1 . Food Festivals to Look Forward to This Summer
Taste of Park Ridge
11: 00 am to 10:30 pm, Thursday, July 13, in Uptown Park Ridge, 100 Summit Ave
There will be a variety of foods, including ice cream, Mexican foods, Filipino dishes, corn dogs, Indian and Nepali cuisine, pizza, cupcakes, barbecue, and more. Don’t miss the drinks and wine. Most importantly, there is Giant Turkey Leg Eating Contest at 2: 30 pm. Free.
Antioch Taste of Summer
4: 00 pm to 10: 00 pm, Friday, July 14, at the Antioch Bandshell
You will find the classic pub fare, Crazee Ice, and more, plus carnival (嘉年华) rides, games, sidewalk sales and crafters. Music from The Beach Bum Band is on at 7: 00 pm and themed musical light show at 8: 00 pm. Free.
Taste of Westmont
5:00 pm to 9: 30 pm, Sunday, July 16, on Cass Avenue in Westmont
It features local restaurant food vendors serving Thai, Mexican, and Greek foods, pizza, barbecue, and more. There will be carnival, craft show, kids’ activities, and a car show. Music from Tom Petty band starts at 6: 00 pm. Free.
Sugar Grove Corn Boil
5:00 pm to 10:00 pm, Sunday, July 23, at Volunteer Park, Main Street
Wander among corn boil, and other tasty foods, craft show, and carnival while enjoying live music and fireworks. Car show starts from 3:00 pm. This attractive festival takes you to music from The Boy Band Night at 7:30 pm. Free bus service. Reserve tickets before availability.
1. Which of the four festivals begins the earliest?| A．Taste of Westmont. | B．Sugar Grove Corn Boil. |
| C．Taste of Park Ridge. | D．Antioch Taste of Summer. |
| A．Listen to music from Tom Petty band. | B．Set off fireworks at Volunteer Park. |
| C．Join in Giant Turkey Leg Eating Contest. | D．Enjoy themed musical light show. |
| A．Book a ticket in advance. | B．Order some delicious food. |
| C．Take a bus before 5: 00 pm. | D．Park your car on Main Street. |
2 . 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. |
3 . Four European Festivals You Don’t Want to Miss in 2023
Berck-sur-Mer Kite Festival
For over two decades,more than half a million visitors have come to watch the splendid display of kites flying over the seaside town of Berck-sur-Mer. Taking place every March or April,the festival sees giant dragons, whales, and various cartoon characters in the skies over the sandy beach. The festival also plays host to the International Kite Championships of the World every two years. During this time, experts from all over the world compete against the wind and each other.
Cannes Film Festival
Film lovers will no doubt want to head to the world’s most famous movie festival, the Cannes Film Festival. The red-carpet event was created by a French Minister of Education and Fine Arts. He wanted to establish an international cultural event in France to rival(与……抗衡)the Venice Film Festival. And it’s safe to say, he succeeded. More than 30, 000 professionals, such as directors, actors and actresses from all over the world attend the annual festival.
Menton Lemon Festival
Held over two weeks in February, the Lemon Festival celebrates all things concerning lemons in the city of Menton. More than 200. 000 visitors come to watch the colorful floats(花车)and sculptures created from lemons and oranges. During the daytime, parades of fruit-covered floats make their way through the streets as wind musicians and drummers entertain the crowd.
Nice Carnival
Taking place every February, the famous Nice Carnival is one of the largest carnivals in the world. It is also the most important event on the French Riviera. Over a million people take to the streets of Nice during the day and night. More than 1, 000 dancers and musicians from around the world perform at the magnificent carnival.1. What is Berck-sur-Mer famous for?
| A．Kites. | B．Beaches. | C．Whales. | D．Cartoons. |
| A．A director. | B．An actor. | C．A French artist. | D．A French official. |
| A．Both feature folk songs. | B．Both are held in February. |
| C．Both attract people at night. | D．Both have high sculptures. |
4 . Four European Festivals You Don’t Want to Miss in 2023
Festival Medieval (中世纪的) de Sedan
For an unforgettable slice of Medieval France, head to Festival Medieval de Sedan in May. Held at the largest medieval castle in Europe, the Chateau de Sedan, the festival brings the spirit of the Middle Ages alive. Exciting tournaments and atmospheric parades take place around the castle grounds. Around 15,000 people come to explore the castle. Just be prepared to climb a lot of stairs!
