1 . Immersion (沉浸) in music is a remarkable way to relax. Now, music lovers he a chance to please your ears. The following four festivals must bring you great surprise.
Moab Music FestivalWhere: Moab, Utah
When: Aug. 29 — Sept. 9
This area is better known for mountain biking than for music. But since 1992, it has hosted a private festival that brings classical, jazz, Latin and other types of music to the land. This year there will be 16 concerts, including there “Grotto Concerts”, where guests take a 45-minute boat ride down the Colorado River to performances.
Events start at $25. moabmusicfest.org.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance FestivalWhere: Becket, Massachusetts
When: June 15 — Aug. 24
Each summer, this influential dance center presents a number of classes and performances by more than 50 companies from around the world. Highlights (最精彩的部分) this season include the Dance Theater of Harlem’s production of Alvin Ailey’s “The Lark Ascending”, which opens the festival.
Many events are free. Ticketed performances start at $22. jacobspillow.org.
Cheyenne Frontier DaysWhere: Cheyenne, Wyoming
When: July 19 — 28
There’s something for everyone at this 117-year-old festival, from an “Indian village” and Old West museum to country concerts. But the competition is still the main attraction, with cowboys and cowgirls competing for major money in the world’s largest outdoor stage.
Competition tickets start at $18, and concert tickets at $23. cfdrodeo.com.
The Glimmerglass FestivalWhere: Cooperstown, New York
When: July 6-Aug. 24
Each summer, opera lovers from around the country (and the world) travel to upstate New York to watch productions that include stars like Nathan Gunn and Ginger Costa-Jackson. This year’s performances include Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman” and Verdi’s “King for a Day”, in honor of the 200th birthdays of both composers (作曲家).
Tickets start at $26. glimmerglass.org.
1. Which date is suitable for you to enjoy a “Grotto Concert”?| A．June 15. | B．September 4. | C．August 24. | D．July 19. |
| A．Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. | B．Cheyenne Frontier Days. |
| C．The Glimmerglass Festival. | D．Moab Music Festival. |
| A．Art. | B．Literature. | C．Business. | D．Education. |
| A．Lighting firecrackers. | B．Getting red pocket. | C．Eating traditional food. |
| A．Peru. | B．Britain. | C．Mexico. |
1. How long did the man live in San Francisco?
| A．Ten years. | B．Five years. | C．One year. |
| A．They are very outgoing. |
| B．They are usually quiet. |
| C．They often drink much. |
| A．In America. | B．In China. | C．In Middle East. |
| A．A guide. | B．A hostess. | C．A traveler. |
5 . Chinese Festivals
As an ancient country, China has various festivals.
The Spring FestivalIn the evening before the Spring Festival, families get together and have a big meal. Children also get lucky money from parents.
The Lantern FestivalDuring this festival, there is special food called “tang yuan”, which is said to symbolize both the first full moon and family unity and completeness. Part of the Lantern Festival tradition involves a game to guess riddles (谜语) attached to the lanterns.
Stilt walking, drumming and the dragon and lion dance are the main entertainment forms of the Lantern Festival.
The Dragon Boat FestivalIt is to celebrate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, a loyal and highly respected minister, who brought peace and prosperity (繁荣) to the state but ended up drowning himself in a river as a result of being vilified (诽谤).
The Double Seventh FestivalOn the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, there is a traditional festival full of romance. Recently the youth have celebrated it as Valentine’s Day in China.
The Mid-Autumn FestivalIt is a traditional festival for both the Han and minority nationalities in China.The custom of worshipping (礼拜) the moon can be dated back to the ancient Xia and Shang dynasties. The Mid-Autumn Festival is also a holiday for members of a family to get together.
The Double Ninth FestivalOn the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, people celebrate the Double Ninth Festival. People usually climb mountains and eat double-ninth cakes, which means our life will become better and better.
