1 . The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (the Hall of Fame for short ) is a fantastic destination for basketball lovers. Each year, several thousand visitors crowd into this birthplace of basketball.
Ticket Information
Admission to the Hall of Fame (as of 2019) is $24 for people aged over 16, $16 for youths aged from 5 to 16 and free for children under age 5. Make a reservation in advance. For more information, please call 1-877-466-6831.
Travelling from All Directions
The Hall of Fame is conveniently located within driving distance from Boston, Albany, Vermont and New York. For more information about the transportation, call 1-877-446-6755.
Dates and Hours of Operation
The Hall of Fame is open Wednesday through Sunday from late November through March 31 and daily the rest of the year. Hours are from 10 am to 4 pm (Friday through Sunday: 10 am to 5 pm). It is wise to confirm hours of operation ahead of your visit. Just call 1-877-466-6752.
A Friendly Reminder
1. No food and beverage inside of the hall.
2. Backpacks and any large bags are not permitted inside of the hall unless needed for medical reasons.
3. If you wish to participate in shooting baskets on Center Court, please wear proper footwear. Also, contests of any kind and half court shots are not allowed for everyone’s safety.
1. Which number should you call if you want to fly to the Hall of Fame?| A．1-877-466-6752. | B．1-877-466-6831. | C．1-877-446-6768. | D．1-877-446-6755. |
| A．At 4:30 pm, Saturday, Nov. 29th. | B．At 5: 30 pm, Monday, May. 12th. |
| C．At 8:00 am, Tuesday, Apr.1st. | D．At 9: 30am, Sunday, Dec. 20th. |
| A．Take photos inside the Hall. |
| B．Take hamburgers into the Hall. |
| C．Bring a big bag to care for a patient. |
| D．Participate in shooting contests on Center Court. |
2 . In the coming months, we are bringing together artists from all over the globe to enjoy speaking Shakespeare’s plays in their own language. Please come and join us.
National Theatre of China Beijing|Chinese
This great occasion (盛会) will be the National Theatre of China’s first visit to the UK. The company’s productions show the new face of 21st century Chinese theatre. This production of Shakespeare’s Richard III will be directed by the National’s Associate Director，Wang Xiaoying.
Date & Time: Saturday 28 April, 2:30 pm & Sunday 29 April, 1:30 pm & 6:30 pm
Definitely Theatre London | British Sign Language (BSL)
By translating the rich and humorous text of Love’s Labour’s Lost into the physical language of BSL, Definitely Theatre creates a new interpretation of Shakespeare’s comedy and aims to build a bridge between deaf and hearing worlds by performing to both groups as one audience.
Date & Time: Tuesday 22 May, 2:30 pm & Wednesday 23 May, 7:30 pm
Habima National Theatre Tel Aviv | Hebrew
The Habima is the centre of Hebrew-language theatre worldwide. Founded in Moscow after the 1905 revolution, the company eventually settled in Tel Aviv in the late 1920s. Since 1958, they have been recognized as the national theatre of Israel. This production of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice marks their first visit to the UK.
Date & Time: Monday 28May, 7:30 pm & Tuesday 29 May, 7:30 pm
1. Which play will be performed by the National Theatre of China?| A．Richard III | B．Lover’s Labour’s Lost |
| C．As You Like It | D．The Merchant of Venice |
| A．It has two groups of actors. | B．It is the leading theatre in London. |
| C．It performs plays in BSL. | D．It is good at producing comedies. |
| A．On Saturday 28 April. | B．On Sunday 29 April |
| C．On Tuesday 22 May. | D．On Tuesday 29 May |
3 . Four Useful Products for Your Life
Electric Wine Opener
Cost: $19.89
Once you've tried this tool, you'll never go back to the old fashioned kind. This electric wine opener will remove the cork (瓶塞) easily within seconds, and can open up to 30 bottles with a single charge.
