1 . Wine and beaches, fireworks and music... our readers recommend some fantastic festivals.
Festa delTUva e del Vino, Italy
Set on the beautiful shores of Lake Garda, this grapes and wine festival takes over the small town of Bardolino for four days every October. With local wines, food, art projections, fireworks and live music. people come from miles around to celebrate. First and foremost，it’s about great wine，but it’s worth visiting to soak up the great atmosphere.
Free，1-5 October
Quest festival, Vietnam
This is a weekend camping festival held just a 40-minute drive from Hanoi, bringing together locals and visitors in a celebration of underground live and electronic music culture. Held in the beautiful Son Tinh campsite, there are usually about 30 local and international DJs and 10 bands. There are also workshops, pop-up cafes, fire performances, dancing and much more.
Weekend tickets about £25, 6-8 November
Estiv al Switzerland
This is a free festival of jazz which takes place in the first weekend in July in the pretty squares and lakeside beaches and parks around the southern Swiss town of Lugano. The palm trees and summer air to see some of Europe’s up and coming jazz bands and enjoy Swiss
Free, every July
Irish Redhead Convention, County Cork
A friendly gathering for all red-haired people is held in the small seaside village of Crosshaven where redheads from all over the world take part in light hearted events. There’s live music, art exhibitions, lectures and of course the traditional Parade of Redheads through the village led by the newly crowned Redhead King and Queen.
Free, Every August
1. Jennifer, a girl with red hair, may be interested in ________.| A．Estival. | B．Quest festival. |
| C．Festa deirtlva e del Vino. | D．Irish Redhead Convention. |
| A．They offer local food. |
| B．They have fireworks. |
| C．They are free of charge. |
| D．They have music activities. |
| A．In a textbook. |
| B．In a magazine. |
| C．In a news report. |
| D．In a research paper. |
2 . If you were to throw, say, a banana skin out of your car while driving along the motorway, that would be a completely harmless action, due to the fact that it’s part of a fruit—right? Actually, no. A banana skin can take up to two years to be naturally processed, and a third of drivers confess they litter while driving, that’s a lot of thrown banana skin. An orange skin and a cigarette butt (烟蒂) have similar biodegrading (生物降解) time to that of a banana skin, but tin cans last up to 100 years; and plastic bottles last forever, as do glass bottles.
Despite the fact that longer-lasting materials will serve to damage the environment and its animals for longer, we can’t measure the danger of a certain type of rubbish by its lifetime. For example, despite having a fairly short length of biodegrading time, more than 120 tons of cigarette-related litter is thrown in the UK every day.
It’s not a cheap habit either: to keep our streets clean annually costs UK taxpayers £500 million, and when you include our green spaces, that goes up to £1 billion. So, it’s not surprising that if caught throwing rubbish, you could face a £20,000 fine or even prison time and, if you threw something dangerous, the court could give you five years to serve. Regardless of how serious these punishments might seem, however, among the reported cases only 2,000 were found guilty out of 825,000, so we still have some way to go in making sure people obey the rules.
1. What does the underlined word “confess” in Paragraph1 mean?| A．Defend. | B．Admit. |
| C．Determine. | D．Assume. |
| A．Glass bottles. | B．Tin cans. |
| C．Plastic bottles. | D．Banana skins. |
| A．The punishment for throwing rubbish illegally is rather light. |
| B．The harm of rubbish can be measured by its lifetime. |
| C．Cigarette-related litter and fruit skins can be ignored for their fairly short lifetime. |
| D．A small number of people felt guilty of illegally littering. |
| A．To call for people not to litter illegally. |
| B．To inform readers of different biodegrading terms. |
| C．To encourage people to use fewer plastic bags. |
| D．To attach significance to good behavior. |
3 . While it's not impossible for birds to fly in the rain, they usually choose not to. You may see birds fly for a few seconds in poor weather, but most of them prefer to stay put on rainy days.
Why does rain make it harder for birds to fly? You might imagine that moving through the air while being pelted by raindrops would be pretty unpleasant. However, it's not the rain itself that makes flying difficult. Instead, birds are influenced by the drop in the air pressure that comes with most rainstorms. When pressure drops, the air is less thick, which makes it harder for birds to fly. Moving through the sky in areas of low air pressure takes a lot of energy.
