1 . The hens look up at me from their nesting boxes. They seem slightly annoyed but unsurprised. A child runs up, pushes one of the chickens aside, and snatches two eggs. Around me, a half-dozen more children and adults collect eggs while a half-dozen others hand-feed dried mealworms to birds flocking around our ankles. I reach for an egg from an empty nest. There is something perfect about the way it fits warmly in the palm of my hand before I transfer it into a pretty wire basket provided to me by my hosts.

The egg harvest is a brief, carefully designed agritourism experience offering an experience of the labor rather than just having a bite of food. Snatching a few eggs and uprooting a few vegetables on the farm tour don’t constitute a full day’s work, but it is also a useful reminder that food doesn’t just magically appear on restaurant plates and grocery store shelves. Of course, visitors can take those eggs home or bring them to the on-farm restaurant, Clay, where a chef will use them to prepare breakfast.

A few centuries of industrialization, urbanization, and globalization have collected people into cities, but the attraction of the countryside has always remained. In the new urban-centered world, enterprising farmers have found plenty of opportunities to sell their rural lifestyle along with their crops. Italy promoted the modern model for combining agriculture and tourism in the wake of World War II, when the national government encouraged rural populations to continue producing food rather than move to urban areas in search of more profitable jobs.

Agritourism acts as an umbrella term for a wide variety of activities that take place on farms, including farmstays, where guests sleep on-site. For varying investments of time, energy, and money, anyone can engage in our farming system, giving consumers a peek behind the farm-to-table world.

1. Why does the author describe children and adults collecting eggs in the beginning?

A．To introduce agritourism.

B．To describe the use of eggs.

C．To show the innocence of the children.

D．To emphasize the happiness of the children and adults.

2. What is accessible to consumers in agritourism activities?

A．Engaging in planting vegetables in person.

B．Doing some simple but meaningful farm-work.

C．Enjoying some self-made egg products on the farm.

D．Clarifying the farm-to-table concept through practice.

3. What can you learn from the last two paragraphs?

A．The appeal of rural life gradually fade away due to industrialization.

B．The desire to search for more well-paid jobs accelerated the speed of agritourism.

C．Italian government’s calls contributed a lot to the trend of moving from villages to cities.

D．Promising farmers were dedicated to promoting their lifestyle along with agricultural products.

4. What is the author’s attitude toward agritourism?

A．Doubtful.

B．Dismissive.

C．Supportive.

D．Sympathetic.

2 . When I was in third grade, my family and I took on an unforgettable trip across the country. It turned out to be more than just a/an _______ journey; it was a journey of discovery into our _______. Every day, Dad _______ us with his trusty road map. Mom, the heart of our family, shared folk tales and painted pictures about the upcoming _______. We went through diverse _______from the thick forests to the vast deserts of the West.

One day, while hiking through the Grand Canyon, I _______   a particularly rough path. Frightened, I _______, not knowing how to proceed. That’s when my parents _______ .

As Dad showed me footholds, Mom coached me with calming _______and reminded me of the breathtaking views that lay ahead. Then, I________the confidence as my feet ________ solid ground again. When I finally overcame my fear, I felt we became ________ as a family.

From then on, every evening, we’d gather around a campfire for what we________called “Family Reflection Time”. During these sessions, we’d share laughs, ________, and insights from the day’s experiences.

The trip taught me that the true meaning of travel isn’t merely about reaching the destination but about the personal growth that happens on the route, and the family bonds formed when facing ________ together.

1.

A．crowded

B．physical

C．creative

D．necessary

2.

A．relationships

B．potentials

C．dreams

D．inspirations

3.

A．guided

B．encouraged

C．comforted

D．attracted

4.

A．events

B．stations

C．locations

D．shows

5.

A．cultures

B．landscapes

C．groups

D．countries

6.

A．imagined

B．constructed

C．smoothed

D．encountered

7.

A．froze

B．flew

C．fell

D．forgot

8.

A．reached down

B．stood aside

C．stepped in

D．turned back

9.

A．words

B．worries

C．noises

D．thoughts

10.

A．lost

B．maintained

C．demonstrate

D．restored

11.

A．left

B．broke

C．found

D．dug

12.

A．nicer

B．tougher

C．braver

D．closer

13.

A．originally

B．affectionately

C．frequently

D．simply

14.

A．sympathy

B．conflict

C．tears

D．profits

15.

