【推荐1】Films to watch in March

Greta

A lonely young waitress finds a handbag on a New York subway train. Luckily, the address is inside, so she returns it to the piano teacher who left it there. She then discovers that the piano teacher makes a habit of dropping bags around the city on purpose to make new friends. Directed by Neil Jordan, the actors are attractive. Grace Moretz is the waitress and Isabelle Huppert is the one who admires her. Thanks to them, Greta winds up being far more enjoyable than it has any right to be.

The Aftermath

The Aftermath is one of the few World War Ⅱ-related films. Based on Rhidian Brook’s novel, this touching romantic movie is starred by Keira Knightley, who is the wife of a British officer. She hates the Germans because her son was killed in an air raid (抢劫). But is there a chance that a tall, dark and handsome man might persuade her to overcome her hate?

Captain Marvel

It took Marvel Studios a decade to finally make a female superhero. It’s also the first Marvel film to be directed by a woman, who has directed Half Nelson and Missisippi Grind. Captain Marvel is set in the 1990s. The Oscar-winning Brie Larson stars as Carol Danvers, a US Air Force fighter pilot, while Samuel L Jackson, as usual, plays Nick Fury.

Dumbo is, a classic Disney cartoon, who has big ears and there have been plenty of those kind of movies in recent years. Burton always has inspirations to direct such kind of movies from Edward Scissorhands to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Magical figures have always been his favorite characters.

1. Who works on a different job?

A．Isabelle Huppert.	B．Keira Knightley.
C．Rhidian Brook.	D．Brie Larson.

2. What makes Captain Marvel special?

A．Winning Oscar.	B．Its female director.
C．Time setting.	D．A woman pilot.

3. Which film is better for a 7-year-old kid to watch?

A．The Aftermath	B．Captain Marvel
C．Grete	D．Dumbo

4. Where can you most probably read the text?

A．Reader’s Digest	B．Nature
C．Scientific American	D．National Geographic

【推荐2】Handles Franklin, who plays guard for the Harlem Globetrotters, is well-known for his amazing skills at handling a basketball.

Whether it’s dribbling(运球) a ball while lying on the floor and spinning around or shooting the ball from half court, facing backward on his knees, Franklin and his teammates are sure to amaze basketball fans of all ages when the world-famous team makes a stop at the Greensboro gym at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

During its visit to Greensboro, Franklin said the team will travel around to different schools, teaching and encouraging children to stay in school and strive for their dreams. “As a team, we try to be a positive influence to children,” Franklin said in a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon. “I believe that our greatest strength is the ability to emotionally connect with everyone in the crowd.”

“Education is the most important key to success. You always need something to fall back on,” Franklin said. He has earned a bachelor’s degree, along with a master’s degree in social work.

He explained that winning is not everything. “Nobody is perfect. We play to entertain people and influence lives,” he said.

One of the biggest misconceptions about the Harlem Globetrotters, Franklin said, is that they are an all-African-American team. This is not true. He explained that there are actually two Caucasian people and a Hispanic male, along with a female player.

Since joining the Globetrotters, Franklin explained that it has given him an appreciation for life and a desire to be the best person he can. The Globetrotters are more than a basketball team; they are a group of diverse individuals who are committed to making a difference in people’s lives.

Tickets range from $15 to $95 and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, by calling (800)745567-3000142 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit www.harlemglobetrotters. com.

1. The players of the Harlem Globetrotters ______.

A．don’t take part in real matches	B．entertain fans with amazing skills
C．all have received a good education	D．teach people basketball skills for free

2. According to Handles Franklin, ______.

A．knowledge means a lot whatever one does

B．his success comes from his self-confidence

C．they never mind whether they’ll win or not

D．the purpose of people’s life is to succeed

3. What can we know about the Harlem Globetrotters?

A．It’s a circus team rather than a sports team.

B．Most of its players come from African countries.

C．It plays only one game in Greensboro.

D．Its aim is to bring changes to people’s lives.

4. What is the text mainly intended to serve as?

A．a comment

B．a biography

C．an advertisement

D．a business letter

【推荐3】Are you in the mood for a luxury, forested or elegant place where you can hunker down with your loved one for Valentine's Day — or whenever? Here are some ideas for love nests.

One & Only, Cape Town (South Africa)

Cape Town is the continent's hottest happening city, and One & Only is the place to be for luxurious lodging. It's in the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, within walking distance of great shopping, galleries and restaurants. You may be reluctant to leave the hotel, though: It has one of the best spas in the city, along with three restaurants, including Africa's first Nobu. The hotel also houses NEO, which sells South Africa's hippest designer fashions.

The hotel spa has all the latest features, including a cutting-edge gym, a vitality pool (it takes a whirlpool to the next level) and a "mood-boosting" Ice Fountain, which use varying water temperatures, aromas, soothing music and relaxing colored lights to rid you of stress.

