You often hear people refer to Africa as a country, not a continent. It is often a region that is described as being unified around poverty, disease and despair. Africa is far from being a homogenized continent. It has more than 50 countries, each with unique culture, landscape and tradition.
Africa’s diversity is apparent to anyone who travels to the continent. In the north, you have countries like Morocco, Algeria and Egypt, which have a long tradition of welcoming visitors. Further south there is Kenya and Tanzania, both renowned for their wildlife and for Africa’s tallest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro. On the southern tip of the continent is South Africa, the region’s economic and political superpower which in itself lies many fascinating cultures. There are also the trouble spots like Congo and Sudan which are almost all but avoided by travelers.
Travel in Africa can be rough. It can also be a great joy. If you have patience, a willingness to maintain an open mind, a desire to explore and the ability to laugh at the strange, your African travels will change your life.
There are many entry points to Africa. Your best bet in terms of cheap airfare is to fly into one of the bigger cities like Johannesburg or Nairobi. Depending on where you are starting from flights to Africa can be either quite cheap or outrageously expensive. As is true nearly everywhere, flying into the biggest cities is usually your best bet for a cheap ticket.
Many people who travel to Africa prefer to do so in a group or through an organized adventure trip. This is especially the case with safari trips. BootsnAll has some of the best African adventure trips and safaris in the world. We work closely with local tour providers to offer you many options at very affordable rates.
If you are looking for a place to stay in, check out the hotels in Africa or the hostels in Africa for those on a tighter budget.
Still want more? You can learn from those who have been to Africa by sharingideas and thoughts on our Africa community message board.
1.From the first paragraph, we know when mentioning Africa, people often_______.
A．regard it as a continent, nota country
B．connect it with poverty, disease and despair
C．consider it a nice place to travel in
D．admit there are more than 50 countries.
2.Africa’s tallest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro is________.
A．in the north B．in the south C．in the middle D．off the sea shore
3.What can we infer from the underlined part in Para.2?
A．Travelers seldom go to visit Congo or Sudan.
B．People in Congo and Sudan are trouble-makers.
C．Congo and Sudan are as powerful as South Africa.
D．There are few sightseeing spots in Congo or Sudan.
4.Your African travels will be a great joy, if you have_________.
①patience ②a willingness to maintain an open mind
③a desire to explore ④the ability to laugh at the strange
A．①②③ B．①③④ C．②③④ D．①②③④
5.What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A．Introducing some information of Africa.
B．Encouraging people to travel in Africa.
C．Reminding travelers of the danger in Africa.
D．Telling people the cheap air fare to Africa.
Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Brain-computer interface(BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.
Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic school in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated（展示）a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person’s thoughts.
In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.
“our brain has billions of nerve ceils. These send signals through the spinal cord（脊髓）to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles,” Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices.”
The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp(头皮) and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.
Prof. Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands. “The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices. One example is this wheelchair.”
He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to make sure that they can use the technology over long periods of time.BCI is a technology that can______.
| A．help to update computer systems | B．link the human brain with computers |
| C．help the disabled to recover | D．control a person's thoughts |
How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?
| A．By controlling his muscles. | B．By talking to the machine |
| C．By moving his hand. | D．By using his mind. |
Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?
| A．scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair | B．computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair |
| C．scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair | D．cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair |
The team will test with real patients to _____ .
| A．make profits from them | B．prove the technology useful to them |
| C．make them live longer | D．learn about their physical condition |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Switzerland, the BCI Research Center |
| B．New Findings About How the Human Brain Works |
| C．BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled |
| D．Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries |
Few people ever took notice of Mr. Jimmy Tan whenever he entered a room. He was a shy, quiet and simple man who preferred to keep to himself in public. On the other hand, Mr. Thomas Kim, a fellow scientist, was a man everyone would notice on the streets. He wore bright outfits with huge flower prints, spoke with a booming voice, and his laughter could be heard from all corners of a room. In addition to the differences in their characters, Mr. Kim and Mr. Tan were also great rivals at work in the Institute of Future Science.
On Christmas Eve, everyone left work early to celebrate the special occasion, except for Mr. Tan and Mr. Kim. They were in their laboratory analyzing the results of their latest experiments. Mr. Tan realized that something special was taking place in his experiment —the bacteria he had cultured were growing extremely quickly under high pressure and at a very low temperature. After noting down the findings in his notebook, he left the room to prepare for another round of tests. Shortly after, Mr. Kim entered.
“Hey Jimmy,” Mr. Kim called out, “do you have an extra copy of the laboratory booking form?”
There was no reply, so Mr. Kim looked through Mr. Tan’s things. He soon found Mr. Tan's notebook and was horrified to see that Mr. Tan had managed to make one of the most important discoveries in modern science. He then looked into the deep-freeze cupboard where a dish containing the bacteria was kept. He put them into his pocket and returned to his own laboratory.
