The Xi’an City Wall is the most complete city wall that has survived China’s long history. It
We accessed the wall through the South Gate. The wall is 12 meters high and from here you can see streams of people moving inside and outside the City Wall.
After
We
2 . A Take a view, the Landscape(风景)Photographer of the Year Award, was the idea of Charlie Waite, one of today’s most respected landscape photographers.Each year, the high standard of entries has shown that the Awards are the perfect platform to showcase the very best photography of the British landscape.Take a view is a desirable annual competition for photographers from all comers of the UK and beyond.
| Mike Shepherd(2011) Skiddaw in Winter Cumbria, England | It was an extremely cold winter’s evening and freezing fog hung in the air. I climbed to the top of a small rise and realised that the mist was little more than a few feet deep, and though it was only a short climb, I found myself completely above it and looking at a wonderfully clear view of Skiddaw with the sun setting in the west. I used classical techniques, translated from my college days spent in the darkroom into Photoshop, to achieve the black—and—white image(图像). |
| Timothy Smith(2014) Macclesfield Forest Cheshire, England | I was back in my home town of Macclesfield to take some winter images. Walking up a path through the forest towards Shutlingsloe. a local high point, I came across a small clearing and immediately noticed the dead yellow grasses set against the fresh snow. The small pine added to the interest and I placed it centrally to take the view from the foreground right through into the forest. |
| A．Writers. | B．Photographers. | C．Painters. | D．Tourists. |
| A．They are winter images. |
| B．They are in black and white. |
| C．They show mountainous scenes. |
| D．They focus on snow—covered forests. |
| A．In a history book. | B．In a novel. | C．In an art magazine. | D．In a biography. |
A Four-legged Guardian Angel
Snow had just melted off the ground that April day at our house in Regina Beach. I had just cleaned up the pool in preparation for selling the house. The year before, I had lost my job, and now our financial situation was depressing. Finally, I had put the home on the market. Even worse, I would have to give up my beloved Great Dane (大丹犬), Brigitte, because I could no longer afford the cost of feeding it. The thought of losing the dog and our beautiful home was almost more than I could bear.
Deep in discouragement, I sat typing up my application letters. Out of the corner of my eye I could see my thirteen-month-old son, Forrest, as he lay on the carpet, playing near our big, gentle Brigitte. It seemed as if Brigitte was always meant to be in this family and she turned out to be a perfect companion.
Brigitte came to our house on Christmas eve when the doorbell rang and I was sure some of my Christmas packages had arrived. I ran to the door but no one was there. I sensed something and looked down, only to find a beautiful Great Dane sitting there, looking up at me with big, intelligent eyes. Perhaps, someone had found the puppy somewhere and left her there, and then rang the doorbell and ran away. They accurately guessed I would welcome an additional family member and take care of her.
Thinking of these, I couldn’t help sighing and went straight back to work. However, I hadn’t typed more than two sentences when Brigitte began barking and running back and forth to the sliding glass door overlooking our pool.
I raced to see what was happening and noticed that the sliding door was slightly open. Suddenly, I realized Forrest was nowhere to be seen. In panic, I opened the door and ran outside.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡相应位置作答。
There I was surprised to see Brigitte, who was terrified of water, dive into the pool.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally, the doctor said Forrest was all right and could be released from hospital.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Recently, 16 Chinese online novels have been added to the collection of the British Library.
The library usually selects works
One of the 16 novels, Happiness in Palm tells a story about love and delicacies (美食) in ancient times. The author created a
Great Power, Heavy Industry tells of how China’s manufacturing industries
One day my grandfather gave me a gift — a piggy bank. It had an opening through which one could put money in, but the opening was not big enough to reach in and get the money out. The only way to get at the money was to break the piggy bank open. My grandfather explained that was the whole idea: the piggy bank would help save my money so that, at the end of the year, I might have enough for that bike I dreamt about. He asked if I would put some of the money he gave me into the piggy bank. I agreed immediately and promised that I wouldn’t break it open until I could afford my dream bike.
Whenever he gave me a little bit of money, he would say, “This is for spending. But you can save some and put it in the piggy bank if you want to save it up.” When he gave me larger amounts, it was clearly for saving in the piggy bank. For some time, this worked fine. I loved shaking the piggy bank and hearing the sound of the coins. As it became heavier, I grew more excited, dreaming about buying my new bike, and all the adventures I could have on it.
