Venice hoteliers(旅馆经营者)are urging tourists to enjoy the tourist mecca(圣地)despite constant flooding, offering free rubber boots for guests to wander around the Renaissance city.
“Venetian hoteliers and Mayor Massimo Cacciari reassure tourists who want to come in Venice:Don't worry, there is no danger:high water is a phenomenon that quickly disappears,” says an industry website, www.veneziasi.it.A special 190 euros(250 dollar)a night package includes “free use of rubber boots to walk during the high water,” along with a map showing where special platforms are erected along the canal city’s streets during the flooding.
Venice has been under water for nearly two weeks, reaching a 22-year high on December 1 at 1.56 meters(5 feet, 2 inches).Thursday and Friday are expected to see highs of up to 1.30 meters.The lagoon city(水城)was flooded 50 times between 1993 and 2002, but by far the worst incident was on November 4, 1966, when it remained under water by 1.94 metres of water amid catastrophic flooding throughout Italy.
Every new flood brings disputes over a complicated project to place hinged panels(活动闸门)at the entrance leading into the lagoon.Mayor Cacciari is among critics of the so-called Moses Project, which was launched in 2003 and is not expected to reach completion until 2012.Under the scheme, 78 steel panels will lie on the seabed.When high tide is more than 1.1 metres above normal, compressed air will then force the panels to rise up on their hinges, forming a slanting(倾斜的)barrier to the incoming tide from the Adriatic Sea.Another approach under consideration is to raise the city's buildings.Under Operation”Rialto”, piston-supported poles(活塞柱)would be placed beneath each structure and gradually lift buildings by up to a metre.
Experts say the severity and frequency of floods is becoming worse due to silt deposits raising the floor of the lagoon and a rise in sea levels caused by global warming.
Bad weather has affected much of Italy in recent days, with snow storms in the north, heavy rain in Umbria and Tuscany and thunder storms over Rome and as far south as Sicily.
(1)
Why do Venice hotel owners offer free boots?
[ ]
A.
To introduce the city’s one of the new tourist attractions.
B.
To promote their hotels service and booking rates.
C.
To make it a necessity for travelers to wander around the city.
D.
To help travelers out of danger in the heavy rain.
(2)
According to the passage, what’s the mayor’s attitude towards“Rialto”?
[ ]
A.
Negative.
B.
Supportive.
C.
Neutral.
D.
Unknown.
(3)
From the fourth paragraph, we know that ________.
[ ]
A.
steel panels are expected to keep still when the tide reaches less than 1.0 metre.
B.
shops and homes had to use piston-supported poles to empty the water.
C.
the government has to raise the city buildings by up to a metre.
D.
several approaches to the problem arouse different opinions.
(4)
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
[ ]
A.
high water is a phenomenon that quickly comes and slowly disappears.
B.
Venice has been“under water”for 2 weeks, ranking the 1st high.in history.
C.
the city has adopted many ways to defeat the quick rising of water.
D.
the severity and frequency of floods is the result of the global warming
C.The
man decided to discuss it with his wife before buying it.
听下面一段对话,回答第8和第9两个小题。
8.What
did the woman lose?
[]
A.A
bag.
B.A
purse.
C.A
suitcase.
9.Which
of the following is right according to the dialogue?
[]
A.There
is a pocket inside it.
B.There
is a pocket outside it.
C.There's
no pocket.
听下面一段对话,回答第10至12三个小题。
10.What
are they talking about?
[]
A.A
dress.
B.A
hat.
C.A
pair of shoes.
11.Why
does the man think it a pity?
[]
A.It
is cheap.
B.Its
quality is not good.
C.If
looks bad on the woman.
12.Why
didn't she buy it?
[]
A.It'
s too dear.
B.Its
color doesn't suit her.
C.Its
color will fade when it's washed.
听下面一段对话,回答第13至16四个小题。
13.What
is the woman reading?
[]
A.The
Travels of Marco Polo's Father.
B.The
Silk Road.
C.The
Travels of Marco Polo.
14.When
did Marco Polo leave Italy?
[]
A.In
1217.
