1 . It’s easy to assume that a vacation to Bali will cost a small fortune. There are plenty of accommodations, food and local transportation, and even the spas offer massages and treatments at value prices. However, you can easily spend a week or two in Bali for under $2,000, without having to sleep on the beach. Here are a few things to consider when planning Bali on a budget.
What is the best time to visit Bali on a budget?
If you’re on a budget, consider visiting Bali during the lower, wetter season, which runs from October through March. The crowds will be fewer, and both hotel rates and flights from abroad are often cheaper, except during the holiday period between mid-December and early January, when crowds swell. The only trade-off for the lower prices is the wet season. This time of year isn’t always ideal for sunbathing, and serious rainfall can make outdoor activities, such as whitewater rafting and visiting waterfalls and rice terraces, less than appealing. That said, even during rainy season, it doesn’t usually rain all day long. Expect bursts of sunshine between the storms.
What is the cheapest way to get around Bali?
The absolute cheapest way to get around Bali is by local bus, but it can take a long time. There are also tourist buses, including hop-on, hop-off options, that travel between different hubs across the island. Bali is well-served by taxis, both of the car and motorbike variety, and the prices tend to be affordable by international standards. Most drivers will offer you a fixed rate for full-day hires or to get from point A to point B, rather than using a meter.
Remember to bargain; doing so is particularly easy when a driver is on his own rather than at a taxi stand.
How much does food cost in Bali?
If you’re into fine dining, you can end up spending a large chunk of your budget on food. Eating at the average restaurant geared towards tourists is the best way to have a meal in Bali on a budget. A good meal should cost you around 100,000 rupiah (around $7), but if you’re willing to subsist mostly off of local specialties such as nasi goreng (fried rice) and eat at local restaurants, you can expect to pay around 30,000 rupiah ($2) to get fed. Best of all, most hotels and guesthouses in Bali come with free breakfast, and many offer heavier options of noodles and meat that may keep you full until lunch.
1. Which of the following situation can be best described by the underlined word trade-off in paragraph 2?| A．Jack got a reward after he returned the lost bag to its owner. |
| B．Lily spent much money buying some handicrafts at the local fair. |
| C．Wendy cancelled her trip in order to prevent the spread of the virus. |
| D．Sam was scolded by his parents for what he did in school last night. |
| A．It’s better for outdoor enthusiasts to visit Bali during the off season. |
| B．Passengers had better fix the price with drivers before the taxi pulls out from the station. |
| C．If on a tight budget, one is advised to visit Bali at the end of December every year. |
| D．It’s relatively economical to eat merely at average restaurants tailored to visitors. |
| A．City and Transport. | B．Travel and Recreation. |
| C．Nature and Environment. | D．Food and Health. |
2 . March 23, 2016 — Rescue workers found a family in their RV on Tuesday after 17 snowy days in the mountains near the Oregon coast.
Peter Stivers, Marlo Hill Stivers, their two children Sab, 9, and Gab, 8, and Hill Stivers's mother and stepfather, Elbert and Becky Higginbotham, were in the vehicle. On their way home from a trip along the coast, the family got lost in the mountains at an elevation of about 3,800 feet. What’s worse, they were trapped in four feet of snow.
“We had fuel and food, but we were running short,” said Elbert Higginbotham. “We were rationing (定量配给).” When the family was reported missing, rescue teams from Oregon and California searched likely routes to the coast. But with no leads and no idea where the family was heading, those conducting the unsuccessful search eventually called it off.
In the evenings, Sab and Gab entertained the adults by reading jokes from Reader’s Digest aloud. The family members survived mostly on dehydrated (脱水的) food.
On Monday, Hill Stivers and her busband decided to go for help. They packed a tent, wool blankets, tuna fish, honey, and hand-warmers to take into the wilderness with them. The children stayed safe in the RV with their grandparents.
The couple were found the following day by a US Bureau (局) of Land Management worker. A rescue team in a helicopter located the rest of the family. The family was driven out of the snowbound area on snow machines. Parents and children were happily reunited.
“They enjoyed it,” Peter Stivers said of his children’s experience. “They didn’t know we were in trouble.” For the adults, it was quite an ordeal (考验). They had to worry about survival and rescue, and about keeping everyone calm. “I’m so proud of my family,” said Elbert Higginbotham. “They stuck together. They didn’t lose it.”
