1 . When visitors to the Palace Museum feel a need to sit down for a cup of tea or find a bathroom without a long line, they soon will be able to turn to their smart phones for the information they need.
This modern day solution comes thanks to an agreement signed on Friday by the museum and Huawei Co., the telecommunication giant, to build a “smart network” using 5G technology. Under the agreement, 5G Wi-Fi signals will cover the Palace Museum, China's royal palace from 1420 to 1911, and the branch museum of the institution under construction in northwestern Beijing.
“It’s essential to always stay close to the latest technology to better serve the public,” said Shan Jixiang, former director of the Palace Museum. Shan said there is still much room for improvement in the handling of a huge number of cultural relics (文物)，such as when the priceless painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival is exhibited again in the future. When it was last exhibited in 2015, visitors stood in long lines until 3 am to get a glimpse. The museum ended up preparing instant noodles to serve the hungry visitors. “I don't want that scenario to reoccur," Shan said. “Our operation can be done in a more scientific way.
The new system will also make use of the closed--circuits television cameras that are set up all over the Palace Museum to safeguard the museum's precious relics. More than 1.86 million of them are housed at the museum, which recorded nearly 20 million visits from the public last year, topping all museums worldwide. “How can we make sure no single visitor who might have evil ideas threatens these treasures?" Shan said. “After adopting the internet of things, we can instantly detect any motion involving the artifacts to prevent such threats.”
The 5G network also will be used to improve remote consultation through webcams, which will facilitate conversations with overseas scholars to jointly find the best answers for restoration and preservation issues.
1. What do we know about the Palace Museum?| A．Its visitors won't have to queue up for the bathroom. |
| B．It has served as China's royal palace for over 500 years. |
| C．It will cooperate with Huawei to promote its management. |
| D．It will set up advanced television cameras for the purpose of safety. |
| A．Disaster. | B．Situation. | C．Operation. | D．Exhibition. |
| A．It is better than any other museums. | B．It has a rich collection of cultural relics. |
| C．It enjoys great popularity all over the world. | D．It faces a tough challenge of protecting relics. |
| A．A Feast for Museum Visitors | B．A Revolution in Exhibition |
| C．A Protector of Cultural Relics | D．A Connection Between Old and New |
2 . We are the products of evolution, and not just evolution that occurred billions of years ago. As scientists look deeper into our genes (基因), they are finding examples of human evolution in just the past few thousand years. People in Ethiopian highlands have adapted to living at high altitudes. Cattle -raising people in East Africa and northern Europe have gained a mutation (突变) that helps them digest milk as adults.
On Thursday in an article published in Cell, a team of researchers reported a new kind of adaptation - not to air or to food, but to the ocean. A group of sea-dwelling people in Southeast Asia have evolved into better divers. The Bajau, as these people are known, number in the hundreds of thousands in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. They have traditionally lived on houseboats; in recent times, they’ve also built houses on stilts (支柱) in coastal waters. “They are simply a stranger to the land,” said Redney C. Jubilado, a University of Hawaii researcher who studies the Bajau.
Dr. Jubilado first met the Bajau while growing up on Samal Island in the Philippines. They made a living as divers, spearfishing or harvesting shellfish. “We were so amazed that they could stay underwater much longer than us local islanders,” Dr. Jubilado said. “I could see them actually walking under the sea.”
In2015, Melissa Ilardo, then a graduate student in genetics at the University of Copenhagen, heard about the Bajau. She wondered if centuries of diving could have led to the evolution of physical characteristics that made the task easier for them. “it seemed like the perfect chance for natural selection to act on a population,” said Dr. Ilardo. She also said there were likely a number of other genes that help the Bajau dive.
1. What does the author want to tell us by the examples in paragraph 1?| A．Environmental adaptation of cattle raisers. | B．New knowledge of human evolution. |
| C．Recent findings of human origin. | D．Significance of food selection. |
| A．In valleys. | B．Near rivers. | C．On the beach. | D．Off the coast. |
| A．They could walk on stilts all day. | B．They had a superb way of fishing. |
| C．They could stay long underwater. | D．They lived on both land and water. |
| A．Bodies Remodeled for a Life at Sea | B．Highlanders’ Survival Skills |
| C．Basic Methods of Genetic Research | D．The World’s Best Divers |
3 . The Lake District Attractions Guide
Dalemain Mansion & Historic Gardens
History, Culture & Landscape(景观). Discover and enjoy 4 centuries of history, 5 acres of celebrated and award-winning gardens with parkland walk. Owned by the Hasell family since 1679, home to the International Marmalade Festival. Gifts and antiques, plant sales, museums & Mediaeval Hall Tearoom.
Open:29 Mar-29 Oct，Sun to Thurs.Tearoom，Gardens & Gift Shop:10:30-17:00(16:00 in Oct).
