1 . Holidays

Holiday News Vacancies(空位) now and in the school holidays at a country hotel in Devon. This comfortable, friendly home-from-home lies near the beautiful quiet countryside, but just a drive away from the sea. The food is simple but good. Children and pets are welcome. Reduced prices for low season.

The Snowdonia Centre The Snowdonia Centre for young mountain climbers has a mountain climbing lesson. The beginners’ costs are ￡57 for a week, including food and rooms. Equipment is included except walking shoes, which can be hired at a low cost. You must be in good health and prepared to go through a period of body exercises. This could be the beginning of a lifetime of mountain climbing adventure.

The World Sea Trip of a Lifetime Our World Sea Trip of 2008 will be unlike any holiday you have ever been on before. Instead of one hotel after another, with all its packing and unpacking, waiting and traveling, you just go to bed in one country and wake up in another. On board the ship, you will be well taken care of. Every meal will be first-class and every cabin like your home. During the trip, you can rest on deck(甲板), enjoy yourself in the games rooms and in the evening dance to our musical team and watch our wonderful play. You will visit all the places most people only dream about — from Acapulco and Hawaii to Tokoy and Hong Kong. For a few thousand pounds, all you’ve ever hoped for can be yours.

1. What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?

A．Choose the holiday in Devon.	B．Go to the Snowdonia Centre.
C．Join the World Sea Trip of 2008.	D．Visit Acapulco and Hawaii.

2. In what way is the Snowdonia Centre different from the other two holidays?

A．It provides chances of family gatherings.	B．It provides customers with good food.
C．It offers a sports lesson.	D．It offers comfortable rooms.

3. What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2008?

A．You can have free meals on deck every day.

B．You can sleep on a ship and tour many places.

C．You will have chances to watch and act in a play.

D．You have to do your own packing and unpacking.

2 . Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.

My earliest memories of my father are a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and his family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him. He seemed unhappy with me unless got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.

On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We talked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions Gone was my father’s critical (挑别的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting to be around? What had held him back before?

The next day dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing, I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.

1. Why did the author feel bitter about her father as a young adult?

A．He did not love his children.

B．He expected too much of her.

C．He was too proud of himself.

D．He was silent most of the time.

2. When the author went out with her father on weekend, she would feel ________.

A．nervous	B．sorry
C．tired	D．safe

3. What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?

A．More critical.	B．More talkative.
C．Gentle and friendly.	D．Strict and hard-working.

4. The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to ________.

A．the cafe owner	B．the author’s son
C．the author’s father	D．the friend of the author’s father

3 . Computer programmer David Jones earns £35,000 a year designing new computer games, yet he cannot find a bank ready to let him have a credit card(信用卡). Instead, he has been told to wait another two years, until he is 18.

The 16-year-old works for a small firm in Liverpool, where the problem of most young people of his age is finding a job. David's firm releases(推出) two new games for the fast throwing computer market each month.

But David's biggest headache is what to do with his money. Even though he earns a lot, he cannot drive a car, take out a mortgage(抵押贷款), or get credit cards. David got his job with the Liverpool-based company four months ago, a year after leaving school with six O-levels and working for a time in a computer shop. "I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs," he said. David spends some of his money on records and clothes, and gives his mother 50 pounds a week. But most of his spare time is spent working.

"Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school," he said. "But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway." David added: "I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement(退休) is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear."

1. In what way is David different from people of his age?

A．He has a handsome income.

B．He lives with his mother.

C．He often goes out with friends.

D．He graduated with six O-levels.

2. What is one of the problems that David is facing now?

A．He has very little spare time.

B．He has no time to learn driving.

C．He is too young to get a credit card.

D．He will soon lose his job.

3. Why was David able to get the job in the company?

A．He had done well in all his exams.

B．He had written some computer programs.

C．He was good at playing computer games.

D．He had learnt to use computers at school.

4. Why did David decide to leave school and start working?

A．He received lots of job offers.

B．He was eager to help his mother.

C．He lost interest in school studies.

D．He wanted to earn his own living.

4 . After the birth of my second child, I got a job at a restaurant. Having worked with an experienced_______for a few days, I was _______to wait tables on my own. All went _______ that first week. When Saturday night came, I was luckily _______ the tables not for from the kitchen. _______, I still felt it a little hard to carry the heavy trays (托盘).
Before I knew it ,the _______ was full of people. I moved slowly, ________every step. I remember how ________I was when I saw the tray stand near the tables; it looked different from the one I was_______ on. It had nice handles, which made it ________ to move around. I was pleased with every thing and began to ________ I was a natural at this job.
Then, an old man came to me and said, “Excuse me, dear, my wife and I loved________ you work. It seems your tray stand has been very ________ to you, but we are getting ready to________ now , and my wife needs her ________ back.”
At first his ________ did not get across. “What was he talking about!” Then, I got it. I had set my trays on his wife’s orthopedic walker (助步器). I stood frozen as ice , but my face was________. I wanted to get into a hole and_________
Since then, I have learned from many mistakes such as the one I just ________. I have learned to be more ________ and not to be too sure of myself.1.

A．manager

B．assistant

C．cook

D．waitress

2.

A．promised

B．invited

C．allowed

D．advised

3.

A．well

B．quickly

C．safely

D．wrong

4.

