The Cambridge Science Festival Curiosity Challenge
Dare to Take the Curiosity Challenge!
The Cambridge Science Festival (CSF) is pleased to inform you of the sixth annual Curiosity Challenge. The challenge invites , even dares school students between the ages of 5 and 14 to create artwork or a piece of writing that shows their curiosity how it inspires them to explore their world.
Students are being dared to draw a picture, write an article, take a photo or write a poem that shows what they are curious about. To enter the challenge, all artwork or pieces of writing should be sent to the Cambridge Science Festival, MIT Museum, 265 Mass Avenue,
Students who enter the Curiosity Challenge and are selected as winners will be honor at a special ceremony during the CSF on Sunday, April 21^st. Guest speakers will also present prizes to the students. Winning entries will be published in a book. Student entries will exhibited and prizes will be given. Families of those who take part will be included in celebration and brunch will be served.
Between March 10^thand March 15h, each winner will be given the specifics of the closing ceremony and the Curiosity Challenge celebration. The program guidelines and other related information are available at :http:// cambridgesciencefestival.org.
【小题1】Who can take part in the Curiosity Challenge?

A．Cambridge locals.	B．School students.
C．CSF winners.	D．MIT artists.

【小题2】When will the prize-giving ceremony be held?

A．On February 8th.	B．On March 10th.
C．On March 15th	D．On April 21st.

【小题3】What type of writing is this text?

A．An exhibition guide.	B．An art show review.
C．An announcement.	D．An official report.

Safety is a huge concern whenever I run with my earphones in. But I need music to run. Otherwise all I hear is the sound of my own breathing. So I’ve found a compromise: I run with only one earphone in. The music sounds off. It’s an imperfect solution.
An updated pair of headphones, called AfterShokz, aim to do better. AfterShokz bills itself as using bone conducting technology to conduct music from the front of the ear, delivering sound through your cheekbone and inner ear. This keeps your eardrum (鼓膜) free to hear everything else.
“Earbuds (耳塞式耳机) are typically designed to block out all sound, which is fine when you’re inside. But when you’re outside, you need all your senses. It would be like sending you out cycling with a blindfold on,” says Rod Annet, managing director of AfterShokz.
Here’s where AfterShokz comes in. The headphones hook over the back of your head with the main “bud” resting high up against your cheek. This keeps your ear free to delight in other sounds.
So do they work? In a word, yes. During a 45-minute jog, they didn’t bounce or shift. I heard far more of my environment than I normally do: a nearby bike there; a runner passing me again to my left; and so forth.
What about the downsides? If you’re a huge fan of high-quality sound, you might find the headphones a bit tinny. One friend expressed concerns about missing the ability to get lost in the music as you might be distracted by other noises, although I personally didn’t find that an issue.
Yet those are all minor details. For me, probably the biggest problem is the price. Ranging between £ 49.96 to £ 83.29, AfterShokz headphones aren’t exactly cheap.
With all that considered, would I recommend them? Yes. AfterShokz headphones are quite useful. While out jogging, they were light, painless, and easy to use. They made me feel safer.
【小题1】What is special about AfterShokz headphones?

A．They are a good choice for inside use.

B．They allow users to hear other sounds.

C．They can make music sound more beautiful.

D．They can deliver sound through your eardrum.

【小题2】What does the author’s friend think of AfterShokz headphones?

A．They prevent users getting lost.

B．They deliver high—quality sound.

C．They often move while users are running.

D．They fail to allow users to enjoy the music.

【小题3】The author thinks AfterShokz headphones .

A．are too expensive	B．seem quite useless
C．make users feel pain	D．are too complex to use

【小题4】What is the main purpose of the text?

A．To express worries.	B．To introduce a product.
C．To share a personal story.	D．To complain about a product.

   Here are some of the top museums in the world.

Smithsonian Institution，Washington D. C. ，the United States

The Smithsonian is the world's largest museum and research complex, with 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park and various research stations. If you spent one minute looking at each object on display day and night, in ten years you'd see onlyten percent of the whole. Therefore, it's wise to head out with a plan.