Most birds need to eat several times a day—rain or no rain. Luckily, most birds' feathers（羽毛）are highly waterproof（防水的）, protecting the skin beneath. Many birds can also make oil that they can spread over their feathers to further protect themselves from the rain. Most birds don't like rain. In fact, in a 2010 study, a team of researchers studied birds living in a Costa Rican rainforest. They found that the birds had higher levels of stress hormone（应激激素）on rainy days. That may not surprise you. After all, many animals feel stressed out during storms. Pet owners often find that rain and thunder make their animals nervous. Some animals are so strongly influenced by nature that they almost seem to forecast the future.
No one really knows how many birds die during a storm or series of storms. But the number is certainly higher than usual. They fly into trees or windows; they get lost over the ocean or a large lake; their food sources are made more difficult to get but, at the same time, they need more food to get warm. However, if rain continues for some time, birds will have to challenge the storm.
1. What makes it harder for birds to fly in the rain?| A．The wet air. | B．Food shortage. |
| C．Raindrops. | D．The low air pressure. |
| A．Cleaned. | B．Hit. |
| C．Frightened. | D．Protected. |
| A．Why birds can fly in the rain |
| B．How birds are influenced by rain. |
| C．How birds survive long rainy days. |
| D．Why birds' feathers are waterproof. |
| A．Birds will develop the ability to fly in the rain |
| B．Birds fly only when necessary on rainy days. |
| C．Birds have nowhere to hide in rainstorms. |
| D．Birds need less food on rainy days. |
4 . If you're British or live in a Commonwealth nation, Christmas doesn't end on December 25.The day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day, and the relaxing holiday is a chance to allow the celebration for one more restful day.
But its name has nothing to do with the sport of boxing, and unlike the popular idea, did not appear from a need to return unwanted gifts or clean up trash produced by Christmas gifting.
There are several theories as to how that charitable tradition became known as "boxing".Some historians link the use of the term to boxes of donations that were laid in churches during the pre-Christmas season of Advent in the early days of Christianity during the second and third centuries A.D.The day after Christmas, the boxes were opened and the money was given away to the poor.
Another possible story for Boxing Day has to do with a tradition that formed in 19th century Victorian England, where servants sacrificed（牺牲）time with their own families to cater to their employers on Christmas.On the day after Christmas, employers would give the servants a rare day off and send them home with leftovers from the family's Christmas feast for their service.
Though the reasons are lost to history, Boxing Day charity eventually fell out of tradition---and was replaced with physical and material pleasures.Today, the holiday is linked with sports, with major football rugby, and cricket matches and horse races taking place on December 26.
December 26 is also a big shopping day throughout the UK and the Commonwealth.The holiday kicks off what is known as " Boxing Week" , during which retailers（零售商）try to move old stock and shoppers compete for one last bargain of the year.In recent years, though, the American tradition of Black Friday---massive sales that take place the day after Thanksgiving each November---has become popular in the United Kingdom and has largely overshadowed Boxing Week.
1. What kind of festival was Boxing Day probably in the beginning?| A．A charitable festival. | B．A religious festival. |
| C．A sports festival. | D．A business festival. |
| A．Take care of. | B．Depend on. |
| C．Put up with. | D．Pick up. |
| A．It has become an online shopping day. |
| B．It has been replaced by Black Friday. |
| C．It only covers popular sports events. |
| D．It has become less important than before. |
| A．When Did Boxing Day Come into Being? | B．Why Did People Celebrate Boxing Day? |
| C．How Is Black Friday Celebrated in the UK? | D．Why Is Black Friday Popular in the UK? |
★ #ChefsChallenge!
Love cooking? Join famous chefs with this online challenge—cook, have fun and share your best healthy recipes!
When it comes to food, it’s difficult to match East Asia & Pacific in terms of variety and tastiness. From wontons to dumplings, from spicy fish to noodle soups, East Asia & Pacific’s amazing food culture is a central part of life for millions of people and indeed tourists from across the world.
However, changes in diet and lifestyle in recent years have sadly destroyed traditional food cultures, and the health of millions of people. Cheap “fast food” and unhealthy snacks that are high in sugar, salt and fat are now all too common but offer little nutrition.
