From Rome and Venice to the rolling hills of Tuscany and the charm of Milan, Italy is a bottomless well of attractions. It is a motherland of artists and scientists that changed the shape of the world. Here are some places you should see on your vacations to Italy.
Valley of the Temples
Welcome to Sicily and one of its most amazing attractions. The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento is an extensive archaeological site containing the well-preserved remains of various Doric temples dating from the 5th century B.C. In accord with standard criteria (标准) for both Greek and Roman temples, all structures face east so that the statue of the god housed inside will be illuminated (照亮) by the rising sun. The site being located on a ridge overlooking the town, the term “valley” is obviously a misnomer (误称)，but it quite captures the vastness of the place.
Uffizi Gallery
The reputation for being one of the finest universally acclaimed (受到高度赞扬的) museums of all time comes courtesy of masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Rubens. Their timeless works are proudly displayed on the top floor of the palace in Florence.
Historic Centre of Siena
Siena may not equal Florence in overall artistic achievement, but its charm makes it a place that no other can compare to. Centered on Piazza del Campo, the historic district is a container of 12th –century Gothic, and a mirror of the Middle Ages. Full of pearls of architecture and cultural highlights, the historic centre of Siena is an excellent trip back in time, ideally to be taken in summer.
Grand Canal
Taking the water bus along the Canal Grande is like going back through centuries of history. The famous Venetian waterway runs more than 3.5 km through all six districts of the historic center. The impressive Renaissance palaces rub shoulders with Gothic arches and marble mixes with gold. Numerous landmarks never cease to provoke (激起) admirable sighs on the way.Which of the following would be better to visit in summer?
| A．Uffizi Gallery. | B．Valley of the Temples. |
| C．Grand Canal. | D．Historic Centre of Siena |
The main purpose of the passage is ______.
| A．to tell visitors about the advantages of travelling in Italy |
| B．to supply visitors with information about some famous museums |
| C．to show visitors the features of Italy |
| D．to suggest some good places to go in Italy to visitors |
Which are the unique features of the Grand Canal?
① There are many Gothic arches.
② You can see many Renaissance palaces there.
③ The length of the Venetian waterway is three kilometers.
④ You can take the water bus to enjoy its beauty.
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ | C．②③④ | D．①③④ |
Where can one probably find this passage?
| A．In a sports newspaper. | B．In a geography report. |
| C．In a traveling magazine. | D．In a novel. |
King‘s College Summer School
King‘s College Summer School is an annual( 每年的) training program for high school students at all levels who want to improve their English. Courses are given by the teachers of King‘ s College and other colleges in New York. Trips to museums and culture centers are also organized. This year‘s summer school will be from July 25 to August 15.
More information is as follows:
| Application (申请) date Students in New York should send their applications before July 18, 2011. Students of other cities should send their applications before July 16, 2011. Foreign students should send their applications before July 10, 2011. |
Courses English Language Spoken English: 22 hours Reading and Writing: 10 hours American History: 16 hours American Culture: 16 hours |
| Steps A letter of self-introduction A letter of recommendation(推荐) ﹡ The letters should be written in English with all the necessary information. |
Cost Daily lessons: ￥200 Sports and activities: ￥100 Travels: ￥200 Hotel service: ￥400 ﹡You may choose to live with your friends or relatives in the same city. |
| Please write to: Thompson, Sanders 1026 King‘ s Street New York, NY 10016, USA E-mail: KC-Summer-School@ yahoo.com |
You can most probably read the text in ________.
| A．a textbook | B．a travel guide | C．a newspaper | D．a telephone book |
Which of the following is true about King‘ s College Summer School?
| A．Only top students can take part in the program. |
| B．Visits to museums and culture centers are part of the program. |
| C．King‘ s College Summer School is run every other year |
| D．Only the teachers of King‘ s College give courses. |
If you are to live with your relatives in New York, you will have to pay the school __
| A．￥200 | B．￥400 | C．￥900 | D．￥500 |
What information can you get from the text?
| A．You can write to Thompson only in English. |
| B．The program will last two months. |
| C．As a Chinese student, you can send your application on July 14, 2011. |
| D．You can get in touch with the school by e-mail or by telephone. |
A “blogger” is a person who writes on an Internet computer web site called a “blog”．The word “blog” is a short way of saying web log, or personal web site．Anyone can start a blog, and they can write about anything they like．
There are millions of blogs on the Internet today．They provide news, information and ideas to many people who read them．They contain links to other web sites．And they provide a place for people to write their ideas and react to the ideas of others．
A research company called Perseus has studied more than 3,000 web logs．It says that blogs are most popular with teenage girls．They use them to let their friends know what is happening in their life．The study also says that more than 100,000 bloggers stopped taking part in the activity after a year．
However, some people develop serious blogs to present political and other ideas．For example, the Republican and Democratic parties in the southern state of Kentucky recently started their own blogs．And American companies are beginning to use blogs to advertise their products．
At the same time, some long-standing blogs have ended．Last week, blogging leader Dave Winer closed his free blog service, weblogs．com．He says the site became too costly to continue．He started the blog four years ago, and thousands of people had written on it．
One blog that is still going strong is called Rebecca’s Pocket．It involves much useful information for readers．Rebecca Blood created the web site in 1999．She wrote about the history of blogs on the site．That article led to a book called “The Weblog Handbook”．It has been translated into four languages so far．
Ms Blood says Rebecca’s Pocket gets about 30,000 visitors a month．She writes about anything and everything----politics, culture and movies．She recently provided medical advice．And she wrote about how to prevent people from stealing money from online bank accounts．The text is written mainly to _____
| A．introduce an Internet computer web site called “blog” |
| B．introduce a way of reading on blogs． |
| C．tell readers how to write blogs |
| D．tell readers about blogs |
From the text we can learn that blogs cover almost everything except ____．
A．different ideas B．medical advice C．account codes D advertisements．According to this passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．A lot of bloggers no longer write or read blogs |
| B．Politicians don’t use blogs at all |
| C．Those who like to use blogs are mostly teenage girls |
| D．Dave Winer closed his “weblogs．com” because of money shortage |
The reason why Rebecca’s Pocket is still going strong is that_____
| A．it provides plenty of useful information and advice |
| B．it was created by a woman |
| C．it is about the history of books |
| D．it has editions in at least four different languages |
Some time ago ,I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended , as there are a whole lot of antique shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception. I was quite wrong. The man wouldn't even look at my chair.
