The best UK cottages for Christmas and New Year
Victorian gatehouse, County Antrim
It’s a solid little Victorian gatehouse outside Ballycastle. It has an association with Irish nationalist Roger Casement. Close to the Causeway Coast, the closest beach is five minutes’ drive away. It is a good choice for those who want to avoid stairs, since all the main rooms are on the ground floor.
Sleeps 2 adults + 2 children, £730 a week at Christmas or New Year (three nights from £389), 353 1 670 4733, irishlandmark.com
Lindisfarne retreat, Northumberland
It is located in a peaceful island, where a priory (修道院) was built 1,400 years ago. Guests at Coastguard’s Cottage, the latest addition to English Heritage’s portfolio （代表作品集）of holiday houses, can explore the priory ruins. The attractive whitewashed house is decorated with calming tones and contemporary furnishings and has views of Lindisfarne Castle.
Sleeps 6, £1,600 a week from 19 Dec, 0370 333 1187, english-heritage.org.uk
Wildlife sanctuary, East Sussex
It sits on a 350-acre private nature reserve. Surrounded by woodlands, wetlands and wild meadows, it’s a heaven for wildlife. You might meet a few animals on a walk around the reserve. Built by local craftsmen using natural materials, it is a light-filled living space with huge windows, a woodburner (燃炉) and other essential for winter evenings — a home cinema system.
Sleeps 6, £1,430 a week from 29 Dec, 01580 720770 kentandSussexcottages.co.uk
Farmhouse kitchen, Suffolk
In snowy winter, the quiet 16th-century cottage near Stowmarket is like a perfect picture on Christmas cards. The inside is also appealing, with a big farmhouse kitchen, antique furniture, comfortable carpets and an impressive fireplace. A good selection of films, music and books are provided. Approached via a single track lane, the cottage sits in three acres of wild meadow, surrounded by plenty of farmland.
Sleeps 5, £1,003 a week from 30 Dec (three nights £725), 01787 211115, grove-cottages.co.uk
1.How much will be charged if a couple with two children stay in Victorian gatehouse for a week at Christmas?
A. £389.B. £730.C. £1,430.D. £1,600.
2.Who will probably book the cottage in Northumberland?
A. Disabled people in a wheelchair.
B. Those who want to explore some ruins.
C. Those who are interested in wildlife.
D. Those who enjoy the scenery of farmland.
3.Which cottage will you be advised to book if you are a zoologist?
A. Victorian gatehouse, County Antrim.
B. Lindisfarne retreat, Northumberland.
C. Wildlife sanctuary, East Sussex.
D. Farmhouse kitchen, Suffolk.
4.If you want to book Farmhouse kitchen in Suffolk, you can go to the website _______.
A. irishlandmark.com
B. english-heritage.org.uk
C. kentandsussexcottages.co.uk
D. grove-cottages.co.uk
While your pet fish may appear to be ignorant of your presence, chances are that it knows you extremely well and can probably even identify you from a crowd of human faces! At least, that is the conclusion reached by scientists the University of Oxford in the U.K. and the University of Queensland in Australia, following an extensive study of the archerfish (喷水鱼), a species of tropical fish that can be found all the way from India to Indonesia, the Philippines, and Australia.
The ability to distinguish between human faces is a complex task. That’s because we all have the same basic features — two eyes sitting above a nose and a mouth. It’s only the subtle differences that make humans distinct from one another. Since this requires a combination of both visual sense and memory, researchers had always assumed that it was a skill possessed only by those with complicated brains, i.e., humans, a few select animals — such as horses, cows, dogs, monkeys and some birds, like pigeons.
To test if this assumption was accurate, a team of scientists led by Dr. Cait Newport, Marie Curie Research Fellow in the Department of Zoology at Oxford University, decided to study fish. The aquatic (水生的) animals have small brains that lack the neocortex（大脑新皮层）, or neocortex-like structure, believed to help recognize the subtle differences between human facial features.
The team began by presenting four archerfish with images of two human faces. Initially, the fish spat randomly at both. However, they soon learned that pouring water at the one selected by the researchers earned them a food treat. After that, they focused primarily on that image. The researchers then took the experiment one step further, by introducing 44 other human faces to the mix.
To the researcher’s astonishment, the trained archerfish were able to recall the learned image almost 81% of the time. And this accuracy improved to 86% when the researchers made the identification even harder, by replacing the colored photos with a set of black and white images and hiding the shape of the head.
1.What is the conclusion of the study made by the scientists from the universities?
A. Some fish may ignore your presence.
B. Some fish can recognize your faces.
C. Some fish have complicated brains.
D. Some fish have large brains.
2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. The ability to distinguish between human faces.
B. A combination of visual sense and memory.
C. The ability of memorizing complicated things.
D. The ability of telling beasts from birds.
3.In the experiment, the researchers trained the archerfish _______.
A. by taking photos of fish
B. by improving people’s images
C. by rewarding them with food
D. by covering their heads
After years of planning and months of expectations, the 2016 Summer Games finally began in Brazil on August 5. Over 10,000 athletes from 207 countries marched across Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium, proud to represent their respective nations at the world’s most famous sporting event.
