• Membership
Hostelling International (HI) is a membership organization, and HI membership gives you much more than a comfy bed! It puts you at the heart of a huge international family, where you can share experiences, travel and friendship with people of all nations.
• Membership Savings Program
Your National Association or Hostelling International Membership card not only opens the door to the world’s largest network of safe, clean and welcoming hostels, but in many HI hostels, being a member now gives you at least a 10 percent saving on the cost of your accommodation – just one of the great reasons to become a member!
In some countries, membership is compulsory if you wish to stay in HI hostels listed on this site. To find out what is applicable in the country you wish to visit, please check the Membership Savings Program.
Apart from cheaper accommodation in many of our 4,000 hostels worldwide, membership also gives you access to thousands of travel-related savings at home and abroad. Please check locally with your HI hostel on arrival for details of these great benefits which can include: reduced-price admission to attractions and museums, discounts on meals, transportation and lots more.
Whatever your budget, membership helps you to explore and “Say HI to the world”, backpack across Europe, discover Down Under, dance to Latin rhythms, chill out on an idyllic Asian beach or simply “Discover the real hostel experience” in one of our unique hostels worldwide.
• How to become a member
Purchase a membership from your nearest HI Youth Hostel Association office or membership selling outlet before you start your journey.
Purchase an international membership when you arrive at an HI hostel outside your country of residence. To check the price and availability of membership on arrival, please contact the hostel directly.
Alternatively, you can purchase a 12-month e-Membership during the booking process with your hostel stay. The e-Membership entitles you to stay in any HI hostel and receive at least 10 percent discount on accommodation charges compared to a non-member.
Please note: when you select your country from the list below you will be given full contact details plus a link to the national HI Youth Hostel Association website. Please select the Membership section on the site.Which of the following is NOT promised by Hostelling International?
| A．A safe and clean place to stay. |
| B．Welcoming atmosphere. |
| C．Membership benefits. |
| D．Opportunities to meet local people. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the HI hostels?
| A．Accommodation discounts for members are not available at every HI hostel. |
| B．For some HI hostels, you have to be a member to find accommodation. |
| C．You will enjoy high quality services at the cheapest possible price. |
| D．Free public transportation to your destination is ensured. |
If you want to be a member of HI, ______.
| A．you can either call the HI Youth Hostel Association office or buy a membership online. |
| B．you should book a room at an HI Youth Hostel first. |
| C．you can buy a membership at an HI Youth Hostel Association office or outlet. |
| D．you can buy a membership when you check in at an HI Youth hostel. |
It was early morning. Peter Corbett helped Mark Wellman out of his wheelchair and onto the ground. They stood before El Capitan, a huge mass of rock almost three-quarters of a mile high in California's beautiful Yosemite Valley. It had been Mark's dream to climb El Capitan for as long as he could remember. But how could a person without the use of his legs hope to try to climb it?
Mark knew he couldn't finish the climb alone, but his friend Peter, an expert rock climber, would be there to lend a helping hand. He and Mark thought that it would take seven days to reach the top.
Peter climbed about 100 feet up and hammered a piton (岩钉) into the rock. Fastening one end of a 165-foot rope to the piton, he let one end of the rope fall down. Mark caught the rope and fastened it to his belt with a special instrument. This instrument would allow Mark to move upward, but would prevent him from falling even as much as a single inch. He next reached above his head and fastened a T-shaped bar to the rope, using the same kind of instrument.
Mark took a deep breath, pushed the T-bar up almost as far as his arms could reach, and began the first of the 7,000 pull-ups needed to reach the top. High above, Peter let out a cheer. “You're on your way.”
Seven years before, at the age of twenty-one, he had fallen while mountain climbing, injuring his backbone. The fall cost him the use of his legs, but he never lost his love of adventure or his joyful spirit.
For the first four days the two men progressed steadily upward without incident. But on the fifth day an unbearably hot wind began to blow, and as time went by, it became stronger and stronger, causing Mark to sway (摇摆) violently on his rope. But Mark kept on determinedly pushing up the T-bar and pulling himself up. In spite of that, he had to admit that he felt a lot better when the wind finally died down and his body touched solid rock again.
