It is widely known that any English conversation begins with the weather. Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr. Johnson’s famous comment that “When two English meet, their first talk is of weather.” Though Johnson’s observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago, people fail to come up with a good explanation for this English weather-speak.
Bill Bryson, for example, says that, as the English weather is not at all exciting, the interest in it can hardly be understood. He argues that “To an outsider, the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it.” Simply, the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost unknown in the British Isles.
Jeremy Paxman, however, disagrees with Bryson, arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive. Bryson is wrong, he says, because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena (现象). “The interest is less in the phenomena themselves, but in uncertainty.” According to him, the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it draws the English as well as the outsider.
Bryson and Paxman stand for common misunderstandings about the weather-speak among the English. Both of them, somehow, are missing the point. The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all. English weather-speak is a system of signs, which is developed to help the speakers overcome the natural reserve and actually talk to each other. Everyone knows conversations starting with weather-speak are not requests for weather data. Rather, they are greetings. In other words, English weather-speak is a means of social bonding.
1. Why does the author mention Dr. Johnson’s comment?| A．Because Dr. Johnson is famous. |
| B．To show that most people agree with Dr. Johnson. |
| C．Because the comment was accurate two hundred years ago. |
| D．To show that English conversations usually start with the weather. |
| A．Bill Bryson has little knowledge of the weather. |
| B．There is nothing special about the English weather. |
| C．The English weather attracts people to the British Isles. |
| D．English people talk about the weather for its uncertainty. |
| A．To explore. | B．To attract. | C．To ensure. | D．To digitise. |
| A．To analyse the weather in the UK. |
| B．To explain what English weather-speak is about. |
| C．To argue with both Bill Bryson and Jeremy Paxman. |
| D．To tell people that the English weather is changeable. |
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How's your vacation？I'm visiting my uncle in Spain. He lives in the sunny and beautiful city of Valencia, in Spain.
Yesterday, I had great fun. My uncle took me to the tomato festival in Bunol, which is just 30 miles away from where my uncle lives. You have probably never heard of this festival before. Neither have I. The tomato festival is called “La Tomatina” in Spanish. It was the biggest and messiest tomato fight in the world. When we first got to the square where the festival took place, it was very crowded with people from all around the world, and many trucks were carrying tomatoes. My uncle told me the crowded people here were around 38,000 and this was more than four times the population of Bunol.
The tomato fight started as soon as the first banger was beaten. Then everyone including me started throwing tomatoes at each other. I took red tomatoes and threw them at anyone that ran，moved，bent down，or turned around. Tomatoes must be squashed(捏扁)before people threw them in order not to hurt anybody.
After a little while, the streets, people and nearby buildings were splashed(溅起)with red. There was no winner in this fight, but we all had fun. As soon as a second banger was beaten, people stopped throwing.
I really had a great time. I wish you were here, too. I hope I hear from you soon. Take care.
From Spain
Linda
1. From the letter，we can know ________________| A．Linda lives in Valencia |
| B．Linda doesn't want to go to Spain |
| C．Linda is visiting her uncle in Spain |
| D．Linda is studying in Spain |
| A．Bunol is 30 miles away from where Linda's uncle lives. |
| B．Linda had heard of this festival before. |
| C．It was the first time Linda had gone to this festival. |
| D．Linda's uncle took her to the tomato festival in Bunol. |
| A．The fight started. |
| B．The fight stopped. |
| C．The fight got bigger and bigger. |
| D．The fight continued again. |
| A．“La Tomatina” is a fun and popular festival in Spain. |
| B．“La Tomatina” is a day for eating tomatoes. |
| C．Michael has a great vacation. |
| D．Linda enjoyed the beautiful city of Valencia. |
【推荐2】In the past, working people in Britain only had holidays on “holy” (与宗教有关的) days such as Sundays and Christmas. Now most people have about four weeks’ holiday every year and public holidays which are also called “bank holidays”.
When?
British people usually have their holidays in summer. Many working people take a two-week holiday in July or August. School children are on holiday from the end of July to the start of September. A second holiday break in winter or in spring is also becoming more popular in the UK.
Where?
The most popular holiday places for British include Spain, France and the USA. Lots of people buy a kind of service which includes flights and a hotel or an apartment. Cheap flights to go abroad mean that many British people are able to spend two weeks a year holidaying abroad. Flights are much cheaper during school term time and the British government is worried that some young people are missing school to go on holiday. Parents who take their children on holiday during term time now have to pay a fine.
