Watching the Northern Lights（北极光）shining on the sky’s natural canvas may be on your list already, but be prepared to up the money.
A developer is creating a floating, snowflaked - shaped（雪花形状的）glass hotel from which guests can stare in fear at the Northern Lights from their beds. The project is called Krystall. Eighty –six luxury rooms will be covered within a glass structure alongside conference rooms and a spa, all of which is only accessible by boat.
The stationery hotel will be built near in northern Norway reportedly between bays. It will be constructed, in pieces, in dry docks（码头）, before being fit together on location.
Explaining the physics and design of the hotel, Koen Olthuis, Dutch architect and founder of Waterstudio, a specialist in floating structures, said: “The floating base is very big and because of that also very stable. You will not notice any movement. Different to any vessel this hotel is a floating building and will not move. The shape provides most of the stability but cables（缆绳）are used to take away any speed.”
“Same look and feel as a land based hotel but then on the most beautiful spot on the water. The hotel is not connected to land so all the things will be provided by boats.”
According to Mr Olthuis, who wouldn’t tell the actual cost of the project, the budget is 15 percent more than it would have been if it were built on land. He said that an important thing to the hotel’s construction was for its creation to be “scarless” on the perfect environment surrounding it.
“We call it a scarless development. If you take it away after a hundred years or so it will not leave any physical footprint. That is the only way to bring developments to such a valuable and beautiful marine environment in Norway.”
It is hoped that the hotel will be “self-supporting and sustainable” using top of the range technology, helping to support the “growing eco-tourism market.”
“Dutch Docklands has learned to live with the water instead of fighting it,” the firm states. “Floating houses are common in the Netherlands but we took that technology abroad and scale it up in size.”
1.According to the text, Krystall is stable because ________.
A. it is linked to the land with cables. B. it is fixed together on location.
C. it is built in the form of snow flakes. D. it has the same look as any vessel.
2.While building Krystall, waterstudio concerns most about ________.
A. how to keep it existing for a hundred years.
B. how to cause no damage to each piece.
C. how to build it with a lot less money.
D. how to make it environmentally friendly.
3.What Mr Olthuis said in the last paragraph implies that ________.
A. The Dutch developed a sense of adapting to nature.
B. eco-tourism is a growing market in the Netherlands.
C. it needs technology to build floating houses.
D. it is common to see house floating on water.
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Build a floating house to live in.
B. View the Northern Lights in a floating hotel.
C. Live with water in a glass hotel in Norway.
D. Use the Northern Lights in a glass hotel.
The arm bones of women who lived 7,000 years ago show a surprising level of strength--even higher than today's professional athletes. That's according to a first-ever study comparing prehistoric(史前的) bones to those of living people. The finding suggests a revision of history- the everyday lives of prehistoric women were filled with hard labor, rather than just sitting at home doing lighter tasks while the men struggled and fought for life.
“Before the study, there are no clear records describing how our ancient ancestors lived. It can be easy to forget that bone is a living tissue, one that responds to the difficulties we put our bodies through,” said lead author Alison Macintosh. “Physical force and muscle activity both put pressure on the bone. The bone reacts by changing in shape, thickness and other aspects over time.”
Previous studies only compared female bones to contemporary male bones, the researchers said-and that's a problem, because the response of male bones to stress and change is much bigger than that of women. For instance, as humans moved from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle constantly on the move to a more settled agrarian(农耕的) one, changes can be observed in the structure of the shinbone(胫骨)- and these changes were much more evident in men.
However, a comparison of the bones of prehistoric women to the bones of living female athletes can help us work out a more accurate picture of what those prehistoric women were doing. "By analyzing the bones of living people and comparing them to the ancient bones, we can start to explain the kinds of labor our ancestors were reforming, Macintosh said. What they found was that women's leg strength hasn't changed a great deal, but their arms used to be very powerful. Prehistoric women, the researchers found, had arm strength 11-16 percent stronger than those of modern rowers(桨手), and 30 percent stronger than those of non-athletes.
1.What does the study tell about prehistoric women?
A. They were stronger than men. B. They had lighter bones than men.
C. They did tough tasks as the men. D. They spent most time staying at home.
2.What problem did previous studies on prehistoric bones have?
A. They lacked enough comparison. B. They only studied men' s bones.
C. They focused little on bones. D. They ignored the lifestyles.
3.What does the underlined word "that" in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Bones’ structure. B. Bones' thickness.
