【推荐1】Countryside Bike Tour

Cycle away from the urban noise and disappear into the countryside on this guided bike tour, which lasts about 10 hours. This enjoyable ride takes your small group, usually no more than 8 people, along the AmstelRiver, past country villages and green fields. Learn about rural Dutch traditions and history, and finish your tour exploring Amsterdam’s parks including Vondelpark, Amsterdamse Bos and Beatrixpark.

Personalized Day Tour in the Netherlands

Have a better understanding of the Netherlands’ artistic works on this private walk tour, departing (离开) from Amsterdam, led by a professional art historian. Benefit from your guide’s insider knowledge to create a fully personalized journey. Choose from a large number of museums, gallery, and attractions in this area, such as the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Mäuritshuis Royal Picture Gallery in The Hague, or Keukenhof Gardens.

Day Trip to Bruges

Discover the beauty of Bruges on this 10-hour trip, departing from Amsterdam. As you travel by bus, learn about the history of Belgium. Explore the city of Bruges, visiting the Market Square, Town Hall, and other historic sights. Experience and learn about the amazing culture of this city, especially about the Church of Our Lady.

Guided Canoe (独木舟) Adventure

Paddle through Holland’s Waterland area on a canoe from Amsterdam. With an expert guide, travel north to Waterland. Then, board a canoe and paddle around the dreamlike waterways. Enjoy the sound of birdsong and smells of wild plants, and hear about the region’s traditional way of life. Stop for a swim if the weather allows, and visit an island for a picnic of local food. Numbers are limited to 8 for a small-group experience.

1. Which trip is best for an art lover?

A．Countryside Bike Tour.	B．Personalized Day Tour in the Netherlands
C．Day Trip to Bruges.	D．Guided Canoe Adventure.

2. What is the main difference among the four trips?

A．Length of time.	B．Means of transport.
C．Place of departure.	D．Size of group.

3. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A science report.	B．A guide to Bruges.
C．A sports magazine.	D．A travel brochure.

【推荐1】One of Britain’s few typical contributions to world culture may come to an end, according to a survey that suggests holiday postcards are being emailed and texted into extinction (消亡). More than half of the 1,000 holiday-makers interviewed said they had decided to send fewer cards, turning instead to their electronic competitors.

A quarter of the respondents (受访者) dismissed postcards as old-fashioned and slow to arrive. A further 14% admitted that thinking of something to fill the space was too challenging, compared with a call home. Although officially invented by a Hungarian, Emanuel Herrmann, in 1869, the idea of illustrated cards was taken up with most enthusiasm in Victorian Britain, joining Gothic architecture and landscape gardening as fields in which the country excelled.

“If the British postcard did become extinct, we would lose for ever something of great importance to the nation,” said Chris Mottershead of Thomson Holidays, which charged with the survey. He was backed by Marie Angelou of Sussex University, who has studied the importance of sending and receiving postcards. “Postcards are nothing like phone calls, instant texting and direct photo shots via the mobile,” she said. “All these are useful, practical devices, but postcards offer something else, something additional that is not mundane (世俗的) and simply functional, but imaginative and personal. They can produce the real atmosphere of your holiday in a way that nothing else can do. They’re also for more than a moment — with some people adding them to collections built up over years and years.”

Postcard-collecting, is third only to coins and stamps in Britain’s related tradition of collecting things. The country’s uniquely postcard-related achievements include the invention in 1902 of the“divided back”. With the address taking up half of the writing area, brief postcard scribbles (潦草的书写) became the forerunner to today’s text messages.

1. What does the survey suggest?

A．Postcards are being emailed to people.	B．Fewer people care about holidays.
C．Postcards are now less preferred.	D．Paper cards are people’s favorite.

2. What does the underlined phrase “was taken up with most enthusiasm” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Gained popularity.

B．Took place.

C．Came back.

D．Went into service.

3. What does Marie Angelou think of postcards?

A．Postcards are not as effective as phone calls.	B．Postcards send information much more quickly.
C．Postcards should give way to text messages.	D．Postcards carry more than what they show.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Last Post for Britain’s Card Habit?	B．Time for A Change?
C．Britain: Dreamland for Postcards?	D．Fall of A Great Power?