La Fete de la Musique
There’s music in the air throughout France on 21 June. This is when La Fete de la Musique (Music Day) takes place. The first all-day musical celebration was first held in Paris in 1982 but later became celebrated in 120 countries around the world. During the festival, thousands of musicians gather in the streets, bars, and cafes giving free public performances.
Festival d’ Avignon
Another fantastic French festival not to miss is the Festival d’ Avignon. The annual theater festival is held in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes in Avignon. During this time, Avignon transforms its architectural heritage into various grand performance venues. Tens of thousands of theater lovers of all ages come to enjoy theatre, dance, visual arts, and live music.
Bastille Day
Celebrated nationwide on 14 July, Bastille Day is the biggest and most important festival in the French calendar. It marks the day that Parisian civilians and peasants stormed the fortress (堡垒) and prison of Bastille. This caused events that would end the monarchy (君主制) and start the age of liberty and equality. Celebrations are held all over France, including large-scale public events and parties.
1. Which of the following holidays takes place earliest?| A．Bastille Day. | B．Festival d’ Avignon. |
| C．La Fete de la Musique. | D．Festival Medieval de Sedan. |
| A．Enjoy beautiful music. | B．Explore some castles. |
| C．Make delicious coffee. | D．Learn about the monarchy. |
| A．In May. | B．In June. | C．In July. | D．In August. |
5 . Shaping, drying, glazing and firing... in less than 5 minutes, a mini vase only millimeters in size starts to take shape as viewers watch on. As the founder of a miniature ceramics (微型陶瓷) studio, Wang Wenhua never expected that his works would surprise viewers in China, let alone those abroad, and that his short videos would earn over 45 million views and 4.2 million likes on a video application.
Having worked in China’s “Porcelain Capital (瓷都)” Jingdezhen in East China’s Jiangxi Province for 14 years, Wang said he had once seen the world’s biggest ceramic here but he had never seen the smallest, so he decided one day to try something different—making micro porcelain.
Things were not easy in the beginning, and many people doubted him. “They called me crazy and mocked me when I went to factories and asked them to help make miniature tools for me to create micro pottery. Even my wife did not support me,” Wang said.
However, Wang did not give up and after about half a year of experimentation, Wang finally made miniature tools on his own and was able to complete his first miniature porcelain—a vase.
According to Wang, the key to making a miniature ceramic work is concentration and a pair of steady hands. After numerous attempts, Wang found that the smallest works he could get were about 2 millimeters in size. “It would probably miss my original intention if I made micro pottery using a microscope, so I have focused more attention on making the smaller pieces more beautiful and complex,” said Wang.
The smallest vase that Wang has made is a bowl only 2 millimeters tall, 3 millimeters wide and 1 millimeter thick. Wang says he plans to apply for the Guinness World Records for the world’s smallest pottery work.
1. What inspired Wang Wenhua to make micro porcelain?| A．The high expectations of the viewers. |
| B．The popularity of his videos on a video application. |
| C．His decision to make something different. |
| D．The responsibility of the founder of the studio. |
| A．Ambitious and wise. | B．Brilliant and wealthy. |
| C．Talented and stubborn. | D．Determined and focused. |
| A．Using a microscope in his work. | B．Advanced tools made by himself. |
| C．Carrying out numerous experiments. | D．Attention on a thing and steady hands. |
| A．Art. | B．Fashion. | C．Education. | D．Psychology. |
6 . Here are some of the world’s most unusual events.
World Ice Golf Championship, Greenland
For more than 10 years the World Ice Golf Championship has been seen as the most extreme golf competition in the world. In 1997, architect Rolf Henning-Jensen was asked to design the world’s first ice golf course among huge iceberg and heavy snows of Uummannaq, a small town on the west coast of Greenland-600 km north of the Arctic Circle. There golfers face extreme temperatures as their first task to deal with. Then it will take players time and patience to accommodate themselves to white “green” and orange balls to play with. Determined by weather conditions, this event is scheduled for March each year in Greenland.
Balloon Fiesta, the United States
Have you ever been taken to the sky in a hot air balloon? The yearly Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta gives you the chance to enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the city and countryside. Since 1972, perfect October weather, blue skies and wind known as the “Albuquerque box” have worked together to allow balloonists to control their way thanks to the direction of blowing winds. This is the only place in the world to enjoy balloons flying in the blue skies each October.
El Colacho, Spain
The world’s most dangerous festival takes place every year in a small Spanish village Castillo de Murcia near Burgous. El Colacho means the devil’s jump and in fact this is the act of baby-jumping. Its purpose is to force a devil to leave the child’s body. Men dressed as devils jump over small babies to guard them against illness and bad spirits. Many consider the festival to be dangerous as “jumping devils” could hurt babies. But locals believe the action protects their babies from bad things and organize the jump in the streets, so people can watch or even join.
