A Spanish company has opened the first public napping space in Madrid. Siesta & Go promises the Spanish people a quiet and restful getaway in the city’s business center.
Napping spaces are already nothing new places in other big cities in the world. But the idea would appear to work well with the culture of Spain, where people traditionally take a midday nap.
The Madrid nap bar recently opened with 19 beds. They can be rented by the minute or by the hour. People can choose either a private or shared room. An hour of napping time inside a private room costs about $ 15.
The company also offers areas to work, as well as armchairs, newspapers and coffee for those not wishing to sleep. Philip Marco is one happy customer. He says he gets tired during the day because he has a long drive to work. He says the midday nap is the perfect way to build up energy. “I come for about 30 minutes, something like that. Sleeping for 30 minutes usually is enough for me to be able to get through the evening.”
Siesta & Go provides all bedding, clean nightshirts and other materials. Nappers can request to be woken up when their time is up.
While many Spanish people love their midday naps, others like Carlos Villarroja say they are just too busy to keep this tradition. “It’s a Spanish tradition, but I think it’s more of an impractical thing than a tradition. Because with the lifestyle we have the working hours, we have very little free time for a nap, in my case, at least during the week.”
But many health experts believe there is evidence that taking a short nap is very good for the body and mind. Scientific studies show that taking a nap can also prevent heart disease, lower blood pressure and reduce stress.
1.The Madrid nap bar don’t allow customers to______________ .
A. share a room with others B. choose a private room
C. use it as an office D. sleep for free
2.What does Philip Marco feel about the Madrid nap bar?
A. Happy. B. Worried.
C. Amazed. D. Tired.
3.Why does Carlos Villarroja regard a midday nap as an impractical thing?
A. It is not necessary to take it.
B. Many people have no time to take it.
C. No research proves the good of taking it.
D. Many people have no spare money to pay for it.
If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater, the younger people learn a second language. A team led by Dr Andrea Michelle, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners. Scans showed that grey matter density (密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible (灵活的).” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.
1.The main subject talked about in this passage is ______.
A. science on learning a second language
B. man’s ability of learning a second language
C. language can help brain power
D. language learning and maths study
2.In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to ______.
A. say language is also a kind of physical labor
B. prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language
C. to show the importance of using the language when you learn the language
D. make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well
3.The underlined word “bilingual” probably means ______.
A. a researcher on language learning
B. a person who is good at learning foreign languages
C. a person who can speak two languages
D. an active language learner
Riding Club:
You can start horse-riding at any age. Choose private or group lessons any weekday between 9
am and 8:30 pm (3:30 pm on Saturdays). There are 10 kilometres of tracks and paths for leisurely rides across farmland and open country. You will need a riding hat.
Opening Hours: Monday through Friday:9:00 am一8:30 pm
Phone: (412)396—6754
Fax: (412)396—6752
Sailing Club:
Our Young Sailor’s Course leads to the Stage 1 Sailing qualification. You’11 learn how to sail safely and the course also covers sailing theory and first aid. Have fun with other course members afterwards in the clubroom. There are 10 weekly two—hour lessons (Tuesdays 6 pm～8 pm).
Opening Hours: Tuesdays: 6:00 pm一8:00 pm
Phone: (412)396—6644 、
Fax: (412)396—6644
Diving Centre:
Our experienced instructors offer one-month courses in deep-sea diving for beginners. There are two evening lessons a week, in which you learn to breathe underwater and use the equipment safely. You only need a swimming costume and towel. Reduced rates for couples.
Opening Hours: Monday and Friday: 6:30pm一8:30pm
Phone: (412)396—6312
Fax: (412)396—6706
Medical Center:
The staff of the Medical Center aim to provide convenient and comprehensive medical care to students and staff of the university. The center is well equipped and the staff here are trained to deal with a broad range of medical problems. Both female and male doctors as well as nursing staff are available for consultation. Also, all kinds of medicines are sold here and are cheaper for students than other drugstores.
Opening Hours: 24 hour from Monday to Sunday
Phone: (412)396—6649
Fax: (412)396—6648
Watersports Club:
We use a two-kilometre length of river for speedboat racing, and water-skiing. A beginners’ course consists of ten 20-minute lessons. You will learn to handle boats safely and confidently, but must be able to swim. The club is in a convenient central position and is open daily from 9 a.m to 4 p.m, with lessons all through the day.
Opening Hours: Monday through Friday: 9 am一4pm
Phone: (412)396—6899
Fax: (412)396—6890
1.If you want to swim and enjoy activities which are fast and a bit dangerous, you should join _______.
A. Watersports Club B. Diving Centre
C. Sailing Club D. Riding Club
2.If you want to experience a new activity in the countryside in the mornings, you may fax .
A. (412)396--6648 B. (412)396--6706
C. (412)396--6752 D. (412)396—6876
3.If you are planning to explore the ocean depths, you should attend your lessons at .
A. 24 hour from Monday to Sunday
B. Monday through Friday: 7:00am一10:00pm
C. Tuesdays: 6:00 pm一8:00 pm
D. Monday and Friday: 6:30pm一8:30pm
4.You want to do an activity one evening a week and get a diploma in the end, you can go to .
A. Watersports Club B. Diving center
C. Sailing Club D. Riding School
5.Which is NOT the convenience that the Medical Center provides?
A. Good equipment B. Well trained staff members
C. Various expensive medicines D. Nursery service
短语
1.躲/藏起来______________________
2.写下/记下______________________
3.和某人（很好地）相处______________________
4.爱上某人/某物______________________
5.按照，根据______________________
6.面对面______________________
7.母语______________________
8.即使______________________
9.信不信由你______________________
10.梦想做某事______________________
11.毕业于______________________
12.改变主意______________________
13.在…的高度______________________
14.向某人屈服______________________
15.握手______________________
16.爆发______________________
17.由---来判断______________________
18.分发，发出（气味等）______________________
19.数以万计的______________________
20.挖掘，发现______________________
21.把……送进监狱______________________
22.失去信心______________________
23.失业______________________
24.作为……的报酬______________________
25.被判处…徒刑______________________
26.寻找______________________
27.属于______________________
28.作为..的回报______________________
29.每隔四年______________________
30.参加______________________
假定你是李华，当地的艺术馆委员会要建立一个新的艺术馆，向当地市民寻求建议。请你给委员会写一封信，内容包括：
1.建议艺术馆的作品应多样化
2.解释原因
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数。
艺术馆 art gallery
Dear Committee members,
I wish to make a suggestion about_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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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，每句最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除和修改。
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:在错的词下面画一横线，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。
Last Sunday, I didn’t get up early as usual. In morning, after I finished my homework, I did some houseworks. Then I telephoned one of my classmates to inviting him to see a film. But unlucky, when we got to the cinema, we found all the tickets has been sold out. Then they went back to school and played football. Before that, we were about to go home when we met our English teacher, Ms. Gao, that was walking into the school. She stopped and told us that we had made a great progress in English. She suggested that we should read more and write more. She also asked us to help those in need. She hopes we would improve English together.
