1 . The Sydney Opera House has become, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney’s best-known landmark and international symbol.
The base for the building was started in 1959 — years before the designs were finished. It took four years to design by Danish architect Jorn Utzon and by 1962 the designs were finalized and construction began. In total, it took 14 years to build and was officially opened on the 20th of October 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II.
The Sydney Opera House is a fascinating building and heart of the city’s cultural scene. It opened with a concert hall, an opera theatre, a drama theatre and a recital (音乐演奏会) hall, as well as restaurants and bars. A fifth theatre was added within the structure in 1998.
The Sydney Opera House cost some $160 million to build and was paid for by the public who bought $10 tickets in a series of lotteries with a first prize of $1million.
More information about the Sydney Opera House:
Conducts 3,000 events each year
Provides guided tours to 200,000 people each year
Has an annual audience of 2 million for its performances
includes 1,000 rooms
Is 185 metres long and 120 metres wide
Has 2.194 pre-cast concrete sections as its roof
Has roof sections weighing up to 15 tons
Has roof sections held together by 350 kms of tensioned steel cable
Has over 1 million tiles on the roof
Uses 6,225 square metres of glass and 645 kilometres of electric cable
1. When were the designs of the Sydney Opera House started?| A．In1960. | B．In1962. | C．In1958. | D．In1973. |
| A．a drama theatre | B．an opera theatre |
| C．a concert hall | D．a reception hall |
| A．The Sydney Opera House has an audience of 2 million per year for its performances. |
| B．There are about 3,000 events held in the Sydney Opera House each year. |
| C．The Sydney Opera House is made up of more than 1,000 rooms. |
| D．The roof of the Sydney Opera House is made of concrete and steel. |
In this day and age, we need a password for everything — to access our computer, our phone, our bank account, all of our favorite websites and email... the list goes on. Sometimes, it can be troublesome just to remember them all or keep track of them securely.
Luckily, there’s LastPass! As the name implies, LastPass is the last password manager app you will ever need. Through the app, all you need is one password to have secure access to all of your passwords and private information. By using the LastPass Authenticator, you can use biometrics (生物识别技术) to log on with your face or fingerprint. It’s that easy!
CalmCalm is packed with dozens of features and hundreds of recordings designed to improve your mindfulness, reduce stress and improve sleep. The free version includes select features such as daily meditations (冥想), breathing exercises, a mood tracker, as well as demo sleep stories, relaxation music tracks and guided meditations. Through a paid subscription, the app tailors itself to your needs.
PocketWhen browsing the web, we often come across interesting articles that we’d love to read through more, but just don’t have the time right there and then. But later when we have free time, we completely forget about the articles we wanted to read!
This is where Pocket can help. The main appeal of Pocket is to add a handy save function to your favorite browser ready to click whenever you want to save something for later.
MintWith digital payment methods, it is easy to get overwhelmed (不堪重负的) when one keeps financial records due to how fast and convenient it is to make purchases on a variety of platforms.
Thankfully, Mint is here to help! This free app can automatically track and organize all of the purchases you make, whether it is through digital payment, cash, credit or debit cards. You can also link and keep track of your debit and savings accounts, investments and properties, and even your digital subscriptions so you’ll know if there’s been a cost increase.
1. If people want to better manage their budgets, they can turn to ________.| A．LastPass | B．Calm |
| C．Pocket | D．Mint |
| A．LastPass is the newest password manager app in the market. |
| B．Calm meets all kind of requirements from every user. |
| C．Most users can choose Pocket to save something they want to read later. |
| D．Mint doesn’t charge but it only keeps financial records through digital payment. |
| A．Energy-saving. | B．Money-consuming. |
| C．Mind-blowing. | D．Peace-keeping. |
3 . Social media is a great resource for you to find and share inspiration for your classroom on a daily basis. You will be able to find neat activities, fun games and creative crafts (手艺) to include in your teaching plans. Give them a try and they will be able to take your teaching style to the next level.
