1 . The Season for Festive Eyes
The holiday season is upon us and the folks at Strip & Browhaus can’t wait! With all the parties coming up, they finally have a chance to get dressed up and celebrate again, to make a big New Year make-up statement: sparkles and vibrant colors to ring in the festivities! For SmartShanghai users, they are giving 50% OFF for first-timers only, starting from 150rmb. Your choice of treatment may be redeemed any time before March 31, 2023.
Date: Jan 24, 2022 to Feb 28, 2023
Venue: Strip & Browhaus
Click “Full Listing” to see 4 locations
Meet Van Gogh — Immersive Light Art Exhibition
The 600 m2 immersive art exhibition about one of the greatest geniuses in the history of human art is finally in China for the first time, with Shanghai being the first stop. Immerse in the picture of color, music and light and shadow. Explore Van Gogh’s passionate, romantic and poetic inner world.
Date: Apr 2, 2023 to Jul 9, 2023
Venue: Meet You Museum
210 Wenshui Lu, near Wanrong Lu
TAO Dance Theater: 13 & 14
The TAO Dance Theater, awarded the 2023 Silver Lion Award at Venice Biennale, will present two new shows: 13 & 14-choreographic works which carry on the sequence of the Numerical Series which launched them on the international scene. A unique and evolutionary dance genre has enraptured people with its mesmeric and minimalist force. It will premiere at Shanghai Culture Square on July 4th.
Date: Jul 4, 2023 to Jul 5, 2023
Venue: Shanghai Culture Square
225 Shanxi Nan Lu, near Fuxing Zhong Lu Taxi Printout
Jinmao Tower Sky Walk
You can walk around the outside of the Jinmao Tower 340m above the streets below. Located on the 88th floor of one of Lujiazui’s most iconic buildings, the Jinmao skywalk is a platform 1. 2 meters wide, which you can strap in and walk along with the help of trained professionals. It’s also the highest sky walk in the world. And not only does Jinmao provide a panoramic view of Shanghai featuring both sides of the Huangpu River, floors 56-88 also hold the world’s highest atrium at 152m. You must weigh between 30kg-100kg, and be at least 1. 4m-2m tall to do the sky walk.
Date: Jul 1, 2021 to Dec 31, 2023
Venue: Jinmao Tower Observation Deck and Sky Walk
88/F, 88 Shiji Dadao, near Dongtai Lu
1. What can we know from Meet Van Gogh?| A．The exhibition lasted five months. |
| B．The exhibition was held in China before. |
| C．People could immerse themselves in a light art. |
| D．People might meet Van Gogh in the exhibition. |
| A．The Season for Festive Eyes. | B．Meet Van Gogh. |
| C．TAO Dance Theater: 13 & 14. | D．Jinmao Tower Sky Walk. |
| A．Beautiful dances. | B．Van Gogh’s paintings. |
| C．Two new shows. | D．A broad view of Shanghai. |
The Baili Azalea (杜鹃）Nature Reserve in Bijie city, Southwest China’s Guizhou Province,
Due to its long history and unique
The ticket price is 130 yuan per person during peak season after March 20. Visitors can book tickets online and scan their ID cards to enter. Visitors can travel to the Baili Azalea Nature Reserve by train, plane, bus or car. The scenic spot also provides tour bus services
Visitors from overseas and outside the province should follow Guizhou’s COVID-19 prevention and control requirements (要求) before
3 . As a long-time resident(居民) of Beijing, I had always wanted to travel around and see more of China. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, I never found the right opportunity to go traveling. But, in May 2021, I finally found my big chance.
During the week-long Labor Day holiday, there happened to be few restrictions(限制) on travel, so I took this as my chance to go to Shanghai. What made this trip special was that not only was it my first time traveling by train, but also high-speed train. Many Americans are unused to taking public transportation, instead mainly using cars to get around.
For me, riding to Shanghai by train was especially nice since I could get a good look through the windows at the different kinds of beautiful scenery and towns as they rushed past me. In particular, I have always been a fan of the uniquely-shaped mountains of China, enjoying their beautiful curves(曲线) and slopes as they match the peaceful horizon. Another benefit of riding on trains was the spacious legroom which allowed me to relax more easily during my trip.
After arriving in Shanghai, I could not help but wonder why the US could not build a similarly useful and convenient railway system. Considering how cities are so spread out in the US, it is easy to see how the US would benefit from this kind of public investment(投资). This could lead to less reliance(依赖) on car ownership and have a positive impact on both the economy and environment.
