With eco-tourism on the rise, eco-hotels are fast becoming the darling of the travel industry. These days, however, staying at an eco-hotel doesn’t necessarily mean vacationing in a tree house in the Costa Rican jungle, although that is certainly a choice.
The majority of eco-hotels fall into several categories: hotels and resorts that conserve ecologically important habitats; “green” hotels that reduce, recycle, minimize waste, and protect water; sustainable hotels that harvest food from gardens on the hotel property or get part or all of their power from renewable energy; hotels that encourage community involvement such as guests taking part in trail clearing; and hotels that offer some form of environmental education to their guests.
As such, eco-hotels are a various group. Stylish urban hotels like the Willard Inter-Continental Washington focus on energy conservation whereas the Rosario Resort & Spa on Orcas Island in Washington State offers a wildly popular “green” vacation package where guests can “take a hike, clear a trail”.
No matter what you call them, eco-hotel, eco-lodge, eco-resort, or green hotel, they’re all part of the “greening” of the tourism industry.
Part of what drives this greening of the hotel industry is no doubt competition. Going green is another way to distinguish a hotel from the mass of other excellent hotels that consumers have to choose from. But for many hotels, it’s also part of their philosophy. With the concept of “going green” firmly rooted in consumers’ minds, eco-hotels have taken it to the next level, and whether or not money is the driving factor behind the greening of the hotel industry doesn’t matter so much as it’s good for the planet.According to the passage, which of the following can match the idea of eco-hotel?
| A．It is comfortable and fashionable. | B．It uses renewable energy. |
| C．It has walls of glass. | D．It is home to endangered species. |
From the passage, we know the Rosario Resort & Spa is a kind of hotel that _______.
| A．encourages its guests to participate in its greening activities |
| B．harvests food from its own garden |
| C．has courses on the environment for its guests |
| D．protects important habitats |
From the last paragraph, we can infer that _______.
| A．money is the driving force behind eco-hotels |
| B．the hotel industry cares more about money than the environment |
| C．eco-hotels teach their guests the philosophy of eco-hotels |
| D．eco-hotels have no advantages in competing for guests |
To see the world is one thing；to have someone to share it with is another.Indeed，travel becomes more interesting when you have a travel partner.A travel partner can be a close friend，a family member，a pal you’ve met online，or a business friend.
You can have someone to talk to
Traveling alone is fun，but wouldn’t you feel lonely？Having a travel partner can remove the feeling of loneliness.This is especially true if you can get a travel companion who is very familiar with the place you’re traveling to.You don’t have to ask any information from the locals，and you can increase the time you spend in the country.
__________________________
One of the major headaches in traveling is the costs involved.You can’t simply ignore the rising price of hotels or plane tickets.You should also think about your daily needs，such as your food.Of course，you can’t simply go back without bringing any souvenirs (纪念品) to your friends and family.All these can ruin your budget.However，when you have a travel friend，you can have someone to share the expenses with.
You can meet a good friend
Having a travel mate is a good way of meeting a new friend or even a lifelong partner.You can never count the number of couples who actually found their way into each other’s heart while traveling together in another country.
You can have someone to watch out for you
When you’re in a foreign land，you’ll never be really safe.You don’t know the rules as well as the culture of the people.A travel mate will be perfect to remind you of your duties in the country and to watch your back just in case you get lost.So why don’t you find a travel companion now?
Let’s find out how ...What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
| A．To introduce a travel company. |
| B．To encourage us to have a travel partner. |
| C．To explain how to be a perfect travel partner. |
| D．To tell an interesting experience with a travel partner. |
What’s the best title for the 3rd paragraph?
| A．You can have someone to share the expenses with. |
| B．You can know the local culture well. |
| C．You can enjoy food with your partner. |
| D．You can save money by bargaining together. |
Which of the following statements agrees with the author’s opinion?
| A．Traveling alone is not fun. |
| B．Buying souvenirs isn’t necessary. |
| C．Many people fall in love when traveling. |
| D．It’s better to choose a stranger as a travel partner. |
The following paragraph will probably talk about________.
| A．how to get along with a travel partner |
| B．how travel can benefit people |
| C．what we can learn from travel |
| D．how to find a travel partner |
Everybody is afraid of something.That’s what more than 1,700 kids told us when we asked them about fears and scary stuff.We gave kids a list of 14 scary things and asked which one frightened them most.Here are the top 5 answers from our survey (调查)：① Scary movies and TV shows；②Scary dreams；③Thunderstorms，hurricanes(飓风)；and other horrible weather；④War and terrorism (恐怖行动)；⑤Sounds heard at night.
But not everyone is afraid of the same thing.And what makes one person scared can be of no big deal for someone else.Plenty of kids said their biggest fear wasn’t on our list.
What is fear?
