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Sightseeing Tours in Germany
Germany has a variety of cities each with its own characteristics, from the busy city of Berlin, to the ancient city of Cologne, to the Bavarian capital of Munich. Thankfully, these major German cities offer sightseeing tours that offer the opportunity to better explore the surrounding regions and the country’s most historic sites.
Berlin on Bike
berlin image by JÃ¼rgen Remmer from Fotolia.com
Berlin on Bike takes visitors through the German capital via five bicycle tours, all with guides. Regular tours include the Wall Tour and Berlin’s Best, with stops at some of the city’s most famous landmarks, such as the Reichstag and the Berlin Wall. Specialty tours include the East Unplugged, which explores what life was like in East Berlin under Communist rule. The cost of the tour includes
the bike and helmet rental, and tourists may choose to continue renting their bikes once the tour has ended.
berlinonbike.de/english/index.php
Munich City Sightseeing Tour
The Munich City Sightseeing Tour transports travelers throughout the city via an open-air, double-decker bus. Passengers can hop on and off at various stops throughout the day. This tour includes stops at such sites as the Munich central train station, the 1972 Olympic Stadium Park, Munich’s opera house and Karlsplatz, the gate to the historic city. The bus features a narrated tour guide and offers an English-language option.
raileurope.com/activities/munich-city-sightseeing-tour/index.html
Nice City Tours－Cologne
Nice City Tours offers three tours of Cologne, available to private or business groups in a variety of languages. The Old Town Tour runs for two hours and includes a guided tour of the Cologne Cathedral and some of the city’s old squares. The Brewery Pub Tour explores some of the city’s most beloved breweries and pubs, and details the history behind Kolsch, Cologne’s resident beer. Finally, the Old Town and Rhine Tour begins by visiting some of old town’s most historic sites and ends with a ride down the Rhine River.
nicecitytours.com/tours.htm
1. The similarity of the three tours lies in that they all include ________.
A. bus tours B. English service C. three routes D. guide’s service
2. If you take a great interest in beer, which tour might be suitable for you?
A. The Wall Tour B. The Brewery Pub Tour
C. The Old Town Tour D. The Munich City Sightseeing Tour
3. Where can you probably see this passage?
A. In a textbook B. On a website C. In an encyclopedia D. In a journal

Dr. Sylvia Earle wants you to stop eating fish. It’s not because fish are endangered, though wild fish stocks in many oceans are very low. It’s not because they’re bad for you, though fish in many areas are exposed to poisonous substances in the water. It’s because they’re smart.
“Fish are sensitive, they have personalities,” says the marine biologist. For Earle, eating a fish would be like eating a dog or a cat. “I would never eat anyone I know personally.”
There’s a lot more to fish than meets the eye: they talk to each other, they like to be touched, and they engage in behavior that can seem very human. They can remember things and learn from experience. Earle and a growing number of animal rights activists see these as strong arguments against eating fish altogether.
The activists also point out that fish feel pain and fish suffer horribly on their way from the sea to the supermarket. “While it may seem obvious that fish are able to feel pain, like every other animal, some people think of fish as swimming vegetables,” says Dr. Lynne Sneddon. “Really, it’s kind of a moral question. Is the enjoyment you get from fishing (or eating fish) more important than the pain of the fish?”
Fishermen and (fried) fish lovers are doubtful. “I’ve never seen a smart fish,” says Marie Swaringen as she finishes off a plate of fish at a Seattle seafood restaurant. “If they were very smart,
they wouldn’t get caught.”
“For years, everyone’s been telling us to eat fish because it’s so good for us,” says another diner. “Now I’ve got to feel guilty while I’m eating my fish? What are they going to think of next? Don’t eat salad because cucumbers have feelings?”
