1 . Every year on April 1, April Fools' Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. In France, it's called "Poisson d’Avril" or "Fish of April”. In Scotland, the holiday is often called "Gowkie Day". In Iraq, the holiday is called "Kithbet Neesan” or "April Lie".
History experts say people have celebrated April Fools’ Day for a long time. Some believe April Fools' Day comes from the ancient Romans more than two thousand years ago, which was a day of playing games and pretending to be someone else.
Others say the day for fooling began in France in 1564. when King Charles changed the yearly calendar. He moved New Year's Day from April 1 to January I Many people did not know about the change because of communication problems then. Some people continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1. Other people called them April Fools and played jokes on them.
In the United State, April Fools' Day is just a day of joking and playing tricks on friends. These kinds of jokes are also called pranks （恶 作 剧）.These jokes typically end in the prankster shouting “April Fools”!
Simple pranks, like telling a friend a funny lie or making prank phone calls, are still common. But major companies also get in on April Fools' Day in a much bigger way. A few years ago, on April 1, Starbucks announced it was introducing new coffee cup sizes-plenta and Micra. The very large cups, bigger than a human head, remained useful for customers even after finishing all that coffee. According to Starbucks, the cups could be used as a rain hat, a pot for plants, or a lampshade.
It did not take long for customers to catch on to the prank. More and more people use media or smartphone apps to play pranks on their friends on April Fools' Day. One very annoying smartphone app, Cat Facts, sends funny facts about cats to your friends5 phones every day.
1. Why did some French people keep the old New Year's Day?| A．They liked the old celebration. |
| B．They did not know the change. |
| C．They wanted to be different from others. |
| D．The king wanted to play plank on the people. |
| A．escape the stress of their work |
| B．find a chance to give children gifts |
| C．improve the friendship between them |
| D．have fun and play jokes on others |
| A．Join in | B．give away |
| C．stick to | D．break away from |
| A．To introduce a new festival. |
| B．To tell a story on April Fools' Day. |
| C．To introduce April Fools' Day. |
| D．To explain the misunderstanding of April Fools' Day. |
2 . Summer Holiday Fun
The summer holidays are upon us again. Here is our guide to summer holiday fun in Peterborough!
Peterborough Museum
The Age of the Dinosaurs is the museum’s main attraction this summer. Get up close to prehistoric creatures via some great hands-on exhibits! Watch out for monsters lurking around every ember! The museum is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Saturday, and from 12:00pm to 4:00pm on Sundays in August.
Call 01733 864663 for details.
Saxon Youth Club
School holiday fun: Young people aged 13-19 will be able to produce their own music, compete in spots activities, or try their hand at cooking at Saxon Youth Club, Saxon Community Centre, Norman Road, Peterborough every Monday and Wednesday from 3:00pm. PLUS an aero ball tournament (航空球比赛) will take place on Thursday 12th August between 3:30pm and 6:30pm.
Call 01 353 720274 for details.
Houghton Mil
Alice through the Looking Class—a new production of the family favorite on Monday 30th, August. Bring rugs or chairs to sit on and a picnic if you wish to eat during the play. Gates open 5:30pm, performance 6:30pm-8:30pm. Adult £10. Child £7. Family £20.
Booking advisable on 0845 4505157.
Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey
Farmland Gaines: From Wellie Wanging to Pretend Ploughing matches, come and join the Farmland Team. Collect your sporting stickers and create a colorful rosette that is fit for a winner! No need to book, just turn up between 12:00pm and 4:00pm on Thursday 19th August Suitable for children aged four and above, each child should be accompanied by an adult and all activities are included in the normal admission price Tickets Cost £7 per child.
For further information, call 01223 810080.
1. If you are interested in cooking, you can go to ______.| A．Peterborough Museum | B．Houghton Mill |
| C．Saxon Youth Club | D．Farmland Museum |
| A．£7 | B．£17 | C．£27 | D．£20 |
| A．01223 810080 | B．01733 864663 |
| C．0845 4505157 | D．01 353 720274 |
3 . How do top athletes handle defeat and disappointment? Can an athlete turn to his or her teammates for support or encouragement? The following top performers' responses will be helpful to you.
Think positively
Siri Lindley is a top triathlete（三项全能运动员）, competing in events that combine long-distance running, swimming and cycling. "I try to use what I learn from each loss to make me stronger and more determined," she says. "Then I pick my head up and start thinking positive, and I visualize myself succeeding the next time. Let the losses make you stronger.”
Stick with it
Allen Johnson won a gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1996 Olympics, but he knows that he can't win every race. "When I don't win, I have to accept the fact that I made a mistake or that someone was better on that day," he says. "You can't be the best every day, but you can be the best on some day."
