Whatsonstage.com is the UK’s biggest and best online guide to the performing arts including theatre, opera, classical music, dance and so on.
◆ The Lion King
Musical: The stage adaptation of the Disney film taken from an original African story. A young lion grows up and learns that taking over the pride requires wisdom and maturity(成熟).
Place: Lyceum Theatre, Wellington Street, London
Telephone: 0870 243 9000
Date: Friday, 18 Nov. 2015
Ticket price: ￡37.5
◆ Oliver
Musical: Dickens’ story of a boy in a London workhouse and his adventures on the way to his family. The songs include “Food glorious food”, “You’ve got to pick a pocket or two”, “Who will buy this wonderful morning”, “I am reviewing the situation” and “Consider yourself at home.”
Place: Theatre Royal, Catherine Street, London
Telephone: 020 7494 5061
Date: Thursday, 17 Nov. 2015
Ticket price: ￡25, but now save 20%
◆ Jersey Boys
Musical: It tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four seasons: the blue-collar kids from New Jersey formed a singing group and became famous. The musical features many of the group’s popular songs such as “Big girls don’t cry”, “Oh, what a night” and “Can’t take my eyes off you”.
Place: Prince Edward Theatre, Old Compton Street, London
Telephone: 0870 850 9191
Date: Saturday, 19 Nov. 2015
Ticket price: ￡22.5
◆ Alls Well That Ends Well
Play: A romantic story. Helena, daughter of a poor physician, loves Bertram, son of a Countess(女伯爵).
Place: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Park Street, London
Telephone: 020 7401 9919
Date: Sunday, 20 Nov, 2015
Ticket price: ￡40.5
1. If Mary is available on Friday, which of the following should she call to buy a ticket?
| A．0870 850 9191 | B．020 7494 5061 |
| C．0870 243 9000 | D．020 7401 9919 |
| A．Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre |
| B．Lyceum Theatre |
| C．Prince Edward Theatre |
| D．Theatre Royal |
| A．To show the importance of Whatsonstage.com |
| B．To give some information about the performing arts. |
| C．To introduce some famous English theatres. |
| D．To teach readers how to use the online guide. |
2 . The summer I turned 16, my father gave me his renewed car. It was a gift wasted on me at that age but Hannah and I could drive around our city in it.
Hannah was my best friend, a year younger but much taller, very attractive. That summer she signed with a modeling agency. She had already started her work in fashion show.
A month after my birthday, Hannah and I went to a movie. On the way home, we stopped at the McDonald's drive-through, putting the fries on the seat between us to share. Then we decided to ride around awhile. Taking a turn too fast, I hit a neighbor's wall and drove into a full-grown tree.
An impossible amount of blood on Hannah's face. They took us in separate ambulances. I'd broken my cheekbone, and Hannah's forehead was badly scarred( 留疤痕 ). In the emergency room, my parents spoke quietly, " Best plastic( 整形的 ) surgeon in the city for Hannah. " End of Hannah's modeling career.
I didn't know what I could say to Hannah. When her mother, Sharon, came into my hospital room, I started to cry, preparing myself for her anger.
She sat beside me and took my hand. "I hit my best friend's car when I was your age. ” She said. "I damaged her car and mine badly. You're both alive, and the rest is window dressing. ” I started to protest, and Sharon stopped me. "I forgive you. Hannah will too. ”
Sharon's forgiveness allowed Hannah and me to get back in the car together that winter, to stay friends throughout high school and college, to be in each other's weddings, and to watch my daughters play with her children. I think of her gift of forgiveness every time I feel angry at someone. And whenever I see Hannah, the scars are so faded no one else would notice, but in the sunlight I can still see it just below her hairline-for me, a mark of grace.
1. What do we know about Hannah?| A．She didn't like her birthday gift. |
| B．She had quite good driving skills. |
| C．She enjoyed a close relationship with the author |
| D．She started work in a company at the age of 16. |
| A．on their way to the cinema |
| B．attending a birthday party |
| C．driving around after a movie |
| D．buying food at the McDonald's |
| A．not so important |
| B．not easy to forget |
| C．hard to take care of |
| D．necessary in one ’ s life |
| A．Clever and calm |
| B．Caring and respectful |
| C．Understanding and forgiving |
| D．Generous and warm-hearted |
| A．The Terrible Car Accident |
| B．The Gift of Forgiveness |
| C．The Story of My Close Friend |
| D．The Meaning of True Friendship |
3 . The government of Norway is planning to build an unusual storage center on an island in the Arctic Ocean. The place would be large enough to hold about two million seeds. The goal is to represent all crops known to scientists. The British magazine New Scientist published details of the plan last month. The structure will be designed to protect the world’s food supply against nuclear war, climate change and other possible threats. It will be built in a mountain on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. The mountain is less than one thousand kilometers from the North Pole, the northernmost position on Earth.