Whenever I wanted to take some money from the piggy bank to buy delicious ice-creams or beautiful pens, I would imagine riding my bike on the street, and thinking of that, my thoughts about ice-creams or pens went away. So for almost six months, I only put money into the piggy bank without taking any out. I thought I wouldn’t break my piggy bank for anything. But one day something unexpected happened. I saw a piece of news on the television that a serious earthquake (地震) had happened in a nearby province. As many houses were destroyed, a lot of children became homeless. Seeing their shabby clothes and crying faces, I was sleepless that night.
注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
Paragraph 1: I knew I should do something.__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: My grandfather was surprised by my behavior._____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 . The TV series, The Longest Day in Chang’an, which was shown on Chinese online platforms, became a hit soon. Since then, it has been shown on partnering streaming platforms and TV networks abroad. Some websites overseas also offered the program to their users paying for it — the first time a Chinese series was broadcast as paid content abroad.
“I was amazed by the overseas audience’s love of this show,” Cao Dun, director of The Longest Day in Chang’an told Beijing Review. “I was worried that they wouldn’t understand the complex political structure of the Tang Dynasty. But in fact, the show is prompting foreign audiences to research the history of the Tang Dynasty to better understand the plot.”
The unique culture in ancient China is no a barrier but a bridge to connect with foreign audiences. In the TV series, every figure is given enough space to flesh out his or her character.
Telling stories of the ordinary Chinese people that resonate (引起共鸣) with the audience might be the way to communicate with the world. “The success of the TV series shows that beauty is a universal language crossing borders,” he told Beijing Review.
His ambition is to distinguish Chinese dramas from the TV shows in the rest of the world. “The TV series is a step in my plan to tell Chinese stories to the world,” Cao said. “After describing the impressive beauty of the Tang dynasty, I am looking for several plays that tell stories of today’s China. I don’t want to copy any country’s production. Chinese dramas have to build on our rich culture and Chinese people’s everyday life.” Cao added.
1. What do we know about the TV series?| A．It can be appreciated for free. |
| B．It was very popular once it was shown. |
| C．It was put on overseas when first released. |
| D．It is about the development of the Tang dynasty. |
| A．Requiring. | B．Reminding. | C．Encouraging. | D．Informing. |
| A．Recognition of beauty. | B．Stories of Tang Dynasty. |
| C．Diversity of Chinese culture. | D．Personalities of every figure. |
| A．Learn the Ancient Political Structure | B．Make a Successful TV Series is Easy |
| C．Show Different Nationalities in China | D．Tell Chinese Stories to the World |
7 . Experts say boredom is good for kids, which forces them to be creative, improves their imagination, and helps them discover new things. A (n)
Luke was
The 46-square-foot tree house cost $2,000 to build and
Although Luke did the
Luke is now in love with building. He has a You Tube channel and hopes to
| A．method | B．explanation | C．procedure | D．case |
| A．tired | B．fond | C．confident | D．guilty |
| A．thus | B．even | C．still | D．anyhow |
| A．in exchange for | B．in praise of | C．in charge of | D．in place of |
| A．recycled | B．cheap | C．new | D．raw |
| A．spent | B．took | C．saved | D．wasted |
| A．supported | B．accessed | C．held | D．landed |
| A．research | B．housework | C．experiment | D．discovery |
| A．credit | B．business | C．budget | D．duty |
| A．Therefore | B．Besides | C．Instead | D．However |
| A．borrow | B．donate | C．raise | D．distribute |
| A．inspire | B．press | C．command | D．warn |
| A．Luckily | B．Eventually | C．Frequently | D．Strangely |
| A．brings out | B．leaves out | C．hangs out | D．puts out |
| A．step | B．risk | C．chance | D．break |
8 . Although problems are a part of our lives, it certainly doesn't mean that we let them rule our lives forever. One day or another, you'll have to stand up and say—problems, I don't want you in my life.
But good news is that all problems can be dealt with. Now read on to know how to solve your problems.
Talk, it really helps. What most of us think is that our problem can be understood only by us and that no talking is going to help.
Write your problems.
Don't lose faith and hope. No matter what you lose in life, don't lose faith and hope. Even if you lose all your money, family…you should still have faith.
Your problems aren't the worst. No matter what problem you get in life, there are another one million people whose problems are huger than yours.