Pick yourself up
Figure skater Michael Weiss is one of the best in his sport, but there have been a lot of failures along the way. "I look at failing as a part of growing," he says. "When you lose and you are feeling down, without teammates to lift you up, you have to be strong enough to pick yourself up."
Learn from mistakes
Gymnast Shannon Miller has won several Olympic medals, including two golds. "If I make a mistake in the middle of a competition, I try to forget about it because I have to go on," she says. "If I do poorly over the course of an entire meet, I go back to the gym and figure out what went wrong. It's so important to learn from your mistakes."
1. What do we know about Allen Johnson?| A．He is a top triathlete. | B．He is a hurdler. |
| C．He is a figure skater. | D．He is a gymnast. |
| A．Siri Lindley. | B．Allen Johnson. |
| C．Michael Weiss. | D．Shannon Miller. |
| A．They solve difficulties positively. | B．They ask teammates for help. |
| C．They compete in events freely. | D．They view themselves as the best. |
4 . Summer Camps in America
Maine Camp Experience
Belgrade Lakes, Maine
Phone：1-877-926-2463
At Maine Camp Experience, kids connect with nature. Kids have fun, make lifelong friendships, learn new skills and achieve independence. The camps provide sailing, swimming, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball, wakeboarding, water skiing, yoga, etc. Campers of the summer programs are welcome to our winter programs in San Pedro, Belize.
Camp Pocono Trails
Readers, Pennsylvania
Phone：800-365-0556
Camp Pocono Trails is a health camp for kids, teens, young adults and families. We offer cooking classes, basketball, football, boating, fitness training, drama, arts, dance and field trips to NYC. Campers come back each year to have fun, reconnect with friends and keep the progress they have made. If you'd like to discuss your long-term health goals, or even if you just want to learn how to feel better, give us a call today.
Pierce Camp Birchmont
Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
Phone：516-621-5035
Pierce Camp Birchmont was founded by the Pierce family in 1951 and three generations of the Pierce family have owned and directed the camp ever since. As a traditional summer camp, Pierce Camp Birchmont offers over 40 activities such as arts and crafts, fishing, football, gardening, golf, hiking, horseback riding, etc.
Rolling River Day Camp
East Rockaway, New York
Phone：516-593-2267
Since 1993, RRDC has provided children with great camp experiences. Rolling River is a one-day camp that is owned and run by a local family. Directors Rhonda Goodman and Mark Goodman and their three children have created innovative programs. Exciting events such as hip hop nights, fall festivals and holiday camps connect families with RRDC.
1. What can kids do at Maine Camp Experience?| A．Try water sports. | B．Play with sports stars. |
| C．Have fun with parents. | D．Join winter programs for free. |
| A．1-877-926-2463. | B．800-365-0556. |
| C．516-621-5035. | D．516-593-2267. |
| A．Both are day camps. | B．Both are long-term camps. |
| C．Both are traditional camps. | D．Both are family-run camps. |
5 . Strange Museums You Never Know
Some museums hold stranger collections than others. Here's our list of the extremely unusual ones.
The Museum of Bad Art
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and to the curators at the Museum of Bad Art, none of these pieces are beautiful. They're either bad pieces made by otherwise talented artists, or bad pieces made by untalented artists. The collection includes portraits, landscapes, and still life pieces.
International Banana Museum
You can find practically every object shaped like a banana at this museum in Mecca, California. Some examples ： staplers, statues, record players, and salt and pepper shakers. Even better, you can also eat practically any banana-flavored treat here, like banana ice cream, banana soda, and, of course, banana splits.
Busy Beaver Button Museum
Learn about the history of buttons. Appreciate a collection of political, humorous, and just plain entertaining buttons. You can even make your own button at this hidden Chicago museum. And you can get a reward if you complete some 18th century puzzles.
National Museum of Roller Skating
This museum in Lincoln. Nebraska, has the largest collection of historical roller skates, in the world. Some skates are almost 200 years old! There are also skating costumes, thousands of photos of skaters and programs from national and international roller skating competitions.
International UFO Museum and Research Center
Do aliens （外星人）exist? If so, what is their preferred mode of transportation? The IUFOMRC in Roswell, New Mexico, is dedicated to answering these questions and researching UFO activity. It includes exhibits on crop circles, Area 51 and other alien-related events. It even keeps an official record of UFO sightings across the country.
