【推荐1】Venice Carnival is one of Italy’s most fascinating yearly events.     1     A confusion of color, historical costumes, mysterious masks, and a week of live concerts, street parties and entertainment attract millions of tourists each year. Here’s everything you need to know before you go.

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Traditionally held around Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, at the start of Lent (40 days before Easter),Venice Carnival ( Carnevale del Veneto ) celebrations can last up to two weeks.     3     However, the biggest events, including the official parades and masked balls, are held over the final weekend.

What to Do

Join one of the parades or street parties, and taste traditional Carnival foods such as frittelle, a traditional dessert made only during the festivities. Carnival is the ideal time to experience Venetian culture and traditions.     4    You can also take part in a mask-making workshop, tour Venice’s cicchetti bars for a bite to eat, sail up and down the Grand Canal on a romantic Venice boat ride, or attend an evening Carnival concert or dinner theater performance.

Things to Know

St. Mark’s Square ( Piazza San Marco) is the center of Carnival celebrations with daily parades, performances and other activities. Most Carnival events, except for the masked balls and gala dinners, are free to attend.    5     So prepare for cold weather and possible rain, with an average high of 46℉(8℃) in February.

A．When to Go

B．Where to Stay

C．Carnival falls during winter in Venice.

D．Most visitors choose to arrive on the final weekend.

E．It is also one of the oldest festivals celebrated in the city.

F．There’s a busy schedule of both free and ticketed events throughout the time.

G．Get into the carnival spirit by buying or renting a traditional costume or Venetian mask.

【推荐2】Canada is a highly developed capitalist country. It is one of the major tourism players all over the world because of its unique glamour. Over the years, arts and culture has lived and breathed in every corner of Canada. You can have a really good experience when you go on a trip in Canada. Do you know why it is so obvious that Canada improves and develops in art, culture, sport and so on? Due to a racial and immigrant population, the variety and richness of art and sports is very evident.

Since World War I, Canada has produced an impressive amount of writing. From novel to poetry, the selection is wide. Native writers are also becoming better known across Canada in recent years.

Musicians are reaching a higher level of recognition in the world music scene. Everything from country to pop, classical to heavy rock can be found across Canada and across the globe performed by Canadian artists.

Canadian photography as well as painting by Canadians is not well-known outside of Canada but recognition is increasing.

The National Film Board, a film crew in Canada, is the primary producer of movies in Canada. However, many Hollywood studios are turning to Canada as a source for locations and as an alternative (选择) to the more expensive US. Many well-known actors, directors, screen writers and movies come from Canada and often scoop international awards for their work.

French art was the first to appear in Canada along the St Lawrence in and around Quebec. Since then the amount of art and artists has increased.

Sport is a major part of today’s society in Canada. Hockey is the most popular spectator sport with more participants taking part in curling. American style football and baseball are also very popular and all of these sports are played across Canada.

1. What give Canada various forms of art and culture?

A．The different immigrants.	B．The large area.
C．The long history.	D．The large population.

2. Which group of Canadian artists is well-known all over the world today?

A．Painters and writers.	B．Photographers and actors.
C．Musicians, actors and directors.	D．Native writers and photographers.

3. What does the underlined word “scoop” mean in Paragraph 5?

A．Fry.

B．Limit.

C．Win.

D．Exist.

4. What can we know from the text?

A．Canadian writers are only good at poetry.

B．Canadian people love sports very much.

C．There are many big film-making companies in Canada.

D．Canadian arts have been much influenced by Americans.

【推荐1】You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. Your face is firm and young-looking. In 2035, medical technology is better than ever. Many people could live to be 150, so at 40, you’re not old at all. And your parents just had an anti-aging medicine. Now, all three of you look the same age!

You say to your shirt, “Turn red.” It changes from blue to red. In 2035, “smart clothes” contain particles (粒) much smaller than the cells in your body. The particles can be programmed to change your clothes’ color.

You walk into the kitchen. You pick up the milk, but a voice says, “You shouldn’t drink that!”. Your fridge has read the chip that contains information about the milk, and it knows the milk is out of date. In 2035, every article of food in the store has such a chip.

It’s time to go to work. In 2035, cars drive themselves. Just tell your “smart car” where to go. On the way, you can call a friend using your jacket sleeve. Such “smart technology” is all around you.

So will all these things come true? “For new technology to succeed” says scientist Andrew Zoll, “it has to be so much better than it replaces what we have already.” The Internet is one example- what will be the next?

1. In 2035, many people could live to be 150 because of        .

A．the magical mirror	B．the magical food
C．the good scientists	D．the better medical technology

2. According to the text, the following things will use “smart technology” except        .

A．mirror

B．clothes

C．food

D．cars

3. We can learn from the text that in the future         .

A．everyone will look the same	B．people will never get old
C．clothes can change the color by themselves	D．people can get fresh milk anytime from the fridge

【推荐3】Beijing is no stranger to Western food. American restaurants like McDonald’s and KFC have brought more Western dishes to the local food scene in recent years. Now, two new restaurants have joined them.

In August, Taco Bell and Shake Shack opened their doors to eager customers in Beijing. Taco Bell is a popular American fast food restaurant that features Mexican food. Hard and soft-shell tacos are a staple(招牌) of the menu; they are generally served with beef, lettuce and tomato. And of course there are burritos-chicken, beef or beans wrapped in a tortilla(墨西哥薄馅饼). However, there are new menu items that are special to the Beijing location, such as the Yang Berry Freeze and Avocado Oolong Tea.

Shake Shack, known for its traditional American-style hamburgers and milkshakes, is also serving up dishes that won’t be found in branches outside of the capital. Harry Wang, who studied in the US, visited the restaurant soon after it opened. “The last time I had Shake Shack was more than a year ago when I was in the United States.” Wang said, “The food is pretty similar to what we had in the United States, but there is a milkshake exclusive to Beijing.”

The milkshake Wang referred to is the Hutong Hawthorn. The shake mixes hawthorn, a traditional Chinese snack, into a milkshake, a common ice cream drink in Western fast food. The Beijing Shake Shack also offers roasted chestnut ice cream.

Both restaurants also reflect elements of Chinese culture in their decorations. Shake Shack’s windows feature cartoons showing hutong life, and Taco Bell has a picture of a palace from the Temple of Heaven on one of its walls.

From the design to the menus, the two restaurants are “adding a touch of local flavor”, noted China News.

1. Why are McDonald’s and KFC mentioned in the first paragraph?

A．To show the popularity of Western food in Beijing.

B．To lead up to the topic of new Western restaurants in Beijing.

C．To compare the differences between McDonald’s and KFC.

D．To express the author’s personal love for Western food.

2. What can we know about Taco Bell?

A．It is a traditional Mexican restaurant.

B．It has the same menu around the world.

C．It is a popular Mexican food restaurant in China.

D．It is a fast food restaurant serving Mexican food.

3. What does the underlined word “exclusive” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Special.

B．Ordinary.

C．Important.

D．Acceptable.

4. What does the article tell us about Taco Bell and Shake Shack?

A．They try to keep the original characteristics in all locations.

B．They will probably have more customers than KFC.

C．They make changes to the menu for Chinese people’s tastes.

D．They like to work together with Chinese restaurants.