For years, my family has vacationed in the same Florida town. In fact, we just returned home after spending a week of spring break there with our three sons.
Many nights, we take the same scenic drive to dinner at a favorite restaurant. As we travel along Gulf Shore Boulevard, we admire a combination of small beach apartments, swanky high-rises and spectacular homes.
A few years ago, we noticed that whenever we drive this particular route, there are always two men sitting in front of the same third-floor window of a low-rise apartment building that overlooks the road. All that is visible from the road are their two silhouettes. Even during off-peak months, they’ve always been there. Over the years, we’ve had great fun speculating about who they are, whether they’re having a drink, and if so, what they fancy, where they’re from, and what they might be discussing. Our guesses have become a modern form of car bingo. Widowers? Retirees? Partners? We’ve run through the gamut of possibilities.
Eventually, I started beeping the horn as we passed. We’d wave. Our new friends would do likewise. There was something comforting in seeing them. In a world of constant change, it has been nice to look up and see that they are there, just as we remember from our last visit. And then last spring, we drove by and they were missing. The apartment was dark. No one was visible in the window. Strangely, we drove by and they were missing The apartment was dark. No one was visible in the window. Strangely, we grew worried about two people we’d never even met. Where did they go? A new round of the guessing game began.
On our last trip at Christmastime, we were relieved to see them once again. We were driving past about 6 p.m., and there they were at cocktail hour. I told my wife that I suspected they were gin drinkers and said we should buy them a bottle. She said that if I bought it, she’d deliver it. I said, “Tomorrow.”Driving along the scenic route, the author’s family were to .
| A．meet their friends there | B．visit the Florida town |
| C．appreciate a place of interest | D．have supper together |
Why did the author blow the horn?
| A．It was a pleasure for them to see the two men again. |
| B．It was his habit while driving along the special route. |
| C．It was an agreement between him and the two men. |
| D．It was for the sake of safety while driving. |
Which of the following can best describe the family?
| A．generous and sensitive | B．curious and kind |
| C．helpful and brave | D．friendly and hurnorous |
Which of the following will best continue this passage?
| A．The two men’s favorite drinks. |
| B．The two men’s beach apartments |
| C．The reason of the two men’s absence |
| D．The author’s next visit to the town |
Without proper planning, tourism can cause problems. For example too many tourists can crowd public places that are also enjoyed by the inhabitants of the country. If tourists create too much traffic ,the inhabitants become annoyed and unhappy. They begin to dislike tourists and to treat them impolitely. They forget how much tourism can help the country's economy. It is important to think about the people of a destination country and how tourism affects them. Tourism should help a country keep the customs and beauty that attract tourists. Tourism should also advance the wealth and happiness of local inhabit-ants.
Too much tourism can be a problem. If tourism grows too quickly, people must leave other jobs to work in the tourism industry. This means that other parts of the country's economy can suffer.
On the other hand, if there is not enough tourism ,people can lose jobs. Businesses can also lose money. It costs a great deal of money to build large hotels, airports, first-class roads, and other support facilities (配套设施）needed by tourist attractions. For example，a major international class tourism hotel can cost as much as 50 thousand dollars per room to build. If this room is not used most of the time, the owners of the hotel will lose money.
Building a hotel is just a beginning. There must be many other support facilities as well，including roads to get to the hotel, electricity, sewers (下水道）to handle waste, and water. All of these support facilities cost money. If they are not used because there are not enough tourists, jobs and money are lost. Which of the following do you think has been discussed in the part before this selection?
| A．It is extremely important to develop tourism. |
| B．Building roads and hotels is important. |
| C．Support facilities are highly necessary. |
| D．Planning is of great importance to tourism. |
The underlined word “inhabitants” (in Paragraph1) probably means “__________”
| A．citizens |
| B．passengers |
| C．population |
| D．tourists |
Too much tourism can cause all these problems EXCEPT __________
| A．a bad effect on other industries |
| B．a change of tourists' customs |
| C．over - crowdedness of places of interest |
| D．pressure on traffic |
It can be inferred from the text that __________.
| A．the author doesn't like tourism developing so fast |
| B．local people will benefit from tourist attractions |
| C．other parts of a country's economy won't benefit from tourism much |
| D．we can't build too many support facilities |
Host in Toronto, Canada
By ： Mabel <Show &Mail>
Date： 18 June ,2009
Hi, I have a room to share in my 3-bedroom house. 2 oriental females living in the house. The room is furnished with bed and mattress, a computer table and a closet. Cable and Internet not included in the rent but available if needed. If you are looking for a family style living in a safe environment, this is the right place. Close to subway, 15 minutes to downtown Toronto, grocery and restaurants. Available June 18 .