★A new challenge
Today, there are more than 25 million of malnourished children living in the region, but the picture is changing. While the number of stunted (发育不良) children is slowly falling in many countries, overweight and obesity are growing, and at a much faster rate.
In many countries, three forms of malnutrition—undernutrition, hidden hunger and overweight-co-exist. A family may have an overweight mother and a stunted child. Or a child may be both stunted or too short and overweight. Unhealthy diets are a major cause of all forms of malnutrition.
★Join us!
One way to slow this tide is to reconnect families and young people with food. That’s why chefs from across the region are taking part in the #ChefsChallenge, asking you to show off your cooking skills. Get involved today by sharing your recipes with videos, photos or any other creative ways on social media using #ChefsChallenge and tagging UNICEF East Asia Pacific on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
1. What has badly affected the traditional food culture in East Asia & Pacific?| A．Western cooks’ arriving. |
| B．People’s turning to unhealthy food. |
| C．Tourists’ bringing new recipes. |
| D．Overweight children’s growing in number. |
| A．He is in a poor state of health. |
| B．He is shorter than other kids. |
| C．He has an overweight parent. |
| D．He prefers eating at home. |
| A．To introduce excellent Asian cooks online. |
| B．To help ordinary people challenge professional cooks. |
| C．To reconnect people with tasty and nutritious food. |
| D．To encourage family and friends to get together online. |
6 . Small words may help you beat stress and improve your relationships. Use these tips to teach yourself a helpful and useful vocabulary.
I get to
“Many of us begin our day with the phrase ‘I have to’,” says Catherine Grace O’Connell, a self-development expert. “Changing this to ‘I get to’ has the possibility to change the way our day goes. “Even if you may not be happy about going to work or cooking dinner, saying that you “get to” do those things changes your attention to the positive aspects of those things.
Thank you
A lot of research has been done on why people — especially women — often don’t accept compliments smoothly. Language in Society found that women only accepted compliments 40 percent of the time, and Harvard Business Review found that almost 70 percent of people connected receiving compliments with a little shame or embarrassment. Does this sound familiar? She says, “I love that dress.” You say, “Oh this? I’ve had it for years.” Or,” You think? I’m not crazy about the color.” We often demean (贬低) ourselves while doing this. A better way to respond: Look the person in the eye and simply say, “Thank you.”
Not yet
Adding “yet” to the end of your words, especially when talking about abilities and goals. is a small but good way to change your attitude to life. “Add the word ‘yet’ to limiting comments,” suggests Kyndall Bennett, another self-development expert. “When we do this, we allow ourselves to accept the limiting thoughts as truths,” Bennett says. “Examples of this would be like, ‘I can’t speak a second language... yet’ and ‘I don’t know how to run my own business... yet.’” This works for everything from weight loss to relationships; it’s a way to add a certain optimism to your words.
1. What had you better do when receiving compliments?| A．Show modesty. | B．Explain reasons. |
| C．Say “Thank you”. | D．Present facts. |
| A．We will try to do that. | B．We have tried our best. |
| C．We apologize for a delay. | D．We have to cancel the plan. |
| A．To relax ourselves. | B．To stay positive to life. |
| C．To strengthen family ties. | D．To learn new vocabulary. |
7 . 
We understand that in light of the latest government CORONAVIRUS TRAVEL ADVICE, your travel plans will be changing. To reflect this, some terms & conditions for refunding tickets or changing journeys are different to usual.
Refunds on Unused Tickets for Travel
• You can apply for refunds up to four weeks from the last day that the ticket was valid.
• Unused Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets can be refunded and a service fee applies. Advance tickets are not refundable. Alternatively, you can change your ticket io travel at a later date — See 'Changing Tickets or Requesting a Travel Voucher' below.
• PLEASE NOTE that if the train you are booked on does not ran or is canceled due to irresistible forces, refund： will be made on ALL TICKETS TYPES with no service fee.
If you are uncertain about travelling, you may wish to consider purchasing a more flexible ticket — such as Anytime or Off-Peak - for travel.
