BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have pros and cons.
GOOD NEWS
Free museums. No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities.
Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival(与…匹敌)the US on this score.
Black cabs. London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.
Choice of food. Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurants.
Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.
BAD NEWS
Poor service. “It’s part of the image of the place. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.
Poor public transport. Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the over crowded London tube is inexplicably(难以理解的) popular.
Lack of languages. Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in the tourist traps(圈套).
Rain. Still in the number one complaint.
No air-conditioning. So that even splendidly hot summers become as unbearable as the downpours.
Overpriced hotels. The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.
Licensing hours. Alcohol(酒) is in short supply after 11 pm even in “24-hour cities”.
1. What do tourists complain most?
A. Poor service. B. Poor public transport.
C. Rain. D. Overpriced hotels.
2. What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?
A. Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US.
B. Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US.
C. Pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US.
D. Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US.
3. When is alcohol not able to get?
A. At 9: 00 pm B. At 10: 00 pm C. At 11: 00 pm D. At 12: 00 pm
4. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. You have to pay to visit the museums.
B. It’s very cheap to travel by taxi there.
C. You cannot find Chinese food there.
D. The public transport is poor there.
Bill Robinson is on trial for murder（因谋杀而受审）．He grew up in a small town in Ohio and then went to Kent State University for one year．When he was nineteen years old，he was asked to join the army and was soon sent to fight in Vietnam．He was very unhappy there as he hated the war and he hated killing people．Two years later he returned home and tried to pick up where he had left off，but things were never quite the same again for the young black man．For one thing，he always had terrible dreams about the war．He could not concentrate on his studies and soon he had to leave school．Then he was fired from one job after another．He wanted to meet someone nice and get married，but he just couldn't seem to get close to anyone．He became angry easily and people avoided him．He was always lonely．Finally one day，while eating at a restaurant，Bill lost control of himself and shot someone for no reason at all．Bill's lawyer hopes that he will not be held responsible for the shooting．He hopes that the judge and the jury（陪审团）will understand that Bill was“temporarily insane（一时精神错乱）”and did not really choose to kill anyone． What did Bill Robinson do after he returned from abroad？
| A．He gave up the chance to go back to college． | B．He tried to go back to his normal life． |
| C．He picked up his things and left again． | D．He found what he had dreamed of． |
He failed to complete his college education because he ____ ．
| A．hated school | B．joined the army |
| C．didn't study hard | D．found it difficult to keep his mind on his studies |
He never married because ____ ．
| A．there were no nice girls around | B．he didn't care to meet any girls |
| C．he hadn't met girls that he liked | D．he found it hard to make friends with girls |
The best title for this article is ____ ．
| A．Robinson on Trial | B．Murder at a Restaurant |
| C．A Young Black Man | D．A Victim of the Vietnam War |
For thousands of years, man has enjoyed the taste of apples. Apples, which are about 85 percent water, grow almost everywhere in the world but the hottest and coldest areas (地区). Among the leading countries in apple production are China, France and the United States.
There are various kinds of apples, but a very few make up the majority of those grown for sale. The three most common kinds grown in the United States are Delicious, golden Delicious, and McIntosh.
Apples are different in colour, size, and taste. The colour of the skin may be red, green, or yellow. They have various sizes, with Delicious apples being among the largest. The taste may be sweet or tart (酸的). Generally, sweet apples are eaten fresh while tart apples are used to make applesauce (苹果酱).
Apple trees may grow as tall as twelve metres. They do best in areas that have very cold winters. Although no fruit is yielded during the winter, this cold period is good for the tree. It can be learned from the text that delicious apples are _______________
| A．grown in France. | B．sold everywhere. | C．very big. | D．quite sweet. |
Cold winter weather is good for _______________
| A．the growth of apple trees. | B．producing large apples. |
| C．improving the taste of apples. | D．the increase of water in apples. |
China, France and the United States are considered to _______________
| A．be large producers of apples. | B．be large producers of applesauce. |
| C．have the longest history in apple production. | |
| D．have the coldest winter among apple producing countries. |
It’s not the first movie to show the end of the world. But in the latest box office hit 2012 it is neither aliens nor a killer disease that threaten the human race, but climate change.
