1 . Festivals in March Around the World in 2024

SXSW Festival, USA

8th-16th March, 2024

SXSW is a famous festival in Austin. This media festival features plenty of film, music, and comedy events. SXSW also hosts tech panels (讨论会). Therefore, you have an opportunity to interact with celebrities and well-known businessmen. Austin is also famous for its outstanding drink and food! Travelers of all ages and interests can find something to enjoy at SXSW.

Pasifika Festival, New Zealand

9th-10th March, 2024

The Pasifika Festival showcases Pacific Island cultures. It takes place in Auckland where you can see contemporary art, music, dance, and cuisine from various Pacific communities. You’ll be able to witness and gain a deeper understanding about cultures like Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, and Maori, among others.

St Patrick’s Day, Ireland

14th-17th March, 2024

St Patrick’s Day celebrates Irish culture, music, food, and entertainment. Wrap up the party on St Patrick’s Day with a massive street carnival on 17th March. You’ll find parades, vendors (商贩), live music stages and fun across the centre of Dublin. You will find festivities all over Ireland, not just in the capital city.

Cape Town Jazz Festival, South Africa

22nd-31st March, 2024

For over twenty years, the Festival has attracted nearly 40, 000 people annually to its five major venues. It features music by dozens of musicians worldwide. Performers play Jazz, R&B, rap and so on. Enjoy the area before and after the Festival. Cape Town has extremely beautiful art and culture, restaurants, bars and outdoor activities.

1. Where can people attend a street carnival according to the text?

A．In Ireland.

B．In South Africa.

C．In the USA.

D．In New Zealand.

2. Which festival lasts the longest?

A．Pasifika Festival.	B．SXSW Festival.
C．St Patrick’s Day.	D．Cape Town Jazz Festival.

3. What can people do during the four festivals?

A．Attend technical panels.	B．Enjoy beautiful music.
C．Meet well-known people.	D．Appreciate contemporary art.

2 . Art galleries you can visit for free with your Paris Pass

Centre Pompidou

Normally €7.00       Wednesday-Monday: 11 AM-10 PM

Centre Pompidou is a must-see attraction when you’re visiting Paris. Featuring late 19th-20th century art, the museum has collection of over 50,000 works, including movements from Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism.

Musée Gustave Moreau

Normally €13.00       Wednesday- Monday: 10 AM-6 PM

Musée Gustave Moreau was designed by the painter himself and includes his private apartment and the large gallery he built to display his work. The apartment is preserved exactly as it was 100 years ago.

Musée de l’Orangerie

Normally €9.00       Wednesday-Monday: 9 AM-6 PM

The museum is best known for its association with the famous Impressionist painter Claude Monet and his Water Lilies series of paintings. Before it was an art gallery housing some of the most famous pieces in history, Musée de l’Orangerie was used as a storehouse and a home for mobilized soldiers.

Musée d’Orsay

Normally €14.00       Tuesday-Sunday: 9:30 AM-6 PM

Musée d’Orsay was an old turn-of-the-century railway station that was built on the site of the Palais d’Orsay. Exemplifying the architecture of the Beaux-Arts movement, Musée d’Orsay is one of Paris’ most popular art galleries and houses art and sculpture from 1848 to 1915.

1. How much is the admission to Centre Pompidou without a Paris Pass?

A．€7.00.

B．€9.00.

C．€13.00.

D．€14.00.

2. Where can visitors enjoy a series of Monet’s Water Lilies?

A．Centre Pompidou.	B．Musée Gustave Moreau.
C．Musée de l’Orangerie.	D．Musée d’Orsay.

3. What was the original use of Musé e d’Orsay?

A．An art gallery.	B．A storehouse.
C．A railway station.	D．A personal apartment.

3 . The World-Famous Nine

By Ben Guterson, illustrated by Kristina Kister

Zander’s grandmother owns the most incredible department store in the world. When a string of mysterious accidents start happening at the store, Zander’s grandmother tells him that a monster called Darkbloom may have returned. The monster, which can control people, wants a magical object that disappeared from the store decades ago. Zander notices that walls on many floors contain mysterious symbols and takes them down in his notebook. Will the 11-year-old boy be able to solve the puzzle and secure the object before Darkbloom does? Packed with suspense, fascination, and a family drama, this mystery may remind you of a cross between Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Ask the Author

The Week: What inspired this book?

Ben Guterson: When I was growing up, Seattle had two big department stores. Something about these big buildings held many possibilities for mystery and discovery to me.

The Week: Why is Zander close to his grandmother?

