In the summer of 2011 my friend and I decided to go to Italy for a holiday and we decided to travel there without going through a travel agency. You know, you would not be seen among the tourists and lose lots of chances to get familiar with the country more closely. We started to think over our trip and tried to come up with a free tour to Italy.
The trip was not very long but it was so exciting that we never forgot. We look forward to going there again! Of course, we spent lots of time arranging the trip, but it was well worth it! Of course I was afraid that something would go wrong and I was especially worried about my visa, but everything went quite well in the end.
The most difficult part was getting a visa without an invitation. In the Italian consulate (领事馆), one must hand in some official paper proving that one has a hotel booked for oneself in order to get the visa. Then we had to solve the ticket problem. Airlines often sell cheap tickets and we bought ours far earlier. The next step was to book a hotel. We finally booked a hotel about 30 km away from the centre of Rome and it was the perfect choice for our trip.
Every day we took a train that carried us to the centre of Rome. Our big house was among the forest. The beautiful views, nice hosts, comfortable living conditions made us happy to no end. Besides this, we were very lucky that our hostess was Russian. She gave us a lot of advice that was of great use. She told us what transport to choose and where the best places to go.
Don’t be afraid to arrange your trip by yourself. It’s not difficult! The only thing I’ll say right now is that we really enjoy travelling by ourselves. We walked with a map and a guide-book wherever we wanted to go and we even met some of our countrymen on the way just two or three times. So, if you’re also planning a “single” trip, don’t forget to take a Russian-Italian phrasebook as people in Italy prefer to speak in their local language.
| A．his friend invited him there |
| B．he wanted to spend less money |
| C．it was very hard for him to find a travel agency |
| D．he wanted to get familiar with the country more closely |
| A．booking a comfortable hotel on his own in Rome |
| B．buying cheap airline tickets to Italy before travelling |
| C．solving the ticket problem and booking a hotel far earlier |
| D．getting a visa from the Italian consulate without an invitation |
| A．How did the writer prepare for his trip? |
| B．Why did the writer decide to go to Italy for a holiday? |
| C．What transport did the writer choose for his travelling? |
| D．Why did the writer decide not to go through a travel agency? |
| A．likes to travel with tour guides |
| B．met a lot of his countrymen in Italy |
| C．advises us to arrange trips by ourselves |
| D．enjoys travelling everywhere in the world |
任务型阅读 (每小题1 分，共5 分)
请阅读1--5 题有关人员的相关信息，然后根据他们的需要从A~E中找出与他们匹配的活动。Amy has a daughter. She enjoys playing with her.
Mr. Green feels very tired. She plans to go on her holidays in a quiet place.
Lily, a 13-year-old girl, likes dancing best. She often dances with her friends.
Jackson likes doing sports. He is very good at swimming.
Mrs. Smith’s children have grown up. She wants to sell the old toys.
| A．Trip to Flower Hill Village We leave at 8:00 every Saturday morning. You can enjoy fresh air, country beauty and village food. |
| B．A Free Dance This is a party for all students who love dancing. Please bring your Student Card with you June 28, Sunday. |
| C．Swimming Across the Beijiang River This activity is held to let people know the importance of health. July 5th, Sunday. |
| D．Open Market. |
People can sell or buy old things at low prices. Every Sunday morning in the City Square.
E. Running Competition for Kids and Parents.
A very good chance for people to enjoy family life with children. June 1st, Monday, on the playground of Garden Hotel.
Since January 2013, many cities in China have seen a lot of foggy days. In Beijing, only five days in January were free of smog (雾霾). What’s the difference between fog and smog?
According to scientists, fog is made up of tiny (微小的) drops of water and also ice particles (颗粒) during very cold conditions. Smog is dirty air that looks like a mixture of smoke and fog, caused mainly by smoke from cars and factories in cities.
An official for the Ministry of Environmental Protection told Beijing News that PM2.5 pollution is the main problem with air pollution. PM 2.5 refers to pollution with small particles 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter (直径).
According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, two main factors that cause PM 2.5 are motor vehicles and the burning of coal.
Poor air has done harm to people’s health. Children and the elderly are more at risk. A report from Beijing Children’s Hospital shows that from January 5 to January 11, 2013, half of the patients in the hospital came for respiratory (呼吸道的) problems.
To respond to the air problem, the Chinese government and many Chinese people have started to take action.
Beijing announced a plan to use clean fuel in government vehicles and plant trees. It asked citizens to set off fewer fireworks for the Spring Festival celebration. They suggested that cars with large emissions (排放) should be banned and factories should be closely watched.
Three students from No. 4 High School in Beijing wrote a report to advise to fight the air pollution. “We hope more people will join us to protect our environment. With all our efforts, the blue skies will certainly return soon,” said Shi Yucong, 15, one of the three students.The underlined phrase “were free of” means ____________.
| A．had some | B．had many | C．had no | D．had more and more |
According to the second paragraph, we can know ____________.
| A．smog is a mixture of fog and smoke |
| B．smog is formed (形成) during cold hours |
| C．fog is made up of drops of water with smoke |
| D．smoke from cars and factories cause fog |
Paragraphs 3 and 4 are mainly about ____________.
| A．what PM 2.5 is and what causes PM 2.5 |
| B．how to prevent PM 2.5 pollution and how PM 2.5 looks |
| C．what PM 2.5 is and how to protect ourselves against PM 2.5 |
| D．how seriously PM 2.5 affects us and how to deal with PM 2.5 |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．A report about air pollution | B．Let’s fight the air pollution |
| C．Dirty air is bad for us | D．The air in Beijing |
“How many common English words were invented by Shakespeare?”
