Tayka Hotel de Sal
Where：Tahua，Bolivia
How much：About $95 a night
Why it’s cool：You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood，but salt？That’s something few can claim.Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses(床垫) and blankets)．The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni，a prehistoric driedup lake which is the world’s biggest salt flat.Builders use the salt from the 4,633squaremile flat to make the bricks，and glue them together with a paste (糊) of wet salt that hardens when it dries.When rain starts to dissolve the hotel，the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.
Green Magic Nature Resort
Where：Vythiri，India
How much：About $240 a night
Why it’s cool：Taking a pulley(滑轮)operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure.As you look out of your open window—there is no glass！—you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy(罩篷)．Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel，or just sit on your bamboo bed and read.You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulleydrawn “elevator”．
Dog Bark Park Inn B&B
Where：Cottonwood，Idaho
How much：$92 a night
Why it’s cool：This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet.Sweet_Willy is a 30foottall dog with guest rooms in his belly.Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side.You can relax in the main bedroom，go up a few steps of the loft(阁楼) in Willy’s head，or hang out inside his nose.Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters，there is also a toilet in the 12foottall fire hydrant(消防栓) outside.
Gamirasu Cave Hotel
Where：Ayvali，Turkey
How much：Between $130 and $475 a night
Why it’s cool：This is caveman cool！Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago，when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash.But your stay will be much more modern.Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel，and the white volcanic ash，called tufa，keeps the rooms cool，about 65in summer.(Don’t worry—there is heat in winter.)What do we know about Tayka Hotel de Sal?
| A．It is located on a prehistoric lake. |
| B．It should be protected against the rain. |
| C．Everything in the hotel is made of salt. |
| D．You have to cross a rope bridge to the hotel. |
What is the similarity of the four hotels?
| A．Being expensive. |
| B．Being comfortable. |
| C．Being natural. |
| D．Being unique. |
What does the underlined words “Sweet Willy” refer to?
A．The name of the hotel.
B．The name of the hotel owner.
C．The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.
D．The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner.Which of the hotels makes you have a feeling of living in the far past?
A．Tayka Hotel de Sal.
B．Green Magic Nature Resort.
C．Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.
D．Gamirasu Cave Hotel.
Jeans are trousers made of a kind of clothe called denim. For many people, blue jeans represent American culture.
The history of blue jeans usually begins with a man named Levi Strauss. Although he did not invent the jeans, he is considered the first person to produce and sell this kind of clothing in large amounts.
Levi Strauss was born in Bavaria, Germany. In 1847, he and his family moved to the US. He opened a store, first in New York, and then in San Francisco, California. Among the products he sold were jeans. These trousers were especially useful for miners in California who needed clothing made of a strong material.
Levi Strauss partnered with a clothing maker named Jacob Davis, who had invented a process for making rivets(铆钉) for jeans. These metal things helped strengthen the blue jean cloth to make the trousers stronger. In 1873, Strauss and Davis received a patent to officially own this invention. They began producing “ copper-riveted waist overalls(工装裤)”. In 1928 the Levi Strauss company used the word “Levi’s” as the trademark for their products.
The 19th-century workers would probably be surprised to know that their trousers would one day become a fashion object. Today, jeans are worn by people of all ages, incomes and lifestyles. Jeans come in many colors other than blue and in many styles and at many prices.
A national museum in Washington, D.C. has one of the oldest known pairs of Levi’s jeans in its collection. Jeans have come to express different ideas about American culture based on the people who wear them. These include the heroes of the Wild West and famous Hollywood actors like James Dean and Marlon Brando in the 1950s. Writer James Sullivan published a book called Jean: A Cultural History of an American Icon. In the book, he says jeans serve as a sign for two American values, creativity and rebellion (叛逆).This passage is mainly about _______.
| A．the life story of Levi Strauss | B．jeans and American culture |
| C．why jeans are popular. | D．the history of jeans |
We know from the passage that Levi Strauss _________.
| A．was the first person who wore jeans. | B．moved to the US from Germany alone. |
| C．not only sold jeans at first in his store | D．helped Jacob Davis invent a kind of rivet |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about jeans?
| A．Strauss and Davis owned the invention of using rivets on jeans. |
| B．In California, Levi’s was the only jeans seller in 1928. |
| C．Jeans were called copper-riveted waist overalls at first. |
| D．Jeans were originally made for heroes of the Wild West. |
According to the last but one paragraph,jeans should be best described as _________.
| A．strong | B．cultural | C． popular | D．unique |
My mother-in-law, Dorothy, is showing me the red notebook that’s almost as precious to her as my husband’s baby pictures. Inside the notebook is a list of the books she has read since 2007. For some people waking up in the middle of the night is a terrible thing. But for my mother-in-law, that time is a gift. At 87, she is getting the education she never had by working her way through great literature. She has now read close to 100 books, including every single novel by Anthony Trollope, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, Henry James and Thomas Mann.
My mother-in-law discusses her passion with the enthusiasm of a young girl, although she can also be a very tough critic, writing “VG’ for “ very good” in the margins next to her favorites. So far, only a handful of books have received the top prize.
Born in Ridgefield, Conn, Dorothy was the youngest daughter of an Italian gardener. She taught herself English by reading The New York Times. Eager to come to Manhattan, she became a nurse, married a dentist and spent the next several decades keeping the house and raising a family. In her later years, she put her nursing skills to good use by taking care of my father-in-law, who had lung cancer. There were many trips to the emergency room in the middle of the night and then a long hospital stay. She stayed awake to watch over him for 15 hours a day. Always a light sleeper, she developed sleeplessness as a result of the stress.
