HOLIDAYHOMESINMALLORCAHolidayh-优题课

Dear Daughter,
As we drove off from Columbia, I wanted to write a letter to you to tell you all that is on my mind．
First, I want to tell you how proud we are．Getting into Columbia is a real testament of what a great well-rounded student you are．It is in college that you will truly discover what learning is about．I encourage you to be curious, but I also want to tell you “Education is what you have left after all that is taught is forgotten”．That is really what learning in college is about–this will be the period where you go from teacher-taught to master-inspired, after which you must become self-learner．So do take each subject seriously, and even if what you learn isn’t critical for your life, the skills of learning will be something you cherish forever．
There is no single simple answer to any question．Remember during your high school debate class, I always asked you to take on the side that you don’t believe in? I did that for a reason– things rarely “black and white”, and there are always many ways to look at a problem．You will become a better problem solver if you recognize that．This is called “critical thinking”, and it is the most important thinking skill you need for your life．This also means you need to become tolerant and supportive of others．I will always remember when I went to my Ph．D．advisor and proposed a new thesis topic．He said “I don’t agree with you, but I’ll support you．”
Do your best in classes, but don’t let pressure get to you．Your mother and I have no expectations for your grades．If you graduate and learn something in your four years, we would feel happy．Please don’t be worried．The only thing that matters is that you learned．The only metric you should use is that you tried．Grades are just silly letters that give the vain people something to brag, and the lazy people something to fear．You are too good to be either．
College is the four years where you have:·the greatest amount of free time．·the first chance to be independent．·the most flexibility to change．·the lowest risk for making mistakes．
So please treasure your college years．
Love,
Dad (& Mom)
(A letter from Kaifu Lee)
1．According to Kaifu Lee, the underlined sentence in the second paragraph means_________．
A．you should learn by yourself instead of learning from your teachers．
B．the knowledge isn’t as important as the ability to learn．
C．the knowledge from college is of less worth than that acquired after college．
D．education is nothing but what you have remembered．
2．Kaifu Lee expects his daughter to _________．
A．agree with those who hold the opposite opinions．
B．find out the difference between ‘right and wrong’．
C．think of more ways to solve a problem critically．
D．step into others’ shoes and think from others’ positions．
3．Based on the letter, it can be inferred that ________．
A．high grades are not important for people．
B．Kaifu Lee and his wife don’t care about their daughter’s grades or college life．
C．Kaifu Lee doesn’t expect her daughter to make any mistakes in her life．
D．Kaifu Lee’s daughter is a freshman in Columbia University．
4．We can conclude that Kaifu Lee’s daughter is _________．
A．dependent and curiousB．tolerant and supportive
C．well-rounded and worried D．excellent and hard-working

Brazil has become one of the developing world's great successes at reducing population growth-but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
Brazil's population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
As Martine puts it, among other things, soap operas and installment plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world's biggest producers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil's most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
"Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values-not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working," says Martine. "They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package."
Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers. "This led to an enormous change in consumption patterns and consumption was incompatible (不相容的) with unlimited reproduction," says Martine.
1 According to the passage, Brazil has cut back its population growth .
A. by chance
B. by educating its citizens
C. by careful family planning
D. by developing TV programs
2. What is probably Brazil's present population growth rate according to para.2?
A. 2.99% B.1.93% C.2.7% D. lower than 1.93%
3. Soap operas have helped in lowering Brazil's birth rate because .
A. they keep people sitting long hours watching TV
B. they have gradually changed people's way of life
C. people are drawn to their attractive package
D. they popularize birth control measures
4. What's the author's purpose to write this passage?
A. To call on developing countries to learn from Brazil's experience of controlling population growth rate.
B. To account for the reasons why Brazil succeeded in controlling its population growth rate.
C. To tell us how Brazil benefited from its successful control of population growth rate.
D. To raise people's awareness of controlling population growth rate.

Shanghai is the largest city in China with well-developed business and industry, and also holds a leading place in China's arts, sciences and education. About eleven million people make their homes in Shanghai. This enormous city spreads out along the banks of the Huang Pu River, which flows into the mouth of the Yangtze River about fourteen miles north.
Shanghai began as a fishing village in the 11th century, but by the mid-18th century it was an important area for growing cotton. After 1842 when China lost the Opium War with Great Britain, the British realized that Shanghai was in an excellent location to serve as a seaport for the densely populated Yangtze River Plain. They forced the Chinese government to allow English traders to settle on the wastelands outside the
city walls. Later, French, American, and Japanese traders also came to Shanghai and were allowed to live in certain territorial zones without being under the Chinese laws. The foreigners built whole new sections of Shanghai, including homes, stores, factories, and office buildings. Thousands of Chinese poured into Shanghai in search of jobs, most of whom settled in the old part of the city. As a result of all the foreigners, Shanghai became greatly influenced by Western culture.
During the 1900s, opium sales along with the gambling brought in big profits. After the Anti-Japanese War in 1945, the Nationalist Chinese government took over the city. In 1949, Shanghai was liberated and administrated under the Communist Chinese government. Since the 1990s, Shanghai has developed quickly and has become a new international metropolis in China and will host the World Expo in 2010.
1. The British first wanted to settle Shanghai because .
A. they wanted to build stores and factories here
B. they thought the place was beautiful and fit for living
C. they realized that it was a very good location for a seaport
D. they wanted to take control of the Yangtze River Plain
2. Which of the following statements about Shanghai in the 1900s is True?
A. It was an important centre for growing cotton.
B. Shanghai was important only, because it was a big seaport city.
C. Opium and cotton sales brought in huge profits.
D. Foreign settlers in Shanghai were free from Chinese laws.
3. What's the main idea of the second paragraph?
A. Shanghai' development into an international city.
B. Certain territorial zones for foreigners in Shanghai.
C. Brief history of Shanghai from the 11th century to the early 20th.
D. The influence of western culture on Shanghai.
4. Which of the following can replace the word "metropolis"(bold in last para.)?
A. seaport city B. big city
C. capital city D. developing city

