Tayka Hotel De Sal
Where: Tahua, Bolivia
How much: About $95 a night
Why it’s cool: You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That’s something few can claim. Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses (床垫) and blankets).The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried-up lake that’s the world’s biggest salt flat. Builders use the salt from the 4,633-square-mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries. When rain starts to dissolve the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.
Green Magic Nature Resort
Where: Vythiri, India
How much: About $240 a night
Why it’s cool: Ridding a pulley(滑轮)-operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure. As you look out of your open window—there is no glass!—you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy. Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read. You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn “elevator”.
Dog Bark Park Inn B&B
Where: Cottonwood, Idaho
How much: $92 a night
Why it’s cool: This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet. Sweet Willy is a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly. Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side. You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a few steps of the loft in Willy’s head, or hang out inside his nose. Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant outside.
Gamirasu Cave Hotel
Where: Ayvali, Turkey
How much: Between $130 and $475 a night.
Why it’s cool: This is caveman cool! Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash. But your stay will be much more modern. Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65℉in summer.(Don’t worry—there is heat in winter.)What is the similarity of the four hotels?
A.Being expensive. | B.Being beautiful. |
C.Being natural. | D.Being unique. |
What does the underlined part “Sweet Willy” refer to?
A. The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.
B. The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner.
C. The name of the hotel.
D. The name of the hotel owner.Which of the hotel makes you have a feeling of living in the far past?
A.Tayka Hotel De Sal | B.Green Magic Nature Resort |
C.Dog Bark Park Inn B&B | D.Gamirasu Cave Hotel |
Recently a Beijing father sent in a question at an Interact forum(论坛)asking what“PK”meant.
“My family has been watching the‘Super Girl’singing competition TV programme.My little daughter asked me what’PK’meant,but I had no idea,”explained the puzzled father.
To a lot of Chinese young people who have been playing games online,it is impossible not to know this term.In such Internet games,“PK”is short for“Player Kill”,in which two players fight until one ends the life of the other.
In the case of the“Super Girl”singing competition.“PK”was used to refer to the stage where two singers have to compete with each other for only one chance to go up in competition ranking.
Like this father,Chinese teachers at high schools have also been finding their students’compositions using Internet jargons which are difficult to understand.A high school teacher from Tianjin asked her students to write compositions with simple language,but they came up with a lot of Internet jargons that she didn’t understand.
“My‘GG’came back this summer from college.He told me I’ve grown up to be a‘PLMM’.I loved to‘FB’with him together;he always took me to the‘KPM’,”went one composition.
“GG”means Ge Ge(Chinese pinyin for brother).“PLMM”refers to Piao Liang Mei Mei(beautiful girl).“FB”means Fu Bai(corruption).“KPM”is short for KF.Pizza Hut and McDonald’s.
Some specialists welcome Internet jargons as a new development in language.
If you do not even know what a Kong Long(dinosaur,referring to an ugly looking female)ora Qing wa
(frog,referring to an ugly looking male)is,you will possibly be regarded as a CaiNiao!
By writing the article,the writer tries to .
A.explain some Internet language |
B.suggest common Internet language |
C.laugh at the Beijing father |
D.draw our attention to Internet language |
What does the writer think about the term“PK”?
A.Fathers can’t possibly know it. |
B.The daughter should understand it. |
C.Online game players may know it. |
D.“Super Girl”shouldn’t have used it. |
The examples of the Beijing father and the Tianjin teacher are used to show that Internet jargons .
A.are used not only online |
B.can be understood very well |
C.are welcomed by all the people |
D.cause trouble to our mother tongue |
The underlined word“jargons”means“”in Chinese.
A.行话 | B.粗口 | C.歌词 | D.趋势 |
When did you last see a polar bear? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3℃, and the water temperature was a bit higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group. This is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.
Doctors do not agree about the medical effects of cold-water swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.
The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits (or advantages) of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system(循环系统)because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.
The main benefits (or advantages) of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim year-round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says. "When I go into the water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away."
The members of the Polar Bear
Club must meet the following requirements except that __________.
A.they must reach the age of 60 |
B.they should be easy to make friends with |
C.they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months |
D.they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February |
Doctors __________.
A.encourage people to take part in cold-water swimming actively |
B.point out the possible danger of blood illness during cold-water swimming |
C.believe swimming is helpful both in winter and in summer |
D.have different ideas about the medical effects of cold-water swimming |
According to the passage, some doctors believe it is true that __________.
