It's slimbudget time in Las Vegas
Las Vegas? It's where halfprice flights are wide open and where reservations are easily booked on a moment's notice. Tourism is down, so rooms are plentiful, as well as inexpensive.
Getting there: The best way to get there from McCarran Airport is to exit the baggage claim through Door 11 and check in at any number of shuttle booths. Shuttle vans that run between the airport and the Las Vegas Strip cost $6 for a oneway trip.
Leaving Las Vegas：Many Vegas vacationers are eager to get there and slow to leave. So take the “redeye” back home. Most redeye flights leave around midnight, leaving you with an extra night of gaming, and fun without added expense of a higher hotel charge. You can sleep the whole way home.
Romantic getaway: Las Vegas is no longer all about gaming. The artwork at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is certainly comparable to that at the Louvre. Speaking of Paris, take a trip up the Eiffel Tower at ParisLas Vegas. The Eiffel Tower Experience costs just $10($7 for kids) and is unquestionably worth the price of admission. For an intimate evening, don't hesitate to book reservations at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant. Get an impressive nighttime view of the Fountains at Bellagio by asking for seating alongside the floortoceiling windows. This is truly a oneofakind finedining experience. Details：www.parislasvegas.com.
Be sure to wear comfortable shoes：Casinos(娱乐场) can appear very close together, but actually may not be. Know the tram systems that run up and down the Strip. Most tram lines are free.
Shows：Purchase show tickets at one of the many “Half Priced Show” booths on the Strip. You can experience a unique show each night of your stay. Need a look at what's playing when you'll be there? Visit www.booklasvegasshows.com.
Buffets：In Vegas you can take anything to the next level—including eating. Seven casinos on the Strip have teamed up to bring you an amazing deal：seven buffets—breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner—all for just $44.99 within a 24hour period. Details：www.harrahs.com/total/lasvegas/buffetofbuffets.What is the author's purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To introduce the present situation of Las Vegas. |
| B．To attract readers to travel to Las Vegas. |
| C．To tell readers how to go to Las Vegas. |
| D．To show his own travel experience. |
If you want to know more about food in Las Vegas, you should ________.
| A．visit www.parislasvegas.com |
| B．visit www.booklasvegasshows.com |
| C．visit www.harrahs.com/total/lasvegas/buffetofbuffets |
| D．visit www.newyorknewyork.com/attractions/ |
therollercoaster.aspxIf a couple and a 5yearold child want to take the Eiffel Tower Experience, they have to pay ________.
| A．$10 | B．$20 |
| C．$27 | D．$34 |
From the passage, we can conclude that ________.
| A．Las Vegas is famous as a gaming city |
| B．eating in Las Vegas is very expensive |
| C．all the redeye flights leave around midnight |
| D．a round trip in Las Vegas costs $6 |
The Touchstone
When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read little, bought it for very little money.
The book wasn't very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the "Touchstone"! The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold.
The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.
So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold - throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. The days continued over a long period if time.
One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along he still threw it away.
So it is with opportunity. Unless we are cautious, it’s easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it’s just as easy to throw it away.
1．The man bought the book because______.
A．he wanted to read it B．it was very interesting
C．there was a secret in the book D．he wanted to find the touchstone
2．We can learn from the passage that the touchstone is______.
A．pure B．cold C．magic D．big
3．Why did the man throw the pebbles into the sea?
A．Because he didn’t want to get the same pebbles.
B．Because he didn’t want others to pick them up.
C．Because he didn’t like their ordinary looks.
D．Because he didn’t like the cold feelings.
4．What does the author want to tell us in the passage?
A．We about orate opportunities in our life.
B．We should seek for opportunities in the world.
C．We may seize opportunities when we are watchful
D．We may discover opportunities when forming habits.
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Eight – year – old Jesse Abrogate was playing in the sea late one evening in July 2001 when a 7 – foot bull shark attacked him and tore off his arm. Jesse’s uncle jumped into the sea and dragged the boy to shore. The boy was not breathing. His aunt gave him mouth – to – mouth resuscitation (人工呼吸) while his uncle rang the emergency services. Pretty soon, a helicopter arrived and flew the boy to hospital. It was a much quicker journey than the journey by road.
Jesse’s uncle, Vance Folsenzier, ran back into to the sea and found the shark that had attacked his nephew. He picked the shark up and threw it onto the beach. A coastguard shot the fish four times and although this did not kill it, the shark’s jaws relaxed so that they could open them, and reach down into its stomach, and pull out the boy’s arm.
At the Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Dr Ian Rogers spent eleven hours reattaching Jesse’s arm. “It was a complicated operation,” he said, “but we were lucky. If the arm hadn’t been recovered in time, we wouldn’t have been able to do the operation at all. What I mean is that if they hadn’t found the shark, well then we wouldn’t have had a chance.’
According to local park ranger Jack Tomosvic, shark attacks are not that common. “Jesse was just unlucky,” he says, “evening is the shark’s feeding time. And Jesse was in area without lifeguards. This would never have happened if he had been in area where swimming is allowed.’
When reporters asked Jesse’s uncle how he had had the courage to fight a shark, he replied, “I was mad and you do some strange things when you’re mad.”
1．What was the boy doing when the accident happened?
A．Feeding a hungry shark. B．Jumping into the rough sea.
C．Dragging a boy to the shore. D．Swimming in a dangerous area.
2．In which way did the boy’s uncle help with the operation?
A．By finding his lost arm. B．By shooting the fish.
C．By flying him to hospital. D．By blowing into his mouth.
