1 . Favored by many internet influencers, the city of Zibo, once a sleepy industrial city, has gone viral on Chinese social media platforms. The topic Zibo “barbecue” on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, was played 4.96 billion times since the city stormed the Internet for over a month. On 29 April, Zibo Railway Station saw a record 87,000 train trips to and from the station, according to Chinese news website Caixin.
Local authorities in Zibo have been quick to respond to the sudden flow of visitors. A barbecue zone that can accommodate 10,000 people, featuring live band performances, was built overnight. Volunteers have been dispatched to the railway station to offer advice and recommendations to tourists. Designated (指定的) buses and trains bring tourists to and from the hottest barbecue spots. The government has even threatened to punish profiteering hotels who raise prices by more than 50% .
What makes Zibo barbecue so special is that it does offer a distinctive (独特的) dining experience. The skewers (烤串) are 70-80 percent cooked before they are brought to the table, where diners can finish cooking them on their own stoves, offering an immersive dining experience.
Zibo’s low prices are also appealing. Many college students in Shandong have made concrete plans to enjoy Zibo barbecue at the least cost, and traveling back and forth by train for only 200 yuan ($29.1). So what better way to attract adventurous, hungry college students with a tight budget other than “tasty barbecue that makes you full for only 50 yuan!”
The locals seem happy enough about the arrival of visitors and shy away from hot spots to make space for outsiders, saying they are proud that their hometown has gained nationwide fame.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?A.The history of Zibo. |
B.The influence of social media. |
C.The newfound popularity of Zibo. |
D.The crowdedness of Zibo Railway Station. |
A.Unique dining experience. | B.Convenient transportation. |
C.Wonderful performances. | D.Affordable prices. |
A.Favorable. | B.Worried. | C.Unconcerned. | D.Critical. |
A.To promote an industrial city. |
B.To introduce barbecue in Zibo. |
C.To explain how to attract tourists. |
D.To show the popularity of barbecue. |
The new site of the National Natural History Museum was unveiled (揭牌) in Beijing on June 5, 2023. It
3 . Rome has been around for almost three thousand years and yet carries all that weight of history with a light heart. Explore our guides of Rome’s attractions, restaurants, shopping, nightlife and amazing things to do.
Morning
Start your day with a Roman breakfast of cappuccino and cornetto at elegant Bar Rosati, which at this morning hour still has a relaxing atmosphere. Then cross the square to the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, an artistic treasure world in which two strikingly dramatic canvases by Caravaggio stand out.
Afternoon
Brave the crowds and head for the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine complex. Half circus, half sports stadium, Rome’s most famous classical ruin is unmissable--especially now that they have extended the visitor route to the underfloor passageways through which gladiators (角斗士) and wild beasts made their entrances. Walk from the Colosseum through the Forum to the pretty Palatine Hill, where Romulus legendarily founded Rome, and where emperors such as Augustus built their palaces.
Late
Dine in one of Rome’s new breed of creative restaurants. In Trastevere, La Gensola offers a mix of tasty Roman specialities and Sicilian-style seafood dishes in an informal setting. Alternatively, head for Testaccio and grab a pizza at Da Remo or an aperitivo at the Enoteca Palombi, known for its selection of beers from across the globe.
Do you know?
Dress code in churches: shoulders covered and modest dress length for women, while for men vests and really short shorts are frowned on- -though these rules are only strictly enforced in major churches like St. Peter’s.
1. Where can you enjoy canvases by Caravaggio?A.Bar Rosati. | B.Santa Maria del Popolo. |
C.The Forum. | D.St. Peter’s. |
A.It holds more people. | B.The nearby Palatine is in its full beauty. |
C.It’s Colosseum’s off season. | D.An extended visitor route is in use now. |
A.Long sleeve shirts. | B.Very short shorts. |
C.Mini skirts for women. | D.Vests for men. |
4 .
Chile (智利) is famous for its many attractions, including Torres del Paine National Park and Easter Island . If you’re planning a visit, be sure to add “Mano del Desierto” or “Hand of the Desert”to your must-see list.
Standing 11 meters tall and made of iron and cement (混凝土), this sculpture (雕像) of a hand emerges (出现) from the sand in the Atacama Desert , which is known as the driest desert in the world outside of polar regions. The sculpture was created by Mario Irarr á zabal in the early 1980s and was financed by a local nonprofit organization called Corporaci ó n Pro Antofagasta. The sculpture is not only famous for its size and design but also for the message it expresses. Many people believe that the hand represents the weakness and helplessness of human beings, as well as their strength and determination to overcome hardships.
