loved by some people and hated by others |
| C．Christmas is a magical and exciting time for all. |
| D．On Christmas day turkey is a traditional meal. |
【推荐3】Kite Festivals around the World
Hamamatsu Giant Kite Festival, Japan
The large kites of Japan are rectangular (矩形的)，and sometimes as large as 3.5 meters by 3.5 meters! The Hamamatsu Giant Kite Festival started in the 16th century when large kites were flown in celebration of the birth of a baby son to the Lord of Hamamatsu Castle. The audience watches excitedly as the kite fliers use friction (摩擦力) to cut the lines of their matches.
Portsmouth International Kite Festival, UK
This celebration is organized by Portsmouth Oily and the Kite Society of Great Britain. The International Kite Festival is regarded as one of the best, biggest and most popular kite festivals in the world. It has thousands of amazing and colorful kites in the sky and on the ground for visitors to enjoy and appreciate, showing the art of kite flying, kite making tradition around the world and exciting kite flying competitions.
Bali Kite Festival, Indonesia
Hundreds of competing kite teams gather from all over the island to fly their traditional kites. Traditional Balinese kites are as large as up to 4 meters by 10 meters. The kite festival in Bali started off as a seasonal agricultural (农业的) festival to thank God for harvests.
The Zilker Kite Festival, US
The Zilker Kite Festival is the oldest of its kind in the United States. Created in 1929, the Zilker Kite Festival was intended to inspire the creativity of children. The festival is a beloved, family-friendly tradition: activities for all ages, a traditional kite flying competition and show, a fun run and a children’s music concert. There are many competitions held such as Most Unusual Kite, Largest Kite, Smallest Kite, and Strongest Pulling Kite.
1. Where can visitors see all kinds of kites from around the world?| A．In Bali. | B．In Zilker. |
| C．In Portsmouth. | D．In Hamamatsu. |
| A．Bali Kite Festival. | B．The Zilker Kite Festival. |
| C．Hamamatsu Giant Kite Festival. | D．Portsmouth International Kite Festival. |
| A．They include competitions. |
| B．They are international. |
| C．They started in ancient limes. |
| D．They are intended for children. |
【推荐1】By drawing patterns on the surface of a cup of tea, chabaixi, an ancient Chinese tea trick displayed in a recent TV drama, has gone viral (走红) for its apparent similarity with modern latte art (咖啡拉花艺术). However, ten years ago, this distinctive technique was close to disappearing completely. Zhang Zhifeng, a practitioner of chabaixi, found scenes of chabaixi in the drama aroused great interest among ordinary people.
Chabaixi can create endless patterns such as bamboos and mountains or even calligraphy. There are over a dozen steps, from grinding (碾碎) tea for fine powder, to pouring boiled water, stirring the mixture for thick froth, and finally drawing the patterns. It is different from making latte because people use clear water as the object to put into the cup instead of milk. But when the water touches the surface of whipped (搅打起泡沫的) tea, it turns into a white color and disappears in 20 minutes. The process before the drawing is known as the tea-making technique, diancha. The quality of diancha is crucial to whether patterns can be successfully produced later.
“Chabaixi is one of the countless forms of tea-making techniques in China. The importance of chabaixi is not only that this technique is unique in the world, but also it gives us a window into people’s lifestyle in the Song Dynasty, a period of time when leisure activities in some ways like what we have now,” Zhang said.
Before chabaixi was discovered by TV audiences, the technique was listed as part of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017, after it was recovered by Zhang Zhifeng. He started researching the origins of chabaixi in the 1980s and brought the technique back in 2009 after decades of trials and practice. Zhang spent nearly 30 years studying and researching the origins and making of tea, but for him it was all worthwhile.
“This technique is key to the tea culture of the Song Dynasty, and it would be a shame to let it fade. This technique must be passed on to the next generations so they can understand its history,” Zhang said.
1. What happened to chabaixi recently?| A．It has disappeared. | B．It became popular quickly. |
| C．It became a latte art. | D．It has aroused everyone’s interest. |
| A．It develops based on latte art. | B．It mainly describes beautiful scenery. |
| C．It is painted with whipped milk. | D．It involves complicated tea-making skills. |
| A．The origin of chabaixi. | B．The significance of chabaixi. |
| C．The uniqueness of chabaixi. | D．The development of chabaixi. |
| A．He is leading young generations to change chabaixi. |
| B．He teaches people the tea culture of the Song Dynasty. |
| C．He is committed to developing chabaixi through media. |
| D．He encourages people to pass on the technique of chabaixi. |
【推荐2】In China, calligraphy occupies a distinguished position in the field of traditional art. It has always been more than simply a tool for communication, but also a means of expressing a person's inner world in an aesthetic sense.
