Preparations are underway around the world for Chinese New Year (Feb 19) and celebrations in China will be mirrored across the planet wherever the Chinese Diaspora (华侨) calls home. Here are some Chinatowns for those outside of China wishing to mark the day.
London
Although it may not be as large or as long-built as others, having only become a center for the Chinese community during the 1950s, London's Chinatown is a perfectly formed little firework that knows how to see in the year with a bang. Decorated with red lanterns (灯笼), previous years have seen shows with acrobatics (杂技), martial arts (武术), dance and opera nearby.
San Francisco
San Francisco's Chinatown is perhaps the most famous in the United States. The city was the main entry-point for Chinese who had crossed the Pacific to the USA during the early 19th century. Between the Grant Avenue and the Stockton Street, this historic area is a local treasure, attracting more visitors per year than the Golden Gate Bridge.
Bangkok
With a more than 100-year-old history, the Thai capital's Chinatown contains complex streets offering all kinds of tasty treats, clothes, toys and antiques. Sunday market days are such a good time to get the full atmosphere of the neighborhood. The area is also known for its gold dealers, whose shops line the road.
Mauritius
Found in Port Louis, this Mauritian Chinatown shows the island nation's rich multicultural diversity. Established in the early years of the 20th century by settlers from China, its tiny shops and restaurants serve locals and visitors. During the Chinese Spring Festival, the most exciting sight is the Dragon Dances on Rue Royale when Chinese musicians and dancers perform the traditional Lion dances through the streets.According to the text, which of the following has the longest history?
| A．London's Chinatown. |
| B．Bangkok's Chinatown. |
| C．Mauritius's Chinatown. |
| D．San Francisco's Chinatown. |
What's special about Bangkok's Chinatown?
| A．It is crowded with Chinese restaurants. |
| B．It is well-known for its gold business. |
| C．It was the major entrance for the Chinese. |
| D．It is where you can enjoy fireworks. |
If you want to enjoy the Dragon Dances, you can go to ____.
| A．Rue Royale in Port Louis, Mauritius |
| B．the Sunday market in Bangkok |
| C．the Grant Avenue in San Francisco |
| D．the Chinese community in London |
Sports account for a growing amount of income made on the sales of commercial time by television companies. Many television companies have used sports to attract viewers from particular sections of the general public，and then they have sold audiences to advertisers.
An attraction of sport programs for the major U. S. media companies is that events are often held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons—the slowest time periods of the week for general television viewing. Sport events are the most popular weekend programs, especially among male viewers who may not watch much television at other times during the week. This means the television networks are able to sell advertising time at relatively high prices during what normally would be dead time for programming.
Media corporations also use sports to attract commercial sponsors that might take their advertising dollars elsewhere if television stations did not report certain sports. The people in the advertising departments of major corporations realize that sports attract male viewers. They also realize that most business travelers are men and that many men make family decisions on the purchases of computers, cars and life insurance.
Golf and tennis are special cases for television programming. These sports attract few viewers, and the ratings (收视率)are unusually low. However, the audience for these sports is attractive to certain advertisers. It is made up of people from the highest income groups in the United States, including many lawyers and business managers. This is why television reporting of golf and tennis is sponsored by companies selling high-priced cars，business and personal computers，and holiday trips. This is also why the networks continue to carry these programs regardless of low ratings. Advertisers are willing to pay high fees to reach high-income consumers and those managers who make decisions to buy thousands of “ company cars” and computers. With such viewers，these programs don't need high ratings to stay on the air. Television sport programs on weekend afternoons __________.
| A．result in more sport events |
| B．get more viewers to play sports |
| C．make more people interested in television |
| D．bring more money to the television networks |
Why would weekend afternoons become dead time without sport programs?
| A．Because there would be few viewers. |
| B．Because the advertisers would be off work. |
| C．Because television programs would go slowly. |
| D．Because viewers would pay less for watching television. |
In many families, men make decisions on __________.
| A．holiday trips |
| B．sports viewing |
| C．television shopping |
| D．expensive purchases |
The ratings are not important for golf and tennis programs because __________.
| A．their advertisers are carmakers |
| B．their viewers are attracted by sports |
| C．their advertisers target at rich people |
| D．their viewers can afford expensive cars |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Television ratings are determined by male viewers. |
| B．Rich viewers contribute most to television companies. |
| C．Sports are gaining importance in advertising on television. |
| D．Commercial advertisers are the major sponsors of sport events. |
Many young people want to become pop stars. It is their great ambition(雄心)in life. They think ： pop stars make a lot of money ； they lead interesting and exciting lives ； thousands of fans adore them ； they become famous.
