【推荐2】Welcome to the world-famous house where William Shakespeare was born in l564 and where he grew up. The property (房产) remained in the ownership of Shakespeare’s family until 1806. The House has welcomed visitors traveling from all over the world for over 250 years.

◆Enter through the Visitors’ Centre and see the highly-praised exhibition Shakespeare’s World, a lively and full introduction to the life and work of Shakespeare.

◆Stand in the rooms where Shakespeare grew up.

◆Discover examples of furniture and needlework from Shakespeare’s period.

◆Enjoy the traditional English garden, planted with trees and flowers mentioned in the poet’s works.

OPENING TIMES

20 Mar to 19 Oct

Mon to Sat: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm        Sun: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

20 Oct to 19 Mar

Mon to Sat: 9:30 am to 4:00 pm        Sun: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

The Birthplace is within easy walking distance of all the car parks shown on the map; nearest is Windsor Street (3 minutes’ walk).

The House may present difficulties but the Visitors’ Centre, its exhibition, and the garden are accessible to wheelchair users.

The Shakespeare Coffee House (opposite the Birthplace).

ADMISSION: Adult: ￡4.90 Child: ￡2.20 Family: ￡12.00 (2 adults + up to 3 children)

1. When does the House start to receive visitors on Sunday in December?

A．8:30 am.

B．9:00 am.

C．10:00 am.

D．4:00 pm.

2. Where is the nearest parking place to Shakespeare’s Birthplace?

A．At Windsor Street.	B．Near the Coffee House.
C．Behind the exhibition hall.	D．Opposite the Visitors’ Centre.

3. How much is the admission for a family of two grown-ups and two children?

A．￡9.80.

B．￡12.00.

C．￡13.20.

D．￡16.90.

【推荐3】St Paul’s Cathedral

Ludgate Hill, EC4 Underground: St Paul’s; Bus: 6,8,11,15,22,25

Open: Daily 8:00—19:00 (17:00 from Oct. to Mar.) .

Entrance free

Designed by the great architect, Sir Christopher Wren, St Paul’s Cathedral was built following the Great Fire of London of 1666, which destroyed the gothic cathedral on the site at that time. It is crowned by a magnificent dome and its choir (唱诗班) is internationally famous. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married here in 1981.

Buckingham Palace

South end of the Mall (SW1) Underground: St. James’s Park, Victoria, Hyde Park Corner, Green Park; Bus: 2, 11, 14, 16, 19, 22, 24, 29, 30, 38, 52, 73, 74, 137

Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the monarch (君主) for much of the year. (When the monarch is in residence, a flag flies over the palace.) The Mall is a very impressive wide street, leading from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square.

Note: As the palace is the monarch’s official residence, it is not open to the public.

The Tower of London

Tower Hill, EC3 Underground: Tower Hill; Bus: 42, 78

Open: Mon—Sat.9

Parts of the Tower of London are over nine centuries old, as building began under William the Conqueror in 1078. Famous as a prison in the distant past, the Tower has also been a royal residence, a zoo and an observatory, among other things. It is now a museum and many thousands of people visit it every year in particular to see the Crown Jewels.

Westminster Abbey

Broad Sanctuary, SW1 Underground: Westminster, St James’s Park; Bus: 3, 11, 12, 24, 29, 39, 53, 59, 76, 77, 88, 109, 155, 168, 170, 172, 184, 503

Open: Daily 8:00—18:00 (Mar.—Dec, Tuesday till 20:00)

Entrance free

A Benedictine abbey which already existed on the site was rebuilt by Edward the Confessor and consecrated in 1065. On the way to its present form, the abbey was extended in the 13th—16^thcenturies, with the two west towers being added in the 18th. There are many famous tombs in the abbey, including that of the unknown Warrior and those of many poets and writers.

