Tayka Hotel De Sal
Where: Tahua, Bolivia
How much: About $95 a night
Why it’s cool: You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That’s something few can claim．Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses (床垫) and blankets)．The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried-up lake that’s the world’s biggest salt flat．Builders use the salt from the 4,633-square-mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries．When rain starts to dissolve the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.
Green Magic Nature Resort
Where: Vythiri, India
How much: About $240 a night
Why it’s cool: Ridding a pulley(滑轮)-operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure．As you look out of your open window—there is no glass!—you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy．Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read．You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn “elevator”.
Dog Bark Park Inn B&B
Where: Cottonwood, Idaho
How much: $92 a night
Why it’s cool: This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet．Sweet Willyis a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly．Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side．You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a ffew steps of the loft(阁楼）in Willy’s head, or hang out inside his nose．Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant (消防栓）outside.
Gamirasu Cave Hotel
Where: Ayvali, Turkey
How much: Between $130 and $475 a night.
Why it’s cool: This is caveman cool! Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash．But your stay will be much more modern．Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65℉in summer．(Don’t worry—there is heat in winter.)What do we know about Tayka Hotel de Sal?
| A．It is located on a prehistoric lake. |
| B．It should be protected against the rain. |
| C．Everything in the hotel is made of salt. |
| D．You have to cross a rope bridge to the hotel. |
What is the similarity of the four hotels?
| A．Being expensive. | B．Being comfortable. | C．Being natural. | D．Being unique. |
What does the underlined part “Sweet Willy” refer to?
A．The name of the hotel.
B．The name of the hotel owner.
C．The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.
D．The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner.Which of the hotels makes you have a feeling of living in the far past?
| A．Tayka Hotel De Sal | B．Green Magic Nature Resort |
| C．Dog Bark Park Inn B&B | D．Gamirasu Cave Hotel |
What may be the purpose of the writer writing the passage?
| A．To show his wide knowledge. | B．To introduce some interesting hotels. |
| C．To develop business in tourism. | D．To attract attention from the readers. |
The British are the most voracious(如饥似渴的) newspaper readers in the world.
They read newspapers at breakfast ; they walk to the bus reading a newspaper; they read a newspaper on bus, as they go to work; and on the way back home, after work, they are engaged in reading an evening newspaper.
There are many" morning papers", both national and provincial. The most famous is The Times. Different from what many foreigners believe, this is not a government newspaper. The various newspapers usually have their own views of the Communist Morning Star. The Labor Party and the Trades Union Congress no longer have a daily newspaper to represent them.
Bold headlines and a variety of photographs are features of the British press. Some newspapers, such as the sober Daily Telegraph and The Times, use photographs sparingly(节省). The more“popular”newsp
apers, using the small or "tabloid"(小报) format, such as the Daily Express, the Mail, the Daily Mirror and the Sun, use pictures extensively and also run strip cartoons and humorous drawings, some of which present striking pictorial comment on politics.
Besides offering features common to newspapers all over the world, British newspapers specialize in pages devoted to criticism of the arts and a woman's page. One feature found in many foreign newspapers is missing in British papers：the serial(连载).
Nearly all papers pay special attention to the reporting of sports and athletics. The evening newspapers are often bought because the buyer wants to know the winner of a race, or to get good tip for a race that is still to be run. There is no censorship(审查) of the press in Britain (except in wartime), though of course all newspapers—like private persons—are responsible for what they publish, and can be sued for libel （为诽谤而被起诉） for publishing articles that go beyond the bounds of decency(正派), or for ignorance of court”. (e.g. calling a man a murderer while he is still being tried．Such cases are not often)
1．Which of the following does NOT serve as an evidence(证据) that the British are the great newspaper readers?
A．They read newspapers at breakfast. B．They read newspapers at work.
C．They read newspapers on bus. D．They read newspapers on the way back home.
2．Many of foreigners think that_______.
A．The Times is an organ (喉舌) of the government
B．The Times has its own views on politics
C．The Times is the most famous newspaper in the world
D．The Times pays too much attention to the reporting of political events
3．British newspapers are characterized by ________.
A．bold headlines B．various kinds of photographs
C．striking pictorial comment on politics D．both A and B
4．Which of the following conclusions can NOT be drawn from the passage?
A．Englishmen always take every possible
chance to read newspapers.
B．In Britain, newspapers must be carefully examined by the authorities(当局) before their publication for fear that they present anything offensive.
C．Few British newspapers publish libelous articles.
D．The Times is one of the world-famous newspapers.
South Korean films
Beijing audience(观众) can view five new South Korean films, all with Chinese subtitles(中文字幕), until April 19 at the Tuixin Cinema on the Beijing National Library grounds.
Two other South Korean films completed their full runs（展出） at the Tuixin Cinema earlier this month.
Location：Tuixin Cinema, Beijing National Library, 39 Baishiqiao Road, Haidian District Telephone：86425566
My love, My Bride
April 15： 9: 00, 13: 00, 15: 30, 17:30, 19:30
Kim's War
April 16： 9:00, 13:00, 18:15
Because You Are a Woman
April 17：13:30, 18:15
Marriage Story
April 18：9:00, 13:30, 15:30, 18:15
Sopyonje
April 19：9:00, 13:30, 15:30, 17:30, 19:30
Leon's show
Hong Kong popstar...Leon Lai will give a personal performance at 7：30pm from tomorrow through to September 21 at the Shanghai Gymnasium. The show is to celebrate the opening of the 93 Huangpu Tourism Festival.
Tickets：60, 90, 120, 180 yuan RMB, available (有票) at 66 Jiangning Road.
Address：Shanghai Gymnasium, 1111 Caixi Road N.