1. What can we do in the Busy Beaver Button Museum?| A．Learn about the museum's history. |
| B．Admire buttons of all kinds. |
| C．Find the hidden buttons in the museum. |
| D．Reward those who complete puzzles. |
| A．The Museum of Bad Art. |
| B．International Banana Museum. |
| C．National Museum of Roller Skating. |
| D．International UFO Museum and Research Center. |
| A．Rich history. | B．Practical impact. |
| C．Unusual exhibition. | D．International influence. |
6 . When you think of tourist sites in Britain what do you think of? Big Ben and the Tower of London? Lock Ness? Shakespeare’s Birthplace at Strafford-upon-Avon? There are many famous tourist attractions in the UK and they attract millions of visitors each year. But along with the famous names there are thousands of other interesting places that are only open to the public for a few days each year. Heritage Open Days takes place each September and lets the public visit places that would normally be out of bounds. Among the thousands of historic sites there are castles and factories, town halls and churches. Here we look at some of these places that most tourists might not know about.
Roman Baths in Chester
Chester, in the north-west of England, is one of the oldest cities in the country. It was founded by the Romans over two thousand years ago. They stayed for more than three hundred years and you can find evidence of their stay all over the city.
Most visitors, however, don't see the remains of a Roman bathhouse in the centre of the city. For most of the year it is impossible to visit this fascinating site because it is situated under a clothes shop and a shop that sells baked potatoes!
During the week of Heritage Open Days visitors can go downstairs to the basement of the shops and find a little piece of history.
Tennis Club in Birmingham
Edgbaston Tennis Club opened in 1860 and is the oldest tennis club in the world. It is normally closed to the public but during Open Days visitors can come and see the club's collection of tennis clothes and equipment and learn about the game's rich history.
Aardman Animation in Bristol
During Heritage Open Days visitors can visit the Aardman Animation studios, which produced the famous Wallace and Gromit animated films. The studios are in an amazing new building where visitors can find out more about how the films are made.
These are just three of the thousands of places to visit each September. If you want to see more of Britain than the traditional tourist destinations then look out for Open Days.
1. Where can visitors see the remains of a Roman bathhouse in Chester?| A．In the north-west of England. | B．In a shop selling clothes. |
| C．In a basement of two shops. | D．In the center of the city. |
| A．The Tower of London. | B．Shakespeare's Birthplace. |
| C．Tennis Club in Birmingham. | D．Aardman Animation in Bristol. |
| A．To help increase the tourist income of the Great Britain. |
| B．To introduce some of the hidden tourist treasures in the UK. |
| C．To help visitors learn about the history of some fascinating sites. |
| D．To inform the visitors that each September is Heritage Open Days. |
7 . Darrell Blatchley, a marine biologist and environmentalist based in the Philippine city of Davao, received a call from the Philippines, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (渔业与水产资源局) early Friday morning reporting a death of a young whale.
When the necropsy (尸检) was performed, Blatchley told NPR, he was not prepared for the amount of plastic they found in the whale’s stomach. “It was full of plastic nothing but nonstop plastic.” he said “It was filled to the point that its stomach was as hard as a baseball.” That means that this animal has been suffering not for days or weeks but for months or even a year or more,” Blatchley added.
Blatchley is the founder and owner of the D’Bone Collector Museum, a natural history museum in Davao. In the coming days, the museum will display all the items found in the whale’s system. Blatchley and his team work with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and other organizations to assist in rescue and recovery of marine animals.
“Within the last 10 years, we have recovered 61 whales and dolphins just within the Davao Gulf,” he said. “Of them, 57 have died due to man whether they took plastic or fishing nets or other waste, or gotten caught in pollution — and four were pregnant.”
Blatchley said he hoped that the latest incident would launch the issue of plastic pollution in the Philippines and across the globe. “If we keep going this way, it will be more uncommon to see an animal die of natural causes than it is to see an animal die of plastic,” he said.
1. What can be inferred from the second paragraph?| A．The whale was starved to death. |
| B．The dead whale must have swallowed a baseball. |
| C．Blatchley was very shocked at what he found. |
| D．Blatchley didn’t make preparations for the necropsy. |
| A．Waste collected from the ocean. |
| B．Things found in the whale’s body. |
| C．The whole system of the whale. |
| D．Many different tools of whaling. |
| A．Worrying. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Inspiring. | D．Mild. |
| A．A Whale Found Dead of Plastic | B．Stand Up for Protecting Whales |
| C．Plastic Threatening Our Existence | D．Natural Death or Merciless Murder |
8 . The California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento totals 100,000 square feet. Completed at a cost of $16.1million, the museum opened in May 1981. There are more than 40 exhibits, including 21 old locomotives (火车头) and carriages, some dating back to 1862. Here, visitors can learn a lot about the railroad history in California and the West in America.
Hours & Tickets
The museum is open from 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. daily (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day). Tickets are sold until 4:30 p. m. $12 adults, $ 6 students, children aged 5 and under are free.