Info: One & Only, Dock Road, Cape Town; 011-27-21-431-5800, capetown.oneandonlyresorts.com. Doubles from $662 a night; includes full buffet breakfast.

Tamarack Lodge (Mammoth Lakes)

Tamarack is a great escape for all tastes and all seasons, with something for nearly every budget. It's just a mile from Mammoth Mountain Ski Area and 2 1/2 miles from downtown Mammoth Lakes; it's private and woodsy but still handy to activities.

Accommodations include European-style guest rooms, with antique beds and quilts, in the historic lodge; free-standing historic cabins; and luxurious cabins as well as fireplaces and living rooms.

Info: Tamarack Lodge, 163 Twin Lakes Road, Mammoth Lakes; (800) 626-6684, www.tamaracklodge.com; doubles from $89.

Ritz-Carlton (South Beach, Miami)

The Ritz, built in 1953 and originally known as the DiLido, was one of most fashionable hotels . If you are looking to indulge, hire a personal shopper to take you to the boutiques, or rent a daybed by the huge pool or a Ritz cabana at the DiLido Beach Club, only a short stroll away.

If you're hungry, get a table outside at the hotel's highly rated Bistro One LR, which serves Spanish Riviera cuisine. If you're looking to venture out into the Miami scene, Macchialina, with reasonably priced classic Italian cuisine, is the ticket. Order a Coco Before Chanel cocktail and tuck into dishes even tastier than Mama used to make.

Info: Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, 1 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach; (786) 276-4000, lat.ms/1K13fgD. Doubles from $549.

The Modern (Honolulu)

Think of the Modern as more jet-set Hawaii, offering an usual beach experience. Slightly removed from the noise of Waikiki, the Modern overlooks the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor, with the surf break of Waikiki beyond.

The Sunrise Pool looks like a scene out of Ibiza on the Mediterranean, with rest rooms set in the water and women drifting around in gauzy（纱似的） cover-ups. The amazing Sunset Pool — it's a man-made lagoon （泻湖）surrounded by 100 tons of sand — is for adult guests。

If this is not your scene, escape to your room, decorated mostly in white and where the music does not reach. There are several in-house restaurants, the best is by celebrity chef Masaharu Morimoto, of "Iron Chef" fame, who mixes Japanese and Western ingredients into melt-in-your-mouth masterpieces.

Info: The Modern, 1775 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu; (855) 970-4161, www.themodernhonolulu.com. Doubles from $349.

1. Mark and his girlfriend are curious about ancient objects, so they will probably choose __________.

A．One & Only, Cape Town	B．Tamarack Lodge
C．Ritz-Carlton	D．The Modern

2. The main purpose of the passage is to __________.

A．give advice on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day

B．help readers know the characteristics of each place

C．attract visitors to pay a visit to these four places

D．introduce four special restaurants to the customers.

【推荐1】Lancaster Castle is open daily for guided tours, special events and group bookings. Visitors can enjoy the courtyard spaces, external (局部的) views of the historic building, two small exhibition spaces, and the gift shop without charge, but public access to the interiors(内部) of the castle buildings is for guided tours only.

Please note that dogs are not allowed inside the Castle, but assistance dogs are the exception to this rule. All areas are also smoke-free.

OPENING TIMES

We are open 7 days a week (except for the Christmas/New Year period) from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with guided tours running throughout the day. Tours last about 60minutes.

Please note: While every effort is made to open these buildings up for public viewing, Lancaster Castle is still used as a Crown Court. If the Court is sitting, it may not be possible to view all rooms.

TICKET PRICES

Adult: ￡8

Concessions（优惠） ( children, students and people aged over 65): ￡6.5

Family: ￡20 (Our family tickets are flexible(灵活的): two adults and two concessions, one adult and three concessions, or a group consisting of four concessions, all qualify)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
PHOTOGRAPHY

Due to the fact that these rooms are still used as a working court, photography is not permitted anywhere in the Shire Hall/ Crown Court complex. Photography is permitted in those areas of the Castle not classified as court buildings.

LUGGAGE

For security reasons we are not able to store any luggage on site.

THE GIFT SHOP

The gift shop closes at 4:30 p.m. Visitors can explore our gift shop and buy special souvenirs designed according to their own preference. The designs are done by professional designers without charge.

PARKING

Unfortunately we’re unable to provide visitors parking on site. However, if you have a disability, please call 01524 64998 to arrange access to the Castle.

1. What do we know about Lancaster Castle?

A．Admission to two small exhibition spaces is free.

B．Castle buildings are accessible to all visitors.

C．Smoking is allowed in the courtyard spaces.

D．Pet dogs are allowed into the Castle.