A．challenges

B．defeats

C．opposition

D．uncertainty

3 . The summer holidays have just begun, but it is a busy morning at Cadoxton Primary School, in Barry, an industrial town in Wales. It runs a summer programme for hard-up (拮据的) children, providing meals and activities over the holidays with the aim of helping kids to spend the time more meaningfully. As young people run laughing and screaming into the school cafeteria for breakfast, their parents hung out, some visibly relieved. Just three days into the six-week school holidays one mother says her nine-year-old daughter has already asked five times to go bowling. “Without the school’s help,” she says, “it would be a long and expensive six weeks.”

In the popular imagination, school summer holidays conjure up (使……呈现于脑际) a picture of carefree youthful exploration. But many parents rely on the term-time services that schools give their kids, such as tutors and meals. If the holidays approach, they can suddenly find their schedules and budgets stretched. Researchers also say that the long break often sets back children’s learning, and that children from poorer backgrounds are desperately affected due to their shortage of money.

Many poor children fall behind their wealthier peers over the holidays. “Summer is the most unequal time of the year,” says Matthew Boulay of the National Summer Learning Association. “Well-off parents can fill the gap left by school and consolidate (使巩固) their children’s unfamiliar knowledge well, keeping their children stimulated with summer camps, trips abroad or private tutors. Poorer families, apparently, find this harder, since their income is relatively low and demand for sponsored activities offered by governments,” he adds.

Holidays can be a financial stress, which is absolutely true. In countries where some children receive free school meals, summer means bigger grocery bills for hard-up families. Households where both parents work have to pay for extra childcare, too. The Family and Childcare Trust, a charity, says that in Britain, where childcare costs are the highest in the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries. Parents will spend an average of 33 per child per week on childcare this summer, mainly because of the sharp shortage of governmental funding sponsor.

1. What is the purpose of the summer programme?

A．To lengthen students’ school life.	B．To keep students busy all the time.
C．To provide students with free meals.	D．To enrich students’ summer holidays.

2. What does the underlined word “stretched” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Rich.

B．Tight.

C．Reasonable.

D．Affordable.

3. Which statement does Matthew Boulay probably agree with?

A．Badly-off parents are likely to give up sponsoring their kids.

B．Well-off parents are unwilling to offer their kids extra tutors.

C．Students from poor family can well deal with the peer pressure.

D．Students from rich family can strengthen their learned knowledge.

4. Why must British parents pay for the childcare in summer holiday?

A．Because of insufficiency of free tutors.	B．Because of shortage of social sponsor.
C．Because of shortage of free school meals.	D．Because of lack of governmental support.

5 . My photographs are the items I would definitely take or guard in case of an emergency. But what else? This was the question I asked myself as a ________ came toward us.

Unlike some friends and________, we decided to stay in our home. We didn’t have to choose what we would save by ________ it into the car, but we still had to decide what required protection by storing it in our walk-in closet. Surprisingly, few items made the cut - an obvious ________ that we had surrounded ourselves with beautiful yet unessential items. We needed ________ for the truly important things: ourselves.

Because when you hear the roar of the winds, or when something ________ hard against your windows, you don’t think of photos.You don’t worry about your big screen TV, or those paintings you’ve covered with towels to protect them, or that ________ car that you still haven’t finished paying for.

As ________ goes on outside, this is what you think: My children, are they OK? Are their impact-resistant(耐冲击的) windows working ________? Are their roofs keeping out the damage? My grandchildren, are they crying out in fear? Are they ________ as their own grandparents are? My relatives — yes, even those I try to avoid — have they ________ the worst of it? My friends, will they be forced to move somewhere else permanently? You don’t think about what you own but about what you love; what money can’t buy back.

Months and years after the hurricane, I often told people that there are two parts to ________ this kind of catastrophe: the horror of the hurricane itself and then the rebuilding that follows. The ________ together of a life, however, will take months, perhaps years.

But we will do it, ________ and as a community. Of that I have no doubt. In fact, I’ll make one more prediction. Piece by piece, item by item, we will once again collect the material possessions that decorate a home. I hate to admit this, but lessons learned ________ fear aren’t always long-lasting.

1.

A．flood

B．drought

C．wildfire

D．hurricane

2.

A．hosts

B．partners

C．relatives

D．architects

3.

A．applying

B．packing

C．exchanging

D．delivering

4.

A．sign

B．gap

C．clue

D．summary

5.

A．kit

B．gym

C．space

D．greenhouse

6.

A．rests

B．erupts

C．carves

D．cracks

7.

A．cheap

B．expensive

C．graceful

D．economic

8.

A．destruction

B．appreciation

C．challenge

D．determination

9.

A．as usual

B．as follows

C．as scheduled

D．as promised

10.

A．annoyed

B．amazed

C．confused

D．frightened

11.

A．escaped

B．protested

C．identified

D．processed

12.

A．causing

B．preventing

C．surviving

D．suffering

13.

