【推荐1】Earth's next superpower

The following countries have been sitting on hidden talents. And now they're about to fly.

NIGERIA (尼日利亚)

Nigeria says it pumps out as much oil as the other two oil-producing countries,Kuwait and Iraq. All this oil is cycling cash into the Nigerian economy and creating extremely rich businessmen. Analysts say that if Nigeria can improve its schools and technology，it could balloon into the world's 13th largest economy by 2050，right between Turkey and Italy. If that reason is not enough for optimism，Nigeria's president also has the sunniest name of any world leader: Goodluck Jonathan.

VIETNAM

As agriculture has given way to industry，unemployment in Vietnam has dropped. What's Vietnam's trick? It's ready to work. Other countries' laborers aren't as cheap as they used to be，which makes Vietnam a relative bargain for companies that need new factories abroad. However，the country has almost no railroads，its highways are in poor condition，and its largest city has just one airport，which was built before the Vietnam War. So what's the use of producing export-ready goods if there's no convenient way to ship them? The good thing is that，however，officials are widening highways，building a new airport and so on.

CHILE (智利)

Pipes，computers，motors，and your microwave all have one thing in common: They're made with copper (铜). Copper makes the world go round. And luckily for Chile， it's got about a third of the planet's copper supply. It just needs a way to dig it up and the government is pouring money into the country's mines.

1. Which country will Nigeria be expected to follow in respect of economy by 2050?

A．Kuwait.	B．Iraq.
C．Turkey.	D．Italy.

2. What's the problem Vietnam is facing?

A．It doesn't have money to build new factories.

B．Its people don't have enough food to eat.

C．It is suffering from the Vietnam War.

D．Its transport system is very poor.

3. What will Chile depend on to get developed?

A．High tech.

B．Natural resources.

C．Investments from other countries.

D．The government's good administration.

4. Which of the following is the best title of the text?

A．Countries with a lot of money	B．Developed countries
C．Countries in great need of money	D．Countries about to take off

【推荐3】Time zone:

Eastern Standard Time(EST): GMT+10 hours.

There is no daylight saving time in Queensland.

Legal drinking age:

18 years and older. Always keep your ID with you to prove your age.

Alcohol(酒) shops & hotels are the only places where alcohol can be bought.

Dangers:

Dial 000 from a fixed line or 112 from a mobile phone. Police, ambulance, fire.

Electricity:

240/250 volts AC 50Hz Universal outlets for 110 volts (shavers only) standard in hotels, apartments, motels.

Telephones:

Australian international code is 61.

Road rules:

Left hand side driving. There is a 50kmh speed limit in most living areas and on open highways100-110kmh. Seat belts must be worn all the time. If you want to hire a car, take along your driver’s license.

No smoking:

Indoors: Indoor areas are no smoking.

Poker Machines: Poker machine areas are no smoking.

Outdoors: Non-enclosed eating and drinking areas are no smoking.

Swimming Safety:

ALWAYS SWIM BETWEEN THE RED AND YELLOW FLAGS and pay attention to the life guards’ advice. Gold Coast beaches are guarded by skilled life guards and volunteers at weekends.

1. The above information is most probably taken from a(an) ______.

A．science magazine	B．education newspaper
C．travel guidebook	D．horror novel

2. If Mr. Black is having a holiday in Queensland, he can ______.

A．drive on the right hand side	B．hire a car with his driver’s license
C．drive at the speed of 120kmh on highways	D．drive his car without wearing the seat belt

3. We can learn from the above information that in Queensland ______.

A．smoking is not allowed in lots of places

B．people can buy alcohol anywhere with ID

C．people can swim beyond the red and yellow flags

D．when a building is on fire, dial 112 from a fixed line

【推荐1】If you enjoy reading, don’t miss Shakespeare and Company when you visit the city of Paris. It is a famous English-language bookstore on the left bank of the river Seine. The first Shakespeare and Company in history was opened in 1919 by an American, Sylvia Beach. Ms. Beach did more than sell books. Her bookstore was also a library, and she even prepared beds for writers visiting there. Ms. Beach was not only kind to people but also good at choosing books, so her bookstore was often visited by writers like Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce. But in 1941, after the Germans took power in Paris, Ms. Beach was told to close her bookstore.

In 1951, another American, George Whitman, opened in Paris another English-language bookstore, Librairie Mistral. Since then, just as Ms. Beach did, Mr Whitman has also made his bookstore a library for people to borrow books, and a free hotel for writers to stay in. To remember Ms. Beach, Mr Whitman changed the name of his bookstore to Shakespeare and Company in 1964, two years after Ms. Beach died.

Next time when you are in Paris, don’t forget to visit this friendly bookstore, and see if you can spend a night there!

1. When was Shakespeare and Company first opened?

A．In 1919.

B．In 1941.

C．In 1951.

D．In 1964.

2. What does Shakespeare and Company do?
a. It sells books.                              b. It lends books.
c. It offers food to readers.             d. It prepares beds for writers.

A．a, b, c

B．a, c, d

C．a, b, d

D．b, c, d

3. Ms. Beach closed her business because _______.

A．she died	B．she was made to do it
C．she left Paris	D．she didn’t manage it well

4. What do we know about Mr. Whitman?

A．He was Ms. Beach’s neighbor.