An international group called the Global Crop Diversity Trust is working on the project. The director of the group, Cary Fowler, spoke to New Scientist. He said the project would let the world rebuild agriculture if in his words “the worst came to the worst”. Norway is expected to start work next year. The project is expected to cost three million dollars. Workers will drill deep in the side of a sandstone mountain. Temperatures in the area never rise above zero degrees Celsius. The seeds will be protected behind concrete walls a meter thick and high-security doors.
The magazine report says the collection will represent the products of ten thousand years of farming. Most of the seeds at first will come from collections at seed banks in Africa, Asia and Latin America. To last a long time, seeds need to be kept in very low temperatures. Workers will not be present all the time. But they plan to replace the air inside the storage space each winter. Winter temperatures on the island are about eighteen degrees below zero Celsius. The cold weather would protect the seeds even if the air could not be replaced.
Mr. Fowler says the proposed structure will be the world’s most secure gene bank. He says the plant seeds would only be used when all other seeds are gone for some reason.Norway first proposed the idea in the 1980s. But security concerns delayed the plan. At that time, the Soviet Union was permitted use of Spitsbergen. New Scientist says the plan won United Nations approval in October at a meeting in Rome of the Food and Agriculture Organization.
1. The project is meant to_____.| A．increase the world’s food production in the future |
| B．carry out some scientific experiments on plant genes |
| C．protect crop seeds from dying out in case of possible disasters |
| D．build an exhibition centre of the world’s plant seeds |
| A．The government of Norway will perform the project alone. |
| B．Seeds to be collected there were produced ten thousand years ago. |
| C．Spitsbergen is chosen because it is away from the threat of unclear war forever. |
| D．Temperature is a major consideration when choosing the storage place. |
| A．People will get newly-developed seeds from the center every year |
| B．The storage center will greatly promote the development of world agriculture |
| C．Norway meant to have built the storage centre more than 20 years ago |
| D．There haven’t been any seed storage centers in the world before |
| A．Noah’s Ark of Plant Seeds in Plan |
| B．The Best Place to Store Seeds |
| C．Concerns of World Food Supply |
| D．A New Way to Feed the World |
4 . Ray Tokuda,a 54-year-old Japanese American,takes pride in the title his school has already given him.He is a Shifu,a Chinese word literally meaning a master,mentor or senior practioner of martial arts.
Surely, he has reason to be proud.He has been involved with Chinese martial arts for almost 40 years.After learning them at the martial arts school in New Mexico State,he is among the most experienced kung fu teachers of the school today.
Practicing martial arts two to three hours and helping students improve their skills have become Tokuda’s daily routine.He expects to practice and teach martial arts for the rest of his life.“I’m still learning.It’s worth more than a lifetime to learn Chinese martial arts,”he said.“Once I started,I just couldn’t stop.I think it’s also the magic of Chinese culture.”
Tokuda was sent to the martial arts school when he was 10.He still remembers how unwilling he was when starting out.“I remember my father had always wanted to learn Chinese martial arts but never got the chance,so he put his kid in,”he said.“I was so afraid at that time because I thought kung fu was all about fighting.”
But things changed after he learned that martial arts were more than punching and kicking.
“One of the things martial arts teach me is to overcome adversity,”Tokuda said.“As a little kid,my first lesson was like,oh,look,this is a thing that I can get through by diligence,perseverance（毅力）and dedication,and that was priceless for my life.”
Learning Chinese martial arts opened a gateway for him to better understand the culture of China.
Meanwhile,Tokuda has also been invited to various events in his home state to showcase traditional Chinese culture,including the dragon dance and lion dance,which he also learnt at the martial arts school.Because of this,he is now considered a cultural envoy(使者)in the eyes of the public.
