1 . Literary festivals all over the USA offer opportunities for readers to meet their favorite authors and learn about their new projects. You can start planning your next literary vacation!
Summer WordsDates: June 19-22
Price: Free
It’s one of America’s most respected literary festivals and writing conferences. Authors are able to attend advanced workshops in order to improve the craft of writing. Besides, they can meet editors and literary agents and attend public panel discussions to gain inspiration and insight.
Book BonanzaDates: June 23-24
Price: $250
It is a celebration of books covering multiple styles and always nets a huge list of incredible author attendees. What makes it stand out, however, is not just its impressive list of attendees: it’s the charitable focus. All proceeds are donated to charitable causes, including those that benefit women and children.
Los Angeles Times Festival of BooksDates: April 22-23
Price: Free, although indoor panels will require tickets
It is a massive celebration of books and the bookish community, with book signings, panel discussions with distinguished professors and experts, art performances and book giveaways. The two-day event has grown to become an essential element of the L.A. cultural scene.
Imaginarium Book FestivalDates: May 20-21
Price: Free, but VIP tickets for early entry to signing rooms ($45), tickets for the brunch ($50)
It celebrates all things about fantasy and science fiction. In addition to panels where authors will answer your questions, you’ll get to meet and acquire signed books from your favorite authors and have the option of brunching with them at the cosmic (宇宙的) brunch buffet.
1. In which literary festival can you catch a show?A.Summer Words. |
B.Book Bonanza. |
C.Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. |
D.Imaginarium Book Festival. |
A.Its profits go to charity. |
B.It’s meant for women and children. |
C.It doesn’t charge admission fee. |
D.It features workshops for notable writers. |
A.Get an author-signed photograph. |
B.Dine with your admiring writers. |
C.Interact with science fiction supermen. |
D.Obtain one-on-one reading training. |
2 . The list of music festivals seems to double each year, so we think we’d save you some time by presenting our picks that reflect a deep sense of place.
New Orleans Jazz Festival
This week-long festival was established in New Orleans, America in 1970 to celebrate the city’s status as the birthplace of jazz. Headliners that attended the first celebration included singer Mahalia Jackson and pianist Duke Ellington. Over the years, this festival has grown to showcase much more than jazz. Attendees have long enjoyed the latest hit-makers alongside booths and exhibits featuring Louisiana’s native cuisine, arts, and crafts.
Newport Folk Festival
Founded by George Wein in 1959 and best known for introducing the world to the likes of Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, Newport Folk Festival is one of the oldest music festivals in America. Like New Orleans Jazz Festival, this Rhode Island event gives a false impression about the types of music one can expect to find, although it has been remaining true to its roots.
Interceltic Festival
When most people hear the word “Celtic”, they think of Ireland. But this festival takes place each summer in the heart of the seaport town of Lorient in northwestern France. While emphasizing music and dance, the ten-day festival also provides a platform for colorful expressions of Celtic art, food and drink, theater, literature, and sports.
Roskilde Music Festival
England’s Glastonbury, Hungary’s Sziget, and Denmark’s Roskilde are Europe’s three biggest music festivals. Roskilde stands out not only for its impressive and eclectic music, but for its nonprofit approach. All concert incomes are donated to support charities, music and cultural programs since its founding in 1971. With lake swimming, an on-site skate park, and an annual “naked run”, the event has earned a name for being a week-long summer camp for adults.
1. Which festival is held in Louisiana?A.Interceltic Festival. | B.Roskilde Music Festival. |
C.Newport Folk Festival. | D.New Orleans Jazz Festival. |
A.Joan Baez. | B.Bob Dylan. | C.George Wein. | D.Mahalia Jackson. |
A.They include some sports. | B.They emphasize one type of music. |
C.They donate all their profits. | D.They last for the same period of time. |
3 . Traveling to every part of the world gets easier, but how well do we know and understand each other? Here is a simple test. Imagine you are planning to hold a meeting at four o’clock. What time should you expect your foreign business friends to arrive? If they are Germans, they’ll arrive on time. If they are Americans, they’ll probably be 15 minutes early. If they are British, they’ll be 15 minutes late, and you should allow up to an hour for the Italians.
The British seemed to think since the English language is widely used in the world, and people would always understand what they do. However, they found they were completely wrong. For example, the Englishmen are happy to have a business lunch and discuss business matters and have a drink during the meal. The Japanese prefer not to work while eating. Lunch is a time for them to relax and get to know each other and they don’t drink at lunchtime. The Germans like to talk business before dinner. The French like to eat first and talk afterwards. They have to be well fed and watered before they discuss anything.
1. What do the Germans prefer when they go to a meeting?A.They prefer to be on time. | B.They prefer to arrive very early. |
C.They prefer to arrive very late. | D.They prefer to wait others. |
A.The Englishmen. | B.The Americans. |
C.The Italians. | D.All. |
A.To drink. | B.To get to know each other. |
C.To talk business. | D.To sing. |
4 . Despite usually being associated with the Chinese, the Lunar New Year is also celebrated in other countries. Here are several places in America to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
New York City
New York City, which has one of the largest populations of ethnic(少数民族)Chinese people outside of Asia, is a great place to experience the Lunar New Year. There are around 10 different Chinatowns in New York City. Visitors will find parades, performances and foods in most of these areas but some of the festival characteristics are unique to the particular district.
