1 . Warm weather gets thousands of people to gather outdoors and celebrate for various events. Here are a few fun festivals that you should travel to see this summer.
Naadam(Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)
Naadam, also known as “the three games of men”, is the biggest traditional festival held in Ulaanbaatar, the Mongolian capital. Each July, men compete in Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery (射箭). Today, women also take part in the archery and girls in the horse racing.
Elvis Week(Memphis)
If moving your body to Blue Suede Shoes this summer sounds good to you, then head to Memphis for Elvis Week, usually held in August. Movies, special performances and the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest are just a few activities to keep fans busy. The week of events is held to mark the anniversary (周年纪念日) of the death of Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock and Roll”.
Glastonbury Festival(Somerset, England)
Around 175, 000 people gather on a dairy farm in Somerset, England every year for the Glastonbury Festival. Famous bands and singers appear at the5-day music celebration. The ticket for the festival was £1 when the festival started in 1970, but today, full-weekend general tickets go for about£ 248.
World Bodypainting Festival(Klagenfurt, Austria)
During the annual World Bodypainting Festival in Austria, artists from as many as50 countries compete using a variety of techniques, including brushes, sponges and airbrushes. Alex Barendregt organized the first festival in 1998, when he was tasked with organizing a new summer event.
1. Where can we watch exciting competitions when attending the festival?A.Memphis | B.Austria. | C.Mongolia. | D.England. |
A.Elvis Week. | B.Naadam. |
C.Glastonbury Festival. | D.World Bodypainting Festival. |
A.Its setting is the downtown area. | B.It attracts dancers to perform there. |
C.It is held to celebrate the farm’s harvest. | D.Its ticket price has greatly increased. |
2 . The idea that red means stop and green means go affects more than just traffic light colors in our lives. We have been taught from a young age that red means danger, while green means safety.
But why were those particular colors chosen for traffic lights? Before there were traffic lights for cars, there were traffic signals for trains. At first, railroad companies used red to mean stop, white to mean go and green to mean caution. But train conductors ran into a problem with the color white meaning go — bright white could easily be mistaken for stars at night. Railway companies eventually moved to the color green for go. It’s been that way ever since.
Red is the color with the longest wavelength (波长). That means that as it travels through the air, it gets diffused (分散) less than other colors, so it can be seen from a greater distance. For a real-world example, think about how the light turns red as the sun sets. Even though the human eye is most sensitive to a yellowish-green highlighter color, it can see red from further away. But this could happen by chance. It’s not clear whether that was chosen based on wavelength, contrast against green nature or natural connection of red with things like blood. It could be a mix of all three!
Yellow has a shorter wavelength than red but a longer wavelength than green. This means that red is noticeable the furthest away, yellow in the middle and green the least distance away — a helpful advanced warning for needing to slow or stop.
However, believe it or not, yellow was once used to mean stop. Back in the 1900s, some stop signs were yellow because it was too hard to see a red sign in a poorly lit area. Eventually, highly reflective (反光的) materials were developed, and red stop signs were born. Since yellow can be seen well at all times of the day, school areas, some traffic signs and school buses continue to be painted the color. Keep these safe driving tips in the back of your mind whenever you see a yellow light.
1. What was the problem with white meaning go?A.It could not be seen at night. | B.It was a color showing danger. |
C.It was not popular at that time. | D.It could mislead train conductors. |
A.Human eyes are most sensitive to red. |
B.Red travels through the air fastest. |
C.The sun changes its color as it sets. |
D.Red has the longest wavelength. |
A.It was used in limited areas. |
B.It had been used as a stop sign. |
C.It is hard to see without enough light. |
D.It requires highly reflective materials. |
A.To explain the choice of traffic light colors. |
B.To spread the knowledge of colors. |
C.To introduce the invention of traffic lights. |
D.To increase people’s traffic awareness. |
3 . Li Jing, 29, currently serves as the director assistant to the village secretary of Maotianping Village Committee in Cuijiaba, a town in Hubei province. Li is a native of this village and was one of the first from her community to achieve higher education. She studied hotel management and tourism. After graduation, she started a career in the hotel industry in Wuhan. However, she made a decision last year to return to her village. She wants to be an essential part of her hometown’s development, realizing her own personal value.
When Li returned to her hometown, she received unconditional support from her family, despite some villagers’ questioning her decision. She resolved to prove herself through determination and action.
Her job involves extensive communication with the villagers, with over half of her workload about promoting potato production, the main business of the village. Li and the villagers regularly hold meetings in the village square, where they share insights on potato planting techniques, sales channels, market trends, and more. These gatherings provide her with opportunities to equip the villagers with planting tools and offer a window for them to voice their concerns and experiences.
In her spare time, Li remains closely connected with the villagers through regular conversations. She admits that it demands a considerable investment of time and energy, but it’s all worthwhile.
Li has very fond memories of an incident from last year when one villager had a poor potato crop. Although her potatoes were unimpressive in terms of size and quality, she held faith in Li and worked tirelessly and enthusiastically. Li never forgets the smiles on the villagers’ faces at harvest time, which is the ultimate reward for her.
In the near future, Li hopes to continue helping her fellow villagers raise their potato production and increase their income. Her long-term vision is to promote urban-rural integration (整合).
