More and more travellers in China nowadays prefer homestays rather than traditional hotels, as they seek private living experiences. The house-sharing model was first introduced by the website Couchsurfing.com in 2003. It is still the largest website for travellers to find accommodation (住宿) without much money to spend.
Encouraged by her great experience of homestays in France, Maggita, 30, considered short-term hire as her first choice in her future trips. She later went back to her hometown Shanghai and ran a "shared accommodation" business.
The short-term hire idea has been a win-win business model. For travellers, they can rent a special room at a reasonable price and also enjoy a firsthand experience of the local culture, compared with traditional hotels. For owners, they can gain much with daily rental. Now Maggita has quit her last job in an IT company and become a host of some 20 homestays, which enables her to earn a monthly income of around 40,000 — 50,000 yuan.
In recent years, China has seen many homestay booking websites such as Xiaozhu and Tujia. Chen Chi, the founder and CEO of Xiaozhu, said the model is to share rooms or apartments that are not in use with people who need them. Instead of the traditional view that Chinese people feel uncomfortable living with strangers, Chen found that a large number of travellers got along well with house owners.
However, experts have pointed out a series of problems brought about by the fashion. Lacking supervision (监管) to those accommodation sharing websites, the service quality and accommodation safety cannot be guaranteed (保障).Experts suggest that the online websites should closely work together with communities and local police stations to improve the services.
1.What can we learn about homestays from the first paragraph?
A.They started in China. B.They offer the best service.
C.They can be money-saving. D.They are popular with the youth.
2.What does the underlined word "quit" in the third paragraph mean?
A.Taken up. B.Given up.
C.Looked for. D.Gone for
3.What does Chen Chi think of this sharing model?
A.Useless. B.Relaxing.
C.Well-accepted. D.Uncomfortable.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.Homestays need to be improved.
B.Some experts don't support homestays.
C.Lacking supervision is the biggest problem of homestays.
D.The police should manage the homestay services.
I was having a picnic day with my sister. We both like to ride her motorcycle and that day we drove to the nearest park. We bought some coffee and cakes, and then we were enjoying our food. Within a few hours, the sky was changing and looked ready to drop a heavy rain. We packed everything and were ready to go. My sister, who was sitting on a bench, suddenly was very still and couldn’t talk to me. she didn’t move. Her eyes were rolling and she was about to lose consciousness (知觉). I held her in my arms and asked if she wanted to rest. She didn’t answer and only said “Sorry”.
It started to rain and I didn’t know what to do. She was fighting to stay aware but her skin was pale and her eyes were acting strange. Suddenly, from nowhere, a woman on a bicycle appeared, wearing a raincoat. “She isn’t looking good. Do you want me to call an ambulance (救护车)?” “Yes, please, yes!” I begged.
She did. Struggling with the rain, she managed to call some policemen, who quickly helped me carry my sister to a safer place. The ambulance arrived and we went to a hospital, where she was treated in time and she came to life in the morning after rest and medical help.
An interesting fact was that I guessed the woman in the raincoat was a doctor or a nurse. I later learned from one of the police officers who told me: “No, she was an ordinary person who took some courses on emergency situations (紧急情況).
I am so grateful that she appeared exactly at he right moment. I don’t know why or how. I didn’t even get the chance to say thanks to her.
1.What happened to the author and her sister?
A.They had a fight B.Her sister fell ill suddenly
C.They were caught in the rain D.They had difficulty packing things
2.How did the woman help the author?
A.By giving first aid to her sister B.By protecting her sister from the rain
C.By carrying he sister to the hospital D.By asking for emergency medical help
3.Why did the woman call the policemen?
A.To keep order in the park
B.To send the sick girl to hospital
C.To pull the sick girl to a safer place quickly
D.To carry the sick girl onto the ambulance
4.What was the author’s main attitude towards the woman?
A.Thankful B.Friendly
C.Doubtful D.Admirable
Average humans can consume 15 or more drinks in plastic bottles a month. If you were born after 1998, and live until 80 years old, you will leave behind a minimum of 14, 4000 plastic bottles on this planet. These bottles take hundreds of years to break down into tiny pieces of plastic, never to completely disappear. Most of the waste is consumed by fish and birds, which has shortened their lifespans greatly.
The Plastic Bottle Village is just a great idea that might finally save us from being buried in plastic. It5s a community in Panama that is going to be made of used bottles. The design process begins with building steel frames, which are then filled with these bottles. Once this step is complete, and electrical and plumping lines are put inside, the plastic walls are covered with concrete (混凝土)—both inside and outside. So no one will actually be able to tell that the walls are made of plastic. Besides, the material will keep the house 17℃ cooler than the outside, which is the biggest benefit to people living inside.
The village is the idea of Robert Bezeau with the intention of setting up several environmental projects. Having started a recycling program four years ago, during which a number of plastic bottles were collected, he started to think of how they could be put to use. Soon enough, he decided to use them to build houses, and came up with a basic idea for the construction process.