2. How much will a couple and their 10-year-old twin sons save if they buy a family ticket?

A．￡2.5

B．￡29

C．￡9

D．￡20

3. Which service does Lancaster Castle provide for its visitors?

A．Free professional photography.

B．Free souvenir designing.

C．Free luggage storage.

D．Free parking.

【推荐3】Do you want to go to Spain to experience its festivals in spring? If you do, here are some that are worth experiencing.

15-19 March: Las Fallas Festival, valencia

Huge cardboard, wood, and plaster statues are made into the shape of traditional figures or even modern cultural figures like Shrek and former American President Obama. The creations are on display all over the city before being burned in one of the many bonfires, which takes place among much partying.

23 April: Saint George Festival, Barcelona

Sant Jordi, or St George, is the patron saint of Catalonia (as well as England and about 10 other countries and regions). But St George's Day in Barcelona is also the city's version of Valentine's Day when romance sweeps the city. The tradition is for the man to give his lady a rose in return for a book.

30 April to 7 May: Feria de Sevilla, Seville

Spring Fair, the Feria, is a joyful festival with masses of food, drink, music and dancing. To the west of the city a huge area is given over to the creating a small ''town'' of tents for drinking, eating and socializing. Most of the tents are private and invitation only but there are seven public ones.

Mid-May: Fiesta de San Isidro, Madrid

It's Madrid's largest festival. Music and dancing is everywhere with Latin rhythms happening at concerts all over the city. The festival starts with a grand procession of giants, followed by an opening speech in the Plaza Mayor. Over the next few days, entertainment takes over the city's public spaces.

1. What do we know about Las Fallas Festival?

A．Statues are burned during the party.	B．American President displays his statues.
C．It is held to burn things for good luck.	D．People only party at home with bonfires.

2. What do men do on St George's Day?

A．Give their girls a book as a gift.	B．Join a grand procession of giants.
C．Express their love to their lovers.	D．Pray to St George for a happy marriage.

3. When should you go if you want to try different foods and drinks at a festival in Spain?

A．On 23 April.	B．On 15 March.
C．In the middle of May.	D．At the beginning of May.

【推荐1】The Boy Made It!

One Sunday, Nicholas, a teenager, went skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. In the early afternoon, when he was planning to go home, a fierce snowstorm swept into the area. Unable to see far, he accidentally turned off the path. Before he knew it, Nicholas was lost, all alone! He didn’t have food, water, a phone, or other supplies. He was getting colder by the minute.

Nicholas had no idea where he was. He tried not to panic. He thought about all the survival shows he had watched on TV. It was time to put the tips he had learned to use.

He decided to stop skiing. There was a better chance of someone finding him if he stayed put. The first thing he did was to find shelter(避难所) from the freezing wind and snow. If he didn’t, his body temperature would get very low, which could quickly kill him.

Using his skis, Nicholas built a snow cave. He gathered a huge mass of snow and dug out a hole in the middle. Then he piled branches on top of himself, like a blanket, to stay as warm as he could.

By that evening, Nicholas was really hungry. He ate snow and drank water from a nearby stream so that his body wouldn’t lose too much water. Not knowing how much longer he could last, Nicholas did the only thing he could—he huddled(蜷缩) in his cave and slept.

The next day, Nicholas went out to look for help, but he couldn’t find anyone. He   followed his tracks and returned to the snow cave, because without shelter, he could die that night. On Tuesday, Nicholas went out to find help. He had walked for about a mile when a volunteer searcher found him. After two days stuck in the snow, Nicholas was saved.

Nicholas might not have survived this snowstorm had it not been for TV. He had often watched Grylls’ survival show Man vs. Wild. That’s where he learned the tips that saved his life. In each episode(一期节目) of Man vs. Wild, Grylls is abandoned in a wild area and has to find his way out.

When Grylls heard about Nicholas’ amazing deeds, he was super impressed(印象深刻的) that Nicholas had made it since he knew better than anyone how hard Nicholas had to work to stay alive.

1. What happened to Nicholas one Sunday afternoon?

A．He got lost.	B．He broke his skis.
C．He hurt his eyes.	D．He caught a cold.

2. How did Nicholas keep himself warm?

A．He kept on skiing.	B．He built a snow cave.
C．He drank water.	D．He went to sleep.

3. On Tuesday, Nicholas _____.

A．returned to his shelter safely	B．got stuck in the snow
C．was saved by a searcher	D．stayed where he was

4. Nicholas left Grylls a very deep impression because he _____.

A．was very hard-working

B．created some tips for survival

C．watched Grylls’ TV program regularly

D．did the right things in the dangerous situation

【推荐2】Looking fashionable feels good. However, did you know that doing so could be extremely bad for the planet?

Making clothes requires lots of energy. For example, cotton fields have to be watered. Jeans must be dyed (染色) and then dried. According to scientists, making 1 kilogram of clothes produces 23 kilograms of greenhouse gases on average.

