Why choose National Express?
When you travel with us we want to ensure you're safe, comfortable and arrive at your destination on time. This is why we've made some significant improvements to our services and added new and exciting tools to make sure travelling with us is an easy and relaxing experience.
You go there, we go there
We go to hundreds of towns, cities and airports across the UK. We've over 550 coaches covering 70 million miles a year, so if there's somewhere you want to go, then chances are we go there too.
Safe, modern coaches
A total of 25 million pounds has been invested on over 100 coaches in the last year. Most of our coaches now have leather seats and headrests, ample legroom, power sockets for charging mobiles, tablets and laptops and a toilet on board. For your safety, all our coaches are fitted with the latest safety features as standard. Please turn to page 4-5 for more safety information.
Coach Tracker
Why not use Coach Tracker while travelling with us, or tell your friends and relatives to use it to track where your coaches is in real-time, anytime, anywhere. Simply visit nationalexpresss.com/coachtracker and follow the on-screen instructions.
Assisted travel
The majority of our coaches have an easy-access passenger lift at the front of the coach, providing step free access to wheelchair users and anyone with reduced mobility. We can also offer practical assistance along the way to make your journey easier and more enjoyable. Call 03717 818181 for more information.
Greener journey
Travelling by coaches is one of the most environmentally friendly forms of transport. Our coaches emit up to five times less CO2 per passenger, per kilometer than an average car.
Mobile
If you are looking to book a ticket on the go you can use our mobile site, which your smartphone or tablet will automatically direct you to when you visit our website.
Satellite tracking
We track the majority of our coaches using a satellite tracking system. We know exactly where our coaches are at any given time, and can reroute them should there be any avoidable traffic block. We're committed to getting you to your destination safely and on time.
Thanks for choosing to travel with us. We've created this booklet to keep you up-to-date on our safety information and improvements. Whether you are travelling with us to the airport or visiting your favorite destination, sit back, relax and familiarize yourself with the safety features and facilities on board.
From the passage, we can know that ________
| A．National Express invests 25 million on its coaches every year. |
| B．Disabled passengers have easy access to every National Express coach. |
| C．A National Express coach emits less CO2 than an average four-seat car. |
| D．Family members can have National Express passenger’s real-time location through Coach Tracker. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The booklet on National Express has at least 5 pages. |
| B．You can call 03717 818181 for more information on mobility issues. |
| C．Most coaches now have leather seats, headsets, tablets and a toilet onboard. |
| D．Most coaches can change their route to avoid traffic jams by satellite tracking. |
The passage is intended to _________ .
| A．inform you of the safety features and latest improvements of the coaches |
| B．introduce the onboard facilities and tools for your safe and comfortable travel |
| C．keep you up-to-date on the safety information and improvements |
| D．promote and advertise the coach service offered by National Express |
What is true about the National Express?
| A．It is a company located in the US that offers coach service nationwide. |
| B．If you visit its website, a ticket will automatically be booked for you. |
| C．It aims to provide safe, relaxing and punctual service for its customers. |
| D．Its coach has step free lifts at both ends of the coach. |
Social networking isn’t only for the under 40s. More than 25 percent of Americans 50 years and older stay connected using sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, according to new research.
“The latest data tells us that more and more social networking is becoming a part of everyday life for Americans 50 plus,” said Kevin Donnellan, the chief communications officer at AARP, which released the report.
Nearly a quarter of older Americans are on Facebook and 73 percent said they use it to stay in touch with relatives, but not just their children and grandchildren. “They are using the Internet to keep up with the world and the people who are important to them,” said Jean Koppen, the author of the report. She added that older adults are also on Facebook to stay connected, not only with their family, but with their friends and those in the same age group. Almost 50 percent of older adults were introduced to the social networking sites by a family member, mainly a child or grandchild. “Just under one-fifth of adults aged 50 and older say they do not use the Internet,” according to the report.
The findings are based on a telephone survey of 1,863 adults. In addition to keeping up on Facebook and Twitter older adults are aware of the latest technology. Eighty-three percent had heard about the Apple iPad and 11 percent intended to buy one.
Despite the popularity of the Internet among the over 50s, they still mostly go to print newspapers and magazines for news. Only one percent said they followed blogs.What is the main idea of the text?
