SWITZERLAND TRIP PLANNING

Best Time to Go

Like any other country, you can visit Switzerland at any time of the year and have a fantastic time. However, there’s always a ‘best’ time for what you want to do there so it is always worth checking the seasons. It all depends on what your planned activities are. If you are intending to ski and snowboard, best to go when the snow is at its peak time. Activity in Switzerland can be broken down into three tourist seasons: Low Season (Oct. —Mar.), Mid Season! Apr. —Jun. & Sep.) and High Season (Jul., Aug. & Dec. —Apr. / In this season, everything is open and busy, and watch your budget).

Rough Budget

Switzerland is an expensive country to travel around but it is possible to travel here for approximately $ 70—100 per day if you stay in hostels, cook most of your meals and use local transport only when necessary. You’ll find that food is quite expensive as well as accommodation. However, the entire experience is 100% worth it. Here’s a rough cost of basic commodities.

Accommodation
Budget: $ 30—60 dorms / $ 80—120 budget hotels
Mid-range: $ 150—200
Splurge: $ 250—350+

Food (Typical Meal For One)
Self-catering lunch; $ 10—25
Restaurant: $ 20 lunch / $ 40 dinner
Very nice restaurant: $ 60+

Transport
City Buses: $ 2. 50—5
Intercity Trains: $ 25—50

Exciting Things to Do in Switzerland

With so much to see and do in Switzerland, planning a trip can be tough. Here are the things that we highly recommend doing in Interlaken as it is the adventure capital of Switzerland!

Whether you like skydiving, paragliding, or going on a jet boat, Interlaken offers everything and more for all adventure-seekers and anyone who loves the outdoors. Skydiving in Switzerland is a BUCKET LIST come true for any adventure-seeker. It is absolutely incredible and is something we highly recommend. So check out our full article on things to do in Interlaken for some ideas and see all the adventurous activities available in the area this year!

1. Which can contribute to your budget of $ 70 — 100 per day when traveling in Switzerland?

A．Choosing hotels for accommodation.	B．Cooking meals as much as you can.
C．Adopting local means of transport.	D．Attempting to travel in peak seasons.

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．You can enjoy yourself to the fullest when going skiing any time in Switzerland.

B．Interlaken also offers water activities besides adventure activities like skydiving.

C．Both accommodation and hiking in the mountain are expensive in Switzerland.

D．Planning a trip in Interlaken can be tough because the activities are dangerous.

3. Where is this article most probably from?

A．A geography book about Switzerland.	B．An English textbook.
C．A composition on Switzerland.	D．A travel brochure.

Aunt Fannie was Blueberry Jam Woman. Of course she wasn’t really my aunt, and out of fear, I never called that to her face. The name always made my father chuckle (轻笑) and my mother look sternly (严厉地) at both of us—at me for being disrespectful, and at my father for encouraging my bad behavior. I enjoyed both reactions, so I looked for every opportunity to work for the name into conversation.

As a young woman, my mother had worked in the kitchen of a large Victorian farm house owned by Fannie Cratty. Fannie was the last of the Cratty line; she had never married, and had no living heirs(继承人). My father once told me that it was because she was too mean to share her family wealth or pass it on. Aunt Fannie was noted for her jam, and for never sharing the recipe with another living soul. Even though my mother knew it by heart, as long                    as Aunt Fannie was alive, she never made the jam without Miss Cratty in our kitchen to direct the process and preserve the secret.

One year, after I had been particularly helpful with the jam-making process. Aunt Fannie gave me a quarter and then made me promise I would never spend it. “Hold onto this quarter,” she said, “and some day you will be rich. I still have my first very quarter.” It had obviously worked for her, so I put that 1938 quarter in a small box,put it in my dresser drawer, and waited to become rich.

I now have the blueberry-jam recipe and the quarter from Aunt Fannie. Neither has significantly contributed to my wealth, but I keep them to remind myself to hold onto the valuable things in life. Money can make you feel rich for a while, but it is your relationships, and your memories of time spent with friends and family, that truly leave you wealthy. And that is a fortune that anyone can build.

4. Where did the “fear” mentioned in the first paragraph come from?

A．That year’s blueberry harvest had been poor.

B．Aunt Fannie was too old to keep making jam.

C．The author’s mother couldn’t help Aunt Fannie harvest the blueberries.

D．The author knew it was impolite to call Aunt Fannie Blueberry Jam Woman.

5. From the second paragraph we learn that ________.

A．Aunt Fannie had no children	B．Aunt Fannie was willing to share her recipe
C．the author often helped Aunt Fannie make jam	D．the author’s mother always made the jam alone

6. What did the author’s mother feel towards Aunt Fannie?

A．Disgusted.

B．Surprised.

C．Affectionate.

D．Disappointed.

7. What does the author try to tell us?

A．To make new friends easily.	B．Not to put a price on generosity.
C．Not to think of kindness as a burden.	D．To treasure the time spent with family and friends.