A.you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue |
B.cold-water swimming causes more heart attacks in summer than in winter |
C.cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high |
D.Polar Bears are bears swimming in freezing water |
The Polar Bears like to swim all the year round, for __________.
A.they can remain young |
B.it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter |
C.they find it enjoyable and interesting |
D.they might meet fewer troubles in life |
The passage is mainly about __________.
A.a group of cold-water swimming lovers |
B.the polar bears' life |
C.doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming |
D.the requirements of the Polar Bear Club |
I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt’s house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving and never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism(乐观), but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times.”
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers(移民局官员), took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: Almost all common troubles go away at last! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.How did the author get to know America?
A.From radio programs | B.From books and pictures |
C.From her mother | D.From her relatives |
Upon leaving for America the author felt __________.
A.excited | B.confused | C.worried | D.amazed |
For the first two years in New York, the author __________.
A.often lost her way |
B.did not think about her future |
C.studied in three different schools |
D.got on well with her stepfather |
What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?
A.She worked as a translator. |
B.She attended a lot of job interviews. |
C.She paid telephone bills for her family. |
D.She helped her family with her English. |
The author believes that __________.
A.her future will be free from troubles |
B.it is difficult to learn to become patient |
C.there are more good things than bad things |
D.good things will happen if one keeps trying |
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.
Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road.
“Millions of animals die each year on U.S. roads,” the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact, only about 80 ocel
ots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S. today. The main reason? Roadkill.
“Eco-passages” may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. “These eco-passages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid road accidents,” said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.
But do animals actually use the eco-passages? The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an eco-passage that went under a highway. This showed that the lions used the passage.
Builders of eco-passages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them. Animals seem to be catching on. Animals as different as salamanders(火蜥蜴)and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.
The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around. You might see an animal overpass! The writer uses the example of “ocelots” to show that __________.
A.wild animals have become more dangerous |
B.the driving condition has improved greatly |
C.an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents |
D.the measure for protecting wildlife fails to work |
From the story, we know an eco-passage is __________.
A.an underground path for cars |
B.a fence built for the safety of the area |
C.a bridge for animals to get over a river |
D.a path for animals to cross the road |
When the writer says that “animals seem to be catching on” (Para. 6), he means __________.
A.animals begin to realize the dangers on the road |
B.animals are crossing the road in groups |
C.animals are increasing in number |
D.animals begin to learn to use eco-passages |
The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because __________.
A.wild animals may attack cars | B.they may see wild animals on eco-passages |
C.they may see wild animals in the park![]() |
D.wild animals may jam the road |
The best title for the passage is __________.
A.Special bridges help animals cross the road |
B.Endangered animals increase because of roadkill |
C.Animals fail to cross the road |
D.Take steps to protect animals in danger |
I’m sure you know the song “Happy Birthday”. But do you know who wrote the song and for whom it was written?
The retired professor, Archibald A. Hill in Lucasville, USA could tell us the story. Ninety-seven years ago, two of Mr. Archibald Hill’s aunts, Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill were asked to write some songs for a book called “Song Storied for the Sunday Morning”. Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill were both kindergarten teachers then. They loved children very much and wrote many beautiful songs for the book. One of them was the famous “Good
Morning to You.” The song said, “Good morning to you, good morning to you, dear children, good morning to all.” This song was very popular at that time among kindergarten children. But not many grown-
ups knew it. A few years later little Archibald was born. As his aunt, Miss Patty Hill sang the song “Happy Birthday” to the melody(曲调)of “Good Morning to you” to her little nephew(侄子). She sang the song like this: Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Archie! Happy birthday to you!
Miss Patty Hill and her sister had never expected that this song would become so popular, but it really did. People all over the world like the song because of its simplicity in tune(曲调简单)and friendliness in words.Archibald A. Hill was __________.
A. English B. Russian C. American D. Australian
Professor Archibald A. Hill was Miss Mildred Hill’s __________.
A. son B. student C. brother D. nephewThe song “Happy Birthday” has a history of __________ years.
A.97 | B.about 90 | C.more than 90 | D.less than 90 |
Why did Miss Hiss wrote songs?
A.Because they are musicians. |
B.Because they love children. |
C.Because they were asked to write for a book. |
D.Because their nephew asked them to do so. |
The sentence “it really did” means __________.
A.The song really became popular |
B.Their wish would really come true |
C.People all over the world like to listen to the song |
D.Yes, but the song didn’t become popular |