A．cutting out

B．putting back

C．giving up

D．working out

14.

A．devotedly

B．creatively

C．individually

D．dependently

15.

A．in favor of

B．in times of

C．in need of

D．in search of

6 . When I was young, I struggled with body image and disordered eating. I used disordered eating to deal with my _________ and feel more in control of my life. Afterwards, I’d over-exercise to_________my body for what I’d eaten, especially if I thought the _________ too much.

But later I realized how unhealthy my _________ were. A happier life was possible, the one in which I’d hang out with friends and join in enjoyable exercise in my free time _________. I wanted to have a wonderful life filled with amazing _________. In response to it, I stopped punishing my body and began to _________ it right. My body and I had done nothing _________ in eating and enjoying food, but my life would be happier once I was healthier.

Once I became healthier, I dove back into _________.   I attended Zumba classes with an old roommate. I ____________ how cool it was and how privileged I was that my body could do so many fancy dance moves. I even became one of the ____________ of the technique award.

We live in a world where feeling okay about our eating and body image is close to ____________sometimes. But a life free of diet culture and body ____________ is the one that everyone should fight for. I’m so ____________ that I’m able to exercise my body through dancing, and here I want to ____________other particular body’s abilities。

1.

A．passion

B．emotions

C．initiative

D．principle

2.

A．abuse

B．involve

C．punish

D．defeat

3.

A．amount

B．quantity

C．quality

D．calorie

4.

A．reactions

B．thoughts

C．performances

D．behaviors

5.

A．easily

B．quietly

C．actively

D．eagerly

6.

A．memories

B．adventures

C．challenges

D．secrets

7.

A．keep

B．change

C．make

D．treat

8.

A．harmful

B．wrong

C．optimistic

D．painful

9.

A．perform

B．dance

C．paint

D．exercise

10.

A．doubted

B．responded

C．realized

D．imagined

11.

A．creators

B．winners

C．designers

D．collectors

12.

A．innocent

B．unfortunate

C．incorrect

D．impossible

13.

A．judgment

B．structure

C．energy

D．language

14.

A．merciful

B．hopeful

C．grateful

D．peaceful

15.

A．celebrate

B．restrict

C．discover

D．seek

8 . Just about 50 years ago, needing money to support my family—my novels weren’t bestsellers—I had the idea of taking the longest train trip imaginable and writing a travel book about it. The trip was improvisational (即兴的). I didn’t have a credit card. I had no idea where I’d be staying nor how long this trip would take. And I’d never written a travel book before. I hoped my trip wouldn’t suffer a lot, though it was obviously a leap in the dark.

I set off with one small bag containing clothes, a map of Asia, a travel guidebook and some travelers’ cheques. I was often inconvenienced, sometimes threatened, now and then disturbed for bribes, occasionally laid up with food poisoning—all this vivid detail for my narrative.

What I repeated in the more than four-month trip was the pleasure of the sleeping car. Writing on board the Khyber Mail to Lahore in Pakistan, “The romance associated with the sleeping car comes from the fact that it is extremely private, combining the best features of a cupboard with forward movement. Whatever drama is being shown in this moving bedroom is heightened by the landscape passing the window...” A train is a carrier that allows residence.

I wrote The Great Railway Bazaar on my return in 1974, and it appeared to good reviews and quick sales. That’s the past. Nothing is the same. All travel is time-related. All such trips are singular and unrepeatable. It’s not just that the steam trains of Asia are gone, but much of the peace and order is gone. Who’d risk an Iranian train now or take a bus through Afghanistan?

But I’ve been surprised by some of the more recent developments in travel. I rode on Chinese trains for a year and wrote Riding the Iron Rooster, but now China has much cleaner and swifter trains and modernized destinations. A traveler today could take the same trip I took in 1986—1987 and produce a completely different book.

All travel books are dated. That’s their fault that they’re outdated, and it’s their virtue that they preserve something of the past that would otherwise be lost.

1. What happened at the beginning of the author’s trip to Asia?

A．He made full preparations for the trip.

B．He had expected the journey to be rough.

C．He organized the trip with his family’s support.

D．He started the trip out of his passion for traveling.

2. Why did the author repeatedly recall the sleeping car?

A．For its romantic scenery.	B．For its reassuring privacy.
C．For its full equipment.	D．For its long distance.

3. What did the author try to convey by saying “Nothing is the same”?

A．The landscape in Asia was gone.	B．Train trip was no longer popular.
C．He couldn’t write another bestseller.	D．Transportation and travel had changed a lot.

4. Which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?

A．Practice makes perfect.	B．Sharp tools make good work.
C．Travel, truth is not the arrival card.	D．The journey, not the arrival matters.