1. Dr. Sylvia Earle discourage people from eating fish because _____________.
A. there are not that many wild fish in the ocean
B. fish actually are sensitive and have personalities
C. some ocean fish contain poisonous substances
D. fish are like dogs or cats that people know personally
2. We can infer from the passage that _____________.
A. all people don’t agree with the idea to stop eating fish
B. people will be persuaded not to eat fish in the future
C. stopping eating fish will lead to people’s not eating vegetables
D. we shouldn’t care too much about the feeling of fish
3. By saying “There’s a lot more to fish than meets the eye,” the writer means ____________.
A. there are far more fish than other animals in the world
B. there are more fish in the world than people can see
C. people can see more fish if they pay more attention
D. fish are not that simple as they appear to people’s eyes
4. What is the writer’s attitude towards people eating fish?
A. Neutral. B. Indifferent. C. Approving. D. Opposed.

The British last an average of eight minutes and twenty-two seconds before they lose temper, according to new research.
The Internet has increased people’s service demands and it is destroying the classic British characteristic of patience. More than half of the British have admitted they lose their temper quicker than ever before. People have become so used to the speed and convenience of the Internet that more than seven in ten get angry if forced to wait longer than one minute for a web page to download.
Being kept on hold made the British see red more than anything else, with the average person reaching their impatience limit after five minutes and four seconds.
In today’s fast food culture, restaurant rage starts after only eight minutes and thirty-eight seconds, when the average diner will start to wonder whether the meal they have ordered will ever arrive.
People running late to meet a friend should not leave it any longer than ten minutes and one second if they do not want to face their anger.
Finally, when receiving a text or voicemail, be warned that the clock is ticking as the average Englishman expects a response within thirteen minutes and sixteen seconds.
Mark Schmid, of telecom giant TalkTalk, which conducted the research among 2,050 people, said that the speed of the online world is making us less prepared to wait for things to happen in the offline world. “This is causing people to reach the point of impatience earlier than ever before.”
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. More than half of the British get angry more easily than before.
B. Waiting for an Internet page to download will make half of the British angry.
C. Any Englishman may last 8 minutes and 22 seconds before they lose temper.
D. Waiting for friends to show up within 10 minutes and 1 second will not be acceptable.
2. The underlined word “rage” in the passage can be replaced by ___________.
A. disappointment B. sadness C. annoyance D. worry
3. According to the passage, the following things may make people impatient EXCEPT ___________.
A. the response to a text massage B. the food service in a restaurant
C. the speed of the Internet D. the business trade
4. The passage is mainly about ___________.
A. how long the British can keep their temper
B. when people lose temper easily
C. what makes the British lose temper quicker
D. why the Internet influences people’s life

第二部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The dog that gave us the most trouble was a beagle (猎兔犬) named Murphy. As far as I’m concerned, the first thing he did wrong was to turn into a beagle. I had seen him bounding around on the other side of a pet-shop window, and I went in and asked the man, “How much is that adorable fox terrier (小猎狗) in the window?” Did he say “That adorable fox terrier is a beagle”? No, he said, “Ten dollars, lady.” Now, I don’t mean to say one word against beagles. They have rights just like other people. But it is a bit of a shock when you bring home a small ball of fluff (绒毛) in a shoebox, and three weeks later it’s as long as the sofa.
Murphy was the first dog I ever trained personally, and I was delighted at the enthusiasm with which he took to the newspaper. It was some time later that we discovered, to our horror, that—like so many dogs—he had grasped the letter but not the spirit of the thing. Until the very end of his days he felt a real sense of duty whenever he saw a newspaper—any newspaper—and it didn’t matter where it was. I can’t bring myself to go into the details, except to mention that we were finally forced to keep all the papers in the bottom of the icebox.
He had another habit that used to leave us open to a certain amount of criticism from our friends. He never climbed up on beds or chairs or sofas. But he always sat on top of the piano. In the beginning we used to try to pull him off. But after a few noisy fights in which he knocked a picture off the wall, scratched the piano, and smashed a lamp, we just gave in—only to discover that he hopped up and down as skillfully as a ballet dancer.
