China’s high-tech buildings can be seen everywhere in places like Beijing and Shanghai, but a few hundred miles away in Shanxi province, some three million people still live in caves.
These simple homes often dot the countryside in small, hard-to-find groups, but in places like Lijiashan, where hundreds of caves are on nine different levels of a hillside, it is possible to find whole villages made up entirely of cave livers.
People have been living in caves in Shanxi for around 5,000 years, and it is believed that at one time a quarter of the population lived underground. These days around one-twelfth live in caves and for many of them, life is almost as it was for their ancestors.
Lijiashan, a 550-year-old cave village is typical. Like most cave villages, there is still no running water, meaning locals are using muddy water of the nearby Yellow River. Most homes still have paper windows rather than glass ones. Inside, their owners sleep on large stone beds, known as kang; cool in the summer, but fires can be lit inside them during the winter months.
Lijiashan once housed 600 families. But now there are just over 40. Mr Li’s family has lived in Lijiashan for six generations. After his kids left the village to find work elsewhere, he and his wife turned their 180-year-old home into a guest house with cave bed-rooms where Chinese art students stay when they come to paint the unusual village landscape.
“The only people left here now are old people,” he said, “As soon as the children grow up they leave. They don’t mind living here by the Yellow River. Sometimes they just move down the road. But they want to live in new apartments, not in these old caves.”
1.According to the passage, in Lijiashan________.
A. some three million people still live in caves B. hundreds of caves are hard to find
C. all the villagers are cave livers D. people live in small groups
2.In a typical cave village_________.
A. people usually use water of the river B. the houses have glass windows
C. people sleep on the ground D. there is running water
3.Why do the families in Lijiashan become fewer and fewer?
A. Because old people have to leave their homes to have a better life.
B. Because the students go to school in the city.
C. Because caves are not fit to live now.
D. Because young people don’t want to live there any more.
4.The underlined word “landscape” can probably be replaced by_______.
A. animal B. scenery C. clothing D. window
Robert Frost was one of America’s best known and most honored serious writers. But his fame came late in his life.
He was born in San Francisco, California in 1874. He lived in California during his early childhood. He was named after the chief Southern general in America’s Civil War. The general’s name was Robert Edward Lee. The poet was named Robert Lee Frost, because his father wanted to honor the general.
Someone once asked another American writer, Ernest Hemingway, how to become a writer. The best thing, he said, was to have an unhappy childhood. If this is true, Robert Frost’s childhood was unhappy enough to make him a very good writer. Robert Frost’s father was a reporter who wanted to be a politician. But he didn’t make it. He often drank too much wine and became angry. Robert was the victim (受害者) of his anger.
Robert Frost finished high school in 1891. After high school, Robert’s grandfather offered to pay his costs at Dartmouth College. But Robert left the school after a few months. He did not like it. He spent the next few years working at different jobs. At one time, he worked in a factory. Later, he repaired shoes. He was a teacher. He was a reporter. Always, he wrote poetry.
Robert Frost attended Harvard University for two years. After that, he returned to the many jobs he held before. For a while, Frost tried to take care of a farm in the state of New Hampshire. He was not a successful farmer. And he continued to write poetry. He said that until 1930, he earned only about ten dollars a year from writing.
In 1912, he decided to try to make a new start. He took his family to Britain. The cost of living was low. In Britain, Frost found a publisher for his first book of poems. The book was called A Boy’s Will. When it appeared in 1913, Frost received high praise from British readers. Praise was something he had not received in his own country.
Ezra Pound, another American poet living in Britain, read the poems and liked them very much. He wrote a magazine article about Frost. He also helped get Frost’s second book of poems published in America. That book was called North of Boston.
1.The followings are writers EXCEPT _____.
A. Robert Lee Frost B. Robert Edward Lee
C. Ernest Hemingway D. Ezra Pound
2.The passage wrote about Hemingway in order to show that _____.
A. he had great influence on Frost’s poetry and life
B. Frost’s poetry style was the same as Hemingway’s
C. Frost spent his childhood unhappily
D. Frost was unhappy because he was the victim of his father
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Robert Frost’s father was angry and drank a lot because he didn’t realize his dream.
B. Once Frost’s first book was published he gained great praise in his country.
C. After leaving Harvard University, he began to learn to write poetry.
D. Frost was found to have a gift in poetry while he studied in high school.
4.What’s the passage mainly about?
A. Roberl Frost’s unhappy childhood. B. Roberl Frost’s first and second book.
C. Roberl Frost’s family and jobs. D. Roberl Frost’s life and poetry.
Alton Towers is the most famous theme park in the UK which has been successfully running since 1980. The park is set high in the hills of Alton in Staffordshire and it is hidden amongst the trees.
The buying up of the theme park has caused more and more money to be put into the park which is only good for thrill (兴奋) seekers! The amount of new rides is increasing but at the expense of the admittance fees. However the higher fees by no means stops people from visiting though with still around 2.5 million visitors each year.
The theme park is open this year from the 17th March through until 11th November. This gives riders the nice hot British summer time to enjoy the rides with preferably less rainfall. The gates to the park open at 9:30 am and the rides and other attractions open at 10 am. To make the most of your money and your day I would suggest getting there on time or it will seem wasted. When I went we got there at around 1 o’clock and because of that we didn’t get around everything we wanted to.
The cost of getting into the park these days is very expensive so trips there I think for most families would be few and far between. There are many different prices as the cost changes depending on how you pay and when you want to go. There are three sets of prices, normal day ticket, event day ticket and buying online. The prices are as follows:
Adult | Child Under 12 | Disabled |
Normal Day Pass: £32 | Normal Day Pass: £22 | Normal Day Pass: £16 |
Event Day Pass: £34 | Event Day Pass: £23 | Event Day Pass: £17 |
Buying Online: £24 | Buying Online: £16 | Buying Online: £12 |
1.Which of the following is true of Alton Towers?
A. It lies at the foot of the hills of Alton. B. It is the best national park in the UK.
C. It is covered with trees and grasses. D. It has a history of over thirty years.
2.You’d better travel to Alton Towers in _____.
A. January B. February C. September D. December
3.If you are at the age of 9 and visit Alton Towers on St David’s Day with your mom, how much has to be paid online?
A. £64 B. £40 C. £54 D. £57
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Where is Idina Menzel from?
A. Los Angeles. B. New York. C. Chicago.
2.What is Menzel best known for right now?
A. A Broadway musical. B. Her dancing abilities. C. The song Let It Go.
3.What does Menzel do in Frozen?
A. She plays a princess. B. She voices the main character.
C. She performs a beautiful dance.
4.What does the speaker say about Menzel’s voice?
A. It’s very powerful. B. It sounds younger than her age.
C. It’s been in many Disney movies.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Where does this conversation take place?
A. In an apartment building. B. In a workplace. C. In a restaurant.
2.Where will the woman’s husband open a restaurant?
A. In Dallas. B. In Houston. C. In San Antonio.
3.What type of food does the man’s wife like best?
A. Thai. B. Middle Eastern. C. Mexican.
4.What does the man offer the woman?
A. To show her around town. B. To introduce her to his wife.
C. To tell her about good restaurants.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What does Maria say about reading?
A. She reads all the time. B. She only reads at work.
C. She doesn’t have much time to read.
2.What is Maria’s favorite type of book?
A. Biographies. B. History. C. Novels.
3.What might Maria’s job be?
A. A teacher. B. A musician. C. An athlete.