Ben Guterson: I didn’t want Zander to be alone, so he’s got his loving grandmother there to give him some guidance and keep him safe.

The Week: Do you enjoy mysteries?

Ben Guterson: Yes, I like stories with a mysterious feel to them. I don’t think I have ever been drawn to straightforward realism.

1. What can we learn about Zander?

A．He grows up in Seattle.	B．He lives alone at a store.
C．He wishes to be a magician.	D．He wants to defeat Darkbloom.

2. Who will most probably find the The World-Famous Nine fascinating?

A．A kid loving true-life stories.	B．A kid enjoying fictional works.
C．A kid interested in grandma’s dishes.	D．A kid drawn to online store shopping.

3. What is the text?

A．A writer’s profile.	B．An interview outline.
C．A children’s story.	D．A book recommendation.

4 . Some buildings can leave you wondering how on earth they were built. Jaw-dropping architecture is not new. We’re still amazed that the Great Pyramid in Egypt was built 4,500 years ago! Read on for more recent examples of innovative 4 buildings constructed using technology developed in the last century.

Krzywy Domek (Crooked House) Sopot, Poland

COMPLETED: 2004

SIZE: About three-fourths the size of a football field

With its warped 13 walls, curved stained glass, and roof that looks like green dragon scales, Crooked House is popular with photographers. Staring at it for too long might make you dizzy! Inside though is a typical mall and office building. People can shop in the stores, eat in the restaurants and get their haircut in a salon. A favorite feature is the Wall of Fame with signatures from Polish celebrities. It’s modeled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Cube Houses Rotterdam, Netherlands

COMPLETED: 1984

SIZE: About one-fourth the size of a basketball court

The 38 Cube Houses are a popular attraction, but they are also real houses that people live in! The cubes have concrete foundations and floors with a wood-frame living space on top. Cement panels and zinc panels add visual appeal. The furniture is tailor-made to fit the odd angles where the walls meet.

Bubble Palace Cannes, France

COMPLETED: 1989

SIZE: Almost three times the size of a basketball court

This house may look like a space colony but it’s really a 10-bedroom palace. Made of cave-like bubbles forming a labyrinth (迷宫), it also has ponds, waterfalls, swimming pools, an outdoor theater that seats 500 people, and views of the Mediterranean Sea.

Wonderworks Pigeon Forge, Tenessee

COMPLETED: 2006 (Other locations followed)

SIZE: About nine-tenths the size of a football field

Looking at the cracks in this building, you might think, is it about to crumble? And how do they get palm trees and grass to grow upside down? But it’s all an illusion. This indoor amusement park is actually pretty normal. The upside-down features are just for show. Inside are more than 100 hands-on science exhibits and activities, including a laser-tag zone, a hurricane-force wind tunnel, a zero-gravity astronaut-training ride, and a three-story ropes course.

1. Which building has the smallest size?

A．Wonderworks.	B．Cube Houses.
C．Bubble Palace.	D．Krzywy Domek.

2. What can visitors appreciate in Wonderworks?

A．The Wall of Fame with signatures from Polish celebrities.

B．The tailor-made furniture to fit the strange angles.

C．An illusion of palm trees and grass growing upside down.

D．A labyrinth formed by cave-like bubbles.

3. Where could the passage come from?

A．A textbook.

B．A tour brochure.

C．A magazine.

D．A report.

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Spring cleaning is a tradition ingrained in societies worldwide, with roots     1     (trace) back to ancient times. The tradition symbolizes the transition from the inactive winter to the energetic     2     (grow) of spring. Human behavior is greatly influenced by the cycles of nature. In the colder months, we have less energy to spare for     3     (chore). We’re not being lazy; limited daylight makes us     4     (sleep).

Before the Lunar New Year, it’s common to clean the home of bad luck and misfortune in China. Known as “sweeping the dust,” cleaning makes way     5     the new year’s prosperity. Cleaning must be done before the holiday,     6     (typical) in January or February, since sweeping after the festivities     7     (see) as removing good luck.

In Thailand, it’s customary to deep clean homes, schools, and public spaces to     8     (pure) them ahead of the Thai New Year. People toss water at each other in the streets to wash away the previous year’s bad luck and ensure luck for the year to come.

As spring comes, it is sensible to open the windows     9     (air) out stuffy homes, remove dirt, and repair any damages     10     occurred during the winter months. Inventions such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and cleaning agents have made the process more efficient and convenient.

6 . The open-air bookstalls (书摊) that line the River Seine are as symbolic of Paris as the Louvre or the Arc de Triomphe. But most of the boxy, dark green stalls must be temporarily removed before the 2024 Summer Olympics for what officials say are security reasons.

