1 . On the banks of the beautiful Macquarie River, Bathurst is a town of pretty tree-lined streets, beautiful parks and wonderful heritage buildings. Many activities are held there year-round. Here are some for you.
The Lazy Sunday Afternoon
January 1
Join us for the Lazy Sunday Afternoon as we show you local award-winning wine from Three Views Vineyard. Please call in advance to book. Enjoy cheap wine tastings and a selection of cheeses. For those who do not want to drive, a pick-up is available.
International Museum Photograph Day
January 15
Celebrate International Museum Photograph Day with a selfie at Bathurst Regional Council Museums with free entrance. To win a prize for the most imaginative photographs, just use the marking Museum Photograph Day Bathurst when you post on Facebook.
Bathurst Miniature Railway
From February 1 to February 16
Bathurst Miniature Railway operates every third Sunday of the month. It is located next to the Tennis Centre in Durham Street. The club started in 1977 and today operates nearly 600 meters of race track in Durham Street Bathurst. Over the years more tracks for your enjoyment of sports have been added.
Challenge Bathurst
From November 28 to December 1
Challenge Bathurst is a great opportunity to drive your own street car or track racing car on the famous Mount Panorama Racing Circuit. With the most exciting 6.2 kilometers of bitumen (沥青) on the planet open for your speeding enjoyment, you won’t want to miss your chance to gain an unforgettable experience.
1. What do we know about the Lazy Sunday Afternoon?| A．It is held monthly. | B．It is free of charge. |
| C．It refuses to offer pick-up service. | D．It requires booking ahead of time. |
| A．A man loving food and wine. | B．A girl fond of taking pictures. |
| C．A kid expecting free car rides. | D．A teenager wanting to play tennis. |
| A．To introduce some events in Bathurst. | B．To advertise some summer activities. |
| C．To show races on the Bathurst streets. | D．To provide opportunities for indoor sports. |
2 . As I stuck in the mud (泥), with my bike on top of me, I wondered what had forced me to come here. Madagascar is not a good place for a cycling holiday: one of the world's poorest countries, only 11 percent of roadway is paved (铺). South of the town of Antalaha, where I started, the road was in worse condition.
I appeared from a week in the wilderness and reached the start of the Route National 5 at Maroantsetra, but my dream of a smooth road and speed was suddenly destroyed by mud. The "worst road in the country" changed my bicycle into a burden (负担) for days. Finally, I was claimed by the road. Tired. Alone.
As I wiped (擦) the mud from my face and looked upwards, I was greeted by a Malagasy man. He helped me stand up and smiled playfully while he pointed to my bike, which sat next to his. I started again. But I fell again in the mud. Angrily, I told him to go on, but if he understood he showed no sign of it. His smile forced me back onto the bike. We continued like this for hours. But I fell less. Studying my quick guide, slowly I learned. As we passed through a village, a group of children saw me and shouted loudly. His only words were: "Their parents tell them while people steal and eat them. Funny, no?"
I tried to ask why, but he had already set off. I tried to catch up; as I got closer, he took it as a challenge and sped up. We raced along the road. I rode a little faster and I was just behind, about to catch up with him. With a smile, he sped up and was away, leaving me breathless.
1. What was in the author's mind when he was in the mud?| A．He considered his experience a special pleasure. |
| B．He made up his mind to continue challenging himself. |
| C．He tried to think out a new road for cycling in Antalaha. |
| D．He regretted having the cycling holiday in Madagascar. |
| A．The author chose another road. |
| B．The author decided to ask for help. |
| C．The author lay on the road for a rest. |
| D．The author had no confidence to ride on. |
| A．By showing him the right way. |
| B．By wiping the mud from his bike. |
| C．By riding in front of him all the way. |
| D．By teaching him how to ride in the mud. |
| A．A lonely trip |
| B．A bicycle race |
| C．A lesson in cycling |
| D．A road in Madagascar |
3 . A music talent show launched by Mango TV has caught the attention of domestic TV channel viewers recently. This entertainment program, whose Chinese name translates to “Sisters Who Brave Winds and Waves”, invited 30 established actresses in their thirties, put them up in an apartment where they competed against each other and then selected five among them to form a new star group.