Things to See
British people also like to go on holiday in the UK. What can young British people do on a UK holiday? Here are a few examples. Alton Towers is one of the top UK parks. It is famous for its scaring rides and is very popular with teenagers. The Eden Project is an environmental project in the south-west of England, where you can see plants from all around the world.
Independent Holidays
Some teenagers want to spend their holidays doing something without their family. A language exchange (交换) is one way to be more independent and learn more language skills. A British teenager spends a week or two in a foreign country, staying with a family who has a son or daughter of the same age, and practising the local language. Later the foreign teenager visits the UK to practise English with the British family.
1. When are British people likely to go on holiday?| A．In spring. | B．In summer. | C．In autumn. | D．In winter. |
| A．students pay a fine for the holiday |
| B．people buy cheap flights to other countries |
| C．people spend two weeks holidaying abroad |
| D．students have holidays instead of going to school |
| A．Teenagers can get better at language skills. |
| B．People can see plants from all over the world. |
| C．People can take part in environmental projects. |
| D．Teenagers can enjoy scaring rides independently. |
| A．the time of British having holidays |
| B．popular places of interest in the UK |
| C．people’s favorite hotels or apartments |
| D．teenagers’ special independent holidays |
| A．help people buy cheap flights to go abroad |
| B．tell the way to become independent teenagers |
| C．call on people to have their holidays in the UK |
| D．offer information about British people’s holidays |
【推荐3】South Africa does have a calendar filled with more festivals than most people can think of. In fact, many of these festivals have won international popularity.
Aardklop Arts Festival
Every year during the last week of September, the southern region of the northwest province prepares itself for one of the country’s greatest cultural festivals. Held in the university town of Potchefstroom with its thousands of students, it offers a five-day feast of classical music, jazz, hard rock, visual arts, poetry and more, ending with the “OppiAarde” rock festival on the final day.
Grahamstown National Arts Festival
At the end of June each year Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape is transformed into one huge happening for a period of 11 days, when the Grahamstown National Arts Festival gets underway. It’ s a national phenomenon of arts. The festival offers more than 500 shows from opera, drama and jazz to stand-up comics and folk music.
Arts Alive International Festival
The Arts Alive International Festival , held in Johannesburg every September since 1992, is an annual festival of music, dance, theatre and performance-poetry. Over 600 artists take part in the four-day festival, which consists of a musical feast, dance performances and events , poetry readings , theatrical productions, and workshops. The festival ends with the popular “Jazz on the Lake“ held on the final day.
Cape Town Jazz Festival
Since its birth in the year 2000, the Cape Town Jazz Festival has grown into a successful international event. Arguably the best jazz festival in Africa, it takes place in Cape Town every last weekend in March. It features around 40 international and local artists. Performances are held on stages in exhibition halls throughout Cape Town, including one free , open-air show.
1. Which festival lasts the shortest?| A．Aardklop Arts Festival. | B．Cape Town Jazz Festival. |
| C．Arts Alive International Festival. | D．Grahamstown National Arts Festival, |
| A．Potchefstroom. | B．Grahamstown. | C．Johannesburg. | D．Cape Town. |
| A．Enjoy music. | B．Taste cuisine. |
| C．Appreciate drama. | D．Experience local customs. |
【推荐1】Bella means beautiful, but Bella Hadid didn’t think she was when she was a teenager.
Supermodel Bella Hadid is finally coming clean about having plastic surgery (整形手术), but she is speaking out on her regret of having it done when she was 14, according to a Vogue report.
“I was the uglier sister. I wasn’t as pretty as my sister Gigi,”the twenty-five-year-old said. “That’s really what people said about me. And unfortunately when you get told things so many times, you do just believe it.”
“Now I wish I had kept the nose of my ancestors,” Hadid said.
Approximately 229, 000 cosmetic(整容的) surgeries were performed on teenagers between the ages of 13 to 19 in 2017, which accounted for approximately four percent of all cosmetic procedures.
But experts caution that rhinoplasty, otherwise known as a “nose job”, is not recommended until the growth of the nose is completed, which is typically around ages 15 to 16 in females and ages 16 to 18 in males, although in certain situations, such as a child with cleft lip(兔唇), the procedure may be performed earlier.
“Some teens are more psychologically mature than others, but it’s important to note that their brain development is not at a point where they can really think through long term implications(含 义) and the possible consequences,” said Dr. Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Center for Health Research.
Cosmetic procedures improve confidence in teenagers rather than the actual physical changes, especially for those who have poor self-esteem(自尊), according to Dr. Steven Pearlman, a facial plastic surgeon.
