1 . The London Eye remains temporarily closed but in line with the Government's roadmap out of lockdown we plan to reopen from 17th May.You can pre-book now. Further information can be found here.
What to Expect
The London Eye soars 443 fee into the sky and views stretching25 miles every direction.Since opening in 2000,it has been used as a backdrop in countless films and is loved by Britons and visitors alike.This is the UK's most popular visitor attraction,visited by over 3.5 million people a year.
Each London Eye capsule holds up to 25 passengers comfortably. All capsules are fully air-conditioned and rotate (旋转)on a special device designed to keep everyone upright as the wheel makes a slow but progressive rotation.The full rotation lasts 30 minutes of an ever changing view of this dynamic city.
Opening Times
■September to May 10:00am—8:00pm daily
■June 10:00am—9:00pm daily
■July 10:00am—9:30pm daily
■August 10:00am—-8:30pm daily
■Not open on Christmas Day or during maintenance period.
Ticket Prices
| Adult: January to March ₤15.00 April to December ₤15.50 |
| Child (5-15 years): January to March ₤7.50 April to December ₤7.75 |
| Child under 5 years: free |
| Senior (60 plus): ₤12.00 |
Booking line
■9:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Sunday
■Telephone: 0870 5000 600
1. Which of the following does the London Eye ride offer?| A．A 30-minute fast rotation. |
| B．An insight into its long history. |
| C．A 360°moving view of the city. |
| D．A non-chargeable admission. |
| A．10:00am—-8:00pm. |
| B．100am-9:00pm. |
| C．10:00am-—9:30pm. |
| D．10:00am—8:30pm. |
| A．₤30 | B．₤31 | C．₤37.5 | D．₤38.75 |
2 . One of the tallest wooden buildings in Europe, a 98m timber (木材)mixture skyscraper, is to rise in Berlin.
The 29-storey WoHo tower, to be designed by a firm of Norwegian architects, is intended to be a “light-house project” for low-carbon construction, towering over Potsdamer Platz and the Landwehr Canal.
Its core, including lifts and a staircase, is to be built around concrete structure but the rest of the building, including flats, offices, cafes and a kindergarten, will be fashioned down wooden beams (横梁)and panels.
“As Norwegians, we are used to working a lot with timber,” Nicolai Riise, CEO of the Mad Architects' Practice said.
“The thing about timber is that its carbon footprint is close to zero and that it's a fantastic material to build with. If you look at this in a broader way, it's one of the ways we are going to be able to beat the climate crisis.”
Wooden skyscrapers, once regarded as a pipe dream, have become realistic with the coming of cross-laminated (交叉叠合)building techniques and more flexible planning laws. Because these structures' parts are fit with care, they can be far lighter than their concrete equivalents (同等物)and are thought to be relatively resistant to fire. A cubic meter of wood can also take an estimated ton of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
Larger wooden structures are planned elsewhere. London is examining blueprints for a 300-meter Oakwood Tower. A project in Tokyo could rise to 350m.
1. What is special about the WoHo Tower?| A．It will serve as a light house. |
| B．Its core is to be built with timber. |
| C．It is designed for a Norwegian firm. |
| D．It will be a tall timber mixture building. |
| A．It is a flexible material. | B．It is easy to collect. |
| C．It is environmentally-friendly. | D．It can be cut into pieces. |
| A．A nightmare. | B．Something practical. |
| C．A piece of cake. | D．Something impossible |
| A．Flexible ideas. | B．The concrete equivalents. |
| C．Fire resistant materials. | D．New building techniques. |
3 . Hubei Province has long been a favorite Chinese tourist destination because of its natural scenery, historic cities, and beautiful mountains. Here are some of the best places to visit in Hubei Province.
Yellow Crane Tower
Yellow Crane Tower is known as one of the Three Famous Towers South of Yangtze River, together with Yueyang Tower in Hunan and Tengwang Pavilion in Jiangxi. The history of Yellow Crane Tower dates back to the Three Kingdoms period (220-280) in Chinese history. The tower was used as a watchtower by the King of Wu's army in the beginning.
