According to legend, the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy, which connects the Palazzo Ducale to an ancient prison, got its name because the walk across it gave prisoners on their way to jail a final chance to enjoy the beauty of the city. The view from the bridge today, however, is more likely to be of a giant billboard selling Bulgari or Coca-cola.
But when the Coke billboards went up this summer on buildings near the Piazza San Marco,which is at the historic heart of Venice, there was a public debate.
"We can't commercialize everything, " said Alessandra Mottola Molfino, a Venetian.
"We couldn't stay quiet, " said Maria Camilla Bianchini d'Alberigo, president of a heritage protection association.
City of officials. however, argue that without these ads, the city could not afford to maintain its heritage. Many have been damaged by centuries of wear and are even a threat to public safety.
"I can't turn down the image of a bottle when there are pieces of the Palazzo Ducale falling to the ground, " said Renata Codello, a Culture Ministry official.
The Culture Minister has a budget of about $ 47 million (315 million yuan) for restoration of monuments. but Italy has a rich architectural heritage, and funds are always tight. Of that amount, $ 1. 8 million was given to the entire Veneto region, which includes Venice.
Two years ago, the city signed an agreement with the Dottor Group, a company responsible for the restoration of the Bridge of Sighs and the Palazzo Ducale. It allows it to sell ad space.
But there is a condition in the agreement: The ads should not offend public taste.
In August, Venice banned US actress Julianne Moore's Bulgrari ad from a billboard in the Piazza San Marco.
The photo shows a naked Moore covered with lion cubs. handbags and jewelry. Mayor Giorgio Orsoni called the image too racy (猥亵) and unsuitable for the Piazza San Marco.
"l consider the fact that Venice is part of the real world_ but we cannot accept these Hollywood-style images. There are wise sponsors. and we need to come up with advertising that suits Venice. not Times Square, " he said in a speech.
1.The article is mainly about__________in Venice.
A. restoration of cultural heritage
B. widespread commercialization
C. the conflict between ads and cultural heritage
D. the difficulty of restoring monuments
2. In the first paragraph, the beautiful view from the Bridge of Sighs is mentioned to__________.
A. introduce other monuments of the ancient city
B. show many ancient structures need repairing
C. indicate that the view is blocked by huge ads
D. attract readers' interest in the famous city
3. From the article we can conclude that Renata Codello__________ the advertising.
A. is in favor of B. is worried about C. objects to D. doesn't mind
4.Why do many Venetians complain about the ads?
A. They support commercialization.
B. They feel the ads are damaging the city.
C. The ads are usually racy and in an American style.
D. The ads don't present a traditional view of Venice.
5.It can be inferred from the passage that
A. Hollywood stars' ads cannot go up in Venice
B. people can buy Bulgari or Coca-cola on the Bridge of Sighs
C. the Dottor Group may stop its restoration work for lack of funds
D. the mayor of Venice is expecting new advertising
I have always known my kids use digital communications equipment a lot. But my cellphone bill last month really grabbed my attention. My son had come up to nearly 2,000 incoming text messages, and had sent nearly as many. Of course, he was out of school for the summer and communicating more with friends from a distance. Nevertheless, he found time to keep a summer job and complete a college course in between all that typing with thumb.
I was even more surprised to learn that my son is normal. "Teenagers with cellphones each send and receive 2,272 text messages a month on average, " Nielsen Mobile said.
Some experts regret that all that keyboard jabber(键盘闲聊) is making our kids stupid, unable to read non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, gestures, posture and other silent signals of mood and attitude. Unlike phones, text messaging doesn't even allow transmission of tone of voice or pauses, says Mark Bauerlein, author called The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future.
Beyond that, though, I'm not sure I see as much harm as critics of this trend. I' ve posted before on how I initially tried to control my kids' texting. But over time, I have seen my son suffer no apparent ill effects, and he gains a big benefit, continuing contact with others.
I don't think texting make kids stupid. It may make them annoying, when they try to text and talk to you at the same time. And it may make them distracted. when buzzing text message interrupt efforts to noodle out a math problem or finish reading for school.
But I don't see texting harming teens' ability to communicate. My son is as accustomed to nonverbal cues as any older members of our family. I have found him more engaged and easier to communicate with from a great distance. because he is constantly available by means of text message and responds with faithfulness and speed.
1.What is Mark Bauerlein ' s attitude to texting?
A. It is convenient for teens to communicate with others.
B. It is likely to cause trouble in understanding each other.
C. It is convenient for teens to text and call at the same time.
D. It will cause damage to the development of teens' intelligence.
2.What would be the best title for this passage?
A. For Teens, Texting Instead of Talking
B. For Parents, Caring Much for Their Kids
C. Disadvantages of Texting
D. The Effect of Communication
3.What does the underlined word "distracted" in the fifth paragraph mean?
A. Confused. B. Absent-minded.
C. Comfortable. D. Bad-tempered.
4. The author's attitude to texting is ___________ .
A. objective B. opposed C. supportive D. doubtful
5.According to the passage, which of the statements is NOT true?