Changing Tickets or Requesting a Travel Voucher
• If you bought an Advance ticket before the National Lockdown was announced on 4lh January and will no longer be travelling, you should apply for a travel voucher or reschedule your journey free of charge. You need to do this be lore your first train departs and pay the difference if your new ticket is more expensive. Please note you will not be entitled to a travel voucher if your Advance ticket was purchased after 4lh Jan. Speak to the original retailer of your ticket for advice.
• Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets are more flexible and can be changed any time before you travel There is no fee to change these tickets. you will only need to pay any difference in fare.
Refunding Season Tickets
•Unexpired(未逾期的)Season Tickets can be submitted for refund at any time and train companies calculate how much is refunded by bow much value is left on your ticket, they do this by deducting (扣除)the value of any other tickets you could have travelled with in the same lime until you stopped using and return your Season Ticket Refunds can only be backdated with evidence that illness prevented you from travelling. (National Rail Conditions of Travel. Condition 40.4).
• To see how much you could get back from your Season Ticket, try the Season Ticket Refund Calculator below. For more information, including if you require a refund due to sickness that prevented you from using a Season Ticket see the link here,
• Customers can still claim refunds remotely online, minimizing contact between customers and staffs keeping everyone safer. Please see your retailer's website for details.
Travelling on Another Train Company's Service
• In areas where there is cancellation, train companies may agree acceptance of tickets routed via another company For more details, please contact your rail service provider.
1. Passengers are entitled to their money back on________.| A．Anytime tickets completely free of charge | B．Oil-Peak tickets with no restrictions |
| C．Advance tickets for their train not running | D．Super Off-Peaks that went invalid for half a year |
| A．train companies refuse to calculate the value that is left on it |
| B．you formally apply to cease using the ticket and hand it back |
| C．you use the Season Ticket Refund Calculator on the website |
| D．the proof is given that you were unable to travel due to illness |
| A．Advance tickets purchased after Jan. 4th can also be rescheduled |
| B．passengers with a fixed timetable are advised to buy Anytime tickets |
| C．safer approaches to refund have been introduced to limit physical contact |
| D．service from another train company is not available if your train get cancelled |
8 . Disneyland's opening day, July 17, 1955, was a terrible experience. Rides broke down. Restaurants ran out of food and drink and drinking fountains were in short supply... All in front of a national audience of 90 million, then the largest live broadcast in television history on a day that would be known in Disney history as Black Sunday.
But Disney's story actually started two decades earlier with what Walt Disney called “Daddy's Day”. On Saturdays in the 1930s and 1940s, Disney would take his two daughters to ride the Griffth Park merry-go-round, which they'd enjoy while he sat on a bench dreaming of ways for families to have fun together. Disney disliked the amusement parks they often visited, seeing them as dirty, unimaginative places run by rude employees.
He thought he could do better. In 1939 he asked two animators (动画片制作者) at his movie studio to work on a plan for an amusement park. By 1952 the idea had expanded into a $1.5 million amusement park proposal that he presented to Burbank. The City Council, which feared such a project would create a carnival (嘉年华) atmosphere, rejected the proposal. Disney counted the rejection as a fortunate setback. By now, his dream for a theme park had gone beyond the space available in Burbank. He searched locations throughout Southern California. A 160- acre orange garden, 22 miles south of Los Angeles, was soon selected.
The ABC television network offered $5 million in loans(贷款) and investments if Disney agreed to produce and host a one-hour weekly show called “Disneyland”. The deal amounted to months of free advertising for the park and allowed Disney to introduce TV audiences, particularly kids, to the park.
Disneyland opened then. The 5,000 expected guests increased to 28,154, thanks to fake (冒充的) tickets. After the madness of opening day, Disney and his new park were criticized in the press. The media predicted a quick and early end. But the public didn't listen. Visitors arrived in large groups, and within weeks Disneyland was a success.
Over sixty years later, Disneyland's popularity continues to grow, with total overall attendance topping 700 million and showing no signs of slowing down.