Enshi Grand Canyon
Enshi Grand Canyon can be China's answer to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the United States in beauty. The canyon runs 108 kilometers and occupies a land area of 3,000 square kilometers. The region where Enshi Grand Canyon is located used to be a vast sea with many limestone deposits 230 million years ago.
Shennongjia Scenic Area
It is famous for its varied plant species as well as mountains. Regarded as the “Lungs of Central China", the forest coverage reaches over 90 percent of the area. Due to the special climate, it is neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter. Sometimes clouds stretch around mountains, rewarding tourists with unforgettable views. Besides, the area is home to some rare animals such as golden monkeys, white bears and antelope.
The Three-Gorge Tribe scenic spot
Located in the area of the Xiling Gorge in the city of Yichang, it has the beauty of landscape paintings. The spot is a “Protected Center of the Popular Culture and Art of the Three Gorges”. Since ancient times, a lot of famous scholars have produced a great number of excellent poems praising the beauty of this place, some of which are carved on the stones along the Yangtze River.
1. What is special about Yellow Crane Tower?| A．It has a long history. |
| B．It offers a scenic view. |
| C．It once served war's purposes. |
| D．It is the best-known tower in China. |
| A．To explain its popularity in China. |
| B．To help readers know more about it. |
| C．To prove the beauty of the Chinese canyon. |
| D．To show differences between the two canyons. |
| A．Enshi Grand Canyon. |
| B．Yellow Crane Tower. |
| C．Shennongjia Scenic Area. |
| D．The Three-Gorge Tribe scenic spot. |
4 . Decades ago, NASA asked experts to develop the "smell of space" in order to help prepare astronauts for the experience of outer space. Now, a perfume, Eau de Space, has attracted eager buyers.
According to the Kickstarter activity, which has been launched to sell Eau de Space, the history of the "smell of space" has been unclear owing to various accounts of its development. Ever since the first spacewalk, astronauts have been shocked by the smell.
NASA astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield said,"The only time you can smell space is when you come back from a spacewalk. As you open the hatch(舱门),there is a distinctive smell."Some astronauts and space tourists describe it as the smell of fruit, or burnt cookies. Astronaut Eugene Cerman talked of another smell he experienced:"The moon smells like spent gunpowder."The smell of space is so distinet that NASA reached out to fragrance makers to recreate the smell, according to NASA documents.
Now, the makers have cooperated with award-winning perfumers(香水制造者),and reported that they've secured commercial contracts to reproduce the smell based on astronauts' accounts.
At $ 29 per bottle, Eau de Space will help support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs for students. "For every bottle of Eau de Space you buy,we're going to donate $ 1 to a STEM program for low-income students. It's a big promise and isn't the best decision for a company trying to make a profit. But, imagine that a child who smells Eau de Space today is whipped up to become an astronaut, scientist or engineer," shows Kickstarter.
Eau de Space will be made in the UK employing low-income labor and environment-friendly practices, including zero manufacturing waste, according to the campaign. So far,about 11,000 people have become supporters.
1. Why was the Kickstarter campaign started?| A．To promote Eau de Space. | B．To attract perfume makers. |
| C．To explain the "smell of space". | D．To recreate the "smell of space". |
| A．Its makers will make a profit of $ 28 per bottle. |
| B．It has been available in the market for a long time. |
| C．It can get astronauts ready for their space experience. |
| D．Its smell is designed according to astronauts' descriptions. |
| A．Trained. | B．Inspired. |
| C．Forced. | D．Persuaded |
| A．Eau de Space, a Perfume Used in Space |
| B．Eau de Space, a Perfume on the Way |
| C．The History of Developing the "Smell of Space" |
| D．Astronauts' Different Accounts About the Space Smell |
5 . Israeli researchers say they have created the world's first three-dimensional, or 3D-printed heart using a patient's own cells. They described the experiment as "a major medical breakthrough." Tal Dvir, the lead researcher on the project, said in a statement that it was the first time that human cells had been used with 3D printing technology to successfully create a whole heart. Dvir added that the "printed" heart contains blood vessels which are needed to pump blood. The development marks a step forward for 3D printing in the medical field.
