Sandeep Mukerji was on his first visit to Thailand but would leave the “Land of Smiles” with a frown and an empty pocket.
A stone’s throw from the Grand Palace in Bangkok, the 26-year-old Canadian ran into a monk in a robe. The monk told him that the attraction he was hoping to visit had been closed.
The monk then introduced Mukerji to a jewellery store instead. On the way there, three different people told him that it was the last day of a once-a-year, tax-free jewellery promotion to encourage tourism.
They said that tourists can make a lot of money by buying gems（宝石）in Thailand and selling them once at home.
Two hours later, Mukerji had spent US $ 1, 250 on a set of almost worthless jewellery in the jewellery store.
“The whole process took me by surprise. They take advantage of your greed,” he said.
In fact, Mukerji is just one of a huge number of tourists who are cheated by the promise of making a fortune. The scam（诡计）brings Thailand more than US $ 10 million each year.
Although tourist police stations have displayed posters to warn of the scam, many fresh-faced tourists still fall prey to the trick.
The police say they receive 5～10 complaints a day. Many more may not realize they have been cheated until they go back home.
That authorities say that the jewellery scam is harmful to Thailand’s image, but getting rid of the cheats is hard.
Sanit Miphan, head of the police, said the scam has been running for about 15 years but not one jewellery shop owner has been arrested.
The shops usually open for two weeks and then close. They reopen and register under a new name. What’s more, overcharging（要价过高）itself is not breaking the law.
Yet, to keep the tourism business alive, the police said they would take action against any shop receiving more than 10 complaints.
73. Sandeep Mukerji was cheated probably because of all the following EXCEPT that_______.
A. he was young
B. he believed that the monk wouldn’t cheat others
C. he had more or less the wish to try his fortune
D. the cheat scam was too skillful to be found out
74. How many people cheated Sandeen Mukerji?
A. Two B. Three C. Four D. Five
75. Suppose everyone who was cheated lost as much as Mukerji did, how many visitors to Bankok would be cheated each year?
A. About 6, 000 B. About 8, 000 C. About 10, 000. D. About12, 000.
76. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Thai tourist police are carrying out their task very efficiently.
B. The management of Thai tourist market is very strict.
C. Any shop receiving complaints will be punished as seriously as possible.
D. It is hard for the police to crack down（制裁） the cheats efficiently partly because many cheats’ deeds seem not to break the law.
Traffic jam and cities, it seems, go hand in hand. Everyone complains about being stuck in traffic; but, like the weather, no one seems to do anything about it. In particular, traffic engineers, transportation planners, and public officials responsible for transportation systems in large cities are frequently criticized for failing to solve traffic jam. But is traffic jam a sign of failure? Long queues at restaurants or theater box offices are seen as signs of success. Should transportation systems be viewed any differently? I think we should recognize that traffic jam is an unpreventable by-product of successful cities, and view the “traffic problem” in a different light.
Cities exist because they promote social interactions and economic transactions.Traffic jam occurs where there are lots of people but limited spaces. Culturally and economically successful cities have the worst traffic problems, while decaying cities don’t have much traffic. New York and Los Angeles are America’s most crowded cities. But if you want access to major brokerage houses (经纪行), you will find them easier to reach in crowded New York than in any other large cities. And if your firm needs access to post-production film editors or satellite-guidance engineers, you will reach them more quickly through the crowded freeways of LA than through less crowded roads elsewhere.
Despite traffic jam, a larger number and wider variety of social interactions and economic transactions can be made perfect in large, crowded cities than elsewhere. Seen in this sight, traffic jam is an unfortunate consequence of prosperity, not a cause of economic decline and urban decay.
So while we can consider traffic jam as increasing costs on the areas of big cities, the costs of inaccessibility (交通不便) in uncrowded places are almost certainly greater.