Fantastic Ice Cream Spoon
Cost: $14. 99
It’s always disappointing when you're really in the mood for ice cream, but have to wait forever for the ice cream to get to just the right softness. Well, this heated ice cream spoon exactly conducts heat from your hands, and will help soften the ice cream to make it ready to eat right away.
Express Baker
Cost: $58. 99
Making your own bread seems like a quite difficult job. But this baker makes it easier—within an hour. It has 12 different bread settings, and three different crust settings, so you can make bread, pizza and more. A quick look through the reviews shows that customers are pretty happy with it, too.
Corn Stripper
Cost: $7.99
There's no denying that corn on the cob (棒) is delicious But eating corn on the cob and dealing with all the little bits that get stuck in your teeth afterwards is a painful experience. This little device takes all the corns from the cob, by letting you strip (剥) your corn easily, without making a total mess.
1. What can people do with Express Baker?| A．Make some food. | B．Soften food. |
| C．Classify food. | D．Keep food fresh. |
| A．Electric Wine Opener. | B．Fantastic Ice Cream Spoon. |
| C．Express Baker. | D．Corn Stripper. |
| A．They are of the same price. |
| B．They are difficult to operate. |
| C．They make food more delicious to eat. |
| D．They make people's life easier. |
4 . After a day’s hiking, a comfortable place to bed down for the night feels like heaven. Here are four best places that offer more than just bed and breakfast. Click the websites for more if you’re interested.
The Old Rectory, Gwynedd
At the foot of Cadair Idris Mountains, the Old Rectory offers good walking around town of Machynlleth. Two of its four attractive lake-view rooms have big, free-standing baths, ideal for an end-of-walk bath.
Walks: An easy 2-mile trail loops around Tal-y-llyn Lake.
• Double from £100 B&B (bed and breakfast), rectoryonthelake.co.uk
Clachaig Inn, Scottish Highlands
This Glencoe inn is a Highlands legend. The 23 rooms are comfortable and simple, but more appealing are the live bands and the bar.
Walks: A gentle 1½-mile woodland route from the inn visits Signal Rock. An exposed 8-mile climb up Buachaille Etive Mòr.
• Double from £106 B&B, clachaig.com
Lee Byre, Devon
This barn house has three bright guest rooms. Owners are keen hikers and can give trail advice or lead guided walks, day and night. Breakfast features fresh-laid eggs and homemade honey.
Walks: Make a circuit across the wetland (11 miles). Hike from Mary Tavy to Wheal Betsy (5 miles).
• Double from £70 B&B; guided day walk £60 per person; guided star hike £30 per person; leebyre.com
Cottage Lodge, Hampshire
Christina Simons, owner of this comfortable hotel, has created several self-guided walking routes direct from the front door. The lodge has 16 rooms, two of which are dog-friendly.
Walks: To Lyndhurst via Standing Hat woods (7 miles), looking out for wild deer. A 3-mile walk through Keyhaven marshes, a good place to see migrating birds.
• Double from £75 B&B, cottagelodge.co.uk
1. Which place best suits walkers who enjoy lake view?| A．The Old Rectory | B．Cottage Lodge |
| C．Lee Byre | D．Clachaig Inn |
| A．Dogs are welcome to stay in all rooms there. |
| B．Walkers might see some wild animals during walks there. |
| C．Walkers can join in some guided walking at the front door. |
| D．It offers the lowest price and the most rooms. |
| A．A tour guide book. | B．A travel website. |
| C．A lifestyle magazine. | D．A local newspaper. |
5 . Join the ranks of bright travelers and load up your smart phone with these must-have travel apps.
Sky Scanner
Stop wasting precious time clicking through website after website for airfare deals. Searching over 1,000 airlines and travel agents, Sky Scanner locates the cheapest dates to fly as well as the most affordable destinations. Got your heart set on some place special? Just enter your destination, dates, and the number of travelers and the app does all the heavy lifting for you.
Easy Travel
Just enter your city, or postal code into the search window, and Easy Travel will display the cheapest gas being served up near you. Whether you're driving in Canada, or the United States, Easy Travel is by your side helping you save money.
