One summer my friend and I decided to go to Italy for a holiday and we decided to travel there without going through a travel agency. You know, you would be submerged (淹没) in crowds of tourists and lose lots of opportunities to get familiar with the country more closely. We started to think over our trip and managed to come up with a f
ree tour of Italy.
The trip was not very long but it was still very impressive. We look forward to going there again! Of course, we spent lots of time arranging the trip, but it was well worth it! Of course I was afraid that something would go wrong and I was especially anxious about my visa, but everything went quite smoothly in the end.
The most difficult part was getting a visa without an invitation. In the Italian consulate(领事馆), one must hand in some official paper proving that one has a hotel booked for oneself in order to get the visa. Then we had to solve the ticket problem. Airlines often sell cheap tickets a
nd we bought ours far in advance. The next step was to book a hotel. We finally booked a hotel about thirty km away from the heart of Rome and it was the perfect choice for our trip.
Every day we took a train that carried us to the heart of Rome. Our big house, which was surrounded by the forest, was a rare girl for the fresh air and absolute silence, beautiful views, hospitable (好客的) hosts, comfortable living conditions delighted us to no end. Besides this, we were very lucky that our mistress was Russian. She gave us a lot of advice that was of great use. She told us what transport to choose and where the best places to go.
Don’t
be afraid to arrange your trip by yourself. It’s not difficult! The only thing I'll say right now is that we really enjoyed traveling by ourselves. We walked with a map and a guide-book to wherever we wanted and we even met some of our fellow countrymen on the way just two or three times. So, if you're also planning a "single" trip, don't forget to take a Russian-Italian phrasebook as people in Italy prefer to speak in their native tongue. Why does the author want to go to Italy again?
| A．He had a great time there. |
| B．Italy has a lot of attractions. |
| C．His friend invited him there. |
| D．He didn't stay in Italy long enough. |
What does the author think was the hardest in preparing for his Italian trip?
| A．Buying cheap airline tickets to Italy before the traveling |
| B．Getting a visa without an invitation from the Italian consulate. |
| C．Booking a comfortable hotel on his own in Rome. |
| D．Solving the ticket problem far in advance. |
In the fourth paragraph the author mainly explains
| A．the reason why he chose to live in the center of Rome |
| B．the reason why the hotel he booked was the right choice |
| C．what transport they chose to travel in their Italian trip |
| D．the reason why the mistress gave them some advice |
Which of the following questions has NOT been answered in the passage?
| A．Why did the author decide to go to Italy for a holiday for the first time? |
| B．Why did the author decide not to follow a travel agency? |
| C．How did the author prepare for his trip? |
| D．What tools did the author use for his traveling? |
From the text we can know the author
A．enjoy s traveling everywhere in the world |
| B．likes being accompanied by tour guides |
| C．advises us to arrange trips by ourselves |
D．met with a lot of his countrymen  in Italy |
Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh and do things with. Sure, there are times when we need to be alone. We don’t always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.
No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don’t get along well. That doesn’t mean they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away. Then we feel very sad. We miss them very much. But we can call them and write to them. Maybe we would never see them again. And we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women, if they are friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named in this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.
There is more good news for people, if they have friends. These people live longer than those people who don’t have friends. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares. If someone cares about you, you take better care of yourself. The first paragraph tells us.
| A．what is the feeling of having no friends |
| B．we always need friends around us |
| C．making friends is a need in people’s life |
| D．we need to be alone in our life |
Which of the following places people name after their friendly people is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．A town. | B．A room. | C．A school. | D．A library. |
Why do people who have friends live longer?
| A．They feel happier and healthier. | B．They know more about friendship. |
| C．They take less care of themselves. | D．They care more about their friends. |
Happiness is for everyone. You don’t need to care about those people who have beautiful houses with large gardens and swimming pools or those who have nice cars and a lot of money and so on. Why? Because those who have big houses may often feel lonely and those who have cars may want to walk on the country roads in their free time.
In fact, happiness is always around you if you put your heart into it. When you are in trouble at school, your friends will help you; when you study hard at your lessons, your parents are always taking good care of your life and your health; when you get a success, your friends will say congratulations to you; when you do something wrong, people around you will help you to correct it. And when you do something good to others, you will feel happy, too. All these are your happiness. If you notice a bit of them, you can see that happiness is always around you.
Happiness doesn’t mean money. It is a feeling of your heart. When you are poor, you can also say you are very happy, because you have something that can’t be bought with money. When you meet with difficulties, you can say loudly you are very happy, because you have more chances to challenge yourself. As the saying goes, life is like a revolving（旋转的）door. When it closes, it also opens. If you take every chance you get, you can be a happy and lucky person.When you do something wrong , people around you will.
| A．quarrel with you | B．help you correct it |
| C．do something wrong like you | D．laugh at you |
What will your friends say when you make great progress?
| A．Oh, so do I | B．Congratulations! |
| C．Good luck! | D．Just so-so |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．People who have cars would never like to walk in the open air. |
| B．You can get help from others when you are in trouble. |
| C．You can still be a happy person even if you have little money. |
| D．Happiness is always around you though difficulties come towards you. |
The passage mainly tells us .
| A．parents always care for our life and health |
| B．we’re not happy if we meet with difficulties |
| C．happiness is always around us |
| D．life is colorful |
How often one hears children wishing they were grown-ups and old people wishing they were young again. Each age has its pleasures and its pains, and the happiest person is the one who enjoys what each age gives him without wasting his time in useless regrets.
