【推荐1】

Holiday News Vacancies (空位) now and in the school holidays at a country hotel in Devon. This comfortable, friendly home-from-home lies near the beautiful quiet countryside, but just a dive away from the sea. The food is simple but good. Children and pets are welcome. Reduced prices for low season.

The Snowdonia Center The Snowdonia Center for young mountain climbers has a mountain climbing lesson. The beginners’ costs are £57 for a week, including food and rooms. Equipment is included except walking shoes, which can be hired at a low cost. You must be in good health and prepared to go through a period of body exercises. This could be the beginning of a lifetime of mountain climbing adventure.

The World Sea Trip of a Lifetime Our World Sea Trip of 2023 will be unlike any holiday you have ever been on before. Instead of one hotel after another, with all its packing and unpacking, waiting and travelling, you just go to bed in one country and wake up in another. On board the ship, you will be well taken care of. Every meal will be first-class and every cabin is like your home. During the trip, you can rest on deck (甲板), enjoy yourself in the game rooms and in the evening dance to our musical team and watch our wonderful play. You will visit all the places most people only dream about—from Acapulco and Hawaii to Tokyo and Hong Kong.

1. Which of the following does the advertisement recommend to a visitor with a pet?

A．The World Sea Trip of 2023.	B．The holiday in Devon.
C．The visit to Acapulco and Hawaii.	D．A lesson given by the Snowdonia Center.

2. How is the Snowdonia Center different from the other two holidays?

A．It provides chances of family gatherings.	B．It offers comfortable rooms.
C．It provides customers with good food.	D．It offers a sports lesson.

3. What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2023?

A．You can sleep on a ship and tour many places.

B．You will have chances to watch and act in a play.

C．You will have to do your own packing and unpacking.

D．You are allowed to have three free meals on deck every day.

【推荐2】Whether you’re brand new to hiking or looking to discover your next favorite trail (路线), hiking apps might be the tool to help you get there. Take a look at the list below and choose one that meets your needs.

1．G-GPS

G-GPS is one of the most popular navigation (导航) tools designed for remote mountainous areas. For some hikers, dependable maps and an easily searchable trail database are a must for a hiking app. G-GPS has both, which makes it a great option for beginners and expert hikers alike. It provides data like pace, distance and increased height. Moreover, it works fine when you’re offline and without cell service.

If you’re a fan of cold-temperature hiking, this app’s paid version ($40) has a winter map choice that displays features to help navigate in snowy weather.

2．P-Finder

Many hikers tend to have the experience of standing on a peak, looking at another mountain and wondering “What peak is that?”

If you’d like to avoid the problem, P-Finder might be the app for you. It takes the guesswork out of your exploration, thanks to its unique offering: a 360° view of mountain peaks and their names from your current location, requiring no Internet connection. Plus, all levels of hikers can use it, especially for finding new peaks to hike.

Added bonus: The app has some practical functions, which allow you to take some breathtaking shots and then automatically (自动地) label each peak with its correct name.

You can buy the app for $5 on its official website.

3．N-Land

N-Land Digital is a Canadian nonprofit that helps expert hikers to learn more about their local history and the Indigenous territories (土著领地).

By entering your address, a number of links will appear with the names of different Indigenous nations. Clicking on those links, you will be taken to a page specifically about that nation, language, or treaty, where you can view some sources, give feedback, and learn a little more. You can even do this if you’re offline. This app is an ongoing project, and maps of new territories are regularly added.

You’ll likely want to use this app together with another app such as A-Trails or V-Ranger, if you’re also seeking navigational help.

1. Which app can provide a whole view of mountain peaks?

A．G-GPS.

B．P-Finder.

C．N-Land.

D．A-Trails.

2. What do the three apps have in common?

A．They suit all levels of hikers.

B．They should be used with other apps.

C．They are free of charge in the app stores.

D．They can be used without Internet connection.

3. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To recommend apps for hikers.	B．To introduce various hiking trails.
C．To encourage people to go hiking.	D．To compare different kinds of apps.

