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. |
All over the world people enjoy sports, Sports help to keep people healthy and happy, and to live longer.
Many people like to watch others play games. They buy tickets or turn on their TVs to watch the games. Often they get very excited when “their” player or team wins.
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for(参加) them. Football, for example, has spread(展开)around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers. What fun it is to jump into a pool or lake, whether in China, Egypt or Italy! And think of people in cold countries. Think how many love to skate or ski (滑雪) in Japan, Norway or Canada.
Some sports or games go back thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese wushu, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time. Water-skiing is one of the newest in the family of sports.
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game together they often become good friends. Sports help to train a person’s character. One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace(胜不骄，败不馁).Why do people all over the world enjoy sports?
| A．Because they are healthy. |
| B．Because they are happy. |
| C．Because they want to live longer. |
| D．All the above. |
Why do some people get excited when they watch a game? Because ___________.
| A．their favourite team wins | B．they win the game |
| C．they get the good news | D．they can’t help themselves |
Why do people from different countries often become friends after a game together? Because ____________.
| A．they train their character in the game |
| B．they understand each other |
| C．they are friendly to each other |
| D．they help each other |
When someone says, “Well，I guess I’ll have to face the music”， it doesn’t mean that he is planning to go to hear a singer or attend a concert. It is something far less unhappy than you are called in by your leader to explain why you did this and that or why you did not do this or that.
At some time or another, every one of us has to “face the music”, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry words “I want to talk to you”. And only because we did not listen to him. What a bad thing it was！
In the middle or at the end of every term, we students have to “face the music”. The result of the exam will decide whether we will face the music or not. If...that means parents cold faces and contempt (轻视) of the teachers and classmates.
“To face the music” is well known to every American, young or old. It is at least 100 years old. It really means that you have to do something, no matter how terrible the whole thing might be, because you know you have no choice. “To face the music” means “to__________”.
| A．do something that we don’t like to |
| B．go to the theatre |
| C．go to the music show |
| D．do something that we want to |
In the third paragraph， “If…”really means “If__________”．
| A．we don’t do a good job | B．we get an “A” in the exam |
| C．the exam is easy | D．the exam is difficult |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．“To face the music” is well known in the United States． |
| B．“To face the music” has a history of more than 100 years． |
| C．The young Americans know what “to face the music” means． |
| D．Only the old in the United States know the meaning of “to face the music”． |
The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before a huge pile of troublesome stuff they call “books”.
I was going to have my examination the next day. “When can I go to bed?” I asked myself. I didn’t answer, in fact I dared not.
The clock struck 12. “Oh, dear!” I cried, “ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most wretched creatures ( 可怜的人 ) in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite hopeless now. I forgot all I had learnt. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, Please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were heavy, so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were_____ .
| A．asleep | B．working in bed | C．outside | D．quietly laughing at him |
Reviewing his lessons didn’t help him because ________.
| A．it was too late at night |
| B．he was very tired |
| C．his eyes lids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open |
| D．he hadn’t studied hard before the examination |
What do you suppose happened to the author？
| A．He went to a church to pray again |
| B．He passed the exam by luck |
| C．He failed in the exam |
| D．He was punished by his teacher |
The best title for the passage would be __________ .
| A．The Night Before the Examination |
| B．Working Far into the Night |
| C．A Slow Student |
| D．Going Over My Lessons |
Interest in pursuing international careers has soared (increased sharply) in recent years, enhanced by chronic (lasting) personnel shortages that are causing companies to search beyond their home borders for talents.
Professionals seek career experience outside of their home countries for a variety of reasons. They may feel the need to recharge their batteries with a new challenge. They may want a position with more responsibility that encourages creativity and initiative. Or they may wish to expose their children to another culture, and the opportunity to learn a second language.
When applying for a job, one usually has to submit (present—v.) a resume or curriculum vitae (CV). The two terms generally mean the same thing: a one-or two-page document describing one's educational qualifications and professional experience. However, guidelines for preparing a resume are constantly changing. The best advice is to find out what is appropriate regarding the corporate (company) culture, the country culture, and the culture of the person making the hiring decision. The challenge will be to embrace (include) two or more cultures in one document. The following list is a good place to start.