Host Edmonton, Alberta, Canada By ： Frank <Show E-Mail>
Date： 18 June ,2009
Hi! After having taught ESL for 12 years in Seoul, Korea ( Sangmyung University) and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam ( AUSP，ILA) , we would like to invite students and business people to share our home in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Please visit our website http://www. Whitley -homestay . com.
Contact us for more information. We would do our best to make your homestay as pleasant as possible. Hope to hear from you soon.
Take care,
Frank, Uyen and Jennife
Host in Toronto, Ontario
By： Hoang〈Show E-Mail〉
Date： 15 June, 2009
$ 500 Shared Accommodation available at Keels St / Teston Rd. Includes Internet and Cable Television. Option with Room and Board for $ 800. Loca-tion great for York University Students or Seneca College in King City. Contact 416-520-9502.
Maple Ridge, BC
By ： Cindi & David Holt <Show E-Mail>
Date： 17 June, 2009
Hi! We are the Holt Family. We are currently looking for a homestay that would like to attend Maple Ridge College or Thomas Haney Secondary School. We are a large family of 6 that would like to open our doors to someone that is looking to stay. Room and board, breakfast, lunch and dinner included. $ 700 per month. We are a fun, loving family. We live on 5 acres. Have an above-ground pool and live 5 minutes from a lake. It is quiet in a country setting. I can drive to school and sometimes home but there is a community bus that my children always take as they are very independent and go with their friends. If you are interested ,contact me. Which has told the shared price?
| A．Mabel and Frank. |
| B．Frank and Cindi. |
| C．Hoang and Cindi. |
| D．Mabel and Hoang. |
Which will Betty choose if she enjoys swimming?
| A．Mabel. |
| B．Frank. |
| C．Hoang. |
| D．Cindi. |
Where can we find this information?
| A．In a magazine. |
| B．In a newspaper. |
| C．On a website. |
| D．In a house agency. |
Why Melbourne? Having long lived in the shadow of Sydney，Melbourne has become a wonderful place for fashion and design and the cultural centre of Aus-tralia, with an enjoyable program of festivals.
What to see? The city centre's grid (格子）system of streets hides a maze (迷宫）of lanes and turn -of-the -century arcades where you will find the best cafes, bars and shops. The Hidden Secrets Tour(00 613 9329 9665, hiddensecretstour. com ) guides will make sure you find what you're after, whether it's fashion, art and design or wine. From £ 34 per person.
Where to eat? Melbourne is a paradise for those who enjoy eating delicious food, and its top chefs use fresh produce and have a talent for the experimental. But for something different, enjoy yourself with an Australian Wine Tour Company trip. Departing from the city centre daily，you'll taste wines at four of the region's best vineyards (葡萄园）. It costs £ 48 per person, including all wine tasting, lunch and a visit to Domaine Chandon (00 613 9419 4444, austwine -tourco. com. au).
Where to stay? The Nunnery is an old convent (修道院）on the edge of the city. It has double rooms with breakfast from £54 per night (00 613 94198637, nunnery, com. au).
How to get there? Qantas (0845 7747 767，qantas . com. au) flies from Heathrow to Melbourne twice daily from £ 766 return, including taxes.
More information： Contact the official tourism site for Melbourne at visitmelbourne . com/uk.
Use the links below for more on.
Destination guide： Melbourne.
Click here for our Melbourne page.