1. What was the major cause of the family’s bad situation?| A．They ran short of fuel. |
| B．It snowed heavily. |
| C．They couldn't find their way. |
| D．Their RV couldn't move in the snow. |
| A．The rescue search failed for lack of necessary clues. |
| B．The children felt no fear when the family were trapped. |
| C．On Tuesday, the couple were found by a rescue worker. |
| D．The adults performed well in the face of trouble. |
| A．Journal | B．Environment | C．News | D．Exploration |
3 . A small piece of fish each day may keep the heart doctor away. That's the finding of a study of Dutchmen in which deaths from heart disease were more than 50 percent lower among those who consumed at least an ounce of salt water fish per day compared to those who never ate fish.
The Dutch research is one of three human studies that give strong scientific support to the long-held belief that eating fish can provide health benefits, particularly to the heart.
Heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States, with more than 550,000 deaths occurring from heart attacks each year. But previous research has shown that the level of heart disease is lower in cultures that consume more fish than Americans do. There are fewer heart disease deaths, for example, among the Eskimos of Greenland, who consume about 14 ounces of fish a day, and among the Japanese, whose daily fish consumption（消耗）averages more than 3 ounces.
For 20 years, the Dutch study followed 852 middle-aged men, 20 percent of whom ate no fish. At the start of the study, average fish consumption was about two-thirds of an ounce each day, with more men eating lean fish than fatty fish.
During the next two decades, 78 of the men died from heart disease. The fewest deaths were among the group who regularly ate fish, even at levels far lower than those of the Japanese or Eskimos. This relationship was true regardless of other factors such as age, high blood pressure, or blood cholesterol（胆固醇）levels.
1. The passage is mainly about___________.| A．the effect of fish-eating on people's health |
| B．the high incidence of heart disease in some countries |
| C．the changes in people's diet |
| D．the daily fish consumption of people in different cultures |
| A．Advertisements | B．Movies |
| C．Briefs | D．Health and Diet |
| A．in countries of the yellow-skin race |
| B．in the countries with high consumption of fish |
| C．in highly-developed countries |
| D．in the countries with good production of fish |
| A．the kind of fish eaten | B．the amount of fish eater |
| C．regular fish-eating | D．people of different areas |
4 . Crossing your legs is an extremely common habit. You may find it comfortable to sit with one knee crossed over the other, but it might be causing health problems that you are not aware of. A study published in Blood Pressure Monitoring stated that sitting with your legs crossed can increase your blood pressure. This happens because the blood in your legs has to work against gravity to be pumped back to your heart, while the crossed legs increase resistance, making the blood even harder to circulate. You won't feel any immediate effects, but don't keep the posture more than 15 minutes. Get up and walk around at least once every hour.
Crossing your legs can also lead to neck and back pain and make your hips in a twisted position, causing one of your pelvic bones to rotate. Since your pelvic bone supports your neck and spine, this can cause pressure on your lower and middle back and neck.
This sitting habit will make your feet and legs get tingly or have the feeling of being asleep, because it causes pressure on the veins and nerves in your legs and feet, leaving numbness and/or temporary paralysis in the legs, ankles, or feet. While the feeling of discomfort may only last a minute or two, repeatedly crossing your legs until they feel numb can cause permanent nerve damage.
So next time you sit down, try to get yourself in the habit of sitting with both of your feet planted flat on the floor to save your health in the long run.
1. Where does this text probably come from?| A．Science fiction | B．Children's literature |
| C．An advertisement | D．A science report |
| A．feeling comfortable for a long time. |
| B．making your neck and back painful |
| C．having your feet and legs get tingly |
| D．increasing your blood pressure. |
| A．sitting with one knee crossed over the other and back straight. |
| B．sitting with your legs crossed for a long time without any immediate discomfort |
| C．going to walk around at least once an hour while you are sitting with your both feet on the floor. |
| D．remaining sitting with your feet planted flat on the floor all day. |
5 . Who cleans the dishes in an advertisement for dish soap? Maybe you automatically imagine a woman doing the job. Similarly, men are usually the owners and drivers in promotions（广告宣传） for cars. It seems that advertisements have created gender stereotypes （关于性别的刻板印象） for audiences.
Some people think that needs to change. In June, Advertising Standards Authority（ASA）in the UK set out a new rule, which states, “Ads must not include gender stereotypes that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence.”
“The evidence we published last year showed that harmful gender stereotypes in ads contribute to how people see themselves and their role in society. ” Ella Smillie, the ASA's project leader on gender stereotyping, told the BBC.
In the ASA's list of ads，a German milk powder manufacturer（制造商）, for example, wanted to stress that their product helps children develop. Its poster featured a baby girl as a ballet dancer and a baby boy as an engineer.