B．He used to work at Ms. Beach’s bookstore.

C．He opened a bookstore to remember Ms. Beach.

D．He has followed Ms. Beach’s ways of doing business.

【推荐2】If you’re planning on travelling, there are a few simple rules about how to make life easier both before and after your journey.

First of all, always check and double­check departure(出发) time. It is amazing how few people really do this carefully. Once I arrived at the airport a few minutes after ten. My secretary had got the ticket for me and I thought she had said that the plane left at 10:50. When I arrived at the airport, the clerk at the departure desk told me that my flight was closed. Therefore, I had to wait three hours for the next one and missed an important meeting.

The second rule is to remember that even in this age of credit cards, it is still important to have at least a little of the local currency with you when you arrive in a country. This can be necessary if you are flying to a place few tourists normally visit. A few years ago I was sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I flew there from London via Dallas, with very little time to change planes in between. I arrived there at midnight and the bank at the airport was closed. The only way to get to my hotel was by taxi and because I had no dollars, I offered to pay in pounds instead.

“Listen! I only take real money!” the driver said angrily. Luckily I was able to borrow a few dollars from a clerk at the hotel, but it was very embarrassing.

The third and last rule is to find out as much as you can about the weather at your destination before you leave. I feel sorry for some of my workmates who travel in heavy suits and raincoats in May, when it is still fairly cool in London or Manchester, to places like Athens, Rome or Madrid, where it is already beginning to get quite warm during the day.

1. According to the passage, it’s obvious that ________．

A．the author learns some rules of travelling from his own experience

B．the author doesn’t plan his trips or journeys carefully

C．Englishmen like to wear heavy suits wherever they travel

D．the American taxi driver never travels to England

2. What should you make sure first before setting off?

A．Where you will go.	B．When you will leave.
C．How you will travel.	D．Whom you will go with.

3. What does the underlined word “there” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．London.

B．Manchester.

C．Dallas.

D．Tulsa.

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The author tells people to choose warm places as their travel destinations.

B．You should remember to take credit cards when travelling.

C．You should know more about the weather of the place you’ll visit.

D．You should take enough change when you travel to another country.

【推荐3】I got my first driver’s license in 1953 by taking driver education in my first year at Central High School in Charlotte，North Carolina．Four years later when it was time to renew my license I was a married woman．Henry and I were living in Baltimore，Maryland．Two weeks before my 20th birthday，Henry drove me to the motor vehicle office on a hot July afternoon．When I got to the office and showed to the man behind the counter my North Carolina driver’s license，ready to renew，the man told me that I was under age by Maryland law since I was not yet 21．“Mr. Henry Smith，your husband，will have to sign for you,” he said．
I argued，pointing to a very large belly(肚子) of mine，“I am married．I am having a baby．Why should I have to have someone sign for me to drive?”He answered coldly．“It’s the law，madam.”
Henry encouraged me to calm down，just go ahead and get the license and be done with it．“No，”I said．I refused to have him sign for me．So I left without a Maryland license．
I called the North Carolina Motor Vehicle office and renewed my NC license by mail--using my name Susan Brown．And thus it was for the next twelve years．Since Henry was in the army I could drive under my home state license．By the time Henry left the army we were once again living in Maryland，and I had to take the Maryland driver’s exam．Since then I just go in and renew every four years--sign the name Susan Brown，have my new picture taken, and walk out with a license to drive．
1. Susan got her first driver’s license_______．

A．before she got married to Henry

B．when she was twenty years old

C．after she finished high school

D．when she just moved to Maryland

2. Susan failed to renew her license the first time in Maryland because_____．

A．she was forbidden to drive by Maryland law

B．she lacked driving experience in Maryland

C．she was to give birth to a baby soon

D．she insisted on signing for herself

3. We can infer from the text that in the U.S.___________．

A．American males should serve in the army

B．different states may have different laws

C．people have to renew their licenses in their home states

D．women should adopt their husbands’ family names after marriage

【推荐1】In the winter of 1664－1665, the bitter cold fell on London in the days before 25 December. Above the city, an unusually bright comet (彗星) shot across the sky, exciting much prediction of a snowstorm. Outside the city wall, a woman's death was announced and she died of a disease that was spreading in that area. Her house was locked up.

Following that, the virus that had killed the woman would go on to kill nearly 100,000 people living in and around London— almost a third of those who did not flee.

In The Great Plague: The Story of London's Most Deadly Year, historian A. Lloyd Moote and microbiologist Dorothy C. Moote provide a deeply informed account of this plague year. Reading the book, readers are taken from the palaces of the city's wealthiest citizens to the poor areas where the vast majority of Londoners were living, and to the surrounding countryside. The Mootes point out that, even at the height of the plague, the city did not fall into chaos. Doctors and nurses remained in the city to care for the sick; city officials tried their best to fight the crisis with all the legal tools; and commerce continued even as businesses shut down.

