The Art Institute of Chicago
Visitor Information
• Museum Hours
Members: The first hour of every day, 10 a. m. -1la. m. , is reserved for member-only viewing. Monday-Wednesday Closed
Thursday 11a. m. -8p. m.
Friday-Sunday 11a. m. -5p. m.
• Audio Guide
Audio guides can be rented at the admission counter, audio counter and outside some special exhibitions. The guide is free to visitors with visual or hearing disabilities.
• JourneyMaker
With the digital interactive JourneyMaker, you can build custom family guides based on your child's interests-from superheroes to strange and wild creatures. Start your museum journey in the Family Room of the Ryan Leaning Center, and make your visit to the Art Institute an adventure for the whole family.
• Official Mobile App
Your personal, pocket-sized guide to the collection, this new iOS app features podcast-style audio tours, location-aware technology, access to the digital member card, and so much more. Download it today from the App Store.
• Photography
We encourage you to take pictures of the collection and special exhibitions for personal use. Signs indicate the few works that are not allowed to be photographed due to a lender requirement.
• Phones
You are welcome to use your phone to take pictures, text, and use the museum's app-anything that does not disturb other visitors. If you need to make a phone call, please do so in a non-gallery space.
• Valet Parking
Art Institute visitors can drop off their cars at the Modern Wing entrance（159 East Monroe Street） and walk right into the museum. The valet service is available daily from 10;30_a. m. until one-half hour after closing.
• Admission
Adult: $ 32
Student: $ 26
Child（aged 13 and under）: Free
Help us protect the collection-please do not touch the art.
For anyone planning to fly to or from France in 2024, we've got a bit of inconvenient news-thousands of flights from four French airports are getting cancelled. It's all because much of- the air traffic control system hasn't been updated since the 1970s.
The air traffic control systems in Paris' main airports are well overdue for an upgrade. Though the systems have received plenty of minor updates over the years, 2024 is the time for a huge improvement- it's thought that around 80 percent of the system will need to be modernized.
Currently, workers still use an air traffic control process which was developed in the 1970s, including using paper strips to represent incoming planes. Thankfully, €1 billion is being invested into improving France's air traffic control.
But that means there'll be a large number of cancellations. According to BFM, it's estimated that around 16, 500 flights to or from Paris' Charles de Gaulle, Orly, Le Bourget and Beauvais airports won't go ahead. The number of passengers that passed through Paris Airports in 2022 was almost 44 million. Paris' Charles de Gaulle saw 26. 1 million passengers, and Paris Orly saw 15. 7 million passengers. For the coming improvement, airlines that operate at these airports have been told to reduce their flight programme by 20 percent between March 9 and April 14. It's during this period that the new system will be tested at Athis-Mons, France's largest air traffic control centre.
Will your flight to France be impacted? Well, it's up to each airline which flights won't run, but it's thought that long-distance routes will take priority. Air France has already cancelled some of theirs, notified passengers, and offered them same-day alternatives.
While this could mean that travelling through Paris is a faff （忙乱） in 2024, it's estimated that 2.5 million flights pass through French airspace annually. With that much air traffic to control, it'd be good to have it all processed by something a bit more reliable than some pieces of paper.
D The number of passengers that pass through Paris' airports will decrease.
In contrast to the brightly coloured species of birds, most of mammals are browns and greys, but with a small number of exceptions, of which the most famous. is the giant panda. We've had some initial assumption about why they had their markings, but we need to confirm the reason for its mysterious pattern.
Viewed up close in a zoo, the giant panda is a strikingly notable mix of a white bear with black shoulders and legs, and an extraordinary face with black fur around the eyes and ears. By comparing with other carnivores （食肉动物）， we learned that carnivores with white backs are found in snowy environments, and those with dark legs and shoulders are found in shady habitats. This suggested that the fur was an adaptation to be self-protective in different environments.
Nowadays, giant pandas are confined to forests in western China, where they live on their own and there are relatively few predators （捕食者）. We are to confirm that the sort of self-protection is effective against giant pandas' former predators from the days when they ranged right across China into Vietnam.