If you’re interested in visiting the Hand of the Desert, take Route 26 or 28 from Antofagasta, a port city in northern Chile. The sculpture is located between mile markers 1309 and 1310. The desert’s flatness (平坦) makes it easy to spot the sculpture from far away. But some people mistake it for a mirage (海市蜃楼) caused by tiredness from driving a long way to the sculpture.
Visitors should take precautions (预防措施) before leaving , such as filling their gas tanks , taking plenty of water, and wearing sunscreen. They should also avoid driving too quickly, as many car accidents happen in the desert each year.
For those who are worried about driving alone, working with an agency (机构) like Plan South America is a good option. The founder of the agency, Harry Hastings, said that he always tries to join a visit to the sculpture with guests traveling to the desert.
1. What makes the Hand of the Desert a famous attraction?A.Its material. | B.Its location. | C.Its designer. | D.Its size and design. |
A.The sculpture attracts millions of visitors every year. |
B.Tired travelers often see mirages in the desert. |
C.The sculpture can be reached very easily. |
D.The sculpture can be seen from far away. |
A.He built the sculpture “Hand of the Desert”. |
B.He gave the financial support to the sculpture. |
C.His agency can help lonely travelers travel to the desert. |
D.He can avoid driving accidents in the desert. |
A.Travel. | B.Environment. | C.Culture. | D.Entertainment. |
5 . People living on Rum are hoping it will be recognised as a Dark Sky Island. They have been preparing to achieve it.
In recent years, the community of just 30 people on Rum have tried their best to change the island’s lighting system(系统). There are no streetlights, hardly any buildings and no traffic. When the sun sets, locals and visitors can experience a naturally dark sky, and enjoy views of stars.
The island community has been taking readings with special equipment (设备)which is used to determine the brightness of the night sky. “We have to take these through our whole season so we get to know what the sky is like at different times of the year and night,” Mr Mumford, the island’s visitor services manager, said. “We need to make sure there are plans for the future in terms of what it’s going to look like and what this means.”
Dark Sky status (地位)would also help Manx Shearwaters, a bird which depends on the darkness to find the direction to South America every year.
“Manx Shearwaters are attracted to man-made light; they can be hurt at this time of year when they’re returning from migration (迁徙), and in September when young birds first fly to South America,” said Nature Scot’s Lesley Watt, a local.
“On that flight, if there are any man-made lights in the village, they could be attracted to those lights instead of reaching the sea for their onward journey. If they do get grounded, they have very little chance of making it out to sea.”
It is also hoped that by achieving Dark Sky Island status, Rum would be able to make use of this chance and bring in visitors.
“Most people aren’t coming to Scotland from October to March, which is the best time to view the night sky,” Mr Mumford said. “This is the perfect chance to help with that. We want to show off what we have here, and the work we’ve put in to protect that. We want to show people what we get to see every day.”
1. What does the author try to show in paragraph 2?A.People on Rum live a hard life. | B.Rum does well in researching stars. |
C.There are few unnatural lights on Rum. | D.The lighting system on Rum is out of date. |
A.To keep an exact record of stars. |
B.To check the use of lights on the island. |
C.To collect information of weather conditions. |
D.To know sky better to prepare for future plans. |
A.It is helpful for them to find more food. |
B.It makes their migration journey smoother. |
C.It offers them a good environment of producing. |
D.It protects them from being eaten by other animals. |
A.He is addicted to watching stars. | B.He is hopeful of achieving the status. |
C.He is looking forward to visitors’ coming. | D.He is eager to improve local people’s life. |
6 . In the summer of 2019, Tomas Quinones was undertaking a seven-day “bikepacking” trip, covering some remote desert in Southern Oregon, US. His trip had been marked with the usual minor troubles. But there had also been those moments of unexpected kindness from strangers.
On the last day of his trip, he was riding down a dusty track when he came upon a man lying unconscious on the desert floor. Quinones tried to give him some water with little success. Luckily, he called the emergency rescue team and an ambulance arrived within an hour. “I never had a doubt about what I would do,” he said. Quinones, who’d received some gestures of help over the course of his trip, paid it forward.