1. Which is NOT included in the entertainments of the Lantern Festival?| A．Guessing riddles. | B．Lucky money. |
| C．Drumming. | D．Dragon dance. |
| A．The Dragon Boat Festival. | B．The Spring Festival. |
| C．The Double Seventh Festival. | D．The Mid-Autumn Festival. |
| A．Families’ reunion. |
| B．Festival full of romance. |
| C．Worshipping the moon. |
| D．Symbolizing the first full moon. |
6 . Several different stories are told about the origin of Saint Valentine's Day. One legend (传奇) dates as far back as the days of the Roman Empire. According to the story, Claudius, the Emperor of Rome, wanted to increase the size of his army. He knew that it would be easier to get young men who were not married to join. Therefore he made a rule that no young man could marry until he had served a certain number of years in the army.
A priest (牧师) named Valentine broke the rule and secretly married a great many young people. Finally, Claudius found out about Valentine and put the priest in prison, where he remained until his death on February 14.
After his death, Valentine was made a saint (圣人), and the day of his death was named Saint Valentine's Day. It became the custom for lovers to send each other message on this day. Now Saint Valentine's Day is a time for people to send one another greeting of many kinds.
February 14, Valentine's Day, is a sweethearts' day, on which people in love with each other express their tender (温柔的) emotions.
People sometimes put their love message in a heart-shaped box of chocolates, or a bunch of flowers tied with red ribbons (带子). Words of letters may be written on the flower covered card, or something else. Whatever the form may be, the message is almost the same: "Will you be my Valentine?"
1. Valentine was put in prison because ________.| A．he secretly got married | B．he didn't serve in the army |
| C．he married many young people secretly. | D．he broke the laws |
| A．no young men could get married unless they were old enough |
| B．young men could marry if they served in the army for several years |
| C．no one could get married without the emperor's permission |
| D．young men could marry only in the army |
| A．how Valentine died | B．the Emperor of Rome |
| C．how Valentine's Day is celebrated | D．the origin of Valentine's Day |
| A．They will send each other chocolates. |
| B．They will send each other flowers. |
| C．They will invite friends to their homes to have a party. |
| D．They will send each other cards. |
| A．A football. | B．A basketball. | C．A T-shirt. |
1. What’s “Interesting Culture”?
| A．A radio program. | B．A school lecture. | C．A social organization. |
| A．At a table. | B．On a stage. | C．In a room. |
| A．The singer. | B．The audience. | C．The DJ. |
| A．By writing on a paper. | B．By selecting on a screen. | C．By turning to the DJ. |
9 . While I was working at a French school, I was often preparing my work in the staff room. Sometimes I would hear the school secretary talking. At first I thought she was talking to me, as there was no one else in the room except me, so I tried to respond to her. However, I soon realized that in fact, she was talking to herself. I noticed a lot of people do this in France. In the UK, people might think you’re a bit strange if you talk to yourself at work, but there it seemed quite normal. It really did confuse me at times, because I was not sure whether people were talking to me or just talking to themselves.
Another area of confusion involved the French language. In French, there are two ways to say “you”: “tu” is the informal form while “vous” is the formal form. This is an aspect of French which, even now, I do not really understand. When I learnt French, I was taught to call everyone vous unless they were my family or friends. So I was surprised that virtually everyone in France used the informal tu all the time. School children used tu when they stayed with their teachers and all the staff called the head teacher tu. But I continued to use vous because I didn’t want people to think I was impolite.
As you might know, school children in the UK traditionally wear school uniforms but in France pupils do not wear a uniform. It was a culture shock for me to see children wear Spiderman T-shirts and baggy (宽松的) blue jeans in the classroom.
I found the differences puzzling at times, but I couldn’t deny what a great opportunity it was to live and work in another country. The UK and France are only separated by a small channel of the sea, but there are many differences between the two countries.
1. In the staff room, the school secretary ________.| A．always chatted online |
| B．interrupted the writer |
| C．talked to herself often |
| D．always made speeches |
| A．She tried to be polite to others. |
| B．She couldn’t tell tu from vous at all. |
| C．She didn’t have close friends in France. |
| D．She couldn’t understand French very well. |
| A．Pleased. | B．Embarrassed. |
| C．Frightened. | D．Surprised. |
| A．Experiencing different cultures. |
| B．Communicating in an informal way. |
| C．Traveling along the channel of the sea. |
| D．Having a chance to work with French teachers. |
Confucius and Chinese Philosophy
