Most of us in China are used to paying for everything with our phones. 1. At least, this was the case for Lim Swee Say from Singapore, who found his first experience with Chinese payment methods quite impressive. Lim was waiting in line to buy nuts at a street stall (货摊) in Shanghai and saw other customers show their phones and take the nuts without giving cash. 2. It seems that Singapore falls behind in mobile payments. Some Chinese tourists find it inconvenient when they have to use cash in Singapore.
3. According to Xinhua News Agency, many countries now accept mobile payment services for Chinese tourists, with WeChat Pay covered in 13 overseas countries and regions and Alipay over 200. It’s now common to see the familiar green or blue logos in tourist destinations around the world, from a tiny shop in the Scottish Highlands to a huge department store in New York.
Mobile payments are now a normal part of life in China, and the trend is sweeping other nations. According to Forrester Research, in America, mobile payments rose by 37 per cent in 2016. 4.
This may be partly because western mobile payment services require businesses to install expensive equipment before customers can use them. 5.
A. He was trying to figure out how they got paid.
B. Foreign tourists don’t like to pay with their mobile phones.
C. But in China, all it takes is a QR code (二维码) and a phone.
D. Soon after, he realized that the customers were using WeChat Pay.
E. Still, Chinese mobile payments were nearly 50 times greater than those in the US.
F. But for foreign visitors who aren’t familiar with this method, it may seem strange.
G. The popularity of Chinese mobile payments has pushed some foreign companies to accept them.
A PG-13 rating is a stricter warning by the Rating Board to parents to determine whether their children under age 13 should view the film. A PG-13 film may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity (裸露), language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category.
The theme of the film by itself will not result in a rating greater than PG-13, although activities shown in the film related to a mature theme may result in a restricted rating for the film. Any drug use will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. More than brief nudity will require at least a PG-13 rating, but such nudity in PG-13 rated film generally will not be sexually oriented. There may be violence scene in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence.
A single use of one of the rude words in a film, though only as an expletive (感叹语), initially requires at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such bad word requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context. The Rating Board nevertheless may rate such a film PG-13 if, based on a special vote by a two-thirds majority, the Raters feel that most American parents would believe that a PG-13 rating is appropriate because of the context or manner in which the words are used or because the use of those words in the film is easily neglected.
1.What is the main goal of this passage?
A.To discuss various movie ratings.
B.To explain various movie ratings.
C.To explain the difference between PG-13 and R movie ratings.
D.To explain the PG-13 movie rating.
2.According to PG-13 rating, the theme of the movie __________.
A.has little impact on its rating
B.has a large impact on its rating
C.should be entertaining
D.should be suitable for children
3.From Paragraph 2, we can learn that drug usage __________.
A.should not be allowed in movies
B.is dangerous
C.makes a PG-13 rating necessary
D.is not appropriate for children under 13
4.What does a movie with two or more uses of bad words require?
A.A PG rating. B.A PG-13 rating.
C.An R rating. D.An NC-17 rating.
About two months ago, Xing Yan started experiencing insomnia for the first time.
“It developed suddenly. I was under heavy pressure from work at the time. I could not fall asleep at all at night, and was wide awake until dawn. I tried not to think of the things that were troubling me and forget them, but the thoughts quickly returned, making it even harder for me to fall asleep,” said the bank employee from Fushun, Liaoning province.
Before the insomnia developed, Xing had regularly experienced less serious related disorders, such as taking a long time to fall asleep. He believes his tendency to worry may be the cause of his insomnia.
In addition to feeling tired during the day, Xing feels he is experiencing the physical consequences of insomnia, such as an unexplained stomach ache.
“I became very frightened when I realized I could not sleep every day,” said the 40-year-old, who has been admitted to Peking University Sixth Hospital in Beijing for treatment. “I may be ruined if this situation continues.”
In an attempt to overcome his problem, Xing plans to strictly follow the advice of his doctor, such as getting up and going to bed at fixed times, and taking medication.
Sun Hongqiang, director of the Sleep Medicine Center at the hospital, said his team has seen a constant rise in the number of patients with sleeping disorders in recent years.
Despite seeing about 100 patients every day, the 12 doctors at the center are unable to meet demand, which means many patients endure a long wait before they can consult a physician, according to Sun.
“Globally, the incidence of sleep disorders is rising,” he said. “In China, about 30 percent of the population has sleep disorders, while around 10 percent frequently experience insomnia.”
It is unclear what is behind the rise in the number of people with sleep disorders, but the problem may be linked with factors such as personality, brain-related illnesses and disturbed lifestyles, he added.
1.What is the meaning of the underlined word “insomnia”?
A.Being unable to sleep.
B.Staying up late.
C.Low sleep quality.
D.Taking a long time to fall asleep.
2.What’s Xing’s occupation?
A.A doctor.
B.A bank employee.
C.A student from Peking University
D.A physician.
3.What can be inferred from Sun Hongqiang’s words?
A.About 30% of the Chinese suffer from insomnia.
B.Doctors are too busy to see people with insomnia.
