In April, 2013, I visited Yangzhou.
Ge Garden is very beautiful and peaceful. The ticket has a map on the back of it that I didn’t noticed until I had already left. But to be honest, I don’t think that map is very useful because it isn’t very clear an tailed. In my opinion, it’s better to improve it. Compared with He Garden, the map on the back of the ticket for He Garden is much clearer, more detailed and more useful. However, in the room that has the picture of the family members, there is only Chinese, no English, so my advice is to add English in interesting places. I got lost in the Slender West Lake. I spent about 30 minutes just trying to get out of one area. I think they need more signs posted along the trails. I like the Slender West Lake best, as she is so pretty! The ladies that were sweeping were very sweet. They always smiled at me and said hello, so it was nice.
Taking a taxi is the most efficient(有效率的) and quickest way to get around Yangzhou. I didn’t have a problem getting to the places which I’d like to go to while using a taxi. The driver was very friendly. The fare isn’t too high, either. But I didn’t enjoy taking the bus. The bus ride to the Mastixia Bay (茱萸湾公园) took long although I only had to pay one yuan. It was also hard finding where Bus 32 was. I tried asking some people in English but they couldn’t understand me, so I had to ask in simple Chinese that I only know buy that still didn’t work. I spent about one hour walking around the city to look for Bus 32. The tricycle(三轮车) was nice, but it was a little too expensive for a small distance. Maybe I was ripped off by the guy who rode for me, but it was an enjoyable ride. I felt like I was part of the garden city more.
Over all I am satisfied with Yangzhou and will recommend it to others.
【小题1】How many places of interest are mentioned in the passage?

In April, 2013, I visited Yangzhou.

Ge Garden is very beautiful and peaceful. The ticket has a map on the back of it that I didn’t noticed until I had already left. But to be honest, I don’t think that map is very useful because it isn’t very clear an tailed. In my opinion, it’s better to improve it. Compared with He Garden, the map on the back of the ticket for He Garden is much clearer, more detailed and more useful. However, in the room that has the picture of the family members, there is only Chinese, no English, so my advice is to add English in interesting places. I got lost in the Slender West Lake. I spent about 30 minutes just trying to get out of one area. I think they need more signs posted along the trails. I like the Slender West Lake best, as she is so pretty! The ladies that were sweeping were very sweet. They always smiled at me and said hello, so it was nice.

Taking a taxi is the most efficient(有效率的) and quickest way to get around Yangzhou. I didn’t have a problem getting to the places which I’d like to go to while using a taxi. The driver was very friendly. The fare isn’t too high, either. But I didn’t enjoy taking the bus. The bus ride to the Mastixia Bay (茱萸湾公园) took long although I only had to pay one yuan. It was also hard finding where Bus 32 was. I tried asking some people in English but they couldn’t understand me, so I had to ask in simple Chinese that I only know buy that still didn’t work. I spent about one hour walking around the city to look for Bus 32. The tricycle(三轮车) was nice, but it was a little too expensive for a small distance. Maybe I was ripped off by the guy who rode for me, but it was an enjoyable ride. I felt like I was part of the garden city more.

Over all I am satisfied with Yangzhou and will recommend it to others.

1.How many places of interest are mentioned in the passage?

A. Three            B. Four             C. Five             D. Six

2.The underlined phrase “ripped off” in Paragraph 3 may mean “________”.

A. 优惠            B. 退款            C. 骗钱            D. 免费

3.Which of the following I NOT the writher’s advice?

A.English should be added in interesting places.

B.Everyone in Yangzhou should speak English.

C.The Slender West Lake needs more signs along the trails.

D.The maps on the tickets for Ge Garden need improving.

4.We can infer（推断） the passage may be written by ___________.

A. a foreign visitor                    B. a lady sweeping in the park

C. a taxi driver                       D. a guy riding a tricycle

My grandparents can be good fun．They are retired，so they don’t work anymore．My grandfather is 68 and my grandmother is 67，but they are not too old to be active．They exercise by playing golf and they go out for meals and to the theater．Sometimes they take me out too．We have a good time．They also go on great holidays．Last year, they went to China and walked along the Great Wall!

Sometimes, my grandparents like to criticize（批评）me．They think that children today have an easy life．Life was very different when they were young and there are many things about my life that they do not understand．They tell me，over and over, how they had to start work at 16．They know that I will go on to university and won’t be getting a job until I am about 22! They also think that I have too many possessions（财产），such as mobile phones and computers．When they were young, they did not have anything like that．What they do not realize is that they cannot compare them with children today．They had the same kinds of things as the rest of people of their age-so do I．It would be very strange if I only had the possessions that they had when they were my age

1．Why do the writer’s grandparents not work anymore?

2．Why do the grandparents think the writer has an easy life?

3．What does the sentence“so do I”in the second paragraph mean?

4．The grandparents are still very active though they are very old，aren’t they’?

5．Do you agree with the grandparents’ idea that children today have an easy life? And Why?

I was born in New York, but I grew up in San Francisco. I began to live in London 25 years ago. If I am asked now where I want to live forever, I would say London. But I will always be American.

San Francisco, like London, has many parks. Every day my sisters and I were taken to play in the parks as children. I didn't go to school. I only had three hours of formal（正式的）education when I was five. I was sent to school in the morning but came home at noon on the first day. I said I didn't enjoy it and hadn't learned anything. My parents thought that school was unsuitable（不适合的）for me. They agreed with me, so I never went back to school.

Then my mother taught me and my two sisters at home, in the way of an English lady who had good education. We learned languages and reading more than sciences and maths. Sometimes she taught us herself, but we also had other teachers. They asked us to take lessons every day. About once a week we walked to Golden Gate Park. While we were walking, my mother taught me to read music. One day I noticed a little toy train in the window of a shop and I remember now how I'd like to have it. I couldn't say "r" when I was small. My mother said if I could say an "r" well, I would have the toy train. I practiced and practiced. Then one morning I woke everybody up with my "r"s. I got the toy train. I usually get the things I want in life — but I work hard for them.

1. The writer ___ .

A. was born in San Francisco                   B. likes living in London

C. is living in New York now                 D. doesn't like America

2. The writer didn't go to school in America because ___ .

A. his mother wanted him to go to school in English

B. his parents didn't think formal education was right for him

C. his mother wanted him to play outdoors in the parks

D. he couldn't get on well with the other children

3. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The writer was taught by his mother and other teachers.

B. The writer had no education at all.

C. The writer didn't have lessons every day.

D. The writer walked to the park to learn languages once a week.

4. The writer got the little toy train at last because ___ .

A. his mother gave him the money

B. he tried his best to read music

C. he wanted it very much

D. his mother was pleased with his progress（进步）

5. The writer tells us ___ .

A. why children needn't go to school

B. how he grew in San Francisco

C. that children liked toys

D. that his mother didn't give him any toys