1 . If you really want to enjoy what Bermuda has to offer, cruising (乘船游览) there is the way to go. Not only is it fun, it is also affordable. It’s advisable to come in summer (Mid May- August).
BOOKING YOUR CRUISE
Most tourists prefer small cruise lines that dock in downtown Hamilton. It’s an ideal destination since it’s right on Front Street, from where you can easily get to Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda, and other parts of the island. Large cruise lines dock at Royal Navy Dockyard, which is inconveniently situated at the far western end of the Island.
TRANSPORTATION
Getting off a small cruise, you can easily go to Hamilton and other places by bus. From Royal Navy Dockyard, you can take a bus, a taxi or a boat. The most saving way of travelling around is by buying a day’s pass. You will enjoy unlimited transportation services using any public means.
ATTRACTIONS
The Bermuda Caves (洞穴)
This is a popular attraction that you have to tour. Anyone who loves to explore caves will definitely enjoy this place. You’d better wear sports shoes as some caves are a bit wet and slippery.
Beaches of Bermuda
Your trip to Bermuda is surely incomplete without spending some time at the amazing pink-sand beaches. Try Tobacco Bay and Horseshoe Bay, which are suitable for family visits. Bermuda is the world’s most famous shipwreck (沉船) site. If you’re a good diver, there are too many shipwrecks waiting to be discovered.
Sea Glass
If you want to pass time doing something for fun, head straight to the Alexander battery beach to collect lots of sea glass.
1. When is the best time to cruise Bermuda?| A．April. | B．July. | C．October. | D．November. |
| A．Buy a day’s pass to travel around the island. |
| B．Book a small ship at Royal Navy Dockyard. |
| C．Keep away from the crowded beaches. |
| D．Collect sea glass at Horseshoe Bay. |
| A．Exploring the far eastern end of the island. |
| B．Taking a bus to visit the capital city. |
| C．Diving to discover sunken ships. |
| D．Walking in the Bermuda Caves. |
2 . Help Hermit Crabs
Hermit crabs are nature’s recyclers. They eat waste and help keep oceans and shores clean. Unlike other crabs, the hermit crab has a thin outer shell over its soft tail. This makes the hermit crab easy prey for hungry predators. Hermit crabs stay safe by living in old seashells. A hermit crab is picky; it tries on many shells until it finds one that fits just right. In recent years, however, many hermit crabs have had trouble finding their perfect homes. What is the problems There are not enough shells to go around!
One reason for the seashell shortage is that ocean water is not as clean as it once was. This has caused chemical changes to sea water. Some sea animals, like snails, are affected by these changes. Now there are fewer snails making shells. People visiting the beach often take shells home as souvenirs. This is another problem. Other people even take shells for their own pet hermit crabs! They do not realize that hermit crabs in the wild need those shells too.
Now people are working to solve this hermit crab housing shortage. They are teaching beach-Boers to leave seashells where they belong — at the seashore! Some people even make fake seashells that they hope the hermit crabs will like. For example, a group called Project Shelter invited people who visited their website to create different designs for hermit crab shells.
These designers had a lot to consider. What kind of material should be used to build a seashells. The material must be light enough for the hermit crab to carry, but strong enough to protect the crab from predators. The man-made shells could not contain glue or any other substance that might harm a hermit crab. Another challenge with building a hermit crab home was the opening to the shell. Too big would mean the crab would not feel safe. Too small would be uncomfortable, and the crab would not want to move in.
The Project Shelter shells are placed in the wild for hermit crabs to find. Lucky hermit crabs can move into these new dream homes.
1. Where can hermit crabs stay safe?| A．In different old seashells. | B．Behind the waste they’ll eat. |
| C．In their own thin outer shells. | D．Under the stones at the seashore. |
| A．The methods to recycle the wastes. | B．The ways to help the hermit crabs. |
| C．The materials of seashells. | D．The designs of websites. |
| A．man-made | B．perfect | C．hard | D．comfortable |
| A．The Project Shelter Group. | B．The shortage of the seashell. |
| C．New homes for hermit crabs. | D．The recyclers of the nature. |
3 . I believe even the smartest people have to work hard to achieve success. People make themselves into winners by their own
Many years ago, I took the head
I started doing anything I could to help them build a little
Six months after our defeat, we won our first game and our second, and continued to
| A．tests | B．luck | C．efforts | D．nature |
| A．operating | B．editing | C．consulting | D．coaching |
| A．new | B．excellent | C．strong | D．successful |
| A．cheer for | B．prepare for | C．help with | D．finish with |
| A．realize | B．claim | C．permit | D．demand |
| A．decision | B．attitude | C．conclusion | D．intention |
| A．pride | B．culture | C．fortune | D．relationship |
| A．leaders | B．partners | C．winners | D．learners |
| A．risked | B．missed | C．considered | D．practiced |
| A．expand | B．improve | C．relax | D．defend |
| A．shame | B．burden | C．victory | D．favor |
| A．chance | B．joy | C．concern | D．offer |
| A．surprise | B．relate | C．interest | D．affect |
| A．encouraged | B．observed | C．protected | D．impressed |
| A．naturally | B．individually | C．calmly | D．differently |
4 . Imagine a cat that does not need someone to clean up after it keeps an older people company and helps them remember to take their medicine. That is the shared dream of the toy maker Hasbro and scientists at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The researchers received a $ 3-million-dollar from the National Science Foundation for a special project. They want to find ways to add artificial intelligence, or AI, to Hasbro’s “Joy for All” robotic cat.