B.In
1271.
C.In
1275.
15.How
long did Marco Polo stay in China?
[]
A.Seventeen
years.
B.Seventy
years.
C.Seven
years.
16.When did
Marco Polo arrive in Venice?
[]
A.In
1275.
B.In
1295.
C.In
1271.
听下面一段独白,回答第17至20四个小题。
17.What
does the sentence “Behind every successful man there is a woman”
mean?
[]
A.There
is a woman standing behind every successful man.
B.Women's
support to men is a most important factor of men's success.
C.Every
success depends on women.
18.Who
wants to be as successful as man?
[]
A.All
women.
B.Every
woman.
C.Not
every woman.
19.Which
of the following still exists in the US today?
[]
A.Men
can get the best jobs but women can' t.
B.Women
can't get equal pay for equal work.
C.Both
A and B.
20.Which
of the following is true according to the passage?
[]
A.Men
support women in the women' s liberation movement.
B.The
government supports women in the women' s liberation movement.
C.Women
want to have the same chance for success.
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
Use your American Express Card to enjoy one-day privileges at four of America's greatest museums.Note the participating museums,and their exciting special exhibitions thatyou will not want to miss,listed below.
Boston
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Chairs
February 11-May 8,2005
Italian furniture expert Fausto Calderai and Indian photographer Dayanita Singh present an exhibition of chairs from the museum's collection and“chair photographs”from around the world presented in a Venetian-style hall housing world-famous master— pieces.
For more information:www.gardnemuseum.org
New York
The Noguchi Museum
Noguchi and Craham
December 1,2004~May 1,2005
Noguchi's long-term collaboration with dancer Martha Graham is regarded by many as a high point in the history of both modern dance and art.The exhibition highlights nine of the sets created through this collaboration.
For more information:www.noguchi.org
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
In Full View:American Painting(1720~2005)
January ll~April 10,2005
Founded in 1805,the Pennsylvania Academy has beenhome to America's artists for 200 years.The Academy collects and exhibits the works of famous American artists,and iswell-known for training fine artists.2005 at the Academy begins with the largest exhibition of the Academy's distinguished American collection in the institution's history.
For more information:www.pals.org
Seattle
Seattle Museum of Glass
Murano:Class from the Olnick Spanu Collection
Through November 7,2004
This exhibition includes over 200 pieces of beautiful glass from Murano,the island of glassblowers near Venice,Italy.Watch live glass-blowing shows in the Hot Shop and see other modern glass exhibitions.
For more information:www.museumofglass.org
(1)
Which of the following websites offers information about the furniture show?
[ ]
A.
www.para.org
B.
www.noguchi.org
C.
www.museumofglass.org
D.
www.gardnermuseum.org
(2)
We learn from the text that Martha Craham is ________
[ ]
A.
a dancer
B.
a painter
C.
a glassblower
D.
a photographer
(3)
If you want to know the history of American painting,you may visit ________
[ ]
A.
The Noguchi Museum
B.
Seattle Museum of Glass
C.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
D.
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Use your American Express Card to enjoy one-day privileges at four of America’s greatest museums.Note the participating museums, and their exciting special exhibitions that you will not want to miss, listed below.
Boston
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Chairs
February 11-May 8,2005
Italian furniture expert Fausto Calderai and Indian photographer Dayanita
Singh present an exhibition of chairs from the museum’s collection and “chair photographs” from around the world presented in a Venetian-style hall housing world-famous masterpieces.
For more information:www.gardnermuseum.org
New York
The Noguchi Museum
Noguchi and Graham
December 1,2004-May 1,2005
Noguchi’s long-term collaboration with dancer Martha Graham is regarded by many as a high point in the history of both modern dance and art.The exhibition highlights nine of the sets created through this collaboration.
For more information:www.noguchi.org
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
In Full View:American Painting(1720-2005)
January 11-April 10,2005
Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy has been home to America’s artists for 200 years.The Academy collects and exhibits the works of famous American artists, and is well-known for training fine artists, 2005 at the Academy begins with the largest exhibition of the Academy’s distinguished American collection in the institution’s history.
