1 . Edinburgh is the world’s festival city. There are 12 festivals throughout the year, half of which are celebrated during the months of July and August.
Hundreds of thousands of people visit the Scottish capital during the summer. Here are some of the events they can enjoy:
The Edinburgh International Festival
This is the original Edinburgh festival, which began in 1947. Actors, musicians, dancers and opera singers from all over the world perform to huge audiences. You need tickets for most events which take place in theaters around the city.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (艺穗节)
This is the largest arts festival in the world with thousands of shows taking place across the city. More than 20,000 artists take part, as the festival is open to anyone. Visitors can choose from a huge variety of acts.
Join thousands of visitors and locals at the Royal Mile, Edinburgh's main street, to watch all kinds of performers and shows.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival
The largest book festival in the world began in 1983 and takes place every year in Charlotte Square Gardens, in the centre of Edinburgh. There are more than 700 events for children and adults who love books. You can meet many authors, talk to them, ask them to sign a book or listen to them talk about their stories. Children can listen to stories and watch illustrators draw pictures.
The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival
Music lovers come to this festival to enjoy music shows around the city. One of the highlights of this musical event is the street carnival, which is free to all. Artists perform street theatre, dance and circus (马戏团) shows in amazing costumes, and everyone can join in the dancing.
1. What do we know about the Edinburgh International Festival from the article?| A．It started in 1947. | B．It’s held at the Royal Mile. |
| C．It’s free to Scottish people. | D．It takes place in July every year. |
| A．The Edinburgh International Festival. | B．Edinburgh Festival Fringe. |
| C．The Edinburgh International Book Festival. | D．The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival. |
| A．They can try on different costumes. | B．They can join a singing competition. |
| C．They can take part in a street carnival. | D．They can get pictures from famous painters. |
| A．Sports | B．Travel | C．Geography | D．Opinion |
2 . China's Yungang Grottoes(石窟) will complete the scanning of all the caves in five years，paving the way for the creation of digital versions that can withstand weathering and other real-world damage.
So far, the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Shanxi Province has completed three-dimensional scans of one-third of its Buddhist grottoes, according to the Yungang Grottoes Research Institute.“We are racing against time，”said Ning Bo, director of the institute’s digitalization office, “Weathering is like cancer to grottoes, eating away at the sculptures year by year. Few technologies can prevent such progressive damage.”
Using three-dimensional laser(激光) scanning and multiplanar(多平面) reconstruction, the institute is working to capture the shapes, colors and other fine details of the grottoes and create millimeter-level digital archives for future study and preservation. “We hope to preserve the grottoes in digital form as much as possible, so people in the future will still have access to the information even if the grottoes fade away.” Ning said, adding that the digitalization will also allow the public to “visit” the grottoes more easily on their computer screens.
The digitalization project, which began in 2003 at the grottoes, still faces challenges posed by the cave’s enormous sizes, complicated structures and exquisite sculptures, according to the institute. “The Yungang Grottoes were built into a mountain, and so our team is actually scanning structures as huge as a mountain. Besides, the inner structures vary wildly from exotic domes to traditional Chinese architecture.” said the director.
The Yungang Grottoes, located in the city of Datong, has 45 major caves and more than 59,000 stone statues. With a grotto complex stretching about 1 kilometer from east to west, it is one of the largest ancient grottoes in the country.
1. What does Ning Bo mean by saying “racing against time”?| A．He is dying because of a severe disease. |
| B．It is not an easy job to scan the grottoes. |
| C．Scanning the grottoes is an urgent task. |
| D．There is a deadline required by UNESCO. |
| A．To preserve them for future generations. |
| B．To carry out a scientific experiment. |
| C．To keep them from being damaged. |
| D．To capture details of the grottoes. |
| A．The influence of the project. |
| B．The beauty of the grottoes. |
| C．The difficulties facing the team. |
| D．The structures of the statues. |
| A．Education. | B．Culture. |
| C．Technology. | D．Opinion. |
3 . My husband and I just spent a week in Paris.
The place wasn’t entirely authentic, though. Unlike a normal Parisian apartment, the plumbing (水管) worked.
Parisians are different from you and me. They never look lazy or untidy. As someone noted in this paper a couple of weeks ago, they eat great food and never gain weight.
In France, quality of life is much more important than efficiency.
You can tell this by cafés life. French cafés are always crowded.
| A．Not all the customers are tourists. |
| B．The quality of life in France is equally excellent. |
| C．There was a nice kitchen and a comfortable bed. |
| D．The amazing food is mainly consumed by local farmers. |
| E．That’s not the only reason the French eat less than we do. |
| F．Our aim was to see if we could live, in some way, like real Parisians. |
| G．The food is so delicious that you don’t need much of it to make you happy. |
4 . Visitors to Rome can now see one of the most important private collections of ancient Greek and Roman statues (雕像). The 90 works from the Torlonia Collection opened this week in the newly rebuilt Palazzo Caffarelli, overlooking the Roman Forum.
