1 . Barcelona’s opera house has celebrated its reopening to the public since the coronavirus pandemic (新冠疫情) put the world into a huge horror, but their opening night had an unusual audience. For its first concert, the theater refused the usual crowd of people and instead packed the house with plants. Yes, that’s correct. All 2,292 seats at the Gran Teatre Liceu were occupied by leafy green plants.
The idea was put forward by conceptual artist Eugeno Ampudia and was broadcast live on the theater’s website. These lucky ficus trees, palms, and Swiss cheese plants—which were brought in by local nurseries (苗圃) — got the pleasure of hearing Puccini’s Crisantemi performed by the UceLi Quartet string musical group.
Ampudia hopes that his idea and the work will inspire people to think more deeply about their relationship with nature and the concept of sustainability (持续性). “We are at the end of an era and that means that we have to change certain patterns,” he shares. “We don’t live in the same world as 90 days ago, and this means we have to reflect on everything that we do.”
As plants can respond to different vibrations (震动) caused by music, they certainly weren’t a passive audience—even if they weren’t able to give applause. Now that the concert is over, each plant will be given to a different frontline healthcare worker who helped guide the country through its battle with the coronavirus.
The moving concert is a continuation of the Liceu’s mission to create a dialogue between music and the visual arts. Pictures and a video of the performance taken by Ampudia will now become part of La Caixa contemporary (当代的) art collection.
1. What was the special part of the concert?| A．It had only 2,292 seats. |
| B．It made the world fall in horror. |
| C．It gave plants opportunities to enjoy music. |
| D．It welcomed audience with plants to come. |
| A．Barcelona | B．Eugeno Ampudia |
| C．the Gran TeatreLiceu | D．the Uceli Quartet |
| A．We didn’t do very well in dealing with nature. |
| B．The healthcare workers were more important. |
| C．The plants should have the equal rights. |
| D．We did everything in a wrong way. |
| A．Daily Hero. | B．Teens’ Life. |
| C．Art Around the World. | D．Animals and Plants. |
2 . If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and
philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks(缺陷)of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
1. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to______________.| A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| B．attract the readers' interest in the subject |
| C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
| D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
| A．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| B．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
| C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
| D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
| A．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
| B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
| C．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
| D．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
| A．a personal biography | B．a history paper |
| C．a cultural newspaper | D．a philosophy textbook |
3 . The African grey parrot’s ability to talk and mimic sounds makes it a charming companion. African grey owners often report that their greys oftentimes talk in context and can understand their people’s emotions (情感). The African grey parrot is not just a top talker - this bird is also known for its extreme intelligence, which gives them the name “The Einsteins of the Bird World”.
The bird is medium-sized, dusty-looking and almost pigeon-like. It has a bright red tail, intelligent orange eyes, and a stunning scalloped (扇形的) pattern to its feathers. Their diet in the wild consists mostly of nuts, seeds, fruits, and leafy matter.
At home, African greys need plenty of toys that challenge their intelligence, such as food searching and puzzle toys. Nutri-Berries by Lafeber Company are a perfect choice, which, with a balance of grains, seeds and other nutrients in the shape of a berry, encourages African greys to hold, bite off, and even play with, just as they do in the wild.
African greys seem especially affected by stress and disturbing noise in their environment and can be put more at ease by placing one corner of the cage against a wall as opposed to in the middle of a room.
African grey parrots are more likely to suffer from lack of Vitamin-A/beta-carotene, and therefore benefit from eating vegetables high in beta-carotene, such as cooked sweet potato and fresh kale. Lack of Vitamin-D is another concern, especially for greys on a poor diet. Offering a balanced, pill-shaped diet, such as Nutri-Berries, helps prevent vitamin and mineral shortage.
1. Why are African grey parrots called “The Einsteins of the Bird World”?| A．Because of their brain size. | B．On account of their intelligence. |
| C．Owing to their rich emotions. | D．Due to their talking ability. |
| A．A brand of bird food. | B．Puzzle toys for birds. |
| C．A type of round fruit. | D．Wild Intelligence games. |
| A．They may get ill due to lack of Vitamin |
| B．They prefer to stay in the middle of the room. |
| C．They are dusty looking with blue eyes. |
| D．They are smart and love to have fun. |
| A．In a wildlife magazine. | B．In science fiction. |
| C．In a travel guide. | D．On a shopping website. |
4 . Los Angeles is always a popular holiday destination. To fully enjoy your travel there, you should know its food, weather, and also traffic. While driving in L. A. is similar to that in other areas, there are a few specific rules to note.