1. What limited the author’s travel?| A．The long-distance trip. | B．The Covid-19 pandemic. |
| C．The May Day holiday. | D．The author’s heavy work. |
| A．By bike. | B．By train. | C．By air. | D．By car. |
| A．The introduction to Shanghai. |
| B．The train’s spacious legroom. |
| C．The advantages of high-speed train. |
| D．The appearance of high-speed train. |
| A．A Travel by High-speed Train. | B．A Labor Day Holiday. |
| C．A Travel in Shanghai. | D．A Foreigner’s Investment. |
4 . Four of London’s Best Theatres
London is considered the best place in the world for its theatre. There’s nothing we like better than dressing up for a great evening out at the West End.
National Theatre
Officially opened in 1963,he National Theatre is the largest public theatre in London. It shows 25 big productions a year, with many smaller performances(演出)and festivals.The Olivier
Theatre -its main stage-is a beautiful hall modelled on the ancient Greek theatre of Epidaurus.
Box office: 020 3989 5455
Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre opened its doors in December 1930 and is one of London’s famous West End theatres. Located in the centre of the Strand, it’s a specialist( 专家)in musical theatre showing performances such as Kinky Boots,Chicago, Sweeney Todd and Evita.
Box office: 020 7087 7966
The Old Vic
This theatre in Waterloo is one of London’s most successful. For over 200 years, it has been known as a centrepiece of the London theatre for local people, receiving many personnel(职员) that went on to form the National Theatre. The theatre went through a complete refurbishment(翻新)in 2003.
Box office: 0844 871 7628
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy dates back to 1881 as a theatre for the production of a number of Gilbert and Sullivan shows. Recent productions include classics such as The Joy of Text and Pretty Woman.
Box office: 0844 871 7687
1. What do we know about the National Theatre?| A．It set an example for the Old Vic. |
| B．Its main stage was rebuilt in 2003. |
| C．It is the largest outdoor theatre in London. |
| D．Its main stage is in the style of ancient Greece. |
| A．020 3989 5455. | B．020 7087 7966. | C．0844 871 7628. | D．0844 871 7687. |
| A．National Theatre. | B．Adelphi Theatre | C．The Old Vic. | D．Savoy Theatre. |
5 . Some websites help make our travel easier! The following are some of them. You may find one very useful before you start your journey.
Home Exchange
You list your house on the site, find another house where you’d like to stay, and contact the house owner to see if he or she wants to exchange homes. This exchange system lets you live like a local in a comfortable house or apartment instead of a tiny and expensive hotel room. In addition, you needn’t pay any accommodation fees!
Tripadvisor
It is the biggest online community of travelers and also the first stop for vacation planners. Not only can you book flights, hotels, car rentals, and get tickets for scenery spots here, but you can also get reviews and tips from other travelers. The destination guides on Tripadvisor are often much better than the expensive guidebooks in a bookstore.
Yapta
Yapta stands for Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant. Yapta reminds you when the price for a particular flight drops. It can do it even after you purchase your tickets, giving you a chance to get a refund (退款) of the difference from the airline. If you prefer, Yapta will bargain (讨价还价) with the airline on your behalf for a $15 fee.
Roomorama
Roomorama is a website for short-term rental website. With its large choice of house listings worldwide, you can find whichever house suits your needs. Whether you’re looking for a single bedroom or a large apartment, Roomorama has that all covered! It also provides a unique and secure payment system to keep your money secure. Roomorama can only hand over the payment code (密码) to the host until you check in.
1. Which website can help us find free accommodation?| A．Yapta. | B．Tripadvisor. |
| C．Home Exchange. | D．Roomorama. |
| A．Refer to other travelers’ tips. | B．Apply for a guidebook. |
| C．Rent a large apartment. | D．Get in touch with house owners. |
| A．It helps its users bargain with the hosts. |
| B．It offers information on houses for sale. |
| C．It has a payment system similar to Yapta’s. |
| D．The hosts will get paid after guests check in. |
6 . Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck Tickets
From $20.10
Lowest Price Guarantee 1 to 11 hours
See the beauty of Hong Kong from above by visiting Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck. Pre-booking admission means you’ll guarantee your entry and avoid waiting in long lines to purchase tickets. Get 360° views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong’s top landmarks. If you work up an appetite, you don’t have to leave, as there’s even a restaurant on site - Café 100 by The Ritz-Carlton.
