At present, more and more people are crazy about travelling. Why do people travel? “To see more of the world.” many people would say. But travelling abroad now means much more than that for the growing number of Chinese tourists. Of course it offers us good opportunities to meet people from other countries, learn about their culture and customs.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), more than 1 billion people travelled to another country in 2012. In 2012, Chinese people travelled abroad 30 percent more than in 2011. The prosperity (繁荣) of the tourism industry can also bring both our country and foreign countries great economic benefits (经济利益). Chinese people usually travel abroad in large tourist groups and visit several countries in one trip.
Chinese people don’t just travel for sightseeing. The China International Travel Service Company said that all their tour trips sold out a month before Christmas Day. Stores offered discounts (打折) during that time, so shopping in Europe and the United States is popular among Chinese travelers.
In December, China is going through a very cold winter. So many people like to go to some countries in Southeast Asia because the weather there is quite pleasant.
The improvement of living standards means more Chinese can travel abroad. But many of them don’t have a sense of public manners. A report by Living Social website in March 2012 even listed Chinese as the world’s second worst tourists.
If you want to change that bad name, remember to avoid the following: littering, spitting, snatching bus seats, line-jumping, taking off shoes in public, talking loudly and smoking in non-smoking areas. Besides, we should learn some necessary manners of foreign countries.
1.What are more and more people crazy about at present?
2.How many people traveled to another country in 2012?
3.Where is shopping popular among Chinese travelers?
4.Why do people like to go to some countries in Southeast Asia in winter?
5.What do Chinese people do when they travel abroad?
Farming in the USA today is very different from that 100 years ago. In those days, farmers did not have many machines to help them. They had animals. 1.____This meant that farms were smaller than they are now. Farmers also worked in a different way in the past. In those days, farmers grew fruits and vegetables and kept cows, pigs and chickens to feed their families. 2.______.Farmers have a very special life in many ways. First of all, they can’t leave the job at the end of the day. They live on the farm and there is always work to do. Second, a lot of farm work is outdoors, so the weather is very important for farmers.3.A lot of bad weather means farmers will lose money. Finally, farmers work with plants and animals. They understand nature better than other people do.Farm work changes with the seasons. Spring is a time for planting. Farmers are busy getting the fields ready and then planting the seeds(种子). In summer, farmers must take good care of the plants. Some may need water. Other plants may have problems with insects or diseases. Then in eady for picking. 4._____. Winter is a time for rest or for work on the farm machines.
A. It is also important for the success of their farms
B. So all the farmers are happy to get them
C. Today farmers grow things on the farms, so they can sell them for money
D. But animals work slowly compared to machines
E. That is a very busy time for farmers
I’m seventeen. I worked as a box boy at a supermarket in Los Angeles. People came to the counter (柜台) and I put things in their bags for them and carried things to their cars. It was hard work.
While working, I wore a plate with my name on it. I once met someone I knew years ago. I remembered his name and said, “Mr. Castle, how are you?” We talked about this and that. As he left, he said, “It was nice talking to you, Brett.” I felt great, he remembered me. Then I looked down at my name plate. Oh, no. He didn’t remember me at all, he just read the name plate. I wish I had put “Irving” down on my name plate. If he’d have said, “Oh yes, Irving, how could I forget you?” I’d have been ready for him. There’s nothing personal here.
The manager and everyone else who were a step above the box boys often shouted orders. One of these was: you couldn’t accept tips(小费). Okay, I’m outside and I put the bags in the car. For a lot of people, the natural reaction(反应)is to take a quarter and give it to me. I’d say, “I’m sorry, I can’t.” They’d get angry. When you give someone a tip, you’re sort of being polite. You take a quarter and you put it in their hand and you expect them to say, “Oh, thanks a lot.” When you say, “I’m sorry, I can’t.” they feel a little put down. They say, “No one will know.” And they put it in your pocket. You say, “I really can’t.” It gets to a point where you almost have to hurt a person physically to prevent him from tipping you. It was not in agreement with the store’s belief in being friendly. Accepting tips was a friendly thing and made the customer feel good. I just couldn’t understand the strangeness of some people’s ideas. One lady actually put a tip in my pocket, got in the car, and drove away. I was puzzled and didn’t know what to do. Should I d have had to throw the quarter at her or eaten it or something?
I decided that one year had been enough. Some people needed the job to stay alive and fed. I guess I had the means and could afford to hate it and give it up.
1.. From the second paragraph, we can infer (推断) that ________.
A. the writer didn’t like the impersonal part of his job
B. people can easily start talking with a name plate
C. Mr. Castle mistook Irving for Brett
D. Irving was the writer’s real name
2.. The box boy refused to accept tips because ________.
