【推荐3】Most of London's national museums are completely free of charge. So without cost to worry about, these are the must-see museums for art lovers on their first trip to London.

National Portrait Gallery

PHONE +44 20 7306 0055

Where else but the National Portrait Gallery can you find oil paintings of the Bronte sisters and William Shakespeare alongside black and white photographs of the Spice Girls and a mixed media portrait of J.K. Rowling? Featuring a collection of famous British people from the Tudor period to the present day, the National Portrait Gallery is a must for those who like British culture.

Science Museum

PHONE +44 33 3241 4000       

Ideal for left-brainers, London's Science Museum celebrates scientific, technological, and mathematical achievements — but that makes it sound so serious. With interactive exhibits, flight simulators, an IMAX theater, and even a milkshake bar, a trip to the Science Museum is far from the boring science lessons from back in the day.

Churchill War Rooms

PHONE +44 20 7416 5000

The Imperial War Museum is a collection of five museums and sites. One of the collection' s most fascination inclusions is the Churchill War Rooms. Walking through the underground labyrinth （迷宫）of war rooms is literally walking in the footsteps of Sir Winston Churchill and his war cabinet during WWII

Natural History Museum

PHONE +44 20 7942 5000

Once the home to African elephant specimens and surprising casts of a Triceratops and Diplodocus, the museum' s main hall now floats the real skeleton of a blue whale high above visitors’ heads. Though no longer in the entry hall, you can still find dinosaurs here, such as the first fossil ever found from a T. rex.

1. Which is the best choice for J.K. Rowling’s fans?

A．National Portrait Gallery.	B．Science Museum.
C．Churchill War Rooms.	D．Natural History Museum.

2. What can people do in Science Museum?

A．View the arts of the Tudor period.	B．Enjoy a film in an IMAX theater.
C．Learn about the war history of Britain.	D．Watch the skeleton of a blue whale.

3. Which number should be called if you’ re interested in dinosaurs?

A．44 20 7306 0055.	B．44 33 3241 4000.
C．44 20 7416 5000.	D．44 20 7942 5000.

【推荐2】I made an important decision when I was in Junior 3. Before I made that decision I was one of the boys who tried too hard to act as an adult. I didn’t know that only kids want to show themselves as adults. I didn’t listen to my parents and teachers, and my grades became poor. Then came the high school entrance exam.

At the turning point of my life, my mom wanted to have a conversation with me. I wanted to turn it down but when I looked at her eyes, I felt I couldn’t refuse. Instead of asking me to study hard, to my surprise, Mom just asked what I wanted to do in the future. Without thinking too much, I just said I would like to study hard.

Mom smiled and asked again: “I asked: what do you WANT to do?” I never seriously thought about the question. So, I kept silent. “Whether you want to go on studying or enter the society?” she went on, “it is your own decision. Your life should be decided by you, not by anyone else, including me.” After saying that, she had tears in her eyes. For the first time in my life I was asked to make my own decision. I sat in my chair and thought about myself, my life and what kind of person I wanted to become.

It took me what seemed to be ages to make the biggest decision so far in my life—I wanted to be a man who makes a difference in the world. To achieve that, I needed to study hard.

The path to my future became clear to me. I didn’t act rebelliously (叛逆地) any more. With passion in my heart, I studied hard. Now, I’m one of the best students in the class. Thanks to that decision, I have become what I am today.

1. When did the boy make an important decision?

A．When he was 17.	B．When he was in high school.
C．A year ago.	D．When he was in Junior 3.

2. What did the mother do at the turning point of the boy’s life?

A．She taught the boy the importance of study.	B．She had a conversation with the boy.
C．She had a big fight with the boy.	D．She told the boy to study hard.

3. Which of the following is NOT right?

A．The boy’s grades were poor before he made the decision.

B．The boy’s mother made a decision for the boy.

C．He wanted to make a difference in the world.

D．The boy’s mother didn’t force him to study hard.

4. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．An important decision by myself.	B．The changes of my grades.
C．My mom helped me a lot in my life.	D．The high school entrance exam.

【推荐3】It was Monday. Mrs. Smith’s dog was hungry, but there was not any meat in the house. Considering that there was no better way, Mrs. Smith took a piece of paper, and wrote the following words on it: “Give my dog half a pound of meat.” Then she gave the paper to her dog and said gently, “Take this to the butcher(屠夫) and he’s going to give you your lunch today.”

Holding the piece of paper in its mouth, the dog ran to the butcher’s. It gave the paper to the butcher. The butcher read it carefully, recognized that it was really the lady’s handwriting and soon did it as he was asked to. The dog was very happy, and ate the meat up at once.

At noon, the dog came to the shop again. It gave the butcher a piece of paper again. After reading it, he gave it half a pound of meat once more.