House:11:15-16:00(15:00 in Oct)
Town: Pooley Bridge & PenrithAbbot Hall art Gallery & Museum
Those viewing the quality of Abbot Hall’s temporary exhibitions may be forgiven for thinking they are in a city gallery. The impressive permanent collection includes Turners and Romneys and the temporary exhibition programme has Canaletto and the artists from St Ives.
Open: Mon to Sat and Summer Sundays. 10:30 -17:00 Summer.10:30 -16:00 Winter.Town: Kendal
Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery
Discover, explore and enjoy award-winning Tullie House, where historic collections, contemporary art and family fun are brought together in one impressive museum and art gallery. There are four fantastic galleries to visit from fine art to interactive fun, so there’s something for everyone!
Open: High Season 1 Apr – 31 Oct: Mon to Sat 10:00 – 17:00, Sun 11:00 – 17:00.Low Season 1 Nov – 31 Mar: Mon to Sat 10:00 – 16:30, Sun 12:00 – 16:30.
Town: CarlisleDove Cottage & The wordsworth Museum
Discover William Wordsworth’s inspirational home. Take a tour of his Lakeland cottage, walk through his hillside garden and explore the riches of the collection in the Museum. Visit the shop and relax in the café. Exhibitions, events and family activities throughout the year.
Open: Daily, 09:30 – 17:30 (last admission 17:00).
Town: Grasmere
1. When is the House at Dalemain Mansion & Historic Gardens open on Sundays in July?| A．09:30-17:30. | B．10:30-16:00. | C．11:15-16:00. | D．12:00-16:30 |
| A．Enjoy Romney’s works. |
| B．Have some interactive fun. |
| C．Attend a famous festival. |
| D．Learn the history of a family |
| A．Penrith. | B．Kendal. | C．Carlisle. | D．Grasmere. |
4 . The Torch Festival (火把节) is a traditional festival which is celebrated among some ethnic groups in southwestern China, such as the Yi, Bai, Hani, Lisu, and Lahu, etc. It usually falls on the 24th or 25th of June, with three days of celebrations. The festival came from worship (崇拜) of fire by ancestors (祖先). For some ethnic groups, it’s a tradition in the festival for elders to share farming experience with young people and educate them about taking care of crops.
During the festival, big torches are made to stand in all villages, with small torches placed in front of the door of each house. When night falls, the torches are lit and the villages are bright. At the same time, people walk around the fields and houses, holding small torches and placing the torches in the field corners. Inside the villages, young people are singing and dancing around the big torches that keep burning throughout the night. Other activities like horse races are also held during the festival.
In a horse race of the Yi people in Yunnan, torches are used to form hurdles for riders to get through. The Hani people in Yunnan traditionally tie fruits to torches with strings. When the strings are broken after the torches are lit, people struggle for the fruits for good luck.
For the Lisu people in Sichuan, the festival is an occasion for holding torch parades. Big torches are carried by teams of people, which is like a fire dragon. If different teams meet, it’s a tradition to exchange the big torches with one another.
1. What can we know about the Torch Festival from the first paragraph?| A．It has nothing to do with farming. |
| B．Its celebrations usually last two days. |
| C．It is a traditional festival of all China. |
| D．It is a festival to show worship of fire. |
| A．ancestors. | B．young people. |
| C．elders. | D．ethnic groups. |
| A．Why the festival is enjoyed. | B．Where the festival is celebrated. |
| C．How the festival is celebrated. | D．What torches are used for the festival. |
| A．Holding torch parades. | B．Tying fruits to torches with strings. |
| C．Struggling for fruits for good luck. | D．Using torches as hurdles for a horse race. |
5 . My family moved to St. Paul, Minnesota last year, where the average winter temperature is around 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Once summer ended, everyone went inside to play ice hockey. I’d been on the ice only a couple of times when I was much younger. When I’d fallen and broken my wrist during my second lesson, I’d decided never to put on ice skates again.
Ben, the friend I made in the new city, volunteered to teach me to skate. Even though he was very patient, I was so embarrassed by my clumsiness that I began to make up excuses for not skating.
One day I discovered a faster route home. It took me past a large frozen pond. I noticed a woman teaching a young girl to skate. The girl was attempting to jump and spin in the air.
Over and over, she pushed off the ground with the toe of her skate. And over and over, she landed hard on the ice.
After I had been watching the girl practice for about a week, one afternoon she suddenly lifted off the ground, spun in the air, and landed on her feet!