Bother Free
Don't be lost in translation. Here's an app that will serve as your travel translator, translating over 60 languages for your communication pleasure. It's easy! Just select the language you want to learn, speak or type a phrase into your phone, and the app will deliver a translation that you can read and hear.
World Atlas
You can have the whole world in your hands! National Geographic's beautiful award-winning World Atlas app is a must-have for armchair travelers and globetrotters alike. Spin, expand, and zoom the 3D globe to access detailed maps, tools to measure distances and need-to-know facts such as current weather, demographics and currency.
1. If one prefers self-driving tour, which app may help him or her save money?| A．Sky Scanner. | B．Easy Travel. |
| C．Bother Free. | D．World Atlas. |
| A．People with language difficulty. | B．People who enjoy travel by plane. |
| C．People who want to travel cheaply. | D．People with poor sense of direction. |
| A．Sports. | B．Geography. |
| C．Travel. | D．Traffic. |
When his heart problems led to operation,Jim went through it successfully,and a full recovery was expected.Within days,however,his heart was not beating properly.Jim was rushed back to operation,but nothing was found to explain the cause of his illness.He died on the operating table on the day before his 48th birthday.
Dr.Bruce Smoller,a psychologist(心理学家),had had many conversations with him,and the more he learned,the stranger he realized Jim’s case was.When Jim was a child,his father,a teacher,suffered a heart attack and stayed home to recover.One morning Jim asked his father to look over his homework,promising to come home from school at noon to pick it up.His father agreed,but when Jim returned his father had died.Jim’s father was 48.
“I think all his life Jim believed he killed his father,”Dr. Smoller says.“He felt that if he had not asked him to look at his homework,his father would have lived.Jim had been troubled by the idea.The operation was the trial(判决) he had expected for forty years.”Smoller believes that Jim willed himself not to live to the age of 48.
Jim’s case shows the powerful role that attitude(态度) plays in physical health,and that childhood experiences produce far-reaching effect on the health of grown-ups.Although most cases are less direct than Jim’s,studies show that childhood events,besides genes,may well cause such midlife diseases as cancer,heart disease and mental illness.
1. Jim was sent back to operation because______.
| A．his heart didn’t work well. |
| B．he expected a full recovery. |
| C．his life was drawing to a close. |
| D．the first one wasn’t well performed. |
| A．Jim died at a young age. |
| B．Jim died on the operating table. |
| C．Both Jim and his father died of the same disease. |
| D．Jim’s death is closely connected with his father’s. |
| A．Jim’s father cared little about his study. |
| B．Smoller agreed that Jim did kill his father. |
| C．Jim thought he would be punished some day. |
| D．Smoller believed Jim wouldn’t live to the age of 48. |
| a.One’s genes. b.One’s life in childhood. c.One’s physical education. d.The date of one’s birthday. e.The opinions one has about something. |
| A．a,b,d | B．a,b,e |
| C．a,c,e | D．b,c,d |
7 . Having too much confidence is not good. And now, a new study has proved this by finding that overconfident teenage students can stunt crucial（决定性的）reading skills.
The study shows a clear connection between overconfident students and low reading comprehension.
“While some self-confidence is helpful, overconfident 15-year-olds are often below-average (平均水平) readers in all 34 countries we studied, ” says Ming Ming Chiu, the lead author of the study.
“In contrast, under-confident 15-year-olds are more likely to be above-average readers in all 34 countries, ”the expert added.
The difference lies in a student’s ability to exactly assess (估计) and evaluate his or her own reading level, according to Chiu. Those who can accurately assess their strengths and weaknesses are usually in a better position to identify realistic goals and achieve them.
“If an overconfident student chooses a book that is too hard—such as The Lord of the Rings rather than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone—he or she might stop reading after a few pages and let it sit on a bookshelf,”says Chiu.
“In contrast, a more self-aware student is more likely to finish an easier book and continue reading more books, ”the expert added.
