How affordable is high culture? One great myth of our time is that tickets for opera, theatre, ballet and orchestral (管弦乐) concerts are too expensive, especially for the young. This is infuriating as, in Britain, at least, the claim is ridiculous and offensive. The cheap tickets to hear London's orchestras range from ￡7 to ￡9 — same as a cinema ticket, and lower than the entry price to many pop music and comedy clubs. For comparison, when the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra performs with top soloists and conductors the cheapest seat is ￡30; and at the Berlin Philharmonic, it's an expensive ￡46.
Finding cheap tickets to the opera and ballet isn't so easy. True. British companies don't charge the ridiculous high prices found on the Continent (￡2,000 for a good seat at a premiere of La Scala's Carmen last December), but the tickets are still pretty steep. Large fees paid to star performers mostly account for that. Luckily, however, one spectacular technological innovation has transformed the scene. It's live (or slightly delayed) cinema transmissions. The New York Metropolitan Opera now beams its shows to 800 cinemas round the world, and British companies aren't far behind. Cinematic opera is excellent value. For the cost of a good bottle of wine (￡10 or ￡15 for the Royal Opera House's shows) you can sit in your local movie-house and see a high-definition relay of what's occurring on the world's grandest stages. No, it's not the same as being there, but it's almost as good. The sound is incredible. The images, particularly of dancers, are fantastic. And you can react to the show as part of a live audience, rather than sitting on your own at home.
To me, this mountain of evidence, together with free museum admissions, indicates that the arts world should stop worrying that its audiences are still mostly middle-class. Anyone who can afford to visit a pub can also afford to see top-quality drama, music and dance. The real battle now should be ensuring that school children are given enough tastes of high culture to make them want to buy all those cheap tickets when they grow up.
1.What does the underlined word "infuriating" in paragraph 1 mean?
A.Quite interesting. B.Very annoying. C.Not certain. D.Extremely obvious.
2.What is the main reason for expensive opera tickets?
A.The amount of money charged by top performers.
B.The costly technology required for broadcast.
C.The demand of companies for big profits.
D.The high cost of renting the stages.
3.Which of the following is true about cinematic opera?
A.People can decide where to watch the opera.
B.Audiences are discouraged from responding to The performances.
C.It provides an inexpensive way of enjoying a live opera performance.
D.The sound and visual quality are superior to the live performance.
4.Which statement would the author agree with?
A.The quality of opera performances is improving.
B.High culture is becoming more affordable in Europe.
C.The cost of access to high culture activities should be lowered.
D.Children should be encouraged to participate in high culture events.
Sleep, considered a luxury by many, is essential for a person's wellbeing. Researchers have found that insufficient sleep and tiredness increase a person's risk of developing severe medical conditions, such as obesity (being very overweight), high blood sugar levels, and heart disease. Now, a new study has found that getting sufficient sleep is also the key to improving academic performance.
Jeffrey Gross, the university science professor who led the research, was not trying to find the relationship between sleep and grades when he handed out smart watches to the 100 students in his chemistry class. Instead, the professor hoped the wrist-worm devices, which track a person's physical activity, would show a connection between exercise and academic achievement.
While Gross's data showed no relationship between these two factors, the study found something surprising. As the researchers were analyzing their data, they noticed that there was a straight-line relationship between the average amount of sleep a student got and their results in the course's 11 quizzes, three midterm tests, and the final exam.
Even more interesting, it was not sufficient for students to just head to bed early the night before a test. Instead, it's the sleep you get during the days when learning is happening that matters most.
The time students went to bed each night was similarly important. Those who went to bed in early hours of the morning performed poorly, even if the total sleep time was the same as a higher-performing student. "When you go to bed matters," Gross says, "If you go to bed at 10, or 12, or 1 at night, and sleep for seven hours, your performance is the same. But if you go to bed after 2, your performance starts to go down even if you get the same seven hours. So, quantity isn't everything."
Perhaps the most interesting was the huge impact that small differences in sleep patterns had on the students' grades. The overall course grades for students averaging six and a half hours of sleep each night were 25% lower than students who averaged just one hour more sleep. Similarly, students who varied their bedtime by even one hour each night had grades that dropped 45% below those with more regular bedtimes.
Who knew getting A's just required some extra ZZZ's?
1.Based on his original objectives, which best describes Professor Gross's research findings?
A.Accidental. B.Complete. C.Convincing. D.Doubtful.
2.Who were the people taking part in the study?
A.Middle school chemistry students. B.Volunteers from different universities.
C.Professor Gross's own students. D.University student athletes.
3.How did Professor Gross's team measure academic performance?
A.Making the students wear a special watch.
B.Using students' university entrance test results.
C.Giving the students regular after class quizzes.
D.Using the students' normal test and quiz grades.
4.Based on the study's findings, who is likely to perform best academically.
A.A person who has a good night's sleep the night before an important test.
B.A person whose normal bedtime varies between 9 p.m. and 12 p.m.
C.A person who sleeps from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. each day.
D.A person who sleeps for a total of 7 hours each night.