The next day, the dog came again exactly at noon. And as usual, it brought a piece of paper in the mouth. This time, the butcher did not take a look at paper, and gave the dog its meat, for he had regarded the dog as one of his customers. But, the dog came again at four o'clock. And the same thing happened once again. To the butcher’s more surprise, it came for the third time at six o'clock, and brought with it a third piece of paper. The butcher felt a bit puzzled. He said to himself, “This is a small dog. Why does Mrs. Smith give it so much meat to eat today?”

Looking at the piece of paper, he found that there were not any words on it!

1. Mrs. Smith treated her little dog quite ________.

A．cruelly	B．kindly
C．fairly	D．differently

2. From its experience, the dog found that ________.

A．only the paper with Mrs. Smith’s words in it could bring it meat

B．the butcher would give the meat to it whenever he saw it

C．a piece of paper could bring it half a pound of meat

D．Mrs. Smith would pay for the meat it got from the butcher

3. At the end of the story, you’ll find that ________.

A．the dog was clever enough to write on the paper

B．the dog dared not go to the butcher’s any more

C．the butcher found himself cheated by the clever animal

D．the butcher was told not to give any meat to the dog

【推荐1】Ambassador Hotel

Welcome to the Ambassador Hotel. To make your stay as enjoyable as possible, we hope you will use our facilities to the full.

Dilling Room

Breakfast is served in the dining room from 8 a. m. to 9 : 30 a. m. Alternatively, the room staff will bring a tray of breakfast to your room at any time after 7 a. m. In this case, please fill out a card and hang it outside your door before sleeping.

Lunch: 12 to 2: 30 p. m.

Dinner: 7: 30 p. m. to 9 p. m.

Room Service

This operates 24 hours a day ; phone the Reception Desk, and your message will be passed on to the room staff.

Telephones

To make a phone call, dial 0 for Reception and ask to be connected. We apologize for delays in putting calls through when the staff are very busy. There are also public telephone booths near the Reception.

Shop

The hotel shop is open for small things, gifts and makeups from 9 a. m. to 5 : 30 p. m.

Laundry

We have a laundry here and will wash, iron and return your clothes within 24 hours. Ask the room staff to collect them.

Bar

The hotel bar is open from 12 to 2 p. m. and 7 p. m. to 1 a. m.

Banking

The reception staff will cash cheques and exchange money in many foreign currencies.

1. What should you do if you want to have your breakfast in your room?

A．Phone the room staff.

B．Phone the hotel shop.

C．Write down the required information on a card and hang it outside your door before sleeping.

D．Phone the dining room before you go to bed.

2. Which of the following about the hotel is TRUE?

A．You can have a drink in the bar before noon.

B．You can get your clothes washed, ironed and returned within 12 hours.

C．You can buy some skin creams in the hotel.

D．You can phone the room staff to get the room service .

3. Where can you most likely see the text?

A．In a bedroom of a large international hotel.

B．In a hotel bar.

C．In a hotel dining room.

D．In the entrance of a small family hotel.

【推荐2】Moonlight Rainbow Fountain

Location: South Korea

The Moonlight Rainbow Fountain is the world's longest bridge fountain. In order to be eco-friendly, it repeatedly gets water from the Han River below. When water comes out with music, 10, 000 LED lights switch on, and a rainbow effect appears.

The Giant

Location: Austria

The Giant is designed by Austrian artist Andre Heller. It has a huge face with bright eyes and a watering mouth. The outside is covered with green grass. Its inside has a wonderful structure(结构).

Metalmorphosis

Location: USA

It is a fountain, a sculpture and also a performing work of art. The high- tech artistic work attracts people from all over the world. The fountain is made of more than 20 stainless steel plates(不锈钢板). They can form a huge head when turned to a certain angle. Whenever the head appears, it shoots water.

Nacka Fountain

Location: Sweden

Nacka Fountain is designed as a peace monument(纪念碑) for the founding of the United Nations. The main structure of Nacka Fountain is made of bronze. There are two sculptures on it. The fountain shoots water into the sea.

71 Fountain

Location: USA

The great fountain is on Highway 71 in Ohio. It looks like a huge wheel surrounded by a green environment. The major part is a huge ring.

1. Which fountain is built on a bridge?

A．The Giant.	B．71 Fountain.
C．Nacka Fountain.	D．Moonlight Rainbow Fountain.

2. What do The Giant and Metalmorphosis have in common?

A．They sit in America.	B．They are made of bronze.
C．They appear as a big head.	D．They are designed by the same artist.

3. What can we infer about 71 Fountain?

A．It is in honor of peace.	B．It is surrounded by sea.
C．It is environment-friendly.	D．It is named after a highway.

