Homestay provides English language students with the opportunity to speak English outside the classroom and the experience of being part of a British home.
What to Expect
The host will provide accommodation and meals. Rooms will be cleaned and bedcovers changed at least once a week. You will be given the house key and the host is there to offer help and advice as well as to take an interest in your physical and mental health.
Accommodation Zones
Homestays are located in London mainly in Zones 2, 3 and 4 of the transport system. Most hosts do not live in the town centre as much of central London is commercial and not residential (居住的). Zones 3 and 4 often offer larger accommodation in a less crowded area. It is very convenient to travel in London by Underground.
Meal Plans Available
* Continental Breakfast
* Breakfast and Dinner
* Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner
It’s important to note that few English families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast. Your accommodation includes Continental Breakfast which normally consists of fruit juice, cereal (谷物类食品), bread and tea or coffee. Cheese, fruit and cold meat are not normally part of a Continental Breakfast in England. Dinners usually consist of meat or fish with vegetables followed by desert, fruit and coffee.
Friends
If you wish to invite a friend over to visit, you must first ask your host’s permission. You have no right to entertain friends in a family home as some families feel it is an invasion of their privacy.
Self-Catering Accommodation in Private Homes
Accommodation on a room-only basis includes shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and often a main living room. This kind of accommodation offers an independent lifestyle and is more suitable for the long-stay student. However, it does not provide the same family atmosphere as an ordinary homestay and may not benefit those who need to practise English at home quite as much. The passage is probably written for ________.
| A．host willing to receive foreign students |
| B．foreigners hoping to build British culture |
| C．travelers planning to visit families in London |
| D．English learners applying to live in English homes |
Which of the following will the host provide?
| A．Room cleaning. | B．Medical care. |
| C．Free transport. | D．Physical training. |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?
| A．Zone 4 is more crowded than Zone 2. |
| B．The business centre of London is in Zone 1. |
| C．Hosts dislike traveling to the city centre. |
| D．Accommodation in the city centre is not provided. |
According to the passage, what does continental Breakfast include?
| A．Dessert and coffee | B．Fruit and vegetables. |
| C．bread and fruit juice | D．Cereal and cold meat. |
Why do some people choose self-catering accommodation?
| A．To experience a warmer family atmosphere. |
| B．To enrich their knowledge of English. |
| C．To entertain friends as they like. |
| D．To enjoy much more freedom. |
Howling is a behavior commonly observed among a wolf pack（群）. As pack animals, wolves work together to hunt and rely on howling as an important means of communication among each other. There are different explanations of a wolf’s howl and it appears that there may be more to discover.
One theory is that wolves howl to bond（结合）better together. It’s almost as if howling together helps the pack stay together, perhaps something similar to people feeling a sense of involvement with each other when singing a song together. But this theory may be wrong, explains Fred H. Harrington, a professor who studies wolf behavior. Indeed, there have been times when wolves have been seen one moment howling in a chorus, and the next, quarreling among each other. It appears that usually the lowest-ranking members of the pack may actually be “punished” for joining in the chorus at times. So is howling a way to strengthen a social bond or just a way to reconfirm status among its members? —Why do wolves howl for sure?
What is clear, however, is that howling is often used among packmates to locate each other. Hunting grounds are distant and it happens that wolves may separate from one another at times. When this happens, howling appears to be an excellent means of gathering.
Howling, interestingly, is a contagious behavior. When one wolf starts to howl, very likely others will follow. This is often seen to occur in the morning, as if wolves were doing some sort of “roll call” where wolves all howl together to report their presence. What is the possible similarity between wolves’ howling together and human’s singing in chorus?
| A．The act of calling each other. |
| B．The sense of achievement. |
| C．The act of hunting for something. |
| D．The sense of belonging to a group. |
Why does Harrington think the “social bond” theory may be wrong?
| A．Wolves separate from each other after howling. |
| B．Wolves tend to protect their hunting grounds. |
| C．Wolves sometimes have quarrels after howling together. |
| D．Wolves of low rank are encouraged to join in the chorus. |
Researchers are sure that wolves often howl to______.
| A．show their ranks |
| B．find their companions |
| C．report the missing ones |
| D．express their loneliness |
“Howling…is a contagious behaviour” (in the last paragraph) means______.
| A．howling is a signal for hunting |
| B．howling is a way of communication |
| C．howling often occurs in the morning |
| D．howling spreads from one to another |
Most of us know about the Nobel Prize, especially the Nobel Peace Prize, but few of us know anything about the man who set them up. His name was Alfred Nobel. He was a great scientist and inventor himself. Besides, he had a big business. His business may surprise you. He made and sold explosives(炸药). His companies even made and sold weapons. Isn’t this something that surprises you? The man who made money from weapons should set up the Peace Prize?
Though Alfred Nobel had a lot of money from weapons, he hated war. He hoped that there would be no war in the world. He was one of the richest in Europe. When he died in 1896, he left behind him a lot of money and his famous will. According to his will, most of his money was placed in a fund(基金). He wanted the interest(利润) from the fund to be used as prizes every year. We know them as the Nobel Prizes. The Nobel Prizes are international. Alfred Nobel wanted the winners to be chosen for their work, not the country they came from.