Yes, but first they must become stars. Most performers start life with a group. This is the pattern nowadays. But there are many groups and the competition is hard. Groups appear and disappear almost overnight. Only a small number stay. Almost without exception (例外)they have to work very hard before they reach the top.
And very few reach the top and stay there. In England there are perhaps thirty or so groups at the top. Most of these do not earn so much money ； perhaps $ 400 each time they perform. What is more，they have quite a lot of expenses. They have to pay a manager, for example. He is the key person in their lives and he takes about 20% of their earnings—perhaps more. Then there are their clothes，their instruments and their van(车)•
And don't forget they have to travel a great deal, sometimes 2,000 miles in one week. At times they even sleep in their van instead of a hotel, just to save money.
So now, what do you think? Are pop stars so rich? And do they have such exciting lives?Which of the following is the reason why many young people want to become pop stars?
| A．Living an exciting life. |
| B．Being loved by thousands of fans. |
| C．Becoming rich. |
| D．All of the above. |
The right statement in the following about pop stars is that __________.
| A．most of them fail to reach the top |
| B．they lead relaxed lives. |
| C．they can travel all over the world |
| D．they spend a lot of money on their clothes |
Why is the group's manager well paid?
| A．Because he runs this group. |
| B．Because he looks after them. |
| C．Because he is important to them. |
| D．Because he buys them clothes and instruments. |
How do pop groups spend the money they earn?
| A．They pay the manager 20% of their earnings or more. |
| B．They have to pay for clothes, instruments and their van. |
| C．They often make trips. |
| D．All of the above. |
The writer makes us believe __________.
| A．it is pleasant to become a pop star |
| B．that if you work very hard in pop groups, you will reach the top |
| C．pop stars are neither too rich nor too happy |
| D．general persons had better not dream of pop stars |
At the beginning of the 20th century there was a big farm called Hollywood Ranch. It was near Los Angeles in California. A few years later Hollywood was one of the famous places in the world. From the 1910s to the 1950s Hollywood was the film center of the world. Every family knew the names of its film stars—Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman and hundreds more.
The reason why people went to Hollywood to make films was the sun. At first，people made films in New York on the east coast of the United States. But then they heard about Los Angeles where there are 350 days of sun every year. As they made all the films by sunlight，the west coast was a much better place to make films. Also near Hollywood you can find mountains，sea and desert. They did not have to travel far to make any kind of film.
When TV became popular, Hollywood started making films for television. Then in the 1970s they discovered people still went to the cinema to see big expensive films. After about thirty years they are still making films in Hollywood and people watch them all over the world. Hollywood used to be a __________.
| A．cinema |
| B．big farm |
| C．park |
| D．market |
In the 1910s Hollywood became a __________.
| A．famous theater |
| B．good place to have holidays |
| C．film center |
| D．home for stars |
Who was not mentioned as a film star in the passage?
| A．Charlie Chaplin. |
| B．Marilyn Monroe. |
| C．Ingrid Bergman. |
| D．Greta Garbo. |
People went to Hollywood to make films because __________.
| A．it was a beautiful place |
| B．you could find many film stars |
| C．there was a lot of sunlight |
| D．it was a famous place |
Which statement is true?
| A．The west coast was a better place to make films. |
| B．There are no mountains near Hollywood. |
| C．People no longer went to the cinema after television became popular. |
| D．Hollywood began to make films for television after the World War I. |
Some recent surveys show that the health conditions of many white collar employees and office workers are rather dangerous. Death cases among white collar employees and office workers are increasing year by year and these cases are generally believed to have been caused by overwork and spending little time taking rest or doing exercise.
