My husband and I recently went on a package holiday. Eyebrows (眉毛) were raised. I am a travel writer, you see, and so people expect me to be doing things such as backpacking between hand-selected fincas (庄园) in Spain or carefully planning an independent Italian food tour.
I don’t want to check every airline for the cheapest flights or research local taxi fares to avoid being cheated at the airport. My time, like yours, is valuable. Honestly, I just want somebody else to do the boring things for me. This is where the good old package holiday comes in. Reliable and extremely easy to book, a package holiday takes care of all the details for you. My goodness, I want that — and I am not alone.
Even better, a package holiday comes with support. Sunvil, for example, has 60 enthusiastic travel experts in its London office, as well as numerous representatives around the world. All are ready to offer proper, in-the-know (消息灵通的) advice on everything from the best restaurants to the must-visit spots. There are short trips that Sunvil’s own travel experts have enjoyed, and when it comes to finding a place to stay, the majority of Sunvil accommodation is locally owned and has been checked out thoroughly.
This sort of expert knowledge is invaluable. On my package holiday earlier this year, I was determined to try the local restaurant, and my representative told me how to hire a car for a day’s exploration and which sights were worth making time for. I may have been on a package holiday, but my experience was entirely personal.
And so, when I returned from my holiday, I told my friends that I had become a fan of package holidays. I love the peace of mind that comes with knowing there is a support system in place. I love the expert knowledge that can lead me to the freshest fish and sunniest beach. And above all, I don’t have to do any of the boring things. This is truly the way to travel.
1. What can we infer about travelling from the second paragraph?| A．Most tourists choose the cheapest flights. |
| B．We should learn to avoid getting cheated. |
| C．Package holidays area brand-new concept. |
| D．The author prefers to have others arrange her tour. |
| A．It has checked all the offered hotels. |
| B．Its staff give suitable suggestions. |
| C．It tends to recommend short trips. |
| D．It has 60 travel agencies in London. |
| A．Taking care of all her details. | B．Hiring a bike for exploration. |
| C．Tasting the freshest fish. | D．Leading people to the beach. |
| A．How to choose a travel route. | B．What a package holiday lacks. |
| C．Why I go for a package holiday. | D．When to take a package holiday. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Are you planning your to-do list for the coming year? To help you out, we've collected our favorite must-see events across Canada. Ready, steady, go!
The Jazz Festival
Montreal's downtown comes alive every summer during the International Jazz Festival.
The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal jazz festival holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz festival. This year the event is scheduled to run from June 29 to July 9. Stages replace cars along busy streets. With a host of free outdoor shows, you'll be snapping your fingers to anything from Dixieland to blues, African beats to modern trip-hop, and everything in between.
Are You Ready?
Just head east to the Targa Newfoundland Rally, which runs from September 9 to 16 this year. The 2, 200-kilometer race dashes across the eastern and central parts of the province, and is the largest race of its kind in North America. On these sections you race against the clock rather than other competitors. This is a great chance to test your car's limits and your skills.
Hello Spring!
In 1945, thousands of tulip bulbs from Holland were planted on Ottawa's Parliament Hill, Canada. These gifts were a thank-you to Canadian soldiers who helped set Holland free in World War Ⅱ. Since then, the capital has become home to the Canadian Tulip Festival. From May 4 to 22, Ottawa and Gatineau ( a city of southwest Quebec) will be covered with beautiful flowers. Besides three million tulips, visitors can also attend concerts, featuring some of Canada's brightest musical stars.