Chinese calligraphy has endured for more than 2,000 years. Inscribed on animal bones, the oracle bone script is the earliest known writing form of Chinese characters. Following the changes of dynasties, it evolved into five main ways of writing, each with different techniques. With the unification of China by the Qin Dynasty, the Prime Minister Li Si(?—208 BC)actively promoted a uniform pattern of writing—the seal script. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, people simplified the seal characters, which had many strokes, and created the official script. The new calligraphy appears to be much neater, turning the round style into a flat one.
Today’s most popular and influential writing style, the regular script, first came into being between the Han and Wei dynasties. Just as the name implies, it features regularity and varies from the flat font to a square one. The period when the regular script flourished most was during the Tang Dynasty, when Yan Zhenqing(708—784) and Liu Gongquan(778—865) successively established schools of their own styles. In striking contrast, the cursive script puts emphasis on flexibility, for it only maintains the essence of each character and expresses more personal exertion. Therefore, its value lies more in appreciation than in practicality.
The Sage of Calligraphy Wang Xizhi(303—361,307—365, or 321—379), together with his son Wang Xianzhi (344 -386), led the art of calligraphy to its summit. Wang Xizhi was a master of all forms of Chinese calligraphy, especially the running script, and is generally recognized as the greatest Chinese calligrapher in history. People placed great value on his calligraphic works, comparing his handwriting to a “flying dragon”, vigorous yet elegant. His preface to the poems collected from The Orchid Parilion, known as a gem of Chinese calligraphy, was the most representative of his style. However, the original work is no longer available for public admiration. It is said to be buried in the tomb of Emperor Taizong of Tang(599-649) since he admired it so much.
Chinese calligraphy has also been introduced to many neighboring countries and has built up a worldwide reputation. Picasso(1881—1973),the world-renowned master of art, reportedly once said, “If I had lived in China, I must have become a calligrapher rather than a painter.” In 2009,Chinese calligraphy was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the U NESCO.
1. How many writing forms of Chinese characters are mentioned in the passage?| A．4. | B．5. | C．6. | D．7. |
| A．Described | B．Carved | C．Inserted | D．Decorated |
| A．The cursive script highlights flexibility and more personal exertion. |
| B．Compared with the seal script, the official script is flatter and neater. |
| C．Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan built up schools to teach the regular script. |
| D．Wang Xizhi's most representative calligraphic work was written in the running script. |
| A．Chinese calligraphy attracted him a lot. | B．He wanted to move to China. |
| C．He regretted becoming a painter. | D．The UNESCO gave him a report. |
【推荐3】On a warm spring morning in 1984, Dong Yao-hui and his two young friends pulled on backpacks and set out on a hike of the Great Wall. Their walk began in Shanhai Pass.
The walk of 17 months and 8,850 kilometers tested persistence.
On completing their journey, they published their experiences in a book. As they shared their adventures, it became clear that it was not just the physical demands but also the emotional impact that left lasting impressions.
The Cultural Relics Administrative Department has been given control over the overall protection of the Great wall.
Dong places his hands on the weathered wall, as he did 35 years ago. But today, he thinks more deeply on a mission grander than his own journey. "Someone dug up some earth, making it into a brick," he says. "Someone else brought it all the way up the mountain and built a wall. Then many people guarded the wall for hundreds of years. The Great Wall is definitely alive.
| A．It isn't just a cold, stone wall. |
| B．Preservation requires the efforts of all society. |
| C．From there they went forward to the vast west. |
| D．It wound its way and reached into the Bohai Sea. |
| E．It made them the first ever to walk the whole length. |
| F．Meanwhile, local villagers have recently been hired to act as guardians. |
| G．Preservation work began when the Great Wall was listed as a World Heritage Site. |
Face It
Debbie Harry
HARPER COLLINS
Picture this: it’s the late 1970s and the punk music scene is starting to take hold. Blondie releases the album Parallel Lines, which soars straight into the charts. Every teenage girl wants to be lead singer Debbie Harry, while every teenage boy wants to be her boyfriend. Now 75, Harry bares all in her memoir Face It, from her childhood to the hedonistic (享乐的) years of Blondie an then solo artist. Part entertaining, part shocking, this biography is as humorous, moving and as dynamic as its subject.
Scatterbrain
Henning Beck
NEWSOUTH BOOKS
The brain really dislikes being in a condition of uncertainty, says award-winning neuroscientist Henning Beck. If what we remember is fragmented, the brain will substitute in the rest of the information without you even noticing, he says in the chapter “Memory”. In this “user’s guide for your brain”, Beck argues that mistakes and faults are the keys to success. He combines science with brain-boosting advice and real-life stories to take the reader on a fascinating adventure through human memory.
The Right-Brain Work Out
Russel Howeroft with Alex Wadelton
PENGUIN
In 1968, 1600 five-year-olds were given a creativity test. They were retested at ages 10 and 15 and their scores were compared against adults. While 98 percent of five-year-olds were assessed in the “highly creative” range (genius level), only two per cent of adults could be considered “highly creative”. In The Right-brain Work Out, the authors promise to retrain your brain to be more creative, using 70 questions to probe and challenge you.
