Can technology improve your trip? Meet Judy Williams. When she and her husband recently checked into Blu Hotel in Zurich, a clerk asked them to sign the dotted line on a room rate hundreds of dollars higher than their online offer.
“It was not a cheap stay,” says Williams, a lawyer from Billings, Mont. But it became more of one after her husband fired up the Booking.com app he’d used to book their room on his smart phone. “As soon as we showed him the cost, he honored it,” Williams says.
Technology may create challenges for travelers but it can also solve them. It’s more than making sure of a hotel cost. The latest Booking.com can help users select hotels by location, make a secure booking and view the confirmed (已确认的) cost so they never need to re-discuss their hotel price.
Another pain point for travelers is traffic that eats away precious vacation time. There’s a new app called Commute which is aimed at users who have to make the same trip every day. But if you’re headed to Los Angeles or Honolulu, where visitors can easily get stuck in hours of heavy traffic, Commute can help.
Just input basic information about your destination and expected leaving time, and the app will start sending you traffic information 15 minutes before you leave. Testing Commute proved to be a challenge for me, because my home address is about 900 miles from my place of work. But if you have only a short distance to travel through a heavily populated area, you can use Commute to avoid traffic jams.
Another source of travel-related problems is money. That’s particularly true when you’re dealing with a foreign currency. The latest Travel Money Tracker helps travelers prevent currency mix-ups. It immediately changes a country’s native currency to yours, so you know exactly how much that Espresso (浓咖啡) in Milan costs in dollars. It can also warn you when you’re overspending, which can sometimes be a problem when you’re on vacation. The only catch, of course, is that you have to remember to record all your purchases.
Taken together, these apps solve some of the most common travel problems. But not all of them. Some things, no smart phone can fix, which means I get to keep my job – for now at least.
1.What does the writer want to tell through the example of Judy Williams?
A. The cost of Blu Hotel was higher than that of others.
B. The clerk was very friendly and patient.
C. The smart phones have many functions.
D. Technology can make our trips better.
2.Commute is not suitable for those who_______________.
A. have a long journey
B. go on the same trip every day
C. can easily get stuck in traffic jams
D. travel a short distance downtown
3.What is the function of Travel Money Tracker?
A. It tells people how much Espresso costs.
B. It warns people when they are shopping.
C. It changes the native currency to yours.
D. It records all people’s purchases.
4.What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To encourage people to travel.
B. To introduce some new apps.
C. To help people with technology problems.
D. To provide people with traveling information.
It may not be as easy as you think to build a foundation for your child of family values. Often we believe that our child will pick up on our values if they live in the same home. While they may pick up many of our values, parents need to remember they are not the only influence in their child’s life. These outside values often compete with family values for your child’s attention. If we do not make a conscious effort to instill our values into our children, they may not get instilled at all.
I wish I had learned that lesson a little earlier. I thought if I lived my values for my children they would pick them up and make their own. Sometimes this happened and sometimes it didn’t. I often see twenty-something “kids” who have no faith in many of the values of their family in favor of the values of their friends. Children will often pick up the negative you show quicker than the positive, so the positive things need extra focus to set them.
Some of the influences your children face every day include their church, their school, their friends, any clubs or sporting groups they are part of and more. Kids spend many hours a day at school and with their friends. Sometimes in the business of life, we suppose our children will obtain that foundation we want for them.
Instilling a foundation of family values to sustain(维持) your child requires more than living it in front of them. That is important, but building up your child with this important foundation must become intentional.
That means we plan times to gather as a family. We plan activities together that show the values we want to pass on. We talk about our values; we live our values; we discuss the values of others and how they differ from ours; we constantly look for opportunities and make our own opportunities to share these values in word or deed with our children.
Family values give our children a foundation to build upon. It helps them know they are loved and gives them a sense of belongings. Upon this sure foundation, they can spread their wings and grow to become parents who share these same values with their own children.
1.The underlined word “instill our values into” in the 1st paragraph probably means “______”.
A. get our ideas out of B. impress our ideas on
C. collect our ideas for D. force our ideas upon
2.We can learn from the passage that children ______.
A. sustain their family values easily
B. will hold their family values with age
C. often discuss family values of others
D. accept negative values more quickly
3.Family values can be passed on if ______.
A. we live with our children
B. parents show positive things
C. parents foster them intentionally
D. we plan times to gather with other families
4.The passage mainly tells us about ______.
