You might not want a holiday in your hometown, but there is probably someone who does. And, in exchange, you could have a cheap vacation anywhere in the world.
Just picture the scene: you’re watching the sunset from the balcony of a Caribbean island house. It’s large. And it’s free as long as you don’t mind the owners living in your home at the same time.
All you need to be a home-swapper is the Internet and a rough idea of when and where you want to go on holiday. When you find someone whose dates match yours, and who wants to visit your area, you’re all set to swap.
The advantages are numerous: you can save a fortune in accommodation cost. You could get to use the owners’ car, boat, bikes, pool or gym. You might even be able to come to an arrangement about looking after each other’s pets!
You also get to live like a local, and you might be invited around to neighbors’ homes for tea, barbecues and tips on the area. People say that these cultural experiences are the memories that last. Plus, instead of one tiny hotel room, you have an entire house where you can make yourself at home. And it’s not cold and impersonal like a hotel room.
Of course, there are disadvantages. A lot of effort and communication are needed before the arrangements are finalized. Nobody wants a stranger living in their house, sleeping in their bed and using their bathroom, so you have to get to know each other well beforehand.
Some people are concerned about theft or property damage, but in reality this is very rare. Most home-exchangers have the view that “If they can trust me with their house, I can trust them with mine.” The worse complaint people have is the difference in standards of cleanness.
If you’re interested in home-exchange for your next holiday, start by contacting a famous agency like homelink.org and intervac,co.uk. These agencies will also have advice about preparing for a home-exchange.What will you most probably remember if you have exchanged your home with another?
| A．The sunset. |
| B．The car or boat of the home owner. |
| C．The pet of the home owner. |
| D．A gathering in his neighborhood. |
If you want to exchange your home with another, you should do all of the following EXCEPT_________.
| A．trying to know each other |
| B．surfing the Internet for information |
| C．inviting your neighbors home for tea |
| D．finding someone who wants to visit your area |
Where can you most probably find the passage?
| A．In a story book. | B．In a guide book. |
| C．In a textbook. | D．In a science book. |
In many ways, our society doesn’t simply prepare for the kinds of lives that the elderly must lead. We have made medical advances that allow people to live longer than ever before, but we do not seem to know what to do with them after we have saved their lives. Too little allowance is made for the person who is no longer earning a living, who can not walk long distances or drive a car, or who may have physical or mental disabilities that keep him from communicating with others. The institutional (慈善机构的) care we give our older people is a good reflection of the overall attitude of our society toward the aged.
In the past few years, nursing homes have received wide attention as boring, meaningless places where old people often have little else to do but wait for the end of their lives. Elderly wards in mental hospitals are even worse. One of the most shocking things abort nursing homes has been the unwillingness of people on the outside to show real concern for what happens in these institutions. Even people who are entrusting (委托) a parent to the care of a home rarely ask about the nurse-parent ratio (比率), about the kinds of creative facilities or physical treatment equipment available, or about the frequency of doctors’ visits.
And the government has provided federal money without enforcing high standards of care. In fact federal standards were lowered in 1974. Therefore, in some sense our concern for the aged seems to be moving backwards, not forwards. This picture is in striking contrast to the treatment of respectable patriarchs (男长者) and matriarchs (女长者) in many societies.What would be the most suitable title for this passage?
| A．Failure of Care for the Elderly | B．The Elderly |
| C．Institutional Care | D．A National Shame |
We can conclude from this passage that the writer feels ____.
| A．nursing homes should be got rid of |
| B．a country that can help people live longer should also be able to care for them better |
| C．people have no thanks toward their parents |
| D．our society’s institutions need to be reformed |
The writer believes that people who place a parent in a nursing home should ____.
| A．demand higher federal standards |
| B．consider the example set in other countries |
| C．be ashamed of not keeping the parents in their own homes |
| D．investigate it first |
The writer complains ____.
| A．about the indifference of some people towards nursing homes |
| B．about the shortage of equipment in nursing home |
| C．that nursing homes keep the aged from communicating with others |
| D．both A and B |
Isn’t it cool to surf in summer? You catch a wave and enjoy the ride with skill and gift. Surfing is not only our favorite pastime, though. A group of penguins(企鹅) enjoy the sport as much as we do. And they display their excitement and skills in the new animated(动画) film Surf's Up , which came out on June 6, in the US.
Teenage penguin Cody Maverick lives in Antarctica and loves the sport. He desires to learn from Cody's idol is Big Z, a great penguin surfing king.