How long did it take people to find the answer to this question 15 years ago? And now! you can google it and find the answer immediately!
Google is the most popular Internet search engine in the world. It was invented by two students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They met in 1993, when they were studying computer science at Stanford University, USA. They dreamed of producing something that could also answer any question in seconds.
Internet search engines at that time were slow and gave many websites that weren't useful. In January 1996, Page and Brin decided to make a better and faster search engine. They thought the results should be based on the most popular websites.
Nobody would give them money for their project, so they used their own money. They also borrowed money from family and friends. Then, in 1998, they were given a cheque for $100,000, and they started their own company. Their first office was in a friend's garage. The company's name is Google, a word which comes from mathematics. A “google” is a very high number---- 1 followed by a hundred zeros.
The google search engine was soon used by thousands of people worldwide because it was fast, easy and correct. By 2002 it was the biggest search engine on the Internet. Now, more questions have been answered by Google than any other Internet service, from sport to science, and from music to medicine. Google hopes that in the future all the world's information will be put on the Internet, so that everybody can find everything.The writer began this passage by asking you a question because ___________.
| A．Shakespeare is one of the most famous people in the world |
| B．he or she was afraid that the readers didn't know this question |
| C．he or she wanted to make the readers interested in this passage |
| D．he or she liked to begin this passage by asking readers a question |
The underline word “cheque” in the fifth paragraph means _______in Chinese.
| A．楼房 | B．帐单 | C．订单 | D．支票 |
From the passage we know that at the beginning of their project,______.
| A．there was not any search engine on the Internet. |
| B．nobody supported them except their family and friends |
| C．one of the most popular websites gave them a cheque for $100,000 |
| D．Larry Page and Sergey Brin dreamed to produce something to answer any question |
Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Now the Google search engine is widely used in the world. |
| B．The google search engine was the biggest one after 2002. |
| C．Larry Page and Sergey Brin named google after a hundred zeros. |
| D．The service of the Google search engine is very popular. |
Would you completely trust your friends if you couldn’t see anything? If you are falling, do you believe they will catch you and help you stand up? Our teacher helped us to find the answer.
Our teacher is named Morrie. One day, he said that he had a game for us to try. He divided us into two groups. One of the students from the first group, stands in front of us with his eyes closed, and then falls backwards(向后). The second group stand behind him. Before he falls on the floor, they should catch him and not let him get hurt. Most of us were uncomfortable with this. We were afraid that they wouldn’t catch us and we would hit the floor. So we didn’t move. We just stood there and laughed in embarrassment(尴尬).
Finally, one student, thin, quiet, dark-haired girl called Sarah, decided to move. She crossed her arms in front of her body, closed her eyes, and slowly fell backwards. She looked quiet but brave.
For a moment, I was sure she was going to fall on the floor. But before she hit the floor, the other students caught her, held her and finally helped her stand up.
“Whoa!!” we were all surprised, and also encouraged. The girl was happy, too. Seeing this, Morrie smiled and said to the girl, “When you close your eyes, you can’t see anything. You won’t feel safe. When you are falling, the feeling gets stronger. You are not sure whether you will hit the cold, hard floor or the warm, soft hands of your friends. But if you are brave enough to trust them, they won’t let you down.”According to the passage, we can know Morrie is ___________.
| A．a student | B．a teacher | C．a manager | D．a farmer |
The writer thought the girl was ___________.
| A．strong but shy | B．active | C．quiet but brave | D．careless |
In the end, the girl ___________.
| A．got hurt |
| B．fell on the floor |
| C．was only helped by the writer |
| D．was caught by the other students |
The students felt encouraged because ___________.
| A．they could stop the game finally |
| B．they wanted to do something else |
| C．they thought they had won the game |
| D．they felt that they could trust each other |
| For Sale |
An iPhone 4, second-hand, 90% new, the price can be negotiated (协商) in person, call Coco at 757-6589 |
| Looking to rent |
One-bedroom apartment, from January 1st to April 30th, with bath and shower, near the dining hall of the university but not inside the university. Call Charlie at 422-3895 |
| Lost |
Lost two days ago near Man Street. Puppy is only 8 months old. He is a black schnauzer. It is priceless for me. Reward. Call Salina at 633-7856 |
| Found |
A purple wallet was found on the street in Packard-Jewett area yesterday afternoon, Sept 22nd. Please call Jason at 909-8972. |
You can get in touch with ________ if you want to buy an old cell phone.
| A．Elaine | B．Coco | C．Salina | D．Jason |
Charlie wishes to rent an apartment ___________.
| A．which is near restaurants | B．which is in the university |
| C．which has a dining hall | D．which he can take a shower in |
From the last two advertisements, we know ___________.
| A．the puppy has been missing for 8 months |
| B．the purple wallet was found on Sept 21st |
| C．Salina loves the puppy very much |
| D．Salina lived on Man Street |