Dear future pen pal ,
My name is Tudor , which is a very Welsh name . Maybe you have never been to Wales, but perhaps you know where it is. It is a small country , but with a big heart , I think . My family live ______ a farm , where we mainly have sheep , but there are a___________ some cows , which I like very much . In this part of the country it is quite mountainous . They’re not big , h___________ mountains , but pretty impressive . Well , I’m just fifteen now , and my future work will be here in these _________（田野）. My brother is an engineer , so no farming for him , and my sister is now ___________ and has a small child . So , here I am , an uncle a____________ , and with three years’ school still ahead .
I’m very _______________（兴趣）in things about China . In fact I’m learning some Chinese from a Chinese student . He _______________ （鼓励）me to find a pen pal in Beijing and that’s ___________ I’m writing this letter .
I’ve put my a____________ on the top of the letter . Please write and tell me about yourself .
Best wishes .
Tudor
Scotland is a unique place, loaded with history, where you can find aristocratic（贵族的）palaces and castles, as well as the traditional parades in national costumes.
In order to see and discover the true soul of Scotland today and what formed the character of this splendid region, we have to go towards the northern regions, to the Grampian Mountains（格兰扁山区）, beautiful and plain. The Scots conquered the environment with simple spades and strong arms, for it was difficult to farm.
The history of this ancient struggle, and its people’s ancient love with the hard land, can be felt within the walls of the Angus Folk Museum. You are able to get a feel of the typical rural atmosphere of times past from the everyday artifacts displayed here.
From coastal Aberdeen in towards the Grampian Mountains there runs the Castle Trail, a road that touches on many fortresses（堡垒）, which are witnesses of continual fights against the control of neighboring England in Scottish history.
Perhaps the most exciting moment for Scottish autonomy is the one experienced inside this ancient church of Arbroath, where, in 1320, the Declaration of Independence was celebrated, at the instigation（鼓动）of King Robert the Bruce. He carried out the plan for autonomy drawn up by the great popular hero William Wallace, for whom cinema has designed the wonderful film Brave Heart, the winner of the five Oscars.
This is Glamis Castle, where King Macbeth and Queen Elizabeth used to live. Among the most frequent guests here are the predictable ghosts, if not actually created, by ancient popular beliefs. These have been handed down over the centuries by people tending to live with mystery, with the forces of the supernatural.
Another attraction here is a legendary monster: the Loch Ness Monster. Whether it’s real or imaginary, this monster, which has been nicknamed Nessie, has collected a good 3,000 sightings over the last 50 years.
The true flag of Scotland, tartan, is recognizable from the brightly colored plaid patterns which are used to distinguish the various social groups.
Bagpipes and dancing open the competitions of local sporting events, which are called Highland Gatherings.
1.Take a look at the Angus Folk Museum, and we can learn about _______. .
A. the love of ancient Scottish to the hard land
B. the rural atmosphere in Grampian Mountains
C. ancient Scottish people’s fighting against the enemy
D. the history of the Scottish famous palaces and castles
2.What were the fortresses built for?
A. Fighting against the invaders of England.
B. Developing business with neighbor areas.
C. Preventing the people from moving around.
D. Providing a shelter from tough weather for travelers.
3.In the fifth paragraph, the underlined “the one” refers to the moment of _______.
A. the film Brave Heart winning the five Oscars
B. the plan for Scottish autonomy being carried out
C. the instigation of King Robert the Bruce
D. the celebration of the Declaration of Independence
4. According to the passage, which one is TRUE?
A. The film Brave Heart is mainly about King Robert Bruce.
B. The Scottish film industry is one of the attractions of the land.
C. Highland gatherings are often marked with bagpipes and dancing
D. The supernatural forces in Glamis Castle may change a person’s belief.
5.The purpose of the writer is to _______.
A. advise readers to pay a visit to Scotland
B. teach students about the customs of Scotland
C. introduce cultural background about Scotland
D. analyze the geographic formation of Scotland
A few months ago as I wandered through my parents’ house, the same house I grew up in, I had a sudden, scary realization. When my parents bought the house, in 1982, they were only two years older than I am now. I tried to imagine myself in two years, ready to settle down and buy the house I’d still be living in almost 30 years later.
