Sri Lanka is known as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean”, and it is easy to see why. This little country never fails to please visitors.
Arrive
The national airline is Sri Lankan Airlines, which flies from Colombo to London and a couple of other European cities. The country’s main airport is Colombo Bandaranaike, located 29km north of the capital city.
Why now?
The best time to visit Sri Lanka’s southern beaches is from November to April. So by going early in the season, you’ll get the best weather. Also in November, Deepavali, known as “Diwali” or the “Festival of Lights”, is Sri Lanka’s main religious festival, celebrated throughout the country.
See
There is plenty to see in Sri Lanka. The ancient capital cities of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura are worth seeing, and so are many outstanding ruins. Other must sees are the rock fortress (要塞) of Sigiriya, towering over the jungle as far as the eye can see, and Dambulla’s cave temple, the country’s largest and best preserved. Both are UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) Sites. Kandy is a picture-like town, which was the last stronghold of the Kandyan Kings. Today it is a cultural relic centre where age-old customs, arts, and crafts remain.
Do
Sri Lanka owns about 1,600km of beautiful palm-shaded beaches as well as warm, pure seas and colourful coral reefs. You can explore the underwater world, and surfing and diving are available too. Away from the shore, wildlife is a big draw for Sri Lanka, and Yala National Park is one of the best places in the word to see wild animals including leopards (豹) and elephants.
Taste
Sri Lanka is celebrated for its excellent food, with a particular emphasis on fresh fruit and vegetables on menus everywhere. Fish and seafood are a big part of the local diet.
Did you know?
Sri Lanka is known for its tea, but it is also the world’s largest producer and exporter of cinnamon(肉桂).
【小题1】Which of the following is a cultural relic centre of Sri Lanka?

A．Kandy.

B．Anuradhapura.

C．Polonnaruwa.

D．Colombo.

【小题2】If you want to know something about “Diwali”, you’d better go
there in        .

A．September.

B．October.

C．November.

D．May.

【小题3】We learn from the passage that Sri Lanka        .

A．is in the Pacific Ocean

B．is famous for its excellent food

C．is the world’s largest producer of tea

D．has only flights to London

【小题4】The author wrote the article in order to     .

A．introduce the picturesque landscape of Sri Lanka

B．let readers know what is famous for in Sri Lanka

C．make Sri Lanka well known throughout the world

D．let people get more travel information about Sri Lanka

Welcome to the Ambassador Hotel. To make your stay as enjoyable as possible, we hope you will use our facilities（设施） to the full.
Dining Room
Breakfast is served in the dining mom from 8 to 9:30 a.m.. Alternatively, the room staff will bring a breakfast tray to your room at any time after 7 a.m., if you place an order for it by telephone. In this case, please fill out a card and hang it outside your door when you go to bed. Lunch: 12:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Telephone:48752
Room Service
This operates 24 hours a day. Phone the Reception Desk, and your message will be passed on to the room staff.
Telephone: 48759
Telephone
To make a telephone call, dial 0 for Reception and Laundry (洗衣店), and ask to be connected. We apologize for delays in putting calls through when the staff are very busy. There are also public telephone booths(电话亭)near the Reception Desk. Early calls should be booked with Reception.
Shop
The hotel shop is open for souvenirs（纪念品）, gifts and toiletries（化妆品）from 9 a.m. to 5:30p.m.
Telephone: 48687
Laundry
We have a laundry on the premises（附属）and will wash, iron and return your clothes within 24 hours. Ask the room staff to phone the laundrymen to collect them.
Telephone: 48867
Bar
The hotel bar is open from 12 to 2 p.m., and 7 p.m.  to 2 a.m.. The Reception staff will cash cheques and exchange money in many foreign currencies（货币）.
【小题1】The announcement(通知) mainly gives us information about ________.

A．facilities in the hotel

B．providing passengers all kinds of service

C．the ways of serving

D．carrying out the promise of the hotel

【小题2】The card in a bedroom of the hotel is to announce that ___________.

A．you should keep silent when walking past the room

B．the passenger of the room is taking a rest

C．the waiters mustn’t enter the room

D．any visitors won’t bother the hotel guest

【小题3】You have arrived to stay at the hotel at 2 a.m., and want a snack(快餐), What should you do ?

A．Go to the hotel shop.

B．Go to the hotel bar.

C．Give a message to the waiter.

