To reach one local restaurant, a bowl of Chinese noodles travels across the Eurasian continent and settles on the Scandinavian Peninsula, placed before hungry people visiting the home of Santa Claus.
A Chinese man brought local dishes reganmian and hot pot to Rovaniemi, Finland, becoming the first Chinese to open a restaurant in the Arctic Circle.
Hu Liang, from Central China's Hubei province, immigrated to Finland after graduation at 21. Twelve years on, he has seen more and more Chinese tourists visiting the country to enjoy the winter holiday, Aurora Borealis - and of course, the supposed home of Santa Claus.
“Chinese people are becoming richer and more international. What has not changed is their stomachs. So I made the decision to open the restaurant.”
Hu's restaurant serves reganmian, a traditional Wuhan noodle dish with spicy flavor and a sesame paste (芝麻酱) dressing, as well as Chinese hotpot. He orders food materials from Chinese trade corporations through e-business platforms and offers e-payment popular among Chinese people such as Alipay.
At a price of 15 euro ($18.45), a bowl of reganmian is not only great comfort for Chinese tourists who have traveled from thousands of miles away, but also an attraction to local Finns.
In Rovaniemi, with a population of around 60,000, Hu receives more than 300 guests in the peak season to present people a hot, spicy experience in the cold, snowy country.
Married to a Finnish woman and father to one child, Hu has adapted himself to the Nordic (北欧人的) lifestyle with regular skiing and ice fishing trips.
He said he will bring his child to Wuhan, and try to switch between the two cities every half year.
1.What is the first paragraph intended to do?
A.To present the main idea of the text.
B.To explain where Santa Claus’ home is.
C.To arouse the readers’ interest in the topic.
D.To describe the travel route of the Chinese noodles.
2.What contributes to Hu Liang’s decision to open the restaurant in Rovaniemi?
A.His immigration to Finland after graduation.
B.His marriage to a Finnish woman.
C.His being a native of Wuhan and the cold weather in Finland.
D.More and more Chinese tourists here and their preferred flavor.
3.What can we infer from the text?
A.The food in his restaurant is traditional and delicious.
B.People are required to pay by Alipay in his restaurant.
C.Some Chinese travel thousands of miles to taste his noodles.
D.Hu Liang is in his forties now.
4.What is the main idea of this message?
A.Chinese dishes bring heat to icy country.
B.Chinese food becomes international.
C.Wuhan reganmian and hotpot become favorites of Finns.
D.Hu Liang will always remember his homeland.
NEW YORK — Video producer and musician Justin Scholar enjoyed his exciting moment weeks ago when he spotted his latest work — a tourism video for Southwest China’s Chongqing city — playing on a huge LED screen at New York's Times Square.
The video was shot and produced in China, where Scholar now lives and owns a media company. After taking his first Mandarin (普通话) class in high school seven years ago, Scholar had listed China as a future destination and made his first trip to Shanghai in 2015 through a study-abroad program when he was a student in New York University.
Though he had been told what urban life in China was like beforehand, it was still “a far cry” from what he saw with his own eyes, says Scholar. During the semester (学期) in Shanghai, Scholar spent most of the time learning ink-and-wash painting, calligraphy, which enriched his artistic skills with a touch of Eastern aesthetics. He also ate a lot of authentic steamed meat buns (小笼包). “Shanghai is an incredibly efficient, modern city,” says Scholar. “To have this unbelievably accurate and fast metro, though sometimes crowded and to have very clean streets and bright lights at night, and people pouring in by the thousands ... that's so impressive” These may explain Scholar's return to Shanghai two years later, when his career at home was already thriving after making commercials for big names such as Coca-Cola and Jaguar. Despite his parents' doubts and worries, Scholar went back to Shanghai on his 24th birthday with an ambition to launch his own company.
Thanks to a combination of luck and talent, he achieved the goal soon with a Chinese friend as his business partner. The video that plays at Times Square — a tourism film for Southwest China's Chongqing city — was the company's first project contracted by a local government in China.
1.When did Justin Scholar begin to learn Chinese?
A.When he was seven years old.
B.After he graduated from high school.
C.After he made his first trip to Shanghai.
D.When he was a high school student.
2.What can we learn from Paragraph Three?
A.He disliked the authentic food in Shanghai.
B.What he saw was far from what he had heard of.
C.He returned to Shanghai with the support of his parents.
D.The metro system caused him more pain rather than convenience.
3.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “thriving” in Paragraph 4?
A.achieving great success
B.suffering great loss
C.subscribing
D.declining
4.Where is this passage probably taken from?
A.A science fiction B.A travel guide
C.A news report D.A food journal.
Exciting screams of joy from two happy little girls rang across the beach. But I walked along, barely aware of them. I’d come to this remote beach on my sailboat, a place to escape. My marriage was in trouble. I worried about the harm to my two boys. But I didn't know how to make things better.