It took them one day more than they had expected, but on July 26 at 1:45 in the afternoon, the crowd of people waiting on the top went wild with joy as the two heads appeared. Mark Wellman had shown that if you set your heart and mind on a goal, no wall is too high, no dream impossible.What had Mark Wellman long desired to do?
| A．To finish one of the most difficult rock climbs in the world. |
| B．To be the first to climb El Capitan. |
| C．To climb the highest mountain in California. |
| D．To help his friend Peter climb El Capitan. |
How did Mark climb the mountain?
| A．He fastened the rope to his wheelchair. |
| B．He hammered in pitons so that he had something to hold on to. |
| C．He held on to the T-bar and Peter pulled him up. |
| D．He pulled himself up using a T-bar and special equipment. |
What was the worst problem Mark had during the climb?
| A．He struck against the rock and hurt his arms. |
| B．A strong wind blew him away from the rock. |
| C．He kept falling several inches. |
| D．While swaying in space, he became terrified. |
How did Mark react to difficulties during the climb?
| A．He admitted that he was frightened. |
| B．He often worried about his friend's condition. |
| C．He was able to remain clam and determined. |
| D．He was joking to cheer himself up. |
In most developed countries the government provides free education for children because it realizes that educated citizens are useful to the country in their later life. Most countries also have private (私立的)education. This means that parents can pay to send their children to certain schools. People who agree with this system say that it gives parents a larger choice of schools. Other people think that private schools give the children who go to them an unfair advantage over other children.
At the age of three, many children go to nursery school. Two or three years later, they enter a primary school. At the age of 11 they go to a secondary school. Then they may have a chance .of continuing their studies at a university or college.
Universities and colleges are places where some young people go to continue their education after leaving school. Most university students study one main subject, though they may also study a number of others. Teaching is usually by lectures, or by discussions between a lecturer and students.
Most students stay at university for three or four years. At the end of that, they take an examination. If they pass, they receive their Bachelor’s degree, usually a BA, which is short for Bachelor of Arts, or a BS for Bachelor of Science. Some students study for several more years in order to get higher degree, such as a MA or a PhD
Most university courses don’t train students to do a certain job. Colleges, on the other hand, usually teach skills which enable students to follow a career（职业）, such as clothing design, or business studies.The passage mainly tells us_______.
A Something about the private schools in developed countries
B. How developed countries pay attention to education
C. Some general information about education in developed countries
Why education is important Why do most developed countries provide free education to children?
| A．Because the children don’t have money to go to school. |
| B．Because the government want their citizens to be useful to the country. |
| C．Because education doesn’t cost the country too much money. |
| D．Because there are not enough private schools. |
In the first paragraph the underlined word “citizen” refer to________.
| A．the cities | B．members of a country |
| C．the children | D．people who lives in cities |
Which of the following statement is true according to the passage?
All the university students study one subject.
After studying at the university for three or four years, all the students can get a Bachelor’s degree.
C. Students usually receive a master’s degree before receiving a Bachelor’s degree.
D. Unlike university, colleges usually teach students some useful skills for a career
“How was school, Ben?” I asked my grandson after he began kindergarten(幼儿园) this year. “The work is too long… and there’s not enough time to play,” he replied.
I couldn’t help but remember Ben’s own mother, my daughter, Jane, and her reaction(反应) to the first day of school. Julie was also disappointed with the first day of school and so was her little sister. My three-year-old daughter announced angrily after her big sister got on the big yellow school bus, “I want to go ‘sool’ and you not let me!”
When Julie returned home that afternoon, I asked her the same question that I asked Ben, “How was school, Julie?” Julie replied, “I didn’t learn to read today.”
This year as the school bus passed my house, my mind went back to those school days again. I could almost smell the chalk dust in the air. I also wonder what the children these days manage to get chosen to do in order to get out of school for a few moments since there are no erasers to clean. It was fun to be “chosen” for eraser cleaning duty. This was a task finished by going outside and beating erasers together while sneezing and coughing. No wonder so many babies now have allergies(过敏症), and it’s simply because we all have chalk dust in our lungs!
On the first day of school, the expectation was so great that I would be ready long before it was time to leave for school. We didn’t have backpacks because we had cigar boxes. We carried our small supplies inside a cigar box from one of the local stores. We saved the cigar boxes and used them from year to year until they fell apart.
