Festivals are a great way to experience a destination in a different way. This article will fuel your wanderlust（漫游癖）and guide you to the best festivals.
St Patrick’s Day
Where: Dublin, Ireland & New York, USA
When: 17 March
St Patrick’s Day has taken place in New York city on March 17th since 1762. On this day, the whole city turns green. Many Irish make traditional bread on this day. It is one of the most fun days the of the year in New York City every year, when the whole city turns into a big green party.
SXSW
Where: Austin, USA
When:10-19 March
Like free things? Yeah me too! Free food, drink and music sound good? Welcome to Austin, Texas. SXSW is a festival for those who work in the music and film industries. There are “free” shows. You di have to pay but not by handing over cash; you have to give some time to queue but it is worth it to see some popular stars.
King’s Day
Where: Amsterdam, Netherlands
When: 27 April
Every year on April 27 Amsterdam turns a very bright color of orange for King’s Day, which is the birthday of King Willem-Alexander. It is a crazy fun celebration when the center of the city is car, bus, and bike-free. It is a market day, when anyone can sell pretty much anything. Tips: Take a jacket with you, wear orange, and bring cash.
Just for Laughs
Where: Montreal, Canada
When: 14-30 July
For comedy lovers there is no other festival in the world better than Montreal’s Just for Laughs. The festival concentrates most of its shows in the Latin Quarter. During the day street performers delight the crowds and at night the city comes alive with comedy all over the city.
1.What do St Patrick’s Day and King’s Day have in common?
A. They are market days.
B. They feature a specific color.
C. They begin in the same month.
D. They are in honor of a King’s birthday.
2.Which festival is about music and film?
A. St Patrick’s Day. B. SXSW.
C. King’s Day. D. Just for Laughs.
3.What do we know about Just for Laughs?
A. It offers free food.
B. It lasts for one week.
C. It is the best comedy festival in the world.
D. It is celebrated in many places worldwide.
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
Workaholics live for their work, often spending many extra hours at work, and often taking work home to complete. It’s fine to live in a work-hard culture, but when work becomes the only reason for a person’s existence above more important things (such as family and friends), the issue becomes critical. That’s the problem more and more Americans are faced with.
Americans are working more hours per week than in years past, and with many companies reducing employees, more and more workers are worried about their own jobs. Some studies show that as many as 40 percent of American workers don’t even bother to take vacations, partly because of fears they may not have a job to come back to if they do. Besides, it is obvious that part of the matter is financial. More and more people begin to define success in terms of financial measures. The higher one’s income is, the more respect one gets. Finally, people nowadays live and work in a connected environment -- e-mails, instant messaging, fax machines, and cell phones -- making it hard for them to truly get time away from their work, even when they are on holiday.
When work becomes the only reason for being -- when it becomes the only thing people think about, the only thing that truly makes people happy, many Americans find that they are no longer close to their kids. Divorce rate jumps and serious stress-related health problems come up. Undoubtedly, it is time to do something.
To reduce workaholism, you must stay away from work once in a while. There are many ways to do that: Spend time with family and friends; Call home often to stay connected; Learn to say no to new assignments; Consider exercises to get your body back to a healthy shape; Fight the urge that everything you do must be perfect. It will take some effort, but for yourself and those you love, you really should make the effort. Have a try and you won’t regret it.
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假如你是高中生李华，你的美国笔友Jack热爱中国传统文化，最近打算来中国工作生活一段时间，但是不确定应该去往哪个城市，写信向你咨询。请你给他写一封回信，内容包括:
1. 你推荐的城市；
2. 推荐的理由(不少于两条)；
3. 美好祝愿。
注意:
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
Who are better at science in your class, girls or boys? These years, girls start to show more interest in the 1. (subject) of science, technology, engineering and Maths (STEM), according to a recent study from the UK.
In the study, every year over the last seven years, over 20,000 students 2. were in their final year in high school were surveyed. As for university courses, 3. number of girls considering choosing STEM subjects has a 4. (big) increase than that of boys. Over one-fifth of the girls surveyed said they were considering jobs 5. (relate) to STEM, such as engineers. And the interest in engineering and science has also risen.
This is an important change for women in the UK. But at present, there are not nearly as many women 6. men studying STEM subjects or working in the STEM fields. Only 13%～22% of people who graduate 7. university with STEM degrees are women. And women are seen only one in eight STEM jobs.
