Late that afternoon I took the train back to Sydney . There I found another surprise waiting for me . My room at the hotel had been given to somebody else and they had no room for me. Harkin had known my travel plans and had planned everything . How could he have booked the room only for three days ? There was nothing to be done but to find another hotel. The waiters were happy to find me a new hotel , and when I said that I was happy to stay at the airport , thinking it might be cheaper than staying in the city , they suggested the Holiday Inn at the airport . There was one small matter : the room rate was $ 300 per night . The best hotel in Katoomba had wanted only $ 145 . I asked if there was anything cheaper they might suggest but they warned that most hotels would already be full by this time.
The hotel was far from the train station , so I had to take a taxi , at $ 25 . On the way to the Holiday Inn , we passed a hotel just two blocks from the Holiday Inn that advertised a room rate of $ 104 . At the desk I asked if their room rate could go down a lot . “ No , this is a 4-star hotel,” the waiter told me . “ In that case ,” I replied , “ I’ll just walk the two blocks to the cheap hotel.” But she warned me that they were probably full and that if I didn’t take the room , it might not be available when I came back . Finally , I decided to take the room.
The room itself was big , but the air conditioning couldn’t keep up with the Australian heat . I couldn’t sleep until about 1:00 am.
1. Why did the writer have to look for another hotel ?
A. He didn’t book early. B. Harkin made a mistake.
C. He was short of money. D. He wasn’t well received.
2. How did the writer feel when hearing the room rate at the Holiday Inn ?
A. Nervous. B. Happy.
C. Surprised. D. Relaxed.
3. Why did the writer take the room finally ?
A. It’s a 4-star hotel . B. It’s around the station.
C. It was mid-night then. D. The room was in great demand.
4. What does the text mainly talk about ?
A. A hotel hunting experience. B. An unforgettable day.
C. A warm-hearted waiter. D. An introduction to hotels.
Sometimes your weakness can become your biggest strength. ____ the story of a 10-year-old boy for example , who decided to study judo (柔道) with a judo teacher despite the fact that he had his left arm because of a car accident .
The boy was doing well, so he couldn’t understand , , after three months of , the teacher had taught him only one move.
“ Sir ,” the boy finally said , “ I be learning more moves?” “This is the only move you know , but this is the only move you’ll need to know ,” the teacher replied. Not quite understanding , believing in his teacher , the boy kept training.
Several months later , the teacher took the boy to his first tournament (锦标赛) . Surprising , the boy easily won his first three matches. Still by his success , the boy was now in the finals .
This , his opponent (对手) was bigger , stronger , and more experienced . For a while , the boy to be in the disadvantage . Concerned that the boy might , the judge called a time-out . He was about to stop the match the teacher interrupted . “ No,” the teacher , “ Let him continue .”
, his opponent made the biggest mistake : he dropped his guard . Instantly , the boy used his move to throw him down . The boy had the tournament .
On the way home , the boy gathered to ask the teacher what was really his mind. “ Sir , how did I win the tournament with only one move ?”
“ You won for two reasons,” the teacher answered . “ First , you’ve almost one of the most difficult throws in all judo. Second , the only defense (防御) for all that move is for your opponent to take hold of your left arm..” The boy’s biggest weakness---- the loss of his left arm, had become his biggest strength.
1.A. TakeB. GiveC. ShowD. Make
2.A. injuredB. lostC. replacedD. broken
3.A. howB. whetherC. whyD. when
4.A. trainingB. matchesC. lecturesD. running
5.A. Needn’tB. Shouldn’tC. Mustn’tD. Wouldn’t
6.A. stillB. alsoC. evenD. ever
7.A. soB. butC. orD. and
8.A. themB. himC. himselfD. themselves
9.A. amazedB. excitedC. worriedD. pleased
10.A. wayB. manC. matchD. time
11.A. happenedB. appearedC. pretendedD. decided
12.A. become nervousB. feel tiredC. get hurtD. go sick
13.A. whileB. beforeC. whenD. until
14.A. orderedB. insistedC. explainedD. complained
15.A. Ever sinceB. By thenC. In timeD. Soon after
16.A. lostB. wonC. passedD. joined
17.A. courageB. strengthC. informationD. chance
18.A. inB. onC. forD. with
19.A. seenB. forgottenC. masteredD. remembered
20.A. knownB. interestingC. wrongD. clear
---Are you coming to Jeff’s party ?
---I’m not sure. I ____go to the movie instead.
A. must B. would C. should D. might
His movie won several awards at the film festival , _______ was beyond his wildest dream.
A. which B. that C. what D. it
--- Have you heard about the sinking of the South Korean Ship ?
--- Sure, it _______ the only thing on the news for the past three weeks.
A. has been B. is
C. would be D. had been
Now that you are our _____ customer, we will allow you a 10% discount if you buy the dress.
A. common B. usual
C. regular D. ordinary
