There are many kinds of places for you to stay in Britain if you visit there. Whatever your plan is, the choice — from basic barn to small hotel, from tiny cottage to grand castle — is all part of fun.
Hostels(招待所)
Cheap, good-value hostels are aimed at all types of like-minded travelers, who prefer value over luxury and you don’t have to be young or single to use them. Britain’s independent hostels and backpackers hostels also offer a great welcome. Facilities(设备) and prices vary, especially in rural(偏远的) areas, where some hostels are a little more than a bunkhouse(临时住房) while others are remarkably comfortable — almost like cheap hotels.
Youth hotels
Founded many years ago to “help all, especially young people of limited means, to a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside”, the Youth Hotels Association is still going strong in the 21st century. The network of 230 hotels is a perfect gateway for exploring Britain’s towns and countryside.
B&Bs
The B&B (bed and breakfast) is a great British institution(机构). Sometimes you get a room in somebody’s house, and small B&Bs may only have one guest room, so you’ll really feel like part of the family. Larger B&Bs may have four or five rooms and more facilities, but just as warm as a welcome.
In country areas your B&B might be in a village or a farm surrounded by fields. Prices reflect facilities: and usually run from around ￡12 to ￡20 per person. City B&Bs charge about ￡25 to ￡30 per person, although they’re often cheaper as you go further out to the suburbs(郊区).
Pubs & Inns(小酒馆)
As well as selling drinks and meals, Britain’s pubs and inns sometimes offer B&B, particularly in country areas. Staying a night or two can be great fun and puts you at the heart of the local community.
Rates range from around ￡15 to ￡25 per person. Pubs are more likely to have single rooms.
1.In this passage the author mainly ________.
A.tells us where to stay while visiting Britain
B.advises readers to pay a visit to Britain
C.introduces the wonderful public services in Britain
D.gives us some information about British life
2.If you travel alone and want to know better about family life in Britain, you’d better stay in ________.
A.Pubs & Inns B.Youth Hotels C.Hostels D.B&Bs
3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the last part of the passage?
A.Pubs and inns sometimes provide visitors bed and breakfast.
B.All pubs and inns offer visitors bed and breakfast.
C.Pubs and inns charge a visitor ￡25 at the most.
D.If you want a single room, you are more likely to get one in pubs.
Not long ago, people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old.
Yet doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life.
Scientists note that babies are strongly influenced by their environment. They say a baby will smile if her mother does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other human beings.
One study shows that babies can learn before they are born. The researchers placed a tape recorder on the stomach of a pregnant(怀孕的) woman. Then, they played a recording of a short story. On the day the baby was born, the researchers attempted(试图) to find if he knew the sounds of the story repeated while in his mother. They did this by placing a device(装置) in the mouth of the newborn baby.
The baby would hear the story if he moved his mouth one way. If the baby moved his mouth the other way, he would hear a different story. The researchers say the baby clearly liked the story he heard before he was born. They say the baby would move his mouth so he could hear the story again and again.
Another study shows how mothers can strongly influence social development and language skills in their children.
Researchers studied the children from the age of one month to three years. The researchers attempted to measure(测量) the sensitivity(敏感) of the mothers. The women were considered sensitive if they supported their children’s activities and did not interfere unnecessarily. They tested the children for thinking and language development when they were three years old. Also, the researchers observed the women for signs of depression(沮丧).
The children of depressed women did not do as well in tests as the children of women who did not suffer from depression. The children of depressed women did poorly in tests of language skills and understanding what they hear.
These children also were less cooperative(合作的) and had more problems dealing with other people. The researchers noted that the sensitivity of the mothers was important to the intelligence(智力) development of their children. Children did better when their mothers were caring, even when they suffered from depression.
1.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the factor(因素) that influences intelligence development in babies?
A.The environment. B.Mother’s sensitivity.
C.Their peers(同龄人). D.Education before birth.
2.What is the purpose of the experiment in which newborn babies heard the stories?
A.To prove that babies can learn on the first day they are born.
B.To prove that babies can learn before they are born.
C.To show mothers can strongly affect intelligence development in their babies.
D.To indicate early education has a deep effect on the babies’ language skills.
3.Which group of children did the worst in tests of language skills?
A.The children of women who did not suffer from depression.
B.The children of depressed mothers who cared little for their children.
C.The children of depressed but caring mothers.
D.Children with high communication abilities.
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Scientific findings about how babies develop before birth.
B.Scientific findings about how the environment has an effect on babies’ intelligence.
C.A study shows babies are not able to learn things until they are five or six months old.
D.Scientific findings about how intelligence develops in babies.
One of the most often asked and most controversially(有争议的) answered questions is, “What should I do when I meet a blind person?” A quick Google search will turn up plenty of answers, which are quite different from each other. So, obviously, there is no general agreement on what to do when you meet a blind person. There are no special rules or do’s and don’ts that can deal with this situation. There is only one principle(原则): Blind people are nothing more nor less than people who happen to be blind. As such, it is our own job to take care of ourselves, and we are grateful to no one else for special care or leadership.
The best thing to do is nothing. Don’t suppose you know what we need. If we do need something, we’ll politely let you know.
Forget everything you’ve heard about the blind, even if you consider yourself to be an expert. Blind people have plenty to say about “experts”. Especially, forget anything you’ve heard or read about “Ten Things to Do If You Meet a Blind Person”. The advice will probably just cause more embarrassment(尴尬). More of it is made up by sighted(不盲的) people anyway and doesn’t necessarily stand for the blind’s view.
