2 . Tourist Guide to the National Gallery

Opening hours: Daily 10: 00 am- -6: 00 pm; Friday 10: 00 am- 9: 00 pm

Closed: 2426 December

Reasons to visit:

With over 2, 300 paintings in the collection, there are hundreds of reasons to visit the Gallery. Here are some to get you started...

Get into great art. From Leonardo da Vinci to Vincent van Gogh: See priceless works of art for free.

Get creative. Brush up your skills, and create your own great works of art...

Learn about art. Discover more about paintings...

Regulations:

Talk in a low voice when you use your cellphone in the gallery

Please do not touch the paintings or other exhibits. Do not take pets in or cross the barriers.

Consume food and drink in designated areas only i.e. not in rooms that contain paintings.

Follow our no smoking policy in any part of the building.

Follow our no photograph policy in exhibitions where a sign is displayed.

Access:

The National Gallery aims to make access to the paintings enjoyable and welcoming to the widest possible public. There are a range of facilities to help you see the collection, visit exhibitions and come to events.

The Gallery offers British Sign Language-interpreted talks on paintings for visitors who are deaf, and special art sessions(展期) for visitors who can't see.

Address: The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square London WC2N 5DN

Click here to find more information.

1. What are visitors allowed to do in the National Gallery?

A．Make a phone call.	B．Take a dog in.
C．Smoke a cigarette.	D．Take photos.

2. Who are the special art sessions intended for?

A．Young visitors.	B．Deaf visitors.
C．Blind visitors.	D．Old visitors.

3. Where can we read the tourist guide?

A．In a newspaper.	B．On a poster.
C．In a magazine.	D．On the Internet.

3 . An artist in Oakland, California is using his skills to help the homeless. Greg Kloehn builds very small shelters that make life on the streets a little more comfortable. The structures offer the homeless some safety and protection from bad weather. Each little house also has wheels on the bottom so it can go wherever its owner goes.

Greg Kloehn has given away at least 20 tiny houses. Several are on the roadside near an active railroad. On a recent day, Mr.Kloehn stops at one to visit Oscar Young. The two men hug. Inside his little shelter Mr.Young gets relief from cold nights on the streets. Mr.Kloehn also visits Sweet­Pea, another friend who also lives in one of the little homes the artist built. She says it keeps her safe and protects her belongings.

In the mornings, Mr. Kloehn searches the streets for building materials. He gathers what he can and takes it to his studio. There, he puts the houses together. Empty coffee bags become roof material. A washing machine door and refrigerator part become windows. Nails,screws and the sticky glue hold all the pieces together. The artist also attaches a small electrical device to the house. The device is powered by the sun.

Some of the people living on the streets once had normal houses of their own. But some of the people say they have learned to live with less and they are thankful to that man.

Mr.Kloehn says his work is not a social project. He says he is just someone using his skills to help his homeless neighbors.

1. The following are the advantages of the small shelters EXCEPT ________.

A．saving power and energy

B．protecting possessions of the homeless

C．decorating the streets where they are

D．keeping the homeless safe and comfortable

2. We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．Greg Kloehn has sold at least 20 tiny houses

B．an act of kindness has made people simple and grateful

C．the shelters are immovable

D．the government has got involved in the action

3. The passage is likely taken from ________.

A．an official report

B．an art review

C．a science magazine

D．a news report

4. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．An artist creates homes for the homeless.

B．A more comfortable shelter on the streets.

C．A successful social project in Oakland.

D．An artist makes a living by designing small shelters.

4 . How far would you go to make a good impression at a new job? A college student in Alabama walked 32 kilometers in the dark to get to his new job.

The story begins with Walter Carr's car breaking down the night before starting a new job. Carr was unable to find a ride. So, he figured out how long it would take to walk from his house to the job in Pelham-32 kilometers away. He left at midnight so that he could make it to the customer's house by 8：00 am the next morning.