The cat has already been for sale for two years. Though priced at over 1,000 dollars, it sold quite well. It was meant to act as a “companion”(陪伴) for older people. Now the project is aimed at developing additional abilities for the cat. Researchers are working to decide which activities older adults may need the most. They hope to make the cat perform a small number of activities very well. Such activities include finding lost objects and reminding the older people to take medicine or visit their doctor. They also want to keep the cost down to just a few hundred dollars.
It is an idea that has appealed (有吸引力) to Jeanne Elliott. Her 93-year-old mother Mary Derr lives with her in South Kingstown. Derr has dementia (痴呆). The Joy for All cat that Elliot bought this year has become a true companion for Derr. The cat stays with Derr and keeps her relaxed while Elliott is at work. Elliot said a robotic cat that helps her mother to remember to take her medicine and be careful when she walks would be greater.
The researchers are trying to learn how the improved cats will complete helpful activities and how they will communicate. They say that they do not want a talking cat, however. Instead they are trying to design a cat that can move its head in a special way to successfully communicate its message. In the end, they hope to create an exchange between the human and the cat in which the human feels the cat needs them. By doing so, the researchers hope they can even help prevent feelings of loneliness and sadness among elderly people.
1. What’s the purpose of the project?| A．To reduce the pain of the elderly. |
| B．To increase the sales of a medicine. |
| C．To help make the robotic cat smarter. |
| D．To invent a robotic cat for the elderly. |
| A．It will be on sale in two years. |
| B．It may be cheaper in the future. |
| C．Its abilities will be made simpler for the elderly. |
| D．It can tell the activities that older adults need the most. |
| A．The cat gives much help to the elderly. |
| B．The cat works well to talk with the patient. |
| C．The cat can make the dementia patient less painful. |
| D．The cat should be designed to satisfy patients’ need. |
| A．Each family can afford such a cat in the future. |
| B．A talking cat is quite popular among the elderly. |
| C．Feelings of sadness among the elderly are unavoidable. |
| D．The feeling of being needed is important to the elderly. |
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of other families were touched by the Hatches’ generosity. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars; in others, it was more than ＄100,000.
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than ＄3 million--they were an elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm.
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving. They liked comparison shopping and would routinely go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase.
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camp when their parents couldn’t afford it. “Ish and Arlene never asked if you needed anything.” says their friend Sandy Van Weelden. “They could see things they could do to make you happier, and they would do them.”
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches had their farmland distributed. It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy, a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cents, should enrich the whole community and last for generations to come.
Neighbors helping neighbors -- that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story.
1. According to the text, the Fusses_________.
| A．were employed by a truck company |
| B．were in financial difficulty |
| C．worked in a school cafeteria |
| D．lost their home |
| A．They had their children during the Great Depression. |
| B．They left the family farm to live in an old house. |
| C．They gave away their possessions to their neighbors. |
| D．They helped their neighbors to find jobs |
| A．They decided to open a store. |
| B．They wanted to save money. |
| C．They couldn’t afford expensive things. |
| D．They wanted to buy gifts for local kids. |
| A．understanding | B．optimistic | C．childlike | D．curious |
| A．The community of Alto was poor. |
| B．The summer camp was attractive to the parents. |
| C．Sandy Van Weelden got a legacy from the Hatches |
| D．The Hatches would like the neighbors to follow their example. |
6 . Learning a second language is tough at any age. Now, in a new study, scientist have found out the exact age after which your chances of reaching fluency（流利）in a second language seem to plummet:10.
The study published in the journal Cognition, found that it's "nearly impossible" for language learners to reach native-level（母语水平）fluency if they start learning a second language after age 10. "It turns out you're still learning fast," says study co-author Joshua Hartshorne. "It's just that you run out of time, because your ability to learn starts dropping at around 17 or 18 years old," People who start a few years after age 10 may still become quite good at a language, the authors say, but they are unlikely to become fluent.