A. Social networking is becoming popular among older Americans.
B. Social networking isn’t for the under 40s in the U.S.A.
C. American old people’s way of life is quite fashionable.
D. Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are the most popular websites in the US.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．85% of Americans 50 plus choose the Internet over print media. |
| B．About 20% of adults aged 50 plus have access to the Internet. |
| C．About 460 people in the telephone survey often use Facebook. |
| D．Three quarters of the people surveyed got to know the Internet through their family. |
From the text, it can be concluded that______.
| A．Kevin Donnellan approves of this change among older Americans |
| B．many older Americans are open-minded about new developments |
| C．Young people should introduce their elders to new technology |
| D．In a high tech age it is difficult to avoid social networking |
Where does the text probably come from?
| A．A novel. | B．A student’s research paper |
| C．A technology guide. | D．A newspaper. |
STRANGERS parties go wild these days. The main idea of them is to never let the people know who their matches are until the last minute. These are some popular practices that are storming the world’s youth on this V-day.
Speed dating
It’s exactly what the name implies. Complete with a timer, a whistle and 50 willing singles, speed dating is not the traditional dinner and a movie type of first date. Singles pay US $35 for three minutes with more than two dozen future dates. They ask questions and try to get to know each other. At the sound of a whistle, they do the same thing all over again―25 times in all.
Lock and key party
Women are given a lock and men are given a key, upon arriving at the party. Each key and lock has several matches. One can hunt for his/her later-to-be sweetheart in various groups, and try out the key or lock. Each time a lock and key match the pair are entered into a ballot (票数） for top prizes!
Dinner in the dark
Waiters wearing night vision glasses guide the guests through the pitch-black dining room. They are seated at the table and familiarized with the wine glass and plate. Food is handled with the fingers. People will not see the food they are eating or the guests at their table until the dessert course. At that moment, dining partners will appear.
Message party
Have A Cocktail, Leave A Message! When you arrive, you get a tag with a number and a pad of post-it notes. If you see someone you like, write a message on the message board. But wait… You’ve got a message… Go and collect it! You can make new friends and win lots of gifts. The more messages you leave on the bulletin board, the more chances you have of winning prizes. What do you think the similarities of these parties are?
| A．All the parties have very strict rules for their members. |
| B．If you want to go to any of the parties, you have to buy a ticket. |
| C．All the parties are aimed at strangers who want to be lovers. |
| D．All the parties are suitable not only for the young but for the old. |
In which party does a participant have to be careful with the time?
| A．Speed dating. | B．Lock and key party. |
| C．Dinner in the dark. | D．Message party. |
If you go to the Dinner in the dark, ________.
| A．you have to eat with your hands |
| B．you have to wear night vision glasses |
| C．guests eat all the courses in the darkness |
| D．your dining partners will help you choose the food |
How many of the parties offer gifts or prizes?
| A．4. | B．3. | C．2. | D．1. |
The passengers on the subway who caught a glimpse of me may have thought I was strange. In particular a gentleman sitting opposite me was always staring at me, looking at the cheese bread on the floor in front of me and then staring back at me. A passenger probably dropped it by mistake and got off at a previous stop, but the gentleman might not think so. “Next stop, St. Patrick Station” — my stop was quickly coming up. I had few minutes to either take the cheese bread, which nobody else was claiming, or left it there.
In those few minutes I felt my pride getting in the way. “What would others on the subway think of me if I took the cheese bread? Would they think that I was poor and hungry? Would they think that I was stealing?” The ignorant thing to do was say “yes” to any of those self-imposed questions. Actually, they were just my own thoughts. Though I would leave the subway, walk a block to my office, get settled at my desk, and sit comfortably in my office for the whole day, I couldn’t get rid of the enormous sense of guilt and regret.
My thoughts once pushed me towards pride and ignorance, but finally I had to admit I was wrong. This missing cheese bread could be a gift for a homeless person who suffered from cold and hunger. So why not overcome a little bit of my pride and pass along so much kindness?