Alfred Nobel had given his whole life to his studies and work and to the benefits of mankind. He made money all by his own efforts, but he left the world share his wealth. His inventions and wealth stay with the world for ever.Alfred Nobel did the following EXCEPT ______________
| A．choosing the winners of Nobel Prize |
| B．making and selling weapons |
| C．setting up the Nobel Prize |
| D．making and selling explosives |
Nobel wanted to set up the Nobel Peace Prize because _____.
| A．he made enough money |
| B．he hated war |
| C．he wanted to get more interest from the fund |
| D．he liked to live in a peaceful world |
Nobel Prizes come from _____.
| A．all Nobel’s money in the fund |
| B．all Nobel’s money in his company |
| C．all the interest from the fund |
| D．some of the interest in the fund |
Nobel was a (an) _____ person in the world.
| A．interesting | B．unselfish | C．kind-hearted | D．richest |
Which statement of the following is Right according to the passage?
| A．Nobel set up his company to sell clothes. |
| B．Most of Nobel’s money was used for the world wars. |
| C．Nobel Prizes are only for some people from some special countries. |
| D．Nobel worked hard in his life and saved lots of money for the world to share. |
A group of people asked this question to a group of 4-to-8-year-old children. “What does love mean?” The answers were surprising. The children would answer like they did below.
“When my grandmother hurt her knees (膝盖), she couldn’t bent (弯腰) over and paint her toenails (脚指甲) any more. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands hurt too. That’s love.”
Rebecca–age 8
“Love is when someone hurts you. And you get so mad but you don’t shout at them because you know it would hurt her feelings.”
Samantha–age 6
“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”
Terri–age 4
“I let my big sister pick on (捉弄) me because my mum says she only picks on me because she loves me. So I pick on my baby sister because I love her.”
Bethany–age 4
“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new clothes.”
Lauren–age 4
“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.”
Elaine–age 5
“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.”
Clear–age 5
“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.”
Jessica–age 8The passage mainly tells us about ______.
| A．what “life” means to children |
| B．what “family” means to children |
| C．what “friends” means to children |
| D．what “love” means to children |
Who told us the love between mum and dad?
| A．Clear. | B．Elaine. | C．Rebecca. | D．Lauren. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Rebecca’s grandmother ever couldn’t bend over. |
| B．Bethany is willing to be picked on by any other person. |
| C．If Samantha becomes angry, she will not shout at others. |
| D．Lauren prefers to wear her sister’s old clothes. |
What does Jessica mean about love?
| A．Too much love is no love. |
| B．You should say love more often. |
| C．You mean what you think. |
| D．Say love more often if you have it. |
What is love according to Terri?
| A．Love is the care between husband and wife. |
| B．Love is a rest when you are tired. |
| C．Love is what cheers you up when you are tired. |
| D．Love is a kiss from parents. |
A teacher stood in front of his history class of twenty students just before handing out the final exam. His students sat quietly and waited for him to speak.
“It’s been a pleasure teaching you this term,” he said. “You’ve all worked very hard, so I have a pleasant surprise for you. Everyone who chooses not to take the final exam will get a ‘B’ for the course.”
Most of the students jumped out of their seats. They thanked the teacher happily, and walked out of the classroom. Only a few students stayed. The teacher looked at them. “This is your last chance,” he said. “Does anyone else want to leave?” All the students there stayed in their seats and took out their pencils.
The teacher smiled. “Congratulations (祝贺),” he said. “I’m glad to see you believe in yourselves. You all get A’s.”This story most probably took place.
| A．at the beginning of the term |
| B．in the middle of the term |
| C．at the end of the term |
| D．at the beginning of the school year |
Most of the students got Grade ______.
| A．‘A’ | B．‘B’ | C．‘C’ | D．‘F’ |
Why did some students stay in their seats?
| A．Because they wanted to take the exam. |
| B．Because the teacher told them to stay in their class. |
| C．Because they were afraid to leave. |
| D．Because they didn’t have anything to do. |
The teacher gave the students who stayed in the classroom A’s because ______.
| A．the teacher liked them |
| B．they were cleverer than the other students |
| C．they believed in themselves |
| D．they studied hard |
The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 3 refers to “______”.
| A．students staying in their seats |
| B．students leaving the classroom |
| C．their seats |
| D．all the students |
Spring is coming, spring is coming,
Birdies, build your nest;
Weave (编织) together straw and feather,
Doing each your best.
Spring is coming, spring is coming,
Flowers are coming too:
Pansies, lilies, daffodillies
Now are coming through.
Spring is coming, spring is coming,
All around is fair,
Shimmer (闪烁) and quiver (轻微颤动) on the river,
Joy is everywhere.
——William BlakeThe poet felt _____ when he was writing the poem.
| A．surprised | B．lonely | C．happy | D．sad |
What does the underlined word “fair” mean?
| A．Pleasant. | B．Noisy. | C．Dirty. | D．Busy. |