While it’s books that make a library, being in lovely surroundings may provide inspiration and help you work a little bit harder. Here are some of the coolest libraries of the world.
Library of Birmingham – Birmingham, U.K.
The new Library of Birmingham is said to be not only Britain’s biggest public library, but also the largest in Europe. Designed by Dutch architects, this replacement for the Birmingham Central Library was opened in 2013 and has a wealth of resources within its walls, including adults and kids’ libraries, music collections, a Shakespeare Memorial Room, and even a gym room. Gardens crown the roof, while the changing seasons bring variations in the shadows and reflections inside.
National Library of France – Paris, France
The National Library of France, which now contains an astonishing collection of 30 million, dates back to the 14th century and this royal library was set up at the Louvre by King Charles V. The Library was moved to Rue de Richelieu site in 1868, with major design work carried out by French architects Henri Labrouste and, following his death, Jean-Louis Pascal. Here, the reading rooms are elegance itself. There are more than just books to be found.
State Library of New South Wales – Sydney, Australia
The public State Library of New South Wales holds the honor of being the oldest institution of its kind in Australia. It was originally set up as the Australian Subscription Library in 1826, but it wasn’t until 1942 that its permanent home was ready. Designed by Sydney architect Walter Liberty Vernon and completed in 1910, the magnificent sandstone Mitchell Wing is one of the architectural highlights.
Seattle Central Library – Seattle, Washington, USA
Seattle Central Library’s distinctive design ensures it stands out. Architect Rem Koolhaas is one of the names attached to its design. Architects sought to envelop the 11-story building with “a layer of transparency”, using a skin of glass and metal. The finished article houses about 1.45 million books and other things, as well as more than 400 computers available for public use. The building, which opened in 2004, was included on the American Institute of Architects’ list of America’s 150 favorite buildings in 2007.
1.Which of the following library has the longest history?
A. Library of Birmingham B. National Library of France
C. State Library of New South Wales D. Seattle Central Library
2.What can you do in Library of Birmingham?
A. Attend a concert. B. Act a play.
C. Take some exercise. D. Enjoy new technology.
3.What do National Library of France and Seattle Central Library have in common?
A. They have computers available. B. They were moved to a new place.
C. They won awards for architecture. D. They were designed by more than one person.
假设你是红星中学高三学生李华，请根据以下四幅图的先后顺序，介绍你在伦敦冬令营期间与同学们自行前往博物馆的完整过程，并以“My Experience in London”为题，给校刊“英语园地”写一篇英文稿件。
注意：1. 词数不少于60； 2. 开头已给出，不计入总词数。
My Experience in London
Last winter vacation, my classmates and I went to London to attend a winter camp.
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在成长的过程中，我们总是对未来的职业充满憧憬。近期你班将以“My Dream Career” 为题举行演讲比赛。请你根据以下要求写一篇英语演讲稿，内容包括：
1. 你的理想职业； 2. 选择它的理由；3. 实现的途径。
注意：
1. 词数100词左右；
2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数；
3. 可根据内容要点适当发挥，以使行文连贯。
My Dream Career
Good morning everyone!
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Thank you for listening!
Any car accident is frightening, but an accident in which your vehicle is thrown into the water, with you trapped inside, is absolutely terrifying. 1.However, most deaths result from panic，without a plan or understanding what is happening to the car in the water. By adopting a brace(支撑) position, acting decisively and getting out fast, you can save yourself from a sinking vehicle.
Brace yourself for impact (撞击力). As soon as you're aware that you're going off the road and into a body of water, adopt a brace position. The impact could set off the airbag system in your vehicle，so you should place both hands on the steering wheel in the “ten and two” position.
Undo your seat belt. 2. Unfasten the children, starting with the oldest first. Forget the cell phone call. Your car isn't going to wait for you to make the call.
3. Leave the door alone at this stage and concentrate on the window. A car's electrical system should work for up to three minutes in water, so try the method of opening it electronically first. Many people don't think about the window as an escape option either because of panic or misinformation about doors and sinking.
Break the window. If you aren't able to open the window, or it only opens halfway, you'll need to break it with an object or your foot. It may feel counterintuitive (有悖常理的) to let water into the car.4.
Escape when the car has equalized. If it has reached the dramatic stage where the car cabin has been filled with water and it has become balanced, you must move quickly and effectively to ensure your survival. 5.While there is still air in the car, take slow，deep breaths and focus on what you're doing.
A. Open the window as soon as you hit the water.
B. Surviving a sinking car is not as difficult as you think.
C. It takes 60 to 120 seconds for a car to fill up with water usually.
D. Such accidents are particularly dangerous due to the risk of drowning.
E. In conclusion, if you know what to do in the water, you will be safe.
F. This is the first thing to attend to, yet it often gets forgotten in the panic.
G. But the sooner the window is open, the sooner you can escape directly through it.
The mass death of flying foxes in extreme heat in North Queensland last month underlines the importance of University of Queensland wildlife research released today.The UQ research sheds light on how various species have responded to major climate events.