He is different from other penguins, who work in processing factories. His brother and mother are not supportive of him. He really wants to get away. Cody believes that winning will bring him the admiration and respect he desires. He's given the chance to escape when Mikey Abromowitz, a talent scout (星探), comes to Antarctica to look for gifted penguins for a surfing competition on an island named Pen Gu.
Cody's really excited, but, during his show, there are no waves and he chokes. But he knows he can't give up. He runs after Mikey's whale. And he begs until Mikey agrees to take him to Pen Gu.
There Cody meets Lani, the island's beautiful lifeguard, as well as his main rival (对手), the surfing champion Evans. The cocky Evans shows no respect for Big Z, which makes Cody angry. In order to defend his forever idol, he challenges Evans to a surfing match, only to suffer a terrible defeat.
Lani takes Cody to the island doctor. As they spend time together, Cody realizes that this doctor is really Big Z himself and begged Big Z to teach him.After Big Z learns the cause of his injury, he begins to train Cody and help him make a good surfer. He improves his skills and begins a close surfing match with Evans…. The best title for the passage would be________.
A. Big Z, a legendary penguin surfing king.
B. Penguins Cody's Trip to Antarctica
C. How To Be a Good Surfer
D A New Animated Film— Surf's UpWhich of the following is WRONG about Teenage penguin Cody Maverick?
| A．He is fond of surfing and lives in Antarctica |
| B．He gets along well with his brother and brother. |
| C．He is defeated by Evans in a surfing match. |
| D．He thinks winning will win the respect of others. |
Who does penguin Cody Maverick respect most?
| A．Mikey Abromowitz | B．Evans | C．Lani | D．Big Z |
The underlined word “chokes” in the fifth paragraph means_______.
| A．fails | B．stops breathing | C．feels out of breath | D．holds his breath |
It can be inferred from the passage it is probably _______that makes Big Z accept him and help him improve his skills.
| A．his honesty and stubbornness | B．his determination and cleverness |
| C．his determination and devotion | D．his self-importance and courage |
◆200 dead as Brazilian plane crashes in Sao Paulo
Up to 200 people were dead after a passenger plane with 176 people aboard slid off the runway on landing and hit a fuel storage tank at Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport on Tuesday.
Brazilian airline TAM said that 170 passengers and 6 crew were aboard the Airbus A320 flying from Porto Alegre in southern Brazil to Sao Paulo when it lost control on landing and slid off the wet runway.
Brazilian news agency Folha reported up to 200 people were dead, including some victims on the ground.
◆_______________________________________
Two people were killed Saturday in two separate plane crashes in the United States, media reports said.
In Dayton, Ohio, a plane crashed on a runway of the Dayton International Airport while performing during the Vectren Dayton Air Show. The pilot, Jim LeRoy, was taken to Miami Valley Hospital and was announced dead. The air show was canceled .
Also on the same day, two single-engine war planes at an experimental air show collided(相撞) in Wisconsin while landing, killing one of the pilots and injuring the other.
◆All 114 aboard Kenya plane killed
A Kenya Airways plane that crashed after takeoff in Cameroon with 114 people on board is largely submerged (淹没) in a swamp(沼泽地) and there is no chance of survivors, Cameroon 's civil protection service said on Monday
The Boeing 737-800 had taken off from Douala and its wreckag (残骸)was found just 12 miles from the town. The plane fell head first. But the cause of the crash remained unclear.
Among the passengers were Associated Press reporter Anthony Mitchella and an executive from the South African cell phone giant MTN. Five Chinese passengers were also killed in the crash . The Brazilian plane crash caused extra deaths mainly because______
| A．it skidded off the wet runway. | B．the runway. was very short |
| C．it hit a fuel storage tank | D．its pilot was inexperienced |
The proper title for News 2 would be _________.
| A．Two pilots killed in plane crashes in US | B．The tragedies of the air show |
| C．Who is to blame for the plane crashes? | D．Big losses can result from small things |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE as for the Kenya plane crash?
| A．The plane crashed after the plane took off. |
| B．The cause of the crash was under examination |
| C．114 passengers on board were killed including an African |
| D．The place where the plane crashed led to many more deaths |
The Brazilian plane crash killed about _____people in all on the ground.
| A．170 | B．30 | C．24 | D．6 |
It can be inferred from the three news that_________
| A．when the Airbus A320 landed, it was likely to be raining heavily |
| B．during the Vectren Dayton Air Show , the pilot, Jim LeRoy died on the scene |
| C．The place where the Boeing 737-800 crashed was just 12 miles from the town |
| D．Five Chinese passengers were victims of the Kenya plane crash |
My dream ended when I was born. Although I never knew it then, I just held on to something that would never come to pass. Dreams really do exist. But in the morning when you wake up, they are remembered just as a dream. That is what happened to me.
