If you have a taste for the USA and time and money are in short supply, our range of Mini Adventures are just the ticket for experiencing North America’s most incredible parts in just a few days.
These 3- and 4- day tours get you out of the city and off the beaten path in a flash, making the most of your time and money. From the thundering Niagara Falls and the magnificent Grand Canyon to the most iconic landscape in America, Monument Valley, our Mini Adventures serve up a huge helping of American pie!
Vegas to Grand Canyon
4 days from Las Vegas
May-Oct from US $ 789
USA West-Camping
Cowboys, canyons and Indians --- Need we say more? Explore Zion & Bryce Canyon National Parks before a night with the Navajo people deep in the heart of Monument Valley, then top it all off with the grandest canyon on earth!
Los Angeles to Grand Canyon
4 days from Los Angeles
May-Oct from US$649
USA West-Camping
Escape the hustle and bustle of Los Angles for some Desert Southwest action! Travel from Lake Havasu to the Grand Canyon, then along the iconic Route66, over the Hoover Dam and into Las Vegas for an included limousine tour that you’ll never forget!
San Francisco to Yosemite
3 days from San Francisco
Jan-Sep from US $ 429
USA West-Camping
Cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains for the crystal clear waters of Lake Tahoe and on to Yosemite Valley for a full day of exploration. Spectacular views, adventurous activities and abundant wildlife awaits you on this amazing short break in Western USA.
New York to Niagara Falls
3 days from New York
Jun-Sep from US $599
USA East-Hotel
Leave city life behind in New York and venture deep into ‘up state’ New York to the thundering wonder of incomparable Niagara Falls before a night in the Finger Lakes with the waterfalls and Wineries as your neighbors.
1.If you want to go to the Grand Canyon, you can’t ______.
A. go if you only have US $ 600
B. see the Navajo people
C. choose a four-day adventure
D. start from Los Angeles
2.If you want to travel in March, which of the following could you choose?
A. Vegas to Grand Canyon.
B. Los Angeles to Grand Canyon.
C. San Francisco to Yosemite.
D. New York to Niagara Falls.
3. If you don’t like going camping, you should choose ______.
A. Vegas to Grand Canyon
B. Los Angeles to Grand Canyon
C. San Francisco to Yosemite
D. New York to Niagara Falls
4. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Tips to have a short journey.
B. Mini adventures in USA.
C. Importance of adventures.
D. Tips to save money in USA.
Banks view online banking as a powerful “value-added” tool to attract and keep new customers while helping to avoid costly paper handling or teller（出纳员）interactions in an increasingly competitive banking environment.
Today, most large national banks, many local banks and credit unions offer some form of online banking, variously known as PC banking, home banking, electronic banking or Internet banking. Online banks are sometimes referred to as “brick-to-click” banks, both to tell them from “brick-to-mortar” banks that haven’t yet offered online banking, as well as from “virtual” banks that have no physical branches or tellers whatsoever.
The challenge for the banking industry has been to design this new service channel in such a way that its customers will readily learn to use and trust it. Most of the large banks can now offer fully safe , fully functional online banking for free or for a small cost. As more banks succeed online and more customers use their sites, fully functional online banking will likely become as common as automated teller machines (ATM).
Online banking has a lot of advantages. Unlike your corner bank, online banking sites never close; they’re at hand 24 hours a day, seven days a week and they’re a mouse click away. If you’re out of state or even out of the country when a money problem appears, you can log on instantly to your online bank and take care of business. Online bank sites generally carry out and confirm deals at or quicker than ATM processing speeds. Many online banking sites now offer fashionable tools to help you manage all of your valuable items more effectively.
1. Online banking is considered as a powerful tool for the following reasons except that .
A. It attracts new customers
B. It increases paper handling and teller interaction
C. It saves workforce and money
D. It is more convenient
2. What is the challenge for the online banking industry according to the text?
A. To make online banking attractive.
B. To open new services all over the world.
C. To offer online banking for free.
D. To take care of business 24 hours a day.
3.From the text we can conclude that _______.
A. “brick-to-click” banks are in fact another kind of physical banks
B. the function of a “brick-to-click” bank is as common as that of an ATM
C. a “brick-to-mortar” bank is no better than a virtual one
D. customers can deal with their banking by a mouse click
4.What would be the best title for this text?
A. Banking of Various Forms.
B. Improvement of Banking Industry.
C. Development of Online Banking.
D. Functions of the “Brick-to-Click” Bank.
Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.
I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.
I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.
1.Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?
A. Start the car the moment everyone is seated.
B. Leave the room for a minute with the iron working.
C. Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better.
D. Move an object out of the way before it trips (绊倒) someone.
2. The author decided to go to her office on Good Friday to ______.
A. keep her appointment with the eye doctor
B. meet her father who was already an old man
C. join in the holiday celebration of the company
D. finish her work before the deadline approached
3.What is the best title for the passage?
A. The Emotional Well-being.
B. The Two Saddest Words.
C. The Most Useful Rule.
D. The Peace of Mind.
On a rainy night three years ago my dear mom went to accompany her Lord. She did it her way.
I got the call at work, and l headed home quickly. Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven. I hated going there every weekend. There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception.
My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land. The place was rural, with no indoor plumbing or heat. We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me.
In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen. I sang the melody and Mom harmonized. Her favorite song was “Moon River” and we sang it over and over. Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl I could sing before I could talk.
As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit them every week or two. The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad. Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm. While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle of my life at home. But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced.
Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deathly so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio. Music always comforted me. My heart skipped a beat. “Moon River” was playing on the radio. I sat there wordless, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note.
1. From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________.
A. passed away three years ago
B. left the small farm with Lord
C. left for Lord to live her own way
D. preferred to be with Lord
2. The underlined word “reminisced” in the last but one paragraph probably means ________.
A. recalled B. comforted
C. shouted D. sighed
3.The writer didn’t like staying on the farm for the following reasons EXCEPT that ________.
A. it was too cold and quiet
B. she could only sing one song on the small farm
C. there was nothing more that could make her excited
D. the place was rural, with no indoor plumbing or heat
4.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. Cherish Life B. My Happy Childhood
C. Our Small Farmhouse D. Mom’s Music
假定你是李华，你校英文报“外国文化”栏目拟刊登美国节日风俗和中学生生活的短文。请给美国朋友彼得写信约稿，要点如下：
1. 栏目介绍。
2. 稿件内容；
3. 稿件长度：约400词汇
4. 交稿日期：6月28日前天
注意：1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯的；3.开头语已为你写好。
Dear Peter,
I'd like to ask you to write an article for our school’s English newspaper.
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅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：把多余的词用斜线(＼)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。
Dear Jim,
I am so exciting that you will come to China. I will free from December 18 and will have a plenty of time to be together with you. I’ll meet you at the airport and then you can take No. 8 Bus to my home. You worry about the weather here in your email. In fact, the weather here is quite different from it in your city. It isn’t very cold, but you needn’t bring many clothes with you. During your stay here, I’ll take you to some places of interests and you can taste some local snacks. I am sure we will have greatly fun together.
I’m look forward to meeting you soon.
Yours,
John
