Winter is a very special time in Northern Norway. Winter also means skiing, and Narvik can offer some of the best skiing in Norway. The view and light change frequently and no two days are the same. For many people, the northern lights are an unforgettable sight, and in Narvik the sky is especially clear and great for watching at night.

The tourist season lasts from February to April, although May can be fascinating too, often with fantastic dry snow and an unbelievable light lasting well into the evening.

Ski hire

         It is possible for adults and children to hire skiing equipment such as snowboards. All equipment is prepared for us. If you would like to book your equipment, please email Narvikfjellet.

Cross-country skiing

         There are 12 kilometers of cross country ski run in Narvik. You need to bring your own skis as there is no cross-country hire. However, equipment can be bought at local sports shops in and around Narvik.

Off-piste skiing（非场地滑雪）

        In order to explore Narvik’s off-piste opportunities you need to know the dangers when choosing routes. It is suggested that you bring necessary equipment such as a shovel（雪铲）and a GPS locator. Ask Narvikfjellet for an experienced guide. With a guide you can explore Narvik’s special off-piste areas in a safe manner.

         Sometimes it is nice to do something different and not everybody enjoys skiing. Then you can go horse-riding, or visit the local museums.

Price examples for the 2012--2013 season

Time	Children(8-15years)	Adults
1 day	NOK 230	NOK 325
3 days	NOK 590	NOK 835
5 days	NOK 815	NOK 1,170
7 days	NOK 970	NOK 1,375
Children 0-7 years can enjoy the service for free

1.In Northern Norway, the tourist season may last ______.

A. one month             B. two months            C. three months         D. four months

2.What can we know from the passage?

A. You can book skiing equipment through the Internet.

B. You are provided with skiing equipment for free.

C. Narvik is located in the south of Norway.

D. Narvik is open to adults and children over eight.

3.When you go off-piste skiing, the following are a must EXCEPT ______.

A. a shovel                  B. a horse          C. a guide           D. a GPS locator

4.If Mr. and Mrs. Smith stay in Narvik with their six-year-old daughter for three days in 2012,they should pay ______.

A. NOK 1,160             B. NOK 1,425              C. NOK 1,670              D. NOK 2,260

 

Researchers in over 80 nations are taking part in a project to conduct a decade-long census(统计) of sea life. Scientists presented some of their findings at a recent conference as the project neared its completion.

In deep icy waters under Antarctica, scientists found bulbous tunicates, an underground animal, and many newly-discovered creatures believed to be related to starfish (海星) and other marine(海洋的）creatures.

Elsewhere in the world’s oceans, they have recently discovered many kinds of underwater life forms new to science. It is all part of a research effort called the Census of Marine Life.

“There are about 2,000 scientists worldwide involved,” said Bob Gagosian, President, CEO of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. Gagosian helps manage the project. “Everywhere they’ve gone they’ve found new things,” he says. “The ocean basically is unexplored from the point of view of marine living things.”

Researchers have placed small markers on hundreds of fish and marine animals to track by satellite their migration(迁移）routes and to discover places where sea life gathers.

According to Ron O’Dor, a senior scientist with the Census of Marine Life, knowledge of life on the ocean floor is especially limited. “90% of all the information we have is from the top hundred meters of the ocean,” O’Dor states.

And he says the sea floor is, on average, at a depth of 4, 000 meters. And so, as some machines dive far below what people have previously seen, scientists are discovering new species of plants, animals and living things.

Since the census project began, more than 5,300 new marine animals have been found. Ocean researchers say they hope to catalogue 230,000 species during the census —which some say is only a small part of all the creatures living in the sea.

1.Why do the researchers place small markers on many marine creatures?

A．To catch them.	B．To research them.
C．To kill them.	D．To protect them.

2.From what Ron O’Dor says, we can conclude that        .

