More perhaps than any other European nation, the Swiss have got used to looking after foreign travelers. As early as the 18th century, wealthy French, Germans and Italians were treating the country as an amusement center while, in the 19th century, it became the major holiday playground for the British nobles. Today, it attracts visitors from all over the world.
The Swiss are clear about the importance of tourism to their economy, which makes up about eight percent of the Gross Domestic Product, and helps industry greatly. Managers of hotels from all over the world go to Switzerland to learn how to do the job, and a high standard can be expected from the great majority of the country’s hotels, most of which are small and pride themselves on personalized service. Public transport is the best in Europe. Both the Swiss Federal railways and the private railways are fully electric-powered, and the total network consists of about 5,000 kilometers of track.
Under the Fly Baggage system passengers can check luggage in at 116 railway stations and have it automatically transferred to their flight. The national highway system is equally well planned, and the mountain roads offer views of some of the country’s most breathtaking scenery. Also serving the mountains is an effective system of railways and cable ways, while more than 160 passenger cars cross the lakes and rivers. Hiking in the mountains is equally popular with Swiss nationals and foreign visitors. For those who want to view the country from a great height without having to climb the mountain themselves, it is always possible to take in the view from a balloon.
61. Compared with other European countries, Switzerland ________.
A. places more importance on entertainment
B. thinks more about foreign travelers
C. has more convenient public transport
D. has more five-star hotels
62. According to the passage, Switzerland is now visited by ________.
A. wealthy French people
B. rich Germans and Italians
C. British nobles
D. people from various countries
63. According to the passage we learn that ________.
A. most of the hotels in Switzerland are big
B. all the hotels in Switzerland offer exactly the same service
C. most of the hotels in Switzerland offer first class service
D. the hotels in Switzerland are accustomed to learning from the rest of the world
64. The Fly Rail Baggage system is a service to transport your luggage between the railway station and ________.
A. the airport B. the hotel
C. the motorway station D. the cable ways
65. The passage mainly tells us about ________.
A. scenery in Switzerland
B. the life in Switzerland
C. tourism in Switzerland
D. the transportation in Switzerland
For 52 years my father got up every morning at 5:30 am, except Sunday, and went to work. He returned home at 5:30 pm, for dinner at 6:00 pm. I never remember my father having a night out with his children. All he asked from me as a daughter was to hold his hammer while he repaired something, just so we could have some time to talk to each other.
For 22 years, after I left home for college, my father called me every Sunday. Nine years ago, my father, 67 years old, spent three days painting my house. He asked me to hold the paint brush for him and talk to him. But I was too busy and I could not take the time to hold the paint brush, or talk to my father.
Five years ago, my father spent five hours making a swing(秋千)for my daughter. Again, all he asked me to do was to give him a glass of tea, and talk to him. But again, I had some clothes to wash, and the house to clean.
On January 16, 1996, my father telephoned me as usual, this time from my sister’s home in Florida. I had to get to church, and I cut the conversation short.
The call came at 4:40 pm. That day, my father was in hospital in Florida. I got on an airplane immediately, and on the way, I made up my mind that when I arrived, I would make up for the lost time, and have a nice long talk with him.
I arrived in Florida at 1:00 am, but my father had passed away at 9:12 pm. This time it was he who did not have time to talk, or time to wait for me.
When the author was young, her father ______.
A.was busy with his work | B.disliked his children |
C.often talked to his children | D.never cared about his children |
How old was the author’s father when he made a swing for his granddaughter?
A.45. | B.67. | C.71. | D.76. |
When painting the house, the father asked the author to hold a paint brush because ______.
A.he wanted to make his work easy |
B.he was too old to work all by himself |
C.he just wanted his daughter to help him |
D.he wanted to have a talk with his daughter |
The underlined phrase “passed away” in the last paragraph probably means “______”.
A.arrived | B.lost | C.left | D.died |
Most people think that the older you get, the harder it is to learn a new language. That is, they believe that children learn more easily and efficiently than adults. Thus, at some point in our lives, maybe around age 12 or 13, we lose the ability to learn languages well. Is this idea a fact or myth(悬念)?
Is it true that children learn a foreign language more efficiently than adults? On the contrary, research studies suggest that the opposite may be true. One report, on 2,000 Danish children studying Swedish, concluded that the teenagers learned more, in less time, than the younger children. Another report, on Americans learning Russian, showed a direct improvement of ability over the age range tested; that is, the ability to learn increased as the age increased, from childhood to adulthood.
There are several possible explanations for these findings. For one thing, adults know more about the world and therefore are able to understand meanings more easily than children. Moreover, adults can use logical(逻辑的) thinking to help themselves see patterns in the language. Finally, adults have more self-discipline (self-control) than children.
All in all, it seems that the common idea that children are better language learners than adults may not be a fact, but a myth.The main idea of the passage is that .
A.teenagers are more difficult to teach |
B.Danish teenagers can learn Swedish faster than younger children |
C.adults are more logical than children |
D.the ability to learn languages increases with age |
If most people’s idea of learning languages is true, people may lose ability to learn languages well .
A.at an early age | B.when they reach their twenties |
C.at an old age | D.after they become young men |
According to the passage, teenagers can learn a foreign language __________ than younger children.
