Music, nature and picnics in the sun: here are the best operas to catch this summer.

For a mixture of urban and country operas, this open-air theatre is built each summer right in the heart of one of the most quiet parks of London.

Book early as tickets sell out fast, and remember to bring a wrap or blanket to keep yourself warm on chillier summer evenings!

July 4 to August 3, operahollandpark.com

Glyndebourne is one of the oldest opera festivals in the world. It attracts some of the world’s greatest artists. Besides, the festival’s the perfect occasion to put on your black tie or evening dress, enjoy a long picnic during the 90-minute interval (间隔). Summer festivals don’t get better than this.

July 8 to August 25, glyndebourne.com

Surrounded by lots of green plants and overseeing a picturesque lake, The Grange Festival in Hampshire is certain to be one of the most impressive visual feasts (视觉盛宴) you’ll ever see.

Arrive a bit early to take in the countryside views. During the lengthy interval, you’ll enjoy a romantic dinner—an essential part of the festival.

July 6 to August 6, thegrangefestival.co.uk

Though it’s relatively new, the festival attracts some of the world’s top talent and this year’s edition is no different, featuring performances by one of the world’s most charming mezzo-sopranos, Joyce DiDonato, and the charismatic baritone Simon Keenlyside.

July 6 to August 13, grangeparkopera.co.uk

Sometimes while sitting doing nothing, our minds recall events from the past that make us all tingly inside. I had one of those moments yesterday. I believe this was triggered（引起）by the oldie The Impossible Dream that was playing on the radio yesterday afternoon!

In 1971, returning from our regular Friday night pregame meeting, I had no sooner walked in the door of our three-room apartment hack than the phone rang. It was the township police. They inquired if I was the football coach. I answered yes and asked if there was a problem. He said our football team had climbed the fence of the township football field and were sitting somewhere around the 50-yard line quietly. It was really not a problem. However, he thought I would like to know. I called my assistants, and made our way to the field.

We met the police at the locked gate. The field was dark and silent. Then, suddenly, we heard voices singing—together and on key—the team theme song, The Impossible Dream. Silently, we listened and became overwhelmed（压倒）with emotion. Even the policemen had tears rolling down their cheeks. When the team had finished, they walked slowly to the now-opened gate of the field and were shocked to see us waiting there. Of course, our first words were, "What is going on?"

Mike Bernert, the team captain, replied, "Well, coach, you told us to visualize our performance in our mind just before the night of the game. So we came and visualized the upcoming game while sitting on the 50-yard line. Afterward, we would sing The Impossible Dream.”

The coaches and I were overwhelmed. And of course, the team, which was undefeated at this point, never lost a game that season.

Can you think of a day without music? We can hear music everywhere: in the streets and at home, over the radio and on TV, in the shops and in the parks. People all over the world are fond of music. They listen to music, they dance to music, and they learn to play musical instruments.

Music isn’t’ only combination of pleasant sounds. It is an art which reflects life. There are lot of different kinds of music. Some of them appeared long ago, and some are modern. Folk music appeared long ago, but it is still alive. Folk songs are very pleasant to listen to. Classical music is often associated with the music of the past. Rap is a modern musical style where the singer speaks or shouts the words in time to music with a steady beat.

Great Britain has produced more popular music stars than any other country. British groups often set new trends in music. New styles, groups and singers continue to appear. Many of the new bands have been able to use changes in technology to develop their music such as computerised drum machines, synthesisers and other electronic instruments.

Tastes differ. So people’s musical interests range from pop and rock music to classical music and opera. My favourite style of music is pop music, because it is full of energy. When I listen to pop music it makes me remember happy times and forget the problems of everyday life. I also enjoy listening to classical music. The music I hate is heavy metal, I find it noisy. When I listen to this style of music it presents to my mind pictures of dark days. My mother and father agree with my tastes in music. Though they prefer to listen to classical, they think that modern music is not too bad.

Music appeals to our hearts. It comforts our souls and enriches our minds. Music is beauty in sounds; it is our magic source of inspiration.

If you've ever wondered what the process of becoming an astronaut is like, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC) now has an experience that puts visitors in the shoes of a space explorer in training. The center's Astronaut Training Experience (ATE), features four simulations (模拟). They all require teamwork and good communication.

Dee Maynard, manager of education programs at KSCVC, said the experience was designed to keep visitors involved the whole time. ''When we were designing this, one of our concerns was that we wanted to be having an experience and not waiting around, '' Maynard said. ''Also, astronaut training is very much a team effort. ''

Although astronauts go through thousands of hours of training before taking off for space, this training does include some parts that are similar to those of real NASA training.