【推荐3】Brian Hamilton’s life changed in a prison when he was accompanying his friend, Reverend Robert J. Harris, who often went to local prisons to do his work. During the visit, Hamilton started talking to one of the prisoners and asked what he was going to do when he got out.

“He said he was going to get a job,” Hamilton recalls(回忆). “I thought to myself, wow, that’s going to be difficult with a criminal background.”

The conversation made Hamilton consider how prisoners could benefit from entrepreneurship, something he thought about for years. Finally in 2008, 16 years after that initial conversation, Hamilton created Inmates to Entrepreneurs, a nonprofit organization that helps people with criminal backgrounds start their own small businesses. “Harris and I taught our first course at a prison called ‘ How to Start Your Own Business When You Get Out’ ,” he recalls.

At the time, Hamilton was building his own company, Sageworks. As Sageworks grew, so did Hamilton’ s time spent teaching at prisons throughout North Carolina.

Eventually, Hamilton decided it was time to change his focus to his true passion. In May 2018, he sold his stake(股份) in Sageworks, focusing his commitment on Inmates to Entrepreneurs.

“Now, anyone is able to access the curriculum, either to become an instructor to go into prisons to teach it or to access it for themselves as a prisoner or part of the general population,” Hamilton explains. In addition, he visits middle schools and presents the curriculum to at-risk students as a preventative measure against crime.

The free curriculum is funded by the recently established Brian Hamilton Foundation, which offers assistance to military members as they adjust to civilian life and provides loans to small businesses. “We’re giving prisoners something they can do independent of a system that isn’t working for them. If you can let people know that other people care about them, it makes a difference.”

1. Why did Brian Hamilton think the prisoner couldn’t easily find a job after getting out?

A．He didn’t have any special skills.

B．He would have his criminal background with him.

C．He would break the criminal law again and again.

D．He couldn’t access the courses provided by the prison.

2. What does the underlined word “entrepreneurship” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Thinking of a good idea after working hard for years.

B．Trying one’s best because of being kept in a small place.

C．Making money by starting or running one’s own businesses.

D．Having a job in a profitable company owned by the government.

3. What does the text say about Inmates to Entrepreneurs?

A．It often assists military members.	B．It provides loans to small businesses.
C．It’s independent of the social system.	D．Its curriculum has been largely broadened.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．A man made a fruitless visit to the prison.

B．A man sold his business to teach prisoners.

C．A man realized his dream of being a teacher.

D．A man successfully created two organizations.

【推荐1】Dear Olivia,

First. I think you have a beautiful name. Of course, I' d say the same to Olivia L., Olivia R..， and Olivia S. Come to think of it; maybe “Dear Olivias” would have been a better header.

I too, was given one of my birth year’s most popular names. I was one of many Erins in 1980.

I wonder if our parents considered how many of us, both Erins and Olivias, there would be. Growing up, I babysat （照看孩子）an Erin whose house was across our backyard, knew an Erin who lived around the corner and who also happened to be my best friend's older sister, knew an Erin who lived just down the street. Not to mention the Erin population at school.

Mostly. I felt like the Erins around me weren’t much like me. 1 thought it was strange that we all had the same name. Then, around Grade 9, as my brother was changing his name from Stacey James to S.J., I wanted to change my name, too.

I experimented （尝 试）a bit with how I might respell my middle name Megan and decided on Maygen, and hyphenated （用连接号连接）it with Erin. I kept using this name until a couple of years later when I said goodbye to Erin all together.

Now, having spent most of my life as Maygen, I've learned that although there were no Megans in my neighbourhood, it turns out I had changed my name to an even more popular name of the 1980s.

But you know what? Common or not, 1 love my name. In my life, I've befriended Erin after Erin, none of whom remind （使想起）me of the kid I babysat or my friend's sister.

I’m not sure why names become popular, but one thing is certain, Olivia: your name is loved by many. May you love it as well.

1. Why does the author say" Dear Olivias' would have been a better header”？

A．The letter could have been written to all Olivias.

B．She is not sure which Olivia will read the letter.

C．She knows a lot of girls called Olivia.

D．Olivia is not a one-of-a-kind name.

2. When did the author decide to change her name?

A．After her brother changed his name.

B．After she had some trouble at school.

C．When she found more Erins around her.

D．When she noticed other Erins were different.

3. Which of the following may be the author's name now?

A．Megan Kardash.

B．Maygen Kardash.

C．Erin-Megan Kardash.

D．Erin-Maygen Kardash.

4. What’s the author's purpose of writing the text?

A．To compare Erins and Olivias.

B．To introduce some popular names.

C．To talk Olivia into loving her name.

D．To express her love for her own name.

