1 . In many countries of the world, people can confidently tell you the meaning of their town or city, but most people who live in Manchester, Oxford or Birmingham would not be able to explain what the name of their city means. The name of every British town and city, however, has a long history.
Two thousand years ago, most people living in Britain were Celts. Even the word “Britain” is Celtic. Then the Romans arrived and built camps which became cities called “castra”. This is why there are so many place names in England which end in “-chester” or “-caster” – Manchester, for example.
The Romans never reached Wales or Scotland, and many place names there are Celtic (凯尔特语的). For example, Welsh place names that begin with “Llan” come from the Celtic word for church.
After the Romans left Britain, it was attacked by tribes (部落) called the Anglo-Saxons who were from the area of Europe that is now Germany and Holland. Without the Roman army, it was impossible to protect the country from these people. The names of their villages often ended in “-ham” or “-ton”. Some got their name from the leader of the village, so Birmingham, for example, means “Beormund’s village”.
The Anglo-Saxons were farmers and the landscape was very important to them, so we have villages called Upton (“village on a hill” – a good place to build a village) and Moreton (“village by a lake”, where floods could make life tough). Place names that end in “-ford” (a place where you could cross a river) also describe the location of Anglo-Saxon villages.
Twelve hundred years ago, the Vikings came to England from Scandinavia. They traded with the Anglo-Saxons but lived in their own villages. These often ended in “-by” or “-thorpe”. The name “Kirkby” means “a village with a church” and Scunthorpe was the village of a man called Skuma.
Finally, in 1066, England became Norman – the Normans gave us the place name “grange”, which means farm.
And how about London? Experts cannot agree. The Romans called the city Londinium, but they were not the first inhabitants (居民). People once believed that the United Kingdom’s capital city got its name from the castle (城堡) of a King called Lud, but this is very unlikely. Our best guess today is that the name comes from a Celtic word meaning a fastflowing river. Like a number of British place names, its history is lost in time.
1. The origin of British place names is unfamiliar to many local people because of ______.| A．the death of ancient languages | B．their lack of interest in the names |
| C．the long lost history of the names | D．the frequent changes to the names |
| A．beside a river | B．near a castle |
| C．on a hill | D．with a church |
| A．The Celts — The Romans — The Vikings — The Normans — The Anglo Saxons |
| B．The Celts — The Romans — The Anglo Saxons — The Vikings — The Normans |
| C．The Romans — The Celts — The Vikings — The Anglo Saxons — The Normans |
| D．The Romans — The Anglo Saxons — The Celts — The Normans — The Vikings |
| A．It is short for Londinium. | B．It’s from the term for a river. |
| C．It is puzzling and hard to confirm. | D．It comes from the castle of a King. |
2 . The United States has a vast network of National Parks spread all around the country. Here are some National Parks for you.
Arches National Park, Utah
More than 2,000 natural stone arches make Arches National Park a special place in Utah. Travelers from around the world come to see brilliant sunsets that light up the sky each night. Hikers and rock climbers will love the endless options for exploring, while more low-key visitors are sure to love the camping.
Acadia, Maine
Super close to Bar Harbor, one of Maine's most beloved tiny towns, Acadia National Park tops travel guides for the Vacation State. Before making your way to Mt. Desert island, dine on the country's most famous fish and lake advantage of the opportunity to go whale watching on the Atlantic Ocean. When visiting Acadia, set aside some time to hike and go boating.
Mount Rainier, Washington
We couldn't leave the park with you slowly moving ice off the list. Washington's Mount Rainier National Park, found southeast of Seattle, has 25 of them (along with the famous volcano) as its attention-catching sight. The National Park says it's "the snowiest place on earth where snow is measured regularly." If snowcapped peaks aren't your thing, plan to visit the park when the weather is warmer.
Great Sand Dunes (沙丘), Colorado
You probably imagine the Rocky Mountains when you think about Colorado, but did you know that the Centennial state is also home to the United States' largest sand dunes? See them for yourself at Great Sand Dunes National Park, where you can go sand boarding or "fat biking". Though June temperatures are said to be some of Southern Colorado's best, a warm winter day can be an equally enjoyable time to see the dunes.
