【推荐1】Dunhuang is the top tourist city in China. Its key points of interest and natural sights are shockingly beautiful and able to tug at one’s heart. The Pearl of the Silk Road, Dunhuang, opens her arms to welcome tourists from all over the world.

Mogao Caves

Located 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang, Mogao Caves is regarded as the best Buddhist spot in China, perhaps in the whole world. The artistic features of the treasured Buddhist murals (壁画) represent perfectly the artistic style of the Northern Wei (386-543) Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) dynasties.

Yumenguan Pass

Situated 90 kilometers northwest of the city, the Yumen Pass was an important gateway to the western region in ancient times. Yumen Pass, Hecang Town and Han Great Wall (Han Dynasty) are the major sights in this area. Since the Yumen Pass is a distance from Dunhuang, one can have a feel of the desolation (荒凉) of western China.

Crescent (新月) Lake

Five kilometers southwest of the city, the Crescent Lake lies in the arms of Echoing-Sand Mountain, appearing clear and beautiful. The lake is crescent-shaped, hence the name. It’s surrounded by quicksand. Although it’s quite windy sometimes, the lake has never been covered by the sand. It’s really a marvelous scene in the desert.

Echoing-Sand Mountain

Five kilometers south of the city, Echoing-Sand Mountain is the accumulation of years of sand in the size of rice. Each time the wind blows, there is a sound from the mountain and when there is a breeze, the sound is like musical instruments, hence the name. The most marvelous experience is when after climbing to the top, although quite tough, one can slide down to the foot of the mountain, a wonderfully amusing experience!

1. Which attraction is suitable for tourists interested in Buddhism culture?

A．Mogao Caves.	B．Yumenguan Pass.
C．Crescent Lake.	D．Echoing-Sand Mountain.

2. In what way did Crescent Lake get its name?

A．Shape.

B．Location.

C．Sound.

D．Size

3. Where can the text be found?

A．In a history book.	B．In a news report.
C．In a travel brochure.	D．In a science magazine.

【推荐2】Cities all over the world celebrate Christmas in unique and memorable ways. The following international destinations are just a few of the countless choices to consider.

Quebec city

Quebec city has long drawn admirers to its historic district the famed city wall, strange cobblestone lanes（鹅卵石小路）and handsome stone houses. This area transforms into a scenic Christmas village each December. The 403-year-old capital of Quebec province takes pride in the outdoors at Christmas time, when stone buildings shine with lights. Consider cross-country ski on the Plains of Abraham, or skate at the place D’ Youville square.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh, a magic city full of staircases and hills as well as Georgian and neo-Classical buildings, is famous for its mixture of the modern and the old. This is evident in winter, when Scotland’s capital puts on a six-week festival lasting until Jan. 6 that goes way beyond Christmas markets. You can ride roller coasters, climb a wall of ice and attend a vivid Christmas themed show by the cabaret troupe（剧团）La Clique.

Zurich

If buying gifts is on your travel schedule, Zurich is an impressive shopping center, particularly around the holidays, from multiple Christmas markets and the luxury（奢侈品）dress shops of Bahnhofstrasse Street, to the independent designers and antique shops in the merging industrial zones. Another annual lighting spectacle（壮观场面）, Lichterschwimmen, on Dec. 21, includes hundreds of tiny lanterns that are sent floating down the River Limmat.

Sydney

A lack of snow does not dampen the Christmas spirit in Sydney. One great and free way to feel the holiday is to take this Dec. 21 walking tour of George Street, which promises “the most sharable window displays and coloured lights.” One advantage over other destinations: warm, sandy beaches that lie just minutes from downtown, where the natural beauty of Australia’s most popular city will be waiting.

1. What can you do in Quebec city during Christmas?

A．Ride roller coasters.

B．Take part in a walking tour.

C．Enjoy cross-country ski.

D．Watch a Christmas-themed show.

2. Where should you go if you want to enjoy a Christmas without snow?

A．Quebec city.	B．Edinburgh.
C．Zurich.	D．Sydney.

3. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A guidebook.	B．A diary.
C．A novel.	D．A research paper.

【推荐1】The staff of the Kennedy School Newsletter has been working hard on another survey. This time we asked students what kinds of toppings they liked on their pizza. We did our survey during lunchtime, so students wouldn’t get too hungry answering our question. And this time we were able to ask more than 450 students to take our survey. That’s almost all the students at our school!

For our survey, we let students pick their three favorite toppings. Some students only choose one or two toppings. That was OK, too.

Here's what we discovered from our survey. The two most popular things to put on pizza are pepperoni(意大利辣肠) and extra cheese. That isn't so surprising. When we order pizza here in the Newsletter office, those are the kinds of pizza we always get!

An unexpected result of this survey is that lots of people like fruit on their pizza. 288 students said they liked to put pineapple on their pizza. If you haven't tried pineapple on your pizza, you should. Lots of people think it's delicious!

We hope you enjoyed taking this survey. We enjoyed your answers. And next time you invite your friends over for pizza, be sure to order an extra large pizza with pepperoni and extra cheese.

