【推荐3】What's happening?Your guide to the best place to go in town

The Art of the Camera

Beautiful exhibition from some of the best young photographers working today.

Stamford Hall, June 20th-30th            Free(免费的)     

Winning Voices

More than 20 bands play their best songs in a competition to win a great prize: a place in the national final and the chance to record a CD.

Stretford Student Centre, 6 pm

Tickets £10 and £7.5

Streetlife Dance Group

Come and see the amazing "SDG" at the Atlas Centre. Twenty-four dancers aged between 11 and 18 show off their skills in street dancing （街舞）for you.

Starts 7 pm. Tickets £15

Young Vic Theatre

The final performance of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is tonight. This is your last chance to see this wonderful play. Don't miss it.

Starts 8 pm. Tickets £9, £7 and £5.50

Film Club

Tonight's movie at the Young People's Film Club is the last of the series(系列) starring the Oscar-winning actor Johnny Depp. It's the wonderful Pirates of the Caribbean!

Starts 6:30 pm. Tickets £3

1. What can we learn about the Art of the Camera?

A．It is open to the public for free.	B．It shows some old photos.
C．It is held by 24 young artists.	D．It lasts half a month.

2. What do we know about the Streetlife Dance Group?

A．Look at the free exhibition.	B．Have chance to record a CD.
C．Watch the dancing street.	D．See the play.

3. Which is the cheapest(最便宜的)   about the following Ticket Price if you want to save money?

A．See Romeo and Juliet.	B．Watch Winning Voices.
C．Watch Streetlife Dance Group.	D．See Pirates of the Caribbean.

【推荐1】Do you want to live a happier, less stressful (有压力的) life?

Try laughing for no reason at all. That’s how thousands of people start their day at Laughter Clubs around the world – and many doctors now think that having a good laugh might be one of the best ways to stay healthy.

The first Laughter Club was started in Mumbai, India, in 1995 by Dr Madan Kataria. “Young children laugh about 300 times a day. Adults laugh between 7 and 15 times a day,” says Dr Kataria. “Everyone’s naturally good at laughing – it’s the universal language. We want people to feel happy with their lives.” There are now more than 500 Laughter Clubs in India and over 1,300 worldwide.

Many doctors are also interested in the effects (效果) of laughter on our health. According to a 5 – year study in the body. Laughter improves our health against illness by about 40%.

So, what happens at a Laughter Club? I went along to my nearest club in South London to find out. I was quite nervous at the beginning of the class, to be honest – I wasn’t interested in laughing with a group of strangers, and I was worried about looking stupid. Our laughter teacher told us to clap our hands and say “ho ho ho, ha ha ha,” while looking at each other. However, our bodies can’t tell the difference between fake laughter and real laughter, so they still produce the same healthy effects.

Surprisingly, it works! After ten minutes everybody in the room was laughing for real – and some people just couldn’t stop! At the end of the class I was surprised by how relaxed and comfortable I felt. So if you’re under stress, then start laughing. You might be very pleased with the results!

1. In which country was the first Laughter Club started?

A．Britain.	B．America.
C．Australia.	D．India.

2. How did the writer feel at the beginning of the class?

A．Surprised.	B．Pleased.
C．Nervous.	D．Stressful.

3. When did the people in the club begin to laugh for real?

A．After a few minutes.	B．After a few hours.
C．After a few seconds.	D．After a few days.

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

A．Fake laughter and real laughter are both good for health.

B．40% of the people in Laughter Clubs are good friends.

C．Adults laugh more often than children in a day.

D．Laughing is the best way to prevent illness.

【推荐2】Online Event：What Happened at the Big Bang（爆炸）？

Over the past few decades, we've made unbelievable discoveries about how our universe developed over the past 13. 8 billion years. But we still know very little about what happened in the first seconds after the big bang.

In the latest New Scientist online event, the speaker Dan Hooper will examine how physicists are using experiments to re-create the conditions of the big bang, and to deal with mysteries like how our universe came to contain so much matter and so little antimatter.