Childhood is a time when there are few responsibilities to make life difficult. If a child has good parents, he is fed, looked after and loved, whatever he may do. It is impossible that he will ever again in his life be given so much without having to do anything in return. In addition, life is always presenting new things to the child — things that have lost their interest for older people because they are too well-known. But a child has his parents. He is not so free to do what he wishes to do; he is continually being told not to do things or being punished for what he has done wrong.
When the young man starts to earn his own living, he can no longer expect others to pay for his food, his clothes, and his room, but has to work if he wants to live comfortably. If he spends most of his time playing about in the way that he used to as a child, he will go hungry. And if he breaks the laws of society as he used to break the laws of his parents, he may go to prison. If, however, he works hard, keeps out of trouble and has good health, he can have the great happiness of building up for himself his own position in society. According to the second paragraph, the writer thinks that __.
| A．life for a child is comparatively easy |
| B．a child is always loved whatever he does |
| C．if much is given to a child, he must do something in return |
| D．only children are interested in life |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．People are often satisfied with their life. |
| B．Life is less interesting for old people. |
| C．Adults are free to do what they want to do. |
| D．Adults should no longer rely on others. |
The underlined word "responsibilities" in the second paragraph means__________.
| A．duties | B．jobs | C．suggestions | D．desires |
The main idea of the passage is _________ .
| A．life is not enjoyable since each age has some pains |
| B．young men can have the greatest happiness if they work hard |
| C．childhood is the most enjoyable time in one's life |
| D．one is the happiest if he can make good use of each age in his life |
Having returned from her round trip, the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station. “The railway owes me ￡12,” she said to Harry Jenks, the young man working at the office . “You sold me a ticket for May 22nd, but there was no ship from Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost me ￡12.”
Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. “Come into the office, Madam,” he said politely. “I’ll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd.”
The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn’t have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sun burnt,” he said to her. “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?”
“Yes,” she answered, shyly. “The beach was lovely. And I can swim too!”
“That’s fine,” said Harry. “My little girl can’t swim a bit yet .Of course, she’s only three…”
“I’m four,” the child said proudly. “I’ll be four and a half.”
Harry turned to the mother. “I remember your ticket, Madam,” he said. “But you didn’t get one for your daughter, did you?”
“Er, well—” the woman looked at the child. “I mean… she hasn’t started school yet. She’s only four.”
“A four-year-old child must have a ticket, Madam. A child’s return ticket to Jersey costs …let me see…￡13.50. So if the railway pays your hotel, you will owe ￡1.50. The law is the law, but since the fault was mine…”
The woman stood up, took the child’s hand and left the office.Harry was worried because ___.
| A．the woman was angry with him | B．he had not done his work properly |
| C．the Jersey timetable was wrong | D．the little girl didn’t have a return ticket |
Harry started talking to the little girl.
| A．because he was in difficulty and did not know what to do |
| B．because he had a little girl about the same age as this girl |
| C．because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so nice |
| D．when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl |
When Harry said, “The law is the law, but since the fault was mine…” he meant that .
| A．they must follow it without other choice ,even though the fault was his |
| B．he had to be strict with the woman because of the law ,although he didn’t want to |
| C．the woman had to pay him ￡1.50 and the railway would pay her for the hotel |
| D．she should pay ￡1.50, but he had made a mistake, she could go without paying |
How did the woman feel when she left the office?
| A．angry | B．peaceful | C．embarrassed | D．nervous |
Everyday, 340 million people speak it. One billion people are learning it and it is said that by 2050, half of the world’s population will be using it. What are we talking about? That global language—English.
The English language started in Britain in the 5th century. It is a mixed language. It was built up when German. Scandinavian and French invaders settled in England and created a common language for communication.
Today it is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Ireland as well as many islands in the Caribbean . Many other countries and regions use it for politics and business, for example, India. Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines. English is also one of the official languages of Hong Kong.
But global advertising and pop music mean that in most countries, you will see or hear some English. Thanks to McDonalds, we all know about "burgers". "fries" and "milkshakes". Songs by Madonna, Britney Spears and Celine Dion are in English. We can sing along, even if we do not understand what we are singing!
English is a messy (杂乱的) language. Every year, dictionaries include new words that talk about popular culture, for example, computer-related words such as "blogging", "download" and "chatroom". Also included are words that teenagers use. Who does not know "cool", "OK" and “hello” ?
Other languages also influence English. Many English words come from French. Words like "cafe" and expressions like "c'est la vie" (that is life) are all part of the English language. On the other hand, the French language includes English words like "le weekend" and "le camping". German words are also part of English. Words like "kindergarten" come from the German language.
Recently, British people have become interested in "yoga". But the word comes from an ancient Hindu language in India.The English language has a history of ______.
| A．over 2000 years | B．over 500 years | C．over 1500 years | D．over 1000 years |
The underlined expression “thanks to ” can be replaced by ______.
| A．because of | B．thankful to | C．not until | D．as if. |
Which of the following statements is true about the language of English ?
| A．It has been changing all the time. |
| B．It has borrowed words from all the other languages. |
| C．French words are used by the English because dictionaries have French words. |
| D．Singers and film stars have the greatest influence on language. |
Many countries and regions use it for politics and business except______.
| A．the USA | B．Nigeria | C．the Philippines | D．Norway |