September can be a depressing month. The summer holidays are over, it’s time to go back to work or school and Christmas is four months away. However, for some people it’s the perfect time to get away.
These days more and more people are taking their holidays late in the year and for good reasons. Holidays in autumn can be cheaper, the resorts are less crowded and the weather isn’t as extreme as it is in the summer. So, where are the best places to go? Here are our top tips.
Sardinia (in Italy) has an average temperature of 27℃ in September. It also has “Autunno in Barbagia” (Autumn in Barbagia) a series of festivals that take place in 27 villages in Barbagia, a mountainous region of inland Sardinia. The festivals continue from September to December, so there’s always something happening. There are street markets, craft workshops and there’s lots of eating and drinking (This is Italy, after all).
Dubrovnik Croatia has become very popular in summer but it’s quieter and more pleasant once the crowds have left. The weather is still warm but less humid. You can take a ferry to the popular beaches on the islands of Sunj and enjoy it with locals.
Dahab Egypt, is extremely hot in the summer with temperatures up to 38℃. However, the autumn is cooler while the sea is still warm. This makes Dahab the perfect place for snorkeling and windsurfing. There are also interesting historical sites to visit such as the Coloured Canyon, with its dramatic rock formations, and St Catherine’s Monastery, at the foot of Mount Sinai.
Kas is a relaxed fishing village on the Lycian coast in southern Turkey. There are plenty of things to do and the temperature has dropped (so you can actually enjoy doing them!) Kas is a good place to stay if you want to walk part of the Lycian way: a long-distance footpath that stretches for 500km from Fethiye to Antalya through the ancient land of Lycia. There are also watersports, of course. The best time to go diving is supposed to be after the first rains of autumn (usually between late September and early October) when the fish become most active.
Marrakech Morocco is another good destination. The city itself is a fascinating place to spend a few days. When you have had enough of that, go to Tigmi, a beautiful hill town about 20 kilometers away. There’s a hammam (a Turkish bath) and a large heated pool, which makes it the perfect place to relax.
Wherever you go this autumn – have fun!
【小题1】Here are the good reasons for people to take holidays in autumn except that _______.

完形填空:
It was the golden season . I could see the yellow leaves  1  on the cool  2 . In such a season, I liked walking alone in the leaves, listening to the sound of them.
Autumn is a  3  season and life is uninteresting. The free days always get me  4  . But one day, the sound of a violin  5  into my ears like a stream flowing in the mountains. I was so surprised that I jumped to see what it was. A young girl, standing in the wind, was  6  in playing her violin.
I had  7   seen her before. The music was so attractive that I listened quietly. Lost in the music, I didn’t realize that I had been  8  there for so long but my  9   did not seem to disturb her.
Leaves were still falling. Every day she played the violin in the corner of the building  10   I went downstairs to watch her performance. I was the only audience. The autumn seemed no longer lonely and life became  11 .  12  we didn’t know each other, I thought we were already good friends. I believed she also liked me .
Autumn was nearly over. One day, when I was listening devotedly, the sound suddenly stopped. To my  13  ,the girl came over to me.
“You must like violin, ” she said.
“Yes . And you play very well. Why did you stop?” I asked.
Suddenly, a  14   expression appeared on her face and I could feel something unusual.
“I came here to see my grandmother, but now I must leave. I once played very badly. It was your listening every day that  15   me. ” she said.
“In fact, it was your playing  16  gave me a meaningful autumn. ” I answered. “Let us be friends. ”
The girl smiled and I smiled.
I never heard her play again in my life. I no longer went downstairs to listen like before. Only thick leaves were left behind. But I will always remember the fine figure of the girl. She is like a
17  ; so short, so bright, like a shooting star giving off so much light that it makes the autumn beautiful.
There are many kinds of friends. Some are always  18   you, but don’t understand you. Some say only a few words to you, but are close to you. Many people will step in your life, but only  19  friends leave footprints.
I shall always recall the autumn and the girl with the  20  . She will always bring back the friendship between us. I know she will always be my best friend.
1.        A. shaking                 B. hanging                 C. falling                   D. floating
2.        A. wind                     B. snow                     C. air                        D. rain
3.        A. lively                    B. lovely                   C. harvest                  D. lonely
4.        A. up                         B. off                        C. down                    D. over
5.        A. flowed                  B. grew                     C. entered                  D. ran
6.        A. lost                       B. active                    C. busy                      D. interested
7.        A. ever                      B. never                    C. often                     D. usually
8.        A. waiting                  B. stopping                C. standing                D. hearing
9.        A. existence               B. thought                 C. steps                     D. breath
10.      A. where                    B. so                         C. when                     D. but
11.      A. interesting             B. moving                 C. encouraging           D. exciting
12.      A. But                       B. However               C. Even                     D. Though
13.      A. astonishment          B. delight                  C. pride                     D. satisfaction
14.      A. happy                    B. sad                       C. strange                  D. surprised
15.      A. surprised               B. excited                  C. encouraged            D. interested
16.      A. that                       B. which                   C. it                          D. who
17.      A. song                      B. dream                   C. fire                       D. wind
18.      A. with                      B. for                        C. against                  D. to
19.      A. good                     B. true                      C. new                      D. old
20.      A. sound                    B. song                     C. play                      D. violin

Cooler temperatures, attractive colors, smaller crowds autumn is the perfect time for travel and tourism. Here, three places are listed as the best fall trip destinations. Don’t worry if you can’t go to these places. By reading this page, we hope to take you on grand tour and let you experience fun and culture around the world.