1. At first,Tokuda weren’t willing to learn kung fu because he had thought it was______.| A．practical | B．magical | C．violent | D．difficult |
| A．He learnt martial arts from his mother. |
| B．He is the founder of the kung fu school. |
| C．He learnt from martial arts how to solve difficulties. |
| D．He is the most experienced kung fu teacher of his state. |
| A．Modest and friendly. |
| B．Persevering and devoted. |
| C．Talented and humorous. |
| D．Motivated and considerate. |
5 . Drive south from San Francisco on scenic Highway One to the once sleepy beach town of Half Moon Bay, where you’ll find Francis Beach, part of the Half Moon Bay State Beaches. With summertime water temperatures ranging from 13 to 18 degrees, a wet suit for swimming and surfing is a must. Although it’s often foggy, on clear days you can see out to Pillar Point Harbor, a wonderful fishing site.
Rent a sea kayak(小艇) from Half Moon Bay Kayak Co, the first kayak company in the country to equip their boats with a GPS tracking device(装置). You can rent such a sea kayak and you will be at perfect surf wave,Mavericks($15 per hour; www.hmbkayak,com).
Hikers and runners will enjoy the gentle wind along the waterfront seaside path,connecting several beaches, or at the paths of Pursima Cree Redwoods Open Space Preserve in the hills above town.
Where to eat: Stay by the Half Moon Bay Brewery for high quality dishes, made with locally grown ingredients, or go back with the locals and a Maverick’s Amber Ale on the waterfront deck(www.hmbbrewingco.com).
Where to stay: For five-star expensive hotels, check into the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay (from $305, www.ritzcarlton.com/resorts/half _moon_bay/). Enjoy the open-air dishes in the comfort of the new Ocean Terrace Restaurant overlooking the sea and be sure to enroll(使加入)the kids in the year-round Rita Kids program. For even more open-air living, book one of the 52 seaside campsites at Francis Beach’s state campground. In April, the campsite equipment was renewed and now includes hot showers ($25 a night; www.reserveamerica.com).
1. This text is mainly written for_________.| A．Tourists who want to travel to Francis Beach |
| B．People who are interested in American geography |
| C．Kids who enjoy the year-around Ritz Kids program |
| D．Hikers and runners wishing to enjoy the sea breezes along the beach |
a.Swimming b. surfing c. hiking d. fishing e.enjoying the open-air dishes f. enrolling the kids in the Ritz Kids program
| A．a,b,c,e | B．b, c, d, e | C．a, b, e, f | D．c, d, e, f |
| A．There were no campsite facilities at Francis Beach’s state campground before April. |
| B．Only Half Moon Bay Kayak Co has boats equipped with a GPS tracking device |
| C．You don’t have to pay for camping at Francis Beach’s state campground. |
| D．Half Moon Bay used to be an unknown beach town |
| A．www.hmbkayak.com | B．www.hmbbrewingco.com |
| C．www.ritzcarlton.com | D．www.reserveamerica.com |
| A．Enjoy Your Visit on Francis Beach. | B．Eat on Francis Beach |
| C．Travel to Francis Beach with a Kayak. | D．Enjoy Beautiful Scenery of San Francisco. |
6 . It is very common that many students complain they lack concentration. For example ,“I can’t concentrate.” “My mind wanders when I try to study.”
We all have the ability to concentrate. Think of the times when you were attracted to a super novel or the times when you were playing your guitar or piano. But at other times your mind races from one thing to another. Here are some tips.
Rest from time to time. Remember to take short breaks. Lectures are usually 50 minutes long, and that’s about the length of time most people can direct their attention to one task. But that’s just an average. Your concentration time might be shorter (20-35 minutes) or longer (perhaps 90 minutes). When you take a break, you get more oxygen to your brain! When we sit for long periods, blood tends to be pooled in our lower body and legs. Get up and walk around the room for a couple of minutes. As a result, more oxygen is carried to the brain and you can concentrate better.
If you study one subject for a long time, you may find it hard to concentrate. Many students improve their concentration by changing one subject to another every one to two hours. In this way you can pay more attention to something that’s different.
Reward yourself. Give yourself a reward when you’ve completed a task. The task might be small, such as staying with a difficult paper until you’ve finished. But giving yourself a reward can help you be more interested in doing other tasks.
Increase your activity level. Your concentration wanders more easily if you just read an article straight through. Instead, take the heading for each part and turn it into a question. For this part, that would be, “How can I increase my activity level while studying?” Then study that part to answer that question. Do this routinely. The questions give us a focus for each part and increase our involvement (参与).