San Francisco
San Francisco's lunar New Year celebrations are the longest runnings in America. They date back to the 1860s, during the “Gold Rush” period. Today, numerous events take place around the Bay Area, but the headline is the massive Chinese New Year Parade that draws as many as 1 million viewers.
Washington DC
Washington DC has a historic Chinatown. There is a parade here with floats, firecrackers, dancers and music. The Smithsonian American Art Museum can host hands on arts and crafts events that feature performers invited from China. The Kennedy Center stages themed performances, including folk music and symphonies from China.
Chicago
Despite low temperatures in January and February, Chicago celebrates the Lunar New Year in a big way. There are two parades, usually held on different days of the same weekend. One is in the city's traditional Chinatown on the South Side, and the other takes place on Argyle Street. Asian culture is on full display during these parades, and other Chicago com munities also take part.
1. Which city has the longest history of celebrating the Lunar New Year?A.New York City. | B.San Francisco. |
C.Washington DC. | D.Chicago. |
A.Serve Chinese food. | B.Show Chinese dancers. |
C.Play Chinese court music. | D.Invite Chinese art performers. |
A.Festival parades. | B.English concerts. |
C.The American culture weekend. | D.The American-style art exhibitions. |
5 . Welcome to Edinburgh, the world's leading festival city.
Edinburgh International Science Festival
Time: 6 April to 20 April
Edinburgh International Science Festival, founded in 1983, is the world's first public science festival. The two-week festival gives audiences amazing experiences through a diverse program of inspiring events. Alongside the annual festival in Edinburgh, the organization has a strong focus on education and runs a touring program that visits schools around Scotland throughout the year.
Edinburgh International Book Festival
Time: 10 August to 20 August
Edinburgh International Book Festival is the largest public celebration of the written word in the world, which was first held in 1997. Every August around 1,000 writers and thinkers from across the world gather with the audiences in Edinburg. Here book lovers can rub shoulders with world-renowned authors --- or just relax in the sunshine with a deckchair, a drink and a favorite read.
Scottish International Storytelling Festival
Time: 19 October to 31 October
Beginning in 1989, the Scottish International Storytelling Festival is the largest storytelling event in the world. Drawing heavily on traditional tale-tellers from Scotland — as well as international guests with stories from their own cultures, the festival is a very special celebration of the oral tradition. Skilled storytellers draw their audiences in, bringing together past and present, real and unreal, for an attractive 10 days.
Edinburgh International Children's Festival
Time: 25 May to 2 June
Edinburgh International Children's Festival is the one dedicated specifically to children. It brings some of the world's best theatre, dance and plays made for young people to Edinburgh for nine days of inspiring and entertaining shows and special events. The Festival began in 1980 and is now spread over 10 activity fields, attracting a loyal audience of 10,000 families, schools and artists.
1. What is the duration of Edinburgh International Science Festival?A.About one week. | B.Less than 10 days. |
C.About two weeks. | D.More than half a month. |
A.Meet world-famous authors. | B.Buy all their favorite books. |
C.Relax by listening to stories. | D.Share stories with audiences. |
A.Edinburgh International Science Festival. |
B.Edinburgh International Book Festival. |
C.Scottish International Storytelling Festival. |
D.Edinburgh International Children's Festival. |
6 . When you go to a foreign country, you often enter a new culture. The differences between cultures may make you feel stressed and you often find it difficult to adjust to the new surroundings, which is usually called “culture shock”.
The psychological and physical symptoms of culture shock may appear depending on the individuals. Some often feel anxious while adjusting to a new culture—even more so when the cultural distances are wide.
A local club provides the perfect environment to get to know people who have a similar focus, so join one so that you can meet some locals and develop new friendships.
A.They may lose appetite and have sleep problems. |
B.Still, the most important change is communication. |
C.They make a lot of effort to get used to the new surroundings. |
D.The more of it is understood, the more of the new culture can be understood. |
E.Learning about your future destination is a great way to get over culture shock. |
F.Plus, remember that you aren’t alone in your struggle to adjust in a new country. |
G.Actually, staying in a foreign country helps you to know more of the new culture. |
The Day After Thanksgiving (Friday) is known as Black Friday. This used to be unofficially or officially the start of holiday shopping season. Almost all stores come out with special early bird offers
In the last few years (starting from 2013 to be precise), Black Friday Sales have started before Friday—with some stores
The closest reason for
Deals websites like Dealsofamerica.com started to highlight “Black Friday sales” from 2003
8 . The colors that you select create a distinct atmosphere in the room.
Pick the color for your room and you can create whatever you feel like. The color will also help you to enlarge the space or making it more inviting, which will also make differently all about it.
However, the trick is to select the right version of that particular color. There are different hues (色调) for blues, for instance.
Blue
Dark blues are best for a living room. Probably it is best reserved for high ceiling space.
Green
Like blue, green is also a calm shade.
A.Colors can light up the mood of the room. |
B.You can use it for a living room or a bedroom. |
C.It will make you feel the wall appear near to you. |
D.Traditionally, blue is related to calmness and comfort. |
E.It is better that you select colors that are warm like blue. |
F.They won’t create similar effect and atmosphere generally. |
G.But before driving into any decision here’s what you need to know. |