1. What do Arches National Park and Acadia have in common?| A．Tourists can hike in the parks. | B．They are located in tiny towns. |
| C．Both of the parks offer sea food. | D．They offer free guide to travellers. |
| A．Sunsets. | B．Whales. |
| C．Ice. | D．Sands. |
| A．Arches National Park, Utah | B．Acadia, Maine |
| C．Mount Rainier, Washington | D．Great Sand Dunes, Colorado |
3 . Famous Modern Chinese Buildings
Beijing International Airport
The first place most visitors see when they arrive in China is Beijing International Airport. The airport was constructed in the 1950s. It has an indoor garden, a children’s playground, and over 70 food businesses in Terminal 3 alone.
Shanghai World Financial Center
Completed in 2008, SWFC took over 10 years to complete due to financial shortages and construction delays. Since its completion, it has won countless architectural awards.
Tourists are welcome at SWFC's viewing platform, which at 474 meters above ground is the worlds highest closed viewing platform.
The Water Cube
It was constructed for use during the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. Now visitors can express surprise at the architecture of the building. They can enjoy the indoor atmosphere as well.
Among the offerings of the Water Cube are a restaurant and bar, a shopping area, and Water World, a family water park
The Bird's Nest, Beijing
It was designed mainly for the 2008 Summer Olympics. It can hold up to 80,000 people and has been used for a winter theme park. Nowadays, its main income is as a tourist attraction. It draws more than 20,000 tourists every day.
National Center for the Performing Arts
It was completed in 2007. The building is surrounded by a man-made lake, requiring guests to enter via an underground hallway. It is home to an Opera Hall, Music Hall, and Theater.
1. Which of the following buildings was first constructed?| A．Beijing International Airport. | B．Shanghai World Financial Center. |
| C．The Water Cube. | D．The Birds Nest, Beijing. |
| A．It needed more construction workers. | B．It was short of money. |
| C．It added an extra viewing-platform. | D．It faced too much terrible weather. |
| A．By renting the winter theme park. | B．By increasing its opening time. |
| C．By charging tourists for admission fees. | D．By giving some live concerts. |
| A．Enjoy sports events. | B．Play musical instruments. |
| C．Attend science lectures. | D．Watch different performances. |
4 . Theaters of the Past
The Greek Theater
Theaters developed in many parts of Greece. Ancient Greek theaters were built in natural open air sites on conveniently shaped hills. This allowed a great mass of people to enjoy a show at a time. Due to this, actors placed emphasis on exaggerated (夸张的) action and speech. And, colorful symbolic masks and costumes were used.
The Medieval Theater
The Medieval theater started in churches. That’s why medieval plays were about Bible stories. At first, it became a custom for priests (牧师) to act out brief scenes during Christmas and Easter. These acts attracted large crowds. Finally the church refused to allow priests to participate in any such events again, so ordinary people began these performances outside. Performances were set in the town square, with several stage settings around it.
The Elizabethan Theater
The England’s theater developed rapidly in the years following the defeat of the Spanish Navy. The dominant feature of Elizabethan theater was the stage, It has three parts: The fore stage for outside scenes ;the inner stage for scenes inside a building; an upper stage or balcony for various purposes. The reason for this design is that there were no scene changes, or breaks during the play. Very little scenery was used, so the actors had to create a scene through their voices and dialogues. This led to a more poetic script , and poets became the main source of script writing.
The Restoration Theater
Some of the plays told sad stories, but the majority of the plays were really funny. Many specialized machines were used to create the scene. The stage was a very clever idea , in that on the sides of the stage large back shutters (百叶窗) were painted with the scene.
1. Why were ancient Greek theaters built on hills?| A．To hold a large audience. |
| B．To build a big and strong stage. |
| C．To have a better sound effect. |
| D．To emphasize exaggerated performances. |
| A．The Greek Theater. |
| B．The Medieval Theater, |
| C．The Elizabethan Theater, |
| D．The Restoration Theater. |
| A．Colorful masks were used. |
| B．The stage was smartly designed. |
| C．Most of its plays were sorrowful. |
| D．Ordinary people were the performers. |
