1 . The annual South Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade will be held on Sunday, March 17, beginning at 1 p.m. ET. This is the 119th-annual parade for the historically-Irish city, and always falls on the Sunday closest to St. Patrick’s Day. This year, it luckily falls on the day of the holiday itself.
The Route
According to the Allied War Veterans Council, the parade will start at 1 p.m. at Broadway station and move up West Broadway. It will continue on East Broadway, take a right on P Street, then a right onto East Fourth Street.
From East Fourth Street, it will turn left onto K Street, then right onto East Fifth Street, where it will continue until taking a left onto G Street. It will stay left of South Boston High School to Thomas Park, and follow the park until it takes a left at Telegraph Street and another left to Dorchester Street. The parade will stay on Dorchester Street until its end in Andrew Square.
How to participate
If you’re local to the area or traveling especially to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, you can, of course, attend the parade in person. But for everyone else, there are a few options on how to watch it live.
Local stations NBC10 Boston and NECN will air the parade on television or stream on various platforms starting at 1 p.m. ET, including on Peacock, Roku and on its YouTube channel.
USA TODAY is also providing coverage for the parade in Boston, as well as celebration in other U.S. cities over the weekend, including New York City and Chicago. You can watch the parade at the top of this page or on USA TODAY’s YouTube channel.
1. Where will St. Patrick’s Day parade start?A.Broadway station. | B.Dorchester Street. |
C.K Street. | D.South Boston High School. |
A.To call for donations. | B.To recommend a traditional holiday. |
C.To inform people of an activity. | D.To explain a period of history. |
A.A magazine. | B.A history book. |
C.The internet. | D.A travel brochure. |
When I was young, I always dreamed of playing the piano and giving performances to a large audience in a concert hall. However, I struggled to understand the musical notes and the theory. Despite my parents’ encouragement and offer of piano lessons, I pretended not to be interested, too afraid to try.
Many years passed until one day, at 25 years old, I heard that a new piano studio had opened in my neighborhood. The teacher was recruiting (招收) new students. My childhood dream came flooding back.
I remembered I had initially feared becoming a teacher after graduation. However, I overcame those doubts. I refused to let fear hold me back any longer, so I walked into the studio.
The teacher, Deb, welcomed me warmly. I was relieved to find we were contemporaries (同时代的人) and expressed my desire to play the works of Bach and Beethoven if I could overcome my fear. Deb understood and seemed sincere, so I signed up for 3 months of classes. Still doubtful about my commitment, I bought a small, tabletop electric organ to practice with at home. It wasn’t the same as a real piano, but enabled me to learn some basics.
Week by week, I attended lessons in Deb’s studio. I often passed young students on their way out from their lessons before mine. One day, noticing the textbooks in my bag, a child stopped me and asked, “Where’s your boy?” After some hesitation, I finally answered I was the student. The children then welcomed me and I sat in the studio and listened to a piece a child was working on.
Soon, I gained confidence and upgraded to a full-size piano at home for daily practice. After three rewarding years of lessons with Deb, she announced it was time for me and other students to prepare for a recital (钢琴演奏会) on stage. I was thrilled at the chance to finally fulfill my childhood dream, yet also anxious at the thought of performing before the audience. But Deb believed in me. “Look how far you’ve come,” she encouraged. “It’s time to share your gift with others.”