The next day I bought myself some brand new skates. Every day on the way home I stopped at the pond and wobbled onto the ice, right next to the girl who had landed her jump. As she perfected her twists and tricks, I taught myself to glide and turn. It was hard being a beginner, and when I fell I had to fight the urge to simply give up. Instead, every time I went down, I just picked myself up and started over again. Soon I was able to keep my balance and skate more confidently. In just a few weeks, I was actually ready to practice the speed skating, fast stops, and quick turns needed for ice hockey. When I was finally ready to show Ben my newfound skating ability, he told me I should join the local hockey league. I tried out and was chosen for a team. By the end of the season, I was part of a winning team.
1. What can we learn about the author?| A．He learned skating from the girl. |
| B．He preferred ice hockey to skating. |
| C．He had once given up learning skating. |
| D．He moved to a new city without summer. |
| A．To prove the girl was skillful. |
| B．To suggest the girl inspired him. |
| C．To show the girl was a quick learner. |
| D．To explain how he came across the girl. |
| A．easy and basic | B．hard but rewarding |
| C．boring and tiring | D．strict but interesting |
| A．All roads lead to Rome. |
| B．One is never too old to learn. |
| C．One good turn deserves another. |
| D．Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. |
6 . I’m a happy mother of two wonderful kids. My daughter is Blanca Ramirez. She’s 14 years old right now, but at the age of 11, she began to do long-distance running, she knew she could do more than just run, so she decided to run for a charity.
She ran for Operation Smile. It is a non-profit organization that helps children worldwide suffering from cleft lip or cleft palate (唇腭裂) at no charge. At Operation Smile they believe every such child deserves exceptional surgical (外科的) care.
My daughter believes that no child should be without a smile, so to help even more, she took her running even further. She went on a journey on becoming the youngest female in the world to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in the name of Operation Smile. She did so in order to raise money and awareness to this organization. And she completed her journey by age 12 on February 19, 2015.
But she’s not done. She now continues to help inspire others by running. One person she has inspired so much is her little brother Jordan. He is 7 years old and has run to this day, 105×5k’s, 11×10k’s & 4×half marathons. He will be running all 7 continents too along with Blanca, starting in November 2017 in Australia.
What makes me proud is that they both plan to continue to help others in this way, and maybe one day they’ll get an Olympic medal.
1. Why did Blanca run for Operation Smile?| A．Because her mother asked her to do so. |
| B．Because the organization required her to do so. |
| C．Because her brother invited her to do it together. |
| D．Because she could make contributions to the world. |
| A．It educates them for free. |
| B．It offers them food and clothes. |
| C．It looks after them at no charge. |
| D．It operates on them free of charge. |
| A．Warm-hearted and inspirational. |
| B．Humorous and clever. |
| C．Outgoing and helpful. |
| D．Gentle and kind. |
| A．Because they exercise regularly to keep fit. |
| B．Because they try to help others by running. |
| C．Because they’ve completed four full marathons. |
| D．Because they’ll continue running to win an Olympic medal. |
7 . For Western designers, China and its rich culture have long been an inspiration for Western creative.
“It’s no secret that China has always been a source(来源) of inspiration for designers,” says Amanda Hill, chief creative officer at A+E Networks, a global media company and home to some of the biggest fashion(时尚) shows.
Earlier this year, the China Through A Looking Glass exhibition in New York exhibited 140 pieces of China-inspired fashionable clothing alongside Chinese works of art, with the aim of exploring the influence of Chinese aesthetics(美学) on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries. The exhibition had record attendance, showing that there is huge interest in Chinese influences.
“China is impossible to overlook,” says Hill. “Chinese models are the faces of beauty and fashion campaigns that sell dreams to women all over the world, which means Chinese women are not just consumers of fashion — they are central to its movement.” Of course, not only are today’s top Western designers being influenced by China—some of the best designers of contemporary fashion are themselves Chinese. “Vera Wang, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu are taking on Galliano, Albaz, Marc Jacobs—and beating them hands down in design and sales,” adds Hill.
For Hill, it is impossible not to talk about China as the leading player when discussing fashion. “The most famous designers are Chinese, so are the models, and so are the consumers,” she says. “China is no longer just another market; in many senses it has become the market. If you talk about fashion today, you are talking about China—its influences, its direction, its breathtaking clothes, and how young designers and models are finally acknowledging that in many ways.”
1. What can we learn about the exhibition in New York?| A．It promoted the sales of artworks. | B．It attracted a large number of visitors. |
| C．It showed ancient Chinese clothes. | D．It aimed to introduce Chinese models. |
| A．They are setting the fashion. | B．They start many fashion campaigns. |
| C．They admire super models. | D．They do business all over the world. |
| A．learning from | B．looking down on | C．working with | D．competing against |
| A．Young Models Selling Dreams to the World |
| B．A Chinese Art Exhibition Held in New York |
| C．Differences Between Eastern and Western Aesthetics |
| D．Chinese Culture Fueling International Fashion Trends |