Tel：29189188, 29171145, 49384952, 29197113
Russian Concert
The Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra will put on some excellent Russian choral(合唱的) works at 7：15pm on September 26 and 27 at the Shanghai Concert Hall. They will sing Russian folk songs and a Mass under a Russian conductor who is very famous for conducting chorus(歌唱队) and has given a successful choral concert in Beijing.
Tickets：6, 8, 10, 12 yuan RMB, available at the hall's ticket office.
Address：523 Yan’an Road M. Shanghai
Tel：32275694
Korean songs
The Song and Dance Troupe of the Republic of Korea will give a Song and Dance show at 7: 30pm tonight at the Shanghai Centre Theatre.
Tickets：10, 20, 30 yuan RMB available at the theatre's ticket office.
Address：1376 Nanjing Road W. Shanghai
Tel：29798663
1．The audience in _______ can watch the performance given by Leon Lai from tomorrow through to September.
A．Beijing B．Korean C．Shanghai D．Hong Kong
2．_______ will be on April 18．The cinema's telephone number is_________.
A．Kim’s War; 29798663 B．My love, My Bride; 32275694
C．Because You Are a Woman; 29189188 D．Marriage Story; 86425566
3．________will give a Song and Dance show at 7：30 pm tonight at Shanghai Centre Theatre.
A．Leon Lai, a Hong Kong pop star
B．The Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra
C．The Song and Dance Trupe of the Republic of Korea
D．A Russian Philharmonic Orchestra
4．The address of the Shanghai Centre Theatre is________.
A．1111 Caoxi Road N B．1376 Nanjing Road W
C．523 Yan’an Road D．66 Jiangning Road
5．Which of the following statement is TRUE?
A．We can see all the South Korean films in the morning.
B．Leon’s show is to celebrate a festival.
C．There are some famous pop singers in Russian concert.
D．We can enjoy the Korean songs at the Shanghai Concert Hall.
Today, roller skating is easy and fun．But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball（化装舞会）. He was very pleased and a
little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was ver
y proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merl
in rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!
1．The text is mainly about ________.
A．a strange man B．an unusual party
C．how roller skating began D．how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century
2．People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he _________.
A．often gave others surprises B．was a gifted musician
C．invented the roller skates D．was full of imagination
3．Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ________ .
A．impress the party guests B．arrive at the party sooner
C．test his invention D．show his skill in walking on wheels
4．What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
A．The roller skates needed further improvement.
B．The party guests took Merlin for a fool.
C．Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.
D．Merlin got himself into trouble.
阅读理解部分（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
Education is required and free for every child in the United States. Most children start school by the age of six. They attend eight years of elementary school and four years of high school (or secondary school ).The money for free public schools comes from taxes, and each state is responsible for its own educational system .State legislatures (立法机关) set the educational requirements but leave the management of the schools in the hands of the local communities .Most states require their children to go to school until a certain age. This age varies from 16 to 18 years according to the laws of the individual state. The Federal government contributes funds to the states for additional schools and schools services.
After graduation from high school, a student can start his higher education in two –year college, a four-year college, a university or a specialized professional school----either public or private. Most colleges admit students on the basis of their high-school records. The cost of a college education is expensive in private universities, but it is much less in those supported by states and cities. Many students receive scholarships from the schools, the government, or private foundations and organizations. More than 50 percent of the college students work to help pay their college expenses.
Only 2 percent of the population of the country cannot read and write.
1、Where does the money for public schools come from ?
A. From the Federal government. B. From the state legislatures.
C. From taxes. D. From the parents of the school children.
2、What is the educational system in the United States based on ?
A. The Federal governmentB. Individual school
C. Individual state D. Local communities
3、What percentage of the population is illiterate (文盲) ？
A. 50 B. 2 C. 4 D. 6
4、How are college expenses of most students paid ?
A. They won earnings from part-time work .
B. Scholarship from the schools, the government or private foundations.
C. Taxes .
D. Both A and B.
For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming home to an empty house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV. Some may hide. But all of them have something in common. They spend part of each day alone. They’re called latchkey children. They’re children who look after themselves while their parents work and their bad condition has become a subject of conc
ern（关心）。
Lynette Long was once the principal（校长）of an elementary school. Said, “We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. A lot of the kids had chains around their necks with keys attached（附带
）。 I was often tell
ing them to put them inside their shirts. There were so many keys that it never came to my mind what they meant.” Slowly, she learned they were house keys.
She and her husband began talking to the children who had them. They learned of the effect working couples and single parents had on their children Fear is the biggest problem faced by children at home alone. One in each three latchkey children the Longs talked to reported being scared（害怕）.Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety.
The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. It might be in a shower 
stall, under a bed, in a closet. The second is TV. They’ll often play it high volume.
It’s hard to get statistics（统计数字）on latchkey children, the Longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone.
1. The main idea about “latchkey” children is that they ______.
are growing in numbers
are also found in middle-class neighborhoods
watch too much TV during the day
suffer problems from being left alone
2. Which sentence in the second paragraph is the topic sentence?
We had a school rule against wearing jewelry.
A lot of kids had chains around their necks.
I was often telling them to put them inside their shirts.
She learned t
hey were house keys.
3. The main feeling these children have when they are at home by themselves is ______.
A. tiredness B. freedom C. loneliness D. fear
4. The word “nightmare” in the third paragraph probably means______.
A. night suit B. night habit
C. terrible dream at night D. staying up at night
5. We may draw a conclusion that_______.
latchkey children enjoy having such a large amount of time alone
latchkey children try to hide their feeling
latchkey children often watch TV with their parents
it’s difficult to find out how many latchkey children there are