Fear is a feeling that eyeryone has—it’s programmed into all of us—and that’s a good thing because fear is there to protect us.We’re born with a sense of fear so we can react to something that could be dangerous.The baby cries，and their mom comes over to comfort him or her，helping the baby feel safe and OK again.Real vs.Pretend
The best way to get over a fear is to get more information about it.As kids get older，they understand more and start seeing the difference between what is real and unreal.So when William’s imagination leads him to think of witches，he can tell himself，“Wait a minute.They’re only pretend things.I don’t need to worry about them.”
The same goes for the dark.A kid’s imagination can start playing tricks when the lights go out.What’s under my bed？Is that a thief I hear？With the help of a parent，kids can get more comfortable in the dark.Using a nightlight or shining a flashlight under the bed to see that there’s nothing there can help kids fight that fear.What did the writer find out from the survey?
| A．Some people have never experienced fear. |
| B．Kids don’t like watching scary movies. |
| C．All people are afraid of something. |
| D．People often cry loudly when they are scared. |
What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
| A．The list of fears is not complete. |
| B．The things people fear are of no big deal. |
| C．Kids have more fears than people think. |
| D．People are afraid of different things. |
In the writer’s opinion，________.
| A．having a sense of fear is not a bad thing |
| B．babies have a weak sense of fear |
| C．fear is not something that we are born with |
| D．not all people can react to dangerous things |
When you’re returning to Australia, be careful that you don’t bring in pests and diseases. Some items you might bring back from overseas can be pests and diseases that Australia doesn’t have. When you return, declare(申报)all food, meat, fruits, plants, seeds, wooden souvenirs, animal or plant materials.
Australia has strict quarantine(检疫)laws and tough on-the-spot fines. Every piece of luggage is now screened or X-rayed. If you fail to declare any quarantine items, or if you make a false declaration, you will get caught. In addition to on-the-spot fines, you could be accused and fined more than $60, 000 and you may risk 10 years in prison. All international mail is also screened.
Some products may require treatment to make them safe. Items that are restricted because of the risk of pests and diseases will be seized and destroyed by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service(AQIS).
In many cases, the goods you declare will be returned to you after inspection. However, any item that presents a quarantine risk will be withheld(扣留). You will be given a range of options for each item depending on the quarantine risk:
Treating the item to make it safe;
Holding the item until an import permit is presented*; ·
Re-exporting the item；
Destroying the item.
Those treatments with the sign “*” are subject to fees.
Further information:
For more detailed information about bringing in food, animals, plants, animal or plant materials, call the AQIS at 1800-020-504. Which of the following don’t you need to declare when returning to Australia?
| A．Tea. | B．Wooden combs. | C．Some bread. | D．A pair of glasses. |
If you make a false declaration, you would _______ .
| A．be fined a lot of money |
| B．be forbidden to return to Australia |
| C．have to declare your items again |
| D．make yourself screened |
Where can we most probably find this passage?
| A．In an advertisement. |
| B．In a traveling guidebook. |
| C．At the police station. |
| D．In a hospital. |
We can learn from the passage that _______ .
| A．you can keep the item before an import permit is presented |
| B．all products must be treated according to the AQIS |
| C．not all treatments for your declared items are free |
| D．travelers can sell their declared items |
Swaying palm trees，turquoiseblue(青绿色的)water and sugarwhite sand make beach lovers sigh with delight.But not all beaches have those ingredients.The most interesting beaches come in different shapes，sizes and colors.
Those who want beauty and something unique can go to the Seychells' La Digue Island.Large granite(花岗岩)rock formations overlook beautiful，whitesand beaches.The pinkishgrey rocks look like sculptures that have been forgotten on the beach.Tourists traveling to La Digue Island to see the unique rocks will also discover one of the world's most beautiful islands.
Hawaii's Big Island has one of the rarest beaches of all—a beach made up entirely of green sand.The sand，which is formed by dark green crystals called olivine(橄榄石)，is deposited(堆积)by volcanic activity.Green Sand Beach lies on the slopes of the world's largest active volcano，Mauna Loa.
One of the world's most unusual beaches lies on the island of Santorini，Greece.The sand on Red Beach gets its reddish color from the red volcanic rocks that make up the cliffs(悬崖)around the beach.Tourists flock(蜂拥)to see the red sand，making Red Beach one of Santorini's most popular beach destinations.
Black sand makes up the huge beach of Karakare.Through the years，volcanic sand mixed with iron ash to form this black beach on New Zealand's wild，west coast.Many have seen Karekare in the movie The Piano and the TV show Xena：Warrior Princess.