There is completely no way to second-guess the situation by imposing(将……强加) any pre-formed ideas. Even if you’ve known other blind people, don’t think you know what to do with every one of them. The thing that often makes us angry is to hear “It’s OK. My mother (sister, cousin, friend) is blind.”
Blind people are as different from each other as any two people on this earth. There are no similarities among us that you can depend on. Even the degree of vision, hearing or touch that we use can be very different. Most blind people do have some degree of vision, and even the very few of us who are totally blind may use our touch and hearing very effectively.
1.The writer dislikes the advice of “Ten Things to Do If You Meet a Blind Person” because ________.
A.it is given by sighted people and blind people
B.blind people feel ashamed to get others’ help
C.it is often impractical from the blind’s view
D.blind people don’t like experts
2.According to the passage, we can infer(推断) that the writer ________.
A.thinks blind people are the same B.hears more clearly than others
C.never asks others for help D.is a blind person
3.According to the passage, which of the following opinions may the writer disagree with?
A.Blind people don’t need special care.
B.Blind people aren’t equal to sighted people.
C.Blind people generally dislike those thinking they understand the blind a lot.
D.Each person, blind or sighted, is different from anyone else.
4.Which is the best title for the passage?
A.Never help the blind B.Try to help the blind
C.Not every help is good for the blind D.Learn more about the blind
In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernadino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue(烤肉) restaurant, then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new idea: quick service, no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.
Their hamburgers sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity(一致性), for the brothers had developed a strict routine(程序) for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks’ sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became surprisingly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundreds during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were satisfied with this modest success until they met Ray Kroc.
Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954, when he was selling milkshake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the special attraction of the brothers’ fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise(特许经营) other copies of their restaurants. The agreement struck included the right to duplicate(复制) the menu, the equipment, even their red and white buildings with the golden arches(拱门).
Today McDonald’s is really a household name. In 1976, McDonald’s had over $1 billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years in one of the most surprising success stories in modern American business history.
1.This passage mainly talks about ________.
A.the development of fast food services
B.how McDonald’s became a billion-dollar business
C.the business careers of Mac and Dick McDonald
D.Ray Kroc’s business talent
2.Mac and Dick managed all of the following businesses except ________.
A.a drive-in B.a theater C.a cinema D.a barbecue restaurant
3.We may infer(推断) from this passage that ________.
A.Mac and Dick McDonald never became wealthy for they sold their idea to Kroc
B.the place the McDonalds chose was the only source of the great popularity of their drive-in
C.forty years ago there were lots of fast-food restaurants
D.Ray Kroc was a good businessman
4.The passage suggests that ________.
A.creativity is an important element of business success
B.Ray Kroc was the close partner of the McDonald brothers
C.Mac and Dick McDonald became broken after they sold their ideas to Ray Kroc
D.California is the best place to go into business
I was successful at my job. I worked very hard, but it _______ me and my family a fabulous lifestyle. I’d worked for the same company for twenty years and had worked my way up to department director. _______, one afternoon last May, I was called to the office, and it was _______ explained to me that they were letting me go. I just sat there _______ they talked on and all I could think was, “I’ve _______.” I’d been so well respected _______ I was of no value.
For six weeks, I was in a very _______ place. I wandered around my house like a zombie(僵尸). I could _______ things needed doing, but would not do anything. My beliefs in looking forward and seeing the positive in everything _______ me.
Then, in late June, my youngest son’s football team made the city cup final. The year before, he’d been very sad when I __________ the same final, so he was __________ when I told him I’d go. Not only did they win, but the look on his face as he saw me __________ him on was unbelievable. From then on, I spent the summer enjoying their passions. I attended match after match and performances of my elder son’s band — I __________ went to another city to watch him play. These moments were so __________. My life had been so much devoted to __________ for so long, and I felt __________ that my sons were happy to welcome me into their world.
__________, being unemployed gave me back a sense of purpose — I was someone’s mum! I felt a sense of being __________ again. Now I feel more positive about my professional __________ and I’m getting on better with my family than I ever have. Losing my job made me realize just how __________ it is to achieve real balance in life.
1.A.promised B.afforded C.showed D.left
2.A.Therefore B.Anyhow C.Otherwise D.However
3.A.quickly B.gently C.partly D.easily
4.A.until B.after C.as D.so
5.A.failed B.finished C.tried D.changed
6.A.suddenly B.finally C.immediately D.shortly
7.A.secret B.quiet C.lonely D.dark
8.A.see B.get C.suggest D.understand
9.A.defended B.directed C.deserted D.disturbed
10.A.watched B.missed C.lost D.won
11.A.disappointed B.worried C.honoured D.delighted
12.A.cheering B.taking C.leading D.passing
13.A.just B.even C.still D.almost
14.A.hopeful B.meaningful C.difficult D.strange
15.A.work B.family C.matches D.performances
16.A.successful B.thoughtful C.thankful D.peaceful
17.A.Naturally B.Doubtfully C.Disagreeably D.Unexpectedly
18.A.employed B.comforted C.valued D.encouraged
19.A.education B.experience C.relationship D.future
20.A.important B.interesting C.simple D.surprising
—I’m going to Xi’an next week, it’s one of the most beautiful cities in China.
—________.
A.Good luck B.It’s a pleasure C.Enjoy yourself D.Very good