When Allen invited me on a camping trip to the mountains, I imagined a wooden cabin overlooking a lake, with a warm fireplace, hot cocoa, and soft beds. But my happy image became a nightmare when Allen and his older brother, Leo, showed up with a truck filled with camping equipment—tents, sleeping bags, and water bottles, We were going on survival training!
The ever-efficient Leo was keen to leave the city behind us and urged us to hurry. Several hours later, as we drove through the forest, the mountains seemed bigger than I remembered; the trees were larger, and the environment felt more threatening.
At the trailhead, Leo tied a sleeping bag onto my already heavy pack and lectured Allen and me about hiking rules. Then, with Leo in the lead, we set off along the narrow and steep dirt track that wound up the mountain.
After 6 hours of climbing, we finally reached the top. My legs aching, I dropped my pack and groaned but there was no time to rest. "We need to set up camp quickly," said Leo." There are dark clouds coming in. A storm’s on its way."
I thought he was kidding, but Leo was quite serious. He and Allen worked expertly, while I stood around and pretended to help, thunder rumbling in the distance. We just finished putting up the tents when it hit. The wind, thunder, and lightning were relentless.
Leo, sensing that I was scared, started telling us some stories about his camping adventures. But each time lightning lit up the tent and the thunder echoed, I jumped. "Don't worry. Summer storms pass quickly," Leo said trying to comfort me. "And at least the rain will keep the bears away," he said with a teasing smile, which was less comforting.
And just as quickly as the storm came rushing in, it passed, and we exited the tent. The view was incredible — I could see for miles. As darkness set in, I stared in wonder at the millions of glowing stars in the night sky.
I won't lie — I was still wishing for a hot shower and a soft bed, but as I gazed upward at the Milky Way, I knew this was an adventure I would never forget.
1.Why was the author surprised when Allen came to get him at the beginning of the story?
A.Allen had arrived earlier than arranged.
B.He saw that Allen was not well prepared.
C.He realized their trip would be challenging.
D.Allen's brother was unexpectedly with him.
2.Why was it necessary to set up camp immediately after reaching the mountain top?
A.It was almost night time. B.The weather was changing.
C.They were tired and needed to rest. D.They needed protections from animals.
3.What can we guess about Leo?
A.He was an experienced and capable hiker.
B.He was inconsiderate of other's feelings.
C.He had known the writer for a long time.
D.He had not been to this mountain before.
4.How did the author feel at the end of the story?
A.Satisfied. B.Optimistic. C.Scared. D.Disappointed.
Stagecoach Buses — Popular tickets
Dayrider
Travel as much as you like in one day.
With Stagecoach Dayrider bus tickets you can make as many journeys as you like for one day. They offer more value for money than buying a single or return, as you can travel on all Stagecoach buses within your chosen ticket zone. Buy tickets using the Stagecoach Bus App or buy on the bus. with contactless payments now available on all our buses, you don't need to worry about finding the correct change
Bus and Boat
Unlimited bus travel for one car in the selected zone, plus a boat ride
Explore the countryside on bus and then enjoy the fine mountain views from the comfort of a boat deck. You can board one of our many boats or steamers located at four of the districts most outstanding lakes. Stagecoach have combined bus boat tickets which are available for Coniston, Detwent Water, Ullswater and Windermere
Sightseeing Tickets
Never get lost and don't miss a thing.
Hop-on and hop-off all day as much as you like at any of the bus stops on the route and see all the best sights and attractions your chosen town or city has to offer. You'll also leam lots of history along the way from one of our expert guides
Student Tickets
Flexible student bus tickets
Are you a student and getting ready for the new term? You can travel for a lot less with Stagecoach's student bus tickets. You'll need a current student ID card with a photo to buy a Stagecoach student ticket. The name on your ID card will need to match the name on your ticket.
1.What is true about the “Dayrider” ticket?
A.You need the correct change to buy it.
B.You can use it to travel anywhere in the city.
C.It can be purchased with your mobile phone.
D.It can be used with any bus company.
2.If you want to go sightseeing around of the lake areas, which ticket is the most suitable?
A.Dayrider. B.Bus and Boat.
C.Sightseeing. D.Student tickets.
3.What is needed if you want to buy a student ticket?
A.A photo of yourself. B.Your name.
C.The bus app. D.Valid student ID.
假定你是李华，你校即将举行国际中学生科学论坛活动，你想报名做一名志愿者。请用英文写一封邮件申请参加。主要内容包括：
1.写信目的
2.自我介绍
3.希望获准
注意：
1. 词数：100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Sir or Madam,
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With all my best regards.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
短文改错
Dear Mark,
I'm very glad you are so interesting in our school. Recent our school is launching an activity to call for thrift(节俭) and go against waste. Every student was required to save paper, water, electricity or food. All waste paper must be collected and sold to help poor student. Water must be made full use and now you cannot find any tap what is left running without students around. And each student should get into a great habit of turn off the light on time. What's more, all of us are called on not to use their pocket money to buy some things unnecessary and some students even use their saved money to help the students in the need.
Yours,
Li Hua