Parking
A small number of metered parking spaces are available on the streets of Old Sacramento. However, these spaces are not for guests visiting longer than 90 minutes. All-day parking is available in large public garages (车库) at both ends of Old Sacramento.
Food Service
The Silver Palace Restaurant in the Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station serves good food at the right prices. It is just one block southwest of the main entrance to the museum. There are many other restaurants throughout Old Sacramento.
Other Offerings
Guided tours and films about the museum are offered daily. There are many other chances at the museum, too, including some historical attractions within Old Sacramento State Historic Park.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about the museum?| A．It is open all year round. |
| B．It is more than 160 years old. |
| C．It may attract visitors interested in railway history. |
| D．The old locomotives there were all made in California. |
| A．$10 | B．$20 | C．$24 | D．$30 |
| A．worth a visit | B．famous for its expensive food |
| C．far from the museum | D．the best one in Old Sacramento |
9 . If you're reading this, you were probably born in the 2000s. The oh-ohs(00后）．The 21st century. That would make you young,creative, connected, global,and no doubt smart. Maybe good-looking,too. Right? But what do other people think about your generation?
Some adults worry that you're more interested in the screen in front of you than the world around you. They think of you as the“face-down generation” because you use your phone so much and they wonder how you will deal with school, friends,and family. Are today's teenagers too busy texting and taking selfies(自拍）to become successful in real life-or“IRL”， as you would say?
Other adults worry that today's youth are spoilt(宠坏的）and don't want to face the challenges of adult life. Many children born in the 1990s and 2000s were raised by"helicopter parents” who were always there to guide and help them with a busy schedule filled with homework and extra-curricular activities such as dancing, drawing, or sports. With partners who do everything for them, today's youth seem to prefer to live like teenagers even when they are in their 20s or 30s.
Does the face-down generation need a heads-up?Well,probably not. The fact is that many of today's teenagers are better educated and more creative than past generations. They also seem to be enthusiastic(热情的）and willing to become leaders. More young people than ever volunteer to help their communities. There are also brave young people such as Malala Yousafzai,the teenager who won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for pushing girls' rights to go to school.
So if you're one of the oh-ohs,there's reason to be hopeful about the future. Things are looking up for the face-down generation. Chances are that you will do GR8(great) and LOL（laugh out loud).
1. Today's teenagers are thought of as the face-down generation because| A．They are busy texting |
| B．They use their phones a lot |
| C．They deal with school and family with their phones |
| D．They become successful with their phones |
| A．Parents who prefer to live like teenagers |
| B．Parents who often fly everywhere for their business |
| C．Parents who do dancing, drawing or sports with their children |
| D．Parents who always guide and help children with homework and extra-curricular activities |
| A．They are annoyed. |
| B．They are powerful. |
| C．They are spoilt. |
| D．They are positive. |
| A．The face-down generation |
| B．The young generation |
| C．The generation gap |
| D．The future generation |
10 . You'd like to employ a person to help take your business to the next level, but you may find that there are a large number of employment websites on the Internet. Which one is your best choice? Here are four websites (in no particular order) that can help you get into a pool of job applicants(申请人).
As you probably already know, LinkedIn is a site where job applicants post resumes(简历) and exchange ideas. The site has more than 135 million members, many of whom may be looking for a new position. The cost to post a job opening on LinkedIn depends on the geographic location of the position. For example, in the Greater Pittsburgh area, a 30-day job posting costs $195.
Craigslist
Craigslist isn't just a place for finding an apartment or selling your old couch. The website has an area devoted to employment in big cities. Employers can post jobs to find suitable employees. Posting in some markets is free, but in others, it costs $25 to $75.
Monster
Founded in 1994, Monster has grown to one of the most popular employment websites. It offers pages of advice about career management and employment searches. Monster also provides apps for mobile phones, making it more convenient for people to post their job openings. Job postings on Monster cost from $210 to $395.
Jobster
Jobster users can create interesting online profiles(简介) containing information about employment and educational history. The site uses an active method in which employers can contact interested applicants. Employers can post as many jobs as they want for only $75 per month.
1. What are the websites listed by the author used for?| A．Helping the users find suitable employees. |
| B．Helping the users get some highly-paid jobs. |
| C．Helping take the users' business to the next level. |
| D．Helping the users improve their company websites. |
| A．LinkedIn | B．Craigslist | C．Monster | D．Jobster |
| A．Monster & Jobster | B．Jobster & LinkedIn |
| C．LinkedIn & Monster | D．Craigslist & Linkedln |
| A．It costs less money. | B．It has a longer history. |
| C．It has more members. | D．It is more convenient to use. |