Teach Like You Mean It
Teach Like You Mean It posts tons of ideas for you to make your classroom feel more like home. It posts exciting ways that can make your classroom a fun place for your students to stay. It will show you quick DIYs with short videos and pictures.
Technically Its Kinder
Technically Its Kinder has so many great ideas for you to use in your kindergarten (幼儿园) classrooms. It posts tons of activities and games on a regular basis. It also provides ways to include technology in your lesson plans, which will help your students feel more comfortable with technology.
Madly Learning
Madly Learning was created by Patti, who is a teacher and blogger. She shares very helpful videos where she shows you different DIYs that will help you come up with new things to add to your classroom. She also shares stories and pictures from her personal experiences as a teacher and mom as well.
Teachers Pay Teachers
Teachers Pay Teachers is a website where teachers can sell teaching products to other teachers. And they also have an Instagram account. You will be able to get inspiration for your classroom from other teachers. They share quotes, crafts, classroom ideas and so much more.
1. Who are the intended readers?| A．Students of senior schools. |
| B．Advocates for education reform. |
| C．Parents of preschool children. |
| D．Teachers of schools and kindergartens. |
| A．It offers tons of lesson plans. |
| B．It renews the posts on a daily basis. |
| C．It helps apply technology to teaching. |
| D．It teaches technology to the students. |
| A．Teachers Pay Teachers. | B．Teach Like You Mean It. |
| C．Technically Its Kinder. | D．Madly Learning. |
4 . America’s youth is turning its back on tobacco. According to a study recently published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cigarette smoking among US high school students is at an all-time low. One in 5 US high school students in 2016 reported using a tobacco product within the past 30 days, an improvement from 1 in 4 students just one year before.
“These findings show the importance of continuing to implement the evidence-based strategies that we now work to reduce all forms of tobacco product use, including e-cigarettes, among our nation’s youth,” says Brian King, of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health and senior author of the study.
And it’s not just tobacco: Drug use among US teens is down across the board. The National Institute on Drug Abuse has published annual reports on US teens’ drug use since 1996, and the 2016 survey shows the lowest rates of illegal drug and alcohol use. Marijuana (大麻) use remained “mostly steady”. “It is encouraging to see more young people making healthy choices not to use illegal substances,” says former National Drug Control Policy Director Michael Botticelli.
All individual forms of tobacco such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, and smoke-less tobacco saw declines in usage in 2016. Experts are especially encouraged by the decline in cigarettes, the most popular tobacco product among teens. In 2016, 11.3 percent of high school students reported using e-cigarettes, down from 16 percent in 2015.
Dr. King says adaptation is key to the decline of e-cigarettes. “We have over a half-century of science telling students about the harmful effects of tobacco use and what works best to prevent it,” says King. “E-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among our nation’s youth, and it’s critical that our proven strategies are modernized to keep pace with the changing tobacco product landscape.”
1. What does the underlined word “implement” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Delay. | B．Perform. | C．Schedule. | D．Control. |
| A．US teens’ drug use has decreased. |
| B．There are many forms of tobacco. |
| C．E-cigarettes are popular among US teens. |
| D．The strategies are put forward by experts. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Suspicious. | C．Favorable. | D．Ambiguous. |
| A．US teen tobacco use declines. | B．High percent of teen tobacco use. |
| C．The harmful effects of tobacco use. | D．The strategies to reduce tabasco use. |
5 . New York Times best-selling author Susan Casey travelled globally, joining scientists and explorers on dives to the deepest places on the planet. She takes us on an interesting journey through the history of deep-sea exploration, from the legends of the ancient world to storied shipwrecks we can now reach on the bottom. Throughout this journey, she learned how important the deep is to the future of the planet, and how necessary it is that we understand and protect it. The Underworld is Susan Casey’s most beautiful and thrilling book, a wonderful show of the natural world.
