Are you interested in travelling in the dangerous mountains in America? Here are some tour plans for you to choose.

Tour 1 Garland Valley

Bring your drink and lunch for this walk in a beautiful area of the Blue Mountains. Garland Valley is close to the town of Garland but is part of the National Park. Many wild animals live in this area, including many rare birds. This is a great walk for bird-lovers. The trip lasts four hours. Book in advance. Cost: $ 15 When: May 8, May 15

Tour 2 Flashlight Adventure

Put on your warm clothes, bring a flashligh and a pair of glasses, and come for a night walk along the Dungog Valley. A guide will lead the tour. Many of the animals you will see on this trip can only be seen at night. The guide will tell you about the lives of the animals you see. Numbers are strictly controlled on night trips, so be sure to book early. This walk lasts two and a half hours.

Cost: $ 12 When: May 8, May 15, May22

Tour 3 Black Bear Count

There have been fires in this area in the last few years and the Office of the National Park is not sure how many black bears are still living. Some bears have been seen since the fires, and the Office has asked for young people to help count them. The entire trip will last three hours. Remember to book in advance.

Cost: Free When: May 8

Advice to be followed:

☆ Please bring enough water and food for all walks.

☆ Wear good walking shoes-no high heels.

☆ Wear a hat for day walks.

☆ Dress warmly for night walks.

☆ Children must be with an adult.

☆ Make sure your flashlight works well and bring extra batteries for night walks.

☆ Follow all instructions from guides during the walks. The mountains are so

   dangerous that you have to care.

1.Where are these tours likely to take place?

   A. In a modern noisy city.          

B. In a special kind of zoo

   C. In a park in the mountains.      

D. In three different countries.

2.On which tours had you better wear a hat according to advice?

   A. Tour 1              

B. Tour 2      

C. Tour 2&3               

D. Tour 1& 3

3.On which trip are you likely to see animals that are active at night but may sleep during the day?

   A. Flashlight Adventure      

B. Garland Valley.

   C. Black Bear Count          

D. None of the trips.

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

   A. Extra batteries are needed for Tour 1 & 3.

B. All three tours require booking in advance.

   C. It’s clearly advised to wear a hat for Tour 2.

D. Tour 3 will take the longest hours to finish.

5.What is the best title for the passage?

   A. Some Adventure Tours in America

B. Hunting around the Great Mountains

C. Interesting Tours in Different Parks

D. Discovery Tours in the Mountains

 

B

Some schools in the United States offer Chinese language classes with government support from China.

Saint Mary’s School is a private college preparatory school in Medford, Oregon.

Carly Irvine is in her fourth year of learning Mandarin(普通话).

CARLY IRVINE: “Since China and America are working so closely and our relationship is growing more and more, I think it will be very important in the future to know Chinese.”

Saint Mary’s also teaches Spanish, German and Latin. It added Mandarin in two thousand five. Two years ago, it became the first school in the country to join the Confucius Classroom program.

The program pays about half the costs of a teacher sent to a school in the United States. China’s Education Ministry also provides books and other materials.

Saint Mary’s principal, Frank Phillips, says knowing Chinese will help students in a world where China is quickly gaining economic power.

Zheng Ling, a teacher at Saint Mary’s, came from China in two thousand eight.

ZHENG LING: “People do not know much about China, especially the latest development. So I think this is a chance for them to know more about China, what China is really like. It’s quite different from what it was twenty years ago.”

The Confucius Classroom program is in about forty countries, including more than fifty American schools and universities.

A recent report said more schools in the United States are teaching Chinese and Arabic, although the numbers are still low.

45. How many American schools and universities have the Confucius Classroom program?

A. 4.                                   B. 20.                          C. 40.                          D. 50.

46. Which of the following is true about Saint Mary’s School?

A. It is a public college preparatory school.

B. It added Mandarin in two thousand six.

C. It became the first school in America to join the Confucius Classroom program.

D. It also teaches Spanish, German and French.

47. How does Carly Irvine think learning Chinese?

A. Helpful.                   B. Useless.                    C. Unnecessary.             D. Terrible.

48. What’s the passage mainly about?

A. Some US Students Learn Mandarin with China’s Help.

B. China is quickly gaining economic power.

C. Saint Mary’s School.                                 

D. Carly Irvine.

 

Remember those big, colorful books with large pictures of balls or apples when you were a little kid? Those have proven to be helpful, according to a number of studies. Between 1 and 5 years old, introducing books to Children can help greatly because this is usually the age when intellectual (智力的) capabilities form.

