This selection of books and guides offers insight to hidden charm in many favorite cities and destinations and gives you the knowledge to uncover unusual sights to see and places to visit. We hope you enjoy our choices and welcome your comments. Email your feedback to books@ gounusual. com.
The following are taken from these books. You will find much more information about these hotels in the books.
Kakslauttanen Hotel
It is the home of the famous Igloo（冰屋）Village with the unique glass and snow igloos and the world’s largest snow restaurant. In addition , their guests can enjoy the winter activities including watching the Northern Lights visible generally from late August to late April. Guests can sample the peace of sleeping in snow. Their glass igloos are fantastic for lying on your bed at night, watching the Northern Lights in the warm. You can enjoy cold or warm night sleep as required.
Art Hotel in Ronda
Beautifully situated in the oldest paved street of Ronda and surrounded by historic buildings, Art Hotel is decorated with original and historical artwork and atmospheric lighting. There is lots of fun and funky touches, e. g. lights and birds nesting in old basketballs, wall murals（壁画）of Michael Jackson , car tyres converted to occasional tables.
During your stay, all drinks, breakfast and the use of all facilities are included in the price of the room.
Otter Creek Tents
The tents are separated from the rest of the world by a quiet salt-water creek. A coconut plantation dating back to 1886, the secret location preserves the privacy and peace of guests, with the salt water of the creek keeping even the mosquitoes away.
Each tent sleeps 2 in a four-poster double bed and has a western style toilet and bathroom with running water and hot shower. The tents use the dining facilities of the charming “Elsewhere” beach houses and enjoy over a mile of the pristine（处于原始状态的）beach where one can still see the footprints of fishermen , and during the season , possibly the prints of sea turtles.
The Original Icehotel
“Imagine a hotel built from thousands of tons of snow and ice, and rebuilt every winter”--that is ICEHOTEL in northern Lapland, Sweden.
This is the original ICEHOTEL, first created in the early 1990s. It has become the global ambassador for this genre and now licenses ICEBARs around the world too. With 80 ＋ rooms, the property is a huge undertaking to be rebuilt every year, and their expertise inspired other similar properties in North America and elsewhere.People staying in Kakslauttanen Hotel can watch the Northern Lights EXCEPT in ________.
| A．August | B．April | C．December | D．June |
What is special about Otter Creek Tents?
| A．You can sleep in a house made of ice there. |
| B．It is surrounded by a forest. |
| C．You can enjoy the scenes of a beach. |
| D．You can enjoy turtles cooked in a special way there. |
If you want to experience sleeping with snow or ice around, you can choose ________.
| A．Kakslauttanen Hotel and Art Hotel in Ronda |
| B．Otter Creek Tents and Icehotel |
| C．Art Hotel in Ronda and Otter Creek Tents |
| D．Kakslauttanen Hotel and Icehotel |
What’s the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To show us the advantages of staying in hotels. |
| B．To introduce and promote some books. |
| C．To encourage people to travel around the world. |
| D．To explain to us how people manage the hotels. |
Watercolor is the oldest paints known. It dates back to the early cave men who discovered they could add lifelike qualities to drawings of animals and other figures on the walls of caves by mixing the natural colors found in the earth with water.
Fresco(壁画), one of the greatest of all art forms, is done with watercolor. It is created by mixing paints and water and applying these to wet plaster(灰泥). Of the thousands of people who stand under Michelangelo's heroic ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, very few know that they are looking at perhaps the greatest watercolor painting in the world.
The invention of oil painting by the Flemish masters in the fifteenth century made fresco painting go down-hill, and for the next several centuries watercolor was used mainly for doing sketches(素描) or as a tool for study. It was not until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that English painters put back watercolor as a serious art form. The English have a widely-known love for the outdoors and also small, private pictures. The softness of watercolor had a remarkably strong attraction for them.
The popularity of watercolor continued to grow until in the twentieth century. The United States passed England as the center for watercolor, producing such well-known watercolor artists as Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The gradual weakness of fresco painting. |
| B．Oils having more power or influence over watercolor. |
| C．The rediscovery of watercolor in England. |
| D．The start and development of watercolor. |
The first watercolor artists were ______.
| A．early cave men | B．Italian fresco artists |
| C．Flemish masters | D．English artists of the 18th century |
In 16th and 17th centuries the artists thought ______.
| A．watercolor was more costly, but was better |
| B．oil painting lasted less long, but clearer and brighter |
| C．watercolor was not suitable for finished works |
| D．oil painting was difficult to use |
According to the passage, watercolor painting was put back in England because ______.
A.it was easy to use outdoors B.it was a strong medium
B.it was extremely bright in color D.it was well suited to popular tastesWhat would the next paragraph most probably deal with?
| A．The works of famous American watercolor artists. |
| B．The weakness of oils as popular paints. |
| C．Techniques of producing watercolor. |
| D．Modern American oil painters. |
“BANG!” the door caused a reverberation(回声).It was just standing there, with father standing on one side , and I on the other side.