Event location: The lecture and book signing (签名) will be held at the Linda Hall Library,5109 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Missouri.
Event time: Thursday, January 14th,7:00 pm-8:00 pm
Book signing: Hard copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event courtesy of Rainy Day Books. A book signing will immediately follow the lecture.
Admission package (admits one)
Click to order tickets through the Kauffman Center. Admission is $40.00 plus Kauffman ticket fee and includes one hardcover of the book and one admission ticket. Reserved seating.
Please note: Attendees (参与者) will receive their books as they arrive at this event. Your electronic ticket will be needed for event entry and to receive your hardcover of the book as you arrive.
Disclaimer (免责声明): All Rainy Day Books Author Event sales are final and non-refundable.
1. What is the topic of Susan Casey’s book?| A．A show of the heights of the earth. | B．Some discoveries made by explorers. |
| C．Some measures to protect the ocean. | D．Journey s to the depths of the ocean. |
| A．A lecture and book signing. | B．A discussion between readers. |
| C．A sales meeting of a new book. | D．A party of celebrating the success. |
| A．Return them to the Kauffman Center. | B．Get a discount of the book with them. |
| C．Get hardcovers of the book with them. | D．Exchange them with other book lovers. |
6 . Undergraduate Study — Computer Science
Cambridge was a pioneer of computer science and continues to lead its development. Our course covers all aspects of modern computer science along with practical skills.
●Subject requirementsA Level Mathematics.
No former knowledge of programming is required.
Further guidance: A Level Further Mathematics is strongly encouraged. If unavailable (不可获得的) , we’d advise you to do as much additional pure maths and decision maths as possible. Good performance in maths competitions can be an advantage of an application.
Please note, all applicants are required to take the Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA) , for which you must be registered in advance.
●Course costsTuition fees
Home students: £9, 250/year
International students: £39, 162/year
Additional course costsEach year of study: Payment at the beginning of each year is required.
| Year | Copies of textbooks | Cost |
| 1 | Part IA courses | £150 |
| 2 | Part IB courses | £150-£250 |
| 3 | Part II courses | £150-£250 |
| 4 | Part III courses | £150-£250 |
For further Computer Science undergraduate admissions information, please click here: www.cl.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate.
1. What is a must for applicants for Computer Science?| A．Knowledge of programming. | B．A Level Further Mathematics. |
| C．Top prizes in maths competitions. | D．Registration for TMUA in advance. |
| A．£9,250. | B．£9,400. | C．£39,162. | D．£39,312. |
| A．A website. | B．A magazine. | C．A textbook. | D．A newspaper. |
7 . In 1670, two Scottish doctors set up a garden in the city of Edinburgh to find out connections between plants and medicine. That first garden wasn’t very big — about the size of a tennis court. Fast-forward 350 years, and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) now covers an area bigger than 1,000 tennis courts. The RBGE’s goal is to “explore, conserve and explain the world of plants for a better future”.
After doctors and distant cousins Robert Sibbald and Andrew Balfour graduated from university in the mid-17th century, they shared the goal of improving Scottish medicine by looking into botanical (plant-related) research. They found some land near Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh and started to collect plants. They taught students how to grow exotic (外来的) plants and use them to make medicines. As the collection expanded (增加), the garden moved to different sites, including what is now Edinburgh’s Waverley Station.
In 1823, the garden was moved to its current location in Inverleith, a suburb of Edinburgh. It took three years to move the collection of plants and trees using specially built machines. The Tropical Palm House was built in 1834, and it was joined by the larger Temperate Palm House in 1858. Both are still popular with visitors. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the RBGE continued to search for new specimens (标本) from around the world.
The RBGE has about 13,500 species of living plants in its collection today. The herbarium — a collection of dried and protected species — includes more than three million plant samples, which represent more than half of the world’s known plants. The oldest specimen dates back to 1697. Experts continue to recognize new species each year, as well as growing plants that are extinct in their own habitats. The RBGE also works with botanical gardens around the world, including in Africa and South America, and supports them with conservation projects, education and training.
