Villa Nicoletta, Genuine Relaxation
Somewhere in the world, there’s a place where stress isn’t allowed and peace and genuine relaxation are the only demands of the day. If you could go there, you would thoroughly enjoy yourself. There are not too many places in the world like this, but this is one of them. It’s luxurious. It’s ultra-private.
Welcome to Villa Nicoletta
Villa Nicoletta is a 4-bedroom luxury villa and an oasis(绿洲) of rest and rejuvenation(恢复活力)in a land of unspoiled peace. Located on a 70-foot cliff overlooking the north shore of the island of St. Thomas and the pretty waters of Caret Bay, Villa Nicoletta offers the finest accommodations in the Caribbean for those seeking a vacation of elegance, peace and privacy. You’ll see how the sun blankets the landscape and water in shimmering brilliance by day and how the sky twinkles like billions of bright diamonds at night.
Completed in 2000, the 3,300-square-foot Villa Nicoletta is fully equipped with state-of-the-art electronics.
When you book Villa Nicoletta, you shall book the entire villa.
Off Season: April 16 to December 14
★4 bedrooms — $5,700/week (8 people max)
Sleep sofa can add additional 2 people $200/night
Peak Season: December 15 to April 15
★4 bedrooms — $6,300/week (8 people max)
Sleep sofa can add additional 2 people $200/night The villa can be rented to a maximum of _______ people at a time.
A.five | B.eight | C.thirteen | D.ten |
If a family with 6 people spends a fortnight’s Christmas holiday in the villa, how much will they pay?
A.$12,600. | B.$15,400. | C.$11,400. | D.$13,200. |
Villa Nicoletta is most likely to be popular with tourists who _______.
A.like adventure |
B.want to escape the noisy life of the city |
C.enjoy the winter sports |
D.seek excitement in the sea |
We can infer that _______.
A.you can share the villa with other tourists |
B.the island of St. Thomas is famous for the ocean theme amusement park |
C.fewer tourists stay in Villa Nicoletta in autumn than in spring |
D.you can go in for extreme sports in Villa Nicoletta |
A 17-year-old boy, caught sending text messages in class, was recently sent to the vice principal's office. The vice principal, Steve Gallagher, told the boy he needed to focus on the teacher, not his cellphone. The boy listened politely and nodded, and that's when Mr. Gallagher noticed the student's fingers moving on his lap. He was texting while being scolded for texting. “It was a subconscious act,” says Mr. Gallagher, who took the phone away. “Young people today are connected socially from the moment they open their eyes in the morning until they close their eyes at night. It's compulsive.”
A study this year by psychology students at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga., found that the more time young people spend on Facebook, the more likely they are to have lower grades and weaker study habits. Heavy Facebook users show signs of being more sociable, but they are also more likely to be anxious, hostile or depressed.
Almost a quarter of today's teens check Facebook more than 10 times a day, according to a 2009 survey by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that monitors media's impact on families. Will these young people get rid of this habit once they enter the work force, or will employers come to see texting and 'social-network checking' as accepted parts of the workday?
Think back. When today's older workers were in their 20s, they might have taken a break on the job to call friends and make after-work plans. In those earlier eras, companies discouraged non-business-related calls, and someone who made personal calls all day risked being fired. It was impossible to imagine the constant back-and-forth texting that defines interactions among young people today.
Educators are also being asked by parents, students and educational strategists to reconsider their rules. “In past generations, students got in trouble for passing notes in class. Now students are good at texting with their phones still in their pockets,” says 40-year-old Mr. Gallagher, the vice principal, “and they're able to communicate with someone one floor down and three rows over. Students are just fundamentally different today. They will take suspensions rather than give up their phones.”
66. The underlined word “a subconscious act” in the first paragraph refers to an act __________.
A. on purpose B. without realization C. in secret D. with care
67. Young people addicted to the use of Facebook _________.
A. are good at dealing with the social relationships and concentrate on their study
B. have high spirits and positive attitudes towards their life and work
C. have been influenced mentally in the aspects of behaviors and habits
D. are always in bad mood and have poor performance in every respect
68. Through the situation of today’s older workers in their 20s, it can be inferred that _________.
A. the employers will not accept young people’s sending text messages
B. a cellphone is a must for today’s older workers instead of young people
C. the employers prefer older workers to young people
D. the employers will find it hard to control the interaction among young people
69. Mr. Gallagher reminds us that the students in the past and those today _________.
A. like to break rules and have the same means of sending messages
B. are always the big problem for the educators and their parents
C. like sending text messages but those today do it in a more secret and skillful way
D. cannot live without a cellphone
70. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Teenagers and Cellphones B. Teenagers’ Texting Addiction
C. Employers and Teenagers D. Teenagers’ Education
Edinburgh Zoo makes plans to bring a pair of giant pandas from China to Scotland. Representatives from Edinburgh Zoo have recently returned from China, where they signed a letter of intent (意向书) making a promise to bring giant pandas to the zoo.