1. What mainly led to Walt Disney's plan to build his own amusement park?| A．His ambition to expand beyond the movie industry. |
| B．His animators' suggestion on an entertainment plan. |
| C．His wish to create a better place for family recreation. |
| D．His daughters' unpleasant experience in the Griffith Park. |
| A．brought good luck to Disney and his park |
| B．contributed to the difficulty of opening the park |
| C．was viewed as a financial obstacle to the design of the park |
| D．presented Disney with a favorable opportunity to rethink his plan |
| A．Everything went on smoothly before it opened. |
| B．It spent $5 million on advertising for its opening. |
| C．People's enthusiasm for it increased despite criticism. |
| D．Only invited guests could get into it on its opening day. |
| A．Disneyland: How It All Began |
| B．Disneyland: How It Developed |
| C．Disneyland: A Park with a Long History |
| D．Disneyland: A Great Success |
9 . He lived his whole life as a poor man.His art and talent were recognized by almost no one.He suffered from a mental illness that led him to cut off part of his left ear in 1888 and to shoot himself two years later.But after his death, he achieved world fame.Today, Dutch artist Van Gogh is recognized as one of the leading artists of all time.
Now,150 years after his birth on March 30,1853, Zundert, the town of his birth，has made 2003 “The Van Gogh Year” in his honor.And the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam，home to the biggest collection of his masterpieces, is marking the anniversary with exhibitions throughout the year.The museum draws around 1．3 million visitors every year.Some people enjoy the art and then learn about his life.Others are interested in his life, which then helps them understand his art.
Van Gogh was the son of a pastor.He left school when he was just 15．By the age of 27, he had already tried many jobs including an art gallery salesman and a French teacher.Finally in 1880, he decided to begin his studies in art.
Van Gogh is famed for his ability to put his own emotions into his paintings and show his feelings about a scene.His style is marked by short, broad brush strokes (绘画笔法).“Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what I have before my eyes, I use color more freely, in order to express myself more forcibly，” he wrote in a letter to his brother in 1888．
Van Gogh sold only one painting during his short life.He relied heavily on support from his brother, an art dealer who lived in Paris.But now his works are sold for millions of dollars.His portrait of Dr.Gacher sold for $89．5 million in 1990．It is the highest price ever paid for a painting.“I think his paintings are powerful and the brilliant color in them are attractive to people，” said a Van Gogh’s fan.
1. All through his life Van Gogh ________.| A．depended on his brother |
| B．worked hard on art studies |
| C．was not recognized by people |
| D．expressed himself in paintings |
| A．the likeness between his paintings and the reality |
| B．the short time for him to complete a painting |
| C．the various styles mixed together |
| D．the special strokes he made |
| A．his powerful art came from his poor life |
| B．his fellow townsmen regret treating him unfairly |
| C．all his paintings were drawn in the last 10 years of his life |
| D．most of his paintings are kept in the museum of his hometown |
10 . Drawing For Fun
You will learn some basic techniques using soft pencils. These different types of paper are provided. Just bring yourself and a willingness to “have a go”. This is a startup day so people who have already attended courses should not apply.
Time: 1：00 p. m.－3：00 p. m.
Focus On Landscapes
This course is designed for students who are familiar with painting in watercolours, but are having difficulty with some techniques. We will discuss choice of materials, colour mixing and other areas that may be raised.
The day will start with a demonstration, followed by a chance to paint outdoors. After a light lunch cooked in the studio, there will be a further practice session.
Time: 9：30 a. m.－3：00 p. m.
Find Your Voice
You may feel you can't sing or you may be a good singer who wants to develop singing skills. You will be shown how to sing correctly and how to project your voice. You may attend this course more than once and each time you will have a wonderful experience. Everyone can sing and it's great fun.
Time: 2：00 p. m.－5：00 p. m.
The Music Takeaway
Get some friends, family or coworkers together for your own music course in a place of your choice, which could be your front room, basement or workplace. We send two guitar teachers to lead a oneday course for you in the style of music you prefer, such as rock, country, funk or blues.
Time: 2：30 p. m.9：00 p. m.
1. Those who attend Drawing For Fun are required to ________.| A．bring their own works |
| B．be a newcomer to the course |
| C．be good at watercolour painting |
| D．bring their own pencils and paper |
| A．Paint outdoors. |
| B．Discuss the painting materials. |
| C．Improve the students painting techniques. |
| D．Teach how to start watercolourpainting. |
| A．Find Your Voice. | B．Drawing For Fun. |
| C．The Music Takeaway. | D．Focus On Landscapes. |
| A．All last a whole day. | B．All offer free lunch. |
| C．All are related to the arts. | D．All are open to all levels. |
