BRAD GARRETT’S COMEDY CLUB

Category: Comedy

  Best known for his role on the Emmy award-winning sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, Brad Garrett returns to his Vegas roots with his comedy club at the MGM Grand.It is a good place to check out when you need a break from work.

Prices from: $56.40 and up

Age restriction: Must be 21 years of age or older

Show Length: 115 minutes

MAC KING COMEDY MAGIC SHOW

Category: Comedy, Magic

  Mac King Comedy Magic Show is different every afternoon, with lots of audience participation. He is willing to make fun of himself instead of his guests in order to make everyone feel welcome and entertained. The afternoon is kid-friendly from start to finish. Still, whether you’re eight or 80, you won’t be able to figure out King’s secrets.

Prices from: $40.90 and up

Age restriction: No age restriction

Show Length: 90 minutes

THE MENTALIST, GERRY MCCAMBRIDGE

Category: Comedy, Magic

  Using his skills as a “mentalist”, Gerry McCambridge shocks the crowds as he uses his abilities to predict just what audience members will do next. Anyone who has seen the show has walked away in disbelief, amazed by his unusual power.

Prices from: $34.99 and up

Age restriction: Under 13 will not be admitted into the theater

Show Length: 75 minutes

ROCK OF AGES

Category: Plays & Musicals

  The cheerful Rock of Ages brings audiences back to the times of big hair and even bigger bands with 28 popular rock songs from the 80s including“Every Rose Has Its Thorn,”“I Wanna Know What Love Is,”“Here I Go Again,”and more.

  Rock of Ages has been nominated for five Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Direction of a Musical. It also received a Drama League nomination for Distinguished Production for a Musical.

Prices from: $74.00  and up

Age restriction: Must be 15 years of age or older

Show Length: 125 minutes

21.Who is most likely to be able to read audiences’ minds?

  A.Raymond.                     B.Mac King.    

  C.Brad Garrett.                D.Gerry McCambridge.

22.Which of the following is good for a kid of 10 years old to go to?

  A.Gerry McCambridge’s show.            

  B.Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club.

  C.Mac King’s comedy magic show.         

  D.Performances of Rock Of Ages.

23.If someone is interested in musicals, his best choice must be ______.

  A.BRAD GARRETT’S COMEDY CLUB                    

  B.ROCK OF AGES

  C.MAC KING COMEDY MAGIC SHOW      

  D.THE MENTALIST, GERRY MCCAMBRIDGE

  Dec.11 marked the 15th anniversary of China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). On that day in 2001, China formally became a member of the WTO. Now the country has grown into the world’s second-largest economy and the largest trading country, while millions of Chinese have been lifted out of poverty. And 15 years on, it’s evident that being a WTO member has transformed the nation’s everyday lives for the better.

  Imports are now a common sight in Chinese stores and supermarkets, while they were previously rarely seen on shelves. The Chinese now have access to many imports varying from luxury goods like high-end cars and famous brand watches, to daily necessities. China’s WTO membership has also made imports less expensive for the Chinese public. For instance, since 2005, no tariffs (关税) have been imposed (施加) on Chinese imports of digital cameras and other devices.

  Our education industry has also benefited from China’s WTO membership. Many top global universities have joined forces with Chinese ones to establish cooperative education institutions, bringing foreign teaching concepts to Chinese students. For example, New York University Shanghai was jointly founded by New York University and East China Normal University. In addition, an increasing number of Chinese students are furthering their studies abroad, while many foreign students are coming to China to carry out their higher education. According to the Ministry of Education, 523,700 students studied overseas last year, and the number is expected to keep growing this year.

  China’s WTO entry has brought benefit not only to the country’s people, but also for the rest of the world.

24.One advantage of China’s WTO membership is that ____.

  A.all the Chinese people are out of poverty.

  B.no tariffs will be charged for different kinds of imports.

  C.the Chinese can buy more foreign products at a lower price.

  D.it only brings benefits to Chinese agriculture and education.

25.New York University Shanghai is an example of_____.

  A.international cooperation     

  B.educational reform  

  C.state-owned universities              

  D.foreign-funded universities

26.What may be talked about in the following paragraph?

  A.How China’s entry into the WTO has changed people’s lives.

  B.The good effects on the other countries after China’s entering the WTO.

  C.The efforts the Chinese government has made to fight against poverty.

  D.What the Chinese have got from being a member of the WTO.

27.What is the text mainly about?

  A.China’s entry into the WTO.       

  B.Benefits of China’s entering the WTO.

  C.Trade and education in China.     

  D.The development of China’s economy.

  Are you nervous about climbing because you think it's too dangerous? Do you feel you're not fit enough to climb? Do you know how to start climbing?

