If you’re tired of the Mediterranean and don’t want to head to Disney again, perhaps it’s time for a summer holiday in space. Russia has declared plans for its first floating hotel, 217 miles above earth, and it is something of an offering with good service.
Hosting just seven guests in a four cabins, the accommodation will boast huge windows with views back to earth and tasty microwave meals will be served instead of the ones often used by astronauts.
Just getting there will be an adventure in itself—it will take two days aboard a Soyuz rocket—and it won’t exactly be a budget holiday: A five-day stay will cost you￡100, 000 to￡500, 000 for your journey. The hotel is due to open by 2016 and, according to those behind it, will be far more comfortable than the International Space Station (ISS) used by astronauts and cosmonauts.
In the weightlessness of space, visitors can choose to have beds that are either vertical or horizontal. Tourists, who will be accompanied by experienced crew, will dine on food prepared on Earth and sent up on the rocket, to be reheated in microwave ovens. Many kinds of delicacies will be available.
Iced tea, mineral water and fruit juices will be available, but alcohol will be strictly prohibited. Toilets will use flowing air instead of water to move waste through the system. Waste water will be recycled.
Sergei Kostenko, chief executive of Orbital Technologies which will construct the hotel, said: “Our planned module inside will not remind you of the International Space Station. A hotel should be comfortable inside, and it will be possible to look at the Earth. The hotel will be aimed at wealthy individuals and people working for private companies who want to do research in space.” The hotel can also be used as an emergency bolthole (避难处) for astronauts aboard the International Space Station if there is a crisis.Which can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Russia declares the design for its first space hotel |
| B．The first space hotel is under construction now |
| C．The astronauts will have a second home in space |
| D．Russia has the advanced technology in exploring space |
What does the underlined word “budget” in the 3rd paragraph mean?
| A．expensive | B．worthwhile |
| C．economic | D．uncomfortable |
What kind of accommodation will the guests have in the space hotel?
| A．They will have the same food as the astronauts have. |
| B．Many kinds of drinks are available including alcohol. |
| C．Guests can have beds that are either vertical or horizontal. |
| D．Tourists are accompanied by the astronauts from the ISS. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The space hotel is built to remind you of the International Space Station. |
| B．The hotel is constructed with big windows so that tourists can see the earth. |
| C．The company, Orbital Technologies, has already begun to build the space hotel. |
| D．In the near future, a space trip for most of the people can be realized. |
Where do most writers get their ideas? For Yoshiko U
chida, it all began with Brownie, a five-month-old puppy. So excited was Yoshiko by Brownie’s arrival that she started keeping a journal, writing about all the wonderful things Brownie did and the progress he made.
Soon she was writing about other memorable events in her life, too, like the day her family got their first refrigerator. She also began writing stories, thanks to one of her teachers. Yoshiko wrote stories about animal characters such as Jimmy Chipmunk and Willie the Squirrel. She kept on writing, sharing the kitchen table with her mother, who wrote poems on scraps of paper and the backs of envelopes.
Yoshiko grew up in the 1930s in Berkeley, California. Her parents, both of whom had been born in Japan, provided a loving and happy home for Yoshiko and her sister. They also provided a stream of visitors to their home who later found their way into Yoshiko’s stories. One visitor who later appeared in several of Yoshiko’s stories was the bad-tempered Mr. Toga, who lived above the church that her family attended. Mr. Toga would scold anyone who displeased him. The children all feared him and loved to tell stories about how mean he was and how his false teeth rattled (咯咯响) when he talked.
Yoshiko also included in her stories some of the places she visited and the experiences she had. One of her favorite places was a farm her parents took her to one summer. The owners of the farm, showed Yoshiko and her sister how to pump water from the well and how to gather eggs in the henhouse. They fed the mules that later pulled a wagon loaded with hay while Yoshiko and the others rode in the back, staring up at the stars shining in the night sky. Yoshiko, who lived in the city
, had never seen such a sight. As Yoshiko gazed up at the stars, she was filled with hope and excitement about her life. The images of that hayride stayed with her long after the summer visit ended, and she
used them in several of her stories.
The experiences Yoshiko had and the parade of people who marched through her young life became a part of the world she created in over twenty books for young people, such as The Best Bad Thing and A Jar of Dreams. Because of such books, we can all share just a little bit of the world and the times in which this great writer grew up. The author tells about Mr. Toga’s false teeth in Paragraph 3 in order to ____________.
| A．show health care was not good enough in Berkeley during the 1930s |
| B．provide an interesting detail in Yoshiko’s life and stories |
| C．show Yoshiko’s young life was difficult and frightening |
| D．tell about a beloved relative who helped Yoshiko learn how to write |
In Paragraph 4 “the stars” probably refer to ____________.