【推荐2】The French submarine is called Le Triomphant, meaning “the winner”. The name of the British submarine is Vanguard, meaning “the leading position in an army”. It’s clear from the submarines’ names that they were made for victory.

However, it was an accident, rather than a victory, that led these two submarines to recently make news headlines across the world.

On February 16, Britain and France admitted that two of their nuclear — armed submarines, HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant, collided while deep in the Atlantic in early February. Both submarines were on secret patrols (巡逻) and carrying nuclear arms when they collided.

Le Triomphant had no idea that it had run into HMS Vanguard until several days later. The French navy at first believed that Le Triomphant had hit an “object, probably a container (集装箱)”.

Investigations have begun to work out how such a collision could have happened. Both submarines are equipped with state-of-the-art (最先进的) technology that is supposed to find other submarines. Yet, neither submarine saw the other until it was too late.

One idea being considered was that their anti-sonar (抗声呐) equipment, which hides submarines, was just too effective in hiding one from the other.

Submarines use sonar to sense what is in the sea near them. Sonar is a submarine’s ear. Many sea animals use sonar as well. Dolphins produce high-pitched (声调高的) clicks. When these clicks hit an object, some of the sound will echo (发出回声) back to the “sender”. By listening to the echo and working out the time it took before the echo came back, the dolphin can work out how far away the object is.

There are two kinds of sonar: active sonar, which sends out signals, and passive sonar, which listens for signals with extremely sensitive microphones.

The two submarines were designed to be very quiet and as hidden as possible because a submarine’s job description (工作职责) is not to be found. Many modern submarines do not use active sonar, only passive sonar. This makes it very difficult for a submarine to “hear” if another submarine is near.

Britain’s Ministry of Defense (国防部) has said the collision did not lead to any radioactive leaks (放射物泄漏). The chance of a full nuclear explosion was almost impossible. However, experts say that if the walls of the submarines had broken, or a fire had been started, there could have been a major disaster.

A senior British Navy source told The Sun newspaper that the possible consequences of such a collision were “unthinkable”.

“It’s very unlikely there would have been a nuclear explosion. But a radioactive leak was a possibility. That would have been a national disaster.” he said.

1. What has made HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant well known recently?

A．Their names carried very positive meanings.

B．They collided in the Atlantic this February.

C．They are both equipped with advanced technology.

D．They are both nuclear-armed submarines.

2. What’s the probable reason for the accident?

A．The two submarines were moving at a high speed.

B．Their anti-sonar equipment was too effective.

C．They were not equipped with active sonar.

D．The submarines were designed to be too quiet.

3. Which of the following is the right order in which the dolphin senses the object’s position?
a. The sound hitting the object.
b. Producing high-pitched sound.
c. The sound echoing back.
d. Working out the time to come back.
e. Receiving the sound.

A．b—a—c—d—e	B．d—a—e—c—b
C．b—c—d—a—e	D．b—a—c—e—d

4. Which of the following is NOT true about the passage?

A．Both of the submarines carried nuclear arms when they collided.

B．Many modern submarines do not use passive sonar so as to be as hidden as possible.

C．The collision may have caused a disaster if a fire had been started.

D．There would have been a nuclear explosion if the two submarines had collided harder.

【推荐3】Museum director Sarah Green is a writer, recommending 4 books that influenced her life. Hold Still by Sally Mann (2015)

Mann's story, accompanied by her excellent photography, has given me a model for how to be an artist, wife, mother, daughter, friend, and thoughtful member of humanity, all at the same time.

Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton (2012)

You might not think you want to read a story about an artist-illustrator's past life as a competitive swimmer and her continuing love for swimming, swimming pools and swimsuits. But you do, you really do. Shapton's acute sense memory and sharp essay, coupled with her own experience and photos, are a pleasure from start to finish.

Learning By Heart by Corita Kent and Jan Steward （1992）

Sister Corita Kent was a beloved and revolutionary art teacher in 1960s in Los Angeles and a gifted printmaker. She was also a firm believer in learning by doing, and this is an essential guide to her teaching philosophy.

Kindred by Octavia Butler （1979）

I've never been a fan of science fiction, but this novel rocked my world. You will be completely involved in the thunder-struck reality of a young writer who finds herself traveling between Los Angeles in 1976 and life among her ancestors on an prewar Maryland farm.

1. Who was probably an excellent sports player in the past?

A．Sally Mann.	B．Octavia Butler
C．Corita Kent and Jan Steward.	D．Leanne Shapton.

2. Which book talks about teaching skills?

A．Hold Still.	B．Learning By Heart.
C．Swimming Studies.	D．Kindred.

3. What kind of book is Kindred?

A．A love story.	B．A horror story.
C．A fantasy story.	D．A fairy tale.