Among the works is a fountain (喷泉) that was made in ancient Greece. Experts on ancient Rome believe the fountain once stood in the garden of the general and statesman Julius Caesar. It was already hundreds of years old.
The 620-piece Torlonia Collection is believed to be the greatest private collection of classical art in the world. It was begun more than a century ago by Prince Alessandro Torlonia. He found many of the pieces on the grounds of his family’s Roman garden Rich from a business relationship with the Vatican (梵蒂冈), the family bought other well-known statue collections.
In 1884, the prince built his own museum to show off his collection. When the museum closed in 1976, the pieces went into storage.
“The reappearance of such a collection is a very important event,” said art historian Salvatore Settis. “When I saw them for the first time, they were very emotional because I knew most of those pieces from books, but 1 had never seen them.”
The Torlonia family chose Settis to help with the difficult job of deciding which works should be shown to the public. Anna Maria Carruba helped prepare the statues for the show. “Many of these pieces were already restored from (the year) 1600 onwards. We didn’t need to work on the structure of the statues but only on the surfaces, cleaning them,” she said.
The show will stay open until June 29, 2021. It is the result of public and private cooperation among the culture ministry, the city of Rome, the Torlonia Foundation and the Roman jeweler Bvlgari.
1. Which of the following can describe the Torlonia family?| A．Unlucky. | B．Wealthy. | C．Humorous. | D．Ungenerous. |
| A．It is a matter of pride. |
| B．It is not worth storing. |
| C．It should not be made public. |
| D．It should be recorded in books. |
| A．Repair statues. |
| B．Introduce statues. |
| C．Select statues for show. |
| D．Put off the statue show. |
| A．An Art Show of Statues Was Held in 1976 |
| B．People Look Forward to Seeing Famous Statues |
| C．Ancient Statues Reappear after Years in Storage |
| D．A Famous Fountain Dates Back to Ancient Greece |
5 . Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, the aged, and children who have lost their parents, but also friends, workmates, relatives and neighbours whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.
Over 60 years ago, when a Cleveland man noticed that some people, such as children who lost their parents and patients who lay in bed, too often felt forgotten and neglected, he developed in his mind the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this by giving them small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbours, he gave those people small gifts on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to take part in the celebration, which came to be called “Sweetest Day”. Over time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the poor, the sick and children who had lost their parents was broadened to include everyone, and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small gift. Soon the idea spread to other cities all over the USA.
Sweetest Day is not based on any single group’s religious beliefs or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning. Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift giving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care, in a positive way.
1. Which of the following has little relationship to Sweetest Day?| A．Visiting sick people in the hospital. |
| B．Visiting children who have lost their parents. |
| C．Giving friends small gifts. |
| D．Giving flowers to sweethearts. |
| A．They give money. | B．They give gifts. |
| C．They send regards. | D．They offer help. |
| A．remembered | B．hated |
| C．paid little or no attention to | D．disappointed |
6 . Chinese New Year kicks off on February 12th with a 16-day festival celebrating China's most important holiday.
The holiday originated with the Chinese lunar calendar, which is why you'll often hear it also referred to as Lunar New Year. According to History. com, the calendar's existence dates back as early as the 14th century, B. C. during the Shang Dynasty. Unlike the Western calendar,
On average, Chinese New Year starts with the arrival of the new moon that occurs sometime between the end of January and the end of February. It lasts until the Festival of Lanterns, which is when the full moon is in place.
Traditionally, red envelopes containing money are gifted during the Lunar New Year celebrations, a custom that goes back to ancient times. However,
Firecrackers are another big part of Chinese New Year, and
| A．the Chinese calendar shifts. |
| B．a writer shared the story behind this practice. |
| C．How did it become such an important event? |
| D．it is hard to tell which is true. |
| E．This can take about 16 days. |
| F．How do Chinese celebrate this festival? |
| G．the origin of this tradition varies depending on who you ask. |
7 . Warm weather gets thousands of people to gather outdoors and celebrate for various events. Here are a few fun festivals that you should travel to see this summer.
Naadam (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)
Naadam,also known as “the three games of men”,is the biggest traditional festival held in Ulaanbaatar,the Mongolian capital.Each July,men compete in Mongolian wrestling,horse racing and archery (射箭).Today,women also take art in the archery and girls in the horse racing.
Elvis Week (Memphis)
If moving your body to Blue Suede Shoes this summer sounds good to you,then head to Memphis for Elvis Week,usually held in August.Movies,special performances and the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest are just a few activities to keep fans busy. The week of events is held to mark the anniversary (周年纪念日) of the death of Elvis Presley,the “King of Rock and Roll”.
Glastonbury Festival (Somerset, England)
Around 175,000 people gather on a dairy farm in Somerset,England every year for the Glastonbury Festival.Famous bands and singers appear at the 5-day music celebration.The ticket for the festival was £1 when the festival started in 1970,but today,full-weekend general tickets go for about £248.
World Bodypainting Festival (Klagenfurt, Austria)
During the annual World Bodypainting Festival in Austria, artists from as many as 50 countries compete using a variety of techniques, including brushes, sponges and airbrushes. Alex Barendregt organized the first festival in 1998, when he was tasked with organizing a new summer event.