“Help! Help!” The girls screamed. I saw one girl was at the edge of the surf, yelling. I charged into the waves, swam to her and seized her. “But where is the other girl?” I looked across the water and saw a small head after a big wave. I shifted the girl I'd rescued to my back. She told me the other girl was her sister. For a moment I thought of my boys. How much they loved each other? How much I loved them?
I quickened my swimming and held the second little girl. We were at least 50 yards from land. No way could I swim that far, not with two girls hanging on to me. But there was no time to wait. I swam as hard as I could, but the weight of the girls grew heavier with every minute. My lungs burned. I opened my mouth to take a breath but instead swallowed water. I choked. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't swim. From behind me I felt an unbelievable force, lifting.
“Mommy!” The cry pierced my consciousness (意识). I looked up. An elderly man was trying to drag me out of the water. Two women were swimming toward shore. “Thank you,” one of the women cried. “You saved my daughters.” My efforts and my struggles had paid off. I thought of that big wave, lifting me and pushing me. When my body had failed me, and when all hope was disappearing, I was given the strength I needed.
I stood up. My family were waiting for me. There were things I could do. I just needed to make an effort. The strength would be given to me.
1.Why did the author turn a deaf ear to the laughter of the two girls?
A.Because the sound of sea waves was too big.
B.Because he was trapped in his own problems.
C.Because he couldn't wait to go sailing.
D.Because he was lost in missing his wife.
2.What happened to the author during the rescue?
A.He got his spirits from God.
B.He was swallowed by the wave.
C.He managed to swim to the shore.
D.He lost his breath after swallowing water.
3.What might the author do after the accident?
A.Save his marriage.
B.Apologize to his wife.
C.Rebuild a family.
D.Focus on his boys' safety.
4.Which can serve as the best title of the passage?
A.Efforts to Save the Family.
B.Struggles to Fight Sea Waves.
C.The Adventurous Surfing.
D.The Magical Wave.
The Pacific Islands: Meet your next favorite holiday hotspot The Independent State of Samoa
You'll find the Independent State of Samoa in the south Pacific Ocean. It's an island state made up of two main islands, Savai'i and Upolu, along with four smaller surrounding islands. With a population of 200,000, Samoa is famed for its incredible seascapes and is known as “Paradise on Earth” in the south Pacific region. The country is characterised by its strong cultural heritage, stretching back 3,000 years, and its many beautiful villages.
Language: English, Samoan
The Republic of Vanuatu
The Republic of Vanuatu is located in the south Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Australia. In Vanuatu you'll find amazing oceanic scenery, an accessible and active volcano on the southeast coast, and the world's only underwater post office in the capital, Port Villa.
Language: English, French, and Bislama
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea is an Oceanian country that occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia. Papua New Guinea's spectacular coral reefs have made both the mainland and its satellite islands popular destinations for deep sea divers, who visit to explore what has been called the “underwater photographer's paradise”.
Language: English, Tok Pisin
Federated States of Micronesia
The Federated States of Micronesia is an island country in the western Pacific Ocean, consisting of more than 600 islands. It consists of four states – Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk and Yap – that are spread across the western Pacific Ocean. The country's ancient Pacific culture, richly diverse traditional lifestyle and native handicrafts (手工艺品) attract tourists from across the world. Each year there are local festivals showcasing the best the country has to offer in March, June and November, and visitors can choose from a range of resorts, hotels and apartments. Language: English
1.Which spot will you be most likely to choose if you can only speak French?
A.Papua New Guinea
B.Federated States of Micronesia
C.The Independent State of Samoa
D.The Republic of Vanuatu
2.What attracts the tourists most in Papua New Guinea?
A.Coral reefs.
B.Beautiful villages.
C.Active volcanoes.
D.Local festivals.
3.What can we learn about Federated States of Micronesia?
A.It is an island country that occupies the eastern Pacific Ocean.
B.It is made up of more than 600 states.
C.You can enjoy the wonderful traditional lifestyles and handicrafts there.
D.The best time to experience the local festivals is October.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.How many people are damaging their hearing by listening to loud music?
A.1.1 billion B.2 billion C.3 billion
2.How long should people listen to music?
A.More than 2 hours a day
B.Less than one hour a day
C.About 3 hours a day
3.How do loud sounds damage your hearing?
A.By listening to them unsafely.
B.By confusing your hearing system.
C.By killing off little hair cells in the inner ear.
4.What’s the characteristic of the cells?
A.They don’t grow back
B.They can grow back soon.
C.They can never be destroyed.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What’s the topic of the show today?
A.The language learning B.The language loss C.The climate change
2.What is the probable relationship between the two speakers?
A.The host and guests.
B.Teacher and students.
C.Boss and employee.
3.How many languages will probably disappear soon?
A.About 6,000 B.About 3,000 C.About 1,000
4.Why does Allan refer to the article in Nature?
A.To reach a final agreement
B.To ask people to learn the language
C.To give a more specific example