1. What does the schedule of World Ice Golf Championship depend on?| A．Transport. | B．Economy. | C．Weather. | D．Golfers’ time. |
| A．It is usualy held in spring. | B．It is held in every October. |
| C．It is known as “Albuquerque box”. | D．It is the only place to watch birds in balloons. |
| A．To wish babies good health. | B．To celebrate babies’ birthdays. |
| C．To attract visitors around the world. | D．To catch the bad spirits hidden in babies. |
7 . If art preserves the culture of the Crow people, then Crow women are the keepers of that culture, cultivating it to reflect the modern day.
Fashion designer Bethany Yellowtail grew up riding horses and running in the fields and swimming in the river and being around her people in the Crow Nation and Northern Cheyenne Indian reservations in southeastern Montana. She knows first-hand the importance of art to maintaining native traditions. In 2015 she turned that knowledge into her own brand: B. Yellowtail. A year later, she created the B. Yellowtail Collective, made up of native artists, to foster economic opportunities for their communities. Many of those artists are women from different tribes but all of them preserve their culture and move it forward through their medium of choice.
Yellowtail and her team work for the native-owned business that’s rooted in community. Artists within the Collective typically receive 70% of profit from retail sales, and for a portion of the pandemic (流行病) the brand has upped that to 100%. The extra money has, of course, increased artists’ income in the past year, but the relationship is interdependent: without the work of those artists, B. Yellowtail wouldn’t exist and native culture would feel the loss.
Dewanda Little Coyote is Yellowtail’s mother. Family is deeply important to their tribe. So is art, which often runs in the family — and along the matriarchal (母系的) side. Little Coyote picked up her entrepreneurial spirit from her parents, who owned a gift shop. “My parents said, ‘If you have hands, create something. Do something, and make a living off of that,’” she said. After her parents passed away, the artist began learning beading (串珠) earrings herself. Dentalium, a tusk shell often used in native jewelry, caught her eye in particular. “I love it, because back in the day, our Cheyenne women wore a lot of dentalium,” she said. “So I wanted to give a contemporary look to that — to what our ancestors wore.”
Yellowtail herself learned sewing from her aunts and grandmothers before moving to Los Angeles in 2007 to study fashion design. Now, native women support native women — and matriarchal art evolves.
1. Why did Bethany Yellowtail set up B. Yellowtail?| A．To make their culture continue. | B．To become rich as soon as possible. |
| C．To reflect the modern fashions. | D．To inspire more women to work. |
| A．Native-owned businesses make money more easily. |
| B．The profit from the Collective has fallen sharply. |
| C．Local artists love to work in their community. |
| D．Artists, income is related to the development of native culture. |
| A．To prove she loves her daughter deeply. |
| B．To show how native culture is handed down. |
| C．To praise her efforts to help the young. |
| D．To appeal to more women to join in jewelry design. |
| A．Humorous, modest and cooperative. | B．Traditional, cautious and outgoing. |
| C．Independent, competitive and creative. | D．Creative, determined and selfless. |
8 . We did a quick survey of New Year traditions around the world, and couldn’t help but notice that the traditions might reflect cultural varieties? but the meanings behind them are pretty universal.
Philippines
In Philippines? families hold traditional dinner parties called Media Noche to greet the New Year. Circle-shaped fruits are their favorites, such as grapes, oranges and melons, since they look like coins, you know. Filipinos actually try to choose 12 different kinds of fruit to put on the table—one for each month in the New Year.
Make sure you leave some food in your plate. It’s bad luck to start the New Year off as a hungry wolf.
Spain
Many Spaniards will eat 12 fresh grapes at midnight—one with each strike of the clock. Each grape represents a wish for happiness and good luck for every month in the coming year. This “12 grapes in 12 seconds“ custom came from a grape farmer in the Alicante region who wanted to promote his produce about a century ago. The tradition has spread to other countries too? with a few adjustments. In Portugal? they eat 12 dried grapes. In Peru? they eat a thirteenth grape.
Denmark
In Denmark? they eat kransekage, a big horn-shaped cake, on New Year’s Eve. When they’re finished with the cake, it’s Danish custom to throw the used plates against the front doors of their friends and neighbors. It’s actually a sign of friendship.
Italy
Pork sausages are usually served on New Year’s Eve in Italy. Italians choose pork because they think pigs are fat and keep moving forward, while other animals, such as chickens or cows, move backward or stand still.
