Sightseeing Tours in Germany
Germany has a variety of cities each with its own characteristics, from the busy city of Berlin, to the ancient city of Cologne, to the Bavarian capital of Munich．Thankfully, these major German cities offer sightseeing tours that offer the opportunity to better explore the surrounding regions and the country’s most historic sites．
Berlin on Bike
berlin image by Jürgen Remmer from Fotolia.com
Berlin on Bike takes visitors through the German capital via five bicycle tours, all with guides．Regular tours include the Wall Tour and Berlin’s Best, with stops at some of the city’s most famous landmarks, such as the Reichstag and the Berlin Wall．Specialty tours include the East Unplugged, which explores what life was like in East Berlin under Communist rule．The cost of the tour includes
the bike and helmet rental, and tourists may choose to continue renting their bikes once the tour has ended．
berlinonbike.de/english/index.php
Munich City Sightseeing Tour
The Munich City Sightseeing Tour transports travelers throughout the city via an open-air, double-decker bus．Passengers can hop on and off at various stops throughout the day．This tour includes stops at such sites as the Munich central train station, the 1972 Olympic Stadium Park, Munich’s opera house and Karlsplatz, the gate to the historic city．The bus features a narrated tour guide and offers an English-language option．
raileurope.com/activities/munich-city-sightseeing-tour/index.html
Nice City Tours－Cologne
Nice City Tours offers three tours of Cologne, available to private or business groups in a variety of languages．The Old Town Tour runs for two hours and includes a guided tour of the Cologne Cathedral and some of the city’s old squares．The Brewery Pub Tour explores some of the city’s most beloved breweries and pubs, and details the history behind Kolsch, Cologne’s resident beer．Finally, the Old Town and Rhine Tour begins by visiting some of old town’s most historic sites and ends with a ride down the Rhine River．
nicecitytours.com/tours.htm
68．The similarity of the three tours lies in that they all include ________.
A．bus tours B．English service C．three routes D．guide’s service
69．If you take a great interest in beer, which tour might be suitable for you?
A．The Wall Tour B．The Brewery Pub Tour
C．The Old Town Tour D．The Munich City Sightseeing Tour
70．Where can you probably see this passage?
A．In a textbook B．On a website
C．In an encyclopedia D．In a journal
Cara Lang is 13. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts, in the US. Last Thursday, she didn’t go to school. She went to work with her father instead. Every year, on the fourth Thursday in April, millions of young girls go to work. This is Take Our Daughters to Work Day. The girls are between the ages of 9 to 15. They spend the day at work with an adult, usually a mother, aunt, or uncle. They go to offices, police stations, laboratories, and other places where their parents or other family members work. Next year, the day will include sons, too.
The Ms. Foundation, an organization for women, started the program about ten years ago. In the US, many women work outside the home. The Ms. Foundation wanted girls to find out about many different kinds of jobs. Then, when the girls grow up, they can choose a job they like.
Cara’s father is a film director. Cara says, “It was very exciting for me to go to the studio with my dad. I saw a lot of people doing different jobs.” Many businesses have special activities for girls on this day. Last year, Cara went to work with her aunt at the University of Massachusetts. In the engineering department, the girls learned to build a bridge with toothpicks and candy. In the chemistry department, they learned to use scales. They learned about many other kinds of jobs, too.
Right now, Cara does not know what jobs she will have when she grows up. But because of Take Our Daughters to Work Day, she knows she has many choices. What is Cara’s father?
| A．An engineer. | B．An official. |
| C．A moviemaker. | D．A professor. |
According to the passage, Take Our Daughters to Work Day is __________.
| A．on every Thursday in April |
| B．a holiday for girls of all ages |
| C．a day for girls to know about jobs |
| D．a day for girls to get a job easily |
On this special day, Cara has done all the following EXCEPT that __________.
| A．she learned to use scales |
| B．she worked as an actress |
| C．she went to work with her aunt |
| D．she used toothpicks and candy to build a bridge |
What is probably the best title for the passage?
| A．Cara Lang, a Fortunate Girl |
| B．Take Our Daughters to Work Day |
| C．Children’s Day and Work Day |
| D．Ms. Foundation, an Organization for Women |
The old idea that child prodigies (神童) “burn themselves” or “overtax their brains” in the early years, therefore, suffer from failure and (at worst) mental illness is just a myth. As a matter of fact, the outstanding thing that happens to bright children is that they are very likely to grow into bright adults.
To find this out, 1,500 gifted persons were followed up to their thirty-fifth years with these results:
On adult intelligence tests, they scored as high as they did as children. They were, as a group, in good health, physically and mentally. Eighty-four percent of their group were married and seemed content with their life.