There is no doubt that traffic jam brings the terrible economic and environmental damage in places like Bangkok, Jakarta, and Lagos. But mobility is far higher and traffic jam levels are far lower here in the US, even in our most crowded cities. That’s why, for now, we don’t see people and capital streaming out of San Francisco and Chicago, heading for cities like California, and Illinois.We can conclude from the first paragraph that_______.
| A．traffic jam and weather are the two factors preventing the development of the big city |
| B．traffic jam seems to be very difficult to deal with |
| C．if traffic engineers try their best, traffic jam can be solved |
| D．public officials are always criticized for misusing their power |
According to the passage, what’s the author’s opinion towards traffic jam？
| A．Traffic jam is unavoidable in any cities. |
| B．Traffic jam is both a sign of failure and a sign of success. |
| C．Traffic jam is one of the consequences of successful cities. |
| D．Traffic jam is a cause of economic decline. |
By saying “decaying” (in Para. 4), the writer probably means_______.
| A．declining | B．developing | C．rich and successful | D．strong and healthy |
According to this article, which statement about “New York” and “Los Angeles” is true?
| A．The traffic jam in the two cities has been worsened. |
| B．New York and Los Angeles are the least successful cities in the US. |
| C．It is easier to reach major brokerage houses in the two cities than in other cities. |
| D．Despite the traffic jam in LA, you’ll find a satellite-guidance engineer more quickly there. |
Honey from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people and many animals like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees’ nest and take the honey from it. Often, these nests(巢) are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper—a little bird called a honey guide.
The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax(蜂蜡) in the beehives(蜂房). The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees’ nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or person as it leads them to the nest. When they finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey, and the wax, always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.
Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very determined in its efforts to get it. The birds seem to be able to smell wax from a long distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.Why is it difficult to find a wild bees’ nest?
| A．It’s small in size. | B．It’s hidden in trees. |
| C．It’s covered with wax. | D．It’s hard to recognize. |
What do the words“the follower”in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．A honey guide. | B．A bee. |
| C．A honey seeker.(找寻者) | D．A beekeeper. |
The honey guide is special in the way .
| A．it gets its food | B．it goes to church |
| C．it sings in forest | D．it reaches into bees’ nests |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Wild Bees | B．Wax and Honey |
| C．Beekeeping in Africa | D．Honey-Lover’s Helper |
Wisconsin Historical Museum
30 N. Carroll Street on Madison's Capitol Square
Discover Wisconsin's history and culture on four floors of exhibits. Open for public programs. Admission is free.
Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 am -- 4:00 pm.
(608) 264-6555 www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum
Swiss Historical Village
612 Seventh Ave., New Glarus
The Swiss Historical Village offers a beautiful look at pioneer life in America's heartland. 14 buildings in the village give a full picture of everyday life in the nineteenth-century Midwest.
Tue.—Fri., May 1st –October 31st , 10:00 am—4:00 pm. Admission is $20.
(608) 527-2317 www.swisshistoricalvillage.com
Artisan Gallery(画廊) & Creamery Café(咖啡馆)
6858 Paoli Rd., Paoli, WI
One of the largest collections of fine arts in Wisconsin. Over 5000 sp. ft. of exhibition space in a historic creamery. While visiting enjoy a wonderfully prepared lunch at our café overlooking the Sugar River. Just minutes from Madison!
Gallery open Tue. –Sun., 10:00 am—5:00 pm.
Café open Wed. –Sat., 11:00 am –3:00 pm.
Sun. brunch with wine, 10:00—3:00 pm.
(608) 845-6600 www.artisangal.com
Christopher Columbus Museum
239 Whitney St., Columbus
World-class exhibit –2000 quality souvenirs(纪念品) marking Chicago's 1893 World Columbian Exhibition. Tour buses are always welcome.
Open daily, 8:15 am – 4:00 pm.