If their offices are within the distance of half an hour's walk, some office workers now choose to go to work on foot. Ms. Deng, who works in a foreign enterprise in Beijing, has been walking to her office for more than six months now. “ I usually have a tight work schedule and can't find time to do exercise. So I choose to walk to work. ” As she said, if the office is not far from home, most women would like to go to work on foot. Walking is good for their health and can help them to keep good figures as well.
Apart from walking to office，one can also find time to do exercise when one is at work. The simplest way is to desert the lift. Mr. Wei, who works in the Passenger Service Department at Shenzhen Airlines, is one of such men who frequently climb stairs. “ I only use the lift whenever I'm with my colleagues or my boss. Otherwise, I would climb stairs instead of taking the lift. ”
In addition, some office workers try to find time to go to a gym at the end of a day. Ms. Sang works in a law firm in Shenzhen. She goes to the gym several times a week when she has the time. “ I go to the gym every weekend. During the weekdays，I will also go there whenever I have the time. ” Ms. Sang and her husband both have a gym membership card for a whole year. The cards cost them 3000 yuan. However, they think it's worth it. Why are death cases among white collar employees and office workers increasing year by year?
| A．Because they overwork for a long time. |
| B．Because they are too busy to have time for a rest. |
| C．Because they hardly have time to do exercise after work. |
| D．All of the above |
How many ways that office workers use to keep healthy are mentioned in the passage?
| A．3. |
| B．4. |
| C．5. |
| D．6. |
If a white collar employee lives one kilometer away from her office , she had better __________ to keep healthy.
| A．walk to her office |
| B．run and then take the stairs to her office |
| C．take a taxi to her office |
| D．ride a bike |
Which of the following sentences can be added between Paragraph 1 and Paragraph 2?
| A．Then, what shall office workers do next to prevent death cases? |
| B．What will happen to office workers? |
| C．In order to keep themselves healthy, some office workers now take measures as follows ： |
| D．Walking on foot is the best way for office workers. |
The best title of the passage is __________.
| A．Health Is Very Important |
| B．Office Workers Try to Keep Healthy |
| C．How to Keep Healthy |
| D．Office Workers' Trouble |
British Newspapers
In Britain there are 11 national daily newspapers and most people read one of them every day. There are two kinds of newspapers. One is large in size and has many detailed articles about national and international events. These newspapers are called the serious papers or the quality papers. The other kind, called the tabloids , is smaller in size. They has more pictures and shorter articles, often about less important events or about the private lives of wellknown people. Although some people disapprove (反对)of the tabloids , more people buy them than buy the serious newspapers. The Sun, for example, which is a tabloid，is the biggest-selling newspaper in Britain. The tabloids are sometimes called the gutter press (低级趣味的报纸) And in 1997, some photograph reporters of the tabloids were said to be involved in (卷入)the tragic (悲剧的) death of Princess Diana in France and they were criticized as gossip (饶舌者)reporters by the public.
Most national newspapers in Britain express a political opinion and people choose the newspaper that they read according to their own political beliefs. Most of the newspapers are right-wing, which means they support the Conservative Party (保守党). These are The Daily Telegraph ( serious newspaper ) , The Daily Express，Daily Mail, Daily Star, The Sun and Today ( all tabloids) . Of the other serious newspapers, The Times，the oldest newspaper in Britain，did not formerly have one strong political view but it is now more right-wing. The Independent does not support any political party, and neither does The Financial Times, which concentrates on (集中)business and financial news. The Daily Mirror^ a tabloid) is the voice of the Labour Party. If a newspaper often publishes some articles long enough together with national and international events，we say it's a __________.
| A．financial paper |
| B．gutter press |
| C．tabloid |
| D．serious or quality paper |
The tabloids are __________ received than the serious papers.
| A．better |
| B．less |
| C．more poorly |
| D．worse |
In Britain, most national papers give their voices for __________.
| A．the Labor Party |
| B．the Conservative Party |
| C．neither of the two parties |
| D．both parties |
Some reporters of the tabloids were considered to be __________.
| A．devoted fellows |
| B．national heroes |
| C．radicals |
| D．gossip reporters |
The oldest paper for the Conservative Party in Britain is __________.
| A．The Sun |
| B．The Times |
| C．The Independent |
| D．not mentioned |
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