Host family accommodation, or living with host families, remains popular among language travel students for its advantages. These days, host families are trying to offer more in terms of quality, for they still have something to worry about.
Host family accommodation is often seen as the number-one choice for its advantages in language study, cultural communication and cost of living. Staying alongside host families enables students to get enough practice for the short time of their studying so that their language acquisition is likely to become faster. Living in host families also has the advantage for students of being able to spend a lot of time communicating with their “host parents”, and get to know the local way of life, people and culture. Another advantage is that host family accommodation can sometimes be the least expensive. It attracts students for it ensures them a family type of living at a low cost.
The advantages, however, have not prevented host families form worrying. On one hand, some host families are losing their unique selling point. The problem is that the majority of hosts in big cites, now generally single and young, have less times available for students but the selling point for host family accommodation is communication practice. One the other hand, students’ expectations have risen. They are becoming more demanding and asking for more than ever from their accommodation, as they come mainly from high socio-economic groups in their own countries.
To get out of the difficult situation, host families are now making efforts to improve the quality of service. They are trying to making living conditions better, including broadband Internet service, private bathroom, and access to plenty of hot water for long showers. They are also providing students with structured family activities.
It is believed that host family accommodation will keep the popularity vote with language travel students.
Host family accommodation
Theme |
Host families are improving the accommodation |
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【小2题】 __________ |
Language study |
Possibly becoming |
Cultural communication |
Communicating with Knowing the local way of life, people and culture |
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Cost of |
Being least expensive sometimes |
|
Loss of selling point |
Hosts’ having less time for students |
|
Rise in |
Students’becoming more demanding |
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Service quality improvement |
||
Organizing structured family activities |
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Host family accommodation will keep the popularity vote with students. |
An old friend from California called from the airport to tell me that he had arrived. I was not able to leave the office, but I had made plans for his arrival. After explaining (解释) where my new house was, I told him that I had left the key under the doormat (门垫). Since I knew it would be pretty late before I could get home, I suggested that he make himself at home and help himself to anything that was in the refrigerator(电冰箱).
Two hours later my friend phoned me from the house. At the moment, he said, he was listening to some of my records after having had a delicious meal. Now, he said, he was drinking a glass of orange juice. When I asked him if he had had any difficulty finding the house, he answered that the only problem was that he had not been able to find the key under the doormat, but luckily, the living room window by the apple tree had been left open and he had climbed in through the window. I listened to all this in great surprise. There is no apple tree outside my window, but there is one by the living room window of my next door neighbor's house!An old friend of mine called ______.
A.to tell me to meet him at the airport |
B.to tell me about his arrival |
C.to ask me to leave the office |
D.to ask me to make plans for his arrival |
My friend climbed into the room because ______ .
A.there was an apple tree outside |
B.the living room window was left open |
C.he had difficulty opening the door |
D.he hadn't found the key |
My friend telephoned me two hours later ______ .
A.from my home | B.at the airport |
C.in his office | D.from my neighbor's house |
Moods, say the experts, are feelings that are likely to become fixed, having effects on one's outlook (way of looking at things) for hours, days or even weeks. That's great if your mood is a pleasant one, but a problem if you are sad, anxious, angry, or simply lonely.
Perhaps the best way to deal with such moods is to talk them out; sometimes, though, there is no one to listen. Modern pharmacology (药理学) offers a lot of tranquilizers (镇静剂) and anti-anxiety drugs. What many people don't realize, however, is that scientists have discovered the effectiveness of several non-drug methods to make you free from an unwanted mood. These can be just as useful as drugs, and have the added benefit of being nonpoisonous. So next time you feel out of sorts, don't head for the drug store―try the following method.
Of all the mood-changing self-help techniques, aerobic exercise (有氧运动) seem to be the best cure for a bad mood. ―If you could keep the exercise, you'd be in high spirits, says Kathryn Lance, author of Running for Health and Beauty.
