Believe it or not, a rain check is not a weather report. A rain check is a small piece of paper. When can you get a rain check? Well, if you are going to a ball game or some other open-air activity and it is called off because of rain or some other reason, you may receive a rain check. With it you may go there again without paying.

You may also receive a rain check at a shop. As you know, sometimes when you go to a shop to buy something which is on sale, it is sold out. You may ask the assistant to give you a rain check and with it you can go again next time to buy what you need at the sale price.

Here’s another way to use this word. If someone invites you to go somewhere, you would like to go very much but cannot, you may say “May I have a rain check?” This means, “I will come next time.” But you can never say “May I take a rain check?” when your teacher gives you some homework.

根据短文内容，判断一下句子的正（T）误（F）。

1.A rain check is a piece of paper with weather report on it.    (  )

2.When a ball game is called off because of rain, we can get a rain check.    (  )

3.We can buy something we need without paying with a rain check.    (  )

4.Sometimes a rain check means “I will come next time.”    (  )

5.Teachers will be glad to give their students a rain check when they ask them to do some homework.    (  )

 

Sometimes there doesn’t seem to be enough rain. Other times there is too much. Maybe thereisn’t a lot we can do to control the rain, but there is a lot we can do to reduce problems caused bydifferent rainfall patterns.

A new development at the London Wetland Centre in Barnes solves the problems of managingwater with a “Rain Garden”. We are likely to be hearing about it a lot more often over the next fewyears. The idea is that the garden owner can store rainwater and use it in dry periods. They canreduce the problems caused by extra rain this way.

One of the key problems that the rain garden tries to deal with is the problem caused by toomuch water in the street. In a natural environment, a lot of rainwater is sent back into the air byplants. Much is also absorbed deep into the ground, and flows into streams and rivers. What happensin city environments can be completely different —— a large amount of rainwater flows straight offthe hard surfaces of roofs and roads. The harder the rain, the less likely it will be absorbed into theground —— floods are the result. Rainwater running off roads is often polluted.

The rain garden deals with living plants rather than hard surfaces. Plants are designed to holdwater and release it slowly, either into the ground, to be absorbed by plant roots (and so eventuallyback up into the atmosphere) or to go down into the water table. Not only does the rain gardenreduce the amount of water that flows onto the street, but it helps to clean it because plants are very goodat breaking down pollutants(污染物).

1.What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．Explaining why there is a lack of rain at times.

B．Introducing several different patterns of rainfall.

C．Telling us how to avoid problems caused by rain.

D．Giving the idea that there are ways to manage rain water.

2.According to the second paragraph, “Rain Gardens" are likely to _____.

A．harm the environment in the short run

B．become popular over the next few years

C．be turned down by most new developments

D．be too expensive for common people to accept

3.We can learn from the third paragraph that _____.

A．floods are often the results of small rains

B．a heavy rain is less difficult for plants to absorb

C．the rain garden helps send rainwater back into the air

D．larger amounts of rainwater flow straight off in city environments

4.According to the last paragraph, what does the rain garden help to clean?

A．The plants         B．The ground.        C．The water.         D．The street.

 

Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando in Florida
People say that it is the home of the “Harry Potter Theme Park”. The Wizarding World is the most popular part of the park. Other popular rides include the Adventures of Spider-Man, Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges and the Jurassic Park River Adventure.
It is open from Monday to Saturday. $15.95 for children, 3 to 13 years old; $29.95 for ages 14 and over.
PI-O Indoor Theme Park in Longueuil
The PI-O Indoor Theme Park features(以……为特色) 16 rides, a small sea train, a kid-sized bowling alley(保龄球场), a mirror maze(迷宫), theme rooms which include the Christmas room on-the-sea, and a private reception room.
“I wanted to create a safe environment for kids aged 1 to 10,” explains owner Jocelyne Pinard. She noted how many competing amusement parks have sections that can be unsafe for young kids — such as the “ball rooms” full of loose plastic balls. So this is how it is different from other amusement parks.
Open seven days a week. The admission fees are $16.99 for individuals(个人) and $64 for families.
Legoland Windsor Theme Park in London
Legoland Windsor is the best choice for young families. The park is designed for children from 3 to 12. There are over 50 rides as well as live shows, workshops, and other attractions aimed at younger children, and especially those who are already fond of building-block(积木) toys.
The park is open every single day. Adults: $35; Ages 3-15 and 60+: $26. Buy online and save $3 per person.
Wonder La Theme Park in India
Wonder La is a world-class amusement park. It’s modern, clean and green, and has all kinds of attractions. There are over 50 rides, 12 of which are water based and 9 especially for small children. If you love getting wet, don’t miss the Rain Disco — an indoor dance floor with a rain system that provides showers of warm water to the music.
Monday to Friday 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, Holiday and Festival seasons 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Single adult / child — $13.50; Family ticket (for any four people) — $50.00; Children 3 and under — Free.
【小题1】If Jim is free this Sunday, he can choose to visit the following parks EXCEPT________.

