【推荐1】The Grand Palace

If there is one must-see sight without which no visit to Bangkok would be complete, it s the spectacular Grand Palace, undoubtedly the city’s most famous landmark. Built in 1782 and for 150 years the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government, the Grand Palace of Bangkok continues to have visitors in awe of its beautiful architecture and complicated details, which is a proud salute (致敬) to the creativity and craftsmanship of Thai people. Within its walls were also the Thai war ministry, the state departments, and even the mint (铸币厂). Today, the complex remains the spiritual heart of the Thai Kingdom.

Important Notes about the Grand Palace

A strict dress code applies. The Grand Palace with the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is Thailand’s most sacred site. Visitors must be properly dressed before being allowed entry to the temple. Men must wear long pants and shirts with sleeves (no lank lops). If you’re wearing sandals or flip-flops you must wear socks, in other words, no bare feet. Women must be similarly modestly dressed. No see-through clothes, bare shoulders, etc. If you show up at the front gate improperly dressed, there is a booth near the entrance that can provide clothes to cover you up properly (a deposit is required).

Opening Hours: Daily 8:30-15:30
Location: Na Phra Lan Road, Old City (Rattanakosin)
Price Range: Tickets sold from 8:30-15:30 and cost 500 baht! One ticket includes entry to Vimanmek Palace and Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall.
1. What makes the Grand Palace an important landmark?

A．Its convenient location.

B．Its cheap price of the tickets.

C．Its excellent guides and service.

D．Its splendid history and architecture.

2. Who can be allowed to enter the Grand Palace?

A．Edward wearing shorts and sandals.

B．Cathy wearing a T-shirt and a short skirt.

C．Tom wearing a sweater, jeans and sports shoes.

D．Anne wearing a long dress with bare shoulders.

3. What can we learn from the text?

A．Visitors can enter the Grand Palace every day.

B．The Grand Palace has nothing to do with the Thai King.

C．Clothes for improperly dressed people are sold at the gate.

D．You can’t visit Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall with your ticket.

【推荐2】Watch the films and you may feel the urge to set your foot to other parts of the world.

The Lord of the Rings

The story is about Frodo, his friends and their adventurous journey through Middle Earth. Filmed in about150 locations all over New Zealand, this traveling movie shows its beauty. From the rolling hills of Matamata to the volcanic region of Mt Ruapehu. The director of the movie Peter Jackson first read the novel on a train going from Wellington to Auckland when he was just seventeen.

Indiana Jones. The Complete Adventure Collection

Indiana Jones and travel are inseparable. The Egypt scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark were filmed in Tunisia. Temple of Doom was filmed mostly in Sri Lanka and Macau. The Last Crusade was filmed in Italy, Spain and Jordan. Unlike the other, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was filmed almost entirely in the United States.

Romancing the Stone and jewel of the Nile

This movie series focuses on a romance writer Joan and her adventures with a soldier of fortune named Jack. In Romancing the stone Joan goes to Colombia to save her sister who was kidnapped(绑架). Romancing the stone’s scenes were shot mostly in Mexico. For Jewel of the Nile, the scenes were mostly shot in France and Morocco.

The Talented Mr. Ripley

Tom Ripley is a working class young man. He is asked to go to Italy to convince a wealthy business man’s son to come home, but is lost in the luxurious(奢侈) life and kills the wealthy son because his dignity is hurt by him deeply. He leads a happy life under the wealthy son’s name and travels around the world until one day he is awoken by his conscience. This travel movie starts in New York and heads to the fictional resort of Mongibello.

1. What do we know about The Lord of the Rings according to paragraph 2?

A．The movie is the best one made in New Zealand.

B．The movie was shot from Wellington to Auckland.

C．The novel caught the director’s attention while he was traveling.

D．The novel encouraged a 17-year-old boy to travel in New Zealand.

2. If you are interested in Sri Lanka, which film would you probably watch?

A．The last Crusade.	B．Temple of Doom.
C．Raiders of the lost Ark.	D．Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

3. What can be inferred from The Talented Mr. Ripley?

A．Tom Ripley saves his own soul while traveling.

B．Tom Ripley lives a luxurious life by working hard.

C．Tom Ripley just goes sightseeing in Rome and Naples.

D．Tom Ripley owns a large amount of fortune on his own.

【推荐3】China is a country of many resources. Among its resources are many great rivers, which provide useful transport routes. Water transport is an efficient way to carry heavy loads, such as grain. In ancient times, a waterway was needed between China’s rich farmlands and the capital city. This need inspired engineers to build a canal. According to writings by the ancient thinker Confucius, work on a canal linking the Yangze River with the city of Huai-in began about 486 B.C. For many centuries afterward, Chinese emperors worked on extending this ancient canal.

This canal is now known as China’s Grand Canal. One thousand years after the original canal was begun, it was in extreme need of repair. This was in the year 607, during the Sui Dynasty. By 610 the emperor had had the canal extended. The Grand Canal formed a northeast-southwest link between the Yellow River in the north and the Huai River in the south. The canal remained the main waterway in this part of China for the next five hundred years.

In the thirteenth century, the Mongols had conquered China. The Yuan Dynasty established Beijing as the capital. The city’s growing population needed food, so a new canal was built to extend shipping. Building this part of the Grand Canal required enormous effort and cost. Neither the first attempt nor the second one was successful, so the builders chose another route. Finally this link in the Grand Canal was finished.

By the time of the Ming Dynasty, the Grand Canal had six sections. These were busy with goods until the nineteenth century. Then a series of severe floods struck China. Parts of the Grand Canal were badly damaged. By 1868 it had been largely abandoned as a means of northern route.