| A．family relationships | B．terrors in the night |
| C．limitless possibilities | D．sacrifices to benefit others |
What does the underlined part in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Yoshiko loved to write about parades. |
| B．Yoshiko met many interesting people. |
| C．Yoshiko liked to go for long walks with others. |
| D．Yoshiko preferred to talk to her pets instead of to people. |
What is the main idea of this story?
| A．People who live in the city should spend as much time as they can in the country. |
| B．Writers like Yoshiko Uchida must communicate with as many writers as possible. |
| C．Those who move to the United States often miss their homelands for many years. |
| D．Writers like Yoshiko Uchida look to the richness of their lives for material. |
The most exciting kind of education is also the most personal． Nothing can exceed （超越) the joy of discovering for yourself something that is important to you! It may be an idea or a bit of information you come across accidentally—or a sudden insight, fitting together pieces of information or working through a problem． Such personal encounters are the “payoff” in education． A teacher may direct you to learning and even encourage you in it—but no teacher can make the excitement or the joy happen． That's up to you．
|
A research paper, assigned in a course and perhaps checked at various stages by an instructor, leads you beyond classrooms, beyond the texts for classes and into a process where the joy of discovery and learning can come to you many times． Preparing the research paper is an active and individual process, and ideal learning process． It provides a structure within which you can make exciting discoveries, of knowledge and of self, that are basic to education． But the research paper also gives you a chance to individualize a school assignment, to suit a piece of work to your own interests and abilities, to show others what you can do． Writing a research paper is more than just a classroom exercise． It is an experience in searching out, understanding and synthesizing（综合）, which forms the basis of many skills applicable（可利用的） to both academic and nonacademic tasks． It is, in the fullest sense, a discovering of an education． So, to produce a good research paper is both a useful and a thoroughly satisfying experience!
To some, the thought of having to write an assigned number of pages, often more than ever produced before, is upsetting． To others, the very idea of having to work independently is threatening． But there is no need to approach paper assignment with anxiety, and nobody should view the research paper as an obstacle to overcome． Instead, consider it a goal to accomplish, a goal within reach if you use the help this book can give you．| A．will give one encouragement and direction |
| B．are helpful in finding the right information |
| C．are the most valuable part of one's personal education |
| D．will help one to successfully complete school assignments |
It can be inferred from the passage that writing a research paper gives one chances ．
| A．to fully develop one's personal abilities |
| B．to use the skills learnt in the classroom |
| C．to prove that one is a productive writer |
| D．to demonstrate how well one can accomplish school assignment |
The writer argues in the passage that ．
| A．one should explore new areas in research |
| B．one should trust one's own ability to meet course requirements |
| C．one should consider research paper writing a pleasure, not a burden |
| D．one should use all one's knowledge and skills when doing research |
What will probably follow this passage?
| A．How to write a research paper． |
| B．The importance of research in education． |
| C．How to make new discoveries for oneself． |
| D．The skill of putting pieces of information together． |
Scientists are closely concerned with the structure of buildings and with the quality of building materials． The World health Organization （WHO) observes that the introduction of air conditioning and energy conservation （保护) measures have been accompanied by growing problems of indoor air quality． Some pollutants arise from insulation （隔音) products, some from moving cars, and others from modern housing materials． As many Europeans spend up to 90% of their lives in buildings, the health effects of the indoor climate are very important．
Some construction materials, including fiberboard, insulation foams and certain glues for man-made wood floor boards, for example, give out organic products such as formaldehyde （甲醛)． Heat and humidity increase the release of formaldehyde and the gas seriously harms the eyes． Paint, lacquer, etc． can also release dangerous gas into indoor air．
Construction materials can cause serious damage, especially when they contain asbestos（石棉）． Asbestos is naturally present in rock formations worldwide． It belongs to a family of mineral substances made up of solid, non-combustible（非易燃品） fiber． These properties make asbestos a highly sought-after construction material． As early as 1931, however, public health officers in t
he United Kingdom revealed the connection between breathing in asbestos dust and such diseases as lung cancer．
The land on which a building is sited may also contribute to pollution． Some kinds of granite or similar rocks contain traces of radium． As it breaks down, this naturally radioactive element produces some kind of radioactive gas that goes through tiny cracks in walls, floors and building materials, and makes its way into the building and the rooms． The better the homes are insulated, the more is the dangerous gas in indoor air． The main effect of this dangerous gas on health is to increase the risk of lung cancer．What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Some building materials pollute indoor air． |
| B．Some factors cause indoor air pollution． |
| C．Asbestos can cause lung cancer． |
| D．The land on which houses are built contributes to indoor pollution． |
Why are Europeans particularly concerned with building materials?
| A．Lots of building materials there are radioactive． |
| B．They stay home up to 90% of their lives． |
| C．They have a high rate of lung cancer． |
| D．They spend most of their time indoors． |
Why is asbestos a sought-after building material?
