A layover (临时滞留) or flight delay can be extremely fun in these international airports.
Munich Airport, Germany
Aviation (航空) lovers passing through Munich can take a behind－the－scenes tour to learn how the airport operates. Visitors can also tour three historic aircraft and a retired rescue helicopter, climb up to a 28－metre high observation platform for an up－close view of take－offs and landings, and watch films on aviation in the airport's 60－seat cinema. Travelers can also kill layover time at an 18－hole mini－golf course, or even stop in for a teeth cleaning at the airport dental office.
Changi Airport, Singapore
After a long flight to Singapore, travelers can relax in a Balinese－style swimming pool, work out at the airport gym, or enjoy a drink and live musical performances at the airport's Music Bar. The airport also boasts a tranquil butterfly garden, and a “fragrant garden” which is home to 15 species of plants and trees. Free movies at one of two airport cinemas also keep passengers entertained.
Schiphol Amsterdam Airport, the Netherlands
Schiphol is Europe's fifth－largest airport. Here passengers can view the works of Dutch masters free of charge, and try their luck at airport's casino (赌场). You can even have your wedding ceremony at Schiphol—couples can choose from four different wedding packages, including a 1930－style ceremony held on a Dakota military aircraft.
San Francisco International Airport, California
The airport's 24－hour AirTrain not only moves passengers between terminal, but also provides a fun view of the runways. There are three aquariums (水族馆) to explore, along with interactive play areas, an aviation museum, and a library. If that's not enough to keep the little ones busy, travelers can rent portable DVD players and movies for use in the airport.
1.What can travelers do at the Munich Airport?
A. They can have their teeth cleaned.
B. They can watch free films in the 28－seat cinema.
C. They can visit one of three aquariums.
D. They can relax in a swimming pool.
2.Which is the unique feature of the Schiphol Amsterdam Airport?
A. Passengers can play golf there.
B. Passengers can get married there.
C. Passengers can see a retired rescue helicopter.
D. Passengers can visit a Munich military aircraft.
3.Which airport was designed with kids in mind?
A. Munich Airport. B. Changi Airport.
C. Schiphol Amsterdam Airport. D. San Francisco International Airport.
1.Jack has delivered a ________ speech which has made people change their minds.
2.Recycling also helps control environmental ________ by reducing the need for waste dumps.
3.I still find it ________ to find myself surrounded by large numbers of dogs.
4.For the more ________ tourists, there are challenging trips into the mountains with a local guide.
5.His first speech as president made a strong ________ on his audience.
6.People normally accept the idea that lung cancers are ________ with smoking.
7.The amount of sugar you add will depend on personal ________.
8.Mary's making a real effort to be _________ after her failure in the contest.
9.Most of us like the ________ of using credit cards to buy things.
10.Sometimes, I doubt how ________ the local weather forecasts are.
How to Survive Exam Stress
Exam time is one of the most stressful in school, whether it is high school, college or graduate school. Even the best students feel the pressure. The first sign of a problem while preparing for an exam is worry. 1. If we can get rid of worries, or at least control them, then we're in a much better position to do well on our tests. Take the following steps to survive exam stress and increase your overall performance as a result.
2. What causes you anxiety when you are studying? Too much noise? Then move to a quieter place. Delayed work? Catch up with your studies a couple nights before. That way you can save the final night before the exam to review and get a good night of sleep.
The second way to deal with worry is to displace thoughts. Suppose you wake up at three in the morning and you're worried about an exam. What do you do? 3. Doing something productive might allow you to sleep better when you finally do go back to bed.
Another way to displace negative thoughts is to do something physically active. Work out. Take a quick walk or a nice run. 4. For example, I might worry about the exam having surprise questions that I'm not prepared to answer. But I can shove those thoughts aside by reminding myself that I've taken many exams and I've handled surprise questions before.
The third option is to treat the symptoms. Keep things in perspective. Think of one final exam that causes you the most anxiety. Now think of the worst thing that could happen. If you've prepared, then likely the worst grade you could get is a C. And, if you've been applying what we've been talking about, then you'll likely to do no worse than a B. 5.
A. How bad is that really?
B. The first is to delete the causes.
C. Another idea is to think positive thoughts.
D. Worry robs us of energy, focus and motivation.
E. How about getting up and studying for an hour?
F. What we should do is to think positively and get rid of it.
G. So just face the result bravely and make an effort to improve your grade.
Everywhere I look outside my home I see people busy on their high-tech devices, while driving, walking, shopping, even sitting in toilets. When connected electronically, they are away from physical reality.
People have been influenced to become technology addicted. One survey reported that "addicted" was the word most commonly used by people to describe their relationship to iPad and similar devices. One study found that people had a harder time resisting the allure(诱惑) of social media than they did for sleep, cigarettes and alcohol.
The main goal of technology companies is to get people to spend more money and time on their products, not to actually improve our quality of life. They have successfully created a cultural disease. Consumers willingly give up their freedom, money and time to catch up on the latest information, to keep pace with their peers or to appear modern.
I see people trapped in a pathological(病态的) relationship with time-sucking technology, where they serve technology more than technology serves them. I call this technology servitude(奴役). I am referring to a loss of personal freedom and independence because of uncontrolled consumption of many kinds of devices that eat up time and money.