To describe life and death in and around London, the authors focus on the experiences of nine individuals. Through their letters and diaries, the Mootes offer fresh descriptions of key issues in the history of the Great Plague: how different communities understood and experienced the disease; how medical and government bodies reacted; how well the social order held together; the economic and moral dilemmas people faced when debating whether to flee the city; and the nature of the material, social, and spiritual resources supporting those who remained. Based on humanity (人性), the authors offer a masterful portrait of a city and its inhabitants who were attacked by and daringly resisted unimaginable horror.

1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?

A．A comet always follows a storm.

B．London was under an approaching threat.

C．London was prepared for the disease.

D．The woman was the beginning of the disease.

2. What do the Mootes say about London during the Great Plague?

A．The city remained organized.

B．The plague spared (饶恕) the rich areas.

C．The people tried a lot in vain.

D．The majority fled and thus survived.

3. Why do the Mootes focus on the nine individuals?

A．They were famous people in history.

B．They all managed to survive the plague.

C．They provided vivid stories of humanity.

D．They united by thinking and acting as one.

4. What's the purpose of this text?

A．To introduce a new book.

B．To correct a misunderstanding.

C．To report a new study.

D．To show respect for the authors.

【推荐2】About sixty years ago, China was known as the "Bicycle Kingdom". But the two-wheeled way of transportation began to become less popular, with many bikes soon replaced by their four-wheeled competitors.

But recent months have seen a revival(复兴) of the bike across China, with an increasing number of people choosing cycling instead of driving to schools, to workplaces or to do sightseeing. The introduction of bike-sharing plans, pioneered by companies like Ofo and Mobike, has brought cycling to a new level. According to the latest data, the first week of this year saw 5, 850,000 active users of Mobike while Ofo had 1,400,000 active users.

People can unlock the shared bikes by simply using their smartphones. The bikes are equipped with GPS and can be left anywhere in public for the next user. They are popular among many Chinese people. “In places where the underground railway doesn't extend, it's so easy to get where you want to go with Mobike,” Hu Hong said. She cycles to her workplace in Shanghai.

Bike-sharing is a greener method of transportation and provides a user-friendly experience. However, the plans have also led to problems such as illegal parking, breaking and stealing. Last month, two nurses in Beijing put locks on two shared bikes. And in December, a man stole a shared bike.

Now Chinese service operators are also trying to solve these problems. Setting credit points is one of the ways. Mobike sets a 100-point credit score for each user, with points taken because of bad behavior. Once a score drops below 80, bike Tental((租金) is increased to 100 yuan per 30 minutes rather than 0.5-1 yuan.

1. From which is the text probably taken?

A．A fashion magazine.	B．A travel guide.
C．A storybook.	D．A newspaper.

2. What’s the close meaning of the underlined word “extend” in the third paragraph?

A．Fill.

B．Reach.

C．Provide.

D．Follow.

3. Why does the writer say: "setting credit points is one of the ways” in the last paragraph?

A．To give an example of how the service operators solve the problems.

B．To show one the of the problems that bike-users meet.

C．To offer an example of how bike rental is increased.

D．To provide a plan for the government to choose and solve the problems.

【推荐3】Recalling their college days,friends Miguel Amaro,Ben Grech and Mariano Kostelec all say that their biggest problem was finding somewhere to live in the first place.

As an international student from Argentina,Mariano had to pay 12 months’ rent in advance to get his place in London.Dutchman Miguel booked some super-expensive residence in Nottingham because he didn’t know any better.Ben from the UK was looking around the streets of Nottingham knocking on doors trying to find a place.

A year after graduating from their own separate universities,the three men realized that there was a business opportunity.They came up with a plan to create an online marketplace matching students with accommodation(住处)。So in 2011 the three started work on their business and website Uniplaces.

They invested around E50,000.Later that year they won first round funding of 200,0000 euros led by the founder of UK property website Zoopla.

From there it was down to business,getting a permanent office in Lisbon,Portugal and persuading landlords(房东)to join the site and checking properties(房产)。The Uniplaces website was then officially launched in 2013,with an initial 50 properties in the Portuguese capital listed on the site.

Mariano,28,says,”We picked Lisbon as our first city as it totally made sense to stay here It is a low cost,good location with access to great talent such as good engineers,and people with excellent language skills,which is great when dealing with so many international students.”

Students using Uniplaces pay one month’s rent in advance via the website,and the sum goes through to the landlord 24 hours after they move in.I hereafter they pay directly to the landlord.Uniplaces takes a service fee of 20%-25%of the student’s first month’s rent

Since its launch,three million nights have been booked through the platform.which currently lists over 40,000 properties.The company has now employed 132 employees

Incomes grew four times in 2016 compared to the previous year.But it hasn’t been all smooth for the three entrepreneurs(创业者)。

1. What is the possible relationship among the three people?

A．Classmates.

B．Roommates.

C．Competitors.

D．Partners.

2. The website Uniplaces is intended to

A．rent rooms for the tourists

B．sell properties for the landlords

C．evaluate properties for residents

D．find accommodation for students

3. Which of the following is most likely to be talked about after the last paragraph?

A．Advantages of making full use of the Internet.

B．The development of the company in the future.

C．Obstacles in the course of running the business.

D．The trend of the online accommodation industry.