By comparing the amount of light reflected from the giant panda's fur with natural objects in the background, it's clear that their black fur patches （斑纹） match dark shades and tree trunks, whereas their white patches match bright leaves and snow. Also, pale brown, or muddy fur matches the color of the ground. This provides a medium color which bridges the gap between the very dark and very light visual elements in the natural habitat. Besides, a second form of self-protection lies in something termed misorderly colors and patterns-in which highly visible patches break up its outline by mixing with patches in the background.
Giant pandas show this form of defensive outline, especially at longer viewing distances of at least 60 meters away. At these distances, the giant panda becomes hardly identifiable as the black fur patches go with the background, dark rocks and tree trunks.
Although giant pandas in zoos are highly notable to us, it is because we see them up close and surrounded by artificial backgrounds. But when in the wild and at a distance, our research shows that they are beautifully protective to avoid detection.
When it's time for a wardrobe makeover （形象改造）， who's the best person to give you some advice? You'll probably turn to your friend for some feedback and fashion tips-they know you best and can offer an honest opinion about which colours don't match and which outfit makes you look pretty.
However for someone like me, who's not a. follower of fashion and has a more practical dress sense, I don't need help-it's just jeans or. . . jeans! But for people who care about their appearance, they can now get some trustworthy advice with the aid of technology.
Of course, using social. media is a good way when you are at a loss about fashion, but this-sometimes brings in too much conflicting advice and opinions that are sometimes straightforward! That's why one woman has developed an app to help women crowdsource advice from stylists in a safe, non-violent communication environment.
Sophia Matveeva's Style Counsel app allows users to post a photo and receive "yes" or "no" answers from other users, or more detailed advice from fashion stylists and bloggers very quickly. According to Mathew Wall, BBC Technology of Business editor, this is a growing business; with several new apps such as AskAnna, Mallzee and StyleDotMe all offering young women tips on suitable and fashionable clothes to wear.
There's also a website called EyeFitU which finds clothes to fit your figure. Its chief executive, Isabelle Ohnemus, says there are no international standards in clothes sizes but she explains, "We can set up your size profile in a few seconds with 80% accuracy just knowing your gender, height, weight and age". This information is used to find clothes that suit your actual shape. And the internet giant, Amazon, has also developed a camera that links to a "style check" function that compares photos and gives its opinion of which outfit is better, based on fit, colour, style and current fashion trends.
But does technology make fashion advice a bit impersonal? Sophia Matveeva admits that women in particular are social creatures and that "AI will never stop us talking to each other. . . girls will always want the approval of the cool girl at school. "But as for me: an app with someone I don't know could be the place to start with some careful-in-speech fashion tips!
Lying awake for hours before falling asleep is a common problem. Even if you can finally fall asleep, taking too long to fall asleep can lead to too few hours of sleep altogether. So people having trouble falling asleep always wonder how they can sleep well.
Parents know from experience that gentle music can help babies. fall asleep. Science supports this, showing that children of all ages, from babies to elementary school children, sleep better after listening to comfortable music. Fortunately, children aren't the only ones who can benefit from gentle music before bedtime.
Listening to music likely improves sleep for more. than one reason. Music can promote sleep directly by affecting your physiology （生理机能）. Besides, it can also promote sleep by becoming a healthy bedtime habit. Many people can't fall asleep quickly because stressful and worrying thoughts keep them awake at night. By listening to music, the mind has something else to focus on. With time, the practice of listening to music at bedtime becomes more effective as the brain positively associates music with sleep.
Studies have looked at many types of music and playlists but there isn't a clear answer about the best music for sleep. What we do know is that researchers have typically used either a self-made playlist or one that has been designed especially with sleep in mind. One of the most important things on how music affects a person's body is their own musical preferences. For those who don't want to design their own playlist, online music services have stepped in and usually offer playlists for sleep or relaxation.
A. It can guarantee sufficient sleep.
B. It's natural to wonder about the best type of music for sleep.
C. The quality and quantity of our sleep become poor as we age.
D. Listening to music can reduce your stress and inspire positive feelings.
E. This can have a serious effect on a person's quality of life if it continues.
F. People across age groups report better sleep quality after listening to soft music.
G. Useful personal playlists may include relaxing songs that have helped with sleep in the past.
The last lecture
Randy Pausch was a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University and one of the pioneers of virtual technology. The last lecture by him is world-known as one version of fairy tales, with more than 5 million 1 sold in the United States alone.