Nowadays if I go anywhere, I just ask if they have a dog. If they do, I say, “Maybe I’d better keep away from it—I have bad allergy.” This sometimes annoys the host. But it works. It really works.
1. The writer uses a hyperbole (夸张) in Paragraph 1 to suggest that the dog grew _____________.
A. surprisingly lovable B. comfortable in the house
C. too fierce to tolerate D. larger than expected
2. Which sentence shows the author’s inability to train Murphy?
A. I had seen him bounding around on the other side of a pet-shop window.
B. We were finally forced to keep all the papers in the bottom of the icebox.
C. He never climbed up on beds or chairs.
D. Nowadays if I go anywhere, I just ask if they have a dog.
3. What can you infer from the second paragraph?
A. The writer tried to train Murphy to fetch newspapers but in vain.
B. Like other dogs, Murphy hated newspapers.
C. Murphy learned to help the writer clean the papers.
D. Murphy liked fetching letters rather than newspapers.
4. Which can be the best title of the passage?
A. Murphy—My Favorite Dog B. Murphy—An Adorable Dog
C. Murphy Gave Me Trouble D. Murphy Turned Into A Beagle

Poverty is not first thing that comes to mind when you think of Japan. After all, there are no children begging on the streets in major cities here. You do not often see Japanese citizens publicly letting out their complaints over the country’s economic decline. But senior government researcher Aya Abe says Japan has the fourth highest rate of child poverty among developed countries.
She says she sees that poverty in schools where students admit to only bathing once a week. Some cannot afford to buy pencils for class.
“They may not be on the streets begging or they may not be turning into criminals, but it’s there. It’s just that we have to open our eyes and see,” Abe said.
Abe owes the increase in child poverty to the country’s changing demographics(人口统计), struggling economy and high social security premiums(保险费). She says fewer people live in three-generation households, where the parents and grandparents work. The number of single mothers has increased. The salary for young fathers has declined with the economic downturn. Social security premiums have increased in the last 20 years, putting families on the edge of poverty.
Abe says studies conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD ) point to rising poverty in Japan before the global economic crises in 2008. But the Japanese government and the public refused to acknowledge it until then partly because of the shame associated with poverty.
“It was very unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty,” said Abe. “Even though OECD Japan announced it in Japanese, Japanese media didn’t make it into the articles.”
Abe says new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has taken one important step to help alleviate (缓解) the problem. Next year, his Democratic Party of Japan plans to double monthly child care allowances given to families.
But Abe wants the government to expand its financial help even more. She wants it to simplify the process to apply for public assistance and provide educational grants for students struggling to pay for tuition at high schools and colleges. The country now only offers loans.
Abe also says the government must act quickly because she says the problem will only get worse in the next few years.
1. The passage is intended to _________.
A. report the result of the studies conducted by OECD
B. tell us about the increase in Japanese child poverty
C. prove that Japan is no longer a developed country
D. introduce Aya Abe, a senior government researcher
2. It seems to be hard to associate Japan with poverty because _______.
A. no children are seen begging in the streets of main cities in Japan
B. its citizens never complain about the country’s economic decline
C. it is one of the few wealthiest countries in the world
D. its government and public refused to acknowledge it
3. According to Abe, several things contribute to the rising child poverty except________.
A. high social security premiums
B. the increase of the number of single mothers
C. the decrease of the salary for young fathers
D. the expansion of three-generation households
4. Why was it unpopular for Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty?
A. The Japanese public didn’t think it true.
B. It was forbidden by the Japanese government.
C. The Japanese public regarded it shameful to be poor.
D. OECD Japan had already announced it in Japanese.
5. Which of the following is NOT the author’s suggestion for alleviating this problem?
A. Doubling monthly child care allowances given to families.
B. Expanding government’s financial help even more.
C. Providing educational grants for poor students.
D. Simplifying the process to apply for public assistance.