For more information:www.pafa.org
Seattle
Seattle Museum of Glass
Murano:Glass from the Olnick Spanu Collection
Through November 7,2004
This exhibition includes over 200 pieces of beautiful glass from Murano, the island of glassblowers near Venice, Italy.Watch live glass-blowing shows in the Hot Shop and see other modern glass exhibitions.
For more information:www.museumofglass.org
(1)
Which of the following websites offers information about the furniture show?
[ ]
A.
www.pafa.org
B.
www.noguchi.org
C.
www.museumofglass.org
D.
www.gardnermuseum.org
(2)
We learn from the text that Martha Graham is ________.
[ ]
A.
a dancer
B.
a painter
C.
a glassblower
D.
a photographer
(3)
If you want to know the history of American painting, you may visit ________.
Coffee has a history dating back to at least the 9th century and has been a catalyst for social interaction across cultures and eras.Originally discovered in Ethiopia, coffee beans were brought into the Middle East by Arab traders, spreading to Egypt, Yemen, Persia, Turkey, and North Africa by the 15th century.Muslim merchants eventually brought the beans to the thriving port city of Venice, where they sold them to wealthy Italian buyers.Soon, the Dutch began importing and growing coffee in places like Java and Ceylon(largely through slave labor), and the British East India Trading Company was popularizing the beverage in England.Coffee spread across Europe and even reached America.
Where there has been coffee, there has been the coffeehouse.From the 15th century Middle Eastern establishments where men gathered to listen to music, play chess, and hear recitations from works of literature, to Paris' Cafe le Procope where luminaries of the French Enlightenment such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot came to enjoy a hot cup of joe, coffeehouses have traditionally served as centers of social interaction, places where people can come to relax, chat, and exchange ideas.
The modern coffee shop is modeled on the espresso and pastry-centered Italian coffeehouses that arose with the establishment of Italian-American immigrant communities in major US cities such as New York City's Little Italy and Greenwich Village, Boston's North End, and San Francisco's North Beach.New York coffee shops were often frequented by the Beats in the 1950's.It wasn't long before Seattle and other parts of the Pacific Northwest were developing coffee shops as part of a thriving counterculture scene.The Seattle-based Starbucks took this model and brought it into mainstream culture.
Although coffeehouses today continue to serve their traditional purpose as lively social hubs in many communities, they have noticeably adapted to the times.Rediscovering their purpose as centers of information exchange and communication, many coffee shops now provide their customers with internet access and newspapers.It has become extremely common to see someone sitting at a Starbucks listening to music or surfing the web on his or her laptop.Coffee stores today also maintain a fairly identifiable, yet unique aesthetic:wooden furniture and plush couches, paintings and murals drawn on walls, and soft-lighting combine to give coffee shops the cozy feeling of a home away from home.
Today, big business retail coffee shops are expanding quickly all over the world.Starbucks alone has stores in over 40 countries and plans to add more.Despite its popularity, Starbucks has been criticized and labeled by many as a blood-sucking corporate machine, driving smaller coffee shops out of business through unfair practices.This has even spawned an anti-corporate coffee counterculture, with those subscribing to this culture boycotting big business coffee chains.Increasingly popular coffee stores such as The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf are also giving Starbucks some stiff competition.In any case, it seems pretty clear that coffee has weaved itself into the fabric of our consumer-oriented culture.
(1)
Which of the following is the correct order of coffee spreading in history?
①Egypt
②America
③the Middle East
④Netherlands
⑤Venice
[ ]
A.
①③④②⑤
B.
③①⑤④②
C.
①⑤④③②
D.
③②⑤④①
(2)
We can infer from the passage _________.
[ ]
A.
Starbucks has beaten all the competitors
B.
there are no changes in the development of coffee culture
C.
the taste of coffee has changed a lot
D.
Starbucks has some effect on the development of coffee culture
(3)
The famous coffeehouse “Starbucks” originally come from _________.
[ ]
A.
Seattle
B.
Ethiopia
C.
Java
D.
France
(4)
Nowadays, if you come to a coffeehouse, you can _________.