The word “toad” (癞蛤蟆) would be very easy in an English-language spelling bee, but not in a nationally televised contest in China.
In Chinese, toad has three characters that are made up of 46 individual strokes(笔画). Yu Shuang,
Yu wasn’t alone. The show tested a group of adults in the audience, just 30% of
Since the first show on a minor TV channel about educational programming, the “Chinese Characters Dictation Competition”
Its creator, Guan Zhengwen said, “The hope is
2 . Homestay provides English language students with the opportunity to speak English outside the classroom and the experience of being part of a British home.
What to Expect
The host will provide accommodation and meals. Rooms will be cleaned and bedcovers changed at least once a week. You will be given the house key and the host is there to offer help and advice as well as to take an interest in your physical and mental health.
Meal Plans Available
※Continental Breakfast
※Breakfast and Dinner
※Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner
It’s important to note that few English families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast. Your accommodation includes Continental Breakfast which normally consists of fruit juice, cereal (谷物类食品), bread and tea or coffee. Cheese, fruit and cold meat are not normally part of a Continental Breakfast in England. Dinner usually consists of meat or fish with vegetables followed by dessert, fruit and coffee.
Friends
If you wish to invite a friend over to visit, you must first ask your host’s permission. You have no right to entertain friends in a family home as some families feel it is an invasion of their privacy.
Self-catering Accommodation in Private Homes
Accommodation on a room-only basis includes a shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and often a main living room. This kind of accommodation offers an independent lifestyle and is more suitable for the long-stay student. However, it does not provide the same family atmosphere as an ordinary homestay and may not benefit those who need to practise English at home quite as much.
1. Which of the following will be provided by the host?| A．Room cleaning. | B．Medical care. |
| C．Physical training. | D．Free accommodation. |
| A．Cheese and cold meat. | B．Fruit and coffee. |
| C．Fruit juice and bread. | D．Dessert and tea. |
| A．To experience a warmer family atmosphere. |
| B．To enrich their knowledge of English. |
| C．To entertain friends as they like. |
| D．To enjoy much more freedom. |
3 . Best Hotels in Denver, CO
Four Seasons Hotel Denver
●5.0-star hotel class
●Free WiFi
Situated in Denver’s Theatre District, Four Seasons hotel draws luxury-seekers with the promise of luxurious amenities and high-end service. Rooms at Four Seasons Hotel Denver are equipped with LCD TVs and complimentary Wi-Fi. Meanwhile, on-site amenities like the full-service spa and the newly redesigned EDGE Restaurant & Bar are considered added bonuses. Some recent reviewers say the service doesn’t match the high price tag.
Hotel Teatro
●4.5-star hotel class
●$27 nightly resort fee
●Free WiFi
Cozy guest rooms decorated with modern amenities, including flat-panel LCD TVs, Keurig coffee makers and bathrooms with rainforest shower heads as well as a fitness center, an on-site restaurant, and a library-themed lounge. But recent visitors complained the high valet parking fees, which are not covered by the daily amenity fee.
Grand Hyatt Denver
●4.5-star hotel class
●Free WiFi
You’ll be treated to spacious rooms(equipped with coffee makers, minifridges, flat-screen TVs and high-speed internet access), a fitness center and a pool. The highlight of a stay at this hotel was the excellent customer service. Travelers describe the employees here as efficient and extremely friendly.
Clayton Members Club & Hotel
●4.5-star hotel class
●$29.46 nightly resort fee
●Free WiFi
Located in Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood, the hotel sits within walking distance of a variety of restaurants, shops and galleries. Though many reviewers were blown away by the hotel’s stylish interiors and delicious restaurant, others complained the customer service was uneven and described the pool as too small.
1. If you have a tight budget recently, which hotel would you NOT choose?| A．Four Seasons Hotel Denver | B．Hotel Teatro |
| C．Grand Hyatt Denver | D．Clayton Members Club & Hotel |
| A．The nightly resort fee and full-service spa. | B．On-site restaurant and valet parking fee. |
| C．Uneven service and free WiFi. | D．On-site restaurant and fitness center. |
| A．A research paper | B．A travel magazine |
| C．A story book | D．An online forum |
4 . From a heart-warming read about an unlikely friendship to a guidebook uncovering the surprising science of walking, here are four books you won’t want to miss this month.
52 Ways to Walk: The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time by Annabel Streets (Out now)
We’re all familiar with the wonderful physical benefits that come with walking. Maybe you feel relieved from stress after taking a wander outside, or maybe you’ve seen your sleeping routine improve as a result. As impressive as this is, there is so much more to walking that most of us have vet to explore. In Annabel Streets’ informative handbook, she digs into the lesser known benefits of walking, such as why a slow relaxing walk alone strengthens our memories, or why walking in woodlands makes you sleep soundly at night which helps you rediscover the joy found in this simple act.
