1 . San Francisco Fire Engine Tours

San Francisco Winery Tour
Running: February 1st through April 30th

This delicious tour goes through the city on its way to Treasure Island where we will stop at the famous Winery SF. Here you can enjoy 4 pours of some of the best wine San Francisco has to offer.(Included in tickets price)

Departing from the Cannery: Tour times upon request.
Duration(时长): 2 hours
Price: $90
Back to the Fifties Tour
Running: August 16th through August 31st

This tour transports you back in time to one of San Francisco’s most fantastic periods, the 1950s! Enjoy fun history as we take you through San Francisco for a free taste of ice cream.

Departing from the Cannery: 5:00 pm and 7:30 pm
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $90
Spooky Halloween Tour
Running: October 10th through October 31st

Join us for a ride through the historical Presidio district. Authentic fire gear(服装) is provided for your warmth as our entertainers take you to some of the most thrilling parts of San Francisco.

Departing from the Cannery: 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm
Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Price: Available upon request
Holiday Lights Tour
Running: December 6th through December 23rd

This attractive tour takes you to some of San Francisco’s most cheerful holiday scenes. Authentic fire gear is provided for your warmth as you get into the holiday spirit.

Departing from the Cannery: 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm
Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Advance reservations required.
1. Which of the tours is available in March?

A．San Francisco Winery Tour.	B．Back to the Fifties Tour.
C．Spooky Hallowen Tour.	D．Holiday Lights Tour.

2. What can tourists do on Back to the Fifties Tours?

A．Go to Treasure Island.	B．Enjoy the holiday scenes.
C．Have free ice cream.	D．Visit the Presidio district.

3. What are tourists required to do to go on Holiday Lights Tour?

A．Take some drinks.	B．Set off early in the morning.
C．Wear warm clothes.	D．Make reservations in advance.

2 . Top Silk Road Attractions

Terracotta Warriors (兵马俑)

Type: History Museums, Historic Sites

Recommended Length of Visit: 3 hours

As the eighth wonder of the ancient world, it has a history of more than 2, 200 years. Oriental mummies (东方木乃伊) wait for you to discover their mystery.

Mogao Grottoes (莫高窟)

Type: Buddhism, Historic Sites

Recommended Length of Visit: 3 hours

Considered as the eastern Louvre Museum, Mogao Grottoes is a glorious treasure of ancient Buddhist cave art. The history of Mogao Grottoes can be traced back to the “Five Hu — 16Kingdoms” period (AD 304-439).

Big Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔)

Type: Culture & History, Buddhism

Recommended Length of Visit: 2 hours

For hundreds of years, this great pagoda has always been the symbol of Xi’an. It is famous for the great traveler Xuanzang of Tang Dynasty who traveled from China to India to learn the Buddhism and got back to China with many precious Buddhist scriptures (佛经).

Qinghai Lake

Type: Lake

Recommended Length of Visit: 5 hours

Known as the largest inland lake, as well as the largest salt water lake in China, it is the most visited and famous attraction in Qinghai Province. Here, you not only enjoy the fantastic natural beauty, but also experience the amazing culture here.

Please click here to add the attraction to your favorite list. Let us plan a private Silk Road Tour for you!

1. What do Mogao Grottoes and Big Wild Goose Pagoda have in common?

A．Both contain ancient Buddhist cave art.

B．Both are related to history and Buddhism.

C．Both are known as the symbol of Xi’an.

D．Both were constructed during the Tang Dynasty.

2. Which of the following provides tourists with breathtaking natural scenery?

A．Terracotta Warriors.	B．Mogao Grottoes.
C．Big Wild Goose Pagoda.	D．Qinghai Lake.

3. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A novel.	B．A storybook.
C．A website.	D．A magazine.

3 . It’s school time again! You’re probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad that summer is over. Some kids feel nervous or a little scared on the first day of school because of all the new things: new teachers, new friends, and even a new school. Luckily, these “new” worries only stick around for a little while. Let’s find out more about going to a new school.

Most teachers kick off the new school year by introducing themselves and talking about all the stuff you’ll be doing that year. Some teachers give students a chance to tell something about themselves to the rest of the class, too. When teachers do the talking on the first day, they often go over classroom rules and school rules so you’ll know what’s allowed and what’s not. Please pay close attention.

You might already know a lot of people in your classes on the first day, but it’s a great day to make a new friend, so try to say hello to kids you know and new ones that you don’t. Make the first move and you’ll be glad you did, and so will your new friend!

Seeing friends you haven’t seen for some time can make the first day a good one. You can make the day feel special by wearing clothes that you really like. Maybe you got a great T-shirt on one of your vacations, or a pair of sneakers (运动鞋). It also can make you feel good to be prepared and have all the things you need, such as pencils, folders, and whatever else you’ll be needing. But make sure that you pack them the night before in case you don’t have time in the morning.