We were both in great anger” Never set foot in this house again!” stormed father．With tears welling up in my eyes, I rushed out of the flat and ran along the street.
The street lights were shining rather desolately(凄凉的).I wandered aimlessly.
A young father who held a child in his arms walked past me．I felt as if I saw my childhood from another space: happy and harmonious.
But now..．I don’t know whether it is because I have grown up or because dad is getting old．We differ in our ways of thinking．He always imposes his opinions and codes of behavior on me．Whenever I do something wrong, he never admits it．We are just like two people coming from two different worlds．It feels like there is an iron door between us that can never be opened.
I wandered the streets, without a destination in mind．My heart was frozen on this hot summer night．As I walked on there were fewer and fewer people on the streets, until I had only the street lights to keep me company．When I finally reached the high-rise apartment block in which I lived ,I saw that the light was still on.
I thought to myself: “Is father waiting for me, or is he still angry with me?”
In fact, it was nothing．Perhaps, dad was throwing away some of his old stamps．Perhaps he thought they were useless．I never had the courage to tell him that I liked collecting stamps．I can’t stand his outrageous(蛮横的)words: “I can’t throw you away, let alone these old papers ?”
All the lights were off except father’s.
Dad was always like this．Maybe he didn’t know how to express himself．After shouting at me, he never showed any mercy or any moments of regret．After an argument he has the habit of creeping up in my sleep and then tucking me underneath the covers.
This was how he always was．He has been a leader for so long that telling everyone else what to do has become his second nature.
The light was still on．“Am I wrong?” I whispered ,maybe...With the key in hand, I was as nervous as I had ever been．At last, I decided to open the door．As soon as I opened the door tears ran down my cheeks．I suddenly realized that the iron door that I had imagined between us did not exist at all．Love—it second to none.Decide which is the best order of the following according to what happened in the passage.
a．I opened the door and entered the house.
b．Sadly I ran out into the street.
c．I reached the place where I lived and saw my house still brightly lit.
d．I thought of my father’s kindness towards me.
e．I walked about in the street without any aim.
| A．b,e,d,c,a | B．b,e,c,d,a | C．b,e,a,c,d | D．b,e,c,a,d |
What made the writer think of his childhood ?
| A．The sight of the desolate street lights. |
| B．The sight of the empty street. |
| C．The sight of a father with a child in his arms. |
| D．The sight of light in his own house. |
Why do you think the father often shouts at his son ?
| A．perhaps the father is getting older and older. |
| B．perhaps the son has already grown up. |
| C．perhaps they never agree with each other. |
| D．perhaps the father has got used to doing that. |
What conclusion can you draw after reading the passage ?
| A．The father treats his son in an unfair way. |
| B．The father is actually kind to his son. |
| C．The father is neither kind nor cruel to his son. |
| D．The father is always finding fault with his son. |
Without most people realizing it, there has been a revolution in office work over the last ten years．Before that time, large computers were only, used by large, rich companies that could afford the investment．With the advancement of technology, small computers have come onto the market, which are capable of doing the work which used to be done by much larger and expensive computers, so now most smaller companies can use them
The main development in small computers has been in the field of word processors (处理器) , or WPS as they are often called．40% of British offices are now estimated to have a word processor and this percentage is growing fast．
There are many advantages in using a word processor for both secretary and manager．The secretary is freed from a lot of daily work, such as re-typing letters and storing papers．He or she can use this time to do other more interesting work for the boss．From a manager's point of view, secretarial time is being made better use of and money can be saved by doing daily jobs automatically outside office hors．
But is it all good? If a lot of daily secretarial work can be done automatically, surely this will mean that fewer secretaries will be needed．Another worry is the increasing medical problems related to work with visual display units (显示器)．The case of a slow loss of sight among people using word processors seems to have risen greatly．It is also feared that if a woman works at a VDU for long hours, the unborn child in her body might be killed．Safety screens to put over a VDU have been invented but few companies in England bother to buy them．
Whatever the arguments for and against word processor, they are a key feature (特征) of this revolution in office practice．
Then years ago, smaller companies did not use large computers because_________．
| A．these companies had not enough money to buy such expensive computers |
| B．these computers could not do the work that small computers can do today |
| C．these computers did not come onto the market |
| D．these companies did not need to use this new technology |
According to the writer, the main feature of the revolution in office work
over the last ten years is __________．
| A．the saving of time and money | B．the use of computers in small companies |
| C．the wide use of word processors | D．the decreasing number of secretaries |
It is implied but not directly stated in the passage that with the use of word
processors _________．
| A．some secretaries will lose their jobs |
| B．daily jobs can be done automatically outside office hours |
| C．medical problems related to work with a VDU have increased |
| D．the British companies will make less money |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．There are both advantages and disadvantages in using a word processor |
| B．The British companies care much for the health of the people using word processors． |