D．Phone Reception

The following notice is posted in the bus station.
Time Table:
●Buses leave the Railway Station, New York City, from7:00 a.m. and every half-hour thereafter, until 11:30 p.m. (7 days a week)
●Buses leave Brennan Station 20 minutes before and after every hour from 6:20 a.m. to 11:40 p.m. (7 days a week)
●Evening rush hours (5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.); Buses leave the Railway Station, New York City every 15 minutes.(Monday—Friday)
●Holidays Buses leave every hour on the hour, each direction.(Trip time:30minutes each way)
●All tickets must be bought at Window 12, the Railway Station, New York City, or at the Brennan Station Window BEFORE boarding buses.
【小题1】If you want to take a bus in the evening rush hour, you should take the ____                       in the Railway Station, New York City on Monday.

A．6:20 p.m.

B．5:45 p.m.

C．8:00 p.m.

D．7:15 p.m.

【小题2】You’ll go back home from work in Brennan. Which of the following bus will you take?

A．7:30 p.m.

B．6:00 a.m.

C．5:45 p.m.

D．6:20 p.m.

【小题3】Where should passengers buy their tickets?

A．From the bus driver.

B．On the bus after getting on it.

C．From the conductor.

D．At the station before boarding.

TV PROGRAMS
Channel 1	Channel 2
18:00 Around China 18:30 Children’s program 19:00 News 19:30 Weather report 19:40 Around the world 20:10 TV play: Sisters 21:00 English for today 21:15 Popular music 21:55 Talk show	17:45 Computers 18:10 Foreign arts 18:30 English classroom 19:00 Animal world 19:25 China’ 99 20:20 Sports 21:00 Guo Lanying 21:45 English news 22:05 On TV next week

【小题1】If you want to watch a football game, the best program for you would be ___   _.

A．Sports	B．TV play
C．Around the world	D．Talk show

【小题2】The program of _____ will let you know much about western countries.

A．Sisters	B．Around China
C．Around the world	D．On TV next week

【小题3】If you want to know something about tigers, ele­phants and monkeys, the best program for you is__     _.

A．Around China	B．Animal world
C．TV play	D．Foreign arts

【小题4】English classroom is a program that___.

A．lets you know something about classrooms.

B．tells you something about students

C．lets you know something about school life

D．teaches you English

Coolest Hotels in the World
Artau Aragon Towers
The Ariau Amazon Towers hotel lets you sleep in a tree house. Eight towers make up this
hotel that offers over 300 rooms. If you really want to get into the spirit, book the Tarzan Suite which is large enough for a big family. You'll be thirty feet up in the air and can travel between the towers through their wooden walkways.
Prices: starting at $300 one night for each person for a regular room and going all the way
up to $3000 for the Tarzan Suite.
For more information, visit the website: http://Hwww.ariautowers.com
The Ice Hotel
Every winter in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, a special kind of hotel called the lee Hotel is built. Each year, world-famous artists are invited to design and produce works of art from the ice, many of which can be found in the rooms. You'll have your choice between hot or cold rooms but you will be well advised to stay at least one night in a cold room for a true experience.
Prices: starting at $318 one night for each person for either a cold room or a warm one. For more information, visit the website: http:Hwww.icehotel.com
Propeller Island
Propeller Island City Lodge is a very special hotel that was designed by a German artist Each room provides you with the possibility of living in a work of art. Every single piece of furniture in the thirty rooms of the hotel has been hand-made and each room is completely different. You'll be able to choose a room based on your own personal tastes.
Prices: starting at just $91 a night, and an additional (另外) person for only 20 extra dollars. For more information, visit the website: http://www.propeller-island.com
For information about other cool hotels In the world, visit the website: http://www.bahamabeachclub.com
【小题1】What it special about the Ariau Amazon Towers hotel?

A．You can sleep in the tree house.

B．You can choose any of the towers.

C．It is designed for big families.

D．Every room has a walkway.

【小题2】For more persons spending a night in one of these hotels, they have to pay at least
A $111           B. $182           C. $600    D. $636
【小题3】Which website should you visit if you want to find out whether there exists a hotel under the sea?

A．http://www.icehotel.com

B．http：//www.ariantowers.com

C．http://www.propeller-island.com

D．htlp://www.bahamabeachclub.com

【小题4】Which hotel would invite artists to come to work every year?

A．Propeller Bland City Lodge.

B．Arian Amazon Towers.

C．The Ice Hotel.

D．Bahama Beach Club.

