A
Interesting Exhibitions Held in Four Different Museums
Name: The British Museum
Phone: 020-7323-8000
Website: www.britishmuseum.org
Opening hours: daily 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Price: Free
This exhibition aims to show the mysteries of mummification(干尸化). From a king’s daughter to a temple doorkeeper, the displays explore the identities(身份) of eight people, using their bodies to discover clues about how they lived. By using new methods, such as CT scanning and 3D visualization(可视化), the British Museum has been able to build up a picture of life in the Nile valley over 4,000 years.
Name: The Fashion and Textile(纺织) Museum
Phone: 020-7407-8664
Website: www.ftmlondon.org
Opening hours: daily 11 a.m.-5:30p.m.
Price: £8.80 adults, £5.50 students
This Fashion and Textile Museum is housing the first-ever exhibition on classic Mexican shawl(披肩), which became famous in the 20th century. Mexican artists, photographers and fashion and textile designers will be exhibiting their colorful works there.
Name: The Victoria and Albert Museum
Phone: 020-7907-7073
Website: www.vam.ac.uk
Opening hours: Mon, Thur., Sat, Sun, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Fri. 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Price: Free
The Victoria and Albert Museum has dug out some of their most charming(迷人的) wedding dresses to record their history during the past two centuries. White wedding dresses were made popular by Queen Victoria in the nineteenth century. See beautiful wedding dresses made by famous designers.
Name: The Science Museum
Phone: 0870-870-4868
Website: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
Opening hours: daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Price: Free
This four-day festival displays the latest exciting gadgets(小机械) and introduces their inventors. Visitors can explore electronics(电子产品), build robots, get hands-on(亲自动手) with new technologies and have a go(尝试) at 3D printing. There will be displays taking place throughout the festival, which is suitable for anyone aged ten and over.
21. Which number would you call if you’re interested in exploring history with modern technology?
A. 020-7323-8000. B. 020-7407-8664.
C. 020-7907-7073. D. 0870-870-4868.
22. Which museum can you visit if you are free at 8 p.m. on Friday?
A. The Fashion and textile Museum.
B. The Victoria and Albert Museum.
C. The Science Museum.
D. The British Museum.
23. What can we learn about the Science Museum?
A. It displays CT scanning technology.
B. More information can be found at www.vam.ac.uk.
C. The exhibition will last a week.
D. Visitors themselves can try new technologies.
B
The 90-minute documentary, Amazing China, which is co-produced by China Central Television and China Film Corp, opened in theatres nationwide.
The film focuses on the major achievements the country has made since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012 under Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a new era.
Speaking about the documentary, Wei Tie, the director, says, “The film arouses Chinese pride from deep inside.”
The documentary focuses on key Chinese infrastructure(基础设施) projects in aerospace, high-speed rail, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the world’s largest single-dish telescope FAST. The documentary also informs viewers that seven of the world's 10 biggest sea ports are now in China and that the country now has the longest high-speed rail network in the world.
In the film, Lin Ming, the chief engineer of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge project, says, “In the past, what kind of projects we took up was decided by what kind of facilities we had. But nowadays, no matter what kind of projects we are assigned, we develop the technology to complete it. “His voice is calm but his words show the country’s self-confidence.” Speaking of the importance of the new documentary for the Chinese, La Peikang, the head of China Film Corp, says, “It’s not only about showing the achievements, but presenting the present situation of China. The film will help people to know our country better.”
Amazing China also focuses on common people. In the film, you see a young Tibetan woman volunteering in rural areas to help people get rid of poverty. And you also see a successful entrepreneur from the coastal Fujian Province who settles in the Gobi Desert, in northwest China, who has taken up a new career growing grapes.
24. The underlined word “assigned” in Paragraph 5 means ________.
A. given B. allowed C. required D. connected
25. Which of the following is NOT the focus of the documentary?
A. The high-speed rail. B. The ancient Silk Road.
C. The single-dish telescope FAST D. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
26. What does the last paragraph aim to tell us?
A. The documentary also covers common people.
B. The film calls on people to convert the Gobi Desert.
C. The film encourages more people to volunteer in rural areas.
D. A young Tibetan woman is the main character of the documentary.
27. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. An Introduction to China
B. An Introduction to Xi Jinping Thought
C. The Effect of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
D. An Introduction to a Documentary Named Amazing China
C
British shoppers buy 2.15 million tonnes of clothing and shoes annually, yet UK citizens have an estimated £30 billion worth of unused clothing gathering dust at the back of the wardrobe(衣柜). But new technology could see the end of that, with the garments themselves giving owners a gentle reminder of their existence.
“Smart clothes” could help us clear out our drawers by sending messages or tweeting us if they haven’t been worn for a good while. If these alerts are ignored, the garments will get in touch with a clothing charity and ask to be reused, with an organization automatically sending out donation information. They could also be programmed to put themselves up for auction(拍卖) on eBay.
Academics at Birmingham City University are developing the “connected wardrobe” to encourage more suitable clothes consumption. The concept sees garments tagged(给……加标签) using washable contactless technology, known as radio-frequency identification.
Mark Brill, senior lecturer at Birmingham City, said: “Think of the surprise when an owner suddenly receives bids for items they didn’t know were in their wardrobe”.
“The connected wardrobe is a practical, pleasant concept to encourage people to think about their clothing consumption. Finally, I hope it will encourage more appropriate fashion consumption,” He added, “Perhaps we can even move away from the idea of ‘ownership’ of clothing. When we’ve worn them enough, the items will pass themselves on to their next keeper to wear.”
It follows in the footsteps of the “Internet of Things” — a concept that sees ordinary household items connecting to the internet in order to share information. From adjusting your alarm clock to monitoring the temperature of your home, the Internet is changing the way we live.
Now, the “Internet of Clothes” will see that neglected garments will tweet and text the owners “asking” to be worn depending on the weather and frequency of wear. Clothes will keep track of other information such as who owned it previously, as well as how much it originally cost, who made it and how much the worker was paid for it.
28. What does the author say about “smart clothes”?
A. They have gained in popularity.
B. They may be donated on eBay.
C. They may be recycled if long forgotten.
D. They give warnings if worn out.
29. How does Mark Brill find the “connected wardrobe”?
A. It changes people’s shopping habits.
B. It helps people buy cheaper clothes.
C. It improves people’s consumer confidence.
D. It contributes to right consumption attitudes.
30. What is indicated in the last two paragraphs?
A. Clothes are sold online at a low price.
B. Internet is a platform to share items.
C. Clothes can be a source of information.
D. Weather affects the connected wardrobe.
31. What’s the author’s attitude to the new technology?
A. Approving. B. Skeptical. C. Critical. D. Uninterested.