That’s the one people like the most.

Pepperoni 306	Sausage 166
Extra cheese 306	Mushrooms 90
Pineapple 288	Bacon 82
Olives 177	Onions 57
Green peppers 138	Others 86
Extra sauce 130

1. Who made this survey?

A．The staff of a city’s newspaper.

B．The staff of a meat company.

C．The staff of a pizza restaurant.

D．The staff of a school newsletter.

2. Which question did they ask in the survey?

A．How often do you eat pizza?

B．How many pieces of pizza can you eat?

C．What do you like on your pizza?

D．Which restaurant makes the best pizza?

3. Which is true about the people who made the survey?

A．All of them like pepperoni very much.	B．They did a different survey before.
C．Only two people worked on the survey.	D．This was the first survey they made.

4. What does “unexpected” in the fourth paragraph mean?

A．Surprising.

B．Sad.

C．Funny.

D．Terrible.

【推荐2】India’s Best Wildlife Protected Areas

Parambikulam Wildlife Reserve

An important tiger reserve located in Palakkad district of Kerala, the Parambikulam Wildlife Reserve is a memorable place for anyone who visits here. This is a place of rich diversity of animals and birds. The best time to visit it is between August and January.

Gir National Park & Wildlife Reserve

Noted as the only place you can find the Asian lions, Gir Reserve is the place if you want to get the best out of your vacation. It is situated in Junagadh and Amreli district, Gujarat. You can also find many more rare species. If you are going there especially for the lions, make sure you go between March and May.

Kumarakom Bird Reserve

Known for migratory(迁徙的)birds, this reserve is situated on the banks of Vembanad Lake in Kottayam district, Kerala. Among the migrators, the Siberian crane identifiable by its red mask and white cap offers good views to the watchers. The best time to visit local species is from June to August and if you are planning to click travelling birds then the recommended period is from November to February.

Mudumalai National Park & Wildlife Reserve

Mudumalai is a great tourist attraction in Nilgiri district, Tamil Nadu. It is home to some of the rarest species on the Earth like Bengal tiger and Indian elephant. This park along with its neighbors around has a maximum tiger population in the country. And it hosts around 8 percent bird species occurring in India. The periods from February to May and September to October are recommended for visit.

1. What is Gir National Park & Wildlife Reserve famous for?

A．Asian lions.

B．Bengal tigers.

C．Siberian cranes.

D．Indian elephants.

2. What is the best time to watch migratory birds?

A．From June to August.	B．From February to May.
C．From August to January.	D．From November to February.

3. What can we infer about Mudumalai National Park?

A．It is the most important elephant reserve.

B．It is surrounded by other protected areas.

C．It has the largest number of tigers in India.

D．Its neighbor places are good for bird watching.

【推荐3】English Village is near the city of Paju in South Korea. It has a concert hall theater, and even a city hall. There are restaurants and coffee shops too, and the waiters in them are all English-speaking foreign teachers.

Students of about 13 or 14 years old are sent here to study English for two to four weeks. From nine to nine each day, they put their hearts into games, activities and tasks, which are specially designed to get them to communicate with English speakers. One of the most popular activities is making their own videos by using digital cameras and computers. The students are then asked to talk about their films in English.

There are lots of places for the kids to practice English speaking. For example, they can take money out of a pretend bank, and then use it to tip their waiter at the restaurant.

English village was built by Jeffrey John, an American businessman. He has worked in South Korea for a long time. He wants to make English learning be a happy and enjoyable task. “Everyone in Korea seems afraid of meeting and talking with foreigners,” said John, “but as you can see, the young girls who spent only three days in English Village are a lot more confident. They are no longer afraid of meeting foreigners and answering questions in English.”

1. What is one of the children’s favorite activities in English Village?

A．Going to the theatre.	B．Chatting in the restaurants.
C．Working in the pretend bank.	D．Making films by themselves.

2. Why did John build English Village?

A．He wanted to make a lot of money.

B．He wanted to make English leaning fun.

C．He wanted to make a lot of friends.

D．He wanted to be a good English teacher.

3. It can be inferred that John ______.

A．is doing business in America

B．is good at making his own films

C．is now staying in South Korea

D．is learning languages in South Korea

4. According to John, English learning in English Village is______

A．successful

B．boring

C．difficult

D．passive

【推荐1】My brother belongs to a strange group known as birders. Together with his three friends who are likewise into the hobby of birding, they march on landfills, and hike through the wooded lands, each of them armed with a pair of binoculars (双筒望远镜), a digital camera, biscuits, and water. One of them carries a telescope which comes in handy in case they want to take a look at a bird up close.

Understandably, their clothing is light; their shoes are designed for comfort, and they never fail to bring with them hats. Moving at a slow pace, they go in search of birds. And, yes, they carry a field guide --- a manual for identifying birds.

It is interesting to note how my brother and his co-birders go through their hobby: first, they look for a bird (either with the naked eyes or with the help of their binoculars); when they find one, they identify it; they then write it down. In case they are unable to determine the bird’s identity, they search for it in the field guide. If the bird is not in the handbook, they take down notes, make a rough drawing representing the chief features of the bird, or even take a picture of it to be used as a future reference.

