【题目】Tens of thousands of theatre tickets will be given away to young people next year as part of a government campaign to inspire a life-long love for theatre.

The plan to offer free seats to people aged between 18 to 26-funded with 2. 5 million of taxpayers' money-was announced yesterday by Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary. It received a cautious welcome from some in the arts world, who expressed concern that the tickets may not reach the most underprivileged.

The plan comes as West End theatres are enjoying record audiences, thanks largely to musicals teaming up with television talent shows. Attendances reached 13. 6 million in 2007,up 10 percent on2006,itself a record year. Total sales were up 18 percent on 2006 to almost 470 million.

One theatre source criticized the Government's priorities (优先考虑的事)in funding free tickets when pensioners were struggling to buy food and fuel, saying " I don't know why the Government's wasting money on this. The Young Vic, as The Times reported today, offers excellent performances at cheap prices. "

There was praise for the Government's plan from Dominic Cooke of the Royal Court Theatre, who said :" I support any move to get young people into theatre, and especially one that aims to do it all over England, not just in London. "

Ninety-five publicly funded theatres could apply for funding under the two-year plan. In return, they will offer free tickets on at least one day each week to 18 to 26-year-olds, first-come, first-served. It is likely to be on Mondays, traditionally a quiet night for the theatre.

Mr. Burnham said " A young person attending the theatre can find it an exciting experience, and be inspired to explore a new world. But sometimes people miss out on it because they fear it's ‘not for them'. It's time to change this perception. "

Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said "The real is-sue is not getting enthusiastic children into the theatre, but improving arts education so that more young people want to go in the first place. For too many children theatres are a no-go area. "

【1】 Critics of the plan argued that __________.

A. the theatres would be overcrowded

B. it would be a waste of money

C. pensioners wouldn't get free tickets

D. the government wouldn't be able to afford it

【2】 According to the supporters, the plan should __________.

A. benefit the television industry

B. focus on producing better plays

C. help increase the sales of tickets

D. involve all the young people in England

【3】 Which of the following is TRUE about the plan?

A. Ninety-five theatres have received funding.

B. Everyone will get at least one free ticket.

C. It may not benefit all the young people.

D. Free tickets are offered once every day.

【4】 We can infer from the passage that in England __________.

A. many plays are not for young people

B. many young people don't like theatre

C. people know little about the plan

D. children used to receive good arts education

【5】 According to the passage, the issue to offer free tickets to young people seems __________.

A. controversial

B. inspiring

C. exciting

D. unreasonable

【题目】The worlds richest man might seem to have it all,but Bill Gates has one regret.The self-made billionaire said he felt stupid for not knowing any foreign languages.

Speaking in his third Ask Me Anything question-and-answer session for online forum Reddit(红迪网),the Microsoft founder said that he wished he spoke French,Arabic or Chinese.

He said:I took Latin and Greek in high school and got A's and I guess it helps my vocabulary.I keep hoping to get time to study one of theseprobably French because it is the easiest.I did Duolingo for a while but didnt keep it up.

Gates,who is worth $79.3 billion,praised Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for surprising an audience in Beijing when he spoke fluent Chinese.Mark Zuckerberg amazingly leamed Chinese and did a Q&A with Chinese studentsunbelievable,isnt it?he said.

This isnt the first time for Gates to admit his regret over language.He also showed his habits at home and personal insights.

Last February, Gates said he likes to do the dishes himselfto his own special standards every night and also told the interviewer that his wife,Melinda,would likely want Samuel L.Jackson to play her husband in a biopic(传记片).

He also admitted that he would pick up a $100 bill if he found it on the street.

As he took the top spot on Forbes(福布斯)28th Annual Billionaires list last year for the fourth time,he said he is pretty basic when it comes to so ending on clothes and food,but that he enjoys investing in shoes and racquets(球拍)when he plays tennis.

When asked a life lesson he had to learn the hard way,the billionaire said staying up too late is a habit he is still trying to break.‘‘Dont stay up too late even if the book is really exciting.You will regret it in the morning.Pam still working on this problem,he said.

【1】Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A.An Interview with Bill Gates

B.How Bill Gates Succeeded

C.Bill GatesRegret

D.The Richest Billionaire

【2】The underlined part in Paragraph 8 may actually mean that_____.

A.it is important to lay a good foundation of life

B.food and clothing are basic needs for peoples life

C.he doesnt spend much money on food and clothes

D.he never cares about buying food and clothing

【3】What advice did Bill Gates give?

A.Avoid staying up too late.

B.Be a good language learner.

C.Do the dishes yourself at home.

D.Pick up the $100 bills in the streets.

【4】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A.Bill Gates is also the founder of Facebook

B.Bill Gates topped the list of Forbes 28 times.

C.Bill Gates was good at learning languages in high schoo1.

D.Bill Gateswife wants Samuel to play a game with Gates.

【题目】October 21 was a very dark day in Texas.Not only did Hurricane Hanna destroy homes,it caused the largest business damage in Texass history.The worst thing is Hannas destructive force nearly wiped out most power poles and power lines.According to Center Point Energy,Hurricane Hanna affected 2.15 million customers.Currently, more than 4,000 of them are still in the dark.Crews have worked 16-hour shifts to restore power to residents.

Most of Houston seems to be returning to normal.Schools,restaurants,retail stores and gas stations are open.Smiles are back.But harder-hit places,including Galveston,will take much longer to recover. Hundreds of people are still missing,and coastal towns are a mess.Some ruins from storm have drifted south to other beaches in Texas.Several public schools in Galveston are closed due to water damage.Parents are registering kids in other area schools which are scheduled to begin class on November 13.Many school supplies were destroyed.

Clara Barton Village is an emergency shelter located at Alamo Elementary School in Galveston,Texas.This is where Paula Reed and her family are staying.Believe it or not,Paula Reed and her family consider this hurricane a blessing.When Paula was a girl,she was an orphan,but was taken in by her stepmom,Antonia Flores.Reed lost contact with Flores and had been trying desperately to locate her for the past few years.Before the hurricane,Reed and her family moved away from Galveston to a San Antonio shelter.There,she reunited with Flores after 30 long years! The moment they saw each other, their lives were changed.

【1】Whats the most serious damage caused by Hurricane Hanna?

A.Hundreds of people are still missing.

B.A large number of people are homeless.

C.Power facilities are severely destroyed.

D.Factories are closed and many people jobless.

【2】It can be inferred that the residents in Houston________.

A.have fully recovered from the disaster

B.were the most unlucky people in the disaster

C.need a long time to bring their life back to normal

D.suffered less from Hanna than people in Galveston

【3】Kids in public schools in other areas of Houston will have to stay at home for_______

A.at least one month B.at least three weeks

C.two weeks at most D.nearly half a month

【4】Paula Reed and her family consider the hurricane a blessing because_______

A.they had nothing lost after Hurricane Hanna

B.they lived a happier life in San Antonio shelter

C.Paula was taken good care of in the shelter

D.Paula reunited with her stepmother after three decades

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