Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening.
One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own.
Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional(偶尔) walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night. Which of the following statements is true?
| A．People who like country things prefer to live outside the city. |
| B．Few people who work in London prefer to live in the country. |
| C．One disadvantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. |
| D．The people living outside London must like gardens. |
One can use the same money for ________ in London to buy a little house with a garden in the country.
| A．getting a small flat with a garden |
| B．having a small flat with a garden |
| C．renting a small flat without a garden |
| D．buying a small flat without a garden |
When the flowers and vegetables in the garden come up, those _______can share the secret of Nature.
| A．who live in the country |
| B．who have spent time working in the garden |
| C．who work inside the city |
| D．who sometimes walk in the parks |
People who like the city life would feel that _______ if they had to live outside London.
| A．their life was meaningless |
| B．their life was invaluable |
| C．they didn’t deserve a happy life |
| D．they were not worthy of their happy life |
Still seeking a destination for your weekend break? There are some places which are probably a mere wall away from your college．
King’s Art Centre
A day at the Centre could mean a visit to an exhibition of the work of one of the most interesting contemporary artists on show anywhere．This weekend sees the opening of an exhibition of four local artists．
You could attend a class teaching you how to ‘learn from the masters’ or get more creative with paint – free of charge．
The Centre also runs two life drawing classes for which there is a small fee．
the Botanic Garden
The Garden has over 8,000 plant species; it holds the research and teaching collection of living plants for Cambridge University．
The multi-branched Torch Aloe here is impressive．The African plant produces red flowers above blue-green leaves, and is not one to miss．
Get to the display house to see Dionaea muscipula, a plant more commonly known as the Venus Flytrap that feeds on insects and other small animals．
The Garden is also a place for wildlife-enthusiasts．Look for grass snakes in the lake．A snake called ‘Hissing Sid’ is regularly seen lying in the heat of the warm sun．
Byron’s Pool
Many stories surround Lord Byron’s time as a student of Cambridge University．Arriving in 1805, he wrote a letter complaining that it was a place of “mess and drunkenness”．However, it seems as though Byron did manage to pass the time pleasantly enough．I’m not just talking about the pet bear he kept in his rooms．He spent a great deal of time walking in the village.
It is also said that on occasion Byron swam naked by moonlight in the lake, which is now known as Byron’s Pool．A couple of miles past Grantchester in the south Cambridgeshire countryside, the pool is surrounded by beautiful circular paths around the fields．The cries of invisible birds make the trip a lovely experience and on the way home you can drop into the village for afternoon tea．If you don’t trust me, then perhaps you’ll take it from Virginia Woolf – over a century after Byron, she reportedly took a trip to swim in the same pool．As mentioned in the passage, there is a small charge for ____．
| A．attending the masters’ class |
| B．working with local artists |
| C．seeing an exhibition |
| D．learning life drawing |
“Torch Aloe” and “Venus Flytrap” are ____．
| A．impressive plants | B．common insects |
| C．rarely-seen snakes | D．wildlife-enthusiasts |
We can infer from the passage that Byron seemed ____．
| A．to like walking |
| B．to fear pet bears |
| C．to be a heavy drinker |
| D．to finish university in 1805 |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Some places for weekend break． |
| B．A way to become creative in art． |
| C．The colourful life in the countryside． |
| D．Unknown stories of Cambridge University. |
I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles”（风格）of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused （困惑）in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks （地标）in their directions instead of street names．For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner．Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market．The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks．There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles．Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances．In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles．Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles．“How far away is the post office?” you ask．“Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes．What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite．They usually give an answer, often a wrong one．A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.
| A．describe the place carefully |
| B．show him a map of the place |
| C．tell him the names of the streets |
| D．refer to recognizable buildings and places |
What is the place where people measure distance in time?
| A．New York. | B．Iowa. |
| C．Kansas. | D．Los Angeles. |
People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ______.
| A．in order to save time | B．as a test． |
| C．for fun | D．so as to be polite |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences. |
| B．It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly. |
| C．People have similar understandings of politeness. |
| D．New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors. |
Alfred Carlton Gilbert(1884-1961) was a man of many ideas and talents. As a small boy, he kept trying new things. At age 12, he started a sports club for his friends and got their school to have a field day with active games and prizes. As he grew and practiced, Gilbert became skilled at pole vaulting（撑杆跳高）, pull-ups, the long jump and football.