Some diaries from Jackie Chan’s blog
January 4, 2009
Lately I’ve been busy in Beijing having meetings to discuss my new movie. I also attended John Wu’s ceremony（典礼）of his new movie, Red Cliff, which took two years to complete. I’m good friends with the director John Wu and the main actor Tony Leung.
January 5, 2009
Today I went to record a television program for Beijing TV called Volunteers Across China. This TV program is a large-scale reality show that is based on the idea that “good people reap good rewards” and it hopes to encourage people to be more aware and help the “good people” who are in difficult situations.
January 6, 2009
I’m very pleased to announce that my Jackie Chan automobile website is set up and officially operating! I hope that through this automotive website, I can get in touch with more people who want to buy cars.
January 7, 2009
Today, I went to record a song called Zhongguo Nian. This song was written by Chang Shilei. I sing this song together with Tan Jing. Chang Shilei is a naturally talented musician. He also has an interesting habit. His piano is placed next to his bed. When he wakes up, he plays the piano until he’s tired, and then he lies down on his bed to sleep.
January 9, 2009
Today I met with the producer and director of Longwei Xiaozi ,and I also brought along my friend’s daughter for a screen test. Although my friend’s daughter grew up in China, her English is very good and it just happened by chance that this movie needs a young actress for a part, so I took her along to audition（试演）.
【小题1】What might be the best title for this passage?

A．My new movie.	B．My busy life.
C．My good friend.	D．My favorite song.

【小题2】 The TV program Volunteers Across China tries to

A．find some rich people who are able to help the poor.

B．encourage people to look after the young.

C．ask people to help “good people” who are in trouble.

D．make China more and more famous all over the word.

【小题3】The underlined word “announce” in the third paragraph means

A．tell sb sth officially

B．tell sb what you think

C．tell sb to do sth

D．say that sth must happen

【小题4】With whom does the author sing the song Zhongguo Nian ?

A．John Wu.

B．Tony Leung.

C．Chang Shilei.

D．Tan Jing.

【小题5】What can we infer from the text?

A．It took the author two years to finish the movie Red Cliff.

B．People who are in trouble can ask Beijing TV for help.

C．Chang Shilei is a famous actor who is good at playing the piano.

D．Longwei Xiaozi needs a young actress for a part who can speak English well.

Gadgets make study fun Now in a world piled high with smartphones, tablets (平板电脑)and e-readers, technology has entered the classroom in ways unimaginable． Taking classes can be fun too． All you have to do is swipe your fingers on your phone screen and download some apps (应用程序), which can make your study more fun and efficient ． Balancing study and play in a college setting has never been easy-and with the following few apps, it’ll be tough to tell the two apart．

Evernote Use:note-taking Can be used on: iPhone/iPad/iPod touch, Android , BlackBerry, Palm OS and Windows , Phone 7 price :free If you take notes to stay organized，then Evernote is for you． The main thing about Evernote  is that all of your notes are automatically sent into the cloud-and then you can access them from any web-connected computer via the Evernote app or a web browser(浏览器)． Evernote also supports audio and photo notes-rather handy if you want to record your lecture or take photos of any projected notes． But, of course, ask for permission first．

Wikipanion Use:research database Can be used on: iPhone/iPad/iPod touch Price :free ( Wikipanion Plus for $4．99,or 31．87 yuan ) Now , you don’t necessarily have to go to a library or anywhere with computer services to do research work for your paper anymore． You can get access to the research databases just on your smartphone or tablet．

Conquering Bilingual News Listening in 7 Days Use: English learning application Can be used on : iPhone/iPad/iPod touch Price:For a limited time you can get the App for only $0．99—half price．Still learning English with a workbook? If so, you are behind the times．Get 21st Century Newspaper’s new iPhone App, “Conquering Bilingual News Listening in 7 Days”．When you download the App on your iPhone, you can listen to the hottest bilingual news selected from the newspaper’s official website (w．w．w．i2lst．cn)and read by native speakers, “Conquering Bilingual News Listening in 7 Days” has ranked No 1 on the Chinese education App list． For a limited time you can get the App for only $0．99—half price．

【小题1】The purpose of this passage to                   ．

A．make your study more fun and efficient

B．introduce some apps used on gadgets

C．advertise high-tech teaching ways

D．promote new application programs

【小题2】According to the passage, we can know that             ．

A．the three apps all support audio and photo forms．

B．college study is undoubtedly full of ease and fun

C．college students used to do research work in the library or via computers

D．students can record lectures and send them to the cloud without permission

【小题3】Which of the following is true about the apps?