1. What can people do at the Targa Newfoundland Rally?| A．Listen to Dixieland and blues. | B．Have a taste of Canadian wines. |
| C．Have a test of their driving skills. | D．Enjoy themselves at a flower show. |
| A．the cruelty of World War II | B．the wisdom of Canadian soldiers |
| C．the origin of the Canadian Tulip Festival | D．the popularity of the Canadian Tulip Festival |
| A．the geography of Canada | B．popular events in Canada |
| C．historical events in Canada | D．traditional culture of Canada |
| Please Touch Museum It can make your children’s life rich and colorful by offering play and hands-on（亲身实践）programs… Address ² 4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia Hours & Admission  ² Tuesday—Sunday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.² CLOSED: Mondays ² Under the age of 2: FREE ² Children and adults: $15 each For more information, visit www.pleasetouchmuseum.org | Madison Children’s Museum In this green museum, kids can get hands-on learning about nature… Address ² 100 N. Hamilton Street, Madison, WI 53703 Hours & Admission  ² Tuesday—Sunday: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.² CLOSED: Mondays ² Under the age of 1: FREE ² Children and adults: $12 each For more information, visit www.madisonchmuseum.org |
| National Museum of Play It is an exciting, hands-on place to play, learn, dream, wonder, and… Address ² Manhattan Square, Rochester, New York Hours & Admission ² Monday—Thursday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ² Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. ² Sunday: Noon to 5 p.m. ² Under the age of 2: FREE ² Children and adults: $15 each  For more information, visit www.childrensmuseums.org | Children’s Museum of Phoenix It is a fantastic place of imagination, creativity and fun with over 300 hands-on activities and many kinds of classes and programs… Address ² 215 N. 7th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034 Hours & Admission ² Tuesday—Sunday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  ² CLOSED: Mondays² Under the age of 1: FREE ² Children and adults: $18 each For more information, visit www.childmusephx.org |
1. Which museum opens on Monday afternoon?
| A．Please Touch Museum. |
| B．Madison Children’s Museum. |
| C．National Museum of Play. |
| D．Children’s Museum of Phoenix. |
| A．$12 | B．$15 | C．$18 | D．$30 |
| A．www.childrensmuseums.org |
| B．www.childmusephx.org |
| C．www.pleasetouchmuseum.org |
| D．www.madisonchmuseum.org |
| A．They all offer children hands-on activities. |
| B．They are all open on weekdays. |
| C．They are all closed after 5 in the afternoon. |
| D．They are all in the city of Phoenix. |
| A．A science textbook. | B．A news report. |
| C．A museum guide. | D．A tourist map. |
【推荐3】Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs.
AVOID BIG EVENTS Big sporting events, concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival (19 Oct.) cost £169.15 at Booking.com. A week later, the same room cost £l18.15.
If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid-or you’re looking for a big event to pass your time—check out sites such as Whatsonwhen.com, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category.
STAY AWAY FROM THE STATION If traveling to your destination by train, you may want to find a good base close to the station, but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday.
Don’t be too choosy about the part of town you stay in. Booking two months in advance, the cheapest room at Travelodge’s Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was £95.95. A room just a tube journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was £75.75. And at Farringdon, a double room cost just £62.95.
GET ON A BIKE London’s ‘Boris bikes’ have attracted the most attention but other cities also have similar programmes that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you on public transport or car parking costs.
Among the smaller cities with their own programmes are Newcastle (casual members pay around £1.50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes, or £5 per day).
1. The Brighton Comedy Festival is mentioned mainly to show big events may .| A．help travelers pass time |
| B．attract lots of travelers to the UK |
| C．allow travelers to make flexible plans |
| D．cause travelers to pay more for accommodation |
| A．the tube line to Covent Garden |
| B．an ideal holiday destination |
| C．a hotel away from the train station |
| D．the name of a travel agency |
| A．to offer visitors some money-saving tips |
| B．to tell visitors how to book in advance |
| C．to supply visitors with hotel information |
| D．to show visitors the importance of self-help |
【推荐1】I was a teacher before I had my first daughter. As much as I enjoyed being an educator, I decided to stay at home with our baby — at least for the first few years. I enjoyed every day we spent together for a year and a half until I found myself pregnant (怀孕) with identical twin girls.
After the girls were born, it was the busiest time of my life. Between bottle feeding two, changing three little ones in diapers (尿布), and getting them to sleep, I was a hot mess. I was so exhausted that showering and washing my hair took too much energy, so I often skipped them. One afternoon when I sat on the couch with my three screaming children, an idea struck me: I had to write this down. All of it. Every experience, feeling, and challenge from the past year and a half. I didn’t know how I would find the time to write but I knew I would.