•Early bird ticket offer £ 12, and your ticket includes:

—Live lecture lasting 40 minutes

—Question & Answer with Dan Hooper

—On-demand access to a recording of the lecture and Q & A, available（可得到的）to watch for 12 months —An additional 40-minute physics lecture

● About the speaker:

Dan Hooper is a senior scientist and the head of the theoretical astrophysics group at the Fermi National Accelerator Lab, as well as a professor of the University of Chicago. He is especially interested in questions about dark matter and the early universe.

●Event information:

This online event will start at 6 pm on Thursday, July 9 and will last for about one hour. Access to a recording of the event will be available from July 10 to ticket buyers for the 12 months following the live event.

●Booking information:

Tickets are only refundable（可退还的）if New Scientist stops this event. New Scientist Ltd has the right to change the event and its arrangement, or stop the event. Tickets are only available in advance through New Scientist website.

1. What benefit can the ticket buyers enjoy?

A．Interviewing the speaker face to face.

B．Taking someone else to attend the lecture.

C．Getting a video tape of a 40-minute physics lecture.

D．Watching a recording of the event within one year.

2. What can we know about Dan Hooper?

A．He works at a university.

B．He is a world-famous writer.

C．He is the head of New Scientist Ltd.

D．His study focuses on questions about online events.

3. What do you have to do if you want to attend the event?

A．Get in touch with Hooper.	B．Buy a ticket ahead of time.
C．Arrive before 6 pm on the day.	D．Get permission from the organizer.

【推荐3】There are lots of attractions in St. Petersburg. If you’re short of time to visit all of them, or if you just want to make sure to hit the highlights(最精彩的部分),the following are the top must- see sights in St. Petersburg.
The Hermitage Museum
The Hermitage Museum is one of the most important sights to see for any visitor to St. Petersburg. There you can see lots of different paintings painted by the old masters. Prepare to come face to face with many of the western classical artists.
Kizhi Island
Kizhi Island is an open-air museum of wooden buildings from the Karelia region of Russia. These impressive structures are made without any nails(钉子).Can you imagine how the wood fits together? Come and see for yourself!
Peterhof
Peterhof is as beautiful as it is fun. You’ll be charged for admission(门票),but if you go to Peterhof when the fountains(喷泉) are working—during the day in summer—the admission will be worth it.
Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood
Love it or hate it, Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg is a real must-see sight. This beautiful building will truly surprise you, and the paintings inside the church will make you say “Wow!”
The Bronze Horseman Statue
The so-called Bronze Horseman is a part of Russian culture and is a symbol of St. Petersburg. Made famous by Alexander Pushkin, this statue of Peter the Great sitting on his horse truly shows Peter the Great’s influence on the Russian idea of greatness.
1. If you are interested in paintings, you’d better go to _________.

A．The Hermitage Museum and Kizhi Island

B．The Bronze Horseman Statue and Kizhi Island

C．Kizhi Island and Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

D．The Hermitage Museum and Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

2. What can we learn about Kizhi Island?

A．Kizhi Island is an indoor museum.

B．Visitors can find nails in the structures there.

C．The buildings on Kizhi Island are made of wood.

D．The wooden buildings are connected with wires.

3. We can learn from the text that__________.

A．visitors can visit Peterhof free of charge

B．The Hermitage Museum has lots of modern western arts

C．The fountains in Peterhof can be seen by visitors all year round

D．The Bronze Horseman Statue is a symbol of St. Petersburg

4. The author wrote the text to_________.

A．attract tourists to visit St. Petersburg

B．show the wonderful history of Russia

C．persuade artists to go to St. Petersburg

D．introduce the famous buildings of Russia

【推荐1】Jenny went to visit her friends in New York last weekend. Her friends met her at the airport on Friday afternoon and drove her to the hotel. They had dinner at a Chinese restaurant and went to see a film after that．

Jenny and her friends set out early on Saturday morning for a farm and stayed there until Sunday morning. During their stay, they went fishing and swimming in the small river on the farm. They played football in the field and enjoyed a big meal around a camp fire（篝火）, singing and dancing till late into the night.

Nobody could get up early on Sunday morning. So when they got back to New York City, it was about three o'clock in the afternoon. They drove right to the airport because Jenny didn’t want to miss her plane back home. Jenny only stayed in New York for two nights but she had a great time with her friends.

1. Jenny went to New York________．

A．to do some shopping	B．to see her friends
C．to spend her summer holiday	D．to find a job

2. How did Jenny get to New York?

A．By train.	B．By bus.
C．By plane.	D．On foot.