A. It is normal for a teen to send or receive 60 text messages per day.
B. Texting is a very popular way of communication among teens.
C. The writer limited his son to send or receive messages at first.
D. When texting, teens don't mind talking with you.
Normally a student must attend a certain number of courses in order to graduate, and each course which he attends gives him a credit which he may count towards a degree. In many American universities the total work for a degree consists of thirty-six courses each lasting for one semester. A typical course consists of three classes per week for fifteen weeks; while attending a university a student will probably attend four or five courses during each semester. Normally a student would expect to take four years attending two semesters each year. It is possible to spread the period of work for the degree over a longer period. It is also possible for a student to move between one university and another during his degree course, though this is not in fact done as a regular practice.
For every course that he follows a student is given a grade, which is recorded. and the record is available for the student to show to potential employers. All this imposes(增加) a constant pressure and stress of work, but in spite of this some students still find time for great activity in student affairs. Elections to positions in student organizations arouse much enthusiasm. The effective work of maintaining discipline is usually performed by students who advise the academic authorities. Any student who is thought to have broken the rules, for example, by cheating has to appear before a student court. With the enormous numbers of students. the operation of the system does involve a certain amount of activity. A student who has held one of these positions of authority is much respected and it will be of benefit to him later in his career.
1.Normally a student would at least attend __________classes each week.
A. 36 B. 12 C. 20 D. 15
2.According to the first paragraph an American student is allowed
A. to live in a different university
B. to change permanently his or her university
C. to live at home and drive to classes
D. to get two degrees from two different universities
3.American university students are usually under pressure of work because__________.
A. their academic performance will affect their future careers
B. they are heavily involved in student affairs
C. they have to obey university rules
D. they want to run for positions of authority
4.Some students are enthusiastic for positions in student organizations probably because_________.
A. they hate the constant pressure and stress of their study
B. they will then be able to stay longer in the university
C. such positions help them get better jobs
D. such positions are usually well paid
5.The student organizations seem to be effective in__________.
A. dealing with the academic affairs of the university
B. ensuring that the students observe university regulations
C. evaluating students' performance by bringing them before a court
D. keeping up the students' enthusiasm for social activities
Time is something from which we can' t escape. Even if we ignore it, it's still going by, ticking away, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour. 1. the main issue in using your time well is "Who's in charge?" We can allow time to slip by 2. let it be our enemy. Or we can take control of it and make it 3. ally(同盟) .
By taking control of 4. you spend your time, you'll increase your chances of becoming 5. more successful student. Perhaps more importantly, the better you are at managing the time you devote 6. your studies, the more time you'II have to spend on your outside interests .
The aim of time management is 7. to schedule every moment so we become slaves of a timetable 8. governs every waking moment of the day. Instead, the aim is to make informed choices as to how we use our time.
In the middle of a beautiful day, I was feeling lost, as if the world was crashing on me. didn't know which way to go, except to head out to the countryside. I went to the spot where I used to take my kids-when I still had kids. Now they had and were leaving.
I was sitting alone in my car when I saw a man in his seventies, whose problem appeared bigger than mine. He stood near the edge of the road, a kite spindle(风筝线锭) in his hands. Apparently, lost in thought, he stared skyward. I my neck to see how successful he had been in the clouds. Following his string with my eyes, I almost lost 0f the other end. Finally, the kite rested on what seemed to be the highest branch of the tree in the park. Obviously, that was his grandson's kite! The kite was a replica (复制品) of a beautiful bald eagle, and its wings spread 0pen. Grandpa had only one to his problem: cut the string.
"You wanted it to fly as high as it could. Bill. didn't you?" "Yes, Grandpa, wanted to keep it forever. " "There just comes a time when the only thing you can do is to cut the string and let it go. Perhaps by doing that, when it flies very high like real eagles do, it will come back to us. " Grandpa said.
I how the old man cut the string to let fly the kite. As the two walked away, looked to the . There I saw my answer, too. Today I have to cut the final strings that kept my two boys my reach. Though I want to keep them forever, I have taught them to fly like an eagle. Maybe by doing this, when it's time to soar like real eagles do. one day they would come back to me.
1.A. grown up B. turned up C. picked up D. taken up
2.A. carrying B. grabbing C. keeping D. holding
3.A. raised B. spread C. stretched D. expanded
4.A. reaching B. touching C. getting D. climbing
5.A. scene B. sight C. interest D. control
6.A. thickest B. strongest C. tallest D. largest
7.A. widely B. wide C. tightly D. closely
8.A. method B. hope C. solution D. result
9.A. and B. so C. or D. but
10.A. sensed B. glanced C. watched D. found
11.A. car B. sky C. kite D. tree
12.A. within B. in C. beyond D. with
lt was his positive attitude to life and hard work _________finally led him to his successful career .
A. which B. what C. that D. as
