1 . “Tomorrow we will see the Golden Gate Bridge,” said Peter. “I have never seen a golden bridge before.”
Peter's father smiled, but said nothing.
The next morning, his father took Peter to the bridge. Peter first saw it from far away. How big it looked! But then he saw the bridge was red!
“The bridge isn't golden!” he said. “Why is it called the Golden Gate Bridge?”
“It isn't named for its color,” said his father. “It is named for the Golden Gate.”
“What is the Golden Gate?” asked Peter.
“A gate is either an opening, or the thing that closes the opening,” said his father.
“ The Golden Gate is an opening in the land. Water from the sea comes through this opening into San Francisco Bay.”
“Oh,” said Peter. “And the bridge goes over the opening. But why is the opening called the Golden Gate?”
“Years ago men came to California to look for gold,” his father said. “Many came by ship. They came into the bay through that opening. For them it was a gate to gold. They named it the Golden Gate.”
“Well,” said Peter, “I still think the bridge should look golden.”
When getting home, he sent a letter to a California paper. he said:” Red is not the right color for the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge should look golden, the way most people think it does.”
Peter sent $14.78 with his letter. “The money is to help paint the bridge gold, ” he wrote.
Many people read Peter's letter in the newspaper and things began to happen! Some people sent money. A big company gave real gold to make gold paint. A paint company made the paint.
But some people still wanted the bridge to be red!
Will the Golden Gate Bridge ever be golden? It will, if enough people feel as Peter does. How do you feel about it?
1. Why did father smile when hearing his son’s words?| A．His son had never seen a red bridge before. |
| B．His son was too delighted to visit the bridge. |
| C．His son was about to see the bridge tomorrow. |
| D．His son misunderstood the color of the bridge. |
| A．The color of the bridge. |
| B．The shape of the bridge. |
| C．The location of the bridge. |
| D．The function of the bridge. |
| A．Astonished. | B．Puzzled. |
| C．Determined. | D．Frustrated. |
| A．A firm made a gold paint by using real gold. |
| B．The government painted the bridge golden. |
| C．Some people were against the change of the color. |
| D．Some people raised money for the golden bridge. |
2 . CHRISTMAS LANE
Tuesday, December 19, 6:00pm
Florida Strawberry Festival Agricultural Show Center Building
2508 WOAK AVE., PLANT CITY, FL 33563
Santa and Mrs. Claus greet you at this holiday occasion with giant toy soldiers and a 14-toot reindeer, Christmas castle, face painting, children’s performers and decoration-making.
Price: $5; $3, ages 4-12; 3 and younger free.
Phone: (813) 478-0494
HOLIDAYS AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Tuesday, December 19, 8:00 pm
Universal Orlando
6000 UNIVERSAL BLVD, ORLANDO, FL 32819
Get into the holiday spirit at Universal Studios with the Macy’s Holiday march including balloons and floats, Santa and the Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular live stage show based on the Dr. Seuss classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Price: $ 105, $100 child.
Phone: 1-800-837-2273
SEAWORLD'S CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
Wednesday, December 20, 9:00 am
Sea World
7007 SEAWORLD DRIVE, ORLANDO, FL 32821
Sea World’s celebration welcomes guests with everything from a sparkling (闪亮的) Sea of Trees, classic holiday tunes, an ice skating show, a Christmas market, Elmo’s Christmas
Wish show and a special Shamu’s Christmas-Miracles show. Remains open until 10 pm with extended hours on New Year’s Eve.
Price: $99, $94 ages 3-9.
Phone: (800)327-2424
CHRISTMAS IN THE WILD
Wednesday, December 20, 9：30 am
Lowry Park Zoo
Editor’s pick
1101 W SLIGH AVE, TAMPA, FL 33604
The animals come out at night for the zoo’s new holiday party with carolers (唱圣歌者), costumed characters, performers, a Christmas tree, holiday treats, music and photo chances with Santa. $21.95 after 4 pm on event days.
Price: $29.95, $27.95 seniors, $22.95 ages 3-11, 2 and younger free.