| A．It is a kind of insulation foam． |
| B．Asbestos will not give out dangerous gas． |
| C．This material is not easy to catch fire． |
| D．It is rarely present in rock formations． |
Why should we be careful about the land on which a building is to be sited?
| A．To determine whether the land is firm enough for a building to be sited on． |
| B．To make sure that the land contains no radioactive material． |
| C．To make certain that the land releases no formaldehyde or other gases． |
| D．To check whether it contains any combustible materials． |
Editor’s notes: AWL is well known for its dictionaries and English language teaching materials． Some readers have written in to ask us for the latest information on high quality books on English, so here we introduce two texts that aim to improve spoken English fluency．
Let’s speak （Beginner)
By Bev Dusuya, Naoko Ozeki and Kevin Bergman
ISBN: 962001359X
Speak Up（Pre-Intermediate)
By Bev Kusuya, Nako Zeki
ISBN: 0583338050
“Teach the students about your culture and help them talk about their own．” How often are these worthy goals kept from being achieved by the limitations of your beginner level learners? Students at all levels want to talk about culture．
Topics include food, shopping, sports, fashion, the roles of men and women, health, music, and many more．
These are all chosen from surveys of over 15,000 students about their own interests in cross-cultural communication．
“Let’s Speak” and “Speak Up” share a special but excellent way that allows all students to take part in．
The series has questions which start thinking and then help collect opinions about personal topics． Conversation practice is provided by ready to use （现成的)models of basic exchanges on the topic． Also, the cultural information presented in the series comes in the form of interesting, relevant（相关的）facts and ideas from other countries through listening tasks and Culture Quiz exercises．
Team activities in books provide lively problem solving games to enable sharing and comparison of cultural values．
“Let’s Speak” is fit for entry level students of all ages． “Speak Up” provides for the needs of higher level beginners, offering the same careful listening and speaking help, but with slightly more open ended discussion．
For any information about AWL’s books, please get in touch with the following addresses:
Beijing Addison Wesley Longman Information Center
Room 2306, FLTRP Beijing
19 Xi San Huan Beilu, Beijing 100081
Tel: （010)68917488 （010) 68917788
Fax: （010) 68917499E-mail: zrh@public．bat．net．cnIn the sentence “Teach the students about your culture and help them talk about their own”, “your culture” here means the culture of ．
| A．the English native speakers | B．the English learners |
| C．the readers of the two books | D．the readers of the newspaper |
Which of the following are mentioned about the two books in the passage above?
a．publisher b．titles c．content d．writers
e．prices f．pages g．book number
| A．a,b,d,f | B．a,c,d,g | C．b,c,d,e | D．b,c,e,f |
The two books have in common everything EXCEPT ．
A．the same interesting topics
B．the same level of learners
C．proper ways to excite the learners to talkThe passage above is probably taken from the section in a newspaper．
| A．EDUCATION | B．NEWS |
| C．ENTERTAINMENT | D．BOOKSHELF |
How many people have I met who have told me about the book that they have been planning to write but have never yet found the time? Far too many．
This is Life, all right, but we do treat it like a rehearsal （排演) and, unhappily, we do miss so many of its best moments．
We take jobs to stay alive and provide homes for our families, always making ourselves believe that this style of life is merely a temporary state of affairs along the road to what we really want to do． Then, at 60 or 65, we are suddenly presented with a clock and several grandchildren and we look back and realize that all those years waiting for Real Life to come along were in fact real life．
In America they have a saying much laughed at by the English：“Have a nice day!” They speak slowly and seriously in their shops, hotels and sandwich bars． I think it is a wonderful phrase, reminding us, in effect, to enjoy the moment: to value this very day．
How often do we say to ourselves, "I'll take up horse-riding （or golf, or sailing) as soon as I get a higher position," only to do none of those things when I do get the higher position．
When I first became a reporter, I knew a man who gave up a very well paid respectable job at the Daily Telegraph to go and edit a small weekly newspaper． At the time I was astonished by what appeared to me to be his completely abnormal （反常的) mental state． How could anyone turn his back on Fleet Street in central London for a small local area？I wanted to know．
Now I am a little older and possibly wiser, I see the sense in it． In Fleet Street the man was under continual pressure． He lived in an unattractive London suburb and he spent much of his life sitting on Southern Region trains．The first paragraph of the passage tells us that ．
| A．we always try to find some time to write a book |
| B．we always make plans but seldom fulfill them |
| C．we always enjoy many of life's best moments |
| D．we always do what we really want to do |
The underlined phrase "turn his back on" （paragraph 6) most probably means．
| A．leave for | B．return to | C．give up | D．rely on |
The man （ paragraph 6) left his first job partly because he was ．
| A．in an abnormal state | B．under too much pressure |
C．not well paid |
D．not respected |
What is probably the best title for the passage?
| A．Provide Homes For Our Family | B．Take Up Horse-riding |
C．Value This Very Day |
D．Stay Alive |