A.To learn about the Silk Road. |
B.To ask him about a museum. |
C.To invite him to an exhibition. |
In early November in 2023, a diver, swimming off the coast of Sardinia,
2024 is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese calendar and it is the first time that the Oxford English Dictionary (OED)
Emperors in ancient dynasties were dressed in a Dragon Robe, a traditional silk-woven costume with dragon designs,
Contrary
In ancient Chinese belief, dragons
With the rising China Chic trend and the country’s booming cultural creative industry, the Chinese dragon in folktale is now
Whether it is through the hands of a national-level intangible (非物质) cultural heritage inheritor
4 . Over the course of more than 250 years, the US Postal Service has gone through many changes, including switching its focus from newspapers to package delivery service.
In the early 1830s, the Postal Service focused on delivering newspapers to keep Americans informed and connected. To keep newspaper subscriptions cheap and accessible, the Postal Service charged high prices for letter postage as much as a full-day’s wages. In order to help the expansion of the passenger transportation network in the new nation, the agency often shared the letter delivery with stagecoach lines. Later, it did the same for private steamboats and railroads, even airlines
But the competition for the letter delivery became so fierce that a wave of laws between 1845 and 1851 made the Postal Service the only letter-carrier and set aside an annual budget to support the agency. Helped by lowered rates, letters soon became the agency’s main business.
In 1863, the Postal Service began to experiment with home delivery, instead of just carrying letters from post office to post office. By the dawn of the 20th century, even remote farmers’ letters were dropped into their mailboxes. Since then, home delivery has become a “universal public service (UPS)” that every American deserves to receive at a low price.
By the early 20th century, the Postal Service had set a four-pound limit on mail: Anything heavier was supposed to be left to private companies. But the four largest private carriers secretly cooperated to charge confusing and often terribly high rates. In 1913, the Postal Service eventually took the parcel (包裹) service away from the private carriers.
Now the Postal Service’s only growing business is package delivery fed by the online shopping addictions. Since it is required by law to visit every household six days a week, the Postal Service now offers cheap rates to private companies like Amazon and FedEx to deliver their goods to our doorsteps. However, most Americans think that it is unfair to use taxpayer’s money to help such big private companies to deliver their goods.
1. What can we learn from the second paragraph?A.Letter delivery was once a very profitable business. |
B.The US was well connected by airlines in the 1820s. |
C.The Postal Service charged high prices for newspapers. |
D.In the 1830s. Americans had free access to newspapers. |
A.Goods transportation. | B.Letter delivery. |
C.Newspaper subscriptions. | D.Parcel services. |
A.The private companies often charge terribly high rates. |
B.The online-shoppers cannot receive their parcels on time. |
C.The Postal Service usually leaves parcels in the local post offices. |
D.The “UPS” is originally designed for non-commercial home delivery. |
A.The Problems of the US Postal Service |
B.The Postal Service’s Roles in the US History |
C.A Brief History of the US Postal Service |
D.The Main Functions of the US Postal Service |
The Antonine Plague (瘟疫)
The year was 166 C.E., and the Roman Empire was in its prime. The triumphant Roman troops, under the command of Emperor Lucius Verrus, returned to Rome victorious after
The Antonine Plague,
The effect of the epidemic on Rome’s armies was apparently devastating. Closeness to sick fellow soldiers and less-than-optimal living conditions made it possible for the outbreak to spread rapidly throughout the troops, such as those
The effect on the civilian population was evidently by no means
It has been estimated that the death rate over the 23-year period of the Antonine Plague was 7—10 percent of the population.
6 . It's been a decade since the launch of Airbnb and Uber, now considered a part of life for many people booking trips and journeys. In that time, several boat sharing apps have been working hard to regulate how people rent boats or book activities on the water.
Many of them have a similar business model to Airbnb, where customers rent boats directly from owners. GetMyBoat is the market leader with over 130,000 boats. The founders had the idea when they were sailing in the Atlantic and noticed that large numbers of boats were unused.
The company has grown from having a presence primarily in the lop boating cities in the US to having boats available in 9 ,300 destinations across 184 countries. Since it first started, GetMyBoat has sent over 120,000 people out boating. This year, it is projecting to send 65 ,000 people out on the water, a dramatic increase from the 53 people who booked a boat in its first year back in 2013.
US competitors include Boatsetter, which has 25 ,000 boats available across the world. Parisian- based Click&Boal has 30,000 boats globally and in the Mediterranean, Samboat is a major player with 25 ,000 boats.