Pelham police saw him walking along a highway at 4-00 am. So, they stopped to see if he needed help. After hearing his story, they took him to a restaurant for breakfast and then to a church where he could safely wait until 8：00 am. The police then took Carr to the home of customer Jenny Lamey. Lamey said that even though Carr had just walked the entire night, he refused her offer to rest. He just wanted to start working. While he worked, he talked with the customer, telling her how much he liked her kitchen.

Jenny Lamey later wrote this on Facebook："I just can't tell you how touched I was by Walter and his journey. He is kind and cheerful and he has big dreams! He is hardworking and tough. " She then started a GoFundMe page to help Walter with money to get his car fixed. When the CEO of Bellhops, Luke Marklin, learned of Carr's story, he drove from Tennessee to Alabama to give Walter his own 2014 Ford Escape.

Walter Carr's story touched many others around the United States. Within a few days, people gave over $ 73 ,000 to his GoFundMe page. Carr has decided to give a part of the donations to the Birmingham Education Foundation. And he has received more offers for jobs and scholarships for schools.

1. Why did Walter Carr decide to go to work on foot?

A．He wanted to challenge himself.	B．His car was damaged beyond repair.
C．He was unable to borrow a car.	D．He wished to be punctual for the job.

2. What can we infer from Paragraph 3?

A．He broke traffic regulations.	B．He was blamed by his customer.
C．He was committed to his job.	D．He started to work after a short break.

3. What kind of person does Lamey think Carr is?

A．Cautious.

B．Ambitious.

C．Generous.

D．Sensitive.

4. What message does the text really convey?

A．One has to suffer in order to get a good job.

B．A good impression is sure to bring one good money.

C．The efforts to leave a good impression are to pay off.

D．One has to give up something in return for donations.

5 . When Simon Cane was in the second grade, he began learning about all the ways humans have an impact on the environment and really took those classroom lessons to heart in a way that set him apart from his schoolmates at his elementary school, P. S. 81, in the Bronx. “He told me we drove too much and made too much pollution,” his dad, Jonathan Cane, told Runner’s World. So Simon convinced his parents to start hanging their clothes to dry, taking the stairs instead of elevators, and other “green” measures.

“For much of kindergarten and first grade I rode my bike to Simon’s school with him on the back,” Jonathan said. “We had a lot of fun being outdoors. We’d stop to give our dog treats and generally enjoyed it.” As Simon got bigger, though, it wasn’t practical for him to ride on his father’s back, but it also didn’t make sense to ride together — both because of safety concerns and because there was no place to put away Simon’s bike. So, most of the time they drove the 1. 5 miles to school.

But in 2019, when Simon was going into third grade, the 8-year-old came up with a new way to help the planet: running the 1. 5 miles to P. S. 81. And Jonathan promised his son he’d join him for as long as he wanted.

“We did a test run one day in August, and decided to give it a go. To be honest, I thought he’d blink (眨眼)after it got really cold or rainy, but he never did,” Jonathan said. He recalled one day when the weather was particularly bad. “It’s really raining out there today,” he told Simon. “And Simon said, ‘Well then we’re going to get wet!’ He took pride in toughing it out, and it became a really fun family routine.”

Since the start, Simon has run with his dad and their black dog, Lola, and has even inspired his mom, Nicole Sin Quee, to join in. They soon became known as “the family that runs to school”.

1. What makes Simon different from his classmates?

A．Washing his clothes by himself.	B．Taking many classes after school.
C．Raising strange questions in class.	D．Taking green measures to protect the environment.

2. How did Simon usually go to school in second grade?

A．By car.

B．By cycling.

C．By running.

D．By school bus.

3. What can be inferred from paragraph 4?

A．Simon has trouble with his eyesight.	B．Simon is really stubborn and inflexible.
C．Simon is much tougher than expected.	D．Simon didn’t get support from his father.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．The Best Way to Go to School

B．Father and Son Run for the Environment

C．A Teenager Keeps Running to Inspire Father

D．Three Inspiring Running Athletes to Protect the Environment

6 . Hoping to gather around the TV for a fun family movie night? Check out at all the best family-friendly films free on Amazon Prime Video below.