One simulation helps visitors learn what it takes to launch NASA's Space Launch System rocket. Six people step into the role of launch control and communicate with six others on the Orion capsule.

Visitors take turns reading and passing instructions and sets of data from both sides. In mission control (地面指挥中心), they can step into roles including flight director and spacecraft systems officer. Inside the capsule, people try their hand at such jobs as flight engineer and commander.

Across the room, there are chairs that are similar to the kind of zero gravity chair. With the press of a switch, the chairs fly across a special floor, giving astronauts-in-training an experience that somewhat simulates the zero gravity environment of space. This part of the experience also offers visitors a chance to learn about the management about sleeping, using the toilet and working in space.

Two simulations help participants experience what life on Mars might look like.

Writing Movie Reviews

Whenever a new movie comes out, people will check the film reviews to decide if they should see it. Movie reviews can make or break a film’s box office sum. Therefore, you should be honest with your criticism or praise of the movie when writing a review.    16    No one likes to read long reviews that don’t stick to the subject. Of course, general movie knowledge is also a must.

    17    You should take a notebook with you and take notes about your impressions of the movie. Afterwards you can write a rough draft (草稿) of your review including the names of the director, actors and any other related information about the film.

After finishing writing a brief plot (情节) summary and a short opinion of the film, you can set about typing the details of each paragraph.

When you are typing the first paragraph, you should pay attention to the detailed information such as the name of the film, its stars, setting and genre (体裁).

However, in the second paragraph, your aim is to write a short plot summary.    18    Cover a major event, but be sure not to give the ending away.

In the third paragraph, you’d better focus on one element of the film, for example, acting, directing or cinematography (电影艺术).     19    

While you are writing the fourth paragraph, the other aspect of the film mentioned in the rough draft is a must. The key of the last paragraph is to show your overall opinion of the film and your reaction to it.     20    

I was at the post office early that morning, hoping to be in and out in a short while. Yet, I ________ myself standing in a queue that went all the way into the hallway. I had never seen so many people there on a weekday. It seemed someone might have made an announcement, welcoming customers to carry as many ________ as they could and bring them in when I needed to have my own package _________. The queue moved very slowly. My patience ran out and I got ________. The longer it took,  the angrier I became. When I got to the counter finally, I finished my __________ quickly and briefly, and then walked past the queue that was now extending past the front door.

"Excuse me," I said, trying not to be too pushy. Several people had to move _________ to make room for me to get to the __________.

I stepped out, complaining about the ________ conditions. Thinking I was going to be late for my dentist appointment, I headed into the parking lot．

A woman was coming across the lot in my ________. She was walking with determination, and each step sounded very heavy. I _________that she looked as if she could breathe fire. It stopped me in my tracks. I  _______  myself and it wasn't pretty. Had I looked like that? Her body language said that she was having a ______  day. My anger melted away. I wished I could wrap her in a hug but I was a ________. So I did what I could in a minute_________she hurried past me ----I smiled. In a second everything changed. She was astonished, then somewhat _________.Then her face softened and her shoulders ________. I saw her take a deep breath. Her pace slowed and she smiled back at me as we passed each other．       

I continued to smile all the way to my ______. Wow, it's amazing what a simple smile can do.        

From then on, I became aware of people's _________and my own, the way we show our feelings. Now I use that _______ every day to let it_________me that when facing the world, I can try a smile.

Are you somebody     41     can't wake up in the morning? Do you need two cups of coffee before you can start     42     new day? Do you feel awful when you first wake up?

Scientists say it's all because of our genes (基因). They interviewed 500 people and asked them questions about     43     (they) lifestyle, for example, what time of day they preferred to do exercise and     44     difficult they found it to wake up in the morning. Scientists then compared their answers to the people's DNA.

They     45     (discover) that we all have a "clock" gene, also     46    (call) a Period 3 gene. This gene can be long or short. People who have the long gene are very good in the morning, but get     47    (tire) quite early at night. People who have the short gene are more active at night but have problems     48     (wake) up early in the morning. How does it help us to know whether we have the long     49     short gene? Scientists say that, if possible, we should try to change our working hours to fit our "body clock". If you are a "morning person" then you could start work early and finish early. But if you are bad in the morning, then it might be better     50     (start) work in the afternoon and work until late at night. So maybe, instead of nine to five it should be seven to three or twelve to eight.