It worsened after he died. Deeply sad and lonely for the first time in her life, she began waking up around 2am. Julian and Sylvia, the elderly couple next door suggest she read literature. And so Julian, a great lover of literature, became her “professor”, providing books from his large library. Suddenly the terrifying hole turned onto a world of amazing characters.Why is Dorothy considered a tough critic?
| A．Because no books are inspiring enough in her eyes. |
| B．Because only a few books are thought highly of by her. |
| C．Because she only reads books by famous writers. |
| D．Because she finds fault with every book she reads. |
It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
| A．the books Dorothy has read were bought by her husband. |
| B．the couple next door are college professors. |
| C．the author loves literature too. |
| D．Dorothy was a great wife. |
The underlined part “the terrifying hole” in the last paragraph refers to _____.
| A．the frightening death |
| B．Dorothy’s lack of education |
| C．waking up in the middle of the night |
| D．a hole in a book that Dorothy read |
What helped Dorothy get over the sadness and loneliness of losing her husband?
| A．Living with her son. |
| B．Reading literature. |
| C．Seeing her son’s baby pictures. |
| D．Talking with neighbors. |
Everyday we go to school and listen to the teacher, and the teacher will ask us some questions. Sometimes, the classmates will ask your opinions of the work of the class. When you are telling others in the class what you have found out about these topics, remember that they must be able to hear what you are saying. You are not taking part in a family conversation or having a chat（闲谈）with friends — you are in a slightly unnatural situation where a large group of people will remain silent, waiting to hear what you have to say. You must speak so that they can hear you — loudly enough and clearly enough but without trying to shout of appearing to force yourself.
Remember, too, that it is the same if you are called to an interview whether it is with a professor of your school or a government official who might meet you. The person you are seeing will try to put you at your ease（轻松）but the situation is somewhat（一点儿）different from that of an ordinary conversation. You must take special care that you can be heard.
36. When you speak to the class, you should speak _______________.
A．as loudly as possible B．in a low voice
C．loudly D．forcefully
37. Usually, when you speak to the class, the class is _________________.
A. noisy B．quiet C．having a restD．serious
38. The situation in the class is _______________ that in your house.
A．not very different from B．sometimes the same as
C.．sometimes not the same as D．not the same as
39. If you are having a conversation with an official, the most important thing for you is _______.
A．to show your ability B．to be very gentle
C. to make sure that you can be heard D．to put the official at ease
40. The main idea of this passage is _______________.
A．that we must use different ways at different situations B．that we must speak loudly
C．that we must keep silent at any time D．that we must talk with the class
The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card(信用卡) fraud. Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal Web site(网站).Web sites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care. On-line shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they bought. The thieves then go shopping with your card number — or sell the information over the Internet.
Computers hackers(黑客) have broken down security(安全) systems, raising questions about the safety of cardholder information. Several months ago, 25 000 customers of CD Universe, an on-line music retailer(批发商),were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Web site after the retailer refused to pay US $157 828 to get back the information.
Credit-card firms are now fighting against on-line fraud. MasterCard is working on plans for Web-only credit card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping on-line.
However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.
Ask about your credit-card firm's on-line rules: Under British law, cardholders are responsible(对……负有责任的) for the first US $78 of any fraudulent spending.
And shop only at secure sites: Send your credit-card information only if the Web site offers-advanced secure system.
If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The Web site address may also start with https:// — the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone.
Keep your password safe: Most online sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your passwords with care.
41. What do most people worry about the Internet according to this passage?
A. A lot of stolen credit-cards were sold on the Internet. B. Fraud on the Internet.
C. Many Web sites are destroyed. D. Many illegal Web sites are on the Internet.
42. What is the meaning of “fraud”?
A. cheating B. sale C. payment D. safety
43. How can the thieves get the information of the credit-card?
A. The customers give them the information.
B. The thieves steal the information from Web sites.
C. The customers sell the information to them. D. Both A and B.
44. How many pieces of advice does the passage give to you?
A. Four. B. Three. C. Five. D. Six.
45. You are shopping on the site: http://www.shopping.com,and you want to buy a TV set, what does this article suggest doing?
A. Order the TV set at once. B. Do not buy the TV set on this site.
C. E-mail the site your credit-card information.
D. Tell the site your password and buy the TV set for you.
Very few people were coming to eat at the White Rose Restaurant, and its owner did not know what to do. The price was reasonable and the food was of good quality, but nobody seemed to want to eat there.
Then he did something that changed all that, and in a few weeks his restaurant is always full of men with their lady friends. Whenever a gentleman came in with a lady, a smiling waiter gave each of them a menu(菜单), The menu looked exactly the same on the outside, but there was an important difference inside. The menu that the waiter gave to the man supplied the correct price for each dish and each bottle of wine. while the menu that he gave to the lady supplied a much higher price! So when the man calmly ordered dish after dish and wine after wine, the lady thought he was much more generous(慷慨) than he really was.
31. Why didn’t people come to the White Rose Restaurant to eat at first?
A. Because the price was high. B. Because the food was too cheap.
C. Because the food was not good. D. The passage didn’t mention.
32. According to the passage we can conclude that the people who eat at this restaurant are mostly _______________.
A. poor old people B. rich young people
C. men with their girl friends D. parents with their children
33. The difference between the two kinds of menu lie in ______________.
A. the color B. the shape
C. the price D. the food
34. According to the passage we can infer that when men with their girl friends eat at this restaurant, the food was paid ___________________.
A. always by the ladies only B. always by the men only
C. sometimes by the ladies D. either by the men or by the ladies
35. According to the passage we can know that, generally speaking, ____________.
A. men are more generous than women B. women are more generous than men
C. men like their lady friends to be generous.
D. women like their men friends to be generous