In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music, dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
It quickly attracted famous names such as Alec Guinness, Richard Burton, Dame Margot Fonteyn and Marlene Dietrich as well as the big symphony orchestras(交响乐团). It became a fixed event every August and now attracts 400,000 people yearly.
At the same time, the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge to the official festival. Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947, in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform, and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon, groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the “Fringe”, once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre, music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959, with only 19 theatre groups performing, some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator(管理人员) was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1.25 million tickets were sold.
1.What was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at the beginning?
A. To honor heroes of World War II.
B. To introduce young theatre groups.
C. To attract great artists from Europe.
D. To bring Europe together again.
2.Why did some uninvited theatre groups come to Edinburgh in 1947?
A. They came to take up a challenge.
B. They thought they were also famous.
C. They wanted to take part in the festival.
D. They owned a public house there.
3.Who joined the “Fringe” after it appeared?
A. University students
B. Artists from around the world
C. Performers of music and dance
D. Popular writers
4.We may learn from the text that Edinburgh Festival .
A. has gone beyond an art festival
B. gives shows all year round
C. keeps growing rapidly
D. has become a non-official event
Shree Bose is one of the most impressive kids graduating from Fort Worth Country Day High School this year. Bose has a large circle of friends, and there’s one who you may have heard of: President Obama. He has twice publicly recognized her achievements in cancer research and spoken with her in the Oval Office.
If that isn’t enough, Bose recently gave a TED Talk about her work with the cancer drug Cisplatin, which also won her first prize at the Google Science Fair and recognition as one of Glamour magazine’s Young Amazing Women of the Year.
After watching her grandfather struggle with liver cancer, Bose was determined to help out in any way she could. As a high school student though, her scientific choices were limited. She reached out to various hospitals and research centers, but doctors turned down her requests because they felt she was too inexperienced medically.
Only the North Texas Science Health Center respected her determination and chose to guide her. The results were amazing.
Bose chose to study a protein (蛋白质) and its reaction with the cancer drug Cisplatin. She noticed that when she prevented this protein from growing, Cisplatin was allowed to begin destroying cancer cells once again.
“My project not only contributes to the understanding of the relationship between the protein and Cisplatin, but also suggests a newer, more effective treatment for patients who resist Cisplatin,” Bose said.
Bose’s achievements aren’t limited to the lab, though. She was also captain of her swim team and editor-in-chief of her school paper.
Bose is currently getting practical experience at the National Institute of Health and she’ll be attending Harvard in the fall. She plans to study molecular biology and go to medical school. Eventually, she would like to be a doctor.
1.President Obama has spoken with Bose because she ________.
A. gave a TED Talk recently
B. is captain of her swim team
C. has a large circle of friends
D. contributed to the cancer research
2.According to Bose’s research, _________ helps make Cisplatin work better.
A. stopping the protein from growing
B. destroying cancer cells timely
C. using the drug more frequently
D. making the protein react with the drug
3.From the passage, we know that ________.
A. Bose’s research was supported from the start
B. Bose plans to become a doctor in the future
C. Bose will study in the National Institute of Health
D. Bose’s grandfather asked her to do cancer research
4.The passage is mainly about ________.
A. a research on cancer drugs
B. a new effective cancer treatment
C. a doctor who has a promising future
D. a girl who did research on cancer treatment
When I was a little girl, I remember that when my dad was repairing something, he would ask me to hold the hammer, so we would have time for a conversation with each other. I never saw my dad drinking or taking a night out. All he did after work was taking care of his family.
I grew up and left home for college and since then, my dad had been calling me every Sunday morning. And when I bought a house several years later, my dad painted it by himself in the fierce summer heat. All he asked was to talk to him, but I was to busy in those days.
Four years ago, my dad visited me. He spent many hours putting together a swing for my daughter. He asked me to have a talk with him, but I had to prepare for a trip that weekend.
One Sunday morning we had a telephone talk as usual. I noticed that my dad had forgotten some things that we discussed lately. I was in a hurry, so our conversation was short. Several hours later that day I received a call. My father was in the hospital. Immediately I bought a plane ticket and on my way I was thinking about all the occasions I missed to have a talk with my dad. By the time I arrived at the hospital, my father had passed away. Now it was he who did not have time for a conversation with me. I realized how little I knew about my dad, his deepest thoughts and his dreams.
After his death I learned much more about him and even more about myself. All he ever wanted was my time. And now he has all my attention every single day.
1.When the author was a little girl, she .
A. liked playing on the swing
B. often talked with her father
C. was good at repairing things
D. learned to take care of her family
2.When at college, the author .
A. received a call from her father every Sunday morning
B. phoned her father every Sunday morning
C. asked her father to call her every Sunday
D. asked her father to talk with her
3.Why did the author fail to have a talk with her father four years ago?
A. She had got tired of talking with him.
B. She was busy painting her house.
C. Her daughter asked her to play.
D. She was busy planning a trip.
4.When did the author begin to regret missing the talks with her father?
A. After her father's sudden death.
B. Many years after her father's death.
C. On her way to the hospital to see her father.
D. As soon as she got the news that her father was ill.
If you are looking for the place that has everything, there is only one place to visit, and that’s New York. It’s a whole world in a city.
The World of Theater: All of New York is a stage. And it begins with Broadway. Where else can you find so many hit shows in one place? Only in New York!
The World of Music: Spend an evening with Beethoven at Lincoln Center. Swing to the great jazz of Greenwich Village. Or rock yourself silly at the hottest dance spots found anywhere.
The World of Art: From Rembrandt to Picasso. From Egyptian tombs to Indian teepees. Whatever kind of art you like, you will find it in New York.
The World of Fine Dining: Whether it’s roast Beijing duck in Chinatown, lasagna in little Italy, or the finest French coq au vin found everywhere, there is world of great taste waiting for you in New York.
The World of Sights: What other city has a Statue (雕塑) of Liberty? A Rockefeller Center? Or a Bronx Zoo? Where else can you take a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park? Only in New York !
1.From the text we know that “Rembrandt” is most likely to be the name of a famous .
A. actor B. musician
C. cook D. painter
2.Which of the following can visitors do only in New York?
A. To see the Statue of Liberty. B. To taste the finest French coq au vin.
C. To enjoy a Beethoven concert. D. To eat Roast Beijing Duck.
3.This passage may be taken from .
A. a handbook for English learners B. a guidebook for foreign travellers
C. a pocketbook for businessmen D. a storybook for local readers
假设你是李华，适逢五四青年节，你校拟邀请附近某大学的外籍教授Smith先生来你校做一次相关主题的演讲。请参照以下相关信息给他写一封邮件。
注意：
1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Mr. Smith,
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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Best,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Dream is a common word in our daily life. As we all know, people like to use it to express the strong desires they have for our future. Some young people dreamed of becoming scientists when others wish to become astronauts.
In my opinion, what matter most is that we should be responsible our society and its citizens. I want to be independent and have a strongly sense of responsibility. And also I want to be helpful to those in the trouble. Beside, I will learn modestly from those devoted themselves to our society. I do hope all of us can make every efforts to live our dreams.