Troop Zero(2019)

Set in 1977 Georgia, Troop Zero follows a girl hoping to one day make it to outer space. After learning that the winner of a Birdie Scout talent show will get to be recorded on NASA’s Golden Record, she gets together a group of misfits to fight for the prize. The comedy-drama film is charming and, though simple, the story is well-acted.

Rango(2011)

It follows a pet chameleon (变色龙) who comes to the sleepy town of Dirt. Here, he becomes the town’s newest sheriff. The film scored multiple awards, including Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.

Star Trek Beyond(2016)

This science fiction installment has the crew of the USS Enterprise exploring the furthest reaches of unknown space where they search for a way to fight against the aliens and get away. The film is well-acted and directed and visually impressive.

Ernest and Celestine(2012)

The comedy-drama sees a world where the mice live underground and the bears above ground. However, instead of eating the mouse Celestine, musician bear Ernest teams up with him to complete their varying agendas. The movie gives off the feelings of an old-fashioned film you’ll want to enjoy.

1. When was Troop Zero released?

A．In 1977.	B．In 2012.
C．In 2016.	D．In 2019.

2. Which movie won an Oscar Award?

A．Troop Zero.	B．Rango
C．Star Trek Beyond.	D．Ernest and Celestine.

3. Which of the following talks about animals?

A．Troop Zero and Ernest and Celestine.

B．Rango and Ernest and Celestine.

C．Troop Zero and Star Trek Beyond.

D．Star Trek Beyond and Ernest and Celestine.

7 . Later this month, Tate Britain will host its first Van Gogh exhibition since 1947. Here we've rounded up 4 of his best paintings before the show.

Potato Eaters

Potato Eaters was Van Gogh's first major work and, despite a distinct lack of colour, it was one that he was most proud of. His aim was to represent the difficulties of country life, so the farmers are painted in earthy tones with rough faces and bony hands. He was more concerned with conveying his message than achieving technical perfection in this painting.

Irises

Van Gogh finished almost 142 pieces during his stay in the Saint Remy de Provence asylum (精神病院), where he was a voluntary patient from 1889 to 1890. This piece was started shortly after he arrived there. The hospital garden provided much inspiration for the artist during his stay there. Originally, the flowers in this work were painted purple but the red pigment (色素) faded over time and has now turned blue.

Cafe Terrace at Night

Despite being painted more than 130 years ago, this cafe still exists in France and has since been renamed the Cafe Van Gogh. This artwork marks the first time Van Gogh's famous post-impressionistic star-filled sky was seen in a piece, and it was painted on the ground, in person, rather than from memory. While the artwork doesn't bear his signature, it's widely known to be Van Gogh's, as he mentioned Cafe Terrace at Night in a number of his letters.

Wheat Field With Cypresses

This piece was inspired by the view from Van Gogh's asylum window and was finished on the spot. The work was the title of three paintings that offer an insight into his stay at the hospital.' Van Gogh was 80 pleased with the summer landscape that he made three copies there, one of the same size—which hangs in the National Gallery and two smaller copies which he planned to gift to his mother and sister.

1. Which painting did Vincent van Gogh take most pride in?

A．Irises.	B．Potato Eaters.
C．Cafe Terrace at Night.	D．Wheat Field With Cypresses.

2. What is the original color of the flowers in Irises?

A．Purple.

B．Blue.

C．Red.

D．Yellow.

3. What do the last two paintings have in common?

A．They were the same in size.	B．They had more than one copy.
C．They were signed by the artist,	D．They were painted on the ground.

8 . Scientists have been studying Antarctica for over a century, but details as basic as what it looks like beneath all that ice have largely remained a mystery. Now, Earther reports that a team of scientists from Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK has published the most detailed data on the continent’s subglacial topography（冰川下的地形）near the South Pole.

As they report in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, central Antarctica is home to three large canyons（峡谷）, one of which is deeper than the Grand Canyon and nearly as wide at some points. The researchers made the discovery by flying a plane with radar over the South Pole, a spot that isn’t covered by imaging satellites. They expected to find mountains beneath the ice sheet, but the wide canyons they found between the mountains came as a surprise.