C. Bones’ response to stress. D. Bones’ stress from hard labor.
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. It's still hard to explain our ancestors' lifestyle.
B. Prehistoric women went through much suffering.
C. Women's arms have become much stronger over time.
D. Prehistoric women are stronger than contemporary females.
Plan your dream vacation to one of these excellent destinations.
St. Lucia
Abundant（丰富的） rainforests and splendid mountains are all reasons to visit this Caribbean island. St. Lucia offers the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure. To take in the breathtaking scenery, plan to hike the Piton Mountains or dive in the waters of Anse Chastanet.
Banff. Alberta
This Canadian destination will bring out the explorer in anyone who visits. From hiking and whitewater rafting to skiing and snowboarding, Banff offers travelers an abundance of year-round outdoor activities. The Lake Louise Ski Resort is one of the largest in North America and the striking photo opportunities of the Canadian Rockies from Moraine Lake can’t be underestimated (低估).
Machu Picchu
According to travelers, a visit to this Peruvian UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) site is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Located in the Andes Mountains, it is the most familiar icon (象征物) of Inca civilization. Spend a few days accustoming yourself to the altitude in the neighboring city of Cusco, where you can experience a mix of Incan and Spanish cultures.
Great Barrier Reef
It’s easy to see why the Great Barrier Reef is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World – it stretches nearly 1,500 miles along the eastern coastline of Australia and features about 3,000 reefs, 900 islands and more than 1,500 species of fish. Travelers can see these amazing natural structures from the air or underwater. However, large amounts of coral bleaching (褪色) caused by rising ocean temperatures put this place’s continued existence at risk, so plan your visit soon to see this awesome sight up close.
1.What can you enjoy both in St. Lucia and Banff?
A. Hiking. B. Skiing.
C. Diving. D. Snowboarding.
2.Where may a historian choose to go?
A. St. Lucia. B. Banff. Alberta.
C. Machu Picchu. D. Great Barrier Reef
3.What do we know about the Great Barrier Reef?
A. It’s on the western coast of Australia.
B. It’s famous for coral reefs rather than fish.
C. People must take a plane to enjoy its beauty.
D. It may disappear if temperature keeps on rising.
随着人们环保意识的提高，越来越多的人选择低碳生活。假设你是校英语俱乐部主席李华，请写一篇英语倡议书，从出行、购物、用水、用电四个方面倡议同学们选择低碳生活。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：低碳生活 low-carbon lifestyle 排放 emission
Dear fellow students,
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Fellow students, let’s take action right now!
下面短文中共有10处语言错误，请在有错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。
增加： 在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除： 把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改： 在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意： 1、每句不超过两个错误；
2、每处错误及其修改均限一词；
3、只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Yesterday I was caught in heavy storm in the street. I got wet all over. With a taxi come, I raised my hand, and the driver asks me to get in quickly. I thought he would overcharge me, but I hesitated. He smiled and said he won’t charge much than usual. As the rain had become heavier, I had to get into the taxi. Fifteen minutes late, I arrived at my house. But shortly after I went in, I realized I didn’t have my case. Just as I was beginning to feel anxiously, I heard of someone knocking on the door. To my great surprise, it was the taxi driver with my case in her hand. I was so excited that I couldn’t say something before he drove away.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Moving to a foreign country is an amazing experience. It’s an opportunity to put yourself in 1. different culture. However, before starting your adventure, there are some decisions 2.(make).
One such decision is choosing where to live. Will you stay in your own apartment? Will you share a flat with other young 3.(foreign)? Or will you choose to live with a host family? For me, choosing to live with a French family was the 4.(good) choice, and here is why.
Firstly, a family can show you around the city and prevent you 5.(feel) lonely and lost. My host family was 6.(extreme) nice. They showed me which buses to take to get to work, 7.(cook) dinner for me and took me with them on trips to the beach. These were great opportunities to experience French culture, 8. in turn helped me feel more comfortable.
Moreover, living with French people was a great way to improve my language skills. My host family was happy to answer my questions and corrected me 9. I said something wrong, which made me a better French speaker.
Besides this, the experience of living abroad is one that you will remember forever. You might return 10. their birthdays, weddings and much more. It will be a precious memory for the rest of your life.
