In the hit film The bucket List, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman meet in hospital in California after they have been diagnosed with cancer. Between them they cook up a “bucket list” ------ a to-do list of all they want to do before they kick the bucket. The movie makes you wonder what would be on your bucket list. So let’s pack up some and see what it would cost to go out and have a little fun.
THE PYRAMIDS, GIZA, EGYPT
On to the pyramids, surely on anyone’s bucket list. Exotik Tours can take you there on a variety of trips, including their popular Egypt Express which includes three nights in Cairo and a three-night Nile Cruise (乘船游览). From $1,384, including four-and five-star accommodation, 12 meals and a ton of sightseeing.
www.exotiktours.com 416-646-3347
TAJ MAHAL, AGRA, INDIA
One of the world’s most fascinating images, India’s Taj Mahal makes even Nicholson and Freeman look calm. Toronto’s Goway Travel has many suggestions for India, including a three-day independent visit to Agra. Stay at the attractive Oberoi AmarVilas overlooking the Taj. Include two breakfasts, touring and airport transfer from $1,420.
www.gowaytravel.com 416-322-1034
THE GREAT WALL, CHINA
If the Great Wall of China is on your bucket list, check into Tour East Holiday’s four-day Amazing Beijing Tour for $580 per person, four-star accommodation, sightseeing including the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, breakfasts and two lunches, transportation and guide.
www.toureastholidays.com 416-929-0888
THE HIMALAYAS, NEPAL
And on to the Himalayas. Talk about something truly majestic (壮丽的). See the top of the world on GAP Adventures’ Everest Adventure tour, a 15-day exploration including Everest Base Camp, teahouse lodge stays, and walking through Sherpa villages. Incredibly affordable at just $665 plus local payment of $250. GAP Adventures warns that this is a physically demanding trip.
www.gapadventures.com 416-260-0999
1.The underlined phrase “kick the bucket” in Paragraph 1 means ____.
A. come to life B. play a game
C. pass away D. list interesting places
2.According to the passage, where can you enjoy a view of the whole Taj Mahal?
A. In Sherpa village. B. Near the Forbidden City
C. Through Egypt Express. D. At Oberoi AmarVilas
3.If you take on the Everest Adventure tour, you should be aware that ____.
A. the sights may not be so good.
B. it is a tiring trip
C. you may not be used to the food there
D. it is an expensive trip
4.Which of the following websites may offer you more information about Agra?
A. www.gowaytravel.com B. www.exotiktours.com
C. www.gapadventures.com D. www.toureastholidays.com
Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer．But there is one question that has millions of current answers．That question is “What’s your name?”. Everyone gives a different answer, but everyone is correct．
Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?
People’s first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents．Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used．Some parents choose the name of a well-known person．A boy could be named George Washington Smith; a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones．
Some people give their children names that mean good things．Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”．
The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names．A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near a brook；someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road．The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest．
Other early surnames came from people’s occupations．The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals．In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village．Some other occupational names are: Carter ---- a person who owned or drove a cart; Potter ---- a person who made pots and pans．
The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native villa．The Carpenter’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture．
Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities．When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with the gray hair probably became John Gray．Or the John who was very tall could call himself John Tallman．John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer．
Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name．English-speaking people added –s or –son．The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was Robert．Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O．Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the McDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell．
1.Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?
A．Places where people lived.
B．People’s characters.
C．Talents that people possessed.
D．People’s occupations.
2.According to the passage, the ancestors of the Potter family most
probably ____．
A．owned or drove a cart
B．made things with metals
C．made kitchen tools or containers
D．built houses and furniture
3.Suppose an English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to become a world leader, the baby might be named ____．
A．Beatrice Smith B．Leonard Carter
C．George Longstreet D．Donald Greenwood
4.The underlined word “descendants” in the last paragraph means a person’s ____．
A．later generations B．friends and relatives
C．colleagues and partners D．later sponsors
Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast．Diagnosed with diabetes（糖尿病）, Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin（胰岛素） three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death．And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance．
After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he’d better find a way to fight back．He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics(糖尿病患者) and their loved ones ---- a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources．
Jason Swencki’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six．Father and son visit the online children’s forums（论坛） together most evenings．“Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over,” says Swencki, one of the site’s volunteers. “They know what he’s going through, so he doesn't feel alone.”