3．How was his uncle in time of danger?
A．Careful. B．Brave. C．Optimistic. D．Patient.
Sometime in the next century, the familiar early-newspaper on the front porch(门廊) will disappear. And instead of reading your newspaper, it will read to you. You’ll get up and turn on the computer newspaper just like switching on the TV. An electronic voice will read stories about the latest events, guided by a program that selects the type of news you want. You’ll even get to choose the kind of voice you want to hear. Want more information on this brief story? A simple touch makes the entire text appear. Save it in your own personal computer if you like. These are among the predictions from communication experts working on the newspapers of the future. Pictured as part of broader home-based media and entertainment systems, computer newspapers will unite print and broadcast reporting, and offer news and analysis with video images of news events.
Most of the technology is possible now, but making more people believe that they don’t need to read a newspaper is the next step. But refusing computers may be stronger from within journalism. Since it is such a cultural change, it may be that the present generation of journalists and publishers will have to die off before the next generation realizes that the newspaper industry is no longer a newspaper industry. Technology is making the end of traditional newspapers unavoidable.
Despite technological advances, it could take tens of years to replace newsprint with computer screens. It might take 30 to 40 years to complete the changeover because people need to buy computers and because newspapers have established financial interests in the paper industry.
1. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of computer newspapers?
A. They are cheaper than traditional newspapers.
B. They are more convenient to read.
C. You can choose the kind of voice you want to hear.
D. You can easily save information for future use.
2. Which of the following is a reason why it will take a long time to complete the changeover?
A. The technology is impossible now.
B. Computer newspapers are too expensive.
C. The popularization of computers needs a long time.
D. Traditional newspapers are easier to read.
3. It can be inferred that journalists are against computer newspapers because _________.
A. they don’t know how to use computer
B. they think computer newspapers take too much time to read
C. they think the new technology is bad
D. they have been trained to write for traditional newspapers
4. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Newspapers are out of fashion.
B. Newspapers of the future will be on the computer.
C. New communications technology.
D. Computer newspapers are well liked
Everyone has got two personalities—one is shown to the world and the other is secret and real. You don’t show your secret personality when you are awake because you can control your behavior, but when you are asleep, sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, your are a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or your new ideas. You don’t like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You are quite shy and you aren’t very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive person. You worry a lot and always easily get upset, you are very stubborn, but you aren’t very ambitious (有野心的). You usually live for today not tomorrow. This means you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep curled up , you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you are often very defensive. You are shy and you don’t normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You are easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You are usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don’t often get depressed. You always say what you think even if it annoys people.
1. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A. Your Sleeping Position and Your Personality
B. Sleeping and Your Health
C. The Secrets of Your Sleeping
D. Pay Attention to Your Sleeping Positions
2. If one goes to sleep on his stomach, he might ________.
A. never express his real feelings B. keep himself secret from others
C. be a very nervous person D. be usually careful
3. A person who sleeps curled up might ________.
A. like to stay alone B. love having a good time
C. be very ambitious D. always feel confident
4. Which of the important sleeping position that might let out your secrets?
A. The sleeping position when you fall asleep
B. The sleeping position when you wake up.
C. The sleeping position when you feel comfortable.
D. The sleeping position at midnight.
Jenny Bowen, an American living in Beijing, has been selected as the only American to carry the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch on Chinese soil. She and seven other non- Chinese winners were from a pool of 262 applicants from 47 countries.
When Bowen runs with the Olympic torch, she will not only be representing the United States. She will also be representing thousands of Chinese orphans, ABC news said.
Bowen, a mother of two adopted (领养的) Chinese daughters, is executive director of Half the Sky Foundation, an organization which was set up in 1998 and aims to enrich the lives and improve the future for orphaned children in China.
Nearly 10 years later, Bowen and Half the Sky Foundation have touched the lives of over 13,000 children. Half the Sky Foundation is now present in 36 welfare institutions in 28 Chinese cities. About 4,000 children are active in the program, which provides trained staff, educational tools, medical support and love for orphans.
Bowen hopes that running with the Olympic torch will help draw attention to the children in China. She will be among the 19,400 runners who will carry the flame along an 85,000-mile,130-day route across five continents. Beijing organizers say it will be the longest torch relay in the Olympic history.
Like Bowen, the seven other non-Chinese winners, including a German engineer and a Venezuelan designer, live in China. The other countries represented will be the Philippines, Colombia, India, Japan and Russia.
According to Olympic organizers, candidates (候选人) were selected based on their “love of Chinese culture and history” and devotion to “ communicating information about a real China to their native countries.”
Each runner will carry the torch for 200 meters on Chinese soil.
1. Jenny Bowen will represent thousands of Chinese orphans mainly because _______.
A. she is an American orphan who lives in China.
B. she likes Chinese orphans very much.
C. she is director of the Half the Sky Foundation.
D. she has done a lot to the welfare of Chinese orphans.
2. Which of the following statements is false about Jenny Bowen?
A. She has been communicating information about the real China to the USA.
B. She is executive director of Half the Sky Foundation.
C. She loves Chinese culture and history very much.
D. She will carry the flame along an 85,000-mile route.
3. How many factors for selecting a candidate are mentioned in the passage?
A. One B. Two C. Three D. Four
4. What is the passage mainly about ?
A. Jenny Bowen, executive director of Half the Sky Foundation
B. The longest torch relay in the Olympic history.
C. Eight non-Chinese persons to carry the Olympic torch in China.
D. A US woman to carry the Olympic torch in China.