The odds are, if you’ve spent any time in the wild, you’ll have experienced these gestures of kindness from strangers or given them yourself too even if they were nothing so dramatic as the aid given by Quinones.
So what is it about being outside in nature that makes people want to help others? The first explanation is that in the wild, there may not be any other help. According to the “bystander effect”, the more people who are in the presence of someone needing help, the less likely any of those people are to actually provide it.
But another idea is that there is something about nature itself that seems to promote “prosocial” attitudes. As a recent study suggests, exposure to nature can promote feelings of transcendence-a sense of connection to other people, to the world around us and to the universe.
When we take adventure into the wild, we are easy to get hurt. And that makes us look at the world differently. So, in the wild, where we lose our normal possessions, surroundings and identities, we seem more willing to go the extra mile for someone. It’s in nature that we can learn new things about humanity.
1. What can we know about Tomas Quinones’ trip in 2019?A.He passed on the kindness he’d received. | B.He was saved by a fellow traveler. |
C.He got tost for some time in the desert | D.He came across unexpected dangers. |
A.To suggest the unstoppable power of nature. | B.To highlight the risks of traveling alone. |
C.To introduce a common phenomenon. | D.To question connections between people. |
A.They might offer help immediately. | B.They might be unwilling to help. |
C.They might encourage others to help. | D.They might blame the person in need. |
A.Exposure to nature boosts our confidence. |
B.We are more clear-headed in natural environments. |
C.Fear promotes our desire for connection with nature. |
D.Feeling small in the wild makes us tend to act big. |
A.Terrible. | B.Worthless. | C.Great. |
8 . Although travelling alone may sound discouraging, solo travel is continuing to rise in popularity. There may be numerous reasons why someone is travelling independently. Here are our top reasons to travel by yourself.
Time for you
Some people say solo travel is the comfort and relaxation of having your very own. However, for those looking for some more adventurous “me-time,” solo tours also typically offer plenty of free time to go it alone. During your time at leisure, you have the freedom to do your own exploration, see the sights you want to see or simply relax and take it easy. With no-one to compromise with, it’s totally up to you.
Meet like-minded people
Solo travel doesn’t mean you have to travel alone. Solo travelers come from all walks of life, but they usually all share the same passion — a desire to see the world! It’s often the people you meet on holiday that are the max highlight of the entire trip and, even though you’re travelling alone, you’ll have amazing memories of the shared experiences you had together with people in your group. Take plenty of pictures to remember forever.
You’ll never be alone
Group travel is ideal for solo travelers as it offers the opportunity to a group of like-minded people, each interested in their chosen destination. Being part of a group provides extra security (especially key for independent female travelers who may feel anxious about being on their own) and for everyone there is the benefit of an expert local guide who is keen to share their knowledge. The guides also accompany you on tours and can offer suggestions on what to see and do in your leisure time to ensure you have an authentic and enjoyable experience.
So, if your friends and family are unable to join you on your dream holiday, don’t let that stop you. Travel Department is delighted to partner with Reader’s Digest and offer their readers an exclusive discount on 2023 & 2024 holidays. To discuss any questions or make a booking simply call 0203 966 0527.
1. What is the best part of the entire solo trip?A.The beautiful scenery on the way. | B.The freedom to choose your destination. |
C.The people you meet during the trip. | D.The pictures you take along the way. |
A.Protection and security measures. | B.Company and personalized suggestions. |
C.Knowledge and leisure activities. | D.Freedom and enjoyable experience. |
A.To educate. | B.To explain. | C.To advertise. | D.To instruct. |
Bathed in warm sunshine, the newly restored Jingfu Ge,
After a yearlong work, the ancient building was reopened, enabling
Located on the eastern ridge of Wanshou Mountain in the Summer Palace, the building was initially a two-story pavilion
This round of
1. Where is the Base located?
A.10 km away from the city center. |
B.Less than 30 km from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. |
C.No.1357 Panda Road. |
A.Feeding the animals using bamboo. |
B.Chatting loudly with friends. |
C.Taking pictures for pandas without flashes. |
A.Refilling a cup of hot coffee. | B.Buying food for dinner. | C.Using an umbrella when it rains. |
A.Tourists visiting the Base. |
B.Volunteers taking care of the wild animals. |
C.Scientists doing research at the Base. |