It has been suggested that the breeding pair should be rented to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) for 10 years and it is hoped they would give birth to babies during that time. Edinburgh Zoo would be the eighth zoo in the West to care for the species if the project goes ahead.
Zoo chiefs said that looking after the endangered animals could benefit conservation. David Windmill, chief of RZSS, said, “It is an opportunity to work on a global level with other conservationists to gain a better understanding of the giant panda, the threats they face, and what we can do to ensure their survival.”
At present, there are currently only around 1,500 giant pandas in the wild. RZSS has been working on the project for almost a year, and hopes to have giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo by 2011, the year of the society’s centenary.
Mr. Windmill said that the project has received strong support from the UK and Scottish Governments and that this must continue if the zoo is to reach an agreement with the Chinese. As part of the proposed agreement with the Chinese government, Edinburgh Zoo will cooperate on research projects benefiting conservation in the wild.
RZSS will also provide considerable money to support giant panda conservation projects in the wild. Giant pandas live in a few mountain ranges in central China and feed almost wholly on bamboo, which makes up 99% of the their diet.
61. What result did zoo representatives get from China?
A. A breeding pair is on loan to RZSS for ten years.
B. China promised to sell two giant pandas before 2011.
C. They signed a letter of intent about giant pandas to be loaned to Edinburgh Zoo.
D. China promised to offer the money but not the experts for research into giant pandas.
62. If Edinburgh Zoo can borrow giant pandas, what will happen?
A. RZSS will celebrate its centenary in 2011.
B. Scotland will be the eighth country to have giant pandas.
C. RZSS will have a better understanding of living habits of giant pandas.
D. Edinburgh Zoo will be the eighth zoo to have Chinese pandas in the world.
63. The underlined part “the project” in Paragraph 4 refers to “__________”.
A. the celebration of RZSS’s centenary
B. introducing giant pandas to RZSS’s collection
C. the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland itself
D. borrowing giant pandas from China for conservation
64. At present what seems to be the key factor for giant pandas to successfully go to Edinburgh Zoo?
A. RZSS’s attitude. B. The Chinese government’s attitude.
C. Edinburgh Zoo’s support. D. The Scottish government’ attitude.
65. The best title for this passage would be “___________”.
A. Edinburgh Zoo expects giant pandas from China
B. Edinburgh Zoo does research into giant pandas
C. Scotland supports giant panda conservation
D. Giant pandas live happily at Edinburgh Zoo
Women might have a higher position at work, but at home their careers tend to give way to their husband’s job, with women most likely to quit when both are working long hours, according to a U.S.study.
Researcher Youngjoo Cha, from Cornell University, found that working women with a husband who worked 50 hours or more a week found themselves still doing most of the housework and the care giving and were more likely to end up quitting their jobs.
An analysis of 8,484 professional workers and 17,648 nonprofessionals from dual-earner (双职工) families showed that if women had a husband who worked 60 hours or more per week it increased the woman’s possibility of quitting her paid job by 42 percent.Cha said the possibility of quitting increased to 51 percent for professional women whose husbands work 60 hours or more per week, and for professional mothers the possibility they would quit their jobs jumped 112 percent.
However, it did not significantly affect a man’s possibility of quitting his job if his wife worked 60 hours or more per week, according to the study published in the American Sociological Review in April.For professional men, both parents and non-parents, the effects of a wife working long hours were negligible, according to the study.
“As long work-hours introduce conflict between work and family into many dual-earner families, couples often solve conflict in ways that prioritize husbands’ careers,” Cha, who used data from the U.S.Census Bureau, said in a statement.“This effect is magnified (突出) among workers in professional and managing occupations, where the criterion of overwork and the culture of looking after children tend to be strongest.The findings suggest that the popularity of overwork may lead many dual-earner couples to return to a traditional family pattern — breadwinning men and homemaking women.”
66.According to the text, we know that ______.
A.men prefer work long hours B.women prefer to work outside
C.men’s careers are unimportant D.women are more likely to quit jobs
67.The underlined word “negligible” in Paragraph 4 most probably means ______.
A.unimportant B.limited C.different D.obvious
68.Which statement is true according to the text?
A.When there’s conflict between work and family, a husband will give up his work.
B.Women may still do most of the housework and care for babies or children.
C.Professional women are more likely to quit the job than professional mothers.
D.A man’s chance of quitting jobs was influenced if his wife works long hours.
69.We can infer from the last sentence that ______.