These stereotypical roles in advertisements may mislead people as to what they can do with their lives. “It may hold some people back from fulfilling their potentials, or from aspiring（渴望） to certain jobs and industries, bringing costs for individuals and the economy,” Smillie told the Guardian.
Some may say that advertising is only a small reason that gender stereotypes exist，and regulating （规范） them won't solve the real problem.
But it can be a start. “While advertising is only one of many factors that contribute to unequal gender outcomes, tougher advertising standards can play an important role in tackling（处理） inequalities and improving outcomes for individuals, the economy and society as a whole,” Guy Parker, chief executive of the ASA, said in a news release.
1. For what purpose did the author write the first paragraph？| A．To entertain readers. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To inform the bad news. | D．To stress the importance of ads. |
| A．Because they can have a negative influence on the audience. |
| B．Because they can increase the costs of many manufacturers. |
| C．Because they can discourage people from making money. |
| D．Because they can help advertisers to promote their products. |
| A．By making a comparison. | B．By providing statistics. |
| C．By presenting research findings. | D．By using examples. |
| A．An advertisement. | B．A legal document. |
| C．A business newspaper. | D．A medical magazine. |
6 . International Volunteering in New Zealand
If you’re visiting New Zealand and would like to volunteer, DOC (Department of Concentration) welcomes you to get involved.
Before you come to New Zealand
You do not need a work visa to volunteer with DOC. You can volunteer on entry to New Zealand as long as you do not receive payment or benefits.
You may need a police certificate
Depending on the volunteer work you do with us, you may be required to provide a police certificate to DOC. Your police certificate would need to be written and certified in English. It’s easier for you if you get a police certificate before you leave your country.
How to get a new police certificate if you’re already in New Zealand. (Click here)
International students
Volunteering with DOC is an option to gain experience. However, DOC does not offer opportunities to students who study at universities outside New Zealand, or other education providers outside New Zealand.
Insurance
For all volunteers with DOC, we strongly advise you gel comprehensive (综合的) travel insurance and unlimited medical cover. DOC does not accept responsibility for any:
● personal medical or accident events.
● loss or damage to personal items of equipment, or other associated costs while you're volunteering with DOC.
1. What may you offer to DOC if you want to volunteer as a foreigner in New Zealand?| A．A police certificate | B．A work visa. |
| C．A university diploma. | D．A driver license. |
| A．An American official who is travelling in New Zealand. |
| B．An English college student who has just been visiting his uncle in New Zealand. |
| C．A Chinese exchange student in the University of Auckland in New Zealand. |
| D．A Chinese businessman with some volunteering experiences. |
| A．A story book. | B．A newspaper. |
| C．A travel guide book. | D．A website. |
7 . The cultures of the East and the West are really different from each other a lot. This is because the culture systems are two separate ones on the whole.
The origin (起源) of the Eastern culture is mainly from two countries: China and India. Both of the two cultures are developed by rivers — the Yellow River in China and the Hindu River in India. They helped the two cultures develop for centuries and form their own styles.
When the two mother rivers gave birth to the Eastern culture, another famous culture was up on the Mesopotamian Plain — the Mesopotamian Civilization. This civilization later on developed into the cultures of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. And these two are well-known as the base of the European culture. Like the Chinese culture, the European culture also crossed waters. When the British settled down in America, their culture went with them over the Atlantic Ocean. So the American culture doesn’t have much difference from the European culture.
At the same time, some other differences add to the cultural differences. Take the language system for example. In the East, most languages belong to the pictographic (象形) language while the western languages are mostly based on the Latin system. Other causes like human race differences count as well. But what’s more, due to the far distance and the steep areas between the East and the west, the two cultures seldom communicate until recent centuries. So they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no interference from the other.
The differences are everywhere. They are obvious and make people’s ways of thinking and their views of the world different. But different cultures make the world of 21st century more colorful. The cultural difference should not be the obstacle (障碍) to the civilization of human being. It ought to be the driving force of our going farther.
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．The origin of cultures. | B．Culture differences. |
| C．Language systems. | D．Colorful world. |
| A．Both of the two cultures have a very long history. |
| B．They have the same mother rivers as the Chinese culture. |
| C．The early settlers from Britain brought their culture to America. |
| D．Both the British and the American live along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. |
| A．difference | B．influence |
| C．confidence | D．environment |
| A．A diary. | B．A magazine. |
| C．A novel. | D．A guidebook. |