【推荐1】Candy comes in many flavors. Some taste like fruit. Some taste like flowers. Some are chewy, like taffy (太妃糖) and gum. Hard candies are, well. hard! So, they last a long time.

But, in spoken English, there are some types of candy that you cannot eat. For example, you can’t eat eye candy. Eye candy is a person-man or woman-who is very good-looking. So, looking at this person is a treat for the eye, just like candy is a treat for the taste buds.

Do you hear of candy coat? Of course it is not a coat made of candy. But you can say I don’t candy coat the truth. What does candy-coating something mean? Well, some pills are covered with a coat of thin, sweet candy. The coating makes swallowing the pill easier, and it may hide a bad taste. So, candy coating a difficult truth or situation means you don’t directly discuss its bad parts.

After talking about candy you may want to eat some candies. However, some people dislike things that are very sweet, especially adults. But even if you do not like candy, you can still be called a kid in a candy store. This expression means a person is very happy to do something or to simply be somewhere. Imagine a child going from one candy display to the next, not knowing which candy to choose!

Talking about children brings us to another expression: as easy as taking candy from a baby. Think about a small, helpless baby holding a piece of candy. Taking it would be very easy—mean, but easy. So, use this expression when you are talking about something that may be simple to do, but probably not right.

1. What kind of girl can be described as “eye candy”?

A．Beautiful	B．Optimistic
C．Hardworking	D．Warmhearted

2. What does the underlined word “swallowing” mean in English?

A．Making.	B．Taking.
C．Selling.	D．Testing.

3. Which of the following expressions means you are doing something with wrong intention?

A．Hard candies.	B．Candy coat.
C．A kid in a candy store.	D．As easy as taking candy from a baby.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Candy. Enjoy It or Avoid It	B．Various Candies in English
C．The Best Candy in the World	D．Candies’ Different Flavors

【推荐2】They're life jacket orange, they’re robots and they're capable of sailing the high seas without human intervention.

On Tuesday the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched a pair of Saildrones(海洋无人机) in Pacific Northwest waters for the first time. Their summer long sailing journey will stretch from Vancouver Island to California. The Saildrone operators will collect data to help set future fishing seasons. The government wants to see whether seagoing. robots can extend fishery surveys now performed by expensive manned ships.

Nora Cohen from NOAA said,“The 23 foot tong seagoing robots can follow a remotely programmed course for up to a year at a time. And they don't require any fuel. We use wind and solar power to drive the sensors.”He added,“It means that we're able to go to places where we don't really want to send people, and go into weather that we really don't want anyone ever to be in, and be able to send back measurements.”

The primary mission is to investigate the species and number of fish in existence and the places where they are. Larry Hufnagle, scientist of NOAA Fisheries in Seattle, said a traditional big NOAA research ship-based survey costs around $25，000 per day. By comparison, one Saildrone runs $2,500 per day.

“It could be a significant saving,”Hufnagle said. “But like anything else, there is a tradeoff in what you get and what you don't get. On the manned ship, we have limited time. It takes a lot of people. We spend a fair amount of money. But there is one thing the Saildrone can't do that humans can: cast a net to catch and positively identify the fish detected below. The Saildrones are going to give us additional data, not replacement data.”

Nora Cohen said Sail Drone, a venture capital-backed company based in Alameda, California, expects to launch a total of 11 of its seagoing robots to survey different water bodies for NOAA this year. The Bering and Arctic seas, coastal California and Gulf of Mexico will be the locations of additional missions.

1. What is the purpose of collecting fish data?

A．To explore the ocean.

B．To assist fishing industry.

C．To learn the habits of fish,

D．To improve fishing skills

2. What is mainly discussed about the Saildrone in Paragraph 3?

A．Its advantages.

B．Its appearance.

C．Its power systems.

D．Its primary mission.

3. What does the underlined word “tradeoff”in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Debate.	B．Reason.
C．Reality.	D．Balance.

4. What can be inferred from the text?

A．The Saildrone has a promising future.

B．Hufnagle thinks little of the Saildrone.

C．Manned ships will be completely replaced.

D．Production of seagoing robots is restricted.