Milk Street: Cook What You Have: Make A Meal Out of Almost Anything by Christopher Kimball (Out now)
Do you ever have those nights when the contents of your cupboards are empty, and you’re too tired to go shopping? Cook What You Have is here to show you how to make hearty, warming meals from the leftover items and everyday essentials that you already have, with over 225 delicious recipes(食谱)to choose from.
Moon Yoga: Poses, Flows, and Rituals to Help You Move With the Moon by Lisa Hood (Out 5, January)
Go on a spiritual journey with yoga instructor Lisa Hood, and discover how to use the moon’s energy for enhanced wellbeing. This beautifully explanatory and insightful guide is packed with yoga flows and journaling instructions.
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams (Out now)
Heart-warming and uplifting, The Reading List is a story of an unlikely friendship between a man grieving(悲痛)the loss of his wife, and an anxious teenager trying to overcome the difficulty in life. Could a wrinkled list of books be the key to helping them find comfort in the next chapter of their lives?
1. What does 52 Ways to Walk mainly talk about?| A．The benefits of walking. | B．The joy of walking. |
| C．The best place to walk. | D．The best time to walk. |
| A．They both have instructors. |
| B．They have both been published |
| C．They are both related to our health. |
| D．They can both help us find the joy of exercise. |
| A．Milk Street | B．The Reading List |
| C．Moon Yoga | D．52 Ways to Walk |
5 . Our school is looking for paid members to sit on the Student Advisory Board for Volunteering. The Board plays an important role in influencing the development and delivery of the volunteering service. Its aim is to find volunteering opportunities for students, teachers at school.
Volunteering, which has the potential to create positive social impact, is key to school. The Board will ensure that students’ needs are at the core of the service so that all King’s students can make a difference. This year, the Student Advisory Board for Volunteering’s topics include:
● Volunteering opportunities for the disabled.
● Promotion of the Board’s service.
● How to recognize and reward volunteers.
● Comment on the Board’s work.
This is a unique and exciting opportunity open to all studying at school, no matter how much or how little you have volunteered. The Board will be run both online and in-person, and board members will be paid the London Living Wage (£11.95 per hour) via King’s TalentBank.
The application deadline is 23:59 on Friday, 31st March 2023.
Apply via the form below, using your school email address.
1. What does the Board aim to do for those at school?| A．Perform voluntary work. | B．Discover volunteering chances. |
| C．Provide learning opportunities. | D．Meet their academic needs. |
| A．Comment on the Board’s performance. | B．Training voluntary workers. |
| C．Running the Board online. | D．Taking care of people with disabilities. |
| A．The teachers. | B．The students. |
| C．The graduates. | D．The working staff. |
6 . With spring officially here, we can look forward to fresh flowers and cherry blossoms (樱花) . Why not celebrate the end of winter with a fun spring time holiday? Here we’ve found four terrific travel packages at home and abroad.
London’s Chelsea Flower Show, $849
Every May, London hosts the world famous Chelsea Flower Show, astonishing gardens, and lively gardening displays that set the latest in garden design trends. This year, Virgin Vacations offers a six-night air-land packages priced at a sweet $849. Good for departures May 21-23, this deal covers the following costs: airfare from New York; accommodations; daily breakfast; and one full-day entrance to the Flower Show.
Spring Flowers of Amsterdam, $739
Want to watch the spring flowers in the lowlands of Holland? Amsterdam is a treat to visit at this time of year, as its numerous gardens explode with color. At just $739 for a four-night stay with airfare, at this spring escape is priced to go! Good for travel April 1—17, the deal includes airfare from New York, accommodation at a budget hotel, daily breakfast, and a local map and guide.
Cherry Blossoms in Washington D. C., $639
You don’t need to travel far for an impressive flower show! From March 31 through April 15, Washington D. C. is hosting its yearly Cherry Blossoms Festival, marking the 95th celebration of the original gift of 3, 000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to the people of D. C. . Several hotels are honoring the occasion with special deals: for example, Hay-Adams offers a Cherry Blossom Package at $639 with two-night accommodation, and free parking.
Tokyo Spring Fun, $949
To spot the cherry blossoms right at the source, we recommend a spring adventure to Tokyo. Now you can visit the Asia Affair Holidays special we found: a Tokyo spring special starts at just$949! This deal covers airfare from New York, five nights’ accommodations at Tokyo Hilton International, and a half-day city tour. This particular price is valid for departures April 1—30, perfectly timed for the best of cherry blossom season.