1. What can we learn from the introduction of Debbie Harry’s biography?| A．She was the lead singer in the Blondie during her whole art lift. |
| B．It was not true that The Parallel Lines was a hit in the 1970s. |
| C．Only teenager boys were greatly fascinated by her. |
| D．She reveals something seldom known to the public in her biography. |
| A．It mainly deals with memory science. |
| B．Readers will get enlightened on the power of mistakes. |
| C．Our brain can’t automatically make up for what’s missing. |
| D．Our brain likes the condition of finding fault. |
| A．two tests were given to the subjects in 1968 |
| B．genius kids maintained their creativity into adulthood |
| C．a set of questions were designed to train creativity |
| D．the effect of the brain exercise remained to be proved |
【推荐2】Be interested in learning a new language but don’t know where to start? Here are the best online language learning courses we’ve put together for your reference.
Rosetta Stone
Price:$7.99 per month-$199 one-time payment
Rosetta Stone offers lessons for new language learners that are short enough to complete each day. Its interface (界面) is generally easy to use, and its lessons include reading, writing, speaking and listening, all in one lesson. You can also choose to subscribe to a monthly payment or purchase a lifetime license.
Duolingo
Price: Free-$6. 99 per month
The service of Duolingo is best known for its Android and iOS apps, which are available for free. You can also sign up for Duolingo Plus, which removes ads and offers offline courses. Many consider Duolingo to be better for those who want to practice a language rather than learn from the very beginning.
Babbel
Price:$6.95 per month-$12.95 per month
Babbel is excellent at teaching phrases and words that you’ll actually use on a day-to-day basis. The service is also relatively cheap, so if you’re unsure if you want to commit to learning a new language yet, the low subscription prices ensure you don’t have to make a huge commitment.
Memrise
Price: $6.67 per month-$119.99 one-time payment
If you learn best through repetition and flashcards, then Memrise may be the service for you. Memrise isn’t necessarily the service for those who want to learn a language from the beginning, but it’s a great learning aid, and good for those who already have a foundation in language-learning.
1. What is special about Rosetta Stone?| A．It features a simple interface without ads. |
| B．It is intended for high-level learners. |
| C．It helps improve multiple language skills. |
| D．It offers a one-month free trial. |
| A．Grammatical rules and sentence structures. |
| B．Accent and pronunciation. |
| C．Vocabulary and everyday phrases. |
| D．Cultural customs and traditions. |
| A．$119.99. | B．$129.5. | C．$166. | D．$199. |
| A．They offer free Android and iOS apps. |
| B．They are more suitable for people with certain basis. |
| C．They allow users to take offline courses. |
| D．They provide courses of over 20 languages. |
| A．To encourage students to learn a new language. |
| B．To provide four apps for only English learners. |
| C．To show the benefits of learning language online. |
| D．To introduce four language learning courses online. |
【推荐3】Florence, Rome, Venice. Beautiful cities to be sure, not to mention some of the planet’s most visited travel destinations. Yet this popularity means that for many, Italy’s premier hotspots are too expensive and overcrowded to visit. If you want to enjoy a true taste of Italy without the tourists, read our list of secret Italian towns you need to visit.
Alberobello, Puglia
Alberobello is a lovely town near Bari. It is home to the Trulli — cone-shaped white buildings that look like houses straight out of a fairytale. The village is a maze of narrow streets and charming piazzas, while it also has a beautiful belvedere (观景台) that offers fabulous views of the town.
Treviso, Veneto
Treviso is like a small Venice with fewer tourists and crowds. Its historical walled centre is dotted with medieval churches, cobblestone streets, red-brick palaces and tiny old canals that connect buildings, gardens and piazzas.
Bologna, Emilia-Romagna
Bologna is one of the coolest towns in Italy. It is mostly frequented by students — Bologna is home to the oldest university in Europe and a whole lot of gastronomy fans, since it’s known to be the Italian food capital. Once you arrive, don’t forget to taste the delicacies of the area, such as lasagne, tortellini and, you guessed it, bolognese.
Castelluccio, Umbria
Castelluccio is the highest village in the Apennine Mountains at 1,452m (4,764ft) above sea level. It’s a charming village with lovely squares that offer amazing views over the mountains and fields that blossom with violets and red poppies. The best time of the year to visit Castelluccio is in spring — from late May to early June.
1. Which town is regularly visited by students?| A．Treviso. | B．Bologna. | C．Alberobello. | D．Castelluccio. |
| A．It offers charming natural views. | B．It is the highest village in Italy. |
| C．Its best visiting time is autumn. | D．It is highly expensive to visit. |
| A．Those who are fond of travelling alone. | B．Those who have a true taste of large cities. |
| C．Students who want to be further educated. | D．Tourists who avoid being much crowded. |