1. Where can we watch exciting games when attending the festival?| A．Peru. | B．Austria. |
| C．England. | D．Mongolia. |
| A．Naadam. |
| B．Elvis Week. |
| C．Glastonbury Festival. |
| D．World Bodypainting Festival. |
| A．It is held to celebrate the harvest. |
| B．It is held in the downtown area of a city. |
| C．Its ticket price has greatly increased since it started. |
| D．It offers actors a good chance to show their talents. |
8 . What comes to mind when you think of the word “museum”? Do you picture paintings hanging on a wall? Quiet halls filled full of relics from the past? Or do you think of airplanes suspended from the ceiling? Perhaps science experiments come to mind.
There are many different types of museums around the world. Each one might display certain types of exhibits based on subject matter.
Do you think you might want to work in a museum someday? It can be fun to work around interesting items and show the public how important they are. There are many fun and fascinating careers related to museums.
| A．The designs of museums vary from place to place. |
| B．Not all museums are buildings, either. |
| C．They usually feature many hands-on activities. |
| D．What makes museums so important to cultural development? |
| E．Actually, all of these things and more are possible in museums. |
| F．If so, you’ll want to find a science or space museum to tour. |
| G．If you love art, there’s no shortage of art museums around the world. |
9 . The grocery store might not be your favorite place to visit when you're at home, but is it ever fun when you're in another country? Honestly speaking, they're one of those strange little destinations that I like to sniff out everywhere I go, much as other travelers head toward clothing stores, libraries, coffee shops or galleries.
The greatest beauty of the grocery store –– whether it's a supermarket or a tiny shop –– is that it gives you a glimpse into what local people buy to cook their own meals. This offers clues into their lifestyles and preferences, and into the agricultural and cooking practices of the country. I stare at the strange fruits and vegetables, the seafood, the cheese, the spices, the bread, and oh, the chocolate...always the chocolate!
Being the environmental nerd（呆子）I am, I like paying attention to packaging, which can reflect people's attitudes towards environmental protection. Italy, for example, has a habit of requiring customers to bag their fruits and vegetables in plastic for weighing, while Sri Lanka leaves everything loose in bins. In Brazil, everything is prepackaged in a layer of plastic.
People in grocery stores tend to be friendlier. They smile, say hello, and sometimes ask questions, which can lead to great conversations. I had a further discussion with a teenaged cashier in Sri Lanka, over which bag of crunchy（松脆的）mix to buy. He insisted that the one labeled “spicy” would be too hot for me, but I told him I was willing to risk it. He laughed and we ended up talking about my favorite Sri Lankan foods for ten minutes.
It's interesting then to come home and look at one's own local grocery store through new eyes. What would a visitor think? What stands out, and what do the food displays say about us as a culture? You might be surprised by what you realize.
1. According to the author, what is the key benefit of visiting foreign grocery stores?| A．Learning to cook foreign dishes. | B．Making friends with local people. |
| C．Buying cheaper food and souvenirs. | D．Knowing local people and the country. |
| A．People's special lifestyles. | B．People's shopping habits. |
| C．People's environmental awareness. | D．People's packaging methods. |
| A．Sri Lankans know a lot about food. |
| B．Grocery stores are good social places. |
| C．Grocery stores vary in different countries. |
| D．Sri Lankans like to give strangers suggestions. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
10 . Top Music Festivals in 2021
Coachella
Selling out fast every year, the Indio desert becomes a fashionable place where the coolest bands are watched by trendy people and celebrities. Near the top of everyone's bucket list of festivals, Coachella is a constant source of annual expectation and a hotbed for musical discussion.
When &. where: April 9-11 &. 16-18, 2021; Indio
Ultra Music Festival
Seen as the ultimate gathering for electronic music fans across the nation and globe, the streets of Miami turn into a bold and bumping party with popular DJs playing what will be the sounds of summer.
When & where: March 26-28, 2021; Miami
South By South West
Regarded as the ultimate trend-setter and launcher of careers, SXSW is an annual showcase of music, films and interactive highlights enjoyed through performances, showcases, talks, screenings and more. Virtually taking over the city of Austin, everyone in the world of music from fans to media flock here to discover the next big thing.
When &, where: March 16-20, 2021; Austin
The Governors Ball Music Festival
Another event which proves the music loving potential of Randall's Island Park is Governors Ball, an exciting and infectious mix of rock, hip-hop, electronic, pop and folk. Providing a variety of music and food tastes, whether you look to kick back and relax or dance to the beats, Governors Ball has what you want.
When & where: June 11-14, 2021; New York
1. Which music festival lasts the most days?| A．Coachella | B．Ultra Music Festival. |
| C．South By South West | D．The Governors Ball Music Festival. |
| A．It's held in a park. |
| B．It features electronic music |
| C．It's a gathering of popular DJs. |
| D．It's the most popular in the country. |
| A．Indio. | B．Miami. | C．Austin | D．New York. |