It seemed ridiculous. On a practical level, there’s no way I could afford to buy a house anytime soon. More importantly, I wouldn’t want to. I’m not sure where I’ll be living in two years, or what kind of job I’ll have. And I don’t think I’ll be ready to settle down and stay in one place.
So this is probably the generation gap that divides my friends and me from our parents. When our parents were our age, they’d gotten their education, chosen a career, and were starting to settle into responsible adult lives.
My friends and I – “Generation Y” – still aren’t sure what we want to do with our lives. Whatever we end up doing, we want to make sure we’re happy doing it. We’d rather take risks first, try out different jobs, and move from one city to another until we find our favorite place. We’d rather spend our money on travel than put it in a savings account.
This casual attitude towards responsibility has caused some critics to call my generation “arrogant”, “impatient”, and “overprotected”. Some of these complaints have a point. As children we were encouraged to succeed in school, but also to have fun. We grew up in a world full of technological innovation: cellphones, the Internet, instant messaging, and video games.
Our parents looked to rise vertically（垂直的）– starting at the bottom of the ladder and slowly making their way to the top, on the same track, often for the same company. That doesn’t apply to my generation.
Because of that, it may take us longer than our parents to arrive at responsible, stable adulthood. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In our desire to find satisfaction, we will work harder, struggle for ways to keep life interesting, and gain a broader set of experiences and knowledge than our parents’ generation did.
1.What is the main “generation gap” between the author and her friends and their parents according to the article?
A. Their ways of gaining experience.
B. Their attitude towards responsibility.
C. Their attitude toward high technology.
D. Their ways of making their way to the top.
2.Which of the following might the author agree with?
A. It involves too much effort to rise vertically.
B. It’s better to take adult responsibility earlier.
C. It’s all right to try more before settling down.
D. It’s ridiculous to call her generation “arrogant”.
3.What can we conclude from the article?
A. The author is envious of her parents enjoying a big house at her age.
B. “Generation Y” people don’t want to grow up and rush into adulthood.
C. Growing up in a hi-tech world makes “Generation Y” feel insecure about relationships.
D. The author wrote this article so that others would be able to understand her generation better.
4.What is the main theme of the article?
A. Criticisms of the young generation.
B. The sudden realization of growing up.
C. A comparison between lifestyles of generations.
D. The factors that have changed the young generation.
Father’s Day Sunset Live Music Dinner Cruise Sunday, June 16th, 2013 6:30pm-8:30pm Join us aboard the 95’ Dana Pride for our special Father’s Day Dinner Cruise. Enjoy a unique evening of fun on the water, complete with live music by Mike O’ Brien and a delicious barbecue dinner.
Adult – $59 Kids (3-12) – $29 Two and under are Free LOCATION: Dana Point Harbor BOOK ONLINE OR CALL: 949-496-5794 |
Rancho Days Fiesta July 13, 2013 Celebration the history of Saddleback Valley, there will be children’s activities including free crafts projects. Help make and taste homemade ice cream and butter, warm bread from the oven. Dip water and grind（磨碎）corn while learning about the early days of Orange County.
Admission is $3 for children 3 to 12 years old and $4 for adults. LOCATION: Heritage Hill Historical Park INFORMATION: 949-923-2230 |
Annual Silverado Counter Fair and Art Festival October 5-6, 2013 The 42th Annual Silverado Country Fair explores the wonders of the area’s Old West rustic（乡村的）culture, great live music, tasty food, handmade arts, crafts and family games under the oak-trees below Orange Country’s famous Saddleback Mountain.
Daytime adult admission: $4 / Kids under 12: only $2 Saturday Night Music Fest（联欢）: $5 for everyone LOCATION: Silverado Community Center INFORMATION: 714-997-3968 |
Starr Ranch Sanctuary October 20-21, 2013 Audubon California’s Starr Ranch Sanctuary invites you to our fall classes for adults. Join our wildlife biologist for two peaceful days at beautiful 4,000-acre Starr Ranch in southeast Orange County and experience nature hands-on as a wildlife researcher.
