1 . Featured Bike Tours in Italy
Lake Como & the Italian Lake District
Italy’s Lake Com o tour is deeply loved by cyclists. Among dramatic hills and waters, riding is relatively easy along flat bike paths and breathtaking valleys. The beautiful waters of three major lakes — Garda, Iseo and Como — are never far from sight as you sample good wines in Franciacorta.
Daily Mileage:7 — 32 miles
Cycling Level: Moderate
Cost: $395
Tuscany, Lucca to Siena
On this self-guided bicycling vacation, you’ll ride from Lucca to Siena at your own pace. Visit Leonardo da Vinci’s hometown of Vinci. Ride into the famous wine region of Chianti. Stay in welcoming hotels along the way.
Daily Mileage: 3 — 40 miles
Cycling Level: Moderate /Challenging
Cost:$265
Valleys of the Dolomites
Road cycling the Dolomites was never easier, as you ride along mostly flat or downhill bike paths. Along the way, you’ll explore historic cities, and meet an ancient culture found nowhere else on Earth. You’ll also be fueled by local meals and end each day in 4-star accommodations!
Daily Mileage: 4 — 36 miles
Cycling Level: Easy
Cost: $595
Coastal Villages of Tuscany
Tuscany’s amazingly beautiful coast begs to be explored by bicycle. Beautiful towns dot (星罗棋布于) the countryside, surrounded by trees that hug the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. At the end of each day, you can relax in the natural pool and springs of an Etruscan caldarium (高温浴室).
Daily Mileage: 8 — 39 miles
Cycling Level: Moderate
Cost:$475
1. Which of the following tours charges the lowest fee?
| A．Valleys of the Dolomites. | B．Coastal Villages of Tuscany. |
| C．Tuscany, Lucca to Siena. | D．Lake Como & the Italian Lake District. |
| A．Bathe in natural springs. | B．Enjoy beautiful lake scenes. |
| C．Stay in 4-star accommodations. | D．Visit Leonardo da Vinci’s hometown. |
| A．In a travel brochure. | B．In a research paper. |
| C．In a science magazine. | D．In a geography textbook. |
2 . Ladybug celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary this month. For twenty-five years, the magazine has been trying to reflect the world of young children — and make it a little broader — through stories, poetry, art, and various activities.
Each issue of this magazine encourages kids to take a closer look at the people and places around them. Ladybug invites children to bring their whole selves — their acute (敏锐的) ear for language and keen eye for illustrations (插图), as well as their wonderful sense of play and great power of imagination — when they sit down and start to put their heart into reading.
The significance of Ladybug’s long history is clearest to me, a man who is in charge of the edition of this magazine, when I talk to parents of children who have grown up. They often respond with surprise: “ Ladybug? With the poems, and the stories, and the crafts to cut out, what will you do next? We used to read that magazine when the kids were little. ” And then there is a moment of silence, as if the father is searching for a particular poem, or the mother is remembering the feel of a restless child’s head when it finally settled against her shoulder. It is a great pleasure to contribute to a magazine that families have put in their memory.
Some anniversaries are formal, but at Ladybug, we approached the September issue as if it had been a birthday party. It is full of lively company, jokes, music, stories and poems that celebrate special days and growing up.
In this spirit, we offer one of our favorite birthday stories, “ Big Bear and Skinny Rabbit ” , from an issue that came out a few years ago. It is part of a series about two friends who couldn’t be more different in temperament (气质), yet more perfect for one another.
1. What does Ladybug concentrate on?| A．various stories, poetry and activities | B．some beautiful people and places |
| C．the great power of imagination | D．the development of little kids |
| A．An editor. | B．A businessman. | C．A professor. | D．An artist. |
| A．Only with the stories in Ladybug being read can many children fall asleep. |
| B．Some parents can remember Ladybug with affection. |
| C．some parents are concerned about the development of Ladybug. |
| D．It is expected that more contents should be contained in Ladybug. |
| A．An introduction of Ladybug’s birthday. | B．The new issue of Ladybug. |
| C．A collection of poems. | D．A story published before. |
3 . When Hanadi was 4, her school was destroyed in the civil war. Soon after, her family left Syria to live as refugees(难民) in nearby Lebanon. Hanadi joined a school there but was fearful to go. Her experience is not unusual. There are now nearly 25.4 million refugees around the world, according to the United Nations refugee agency. About half are children. Most refugees today are from Syria, where civil war broke out in 2011.
To help kids affected by the situation, Sesame Street and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) have teamed up to create a new version (版本) of Sesame Street especially for Syrian refugees using Muppets（木偶）as teachers．“we don' t just want to help children learn letters and numbers, "said Sherrie Westin, who works at Sesame Workshop. “We want to help them feel less alone."
There are more than 150 international versions of Sesame Street. In Germany, kids watch Sesamstrasse, while Mexico has Plaza Sesamo. Each version includes math and spelling lessons. Some characters are the same as in the American version. But other things are different: The Muppets speak the local language and wear local clothes.
The new version will include situations that are familiar to Syrian refugee kids. Some of the Muppets, for example, may have been forced to leave their home. "Kids can watch the Muppets work through big problems the kids are dealing with themselves, "the IRC’ s Sarah Smith says.
For the world ’s 12 million refugee children, there is little chance to receive good education. And even if kids go to school, they may have fallen behind in their studies. Often, they are traumatized(使受精神创伤) by what they’ve been through.
The new Sesame Street will meet the public in 2019. Sesame Workshop expects that more than 9 million children will be able to watch the show on a TV, computer, or mobile phone. Hanadi may be one of them.
1. What happened to 4-year-old Hanadi?| A．She dropped out of school. | B．She was injured in the war |
| C．She fell behind in her studies. | D．She became afraid to go to school. |
| A．To increase the show' s popularity. |
| B．To improve education in poor areas. |
| C．To help refugee kids get through hard times. |
| D．To teach kids who can't afford to go to school |
| A．They all teach math and spelling. | B．They were all named Sesame Street. |
| C．The characters are exactly the same. | D．The characters wear the same clothes. |
| A．The story happens in Syria. |
| B．It will appear on the screen in 2019. |
| C．It will hopefully reach 12 million children. |
| D．The idea was brought up by Sherrie Westin. |
