Treetops, the hotel in the trees, are famous in the world. People know little about Kenya, but they know of Treetops. When King George VI died, Princess Elizabeth was staying on the Treetops, and when she came down from there, “She succeeded him as the queen of the country”.
The hotel is in the middle of the forest, and it shows the pleasure of Africa. When you visit it, you will be sent into the heart of the forest by hotel buses, and then a guide, with a gun to protect you against big game, will go with you to the Treetops. Before and after dinner, for the whole night if you wish, you can sit on the corridor(走廊), watching animals come to the water pool. The earliest hotel Treetops was built round a large tree on the opposite side of the water, but that was destroyed by fire and the new hotel Treetops, which is built round several trees, is much bigger.
The dining room at Treetops is small, and the waiters cannot walk round to serve guests, so a clever “railway service” has been invented. Guests take their food as it passes slowly in front of them, along a line in the center of the table.
There are many animals around the Treetops. When you visit them, you can see:
---Animals and their babies are waiting to greet the guests.
---Animals, enjoying the Treetops pool in the daylight.
---A long bodied, long ring tailed very active cat-like animal is a special one coming out at night. He hunts and eats anything he can catch and is very destructive. He lives in the trees at Treetops. He comes for his food every evening. Do not get too near to him, as his teeth and claws（爪）can do you harm. These animals can be trained and become lovely pets.The underlined word “succeeded” in Paragraph 1 probably means “_________”.
| A．did what she was trying to do |
| B．gained her purpose |
| C．replaced someone in an important position |
| D．completed an easy task |
According to the third paragraph, “railway service” actually refers to __________.
| A．the service provided at the railway station |
| B．the supply of food on the train |
| C．the service provided along the railway |
| D．the supply of food along a moving line |
Which of the following statements about “the cat-like animal” is WRONG?
| A．It comes for food only at night. |
| B．It lives in the trees at Treetops. |
| C．Its teeth and claws can do people harm. |
| D．It can catch any other animal in the forest. |
We can learn from the text that the guests _________.
| A．will be protected by a guide in the forest |
| B．can play with the cat-like animals |
| C．can have parties in the dinning room |
| D．could not sit on the corridor at night |
Is it ever a good idea admitting a teenager to carry a credit card?
My kids watch closely as I swipe the card through the register. They’ve seen me do it hundreds, thousands of times. Cool. They are itching to swipe it through the machine themselves. When we walk out of the store with our groceries or pet food, or whatever, it’s almost as though money has not changed hands, painless, easy.
So it shouldn’t be shocking to discover that teenagers are becoming card carrying consumers in their own right. The question is, should they?
While some argue it’s best to teach kids how to use a credit card while still living under the family roof, not everyone agrees. Dave Ramsey, financial expert says getting credit card for your teenager is actually “an excellent way to teach him or her to be financially irresponsible.”
Now parents are required to co-sign on credit cards for children under 21. “If their name is on the credit card, then the parent may say, Hey, my name is on this. Don’t get me into trouble,” says Mary Beth Pinto, a marketing professor. “When parents were the co-obligors (共同借贷人), the children caused less debt. If the parents are the co-obligors, the tendency is that the parents were explaining how to use the cards.” Still, Pinto believes parents should start the process much earlier. “Yes, there has to be teaching going on and it has to start when they’re younger. You’re not going to get rid of credit cards. They are here to stay. You have to have them. You can’t fight progress,” Pinto said.
Ramsey, however, disagrees. “Throwing teens into a pool of (credit) sharks is a sure way to guarantee a life-time of heartache.” he said, “You can make online purchases and rent a car with a credit card. Of course, you must have money in your bank account before you can make a purchase with a credit card. But paying for things with money is what you are supposed to do.”The author mentioned her experience in Para 2 mainly to _____.
| A．prove the convenience of using credit cards |
| B．tell what impression credit cards leave on kids |
| C．give advice on using credit cards wisely |
| D．explain the pleasure credit cards bring to customers |
The underlined word “itching” in Para 2 can be replaced by _____.
| A．eager | B．afraid | C．embarrassed | D．thankful |
What’s Ramsey’s attitude towards teens’ using credit cards?
| A．He feels it is worth a try. |
| B．He is very supportive. |
| C．He is strongly against it. |
| D．He considers it as a pleasant experience. |
Pinto will most likely agree that _____.
| A．parents should let teens own their credit cards earlier |
| B．you shouldn’t be in control of credit cards |
| C．it is never good for anyone to get a credit card |
| D．learning to use credit cards is practical |
What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming. and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood.， I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was______.
| A．doing shopping | B．having a debate |
| C．reading a message | D．leaving for Wyoming |
The author's inspiration for the gift came from_____.
| A．a photo of a flower | B．a story about a kid |
| C．a call from the mother | D．a text about Christmas |
The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by_____.
| A．the father | B．the author |
| C．William Blake | D．Edgar Allan Poe |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To show how to design images for gifts. |
| B．To suggest making gifts from one’s heart |
| C．To explain how computers help creat gifts. |
| D．To describe the gifts the author has received |
For kids and many adults, a San Diego vacation means theme parks and other attractions. Before heading to a park, call or check its website for updated hours of operation; many parks have seasonal or holiday hours. Ticket prices listed here are for general admission, single-day use only.
Sea World San Diego
A 6-minute ride called Journey to Atlantis, which is to open in late May, tells the legend of the island nation. After the ride of Greek fishing boats, folks can visit a new exhibit of dolphins, which have not been on display at the park since 1998.
DETAILS: General admission is $46.95 for adults, $37.95 for children aged 3-9, free for children 2 and younger. 1-800-380-3230 or www.seaworld.
