Shakespeare's Birthplace and Exhibition of Shakespeare's World

Welcome to the world﹣famous house where William Shakespeare was born in l564and where he grew up．The property （房产） remained in the ownership of Shakespeare's family until 1806．The House has welcomed visitors traveling from all over the world for over 250years．

OPENING TIMES：

20Mar．to 19Oct．

Mon．to Sat．：9：00a．m．to 5：00p．m．

Sun：9：30a．m．to 5：00p．m．

20Oct．to 19Mar

Mon．to Sat：9：00a．m．to 4：00p．m．

Sun．：10：00a．m．to 4：00p．m．

◆Enter through the Visitors'Centre and see the highly﹣praised exhibition Shakespeare's World，a lively and full introduction to the life and work of Shakespeare．

◆Stand in the rooms where Shakespeare grew up．

◆Discover examples of furniture and needlework from Shakespeare's period．

◆Enjoy the traditional （传统的） English garden，planted with trees and flower mentioned in the poet's works．

◆The Birthplace is within easy walking distance of all the car parks shown on the map； nearest is Windsor Street（3minutes'Walk）

◆The House may present difficulties but the Visitors'Centre，its exhibition，and the garden are accessible to wheelchair users．

◆The Shakespeare Coffee House（opposite the Birthplace）

ADMISSION：

Adult：￡4.90

Child：￡2.20

Family：￡12.00

（2adults+up to 3children）

1．How much is the admission for a family of two grown﹣ups and two children？　  　

A．￡9.80．

B．￡12.00．

C．￡14.20．

D．￡16.40．

2．Where is the nearest parking place to Shakespeare's Birthplace？　  　

A．Behind the exhibition hall．

B．Opposite the Visitors'Centre．

C．At Windsor Street．

D．Near the Coffee House．

3．A wheelchair user may need help to enter　  　．

A．the House                     

B．the garden

C．the Visitors'Centre             

D．the exhibition hall．

One morning more than thirty years ago，I entered the Track Kitchen，a restaurant where everyone from the humblest （卑微的） to the most powerful came for breakfast．I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly，unshaven man，who looked somewhat disheveled． He was wearing a worn﹣out hat and was alone．I asked if I might join him．He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast．

We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide range of things．We never introduced ourselves．I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat．So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee，I asked，

"May I get you something？"

"A coffee would be nice．"

Then I bought him a cup of coffee，We talked more，and he accepted another cup of coffee．Finally，I rose to leave，wished him well，and headed for the exit．At the door I met one of my friends．He asked，

"How did you get to know Mr．Galbreath？"

"Who？"

"The man you were sitting with．He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs．"

I could hardly believe it．I was buying，offering a free breakfast，and feeling pity for one of the world's richest and most powerful men!

My few minutes with Mr．Galbreath changed my life．Now I try to treat everyone with respect，no matter who I think they are，and to meet another human being with kindness and sincerity．

4．What does the underlined word"disheveled"mean？　  　

A．Unfriendly．

B．Untidy．

C．Gentle．

D．Kind．

5．The author bought coffee for the old man because　  　．

A．he thought the old man was poor        

B．he wanted to start a conversation

C．he intended to show his politeness       

D．he would like to thank the old man

6．How did the author probably feel after he talked with his friend？　   　

A．Proud．

B．Pitiful．

C．Surprised．

D．Regretful．

7．What is the message mainly expressed in the story？　  　

A．We should learn to be generous．

B．It is honorable to help those in need．

C．People in high positions are not like what we expect．

D．We should avoid judging people by their appearances．

Modern inventions have speeded up people's lives amazingly．Motor﹣cars cover a hundred miles in a little more than an hour．Aircrafts cross the world a day，while computers operate at a lightning speed．Indeed，this love of speed seems never﹣ending．Every year motor﹣cars are produced which go even faster and each new computer boasts （吹嘘）of saving precious seconds in handling tasks．

All this saves time，but at a price．When we lose or gain half a day in speeding across the world in an airplane，our bodies tell us so．We get the uncomfortable feeling known as jet﹣lag（时差）； our bodies feel that they have been left behind in another time zone．Again，spending too long at computers results in painful wrists and fingers．Mobile phones also have their dangers according to some scientists； too much use may transmit harmful radiation into our brains，a consequence we do not like to think about．