While young hopefuls are commonly considered to be the protagonists of music talent show, “Sisters Who Brave Winds and Waves” turns out to be an outlier. Apart from showcasing female stars musical talent, this show tries to deliver a positive message that age should not be the barrier for female entertainers to chase their dreams. The reality that most female entertainers have a short “shelf life” needs to be changed.
Attracted by the unique theme of Mango TV’s new show, many Chinese viewers were desperate for the show’s debut. The first episode aired last week received 10 million views within the first 20 minutes. Following the initial success, Mango Excellent Media’s stock rose by nearly 9% on Friday and another 7% on Monday. The company’s market value has now surpassed 100 billion yuan ($ 14 billion).
The value of this show was not only recognized by the market, but also the majority of Chinese viewers. Many netizens made good comments on the new show as it encouraged them to explore their inner potential no matter how old they are. One wrote, “Of course, young stars in their late teens and early 20s are beautiful. But I feel more impressed by these celebrities over the age of 30.” She went on to say that their confidence and ambition make them shine, and that age is just a number.
The Mango TV’s new show comes as a welcome relief, which demonstrates that charm and ambition is not limited to the young age. In fact, such age equality should extend to all professions to ensure that people with all ages could be treated equally in pursuit of their career goals.
1. What does the underlined word “outlier” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Surprise. | B．Success. |
| C．Failure. | D．Exception. |
| A．The company’s market value has now exceeded 14 billion dollars. |
| B．Mango Excellent Media’s stock rose by nearly 16% over the weekend. |
| C．Nearly 10 million viewers watched the first episode within the first hour. |
| D．The debut of the new show did not affect the company's market value. |
| A．She thinks young celebrities are not attractive to the audience. |
| B．She holds the view that Mango TV’s new show is conventional. |
| C．She believes charm could make the celebrities shine no matter their age. |
| D．She complains about age discrimination in the entertainment industry,. |
| A．He/She aims to purse gender equality. |
| B．He/She protests against age discrimination. |
| C．He/She is a fan of musical shows. |
| D．He/She dreams about being an actor/actress. |
4 . Success and Risk in Extreme Sports
What is it that drives some to take extreme risks, while the rest of us hurry for the safety of the sidelines?
Lester Keller, sports-psychology expert, says that not everyone has the mental makeup to do well in extreme sports. He notes that most of us hit a natural ceiling that limits our appetite for extreme risk in tricky conditions. But others have a much higher tolerance for risk. Keller points to a top ski racer. He told Keller that “the high element of risk makes you feel alive, tests what you are made of and how far you can take yourself”. He said he would get nervous on some of the courses, but that this would just make him fight more.
Psychologists note that some people seem to have a strong desire for adrenaline (肾上腺素) rushes as a behavior seeking excited feelings. Like many extreme athletes, Emily Cook’s appetite for risk appeared at a young age. “I was a gymnast,” she said. “I was one of those kids who enjoyed and did well at anything where you were upside down.” As she started doing harder tricks, she was drawn to the challenge. “There are moments when you’re up there doing a new trick and it seems like an impossible thing. But overcoming that is just the coolest feeling in the world.”
Shane Murphy, sports professor, has worked with groups climbing Everest. “To me, that just seems like the height of risk,” he said. “But to them it was the next step in an activity that they’ve prepared for years.” Murphy said the view of extreme athletes is different from our own. “We look at a risky situation and know that if we were in that situation we would be out of control. But from the athletes’ view, they have a lot of control, and there are many things that they do to minimize risk.”
Another aspect of risk perception (认知) may be something referred to as “the flow”, a state in which many athletes become absorbed in the acts that focus the mind completely on the present. “Something that makes you try doing a tougher climb than usual, perhaps, is that your adrenaline flows and you become very concentrated on what you’re doing,” Murphy says. “After it’s over, there’s great excitement.”
People of different skill levels experience the flow at different times. Some may always be driven to adventures that others consider extreme. “I can enjoy hitting a tennis ball around, because that’s my skill level,” Murphy says. “But others might need the challenge of Olympic competition.”
