【推荐2】Australian Comedy---COSI(5th Round)

Date: April 12-16---7:30 pm

Venue: Beijing Poly Theatre

Price: 800-1,500 yuan

Cosi is a 1996 Australian comedy film directed by Mark Joffe. In the film, Lewis Riley wants to get a job as a director at a mental (精神病的)hospital. He gets the job and finds himself directing a production of the Mozart opera Cosi fan tutte, an opera in Italian. And it is going to be performed by actors and actresses that he must select from among the patients, who only speak English.

Twelfth Night

By TNT Theatre Britain

Date: April 13-15---7:30 pm

Venue: 9 Theatre Beijing

Price: 60-380 yuan

Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601-1602. The play focuses on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a ship accident at sea. Viola (who pretends to be a boy) falls in love with Orsino, who in turn is in love with Olivia. Upon meeting Viola, Olivia falls in love with her, thinking she is a man.

Jazz Weekend---Thomas Enhco Piano Recital

Date: May 6---7:30 pm

Venue: Beijing Concert Hall

Price: 80-599 yuan

Thomas Enhco was born in Paris, 1988. He starts playing the violin and piano at an early age, and studies classical music and jazz. At 12, Thomas works with a French jazz violinist Didier Lockwood. He is spotted by Peter Erskine, who offers to help with Thomas Enhco’s first CD．In 2004, Thomas creates and records his first album, Esquisse, which is released in 2006. He receives the Young Talent Prize at the Montauban Jazz Festival in 2006.

1. Where can you enjoy Cosi in April?

A．Beijing Poly Theatre	B．TNT Theatre Britain
C．9 Theatre Beijing	D．Beijing Concert Hall

2. Who in fact is a man in Twelfth Night?

A．Olivia	B．Viola
C．Orsino	D．William Shakespeare

3. Thomas Enhco’s first album finally came out ________.

A．in 1988	B．in 2004
C．in 2005	D．in 2006

【推荐3】Britain is a nation of drama lovers and in the land that brought you Shakespeare, you’ll never be far from some of the best and most varied theatres in the world.

You could start with the shows and musicals in London’s historic“Theatreland”where 40 theatres draw your attention. Or, if Shakespeare’s more your thing, head straight to the glorious (辉煌的) recreation of Shakespeare’s Elizabethan Globe Theatre on the south bank of the River Thames. His birthplace at Stratford-upon-Avon, home to the internationally famous Royal Shakespeare Company, is also a must-see.

London is also home to the Royal Opera House where world-class opera takes place in a beautiful setting and Sadler’s Wells Theatre, the centre of dance in the UK where you can catch everything from flamenco to hip hop.

Elsewhere, the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, housed in a spectacular former Cotton Exchange building, is known for first-rate classic and modern productions, while Birmingham’s REP theatre is fully deserving of its reputation as a centre for excellent drama.

Scotland’s capital is best known for the arts jamboree (狂欢活动) that is the annual Edinburgh Festivals. But visit Edinburgh at any time of the year and you’ll find a world-class theatre. The Edinburgh Festival Theatre has the biggest stage of any theatre in Britain and is the place for Edinburgh’s most well-regarded shows.

Glasgow is home to Scottish Opera, the Scottish Ballet and the National Theatre of Scotland. Head to the Citizen’s Theatre to witness groundbreaking contemporary drama.

If you’re in Cardiff, a visit to the Wales Millennium Centre is a must. It hosts everything from touring West End musicals to ballet and modern dance in a high-tech building that’s worth a look in itself. If you don’t have time for a show, have a drink in the bar. Free concerts are held daily in the front hall.

1. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To introduce some theatres in Britain

B．To provide free concerts for drama lovers.

C．To advertise for Royal Shakespeare Company.

D．To introduce tourist activities in Britain.

2. Where can you enjoy hip hop?

A．Sadler’s Wells Theatre	B．Royal Exchange Theatre
C．National Theatre of Scotland.	D．Citizen’s Theatre.