The researchers took samples of fatty tissue from patients. This material was then used to develop “ink” for the 3D printing process. First, the researchers created patches of tissue from the patient’s own cells. Later, they used that same process to create a small version of a whole heart. Using the patient’s own cells is important to reduce the risk that the body’s system to fight infection will reject a transplanted organ.
The goal, the researchers said, is to treat heart disease. The World Health Organization reports that heart disease is by far the leading cause of death worldwide. For patients with severe heart disease, a heart transplant is currently the main treatment available. The researchers hope their invention can help ease the demand for heart transplant donors.
Dvir says that the newly-created heart represents great progress. However, more research and development is needed to produce a fully operating, transplantable organ. One of the biggest challenges for the engineering team will be finding a way to create a human-sized heart.
Dvir said his team planned to transplant heart models designed for animals, possibly within the next year. He added that, for human use, “simpler organs” will likely be produced before hearts. “Maybe, in ten years, there will be organ printers in the finest hospitals around the world,” Dvir said. He hopes such methods will be used “routinely” to produce organs in the future.
1. Why should patients’ own cells be used to create a 3D heart?| A．To avoid being rejected. | B．To make it suitable to print. |
| C．To fight infection. | D．To build up immune system. |
| A．To adopt printing technology. | B．To create human organs. |
| C．To treat heart disease. | D．To develop organ printers. |
| A．They will be developed to create organs routinely. |
| B．They will be widely used to treat different diseases. |
| C．They will be used to transplant organs for animals. |
| D．They will be applied to various fields in the world. |
| A．An artificial heart. | B．A major medical breakthrough |
| C．A scientific project | D．A great research team. |
6 . If you want to do your kids a favor, consider having them walk to school. Walking to school provides many benefits – improving academic performance, reducing anxiety, boosting spirits, better sleep, a sense of independence, having an opportunity to familiarize oneself with a neighborhood, to notice small details, to feel a sense of wonder at the surroundings. The list goes on.
Parental fears still exist, however. Parents are terrified of cars, of injury, of harsh weather, of encounters with strangers and wild animals. These fears prevent parents from letting their kids do something that's actually enormously beneficial to them, despite the fact that removing an opportunity to be active contributes to an increase in childhood obesity, which can have a greater negative impact on a child's life than the risk of being injured due to being active.
How do we go from being a society that does not encourage its children to walk independently to being one that does? Parents must face their own discomfort with letting go. Brussoni, an expert who researches children's outdoor and risky play, said "We want to move parents from focusing solely on protecting their child to building trust in their child’s abilities and strategies to support their child’s skills in navigating the streetscape."
Schools can play a role by encouraging children to walk to school. Brussoni offers additional suggestions: "They should promote a culture that walking to school is the norm, help educate parents on why this is important, and consider closing the streets around the school to cars before and after school."
Parents might do well to put themselves in their children's shoes. As adults, we know how good a morning walk feels to start off a day or to end one. Walking energizes us and cheers us up, and it can do the same for children. As we go through this pandemic that has shaken up all of our lives, it's a good time to practice new routines and establish new habits. Walking to school is a great place to start.
1. What can we infer about kids’ usual way of going to school?| A．They walk to school alone. | B．They are driven to school. |
| C．They ride bikes to school. | D．They are led to school by teachers. |
| A．Focus on their child’s safety. | B．Protect their child against injury. |
| C．Believe their child’s abilities. | D．Strike traffic rules into their child’s heart. |
| A．Schools. | B．Societies. | C．Governments. | D．Children. |
| A．To illustrate the roles of parents and schools. |
| B．To advise parents to have kids walk to school. |
| C．To promote a way of establishing a new routine. |
| D．To encourage kids to form a good habit. |
7 . "For years, we had seen a lot of old villages dying slowly before being torn down. It's such a shame. So I wanted to do something," says Zhang Lei, a professor from the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at Nanjing University.
Zhang's two design works for Librairie Avant-Garde, the Yunxi Library bookshop in Tonglu county's Daijiashan village and Chenjiapu Bookstore in Songyang county, both in East China's Zhejiang province, were opened respectively in 2015 and 2018. The villages have since seen increasing number of visitors. Hostels have been built and, as a result, property prices in the villages have soared. For instance, the annual rent of a house in Daijiashan village was 2,000 yuan ($306) in 2015, but has now grown to 8,000 yuan.