1. To which place does the travel not contain airfare?| A．Chelsea. | B．Amsterdam. | C．Washington | D．C. D. Tokyo. |
| A．the USA. | B．England. | C．Holland. | D．Japan. |
| A．Spring Flowers of Amsterdam. | B．Cherry Blossoms in Washington D. |
| C．C. Tokyo Spring Fun. | D．London’s Chelsea Flower Show. |
Museum Day is here for one day and one day only — so you’ll need to hurry if you want to take advantage of the chance to get free Saturday admission to one of the hundreds of participating museums.
The yearly event is hosted by Smithsonian Magazine and involves museums and cultural institutions coming together to offer free admission for patrons(顾客) who would otherwise have to pay for entry.
You just need an email address to get a ticket
To get a ticket you’ll need to go to the Smithsonian Magazine website and pick which museum you want to go to. You’ll be able to search to see which museums near you are participating, and from there you just have to put in your email address and name. After that, you can download your ticket and head out for some fun.
A lot of museums are still feeling financial stress from the pandemic
The event is happening as museums are still struggling from the hits they took during the first few years of the pandemic.
The American Alliance of Museums estimated it will take years for museums to fully recover. In February, the group released survey results that detailed those financial losses.
AAM President and CEO Laura Lott noted that federal relief helped remove the threat of closure that many institutions were facing, but 2022 proved to be another painful year.
But there’s hope that a free day at the museums might spark subsequent(随后的) visits.
1. How often is Museum Day held?| A．Once a week. | B．Once a month. | C．Once a year. | D．Once a day. |
| A．To go to the nearest museum. | B．To buy Smithsonian Magazine. |
| C．To enter your email address and name. | D．To be a member of Smithsonian Magazine. |
| A．It will help people deal with stress. | B．It will make museums more famous. |
| C．It can help museums to fully recover. | D．It may attract more visitors to museums. |
A famous vlogger (视频博主) called Zhang Chenliang with professional knowledge in animals, insects and plants lights up netizens’ (网民的) dreams of
Deep in a rainforest in Hainan province, Zhang Chenliang
The 34-year-old is
After watching one of his videos, one young woman was encouraged
9 . Lying on the north-south axis (轴线) line of Beijing City, Bell and Drum Towers were built in 1272 and rebuilt twice after two fires. In one period in history they were the time-telling center of the capital city during the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties (1271-1911).
Bell Tower
The Bell Tower is 47. 9 meters high. This brick-and-stone-made building has two floors. Located on the second floor, the bell is the largest and heaviest in China. It is 7. 02 meters high, with a weight of63tons (吨). It was made of copper (铜), and you can hear its clear sound from far away.
Drum Tower
Situated 91 meters south to the bell tower, it was placed on a 4-meter-high stone and brick groundwork. It is 46. 7 meters high. It is a two-floor wooden building. There was one big drum and 24 smaller ones before, but only the big remains now.
On New Year’s Eve 1990, the bell was rung again and the drum was rung on New Year’s Eve 2001 after being silent for so long. Since then, the drum and the bell have sounded 108 times every New Year’s Eve.
How to get to Bell Drum Towers
By Subway:
1. Take Subway Line 8 and get off at Shichahai Station.
2. Take Subway Line 2 and get off at Guloudajie Station.
By Bus:
1. Take Bus 5, 60, 82, 107, 124, or 635 and get off at Gulou (Drum Tower) Station.
2. Take the Sightseeing Bus 3 and get off at Gulou (Houhai) Station.
Ticket Price: Bell Tower: CNY 15; Drum Tower: CNY 20
Ticket for both places: CNY 30
Opening Hours: 09: 00 to 17: 00
Drum Performances at the Drum Tower: 09: 30, 10: 00, 11: 30, 13: 30, 14: 30, 15: 30, 16: 45
Note: an extra performance is at 17: 15 in high season.
1. What do we know about Drum Tower?
| A．Drums are beaten every hour on the hour. |
| B．There are 8 drum performances in total in high season. |
| C．Drum Tower is a little bit higher than Bell Tower. |
| D．In all there are twenty-five old drums now. |
| A．Their tickets cost the same. | B．They are made of brick and stone. |
| C．Their heights are the same. | D．They have the same number of floors. |
| A．A historical story | B．An introduction to a building. |
| C．A travel brochure. | D．An advertisement for an activity. |
1. How do students enter the library?
| A．With a student card. | B．With a library account. | C．With a password. |
| A．At most 11. | B．At most 12. | C．At most 9. |
| A．Books borrowed by local citizens. |
| B．Books loved by many people. |
| C．Books published recently. |
| A．Tell the students where to buy drinks. |
| B．Take the students on a campus tour. |
| C．Show the students around the library. |
