Hello, everyone! I’ll show you around the Louvre today through our live broadcast. First of all, let’s take a look at the sculpture at the top of the
2 . The Most Breathtaking Theaters in the World
Shakespeare's Globe Theater(London, UK)
The original Globe Theater was built by Shakespeare's company in 1599, but was destroyed by fire in 1613. A replica was built in 1997 just meters from the original site. The new 857-seat structure has several modern features. It has the first and only straw roof permitted in London since the great fire of 1666.
Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London; +44 20 7902 1400
Margravial Opera House(Bayreuth, Germany)
Built in 1745, the UNESCO-listed Mareravial Opera House is regarded as the finest baroque theater in Europe. The stage has a depth of 27 meters and was the largest in Europe until 1871. Much of the original materials remain, along with original structures, such as the twin staircases.
Margravial Opera House, Opernstrasse 14. Bayreuth, Germany; +49 9 21 7 59 69 22
Teatro Amazonas(Manaus, Brazil)
There can't be many theaters located in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, and the Teatro Amazonas is certainly the most breathtaking. The theater was built in 1895 and was designed by Italian architect Celestial Sacardim. Work took 15 years. largely thanks to the decision to source supplies from all over the world
Amazon Theater, Centro, Manaus, Brazil; +55 92 3622 1880
National Centre for the Performing Arts(Beijing, China)
The National Centre for the Performing Arts(NCPA), built in 2007, is an arts centre in Beijing. Designed by French architect Paul Andreu, the NCPA is the largest theatre complex(建筑群)in Asia. The NCPA includes value in both ancient traditional Chinese architecture and modern architecture. It was specially designed to improve the red walls of ancient buildings and the Great Hall of the People in order to fit in with the surroundings.
NCPA, No. 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng District, Beijing; +86 010 6655 0989
1. Where does the theatre with its longest survival time lie?A.In London. | B.In Bayreuth | C.In Manaus. | D.In Beijing |
A.Shakespeare's Globe. | B.Margravial Opera House. |
C.Teatro Amazonas. | D.National Centre for the Performing Arts. |
A.It features modern architecture. | B.It receives worldwide supplies. |
C.It is a multifunctional theatre | D.It matches its surroundings. |
3 . About one million years ago, the Ice Age began. The Ice Age was a long period of time in which four great glaciers (冰川) pushed southward to cover almost all the upper half of North America, and then melted away. Each glacier was a thick sheet of ice and snow that spread out from a center near what is now Hudson Bay in Canada. The winters were long, and the cool summers were too short to melt much of the ice and snow, The ever - growing sheet built up to a thickness of two miles at its center.
As all glaciers do, these great glaciers slid. They pushed down giant trees in their paths and scraped (刮, 削) the earth bare of soil. Many animals moved farther south to escape. Others stayed and were destroyed.
When winters of little snow came, the summer suns shone into the edges to the ice sheets. As the glaciers melted, rocks, soil and other things that had mixed with the ice and snow were left. New hills, lakes and rivers were formed.
The last of the great glaciers began its melting about 11000 years ago. Its melting formed the Great Lakes. These lakes are today little changed from their early sizes and shapes. The largest of the North American river systems Was also influenced by the glaciers. This is the Mississippi - Missouri - Ohio system. These rivers were miles wide a first. Through the years they settle into their present channels.
1. The main idea of this passage is ________ .A.the Ice Age was a long period of time |
B.great glaciers covered North America many years ago |
C.changes in climate helped to melt the glaciers |
D.how glaciers changed North America |
A.are two miles thick | B.form frozen lakes |
C.are a million years old | D.move and slide |
A.the sliding of glaciers are usually destructive |
B.all glaciers in the world move southward |
C.the Mississippi - Missouri - Ohio system is larger than it was before the ice Age |
D.the Great Lakes are now smaller than they were before the ice Age |
A.lakes | B.rivers | C.glaciers | D.systems |
4 . If there is a building which symbolizes a country—such as the Eiffel Tower for France and Sydney Opera House for Australia—then it has to be the Taj Mahal for India.