Go about and solve your problems because every problem, however big or small, always has a way out.
| A．Of course, we've been fighting troubles ever since we were born. |
| B．When we have a problem, a pressing, critical, urgent, life-threatening problem, how do we try and solve it？ |
| C．Having a personal diary can also be of huge help if you don't want a real person to talk with. |
| D．But the truth is that when you talk about it, you're setting free the negative energies that have been gathering within you. |
| E．We can often overcome the problem and achieve the goal by making a direct attack. |
| F．Tell yourself：when they can deal with them, why can't I？ |
| G．With faith and hope, you can rebuild everything that you lose. |
9 . For years video games have been criticized for making people more antisocial, overweight or depressed. Bui now researchers are finding that video games can actually change us for the better and improve both our body and mind.
Games can help to develop physical skills. Pre-school children who played interactive games have been shown to have improved motor skills, for example they can kick, catch and throw a ball better than children who don’t play video games. A study found that those who played video games were 27 percent faster and made 37 percent fewer errors than those who didn’t.
Games also benefit a variety of brain functions, including decision-making. People who play action-based games make decisions 25 percent faster than others, according to one study. It was also found that the best gamers can make choices and act on them up to six times a second, four times faster than most people. In another study by researchers from the University of Rochester in New York, experienced gamers were shown to be able to pay attention to more than six things at once without getting confused, compared with the four that most people can normally keep in mind.
There is also evidence that gaming can help with psychological problems. At the University of Auckland in New Zealand, researchers asked 94 young people diagnosed with depression to play a 3D fantasy game called SPARX and in many cases, the game reduced symptoms of depression more than conventional treatment.
The effects are not always so positive, however. Indiana University researchers carried out brain scans on young men and found evidence that violent games can adjust brain function after as little as a week of play, affecting regions in the brain associated with emotional control and causing more aggressive behavior in the player. But Danhne Bavelier, one of the most experienced researchers in the field, says that the violent action games that often worry p parents most may actually have the strongest beneficial effect on the brain. In the future, we may see many treatments for physical and neurological (神经的) problems, which include the playing of video games.
1. In what way playing video games benefits very young children?| A．Muscle control. | B．Social interaction. |
| C．Decision-making. | D．The ability to focus. |
| A．Interactive games. | B．Action-based games. |
| C．3D fantasy games. | D．Violent games. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Objective. | C．Worried. | D．Critical. |
| A．The effects of different types of video games. |
| B．The negative effects of playing video games. |
| C．The beneficial effects of playing video games. |
| D．The effects of games on people’s behavior. |
10 . Famous Movie Scene Locations
Kathmandu. Nepal
Ancient cities always provide a great back drop, as moviegoers are transported back in time to places that remain untouched by the outside world. In Doctor Strange. Benedict Cumberbatch plays a brilliant surgeon. Searching for a cure, he travels to a sacred place known as “Kamar Taj”. seeking the guidance of “The Ancient One”. With fantastic traditional architecture colourful street markets and sacred temples. Kathmandu was the perfect setting, as its rich history was juxtaposed(映射)against the amazing special effects used to transport actors across space and time.
Italy
The movie Angels and Demons is like a treasure map for history and travel lovers, with dozens of incredible(and real)places that tourists can easily find. After the great success of The Da Vinci Code, Tom Hanks returned as Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbologist trying to prevent an attack against The Vatican. Rome’s oldest and most famous sites receive all of the attention they deserve, including the Pantheon, the Sistene Chapel, St. Peter’s Square, the Basilica. the Piazza Navona and Trevi Fountain, to name just a few.
New Zealand
New Zealand got a huge tourism increase after The Lord of the Rings trilogy(三部曲)pushed it into the spotlight. Moviegoers were blown away by the film’s vast. unspoiled nature, amazing mountain ranges, and…Hobbit Holes. If you travel to Hobbiton. you can tour the set, see where famous scenes were filmed, stay overnight at the Green Dragon Inn and eat at The Shire’s Rest café.
Paris. France
Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, filmed almost entirely on the location, features Owen Wilson as a struggling writer. In this film, every night at midnight Wilson is transported back to Paris in the 1920s, where he finds true inspiration, and true love.
1. Where will you go if you want to experience time travel?| A．Kathmandu, Nepal. | B．Italy. | C．New Zealand. | D．Paris, France. |
| A．A surgeon. | B．A writer. | C．A symbologist. | D．A travel lover. |
| A．Benedict Cumberbatch. | B．Tom Hanks. |
| C．Woody Allen. | D．Owen Wilson. |