1. According to Paragraph 3, what’s the purpose of walking around?| A．To help us stay fit. |
| B．To provide the brain with more oxygen |
| C．To benefit our lower body. |
| D．To increase our concentration time to 90 minutes. |
| A．Study for one hour each time. |
| B．Do something difficult. |
| C．Change subjects. |
| D．Study in different ways. |
| A．we just read the heading of some articles |
| B．we do our best to read an article straight through |
| C．we ask other people questions about the article we are reading |
| D．we ask ourselves questions about what we are reading |
| A．encourage us to try to concentrate |
| B．give us the reasons for a lack of concentration |
| C．teach us how to concentrate while studying |
| D．list the benefits we can get from concentration |
7 . Is there any evidence that the standard of English as a foreign language has improved in the years since the Second World War? Naturally, as it is the world language, more and mere people are taught it and use it. But do they speak it or write it or understand it better than their patents’ or grandparents’ generations?
Have standards declined? There is no objective way of answering this question. Tests of the traditional sort — compositions, precis writing, and so on — have always been subjective, so they cannot be used to judge whether people have got better or not over the years. But so-called objective tests are useless as a measure of progress too. They have not been used consistently (一贯的) in the same “concentration” over the period they have been in use, so there is no way of comparing exams “now” and “then”. Moreover, usually in the form of multiple choice questions, they do not, by and large, test the things that really count in mastering a language. Even comprehension is a partly “creative” activity in real life, as we have to think of possible meanings for ourselves rather than have them suggested for us from outside. And people can be trained in the techniques of multiple choice, while others fail the tests because they have been led astray (离开正道) precisely by their “suggestive” nature, so they are not really objective at all. We are left with only personal impression to go on.
My own is that, if anything, standards have declined somewhat in the last thirty or forty years, despite all the new theories, tools and techniques that have been developed. I am not alone in this judgment. In Sweden, for instance, Professors Johannes Hedberg and Gustav Korlen, two of the most experienced workers in the field; have on several occasions drawn attention to the lack of progress in the teaching of foreign languages since the late fifties. Yet Sweden is a sophisticated (先进的) society with extremely high educational and academic standards, and very concerned not to be cut off from the rest of the world. If such a country cannot achieve advances in the study of foreign languages, it is unlikely that many, if any, others have done so.
Japan is another community where remarkably little progress has been made in the learning of English. It is probably as important for Japan as for Sweden to master that language, and there is much academic effort put into linguistic (语言学的) research of various kinds. Yet the average standard of language learning is abysmally low, particularly for such a highly literate and educated society. This is no doubt in part the result of a vicious circle (恶性循环): many of the professors of English at Japanese universities are themselves incapable of speaking or writing or even understanding the language well.
1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the author?| A．Multiple choice questions are objective because people cannot be trained any techniques. |
| B．Sweden emphasizes the teaching of English without paying attention to other countries. |
| C．We have to depend on our own impression to judge the English standards. |
| D．Compositions are useful to test people’s English ability because people have to write out their viewpoints. |
| A．the people who design the tests are changing constantly |
| B．the tests do not always focus on the same thing |
| C．the way of scoring is not scientific |
| D．they contain too many reading comprehension questions |
| A．negative | B．indifferent (漠不关心的) |
| C．sympathetic | D．positive |
8 . To the book lovers, nothing beats walking through a bookshop and looking at all the covers, picking large heavy books up and turning them over, the smell of ink on paper, conversations with strangers about authors. With the coming of the online book buying and e-books, many have predicted(预测) that the bookstores will disappear. And we’re grateful that there are plenty of beautiful bookstores still out there.
El Ateneo Grand Splendid
Designed for Max Glucksmann, a pioneer of the music and film industries, this wonderful theater space was opened in 1919. The former theater now serves as a flagship store; more than 1 million people visit El Ateneo Grand Splendid every year.
The Book Barge
The Book Barge is a 60-foot canal boat bookshop. Inspired by the Slow Food movement, the operator Sarah Henshaw says, “We hope to help develop a less hurried lifestyle of leisurely (慢悠悠的) pleasures, cups of tea, conversations, culture and something like these.”
Selexyz Dominicanen
For those who regard bookstores with great respect, welcome to Selexyz Dominicanen, which now offers many kinds of books. The big space was used to store bicycles not long ago. But then the building was given interior (内部的) decoration, and the result is really a great surprise.
La Caverne aux Livres
Few things make as romantic a pairing as books and trains. At La Caverne aux Livres in Auvers-sur-Oise, northwestern of Paris, an old postal train station and several train cars have become home to used books for sale. Visitors often spend hours looking at them, surrounded by an atmosphere (氛围) of old letters and dreams of faraway places.