Air travel chaos across Europe caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland continued Sunday, impacting tourists and business people's schedules and causing economic loss to Chinese airlines and tourism agencies.
Air China canceled five one-way flights and eight return flights to European cities including Paris, Frankfurt and Moscow Sunday, according to a notice on its website. "The cancellation was due to closure of most European airports, and we will keep a close eye on the latest situation, "said Zhu Mei, an Air China spokeswoman.
Other carders including China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Hainan Airlines have also canceled most flights to Europe, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Airlines worldwide are losing at least $200 million per day in revenue, the International Air Transport Association said Friday.
Tourism agencies have been affected too. "This is the first time we met such a natural disaster, and we can only wait and keep in contact with our tourists," said Hun Ping, an employee on duty at China International Travel Service's(CITS) branch in Beijing Sunday. "We have a group of more than 30 Chinese tourists who were scheduled to fly to Paris from Beijing around noon Sunday and their flights will be postponed to tomorrow at the earliest," she said. Hun said another group of Chinese tourists in Europe, who will fly back to Beijing from Brussels Wednesday, might also be affected by the incident. "The possible delay will not add to tourists' financial burdens, as we will share our tourists' additional expenses with the airlines," she said.
1. How many flights has Air China canceled?
A. 8 B. 9 C. 13 D.15
2. What does the word "chaos"(bold in para. 1) mean in the passage?
A. disorder B. incidents C. closure D. damage
3. Which of the following statements is True?
A. The air travel chaos in Europe has caused great losses to only air carriers.
B. The direct reason for the flight cancellation is the closure of most European airport.
C. The International Air Transport Association is suffering a huge loss of $200 million per day.
D. Air China and other Chinese air carriers have already canceled all their flights to Europe.
4. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?
A. Flights Cancellation Caused by Volcanic Eruption
B. The Effects of Volcanic Eruption in Iceland
C. The chaos caused by Volcanic Eruption
D. Tourism Disaster Owing to Volcanic Eruption

People living in the UK .take quite a few holidays abroad and in this country each year. Choices made about where to go, how to get there and what to do while there can either benefit or harm the environment.
While on holiday:
Many of the things you can do to be greener on holiday will be the same things you can do at home--but there are also some extra things too, like avoiding gifts made from endangered plants and animals. Here are some suggestions:
●Making the most of locally produced food and drink, and local activities and attractions will support people in the area you are visiting and reduce the need for further environmental influence from transport;
●Switching off any air conditioning, heating and lights will help reduce climate change effect;
● Save water--some countries suffer from water shortages and saving water can help avoid damage to our natural habitats.
Endangered species:
Some gifts and foods available in some countries can be made from endangered plants or animals. Check before you buy, but if in doubt, avoid animal and plant gifts. More details of the types of products to avoid and illegal trade hotspots can be found on the Souvenir Alert webpage.
Making a positive contribution to the place you are visiting:
There are ways in which your holiday can help support local people and the environment:
●There are many opportunities to volunteer and help with projects that conserve and improve natural habitats;
●When you are away, or if you are looking for somewhere to visit, you can support projects or attractions which protect wildlife, such as nature reserves and conservation projects.
1. According to the passage, we can to help reduce climate change effect.
A. make good use of water B. buy local food and drink
C. save electricity D. go around on foot
2. We should check the gifts and foods before buying because .
A. sometimes they are of poor quality
B. they may not be typical local products
C. some of them will do harm to our health
D. they may be made from endangered animals or plants
3. We can infer from the passage that .
A. it is not easy for people to travel abroad
B. not everyone can tell an illegal souvenir
C. green holidays have been accepted by all people
D. volunteer work is a must for protecting natural habitats
4 The passage is mainly about .
A. travel dos and don'ts B. the harm done to the environment
C. greener choices for holiday D. tips on protecting endangered species

A．Italy	B．Israel
C．Mallorca	D．a Caribbean island

A．an Italian city	B．a kibbutz in Israel
C．a Caribbean island	D．the port in Mallorca