◆The Big Cake Show comes to the WestPoint Arena in Exeter, England, March 21-22. Hopefully, cakes of all sizes will be on sale and on show. An impressive list of famous people sharing their great knowledge and skill includes Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood and Gregg Wallace. Tickets, from ￡12, are available online (bigcakeshow.com).
◆From January 17 to March 8, RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, England has some special guests to brighten the winter: beautiful butterflies. Butterflies in the Glasshouse introduces a group of butterflies from other countries feeding on fruit and the juice-rich plants of the Exotic Zone, Tickets for adults are ￡13.20, for children are ￡6.60. For a family with 2 adults and 2 children, they should pay ￡32.75 in total. For groups of more than 10 adults, each should pay ￡10.80 (rhs. org.uk/wisley).
◆The week-long London Wine Week starts from May 18. Buy a ￡5 wristband to qualify for a pocket-sized guidebook and discounted wine around the capital. Partnering with London' s best bars and restaurants, we will be organizing events such as master classes and meet-the -maker time, plus offering discounts to wristband wearers ( londonwineweek.com ).
◆The World Shakespeare Festival begins in April, with everything from foreign productions of Shakespearean plays at Shakespeare's Globe to Shakespearean plays at the Royal Opera House. Plays will run until the end of the year in London, Birmingham, Newcastle and Gateshead. And there' s a programme of events such as director talks and family workshops, Prices start from ￡60 (worldshakespearefestival.org. uk).We can infer that Paul Hollywood is most likely to be ___________.
| A．a ticket dealer | B．a professional cook |
| C．the event organizer | D．the cake show host |
If you want to buy wine at lower prices, you should _____________.
A. eat in the specific restaurants
B. pay ￡5 for a discount card
C, buy a wristband first
D. obtain a guidebookWhich of the following activities lasts for the longest time?
| A．The Big Cake Show. |
| B．The London Wine Week. |
| C．Butterflies in the Glasshouse. |
| D．The World Shakespeare Festival. |
BEIJING---Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the need to promote the country’s housing security and supply to guarantee people’s basic residential needs
On Tuesday, Xi said that pushing the construction of the housing supply system is a solid project that benefits all people．
‘‘Solving the housing issue is a long-term task,” the president said “China still faces problems such as insufficient affordable housing and imbalances in housing distribution”
Xi said future work will sick to market-oriented reform．and properly handle the roles of government and the market, economic and social functions of housing development，relations of necessity and possibility and the difference between housing security and welfare trap
Meanwhile，he vowed(誓言)the government shall meet the basic housing needs of the group troubled by inadaptable labor skills, lack of job opportunities or low income
Xi pointed out that the general scheme of building China’s housing supply system is that the government realizes most of the basic needs while leaving other diversified demands for the market rules
“China will spare no effort to increase housing supply while pursuing affordable, environmentally friendly and safe living standards in accordance with the country’s practical situation，”he said
According to the country’s 12th five-year plan，China will increase its quantity of affordable housing go that it covers 20 percent of all residential areas by 2015 through construction of 36 million affordable housing units，including renovation(改造)of run-down neighborhoods
Xi said the government will first ensure the quality and safety of these buildings and strive to accomplish the goal while speeding up the construction of public rental and low—rent housing as well as the renovation of run-down neighborhoods
Land and financial policies will be further improved to support the project，Xi said，adding the government will explore and encourage ways for non-profit institutions to participate in the construction and management of affordable housing．
The top leader also stressed that China shall strengthen supervision，establish standard management system and punish illegal occupation of affordable housing units.The housing supply system is constructed to
| A．guarantee people’s basic residential needs |
| B．handle the roles of government and housing market |
| C．improve land and financial policies |
| D．punish illegal occupation of affordable housing units |
As for solving China’s housing problems．President Xi is ．
| A．helpless | B．pessimistic | C．determined | D．uncertain |
Building China’s housing supply system will .
A．be put to an end soon
B cover all residential needs by 2015
C．especially benefit low-income people
D．encourage profit-driven organizations What would be the best title for this passage ?
| A．Handle China’s Housing Issues and Policies |
| B．Better China’s Housing Security and Supply System |
| C．Balance the Functions 0foovermnent and Market Rules |
| D．Strengthen Housing Supervision and Management |
Growing strawberries in pots
·The best way to start growing strawberries is to buy pot-grown strawberry plants m spring：5plants are plenty for a hanging basket and 10 for the average 13 inch-sized pot．
·Plant them immediately in soil-based compost(混合肥料) and they will produce a modest crop in their first year．The second year should see a bumper(特大的)crop，followed by a slightly lower yield(产量)the third summer .Then start again with fresh stock
·Careful watering and feeding are essential Ifyou are to harvest a good crop，you must never
let the compost dry out,particularly when the fruit is forming and ripening；if you do．most of your
crop will drop off血e bush almost immediately．
·Water well then leave the pots for up to 3 weeks，until they reach the point of drying out Be
Careful not to overwater them during the winter months．
Pruning apple trees
·A one-year-old tree is known as a “maiden”. It has a single stem when purchased. Immediately after planting, cut it back by about half to leave 4 good buds at the base of the stem.. This will force growth from the base or the plant during the summer.
·In the second year ,prune in winter by cutting all side branches back by about one-third, Make sure each cut is made cleanly just above an outward-facing bud. In the third and fourth years, new side branches will have emerged from the previous year’s growth. Cut back all these new side branches by a third, pruning to an outward-facing bud.