1. The underlined phrase “kick off” in the second paragraph probably means “________”.

A．start

B．study

C．find

D．learn

2. The last paragraphs mainly tell us about ________.

A．what to know about a new school	B．how to prepare for a new school
C．what to do on your first day of school	D．how to spend your first day of school

3. According to the passage you usually do everything on the first day of school except ________.

A．introduce yourself	B．learn about the school rules
C．make new friends	D．go over your lessons

4. If you happen to see an old friend on the first day of school, from the passage we know that you will feel ________.

A．nervous

B．mad

C．happy

D．upset

4 . I was said to be the worst student in my class and my family thought I was hopeless. I had to _______ sixth grade. At that time a new teacher, Miss Sadia, came to our school.

One day after class, she _______ that I was staying alone during the lunch break. She came to me and began to talk to me. It was just a _______ conversation. After that day, she gave me particular _______ and it made me feel special. I started to work hard because she gave me the feeling that _______ believed me. So my _______ started to improve in her subject.

Months later, she moved into a house near my _______. We would walk home together after school. Her constant support helped me, _______ in my studies. I knew she would _______ my grades both in her subject and the other subjects. So I tried my best and finally ________ second in my class.

Then, after sixth grade, she started to drift apart (逐渐疏远) ________   still kept a constant check on me. By the time I was in seventh grade, we ________ spoke. But by then I had become the ________ in my class. When I left school, I lost ________ with her, as she never answered the ________ when I called her.

Then I graduated and went to a good university. One fine day, our paths ________ again. I met her at a wedding. I could not ________ asking her, “Why did you stop talking to me?”

“Yon are a clever boy. I wanted you to be a tree ________ on your own roots, not depending on others. Now here you are and I feel ________ of you. You are your inspiration and do not need to ________ a shoulder,” she said. I could not say anything, but I smiled. I’ll always thank her.

1.

A．jump

B．attend

C．copy

D．repeat

2.

A．heard

B．noticed

C．agreed

D．avoided

3.

A．stupid

B．useless

C．normal

D．secret

4.

A．attention

B．description

C．explanation

D．examination

5.

A．everyone

B．someone

C．anyone

D．nobody

6.

A．words

B．things

C．classes

D．grades

7.

A．home

B．school

C．hotel

D．company

8.

A．generally

B．actually

C．especially

D．usually

9.

A．change

B．look

C．improve

D．check

10.

A．received

B．came

C．caught

D．held

11.

A．but

B．as

C．or

D．so

12.

A．ever

B．often

C．once

D．hardly

13.

A．oldest

B．strongest

C．best

D．tallest

14.

A．touch

B．heart

C．face

D．weight

15.

A．letter

B．e-mail

C．phone

D．machine

16.

A．missed

B．stopped

C．added

D．crossed

17.

A．finish

B．help

C．prevent

D．keep

18.

A．standing

B．flying

C．making

D．sitting

19.

A．sad

B．proud

C．good

D．ashamed

20.

A．make sure

B．get into

C．look for

D．put up

5 . Learning Chinese could be one of the most important decisions you ever made. Chinese is becoming the language to learn in the 21st century. With the world’s largest population and a rapidly growing middle class, China stands to become the engine of the world’s economy in the coming years. This will make learning Chinese very important to people in many industries, or to those of us who wish to visit China or learn about its culture and history.

There is an ongoing effort to modernize the writing system and standardize(使标准化) the language. An increasing number of people learning Chinese are learning Mandarin, so unless you absolutely need to learn another dialect (such as Cantonese), be sure to study Mandarin.

For native English speakers Chinese is one of the most difficult and most different languages to learn. The vocabulary is wholly unfamiliar and unlike anything we know. In addition, in the Chinese tone system, words are said in rising or falling tones, which helps to distinguish them. Furthermore, there is the Chinese writing system—a collection of thousands of individual ideograms (表意文字), or symbols, which represent a word or an idea. These ideograms have no phonetic value—that is to say, we can’t tell how the word is pronounced by how it is written. There is a way to present written Chinese in a phonetic script called pinyin. If you are learning Chinese, you'll be working with this pinyin system, but the beauty of the traditional writing system shouldn’t be passed up(放弃). All these factors make learning Chinese difficult for us. Yet, for a determined learner, there’s always a way to overcome them.

1. Why is learning Chinese becoming more and more important?

A．Chinese engines are very welcome.

B．China has the world’s largest population.

C．There are more and more rich people in China.

D．China has become important to the world economy.

2. What can we learn from the text?

A．The author thinks Chinese is as difficult as English.