The project hopes to make people conscious of the waste that these bottles create so that they can do more to protect the environment. The village will also create an education center that will teach individuals from the world how to reuse plastic bottles as construction materials for shelter. Recycled bottles could neutralize (使……无效) the negative effect of your passage on this planet, and move closer to leaving only your “footprints”.
1.What do the figures in the first paragraph show?
A.The reason for buying fewer drinks. B.The seriousness of plastic pollution.
C.The amount of plastic waste. D.The difficult situation of wildlife.
2.Why are the homes in the village special?
A.They’re green buildings. B.They’re 17℃ warmer inside.
C.They stop plastic pollution. D.They’re entirely made of plastic bottles.
3.What can we know from the passage?
A.Plastic bottles are difficult to break down so that they are liked by fish and birds.
B.Robert Bezeau is leader of a community in, Panama responsible for the project.
C.The project of the Plastic Bottle Village can raise peopled environmental awareness.
D.Individuals can learn how to produce plastic bottles without polluting the environment.
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A.An Eco-Friendly Plastic Bottle Village
B.The Negative Effects of Plastic Bottles
C.How to Collect Deserted Plastic Bottles
D.How to Popularize the Use of Plastic Bottles
Teaching assistant
Hours: Part time
Salary : ￡11.12p/h
A teaching assistant is needed to start on 3rd August 2013. He or she will provide the students and teachers with appropriate support in the classroom. Secondary school experience preferred.
For further details please telephone Mrs. Caryl Lewis, Headteacher on 736524 or email her at cl@ recruitment.com.
Lunchtime assistant
Hours: Part time
Salary: ￡9.28p/h
We’re looking for someone to assist with the lunchtime routine, take care of pre-school children at mealtimes, and get the room ready for afternoon activities.
Anybody interested in this position please call Joanne Walton on 734229 or email her at stmarks@lapetiteecole.com.
Days per week: 5(Monday-Friday)
Working hours: 10:30am-2pm
Food section manager
Hours: Full time
Salary: Negotiable
Marks and Spencer needs a food section manager to start immediately. The ideal candidate must have experience within the food business, excellent communication and organisational skills coupled with the ability to manage the staff. Duties will include responsibilities for opening and closing the store, and providing the customers with up-to-date knowledge of products and services, Benefits include staff discount card.
You can contact Linda Hodgson by sending an email to lindahodgson@sandpiperci.com.
Shop assistant
Hours: Part time
Salary: Negotiable
The ideal candidate must have excellent customer service skills, be friendly and outgoing and have an eye for details.
Previous experience is an advantage, however, full training will be provided. Able to work as a member of a team. Must be able to speak and understand English.
You can apply for this position by emailing Sue Milroy at paris@jacksclothing.com.
Days per week: 5(Monday to Saturday with one day off during the week)
1.If you want to work in a nursery school, you should contact ______.
A.Linda Hodgson B.Caryl Lewis
C.Joanne Walton D.Sue Milroy
2.Marks and Spencer is looking for a person who ______.
A.can take great care of kids B.has an eye for details
C.has secondary school experience D.can manage the staff members
3.What do the four positions have in common?
A.One can get in contact by e-mail. B.One has to work five days a week.
C.They require fluent English. D.They are paid by the hour.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
I was a single mother of four children, working at a low-paid job. Money was always valuable, but we had a roof over our heads, food on the table, and clothes on our backs. I always tell myself to be brave and strong, just for my four children. I hope all my efforts would be worthwhile, as long as my children can grow up healthily. It was Christmas time. We drove downtown to see the Christmas lights,and enjoyed a special dinner, but the big excitement for the kids was the fun of Christmas shopping at the mall. This was a tradition of my family, so they all looked forward to the coming of the season.They talked and planned for weeks ahead of time, asking each other what they wanted for Christmas.
The big day arrived and we started out early. I gave each other of the four kids a twenty-dollar bill and asked them to search for gifts. Then everyone scattered(分散开) with the bill. I sat at a table in a cafe waiting for my children and enjoying an instant of silence. It must be a happy day.
Back in the car driving home, everyone was excited about Christmas, laughing and asking each other about what they had bought. I noted Ginger, my younger daughter had only one small and flat bag with her. I could see enough through the plastic bag to tell that she had bought candy bars－fifty-cent candy bars! What did she do with that twenty –dollar bill I had given her? I was so angry.After getting home, I called her into my bedroom and closed the door. I couldn’t hold back my anger and shouted at her, “What about the rest of the money? No one would be convinced all these candies are worth 20 dollars. What do you want to do with the rest of the money?”
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数为 150 左右；
2. 至少使用 5 个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph One:
She was shocked at my reaction and burst into tears.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph Two:
My anger disappeared.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假如你是李华，你的美国朋友 John 写信想询问你的寒假规划。请你用英文写一封回信，介绍你的假期安排。
注意：1 词数 80 左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear John,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours，
Li Hua