What is a healthy use of technology devices? That is the vital question. Who is really in charge of my life? That is what people need to ask themselves if we are to have any chance of breaking up false beliefs about their use of technology. When we can live happily without using so much technology for a day or a week, then we can regain control and personal freedom, become the master of technology and discover what there is to enjoy in life free of technology. Mae West is famous for proclaiming the wisdom that "too much of a good thing is wonderful." But it's time to discover that it does not work for technology.
Richard Fernandez, an executive coach at Google acknowledged that "we can be swept away by our technologies." To break the grand digital connection people must consider how life long ago could be fantastic without today's overused technology.
1.From the passage, technology companies aim to _________.
A. attract people to buy their products B. provide the latest information
C. improve people's quality of life D. deal with cultural diseases
2.It can be inferred from this passage that people _________.
A. consider too much technology wonderful
B. have realized the harm of high-tech devices
C. can regain freedom without high-tech devices
D. may enjoy life better without overused technology
3.What's the author's attitude towards the overusing of high-tech devices?
A. Neutral(中立的). B. Skeptical(怀疑的).
C. Disapproving. D. Sympathetic.
The Netherlands on Monday introduced its first-ever "intelligent bicycle", fitted with electronic devices to help bring down the high accident rate among elderly cyclists in the bicycle-mad country.
Developed for the government by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the intelligent bicycle runs on electricity. A commercial-available bicycle is expected to be on the market in the next two years and should sell for between 1,700 to 3,200 euros per bicycle.
The devices on the bike are linked through an onboard computer with a vibrating(震动的) warning system fitted in the bicycle's saddle and handlebars to warn cyclists of the coming danger.
The saddle vibrates when other cyclists approach from behind, while the handlebars do the same when barriers appear ahead.
"Accidents often happen when cyclists look behind them or get a fright when they are passed at high speed," said Maurice Kwakkernaat, one of TNO's research scientists involved in the project. "The onboard system technology has already been at work in the car industry," he said.
"More and more elderly people are using a bicycle, not only for short distances, but also for longer distances," Dutch Environment and Infrastructure Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen told AFP. "This type of bicycle is truly needed in the Netherlands because it will help us bring down the number of elderly people who are injured every year and allow them to continue to enjoy cycling," she said.
In the Netherlands, bicycles outnumber the population of 17 million by at least one million and there are some 25,000 km of bicycle path in the country. Those statistics are set to grow as more and more people take to two-wheeled transport, leading to an increased risk of injury.
Last year, 184 cyclists died in the country, of which 124, or 67%, were older than 65, according to the Central Statistics Office. The year before, 200 cyclists died, the majority of victims also being elderly.
The current model weighs 25 kilograms but researchers are working on making the onboard systems smaller.
1.The "intelligent bicycle" is aimed to ________.
A. protect the environment B. help reduce traffic pressure
C. popularize the use of bicycles D. improve safety for elderly cyclists
2.Which part of the intelligent bicycle will vibrate when other cyclists approach it from behind?
A. The saddle. B. The wheels.
C. The handlebars. D. The onboard computer.
3.We can learn from the passage that ________.
A. the elderly ride bicycles wherever they go
B. the elderly are planning to give up cycling
C. the number of elderly cyclists is decreasing
D. the accident rate among elderly cyclists is high
Parkour
The word "parkour" comes from a French phrase roughly translated as "military obstacle course(军事障碍课程). At first glance, parkour looks like an extreme sport, and it certainly has many of the same qualities of an extreme sport. However, it is considered by many traceurs as more of an art and exercise, which allows for individual expression and also promotes inner strength and personal growth.
It introduces us to complete freedom from obstacles, and it is this freedom that makes parkour very appealing in strict control of modern society. It is a method that's available to us at any time to deal with the obstacles facing us, both mental and physical. No obstacle, no barrier can stop the traceur; they continue moving forward in spite of, and in harmony with these.
While parkour does allow for a great deal of originality, there are certain methods commonly used when practising it. The traceur chooses his/her own path through the environment to create unique and flowing movement, adapting to and using anything in this path. When many techniques or moves used to overcome obstacles are linked together in an efficient and continuous way, it is known as a "run." If you see someone that looks like they're running from the police, but there is no one running after, it's probably parkour.
This idea of the chase represents and expresses the movement of parkour quite well. In fact, it is the form of movement that our ancient ancestors may have used to hunt for food, or escape from animals on the plains of Africa. In adapting instantly to whatever comes forth without thinking about it, we naturally flow over and around all obstacles. In practicing parkour, we are reviving and developing that ancient instinct(本能).
The attitude behind parkour also combines the mentality of a child at play. That unlimited imagination and energy combined with a complete ignoring of social practices epitomizes(成为……的缩影) the traceur. Others look at a rail or wall and see a barrier; we look at it and see a launch pad. And hey, let's not forget that we do this because it's fun! The world is our jungle gym. Let's go play!
1.The underlined word in paragraph 1 means _______.
A. parkour participants B. fitness experts
C. sports psychologists D. extreme sports lovers
2.Paragraph 4 is written to _______.
A. show the way to develop ancient instinct
B. introduce the development of parkour
C. distinguish parkour from ancient instinct
D. explain the origin of parkour
3.People may show interest in parkour because _______.
A. they can get freed from routine activities and tasks
B. it helps them to do their job efficiently in future
C. they can develop both physically and mentally
D. it has its roots in their childhood experience