(920) 623-1992 www.columbusantiquemall.comWhich of the following is on Capitol Square?
| A．Wisconsin Historical Museum. |
| B．Swiss Historical Village. |
| C．Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café. |
| D．Christopher Columbus Museum. |
Where can you go for a visit on Monday?
| A．Wisconsin Historical Museum. |
| B．Swiss Historical Village. |
| C．Artisan Gallery & Creamery café. |
| D．Christopher Columbus Museum. |
Where can visitors have lunch?
| A．At Wisconsin Historical Museum. |
| B．At Swiss Historical Village. |
| C．At Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café. |
| D．At Christopher Columbus Museum. |
We learn from the text that ________.
| A．Swiss Historical Village is open for half a year |
| B．Christopher Columbus Museum overlooks(俯视) a river |
| C．Tickets are needed for Wisconsin Historical Museum |
| D．Artisan Gallery & Creamery Café are open daily for 4 hours |
If you want to get the most out of the study of a language, you must also read for pleasure: novels, plays, travel books, and so on. And in reading books of this kind the important thing is to get on with the reading; to try to grasp（理解） what the writer is going to tell you in the book as a whole. This is impossible if you stop and think over the meaning of every single word which happens to be unfamiliar. You can not enjoy a story if you stop half a dozen times on every page in order to look up words in the dictionary. You may even prevent yourself from understanding the story as a whole by doing this.
When you are reading books of this kind, therefore, you will usually have to depend mainly on the context (上下文) to help you. If you meet an unfamiliar word, do not let it take too much of your attention from the main idea of the story. In all probability you will meet the same word again a few pages later on in a slightly different context, and each time you see it that your understanding of it will become more exact.The phrase “to get on with reading” in the first passage has the same meaning as “_________”.
| A．to try to grasp the meaning of every sentence in the book |
| B．to try to catch the meaning of every word in the book |
| C．to try to understand all the writer is going to tell you |
| D．to try to understand the main idea of the book |
When you meet new words in reading such kinds of books, you’d better _________.
| A．stop and look them up in a dictionary |
| B．stop and think them over |
| C．try to guess their meanings from the context |
| D．have none of them |
From the passage the best way to read novels, plays and travel books is .
| A．to read very slowly |
| B．to read quickly and not too carefully |
| C．to read very carefully |
| D．to read very seriously |
.What is the passage’s main idea?
| A．You can learn a lot from the study of a language. |
| B．Guess words’ meanings according to context. |
| C．Reading for pleasure is important. |
| D．Reading skills for books like novels, plays and so on |
Writing a long book seemed to be too much for me. So, for a long time, I just wrote short articles. One day, inspiration(灵感) for an article hit me and, as I started writing, paragraphs began flowing out fast. It turned out to be too long to be an article. I thought it would not hurt to try self-publishing a booklet(小册子). The first printing of this 32-page black and white booklet sold out within a week. Here is something that I have learned through my experience.
1.Start small.
Don’t try to have a 400-page work as your first publication. I suggest you publish a booklet under 50 pages to launch your career as an author.
2.Ask for advice.
If you know some people who have published something, ask them for advice and help. You will gain useful information from them and save yourself many problems.
3.
When you put your heart into something only to hear“We’re not interested”,you may get hurt. But you must remind yourself that this is quite common. Every“yes”you receive comes after at least five“noes”,especially at the beginning. You need to revise your book many times to reduce the chances of being turned down.
4.The more you market, the more you sell.
You can publish an excellent book. But if no people know about it, you cannot expect many buyers. Send out an e-mail to friends, family and business partners, telling them your book’s publication date. Ask them to help sell your book.
Do not be afraid to try novel ideas.What does the underlined word“launch”in Point 1 there mean?
| A．Begin. | B．Develop. | C．Lead. | D．Describe. |
What’s the best title for Point 3?
| A．No one will like what you wrote at first. |
| B．You will get hurt by what you wrote at first. |
| C．Prepare for a“yes”rather than a“no”. |
| D．Be prepared to deal with“noes”. |
According to the passage, if you want to have more copies of your book sold, you should .
| A．advertise your book in newspapers |
| B．try to make more people know your book |
| C．ask your business partners to buy your book |
| D．write something that people are interested in |
About self-publishing a book, the writer would most probably agree that .
| A．one usually makes no money out of self-publishing a book |
| B．one should never self-publish a book longer than 400 |
| C．self-publishing a book is impossible for most people |
| D．asking advice from people who have published a book is helpful |
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