And I did. I wrote during nap times, in the evenings, and on weekends when my husband was home and could watch our crew. It started as scattered journal entries and incomplete sentences written down in a notebook or on my laptop. Slowly over months the words formed complete thoughts, then complete paragraphs. Soon, I had made another decision. I wanted to write a memoir (回忆录) in hopes that: it would inspire other women in similar situations. When my book was finally published and drew some attention, I realized how much I loved writing essays that took the reader on a transformative journey, much like my own.
The old proverb says “write what you know.” In just a few short years I have had so much life experience that I have a lot to write about. My daughters are my muse. The experience of having all three of them has given me the confidence to pursue my dream of writing.
I feel I am still teaching, but now instead of through a chalkboard, my words flow through the pages of my books, essays and features. And the only certification I need now, is the one I have — as a mother.
1. How does the author describe her life as a mother of three children?| A．Busy and tiring. | B．Messy and annoying. |
| C．Pleasant and interesting. | D．Amazing and meaningful. |
| A．To achieve her writing dream. | B．To make a note of her past. |
| C．To earn money for her family. | D．To help more mothers like her. |
| A．Target. | B．Inspiration. |
| C．Audience. | D．Favorite. |
| A．How she brought up her children. |
| B．How she became a successful teacher. |
| C．How her daughters gave her a new career. |
| D．How her daughters made her a great mother. |
【推荐2】In an hours-long struggle, as many as 70 killer whales hunted down and killed a blue whale off the southwestern coast of Australia.
At first, it seemed like a normal day of whale watching, said Kristy Brown, a marine biologist. People on the boat happened to spot two groups of killer whales in Bremer Bay Canyon, about 28 miles off the coast. They were "playing and surfing the waves," Brown wrote in a blog post. But soon, people on the boat noticed that the killers were creating nonuniform waves. This was strange. Then there arose a long, high blow that stayed in the air. It was a blue whale.
Even though the blue whale was nearly twice the length of the largest killer whale, which can grow to lengths of about 31 feet, it couldn't shake off its pursuers. “It was completely surrounded by killer whales as it swam," Brown wrote in the blog. Moreover, the killers didn't appear to rush the hunt, but instead were strategic, thoughtful, collaborative, patient and persistent.
Multiple killers were on the animal, pushing roughly against it and swimming fast, beside and under it, while others just follow and rest along and beside the hunt, nearly 200m back. It seemed that “tiring out the blue was their goal," she noted.
Unlike the blue whale, killers have teeth, a weapon they used to chomp（咬）down on this blue whale's jaw. “As the blue whale spun and turned, the killers held on—they wanted its tongue,” Brown said. After hours of this fierce hunt, the blue whale succumbed to its attackers and the killers divided up the blue whale and shared with all involved in the depths below.
1. What made Brown realize the killer whales were unusual?| A．The waves they made. | B．The fountain they made. |
| C．The direction they headed in. | D．The number of killer whales. |
| A．Blue whales are too large to be killed. |
| B．Killer whales are experienced hunters. |
| C．Killer whales swim slower than blue whales. |
| D．A blue whale is twice the weight of a killer whale. |
| A．The steps of the hunting. |
| B．The cruelty of the hunting. |
| C．The scene of the hunting. |
| D．The preparation of the hunting. |
| A．Got rid of. | B．Gave in to. |
| C．Made up for. | D．Made room for. |
【推荐3】In 1867, Caroline Shawk Brooks and her husband, Samuel, had a farm in Arkansas. Life on the farm was not easy. From sunrise to sunset, Caroline and Samuel milked cows, gardened, and picked cotton. This left Caroline no time for her dream of becoming an artist.
Time was not the only problem. Money was a worry too. The cotton crops were failing. What could Caroline and Samuel do?
Caroline decided to make butter (黄油) from their cows’milk and sell it at market. But other farms also made and sold butter. How would Caroline set her butter apart from the rest? This is where Caroline’s artistic talent came in. To draw attention to her butter, she began making small butter sculptures (雕塑). She used many different tools, such as butter paddles (搅拌器的浆叶), broom straws, and tree sticks. She also put the butter in a shallow tin pan, which sat in a larger tin pan filled with ice to stop the butter sculpture from melting.
