If you’re looking at Mercer’s top 20 livable cities as inspiration for your holiday, you would miss out many great places. According to Mercer’s latest Quality of Living Survey, Moscow ranks 167 and Beijing only 119, yet both provide visitors great pleasures. Meanwhile high-ranked cities such as Kobe or Seattle may be easy places to live in, but offer little excitement to tourists.
Actually, many of the world’s most livable cities are a little dull. The world isn’t dashing to visit Canberra or Montreal. In fact, none of the world’s 10 most visited cities appear in Mercer’s top 20. Obviously, considerations for enjoyable holiday hotspots are different from those that make cities comfortable places to live in.
This should be no surprise, since the various livability lists aren’t concerned with tourists or even native people. Mercer, for example, is a Britain-based consulting company whose lists provide multinationals with information about where to start their businesses. “The success of international business is mainly influenced by necessary things such as ease of travel, communication, personal safety and good public services,” says Slagin Parakatil, who leads Mercer’s research. “In short, Mercer’s rating is mainly determined by whether the cities are attractive to businesses, and have good schools, hospitals and nice offices.”
Still, Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey has its uses for tourists, since it also looks at natural and cultural environments and entertainments. It ranks public transport and infrastructure (基础设施) particularly high, a consideration shared by the World Economic Forum in reports on tourism and travel competitiveness. This includes hotels, rental-cars and even ATM numbers, all of which make a place friendly to businesses and visitors.
1.Which city is attractive to tourists according to the text?
A.Canberra. B.Montreal.
C.Moscow. D.Kobe.
2.What does the underlined word “multinationals” in paragraph3 refer to?
A.Foreign tourists. B.International companies.
C.Native businessmen. D.Consulting organizations.
3.What is important to both businesses and tourists?
A.Big banks. B.Good hospitals
C.Nice schools. D.Easy public transport.
4.What does the author say about Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey?
A.It has little use for tourists and businessmen.
B.It may not be the best guidance for tourists.
C.It ranks business environments too high.
D.Businesses and tourists can rely on it for plans.
Glenn, born in 1921, grew up in Ohio. He started his flying career (生涯) as a fighter pilot for the US Marine Corps. He won medals for his brave service in World War II (1939-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953). After that, Glenn took a dangerous job as a Marine Corps test pilot, flying new planes to see if they were safe. In 1957, he set an air-speed record by flying from Los Angeles to New York in less than three and a half hours.
In the late 1950s, a “space race” began between the US and the Soviet Union. Both countries wanted to be the first to send a human into space, including to the moon. In 1959,Glenn became one of the seven test pilots chosen to take part in the US’s first space program.
In 1961, the Soviet Union became the first nation to send a person into space. Glenn’s chance to go into space came on February 20, 1962. By that time, another American, Alan B. Shepard, had flown in space, but he had not circled the earth. Glenn’s flight was aired live on television and radio.
Glenn’s flight showed that the US space program was as good as the Soviet Union’s. He became a hero. Cities across the country threw parades (游行) for him, and President John F. Kennedy invited him to the White House.
In 1974, Glenn was elected to Congress. Glenn returned to space in 1998, when he was 77. He spent nine days on the space shuttle (航天飞机) Discovery. Glenn went so that scientists could study the effects of space travel on older people. He holds the record for being the oldest person in space.
“Glenn spent his life breaking barriers (障碍),” said President Barack Obama. The president also praised Glenn for inspiring future leaders in space exploration.
1.What did Glenn do in 1959?
A.He won gold medals. B.He took part in world wars.
C.He joined the US’s first space program. D.He flew from Los Angeles to New York.
2.Why was Glenn welcomed as a hero?
A.He started the race between the US and the Soviet Union.
B.He succeeded in circling the earth.
C.He defeated Alan B. Shepard in the competition.
D.He broke the speed record.
3.Why did Glen return to space in 1998?
A.To break a new record. B.To test a space shuttle.
C.To make his last space travel. D.To be tested by the scientists
4.From the last paragraph we can learn that ________.
A.Alan B. Shepard had circled the earth by 1962
B.Glenn has made great contributions to space exploration
C.the US is the first nation to send a human into space
D.Barack Obama called on people to explore space
These great getaways offer big fun with little money. We’ve collected choices all around the country, so a wonderful vacation is always right around the corner, even if you only have a day or two.
