Why are so many British people interested in historical television programs like Downton Abbey (《唐顿庄园》)? Maybe because they want to see how both rich and poor people lived years ago. Or is it because they like looking at the beautiful buildings people lived in the country houses?
Downton Abbey is not a real place, but the house they used for the program is real. Highclere Castle in the south of England was a castle (城堡) 900 years ago, but in the 19th century, people changed it into a house.
Why did people build country houses? Probably because they wanted other people to see how much money they had. These houses often had lots of furniture (家具), paintings and servants (仆人) to cook, clean, and look after the family.
But as we know from the story of Downton, the money of the families who lived in these houses did not last.
Today, many country houses are open to anyone. People pay money to take a look inside. Some of the houses were sold and became hospitals, schools, hotels, and even prisons (监狱). And some are used for making films and TV programs like Downton Abbey.
1. What kind of program is Downton Abbey?2. Where was Highclere Castle?
3. When was Highclere Castle changed into a house?
4. Are many country houses open to anyone today?
5. What are country houses used for today?
相似题推荐
Mars, Robots, Higher Prices and More
What will the world look like in 2045? I recently spoke with four American students, Caden Sorensen, Chandler Stark, Fatima Abdi and Noelani Velasco Polley, to get their thoughts on this question.
In 2045, the kids think, humans will be able to live on Mars. They suggest that everyone should spend a few years on the red planet to give the Earth a “rest”. “And when we come back, we must try not to pollute as much,” says Stark.
But Mars is not yet ready for human habitation (居住). The kids agree that immediate action must be taken to clean up the Earth. “It’s time to fix it now,” says Sorensen. “It’s not going to fix itself.”
The kids do not just care about progress in space exploration. They are also interested in the future jobs.
Stark hopes to compose (创作) music for TV shows one day. Abdi wants to be a business owner. Sorensen dreams about becoming a lawyer. Polley wants to be a scientist.
“I don’ t think there will be a lot of fast-food jobs,” said Abdi. She also thinks that everything is going to get a lot more expensive. “People will have to look for higher-paying jobs.”
Many jobs, the kids predict (预测), will be replaced by robots. “There’ll be no more factory jobs because robots can just do everything,” says Stark. But they believe the power to shape the future is in human hands. The world will be a better place, but of course, “we need to work hard, and we all need to learn to be kind to others.”
1. In the kids’opinion, where will humans be able to live in 2045?2. What is Sorensen’s idea about the Earth?
3. Why does Stark say there will be no more factory jobs?
4. What do you think the world will look like in 2045? Write 30 words or more.
【推荐2】World Book Day was set up by the UNESCO in 1995. It is held on 23rd April every year to encourage people of all ages, especially teenagers to enjoy the pleasure of reading.
World Book Day calls on people to turn off the TV, log off the net, put away the video games and enjoy reading.
World Book Day encourages people everywhere to organize their own activities to promote(促进) reading. In a school, students read a page from their favourite book. In a workplace, an after-work book club is held. Old people are encouraged to reread the book that help them in their lives.
Many countries celebrate World Book Day. On that day, millions of school children in the UK can buy books of special price, a much lower price than usual, in any bookstore. It has been done every year since 1998. In China, some libraries provide some special shelves. There the book-lovers can exchange their books and joy by taking others’ books home while offering some of their own. Students are organized to exchange their ideas about reading.
Through the activities on World Book Day, people can see more clearly the importance of reading. Books give us knowledge and help us know more and better about the world around us. Books provide us with inspiration (灵感) so we can have ideas for making or designing things that we didn’t have before.
Books, magazines, newspapers and other kinds of reading materials can help us to perfect ourselves. So we need to spend time reading not only on World Book Day but every day.
World Book Day | |
| Introduction | It is It encourages people of all ages to enjoy the It also calls on people to read books |
| Students choose their favourite books to read in a school while workers join book clubs Old people can reread the book that help them in their lives. School children buy books at a Book-lovers take others’ books and offer their Moreover, students exchange ideas about reading on that day. | |
Importance of reading | Books They give us inspirations to help us make and Different kinds of reading materials can help make us perfect. |
Conclusion | We need to read on World Book Day. And it is also necessary for us to get into the |
Strawberries look nice, but a light pressure can make them out of shape. Nowadays, there are many young people who are just like strawberries. They are easy to break down when they face difficulties. They have a common name—“strawberry kids”.
Why are some students so easy to break down? Parents and schools are main reasons.
Parents do almost everything for them, while schools care more about their grades instead of developing their personalities（个性）.