1. Why did Robert and Andrew build up the garden?| A．To teach people some knowledge about exotic plants. |
| B．To do research on plants and medicine. |
| C．To protect endangered wildlife. |
| D．To practice their tennis skills. |
| A．In the mid-17th century. | B．In the 20th century. |
| C．In1834. | D．In1858. |
| A．It has made achievements in growing extinct plants. |
| B．It has collected less than half of all known plants. |
| C．It is going to expand its sites in other countries. |
| D．It collects native plants only. |
| A．How the RBGE has expanded. | B．The progress of saving endangered plants. |
| C．Why a botanic garden was built. | D．An introduction to the RBGE. |
8 . The olive (橄榄) tree probably first grew in southern Asia. And then it spread to Mediterranean countries about 6,000 years ago. Since then, it has been important in Mediterranean people’s lives.
The olive tree grows in rocky places and it doesn’t need much water. Its fruit can be made into olive oil. People have used olive oil to cook dishes for centuries. But they haven’t only used it for cooking. Some ancient cultures believed that it was useful as medicine. In modern times, people still use olive oil both for its taste and its health advantages.
Olive oil has also been an important product in the business and culture of Mediterranean countries. In ancient Greece, for example, anyone who cut down an olive tree was heavily punished. Winners at the Olympic Games wore wreaths (花环). They were made of olive branches (树枝). Sometimes winners were also given a prize of olive oil. People from Greece built ships so that they could use olive oil for trade. But it was the Romans who grew the olive tree in the rest of southern Europe and northern Africa.
Today, olive oil is still a very valuable product, and many different kinds of olive oil are sold in countries all over the world.
1. Where did the olive tree probably first grow?| A．In Asia. | B．In Africa. | C．In Europe. | D．In America. |
| A．People started to cook with it recently. | B．It is made from olive branches. |
| C．People used it to build ships in Greece. | D．It can be good for health. |
| A．wore wreaths | B．were heavily punished |
| C．got a prize of olive oil | D．were regarded as heroes |
| A．the method of cooking | B．the trade of Greece |
| C．the history of the Olympic Games | D．the story of olive oil |
9 . 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. |
10 . Like many six-year-olds, Sam Pointon loves trains and dreams of working with them when he grows up. However, when the position for Director of the National Railway Museum in England was offered, Sam couldn’t help applying for it. And he got the job finally!
It all began during a family vacation, when Sam’s dad noticed the job opening. He joked that it would be the perfect position for little Sam when he grew up. But Sam thought he was able to do the job. After all, he had been on several train rides, owned an electric train and had mastered the technique of controlling two trains at once.
Little Sam’s handwritten letter caught the eye of the museum staff, who were so impressed by his enthusiasm that they decided to hire (雇用) him.
While the job doesn’t pay anything, it does have its perks (补贴). But young Sam doesn’t care about it. He thinks it would be an important experience for him. Therefore, he has been doing his job quite seriously and has already suggested that the museum should set up a model train area to attract more children.
In order to encourage Sam, his family was invited for a special VIP, behind-the-scenes tour of the museum, which covers more than 400 years of railroad history and houses over 100 old trains. They were also given free tickets to see a stage adaptation (版) of the popular kids’ book The Railway Children.
Sam is so serious about his new position that the six-year-old believes he doesn’t even have to go to school anymore — which of course, is not the case. His parents just haven’t had the heart to tell him yet!
1. Sam learned about the job offer from ________.| A．the museum | B．the director | C．his father | D．his teacher |
| A．his attitude | B．his ability | C．his experience | D．his family’s support |
| A．He is kept busy. | B．He gets good pay. |
| C．He is the only child working there. | D．He does a good job. |
| A．Quiet and creative. | B．Careful and confident. |
| C．Brave and friendly. | D．Kind and clever. |