The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth - so I decided that my approach must be wrong.
I went into the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper,“ Would you like to buy a chair?” He looked it over carefully and said, “ Yes, not a bad chair. How much do you want for it, sir?” “Twenty pounds,” I said. “OK, ”he said, “I’ll give you twenty pounds. ”“It ‘s got a slightly broken leg,” I said. “Yes, I saw that, it's nothing.”
Everything was going according to plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?”I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done. ”“I'll buy it,” I said. “What do you mean？ You’ve just sold it to me,” he said. “Yes, I know but I’ve changed my mind. I'm sorry, I'll give you twenty -seven pounds for it. ”“ Your must be crazy, ”he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair. ”“ You’re right, ”I said. “And what would you have done if I had walked in and said, Would you mend this chair for me?I wouldn't have agreed to do it,” he said. “We don’t do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I’ll mend this for you, shall we say for a fiver?”He was a very nice man and was greatly amused by the whole thing.We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer ________.
| A．was rather impolite | B．was warmly received |
| C．asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair | D．asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair |
The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper ________.
| A．changed his mind | B．accepted the offer |
| C．decided to help the writer | D．saw the writer’s purpose |
How much did the writer pay?
| A．￡ 5. | B．￡ 7. | C．￡ 20. | D．￡ 27. |
From the text, we can learn that the writer was ________
| A．honest | B．careful | C．funny | D．smart |
From the beginning rivers have played an important in the life of man．Man of the earliest times used the rivers as a means of travel．Today rivers still serve as a great waterway for the transport and people．
In ancient times, man settled near rivers or on river banks and built up large empires．
Water is nature’s most valuable gift to man．Man needs water to irrigate his crops, to cook and to wash．In nations all over the world, rivers mean life and wealth．They feed and clothe the nations around them．
Water is also a source of energy and power．Man build huge dams across the rivers to control the water for irrigation and get the energy needed to drive generators．The electrical power is then directed to homes, cities, factories and television stations．
Man uses water each day．In a small way rivers help to keep man in good health and provide for his amusements．Various forms of water sports keep man strong and healthy．Rivers have been important to man _______．
| A．since they came into being | B．since the last century |
| C．since a few hundred years ago． | D．since the beginning of BC |
Man in old times traveled from one continent to another ______．
| A．by air | B．by sea | C．by train | D．by bus |
Generators are machines that are used ______．
| A．to direct electrical power | B．to control the water |
| C．to produce electricit | D．to build dams y |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．People get energy by building bridges across rivers． |
| B．In ancient times large empires grew up near dams． |
| C．People can be provided with amusements in small rivers． |
| D．Large rivers are still useful for transportation in modern times． |
The Mississippi is the major river system in the United States. The Yangtze is China’s longest river.
Although a world apart, the two waterways share conservation concerns that provide a cultural bridge between students in the United States and China, as well as from around the world.
The Mississippi flows almost 3,800 kilometers from a small lake in Minnesota, gathering the waters of 250 other rivers and streams before reaching the Gulf of Mexico.
In mid-May, as spring flowers began to open, about 41 students from a dozen colleges, mostly in the Midwest, explored a section of the river in Wisconsin and Iowa, to learn about the environment, and each other.
The students, from the U.S., China and around the world, came to join the River Spirit Exchange program.
The cross-cultural educational experience - set up by the University of Wisconsin, Madison-based Environment and Public Health Network for Chinese Students - focuses on the Mississippi and China’s longest river, the Yangtze.
This three day get-together featured story-telling, hiking, camping and canoeing, all part of a larger lesson about conservation projects that can be used on both the Yangtze and Mississippi.
While the students learned about the problems challenging the Mississippi and Yangtze, Jeb Barzen, a wildlife biologist, explained they should also learn about the importance of bridging each other’s culture.
The president of the Environment and Public Health Network for Chinese Students, Xiaojun Lu, said the Mississippi and Yangtze Rivers are uniting these students from opposite ends of the earth.
Organizers say the success and spirit of this first gathering of students will lead to other trips, including one down the Yangtze.Where is the source of the Mississippi?
| A．Minnesota | B．the Gulf of Mexico | C．Wisconsin | D．Iowa |
According to the passage, the get-together .
| A．lasted a week | B．took place in May |
| C．was held in China | D．was organized by students |
According to Paragraph 8, Barzen believes that .
| A．China and the U.S. should work together to protect the environment |
| B．the Mississippi is more important than the Yangtze to the world |
| C．cultural exchange between different countries is of great importance |
| D．the program encourages technical cooperation between China and the U.S. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A major river system in the United States. |
| B．The differences between the Mississippi and the Yangtze. |
| C．An educational program about tourism. |
| D．An international cultural exchange program. |
Where is the passage most probably taken from?
| A．A personal diary | B．A news report |
| C．An official document | D．An advertisement |