Similarly, Chenjiapu village used to be dying despite a history stretching back 600 years. The bookstore, however, means that holidays bring so many visitors that there are often traffic jams on the road leading to the village. "I never thought that a small bookstore could change the fate of a village," he says.
When Qian Xiaohua, founder of Librairie Avant-Garde headquartered in Nanjing, started opening bookstores in the countryside six years ago, he met with a lot of doubts and questions. After all, bookstores in cities, with much bigger populations, could barely survive due to online competition. Even more surprisingly, Qian prefers targeting old villages that are losing their young people, with just the elderly and children left behind. Those villages are usually located in picturesque surroundings, many with historical details. Qian, accompanied by architects, will then choose old buildings from the villages to be renovated into well-lit modern bookstores that remain true to their original structures and decorative aspects.
Since April 2014, Qian has opened five bookstores in the countryside. All have attracted large numbers of tourists and even young villagers to return home. Apart from their commercial success and subsequent economic revival of the villages, these bookstores have become new public spaces for locals, benefiting the development of rural areas in the long run.
1. What can we know about many old villages from Zhang Lei’s words in paragraph 1?| A．They were booming gradually. | B．They were being deserted. |
| C．They were under construction. | D．They were overdeveloped. |
| A．Risen. | B．Decreased. | C．Changed. | D．Overturned |
| A．Favorable. | B．Interested. | C．Hopeful. | D．Skeptical. |
| A．Old Villages Survive Amazingly | B．Rebuild Traditional Settlements |
| C．Bookstores Rewrite Old Villages | D．Knowledge Changes Villages |
8 . How to be Sociable - Virtual Class
How to Be Sociable is a 2.5 hour class by The School of Life which takes place regularly in our virtual classroom.
Why should I attend?
We all long to have sincere, intimate, warm-hearted and interesting meetings with friends and strangers but too often, we fail to connect as we would like to. This is a class expressly designed to teach us the skills to have the kind of social life we deserve. It shows us how to escape unfruitful and loneliness inducing small talk and how elegantly to start to have properly enriching connections with others. We are not only shown where we are going wrong, we’re given practical guidance and group rehearsals in winning strategies. Not least, we will laugh together as we learn.
What will I learn?
How to Be Sociable teaches:
What should our friendships be for?
What is charm and how do we acquire it?
How can one be at ease in social situations?
What makes a good conversationalist?
What makes a good listener?
Evening Classes - All timings are in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
6:15pm GMT session open
6:30pm GMT class begins
9:00pm GMT class ends
Morning Classes - All timings are in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
9:15am GMT session open
9:30am GMT class begins
12:00pm GMT class ends
Dates and times are available to book below. New dates for this class are added throughout the year.
For more information, please see our London FAQs or contact classroom @theschooloflife.com
CLASSROOM TESTIMONIALS(评价)
‘Really welcoming to those coming by themselves and very interesting theoretical information/discussions’
‘Really enlightening experience; thank you so much’
‘Excellent; good fun and thought provoking’
‘Fantastic experience; varied practical exercises; dynamic and engaging teacher; absolutely great.’
1. In which aspect do you benefit from the virtual class?| A．Sense of direction. | B．Practical life skills. | C．Social skills. | D．Winning matches. |
| A．6:15 am – 8:45 am. | B．7:00 am -9:30 am. | C．3:30pm –6:00 pm. | D．6:30 pm --9:00 pm. |
| A．To praise energetic teachers. | B．To introduce interesting activities. |
| C．To present useful exercises. | D．To confirm the class is worthwhile. |
9 . Doug Falter, an American photographer, returned home, teary-eyed and exhausted. He pouted online that evening, "I lost my baby." That "baby" referred to a surfboard that had been custom-made for him. Hours earlier, a big wave had separated Falter from this prized possession.
