The summer holiday is coming． What a perfect chance to plan a trip! How about backpacking （背包旅行）？ Maybe you're too young to do it． But it doesn't matter． Follow me and you'll learn about an interesting way to travel．
Have you ever noticed foreigners with big bags on their backs？ They wear jeans and T﹣shirts， and have guidebooks or maps in their hands． They look curious （好奇的） about everything they see． They enjoy themselves without a tour group． That's right! They are backpackers．
Backpacking is a popular way for Westerners to travel outside of their country． It's cheap so that people can travel more and see more places． Most backpackers are young people because backpacking needs a strong body， courage and freedom．
Backpackers usually do some homework before setting out． They search for information about their destination （目的地） country： food， fun places to visit， hostels （青年旅舍） and things to buy． They are sure they know how to change planes or where to get the train．
Backpacking is a freer way to travel． You can change your destination whenever you want． It also allows travelers to explore and see more． And you can decide how long to stay there． If you go with a tour group， there may be a lot of rules and you may not be free to do things as you like．
An interesting way to travel﹣﹣ Backpacking |
|
The （1） about backpackers |
★They are travelers who usually enjoy traveling without a tour group． ★Many Western backpackers like to travel （2） and they can travel more and see more places． ★Most of them are young people who are strong， courageous and （3） ． |
The preparations for backpacking |
★Before （4） ， it's necessary to search for the information about the destination country． |
The （5） of backpacking |
★The backpackers can change the destination whenever they want and they can explore and see more． ★The backpackers can control their own time freely． |
In the deserts of North Africa and Saudi Arabia lives the smallest of all foxes with the largest of ears. This animal is the fennec fox(大耳小狐).
Fennec foxes have ears that are 5 to 6 inches long. That's big for an animal that weighs less than four pounds. Their ears help shed (去除) body heat. And, as you may have guessed, they also provide great hearing.
It's also interesting to think about the hair of fennec foxes. Why would a fox that lives in the desert need a thick, fur coat? Actually, the desert isn't always warm. During the nighttime, a desert can be terribly cold! A fennec fox's fur keeps them warm during those desert nights. They also have long bushy tails that they use as a blanket. And the hair on their feet protects them from the hot sand in the daytime.
Fennec foxes live in small communities of dens (兽穴).They spend most of the day sleeping in their dens, out of the hot sun. Then, when night comes, they come out in search of food. In addition to their great hearing, fennecs also use their great sense of smell and big eyes to track down dinner.
Hot pot (火锅) is many Chinese people’s favorite food, including mine. After having three days of hamburgers, sandwiches and potatoes in the UK, you can imagine how excited I was when I got to know that there was going to be a free meal of hotpot to welcome new students. On the way to the canteen, I could smell hot pot in the air.
To my surprise, when I stepped into the room, in front of me were still potatoes and bread. Where is the hot pot?
With many questions in my head, I sat down to have the free meal. After chatting with a French girl, I got to know that hot pot is completely different from hotpot. Chinese hot pot is written in two words and hotpot, one word, is a traditional English dish.
Hotpot is made from mutton (羊肉) and onion. On the top there are sliced (切成片的) potatoes. People put it in the oven (烤箱) all day in a heavy pot and on a low heat (低温加热). It takes very little effort to prepare. You can often see it at parties in the UK because it’s easy to prepare for a large number of people and is not expensive.
Hotpot doesn’t taste bad. However, I still miss hot pot, two words!
There was once a little orphan (孤儿) girl who had no family and no one to love her. She felt sad and lonely.
One day, while she was walking in a garden, she noticed a small butterfly caught in a thornbush (荆棘丛). The more the butterfly tried to free itself, the deeper the thorn cut into its body. The girl carefully helped the butterfly out. Instead of flying away, the little butterfly changed into a beautiful fairy (仙女).
“For your wonderful kindness,” said the fairy, “I will grant (保证) you any wish you like.”
The little girl thought for a while and replied: “I want to be happy!”
“Very well!” The fairy leaned toward her and whispered (耳语) in her ear. Then the good fairy disappeared.
As the little girl grew up, she stayed happy. Everyone asked her the secret of her happiness. She would only smile and answer: “The secret of happiness is that I listened to a good fairy when I was a little girl.”
When she was very old and on her deathbed, her neighbors were afraid that her secret of happiness would die “Tell us, please,” they begged. “Tell us what the good fairy said.”with her.
The lovely old woman simply smiled and said: “She told me that everyone, no matter how secure (安稳的) they seemed, how old or young, how rich or poor, had need of me.”
| A．It saved itself. | B．It got cut deeper. |
| C．It got tired. | D．It was killed. |
| A．Because the girl begged her to do so. |
| B．Because it was the fairy’s job. |
| C．Because the girl helped her out. |
| D．Because the girl was too poor. |
| A．By giving her a lot of money. |
| B．By giving her a big house. |
| C．By helping her find her parents. |
| D．By telling her how to stay happy. |
| A．Being needed by others. |
| B．Being rich. |
| C．Being helped by a fairy. |
| D．Being loved by others. |
The shock of the recent earthquake in Pakistan has brought another shock: the rise of a small island coming out from the water.
In the aftershock of the earthquake, people living in Gawadar, near the southwest coast, began to see a strange sight. They looked out into the Arabian Sea and saw a mountain-like shape coming out of the water. “I could see this gray, dome-shaped (穹顶形状的) body in the distance, like a giant whale,” Bahram Baloch, a local journalist, told the BBC. “Hundreds of people had gathered to watch it in disbelief (怀疑).”
So what happened? The earthquake measured 7.7 in magnitude (地震级数). The force was so strong that it moved the sea floor, releasing gas. This gas pushed the seabed, mostly rock and sand, upward and out of the water. This is how mud volcanoes (泥火山) are formed. The island that measures about 20 meters high, 30 meters long and 90 meters wide is actually the tip of the mud volcano.
Is it safe? Although people have visited this new island, scientists have found dangerous gas coming from the newly formed island. “Our team found bubbles rising from the surface of the island, which caught fire when a match was lit,” said Mohammad Danish, a scientist, to Universe Today.
These mud volcanoes are not rare. But it’s striking because this one has popped up(突然出现) in a populated (有人居住的) area, and not far out in the sea. However, it’s not expected to last very long. Most of these mud volcanoes are swept back under the sea within one year.
| A．A strange light. | B．A blue whale. |
| C．A mysterious island. | D．A mountain. |
| A．Dangerous gas was released. |
| B．Rock and sand were mixed. |
| C．The storm blew up the sea. |
| D．Huge waves appeared. |
| A．建议 | B．顶端 | C．小费 | D．倾斜 |
| Beijing Library To Susan Chan, Just to remind you that you have to return 4 books. Books Writer Be returned before Rose Meets Mr. Winter Garden Bob Graham 22/1 My Friend Whale Simon James 23/1 Edward the Emu Sheena Knowles 24/1 Imagine Alison Lester 25/1 Please return the books tomorrow. Other people may be waiting to borrow them. Librarian Mrs. Josie Jones Date 3/2/2005 Note: You may not borrow any new books until these books have been returned. |
| A．the librarian | B．Josie Jones |
| C．Alison Lester | D．Susan Chan |
| A．Alison Lester | B．Bob Graham |
| C．Simon James | D．Sheena Knowles |
| A．22nd, January. | B．23rd, January. |
| C．24th, January. | D．25th, February. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号