A．They can only be used on smartphones．

B．Evemote and Wikipanion Plus are free．

C．Evemote can merely be used on a computer．

D．They improve learning efficiency and pleasure．

HOLIDAY HOMES IN MALLORCA
Holiday houses in Mallorca sailing and fishing port -- quiet even in summer season. Beautifully situated houses with sights of sea and mountains, yet near to shops and restaurants. Cars and bicycles for hire. Sailing and sports clubs nearby.
ITALY IN COMFORT
Luxury coach（长途客运汽车） trips of Italy, out of normal holiday season. 21days to visit five Italian cities starting from London 1st May, 1st September. The trips are guided by professor Martin Davis, Head of Italian Studies, London University. See the arts and culture of historic Italy.
KIBBUTZ HOLIDAYS IN ISRAEL（以色列）
Working holidays on a kibbutz（ co -operative farm） in Israel. All nationalities welcome for one to three months, if prepared to work morning with kibbutz members.
Accommodation （住宿）, food and trips to historic sights all provided free - you pay only for the special low- cost return flight.
TWO WEEKS ON A CARIBBEAN ISLAND
Two-week holidays in the Hotel Splendid, on a lovely beach with golden sands and deep-blue sea. Tennis, golf, sailing and all water sports, trips around the island arranged. Near to town of Castries with lively evening entertainment--dancing.
1st November - 31st March = ￡ 720 per person
　　1st April - 30th October = ￡ 850 per person
　　Jack and his wife Mary, who have recently retired, want to see places of cultural and historic interest abroad, but Mary hates flying.
Michael, a young computer programmer, has been working hard and needs a holiday to relax in winter. He would like to go somewhere warmer and sunny, where he can swim in the sea, and he enjoys sports and dancing.
Henry and Kate, both teachers, and their two sons, have to take their holiday during the school summer holidays. There must be plenty for the boys to do, although Henry and Kate just want to have beautiful scenery, good food and wine--and peace.
【小题1】Michael would most probably go to ________ for his holiday.

A．Italy	B．Israel
C．Mallorca	D．a Caribbean island

【小题2】The best holiday for Jack and Mary would be________.

A．the 21 - day coach trip of Italy

B．the 2 -week stay in the Hotel Splendid

C．the 14 -day trip around a Caribbean island

D．the working holidays for 1 -3 months on a kibbutz in Israel

【小题3】Henry and Kate and their sons would like________.

A．a holiday working on a kibbutz in Israel

B．a holiday visiting cities by coach in Italy

C．a holiday house in the fishing port in Mallorca

D．a holiday hotel on a lovely beach on a Caribbean Island

【小题4】You can find this passage most probably in ________.

A．a school library	B．a tourist agency
C．the post office	D．the museum

A School Report

Name: Edward Scott         School: Kelvin Grove Stale High School Grade: 7                  Term ends: 6，May
Subjects & Performances
Maths	He is a little weak in this, but he has tried his best to catch up with others.
English	He is the best in the class. Keep it up.
Science	He can work out many difficulties.
French	His reading is very good, he can remember many words.
History	He is not so good at this, but has done better than before.
Geography	He is familiar(熟悉) with the names of many places in the world.
Music	He doesn't like pop songs, though sings very well.
Remarks(评语): Edward is able to do a lot better. More work is needed next term.
Class teacher: Ivy		Headmaster: M. L. Martin
School reopens: 11, September

【小题1】This is a_________.

A．studying plan of Edward Scott

B．teaching plan of Ivy

C．school report of Edward Scott

D．working plan of M. L. Martin

【小题2】Which subject is NOT mentioned(提到) in the form?

A．Chinese

B．Music

C．Maths

D．Geography

【小题3】Edward's best subject is_________.

A．science

B．English

C．French

D．history

【小题4】Edward is not so good at_________.

A．science and geography

B．history and French

C．music and English

D．maths and history

During the summer holidays there will be a revised(修改过的)schedule of services for the students. Changes for dinning-room and library service hours and for bus schedules will be posted on the wall outside of the dining-hall．Weekly film and concert schedules,which are being arranged(安排), will be posted each Wednesday outside of the student club.
　　In the summer holidays, buses going to the town center will leave the main hall every hour on the half hour during the day．The dining-room will serve three meals a day from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm during the week and two meals from noon to 7:00 pm on weekends．The library will continue its usual hours during the week, but have shorter hours on Saturdays and Sundays．The weekend hours are from noon to5:00 pm.
　　All students who want to use the library borrowing services must have a new summer card．This announcement will also appear in the next week’s student newspaper.
【小题1】The main purpose of this announcement is to　　 .

A．tell students of important schedule changes

B．tell students of new bus and library services

C．show the excellent services for students

D．ask students to renew their library cards

【小题2】Times for films and concerts are not listed in this announcement because　　 .

A．they are not to be announced

B．they are hard to arrange

C．the full list is not ready

D．the full list is too long

【小题3】At which of the following times will the bus leave the main hall?

A．8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00

B．8:30, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30

C．8:30,9:00, 9:30,10:00

D．8:00, 9:30, 11:00, 12:30

【小题4】In the summer holidays,the library will have　　 .

A．no special hours

B．special hours on weekdays

C．special hours on weekends

D．special hours both on weekdays and weekends