Organizers in Paris are aiming to bring back magnificence to the Games, which begin on July 26. The opening ceremony will take place not in a stadium, but along the Seine, with thousands of Olympic athletes riding on a flotilla (船队)of 160 boats before hundreds of thousands of visitors on the river’s banks. The ceremony’s unusual format poses security headaches, for both the International Olympic committee and the Paris police, who said they had concerns that bombs could be hidden in the stalls.

The booksellers, known as “les bouquinistes”, have said they will not compromise, calling the order issued by the Paris police chief last week an affront to the French capital’s history and soul. “Paris without the bouquinistes is like Venice without the boats,” said Jean-Pierre Mathias, 76, who has had a stall along the Seine for about four decades.

Open every day from morning until dusk, the bouquinistes are both a scene along the riverside and a symbol of Paris’s literary culture, attracting curious tourists and locals looking for rare books. The tradition dates back to at least the 17th century and by the 19th century, Napoleon gave approval to the bookstalls, popular with intellectuals and writers, and they became permanent.

The city’s mayor (市长), Anne Hidalgo, initially highlighted the booksellers’ importance to the city and suggested an alternative plan that would keep the stall s in place once the police confirmed they were not a security threat. But that plan was no longer under consideration because the police declared it necessary to remove the stalls for safety, a spokeswoman for Ms. Hidalgo said on Tuesday.

1. The bookstalls must be removed before the Olympics due to ________.

A．traffic crowdedness

B．audience attention

C．potential danger

D．ceremony chaos

2. What does the underlined word “affront” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Doubt.

B．Shame.

C．Claim.

D．Appeal.

3. What is the mayor’s attitude towards the removal?

A．Objective.

B．Indifferent.

C．Approving.

D．Opposed.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Paris bookstalls, a symbol of French culture

B．Paris bookstalls, a welcomed tourist attraction

C．Paris bookstalls gaining support from citizens

D．Paris bookstalls facing the relocation order

7 . What is the purpose of the woman’s call?

A．To ask about a bill.

B．To pay the gas bill.

C．To open a new account.

8 . 听下面一段长对话，回答小题。
1. Where did the man most probably lose his phone?

A．In a restaurant.

B．At the workplace.

C．On the underground.

2. What will the man do before five o’clock?

A．Meet the woman.

B．Buy a new phone.

C．Make a call to the bank.

3. How does the man feel in the end?

A．Surprised.

B．Grateful.

C．Doubtful.

9 . 听下面一段长对话，回答小题。
1. What does Miyako want to do?

A．Make a call.

B．Send a card.

C．Hold a party.

2. What is the man doing?

A．Making an apology.

B．Giving an explanation.

C．Sharing an experience.

10 . FREE ONLINE FIRST AID COURSE

Welcome to our online first aid course. Anyone can take this training online and learn more about lifesaving first aid. We provide this first aid training for no charge.

Simply work your way through our online first aid modules (模块) below. You must be logged in (登录) to access the course material. If you don’t have an account, then please register. Basic online first aid course

Below are the modules for our online first aid course. You do not have to take them in a specific order. However, if you are totally new to first aid, it may help to start at the beginning.

At the end of each module there is a first aid test where you can test your knowledge. Once you’ve completed all the modules, you can download a free first aid certificate (证书).

Module 1	Introduction to First Aid
Module 2	The Unconscious Victim
Module 3	Bleeding and Shock.
Module 4	Burns

Please remember to mark all the modules as completed otherwise you will not be able to download your basic first aid certificate. Modules marked as completed will have a green tick next to them above.

Advanced online first aid course

Completed the above course? Why not check out our new free online advanced first aid course? This course will build upon the training and content in the basic first aid course above and will help further your knowledge on topics such as:

* Medical conditions

* Minor injuries

* Patient assessment

* Clinical observations

* The roles and responsibilities of a first aider

As always, you will receive a free first aid certificate once you complete the advanced course.

1. What is a must to learn this online course?

A．Offering a small fee for the training.	B．Having an account on this website.
C．Learning the course in the required order.	D．Taking a first aid test before the course.

2. Which module provides knowledge about bloody nose?

A．Module 1.

B．Module 2.

C．Module 3.

D．Module 4.

3. What can we know about the advanced online first aid course?

A．It provides a paid certificate of honor.

B．It is intended for professional medical workers.

C．It teaches people how to judge patients’ condition.

D．It has nothing to do with basic first aid knowledge.