B．The author is interested in the Chinese language and culture.

C．Foreign languages can play a great role in industrial development.

D．As long as the pinyin system is learned well, one can learn Chinese well.

3. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The difficulties of learning Chinese.

B．The advantages of learning Chinese.

C．The Chinese tone system.

D．The Chinese writing system.

4. What would probably be written following this text?

A．The sources of Chinese characters.

B．The importance of learning Chinese.

C．The advice on how to learn Chinese.

D．The difficulties of learning other languages.

6 . Central Park

Explore Central Park, one of the largest city parks in the world and one of the most famous symbols of New York. Let’s have a look at its main sights.

Central Park is New York’s largest city park and one of the biggest in the world, with an area of 843 acres (about 3.4km²). This park is home to man-made lakes, waterfalls, grass and wooded areas. You will also find the Central Park Zoo, among other attractions in this greenspace of New York.

Besides being the city’s primary green lungs, Central Park is also a favorite spot for many New Yorkers. It is perfect for sunbathing, going for walks, or doing any outdoor sports. Something that we found curious is seeing so many people running with their babies in prams (婴儿车).

On Foot or by Bicycle

To get to know some of the wildest parts of Central Park we suggest walking. However, to get a general feel for the whole park, the best thing to do is hire a bicycle and enjoy the scenery.

If you decide to hire a bike, you will find lots of bike rental stores around Central Park that are not very expensive.

Open Time

From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends.

From 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Price

Entry to the Park is free. But if you visit some parts like Central Park Zoo, you need to buy a ticket.

Transport

Subway: Line 5, 6, 7, A, B, C and D．

Bus: Line M1, M2, M3, M4 and M10.

Nearby places

Metropolitan Museum of Art (447 m)

Guggenheim Museum (564 m)

American Museum of Natural History (688 m)

Whitney Museum of American Art (1 km)

The Frick Collection (1.3 km)

1. What can we learn about the Central Park from the text?

A．It is home to lakes and waterfalls.

B．It is perfect for doing outdoor sports.

C．It is the largest city park in the world.

D．It is the most famous symbol of New York.

2. Which one of the following things is free?

A．Hiring a bicycle.	B．Entrance to Central Park.
C．Visiting Central Park Zoo.	D．Going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

3. Where can we find this text?

A．In a science report.	B．In a geography book.
C．In a fashion magazine.	D．In a travel guide.

7 . Owura Kwadwo Hottish teaches computer science in a school. It is a normal school except for the fact that it didn’t have______

Owura became famous after he posted photos of him on the Internet. In the picture. people could see he was teaching his students by______ an entire computer on the blackboard.The photos showed the______level of education for children in Ghana. People were______ that Owura made sure each button was drawn correctly. He would come to school half an hour ahead of______every day. He drew the computer on the blackboard, but at the end of his class, it was______off to start the next class, so he had to______it the next day! Owura’s efforts______when Microsoft took______of his act. They first took him to an international educators’ meeting in Singapore. He made a______about his teaching methods at the meeting and ______a standing ovation(欢呼) after the speech.

______,Owura got the thing he always wanted for his students—some companies______computers to the school. Not a single child in the school had seen a real computer in their lives. Thanks to their teacher’s______the world took care and treat them with ______

1.

A．classrooms

B．computers

C．playgrounds

D．tools

2.

A．operating

B．repairing

C．describing

D．drawing

3.

A．poor

B．unique

C．average

D．avanced

4.

A．annoyed

B．pleased

C．frightened

D．surprised

5.

A．line

B．culture

C．schedule

D．school

6.

A．rubbed

B．called

C．cut

D．shown

7.

A．exchange

B．improve

C．revise

D．repeat

8.

A．broke out

B．paid off

C．came back

D．held back

9.

A．care

B．control

C．place

D．notice

10.

A．suggestion

B．speech

C．decision

D．arrangement

11.

A．made

B．waited

C．received

D．carried

12.

A．Suddenly

B．Importantly

C．Exactly

D．Naturally

13.

A．lent

B．sold

C．donated

D．applied

14.

A．efforts

B．pains

C．legend

D．experiment

15.

A．glory

B．wisdom

C．kindness

D．pride

8 . The following four famous paintings—from Jan van Eyck’s portrait to Pablo Picasso’s masterpiece—have stood the test of time.

The Arnolfini Portrait

The Arnolfini Portrait of Jan van Eyck, an oil painting on wood produced in 1434, in which a man and a woman hold hands with a window behind him and a bed behind her, is undoubtedly one of the masterpieces in the National Gallery, London. This painting is as visually interesting as it is famed. It is also an informative document on fifteenth-century society, through Jan van Eyck’s heavy use of symbolism—while husbands went out to engage in business, wives concerned themselves with domestic duties.