A device, called the National Geographic’s Handheld Birds Personal Digital Assistant, is available for those who plan to take up birding in North America. This handy device is a digital field guide containing more than one thousand five hundred visual representations of birds. It has a searchable database of over eight hundred North American bird species.

For those seriously considering birding as a hobby but having second thoughts for fear of catching the terrible bird flu, it is important to know that you can take up the hobby and be safe from the fatal disease if you strictly observe the slogan of birders worldwide: just watch, don’t catch.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about birders?

A．Their clothing is light and they never bring hats with them.

B．They carry a telescope to have a close look at the birds.

C．After they find a bird, they usually put it into the cage.

D．They go to search for birds moving at a rapid pace.

2. Why do birders take a field guide?

A．To take down notes.

B．To take pictures of birds.

C．To find the correct route.

D．To refer to information of birds.

3. The device mentioned in Para. 4 can help birders_________.

A．look for birds

B．look at birds closely

C．make a drawing of birds

D．recognize different birds

4. What should birders do if they want to be free from bird flu?

A．Avoid catching birds.

B．Keep away from birds.

C．Give up keeping birds.

D．Wear protective clothing.

【推荐2】

Volunteers, as an essential part of a successful world exposition, are a major channel for the public to participate in, serve and share the world exposition and a means to showcase the image of the host country and city. The following information is about the volunteer for the World Exposition 2010 Shanghai China.

I. Basic Requirements for Volunteers

● Be willing to participate in voluntary services of Expo 2010;

● Age limit: Expo Site volunteers must be born before April 30, 1992 and Expo City Voluntary Service Station volunteers before April 30, 1994;

● Obey the laws and regulations of the PRC;

● Be able to participate in training and relevant activities before the opening of Expo 2010;

● Possess necessary knowledge and skills needed by the position;

● Be in good health to meet the requirements of corresponding voluntary positions.

II. Further Information for Volunteers

● Source

Residents of Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese, and foreigners can all apply to be the volunteers.

● Signup methods

Applicants may log in onto the official websites for online signup. They may also consult or connect with the Expo Volunteer Stations.

● Time

May 1–December 31, 2009

III. Volunteer Training

Volunteer training includes general training, special training and position training. General training is carried out through internet, while special training and position training are provided through classroom lectures and field practice.

IV. Volunteer Types

● Expo Site volunteers refer to those offering voluntary services to visitors and the Organizer in the Expo Site, mainly including information, visitor flow management, reception, translation and interpretation, assistance for the disabled, and assistance in media service, event and conference organization and volunteer management.

● Information booth volunteers are stationed in the Expo's information booths at key transportation centers, commercial outlets, tourist attractions, restaurants, hotels and cultural event places outside the Expo Site. They offer services including information, translation, interpretation and even first aid.

1. If you were born in April 1993, where can you be a volunteer?

A．In the Expo City.	B．In the host country.
C．In the Expo Site.	D．In Chinese mainland.

2. Which of the training will be done on the Internet?

A．Position training.	B．General training.
C．Classroom training．	D．Special training.

3. Which of the following service is offered by information booth volunteers?

A．Visitor flow management.	B．Helping the disabled.
C．Assistance in media service.	D．Emergency First aid.

4. Which of the following is not suitable for being a volunteer of Expo 2010?

A．Being own good health to meet the requirements of corresponding voluntary positions.

B．Following the laws and regulations of the PRC.

C．Being able to join in training and relevant activities after the opening of Expo 2010.

D．Owning necessary knowledge and skills needed by the position.

【推荐3】Will it matter if you don't take your breakfast? Recently a test was given in the United States. Those tested included people of different ages, from 12 to 83. During the experiment, these people were given all kinds of breakfasts, and sometimes they got no breakfast at all. Special tests were set up to see how well their bodies worked when they had eaten a certain kind of breakfast. The results show that if a person eats a proper breakfast, he or she will work with better effect than if he or she has no breakfast. This fact appears to be especially true if a person works with his brains. If a student eats fruit, eggs, bread and milk before going to school, he will learn more quickly and listen with more attention to class.

Opposite to what many people believe, if you don't eat breakfast, you will not lose weight. This is because people become so hungry at noon that they eat too much for lunch, and end up gaining weight instead of losing. You will probably lose more weight if you reduce your other meals.

1. The results of the test show that ________.

A．breakfast has great effect on work and studies

B．breakfast has little to do with a person s work

C．a person will work better if he has a simple breakfast

D．those working with brains should have much for breakfast

2. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

A．Poor breakfasts affect those who work with brains.

B．Morning diet may cause one to get fatter.

C．Reducing lunch and supper is of less value in weight losing.

D．Eating less in lunch and supper may help to lose weight.

3. According to the passage, if a student does not eat breakfast, ___________.

A．he will fall ill

B．he will fail to listen to his teacher

C．he will not make progress in his study

D．his mind will work more slowly