1 . Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea. People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches.
Tea remained rare and very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it.
At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea. Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added. She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was such a great lady her friends thought they must copy everything she did, so they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk.
At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening. No one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o'clock stopped her getting “a sinking feeling” as she called it. She invited her friends to have this new meal with her, and so tea-time was born.
1. Which of the following is true of the introduction of tea into Britain?| A．The Britons got expensive tea from India. |
| B．Tea reached Britain from Holland. |
| C．The Britons were the first people in Europe who drank tea. |
| D．It was not until the 17th century that the Britons had tea. |
| A．How tea-time was born in Holland. |
| B．The history of tea drinking in Britain. |
| C．How tea became a popular drink in France. |
| D．How the Britons got the habit of drinking afternoon tea. |
| A．In the eighteenth century. | B．In the sixteenth century. |
| C．In the seventeenth century. | D．In the late seventeenth century. |
| A．It tasted like milk. |
| B．It was good for health. |
| C．It became a popular drink. |
| D．They tried to copy the way Madame de Sevigne drank tea. |
2 . Don’t let the heat keep you away from New Orleans. For one thing, the hotel rates are the lowest they’ll be all year. For another, with wonderful events, you’ll barely notice the heat. Come and see what we’re all about in summer.
FESTIGALS
Festigals is an annual festival that celebrates, and supports women of all backgrounds and causes related to women’s well-being. It features a variety of New Orleans-themed activities, designed for women and by women. It usually includes famous female speakers.
DATES: June 5-7, 2020
RED DRESS RUN
The run usually begins in French Quarter, although the exact location is only announced to those who registered. The runners, with drinks in hand, continue their route through the French Quarter and spend the rest of the day celebrating. Participants can sign up online on the official website. Registration usually includes donations to local charities, and beers for the run. You must be 21 or older to participate.
DATE: August 8, 2020
PRICE $65
RUNNING OF THE BULLS
Instead of running from real bulls, New Orleanians gather in the traditional colors of Spain’s bull run and chase runners with plastic bats on their rollerblades (旱冰鞋). Thousands of runners gather early in the morning in Downtown to participate in the run, wearing all white with a bit of red.
DATES: July 10-12, 2020
NOLA CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL
This year’s festival has expanded to two weekends, taking place June 19-21 and June 24-28. Guests can enjoy live music performances, local chefs, kids activities, salsa dancing and more. While the official fest takes place June 26-28, there’s plenty to do leading up to and following Caribbean Fest. To learn more about this year’s fest, visit here.
1. What is special about Festigals?| A．It shows great concern for females. |
| B．It features New Orleans’ local food. |
| C．It is celebrated in hot summer. |
| D．It is open to women only. |
| A．Runners have to run all day long. |
| B．Runners can sign up on the spot. |
| C．There is an age limit for runners. |
| D．It provides free food and drinks. |
| A．FESTIGALS. |
| B．RED DRESS RUN. |
| C．RUNNING OF THE BULLS. |
| D．NOLA CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL. |
3 . Phrases like “good sharing!” and “great job on the slide!” echo across American playgrounds. Coaches pass out ribbons to every participant. Scholar publishes a series called “I’m Special!” assuring readers that the ability to play with friends and sing songs makes them special indeed.
We’ve been told that high self-esteem is the key to children’s happiness and success, and we’ve been praising and protecting them ever since. But has the self-esteem movement gone too far? Many experts argue that instead of raising healthy high achievers, maybe we’re raising a generation of narcissists(自我陶醉者). “Our old concepts of self-esteem(自尊) are old-fashioned, and parents need to send the concept to the trash heap of all things outdated and useless,” says Aaron Cooper, co-author of I Just Want My Kids to be Happy.
While experts used to blame low self-esteem for everything from bad grades to criminal behavior, research has shown that inflated (膨胀的)self-esteem is more often the criminal. An article called “Rethinking Self-Esteem” by Roy made a stir when he supposed that criminals and drug abusers actually had higher self-esteem than the general population. Martin and Ervin found that the modern habit of constant praise was turning kids skeptical and unmotivated. And esteemed child development expert T. Barry recently wrote in The New York Times that the phrase “self-esteem” had lost its meaning. Parents just want their children to have a positive self-image. And while it’s easy to make fun of the extremes of the self-esteem movement, it’s difficult to walk the fine line between acquiring self-respect and self-centeredness.
Anyway, make it clear that while you have expectations for their behavior, you love and accept them unconditionally. True self-esteem isn’t about a steady stream of applause; it develops when children know their limits and responsibilities, are given enough opportunities to challenge themselves, and feel secure that they’re loved even when they fail.
1. What’s the purpose of using phrases like “good sharing!” and “great job on the slide!”?| A．To attract readers’ attention. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To give the author’s opinion. | D．To tell readers the key to happiness and success. |
| A．Children with high esteem are likely to be high achievers. |
| B．In children’s development high self-esteem plays a positive role. |
| C．High self-esteem makes kids motivated nowadays. |
| D．High self-esteem does harm to kids in a way. |
| A．give them constant praise unconditionally. |
| B．let them shoulder all their responsibilities. |
| C．offer them support even though they fail. |
| D．have high expectations for their behavior. |
| A．Subjective. | B．Positive. |
| C．Objective. | D．Negative |
4 . Have you heard about Post Office Cats in Britain? They are mouse hunters. The post office has actually employed cats since 1868. They are not employed to sort or deliver mail, of course, but to protect the mail and keep the population of mice under control. They make sure your morning post arrives free from damages caused by rats and mice.
London post offices were the first to try out the experiment. Within a few months the population of mice had shrunk sharply. Other post offices all over the country were soon using cats in the war against rats and mice as well. Within ten years the pay of the cats was improved from one and a half old pence a day to six or nine pence a day. Now the average rate of pay is about a few pounds a month.
Some of the hard-working cats have become quite famous. In 1980, a cat named Lucky stopped an attempted robbery in a Worcestershire post office on her own. As the two burglars made their way in through the window, Lucky started an attack and they fled empty-handed. Another excellent cat was Jerry, of Earls Court post office in London. He served the building for 16 years and was on duty for 24 hours every day. He drove all the mice away.
However, there are fewer cats employed by the post office than at any time in the past. With the faster movement of the mail and better surroundings, post office cats are not always needed. But many post offices still employ them and they become great friends with the postmen. According to the post office, there is no plan for their services to be discontinued in the foreseeable future.
1. Cats were introduced to British post offices to ________.| A．help sort and deliver mails and papers |
| B．guard the building against thieves |
| C．keep mails and papers undamaged |
| D．search for certain dangers in mails |
| A．decreased | B．increased | C．narrowed | D．expanded |
| A．She served the post office for 16 years around the clock. |
| B．She alone drove two burglars away from the post office. |
| C．She protected mails from being bitten by mice. |
| D．She was employed to sort and deliver mail. |
| A．the duty of the cats has been replaced by machines |
| B．all the post offices are now completely mice free |
| C．cats are now considered of little use in post offices |
| D．cats will still be seen in service for quite a long time |