Main attractions: the dresses of the First Ladies, the Gem Hall at the National Museum of Natural History and the Wright brothers'1903 Flyer.

Louvre, Paris, France

The Louvre was the palace of the kings of France before becoming a museum over two centuries ago. The addition of I. M. Pei's pyramid shocked many people when it was first used in 1989 as the new main entrance. The museum's collections are among the most important in the world. A good place to start is the Sully Wing, which leads straight to the Egyptian rooms.

Main attractions: Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, and Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

The State Hermitage Museum，St. Petersburg，Russia

Russia may be isolated（孤立）from the artistic centers of Paris，Rome and London，but the Hermitage has managed to get an amazing collection of world art — more than three million items — from the Stone Age to the early 20th century. The museum occupies six buildings along the Neva River. This blue-and-whitestructure was finished in 1764. Catherine the Great founded the museum that same year when she bought 255 paintings from Berlin.

Main attractions: golden masterpieces from Eurasia and pieces from Nicholas'private collections.

The British Museum，London，England

Britain's largest museum looks after more than eight million objects ranging from prehistoric（史前的）bones to things of the Parthenon in Athens.

Main attractions: the Egyptian gallery has the world's second finest collection of Egyptian antiquities outside Egypt, including the Rosetta Stone, carved in 196 BC.

【小题1】What does the underlined sentence in the passage show?

A．The Smithsonian is open day and night.

B．People visit the Smithsonian frequently.

C．There are so many objects to see in the Smithsonian.

D．The Smithsonian has 19 national museums and galleries.

【小题2】Where should you go if you are interested in the Venus de Milo?

A．The Louvre.	B．The Hermitage.
C．The Smithsonian.	D．The British Museum.

【小题3】What do we know about the Hermitage?

A．It was founded in honor of Catherine the Great.

B．It mainly displays modern artworks.

C．It is the largest museum in Europe.

D．It was founded in the year 1764.

【小题4】What do we learn about the British Museum？

A．It is best known for the Rosetta Stone.

B．It mainly displays things of prehistoric periods.

C．It is a good attraction for people who love Egyptian culture.

D．It has the second finest collection of artworks in the world.

   Though they may often be thought of as services for travelers，ferries（渡轮）are often ignored as tourist opportunities. In cities and regions all over the world，ferries offer an advantage for top destinations.

Staten Island Ferry

Take a famous ride in one of the world's greatest cities；New York's Staten Island Ferry is free all day，every day. On this 25-minute trip between Manhattan and Staten Island，passengers will get a fresh view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Golden Horn Ferry

The Bosporus is a narrow，natural strait located in northwestern Turkey，which carries many a boat between its European and Asian shores. Ferries here offer 20-minute trips or six-hour tours into the Golden Horn. Both feature marks made on the city by 13 different civilizations，including the Egyptians and Bulgarians.

Star Ferry

The Star Ferry travels between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, providing scenes of striking colors at sunset in the sky and against the skyline. The two-level Shining Star ferry is a reinvention of boats from the 1920s and offers tours of the harbor.

Alaska Marine Highway System

Though many cities host eye-catching ferry rides, other locations provide water journeys of a much greater range. Covering more than 3,500 miles, the Alaska Marine Highway System stretches along the coast from southern Washington to the Aleutian Islands. On this voyage, travelers can see wildlife including whales and bears, the largest national forest in the U. S. , and Alaska-native villages. While on the journey, travelers can book a two-or four-person cottage or put up a tent on one of the ferries.

Each with its own set of sights and experiences, ferries share just one thing—a new angle to redescribe your favorite place.

【小题1】Which is recommended to those in favor of free ferries?

A．Star Ferry.

B．Staten Island Ferry.

C．Golden Horn Ferry.

D．Alaska Marine Highway System.

【小题2】Why is the Shining Star ferry special among the four ferries?

A．It travels between two countries.

B．It was born out of old boats.

C．Its tours take the longest time.

D．It provides services in evenings.

【小题3】What can travelers experience through the Alaska Marine Highway System?

A．Local mountain villages.

B．The Statue of Liberty.

C．The U. S. 's largest national forest.

D．Striking colors at sunset.