【推荐2】Christmas cards are a big tradition in the English-speaking world. In 2017, people in Britain sent and received about 900 million cards. That’s an average of about twelve cards for every person, from tiny babies to the oldest grandparents. The number of cards that are sent around Britain causes an annual headache for the postal service. Each year, the postal service has to take on seasonal staff to help with the extra mail, and postal sorting offices are stretched to their maximum capacity and sometimes beyond it.

In 1994, before the age of email and social media, the service handled about 1.6 billion cards! In spite of advertisements telling people to “Post Early for Christmas”, few people got round to sending their cards off before December 10th; and from that point on, the postal service slowed down. Until the age of faxes, emails and social media, the pre-Christmas period often caused a lot of problems for firms, as “urgent” letters and documents took several days to reach their destinations by post, which were slowed down by the mass of Christmas mail!

During the month of December in Britain, a house with no Christmas cards is like a pub with no beer. For the most part, however, people of all faiths and of no faith join in the tradition of celebrating Christmas as a festival, whether they do so for religious reasons or not. Every British home at Christmas is merrily decorated not just with hollies, but also with a display of Christmas cards received from friends, family members, neighbors, employers and a variety of other people. In some places, the number of Christmas cards people receive is seen as a measure of their status among their friends and neighbors.

As for the subjects of Christmas cards, the range, today, is enormous. At one time, two principal themes predominated (占多数): the Christmas story, with pictures of the biblical scenes; and “traditional Christmas”, with imaginary scenes of Christmas which included burning wood fires and happy-looking parents and kids sitting together. Today, while “traditional Christmas” is favored by most people, there is no limit to the variety of pictures on cards.

While more and more people send e-cards to their friends and family members, you can’t hang an e-card on the wall, and you can’t decorate a room with rows of e-cards. Sending and receiving Christmas cards is still best done by “snail mail” which includes a real card and a real envelope. It’s much more fun.

1. How did the postal service handle the problem of Christmas cards?

A．By hiring temporary employees.	B．By sending the cards off earlier.
C．By turning to social media for help.	D．By delaying sending letters from firms.

2. What does the author want to tell us in Paragraph 3?

A．The popularity of Christmas.	B．The decoration of British homes.
C．The religious belief in Christmas.	D．The significance of Christmas cards.

3. Which scene of Christmas cards is the most popular among modern people?

A．The religious story.	B．The holiday gift.
C．The family reunion.	D．The landscape painting.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the e-cards?

A．Positive.

B．Negative.

C．Neutral.

D．Unclear.

【推荐3】Adults generally dislike getting older.     1     It’s no surprise, then, that many kids look forward to their birthdays, especially the 16th birthday. For girls in America, a “Sweet 16” birthday is an important rite (仪式) of passage that celebrates approaching adulthood.

In the United States, the 16th birthday is a mark that a girl has come of age. She is not a legal adult yet, but at 16, many girls can begin to learn to drive.     2     For many youths, the 16th birthday is a celebration of womanhood and marks the end of the girl’s childhood.

Society and media often put great importance on a girl’s 16th birthday.     3     Both of them have great personal importance. They think of their 16th birthdays like women think of their weddings.

    4     The event can be held in a garden, a park or somewhere else. Often, a girl has been planning her 16th birthday party for long and has a very specific idea about what she wants and who she wants to invite. As long as she doesn’t waste money, letting a girl plan her 16^th birthday is a great way to let her creativity and personality shine.

There are many theories about how the sweet 16th birthday came into being. Most connect the birthday celebration with the Mexican Quinceanera, which takes place on a girl’s 15th birthday, or European ancient coming-of-age celebrations.     5    

A．She is still just a little kid.

B．Many parties show a girl’s interest.

C．However, kids find “growing up” exciting.

D．The big part of a sweet 16th birthday is the party.

E．They can get jobs and take other adult responsibilities.

F．No matter where the celebration began, it has become a tradition.

G．Many movies show girls’ 16th birthdays are just as important as graduations.