● "Educational requirements differ from country to country. In almost every case of 'cross-border' job hunting, just stating the title of your degree will not mean adequate description. Provide the reader with details about your studies and any related experience."
●Pay attention to the resume format you use—chronological or reverse-chronological order. Chronological order means listing your 'oldest' work experience first. Reverse-chronological order means listing your current or most recent experience first. Most countries have preferences about which format is most acceptable. If you find no specific guidelines, the general preference is for the reverse-chronological format.
●If you are submitting your resume in English, find out if the recipient uses British English or American English because there are variations between the two versions. For example, university education is often referred to as 'tertiary education' in the United Kingdom, but this term is almost never used in the United States. A reader who is unfamiliar with these variations may assume that your resume contains errors.Companies are hiring more foreign employees because ________.
| A．they have difficulty finding qualified personnel at home |
| B．they find foreign employees are usually more talented |
| C．they need original ideas from employees hired overseas |
| D．they want to expand their business beyond home borders |
The author believes that an individual who applies to work overseas ________.
A. is usually creative and full of initiative
B. aims to improve his foreign language skills
C. seeks either his own or his children's development
D is dissatisfied with his own life at homeWhen it comes to resume writing, it is best to ________.
| A．learn about the company's hiring process |
| B．follow appropriate guidelines for job hunting |
| C．take cultural factors into consideration |
| D．know the employer's personal likes and dislikes |
According to the author's last piece of advice, the applicants should be aware of ________.
| A．the different educational systems in the US and the UK |
| B．the recipient's preference with regard to the format |
| C．the distinctive features of American and British cultures |
| D．the differences between the varieties of English |
Plants are flowering faster than scientists predict in reaction to climate change, which could have long damaging effects on food chains and ecosystems.
“Global warming is having a great effect on hundreds of plant and animal species around the world, changing some living patterns.” scientists say.
Increased carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air from burning coal and oil can have an effect on how plants produce oxygen, while higher temperatures and changeable rainfall patterns can change their patterns of growth.
“Predicting species’ reaction to climate change is a major challenge in ecology,” said the researchers of several U.S. Universities. They said plants had been the key object of study because their reaction to climate change could have an effect on food chains and ecosystem services.
The study, published on the Nature website, uses the findings from plant life cycle studies and experiments across four continents and 1,634 species. It found that some experiments had underestimated the speed of flowering by 8.5 times and leafing by 4 times.
“Across all species, the experiments underestimated the speed of the advance—for both leafing and flowering—that results from temperature increases,” the study said.
“The design of future experiments may need to be improved to better predict how plants will react to climate change,” it said.
Plants are necessary for life on the Earth. They are the base of the food chain, using photosynthesis (光合作用) to produce sugar from carbon dioxide and water. They let out oxygen which is needed by nearly every organism on the planet.
Scientists believe the world’s average temperature has risen by about 0.8 ℃ since 1900, and nearly 0.2 ℃ every ten years since 1979.
So far, efforts to cut emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases are not seen as enough to prevent the Earth heating up beyond 2 ℃ this century—a point scientists say will bring the danger of a changeable climate in which weather extremes are common, leading to drought, floods, crop failures and rising sea levels.What is the key information the author wants to give in Paragraph 1?
| A．The increasing speed of flowering is beyond scientists’ expectation. |
| B．Climate change leads to the change of food production patterns. |
| C．Plants’ reaction to weather could have damaging effects on ecosystem. |
| D．Food chains have been seriously damaged because of weather. |
We can learn from the study published on the Nature website that _____.
| A．scientists should improve the design of the experiments |
| B．plants’ flowering is 8.5 times faster than leafing |
| C．there are 1,634 plant species on the four continents |
| D．the experiments failed to predict how plants react to climate change |
Scientists pay special attention to the study of plants because _____.
| A．they can prove the climate change clearly |
| B．they are very important in the food chains |
| C．they play a leading role in reducing global warming |
| D．they are growing and flowering much faster than before |
What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs about the world’s temperature?
| A．It has risen nearly 0.2 ℃ since 1979. |
| B．It is 0.8 ℃ higher in 1979 than that of 1990. |
| C．It needs to be controlled within 2 ℃ in this century. |
| D．Its change will lead to weather extremes. |
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