However，what do we do with the time we have saved？Certainly not relax，or so it seems．We are so accustomed to constant activity that we find it difficult to sit and do nothing，or even just one thing at a time．Perhaps the days are long gone when we might listen quietly to a story on the radio，letting imagination take us into another world．

There was a time when some people's lives were devoted simply to the cultivation of the land or the care of cattle．No multi﹣tasking there； their lives went on at a much gentler pace，and in a familiar pattern．There is much that we might envy about a way of life like this．Yet before we do so，we must think of the hard tasks our ancestors faced：they farmed with bare hands，often lived close to hunger，and had to fashion tools from wood and stone．Modern machinery has freed people from that primitive existence．

8．The new products become more and more time﹣saving because　   　．

A．our love of speed seems never﹣ending       

B．time is limited

C．the prices are increasingly high                

D．the manufacturers boast a lot

9．What does"the days"in Paragraph 3refer to？　   　

A．Imaginary life                           

B．Simple life in the past

C．Times of inventions                         

D．Time for constant activity

10．What is the author's attitude towards the modern technology？　   　

A．Critical           

B．Objective             

C．Optimistic          

D．Negative

11．What does the passage mainly discuss？　  　

A．The present and past times              

B．Machinery and human beings

C．Imaginations and inventions           

D．Modern technology and its influence．

Since the 1970s，scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers．Brain﹣computer interface（BCI） technology could help people with disabilities to send orders to machines．

Recently，two researchers，Jose Milan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic school in Lausanne，Switzerland，showed a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person's thoughts．

In the laboratory，Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand．He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts．

"Our brain has billions of nerve cells．These send signals through the spinal cord （脊髓）to the muscles to give us the ability to move．But spinal cord injuries or other cases can prevent these weak signals from reaching the muscles，"Tavella says．"Our system allows disabled people to communicate with the outside world and also to control machines．"

The researchers designed a special cap for the user．This cap picks up the signals from the scalp（头皮） and sends them to a computer．The computer interprets the signals and commands the robotic wheelchair．The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path．They help the computer react to commands from the brain．

Prof．Milan，the team leader says his team has set two goals．One is testing with real patients，so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from．And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time．

12．How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory？　  　

A．By controlling his muscles．

B．By talking to the machine．

C．By moving his hand．

D．By using his mind．

13．Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5？　  　

A．scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair   

B．computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair

C．scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair   

D．cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair

14．The team will test with real patients to　  　．

A．make profits from them             

B．prove the technology useful to them

C．make them live longer              

D．learn about their physical condition

15．Which of the following would be the best title for the text？　  　

A．Switzerland，the BCI Research Center

B．New Findings About How the Human Brain Works

C．BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled

D．Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries．

Facing the Enemies Within

We are not born with courage，but neither are we born with fear．Fears，even the most basic ones，can totally destroy our ambitions．Fear can destroy fortunes．Fear can destroy relationships．Fear，if left unchecked，can destroy our lives．Fear is one of the many enemies living inside us．（16）　   　

The first enemy we face is indecision（优柔寡断）．Indecision is the thief of opportunity．（17）　   　 Take a sword to this enemy．

The second enemy inside is doubt．（18）　   　But you also can't let doubt take over．Many people doubt the past，doubt the future，doubt each other，doubt the government，doubt the possibilities and doubt the opportunities．Worst of all，they doubt themselves．I'm telling you，doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success．It will empty both your bank account and your heart．（19）　  　

Do battle with the enemy．Do battle with your fears．（20）　     Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit（追求） of the things you want and the person you want to become．

A．Sure，there's room for healthy doubt．You can't believe everything．

B．Build your courage to fight what's holding you back，what's keeping you from your goals and dreams．

C．Let me tell you about two of the other enemies we face from within．

D．Below are the ways which might be useful for us to overcome our fears．

E．Doubt is an enemy．Go after it．Get rid of it．

F．It will steal your chances for a better future．

G．Some people doubt everything．