With all the beautiful beaches in the world，beach lovers have lots of choices.But for those ready for something different，a unique beach vacation might be just the ticket!What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．One of the world's most unusual beaches. |
| B．Beach lovers having more choices. |
| C．A unique beach vacation. |
| D．Unique beaches around the world. |
According to the text，______ would be regarded as the general characteristics of beautiful beaches?
| A．swaying palm trees，turquoiseblue water，sugarwhite sand |
| B．rocks，white sand，pinkishgrey，sculptures |
| C．green sand，slopes of an active volcano |
| D．black sand，iron ash，wild coast |
Beaches on the island of Santorini is red because of ______.
| A．the cliffs around the beach |
| B．the large granite rocks |
| C．the red volcanic rocks |
| D．crystals called olivine |
If you want to see pinkishgrey rocks，then go to ______.
| A．Santorini，Greece | B．Seychells' La Digue Island |
| C．Hawaii's Big Island | D．New Zealand |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Different beaches have different colors. |
| B．Different places have different beaches. |
| C．White sand and the blue water is the main characteristics of beaches. |
| D．People have many choices for beach vacations. |
Dozens of scientists and tourists who spent over a week aboard a vessel trapped in Antarctic ice were rescued Thursday in an international effort that followed multiple attempts thwarted by the region's harsh climate.
The 52 were safely rescued by a transport helicopter from a Chinese icebreaker that landed on a makeshift helipad of ice near their stricken Russian research vessel. In multiple flights, it transferred about 12 at a time to an Australian vessel, where they will begin their journeys home, said authorities involved in the operation.
'Great relief!' scientific expedition leader Chris Turney said in a Twitter TWTR +6.05% message.
The airlift operation was confirmed by China's official Xinhua news agency, which has a reporter aboard the Chinese icebreaker, the Xue Long, or Snow Dragon. A statement from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, in charge of coordinating the operation, indicated passengers were safely transferred by early evening to the Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis.
Trapped in a particularly thick ice floe just before Christmas on its way toward Antarctica, the Russian research vessel Akademik Shokalskiy remains immobile. Its 22-member crew is staying aboard. While the passengers weren't in imminent danger, they expressed frustration as holidays passed but also maintained their spirits, including by stamping out the makeshift helipad with their feet on New Year's Day.
Thursday's rescue marked only the latest attempt to get close to the blue-hulled Russian vessel since it first called for help on Christmas Day. Over the past few days, ice-breaking vessels from China, Australia and France have made separate unsuccessful bids to cut through thick layers of ice to reach it.
After the rescue got under way Thursday afternoon under bright blue skies, video footage showed the twin-blade helicopter touching down gingerly on the makeshift helipad. Passengers wearing identical red life jackets walked in single file on the ice toward the helicopter.
Just hours before Thursday's rescue, Australian maritime authorities had announced natural conditions would cause them to abandon the mission yet again. Illustrating the caution, China's State Oceanic Administration, which runs the Xue Long, posted a statement on its website quoting its captain, Wang Jianzhong, as saying he was working continuously to ensure the icebreaker itself wouldn't get trapped in the thick ice.
In outlining the plan ahead of the flights, authorities said Chinese rescuers would fly 12 passengers at a time initially to the Xue Long, which was waiting 12 nautical miles away from the Russian craft in more open water, and then the Aurora Australis, waiting a further two nautical miles away.
Mr. Turney, a professor of climate change at the University of New South Wales, offered in his Twitter messages a 'huge thanks' to the Chinese and Australian authorities for ensuring all are 'safe and sound.'
The incident has highlighted the dangers of Antarctic travel even during the southern-summer months. Usually at this time of year, international attention on the frozen continent is typically limited to clashes between Japan's research whaling fleet and antiwhaling activists.
'All the world is making a fuss,' some passengers sang in an impromptu New Year's message recorded at a party in a common room on board the Russian ship by a journalist from Britain's Guardian newspaper. The group cheered and clapped to count down the last moments of 2013. Both passengers and crew have spent their time tweeting messages and videos of their experience.What does the underlined word thwarted mean in the first paragraph？
| A．prevent someone from doing sth | B．try one’s best to do sth |
| C．frighten by something | D．destroy |
According to the passage， the vessel trapped trapped in a thick ice is__________.
| A．an Australian vessel | B．a Russian vessel |
| C．a China vessel | D．a Franch vessel |
How many crew memembers were trapped in the vessel?
| A．22 | B．12 | C．52 | D．24 |
According to the passage，which of the following statements is true?
| A．Because of the thick ice, the vessel rescue attempts failed several times. |
| B．the Chinese icebreaker, Snow Dragon, transported the people trapped in the vessel home. |
| C．The 52 were safely rescued by a transport helicopter from a Chinese icebreaker at a time. |
| D．The Antarctic travel is dangerous even during the southern-summer months. |
Where does this text probably come from ?
| A．Children’s literature | B．Science fiction |
| C．An advertisement | D．A news report |