1. By using the term “natural ceiling” in Paragraph 2, Lester Keller points out that ______.| A．extreme athletes must learn special skills |
| B．extreme athletes have chances to take risks |
| C．many people don’t want to do extreme sports |
| D．many people can’t limit desire for extreme sports |
| A．They put in lots of preparation for challenges. |
| B．They are more fortunate than other sportspeople. |
| C．They carry little risk when facing big challenges. |
| D．They have special reasons that others can’t easily understand. |
| A．Extreme athletes use techniques other people don’t use. |
| B．Non-athletes are probably wise not to try extreme sports. |
| C．Most people lack the focus required to take bigger risks. |
| D．A certain state of mind makes attempting an activity more likely. |
| A．risk-taking is something you either naturally do or avoid |
| B．those who take risks are more likely to be successful in life |
| C．extreme athletes are driven by a need to be better than others |
| D．taking part in extreme sports is not as difficult as people think |
5 . In the fall of 1985, I was holding a dream to Howard University, so that one day I could sit on a Supreme Court bench somewhere and make some just sentence.
Twenty-one years later, I am still a dreamer and be with quite a different experience to go through.
My grandma developed cancer, so I made the choice to leave the college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream. In 1999, we adopted (收养）our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3.In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how busy I became, raising four boys under the age of 8 .Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo. As a result, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant talking as few as one class each term.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree and finally become a judge!
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you're looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you're in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won't arrive in your life on one day. It's a process. Remember: little steps add up to big dreams.
1. When the author went to Howard University, what was her dream?| A．To be a writer. | B．To be a teacher. |
| C．To be a judge. | D．To be a doctor. |
| A．She wanted to study by herself. |
| B．She fell in love and got married. |
| C．She suffered from a serious illness. |
| D．She decided to look after her grandma. |
| A．The author was busy yet happy with her family life. |
| B．The author just felt guilty for her sons. |
| C．The author wanted to remain a full-time housewife. |
| D．The author was too confused to make a correct choice. |
| A．Failure is the mother of success. |
| B．Little by little, one goes far. |
| C．Every coin has two sides. |
| D．Well begun, half done. |
6 . Hours&Admission
Open daily 10 a.m.—5 p.m.except major holidays(see below)
July and August only—Thursdays until 7 p.m.
Please note:all MIT Museum sites are wheelchair accessible.
Admission beginning July 1,2018
Adults:$10.00;youth under 18,students,seniors:$5.00;children under age 5:free
Admission is free on the last Sunday of each month,all day,from September 2018 to June 2019.
Evening programs are free with Museum Admission.
Visit our Partner Organizations page for more information about discounts(折扣).
Closed,2019:
January 1:New Year’s Day
May 27:Memorial Day
July 4:Independence Day
September 2:Labor Day
November 28:Thanksgiving Day
December 24&25:Christmas Eve&Christmas Day
December 31:Early Closing for New Year’s Day
1. The information you read above is probably about_______.| A．a park | B．a cinema | C．a museum | D．a cafe |
| A．$0. | B．$25. | C．$30. | D．$35. |
| A．Children under the age of 7 do not have to pay. |
| B．It is possible for the disabled to go there on wheelchairs. |
| C．Visitors have to pay some extra money for the evening programs. |
| D．There are definitely no more discounts besides those listed here. |
7 . For those who can stomach it, working out before breakfast may be more beneficial for health than eating first, according to a study of meal timing and physical activity.
Athletes and scientists have long known that meal timing affects performance. However, far less has been known about how meal timing and exercise might affect general health.
To find out, British scientists conducted a study. They first found 10 overweight and inactive but otherwise healthy young men, whose lifestyles are, for better and worse, representative of those of most of us. They tested the men’s fitness and resting metabolic (新陈代谢的) rates and took samples (样品) of their blood and fat tissue.
Then, on two separate morning visits to the scientists’ lab, each man walked for an hour at an average speed that, in theory, should allow his body to rely mainly on fat for fuel. Before one of these workouts, the men skipped breakfast, meaning that they exercised on a completely empty stomach after a long overnight fast (禁食). On the other occasion, they ate a rich morning meal about two hours before they started walking.
Just before and an hour after each workout, the scientists took additional samples of the men’s blood and fat tissue.