Zuckerman argues that in an ideal world, surgeons would delay certain surgeries in teens, while parents would work with their children to delay decisions of cosmetic procedures“... until a teenager is of age, like at least 18.”
1. What does the underlined phrase “coming clean about” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Admitting. | B．Forgetting. |
| C．Denying. | D．Opposing. |
| A．To develop her career. |
| B．To be better looking. |
| C．To please her sister. |
| D．To obey her parents. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Positive. | C．Cautious. | D．Supportive. |
| A．Teenagers will regret having cosmetic surgery. |
| B．Certain children will receive an operation earlier. |
| C．Teenagers will delay cosmetic procedures. |
| D．Teenagers will grow in self-esteem. |
【推荐2】Heaven is where the police are English, the cooks are French, the mechanics are German, the lovers are Italian and everything is organized by the Swiss. Hell is where the police are German, the cooks are English, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, and everything is organized by the Italians."
Obviously the national stereotypes in this old joke are generalizations(普遍化), but such stereotypes are often said to "exist for a reason". Is there actually a sliver of truth in them? Not likely, an international research team now says.
"National and cultural stereotypes do play an important role in how people see themselves and others, and being aware that these are not dependable is a useful thing," said study author Robert McCrae of the National Institute on Aging. "These are in fact unfounded stereotypes. They don't come from looking around you," McCrae said.
If national stereotypes aren't rooted in real experiences, then where do they come from? One possibility is that they reflect national values, which may become known from historical events. For example, many historians have argued that the spirit of American individualism has its origins in the experiences of the pioneers on the Old West.
Social scientists such as psychologist Richard Robins have given several other possible explanations for stereotypes and why they may be incorrect. Robins notes that some stereotypes may have been correct at one point in history and then remained unchanged while the culture changed.
We may be "hard-wired", to some degree, to keep incorrect stereotypes, since we are less likely to notice and remember information that is different from our stereotypes. Generally, according to Robins, when we meet people who are different from our stereotypes, we see them as unique individuals rather than typical national or cultural groups.
1. The stereotype about Italians is________.| A．strict but thoughtful | B．friendly and good-tempered |
| C．dreamy and impractical | D．romantic but disorganized |
| A．they are formed by individual historians |
| B．what was true in the past may not be true at the present |
| C．generalizations are made through personal experience |
| D．people tend to have false idea about other cultures |
| A．interesting | B．harmful | C．humorous | D．unreliable |
| A．forgetful | B．changeable | C．fixed | D．helpless |
【推荐3】Wang Mengshu, an expert at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said at a group discussion of the annual session of the National People’s Congress that WiFi should not be provided on high-speed trains, as it might harm communication signals (信号) of trains and would also cost a lot in keeping trains in good condition. He also encouraged passengers to enjoy the views, instead of fixing their eyes on the tiny screens of smartphones and laptops. However,Beijing Youth Dailysaid it should be market demand that decides whether the WiFi is offered on the trains or not.
An increasing number of people, especially young white-collar workers, are addicted to their smartphones rather than face-to-face communications, thanks to the extensive WiFi coverage across the country. ThatjustifiesWang’s disagreement to the offering of WiFi on high-speed trains, because they shouldn’t depend on high-tech devices. It is also obvious that passengers on trains without free WiFi will use their smartphones and other mobile devices less. However, whether the trains should provide a free WiFi service mainly depends on customer demand.
In other words, the China Railway Corp has to obey relevant market rules, and provide technologically possible services to passengers if that is what they want. It cannot turn a blind eye to customers’ wants.
Free WiFi, in fact, is already offered on a lot of buses and coaches. This is a natural response to their competition with trains (especially high-speed ones), which are significantly faster and safer. The bus companies have been forced to improve their services to survive. So it requires proper guidance, not total “no” on the use, to make up for the negative effects of high-end technologies, such as people’s increasing addiction to smartphones.
1. Wang Mengshu thought Wifi shouldn’t be offered on the rain because it may ________.| A．make the communication signals harmful |
| B．cause a high cost in keeping trains in good condition |
| C．help people enjoy the beautiful views throughout a journey |
| D．prevent passengers being addicted to their smartphones and laptops |
| A．Gives an explanation. | B．Offers a response. |
| C．Confirms it incorrect. | D．Proves it reasonable. |
| A．compete for more passengers | B．help drivers stay concentrated |
| C．prevent passengers feeling bored | D．encourage passengers to use phones |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Objective. | D．Supportive. |