Of the three canyons, two hadn’t been documented previously. The largest, the Foundation Trough, measures 218 miles long, up to 22 miles wide, and 6,260 feet deep, putting it up there with the planet’s most impressive canyons.

The discoveries are significant on their own, but the real purpose behind the research is to better understand how the West and East Antarctic Ice Sheets will react to rising temperatures. Human-caused climate change has destabilized some of the continent’s ice, and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet especially has been slowly crumbling（崩塌）into the sea. If patterns continue, the coastal glaciers supporting the large ice sheets could fall down, causing sea levels to rise a minimum of 10 feet. If this happens, the canyons could be a major factor in the speed and direction of ice flow from central Antarctica to the coast.

The event isn’t likely to happen in the near future, but further study of Antarctica’s topography will help scientists to better predict when it might.

1. According to the text, the researchers found the new canyons ________.

A．as planned	B．by accident
C．in the sea	D．with satellites

2. What can be known about the canyons according to paragraph 4?

A．They are likely to affect ice flow.

B．They cause ice sheets to crumble.

C．They stop ice flowing into the sea.

D．They help to cool ice sheets down.

3. What does the author think of the further study of Antarctica’s topography?

A．It’s confusing.	B．It’s quite easy.
C．It’s meaningful.	D．It’s challenging.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Rising Temperatures Cause Sea Levels to Rise

B．Massive Canyons Are Found Beneath Ice Sheets

C．Antarctica Still Remains Unknown to the Public

D．Antarctica’s Topography Will Be Predicted Soon

9 . The Palace Museum is limiting the daily number of visitors to 80,000 and recommending both individual visitors and tourist groups to book tickets in, advance online (booking address: https://gugong ktmtech.cn). foreign visitors are required to provide passport numbers during the online booking

ADMISSION

April 1st-October 31st            60 yuan

November 1st-March 31st.        140 yuan

●Free admission(入场费) for children under.2 meters in height.

●Free admission for disabled visitors.

●20 yuan for elementary, middle school, and undergraduate students with student I.D. (not including graduate and adult or continuing education students).     

●50% discount for people over 60 years with valid certificate or proof of age (passport, etc.)'

●Women's Day (March 8): Half-price admission for female visitors.

●Children's Day (June 1): Free admission for children 14 years old and younger. 50% discount on admission for one accompanying parent. legal guardian, or adult,

For detailed information and instruction, please click here.

1. How many people can visit the Palace Museum daily at most?

A．Eight hundred

B．Eighty thousand.

C．Eight million

D．Eighty million.

2. Among the four,who can get the lowest admission price?

A．A middle-aged woman visiting it on 13,Mar.	B．A middle-aged parent visiting it alone on lst, June.
C．A 65-year-old man visiting it on 7th,May.	D．A middle school student visiting it on 6th,Jan.

3. Where do you think the passage most probably comes from?

A．A website.

B．A magazine

C．A book.

D．A newspaper.

10 . DIY Your Own Desserts

We offer different kinds of classes to you all. A very popular class we are offering these 10 days is the class named “DIY Your Own Desserts”.

Can you imagine how happy your beloved one will be when you give him/her your DIY desserts on the special days like birthday, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day? Come to your class and make your own desserts. Give your beloved one some surprises!

The class runs daily and it is a completely hands-on personal cooking experience lasting up to 4 hours learning 3-4 recipes(食谱) each lesson. The teacher will first show how to cook different recipes in front of you. And then he will guide you on how to prepare and make the food.

At the end of the class you can either eat the meal prepared during the class or take it home with you. What’s more, you’ll be able to take home the copies of all the recipes.

Costs: $30 each lesson. You can start at any time.

Go to our website to get more information about the class.

You can either e-mail us or come to our office to attend it.

1. What will you do in the class?

A．Eat the meal with the teacher.

B．Celebrate the special days.

C．Learn 2-3 recipes each lesson.

D．Have a hands-on experience.

2. How much will you pay for five lessons?

A．$30.

B．$60.

C．$120.

D．$150.

3. How can you attend the class?

A．Make a phone call to them.

B．Send them an e-mail.

C．Get information from parents.

D．Come to the class directly.