Cost: $95 for those not camping (including dinner) / $100 for those camping (dinner and breakfast provided) LOCATION: Starr Ranch Sanctuary RESERVATIONS OR INFORMATION: 949-858-0309 |
1.Which event is suitable for one who wants to enjoy dinner in a boat with live music?
A. Rancho Days Fiesta.
B. Starr Ranch Sanctuary.
C. Father’s day Sunset Live Music Dinner Cruise.
D. Annual Silverado Counter Fair and Art Festival.
2.At Rancho Days Fiesta, you can _______.
A. taste food made in the local factories
B. join in activities for the whole family
C. pay a great deal of money to join in camping
D. experience the early life of the Orange County
3. How much will a couple have to pay if they go to Saturday Night Music Fest with their 10-year-old son?
A. $12. B. $15.
C. $10. D. $5.
4. Mr Smith wants to take his wife and daughter to have some family games in early October. He will call _______ for information.
A. 714-997-3968 B. 949-923-2230
C. 949-496-5794 D. 949-858-0309
You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.
“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette（礼仪）is sort of strange,” Gray told the BBC. “They are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”
We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, liftusers unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.
He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box.
If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally（对角线地）across from each other to create distance.
When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.
New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.
Why are we so awkward in lifts?
“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”
In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be construed（理解）as threatening or strange. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.
1.The main purpose of the article is to _______.
A. share an interesting but awkward elevator ride
B. tell us some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette
C. analyze what makes people feel awkward in an elevator
B. remind us not to behave strangely when in an elevator
2. According to Gray, when people enter an elevator, they usually _______.
A. turn around and greet one another
B. look around or examine their phone
C. try to keep a distance from other people
D. make eye contact with those in the elevator
3.Which of the following describes how people usually stand when they are in the elevator?
4.The underlined phrase “size up” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to _______.
A. judge B. ignore
C. put up with D. make the best of
Hercule Poirot looked over the small gate which gave admission to Pine Crest. It was a modern nicely-built house. It was on a hill top, and the hill top was planted with a few sparse pines. It had a small neat garden and a large elderly man was watering with a big tin.
Spence’s hair was now grey all over. He had not shrunk much in girth（围长）, though. He stopped watering and looked at the visitor at the gate. Hercule Poirot stood there without moving.
“God bless my soul,” said Spence. “It must be. It can’t be but it is. Yes, it must be Hercule Poirot!”
“Aha,” said Poirot, “you remember me. I’m grateful.”
Spence abandoned the watering can and came down to the gate.
“What brings you down here?”
“What has brought me to many places in my time,” said Poirot, “and what once a good many years ago brought you to see me. Murder, Spence.”
“I’m done with murder since I retired,” said Spence, “except in the case of weeds. Killing weeds is never easy as you think, something’s always wrong. How did you know where to find me?” he asked as he opened the gate and Poirot passed through.
“You sent me a Christmas card. It had your new address on it.”
“Ah yes, so I did. I’m old-fashioned, you know, I like to send round cards at Christmas time to a few old friends. I’m an old man now.”
“We both are.”
“Not much grey in your hair,” said Spence.
“I take care of my hair with a bottle,” said Poirot. “There is no need to appear in public with grey hair unless you wish to do so. By the way, why have you come to live in Woodleigh Common?”
“As a matter of fact, I came here to join forces with a sister of mine. She lost her husband, her children are married and living abroad. So I moved in here. Pensions（退休金）don’t go far nowadays, but we do comfortably living together.”
1.From their dialogue, we can learn about _______.
A. their common friends B. Spence’s sister’s characters
C. their relationship D. Poirot’s recent life
2.Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Spence used to deal with murder.
B. Poirot didn’t care about his appearance.
C. Spence moved to join his sister for lack of money.
D. Poirot came specially to reunite with his old friend.
3.From the passage we can infer that they might _______ next.
A. meet Spence’s family B. discuss about a murder
C. visit Spence’s new homeD. water the garden together