However, clothes are spending less time in shops and at homes than ever. Consumers (消费者) today keep almost every article of clothing only half as long as they did 15 years ago. That causes a large amount of waste.

Some clothing companies and designers have realized this problem. H & M, for example, was the world’s largest buyer of “better cotton” last year. The cotton needs less water to grow. It also requires fewer pesticides (农药). The Swedish brand has also stopped using a chemical that pollutes the environment when making waterproof (防水的) clothes. Nike, meanwhile, has invented a new method of making shoes. It reduces waste by 60 percent compared with traditional cutting and sewing.

More long lasting clothes could help, too. Tom Cridland is a British designer. The clothes that he designs all go through a special treatment. Cridland says they can last more than 30 years.

Unfortunately, not all clothing companies and designers, think they should be responsible for the environment. Some companies do not care about their carbon footprint at all.

What can we do? In some western schools, students are encouraged to fix their jackets and trousers. Clothing companies there send vans to campuses to help them do it. Another solution is to think twice the next time we buy new clothes. Some clothes may not look very fashionable, but they could be good for our planet.

1. According to the passage, making 50 kilograms of clothes produces about        kilograms of greenhouse gases.

A．23.	B．115.
C．230.	D．1,150.

2. What is the difference between “better cotton” and traditional cotton?

A．“Better cotton” can grow without water.

B．“Better cotton” grows faster than traditional cotton.

C．“Better cotton” is more environmentally friendly.

D．“Better cotton” is more productive than traditional cotton.

3. In order to protect the environment, what have some clothing companies and designers been doing?
① Using new material.
② Helping students mend clothes.
③ Measuring their carbon footprint.
④ Designing clothes that can last longer.

A．①②③	B．①②④
C．①③④	D．②③④

4. What does the author advise us to do in order to help protect the environment?

A．To stop buying clothes.

B．To wear fewer clothes at home.

C．To ask clothing companies for help when our clothes are torn.

D．To buy clothes made by companies that care about their carbon footprint.

【推荐3】Many primary school students in Jiangsu Province suffered from such symptoms as nosebleeds, dizziness and rashes after attending schools that recently installed plastic running tracks on their playgrounds. Parents of primary school students in several cities reported similar symptoms in their children after school began in September, 2015.

The provincial educational department said on Wednesday that schools with these plastic tracks must have professionals carry out tests. It sent a team of experts to look into the whole work of the building of the tracks. Any illegal behavior will be punished without mercy.

Chen Yun, a teacher in Wuxi, said no organization could provide the school with an official test report for its track. “The local disease control center said they can examine and analyze the air in an enclosed space, such as classrooms and washrooms. But they cannot test in open spaces,” Chen said. Local environmental protection centers have also refused to test the air around the plastic running tracks.

According to the Jiangsu Environmental Protection Bureau, China has no standards for the running track industry, which will make the air measurements useless as there are no data in determining whether the air is polluted. Besides, materials used to build the tracks are not tested when they are produced at factories because of, also, NO industry standards! So what we have to do now is, of course, that these measures should be made in no time.

Ye Ping, director of Taizhou Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute, said harmful things in plastic running tracks may lead to diseases. “The plastic tracks in China are mainly made up of polyurethane, a kind of nontoxic material,” said Ye. “However, suppliers may add toxic adhesives. They give a bad smell and may cause dizziness and rashes. Some suppliers may also add a kind of material that helps the plastic to solidify, but the lead contained in it will raise lead levels above normal in children’s blood after longtime exposure.”

Ye added that the country has not put forward rules about the examination of volatile organic compounds given off by tracks.

The Jiangsu educational department has suggested that middle schools in Nanjing grow natural grass on their playgrounds.

1. According to Chen Yun, ______.

A．parents of primary school students firstly reported problems about their children.

B．no official reports about the tracks could be got at the moment.

C．local environmental protection centers worked hard to find out the causes.

D．there are no standards for the running track industry at present.

2. Who believes it is the harmful things in the tracks that may cause the problems?

A．Ye Ping

B．experts

C．Chen Yun

D．parents

3. Which of the following statements can be called a Fact instead of an Opinion?

A．Without standards for the running track industry, the air measurements might be useless.

B．The schools with these plastic tracks must have professionals carry out tests.

C．Many primary school students suffered from nosebleeds after attending schools.

D．Middle schools in Nanjing should grow natural grass on their playgrounds.

4. Based on the analysis, who deserves to be punished for the sick students?

A．The primary schools	B．Some suppliers
C．The educational department	D．The disease control center

5. What work does the writer think should be done at once according to the passage?

A．Experts should be sent to test the materials of the tracks.

B．Students should be examined to find the reasons for their illnesses.

C．The plastic running tracks should be removed to grow natural grass instead.

D．The measures for the running track industry should be worked out.