【推荐1】Life Begins on Board Your Next Cruise(邮轮)

On a cruise, it’s all about choices. And never about effort or annoyance. Simply step aboard and float away, as your grand accommodation takes you from port to port, country to country. Maybe you haven’t been on a cruise yet. Let’s see what it might look like.

Rise and shine

Everyone is a morning person on a cruise. Wake up to find yourself floating joyfully somewhere out on the horizon, between vast blue skies and rolling oceans. You’ve travelled far through the night, and each morning begins with a completely new and foreign destination calling from outside your window. What a way to start your day!

Breakfast of champions

Before the morning truly begins, spend some time relaxing on the top floor with a steaming cup of coffee and warm French pastries, taking in the unbelievable views and the fresh sea air. Or head to one of the many restaurants on the ground floor to find a rich meal fit for a king, then walk to the front of the ship and have some fresh fruit and American pancakes in the open-air market.

Ease into your day

Energize your morning with a yoga class, strengthening your body on the open-air board, palms stretched to the sea. Hit the gym for a refreshing workout or take a swim that will set you up for the day. If you are not so sporty, simply spend your morning sitting by the pool reading a book, perhaps losing yourself in the history, culture and legends of your next port of call.

1. Where can you enjoy a cup of coffee on the cruise?

A．On the top floor.	B．On the ground floor.
C．In the open-air market.	D．In the front of the ship.

2. What can you do for a relaxing morning?

A．Do yoga outdoors.	B．Work out in the gym.
C．Take a swim.	D．Read by the pool.

3. Who is this text intended for?

A．Cruise organizers.	B．Potential cruise participants.
C．Cruise advertisers.	D．Experienced cruise travelers.

【推荐2】A nickname is a shortened form of a person’s name. A nickname can also be a descriptive name for a person, place or thing. Many American cities have nicknames.

Los Angeles has several nicknames. One is simply the city’s initials, L.A. It is also called the City of Angels because Los Angeles means “the angels” in Spanish.

Los Angeles often has warm, sunny weather. So another nickname is City of Flowers and Sunshine. New York is called The Big Apple. So Los Angeles is sometimes called The Big Orange because of the fruit that grows in that city’s warm climate.

The American motion picture and television industries are based in Los Angeles. So it is not surprising that it is called The Entertainment Capital of the World. Many films are made in the area of Los Angeles called Hollywood. Millions of people visit the area every year.

Many movie stars live in Los Angeles. The city is sometimes called Tinseltown. This nickname comes from the shiny, bright and often unreal nature of Hollywood and the movie industry.

Another nickname for Los Angeles is La-La Land, using the first letters of Los and Angeles. This means a place that is fun and not serious, and maybe even out of touch with reality.

Many people love Los Angeles for its warm sunny weather, beautiful mountains and beaches, and movie stars. That includes Randy Newman, who sings about his hometown.

1. What’s the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To tell us some people’s nicknames.

B．To introduce the topic of the passage.

C．To prove that nicknames are popular.

D．To tell us what a nickname is.

2. Why is Los Angeles called “The Entertainment Capital of the World”?

A．Because Los Angeles often has warm, sunny weather.

B．Because many movie stars live in Los Angeles.

C．Because there are many smaller cities in the county.

D．Because the American motion picture and television industries are there.

3. The underlined part “out of touch with reality” in Paragraph 6 means “_______”.

A．fantastic

B．different

C．important

D．various

4. Which of the following is NOT the nickname for Los Angeles?

A．The City of Angels

B．City of Flowers and Sunshine

C．La-La-Land

D．The Big Apple.

【推荐3】Lost cities that have been found

The White City

In 2015, a team of explorers to Honduras in search of “the Lost City of the Monke God” led to the discovery of the White City. It is believed that local people hid here when the Spanish conquerors (征服者) occupied their homeland in the16th century.

Canopus and Heracleion

The Egyptian cities Canopus and Heracleion, where Queen Cleopatra often visited, weren’t found until 1992. Artifacts (史前器物) showed that the cities once highly developed as a trade network, which helped researchers piece together more about the last queen of Egypt.

Machu Picchu

A Yale professor discovered “the Lost City in the Clouds” in 1911. Machu Picchu displays the Inca Empire at the height of its rule. Abandoned in the 16th century for unknown reasons, the city was hidden by the local people from the Spanish conquerors for centuries keeping it so well preserved.

Troy

The ancient city of Troy in Homer’s The Iliad was considered a fictional setting for his characters to run wild. But in 1871, explorations in northwestern Turkey exposed nine ancient cities layered (层叠) on top of each other, the earliest dating back to about 5,000 years before. It was later determined that the sixth or seventh layer contained the lost city of Troy and that it was actually destroyed by an earthquake, not a wooden horse.

1. Why did people hide in the White City in the 16th century?

A．To survive the war.	B．To save the land.
C．To protect their country.	D．To search for a lost city.

2. Which of the following was related to a royal family member?

A．The White City	B．Canopus and Heracleion
C．Machu Picchu	D．Troy

3. What can we learn about Troy?

A．It was built by Homer.	B．It consisted of nine cities
C．It had a history of 5,000 years	D．It was ruined by a natural disaster.