At age 1 to 5, a child can decide whether he wants to learn or wants to be a good learner. The road to learning starts here. Their curiosity (好奇) and imagination are fed with the many pictures, sounds and colors in the books.

Children normally began school at 5 years old. But today, they go to school when they are as young as one and a half years old. This is because many parents have recognized that influencing the child's formative years (性格形成时期) is very important. The fight influence can make the child want to read in the future.

Parents should play a part in encouraging children to read. Even just reading them bedtime stories can help children feel the joy and amazement connected to reading. This can help them become better readers and better learners as they grow older.

If children are interested in reading books rather than watching television, they can improve many skills besides reading and learning. Books can act as stepping stones to intelligence. However, parents must be very careful not to overpower their children. If they force children to read books that are too hard to understand, they might think reading is boring and lose interest in it.

1.. This passage mainly ­­­______.

A．advises kids to spend less time watching TV

B．explains why reading is good for us

C．tells us that reading is good for children

D．suggests that parents spend more time with their kids

2..Why does introducing books to kids between 1 and 5 years old help them greatly?

A．Because this is a good way to keep them away from television.

B．Because it makes them become interested in going to school.

C．Because it helps them learn much faster when they are older.

D．Because it is usually the age when intellectual capabilities form.

3..It is implied in the passage that _____.

A．the writer read a lot of books when he was a child

B．parents should never force their children to do anything

C．the formative years may begin at one and a half years old

D．a child's formative years are earlier than before

4..In the writer’s opinion, _____.

A．children should read all kinds of books

B．children should only read books with pictures

C．books can help children become cleverer

D．bedtime stories make children love their parents more

 

Australia has passed regulations that will enable more international students to further their education in the country.

    The new measures were released by the Australian Department of Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations in September and will take effect in mid-2012.

    As a result, the student visa(签证) application process for overseas students has been simplified, and the deposit(押金) required to study in Australia has been reduced. Language requirements for overseas students have also been eased.

    Also, overseas students receiving a higher education in Australia will be given a working visa lasting from two to four years after graduation, as long as they meet the basic IELTS requirement.

    “This change will definitely make Australia a more attractive destination for Chinese students planning to study overseas,” says Wang Lan, an expert from Education International Cooperation Group(EIC), a Beijing-based company that provides services to students wishing to study overseas.

    However, in the past few years, many of Wang's student clients(客户) could not start studies in Australia because they did not meet the language requirements, visa processing took a long time and deposit regulations were difficult. The change in policy is good news for the parents of students wishing to study in Australia, Wang says.

    A 22-year-old female student surnamed Li, in Beijing, who is planning to do her postgraduate studies in Australia, learned about the policy change several weeks ago.

    “According to the previous deposit requirement for my student visa, my family was required to put down 550,000 yuan($86,850). Now we only need to prepare 410,000 yuan. This is a relief for my parents,” Li says.

    She also says that the two to four years working visa makes her feel much clearer about her study plans.

    “I believe several years of working experience abroad will strengthen my competitiveness when I return to China,” she says.

    Gaining a competitive advantage is the major reason for Chinese students to study abroad, according to the report by EIC.

1.What’s the main idea of the passage?

   A. Language requirement for overseas students have been eased in Australia.

   B. Australia is a most attractive place for students in China.

    C. Australia widens window of opportunity for international students.

    D. More students will work in Australia after their graduation.

2.After the new regulations are passed,                .

   A. more students will come to Australia to work

   B. more Chinese students will choose to live in Australia

   C. the opportunities to work in Australia decrease for overseas students

    D. more Chinese students will choose to further their education in Australia

3.How much can Li’s parents save according to the new regulations?

   A. 550,000 yuan.      B. 140,000 yuan.  C. 410,000 yuan.       D. 86,850 yuan.

4.Why do many students want to work in Australia after their graduation?

    A. The working experience abroad will strengthen their competitiveness.

   B. They can earn more money in Australia.

    C. Their working experience can make them stay in Australia forever.

    D. They have to do so according to the new regulations.

 

If you _____ smoke, please go outside because this is a non-smoking office.

A. must             B. should               C. can              D. may