The first day of school was exciting. It was a new beginning. The doors of knowledge had been opened. The first day of school is an event in our lives that most of us remember. It’s a big step for a small child toward leaving babyhood and so “there isn’t enough time to play”.Why did Jane become angry according to the passage?
| A．Because she didn’t learn to read on the first day of school. |
| B．Because there was too much work for her to do at school. |
| C．Because she had no time to play at school. |
| D．Because she was not allowed to go to school. |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 suggests that .
| A．the author was thinking of her school days jokingly |
| B．the author warned students against the harm of chalk dust |
| C．the author suffered from an allergy because of chalk dust |
| D．the author doubted whether her lungs had chalk dust |
In the opinion of the author, the first day of school is .
| A．a day when a child is the happiest |
| B．a day when a child does much work |
| C．the beginning of great learning |
| D．the end of childhood full of toys |
With big handbags becoming a key fashion accessory(配饰) for working women, health experts are warning they can also become a key health concern.
Bags for women have become bigger and heavier as designers combine briefcases with handbags and straps have become longer, resulting in many users complaining of neck, shoulder and back problems.
“I see so many women with neck pains and headaches and what I usually do is look for their purse and pick it up,”said Jane Sadler, a family practice physician at Baylor Medical Center in Garland, Texas.“We take it over to the scale and weigh it and usually they’re anywhere from 7 to 10 pounds. We’re really going to see women with more and more problems later on if we continue the big purse craze.”
William Case, a physical therapist(临床医生)in private practice in Houston, Texas, urged designers“to place a cute, educational caution tag(标签) on all bags to inform buyers of potential neck and shoulder dangers.”Above all, he suggested correct posture while carrying big purses, keeping the head and shoulders upright. Patients should also often change the size and weight of purses carried.
“The extra-large purses are quite extraordinary. They look beautiful when the women wear them, but I don’t know how aware they are of the potential problems,”Case said.
Placing objects on one shoulder was one of the least efficient(高效率的) ways of carrying a load, according to a professor from Cornell University in New York State.“This causes a great imbalance,”he said.“If a big bag is a fashion accessory, then occasional and symbolic use is fine. If not, then keep it light.”Jane Salder would“look for their purse and pick it up”in order to see whether the purses .
| A．contained enough | B．were worth a lot of pounds |
| C．were too heavy | D．were too large |
Which correctly explains the meaning of the underlined word“posture”in the 4th paragraph?
| A．The way you position your body. |
| B．The part of your body where you place a weight. |
| C．The strength you use to carry a weight. |
| D．The height of the weight you carry. |
None of the experts advised big bag users to .
| A．be aware of the big-bag problems |
| B．wear big bags in the right way |
| C．avoid using big bags very often |
| D．give up the fashion to keep fit |
Are you worried by the rising crime rate? If you are, you probably know that your house, possessions(财产) and person are increasingly in danger of suffering from great rise in the cases of burglary(夜盗;抢劫) and attack.
Figures show an ever-increasing crime rate, but it is only too easy to imagine "It will never happen to me". Unfortunately, statistics show that it really can happen to you and, if you live in a large city, you run twice the risk of being a victim.
Fortunately, there is something definite which you can do. Protect Alarms can help to protect your house with a burglar alarm system which is effective, simple to operate and easily affordable.
You must remember that owning a burglar alarm is no indication(暗示) that your house is packed with valuable possessions. It quite simply indicates to unwelcome visitors that yours is one house they will not break into easily, so they carry on to an unprotected house where their job is made a lot easier.
Send now for our free leaflet telling you how we can Protect Alarm your house quickly, easily and cheaply. Complete and tear off the slip below and post it to us. Postage is free. Also, telephone us on 327 6721 where we have a round-the-clock answering service. It costs nothing to find out about Protect Alarm. Anyone who takes an interest in the crime rate will, according to the text, be aware that ___________.
| A．more burglars are being caught than ever before |
| B．people have more possessions to worry about nowadays |
| C．burglars are more at risk than they used to be |
| D．homes are more likely to be broken into nowadays |
It seems that people who live in cities are ____________
| A．more often victims than those living in other areas |
| B．of the opinion that statistics are wrong |
| C．twice as well as people living in other areas |
| D．of the opinion that burglars only rob unprotected homes |
The article claims that possessing an alarm system will _________.
A. show burglars that you have something worth stealing
B. persuade burglars not to break into your house
C. make the burglars’job less complicatedThe underlined word "Figures" in the second paragraph can be replaced by" "
| A．Illustrations | B．Fingers | C．Numbers | D．Mathematics |