【推荐3】Throughout history, people have been interested in knowing how languages first began, but no one knows exactly where or how this happened. However, we do know a lot about languages, the languages of today and also the languages of earlier times. There are probably about 3,000 languages in the world today. Chinese is the language with the most speakers. English, Russian and Spanish are also spoken by many millions of people. On the other hand, some languages in the world have less than one hundred speakers.

There are several important families of languages in the world. For example, most of the languages of Europe are in one large family called Indo-European. The original (最初的) language of this family was spoken about 4,500 years ago. Many of the present day languages of Europe and India are modern forms of the language of 4,500 years ago.

Languages are always changing. The English of today is very different from the English of 500 years ago. In time some even died out completely. About 1,000 years ago, English was a little-known relative of German spoken on one of the borders of Europe.

If a language has a large number of speakers or if it is very old, there may be differences in the way it is spoken in different areas. That is, the language may have several dialects. Chinese is a good example of dialect differences. Chinese has been spoken for thousands of years by many millions of speakers. The differences between the dialects of Chinese are so great that speakers of Chinese from some parts of China can’t understand speakers from other parts.

1. The first paragraph mainly tells us that ____ .

A．most people in the world speak Chinese

B．there are thousands of languages in the world today

C．man has much knowledge about languages

D．some people know several languages

2. According to the passage, most European and Indian languages ____ .

A．will soon die out completely	B．were once a relative of English
C．are no longer spoken	D．come from the same family

3. According to the passage, ____ has the most speakers.

A．Chinese

B．English

C．Spanish

D．German

4. According to the passage, ____ seems to have changed a lot.

A．German

B．English

C．Spanish

D．Chinese

5. The underlined word dialect in the last paragraph probably means ____ .

A．a special language spoken by Chinese

B．the sign used by the Chinese people in a special area

C．the difference between the old and today’s Chinese

D．the form of a language used in one part of the country

【推荐1】Iceland, the land of fire and ice is filled with glaciers(冰川), towering volcanoes and geothermal(地热的)pools. Come here, and you’ll have a destination that provides not just splendid sights but also plenty of culture.

Game of Thrones

Go back along with your favourite Game of Thrones characters on this five-day tour from Regent Holidays(0203 733 4931;regent-holidays. co. uk), which takes in the wilderness where the third series of the TV show was shot(拍摄). Led by the same expert guide that took the cast and crew to some of Ice land’s key sights, this tour visits the scenery brought to life with tales of the“Seven Kingdoms”.

Departs any time, from ￡1, 495 B&.B including Icelandair flights.

In search of the Northern Lights

A three-day “Northern Lights in Iceland” itinerary(行程表)from the Ultimate Travel Company(0203 553 2540;theultimatetravelcompany. co. uk)takes in the country’s most attractions by day and goes in search of the Aurora Borealis by night. The tour includes the Golden Circle, the site of the world’s oldest parliament(国会), the Blue Lagoon, and the volcanoes, glaciers and waterfalls of Iceland’s southern coastline.

Departs anytime, from ￡1, 197 B&. B including flights and transfers.

Going solo（单独地）

If you’re travelling without others, Discover the World(0173 7900 689;discover-the-world. co. uk) offers an eight-day journey. The tour visits Borgarfjorour Eystri, which is hidden away in the east fjords and is home to sweeping beautiful scenery, coastlines and ancient tales of elves and the“hidden people" who tales suggest, once lived there.

Departs between May and September, from ￡1, 824 full board including flights.

1. What can we know about Iceland?

A．Both fire and ice exist there.	B．There are many towers and pools.
C．It’s the coldest country worldwide.	D．It’s only famous for its beautiful sights.

2. Which might attract those interested in the shooting place of famous series?

A．Going solo.	B．Game of Thrones.
C．Discover the World.	D．In search of the Northern Lights.

3. If Tim wants to travel alone, which phone number should he dial?

A．0203 553 2540.	B．1197 1495 1824.
C．0203 733 4931.	D．0173 7900 689.

【推荐2】The United States celebrates Valentine's Day each year on February 14. Many other countries celebrate Valentine's Day, too, each in their own way. Here is a look at the Valentine's Day traditions in three countries.