Liu Yue, 13, is from Fujian. His mom hardly criticizes（批评）him and he always feels good about himself. When a teacher criticized him strictly, he felt surprised and sad. He began to doubt his ability.
Students should do something to make themselves mentally（心理上）strong. An expert said, “When you are in trouble, don’t ask for help too quickly. You should try to deal with problems first by yourself. I also advise you to spend your free time taking an active part in sports and social activities. That can make you mentally strong.”
Growing up is not just a happy process. Pains also go along with it. The most important thing is to face the pains bravely and learn from them.
Title: | |
| What’s “strawberry kids” | In face of difficulties, many young people break down as |
| What makes “strawberry kids” | Parents do almost everything for them. Schools |
| They should try to deal with problems first by themselves when they are in trouble. They should take an active part in sports and social activities | |
Have you visited any traditional Chinese gardens? If you compare them to some Western gardens, you may find that traditional Chinese gardens look more like natural landscape. This is one of their main features (特征).
Chinese gardens have a long history. As early as 1500 BC, there were two main types of gardens: imperial (皇帝的) gardens and private gardens. Imperial gardens were for the use of the emperor and his family. Private gardens were built by general nobles (贵族). Both types of gardens were built for hunting and resting.
The Summer Palace (颐和园) in Beijing is China’s most famous imperial garden. It covers about three million square meters. Kunming Lake takes up almost three-fourths of the garden’s total area. There are over 3, 000 ancient buildings and more than 400, 000 plants in the garden. You can also see a great deal of priceless historical treasure. With such a rich collection, the garden is known as the “Imperial Garden Museum.”
As for private gardens, the most famous one is the Humble Administrator’s Garden (拙政园) in Suzhou. It has an area of 41, 000 square meters. When you stand in the garden, it looks like a beautiful picture from any angle (角度). And the whole garden looks different in different seasons.
The traditional Chinese gardens have been designed to look naturally formed. In fact, Chinese gardens are in some ways very much like traditional Chinese landscape paintings. The two have influenced and developed alongside one another. Both of them show the importance of nature in Chinese culture.
1. According to the article, how are traditional Chinese gardens different from Western gardens?2. Why is the Summer Palace called the “Imperial Garden Museum”?
3. What do Chinese gardens have in common with traditional Chinese landscape paintings?
4. What type of Chinese gardens mentioned in the text do you like better? Give your reason(s). Write 30 words or more.
【推荐2】Mary is Jenny’s relative and they are classmates, too. It’s Sunday today. They go to Ocean Park. The park isn’t near their housing estate, so they go there by bicycle. They start early in the morning. It takes them half an hour to get to the park. And they arrive there at nine o’clock. It’s time for lunch. They share some bread, some eggs and orange juice in the park. They never pollute the environment and they put rubbish into rubbish bins. They know they are friends of the Earth. After playing together happily they go back home early in the afternoon. They have a special day.
1. Are Jenny and Mary classmates?2. What do they have for lunch?
3. How do they go to the Ocean Park?
4. Where do they put the rubbish?
5. What kind of day do they have?
Look at the picture! Nothing is wrong with your eyes. There is something wrong with the tower. It’s the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It is in Pisa, a city in Italy.
In 1173, people in Pisa began to build the tower. They wanted it to be round and tall, taller than any other tower in Italy. In 1178, when the tower was just three storeys tall, it began to lean. There was a war in Pisa at the time. So construction (建造) on the tower stopped for years. After about 200 years, in 1370, the construction was finished. The tower has eight storeys. It is 55.86 meters tall.
But why does it lean? There are different opinions about this. Some people have pointed out that while the tower is very tall and heavy, the ground is made of soft sand and clay. The tower leans because it is sinking (下沉) into the soft ground.
The tower is famous not only because of what it looks like, but also because of a famous experiment. The great scientist Galileo did this experiment around 1590. He dropped two iron balls from the top of the tower—one weighing 8kg and the other weighing 4kg. Both balls landed on the ground at the same time. Most people thought the heavier ball would land first.
根据短文内容，完成表格。每空不超过五个单词。| Leaning Tower of Pisa | Place: | It is in Pisa, a city |
| History: | * People in Pisa wanted it to be round and tall. | |
| *The tower was three stories tall in 1178. | ||
| * In 1370, it has | ||
| Why does it lean? | * The tower is tall and heavy, while the ground is made of soft | |
| * It leans because it’s sinking into the ground. | ||
| Ball experiment: | * Galileo did the experiment around 1590. | |
| * He | ||
| * The balls landed on the ground |