A. customers only gave small tips to
B. some customers had strange ideas about tipping
C. he didn’t want to fight with the customers
D. the store didn’t allow the box boys to take tips
3.. The underlined phrase “put down” in the third paragraph probably means ________.
A. relaxed B. upset
C. bored D. surprised
4.What can be the best title for this text?
A. How I Could Find a Job
B. How I Got along with Customers
C. Why I Gave up My Job
D. Why I couldn’t Take Tips
Imagine the situation. You are driving along a desert or on a mountain. You have no idea where you are. You passed the last house two hours ago. Then your car breaks down. It is night and it is cold. You have no mobile phones. What do you do? Well, next time take a GPS with you. This invention may be able to help you. It is a device which uses satellites (卫星) to find the user’s position(位置). It can find your position to within 20 meters. A GPS cannot start your car, but at least you will know where you are.
GPS, which means Global Positioning System, is a small radio receiver. It looks like a mobile phone. You can hold it in your hand, or put it in your pocket. It is sometimes put into a watch or a telephone. We also find GPS devices in cars, planes, or boats. Some of these devices have electronic maps, so you know where you are. For example, in a city they can tell you the name of the street.
There are three parts to the Global Positioning System. The first part is the receiver. You can hold it in your hand, or have it fixed into your car, plane, etc. The second part is a group of satellites orbiting the Earth. The receiver contacts at least four of the satellites and calculates its position. The third part of the system is a network of ground stations. They are all over the world. They control satellites and make sure they are working well.
Some people think that in the future the GPS will be as common as the mobile phones. They are becoming cheaper and more and more accurate. There are also new uses for the GPS. Perhaps they will be like watches. Everyone will have one and you will never get lost again. 
1.. According to the passage, with the help of the GPS, people __________.
A. can’t find their directions in different countries
B. can always find where they are
C. can learn about the culture of an unknown place
D. can spend the least time getting to another place
2.. The underlined word “They” in paragraph 3 means ____________.
A. Receivers B. GPS devices
C. Satellites D. Ground stations
3. We can learn from the passage that ____________.
A. GPS can’t be put into a watch
B. GPS are becoming dearer and dearer
C. People can start their cars with a GPS
D. People can’t lose their way with a GPS when driving
We spend hours, days and years of our lives in school. Imagine you could design your dream school, what would it be like? What would you be doing? We wanted to find out what teenagers around the world thought. Here is what they said:
Richard from the USA: My dream school would have a big swimming pool and two soccer fields. It would also have a cinema, a gym and a shopping center. My school has none of these, and I think there should be more pleasant things for students to do while they are studying.
Sonia from Italy: I’d like a room where we can relax and play computer games. I’d also like to have a music room. I think there should be a place for everyone to go and relax after class. Wu from Beijing: I think it would be great to have another day off (休息日) every week, besides the weekend. If that day was a Friday or a Monday, we would have a long weekend every week. What fun! I also think school should start later, at about 10 o’clock, and finish earlier.
Hannah from Australia: In my dream school, I think the teachers should give us more freedom and choice about how we study and what we study. I also think it’s unimportant for us to wear school uniforms every day. I really don’t like wearing it.
1.. Richard is from_________.
A. Italy B. USA
C. China D. Australia
2.. From the passage, we know that_________.
A. Sonia from Italy would like a room to relax and play computer games
B. Richard from the USA thinks his dream school should start at 10 o’clock
C. Wu from Beijing enjoys studying five days a week
D. Hannah from Australia likes wearing a school uniform every day
3.. What is the passage mainly about?
A. A dream school. B. Soccer fields.
C. A music room D. School uniforms.
Join us for an English Summer Camp in English !
Students between l3 and l8 are welcome to the English Summer Camp.
It’s a good chance to learn about British customs and improve your English.
Eleven experienced English teachers will give you English classes 4 hours a day on weekdays.
There are also weekend visits to London Eye, the Big Ben and London Bridge .
It begins on August 8th and ends on August 28th, with the fees: ¥ 23,000.
If you are interested, please come to the Children’s Palace to register (登记报名）You can also register by calling Jane Parks at 555 --2782.
Please register before August 3rd.
1.____________can take part in the English Summer Camp.
A. All the students B. Students aged 13
C. Students between l3 and l8 D. Students over 18
2.. The English Summer Camp ends on____________.
A. August 3rd. B. August 8th
C. August 25th D. August 28th
3..There are ______ways for you to register for the English Summer Camp.
A. one B. two
C. three D. Four