C.Physicians are in high demand in the battle against insomnia.
D.The causes of insomnia include brain-related illnesses and disturbed lifestyles.
4.What can be the best title of the passage?
A.Insomnia — A terrible disease
B.Insomnia — An increasing incident
C.Doctors — In great demand
D.Sleep disorder — A constant phenomenon
Ana, her husband Mario, and their four-year old son Antonio just moved to North Carolina. They need a temporary place to call “home” until they get settled into their new surroundings. So, Ana figured that she had better start looking for an apartment for them to stay in.
First, Ana picked up an Apartment Book at her local newspaper stand. The Apartment Book contained listings of all the major apartment complexes in her area.
Ana started by looking at the prices in the advertisements for apartments in the Apartment Book. Then, she read about the amenities that each apartment complex offered. For example, some apartments had a clubhouse, a gym (also called a “fitness center”), and a pool. After considering prices, amenities, and locations, Ana found a few apartment complexes that she liked.
Ana called the apartment complexes. She set up appointments with the apartment managers to see the apartments she found interesting. Ana made five phone calls, total. “I’ll see you then,” she said to the fifth apartment manager, and hung up the phone.
When Mario got home (to the hotel in which they were staying) from work, Ana showed him the list of apartments. “These look good,” he said.
“Mommy, let me see,” said Antonio, whom Mario had just brought home from childcare. Ana showed Antonio the pictures of the apartments.
The next day, while Mario was at work and Antonio was at childcare, Ana visited the apartment complexes. After visiting all five, she found that she liked the fifth one the best. It was near a good school system for her son, and it was near her and her husband’s workplace. She went home and discussed it with her husband, and they decided that they wanted to rent the apartment. The next day, they called the manager of the apartment complex and told him that they would like the apartment.
The manager asked them to sign a rental contract and pay a security deposit so that if any damage was done to the apartment while they were in it, the security deposit would pay for it. They signed the rental contract and paid the security deposit.
Finally, they had a place to stay.
1.Which of the following is not an amenity?
A.Clubhouse. B.Fitness center.
C.Pool. D.High ceilings.
2.What did Ana consider while looking through the Apartment Book?
A.Prices. B.Amenities.
C.Locations. D.All of the above.
3.Why is the security deposit needed when people rent a house?
A.Because it ensures that a renter will pay the rent on time.
B.Because it ensures that a renter will not have pets on the property.
C.Because it ensures that any damage done to the apartment will be paid for by the renter.
D.Because it ensures that any damage done to the apartment is kept to a minimum.
4.What do we know about Ana?
A.She was a smart and organized wife.
B.She signed the rental contract on her own.
C.She bought a home for her family in Carolina.
D.Her husband worked in a hotel.
Theaters of the Past
The Greek Theater
Theaters developed in many parts of Greece. Ancient Greek theaters were built in natural open air sites on conveniently shaped hills. This allowed a great mass of people to enjoy a show at a time. Due to this, actors placed emphasis on exaggerated (夸张的) action and speech. And, colorful symbolic masks and costumes were used.
The Medieval Theater
The Medieval theater started in churches. That’s why medieval plays were about Bible stories. At first, it became a custom for priests (牧师) to act out brief scenes during Christmas and Easter. These acts attracted large crowds. Finally the church refused to allow priests to participate in any such events again, so ordinary people began these performances outside. Performances were set in the town square, with several stage settings around it.
The Elizabethan Theater
The England’s theater developed rapidly in the years following the defeat of the Spanish Navy. The dominant feature of Elizabethan theater was the stage, It has three parts: The fore stage for outside scenes ;the inner stage for scenes inside a building; an upper stage or balcony for various purposes. The reason for this design is that there were no scene changes, or breaks during the play. Very little scenery was used, so the actors had to create a scene through their voices and dialogues. This led to a more poetic script , and poets became the main source of script writing.
The Restoration Theater
Some of the plays told sad stories, but the majority of the plays were really funny. Many specialized machines were used to create the scene. The stage was a very clever idea , in that on the sides of the stage large back shutters (百叶窗) were painted with the scene.
1.Why were ancient Greek theaters built on hills?
A.To hold a large audience.
B.To build a big and strong stage.
C.To have a better sound effect.
D.To emphasize exaggerated performances.
2.In which theater could actors’ voices and speech help create scenes?
A.The Greek Theater.
B.The Medieval Theater,
C.The Elizabethan Theater,
D.The Restoration Theater.
3.What is special about the Restoration Theater?
A.Colorful masks were used.
B.The stage was smartly designed.
C.Most of its plays were sorrowful.
D.Ordinary people were the performers.
假如你是李华，你的美国笔友Mike来信表示对中国高中学校生活感兴趣，询问你进入高中学习以来的感受，请根据以下提示写一封回信。
1.学习情况；
2.课外活动（英语演讲比赛，知名作家讲座，各种选修课elective course）；
3.对未来高中生活的展望。
注意：1. 词数100左右； 2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Mike,
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Yours Sincerely,
Li Hua