1. Why did Li Jing come back to her hometown?A.She desired a stable career. |
B.She intended to live her dream. |
C.She had a family to take care of. |
D.She failed to start her own business. |
A.Improving potato harvests. |
B.Selling potatoes at the market. |
C.Arranging daily square gatherings. |
D.Teaching villagers to express themselves. |
A.Li Jing should focus on quality control. |
B.Li Jing has won the villagers’ trust. |
C.It’s tough to make good communication. |
D.It’s easy to meet the villagers’ needs. |
A.East or West, Home Is Best | B.No Pain, No Gain |
C.From the Village, for the Village | D.Graduates, Welcome Home |
4 . Thanks to artificial intelligence, education is more accessible and efficient than ever. To give you an overview of the industry, we round up some AI technology applied in education.
Duolingo
Duolingo provides listening, reading and speaking exercises in dozens of global languages, all the while providing aspects of gamification to keep users coming back. By applying AI, Duolingo’s lessons are paced and leveled specifically for each student according to their performance. It also uses data and machine learning to make course improvements, taking into consideration the differences of various languages.
Amira Learning
Amira Learning is a virtual learning application created to accelerate young students’ reading comprehension. Using AI technology, Amira has students read stories aloud and can assess oral reading fluency as well as identify areas for improvement. For teachers and parents, Amira also provides services such as student progress reports and dyslexia (阅读障碍) risk screening.
Blippar
Blippar’s products combine computer vision intelligence technology and augmented reality to enhance the way students learn in the classroom. The interactive materials bring subjects like geography, biology and physics to a visual space. For example, instead of reading about a volcanic eruption, the system shows students a virtual 3D model of the eruption process.
Nuance
Nuance makes speech-to-text software used by students and faculty to transcribe (转成) up to 160 words per minute. The technology is especially helpful for students who struggle with writing or have limited mobility. It also enhances spelling ability and word identification. Instructors use the software to dictate lectures for later use or quicken repetitive tasks like document and email creation.
1. Which platform uses gamification to engage users in language learning?A.Amira Learning. | B.Blippar. |
C.Nuance. | D.Duolingo. |
A.Speech-to-text software. |
B.Reading comprehension. |
C.Computer vision intelligence technology. |
D.Personalized language learning with gamification. |
A.They focus on language learning. |
B.They specialize in science subjects. |
C.They use technology to aid learning. |
D.They offer computer programming courses. |
5 . The year 2023 saw a wide variety of TV and Internet variety shows in China, offering amazing entertainment to audiences. Here are some popular variety shows of the year. It’s never too late to start enjoying them.
Become a Farmer
The farming-themed show took Chinese social media by storm in the first half of the year, shining a spotlight on farming — a crucial part of Chinese culture. The word “farming”, however, may be unfamiliar to many young urban Chinese citizens.
In an effort to connect these individuals with the industry, the show tries to deal with the topic by inviting 10 men to experience life.
Divas Hit The Road-Silk Road
The fifth season of the reality show, featuring popular celebrities traveling to various destinations, has been airing since October 2023.
This season saw Chinese actresses start a journey to Saudi Arabia, Croatia and Iceland. They explored the beautiful landscapes and diverse cultures of these countries and learned about the Belt and Road Initiative.
Infinity and Beyond 2023
With an amazing viewership, the music cultural program emerged as a success in the first half of this year. The show was broadcast from March to June, generating massive online attention with 8.9 billion views of topics related to the show.
Featuring a star-studded cast, the show brings about cross-Strait (海峡两岸) connection and classic and popular songs dating back to the 1970s.
Riding the Wind 2023
Singers from various backgrounds at home and abroad tune into one another during hit reality show.
Starting its latest season this year, the program seeks to expand cross-cultural cooperation and mutual support among women, regardless of their different languages, ages or personality traits. To achieve this, the show has invited female celebrities from diverse cultural backgrounds to participate in group performances throughout the rounds of competition.
1. What can audiences experience in Become a Farmer?A.Social media’s impact. | B.The countryside life. |
C.Young citizens’ growth. | D.The challenge from the reality. |
A.Music shows. | B.Four months’ broadcast. |
C.Academic competitions. | D.Women’s contributions. |
A.Lifestyle. | B.Business. | C.Travel. | D.Culture. |
1. What are the speakers mainly talking about?
A.Why Justine should take notes. |
B.What Justine can do to improve her grades. |
C.How to download materials from the Internet. |
A.To find out the lecture notes. |
B.To look for answers to her questions. |
C.To download her homework after class. |
A.Try to make a lecture herself. |
B.Answer questions before class. |
C.Read the book ahead of time. |
1. How many museums are there in the Johnston Museums?
A.Three. | B.Six. | C.Nine. |
A.The early mornings. | B.The late mornings. | C.The early afternoons. |
A.Its latest route will open soon. |
B.It stops in front of the museum. |
C.Its timetable changes frequently. |
A.Call the Johnston Information Center. |
B.Discuss the exhibitions with their kids. |
C.Download a fifteen-minute video online. |
1. Who are the two speakers?
A.A doctor and a patient. | B.A teacher and a student. | C.Two students. |
A.Have a meeting. | B.Meet the secretary. | C.Visit the woman. |
1. Where does the conversation take place?
A.In a restaurant. | B.In the school hall. | C.At a bus station. |
A.15 minutes. | B.20 minutes. | C.30 minutes. |
A.It is out of ink. | B.It is too small. | C.It is of the wrong color. |