1 . Festivals Around the World
Saint Patrick’s Day
Time: March 17
Place: Ireland
Saint Patrick’s Day is the traditional death date of Saint Patrick. In Ireland, celebrations include parades as well as dressing in green. The limitation on eating and drinking alcohol (酒)is canceled for the day, which has resulted in the holiday’s tradition of having various foods and drinking alcohol.
San Fermin Festival
Time: July 6-14
Place: Pamplona, Spain
The most famous event during the San Fermin Festival is the Encierro, or the Running of the Bulls (公牛), where the bulls are led through the street to the bull ring by runners at 8: 00 from 7 to 14 July. The week-long celebration includes many other traditions and events—you may also find yourself covered with flour and eggs and the streets are filled with music and dancing.
Burning Man
Time: Last Monday in August until the first Monday in September
Place: Black Rock City, Nevada, USA
You are expected to bring everything you will need for that week and you won’t spend money once you’re there and will take your rubbish with you when you leave. Over 60,000 people attend every year.
Oktoberfest
Time: 16 days from late August until the first weekend of September
Place: Munich, Germany
More than 6 million people from around the world attend Oktoberfest every year and drink large amounts of beer which has been made from 6 breweries (啤酒厂) in Munich. Attendees hang out in large beer tents dressed in Bavarian costumes and there are amusement rides and traditional foods.
1. What do people do on Saint Patrick’s Day?| A．They burn Saint Patrick. | B．They put on green clothes. |
| C．They throw eggs at each other. | D．They keep away from drinking. |
| A．Oktoberfest. | B．Burning Man. |
| C．San Fermin Festival. | D．Saint Patrick’s Day. |
| A．They take place in the same months. |
| B．They provide beer from Munich. |
| C．Attendees have no chance to spend money. |
| D．They have the same number of attendees every year. |
2 . The 187-foot-tall Tower of Pisa is famous all over the world mainly because it leans (倾斜). For many years, people believed that the tower’s designer intended it to lean. As it turns out, though, the tower’s lean is an accident caused by poor planning. The Tower of Pisa was constructed (建造) on a riverbed of sand and clay (黏土) that was not strong enough to support a building so tall and heavy.
Construction of the tower began in 1173. Because Pisa experienced several wars, the tower wasn’t completed until 1350. Only a few years after the construction started, people could see that the first three floors of the tower were already leaning. As the next three floors were added, builders purposefully built them with one side higher than the other to try to correct the lean. This resulted in the tower leaning in the opposite direction
Fortunately for the people of Pisa, the long delays (耽搁) during construction gave the structure time to settle and the ground to become compacted (结实的). This mad the foundation (地基) stronger over time, which is the main reason why the tower never fell over. For hundreds of years, the tower was indeed falling. It would lean one more inch about every 20 years. In the end, in 1990, it was closed to the public for fear that a large group of people at the top would weigh enough to make it fall down.
From 1990 to 2001, engineers from around the world helped balance the tower After several unsuccessful attempts at a solution, engineers finally came up with a plan that worked. They slowly removed ground under the high side of the tower. When they had finished, they had returned it to the position it held in about 1838—the tower had been straightened by nearly 16 inches. Except a sudden great disaster, such as a earthquake, engineers believe the tower is safe for another 300 years now.
1. What does the author try to explain about the Tower of Pisa in Paragraph 1?| A．Why it leans. | B．Why it was built. |
| C．Why it is famous. | D．Why it stopped leaning. |
| A．It was completed in 1173. | B．It began to be built in 1350. |
| C．It was seen leaning after 1173. | D．It was repaired every 20 years. |
| A．The special structure. | B．The timely protection. |
| C．The skill of the builders. | D．The long time of building. |
| A．When does the Tower of Pisa lean? |
| B．Is the leaning Tower of Pisa falling? |
| C．When was the leaning Tower of Pisa built? |
| D．How did the leaning Tower of Pisa get its name? |
3 . By the time Joy Ryan, a US grandma, turned 85, she had never seen the ocean or mountains. For Joy, trips to the local fishing area with her husband were about the farthest place she had ever gone, even if she loved watching the Travel Channel.
But one day Joy’s grandson, Brad Ryan, discovered that he and his grandma had a common interest in their love for traveling, when they began to visit the American great outdoors together.
Brad said, “When I learned my grandma had never seen the great wildernesses of America—deserts, mountains and oceans, I thought there was something I needed to do.” It was after taking his grandma out of Ohio on a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that he came up with the idea of visiting all the 63 US national parks with her to create inspiring memories.
Going to all the 63 US National Parks is a huge achievement even for a much younger adventurer (冒险家). Brad said his grandmother’s physical strength (体力) grew with their trips. For example, his grandma went water rafting (漂流) at 91, with class three rapids and when walking at the New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia, she broke the record by almost a decade!
It wasn’t always like this, however. Joy was so wobbly (不稳的) on her first trip, challenged by her balance. A group of college students clapped their hands when she reached the top of a path they were following.
Joy broke her age limitation (限制) and at the age of 93, she made history as the oldest living person to visit every US National Park. Joy believes it’s the mix of hopefulness, willpower, and the good health that gives her strength.
1. With whom did Joy Ryan visit all the 63 US national parks?| A．Her grandson. | B．Her husband. |
| C．Her daughter. | D．Her student. |
| A．She had a love for traveling. |
| B．Water rafting is dangerous for the old. |
| C．There is no age limitation for water rafting. |
| D．She had developed a strong body from traveling. |
| A．Her memory. | B．Her balance. |
| C．Her physical strength. | D．Her sense of direction. |
| A．Brave and hopeful. | B．Humorous and outgoing. |
| C．Hard-working and helpful. | D．Thoughtful and self-confident. |
4 . With the approaching of New Year, more and more visitors will come to China. Don’t know where you should go? Here are some places recommended for you.
Shanghai Expo Culture Park
The Shanghai Expo Culture Park will soon open its northern section to the public, in which the major attractions include a traditional garden that is similar in design to Shanghai’s famous Yuyuan Garden and a 400-meter avenue exhibiting the history of the area, while in the southern section lies a grand theater.
Macao Tower AJ Hackett Bungee Jump
The Macao Tower, 338 meters tall, is the world’s 10th highest tower, with a variety of activities, such as eating and entertainment. One of the activities which enjoy good fame is the bungee jump. The AJ Hackett Macao Tower Bungee Jump is 233 meters high, making it a Guinness World Record as the highest commercial (商业的) bungee jump in the world. Raise your arms and off you go!
Harbin’s Frozen World
For those who have never been to Harbin, there is an almost endless list of things to do. At Harbin Ice—Snow World, you can not only see the world—famous ice architecture, but also have great fun! You can have hotpot at the restaurants which are made of ice, enjoying the product of both ice and fire, go down the world’s longest ice slide (滑梯) and join in the popular Ice and Snow Electronic Music Festival to welcome 2024.
The winter is cold and the night is long, so why not go to the theatre? Harbin was listed by the United Nations as a “music city” in 2010. Harbin Grand Theater is where artistic souls defrost (化霜) a little to share their love of art.
1. Where should visitors go if they want to do extreme sports?| A．Shanghai Expo Culture Park. | B．The Macao Tower. |
| C．Shangha’s Yuyuan Garden. | D．Harbin Ice—Snow World. |
| A．Attend a famous music festival. | B．Play with both ice and fire. |
| C．Turn water into instant ice. | D．Learn to make ice architecture. |
| A．They have a high tower. | B．They have a long ice slide. |
| C．They have a grand theater. | D．They have traditional architecture. |