The Starry Night

During his 12—month stay at the mental hospital near Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France between 1889 and 1890, Vincent Willem van Gogh painted The Starry Night, an oil on canvas(帆布), a moderately abstract landscape painting of an expressive night sky over a small hillside village. When the Museum of Modern Art in New York City purchased the painting from a private collector in 1941, it was not well known, but it has since become one of Van Gogh’s most famous works.

The Harvesters

The Harvesters is an oil painting on wood completed by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1565. It depicted the harvest time which most commonly occurred within the months of August and September. Nicolaes Jonghelinck, a merchant banker and art collector from Antwerp, commissioned this painting. The painting has been at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City since 1919.

Guernica

Guernica, a large black-and-white oil painting, was painted by the Cubist Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso in 1937. The title “Guernica” refers to the city that was bombed by Nazi planes during the Spanish Civil War. The painting depicted the horrors of war and as a result, has come to be an anti-war symbol and a reminder of the tragedies of war. Today, the painting is housed at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid.

1. Which of the following paintings was produced earliest?

A．Guernica.	B．The Harvesters.
C．The Starry Night.	D．The Arnolfini Portrait.

2. Who created the painting describing the harvest season?

A．Pieter Bruegel the Elder.	B．Vincent Willem van Gogh.
C．Jan van Eyck.	D．Pablo Picasso.

3. What do we know about The Starry Night?

A．It was an oil painting on wood.

B．It depicted the painter’s life in mental hospital.

C．It wasn’t widely recognized before 1941.

D．It was given away to the museum by a private collector.

9 . When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.

Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note — “Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery” — and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically (魔术般) appear.

All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.

There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.

Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊) . Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.

1. Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer to __________.

A．show his magical power	B．pay for the delivery
C．satisfy his curiosity	D．please his mother

2. What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy’s house?

A．He wanted to have tea there.	B．He was a respectable person.
C．He was treated as a family member.	D．He was fully trusted by the family.

3. Why does home milk delivery no longer exist?

A．Nobody wants to be a milkman now.	B．It has been driven out of the market.
C．Its service is getting poor.	D．It is not allowed by law.

4. Why did the author bring back home an old milk box?

A．He missed the good old days.	B．He wanted to tell interesting stories.
C．He needed it for his milk bottles.	D．He planted flowers in it.

10 . Tired of standing in line? Wait a bit longer, and you may never have to again.

Amazon has opened 24 of its Amazon Go stores, which use cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) to see what you’ve taken off shelves and charge you as you walk out. Some companies are closely copying Amazon’s approach to using AI-powered cameras fixed in ceilings. But others are trying an entirely different way to skip the checkout: smart shopping carts. These companies have added cameras and sensors (传感器) to the carts, and are using AI to tell what you’ve put in them. Customers pay by entering a credit card, or through an online payment system. When a customer exits the store a green light on the shopping cart shows that their order is complete, and they’re charged.

The companies behind the smart carts, including Caper and Veeve, say it’s much easier to add technology to the shopping cart than to an entire store. Amazon’s Go stores rely on hundreds of cameras in the ceiling. The shelves also include sensors to tell when an item is removed. Ahmed Beshry, co-founder of Caper, believes the technology to run Go is too expensive to use in a large-format grocery store. Neither Caper nor Veeve has said how much their smart shopping carts will cost, making it difficult to compare the different formats. Shariq Siddiqui, CEO of Veeve, said, “We’re always happy when Amazon is doing something. They force retailers (零售店) to get out of their old school thinking.”   

Each time a business uses AI and cameras, it raises questions about customers’ privacy and the effect on jobs. Beshry notes that the cameras in his shopping cart point down into the cart, so only a customer’s hand and part of their arm will be captured (拍摄) on camera.

1. What do we know about the smart shopping carts?

A．They are able to recognize goods put in them.

B．They are linked to the cameras fixed in the ceilings.

C．They flash the green light when the order is canceled.

D．They can tell customers where to find what they want.

2. What does Beshry think of the technology used in Amazon’s Go stores?

A．It is likely to help retailers to think differently.

B．It has attracted many more retailers than before.

C．It is far more expensive than their shopping carts.

D．It may reduce the cost of running a store greatly.

3. When it comes to AI and cameras, what makes the public worried most?

A．That they can only buy goods online.

B．That goods in the stores may be more expensive.

C．That they have to wait in a line for a longer time.

D．That somebody may know their privacy.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．The new technology improves retail sale.

B．AI-powered cameras are used in retail stores.

C．Artificial intelligence affects the future of job market.

D．Smart shopping carts will let you skip the line.