3. If you want to visit the biggest stage in Britain, you can go to ________.

A．London	B．Manchester
C．Edinburgh	D．Glasgow

4. What can you see in Cardiff?

A．Shakespeare’s birthplace.	B．The Cotton Exchange building.
C．A world-class theatre.	D．A high-tech building.

【推荐2】Altitude training is a way of encouraging the body to produce more red blood cells, which can improve endurance (耐力 )when performing activities at lower altitudes. This kind of training normally involves living at a high altitude and training at a lower one, because the body needs oxygen to train.     1     Athletes from endurance sports typically benefit from this kind of training, but its effects will be felt by anyone who has a long stay at a high altitude.

For the purposes of altitude training, an altitude of about 2, 500 meters is desirable but any relatively high altitude will work.     2     So it is common to use a lower altitude.

    3     this is accomplished by using the body’s natural response to needing more oxygen over a long period of time. There are people who question whether altitude training actually works by increasing the number of red blood cells. In theory, if one is competing at sea level, the increase in red blood cells will last for several days, after leaving the high altitude, giving one a competitive edge.     4    

While altitude training is primarily used by athletes who need increased endurance, the desired effects of high altitudes will be experienced by anyone who travels to a high altitude for a long period of time.    5     Children who normally live at high altitudes can become very active when brought to low altitudes due to similar effects.

A．Less oxygen makes them hard to breathe.

B．Red cells have been proved to be effective.

C．It’s difficult to find altitudes this high that are still fit for training.

D．It can be argued that any positive effects disappear too quickly to be useful.

E．However, it is more common to actually travel to high altitudes in order to train.

F．The purpose of altitude training is to increase the number of red blood cells in the body.

G．Many people experience a great increase in energy when returning from high altitudes.

【推荐3】Living in a city is a well-known risk factor for developing a mental disorder, while living close to nature is largely beneficial for mental health and the brain. A central brain region, the amygdala (大脑杏仁核)involved in stress processing, has been shown to be less activated during stress in people living in rural areas, compared to those who live in cities, hinting at the potential benefits of nature. “But so far the hen-and-egg problem could not be resolved, namely whether nature actually caused the effects in the brain or whether the particular individuals chose to live in rural or urban regions,” says Sonja Sudimac.

To achieve causal evidence, the researchers from the group examined brain activity in regions involved in stress processing in 63 healthy volunteers before and after a one-hour walk in Grunewald forest or a shopping street with traffic in Berlin. The results revealed that activity in the amygdala decreased after the walk in nature, suggesting that nature elicits beneficial effects on brain regions related to stress.

“The results support the previously assumed positive relationship between nature and brain health, but this is the first study to prove the causal link. Interestingly, the brain activity after the urban walk in these regions remained stable and showed no increases, which argues against a commonly held view that urban exposure causes additional stress,” explains Simone Kühn, head of the group.

The authors show that nature has a positive impact on brain regions involved in stress processing and that it can already be observed after a one-hour walk. This contributes to the understanding of how our physical living environment affects brain and mental health. Even a short exposure to nature decreases amygdala activity, suggesting that a walk in nature could serve as a preventive measure against developing mental health problems and reducing the potentially disadvantageous impact of the city on the brain.

In order to investigate beneficial effects of nature in different populations and age groups, the researchers are currently working on a study examining how a one-hour walk in natural versus urban environments impacts stress in mothers and their babies.

1. What does the hen-and-egg problem mean by Sonja Sudimac?

A．Living in rural areas actually affects brain activity.

B．People in cities tend to have a higher risk of mental problems.

C．It’s unnecessary to work out the complex issue of stress and health.

D．It’s hard to clarify the impact of living environment on mental health.

2. How did researchers collect evidence for the study?

A．By quoting authoritative experts.	B．By interviewing healthy volunteers.
C．By researching on a previous theory.	D．By comparing volunteers’ amygdala activities.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Benefits of a regular walk in nature.	B．The focus of the follow-up research.
C．An appeal for living in urban regions.	D．Nature’s positive effects on women and children.