Then they compared the samples. There were considerable differences. Most obviously, the men displayed lower blood sugar levels at the start of their workouts when they had skipped breakfast than when they had eaten. As a result, they burned more fat during walks on an empty stomach than when they had eaten first. On the other hand, they burned slightly more calories (卡路里), on average, during the workout after breakfast than after fasting.
But it was the effects deep within the fat cells that may have been the most significant, the researchers found. Multiple genes behaved differently, depending on whether someone had eaten or not before walking. Many of these genes produce proteins (蛋白质) that can improve blood sugar regulation and insulin (胰岛素) levels throughout the body and so are associated with improved metabolic health. These genes were much more active when the men had fasted before exercise than when they had breakfasted.
The implication of these results is that to gain the greatest health benefits from exercise, it may be wise to skip eating first.
1. The underlined expression “stomach it” in Paragraph 1 most probably means “______”.| A．digest the meal easily | B．manage without breakfast |
| C．decide wisely what to eat | D．eat whatever is offered |
| A．Their lifestyles were typical of ordinary people. |
| B．Their lack of exercise led to overweight. |
| C．They could walk at an average speed. |
| D．They had slow metabolic rates. |
| A．They successfully lost weight. | B．They consumed a bit more calories. |
| C．They burned more fat on average. | D．They displayed higher insulin levels. |
| A．A workout after breakfast improves gene performances. |
| B．Too much workout often slows metabolic rates. |
| C．Lifestyle is not as important as morning exercise. |
| D．Physical exercise before breakfast is better for health. |
8 . In 1848 gold was found in California. Thousands of people rushed there to get some. Many people liked living there. But there wasn’t a whole lot between California (CA) and Missouri (MO), where the nearest trains ran. The train line to California wasn’t finished until 1869.
In I860 and 1861, the Pony Express was the fastest way to get news to and from the West. The trail that they rode was around 2000 miles long. It took most people weeks or months to ride that far. The Pony Express could make the trip in just ten days. Those speeds were unheard of at the time. So how did they do it? Well, they had a good system.
The Pony Express had 184 stations along the trail. The stations were around ten miles apart. This is about how far a horse could run at a gallop (疾驰) before tiring. The rider would switch to a new horse at each station. He would only take his mail pouch (邮袋) with him. Every 75-100 miles, the rider would get to a home station. At each home station, riders would rest. The mail never stopped moving, even while the horses and riders rested.
It was tough to ride for the Pony Express. Each rider had to weigh less than 125 pounds. Speed was the key. Most of the riders were teenage boys. They rode at a fast pace for up to 100 miles a day. If there were an emergency, one might have to ride 200 miles in a day.
The Pony Express filled an important role for a time, but it did not last. The Civil War started in April of 1861. On October 24th, 1861, the first telegraph line to California was finished. This linked them to the rest of the country. People could send messages in an instant. Two days later the Pony Express closed.
1. Which happened first?| A．The Pony Express was started. | B．The American Civil War broke out. |
| C．The train line to California was finished. | D．Settlers rushed to California to find gold. |
| A．About 24 hours. | B．About ten days. |
| C．About twenty days. | D．About one month. |
| A．Give his mail to a new rider. | B．Rest a while and go on riding. |
| C．Collect new mail for customers. | D．Feed the horse and check the mail. |
| A．To prove communication industry develops rapidly. |
| B．To explain why horses were used to deliver mail. |
| C．To describe the I860 - 1861E Fastest Mail Service. |
| D．To tell the brave stories of the Pony Express. |
9 . From Mozart to Metallica, tons of people enjoy listening to various types of music while they paint, write, or draw. Many believe that music helps inspire creativity, but an international Study conducted by English and Swedish researchers is challenging that idea.
Psychologists from Lancaster University, The University of Gavle, and The University of Central Lancashire say that their findings indicate music actually prevents creativity.
To come to their conclusions, researchers had participants complete verbal insight(洞察) problems designed to inspire creativity while sitting in a quiet room, and then again while music played in the background. They found that background music "significantly impaired( 削弱)" the participants' ability to complete tasks associated with verbal creativity.
The research team also tested background noises such as those commonly heard in a library, but found that such noises had no impact on subjects' creativity.