Caroline’s butter sculptures were a hit. Before long, she was displaying them at fairs and exhibitions. One of her largest butter sculptures was a life-size statue called A Study in Butter. It was transported all the way to Paris for the 1878 world’s fair.
Caroline also made sculptures using marble (大理石). She eventually opened a studio in New York City where she created many marble sculptures, some of which were shown at the 1893 world’s fair in Chicago.
But Caroline never stopped making butter art. She considered butter a superior material to work with. At the 1893 fair, she also displayed her butter techniques with a sculpture of Christopher Columbus.
Caroline Shawk Brooks died in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1913. She is remembered as the first known American butter sculptor.
1. Why did Caroline make butter sculptures?| A．To realize her dream. | B．To make her butter stand out. |
| C．To make her farm famous. | D．To display her sculptures at the fair. |
| A．Caroline made her art works all by machine. |
| B．The sculptures were all made from cow's milk. |
| C．Ice was used to keep the butter sculptures in shape. |
| D．Caroline stopped making sculptures after being world-famous. |
| A．Talented and successful. | B．Confident and caring. |
| C．Creative and rich. | D．Brave and famous. |
| A．A Farming Pioneer. | B．A Great Sculptor. |
| C．The Butter Sculptures. | D．The Butter Artist. |
【推荐1】Parking in the CBD of any Australian city is expensive, hard to come by and often an unavoidable headache.
But Rylan Kindness, a 16-year-old entrepreneur (企业家) from Brisbane, thinks he might have the answer to this problem.
It was after Rylan realized his parents were spending hours to try and find parking deals in the city that he came up with the idea for a centralized system. This system shows users the best price for parking in the area they want and offers users a daily deal with a discount.
Rylan now doubles as a high school student and the CEO of Parking Deals Australia, a role he took on four months ago when he launched the business from his bedroom.
Parking Deals Australia isn’t even Rylan’s first business. When he was barely 11, Rylan came up with an idea to sell wholesale (批发的) scooter parts (儿童滑板车配件) online, purely because he just wanted some extra money. On the side, he’s succeeding in other passions as well.
And despite Rylan clearly being a high-achiever and having a knack (诀 窍) for business, he admitted it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.
“I’ve learned so many crazy things through trial and error. Every day I fail somewhere but I always try to get better. My biggest failure was when I first set up everything and thought it was what everyone else would like but it’s a shock when you see people not enjoying what you’re doing. It makes you want to cry a little bit but then you polish the product and keep going, ” he said.
While Rylan didn’t want to say exactly how much his now-bustling company is worth, he did admit he’s making a tidy profit.
“I earn more in one day than I was earning for three months work in a cafe but I’m investing it all back into the business. What I’ve learned is that if you’re starting a business just to make money, you’re definitely going to fail. I’m there to help millions of people and that’s what really gets me going, ” he said.
Rylan’s goal with Parking Deals Australia is to take it countrywide.
“We want to be everyone’s second step in their parking journey and save millions of people millions of dollars,” he said.
1. According to the article, the centralized system can ________.| A．find free parking areas | B．analyze users’ parking habits |
| C．show the nearest parking lot for drivers | D．recommend the cheapest parking spaces |
| A．His parents asked him to develop the centralized system. |
| B．He started to display a talent for business when he was about 11. |
| C．He left school to run his own company four months ago. |
| D．He started his first business by setting up Parking Deals Australia. |
| A．has shown him that the beginning is the most difficult time |
| B．has taught him to work through failures by improving |
| C．has helped him finish his high school study. |
| D．has inspired him not to care too much about others’ opinions |
| A．To earn some extra money for making bigger investments. |
| B．To become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Australia. |
| C．To help people while making a profit. |
| D．To expand his influence on a national scale. |
【推荐2】One Sunday, Nicholas, a teenager, went skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. In the early afternoon, when he was planning to go home, a fierce snowstorm swept into the area. Unable to see far, he accidentally turned off the path. Before he knew it, Nicholas was lost, all alone! He didn’t have food, water, a phone, or other supplies. He was getting colder by the minute.