A. the importance and the way to pick up family values
B. a lesson the writer learned in educating his(her) kids
C. the influences the children face while growing up
D. some negative and positive family values
Have you ever thought of getting in touch with your inner child from time to time? Obviously some people are willing to pay big money for the chance to do so in a proper environment．A Brooklyn-based adult preschool is charging customers between $333 and $999 for the chance to act like a kid again．
At Preschool Mastermind in New York adults get to participate in show-and-tell，arts-and-crafts such as finger paint，games like musical chairs and even take naps．The month-long course also has class picture day where the adults are expected to have a field trip and a parent day．
30-year-old Michelle Joni Lapidos，the brain behind the adult preschool，studied childhood education and has always wanted to be a preschool teacher．She’s always on the lookout for new ways to get people in touch with the freedom of childhood．A friend encouraged her to start the mastermind course instead．
According to Candice，her blogger friend，Preschool Mastermind gives adults a chance to relearn and master the things that they failed to understand as children．“I realized all the significances of what we learn in preschool，”said founder Michelle Joni，“People come here and get in touch with their inner child．It’s magical．We are bringing ourselves back to another place，another time with ourselves when we are more believing in ourselves，more confident and ready to take on the world．”
“One person’s here because they want to learn not to be so serious．”Michelle said．“Another's here to learn to be more confident．”She explained that most of the classes were planned．However，Joni added that while the planned activities were fun，it was often the spontaneous(自发的)moments that attracted students．“It’s the things you don’t plan for，the sharing between friends and learning from each other．’’
1.What is the purpose of Preschool Mastermind?
A．To give adults a chance to return to childhood．
B．To help parents understand their children better．
C．To provide practical training courses for teachers．
D．To introduce some ways of playing with children．
2.What is mainly discussed about Preschool Mastermind in Paragraph 2 ?
A．Its customers． B．Its activities．
C．Its environment． D．Its schedule·
3.According to Candice，people come to this program to________.
A．enjoy freedom of thinking
B．realize their childhood dreams
C．discover their inner abilities
D．figure out childhood puzzles
4.What do we know about Michelle Joni?
A．She used to be a preschool teacher．
B．She likes to make plans in advance．
C．She founded Preschool Mastermind．
D．She gained confidence by sharing．
The value-packed, all-inclusive sight-seeing package that combines the best of Sydney’s harbor, city, bay and beach highlights.
A Sydney Pass gives you unlimited and flexible travel on the Explore Buses: the ‘red’ Sydney Explorer shows you around our exciting city sights while the ‘blue’ Bondi Explorer visits Sydney Harbor bays and famous beaches. Take to the water on one of three magnificent daily harbor cruises(游船). You can also travel free on regular Sydney Buses, Sydney Ferries or City Rail services (limited area), so you can go to every corner of this beautiful city.
Imagine browsing at Darling Harbor, tasting the famous seafood at Watsons Bay or enjoying the lights on an evening ferry cruise. The possibilities and plans are endless with a Sydney Pass. Wherever you decide to go, remember that bookings are not required on any of our services so tickets are treated on a first in, first seated basis.
Sydney Passes are available for 3,5 or 7 days for use over a 7-calendar period. With a 3 or 5-day pass you choose on which days out of the 7 you want to use it. All Sydney Passes include a free Airport Express inward trip before starting your 3,5 or 7 days, and the return trip is valid (有效的) for 2 months from the first day your ticket was used
Sydney Pass Fares
| Adult | Child* | Family** |
3-day ticket | $90 | $45 | $225 |
5-day ticket | $120 | $60 | $350 |
7-day ticket | $140 | $70 | $350 |
*A child is defined as anyone from the ages of 4 years under 16 years. Children under 4 years travel free.
**A family is defined as 3 adults and any number of children from 4 to under 16 years of age from the same family.
1.A Sydney Pass doesn’t offer unlimited rides on _________.
A. the Explorer Buses B. the harbor cruises
C. regular Sydney Buses D. City Rail services
2.With a Sydney Pass, a traveler can _______.
A. save fares from and to the airport
B. take the Sydney Explorer to beaches
C. enjoy the famous seafood for free
D. reserve seats easily in a restaurant
3. If 5-day tickets were to be recommended（推荐）to a mother who travelled with her colleague and her children, aged 3,6 and 10, what would the lowest cost be?
A. $225 B. $300 C. $360 D. $420
假设你叫李华，你的一个朋友John刚从美国归来，邀请你参加本周日在他家举办的朋友聚会，但你不能参加，请你根据以下要点给他写一封电子邮件:
1. 表达想参加的意愿;
2. 忙于准备高考;
3. 由于感冒,身体不适;
4. 表示歉意并另约时间。
注意：可适当添加细节以使行文连贯；词数100左右，开头和结尾已给，不计入总字数。
Dear John,
I’m extremely sorry to tell you that I am unable to go to your party this Sunday.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________Best wishes,
Yours,
Li Hua
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。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. 每处错误及其修改仅限一词。
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Helen Keller who was born in America in June, 1890. Her birth brought much happiness to her parents. But when she was 19 month old, she became deaf and blind because a serious fever. Living in a world where she could see and hear nothing, she almost lost the hope to live. However, at seven, she met her teacher, calling Anne Sullivan. At first, it was hard for Anne to teach so a disabled girl. Helen’s strong will and cleverness together with Anne’s skill and patience finally helped to create a wonder. Helen learned to speak, read and even play piano. Later, she finished his college education and get a degree in English literature. Helen wrote many books, of which “The Story of My Life” was the most famous. Helen was also devoted to help other disabled people like herself. She moved both the USA or the world.