Gilbert broke the world record for pull-ups in 1900 and the distance record for running long dive in 1902. And he won a gold medal in the pole vault at the Olympic Games in 1908. By that time, he had nearly finished medical studies. Choosing not to make medicine his career, Gilbert co-founded Mysto Manufacturing, a manufacturer of magic sets, in 1907. Gilbert had amused his friends and earned college money by doing magic tricks, so he knew what was needed. One day, Gilbert saw workers using steel girders（钢梁） to build towers for power lines. That gave him the idea for the Erector Set, a popular construction toy.
In 1917, the Council of National Defense thought no toys should be produced for Christmas because the country was fighting in World War I. Gilbert and other men from the Toy Manufacturers of America went to Washington, with about 40 different toys. They had 15 minutes to speak. This meeting was at the end of a long, hard day. Gilbert told the government men at the meeting how toys helped children learn. His helpers brought out the toys. Soon, the tired government men were on the floor, playing with building sets, models of navy ships, and other toys. The time limit was forgotten; so was the Christmas toy ban（禁令）.
Gilbert spent the rest of his life improving erector sets. His company made and sold the sets, plus chemistry and other science sets and toy trains. He made items for homes, businesses, and the army. When he died in 1961, he had 150 patents （专利）for his many inventions. But his main joy was in helping children learn and have fun at the same time.What’s the right order of the events about Gilbert?
a. He argued against a ban on toy production.
b. He broke the world record for pull-ups.
c. He set up a manufacturer of magic sets.
d. He started a sports club for his friends.
e. He won a gold medal in the pole vault.
| A．b, d, e, a, c | B．b, a, e, d, c |
| C．d, b, c, e, a | D．d, c, e, b, a |
The story mentioned in paragraph 3 shows that _____.
| A．Gilbert’s toys interested not only children but adults |
| B．toys could help children learn about World War I |
| C．toys were a danger to the Council of National Defense |
| D．Christmas toys were not popular during wartime |
According to the text, Gilbert was known as _____.
| A．a teacher, boy-maker and businessman |
| B．an athlete, inventor and businessman |
| C．an athlete, writer and businessman |
| D．a magician, writer and toy-maker |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．An easy way into the sporting circle. |
| B．The man who saved Christmas. |
| C．Influenced of toys on children |
| D．The amazing Mr. Gilbert. |
Where Are We Going, Dad? presents a new generation of men, in a break from Chinese tradition, now take an active role in their children’s lives.
Five star fathers and their children travel around China, riding camels through the western deserts, fishing off the east coast, and selling vegetables for their bus fare home in southwestern Yunnan province. One dad doesn’t know how to do his daughter’s hair, but give him a couple of days — he’ll figure it out. Another one must survive with his son for three days in the desert, where, because neither can cook, the two only eat instant noodles.
These story lines are part of Where Are We Going, Dad? which, since its first show in October, has become one of China’s most popular television shows, covering more than 600 million viewers each week. And searches for Where Are We Going, Dad? turn up over 40 million hits on Sina Weibo, China’s Twitter.
“In traditional Chinese culture, the common conception of parenthood is that the father is strict and the mother is kind. But on the show, we see fathers who are much gentler on their kids and more concerned with their upbringing,” said Li Minyi, an associate professor of early childhood education at the leading Beijing Normal University. “An important question arises in this show for modern Chinese society — what is the role of fathers in today’s China?”
“As they raise their children, parents are growing up at the same time,” said Wang Renping, a popular education expert. “They cannot use parenting styles from 20 years ago to guide the development of children born 20 years later.”