Nicholas had no idea where he was. He tried not to panic. He thought about all the survival shows he had watched on TV. It was time to put the tips he had learned to use.
He decided to stop skiing. There was a better chance of someone finding him if he stayed put. The first thing he did was to find shelter from the freezing wind and snow. If he didn’t, his body temperature would get very low, which could quickly kill him. Using his skis, Nicholas built a snow cave. He gathered a huge mass of snow and dug out a hole in the middle. Then he piled branches on top of himself, like a blanket, to stay as warm as he could.
By that evening, Nicholas was really hungry. He ate snow and drank water from a nearby stream so that his body wouldn’t lose too much water. Not knowing how much longer he could last, Nicholas did the only thing he could - he huddled (蜷缩) in his cave and slept.
The next day, Nicholas went out to look for help, but he couldn’t find anyone. He followed his tracks and returned to the snow cave, because without shelter, he could die that night. On Tuesday, Nicholas went out again to find help. He had walked for about a mile when a volunteer searcher found him. Having been stuck in the snow for two days, Nicholas was saved.
Nicholas might not have survived this snowstorm had it not been for TV. He had often watched Grylls’ survival show Man vs. Wild. That’s where he learned the tips that saved his life. When Grylls heard about Nicholas’ amazing deeds, he was super impressed that Nicholas had made it since he knew better than anyone how hard Nicholas had to work to stay alive.
1. What caused Nicholas to get lost at the mountain?| A．Having no guides to help. |
| B．Forgetting the way back. |
| C．Terrible weather. |
| D．Poor eyesight. |
| A．He built a snow cave. |
| B．He found a shelter. |
| C．He kept on skiing. |
| D．He made a fire. |
| A．It was Nicholas’ favorite TV program. |
| B．It taught Nicholas useful knowledge. |
| C．Nicholas shared his story on the show. |
| D．Gryll asked Nicholas to make a TV interview. |
| A．Calm and brave. | B．Responsible and curious. |
| C．Lucky and smart. | D．Confident and outgoing. |
【推荐3】After eleven months of unemployment, Dad gathered our family in the living room one December night and said, “I accepted a new job in Austin, Texas.” I would start over in a new high school. My crying continued well into the night.
While my sister and I were allowed six months to finish the school year and to sabotage my relationships with people who cared about me, I withdrew into myself to make leaving seem painless. However, gradually I found myself counting down my days before the beginning.
Suddenly I decided to add some certainty to my unclear future. I diligently researched highschools and neighborhoods, and in turn my parents gave me a say in where we would begin the search for our new home in Austin. Once we purchased our new house, I could see my future unfold before me. With knowledge comes power, I’d use my circumstance as a chance for self-improvement.
I emailed the tennis coach at my new high school about trying out for the team, which turned into a conversation as he said that the team looked forward to having me. He went on to inform the team of my arrival. For the first time I felt like I could take the role of the confident girl I wanted to be.
I successfully threw myself into everything I could, enjoying the process of uncovering what I liked. At my old school I would never have given math club a second thought, though I was skilled at it. But in the new school, I decided to challenge myself and join Mu Alpha Theta, a mathematics honor society. Shocking as it may be, I actually enjoyed being a “mathlete”, but even more shocking was the fact that no one teased me for my decision.
It was then that I realized the courage and confidence I had sought had been waiting beneath my insecurities to finally surface when the time was right. While every new beginning contains an element of fear, it also contains an element of promise.
1. How did the author react to her father’s getting a new job?| A．She felt excited. | B．She remained unconcerned. |
| C．She was sorrowful. | D．She was confused. |
| A．Strengthen. | B．Establish. |
| C．Accompany. | D．End. |
| A．She wanted to challenge herself. |
| B．She could make friends in the club. |
| C．It was her dream to join a math club. |
| D．It was a chance to become an athlete. |
| A．Good endings promise good beginnings. |
| B．All new beginnings have promise in them. |
| C．Challenging oneself can boost confidence. |
| D．Moving to a new school has positive effects. |