| C．The technology in the field of computers has been greatly advanced over the last ten years． |
| D．Using word processors , secretaries can get more time to do more interesting work for their bosses． |
It can be concluded from the passage that ________．
| A．safety screens are of poor quality |
| B．working at a VDU for a long time is good for one's health |
| C．more and more British offices will use word processors |
| D．British companies will need fewer and fewer manages |
Making an advertisement for television often costs more than a move．For example, a two-hour movie costs $ 6 million to make．A TV commercial can cost more than $ 6 000 a second．And that does not include cost of paying for air time(电视节目开始的时间)．Which is more valuable, the program or the ad? In terms of money--and making money is what television is all about the commercial is by far the more important．
Research, market testing, talent, time and money--all come together to make us want to buy a product．No matter how bad we think a commercial is, it works．The sales of Charm went up once the ads began．TV commercials actually buy their way into our head．We, in turn, buy the product．
And the ads work because so much time an attention are given them．Here are some rules of commercial ad making．If you want to get the low middle-class buyer, make sure the announcer has a tough, manly voice．Put some people in the ad who work with their hands．If you want to sell to upper-class audience, make sure that the house, the furniture, and the hair style are the types that the group identifies (识别) with．If you want the buyer feel superior to the character selling the product, then make that person so stupid or silly that everyone will feel great about himself or herself
We laugh at commercials．We don't think we pay that much attention them．But evidence shows we are kidding ourselves．The making of a commercial that costs so much money is not kid stuff．It's big, big business．And it's telling us what to think, what we need, and what to buy．To put simply, the TV commercial is a form of brainwashing．TV commercials are more important than other programs to television because _______．
| A．they bring in great profits (利润) | B．they require a lot of money to make |
| C．they are not difficult to produce | D．they attract more viewers than other programs |
The purpose of all the efforts made in turning out TV commercials is ________．
| A．to persuade people to buy the product | B．to show how valuable the product is |
| C．to test the market value of the product | D．to make them as interesting as TV movies |
From the rules set for making commercial ads, we can see that_________．
| A．the lower-middle-class buyer likes to work with his hand |
| B．the more stupid the characters, the more buyers of the product |
| C．ad designers attract different people with different skills |
| D．an upper-class buyer is more interested in houses and furniture than a lower-middle-class buyer |
The word “kidding”(line 2, par．4) most probably means _________．
| A．behaving as a child | B．laughing at |
| C．making fun of | D．not telling the truth to |
It is believed by the writer that_________．
| A．few people like to watch TV commercials |
| B．TV commercials are a good guide to buyers |
| C．TV commercials often make people laugh |
| D．people do not think highly of TV commercials |
Criticism is judgement．A critic is a judge．A judgement study and think about the material presented to him, accept it, correct it, or reject it after thinking over what he has read, watched or heard.
Another word for criticism is appreciation．When I criticize or appreciate some objector another, I look for its good points and bad points．In reading any printed or written matter, I always have a pencil in hand and put any comments in the book or on a separate paper．In other words, I always talk back to the writer.
That sort of critical reading might well be called creative reading because I am thinking along with the author, asking him questions, seeing whether he answers the questions and how well he answers them．I mark the good passages to store them in my memory piece of writing; where, how and why could or should I improve upon it?
You might think that doing what I suggested is work．Yes, it is, but the work is a pleasure because I can feel my brain expanding, my emotion reacting and my way of living change.
Reading exercises is a great influence on a person．If pictures, still or moving, accompany the reading, the memory will retain the material for a long time.
Just as evil books can corrupt, so also can good books gradually work a change on a corrupt person.
Let's get back to the beneficial effects of thinking while reading．It helps us to enlarge our minds．We understand more about the universe, its people and many of its wonders．We learn to think and observe in new ways．We certainly do get a feeling for the language we are reading．All good writers in any language have been readers who read critically and continuously.The writer says a critic________．
| A．asks what he does not understand |
| B．talks back to the author |
| C．understand the background on which the works are based |
| D．looks for the good and bad points of the material he has read |
According to the writer, creative reading is________.
| A．raising questions and answering them for the author. |
| B．reading and giving comments on the materials one has read. |
| C．thinking in the same line with the author. |
| D．storing up facts in one's memory. |
By the phrase “thinking along with” in the third paragraph, the writer means________.
| A．following one's thought closely | B．accepting |
| C．considering | D．agreeing |
According to the writer, critical reading________.
| A．makes a person rich | B．enables a person to write fluently |
| C．broaden a person's horizons | D．gives a person extra work. |
We can learn from the passage that all good readers ________.
| A．understand more about their surrounding than others. |
| B．have a thorough insight to the problem in life. |
| C．have the feeling of the language they read. |
| D．have read extensively(广泛地)and critically |
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