Kody is anything but alone. Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases．And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages．
These days, Thomas’s main focus is his charity, Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people ---- 225 to date ---- who can’t afford a diabetic’s huge expenses．Fight-it org has raised about $23,000 ---- in products and in cash．In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean．
Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables．“Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure,” says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar’s original members. “But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now.”
1.Diabeticrockstar.com was created for ____．
A．diabetics to communicate
B．volunteers to find jobs
C．children to amuse themselves
D．rock stars to share resources
2.According to the text, Kody ____．
A．feel lonely because of his illness
B．benefits from diabeticrockstar.com
C．helps create the online kid’s forums
D．writes children’s stories online
3.What can we learn about Fight It?
A．It helps the diabetics in financial difficulties．
B．It organizes parties for volunteer once a year．
C．It offers less expensive medicine to diabetics．
D．It owns a well-known medical website．
4.The last paragraph suggests that Thomas ____．
A．works full-time in a diabetes charity
B．employs 22 people for his website
C．helps diabetics in his own way
D．manages to find a cure for diabetes
In some cities, workaholism（废寝忘食工作）is so common that people don’t consider it unusual. They accept the lifestyle as 26 . Government
workers in Washington, D. C., 27 , frequently work sixty to seventy hours a week. They don’t do this because they have to; they do it because they 28 to. Workaholism can be a 29 problem. Because true workaholics would rather work than do anything else, they 30 have no idea of how to relax; that is, they might not 31 movies, sports, or other types of entertainment. Most of all, they 32 to sit and do nothing. The lives of workaholics are usually stressful, and this tension（紧张）and worry can cause 33 problems such as heart attacks and stomach diseases. 34 , typical workaholics don’t pay much attention to their families. Their marriages may end in 35 as they spend little time with their families.
Is workaholism 36 dangerous? Perhaps not. There are, certainly, people who work 37 under stress. Some studies show that many workaholics have great energy and interest in work. They feel 38 is so pleasurable that they are actually very happy. For most workaholics, work and entertainment are the same thing. Their jobs 39 them with a challenge; this keeps them busy and creative.
40 do workaholics enjoy their jobs so much? There are several 41 to work. Of course, it provides people with paychecks, and this is important. But it offer 42 financial security. It provides people with self-confidence; they have a feeling of satisfaction 43 they have produced a challenging piece of work and are able to say “I 44 it”. Psychologists claim that their work gives people an identity（自身价值）. After they take part in work, they 45 a sense of self and individualism.
1.A．strange B．boring C．pleasant D．normal
2.A．for example B．on the other handC．what’s more D．after all
3.A．agree B．promise C．dare D．want
4.A．slight B．serious C．obvious D．difficult
5.A．still B．probably C．certainly D．mostly
6.A．afford B．enjoy C．watch D．allow
7.A．dream B．decide C．intend D．hate
8.A．physical B．cultural C．social D．mental
9.A．Therefore B．However C．Anyway D．Besides
10.A．happiness B．silence C．failure D．surprise
11.A．sometimes B．always C．seldom D．hardly
12.A．sadly B．differently C．efficiently D．slowly
13.A．study B．family C．life D．work
14.A．equip B．pack C．provide D．fill
15.A．When B．Why C．How D．Where
16.A．factors B．advantages C．steps D．ways
17.A．no more B．more or less C．no more than D．more than
18.A．when B．before C．unless D．until
19.A．valued B．failed C．caught D．made
20.A．give B．lose C．get D．need
The girl was drowned unfortunately. She ____, though, because there were so many people standing on the banks at that moment.
A. should have saved B. could have been saved
C. should be saved D. couldn’t have been saved
Of the 9,500 drivers ____ since the beginning of the year, 23% were found ____ in road knowledge.
A. tested; lacked B. testing; lacked
C. tested; lacking D. to test; lacking