Researchers have explained biochemical and various other changes that make exercise a better mood-raiser than drugs. Physical work such as housework, however, does little. The key is aerobic exercise – running, cycling, walking, swimming, or other repetitive and sustained activities that increase the heart rate and circulation(循环), and improve the body's use of oxygen. Do them for at least 20 minutes a time, three to five times a week.What is the main subject of the passage?
A.How to beat a bad mood. |
B.How to talk bad moods out. |
C.How to do physical exercises. |
D.How to do aerobic exercise. |
It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
A.when one is in a bad mood, he or she may not work very well |
B.the best way to overcome a bad mood is to talk to oneself |
C.some drugs are more effective than physical exercises |
D.taking drugs is at risk of being poisonous |
The phrase "feel out of sorts", as is used in the second paragraph, could be best replaced by ___.
A.put things in order | B.are in a bad mood |
C.search for tranquilizers | D.want a mood-raiser |
Which of the following best describes the organization of this passage?
A.An exercise and its importance are explained |
B.A problem is examined and solutions are given |
C.Two different views of a problem are presented |
D.Recent developments in medicine are described |
Our lifestyles today are very busy. We have family, school, sports, entertainment and social activities to fit into a time that seems never enough. We need to be healthy to meet the demands of daily life. But what does it mean to have a healthy lifestyle?
To have a healthy lifestyle, we need to:
◆ eat different kinds of healthy food most of the time
◆ do exercise often
◆ have time to relax
◆ get enough sleep to give our bodies time to grow healthy and strong
Read about a normal day in the lives of two children.
Abbey gets up at 7:00 am, feeds the dog, and has cereal (谷物) and a glass of juice for breakfast. She walks to school with her friend, Julia. She has a bag of chips for a morning snack, drinks water, and has a chicken and lettuce sandwich with a banana for lunch. She likes to play soccer with her friends at lunch and morning break time. She walks home with Julia, has some crackers with cheese and juice for afternoon snack and plays with the dog for a while. She plays computer games for an hour or two before dinner, then has a shower and does her homework. She watches her favorite television show for an hour, then usually goes to bed at about 9:30 pm.
Carl gets up at 8:30 am and has two pieces of bread with jam and a glass of milk for breakfast. His mother drives him to school on her way to work. He eats cookies with juice for morning snack and a pot pie ordered from the school lunch room with juice for lunch. He likes to play card games with his friends at lunchtime and climb the fixed equipment at morning break time. He catches the bus home, has a cereal bar and a can of soda for afternoon snack, then watches some television. He has a shower before dinner, then plays the computer for an hour or two. He goes to bed at about 10:30 pm.
No matter which kind of lifestyle you agree on, just remember it's important to balance all aspects of life.About a healthy lifestyle, the writer doesn't talk about __________.
A.diet | B.exercise | C.relaxation | D.medicine |
What can we learn from the article?
A.Abbey plays soccer with her friends at school. |
B.Abbey does her homework first after school. |
C.Carl goes to school by bus every day. |
D.Carl has only juice for breakfast. |
Where is the article probably from?
A.A health magazine. | B.A clothing website. |
C.A sports guidebook. | D.A travel advertisement. |
The Future Body Network
Are you tired of wires that spread all over your desk and make your tea pour onto your keyboard? If so, you may consider using devices(设备)that use technologies like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Neither of them sends information through wires. It sounds perfect, doesn't it? But this is not the end of the story.
Scientists are now trying to use the human body to do a similar job. They have come up with the idea of sending information over the small electric field on the surface of the skin. To do this, a transmitter(传送器)could be built into your pocket or a portable device like an MP3 player. This transmitter would then use your skin's electrical field to send information to a receiving device. Since this kind of transmission can only go as far as 20cm, the receiver would have to be close to some part of your body.
By using this body network, you wouldn't need a wire to link your MP3 player in your pocket to the headphones in your ears, or to send to your computer the pictures from a digital camera hanging around your neck. Moreover, you can exchange electronic cards or share music files with others by shaking hands, dancing cheek(脸颊)to cheek, or kissing each other.