Months passed with no sign of the surfboard. Falter saved money to buy a new surfboard for $ 1,500. But Falter never completely forgot the surfboard, which - six months later and more than 5,000 miles away from where it disappeared-floated to the southern Philippines.The local fisherman who found it didn't have much use of his unusual catch of the day, so he sold the board for s 40 to Giovanne Branzuela, an elementary school teacher. Branzuela hoped to learn to surf and one day share the skill with his students,who regularly accompany him on beach clean-ups.
The once-blue board had faded to a pale straw color during its journey, but its distinctive markings were still there: two elephants, one at either end. Underneath the elephants were the words "Doug Falter Surfboard".
Branzuela couldn't believe it on realizing how far the surfboard had traveled. He reached Falter online and sent him a photo of the surfboard. Falter was shocked to learn that his "baby"had drifted(漂流) across the world's largest ocean and survived. He was overjoyed.
But the story was far from over. Falter wanted to thank Branzuela with some surfing supplies for his kind act, but the teacher asked for school supplies instead, such as backpacks for his students and materials to help them learn English.
Falter said it made him raise money for the kids. So far, he has collected $ 2,500,which he has used to buy and ship maps, puzzles, classroom posters, textbooks, and workbooks.
1. What happened to Doug Falter that afternoon?| A．His baby was lost on the beach. | B．The sea carried away his surfboard. |
| C．He took excellent photos of the surf. | D．His custom-made camera was damaged. |
| A．He liked the pale straw color of it. |
| B．He found it belonged to Doug Falter. |
| C．He found the fisherman charged low for it. |
| D．He wanted to learn a new skill to teach his students. |
| A．Branzuela kept it as a prized possession. |
| B．Branzuela's students learned surfing with it. |
| C．It was returned to its owner after a long journey. |
| D．Falter sold it to help Philippine children. |
| A．Selfless. | B．Merciful. |
| C．Generous. | D．Knowledgeable. |
10 . Now many countries work towards a carbon-neutral future, hoping to achieve the real green growth and change. The current UK government had originally set out plans to become carbon-zero by 2050. And in a new announcement regarding the UK’s green economic recovery, the Prime Minister has committed to accelerating offshore wind by 2030.
In a recent speech, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the government will invest in clean energy, promising that £160m will be dedicated to building wind turbines (涡轮机)to help the country “build back greener”. It’ll create 2,000 jobs in construction, and support 60,000 more, by upgrading ports and factories to build the turbines. He announced that “we believe that in 10 years’ time offshore wind will be powering every home in the country.”
In Boris Johnson’s speech, he said the UK would become “the world leader in clean wind energy” and perhaps also in its further green recovery plans. Attention has been paid to wind, as it is a limitless resource on the island that is Britain. Plans included employing new floating offshore technology, where large farms could be placed further out to sea.
Before this announcement, climate activists and organizations have been urging world governments to include climate change concerns in their economic recoveries. Organizations such as the International Energy Agency worked out a sustainable energy plan that provided a blueprint on how governments could encourage economic growth with climate change in mind, by moving towards areas such as clean energy and creating jobs within this area. In the UK’s economic recovery plan, the government rolled out a scheme that allowed home owners to access a grant that would enable them to upgrade their homes with energy-saving improvements.
Reported in The Guardian, executive director of the environmental NGO Greenpeace UK, John Sauven, said: “If carried through, the commitment would help strengthen the UK’s global leadership in this key technology. We now need to see the Prime Minister’s newly-found enthusiasm is followed through by knocking down all the barriers that the offshore wind industry faces in delivering its ambition.”
1. What is the benefit of building the turbines besides providing the new energy?| A．Developing the technology. |
| B．Having more people employed. |
| C．Getting many large farms built. |
| D．Making all homes powered cleanly. |
| A．Cooperate with other foreign governments. |
| B．Build a blueprint on fighting climate change. |
| C．Encourage the use of energy-saving equipment. |
| D．Seek the support of the international organizations. |
| A．To predict the future of Britain’s energy. |
| B．To get people to support the government. |
| C．To think highly of the use of wind energy. |
| D．To comment on the new announcement. |
| A．Britain hopes to power homes by wind farm by 2030. |
| B．Britain takes the lead in using sustainable new energy. |
| C．Britain calls on the world to accelerate offshore energy. |
| D．Britain is expected to mainly use wind energy by 2030. |
