My wife and I spent two weeks in London last year. We went there in the autumn. We think it is the best season to visit England. The weather is usually good and there aren't too many tourists in October. We stayed in a small hotel in the West End. It was convenient as we did most of our sightseeing on foot. Taxis were too expensive, we couldn't understand the bus routes, and my wife didn't like traveling under the ground. She said it made her feel sick. We went to look at the places which all tourists visit. We saw Buckingham Palace. We went shopping in Oxford Street and spent too much money. What we liked most, though, was going to the theatre. We didn't have the chance to see such wonderful plays at home. A lot of people say English food is bad. We didn't think so. It is true that most of the restaurants are French or Italian or Chinese, but we had some very good meals. In fact, we enjoyed our holiday so much that we have already booked again for this year. We are going to take our umbrellas, though. I'm sure we'll need them sometimes. Which of the following is NOT true about the couple? A) They thought English food was bad. B) They will visit London again. C) They visited London last October. D) They didn't take their umbrella last year.
A
As we all know, the Dragon Boat Festival is our country's traditional festival, but do you know there is also a Dragon Boat Festival in South Korea, which also falls on May 5 of the luar calendar ? It has been reported that South Korea will apply to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) to make the celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival its own intangible cultural heritage . If successful, people from other countries may see the Dragon Festival as a Korean creation. As the birthplace of the yearly event more than 2,000 years ago, China is not happy with the situation. "It would be a shame if another country successfully made a traditional Chinese festival part of its own cultural heritage ahead of China," said Zhou Heping, deputy culture minister. The Ministry of Culture is even thinking of making its own application to UNESCO, covering all traditional Chinese festivals, including the Dragon Boat event. It is thought that the festival is held in memory of the great poet Qu Yuan (340-278 BC), who lived in the State of Chu during the Warring States Period. Qu was known to be a patriot and admired by ordinary people. He is said to have jumped into Miluo River, because he had lost hope in his country's future. When people heard about Qu's death, they sailed up and down the river searching for his body. They also beat the drums to frighten away the fish and threw Zongzi into the water to stop the fish touching Qu. Dragon boat racing is said to come from this search for the poet's body. Over the years, the Dragon Boat Festival has spread throughout the world. In Japan and Viet Nam, as well as South Korea, the festival has mixed with and become part of the local culture. What is the purpose of the Dragon Boat Festival's being held? A) In memory of Qu Yuan B) In memory of all the patriots of China C) To frighten away the fish D) In honor of QuYuan's birthday
A
Q: Daniel Anderson, a famous psychologist, believes it's important to distinguish television's influences on children from those of the family. We tend to blame TV, he says, for problems it doesn't really cause, overlooking our own roles in shaping children's minds. One traditional belief about television is that it reduces a child's ability to think and to understand the world. While watching TV, children do not merely absorb words and images . Instead, they learn both explicit and hidden meanings from what they see. Actually, children learn early the psychology of characters in TV shows. Furthermore, as many teachers agree, children understand far more when parents watch TV with them, explaining new words and ideas. Yet, most parents use an educational program as a chance to park their kids in front of the set and do something in another room. Another argument against television is that it replaces reading as a form of entertainment. But according to Anderson, the amount of time spent watching television is not related to reading ability. TV doesn't take the place of reading for most children; it takes the place of similar sorts of recreation, such as listening to the radio and playing sports. Things like parents' educational background have a stronger influence on a child's reading. "A child's reading ability is best predicted by how much a parent reads." Anderson says. Traditional wisdom also has it that heavy television-watching lowers IQ scores and affects school performance. But here, too, Anderson notes that no studies have proved it. In fact, research suggests that it's the other way around. "If you're smart young, you'll watch less TV when you're older," Anderson says. Yet, people of lower IQ tend to be lifelong television viewers. For years researchers have attempted to show that television is dangerous to children. However, by showing that television promotes none of the dangerous effects as conventionally believed, Anderson suggests that television cannot be condemned without considering other influences. What is the main purpose of the passage? A) To advise on the educational use of TV. B) To describe TV's harmful effects on children. C) To explain traditional views on TV influences. D) To present Anderson's unconventional ideas.
A: D
(Question)
It is a wonderful morning,as I write this:hot,but without being too hot. Outside my window,I can see the sunniest sky of the year reflected in a huge natural expand of water. It is the kind of sun that makes you well aware of summer's temporary nature --a reminder that if I am ever to go around to book this year's holiday,time is running out . It is now close to four years since I last took a holiday. This is because I have come to the conclusion, over the course of my adult life, that I am not very good at it. _ What could possibly be difficult about the natural act of putting your working life on hold for a couple of weeks and going somewhere to do nothing? So what is my problem? On the surface, I'm probably a bit of homebody. And I just find the pressure of being on holidy too severe: it always feels like having a gun held to my head and being forced to have fun. Somehow, packing a carefully itemized list of possessions and meeting a scheduled flight has none of the excitement of suddenly deciding to take a day off and driving somewhere for the fun of it. Thankfully, I am not alone. This summer, most of my friends have decided not to have a break. And a recent survey highlighted the downside of holidays, with the results shoeing that nearly two thirds of people found that the calming effects of a holiday wore off within 24 hours, as stress levels returned to normal. And this year's the Idler magazine published its book of awful holidays .Here you will find a list of the five most ecologically--damaging vacations it's possible to take, along with 50 horrible holidays experiences voted for on the idler website. Over the last decade, The Idler has become well known for promoting the idea of an easy, lazy life. The leisure industry might seem an unlikely target of its criticism, but Dan Kienan, the book's editor, says that he was flooded with entries from readers for his list of awful holidays. The writer takes the book of Awful Holidays as an example to _ . A) damage the reputation of the magazine B) prove his idea to be more popular than expected C) indicate that his dislike of holidays is widely shared D) foucs entirely on bad personal experiences of holidays
(Answer)
C