About 70 percent had graduated from colleges, though only 30 percent had graduated with honors. A few had even flunked out (退学), but nearly half of these had returned to graduate.
Of the men, 80 percent were in one of the professions or in business, managerial or semiprofessional jobs. The women who had remained single had offices, business, or professional occupations.
The group had published 90 books and 1,500 articles in scientific, scholarly, and literary magazines and had collected more than 100 patents.
In a material way they didn’t do badly either. Average income was considerably higher among the gifted people, especially the men, than for the country as a whole, despite their comparative youth when last surveyed.
In fact, far from being strange, maladjusted (难以适应) people locked in an ivory tower, most of the gifted were turning their early promises into practical reality.The main idea of the passage is __________.
| A．that gifted adults can be as intelligent as when they were young |
| B．that bright children are unlikely to be physically and mentally healthy |
| C．that gifted children are most likely to become bright grown-ups |
| D．that when the bright children grow up, they become ordinary |
From the passage, we can conclude that ____________.
| A．most of the gifted children became white-collar workers |
| B．half of the gifted followed up graduated from colleges |
| C．each of the talented published at least one article |
| D．successful men got higher income than successful women |
Which of the following is mentioned in the passage?
| A．The gifted could not be fit for their social positions. |
| B．Most of the bright and successful women remained single. |
| C．The gifted men got full marks on intelligence tests. |
| D．Most of the gifted appeared satisfied with their life. |
The explanation of the underlined part “turning their early promises into practical reality” is _____________.
| A．earning their living and keeping promises |
| B．doing practical jobs and facing reality |
| C．doing what they have promised |
| D．realizing what they were expected |
Chinese President Hu Jintao, on his way to talks with President George W. Bush in Washington, on Tuesday met with Bill Gates.
After the meeting with Gates, the world's richest man, at Microsoft's headquarters, Hu restated that China would move against software pirates all the time(盗版软件).
At Microsoft Corp.'s campus, Hu said Tuesday he admired what Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates had achieved. He also sought to reassure Gates that China is serious about protecting intellectual property rights(知识产权).
"Because you, Mr. Bill Gates, are a friend of China, I'm a friend of Microsoft," Hu said.
"Also, I am dealing with the operating system produced by Microsoft every day," he added, to laughter.
Gates responded: "Thank you, it's a fantastic relationship," and then said: "And if you ever need advice on how to use Windows, I'll be glad to help."
"China is focused on and has already accomplished much in creating and enforcing laws to protect intellectual property." he said. "We take our promises very seriously."
Hu also said he would certainly welcome a further increase in Microsoft's investment in China.
"I'd also like to take this opportunity to assure you, Bill Gates, that we will certainly honor our words in protecting intellectual property rights," Hu said.
In his brief visit to the Microsoft campus, Hu, accompanied by Gates and company CEO Steve Ballmer, saw some business technology demonstrations and toured Microsoft's Home of the Future, which features experimental technology that might someday be used in people's living spaces.
Following the visit at Microsoft, about 100 guests, including former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former Gov. Gary Locke, the first Chinese-American governor, were invited to Gates' $100 million lakeside house on Lake Washington for a dinner.
China has recently begun requiring Chinese computer makers to load legal software on their machines.
In Seattle's Chinatown, many stores hung Chinese and U.S. flags to welcome Hu, and many in the crowd outside the stately Fairmont Hotel on Monday night where Hu is staying were there to support the Chinese president. How many issues are mentioned in President Hu’s visit to Microsoft?
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
Put the sentences in correct order.
1.Hu had a meeting with President George W. Bush
2.Hu had dinner with many guests in Gates’ lakeside house
3.Hu paid a visit to the Microsoft campus
4.Hu stayed at Fairmont Hotel in Seattle
| A．4-3-2-1 | B．4-2-3-1 | C．1-4-3-2 | D．1-3-2-4 |
What measure is not mentioned to protect intellectual property rights?
| A．Moving against software pirates |
| B．creating and enforcing laws |
| C．increasing Microsoft's investment in China |
| D．requiring Chinese computer makers to load legal software on their machines |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Hu Visits Microsoft | B．Protecting Intellectual Property Rights |
| C．Bill Gate’s, A Friend of China | D．Americans Welcome President Hu |
New Beijing, Great Olympics
The 2008 Olympic Games has been the most cheerful and anticipated（预先的） event throughout Beijing ever since Beijing was rewarded the right to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, yet the focus should be shifted from making a promise to carrying out the promise made.