●San Diego, California
San Diego’s near perfect summer weather, the free beaches of Coronado Island, and the museums and outstanding zoo in Balboa Park all add up to a memory-making a quick getaway for families in Southern California for kids of any age.
●Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is perfect for families, especially high school kids since the capital city is home to a wide range of colleges, where they can get inspired with schoolyard tours and museums.
●Estes Park, Colorado
Known as the base camp to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), Estes Park is only 90 minutes from Denver International Airport, but has a real Color ado mountain village feeling with plenty of outdoor activities to fit any member of the family. Families can try hiking in the national park on their own, booking a mountain bike ride, learn fly-fishing, or try rafting (乘竹筏) experiences
●Houston, Texas
If you think Houston is only a business city, you’re in for a surprise when you visit it with your family. Start your visit at Discovery Green, an urban park designed for kids, with everything from $5 kayak (皮划艇) rides on gentle Kinder Lake to special toddler (学步的儿童) play-group hours. The Children’s Museum of Houston is one of the best in the country, with indoor and outdoor space where they can have hands-on fun.
1.What is Providence, Rhode Island famous for?
A.Outstanding zoos. B.Many colleges.
C.Mountain bike rides. D.Fly fishing activities.
2.Where can children enjoy kayaking?
A.San Diego, California. B.Providence, Rhode Island,
C.Estes Park, Colorado. D.Houston, Texas.
3.What do the four destinations have in common?
A.They provide fun family experiences. B.They are suitable for rafting
C.They offer schoolyard tours D.They have real mountain villages.
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
Not all education can and should happen within the classroom. Sometimes, traveling is the best form of education, as students can get a number of personal and educational benefits from travel. From learning about other cultures first-hand to seeing where historical events took place with their own eyes, educational travel gives students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of art, science, history, and culture in many ways.
Educational becomes a whole new experience when students can see lots of tools and equipment for themselves by traveling to different places. The tools and equipment could be used by scientists decades or even centuries ago to make discoveries that make our modern world possible. Educational travel brings the materials off the pages and into reality, allowing students to connect themselves with them in a more meaningful way.
No matter where students go, it’s almost guaranteed that they’ll find some kind of food that is unique to that place or done better than anywhere else. If someone gets Chicago-style pizza in Chicago, they’re going to have a different tasting experience than they would if they were getting the same type of thing in, say, Texas. At the same time, getting chili in Texas would be a whole different experience from getting chili in New York or Chicago. Students can learn a lot about a culture by what they eat on a daily basis and what they consider a special meal, so it’s good to take a taste of the local food and learn through all of the senses.
Being away from family, home, and familiar ground is a courageous and independent adventure in its own right. Educational travel provides that opportunity to allow students to open their minds regarding how they choose to live life, which can be extraordinarily helpful in preparing students for college and adulthood. Traveling – with the combined social skills and perspectives(视角) it teaches – really allows students to better understand how they can operate on their own.
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假设你是星光中学的李华，将参加主题为“Let’s Ride Bicycles”的英语演讲比赛，请写一份演讲稿，内容主要包括：
1、汽车带来的问题；
2、骑自行车的益处；
3、你的立场。
参考词汇：低碳的 low-carbon
注意：1.词数：80字左右，开头结尾已给，不计入；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Good morning, everyone!
I'm Li Hua from Xingguang Middle School.
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Thanks for your listening!
阅读下面句子，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内汉语提示的正确形式。
1.Doctors warn people that one may develop skin cancer if his skin ______(暴露) to the sun too much.
2.Neither could they relax or read a book without ______(塞住) their ears.
3.Because of illegal logging, forest fires and climate change, the world’s forests are disappearing ______ the rate of 146,000 square kilometers a year.
4.No sooner had they settled themselves into their seats ______ the curtain went up.
5.______ number of pandas has fallen because of human activity destroying much of their habitat.
6.Dust from the volcano ______(滚动) across the Earth’s skies and pretty much cancelled the following summer in Europe and America.
7.In the last three years, Indonesia has had a rough time, ______(遭受) several killer quakes.
8.Many nations have already been in armed conflict over water, and ______(减少) rainfall has resulted in huge forest fires.
9.Given this data, it seems that the link between human ______(活动) and rising global temperatures is not merely a coincidence.
10.Without these ______(自然) occurring gases, the sun’s rays would bounce back into space leaving the Earth cold and impossible to live on.