Lizard (蜥蜴) species may already have declined past the point of no return in the world. What is the reason? Rising temperatures. Researchers estimate that as much as 40 percent of lizard species worldwide will die out by 2080. The problem is that temperatures in many regions where lizards live have changed too fast for the animals to keep pace.

Barry Sinervo from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California in Santa Cruz, along with colleagues from across the globe, reached that conclusion by taking current data on Mexican lizards. They also estimated that 4 percent of local species have already disappeared worldwide. That number could jump to 20 percent by 2080 if carbon dioxide levels aren’t lowered to reduce warming.

The team looked 48 species of Sceloporus lizard at 200 sites around Mexico. The sites were first sampled from 1975 to 1995. By 2010, research could not find lizards at 12 percent of those sites.

Lizards that bear live young are especially at risk of dying out, the researchers point out, compared to that lay eggs. “Live-bearers have lower body temperatures that heighten the risk of dying,” Sinervo said in a statement. We are watching these species disappear before our eyes.”

Although current evidence shows that climate change is affecting the habitat ranges of many species, there is still a lot of uncertainty about how much climate change will affect species, researchers say.

Many Mexican lizard species live in high altitude “islands”, where climate change happens the fastest. The lizards cannot adjust fast enough to survive. The scientists say they do not think the animals are likely to save themselves just by moving somewhere else   either.

“How quickly can Earth’s lizards adapt to the rising global temperatures? That’s the important question,” Sinervo said in a press release. "We are actually seeing lowland species moving upward, slowly driving upland species out of their habitats. If the upland species can’t evolve fast enough, they will die out.”

8. Which of the following lizards face a higher risk of dying out?

A．Lizards at low altitudes.	B．Lizards that bear their young.
C．Lizards that lay eggs.	D．Lizards in a stable environment.

9. According to Barry Sinervo and his colleagues, ________.

A．their conclusion is based on current data on various kinds of lizards

B．20 percent of local species have already disappeared worldwide

C．they are uncertain about how much climate change will affect species

D．they are seeing highland species moving downward

10. The upland lizards are affected greatly by the climate change because of ________.

A．their living habitats’ destruction	B．their living skills
C．highland species moving downward	D．their adaptive capacity

11. The purpose of this passage is to ________.

A．prove that earth is not suitable for lizards

B．warn that lizards may die out quickly due to the climate change

C．explain why no more lizards will be found by 2080

D．emphasize that the habitat of lizards is changing greatly

We are always being told by the department of Health to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. But it’s not clear where the evidence for this comes from, and a large study by the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) two years ago of the dietary intake of more than 400,000 people found only a weak link between eating fruit and vegetables and a reduction in overall cancer risk. There is no evidence it reduces breast cancer.

Even so, how could anyone argue against eating more fruit and vegetables? Well, it depends on what fruit you are eating. A review article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal warns that a chemical in grapefruit can interact lethally with certain medicines. Even apple juice, the staple of many breakfast tables, may prevent our absorption of some drugs. Parents also often think fruit juice is a healthy alternative to fizzy drinks, but juices contain sugar and calories too — as much as a glass of Coke — so should be drunk in moderation.

Grapefruit has also been linked to an increase in breast cancer. A study in the British Journal of Cancer (BJC) of 500,000 women found that eating a quarter of the fruit a day increased the risk by 30%.

The solution?

There is one good reason for not eating grapefruit — it tastes sour. But it is unlikely to increase your risk of getting breast cancer; further research by the BJC showed no increase in rates of breast cancer for women who tuck into grapefruit or drink juice.

Grapefruit contains a type of chemical called furanocoumarin, which prevents the breakdown of some prescription drugs. As a result concentration of these drugs rise, and can have serious side-effects, including kidney damage, heart blockage, and deep-vein thrombosis.

Patient information leaflets should tell you what foods to avoid with which drugs. If in doubt, ask your doctor. So you don’t need to eat less fruit, and many still need to eat more. Another paper from the EPIC study found a 225 reduction in deaths from heart attacks in people who ate eight portions of fruit and vegetables a day compared to those who ate three or fewer. The way the study was designed, however, means that it can only suggest a link — it can’t prove one.

12. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Everyone should eat more grapefruit.

B．People should eat fruit selectively.

C．Parents should have their children drink more fruit juice.

D．Eating fruit and vegetables has been proven to reduce overall cancer risk.

13. What does the underlined word “lethally” probably mean?

A．Closely.

B．Wrongly.

C．Dangerously.

D．Quickly.

14. What do we learn about grapefruit?

A．It increases the risk of heart blockage.	B．It reduces deaths from heart attacks.
C．It reduces absorption of some drugs.	D．It causes increases of breast cancer in women.

15. Which of the following questions does the author mainly answer?

A．What is grapefruit?

B．Should people eat less fruit?

C．How can one reduce the risk of getting breast cancer?

D．What should patient information leaflets tell people?