3. Where did Jenny and her friends go on Saturday?

A．To the farm.	B．To the Chinese restaurant.
C．To the airport.	D．To the railway station.

4. When did Jenny go back home?

A．On Saturday afternoon.	B．On Sunday morning.
C．On Saturday evening.	D．On Sunday afternoon.

【推荐2】It was a hot Summer day a few years ago. I had just pulled into the local gas station to fill my tank. After pumping the gas I started to walk inside to pay. That is when I noticed them. Two elderly women stood back from their car. There was a mixture of shock, fear, and horror on their faces. I looked and saw what they saw. Five yellow jackets had started to build a nest around their gas cap. My eyes widened. I shared the ladies’ fear.

Yellow jackets had never been friends of mine. Several times these bad tempered wasps（黄蜂） had attacked me while I was mowing my lawn giving me multiple stings（叮咬）each time I ran over their ground nests. They are the reason why I never repair my lawn in shorts anymore. The worst time, however, happened when I was a young boy. A friend of mine and I were running and playing in my backyard. I must have stepped on one of their hidden nests again because before I knew it both of us were being chased and stung over and over by the yellow jackets while we ran away screaming. I ran to my Mom with tears in my eyes. She immediately ran a cold bath and put us both in it to ease the pain and itching（发痒） before giving us medicine to fight all the poison in our little bodies from the stings.

Still, I knew I couldn’t let fear stop me now. I reached into my back pocket for a paper towel I had there, tore out the nest and stepped on it while the angry wasps buzzed around me. Both of the ladies thanked me and I said, “You’ re welcome! ” with a smile and a happy heart.

1. Why were the two elderly ladies scared in the oil station?

A．They couldn’t find the way back home.	B．They couldn’t afford the things they wanted.
C．They were afraid of being stung by some pests.	D．They were afraid of being forced out of the room.

2. What did the writer do in case of being stung when repairing the lawn?

A．Wear a mask.

B．Apply some medicine.

C．Wear shorts.

D．Wear thick and long clothes.

3. Which of the following word can best describe the writer’s early experience?

A．Lucky.

B．Miserable.

C．Exciting.

D．Instructive.

4. How did the writer drove away the wasps?

A．By spraying some medicine.	B．By destroying their homes.
C．By covering their nests with paper.	D．By burning down them.

【推荐3】A months-long drought affecting most of southern Africa has led to serious food shortage for millions of people.

The United Nations estimates(估计 )that more than 11 million people are facing extreme lack of food. The World Food Program says southern Africa has received normal rainfall in just one of the past five growing seasons.

Among the hardest hit areas is South Africa’s Northern Cape province. There, many farmers are struggling to keep their families and animals alive as they lose money and debt grows. Sheep farmer Louis told the AP he had lost more than 400 sheep over the past two years. He said this drought was the worst during his 45 years of farming. He got emotional while explaining that he now accepted donations of animal feed so he could keep the rest of his animals alive.

It’s estimated that this area will need at least $28 million over the next three months to assist 15, 500 affected farms. So far, South Africa’s government has promised $2 million.

Gertruida from Vosburg told the AP things had gotten so bad that she shared her family’s food with their animals. Small children were hungry, too. At Vosburg’s only school, Delta Primary School, large groups of children lined up for what became both breakfast and lunch. The meal usually included corn meal, vegetables and soup. “It’s very hard for the parents to actually feed their children at home, “one teacher said.

In Kimberley, the capital of Northern Cape, government officials give out money from the $2 million disaster aid program. The job can be difficult because some farmers live in places that are not easy to get to.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about the drought?

A．It has lasted a whole month.

B．It is the worst in Africa’ s history.

C．It has killed 400 sheep altogether.

D．It affects Northern Cape worst.

2. Why were Louis’ feelings out of control?

A．Because his debts grew.

B．Because he got donations.

C．Because he lost more sheep.

D．Because his children went hungry.

3. What’s the text mainly about?

A．Government takes measures to fight the rare drought.

B．People carry out self-rescue after the severe drought.

C．Farmers suffer a loss of animals because of the drought.

D．Deadly drought in Southern Africa leaves millions hungry.