Are men really more suited to STEM work than women? Of course not. This is 8. (part) because of the conventional idea, which means many people think so, even though it is not correct.
“It is important that young women should 9. (encourage) to get into these jobs. In fact, STEM subjects are fun and exciting. Studying science can do 10. (we) good. It offers women chances of taking up fantastic careers and they will get higher pay in these areas,” said Niki Yates, manager of GSK’s business.
Last week 26-year-old Zion took a seat and put his food on a table at a McDonald’s. He was intending to ______ breakfast by himself when 70-year-old Jan, who is living alone, ______ Zion. Then she asked in a weak voice ______she could share the table with him. Zion said ‘yes’ ______.
Zion introduced himself and shook the little lady’s ______ hand. They didn’t know each other, and they couldn’t be more ______. But today they had a meal together and spent the next 45 minutes enjoying each other’s ______ and sharing stories about their lives. Like they were friends, they talked and ______ together. When their time together came to an end, Zion ______ her to her car and they exchanged numbers with the intention of having a ______ again soon.
“She is such a ______ woman,” Zion recalled. “She mentioned many times how we all should love one another and how we should not ______ anyone because you never know how their day is going and what they have ______.”
Zion is glad that his ______ conversation with Jan could inspire so many people, but he says that he is mostly just happy to have a new ______. He says that he is very ______ to set up another breakfast date. “I’ll ______ trying,” said Zion. “I know if we had forever she would have a ______ for me for every day.”
Every stranger has the ______ to foster a new friendship. Their ______ story has been posted on social media and it melts our hearts. Now they are internet famous.
1.A. prepare B. order C. eat D. finish
2.A. invited B. approached C. recognized D. greeted
3.A. that B. when C. how D. if
4.A. enthusiastically B. casually C. nervously D. anxiously
5.A. delicate B. strong C. wrinkled D. skilled
6.A. popular B. different C. friendly D. admirable
7.A. success B. peace C. freedom D. company
8.A. laughed B. played C. cheered D. teased
9.A. carried B. led C. walked D. drove
10.A. visit B. breakfast C. share D. call
11.A. wonderful B. silent C. generous D. content
12.A. ignore B. blame C. suspect D. judge
13.A. depended on B. given up C. gone through D. cared about
14.A. brief B. sweet C. private D. serious
15.A. friend B. start C. target D. opportunity
16.A. upset B. frightened C. proud D. excited
17.A. start B. keep C. advocate D. consider
18.A. gift B. food C. story D. sponsor
19.A. potential B. intention C. fortune D. confidence
20.A. strange B. familiar C. amusing D. touching
Choosing the right college can be challenging, but knowing where to start can be even more challenging. 1. Here are the tips I wish someone would have told me before I chose which college to attend.
First things first, you need to decide what you want to major in. This will be the most important part of the process, because it will determine what career you will choose after college. This decision is not the end, you can definitely change majors once you’re in college. 2.
Next, it’s time to decide if you want to stay close to your hometown or go away for college. Both options have their own pros and cons. These pros and cons can vary from money and how much financial aid the college will provide you, job success after graduation, opportunities the college offers such as study abroad or internships, to how many people attend the college. 3.
4. Would you mind living in the area surrounding the campus? Do they have a good program for your major? Does the college have big or small classes, which would you prefer? How is the college ranked? Does ranking matter to you? Is the campus big or small? Which would you prefer? Does the school feel like a good personal fit?
Make sure to also do research on alumni (校友), current students and professors who are present on the different campuses of the colleges you are inquiring about. It’s always good to do great research than none at all and pick a college you know nothing about and regret your decision in the end. And if this happens, you’ll end up transferring (转学) to another college, where you’ll definitely do your research to not have the same thing happen again. 5.
Now that you have all this newfound knowledge on how to choose a college, I hope you are ready to start the process! Good luck!
A. No worries, I am here to help you through the process.
B. There’s no excuse for not visiting the colleges in your local area.
C. Other things to consider when choosing a college are as follows.
D. You can register for its online college fair at campuslife.com.
E. These are all things to take into consideration when choosing a college.
F. But note that changing majors can affect how long it will take you to graduate.
G. So you might as well get all the research done now, and save yourself both time and money.