Paragraph 1:I shook my head and told her, “No, thanks.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
When I finally finished my performance, I faced the audience and bowed.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . A family of six is happy to be back home in Quebec after spending a year traveling the globe. Edith Lemay and Sebastien Pelletier organized this
The Canadian couple
The family set out in March 2022,
When things don't go as
A.program | B.journey | C.campaign | D.exploration |
A.remove | B.restore | C.fill | D.treasure |
A.noticed | B.confirmed | C.regretted | D.concluded |
A.negotiation | B.familiarity | C.combination | D.consultation |
A.common | B.seasonal | C.rare | D.mental |
A.As a result | B.More importantly | C.In a sense | D.Worse still |
A.short | B.super | C.visual | D.early |
A.idea | B.rule | C.task | D.excuse |
A.entering | B.crossing | C.circling | D.approaching |
A.marking out | B.looking back on | C.taking in | D.watching out for |
A.adapt | B.refer | C.respond | D.agree |
A.faults | B.challenges | C.conflicts | D.choices |
A.discovered | B.promised | C.expected | D.mentioned |
A.prefer | B.advocate | C.acknowledge | D.escape |
A.fearlessly | B.modestly | C.gratefully | D.honestly |
4 . Neerja wakes up at 7 o’clock. She finds that she has a birthday cap over her head. She’s both
Things are getting more and more
She comes forward to
On her way to school, she continuously
She goes to him and says, “I’m really sorry. I just
A.angry | B.surprised | C.calm | D.relaxed |
A.checks | B.sells | C.repairs | D.answers |
A.difficult | B.important | C.discouraging | D.unclear |
A.clean | B.find | C.enter | D.book |
A.worried | B.certain | C.honest | D.careful |
A.cut | B.buy | C.make | D.store |
A.boring | B.special | C.possible | D.understandable |
A.realize | B.remember | C.imagine | D.regret |
A.cake | B.gift | C.phone | D.title |
A.forgets | B.hears | C.lies | D.thinks |
A.dream | B.idea | C.question | D.message |
A.patiently | B.sadly | C.nervously | D.hopefully |
A.failed | B.refused | C.managed | D.wanted |
A.looking into | B.talking about | C.laughing at | D.dealing with |
A.training | B.studies | C.friendship | D.problems |
5 . Ten years ago, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb was on a reporting trip about wildlife conservation. When he was shown around some new animal crossing structures near, Missoula, these new bridges and tunnels intrigued him. He was attracted by these beautiful human-built structures and inspired to write a book. Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet has now been published.
Through expert interviews, in-depth research and convincing analysis, Goldfarh brings to life the deadly consequences our 40 million miles of roadways have had and are having on the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it. A million animals are killed by cars each day in the US alone. Road salt pollutes lakes and rivers. And there's the barrier effect-the steady stream of traffic that prevents animals from migrating (迁徙) all together and finding habitats. Goldfarb writes that noise pollution is the most worrisome among all the road's ecological disasters. Both the engine noise and the tire noise greatly impact ecological environment.
Figures on deaths and disruptions (扰乱) are disheartening, but Goldfarb vividly describes how scientists are actively working on meaningful improvements to help animals and roads better coexist, such as wildlife crossings, from passages in Canada's Banff National Park to the famous Liberty Canyon Overpass in Los, Angeles. Another example is that in India, they built a new highway through a tiger reserve so that animals can come and go underneath the lifted freeway. Of course, that made the project more expensive, but it's ecologically the right thing to do.
Crossings is a truly important and landmark book on a subject whose full impacts continue to be disregarded or underestimated in considering conservation efforts. The book is a sympathetic, heart-warming guide to exploring the issues of wildlife survival and our own.
1. What does the underlined word “intrigued” in paragraph 1 mean?A.Confused. | B.Blocked. | C.Satisfied. | D.Interested. |
A.Road salt. | B.Roadkill. |
C.Vehicle noises. | D.Endless traffic stream. |
A.To bring shame on individual drivers. |
B.To stress the effect of roads on wildlife. |
C.To show humans' effort in animal protection. |
D.To explain the necessity of creating wild reserves. |
A.Vivid and touching. |
B.Pessimistic and sharp. |
C.Objective and critical. |
D.Abstract and humorous. |
6 . Flea market is an outdoor market that sells old or used goods at low prices. Here are four best ones in Europe.
Braderie de Lille--Lille, France
Dating back to the 12th century, Braderie de Lille is larger than any other flea market in Europe at nearly 100 kilometers of vendors (摊贩) as far as the eye can see. This market is annually held on the first weekend of September, and approximately 10, 000 exhibitors sell items from cheap articles to treasures.
EI Rastro Flea Market--Madrid, Spain
El Rastro Plea Market is a popular market in Madrid, with a history of over 400 years. It is held every Suinday and public holiday during the year. You can find second-hand articles for daily use, yet it can be difficult to find the perfect rare items.
Vrijmarkt Amsterdam--Amsterdam, Holland
This flea market is actually a car boot sale organized on King's Day. Since 1890, King's Day is a day of the year when the Dutch government allows sales on the streets without the payment of value-added tax. At the Vondel park, you can see kids selling their cast-off toys and books. Most of the time, these kids are handsomely paid by visitors.