Hong Kong International Airport Plaza Premium Lounge
From $66.19
Lowest Price Guarantee 3 to 12 hours
After arriving in Hong Kong, relax and unwind with hot showers, delicious food, and wireless Internet access before taking off on your departing flight with this Hong Kong International Airport Plaza Premium Lounge access. Customize your choice based on your layover to be sure there’s plenty of time to decompress and refresh before departure. Enjoy amenities such as hot food, beverages, wireless internet connection, and shower facilities.
Hong Kong Street Food Tour with a Local: 100% Personalized & Private
From $154.96 Price varies by group size
Lowest Price Guarantee 4 hours
Get your bearings of Kowloon and taste your away around the city on this exciting Hong Kong night markets and street food tour. Take the stress out of getting lost by having a guide to lead the way. You’ll explore small side streets and night markets in Mong Kok and learn local secrets that you wouldn’t find out about otherwise. Your guide will advise you on the best local dishes to try, and you’ll enjoy 6-8 food tastings.
Brush Calligraphy Class / Chinese Ink Painting Class
From $65.32 Price varies by group size
Lowest Price Guarantee 1 hour 30 minutes
Art Connect and Communication is an institution that integrates art creation and cultural teaching. It hopes to create more diversified products with art and provide relevant courses to different people. ART CONNECT connects life with art, and affects life with life. We provide a variety of Chinese cultural experiences and exchanges. We provide the four Chinese arts of “Qin Qi, Calligraphy and Painting”, including cultural experiences such as guzheng, Chinese chess, calligraphy, and Chinese painting, to promote Chinese culture to people from different counties.
1. What is mentioned in Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck Tickets?| A．The exact price of food. | B．Booking tickets ahead. |
| C．Getting 360° views of The Ritz-Carlton. | D．The introduction of Victoria Harbour. |
| A．One to eleven hours. | B．Three to twelve hours. |
| C．Four hours. | D．One and a half hours. |
| A．Lowest Price Guarantee. | B．Different price by group size. |
| C．Art creation and cultural teaching. | D．The best local dishes to try. |
7 . Traveling along the old Silk Road can be a quite interesting and rewarding experience. Here is some information that the visitor should consider when planning a possible travel on the road.
Language. While traveling along the road, the visitor can meet with about 20 different nationalities.
Accommodations. The Silk Road spans most of China, from modern cities in the central China to villages and towns in the remote west. Accordingly, accommodations along the route range from high standard hotels to simple guesthouses.
In big cities like Dunhuang, Urumqi, Lanzhou, the visitor can enjoy high standard hotels. They all provide excellent conditions, good services and they are quite safe.
Travel by Road. Buses are the most inexpensive method of transport along the Silk Road but, unfortunately, they are very slow.
| A．It offers good views of the mountains |
| B．Some of them speak their own languages |
| C．Learn some of their languages before going |
| D．But this kind of hotels is also the most expensive |
| E．Cars are offered by some travel agencies and hotels |
| F．These locations offer nothing but a quite simple room |
| G．Today, Chinese can be easily used among these nationalities |
8 . Some best places to go in Shanghai
The Bund
1.3 miles to city center
Type: Free, Neighborhood/Area，Sightseeing
Time to spend: 1 to 2 hours
Shanghai’s picturesque waterfront, known as “the Bund,” is where you’ll find those classic skyline photo opportunities. With the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center and other skyscrapers standing across the Huangpu River, the view stuns. And behind you, attractive European-style buildings housing restaurants and shops line the waterfront boulevard, affording plenty of activities.
Shanghai Museum
0.2 miles to city center
Type: Museums, Free, Sightseeing
Time to spend: 2 hours to half day
Located on the People’s Square near Nanjing Road, the Shanghai Museum is hard to miss thanks to its distinct architecture and remarkable size. And you really shouldn’t skip this historical gem. Frequently called one of the best museums in China, this expansive museum houses a diverse collection of artifacts that chart the nation’s history. Highlights include ornate calligraphy, beautiful jade carvings, thousand-year-old bronze works and traditional Chinese garb.
Zhujiajiao
26.3 miles to city center
Type: Free, Neighborhood/Area
Time to spend: half day to full day
This ancient water town, the Venice of Shanghai, saw its heyday during the Ming Dynasty, when its success as a commercial hub resulted in the construction of its picturesque waterways. The area remains composed of numerous canals with bridges connecting visitors to scores of charming narrow streets. Expect to find tiny cafes down back alleys, friendly boatmen offering rides and hole-in-the-wall shops selling souvenirs.