A.harder | B.more efficiently | C.more slowly | D.more carefully |
The reason why adults understand meanings more easily than children is that .
A.adults have more self-discipline |
B.adults like to play more than children |
C.adults have more knowledge than children |
D.adults accept new things more easily than children |
The explanation for older student’s better achievement not mentioned in the above passage is that.
A.adults know more about the world. | B.adults can use logical thinking |
C.adults have more self-discipline. | D.adults can read better. |
There is an English saying that “Laughter is the best medicine.” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter can really improve people’s health.
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, makes the heart beat quicker and makes people breathe deeper; it also works on several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effects of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group that tolerated(忍耐)the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which diminishes both stress and pain.
As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.According to the passage, the following statements are true except.
A.Laughter is good for health |
B.Laughter can make you become old quickly |
C.Laughter helps to reduce pain. |
D.Laughter, just like physical exercise, is good for our body. |
The underlined word “diminishes” in the third paragraph means “”.
A.delays | B.prevents | C.increases | D.reduces |
Some doctors hold laughter clinics because .
A.they want to earn more money. |
B.they think they will help the patients recover from illnesses. |
C.they want to improve their patients’ condition. |
D.they want their patients to practice how to laugh |
According to the author, we should .
A.laugh as much as possible | B.watch more funny films |
C.smile all the time | D.spend more time in laughter clinics |
The best title for this passage may be .
A.Both laughter and physical exercise are good for health |
B.Laughter clinics help patients improve their condition |
C.Laughter can reduce the effects of pain |
D.Laughter is the best medicine. |
In most of the time, I am devoted to my research in the lab with my friend Dave, who loves traveling very much. To make our life colorful and relax ourselves, in July, my friend and I are taking a camping trip. We will travel for four weeks and will tour the United States and part of Canada. We have decided to camp because it does not cost as much as vacationing (度假) in hotels.
We have to plan very carefully in advance. First, the car we are going to drive is very small, so we have decided to take only one small suitcase each and as few camping things as possible. We will take some medicine with us to prevent insects (昆虫) from hurting us, and also food for picnics. Second, there is a lot to see in the United States and Canada, so we have to decide on the direction (方向) we want to drive.
The date we are leaving is July 2, from which day we will have two months off. We want to see and do many things on our camping tour. We want to climb in the mountains, visit famous caves, and swim in cool mountain rivers. We want to visit many cities and talk to many people, which I am sure can enrich our experience greatly. We also want to find a hotel room if it rains at night. We expect to have an exciting trip. The two friends are going to take a camping trip ________.
A.if they have four weeks’ time off | B.though it will be a long trip |
C.so that they can save money | D.because it will be warm enough in July |
Which of the following statements is possibly true?
A.They are now on the trip | B.They are going to make a tour all over the U.S and Canada. |
C.They are quite rich. | D.July is drawing near. |
We learn from the second paragraph that ________.
A.they must be ill. | B.they will bring a lot in the car. |
C.they must have studied the map carefully. | D.they must have been hurt by insects. |
It is quite clear that ________.
A.there will be no insects at all. | B.they are sure to take some medicine on the trip. |
C.the two friends will take turns to drive. | D.the two friends will share a suitcase. |
If they are caught in the rain , they will ________.
A.talk to their families while it rains. | B.ask others for help. |
C.have to stop climbing. | D.have to stay in a hotel for the night. |
Jack was so excited about getting a new backpack because his old one had a broken zipper(拉链) and a hole in the bottom.
Jack’s elder brother took him to buy a new backpack. There were so many cool ones. How would he ever decide? He saw blue ones—his favorite color. He saw ones with his favorite action hero on the front. And then Jack saw a backpack with a black square design. When he opened it, he saw it had a hidden, secret small bag. He liked it, which made it different from others.
“This is the one,” he said, then carried it to the check-out counter.
That evening, Jack carefully filled his new backpack with his school things. He put his special pen in the secret small bag. The next day in English class, Mr. Mack said, “Let’s write an essay about earthquakes!” Jack looked for his pen in his backpack, but he couldn’t find it! He rummaged through his desk and his pockets, but no pen.
Jack asked if anyone had seen his pen, but no one had. Mr. Mack lent him a pencil, but Jack was feeling anxious because he lost his pen. When he got home, Jack told his brother he couldn’t find his favorite pen. His brother said, “You must have put it in that secret small bag.”
Jack laughed and said, “That small bag was so secret that I forgot all about it.”The backpack that Jack bought is__________.
A.a blue one. | B.one with a black square design. |
C.one with an action hero. | D.a small one. |
Jack decided to buy that backpack because __________.
A.it had his favorite color | B.he liked the black square design |
C.the secret small bag made it special | D.his brother suggested he get that one |
The underlined word “rummaged” in Paragraph 4 probably means “________”.
A.forgot to look at | B.searched really well | C.turned sideways | D.threw away |
When Jack realized what he had done, he thought it was ________.
A.funny | B.annoying | C.surprising | D.cool |
This text mainly tells us ________.
A.a story of Jack’s old backpack | B.that Jack was studying earthquakes |
C.that Jack was old enough to do shopping | D.a story of Jack’s pen and new backpack |