1. These texts are most probably taken from ______.

A．a history book about London	B．a guidebook for visitors to London
C．a book about London’s churches and cathedrals	D．a book describing London’s development

2. No.11 bus can take you to all three of these places:

A．St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London

B．St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace

C．St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace

D．Westminster Abbey the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace

3. You can see the inside of all the buildings except ______.

A．St Paul’s Cathedral	B．The Tower of London
C．Westminster Abbey	D．Buckingham Palace

4. If you travel by Underground, you can visit two places by getting off at one station. What are the two places?

A．Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey	B．Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral
C．Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London	D．The Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral

5. Among these four famous buildings, _____ is (are) free of charge.

A．The Tower of London	B．Buckingham Palace
C．Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral	D．The Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral

【推荐1】Volunteer Day

What better way is there to enjoy your own hobbies while helping others at the same time? Come to Volunteer Day and choose which activity you'd like to join in for the day. See below for a schedule of events on Volunteer Day.

Volunteer Day schedule:

7:30 a.m.: Meet at the Community Center for juice and bagels (百吉饼).

8:00 a. m. —8:30 a. m.: Choose which activity you'd like to help with for the day.

8:30 a. m.: Board the bus to your activity site.

9:00 a. m. —3:30 p.m.: Work as a volunteer.

3:30 p. m.: Board the bus that will take you back to the Community Center.

See below for a list of volunteer opportunities for Volunteer Day so you can begin thinking about which activity you might want to join in.

A list of volunteer activities:

Paint houses: Do you enjoy making art? If so, this volunteer opportunity might be just right for you! Happy Homes is a local organization that provides home repairs for needy people in the form of painting. For elderly or physically disabled people who cannot do repairs to their homes, Happy Homes provides volunteer painters with opportunities to repaint old homes, outside or in. Happy Homes also provides painters with opportunities to create beautiful wall paintings inside schools or community centers.

Plant flowers: Do you enjoy being outside in nature? City Parks Association has many great opportunities for people who love to be outdoors. Help plant flowers and bushes in city parks; help lay paths at Cave Springs Park, or help pick up rubbish around the river banks. These activities are very active, so remember to be prepared with plenty of drinking water!

Read to children: Do you enjoy working with young children? Do you like books? Love and Learning is an organization that provides volunteers with an opportunity to help children with learning disabilities. Read books out loud to groups of children four to six years old, or read one-on-one with struggling readers seven to eight years old.

Play with animals: Do you love animals? Lovely Friends is an organization that visits local animal shelters and provides volunteers to spend time with the animals while their cages are being cleaned. Play with puppies, snuggle (依偎) with cats, or hand-feed rabbits.

1. When will volunteers gather at the Community Center?

A．At 7:30 a. m.	B．At 8:00 a. m.
C．At 8:30 a. m.	D．At 9:00 a. m.

2. Which organization can be intended for elderly or physically disabled people?

A．Love and Learning.	B．Lovely Friends.
C．Happy Homes.	D．City Parks Association.

3. Why is the text written?

A．Mainly to educate children.	B．Mainly to comfort the elderly.
C．Mainly to encourage the disabled.	D．Mainly to attract volunteers.

【推荐2】Across the world, more and more people are volunteering online. What encourages them to help strangers without expectation of money or even thanks?

Radha Taralekar helped teach Imelda how to protect herself from HIV, though the two have never met, and neither knows the other’s name. Taralekar received no payment for the job. She is one of a number of talented people who regularly donate their time online. But what is driving them to help total strangers, while asking for nothing in return? For Taralekar, the project gave her the chance to us her professional experience. “I want to serve people with my medical knowledge,” she says.

For some, the inspiration to volunteer online was far more personal. After losing his wife to cancer, Tony Selman spent many hours online helping Cancer Research to collect data on the disease. “Seeing how painful she was when my wife was dying, I determined to help scientists find a cure for cancer,” he says.

Interests and hobbies are also one of the factors (因素). In 2011 Sam Luk, a designer, joined other online volunteers to try to help the police solve a murder case. The police posted them online, calling for volunteers to help them make sense of the messages. “I’m interested in patterns and I love Sherlock Holmes,” says Luk.

For writer Clay Shirky, some large online volunteering projects benefit millions of people, giving him a sense of achievement. He helps write Wikipedia, the world’s biggest encyclopedia (百科全书), which is written entirely by people willing to donate their professional knowledge without any reward.