Now, here comes a question. Why would anyone want to use their body as a network when Wi-Fi and Bluetooth already exist? The answer lies in the fact that with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, it is hard to limit the signals only to your own use. In a busy place, you can never know who might steal your information. However, body networking is safer. It is hard for other people to pick up signals sent over the surface of your skin since this body network only has a limit of 20cm from your body. Thus, no one else can easily pick up and interpret your signals.
Moreover, the most important use of body networking in the future may well be communication within the body rather than just on its surface. Imagine having a number of small devices implanted under your skin and using them to control your own nervous system. In other words, imagine that you have a powerful in-body computer. What do you think of this idea? Does it sound cool, like being a character in the movie RoboCop? Or would you prefer to be just an ordinary human being?What's the main idea of the passage?
A.Technology is causing us to be lazy. |
B.Technology is doing harm to our body. |
C.Technology is advancing too quickly. |
D.Technology is making our life easier. |
Which of the following is NOT the way to exchange information over the skin?
A.Shaking hands. | B.Looking into one's eyes. |
C.Kissing each other. | D.Dancing cheek to cheek. |
The body network is safer because _________.
A.the information is only important to you |
B.the information is stored inside your body |
C.the information is sent out only 20cm from your body |
D.the information is controlled by your nervous system |
The movie RoboCop is most likely about________.
A.a man that is controlled by a computer |
B.a computer that turns into a man |
C.a robot that catches a thief |
D.a thief that steals a robot |
During my elementary school years, I used to compare my mom with my best friend Tiffany's mom.
Tiffany's mom always gave her lots of money to buy the most fashionable clothes and favorite food. Her mom allowed her to do anything she liked. I really admired Tiffany. My mom didn't give me much pocket money and she always told me that I should behave myself. I was annoyed with her.
Whenever I didn't get what I wanted, I would complain to my mom, Tiffany's mom would give her that! I wish she were my mom. Every time, my mom would calmly say "Poor Tiffany". I couldn't understand her. "She shouldn't be feeling sorry for Tiffany!" I thought. "She should be feeling sorry for me."
One day, I couldn't help saying to Mom, "Poor Tiffany? Lucky Tiffany! She gets everything she wants! Why do you feel sorry for her?" I burst into tears. My mom sat down next to me and said softly. "Yes, I do feel sorry for her. I have been teaching you a lesson that she will never be taught."
I looked up at her. "What are you talking about?"
Mom said with care, "One day she will really want something. Maybe she'll find out that she can't have it. Her mother won't always be around to give her money, and what's more, money can't buy everything."
She continued, "I have taught you valuable lessons by not giving you everything you want. You'll know how to look for bargains and save money, but she won't. You'll understand that you need to work hard to get the things that you want but she won't. When Tiffany is a grown woman, she'll wake up one day and she will be wishing that she had a mom like the one you've got. Life lessons are more important than modern clothes and delicious food."
It took some time, but I eventually understood my mom's words. Now I am a happy and successful woman.During the author's elementary school years, she __________.
A.wished that her mom were as good as Tiffany's |
B.went to school with Tiffany every day |
C.usually compared her lesson with Tiffany's |
D.sometimes gave lots of money to Tiffany |
Why did the author's mom always say "Poor Tiffany"?
A.She felt sorry for Tiffany because Tiffany was poor. |
B.She wanted to tell a lie to comfort the author. |
C.She thought that Tiffany was spoiled by her mother. |
D.She told the author this and wanted her to help Tiffany. |
What do we learn about the author's mother?
A.She was strict and taught the author to be independent. |
B.She cared for other people's children more than her own. |
C.She thought that life lessons were as important as money. |
D.She was so poor that she couldn't give the author much money. |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.The author was quite annoyed with her mother in the past. |
B.The author's mother felt sorry for Tiffany. |
C.Tiffany's mother took the author's mother's advice. |
D.The author is thankful to her mother now. |