The Grand Canal was mostly restored in the twentieth century. It was widened and deepened, and a new section was constructed. Today the canal, which is about 1,200 miles in length, has new locks(运河的水闸). It is busy with ships and barges(驳船) carrying goods to and from cities along its banks.

1. The Grand Canal was first built in ancient times to provide_______   

A．water for agriculture.

B．a convenient way for the emperor’s recreation.

C．efficient transportation for the emperor’s army.

D．water transport between farmlands and the capital.

2. The first large-scale(大规模的) repair of the original canal occurred in about_____ .

A．486.B.C.	B．the Yuan Dynasty
C．607.A.D.	D．the Ming Dynasty

3. Considering its history, one can predict that in the future the Grand Canal will probably_______   

A．be extended to further north China.

B．need to be repaired and rebuilt.

C．change from a shipping route to a recreation area.

D．be abandoned in favor of air transport and highways.

【推荐2】Director of Overseas Finance
Financial Services
Edinburgh
Permanent
Updated October 30, 2014
Reporting into the Administration and Finance Partner, this is a new role with responsibility for oversight and leadership in international financial matters, overseas tax issues and overseas operational management.
______________
•Overseeing(监督) development and implementation(实施) of overseas tax strategy and managing relationships with relevant authorities and advisors.
•Managing international financial planning, forecasting and reporting requirements.
•Analysis and communication of impacts and responses to tax and other regulatory
(管理的) documents.
•Establishment and maintenance of appropriate systems, controls and records.
•Managing and leading senior accountants and managers.
__________
The successful candidate will be a qualified accountant with a strong academic record and will have:
•Experience of managing the finances of an international commercial organization.
•A track record of delivering improved efficiency and effectiveness in financial operations.
•Experience of leading and developing teams with proven change management experience.
_________
Baillie Gifford is one of the UK’s leading investment management firms and is a major player in the asset（资产）management business. As a market leader they have built their success around the stability of their partnership structure which provides guarantee for customers and motivation for employees. As by 31 December 2013 they managed more than ￡72 billion （US 113 billion）in active equity and bond portfolios(股票和债券组合) for customers in the UK and throughout the world.
_______
Attractive Salary + Benefits Package
1. Where is the director of overseas finance supposed to work?

A．In France	B．In the US
C．In London	D．In Edinburgh

2. The primary responsibility of this position is to manage ______.

A．international financial matters and national ones appropriately.

B．relationships between the relevant matters and tax strategy.

C．overseas tax strategy and relationships with authorities and advisors.

D．establishment and communication of systems, responses and other requirements.

3. Which of the following people is qualified for the position?

A．The one who has ever managed financial planning and reporting requirements.

B．The one who can analyze tax and other regulatory documents.

C．The one who is good at leading and developing teams without experience.

D．The one who is a good accountant with rich management experience.

4. What is the purpose of this passage?

A．To tell people how to invest their money.

B．To introduce a director of overseas finance.

C．To advertise for a director of overseas finance.

D．To introduce a UK’s leading investment management firm.

【推荐3】The Basics of Math—Made Clear

Basic Math introduces students to the basic concepts of mathematics, as well as the fundamentals of more tricky areas. These 30 fantastic lectures are designed to provide students with an understanding of arithmetic and to prepare them for Algebra (代数) and beyond.

The lessons in Basic Math cover every basic aspect of arithmetic. They also look into exponents (指数), the order of operations, and square roots. In addition to learning how to perform various mathematical operations, students discover why these operations work, how a particular mathematical topic relates to other branches of mathematics, and how these operations can be used practically.

Basic Math starts from the relatively easier concepts and gradually moves on to the more troublesome ones, so as to allow for steady and sure understanding of the material by students. The lectures offer students the chance to “make sense” of mathematical knowledge that may have seemed so frightening. They also help students prepare for college mathematics and overcome their anxiety about this amazing—and completely understandable—field of study.

By the conclusion of the course, students will have improved their understanding of basic math. They will be able to clear away the mystery (神秘性) of mathematics and face their studies with more confidence than they ever imagined. In addition, they will strengthen their ability to accept new and exciting mathematical challenges.

Professor H. Siegel, honored by Kentucky Educational Television as “the best math teacher in America,” is a devoted teacher and has a gift for explaining mathematical concepts in ways that make them seem clear and obvious. From the basic concrete ideas to the more abstract problems; he is master in making math lectures learner-friendlier and less scary.

With a PhD in Mathematics Education from Georgia State University, Dr. Siegel teaches mathematics at Central Arizona College. His courses include various make-up classes and a number of lectures for future primary school teachers.

If the course fails to provide complete satisfaction to you, you can easily exchange it for any other course that we offer. Or you can get your money back.

1. What does the course Basic Math mainly cover?

A．Algebra.	B．College Mathematics.
C．Arithmetic.	D．Mathematics Education.

2. What benefits can students expect from Basic Math?

A．Stronger imaginative ability.	B．Additional presentation skills.
C．More mathematical confidence.	D．Greater chances of becoming teachers.

3. The underlined word in the paragraph 3 may mean______.

A．relevantly

B．comparatively

C．gradually

D．steadily

4. What can we learn about Professor H.Siegel?

A．He is a guest lecturer at Kentucky Educational Television.

B．He is to deliver 30 lectures in Basic Math.

C．He works in Georgia State University.

D．He specializes in training teachers.

5. Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?

A．A news report.	B．A book review.
C．A lesson plan.	D．An advertisement.