48 hours in Melbourne. Why is Melbourne a popular destination for Australians?
| A．Because it's the most important city. |
| B．Because it's well-known for festivals. |
| C．Because it is a cultural centre in Australia. |
| D．Because it attracts lots of religious followers. |
To get more information about Hidden Secrets Tour, you should call __________.
| A．00 613 9329 9665 |
| B．00 613 9419 4444 |
| C．00 13 9419 8637 |
| D．0845 7747 767 |
If you are interested in tasting Australian wines ,you have to pay __________.
| A．£34 |
| B．£48 |
| C．£54 |
| D．£76 |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To tell readers how to travel in Australia. |
| B．To inform readers about what to see in Melbourne. |
| C．To introduce the history and culture about Australia. |
| D．To offer tourists some information about Melbourne. |
Americans like to travel on their yearly holiday. Today, more and more travelers in the United States are spending nights at small houses or inns instead of hotels. They get a room for the night and the break-fast the next morning.
Rooms for the night in private (私人的）homes with breakfast have been popular with travelers in Europe for many years. In the past five to ten years ,these bed - and - breakfast places have become popular in the United States. Many of these America's bed-and - breakfast inns are old historic buildings. Some bed - and - breakfast inns have only a few rooms； others are much larger. Some inns do not provide telephones or televisions in the rooms； others do.
Staying at a bed - and - breakfast inn is much different from staying at a hotel. Usually the cost is much less. Staying at an inn is almost like visiting someone's home. The owners are glad to tell about the areas and the interesting places to visit. Many vacationers say they enjoy the chance to meet local families. Americans take a holiday trip __________.
| A．all the year round |
| B．for years |
| C．every year |
| D．every other year |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Some Americans like to stay at bed - and -breakfast homes instead of hotels. |
| B．The bed - and - breakfast inns are private homes opened to vacationers. |
| C．The bed - and - breakfast inns have been popular in America for a very long time. |
| D．The bed - and - breakfast inn owners provide a morning meal for their visitors and a room for the night. |
Why do American travelers prefer staying at bed - and - breakfast inns?
| A．It is like visiting someone's home. |
| B．The money they spend there is much less. |
| C．They can meet local families. |
| D．All of the above. |
Staying at the bed - and -breakfast inns, __________.
| A．the travelers needn't pay anything |
| B．the travelers don't have to pay for the telephone or television |
| C．the travelers can meet and talk with the local people |
| D．the owners will show the travelers around the area |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．European and American vacationers like staying at bed - and -breakfast inns. |
| B．All Americans enjoy traveling. |
| C．These bed -and -breakfast inns are all old historic buildings. |
| D．Staying at a bed -and -breakfast inn is just like at the traveler's home. |
Americans can travel almost anywhere they choose. But to protect its people ,the government lists a few dangerous places where Americans cannot go. These places are unfriendly countries or countries at war. There the travelers might not be safe. These countries are listed in a small book called a passport.
This passport is a government request for the safety of its traveling people. It is also a government's pledge (保证）that the people will obey the rules of the host countries.
To receive a passport from the government，a traveler must prove that he is an American citizen (公民） An American cannot go overseas without a pass-port. Only certain close countries such as Canada and Mexico do not ask for passports.
Pasted inside the passport is the traveler's picture. Children traveling with their parents are included in one parent's book.
Tens of thousands of people from the United States visit other countries every year. An American traveler might carry plane tickets，money, clothing and many other things. But the most important thing that he carries in another country is his passport. A passport is not needed when an American goes to __________
| A．foreign countries |
| B．dangerous areas |
| C．Canada or Mexico |
| D．countries overseas |
From the passage we can see that __________.
| A．children can't travel to foreign countries |
| B．Americans like to travel |
| C．a traveler is not safe in most countries |
| D．Americans like to travel to close countries |
Why does a traveler need a passport?
| A．He needs something more to carry when he travels. |
| B．It helps the country to protect the people. |
| C．He needs to have his picture taken more often. |
| D．It helps the traveler to know where he will go. |
Which statement does the passage lead you to believe?
| A．People should take care of their passports. |
| B．It is not important to have a passport to travel. |
| C．Children are never included in a passport. |
| D．When you are in another country, money is more important than a passport. |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．When Americans are traveling in another country, they must obey the rules of the country. |
| B．The American government sometimes allows its people to travel to dangerous places. |
| C．A passport is needed wherever an American is traveling. |
| D．Everyone who lives in the United States can get a passport from the American government. |