A study led by UQ School of Earth and Environmental Science researcher Dr Sean Maxwell has spent more than 70 years quantifying the responses of various species.
“The growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as cyclones, droughts and floods is causing unpredictable and immediate changes to ecosystems and blocking existing management efforts,” Dr Maxwell said.“Some of the negative responses we found were quite concerning, including more than 100 cases of dramatic population declines and 31 cases of local population extinction following an extreme event.”
"Populations of critically endangered bird species in Hawaii, such as the palia, have been annihilated due to drought, leaving none of its kind, and populations of lizard species have been wiped out due to cyclones in the Bahamas."
Cyclones were the most common extreme event for birds, fish, plants and reptiles, while mammals and amphibians were most responsive to drought events, with drought leading to 12 cases of major population decline in mammals.Drought also led to 13 cases of breeding declines in bird populations and 12 cases of changes in the composition of invertebrate communities.
UQ Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science director Professor James Watson said the detailed information would help inform ecosystem management.
“The research clearly shows species will respond, often negatively, to extreme events,” Professor Watson said.“As climate change continues to ensure extreme climate and weather events are more and more common,we now need to act to ensure species have the best chance to survive.Wherever possible, high quality and intact habitat areas should be retained, as these are the places where species are most resilient(易恢复的) to increasing exposure to extreme events.”
1.How was the UQ researchconducted?
A. By observing extreme weather events.
B. By protecting the endangered species.
C. By recording reactions of animals to extreme climate.
D. By analyzing the reason why mass animal death happened.
2.What does the underlined word “annihilated” in paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. destroyed B. defeated
C. decreased D. disappeared
3.Which of the following sentences is true about extreme weather events?
A. Drought caused 13 cases of distinctionin bird populations.
B. Drought caused 12 cases of population decline in mammals.
C. Birds and mammals are most responsive to cyclones.
D. Cyclones wiped out populations of lizard.
4.What can we infer from Professor Watson’s words?
A. Animals often show negative responses to extreme events.
B. The existing management ways for wildlife protection are limited.
C. Different methods should be adopted to ensure the survival of different species.
D. Complete and undamaged habitats are of great importance to species’ survival.
Finland is the happiest place on Earth, according to the 2018 World Happiness Report of 156 nations.
The report, released Wednesday by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network, ranks the countries of the world based on six different categories of well-being: income, freedom, trust, life expectancy, generosity and social support. This year's report also pays special attention to the happiness of each country’s immigrants.
The U.S. dropped four spots from 2017 and landed in 18th place, and last year’s winner, Norway, came in second place — followed by Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland.
“The top five countries all have almost equally high values for the six factors found to support happiness, and four of these countries—Denmark, Switzerland, Norway and now Finland — have been in first place in the six World Happiness Report rankings since the first report" in 2012, ”co-editor John Helliwell told CNN.“In a division with such excellent teams, changes in the top spot are to be expected."
Rounding out the top 10 happiest countries was Canada in sixth place, then New Zealand, Sweden and Australia. The order of the top 10 nations changed from the 2017 list but the countries did not, according to the report. They were also 10 of the 11 top spots in the immigrant happiness category (including Mexico — 24th overall, but 10th in immigration).
“The most striking finding of the report is the remarkable consistency between the happiness of immigrants and the locally born,” Helliwell said in a statement. “Although immigrants come from countries with very different levels of happiness, their reported life evaluations resemble those of other residents in their new countries. Those who move to happier countries gain, while those who move to less happy countries lose.”
Other major world powers placed in significantly low spots on the list. Germany came in 15th, the UK was 19th — followed by Japan in 54th place, Russia in 59th and China in 86th.
The report, based on surveys completed by citizen volunteers, came just under a week before World Happiness Day on March 20, when the UN declared to recognize “the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives”
1.The US ranked______ in 2017.
A. 14 B. 10
C. 18 D. 22
2.What is the most significant finding of the report?
A. That immigrants are different from residents in the country.
B. That immigrants come from countries with different levels of happiness.
C. That immigrants become happy when they leave the country.
D. That immigrants and locals feel the similar level of happiness.
3.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Happiness is no less important than any other aspect in life.
B. People’s happiness and well-being should be considered when it comes to policy-making.
C. The happiness report came under a week before World Happiness Day.
D. What the UN declared was beneficial to all human beings.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A. World Happiness Day. B. Happiness — forever pursuit.
C. What's your happiness index(指数)? D. The 2018 World Happiness Report.