1. What does Radha Taralekar do according to Paragraph 2?

A．She is a witer.	B．She is a teacher.
C．She is a medical worker.	D．She is a police officer.

2. Tony Selman spent a lot of time helping Cancer Research because of __________.

A．his wife’s suffering from the pains caused by cancer

B．his wish to become an experienced doctor to treat cancer

C．his dream of building a hospital where cancer patients can be treated

D．the close relationship between him and the workers of Cancer Research

3. What leads Sam Luk to help the police with a murder case?

A．A sense of responsibility.	B．His interest and hobby.
C．A sense of achievement.	D．His professional knowledge.

【推荐2】Pete Sparks was a sensitive boy. So sensitive that even his hair was ticklish (怕痒的). You only had to touch his hair a little bit and he would start laughing. When this ticklish laughter started, no one could make him stop.

Pete tried everything to control his ticklishness, but nothing worked. So he began to feel sad for being different.

One day in the street, he met a special clown. The clown was very old and could hardly walk, but when he saw Pete in tears, he went to cheer him up. It didn’t take long to make Pete laugh. Later Pete told him about his ticklish problem, and he asked the clown how such an old man could carry on being a clown. “I have no one to take my place, ”said the clown. “I have a very serious job to do. ”Pete looked at him, surprised. “Come, I’ll show you, ”said the clown. So the clown took Pete to many hospitals full of children who were sick. As soon as they saw the clown, their faces changed completely and lit up with a smile. The short time spent with the clown changed everything for them. That day was even more special, because in every show Pete’s laughter would end up with the kids lying on the floor, dying with laughter. When the visit came to an end, the old clown said to Pete, “Now do you see why I can’t retire, even at my age?”

That was how Pete became a clown, and took the special old man’s place. From that day on, the fact that Pete was different actually made him happy, thanks to his special gift .

1. Pete wanted to change because he wanted to_______.

A．make a difference	B．just be a normal boy
C．make everyone happy	D．just be a special clown

2. The clown took Pete to the hospitals in order to _________.

A．treat his ticklishness	B．encourage him to be a clown
C．show him the meaning of his job	D．know whether Pete had told a lie

3. Which of the following is TRUE about the old clown?

A．He was a sensitive man.	B．He liked his job as a clown.
C．He was unable to make Pete laugh.	D．He knew how to control his ticklishness.

4. What does the story teach us?

A．Practice makes perfect.	B．Everyone is born useful.
C．Well begun is half done.	D．Where there is life, there is hope.

【推荐3】Though I have twin sisters who are a year younger than I am, I still wanted one more guy in the house when I was 5 or 6. In 2002, my mom and dad went back to the adoption agency (收养机构) in Korea where they got my sisters and me. They came home with George.

He seemed fine at first. But six months later, when he was around l, my mom and dad told us George wouldn’t grow up like us. They said George has autism (自闭症) and that he’d have more challenges. One day my parents brought home some sign-language videos. They said we were all going to learn signing together. That was when I knew George might never talk.

Living with George can be a roller coaster ride. He wants to play all the time, which makes him lovable. But he can be aggressive (有攻击性的). If he doesn’t get what he wants, he throws a fit. When George acts like this at home, I take him to the couch or the floor and lie with him until he cools off. That’s my role. I often have to hold him down when he loses control of himself. I’m the only one in myhome who isstrong enough to handle George physically at this point, which is difficult.

I thought having a brother would mean I’d have someone on my side all the time. I thought that if I had a fight with my sisters, I’d have him at my back. It didn’t end up that way. But the people in your life are there for a reason. Having George in the family has made us all closer. He’s not only a connection point, but a responsibility that we all share. It has taught us to compromise (妥协).

1. What can we learn about the author’s family?

A．The family had their first child in 2002.

B．The brothers and sisters have no blood relationship.

C．There are five people in the family altogether.

D．The family communicate with each other in sign language.

2. The underlined part “throws a fit” in Paragraph 3 probably means“______.”

A．gets very angry	B．turns to others
C．does it himself	D．keeps silent

3. We can infer from the last paragraph that______.

A．George always supports the author	B．George has learned to compromise
C．the author loves George very much	D．the author often fights with his sisters