Some say the film lacks good dialogue and its science is questionable， others believe German director Roland Emmerich makes up for these flaws in special effects. An earthquake destroys the White House and Yellow stone National Park ends up in flames．
Emmerich borrows from the old Mayan(玛雅人的) story which says, that the world will end in 2012．He is being criticized for fuelling Internet rumors(传闻) about doomsday(世界末日)
“There is no factual basis for these claims,’’ NASA said on its website. “Credible(可信赖的) scientists worldwide know of no threat connected with 2012,’’ it insisted. “After all, our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, ” they added．
According to the UK’s Daily Telegraph, it was first thought that the disaster would happen in May 2003. When the world continued, supporters picked the last day of the Mayan calendar．
“Every culture has a myth(传说) of destruction(毁灭), just as they have a myth of creation. These myths |of destruction tend to surface(重新出现) during times of crisis(危机), ” Michael A. Ryan, an assistant profess of history，speaking to Purdue University News. Ryan studies apocalyptic(像世界末日的) themes from the Middle Ages at the US university. “Today’s current economic climate is a state of crisis for many people who are worried whether they can afford to feed themselves,”he added. What led to the end of the world according to the film 2012?
| A．Aliens． | B．The human race． | C．Climate change． | D．A killer disease． |
What does the underlined word “fuelling’’ in the third paragraph refer to?
| A．Making sth. stronger．． | B．Putting gas into a car． |
| C．Producing power or heat． | D．Burning |
Which of the following statements about the film 2012 is TRUE according to the text?
| A．A big fire destroys Yellow-stone National Park． |
| B．All scientists in the world know of no threat connected with 2012． |
| C． The old Mayan story says that the world will end in |
| D．Every culture has a myth of destruction rather than creation |
Why do the rumors about doomsday come about now and then?
| A．Because during times of crisis, people tend to worry about their future． |
| B．Because aliens often threaten the human race． |
| C．Because killer diseases happen at times． |
| D． Because the old Mayan story says that the world will |
“I Love My Neighborhood” Poster Contest
The “I Love My Neighborhood” Poster Contest was developed in l993．It aims to educate your students and their families about neighborhood pride and duty．Lessons and activities are provided in a teacher’s guide．Students can learn about the sources of litter and pollution prevention．
RULES
All children in primary schools are invited to submit(提交) one piece of work. The Winning posters will be reproduced and handed out throughout the neighborhood．
◆Students are encouraged to bravely use different colors and to be as creative as possible! It is up to the student and you to decide which art tool to use such as crayons. Color pencils are not advised because they do not reproduce well．
◆The topic, “I am part of my neighborhood!” must be included in the design of each poster. The Committee requires that students include their
mascot(吉祥物) in each poster.
◆All work must be on normal-sized paper for winning posters reproduction purposes. Over-sized posters will have no chance of taking part in the final competition．
◆All work submitted must be the child’s own work．Your students can be guided by you or their parents; we simply want to avoid poster not drawn by themselves．
◆Please review each poster before submitting．
Each work to be submitted must include the student’s name, grade level，your name and school name on the BACK of each poster．
For more information or questions about the 2012 “I Love My Neighborhood” Poster Contest, contact(联系) Jaixen Webb at (818) 551-6933 or jwebb@ci.glendale. ca.us． ’We can learn from Paragraph l that the contest ______.
| A．has a history of more than 20 years |
| B．offers kids activities organized by parents |
| C．aims to protect the environment by the power of art |
| D．hopes kids can feel proud of their neighborhood |
To win the contest, students must _____.
| A．use different-sized Paper | B．design a mascot for the contest |
| C．avoid using crayons and color pencils | D．draw the posters by themselves |
The text is mainly written for ______.
| A．students | B．neighborhood committees | C．teachers | D．parents |
Australians have been warned they face a life or death decision over their water —— drink recycled sewage(污水) or die.
With the drought(干旱) continuing, the country is set to be forced to use purified waste water for drinking, even if there is great opposition to the measure
Queensland has become the first state to introduce the policy after a warning from its premier.
“I think in the end, because of the drought, all of Australia is going to end up drinking recycled purified water,” said former Premier Peter Beattie. “These are difficult decisions, but you either drink water or you die. There’s no choice. It's liquid gold; it a matter of life and death.”
Beattie said Australia's second largest state would become the first to use recycled water for drinking．
Water is recycled in Britain and parts of northern Europe along with the US and Israel．
But Australians have never liked the idea．
To try to change the way Australians think, John Howard and Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull have Supported Queensland’s move.
“I am very strongly for recycling and Mr Beattie is right and I agree with him completely,” Howard said．
“Australian cities, all now facing water shortages because of the worst drought on record, must start to use recycled water,” added Turnbull. “All of our big cities have to widen the range of water sources to include sources which are not dependent on rainfall.”What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Australians face the choice of life and death． |
| B．Continuing drought forces Australians to drink recycled sewage． |
| C．Mr Beattie is worried about his people’s health． |
| D．We should avoid drinking recycled water to keep healthy． |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The drought is the worst one in the droughts recorded in Australian history． |
| B．Australia’s largest state has become the first state to introduce the policy． |
| C．No other countries but Australia decides to drink recycled water． |
| D．Nobody disagrees to the idea of drinking recycled purified water． |
It can be inferred from what Peter Beattie said that_________.
| A．he gives orders to drink purified waste water. |
| B．if the decision is made, people won't survive the drought |
| C．it is painful for him to see his people drink recycled sewage |
| D．it's up to you to make a life or death decision |