Wales：land of love spoons

In Wales, it is called St. Dwynwen's Day, which takes place on January 25. The traditional romantic gift on this day is a love spoon.

Beginning in the 17th century, Welsh men made beautiful wooden spoons as a show of their love for that special person in their lives. Each shape of the spoons has a different meaning. For example, horseshoes mean good luck； keys represent the key to a lover's heart； and wheels are a sign of support.

Argentina：a week of sweets

Argentina celebrates Valentine's Day in February, but also gives a whole other week to love in July. They call it Sweetness Week. If you kiss someone, they have to give you a sugary treat.

Sweetness Week started in 1989 with a candy company called Arcor. They made an advertisement called “Candy for a Kiss”. The idea was to give the company's chocolates and other candies in exchange for a sweet kiss on the cheek. The campaign had a stronger effect than the company expected—it led to a new holiday!

Every July, couples who take part give each other candies and kisses all week long.

South Korea: three is a charm

For South Koreans, Valentine's Day happens in three parts： February 14, March 14 and April 14.

On February 14, women traditionally give men gifts of chocolate to show their love. One month later, on a holiday known as White Day, men show their thanks by giving women a sweet gift. The name “White Day” comes from the custom of giving white-colored gifts.

Let's not forget Black Day on April 14. Single people who did not get gifts on February 14 or March 14 often gather on Black Day to eat noodles with black bean soup.

1. What does a key-shaped spoon mean?

A．Strong support.	B．Good luck.
C．Deep love.	D．Real thanks.

2. When is Sweetness Week celebrated?

A．In July .	B．In June.
C．In March.	D．In February .

3. What would be a good gift on White Day?

A．White   chocolates.	B．Silver spoons.
C．Black candies.	D．Black beans.

【推荐3】BIG BUS TOURS-HOP-ON HOP-OFF TOURS

Big Bus Welcome Center 7127th Ave. Between 47th & 48th St.

TELEPHONE

212-685-8687

FREE ENTRY WITH THE NEW YORK PASS **SAVE﹩59.00

Normal Entry Price: Adult﹩59.00

Normal Entry Price: Child﹩49.00

The open-top Big Bus sightseeing tour is the most enjoyable and convenient way to see New York! You’ll see famous landmarks such as the iconic Empire State Building to the new One World Trade Center. Throughout the tour, you can learn about the city’s history from our entertaining and informative live guides and recorded commentary. You can hop-on and hop-off at any of the Big Bus stops to explore and visit NYC’s tourist attractions such as the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The New York Pass grants you a free Classic Ticket valid (有效) for 1 day on the Uptown, Downtown & Midtown Loops. Tickets must be collected from one of the Big Bus Centers, and tickets cannot be issued on the bus. All tickets redeemed (补换) or purchased after 3 pm are extended into the next day.

TOUR HOURS：

Downtown Loop has daily departures from 8 am to 5 pm from November to March and 8 am to 6 pm from April to October.

Uptown Loop has daily departures from 9 am to 5 pm from November to March and 9 am to 6 pm from April to October.

Get the Big Bus Hop on Hop off Route Map — CLICK HERE

Click herefor more information about Big Bus Tours.

It really is that easy — See for yourself how this works.

Or check out all 90+ New York City Attractionswhere you get free entry with New York Pass.

1. Who helps tourists with the city’s history during the trip?

A．Bus drivers.

B．Policemen.

C．Volunteers.

D．Live guides.

2. We can learn from the passage that ______ .

A．tourists can get on and off the bus with ease

B．the open-top Big Bus sightseeing tour is the most expensive way to see New York

C．Big Bus Welcome Center is Between 37th & 38th St.

D．free Classic Ticket can be issued on the bus

3. What is the advantage of New York Pass?

A．Staying wherever the tourist likes.

B．Choosing different restaurants to eat.

C．Getting a free Classic Ticket.

D．Saving much time for buying stuff.

4. The passage is probably taken from ______ .

A．an application form	B．a history book
C．a newspaper	D．a website