Arezzo Flea Market—Arezzo, Italy
This market has been going on since 1968 and happens on the first Sunday of every month. If you are looking for a collection of antiques like old furniture, old-fashioned telephones, stained silverware, Roman coins and grandfather clocks, this is the perfect market to visit.
1. Which of the following is the largest flea market?A.Arezzo Flea Market. | B.Braderie de Lille. |
C.El Rastro Flea Market. | D.Vrijmarkt Amsterdam. |
A.In Madrid. | B.In Lille. | C.In Amsterdam. | D.In Arezzo. |
A.It was set up the earliest. | B.Its vendors sell antiques. |
C.It appeals to children most. | D.Its stands deal in everyday items. |
7 . After traveling nearly 10,000 kilometers, a package from Britain arrived at the memorial hall for the Lisbon Maru incident on Dongi Island in Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province this month. Inside the package was a painting belonging to Graham Saxby, which was his gift to the fishermen on Dongii Island.
In October 1942, an armed Japanese cargo ship, the Lisbon Maru, was torpedoed (鱼雷击中) by the Americans off the Zhoushan islands in Zhejiang. The ship was transporting some 1, 800 British prisoners of war from Hong Kong to Japan, among whom was Saxby’s father. While the ship was sinking, the prisoners were confined (监禁) in the holds. As they tried to escape, many were shot by the Japanese. Local Chinese fishermen risked their lives during the shooting and rescued as many prisoners as they could using their small boats. A total of 384 British prisoners of war were rescued by the fishermen, for which the British government and people were deeply grateful. A special screening of the documentary The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru was held in London on August 15. Survivors recalled the incident in the film.
After learning that Saxby was going to gift the locals a painting, Wu Xiaofei, a painter on Dongji Island, returned his friendship with a painting. “My grandfather was one of the fishermen who took part in the rescue, rowing a boat back and forth several times to rescue the British prisoners of war,”Wu says. She finished her drawing, which shows the joy, unity and harmony of fishermen, in just three days.
To help bring the forgotten historical event to light, Saxby is now asking a professional painter to create a work to show the rescue scene, while another painting related to the incident by Wu has been completed and is ready for exhibition.
1. Who is Graham Saxby?A.A film director. | B.A son of a prisoner of war. |
C.A British painter. | D.A survivor on the ship. |
A.The fishermen’s rescue operation. |
B.The prisoners of war being ill-treated on board. |
C.The prisoners of war escaping a Japanese attack. |
D.The ship’s damage caused by the torpedo. |
A.She drew a picture in return. |
B.She sent a letter of thanks to him. |
C.She told him her grandfather’s story. |
D.She showed his picture to the fishermen. |
A.Peace Takes Brave Men to Win It |
B.A Precious Friendship to Continue |
C.A Fresh Reminder to Avoid a Friendly Fire |
D.Painting from the UK Honors Chinese Fishermen |
A Chinese offshore wind power farm, located about 35 kilometers offshore from Pingtan of Fujian Province, has been
Among the 11 offshore wind turbine units is the world’s largest 16-megawatt offshore wind turbine unit, which
The 16-megawatt offshore wind turbine means that China has made
I never considered
Every fall, I celebrate the Moon Festival with mooncakes. Unlike many of my Chinese American
My first taste of a snow skin mooncake, however, made a crack in this wall of pickiness,
Different types of mooncakes are served during the Mid-Autumn Festival,
10 . Keep a Moon Diary
Grab a notebook and your favorite pen or pencil, and you’re ready to begin your very own Moon Diary. You’ll discover all kinds of fascinating things about how the moon travels and notice the various phases of the moon.
Before you start you can collect together some books about the moon to learn about it.
Start your Moon Diary by looking for the moon one night and recording all the things you notice. Note the date, time, and weather. Is the moon full? Half full? Or maybe gone entirely? What color does it seem to be?
It takes about 28 days for the moon to make one complete orbit around the Earth. So after four weeks, you’ll have completed your very own Moon Diary!
A.Look back over what you wrote and drew. |
B.You could draw a sad face in the box instead. |
C.Write and draw your observations in your notebook. |
D.Every day for a month, look in the sky and find the moon. |
E.Maybe you’ll decide to keep going with your Moon Diary. |
F.Picture books and stories are a great way to introduce a topic. |
G.Predict what shape the moon will be each night for the next month. |