The tasks were simple word games. For example, participants were given three words, such as dress, dial, and flower. Then, they were asked to find a single word associated with all three that could be combined to form a common phrase or word. The single word, in this case, would be "sun” (sundress, sunflower, etc.)
Participants completed the tasks in either a quiet room, or while exposed to three different types of music; music with unfamiliar lyrics, instrumental music, or music with familiar lyrics.
"We found strong evidence of impaired performance when playing background music in comparison to quiet background conditions," says co-author Dr. Neil McLatchie of Lancaster University.
Dr. McLatchie and his colleagues theorize that music interferes (干 扰) with the verbal working memory processes of the brain, preventing creativity. Also, as far as the library background noise having seemingly no effect, the study's authors believe that was the case because library noises create a "steady state" environment that doesn't prevent concentration.
It's worth mentioning that even familiar music with well known lyrics impaired participants creativity, regardless of whether or not it produced a positive reaction, or whether participants typically studied or created while listening to music.
"To conclude, the findings here challenge the popular view that music inspires creativity, and instead show that music, regardless of the presence of semantic(语义的) content (no lyrics, familiar lyrics or unfamiliar lyrics), always prevent creative performance in insight problem solving", the study reads.
1. What conclusion can most probably be drawn from this passage?| A．Background music inspires creativity. |
| B．Background music impairs creativity. |
| C．Background noises have bad influence on creativity. |
| D．Different music has different effects on creativity. |
| A．do some reading in a library |
| B．design some verbal insight problems |
| C．do some word games |
| D．listen to some background music |
| A．Because the music prevents concentration. |
| B．Because they aren't familiar with music. |
| C．Because the tasks are too challenging |
| D．Bee the background is not creative. |
| A．The music with a positive reaction has a positive effect. |
| B．The effects depend on the contents of music. |
| C．Quiet music does good to learning effects. |
| D．All background music is bad for learning effects. |
10 . My mother always told me, “You should explore your own country before stepping out into the world. ”However, it seems like a tough mission to travel all across its expansive surfaces. But luckily for me, Via Rail Canada offered youths between the ages of 18 and 25 the chance to ride the train across Canada for the month of July. The ticket was a bargain $150. My best friends Trevor, Joel and Jeremy and I immediately jumped at the opportunity and secured four tickets on the great Canadian railroad.
For a group of 20-year-olds, this was like the first flight of young birds from the nest. When we approached the train station in the morning, our 22-day adventure from Sudbury to Vancouver was to begin. Eyes baggy from lack of sleep, we jumped on board as if it was the train to Hogwarts in Harry Potter. Although the thought of three full days on those tracks covering close to 3, 000 kilometres crushed our spirits a little, what happened next caught us by surprise.
The three days on board turned into a summer camp on rails. At night, we would climb up the glass-domed train car, which gave us a scenic view of the starry night sky, untouched by the harmful light pollution. Before we knew it, the warm sun rays beating down on our faces woke us up for another day on the rails. To my surprise, a sea of golden grain fields dominated the landscape we were in the Canadian Prairies.
Another day slipped away and we set up for another night in the dome. And this time we were greeted by night sky painted by a fantastic thunderstorm. Lightning was striking at an incredible rate. The spectacular and memorable light show left everyone in the glass bubble in complete disbelief.
Arriving in the Rocky Mountains was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. Before the train adventure, if I could have skipped the travel and arrived at the destination, I would have. That is no longer true. I’ve learned that the journey can be more enjoyable than the destination.
1. What has made the author’s train adventure across Canada a reality?| A．The encouragement given by his mother. | B．The appeal of the scenic views in the country. |
| C．The discount ticket offered by Via Rail Canada. | D．His great courage to challenge a tough mission. |
| A．They were excited about the coming train journey. |
| B．They left their parents for the first time in their life. |
| C．They never thought of having a train adventure. |
| D．They were hooked by the magic story of Harry Potter. |
| A．A brain in lack of imagination. | B．The glass-domed train car. |
| C．A summer camp on the train. | D．The sightseeing bus. |
| A．Opportunities are hard to get. | B．Enjoying a journey counts a lot. |
| C．Splendid scenery attracts young people. | D．The traveling experience is not real to him. |
