历史、社会与文化

阅读理解

Passage 1

Each year in different parts of the world， many countries celebrate different kinds of flower festivals where you can witness some splendid views in the world.

Chelsea Flower Show （London， the United Kingdom）

London celebrates the world’s most famous flower festival for five days in May with flower arrangements every year. There are innovation and creativity， both of which make the event one of the most lively festivals in the UK. Every year， London gathers the best garden designers， plant specialists， and nurseries to make the flowers one of the most beautiful flower exhibits around the world.

Floriade Festival （Canberra， Australia）

From mid-September to mid-October， Canberra celebrates Floriade every year with some of the amazing events and beautiful sights of blossoms （花朵） with different colors and patterns. It is one of the biggest festivals in Australia. Hosted in Canberra’s Commonwealth Park， the event is a 30-day celebration with lots of food， entertainment， music， etc.

Pasadena Rose Parade （California， the United States）

Pasadena Rose Parade is celebrated on January 1st as an American New Year tradition with some extremely fantastic flower parades and music celebrations. You can either witness this personally or even see the live broadcast which takes place throughout the local channels across the country.

The Rose Festival （Kazanlak， Bulgaria）

The Rose Festival is one of the most popular events in Bulgaria. The celebration for the blossom of the roses takes place in the first week of June every year. This is the season when the gentle Kazanlak roses come to bloom， filling the air with its sweet smell. During the festival， the most beautiful girl in the city is chosen in a beauty pageant （选美比赛）.

1. What is special about Chelsea Flower Show？

A. The beautiful roses. B. The flower parades.

C. The exhibits created by the best artists. D. The event hosted in Commonwealth Park.

2. Which festival lasts the longest？

A. Floriade Festival. B. The Rose Festival.

C. Pasadena Rose Parade. D. Chelsea Flower Show.

3. What do Floriade Festival and Pasadena Rose Parade have in common？

A. They are watched by live broadcast. B. They have music celebrations.

C. They are hosted in the National Park. D. They hold the beauty contest show.

Passage 2

Book clubs are no longer limited to living rooms， and bookstores offer much more than just books with a whole new place opening up for gatherings and a wide range of choices centered around reading.

When entering BookBar on Tennyson Street， shoppers are greeted by a lovely smell of coffee and small plates. Nearly nine years ago， Nicole Sullivan， a great lover of books， hoped she could attend a book club meeting anywhere besides someone’s living room. From that thought， BookBar was born. The bookstore now also sees local teenagers’ meetings and study. “Now I see the future of bookstores is community bookstores，” Sullivan says.

Some bookstores， like The Hermitage Bookshop in the Cherry Creek area of Denver， stick to a more traditional model， however. Robert Topp has owned his book business for 50 years， making it one of the independent bookstores having the longest history in the city. His store features collections， out-of-print books， antiquarian books （古籍）， magazines and art and 20% of the goods are considered collectible.

Topp originally thought his customers would grow old with him， but instead， he has seen something different. “On Saturdays， almost everyone in the bookstore is under 40，” he said. He also said one misconception about young readers is that they only read romances and horror. Topp thought people are generally too hard on them. “Too many people have the thought out of unconscious prejudice，” he explained. “Observing carefully， you’ll find their reading preferences various and positive.”

After devoting nearly 30 years to reading to children in public schools， Topp founded Read Me a Story， Ink， providing stories to listen to， stories to read， and book recommendations. Besides， he also has strong online bookselling business. “Many bookstores may be under financial pressure， but with the creative ideas， we can turn things around，” he said.

1. Why did Sullivan start BookBar？

A. To pursue her passion for reading. B. To create a community store for local people.

C. To make her study convenient. D. To have a public space for book club meetings.

2. What can we learn about The Hermitage Bookshop？

A. It’s home to many rare books. B. It’s the oldest bookstore in Denver.

C. It attracts mainly old readers. D. It faces competition from online sellers.

3. What is Topp’s attitude to young people’s reading preferences？

A. Negative. B. Optimistic. C. Tolerant. D. Critical.

4. What does the text mainly talk about？

A. More young customers go to bookstores. B. Creative activities attract people to books.

C. Bookstores adopt new ways to reach readers. D. Transformation of book businesses is urgent.