  Let's consider the idea that climbing is dangerous．Being afraid is natural, but if you use suitable ropes and other climbing equipments you will feel completely safe．Climbers are usually very careful because they know what they are doing is dangerous．Accidents happen, but when they do, they tend to attract a lot of publicity．As a result, people think there are many more accidents than there are in reality．

  You cannot expect to start climbing straight away．Climbing is a challenge and challenges take time．It is necessary first of all that you achieve a good level of fitness．Begin as soon as you become interested in climbing? go to the gym, go swimming, take up jogging and continue to do so throughout your training period．

  Discover as much as you can about climbing．Visit the library and find book, especially for beginners or buy climbing magazines and look for articles which describe your situation．Look up information on the Internet．Find out about equipment, methods and places to go．

  Next, take a course on a climbing wall．There are plenty of climbing walls all over the country which have trained and qualified people as instructors．Call your local leisure centre to find out if there is one in your area. These training sessions are a quick way to get experience and you are likely to meet other beginners. After this, you can do an outside course of joining a club where you can meet climbers of all abilities and eventually join in group-climbing events.

  At first you may not understand the importance of a good training period, but after you have completed your first climb and you are standing safely at the top of a rock feeling thrilled, then you will know it was the right thing to do.

28.The article is written by            .

  A.an experienced climber      B.a doctor  

  C.a beginner                  D.a fitness instructor

29.The writer thinks a new climber should           .

  A.be aware of the causes of the accidents            

  B.have the courage to meet the challenges

  C.begin by becoming fit 

  D.do enough sports to get interested in climbing

30.By climbing walls you can         .

  A.join a club you like              

  B.gain controlled experience

  C.become qualified instructors      

  D.take part in group-climbing events

31.The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph probably means      .

  A.the climb                   B.the training   

  C.the equipment               D.the achievement

  Whenever we see a button, we are eager to press it because we know something will happen. This is true in most cases, for example on a doorbell and on the “on/off” button on the TV. But some buttons are actually fake, like the “close” button on a lift.

  Many people are in the habit of pressing the “close” button because they don’t have the patience to wait for the lift doors to shut. But lifts’“close” buttons are a complete scam (骗局), at least in the US-the doors will not close any faster no matter how hard you press.

  It started in the 1990s when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in the US, making sure that all lifts stayed open long enough so that people with disabilities could enter. Only US firefighters and repairmen can use the buttons to speed up the door-closing process if they have a code or special keys.

  But to normal lift riders, the buttons aren’t completely useless. According to psychologists, fake buttons can actually make you feel better by offering you a sense of control.

  “Perceived (能够感知的) control is very important. It reduces stress and increases well-being,” Ellen J. Langer, a psychology professor, said, “ having a lack of control is associated with depression.”

  Experts have revealed that a lot of buttons that don’t do anything exist in our lives for this same purpose. For example, many offices in the US have fake thermostats (温度调节器) because people tend to feel better when they think they can control the temperature in their workspace.

  But psychologists found it interesting that even when people are aware of these little “white lies”, they still continue to push fake buttons because as long as the doors eventually close, it is considered to be worth the effort.

  “That habit is here to stay,” John Kounios, a psychology professor, said. “Even though I have real doubts about the traffic light buttons, I always press them. After all, I’ve got nothing else to do while waiting. So why not press the button in the hope that this one will work?”

32.What was the author’s main purpose in writing the article?

  A.To describe some different kinds of fake buttons.

  B.To analyze the functions of fake buttons. 

  C.To explain the advantages and disadvantages of fake buttons. 

  D.To explore people’s different habits when it comes to pushing buttons.

33.In America, the“close”buttons on lifts _______.

  A.were specially designed to give people a sense of control 

  B.are fake for the convenience of disabled people

  C.work only when people press them hard for a while

  D.cannot speed up the process of closing the door in any case

34.The underlined part “for this same purpose” in Paragraph 6 refers to _______.

  A.giving people perceived control

  B.making people more patient             

  C.helping people to build up confidence        

  D.making people with depression feel better

35.According to John Kounios, people who press fake buttons ______.

  A.don’t know that what they press is fake

  B.should give up this habit                   

  C.consider what they do to be meaningless       

  D.probably do so to kill time

How to Improve Speed Reading Skills

  Speed reading is one of many skills that can improve your reading comprehension and shorten your study time.  36  .

  Look at groups of words,not single words.

    37  .However, if you can get into the habit of reading groups or chunks of words at one time, then you can read much faster. Start by trying to look at a group of three or four words at once, then work up to looking at an entire line of words. Focus on words that give the sentence meaning, such as the nouns and verbs and pay less attention to the filler words, such as “A, the, and, etc.”

  Scan for keywords.

  Scanning is a highly effective way of extracting answers from a text without really reading it. If you know exactly what you are looking for-a name, a date, a statistic, or a specific word-you can find it quickly by skipping over large chunks of the text. To scan, first visualize the word, number, or phrase you would like to find.  38  . The information you are looking for should pop out at you.

    39  .

  You can train yourself to read faster by timing yourself as you go. Start by getting your base time. Set a timer for fifteen minutes, and speed read as you normally do.  40  .Do not count the words, just the pages or paragraphs. Record your figures: for instance, you might write“15min/6.5 pages.”

  A.Race the clock. 

  B.Then, run your eyes rapidly over the text.

  C.Check your comprehension.

  D.Here are some Speed Reading Techniques.

  E.If you read a text one word at a time, then this will slow your reading speed way down.

  F.One of the reasons you read slowly is that you have to pause sometimes to understand what a passage is saying.

  G.When the timer goes off, check to see how far you have got.