It was set up by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1653 in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. From the time they got married, they wouldn’t be separated. She followed him to wars, advised him on affairs of state, and was loved by his people for her good work. But she died in 1631 during childbirth. The emperor was heartbroken and had the Taj Mahal built as a sign of his love.
It took more than 20 years for the Taj Mahal to be built. Workers were brought in, not only from all over India, but from Central Asia too. A total of 20,000 people worked on the building.
In 1657, Shah Jahan fell ill, and in 1658 his son Aurangzeb, imprisoned (囚禁) his father and seized power. Shah Jahan stayed in prison until his death in 1666. He was finally buried there with his wife he could never forget.
The Taj Mahal is definitely worth more than a single visit. As it is built with white marble stones, its character changes in different lights. It looks more beautiful at sunrise and sunset. At sunset, for example, the color of the Taj changes from white to yellow, then to pink. As the moon rises, it turns a silvery white.
To show respect to the Taj, tourists are asked to take off their shoes during their visit.
1. Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal to ________.A.do wonders | B.memorize his wife | C.show his great power | D.give his wife great honor |
A.It is a symbol of India. | B.It took over 20 years to complete the Taj Mahal. |
C.All workers building the Taj Mahal came from Central Asia. | D.The Taj Mahal was built with white marble stones. |
A.Shah Jahan lived a hard life in his last few years. |
B.Shah Jahan lost his life just because of old age. |
C.Shah Jahan was not popular with his people at that time. |
D.Shah Jahan treated his son bad when he was young. |
A.has never visited the Taj Mahal |
B.thinks highly of the Taj Mahal |
C.doesn’t think the Taj Mahal worth a visit |
D.thinks the Taj Mahal is more grand than other buildings in the world |
1. Where is the island?
A.It is in Asia. |
B.It is in the Pacific Ocean. |
C.It is off the coast of Europe. |
A.It’s free of pollution. | B.It’s not far away. | C.It’s small. |
A.Beautiful. | B.Wild. | C.Unusual. |
A.Eight. | B.Seven. | C.Six. |
Suzhou is a cultural and historical city in China’s Jiangsu Province. It is celebrated all over the world for its classical gardens
Today, dozens of classical gardens are still in good condition,
7 . A dam is a man-made structure built across a river. Most dams are built to control a river’s water flow, improve navigation and control flooding. However, some dams are built to produce hydro-electric power.
Hydro-electric power is produced as water passes through a dam, and into a river below. The more water that passes through a dam, the more energy that is produced. Once a dam is built, a man-made lake is created behind the dam.
Electricity is produced by a kind of equipment called a turbine(涡轮机).Turbines contain metal coils(线圈)surrounded by magnets(磁铁). When the magnets move round rapidly over the metal coils, electricity is produced. Turbines are located inside dams. The falling water makes the magnets go around the coils.
Dams provide clean energy, but they can also harm the environment. Species that use rivers to reproduce are often hurt by dams. In the northwest of the US, the population of fishes has dropped from 16 million to 2.5 million since hydro-electric plants were built on the Columbia River. Dams all over the world have hurt some species.
The highest dam in the United States is located near Oroville, California. The Oroville Dam towers 230 meters and is more than a mile wide. This dam was built in 1968, 22 years after the Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam, on the Nevada-Arizona border controls the Colorado River. It is 221 meters high and has 2.6 million hectare-meter(公顷)of water.
The highest dam in the world is the Nurek Dam on the Vakhsh River in Tajikistan, a country in central Asia. This dam is 300 meters tall.
1. Which of the following is NOT the advantage of a dam according to the passage?A.To control a river’s water flow. |
B.To produce hydro—electric power. |
C.To improve navigation and to control flooding. |
D.To reduce the population of some species of animals. |
A.what a turbine is and how it works |
B.how hydro-electric power is produced |
C.how the magnets and the metal coils work |
D.how the falling water passes through a turbine |
A.The Nurek Dam. | B.The Oroville Dam. |
C.The Vakhsh Dam. | D.The Hoover Dam. |
A.Live in. | B.Find food. |
C.Produce young animals. | D.Make the same photograph. |
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
9 . “It has nothing in common with anything else on the Bund(外滩) "said Ben Wood, the American architect behind Shanghai's famous Xintiandi District, commenting on the Fosun Foundationafter its completion in 2016. "The great thing about the Bund is that it'sgrand. Perhaps a building that can stand out is needed here to show that acompany is progressive. But it's not grand.”