Just as the doors opened at my stop, I grabbed the cheese bread and left the subway. It felt awesome, but I didn’t care if people were looking at me or what they were thinking. Instead of going directly to my office as usual, I walked a few more blocks up to Queen’s park, where I often saw a homeless man sitting outside. I always wanted to give him something, but only today I walked toward him, who wrapped himself in a sleeping bag. I was full of satisfaction, and so did the homeless man, I thought.The gentleman kept staring at the author because _______.
| A．he wanted to talk to the author |
| B．he might think the author dropped the bread |
| C．the author appeared too nervous |
| D．the author was going to get off |
The underlined word “self-imposed” in paragraph 2 probably means “_______”.
| A．easily obtained |
| B．strongly supported |
| C．deliberately created |
| D．completely unaccepted |
Why did the author grab the cheese bread when he got off?
| A．He noticed that no one was looking at him. |
| B．He didn’t want to see the cheese bread to go to waste. |
| C．He remembered a homeless man at that very moment. |
| D．He valued kindness more than his own pride. |
A new study suggests that the roundtheclock availability that cell phones have brought to people's lives may take a toll on family life. The study，which followed more than 1,300 adults over 2 years, found that those who consistently used a mobile phone throughout the study period were more likely to report negative “spillover” between work and home life—and，in turn，less satisfaction with their family life.
Spillover essentially(本质上)means that the line between work and home begins to become unclear. Work life may invade home life when a parent is taking jobrelated calls at home，for instance—or family issues may start to take up work time. For example，a child may call mum at work，telling her “microwave exploded”，explained Noelle Chesley，an assistant professor of sociology at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee and the author of the study. The problem with cell phones seems to be that they are allowing for even more spillover between work and home.
This may be especially true for working women，the study found. Among men，consistent use of mobile phones seemed to allow more work issues to creep (潜入)into family time. But for women，the spillover tended to go in both directions. Being “connected” meant that work cut into home time，and family issues came into work life.
Cell phones seem to be opening more lines for stressful exchanges among family members. But there may be ways to control the spillover，according to Chesley. Employers, she said，could look at their policies on contacting employees after hours to make sure their expectations are “reasonable”．For their part，employees could decide that cell phones go off during family time, Chesley said.What does the underlined phrase “take a toll on” probably mean in Paragraph 1?
| A．Explaining. | B．Founding. | C．Extending | D．Damaging. |
According to Chesley，what is the best solution to the problem caused by cell phones?
| A．Separate work hours from family time. |
| B．Refuse to use cell phones. |
| C．Ignore coming calls during family time. |
| D．Encourage women to stay at home. |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．cell phones affect men as much as women |
| B．cell phones seem to be convenient to families |
| C．cell phones make the line between work and home unclear |
| D．we can do nothing to solve the problem |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．How to control the negative spillover caused by cell phones. |
| B．How work life invades home life. |
| C．Consistent use of cell phones makes people feel less satisfied with their work. |
| D．Cell phones cause negative “spillover” between work life and home life. |
Inside the pleasingly fragrant cafe, So All May Eat(SAME) in downtown Denver ,the spirit ofgenerosityis instantly noticeable :donation box stands in place of a cash register. Customers here pay only what they can afford, no questions asked.A risky business plan, perhaps, but SAME Café has done one unchangeable thing in the Mile High City for six years: Open only at midday, the restaurant allows poor local customers who cannot pay to work as volunteers instead. They can act as waiters and waitresses, and dishwashers, or look after the buildings and equipment for the cafe.
It’s based on trust, and it’s working all right”, says co-owner Brad Birky, who started the café in 2006. Previously volunteering at soup kitchens, the Birkys were dissatisfied with the often unhealthy meals they served there. “We wanted to offer quality food in a restaurant where everyone felt comfortable, regardless of their circumstances,” Birky says. SAME’s special lunch menu changes
daily and most food materials are natural and grown by local farmers. The café now averages 65 to 70 customers (and eight volunteers) a day. And the spirit of generosity behind the project appears to be spreading. In early 2007,one volunteer who had cleared snow for his meals during t he long
winter said goodbye to the Birkys, He said he was going to New Orleans to help with the hurricane clearing up,” says Birky. What can we learn about the soup kitchens the Birkys previously worked for?
| A．They refused to have volunteers. |
| B．They offered low quality food. |
| C．They provided customers with a good environment. |
| D．They closed down because of poor management. |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The customers who cannot pay can work as volunteers instead. |
| B．More volunteers will go to new Orleans for the hurricane cleanup. |
| C．Many new cafes will be opened to offer free lunches in the town. |
| D．The lunch menu has remained the same since the café was started. |
The author’s attitude towards running such a café is_______
| A．unfavorable | B．doubtful | C．cautious | D．approving |
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