A．human beings only know a little about marine life

B．the oceans don’t need to be further explored

C．he considers exploring the ocean a dangerous thing

D．the marine creatures mainly live on the top of the ocean

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A．About 2,000 scientists from America are involved in the project.

B．The census of sea life will last for ten years.

C．230,000 new marine animals have been found.

D．The sea floor is at a depth of 400 meters.

4.Why does the author write the passage?

A．To tell the news that new marine creatures are being discovered

B．To encourage people to find new marine creatures

C．To prove the importance of marine creatures

D．To introduce the newly-discovered creatures.

 

The Sauna World Championships (世界桑拿锦标赛) ended in tragedy at the weekend when one of the two finalists collapsed and died. Vladimir Ladyzhenskiy, a Russian amateur wrestler in his 60s, suffered severe burns in the bizarre(怪诞的) annual event in the southern Finnish town of Heinola. He was pronounced dead late on Saturday after he collapsed alongside reigning (卫冕) champion Timo Kaukonen of Finland roughly six minutes into the final round. The “sport” calls on participants to sit in a 230-degree (110 Celsius) room as water was tossed onto a searing stove, officials and witnesses said. Medical workers pulled both men out of the sauna in front of nearly 1,000 horrified spectators.
Both were shaking and bleeding from what appeared to be severe burns, said Hakon Eikesdal, a photographer with the Norwegian daily Dagbladet. Kaukonen, about 40, was in hospital in stable condition Sunday, contest spokesman Ossi Arvela said. The event, which had over 130 participants from 15 countries, had been held since 1999. It will never be held again, Arvela said. A pint of water is added to the stove every 30 seconds and the last person to remain at the sauna is the winner. There was no prize other than “some small things” Arvela said. He declined to provide details. Arvela said Kaukonen — the defending world champion — had refused to leave the sauna despite getting sick. Sauna bathing is a popular past-time in Finland, which has an estimated 1.6 million saunas for a population of 5 million.
Temperatures are normally kept around 158 to 176 degrees (70~80 degrees Celsius). “I know this is very hard to understand to people outside Finland who are not familiar with the sauna habit,” Arvela said. “It is not so unusual to have 110 degrees in a sauna. A lot of competitors before have sat in higher temperatures than that.” Arvela said all rules in Saturday’s competition were followed and the temperatures and times were similar to those in previous years.
【小题1】Which of the following is True of Paragraph 1?

A．Only the Russian amateur wrestler suffered severe burns in the Sauna World Championships.

B．Timo Kaukonen won a world sauna championship though he was badly burned.

C．In the Sauna World Championships Vladimir Ladyzhenskiy was badly burned and then died.

D．Both of the finalists were pulled out of the sauna, then they were horrified to death.

【小题2】The underlined word “searing” means “__________”.

A．burning

B．comfortable

C．warm

D．extinct

【小题3】What can we conclude from the situation after the tragedy?

A．There was no prize other than “some small things”, which the world champion would refuse to accept.

B．Ossi Arvela suggested there were great risks in the sauna contest and it never be held in the future.

C．The contest would be continued in which the temperatures were kept around 158 to 176 degrees.

D．It was unusual to have 110 degrees in a sauna and it was hard to understand to some people outside.

【小题4】We can infer from the news that ___________.

A．sauna is so popular that there are often competitions on weekdays in Finland.

B．the temperatures in usual saunas are too high for most people to stand in Finland.

C．the sauna contest is much too horrible even for the spectators in Finland.

D．there is a sauna for more than three people on average in Finland.