For now, however, the FosunFoundation ---a new theatre ---is proving popular with riverside tourists.
Located in the Bund FinanceCenter, the theatre was designed by co-operation of two world-known Britishdesign firms: Foster+ Partners and Heatherwick Studio. The architecturalhighlight is the outward appearance ---a golden, three-layered(层) steel bamboo curtain that hangs fromthe third floor. But what makes the architecture really unique is that it"dances" : repeatedly each day, the curtain slowly moves ---opens andcloses--- with music. This visual element, combining East and West, looks likeboth an ancient Chinese crown and a Western harp (竖琴). The building's ground floor entrancelooks unclear, but once inside, you'll see the space reveal a hall and cafe, and traditional Chinese theatres on the upper floors. Although there're onlyfour stories above ground, the building houses several music halls on its threeunderground floors.
“The opportunity to makesomething new in this culturally historic location was extraordinary, "said Thomas Heatherwick, Heatherwick Studio founder. "We tried to make itan interesting addition to show Shanghais mix of modern and historicarchitecture.”
The Fosun Foundation is only part of a bigger plan for this economicand cultural center in China. Along the Huangpu River, a massive waterfront artarea is being built. Shanghai hopes to play a larger role in the global artindustry in the coming years.
What Shanghai makes of thisnew riverside project remains to be seen. But with the Fosun Foundation open tothe public, the area's rapid transformation is bringing up discussions inChina's arts scene and beyond.
1. What did Ben Wood mainly talk about?A.How to keep the Bund area progressive. |
B.Why the Bund area doesn't stand out. |
C.How to make the Fosun Foundation grand. |
D.Why the Fosun Foundation doesn’t fit the area. |
A.The colour of its appearance. |
B.The material of the building |
C.The movement of its curtain. |
D.The music of a different type. |
A.To improve its influence in arts. |
B.To bring up more traditional buildings. |
C.To strengthen its economic role. |
D.To mix modern and historic elements. |
A.Worried | B.Pessimistic | C.Cautious | D.Confident |
10 . In the South Atlantic Ocean, there is an island called Tristan da Cunha, which is a six day boat ride from the nearest town Cape Town in South Africa. There’s no airport on Tristan. Every month or so, a boat will bring visitors but not many. The boat will also bring mail and supplies. You can only see about 270 people, 300 cows, 500 sheep, and a whole lot of penguins there.
The British tried to build a military base there in 1816. They gave up after a year. But a soldier and his family talked a few people into staying. Those people slowly built a community. Few trees grow on the island. So they found wood that washed ashore. They used it to build homes and boats. For food, they raised cows, sheep and pigs. They fished and planted potatoes. They promised to share everything they had. Sometimes ships brought supplies to Tristan. But for many years, no one there used money. Instead, people on the island traded potatoes for supplies. It cost five potatoes to send a piece of mail.
Today, nearly everyone on Tristan is a farmer. The island’s main industry is fishing. It has a single factory that cans fish.
Several times, bad luck has nearly destroyed the town on Tristan. In 1885, men died in a boat accident. That left 13 women and only 4 adult men on the island. Still, everyone stayed. In 1961, a bigger disaster stuck. The town was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. All 290 people on the island moved to England. But soon, nearly all of them moved back to the island and rebuilt their town.
What’s so special about life on this lonely island? For islanders like Harold Green, that’s an easy question to answer. Green has lived on Tristan his whole life. He left when the volcano erupted. But England was too loud and too crowded for him. He came back because the island is peaceful.
1. What was used as money on Tristan in the past?A.Fish. | B.Wood. | C.Sheep. | D.Potatoes |
A.A deadly boat accident. |
B.A terrible natural disaster. |
C.The attraction of modern life. |
D.The building of a British military base. |
A.Bored | B.Hopeful. | C.Satisfied | D.Regretful. |
A.A lonely island. |
B.A special lifestyle. |
C.A famous fishing town. |
D.A popular tourist attraction. |