1. What do the book lovers care much about in bookstores?| A．Getting certain experiences. | B．Having many more choices. |
| C．Getting the best service. | D．Finding the latest bestsellers. |
| A．El Ateneo Grand Splendid. | B．La Caverne aux Livres. |
| C．The Book Barge. | D．Selexyz Dominicanen. |
| A．It is set up on a boat. | B．It is a car-themed bookstore. |
| C．Its decoration style is modern. | D．It mainly sells second-hand books. |
9 . I was driving down the road the other day, listening to sweet music coming out of my car radio. My heart felt peaceful, my mind was clear, and my soul was full of love. Even with all its problems: life seemed good. Then the music stopped and the news came on. There was talk of another famous millionaire in drug rehab (康复) after an incident with the police. There was news on the murder of a poor man whose life was supposed to be changed after winning the lottery. There was even a discussion on how much greed and excess (放肆) had damaged our world.
Every story seemed to point once again to the old saying that money can't buy happiness. Hearing them made me think of a movie I saw many years ago on Mother Teresa's home for the dying in India. What struck me most when I watched it wasn't the unbearable poverty there. It wasn't the sickness and suffering that the people there were going through. It was rather the peaceful smiles of love, kindness, and happiness that they shared with the Sisters and with each other. These people had nothing. Many were struggling at the end of death. Yet, they knew the simple truth that so many of us here are still learning: Joy is Free.
We can have joy and spread joy every day of our life here. Don't love or admire dollar signs and think that money will bring you happiness then. Joy can't be purchased. It can't be owned. It can only be chosen and then given freely to others. In the eyes of eternity (永恒), money is only worthless paper. The only thing that matters is the love within you and the love that you give to the world. Make that your legacy (遗产) and your life will forever be rich in joy.
1. According to the first paragraph, we can know that______.| A．the author was very lighthearted that day |
| B．the poor man's life was improved greatly due to the lottery |
| C．the author has a habit of driving while listening to music |
| D．the millionaire was put in prison for taking drugs |
| A．it was about Mother Teresa's contributions |
| B．it left the author a deep impression |
| C．people in it were very kind and happy |
| D．people in it were extremely poor and suffering |
| A．Give your fortune to your coming generations |
| B．Treat your fortune as very valuable things |
| C．Pass your joy on to your coming generations |
| D．Have joy and spread joy to people around you |
| A．Business. | B．Culture. |
| C．Life. | D．Entertainment. |
10 . Color is considered one of the most useful and powerful design tools you have. People respond to different colors in different ways. Colors tell someone if you are friendly. In the same way they affect whether someone will continue clicking through your website. Colors determine if someone will start reading your article in a magazine or post on your website.
Colors also help to keep people involved on your website and determine how long they stay. Of course that’s not just about the content. Colors also influence how people will respond and behave.
The next time you go into a fast-food restaurant, look closely at the colors. Do they decorate with vivid reds and oranges because they encourage diners to eat and leave quickly like many of the fast-food establishments(企业)？That is exactly the response they want.
Different cultures have different attitudes and preferences; thus, they will have another color reaction. In China, “white” stands for death and in Brazil, it is the color purple while in America it is black. People from warm countries respond favorably to warm colors; people from colder climates prefer cooler colors. In America, green is associated with jealousy or money. Blue (the most popular) is associated with trust, responsibility, belonging and coolness.
This also means that color affects shopping habits. Different colors attract different kinds of customers. Red, orange, black and royal blue attract impulse(冲动的)buyers. Pink, light blue and navy attract smart budget shoppers. There is really a lot into it. To experience this, why not click on the following large companies’ websites that have spent the funds on this type of research now?
1. This passage mainly tells us ______| A．what colors mean to people in different countries. |
| B．colors affect people in many different countries. |
| C．which kind of color does good to people’s health. |
| D．a good website should have as many kinds of colors as possible. |
| A．Reds and oranges in a restaurant will make you stay there longer. |
| B．In Brazil, the color purple is associated with death. |
| C．People from warm countries will like cooler colors better. |
| D．People’s shopping habits will not be affected by colors |
| A．To offer some large companies’ websites. |
| B．To introduce what colors mean in different countries. |
| C．To tell us how to use colors in our daily life. |
| D．To give more examples about successful restaurants. |
