Last Sunday, there was no dirt in the ai...

BE A GOOD TOURIST

Tourism can be both good and bad. Yes, it brings in money for the local economy and creates lots of jobs for locals, but it may also bring some problems.

1. Tourists have used paint, rocks, or even keys to write on the Luxor Temple in Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, Stonehenge in the UK, memorial stones at the bottom of Qomolangma, and many, many other places. Thousands of tourists sites are being destroyed by tourists who “love them to death”. 2. If you want to leave a mark on the world, do it by changing someone’s life with kindness and love. Pass kindness along to future generations, not destruction.

Another big problem in some places has been tourists disturbing the local people and life. 3. For example, Chiang Mai University in Thailand and Yonsei University in South Korea have great numbers of tourists visiting their campuses and walking through their libraries and other public areas, taking pictures of students and disturbing their studies. I have three words for tourists like this: please be considerate. 4.

The number of problems from tourists is endless: walking in large groups without considering others who need to walk by, crossing roads without observing local traffic laws, and many more. The only way to solve the issue of the terrible tourist is to make sure that you are not one! 5. Remember, whenever you step outside your country’s borders, you are representing your country to the rest of the world.

A. Just think from other aspects.

B. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

C. Have fun in a way that does not disturb others.

D. Be the best, kindest, most polite tourist possible.

E. I have three words for people like this: please stop it.

F. One growing problem is tourists who want to prove that they have visited someplace.

G. Some tourists wander around and take pictures of local people without asking for their permission.

    I arrived in my Chinese classroom, ready to share my vast knowledge and experience with the 75 students who would be my English Literature class. Having taught in the USA for 17 years, I had no worry at all about my ability to plant in my students enthusiasm for the literature of my mother tongue.

I was really shocked when the monitor shouted “Stand up” and the entire class rose as I entered the room, and I was somewhat confused and anxious about how to get them to sit down again, but once that embarrassment was over, I quickly calmed down and launched into what I thought was a fact-packed lecture, sure to gain their respect-perhaps even their admiration. I went back to my room radiating that rosy glow (光泽) that comes from a sense of significant accomplishment.

My students kept journals, however, and as I read them, the rosy glow was gradually replaced by an overwhelming sense of frustration. The first journal said, “Our literature teacher didn’t teach us anything today. Perhaps her next lecture will be better.” Heartbroken, I read journal after journal, each expressing a similar theme. Didn’t teach them anything? I sketched the entire philosophical framework of thought AND laid the historical background for all the works we’ll study in class.” I complained, “How can they say I didn't teach them anything?”

Determined to clear myself, I dug out all my reference books, adding background material to my next lecture, researching into the sociological setting and even the psychological state of the author. After the second class, I eagerly opened the journals, expecting enthusiastic reviews at last. Again, I was crushed by their continuing comments that I was going too slowly without giving meaningful details.

More determined than ever. I dived into sources of criticism, deciding to devote more time to the texts by providing summaries of all the interpretations I could find of each work. This material would give my students ample information for drawing their own conclusions about the work’s meaning, “Our teacher seems confused about the real meaning of the works,” the journals said. “One minute she gives one interpretation; the next minute she gives another. Then she asks for our opinions. We’re the students. She’s the teacher. She should tell us what the works mean.”

It was a long semester, and it gradually became clear to me that my ideas about education were purely Western, and that Chinese ideas differed significantly. I thought a teacher’s job was to raise interesting questions and provide enough background so that students could draw their own conclusions. My students thought a teacher’s job was to provide accurate information as directly and concisely as possible. Americans wanted to interpret and experience. The Chinese wanted to master and memorize.

1.How did the writer feel before he began his teaching in China?

A.Worried. B.Confident.

C.Disappointed. D.Confused.

2.What might be the reason why the writer was shocked when the monitor shouted “Stand up”?

A.The students intended to scare their new foreign leacher.

B.The students refused to stand up before their new foreign teacher.

C.The writer was a little shy and felt embarrassed when he entered the classroom.

D.The writer didn’t know much about the Chinese classroom and that was totally unexpected.

3.What does the writer mean by saying “determined to clear myself” in Para. 4?

A.He wanted to better understand the students’question.

B.He wanted to prove his ability in teaching the course.

C.He was a little bit angry with the students.

D.He was very disappointed with himself.

4.Which of the following might the writer agree with?

A.Chinese and Western ideas about education are slightly different.

B.A teacher’s job is to make students think and have their own opinions.

C.Teaching is to provide accurate information directly and clearly.

D.Both Americans and the Chinese tend to draw conclusions by themselves.