The attraction of Where Are We Going, Dad? lies in the chance to have a close look at the lives of popular Chinese stars and their children. Audiences like watching the failed attempts of star dads making dinner, braiding hair(编头发), and disciplining children — tasks often left to mothers in a society still influenced by the opinion that “men rule outside and women rule inside.”From the passage, we can draw a conclusion that Where Are We Going, Dad? is _____.
| A．a match | B．a novel |
| C．a TV show | D．a news report |
In Where Are We Going, Dad? we can probably learn about _____.
| A．how the fathers do housework at home |
| B．how the children study in their spare time |
| C．how the fathers look after and guide their children |
| D．how the children and their father travel around China |
We can know from the passage that_____.
| A．In modern society, men should not care too much about their kids |
| B．Where Are We Going, Dad? has the most number of viewers in China |
| C．In Chinese tradition, fathers always play an active part in their children’s lives |
| D．While they bring up their children, parents are improving their parenting styles |
The reason why Where Are We Going, Dad? is so popular in China may include the following EXCEPT that _____.
| A．audiences enjoy laughing at others’ failure in life |
| B．it can make people laugh and think at the same time |
| C．people love watching the stars and their children’s lives closely |
| D．it presents a new generation of men’s role in their children’s lives |
The airline lost your baggage. The hotel laundry ruined your favorite shirt. The taxi driver asked for more money. When you’re abroad, sometimes things go wrong. Now you can do something about it! Use these tips when you want to express an effective complaint in English.
No matter how unfair the situation is, it’s best to express your complaint politely. In English, you’ll sound more polite if you use indirect language. Here are some examples:
“I’m sorry to bother you...” Starting a complaint like this puts the listener who may have heard many complaints that day at ease. Use this phrase if the situation isn’t that serious. For example, “I’m sorry to bother you, but I wanted a baked potato, not fried.”
“Can you help me with this?” Everyone would rather be asked to do something than told! So try expressing your complaint as a request for help: “Can you help me with this? My shirt came back from the laundry without buttons.”
“I’m afraid there may be a misunderstanding.” This is a polite way of saying, “Your information is wrong. Please fix it now.” You’ll most likely use this phrase if you made reservations(预定) for a flight, hotel or restaurant, and when you arrive, it’s not what you expected. For example, “I’m afraid there may be a misunderstanding. I requested a non-smoking room.”
“I understand it’s not your fault...” Often when you make a complaint, you deal with a person who was not directly responsible for the problem. But the problem isn’t your fault, either! This phrase is helpful when you need swift action. Tell the person you’re dealing with that you understand they’re not at fault and then directly state the problem: “I understand it’s not your fault, but the airline promised they would deliver my baggage yesterday.”
“Excuse me, but I understood that...” Using this phrase lets the person know you’re well-informed and doubt they might be trying to take advantage of you. Don’t say, “Hey! You’re trying to cheat me!” Instead, start indirectly by stating what you know to be true: “I understood that the taxi ride to the airport was only 25 dollars.” Then give them a chance to do the right thing.What’s the purpose of this passage?
| A．To give an introduction of life abroad. |
| B．To offer advice on giving complaints in English. |
| C．To give suggestions on how to learn English. |
| D．To offer guides to those who travel around the world. |
According to the passage, if we meet an unfair situation, we’d better _____.
| A．use direct language to make others understand |
| B．go for the police immediately |
| C．state our complaints politely |
| D．fight against the one who is responsible |
Why should we start a complaint with polite phrases?
| A．Because the situation is never serious. |
| B．Because the listener may not speak English. |
| C．Because we should be always in good manners abroad. |
| D．Because it can help solve the problem more easily. |
Several effective complaints in English are mentioned above EXCEPT _____.
| A．“Can you help me with this?” |
| B．“I understand it's not your fault.” |
| C．“I’m afraid there may be a misunderstanding.” |
| D．“Hey! You’re trying to cheat me!” |