Kids may be better than adults at learning new languages for many reasons. Children's brains are more plastic than those of adults, meaning they're better able to adapt and respond to new information. Kids may also be more willing to try new things than adults are. Their comparatively new understanding of their native language may also be advantageous.
These findings may seem discouraging, but it was inspiring for scientists to learn that the key period for fluent language learning might be longer than previously thought. Some scientists believed that the window begins to close shortly after birth, while others made it longer to very early childhood. Compared with those judgments-age 17 or 18 —when language learning ability start to drop off—seems relatively old.
For this study, the researchers created an online test promising to guess people's native language and home country based on their responses to English grammar questions. Almost 670,000 people took it, giving the researchers huge amounts of data from English speakers of many ages and backgrounds. Examining the responses and grammar mistakes allowed them to made unusually exact judgments about language learning.
1. What does the underlined word "plummet" in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Drop sharply. | B．Increase greatly. |
| C．Appear gradually. | D．Double suddenly. |
| A．Adults tend to perform badly in learning a second language. |
| B．Children are at an advantage in acquiring a new language. |
| C．All these new findings are quite discouraging for scientists. |
| D．People have different key periods for mastering a language. |
| A．The purpose of the study. | B．The findings of the study. |
| C．The subject of the study. | D．The process of the study. |
| A．Kids Are Better at Learning New Languages |
| B．Adults Can't Learn a Second Language Well |
| C．Never Say Die When Learning a New Language |
| D．Better to Learn a New Language Before Age 10 |
7 . How I Turned to Be Optimistic
I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt＇s house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times. ”
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: Almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.
1. How did the author get to know America?
| A．From her relatives. | B．From her mother. |
| C．From Books and pictures. | D．From radio programs. |
| A．confused | B．excited |
| C．worried | D．amazed |
| A．often lost her way |
| B．did not think about her future |
| C．studied in three different schools |
| D．got on well with her stepfather |
| A．She worked as a translator. |
| B．She attended a lot of job interviews. |
| C．She paid telephone bills for her family. |
| D．She helped her family with her English. |
| A．her future will be free from troubles |
| B．it is difficult to learn to become patient |
| C．there are more good things than bad things |
| D．good things will happen if one keeps trying |
Martin Doherty, a psychologist at the University of Stirling in Scotland, led the team of scientists. In this experiment, Doherty and his team tested the perception(观察力) of some people, using pictures of some orange circles. The researchers showed the same pictures to two groups of people. The first group included 151 children aged 4 to 10, and the second group included 24 adults aged 18 to 25.
The first group of pictures showed two circles alone on a white background. One of the circles was larger than the other, and these people were asked to identify the larger one. Four-year-olds identified the correct circle 79 percent of the time. Adults identified the correct circle 95 percent of the time.
Next, both groups were shown a picture where the orange circles, again of different sizes, were surrounded by gray circles. Here’s where the trick lies in. In some of the pictures, the smaller orange circle was surrounded by even smaller gray circles — making the orange circle appear larger than the other orange circle, which was the real larger one. And the larger orange circle was surrounded by even bigger gray circles — so it appeared to be smaller than the real smaller orange circle.
When young children aged 4 to 6 looked at these tricky pictures, they weren’t fooled—they were still able to find the bigger circle with roughly the same accuracy as before. Older children and adults, on the other hand, did not do as well. Older children often identified the smaller circle as the larger one, and adults got it wrong most of the time.
As children get older, Doherty said, their brains may develop the ability to identify visual context. In other words, they will begin to process the whole picture at once: the tricky gray circles, as well as the orange circle in the middle. As a result, they’re more likely to fall for this kind of visual trick.
1. Doherty and his team of scientists did an experiment to evaluate .
| A．children’s and adults’ eye-sight |
| B．people’s ability to see accurately |
| C．children’s and adults’ brains |
| D．the influence of people’s age |
| A．children at 6 got it wrong 79 % of the time with no gray ones around |
| B．only adults over 18 got it right 95% of the time with gray ones around |
| C．children at 4 got it right about 79 % of the time with gray ones around |
| D．adults got it right most of the time with gray ones around |
| A．a smaller orange circle appears bigger on a white background |
| B．an orange circle appears bigger than a gray one of the same size |
| C．a circle surrounded by other circles looks bigger than its real size |
| D．a circle surrounded by bigger ones looks smaller than its real size |
| A．4 | B．6 | C．10 | D．18 |
| A．Because they are smarter than older children and adults. |
| B．Because older people are influenced by their experience. |
| C．Because people’s eyes become weaker as they grow older. |
| D．Because their brain can hardly notice related things together. |