1.The passage is presented for those who            .

A．care for fun and culture around the world

B．have planned to go for traveling this autumn

C．hate to have their holidays in other seasons

D．have not ever been to Europe and America

2.If you spend your holidays on October 31, you may           .

A．enjoy live music at the beer – drinking festival

B．watch polar bears hunt seals

C．taste traditional, paper – wrapped fish and clips

D．win a prize in “the Friendly Marathon”

3.According to the passage, we can know that          .

A．Car exhibitions will be held for two months.

B．It’s not necessary to take more clothes with you to Churehill, Martitoba

C．The beer – drinking event in German dates from the eighteenth century

D．Your favourite goods might be available in the expensive shop in Dublin

4.The passage is probably taken from the column of         in a newspaper.

A．economics  B．science        C．tourism        D．fashion

There are many kinds of friends. Some are always    36  you, but don't understand you. Some say only a few words to you, but understand you. Many people will step in your life, but only   37 friends leave footprints.

　　I shall always recall (回忆) the autumn and the girl with the  38  . She will always bring back the friendship between us. I know she will always be my best friend.

　　It was the golden season. I could see the yellow leaves   39 on the cool  40 . In such a season, I liked walking alone in the leaves,  41  to the sound of them.

　　Autumn is a  42  season and life is uninteresting. The free days always get me   43  . But one day, the sound of a violin   44  into my ears like a stream (小溪) flowing in the mountains. I was so surprised that I jumped to see what it was. A young girl, standing in the wind, was  45  in playing her violin.

　　I had  46 seen her before. The music was so nice that I listened quietly. Lost in the music, I didn't know that I had been   47 there for so long but my existence (存在) did not seem to disturb her.

　　Leaves were still falling. Every day she played the violin in the corner of the building  48 I went downstairs to watch her performance. I was the only listener. The autumn seemed no longer lonely and life became   49 .  50 we didn't know each other, I thought we were already good friends. I believe she also loved me.

Autumn was nearly over. One day, when I was listening carefully, the sound suddenly

   51 . To my astonishment (惊讶), the girl came over to me.

　　“You must like violin.” she said.

　　“Yes. And you play very well. Why did you stop?” I asked.

　　Suddenly, a   52 expression appeared on her face and I could feel something unusual.

　　“I came here to see my grandmother, but now I must leave. I once played very badly. It was your listening every day that   53 me.” she said.

　　“In fact, it was your playing   54 gave me a meaningful autumn,” I answered, “Let's be friends.”

　　The girl smiled, and so did I.

I never heard her play again in my life. I no longer went downstairs to listen like before. Only thick leaves were left behind. But I will always remember the fine figure (身影) of the girl. She is like a   55 —so short, so bright, like a shooting star giving off so much light that it makes the autumn beautiful.

 Autumn means different things to different people. It all depends on your personality, said British naturalist Richard Mabey. "Personality shapes your view of the season," he said. "You may see it as a fading away, a packing up（结束）, or as a time of packing in another sense – the excited gathering of resources before a long journey."

If this is true, perhaps it tells us a little about, for instance, Thomas Hood, the 19th Century English poet. About November, he wrote:

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease

No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees

November!

On the other hand, another English poet John Keats, already sensing he was seriously ill, was inspired by a late September day to pen one of the most famous poems in the English language, To Autumn. He wrote to a friend afterwards that there was something comforting and healing about it.

According to Richard Mabey, Keats has the biological evidence on his side. Autumn is not a time of slowing down, but a time of new beginnings and great movements of creatures. For example, just at the moment that Keats's "gathering swallows" （in To Autumn） are departing for Africa, millions of creatures are fleeing from the frozen north like Iceland, Greenland and Russia to winter along the east and south coasts of Britain. According to scientists, before falling, the leaves transfer their chlorophyll（叶绿素） and carbohydrates into the woody parts of the tree for safe-keeping over winter. What remains are the natural antioxidants（防老剂） in the leaves: the yellow and orange carotenoids（类胡萝卜素）, and another protective chemical specially produced for autumn, the bright-red anthocyanin（花青素）. High color is not a signal of deterioration（退化） and decline, but of detox（排毒的） ability and good health.

A century after Keats, the American poet Loren Eiseley wrote in his journal: "Suppose we saw ourselves burning like maples in a golden autumn. [And that we could] disintegrate（瓦解） like autumn leaves…dropping their substance like chlorophyll. Would not our attitude towards death be different?"

1.From Thomas Hood’s poem, we may infer that _______.

         A．he suffered a lot from cold November

         B．he missed the shining summer days very much

         C．he had a negative attitude towards autumn

         D．he enjoyed butterflies and bees very much

2.Which word can best describe Loren Eiseley’s attitude towards autumn?

         A．Optimistic.             B．Fearful.                   C．Doubtful.                 D．Realistic.

3.In autumn, leaves turn yellow before falling because ______.

         A．they can’t bear the freezing

         B．they can’t get enough water from the wood part

         C．chlorophyll and carbohydrates have been lost through leaves

         D．chlorophyll and carbohydrates have come back to the wood part

4.What does the underlined sentence mean?

         A．Man can never live long, just as leaves must leave the tree annually.

         B．Man is different from autumn leaves, which will come again the next spring.

         C．Man should treat death calmly, just like autumn leaves fall to the ground.

         D．Man should have a positive attitude towards death, quite different from autumn leaves.