·By the fifth year the tree should have a well-balanced shape. From then on ,cut back all new branches by one-third in winter .Remove any diseased wood and broken branches, and ensure the centre is open to air circulationThe two pieces of advice probably appear in
| A．a scientific repot | B．a gardening guide | C．a book review | D．a fashion column |
A good crop of strawberries mainly depends on
| A．the size of a pot | B．the season of harvesting |
| C．the number of plants in a pot | D．careful watering and feeding |
Cutting back all side branches by a third is to
| A．remove the diseased and broken branches |
| B．keep the whole tree open to air circulation |
| C．force the apple tree to grow from the base in winter |
| D．help the apple tree to form a well-balanced shape |
The two pieces of advice suggest that planting is closely related to
| A．season | B．water | C．compost | D．cutting |
Way back in 1662，John Evelyn，a brilliant Englishman known for his detailed diaries，wrote about disastrous effects of coal-burning on the city of London .In it,he described an infernal scene of smog．air filled with “Columns and Clouds of Smoke’’given out by small industries and residences that burned coal for fuel．
I found the description in the 2003 book When Smoke Ran like Water，by epidemiologist(流行病学家)and environmental advocator(倡导者)Devra Davis．In it,Davis looks back at several historic pollution events and their disastrous effect on human human health-and at how these phenomena were often Ignored or even actively covered up by then people in charge at that time.
As Davis points out，John Evelyn was ahead of his time when writing about how London’s polluted air affected the well-being of its residents．It wasn’t until nearly 300 years later,after what became well-known as the Great Smog of 1952，that the government began to address the problem in a systematic way．
For four days．Between December 5th“and 9th“，due to all accident of the weather pattern，the city was buried in a heavy fog .People were still burning coal for fuel，and low-grade coal at that time， because 0f wartime condition．A temperature inversion(转向)trapped the smoke from the city’s fires， creating a black cloud in which people could barely find their way down the most familiar streets
Some tried to protect themselves，but most people simply went about their business. But l952’s fog was far worse than any other in memory．In the same week of the previous year, 1852 people had died in London；inl952，that number was 4703 And the deaths didn’t stop when the weather changed and the fog lifted．Davis and her colleagues analyzed data from the next several months and found that about 13000 more people died between December and March than one would have predicted from historical averages Many of them died of pneumonia(肺炎)．The government，she writes．Tried to blame a bad flu season．Her detailed analysis found that explanation simply did
not pan out．
Davis writes that even today in this country ,we still have not completely absorbed the lessons of similar events．Sixty years the killer fog lifted in London，people are dying preventable deaths and suffering life．changing illnesses，simply because they must breathe the air of the cities where they liveThe passage is written to
| A．warn people of the danger from air pollution |
| B．introduce London’s Great Smog of l952 |
| C．blame the government for the smog |
| D．explain the reasons for air pollution |
The underlined word‘‘infernal” in the first paragraph probably means“ ”
| A．imaginary | B．adventurous | C．unbelievable | D．annoying |
One of the reasons for the Great Smog of l952wasthat——
| A．people burned wood for fuel |
| B．a forest fire created a black cloud over the city |
| C．the government ignored the smog |
| D．most people went abouttheirbusine00 |
How does the writer feel about the present air condition in London?
A. lndifferent B Concerned C．Hopeless．D. Panic
Most people know that awkward feeling when you walk into an elevator with other people and try not to make eye contact(接触). But a new research suggests it may be down to a subconscious power struggle being played out as you make your way up and down.
A study found that people decide where they stand based on a micro social status，established within seconds of entering the lift.
Rebekah Rousi．a Ph. D．student in cognitive(认知)science，conducted an ethnographic(人种论)
Study of elevator behaviour in two of the tallest office buildings in Adelaide，Australia.As part of her research，she took a total of 30 lift rides in the two buildings，and discovered .There was an established order to where people tended to stand
In a blog she writes that more senior men seemed to direct themselves towards the back of the elevator She said：“In front of them were younger men，and in front of them were women of aII ages.”She also notice there
was a difference in where people directed their gaze(注视)half way through the ride．“Men watched the monitors，looked in the side mirrors(in one building)to see themseIves．And in the door mirrors(of the other building)to also watch others Women would watch the monitors and avoid eye contact with other users(unless in conversation)and the mirrors，”she writes．
She concluded it could be that people who are shyer stand toward the front，where they can’t see other passengers，whereas confident people stand in the back，where they have a view of everyone else.The passage is mainly about
A. elevator riding manners
B communication in the elevator
C. elevator riders’ standing positions
D. micro social status in the elevatorThe underlined word“it”in the first paragraph probably refers to“ ”
| A．an elevator | B．the new research | C．eye contact | D．social status |
A person who stands in the back of the lift is probably
A confident B shy C honestThe conclusion of the research in the passage is
A. subjective B．objective C critical D doubtful
A new study of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily, it is a bad thing for young people. Puppy love (早恋) may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression. The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys, and younger girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”. According to the study, even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”, this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls. Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions. They won’t tell that to their parents.
Dr Marian Kaufman, an expert on young people problems, says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing. Trying romance often causes the depression. She advises kids not to jump into romance too early. During growing up, it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self. She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.
Parents should watch for signs of depression--eating or mood changes--and if they see signs from their daughters or sons, they need to give help. The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age. Love will always make us feel young, but only maturity (成熟) gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects.Which of the following is more likely to have depression?
| A．Young people who have a strong sense of selfishness. |
| B．Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions. |
| C．Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior. |
| D．Careless parents whose children are deep in love. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The older a woman is, the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance. |
| B．Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly. |
| C．Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents. |
| D．Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression. |
What’s the author’s attitude towards puppy love?
| A．Confused. | B．Disinterested. | C．Scared. | D．Disapproving. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Puppy love may bring young people depression. |
| B．Parents should forbid their children’s love. |
| C．Romance is a two? edged sword for adults. |
| D．Romance is good for young people. |
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