A new study has been carried to test the role of story telling in lowering blood pressure. Dr. Thomas Houston, a professor of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, led a group of scientists that researched how pre-recorded videos of hypertension (高血压) patients' talking about their medical histories helped another group of patients with high blood pressure to control their condition over several months.
Houston was surprised by their studies that suggested that communication can be a powerful tool in medicine. They showed that those who had had similar experiences, when talking to someone with a similar background, could help change their behavior to become healthier. Hypertension is difficult to control, since it is dependent on diet, exercise and mental state. Medical treatments with drugs, and lifestyle therapies(疗法) have been relatively ineffective because people find it hard to follow those medical requirements.
In the test, his team carefully chose their story-tellers from 230 members of a patients' community with whom they could most easily relate. Next, they divided their study population into two groups. One received three interactive DVDs containing the tellers' stories of their experiences in living with and treating their hypertension. The other were given educational discs on an unrelated health topic. The study volunteers reported that they had listened to the DVDs, and after three months, those who heard the stories of the hypertensive patients lowered their blood pressure.
While the study did not address how the story-telling influenced the patients' behavior, Houston doubts that watching patients of similar backgrounds who had a similar medical experience helped to motivate them to seek medical help to their hypertension. They found that after six months the difference in blood pressure between those who watched the story-tellers and those who observed the unrelated videos remained, suggesting that the story-telling continued to have an effect.
【小题1】 We can learn from the text that the pre-recorded videos _________.

A．tell medical histories of hypertension patients

B．introduce some medical treatments of hypertension

C．introduce a good lifestyle for hypertensive patients

D．tell scientific discoveries of the scientist group

【小题2】Houston was surprised to find that _______.

A．hypertension is really difficult to control

B．communication has some medical effects

C．medical treatments have no effect at all

D．people don't follow the medical requirements

【小题3】 The underlined word "address" in the last paragraph most probably means _______.

A．persuade

B．observe

C．attend

D．announce

【小题4】 Which of the following could be the best title of the text?

A．The stories of some hypertension patients.

B．Medical treatments of blood pressure.

C．Storytelling may help lower blood pressure.

D．Suggestions about how to lower blood pressure.

A new study has been carried to test the role of story telling in lowering blood pressure. Dr. Thomas Houston, a professor of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, led a group of scientists that researched how pre-recorded videos of hypertension (高血压) patients' talking about their medical histories helped another group of patients with high blood pressure to control their condition over several months.

   Houston was surprised by their studies that suggested that communication can be a powerful tool in medicine. They showed that those who had had similar experiences, when talking to someone with a similar background, could help change their behavior to become healthier. Hypertension is difficult to control, since it is dependent on diet, exercise and mental state. Medical treatments with drugs, and lifestyle therapies(疗法) have been relatively ineffective because people find it hard to follow those medical requirements.

   In the test, his team carefully chose their story-tellers from 230 members of a patients' community with whom they could most easily relate. Next, they divided their study population into two groups. One received three interactive DVDs containing the tellers' stories of their experiences in living with and treating their hypertension. The other were given educational discs on an unrelated health topic. The study volunteers reported that they had listened to the DVDs, and after three months, those who heard the stories of the hypertensive patients lowered their blood pressure.

  While the study did not address how the story-telling influenced the patients' behavior, Houston doubts that watching patients of similar backgrounds who had a similar medical experience helped to motivate them to seek medical help to their hypertension. They found that after six months the difference in blood pressure between those who watched the story-tellers and those who observed the unrelated videos remained, suggesting that the story-telling continued to have an effect.

We can learn from the text that the pre-recorded videos _________.

   A. tell medical histories of hypertension patients

   B. introduce some medical treatments of hypertension

   C. introduce a good lifestyle for hypertensive patients

   D. tell scientific discoveries of the scientist group

Houston was surprised to find that _______.

   A. hypertension is really difficult to control      

B. communication has some medical effects

   C. medical treatments have no effect at all    

D. people don't follow the medical requirements

The underlined word "address" in the last paragraph most probably means _______.

   A. persuade   B. observe     C. attend    D. announce

Which of the following could be the best title of the text?

   A. The stories of some hypertension patients. 

 B. Medical treatments of blood pressure.

   C. Storytelling may help lower blood pressure.

  D. Suggestions about how to lower blood pressure.