Randy had been informed by his doctor to be in the 2 stage of cancer, before he was once invited to give a lecture under the same name.
Randy married his dream lover and had three lovely children. 3 , he would be absent from their 4 life forever. So, in his remaining life, he tried to 5 his family. Then again he intended to make some financial arrangements to ensure that their future life, at least in terms of 6 , was as comfortable as possible.
He used his time of 7 to keep his body active every day. Once, twice. . . with the permission of his body, Randy 8 riding to strengthen his body, hoping to have more time to 9 together the things he should have told his children slowly in the next 20 years into those small stories. When the children grow up and can read, Randy hopes they can be 10 that their father loves them deeply, even though he is 11 .
In this book, in an aspect of engineering, Randy reveals to his kids that nothing is perfect, and they should learn to do their best with limited 12 -you can't control the cards you're 13 , but just how you play the hand-probably that is what Randy wanted to 14 to his' kids.
As his co-author Jeffrey Zaslow put it, the 15 that Randy hoped to personally teach children about how to face life, as well as the rich content of this book, is not- only a gift to all students, teachers, and parents, but also those with dreams in the world.
China is a country with a rich cultural heritage（遗产） （stretch）back thousands of years. However, with the passage of time and other factors such as natural disasters and wars, many of its cultural treasures have been damaged or destroyed. In recent years, China has used technology to protect its cultural heritage through digitalization so that it can ( preserve ）for future generations to enjoy and study.
One of the most notable example of China's digital preservation effort is the Dunhuang Mogao Cave Project, the goal of which is (create）a digital profile of the Mogao Caves with the help of 3D scanning and virtual reality software. Another example is the Palace Museum Project. Through the use of technology, the Palace Museum is now able to showcase the relics to visitors from all around the world risking damage to the precious artworks.
Digital technology has the potential to aid in the restoration of damaged artworks. A 3D printing technology enabled Chinese researchers to recreate the cultural relics, including ancient Buddha statues and bronze（青铜） lion from the Qing Dynasty.
（additional）, China's digitalization of cultural heritage has been instrumental in research and education. The digital achievements have enabled researchers to study the artworks in greater detail ever before.
Digitalization has made cultural heritage more （access）to the public, particularly to people living in rural areas would otherwise be unable to visit these sites in person.
注意：1. 词数80左右；2. 短文题目已给出。
Which Matters More-Major or University?
Tomato Changed My Life
Doing things-without being planned was never my strength.
As a 14-year-old, I would refuse to go for walks around the block with my friends if I was the least bit behind in my schoolwork.
Unlike most teenagers, I lived not in my room, but in an unused kitchen upstairs where I spread my books and papers on a large round table. I spent considerable time there, working continuously for hours, and my mother worried. She would try to lure（引诱） me away. "Come and watch the parade!" she would call from downstairs. "All neighbors are out there!" She thought of all kinds of tricks-the swimming pool, ice cream, stray cats and turtles-to remove me from my -studies, but nothing ever worked.
Later, in college, the pattern continued. The library and my college dorm replaced the unused kitchen at home. When spring came along friends would stop. by my dorm or peer into my library room to persuade me to play Frisbee on the lawn. "No, I would. almost always say. "I have too much to do. "
My college study days were gone, but not my need and love for schedules. My friends and sisters tried to keep me away from my plans, but they were hardly ever successful.
This summer, though, while house sitting for my parents, I was persuaded to change my plans in the most unexpected way. The sight of tomatoes growing in my mother's garden lured me out of my tightly scheduled world. They drew me with the power of a lover's gaze. Hundreds of them were turning ripe and red by the minute, decorating the garden like decorations on a Christmas tree.
"If I have time, I'll make tomato sauce （番茄酱）. " I told myself. But my long week in the house by myself was already filled with things to do: writing, and finishing a project that I brought home from the office.
Then, watching the fascinating tomatoes continuously falling to the ground in ever-greater numbers, again I mentally argued about all the things I had planned and needed to do.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Finally, I gave in.
A month later, my parents came back.