I always had the dream to dance like a beautiful ballerina（芭蕾舞女演员）turning around and around and hearing people applaud for me. When I was young, I would turn around and around in the fields of wildflowers that grew in my backyard.
Reality woke me up when I heard someone saying, "I don't know why you bother trying to dance. Ballerinas are pretty and slender(苗条) girls. Besides, you don't have the talent to even be a ballerina." I remember how those words hurt every feeling in my body. I fell to the ground and wept for hours.
I enjoyed hanging out by the water. I would sit there for hours and stare at my reflection(倒影). There I was, looking nothing like a pretty ballerina dancer. Reflections don't lie. Once the waves would come, my reflection was washed away just like my dream to dance.
As I grew older, I began to realize that the reason my dream was even born was because it was something that was inside of me. The dream I had was never nurtured(培育) and cared for, so it slowly died. It's not that I wanted it to die, but I allowed it to die the day I started listening to the words, "You can't do it." When I finally woke up from many years of dreaming, I realized that you can't only settle for dancing in the wildflowers, you have to move on to the platform. Which of the following can serve as the best title for the passage？
| A．Care for your dream |
| B．Dream and reality |
| C．Nothing is impossible |
| D．Efforts to be a ballerina will pay |
The author didn’t realize her dream of being a ballerina mainly because_______.
| A．she was bored of dancing and performing |
| B．she had lack of self-respect |
| C．her health conditions allowed her dream to die |
| D．she was deeply affected by others easily |
From the passage, it can be inferred that _________.
| A．the author was once a pretty and slender girl with wonderful dream. |
| B．we should dare to give up our dream facing much pressure and difficulty |
| C．if you stick to your dream and never say die, you will enjoy a bright life |
| D．You should necer give up. |
What is the main purpose of writing the passage?
| A．to complain | B．to praise | C．to warn | D．to criticize |
The underlined expression “settle for” in the last paragraph means_________.
| A．turn down | B．take up | C．give up | D．settle down |
The mobile phone has been a part of our lives since the 1980s. It enables us to stay in contact with our family and friends at all times and in most areas. However, because of the quick acceptance and extensive usage of mobiles in our lives, we have missed out on an important step, namely, the appropriate (恰当的)use.
Driving a car
Do not use your phone while you are driving ! You could concentrate on your conversation and forget to look where you are going, or you could take your eyes off the road to look at the phone’s display or to press in a number. Either way, you could cause a terrible accident.
In a restaurant
There is probably nothing more annoying than a diner receiving or making a call near you when you are in a restaurant. The icy glares you receive should be warning enough that it is not appreciated. Turn you phone off and enough that it is not appreciated. Turn you phone off and use your message service to return calls after you leave.
At the cinema
Do not give way to the desire to call a friend if the film is boring, or if you want to find out what happens. You could become the target of all the angry cinema customers.
At the theatre
There is no more icy glare than that of a theatre goer who has paid a lot of money to see a show and hears your phone playing a tone. It goes without saying that you will be seen as a socially unacceptable person in this situation.
In hospitals
This is probably the most important place to make sure your phone is switched off. Your phone can disturb life-saving electronic equipment in hospitals, so it is necessary that your phone is switched off before you enter.
On planes
Your phone might disturb navigational equipment and cause a horrible accident so you should switch it off before boarding a plane. According to the passage, the most annoying thing in a restaurant is that __________.
| A．you receive icy glares |
| B．a nearby diner is answering a phone call |
| C．you have to use the message service |
| D．you can not return calls until after you leave |
Which of the following statements is NOT true ?
| A．Theatre goers will not give you icy glares when they hear your phone. |
| B．When switched on in hospitals, mobile phones could endanger patients’ lives. |
| C．Passengers should switch off the phones before getting on a plane. |
| D．Pressing in phone numbers when driving could lead to traffic accidents. |
The passage mainly describes __________.
| A．different functions of mobile phones |
| B．the overuse of mobile phones on some occasions |
| C．some areas where message service is forbidden |
| D．the proper use of mobile phones in some public places |
What does the underlined word “concentrate on” mean in the article? It means ______.
| A．make something stronger | B．carry on |
| C．pay particular attention | D．think something clearly |
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