1. The underlined word “stunt” in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by| A．improve | B．help | C．prevent | D．find |
| A．Under-confident 15-year-olds are less likely to be above-average readers. |
| B．Overconfident 15-year-olds are often below-average readers. |
| C．Under-confident 15-year-olds are more likely to be below average readers. |
| D．Overconfident 15-year-olds are often above-average readers. |
| A．choose a better book | B．gain more money |
| C．have realistic goals and achieve them | D．have a great improvement in their marks |
| A．stop reading after a few pages | B．put the book on a bookshelf |
| C．finish an easier book | D．write books |
OUR KIDS ARE AMAZING－especially compared with everybody else’s (who seem to cry all the time). How do you show your love for your kids this holiday season? With toys that are smooth and colorful, interactive and exciting. And with ones that have educational value－because you are the boss.
1．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET
Here is a toy that doesn’t need power－and the kids have to put it together themselves. This 50-piece puzzle set is made of soft-edged hardwood and makes a complete hospital, with an X-ray room. It also includes eight patients, a car and a driver. $135; flaxart.com.
2．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL
Sure, it’s cool, but this colorful baby toy also develops problem solving and motor skills. It has a head and legs, a magnetic(磁性的) hand and a tail. Suitable for little ones from 6 to 36 months. $19.95; tinylove.com.
3．ROBOSAPIEN
This small, remote-control robot is really powerful. It performs 67 preprogrammed functions, including throwing, kicking, picking up and dancing. You can even program your own function-which, sadly, does not include doing windows. $99; robosapienonline.com.
4．MINI PEDAL CAR
Want a Mini Cooper but can’t fit the family inside? Get one for the kids. They can jump into this Mini car, which comes in hot orange with a single adjustable seat, and ride away. But it could spoil them for that used car they’ll be driving when they turn 16. For ages 3 to 5. $189; mininss. com (click on “gear up,” then “Mini motoring gear”).
1. Which toy is said to have the special design for children’s safety?
| A．ROBOSAPIEN |
| B．MINI PEDAL CAR |
| C．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET |
| D．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL |
| A．1 and 3. | B．2 and 4. |
| C．1 and 2. | D．3 and 4. |
| A．parents | B．children |
| C．the writer | D．the boss |
What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red?
| A．On the other hand, black is depressing. |
| B．They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favorite color as grow up — we are born with our preference. |
| C．The rooms are painted in different colors as you like. |
| D．If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. |
| E．Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active. |
| F．Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colors. |
| G．Colors do influence our moods—there is no doubt about it |
10 . Influenced by their families and society, many youths are infatuated with expensive famous brands. But not every youth is as rich as a millionaire and people are getting worried about this.
According to a recent survey, one out of five pupils wears clothes of well-known brands, including a belt worth 560 Yuan, more than an ordinary worker’s salary. Among the 100 middle school students surveyed, as many as 70 own famous-brand clothes, 60 have famous-brand watches and 45 possess famous-brand bicycles. Two of them even wear over 1500 Yuan worth of suits.
Most young people who come from ordinary families will try to steal money to have better food and clothing if their parents don’t satisfy their needs. A boy named Chen even killed another boy simply for 500 Yuan and was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment.
People wonder how these teenagers can be independent in the future, while parents are calling for help from schools, governments and the society.
1. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?| A．More than 50 percent of the students surveyed possess things of famous brands. |
| B．An ordinary worker owns less than 560 Yuan each month. |
| C．Suits may cost as much as 1500 Yuan. |
| D．Young people now are as rich as millionaires. |
| A．be anxious about |
| B．be filled with a strong unreasonable feeling of love for |
| C．have a strange and unusual way of |
| D．be low in spirits; sad for |
| A．steal money for better food and clothing |
| B．kill another boy for 500 Yuan |
| C．stay in prison for nine years |
| D．ask his parents to satisfy his needs |
| A．Youths Run After Famous Brands. |
| B．Youths Should Own More Money |
| C．Youths As Rich As Millionaires |
| D．Youths Must Be Taken Good Care of |