In my point of view, to bridge the gap between the promise and reality, Beijing still has a long way to go. To begin with, basic-structure construction should be the primary concern. Such basic-structures as communications and transportation system and facilities ought to draw our constant attention. For example, traffic jam has been an age-old headache in Beijing. The scene of long queues of vehicles worming their way inch by inch will surely cause great disorder, and impair the image of the city meanwhile. Next, to add charm to convenience, overall cityplanning is quite necessary. Time permitting, a redesign of city plan and adjustment of architectural style would provide a better environment for cultivating the characteristic, mixing oriental elegance(东方的雅致) with international greatness, will tower aloft(在高处) among surrounding architectures. To achieve such effect, Beijing shall seek opinions from first-rate architects and make an overall plan. Thirdly, quality of the population should be improved. To make an international metropolis, both “hardware” and “software” are important.
However, Rome was not built in a day. To carry out the promise of “New Beijing, Great Olympics”, deeds speak louder than words.What does the underlined word “metropolis” in paragraph 2 mean ?
| A．suburb | B．small city | C．capital city | D．town |
Which sentence is not true according to the author’s opinion in the passage?
| A．Beijing has a crowded traffic since a long time ago. |
| B．Experts in architecture are also important to the city’s construction. |
| C．In order to host the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing has preparations to make in many ways. |
| D．Hardware” refers to quality of people in Beijing. |
How many aspects does the author mention to prepare for the Olympics in Beijing?
| A．two: basic-structure construction and people’s quality |
| B．three: basic-structure construction, traffic problem and overall city planning. |
| C．two: basic-structure construction and overall city planning |
| D．three: basic-structure construction, overall city planning and people’s quality. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．Beijing is going to host the 2008 Olympic Games. |
| B．To carry out the promise of “New Beijing, Great Olympics”is a long-term work. |
| C．Traffic jams will cause a lot of trouble and make people feel sick.. |
| D．An overall city plan is to make Beijing a city with eastern and western cultures mixed together. |
I was born and raised in the shadow of the Capitol(美国国会大厦), in Washington, D.C., as were my parents and my mother’s parents.
Our row house was on a tree-lined street just blocks from the building that was the heart of the federal legislative branch. When I was a child, in the 1940s, friends and I would pack a lunch or ride a streetcar to the Capitol. If we roller-skated, we hid the skates in the bushes in the park across the street before entering the building.
I knew every corner of the Capitol. We’d play hide-and-seek and pretend we saw ghosts in the halls and stairways. I don’t know how we got away with it. I remember the beautiful ladies’ rooms, with their marble floors and sinks. I pretended that I was a fine lady in them.
In those days, you could walk around the Capitol dome(圆顶屋), which was a little scary for me. I loved the wonderful paintings and statues and the subway rides to the Senate Office Building. It was like an amusement ride. I even used to sit in the gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives—until I became bored with all the talk and went on another adventure.
Whenever I ran up the steps to the huge bronze doors of the Rotunda, I would look back to the world below like a hero. As soon as the doors were opened, the sense of history surrounded me, and I knew it was someplace special.
Those were lucky days, when an American citizen could wander in the Capitol and be a part of history.
Once war was declared, some things changed in the nation’s capital. Because of concerns that Washington might be attacked, as London had been, everyone prepared. Kids at my elementary school wore dog tags, and each of us was fingerprinted.
My father, a pipe worker, became a civil defense warden(民防队员). During an air-raid(空袭), his job was to turn off any leaking gas. Since he always had a cigarette in his mouth, maybe that was not a good choice, but he had a gas mask and flashlight hanging in the rafters of our basement. The mask looked like a monster in the ceiling. My 15-year-old brother was a junior civil defense warden. During air-raid drills, he knocked on doors and asked people to put out their lights. I remember huge searchlights that crisscrossed the skies during the drills, looking for enemy planes.What can we infer from the passage?
A. The writer attended the meeting in House of Representative.
B. The writer’s family lived in Washington D.C. for generations.
C. American citizen, except children, could never enter the Capitol.
D. The writer’s father had a gas mask to prevent him from smoking.When the writer said “I was born and raised in the shadow of the Capitol” (1st paragraph), she most probably meant that ________.
| A．she spent her childhood in an area near the Capitol |
| B．she grew up under the pressure of the Capitol |
| C．the Capitol had some bad influence on my childhood |
| D．she was born and brought up secretly in the Capitol |
By telling the childhood experience, the passage suggests that ________.
| A．London was attacked during the war, as well as Washington |
| B．the writer is a daughter of a member of Representatives |
| C．the writer’s father and brother joined the army during the war |
| D．the Capitol used to be open to the public in history |
What is the writer’s attitude towards the things that changed in the nation’s capital?
| A．neutral | B．positive | C．negative | D．ironic |