As a famous productive poet, Lu You from the Song Dynasty wrote more than 20,000 poems in his lifetime. The reason
However, Lu You was weak when he was a child. Lu You joined the military as
During his later years, Lu You started the body building
Chosho can relax your body and put you in a good mood.
2 . That the Leaning Tower of Pisa no longer leans quite so much after a £20 million project to save it has proved to be a great success.The tower,which was on the edge of collapse,has been straightened by 18 inches,returning it to its 1838 position.
“It has straightened a little bit more than we expected,but very little helps,”said Prof.John Burland,the only British member of the rescue committee.“The tower is still very slightly moving towards being upright.”
The tower,which has been leaning almost since building work first began in 1173,was closed to the public in 1990 because of safety fears.The 183-foot tower was nearly 15 feet off vertical and its structure was found to have been weakened by centuries of strain(作用力).
Prof.Burland said it could have collapsed “at any moment”.However,it took nine years of quarrelling before any work was done.The last attempt at straightening the tower was carried out.Concrete(混凝土) was poured into the foundations,but the result was that the tower sank further into the soil.
The straightening work involved digging out around 70 tonnes of earth from the northern side of the tower,causing it to sink on that side.Before the digging started,the tower was fixed with steel ropes and 600 tonnes of lead weights.
However,halfway through the project,concerns at the ugliness of the lead weights led to their removal and the tower leaned greatly.The weights were hurriedly reattached.One night,the tower moved more than it had averaged in an entire year.The tower’s stonework has also been restored.
The Italian government stepped in after a tower collapsed in Pavia in 1989,killing four people.Experts suddenly realized that the tower at Pisa,which was similarly built and on the same sort of earth,could do the same.
1. What would be the best title for the passage?A.The Building of the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
B.Saving the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
C.The Collapse of the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
D.The History of the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
A.closed for the straightening work in 1990 |
B.began to lean more than 800 years ago |
C.has a history of more than 1,000 years |
D.has become vertical |
A.The development of new technology. | B.The advice of Prof.John Burland. |
C.The expectation of the rescue committee. | D.The collapse of a tower in Pavia. |
A.The lead weights fixed to the tower. |
B.Restoring the stonework. |
C.Pouring concrete into the foundations. |
D.Digging earth from the southern side of the tower. |
A.The position of the tower has been restored to what it was 182 years ago. |
B.Hundreds of years of strain has weakened the tower’s structure. |
C.The tower doesn’t lean any more after the straightening work finished. |
D.People spent nine years in discussing about the straightening work. |
As settlers moved to California
It was 270 B.C. when St. Valentine stood up for love, after Roman Emperor Claudius II forbade Roman soldiers to get engaged or married, believing that married men would rather stay at home than go to war. The priest named Valentine, in defiance (对抗) of Claudius’ orders, secretly married young couples, and on Feb. 14, was punished for his “crime”, thereby becoming the patron saint (守护神) of lovers.
Besides this story, there are some old beliefs about this day:
During the Middle Ages, Europeans believed that birds chose their mates each year on Feb. 14.
Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin fly overhead on Valentine’s Day, it meant she would marry a sailor; if she saw a sparrow, she’d marry a millionaire.
If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will know how many children you will have.
And some charming Valentine’s Day Customs.
In Wales, wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on Feb. 14.
Heart, keys and keyholes were favorite decorations, which meant “you unlock my heart!”
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They’d wear these names on their sleeves for one week—hence the term “to wear your heart on your sleeve”.
1. According to the story, Valentine was originally the name of a ________.
A.lover | B.priest |
C.ruler | D.feast |
A.married soldiers are not loyal to the country |
B.married soldiers are less willing to fight |
C.there was no time for soldiers to get married |
D.marriage is a crime |
A.He didn’t join the army. |
B.He helped people escape from being sent to the battle field. |
C.He married couples despite the prohibition from the ruler. |
D.He openly defied the ruler’s order to end his marriage. |
A.Feb. 14 and 15 were originally a time for keeping wolves. |
B.People used to believe that birds chose mates on Valentine’s Day. |
C.People believed that the birds they saw on Valentine’s Day predicted what kind of person they would marry. |
D.The Welsh used to give out wooden spoons on Feb.14. |
A.openly express your feelings or emotions to others. |
B.hardly take your feelings or emotions very seriously. |
C.officially announce that you have been married |
D.proudly show your choice of sleeve pattern |