San Diego Zoo
There’s not much in the way of new attractions. The zoo has a baby panda, Mei Sheng. Nighttime Zoo, a program popular with families, starts June 26.
DETAILS: General admission is $21 for adults, $14 for children aged 3-11, free for children 2 and younger. 1-(619)-234-3153 or www.sandiegozoo,org.
Maritime (海的) Museum of San Diego
The HMS Surprise, the 18th-century British warship featured in the film Master and Commander, is on exhibit through Nov. 30.
DETAILS: The ship is in use for tours from 9 am to 8 pm daily. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and children aged 13-17, $5 for kids aged 6-12, and free for kids 5 and younger. 1-(619)-234-9153 or www.sdmaritime.org.
Old Town Trolley Tours
Visiting relatives or friends in San Diego? They can get a hometown pass and ride for free with your paid admission.
DETAILS: The main ticket booth (售票厅) is in Old Town at 4010 Twiggs. Hours are from 9 am to 5 pm, daily $25. www.historictours/sandiego.The purpose of this passage is to _____.
| A．warn | B．amuse | C．persuade | D．guide |
If you want to enjoy the performance of dolphins, you should go to _____.
| A．Sea World San Diego | B．San Diego Zoo |
| C．Maritime Museum of San Diego | D．Old Town Trolley Tours |
If a couple visits San Diego Zoo with their children, one aged 3 and the other 2, the admission will be _____.
| A．$ 35 | B．$ 49 | C．$ 56 | D．$ 70 |
Let children learn to judge their own work. A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time; _________________, he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language those around him use. Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s. In the same way children, learning to do all the other things without being taught to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle, compare their own performances（表现）with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes for himself, let alone correct them. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to. Soon he became dependent on the teacher.
Why should we teachers waste time on such tiring work? Our job should be to help the child when he tells us that he can’t find the way to get the right answer. Let’s end all this nonsense（荒谬的）of grades, exams and marks. Let us throw them all out, and let the children learn what all educated persons must someday learn, how to measure their own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know.
We should, of course, offer help to them just as they ask for it. The idea that there is a body of knowledge to be learnt at school and used for the rest of one’s life is nonsense in a world as complicated（复杂的）and rapidly changing as ours. Don’t worry! If something is basic, they will go out into the world and learn it. What is the main idea of the passage? (No more than 8 words.)
_____________________________________________________________________________Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
Teachers seem to think that a child can’t find out a mistake or correct it without their help.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________Please fill in the blank in the first paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.
(No more than 10 words.)
_____________________________________________________________________________According to the passage, what should a teacher do? (No more than 15 words.)
A teacher should ______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________What is the author’s attitude towards grades, exams and marks at school?
(No more than 5 words.)
The author thinks _____________________________________________________________
“Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Do you agree with this old saying? Joanne Gordon does. She is the author of Be Happy at work and other books about careers(职业). Gordon believes that about 30% of employees in North America do not like their jobs, and she thinks that is terrible. She wants to help people who do not feel satisfied with their jobs find work that is good for them. Joanne says, “There are no happy jobs, only happy workers.” She believes that happy workers share three main characteristics（特点）.
First, happy workers enjoy the daily activities of their jobs, and they look forward to the workday. Take Tony Hawk, for example. At age 14, he became a professional skateboarder. Now he is a businessman working on projects related to skateboarding—films and video games, but he still skates every day. He once said, “My youngest son’s pre-school was recently asked what their dads do for work. My son said, ‘I’ve never seen my dad do work.’” Tony agrees that his job doesn’t look like work. He has found a way to spend each day doing a job he enjoys.
Second, happy workers like the people they work with. Sally Ayote says, “I work with the coolest people in the world.” She and her group cook for almost 1,200 people in Antarctica. Most of these people are scientists who are doing research. Sally loves to sit and talk with them. She says, “There is no television here, no radio, so I get to know the scientists and what they’re studying.” Sally thinks she has a great job, and the best part about it is the people.
Third, happy workers know that their work helps others. Caroline Baron’s work helps people who have had to leave their home countries because of war or other dangers. She is a filmmaker who started an organization called FilmAid, which shows movies in refugee(难民) camps around the world. Caroline believes that movies can be very helpful in these camps. For one thing, entertaining movies let refugees forget their troubles for a little while. Movies can also teach important subjects like health and safety. For example, in one camp, thousands of refugees saw a movie about how to get clean water. Caroline knows that is helping other people, and this makes her feel proud and happy about her work.
Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron all get great satisfaction from their work. Tony Hawk says, “Find the thing you love. If you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous.” Joanne Gordon would agree. She encourages people to find something they enjoy doing, find people they like to work with, and find ways to help others. Then they can be proud of what they do, and they will probably be happy at work.Who is the book, Be Happy at Work, written for?
| A．Joanne Gordon herself. |
| B．Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron. |
| C．People who do not feel satisfied（满意的）with their jobs. |
| D．The workers who agree with the author’s ideas. |
Why did Tony Hawk’s son say, “I’ve never seen my dad do work.”?
| A．Because Tony Hawk’s job doesn’t look like work. |
| B．Because Tony Hawk always finds something enjoyable in his job. |
| C．Because Tony helps people forget their troubles while skating. |
| D．Because the best part about his job is to spend each day skating. |
Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron are good examples that show us __________.
| A．how to be a successful businessman |
| B．how to help people in difficulties |
| C．how to get along with the coolest people |
| D．how to become a happy worker |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Some people believe that only a few kinds of jobs can really make people feel happy. |
| B．The writer of the passage tells us that many different kinds of work can be enjoyable. |
| C．The author of Be Happy at Work thinks that happiness at work is really important. |
| D．Joanne Gordon believes that people will probably be happy at work when they are proud of what they do. |