A．left

B．given

C．brought

D．shown

5.

A．Therefore

B．However

C．Otherwise

D．Finally

6.

A．kitchen

B．street

C．restaurant

D．table

7.

A．minding

B．changing

C．taking

D．saving

8.

A．angry

B．calm

C．sad

D．happy

9.

A．fixed

B．trained

C．loaded

D．waited

10.

A．slower

B．lighter

C．quieter

D．easier

11.

A．believe

B．agree

C．regret

D．pretend

12.

A．letting

B．making

C．watching

D．having

13.

A．useful

B．familiar

C．unusual

D．interesting

14.

A．rest

B．order

C．eat

D．leave

15.

A．bag

B．walker

C．tray

D．coat

16.

A．idea

B．praise

C．message

D．need

17.

A．cold

B．full of joy

C．pale

D．on fire

18.

A．lie

B．hide

C．defend

D．stay

19.

A．repeated

B．discovered

C．corrected

D．described

20.

A．careful

B．patient

C．honest

D．practical

5 . The True Story of Treasure Island

It was always thought that Treasure Island was the product of Robert Louis Stevenson’s imagination. ______, recent research has found the true story of this exciting work.

Stevenson, a Scotsman, had lived ______ for many years. In 1881 he returned to Scotland for a ______.With him were his American wife Fanny and his son ______.

Each morning Stevenson would take them out for a long ______ over the hills. They had been ______ this for several days before the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse. Kept indoors by the heavy rain, Lloyd felt the days ______.To keep the boy happy, Robert asked the boy to do some ______.

One morning, the boy came to Robert with a beautiful map of an island, Robert ______that the boy had drawn a large cross in the middle of ______. “What’s that?” he asked. “That’s the ______ treasure,” said the boy. Robert suddenly ______ something of an adventure story in the boy’s ______.While the rain was pouring, Robert sat down by the fire to write a story. He would make the ______ a twelve-year-old boy, just like Lloyd. But who would be the pirate (海盗)？

Robert had a good friend named Henley, who walked around with the ______ of a wooden leg. Robert had always wanted to ______ such a man in a story. ______ Long John Silver, the pirate with a wooden leg, was ______.

So, thanks to a ______ September in Scotland, a friend with a wooden leg, and the imagination of a twelve-year-old boy, we have one of the greatest ______ stories in the English language.

1.

A．However

B．Therefore

C．Besides

D．Finally

2.

A．alone

B．next door

C．at home

D．abroad

3.

A．meeting

B．story

C．holiday

D．job

4.

A．Lloyd

B．Robert

C．Henley

D．John

5.

A．talk

B．rest

C．walk

D．game

6.

A．attempting

B．missing

C．planning

D．enjoying

7.

A．quiet

B．dull

C．busy

D．cold

8.

A．cleaning

B．writing

C．drawing

D．exercising

9.

A．doubted

B．noticed

C．decided

D．recognized

10.

A．the sea

B．the house

C．Scotland

D．the island

11.

A．forgotten

B．buried

C．discovered

D．unexpected

12.

A．saw

B．drew

C．made

D．learned

13.

A．book

B．reply

C．picture

D．mind

14.

A．star

B．hero

C．writer

D．child

15.

A．help

B．problem

C．use

D．bottom

16.

A．praise

B．produce

C．include

D．accept

17.

A．Yet

B．Also

C．But

D．Thus

18.

A．read

B．born

C．hired

D．written

19.

A．rainy

B．sunny

C．cool

D．windy

20.

A．news

B．love

C．real-life

D．adventure

6 . Do’s and Don’ts in Whale(鲸) Watching
The Department of   Fisheries and Oceans has developed guidelines for whale watching in Johnstone Strait, where killer whales are found on a daily basis each summer．It is strongly recommended that vessel(船只) operators follow these guidelines for all kinds of whales．
Approach whales from the side, not from the front or the back．
Approach no closer than 100 meters, then stop the boat but keep the engine on．
Keep noise levels down—no horns, whistles or racing of engines．
Start your boat only after the whales are more than 100 meters from your vessel．
Leave the area slowly, gradually moving faster when you are more than 300 meters from the whales．
Approach and leave slowly, avoiding sudden changes in speed or direction．
Avoid disturbing groups of resting whales．
Keep at low speeds and remain in the same direction if travelling side by side with whales．
When whales are travelling close to shore, avoid crowding them near the shore or coming between the whales and the shore．
Limit the time spent with any group of whales to less than 30 minutes at a time when within 100 to 200 meters of whales．
If there is more than one vessel at the same observation spot, be sure to avoid any boat position that would result in surrounding the whales．
Work together by communicating with other vessels, and make sure that all operators are aware of the whale watching guidelines．
1. For whom is this text written?

A．Tour guides．	B．Whale watchers．
C．Vessel operators．	D．Government officials．

2. When leaving the observation areas, the vessel should _____．

A．move close to the beach

B．increase speed gradually

C．keep its engine running slowly

D．remain at the back of the whales

3. When going side by side with whales, the vessel should      ．

A．keep moving in the same direction

B．surround the whales with other boats

C．travel closer and closer to the shore

D．take a good viewing position

4. What is the shortest safe distance from the whales?

A．400 meters．

B．300 meters．

C．200 meters．

D．100 meters．