Gold Coast family holidays are always great fun whether you are from Australia or from abroad. There are beautiful beaches, adventure parks, nature parks and so many more.
There are so many sights to see here. It is a pity to drive in a car and you’ll miss a great part of it. Australia is home to many animals and birds that can only be seen when moving slowly and going into the areas where they live.
When you are on a bicycle, you have the advantage of being able to stop whenever you want to see an interesting animal or bird that you have never seen before. It is a quieter mode （方式） of transportation as well, so you might even be able to take a picture. When you are on the beach, you can breathe that clean air and view the beauty of the water and sand. It is a totally different experience from either simply sunbathing or passing it in a car.
There are many choices of hiring a bicycle to experience the Gold Coast attractions. There are stores that will fit a bike perfectly to your size. These bikes for both adults and children are in many styles and colors to please any taste. If you have ever wanted to try a tandem bike (双人单车), now is your chance, because they have those too.
A bicycle hire on Gold Coast is something that everyone should try at least once. This is a wonderful chance for anyone who likes to cycle and it is also a cheap way to travel with your family.
1.Driving in a car on Gold Coast is not suggested because ______.
A. you will break the traffic rules
B. you can’t enjoy the beautiful scenery well
C. you will cause much noise
D. you can’t drive into some parks
2.The following advantages of hiring bikes are mentioned EXCEPT that ______.
A. it is a good way to do sunbathing
B. it is a cheap way of traveling
C. you can get a clearer sight of animals
D. you can take photos of animals
3.What’ s the author’s attitude towards a bike hire on Gold Coast?
A. He doesn’t like this way of traveling.
B. He thinks it is a personal choice.
C. He supports it very much.
D. He thinks it is only good for adults.
4.What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?
A. How to hire bikes on Gold Coast.
B. What kinds of bikes there are in stores.
C. What bikes are the most popular.
D. Who can hire bikes on Gold Coast.
In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is. That is what ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ is about. It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbors.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $ 125 a week at the age of 23. That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighbourhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbours.
It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbours. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ because ‘Jones’ is a very common name in the United States. ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand’s series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are ‘Jonses’ in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead.
1.Some people want to keep up with the Joneses because they _____.
A. want to be as rich as their neighbors
B. want others to know or to think that they are rich
C. don’t want others to know they are rich
D. want to be happy
2.It can be inferred (推断) from the story that rich people like to _____.
A. live outside New York City B. live in New York city
C. live in apartments D. have many neighbors
3.Arthur Momand used the name “Jones” in his series of short stories because “Jones” is _____.
A. an important name B. a popular name in the United States
C. his neighbor’s name D. not a good name
4.According to the writer, it is _____ to keep up with the Joneses.
A. correct B. interesting
C. impossible D. good
Quietly sitting there reading, I found myself suddenly listening to the train guard’s announcements. Train travelers will surely agree that when the guard makes an announcement, whether it’s the recorded message or the guard’s message, few people listen to it, because it’s often quite dull or hard to understand. This one was different. I noticed that other passengers appeared to be listening, too. Not only that, everyone was smiling!
Why was so much attention being paid to this message? As best I can recall, the guard said something along these lines, “Good Morning Ladies, Gentlemen and Children, this is the 7:35 a.m. from Penrith to Central and you’ll be pleased to know that we are right on time. And what a lovely morning it is in Sydney today. The sun is shining, birds are singing, and all’s right with the world. I trust you have a great day wherever you’re going. Thanks for catching my train this morning and I hope to see you again soon.”
Quite a few people (obviously previous strangers) started talking to one another about the guard’s excellent message and how good it had made everyone feel. I started thinking about this, and then I found the young guard and said “Were you the guard on the 7:35 a.m. from Penrith?” The guard seemed a bit stunned at first, replying, “Yes, yyyyes.” “Well, I really appreciate your announcement. Thank you for your extremely good message, which gave me and the other passengers such a good start to the day. Please keep doing it.” I said.
There are two messages for me in what happened that day. Firstly, when people are happy in their work it shows in what they do and say. Secondly, the story attaches much importance to the benefits that accumulate from thanking people for something they’ve done, particularly when it’s not expected. Can you imagine the conversation that guard would have when he got home?
1.Why do few train travelers listen to the announcements?
A. The messages are unattractive.
B. The guard’s voice is not clear.
C. They usually feel sleepy.
D. They are absorbed in books.
2.What does the underlined word “stunned” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Patient. B. Cautious.
C. Surprised. D. Excited.
3.What might the guard talk about with his family when he got home?
A. The beautiful weather.
B. The recorded message.
C. The train from Penrith.
D. The unexpected appreciation.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. An Intelligent Guard. B. A Boring Train Story.
C. A Different Train Announcement. D. A Lovely Morning in Sydney.
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1.With help from a Mr.H, you can _______.
A. stop using batteries
B. get your room tidied on your way home
C. remember your teacher’s instructions
D. finish your homework on time
2.If you buy a PENGO WATCH CONTROL now, you can save _______.
A. ＄99 B. ＄100
C. ＄200 D. ＄199
3.Where would you be most likely to find the two texts?
A. On a notice board. B. In a company brochure.
C. On a teenage website. D. In a college newspaper.
Without proper lessons, you could ________ a lot of bad habits when playing the piano.
A. put up B. catch up
C. keep up D. pick up
Young drivers are far more ______ to have accidents than old drivers.
A. likely B. perhaps
C. probable D. possible