【推荐1】The Internet makes your work or study more convenient and efficient, and there are many apps that are beneficial both in your life and study. Below are some examples that you may find easy to download.

♦App Detox (Android)

To prevent you spending too much time browsing the web, App Detox blocks your access to the Internet or to apps of your choosing for a certain period of time to allow you to get things done without distractions.

Price: $3 per month

♦Studious (iOS)

Studious is an efficient homework planner that helps you achieve your maximum potential. You can input your class schedules in Studious, and it saves them and organizes them by their due dates in order to help you better be prepared for what’s up next. It can be set to remind you of when homework assignments are due and when your tests are approaching.

Price: $20 per year

♦Streaks (iOS and Android)

This award-winning app is an addicting goal-tracking app that challenges you to achieve a “victory” by tracking the number of continuous days you’ve stayed focused and completed specific tasks. It works well for goals like turning in homework on time or reading chapters in assigned books.

Price: Yearly Fee: $24

♦Remember the Milk (iOS and Android)

This is a smart to-do list app. You can create lists of things you need to accomplish on a specific day and organize these lists. The app breaks down all your tasks by the day, and organizes them the way you want to with priorities, due dates, repeats, lists and more.

Price: Monthly Fee: $4

1. Which app should you choose to break the Internet connection temporarily?

A．App Detox.

B．Studious.

C．Streaks.

D．Remember the Milk.

2. Which app for Android needs the lowest annual cost to use?

A．App Detox

B．Studious.

C．Streaks.

D．Remember the Milk.

3. In which category can you find these apps?

A．Smart Finance	B．Developer Tools.
C．Social Networking.	D．Time Management.

【推荐2】My time here in China is going well. I love my new school and classmates. Over the October holiday, my parents and I are planning to go to Xi’an to see the Terra-cotta Army. I’ve heard that it is an amazing sight, and I can’t wait to go. To me, the story of the Terracotta Army is almost unbelievable. It’s amazing that there are more than 8,000 statues, and no one in modern times knew about them until the 1970s.

We’re also planning to visit several other places in Xi’an. My dad and I are both look ing forward to going to the ShaanXi History Museum, because my dad loves history and I have heard that this museum is known as a “Chinese treasure house”! We’re also going to the Xi’an City Wall and a few other famous sights.

We’re taking the train, leaving the day before the October holiday begins. We’re arriving at 9: 30a.m. and will start sightseeing right away, so I hope we sleep well on the train! I guess that’s all for now! I’ll write again soon and send photos! Do you have any plans for the coming holiday? Hope to hear from you soon.

1. How many tourists attractions are mentioned in the passage?

A．2

B．3

C．4

D．5

2. What makes Richard surprised about the Terracotta Army?

A．They are so well kept.	B．The number is so large.
C．They are so far away.	D．They were so difficultly made

3. Why is Richard planning to visit the Shaanxi History Museum?

A．It is pear the Terracotta Army.

B．It has books explaining Qinshihuang

C．He loves history.

D．It has many other treasures and his father loves history.

4. What is the main purpose for the trip?

A．Take the train

B．Go to see the Terracotta Army over the October holiday

C．Shaan xi History Museum, Xi’an City Wall other famous sights

D．Write again and send photos ask his friend’s plan

【推荐3】Are you looking for the best way to earn online and free yourself from financial slavery? Here are the top 4 jobs that have a good pay and you can find online to do.

Transcription(文字记录）

This is basically the conversion of a video or an audio to text. However, transcription takes different formats that you need to learn and master to deliver your work in time. Becoming a transcriber requires nothing other than fluency of the language you are working in and a good typing speed. On average, transcribers make an average of $22 per hour of audio. Medical and legal transcriptions pay much higher than most conversations.

Travel Agency

Do you have a deep knowledge of the tourism industry? Do you have the ability to get discounted tickets for various airlines? Then you can help people book their flights to and for different destinations around the globe. Many people would like to tour different places but they lack lots of the vital information. The business can work best for you depending on your setup, client (客户）base, and the season. You can expect an average of $20/hr.

Online Tutor

Many students from various parts of the world need people to help them better understand the courses they are studying. Others too need people to coach them on some extra-curricular activities. You can make a good income if you are available to offer the services. The average wage of a tutor is $25/hr.

Writers

Writers are in demand as far as online and media businesses are concerned. The more we see businesses streaming online, the more you know there is a market for writers. Writers can be hired for different writings like print，online media publications, blogs, business copywriting, etc. A writer earns an average of $26/hr.
1. What does a transcriber require most?

A．A strong sense of duty.	B．A good writing speed.
C．Fluency of the target language.	D．A deep knowledge of the tourism industry.

2. What is likely to increase the demand for online writers?

A．Popularity of audios.	B．Difficult school courses.
C．Large markets for tourism.	D．Booming online business.

3. Where can you probably find the passage?

A．In a journal.	B．In a newspaper.
C．In a travel magazine.	D．In a science fiction.