A.all the workers pay more attention to looking after children
B.overwork may have no influence on dual-earner couples
C.traditionally, men usually worked to support the family
D.most dual-earner couples will return to a traditional family pattern
70.In which column of China Daily can you find this passage?
A.Health B.Life C.Sport D.Entertainment
①It’s “laughably absurd” on one blog and a “magical revolution” on another.Bloggers are talking about the same device—the Apple iPad, which hit store shelves last week.
②Tech-heads hate the iPad because it has many functions—you can e-mail, browse the Web, read books—but it has no specialty.There are other devices on the market that do all its functions faster, cheaper and more efficiently.Get a Blackberry to scan e-mails or any old laptop to access the Internet.
③This first version of the iPad lacks many basic features.Tech-heads dislike the device not because of what it offers, but because of what it doesn’t offer.It doesn’t have Flash, and it doesn’t have a camera.It can’t access many of the world’s mobile applications, and it has a very restricted apple store.Based on purely technological grounds, the iPad is said to lack more than it gives.
④But if you are not a crazy tech-head, and you love the iPod and iPhone, “this device is for you,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.The iPad will take online activities truly mobile.It will allow you to read the news in bed, check a recipe in a busy kitchen or view a large-scale Google map.
⑤Perhaps most important to the masses, it is a traditional computer without trouble.There are wireless, but it’s totally mobile.You press a button and it comes on in seconds.To add a program, you just download it from the Internet.Since almost everyone uses a computer in the office or at school, the need for the traditional desktop model at home is disappearing.Slate Magazine’s Farhad Manjoo calls the iPad the perfect alternative to the home computer system.
⑥But no matter how you feel about the iPad, as a tech-head or an everyman, there’s no arguing with its appeal.Love it or hate it, the iPad sold over 600,000 units on its opening weekend, surpassing the iPhone’s record sales in 2007.
61.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Loving and hating the iPad B.An exciting invention
C.A home computer substitute D.The iPad—a wise choice
62.According to the text, which of the following is Not true of the iPad?
A.It can access the Internet. B.It is wireless but portable.
C.It can play any online video. D.It can help you scan e-mail.
63.Which of the following best shows the structure of the text?
64.Farhad Manjoo’s attitude towards the iPad might be that of ______.
A.doubt B.unconcern C.sympathy D.support
65.Tech-heads dislike the iPad because of ______.
A.its after-sale services B.its high price
C.its function shortagesD.its slow speed
Archaeologists believe they are on the turning point of throwing light on the life of William Shakespeare — by excavating (发掘) what may have been the playwright’s dust hole.
Experts have begun excavating the ruins of New Place, Shakespeare’s former home in Stratford-upon-Avon, which was destroyed 250 years ago.Although little remains of the property, the team, led by Birmingham Archaeology, believes it has identified a dust hole used by the 16th century poet.
Small pieces of pottery (陶瓷) and broken clay pipe have already been found from a muddy hole on the site, which they claim could yield some of the most significant discoveries about Shakespeare in decades.The dig focuses on three areas of the property, which Shakespeare bought in 1597 when he returned to his home town from London having achieved fame — including the so-called knot garden at the back of the building.
Dr Diana Owen, Director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which owns the site, said, “We do not know if the knot garden was an area used by Shakespeare — it may have been a yard simply used by his servants.But this could actually yield some fantastic results, especially if it was an area where rubbish was thrown or the dust hole was located.”
Kevin Colls, from Birmingham Archaeology, added, “Through documentary evidence we know Shakespeare lived at New Place but we have very little information regarding the layout (布局) of the house and gardens at this time.Through archaeological fieldwork, in particular the dig of structural remains and the recovery of artefacts, we hope to fill in the blanks.”
Until October, visitors will be able to watch archaeologists and volunteers at work as they excavate the remains of the house, which was knocked down in 1759.Experts hope to unearth evidence to support theories that Shakespeare wrote many of his most famous works at the property.
71.This excavation intends to ______.
A.know something about the playwright’s dust hole
B.search for some treasure in the dust hole
C.explore the life of William Shakespeare
D.find something that Shakespeare lost
72.New Place was destroyed in the ______ century.
A.15th B.16th C.17th D.18th
73.Small pieces of pottery and broken clay pipe on the site ______.
A.could show Shakespeare’s luxurious life
B.could lead to important discoveries about Shakespeare
C.could show us that Shakespeare lived at New Place
D.could prove when New Place was knocked down
74.The underlined phrase “the blanks” in Paragraph 5 refers to ______.
A.the ruins of New Place
B.the smallest pieces of broken pottery
C.three areas of the property
D.the layout of the house and gardens of New Place
75.What can we learn from the text?
A.Shakespeare used to live at New Place.
B.Shakespeare became famous after 1597.
C.Only his servants used the knot garden.
D.Dr Diana Owen owns Shakespeare’s property.