The road to the Olympics, however, is not easy for any athlete. It has been particularly hard for Yusra Mardini, who is a member of the world’s first “Olympic Refugee (难民)Team.” The 19-year-old always dreamed of swimming for Syria at the Olympic Games. However, in August 2015, after losing her home in the conflict that has involved Syria since 2011, she and her sister decided to flee the country. The sisters along with a few other Syrian nationals made their way to Turkey via Lebanon. They then set sail on a small boat to their final destination — Greece.
Unluckily, thirty minutes after leaving Turkey, the motor on the ship which was meant to hold six passengers but was instead carrying twenty, failed. Yusra, her sister Sarah, and the only two other strong swimmers aboard the boat had no choice but to dive into the ocean and use their superior swimming skills to push the boat and its passengers all the way to Lesbos, Greece – A journey that took three hours.
While her dream of representing her country was ruined, Yusra did not give up her desire to compete in the Olympics. In March 2016, she was one of ten athletes selected and funded by the Olympic Committee to form the first-ever “Refugee Team.” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach believes that Yusra and her teammates, who have also had to flee their countries, “Will show the world that despite the unimaginable tragedies they have faced, anyone can compete, anyone can contribute to society through their talent, skill, and strength of the human spirit.”
1.What do we know about Yusra’s fleeing journey to Greece?
A. It was very hard.
B. It took three hours.
C. It was a failure.
D. It was very smooth.
2.What is the right order of the events related to Yusra?
a. She became a member of the world’s first “Olympic Refugee Team”.
b. She dreamed of swimming for Syria at the Olympic Games.
c. She lost her home.
d. She fled Syria to Greece with her sister Sarah and a few other Syrians
A. b, a, c, d B. a, b, c, d C. a, d, c, b D. b, c, d, a
3.Thomas Bach’s attitude to Yusra is _______.
A. disapproving B. tolerant C. supportive D. resistant
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. A Hard Road to the Olympic Games
B. Yusra Mardini — Refugee Team Swimmer
C. Yusra’s Strong Will to Compete in the Olympics
D. Athlete To Watch At The 2016 Rio Summer Olympics
I was stuck in O'hare airport on an extremely long weather delay, pacing up and down the waiting hall for some exercise, when I passed a wine bar for the twentieth time or so. But this time there was a young woman behind the piano, playing what I could only describe as absolutely beautiful classical music. She had not been there ten minutes earlier when I passed.
I sat down at an empty table for four very near the piano, and began to be warmed by her music and a bit by the wine! She played so effortlessly and with such beauty in every note. Her music immediately brought a huge smile to my face!
Soon, on a break, I thanked her and she told me that after a long day traveling, and now also facing long weather delays, she "just needed to blow off some steam." Wow! Her version of blowing off steam was a gift to get.
As I sat alone drinking my wine, absorbed in this young woman's celebration of her musical passion, two women approached my table and asked if they could join me. I invited them to sit and we immediately began sharing our love of music and celebrating the happiness the piano music was bringing us at that moment.
The two women and I began to talk about our travels, life journeys, and passions. Hearing that unbelievable piano music, and then meeting such interesting women, who generously shared with me their wisdom, perspectives, and feelings of love for each other, was truly joyous. Faced with an 11-hour travel day — to get what normally takes 45 minutes — could have been physically and emotionally exhausting. Rather, by accident of walking by a wine bar at the right moment, and having a couple of seats open at my table, my life was filled with joy.
I will cherish those moments for some time to come. This experience highlights (突出) the critical need in our lives to stop and listen to the music, to invite others to sit at your life table, to open yourself up to a stranger or two, sharing some of your deepest perspectives and experiences. Be open to noticing, absorbing, and also contributing to the joy around you!
1.What does the underlined phrase “blow off some steam” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A. Reduce anger.
B. Relax herself.
C. Make full use of time.
D. Breathe fresh air.
2.How long was the author’s travel supposed to take without weather delay?
A. 10 minutes.B. 20 minutes.C. 45 minutes.D. 11 hours.
3.How did the author feel about the experience in the airport?
A. Happy and meaningful.
B. Lonely but unforgettable.
C. Boring and meaningless.
D. Long and tiring.
4.The author writes the text in order to encourage people _______.
A. to make the acquaintance of strangers
B. to share your experiences with others
C. to communicate with others more often
D. to notice and enjoy the happiness around you
请以Friendship为题，写一篇介绍友谊的短文。要求内容包括以下几个要点，词数在100词左右。
1．人和人，人和动物都能产生友谊；
2．朋友能提供精神上和物质上的帮助；
3．朋友有好坏之分，友谊也有真假之别。
参考词汇：精神的spiritual；物质的physical；真朋友true friend；假朋友false friend.
文中共有10处语言错误，错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词作斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词； 2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
My father speaks very well English, but he knows little Japanese. He went to Tokyo in November 11 for a meeting. The meeting over a week later. The next morning he went to a park and then do some shopping. At noon, he was very much hungry. He went to nearest restaurant and sat down at a table. A man came up to him and asked that he needed. He said he liked noodles, chicken and some fishes. He spoke to the man in English, and the man couldn't understand him. My father had to write some Chinese words for the food and got them.