HOV lanes (车道)
On many L. A. freeways, one or more lanes at the far left are used as high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. They usually have limited access and you can only enter or exit where there is a break in the double yellow line. Most HOV lanes require a minimum of two people in the car; some require three. Vehicles towing trailers (拖车) are NOT allowed in the HOV lane, regardless of how many people are in them.
Toll (收费) lanes
On certain freeways, the HOV lanes are double-purposed as toll lanes for people driving alone who have a FasTrak, an electronic toll collection system. Therefore, you also have to have one in that lane as a HOV, which is inconvenient if you’re just visiting. FasTrak is in effect on parts of the 110 freeway between the 405 and 10 freeways, and on parts of the 10 freeway east of Downtown L. A.
Cell phones
It is against the law to talk on a cell phone while driving without using a hands-free device. Holding a cell phone to your ear while driving will land you with a ticket.
Alcohol
Driving under the influence is taken seriously in L.A. The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08%, but you can be charged with lower levels if they show you can’t function normally. Placing an opened bottle of alcohol in the passenger area while driving (or sitting) is illegal. Any opened container of alcohol has to be transported in the trunk.
1. What do you know about HOV lanes?| A．They encourage people to share cars. |
| B．They are on the far right of freeways. |
| C．They are intended for larger vehicles. |
| D．They allow cars to enter over the double yellow line. |
| A．Driving on the 110 freeway with a FasTrak. |
| B．Putting the cell phone in the car while driving. |
| C．Riding with an opened bottle of alcohol in back seats. |
| D．Going below the blood alcohol limit of 0. 08%. |
| A．A traffic law. | B．A road map. |
| C．A guidebook. | D．A report. |
5 . Each year on Halloween,children look forward to trick-or-treating(不请客就捣乱)for candies. But for some kids, eating Halloween candies can be dangerous.
That's because one out of every 13 kids in the Us have a food allergy（过敏症）. They are allergic to ingredients（成分） in many Halloween candies, such as peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, and beans. If they eat these foods, they will get sick or even die.
“I had to throw away all my candies with tears,” eight-year-old Conlen said. Conlen is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and dairy.Twelve-year-old Kylie is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. She has been trick-or-treating only twice. “I brought my candies home and gave them to the neighbors," Kylie said. "It felt terrible."
But this year, Conlen, Kylie and other kids with food allergies will have a chance for a happy Halloween .That's because nearly100,000 households across the US have promised to take part in the Teal Pumpkin Project (TPP), which was started last year by Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE). FARE is an organization that works to improve the lives of people with food allergies. Through the project, the households agree to have nonfood items for trick-or-treaters,including trinkets(小饰品) and toys.
To take part in the project, people buy a teal (蓝绿色) pumpkin or paint a pumpkin teal and place it in front of their house. The painted pumpkins let trick-or-treaters know that nonfood items are available there. The households also add their home addresses to an online map, making it easier for trick-or-treaters to find them.
Kylie loves the idea.“The TPP makes Halloween fun and safe,”she said.“It makes me feel like a normal kid, and it makes everyone feel included.”
1. To Conlen and Kylie, the past Halloween were________________.| A．upsetting and dangerous |
| B．interesting and special |
| C．sick and terrible |
| D．important and exciting |
| A．helps people with food allergies recover |
| B．helps the households take part in the TPP |
| C．takes action to change kids’ bad eating habits |
| D．helps kids with food allergies have a happy Halloween |
| A．giving them teal pumpkins as gifts |
| B．offering them all kinds of food except candies |
| C．providing them with trinkets and toys as treats |
| D．asking them for home addresses and sending them gifts |
| A．A magazine about the history of festivals. |
| B．A news report on cultures and customs. |
| C．An advertisement for an organization. |
| D．A research paper on kid’s health. |