It's an obvious win for boat owners who are looking for ways to minimize (使最小化)the cost of owning a boat by renting it out. And modern technology means that the boat can find nearby customers without being registered to a specific boating agency as in the past.
Safety issues are very important. Boatbound failed after a customer lost a leg in an accident because the company didn't require that people hire captains with the boats, something that its competitors do.
The market is changing in that fewer people are seeking to buy their own boats, while the number of people who want to experience boating is growing. This new market is allowing people to search for and book water experiences that offer something new.
1. What impressed the founders of GetMyBoat during their sailing in the Atlantic?A.The wide use of Airbnb. |
B.The popularity of water activities. |
C.The large quantity of unused boats. |
D.The large number of boats in the world. |
A.By listing numbers. |
B.By making comparison. |
C.By following the time order. |
D.By referring to its founders' words. |
A.Because the company couldn't find ways to minimize the cost of owning a boat. |
B.Because the competitors lay too much pressure on Boatbound. |
C.Because the company was in lack of modern technology. |
D.Because of a safely accident resulting from the company's carelessness. |
A.Few people can afford their own boats. |
B.More people want to experience boating. |
C.Few boat owners refuse cost-cutting offers. |
D.More people have free time to try new things. |
A group of students from England, who are interested in archaeology, have come to the Zhoukoudian caves for a visit. An archaeologist
Early people lived in caves and they made fires in the centre of caves
Early people did wear clothes made from animal skins. They used sharpened stone
Early people also paid attention to their
8 . Tourism probably started in Roman times, Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman Empire. But when the Empire broke down, this kind of tourism stopped.
In the early 17th century, the idea of the “Grand Tour” was born. Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel. They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice in Italy. Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city. The “Grand Tour” was an important part of young people’s education—but only for the rich.
In the 18th century, tourism began to change. For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to “take the waters”. They believed that the water there was good for their health. So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns.
In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster. When the first railways were built in the 1820s, it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays by the sea. And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier.
Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built. People began to travel more to far-away countries.
The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people. Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them. Thus tourism grew. In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays. The company organizes everything—plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food—and tourists pay for it all before they leave home. The package tour and modern tourist industry was born.
The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949. But tourism did not take off until 1978. In 2002, the industry was worth 500 billion yuan and became an important part of China’s social development.
1. Which of the following is true?A.The young men learned little from Grand Tour. |
B.Tourism became faster and safer when the first railways were built in the 18th century. |
C.More people chose ships for its cheap price. |
D.In 2002, tourism became a significant part of China’s social development. |
A.transportation | B.education |
C.money | D.people’s ideas |
A.in 1978 | B.in Roman times |
C.in the early 17th century | D.in 1949 |
A.plane rising into the air | B.bring down the prices |
C.remove hats and clothes | D.develop very fast |
1. What is the woman doing?
A.Asking for advice. | B.Chairing a meeting. | C.Hosting a program. |
A.In 1070. | B.In the 1200s. | C.In the 1830s. |
A.Read a fairy tale. | B.Walk around the city. | C.Buy a wooden house. |
10 . From the earliest times,man has been interested in art.People have often worked together to collect and save the world’s art treasures.
Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre(卢浮宫)in Paris,France.The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries.It is the biggest art museum in the world.
The Louvre has not always been a museum.The first building was a fort (堡垒).In 1190,it was the king’s castle with high walls and a round tower.It had a moat(护城河) to keep out the enemies.
Over the years,the number of buildings around the castle grew.By 1350,the castle was no longer needed as a fort.The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens.
During times of peace,new treasures were brought in.During days of war,many treasures were stolen,and the buildings were damaged.
When Francis Ⅰ became king of France in 1515,he brought in many artists from other countries.One of the artists was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy.Da Vinci’s MonaLisa is the best known painting in the museum today.
In 1793,the Louvre became a public museum,just as it is now.It is a place where art treasures are kept for everyone to enjoy.Every year millions of people from all over the world come to the Louvre to see the masterpieces.
1. How long has the Louvre been a public museum?A.For over 800 years. | B.Since 1350. |
C.Since 1515. | D.For over 200 years. |
A.the French people |
B.Francis Ⅰ |
C.Leonardo da Vinci |
D.people of the world |
A.the Louvre was once a church as well as a palace |
B.MonaLisa is kept in Italy |
C.Leonardo da Vinci once stayed in France |
D.the Louvre is only a place of interest to the French people |
A.In public museums works of art will not be stolen. |
B.In public museums works of art will not be damaged. |
C.In public museums artists can study the works of art. |
D.In public museums everyone can enjoy the works of art. |