Phone: (813)935-8552
1. How much should a couple going to Christmas Lane with a child aged 6 and one aged 3 pay?| A．$10. | B．$12. |
| C．$13. | D．$16. |
| A．Create giant toys. | B．Learn drawing. |
| C．Visit art shows. | D．Watch classic plays. |
| A．It lasts a week long. |
| B．It aims at environmental protection. |
| C．People with art gift are especially welcome. |
| D．People can buy Christmas-themed products there. |
| A．Christmas Lane. | B．Christmas In The Wild. |
| C．Holidays At Universal Studios. | D．Sea World’s Christmas Celebration. |
3 . There are many differences between British English and American English. I used to teach a course about the differences between the two. We speak English on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean but we have many differences in our common language. We have examples of the same words having very different meanings, differing spellings of the same words as well as completely different words for the same things. Here are some examples.
A cookie in the US is called a biscuit in the UK. A biscuit in the US is a small cake in the UK. Crisps in the UK, are known as chips, but we British people eat a plate of chips that you call fries in the US. In the UK, a pie can be made from either meat or fruit, while in the US pies are normally made from fruit; pot pies are made from meat. Most things are measured in grams and kilograms in the US, not pounds and ounces.
One very obvious difference is the side of the road we each choose to drive on. Petrol in the UK is gas in the US. The place where we fill up our cars, in the UK, is a garage; while in the US, it’s a gas station. The term garage is also used as a place to store your car next to or close by your house. In the UK we call a lorry what is known as a truck in the US.
An elevator in the US is called a lift here, and the first floor in the US, is called the ground floor here, so many visitors get off on the wrong floor in British hotels.
I could continue with this. There are countless examples of differences within our one shared language. With so many differences, no wonder it’s hard to understand each other well.
1. The passage is mainly about the differences between British English and American English in____.| A．vocabulary | B．grammar |
| C．sound | D．spelling |
| A．a driver from the US. |
| B．a cook from the US. |
| C．a teacher from the UK. |
| D．a gas station worker from the UK. |
| A．“Elevator” is commonly used in the UK. |
| B．Pies mean the same thing in the UK and the US. |
| C．In the UK, things are measured in pounds and ounces. |
| D．British and American people drive on the same side of the road. |
4 . What’s happening?
Your guide to the best place to go in town.
The Art of the Camera
Beautiful exhibition from some of the best young photographers working today.
Stamford Hall, June 20th — 30th
Free
Film Club
Tonight’s movie at the Young People’s Film Club is the last of the series starring the Oscar-winning actor Johnny Depp. It’s the wonderful pirates of the Carbbean!
Starts 6;30 pm. Tickets £3
Winning Voices
More than 20 bands (乐队) play their best songs in a competition to win a great prize: a place in the national final and the chance to record a CD.
Stretford Student Center, 6 pm
Tickets £10 and £7.5
Streetlife Dance Group
Come and see the amazing “SDG” at the Atlas Centre. Twenty- four dancers aged between 11 and 18 show off their skills in street dancing for you.
Starts 7 pm. Tickets£15.
Young Vic Theatre
The final performance of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is tonight. This is your last chance to see this wonderful play. Don’t miss it.
Starts 8 pm. Tickets £9, £7 and £5.50
1. What can we learn about the Art of the Camera?| A．It lasts half a month | B．It shows some old photos |
| C．It is held by 24 young artists | D．It is open to the public for free |
| A．In Stamford Hall | B．At the Atlas Centre |
| C．At Young Vic Theatre | D．At Stretford Student Centre |
| A．See Romeo and Juliet | B．Watch Winning Voices |
| C．See Pirates of the Caribbean | D．Watch Streetlife Dance Group |
5 . NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce ,or possibly erase(抹去),the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
"Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering."
But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity (特质). They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
"All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.
1. The passage is mainly about ___________.
| A．a new medical invention |
| B．a new research on the pill |
| C．a way of erasing painful memories |
| D．an argument about the research on the pill |
| A．cause the brain to fix memories |
| B．stop people remembering bad experiences |
| C．prevent body producing certain chemicals |
| D．Wipe out the emotional effects of memories |
| A．people doubt the effects of the pills |
| B．the pill will stop people's bad experiences |
| C．taking the pill will do harm to people's health |
| D．the pill has probably been produced in America |
| A．Some memories can ruin people's lives. |
| B．People want to get rid of bad memories. |
| C．Experiencing bad events makes us different from others. |
| D．The pill will reduce people's sufferings from bad memories. |