A．Islands of Adventure	B．PI-O
C．Legoland Windsor	D．Wonder La

【小题2】How is PI-O Indoor Theme Park mainly different from other parks?

A．It is much safer.	B．It features more rides.
C．It is much cheaper.	D．It offers more activities.

【小题3】If a couple want to visit Legoland Windsor Theme Park with their 5-year-old son, how much do they need to pay when booking online?

A．$70.

B．$87.

C．$93.

D．$96.

【小题4】Which of the following about Wonder La Theme Park is NOT true?

A．It is located in India.

B．It is free for children of 3 and under.

C．There are nine rides especially for small children.

D．The Rain Disco lets children enjoy cool showers while dancing.

【小题5】Where is the passage most probably taken?

A．A science magazine.	B．A text book.
C．A travel guide.	D．A local newspaper.

Sometimes there doesn’t seem to be enough rain. Other times there is too much. Maybe thereisn’t a lot we can do to control the rain, but there is a lot we can do to reduce problems caused bydifferent rainfall patterns.

A new development at the London Wetland Centre in Barnes solves the problems of managingwater with a “Rain Garden”. We are likely to be hearing about it a lot more often over the next fewyears. The idea is that the garden owner can store rainwater and use it in dry periods. They canreduce the problems caused by extra rain this way.

One of the key problems that the rain garden tries to deal with is the problem caused by toomuch water in the street. In a natural environment, a lot of rainwater is sent back into the air byplants. Much is also absorbed deep into the ground, and flows into streams and rivers. What happensin city environments can be completely different —— a large amount of rainwater flows straight offthe hard surfaces of roofs and roads. The harder the rain, the less likely it will be absorbed into theground —— floods are the result. Rainwater running off roads is often polluted.

The rain garden deals with living plants rather than hard surfaces. Plants are designed to holdwater and release it slowly, either into the ground, to be absorbed by plant roots (and so eventuallyback up into the atmosphere) or to go down into the water table. Not only does the rain gardenreduce the amount of water that flows onto the street, but it helps to clean it because plants are very goodat breaking down pollutants(污染物).

1.What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．Explaining why there is a lack of rain at times.

B．Introducing several different patterns of rainfall.

C．Telling us how to avoid problems caused by rain.

D．Giving the idea that there are ways to manage rain water.

2.According to the second paragraph, “Rain Gardens" are likely to _____.

A．harm the environment in the short run

B．become popular over the next few years

C．be turned down by most new developments

D．be too expensive for common people to accept

3.We can learn from the third paragraph that _____.

A．floods are often the results of small rains

B．a heavy rain is less difficult for plants to absorb

C．the rain garden helps send rainwater back into the air

D．larger amounts of rainwater flow straight off in city environments

4.According to the last paragraph, what does the rain garden help to clean?

A．The plants         B．The ground.        C．The water.         D．The street.

 

Sometimes there doesn’t seem to be enough rain. Other times there is too much. Maybe thereisn’t a lot we can do to control the rain, but there is a lot we can do to reduce problems caused bydifferent rainfall patterns.
A new development at the London Wetland Centre in Barnes solves the problems of managingwater with a “Rain Garden”. We are likely to be hearing about it a lot more often over the next fewyears. The idea is that the garden owner can store rainwater and use it in dry periods. They canreduce the problems caused by extra rain this way.
One of the key problems that the rain garden tries to deal with is the problem caused by toomuch water in the street. In a natural environment, a lot of rainwater is sent back into the air byplants. Much is also absorbed deep into the ground, and flows into streams and rivers. What happensin city environments can be completely different —— a large amount of rainwater flows straight offthe hard surfaces of roofs and roads. The harder the rain, the less likely it will be absorbed into theground —— floods are the result. Rainwater running off roads is often polluted.
The rain garden deals with living plants rather than hard surfaces. Plants are designed to holdwater and release it slowly, either into the ground, to be absorbed by plant roots (and so eventuallyback up into the atmosphere) or to go down into the water table. Not only does the rain gardenreduce the amount of water that flows onto the street, but it helps to clean it because plants are very goodat breaking down pollutants(污染物).
【小题1】What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．Explaining why there is a lack of rain at times.

B．Introducing several different patterns of rainfall.

C．Telling us how to avoid problems caused by rain.

D．Giving the idea that there are ways to manage rain water.

【小题2】According to the second paragraph, “Rain Gardens" are likely to _____.

A．harm the environment in the short run

B．become popular over the next few years

C．be turned down by most new developments

D．be too expensive for common people to accept

【小题3】We can learn from the third paragraph that _____.

A．floods are often the results of small rains

B．a heavy rain is less difficult for plants to absorb

C．the rain garden helps send rainwater back into the air

D．larger amounts of rainwater flow straight off in city environments

【小题4】According to the last paragraph, what does the rain garden help to clean?

A．The plants

B．The ground.

C．The water.

D．The street.