Nanjing Road
0.9 miles to city center
Type: Free, Neighborhood/Area, Shopping
Time to spend: 2 hours to half day
Whether or not you have money to bum, consider visiting Nanjing Road to witness the hustle and bustle of Chinese commerce. The Shanghai equivalent of New York’s Fifth Avenue, Nanjing Road stretches six miles total and boasts retailers from all over the world in addition to local shops and department stores. In the daylight, you’ll admire the graceful architecture of the surrounding buildings. At night, you’ll be surprised at the beautiful logos and brand names that line the avenue.
1. Which places is the farthest from city center?| A．The Bund. | B．Shanghai Museum. | C．Zhujiajiao. | D．Nanjing Road. |
| A．See the Venice in Shanghai. | B．Enjoy skyscrapers. |
| C．Collect diverse collection of artifacts. | D．Spend money in shopping. |
| A．Waterways. | B．Two hours’ trip. | C．Bridges. | D．Commerce. |
9 . I was born in Venice, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy, and studied designing at university here. Though I have also spent time away, I have always come back because it’s my home.
In Venice, there are no roads, only canals, so you have to get around on foot or by boat. I live on a canal in the Rialto area in a house that was built in 1588 for the Muti family, who were businessmen in the silk trade. In the mid-eighteenth century, it was home to the Vezzi family, who made things like plates and bowls in fine china and became rich by sending these around the world. These businessmen’s houses in Venice are like palaces. Their owners had to have space to show off their goods, but the building also had to be an office, a factory, a store and a home. My house came into our family in 1919, when it was bought by my grandfather. He died before I was born but he was the director of a museum where I often do research on old documents. On some of these, I’ve seen notes in his handwriting, so, in a way, I met him through these documents.
Sadly, the population of Venice has dropped from 120,000 in the 1950s to about 60,000 now. This doesn’t include the thousands of tourists who come to visit. I welcome the tourists but unless something is done to stop everyday shops like bakeries from disappearing, the city will die. I want people who love the city to come here to live and work and give Venice back a life that is not just about tourism.
1. What can we learn about the family who first owned the author’s home?| A．They were china dealers. | B．They made plates and bowls. |
| C．They used to buy and sell silk. | D．They helped to build the canals. |
| A．He met his grandfather in an unusual way. |
| B．His grandfather taught him how to write. |
| C．His grandfather turned his home into a museum. |
| D．He found his grandfather’s handwriting hard to read. |
| A．It faces a difficult situation. | B．It can’t feed its population. |
| C．It needs more modern shops. | D．It has fewer tourists than before. |
10 . One of the best advantages of technological advancements is the fact that it has given us so much more freedom in the way we work. That so many jobs can be done remotely means you can travel and work from anywhere you want in the world. Here are some of the best cities to live and work in.
Tallinn, Estonia
Often overlooked as a tourist destination, Tallinn has become known as Europe's next Silicon Valley. Not only that, it is absolutely amazing. The Old Town has been named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is full of Gothic architecture and lots of historical landmarks.
Budapest, Hungary
Budapest is an ideal city for anyone who is crazy about wandering. It has a diverse culture, delicious and affordable food, and best of all, a low cost of living compared to other major cities. Its Neo-Renaissance architecture has made it one of Europe's most beautiful cities.
Da Nang, Vietnam
Unlike large cities like Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, Da Nang's advantage is that it is still pretty unknown to many people. That means there are fewer tourists while still providing the same attractions of a big noisy city. Enjoy the most delicious food, buy fresh coconuts on the beach, and rent a motorbike and drive over Hai Van Pass.
Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon is becoming popular as a co-working community, and it's clear why so many flooded into this city. With 300 days of sunshine each year, unbelievable nightlife, and delicious food, there are certainly worthwhile places to spend your time at. Lisbon has a growing tech scene but is still very leisurely.
1. What do Tallinn and Budapest have in common?| A．Their living cost is low. | B．They have beautiful architecture. |
| C．They are famous technology centers. | D．They are listed in the UNESCO World Heritage. |
| A．Estonia. | B．Vietnam. | C．Hungary. | D．Portugal. |
| A．It offers delicious food. | B．It is a quiet European city. |
| C．It is famous for beautiful scenery. | D．It enjoys sunshine most of the year. |
