1 . The year 2023 witnessed the occurrence of significant cultural events, with culture and tourism becoming even more closely connected. Let’s review the major cultural events of 2023 as we bid farewell to the year and embrace the new year of 2024!
Museum visits rise in popularity in summer
Tourists were seen queuing for long hours in front of museums and obtaining entrance tickets became more challenging. In response to the growing demand, 46 museums in Beijing canceled their customary Monday closures and remained open daily until August 31. The rise in “museum fever” can be credited to various factors, including the public’s increasing enthusiasm for traditional Chinese culture, the booming market for youth educational tours and summer camps, as well as the continuous innovation of museums.
Old tea forests in Pu’er win World Heritage Site title
The newly named heritage site, located in Lancang Lahu autonomous county in Pu’er, Yunnan province, consists of five large-scale, well-preserved old tea forests, which stand 1,250 to 1,500 meters above the sea level, three protective barrier forests, and nine ancient villages in the old tea forests, which are mainly inhabited by Blang and Dai ethnic groups. The cultural landscape was jointly created by the ancestors of the Blang people—who immigrated to the Jingmai Mountain in the 10th century AD and later discovered and domesticated wild tea trees—and the native Dai people.
Protection plan released for Beijing’s Central Axis
The plan is said to be one of the necessary steps toward bidding for UNESCO World Heritage status. Alongside regulations on the protection of the Central Axis carried out earlier, the plan is in line with the requirements of World Heritage conservation. The 21 member countries of the World Heritage Committee will decide on whether Beijing’s Central Axis can be added to the World Heritage List at the committee’s 46th annual conference in 2024. If the application succeeds, it will reinforce Beijing’s top position among cities worldwide by number of World Heritage Sites.
1. Which of the following is NOT the reason for the rise in “museum fever”?| A．Museums’ ceaseless innovation. |
| B．The constant innovation of summer camps. |
| C．The growing market for youth educational tours. |
| D．People’s growing passion for traditional Chinese culture. |
| A．46 museums in Beijing stayed open all year round. |
| B．The Blang people are the natives in Jingmai Mountain. |
| C．The heritage site in Pu’er consists of four large old tea forests. |
| D．Beijing’s Central Axis hasn’t been added to the World Heritage List yet. |
| A．Wonders of the Natural World | B．Scientific Exploration |
| C．Chinese Culture Research | D．Art and Architecture |
2 . At present, there are over 36,000 McDonald’s restaurants around the world, but it started out as a small one. The McDonald brothers, Dick and Mac, opened the first McDonald’s in San Bernardino, California in 1948. The menu included hamburgers, soft drinks, pie, French fries, milk, coffee and milkshakes. Ray Kroc, a travel salesman, visited the store and became interested in it. The brothers said that they wanted to open stores in the whole country, and then Kroc became their first franchise agent (特许经销商) in 1954. Kroc opened up a restaurant for McDonald’s on April 15, 1955. That store came with a lot of difficulties in the beginning.
After dealing with the difficulties, McDonald’s started to spread to all over the United States. The McDonald brothers wanted to show their Speed Service System-what we call fast food. Customers were served at large windows in the front of the building. The houses of the first restaurants were red and white with two golden arches(拱)on the side to make the roof look less flat.
The McDonald’s menu in 1977 shows how different its food choices are from today. What’s more, today McDonald’s have digital screens to show menus again and again.
In 1969 McDonald’s changed the style of restaurants. This change is found on the first McDonald’s in Moscow, Russia in 1990. Crowds line up outside to get their first taste of a Big Mac.
With billions of people served, McDonald’s has played an attractive role shaping international culture since its first restaurant opened.
1. When was McDonald’s first set up?| A．In 1955. | B．In 1954. | C．In 1948. | D．In 1977. |
| A．The brothers’ wish. | B．His experience of running restaurants. |
| C．His interest in traveling. | D．One of the customers’ advice. |
| A．The arches can show their difference in the USA. |
| B．Customers liked large windows. |
| C．Customers enjoyed arches. |
| D．The arches can make the roof look less flat. |
| A．It is very popular at that time. | B．It is different from today’s food choice. |
| C．The reason why it was popular. | D．The change of McDonald’s style. |
3 . The Steps to Do a Science Investigatory Project
Usually, a Science Investigatory Project (SIP) uses the scientific method to study and test an idea about how something works. Knowing how to do an SIP is useful for anyone interested in the sciences.
Ask a question and form a hypothesis (假设).
Often, the most challenging part of an SIP is figuring out what you want to investigate. Take your time in choosing, because all of the subsequent (随后的) steps will be based on the idea you select. Think about something that interests, surprises or confuses you.
Design and conduct your experiment
After you have formed your hypothesis, it is time to test whether it is valid or not. Once your preparation and planning is complete, it’ s time to begin.
Record and analyze your results
Keep accurate records of all your results, even if they don’t turn out the way you hoped or planned. Your data may be best recorded as a graph, chart or just a journal entry.
It is time to clearly and accurately conclude your findings. In essence, you are now answering the question you originally asked. Remember, concluding that your hypothesis was completely wrong does not make your SIP a failure. If you make clear, scientifically-grounded findings, and present them well, it can and will be a success.
| A．Make your conclusion |
| B．However you record the data, make sure it is easy to review and analyze |
| C．Here are the steps to do an SIP |
| D．Discuss the issue with your instructor |
| E．Then form a hypothesis based on the question you’ ve asked and your subsequent research |
| F．Knowing your topic in more depth will help you construct your SIP |
| G．Closely follow the steps that you have planned |
4 . Near-death accidents and summit failures have not slowed down mountaineer Saray N’ kusi Khumalo. The Zambia-born mother of two holds a corporate job, hosts a podcast, has climbed some of the tallest mountains around the world, and still has the time to run a non- profit organization that focuses on education in Africa.
“My grandfather always used to say, ‘if you don’t live a life of service, that’s a life wasted, ” she said. In 2013, she founded Summits With A Purpose in South Africa. With every climb, she raises funds to help build schools and libraries. Khumalo is not going to just climb and take a selfie. She is going to climb and then make a difference.
Not long after her first-ever summit, she turned her eyes toward the world’s tallest peak: Mt. Qomolangma, located in the Himalayas. The first three attempts were tough and heart-breaking for Khumalo: She experienced everything from natural disasters to losing consciousness in the “death zone”, Qomolangma’s top stretch over 8, 000 meters above sea level, where oxygen is dangerously low.
On May 16, 2019 —her fourth bid —she succeeded, becoming the first Black African woman to reach the summit. In total, only eight of the 4,000 people who’ve ever summited Qomolangma are Black.
Khumalo is humbled by what she’s achieved so far, but she notes, “I don’t think that I’ve broken those stereotypes yet; there’s still a lot more work to be done,” adding that representation should extend beyond the mountain tops, too.
“It’s not just about Qomolangma; it is a gift that we need to leave for the next generation wherever we are,” she says, calling on her peers to step outside their comfort zone to show that Black people belong in all spaces.
1. What can we know about Khumalo from paragraph 1?| A．She suffers from injuries. | B．She is energetic. |
| C．She loves her family. | D．She is struggling with life. |
| A．To make herself rich. | B．To fulfill her grandfather’s wish. |
| C．To raise funds for her climbing. | D．To collect money for African education. |
| A．Her life experiences. | B．The success of her climbing. |
| C．The hardship in climbing. | D．The conditions of the Qomolangma’s top. |
| A．To introduce a mountaineer pioneer. | B．To show a respect for mountaineers. |
| C．To tell the history of mountain climbing. | D．To attract more people to conquer Mt. Qomolangma. |