    Lego is considering a brick (积木) rental plan in an attempt to cut down on plastic waste. The Danish toymaker has promised to make all its bricks from sustainable (可持续的) sources by 2030 and is investing significant resources into finding alternatives.

Tim Brooks, vice-president responsible for sustainability, said the company was “totally open” to the idea of a product rental plan but admitted that lost pieces could produce a significant problem. “What are the chances of giving them to an eight-year-old child and getting them all back again?” Mr. Brooks added.

“There is a lot of technical thinking that needs to be done. We are right at beginning of that.” Mr. Brooks said Lego was exploring several ideas with a view to producing the highest value from products while consuming the least amount of resources. He said many would “probably never see the light of day” and there was no current plan to try out a rental plan.

Lego has come under increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint among growing international alarm about the impact of plastic waste on the environment. It produces 19 billion pieces per year—36, 000 a minute—that are made entirely of plastic while much of the inside packaging is also plastic.

So far, the only breakthrough has been the development of a line of bricks made from plant-based plastic sourced from sugarcane. The green trees, plants and flowers were first included in Lego sets late last year but make up only 1%-2% of the total amount of plastic elements produced. Henrik Nielson, a production supervisor (主管) in Lego’s factory, said last year: “We need to learn again how to do this.”

Lego reportedly releases around a million tons of carbon dioxide each year, with about 75% coming from raw materials that go into factories. The company has invested more than 100, 000,000 euros and hired 100 people to research non-plastic alternatives. It is aiming to keep all of its packaging out of landfill by 2025.

1.Lego is making great efforts to ________.

A.promote its brick rental plan B.raise its production efficiency

C.explore ways to reduce plastic waste D.develop new products

2.According to Mr. Brooks, Lego’s brick rental plan ________.

A.is well under way B.has a long way to go

C.is totally useless D.goes against Lego’s interest

3.The writer tells of Lego’s stress of reducing plastic waste by means of ________.

A.figures B.examples

C.comparison D.classification

4.What is Lego’s attitude towards developing non-plastic alternatives?

A.Defensive. B.Determined.

C.Disapproving. D.Doubtful.

    I always wanted to be extraordinary at something. Not just as in,”Great job, Jimbo!” No, I wanted to be best-in-class, awe-inspiring, tiptop; a world-famous genius,like Michael Phelps or Mark Zuckerberg.

Unfortunately, my version of reality did not quite line up with this delusional vision. I was a good swimmer, but I peaked at the collegiate State Championships level. My academic record was pretty solid, but I never would have made it into one of those ivy-league schools.

Though I rose to above-average status in a couple of areas, the disappointing truth was that I would never amount to anything more than a mid-sized fish in a small pond. God apparently had other plans.

What drove me crazy, though, was the superstar talent thrown in my face at every turn. Some folks just seemed to get an unfair intensive dose(剂量)of it. Why couldn’t I be like Bernie William, the famed New Yorkees player who also happens to be a world-class jazz guitar virtuoso(艺术大师)?

Some say greatness is simply a function of putting in the practice time. Around ten thousand hours, to be precise, according to author Malcolm Gladwell. I don’t question the theory of devoting extraordinary efforts to developing one’s expertise, but it seems that raw talent is equally important. You either have it or you don’t.

I’ve heard that as people approach middle age, their life satisfaction increases because they begin to accept the gap between the expectations for themselves and the reality. After a few decades of frustration without the desired results, we eventually come to terms with how our lives turned out, even if it falls far short of our idealized youthful expectation.

Hope bends, it seems.

1.What does the word “delusional” in Para2 most probably mean?

A.Imaginary B.Realistic C.Abstract D.Practical

2.In the passage, the writer thinks of himself as  .

A.a world-famous genius B.a mid-sized fish in a small pond

C.a world-class virtuoso D.a student in an ivy-league school

3.According to the writer, what makes “greatness”?

A.Extraordinary efforts B.Ten thousand hours of practice C.Raw talent D.Talent and time

4.Which of the following might be the best title ?

A.Hope Bends B.Frustrating Decades

C.Practice Works D.Youthful Expectation

    This material is taken from a brochure of a youth hostel (青年旅社) at Oxford, UK.

1.On which day does this hostel still serve breakfast at 10:30?

A.Monday B.Thursday

C.Wednesday D.Saturday.

2.What can travelers do in this hostel?

A.Throwing a party at midnight

B.Smoking in the toilet.

C.Having breakfast for free

D.Connecting WIFI on the ground floor.

3.What time are travelers normally expected to check out?

A.10:00am. B.7:00am.

C.9:30am. D.11:00am.