Mr. Tan came back an hour later to find his notebook and the dish missing. He knew that Mr. Kim had taken them and went to Mr. Kim's laboratory to find out. When he opened the door, he found Mr. Kim lying on the floor motionless. His face was pale and his skin had turned black. The deadly bacteria had been handled improperly. He shook his head and left.From the first paragraph we know Mr. Kim was a quiteperson.
| A．famous | B．hardworking |
| C．wealthy | D．outgoing |
The underlined word "rivals" in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to.
| A．enemies | B．colleagues |
| C．competitors | D．friends |
What does the underlined word “them” refer to in the 4th paragraph?
| A．the most important discoveries |
| B．the notebook and the dish |
| C．the cupboard and the bacteria |
| D．the dish and the bacteria |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Mr. Kim was afraid Mr. Tan might succeed ahead of him. |
| B．Mr. Tan's bacteria grew very fast in a warm container. |
| C．Mr. Tan worked much harder than Mr. Kim. |
| D．Mr. Kim was so tired that he fell down into sleep. |
What happened to Mr. Kim in the end?
| A．He died on Christmas Eve. |
| B．He was arrested by the police. |
| C．He shared the success with Mr. Tan. |
| D．He succeeded ahead of Mr. Tan. |
The speed and convenience of modern travel means that destinations that used to take a long time to travel to can now be reached quickly and easily. Even though” faraway” countries may now seem closer thanks to air travel, they may still be different from your home country.Following are some fundamental rules that will make communication easier, and your trip more enjoyable.
If you don not know the word for something in local language, or can not make yourself understood verbally, try drawing a picture, or pointing to an object.
Avoid topics of conversation that you think may be sensitive..Feel free to show interest in the history and customs of the place you are visiting, but don’t ask too many questions about why things are done a certain way; you may offend the local people.
Kissing on the street or in public places is unacceptable behavior and should be avoided. If you are unsure of how to behave, watch the local people and copy them---if they don’t behave in a certain way, you probably shouldn’t either.
Finally, if you are traveling on business, or plan to stay with a host to family, and you wish to take a gift, do some research. . One of the easiest ways to offend somebody is to give the wrong gift.
Wherever you go in the world, always be tolerant of the local customs. Avoid being critical; try instead to show respect for the values of the country you are in, even if you do not necessarily agree with them
| A．Keep in mind that in many cultures, display affection in public is considered taboo. |
| B．Consider the main lifestyle of the country you plan to visit. |
| C．Never raise your voice in order to make yourself understood. |
| D．If a topic is sensitive in your own culture, it will more than likely be the same in other cultures. |
E．The idea of the perfect gift varies greatly from country to country.
F．The opening of gifts is also treated very differently around the world.
G．Therefore, it is important to adapt your behavior not to offend the local people.
I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by themselves. One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died “full of years”, as the Bible would say .Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence(吊唁)calls on the two families on the same afternoon.
At the first home, the son of the deceased woman said to me, ”If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died. ”At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother’s going to Florida, she would be alive today .That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate ,was more than she could take．It’s my fault that she’s dead.”
You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believe that the opposite course------keeping mother at home, putting off the operation----would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?
There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens. That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.
The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believing that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.
A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needｓ,and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to his tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him，and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we don not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.The author had to conduct the two women’s funerals probably because_______.
| A．he was minister of the local church |
| B．he wanted to comfort the two families |
| C．he was an official of the community |
| D．he had great pity for the deceased |
People feel guilty for the death of their loved ones because________.
| A．they can’t find a better way of express their sorrow |
| B．they have neglected the natural course of events |
| C．they believe that they were the reason |
| D．the don’t know things often turn in the opposite direction |
According to the main passage, the underlined part in Paragraph 4 probably means that________.
| A．everything in the world is predetermined |
| B．there’s an explanation for everything in the world |
| C．the world can be interpreted in different ways |
| D．we have to be sensible in order to understand the world |
What’s the main idea of the message?
A .Life and death is an unsolved mystery.
B. Never feel guilty all the time because not every disaster is our fault.
C Every story should have a happy ending.
D. In general, the survivors will feel guilty about the people who passed away.
People who are hit by lightning and survive often have long-term effects. These may include memory loss, sleep disorders, muscle pain and depression.
Experts tell people to seek the safety of a building or a hard-top vehicle any time they hear thunder, even if it is not raining. They say lightning can strike as far as sixteen kilometers from any rainfall. Lightning can travel sideways. And at least ten percent of lightning happens without any clouds overhead that you can see.
People who are outdoors should make sure they are not the tallest thing around. Bend low to the ground, but do not lie down. And do not stand near tall object. Get away from water and anything made of metal. A car is safe, but don’t touch any metal inside.
Safety experts say people in buildings should stay away from anything with wires or pipes that lead to the outside. The National Weather Service says if you plan to disconnect any electronic equipment, do so before the storm arrives. Do not use a wired telephone. Do not use water. All these can carry electricity.
Some people think a person struck by lightning carries an electrical charge afterward. Experts say this is not true. It is safe to begin emergency treatment
Each year about four hundred people in the United States are struck by lightning. Last year forty four people died. The average is close to seventy. The National Weather Service says that is more than the number of people killed by severe storms.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Lightning can happen even if there is no cloud. |
| B．Lightning can’t strike very far. |
| C．Lightning can’t travel sideways. |
| D．Don’t stay in a car when lightning happen. |
We can learn from the passage that________.
| A．it’s better to turn off any electronic equipment before the storm arrives. |
| B．a wired telephone is not safe to use in rainy days. |
| C．a person struck by lightning is said to carry an electrical charge afterward. |
| D．severe storms kill more people than lightning does. |
The underlined word ”depression” probably means”_______”.
| A．excitement | B．a state of being forgettable |
| C．silence | D．a feeling of being sad |
The passage is mainly about______.
| A．where people should stay in case of lightning |
| B．some common knowledge about lightning safety |
| C．how lightning travels |
| D．a report written by the National Weather Service |