But whatever you eat into the New Year in Italy-pork, fish or chicken-make sure you stay at home. Italians throw old possessions out of the window after midnight as an out-with-the-old, make-room-for-the-new gesture.
1. How many kinds of fruit are usually served at Media Noche?| A．6. | B．8. | C．10. | D．12. |
| A．The Portuguese. | B．Spaniards. | C．Filipinos. | D．Italians. |
| A．Eating special meat. |
| B．Throwing away old things. |
| C．Leaving food in plates. |
| D．Preferring coin-shaped fruits. |
9 . In order to kill time, many people have been trying to cope with the boredom by reading books, others have perfected their cooking skills and many others have tried their hands at craft projects, including tie dyeing (扎染).
Whether you think tie-dye is totally stylish or not your style, the unique print from the 1960s is back in a major way. It’s become a hot fashion trend.
“The last several years have seen the resurgence in craftsmanship and handmade goods, popularizing the hobbies in the 1960s (weaving, tie-dyeing), but in a modern way. People would connect with these handmade objects to feel connected to nature,” Stitch Fix color expert Ryen Anderson said to Today. Online searches for “how to crumple (压皱) tie-dye”, a popular technique, are u by 376 percent on Pinterest.
This homestyle creation can easily be made at home. The only things we need to prepare include fabric. light-colored clothes, dye, rubber, and water. In tie-dye, the fabric is colored by tying several parts of the fabric before dying to give certain color effects. While this seems relatively simple, it takes multiple steps and washes.
Some people make tie-dye adjust old-fabrics in an innovative way. Some others use tie-dye technique to create a new pattern as the color of their clothes fades. The typical current trend is that people use natural coloring for tie-dye and combine it with doodles (涂鸦) and natural printing ( eco-printing) by abstracting colors from the leaves.
The dyeing technique has deep roots from Africa. Many immigrants from various African countries brought their skills to the United States during the 1700s to 1800s. The popularity of tie-dye then was quite influential in the 1960s or commonly referred to as “flower power” generation. Tie-dye became a symbol in that times.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To lead to the topic of the text. | B．To create a cultural atmosphere. |
| C．To show how leisure the life is. | D．To imply what people do to kill time. |
| A．New research. | B．Return and growth. |
| C．Modern exhibition. | D．Birth and disappearance. |
| A．The process of tie-dyeing. | B．The effects of fabric coloring. |
| C．The materials used for tie-dyeing. | D．The technique applied to tie-dyeing. |
| A．Adjusting old clothes. | B．Designing diverse patterns. |
| C．Recovering the faded colors. | D．Obtaining colors from plants. |
10 . Four of the best British foodie gatherings
Scottish Wild Food Festival
If you’ve wondered if anything in there would make a tasty soup, then the Scottish Wild Food Festival (adult £16, child 5-13 £2, family £30) should be in your calendar. The festival focuses on the local, in-season and kind to the planet. Hosted at Tir Na Nóg, six miles east of the West Highland Way, the weekend makes a great start (or end) to a hike.
Ludlow Castle Food Festival
The lovely setting of Ludlow Castle is a great place for a food festival (adult £10, child 5-13 £4, family £26). It is a real treat in many ways. There are over 100 stalls (摊位) selling samples of country fare such as Hereford beef pie to all comers. A cheese-rolling game down the castle mound (堤) was great fun. Plus there are bands and poetry readings with food themes, too.
Sheffield Food Festival
Sheffield Food Festival (free) is held each June in the city centre. Local vendors (摊主) have everything on offer from Caribbean fusion dishes to specialty focaccia. Heeley City Farm, a charitable city centre farm, is my favourite producer with its organic produce and focus on sustainability. There is, of course, plenty of craft beer, too.
Bolton Food & Drink Festival
Love food? Enjoy cuisines from every corner of the world? Well, Bolton Food & Drink Festival (free) is a food lover’s dream. It takes place in December. As soon as you enter the Market Square your sense of smell and taste will be in overdrive with Greek, Chinese and Indian cuisines, etc. You could learn a few cooking skills from celebrity chefs (名厨) as well.
1. What’s the lowest cost for a couple with a four-year-old son to visit Scottish Wild Food Festival?| A．£30. | B．£34. | C．£32. | D．£18. |
| A．Eat food for free. | B．Enjoy food culture. |
| C．Defend the castle. | D．Join music bands. |
| A．They serve organic food. | B．They teach visitors cooking skills. |
| C．They don’t charge admission fees. | D．They are held at the same time annually. |
