1 . If you ever have a chance to go to Finland, you’ll probably be surprised to find how “foolish” the Finnish people are.
Take the taxi drivers for example. You can go anywhere on a journey, tell the driver to drop you at any place, say that you have some business to attend to, and that you will pay the taxi driver later. He will agree without any anxiety but just accept your words in good faith (诚意).
The dining rooms in all big hotels not only serve their guests, but also provide outside diners. Hotel guests have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining rooms to have their meals, and the most they would do to show their good faith is to wave their registration card (住房卡) to the waiter. With such a loose check, you can easily use any old registration card to take a couple of friends to wine and dine free of charge.
Finnish workers are paid by the hour. If you work in Finland and have agreed with the boss on the hourly rate (费用), then you just say how many hours you have worked and they will be paid accordingly.
With so many loopholes（漏洞) in everyday life, surely Finland must be a country to those who love to take “small advantages”. But the strange thing is, all the taxi passengers would always come back to pay their fare after they have attended to their business, not a single outsider has ever been found in the free hotel dining rooms, workers always give the exact hours they put in. As the Finns always act on good faith and always have an attitude of “right is right” and “wrong is wrong” in everything they do, so living in such a society has turned everyone into a real “gentleman”.
What we regard as “foolish” is actually the Finnish people’s way of life.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about Finland according to the passage?| A．The taxi driver will be angry if you forget to pay your fare. |
| B．Hotels provide their guests meals for free. |
| C．Hotels’ dining rooms don’t serve outside dinners. |
| D．It is very cheap to take a taxi in Finland. |
| A．By the hour. | B．By the day. |
| C．By the week. | D．By the month. |
| A．stupid | B．clever | C．honest | D．lovely |
| A．doubt | B．not caring | C．worry | D．praise |
| A．Old Finnish customs |
| B．How to take “small advantages” |
| C．How to get a job in Finland |
| D．The “foolish” Finns |
How do students spend their spare time after finishing their homework? Watch TV, play computer games, or go outside to relax? Here's a good example.
Tim and Kerry Meek are both teachers. They live in the UK with their two daughters: eleven-year-old Amy and nine-year-old Ella. Recently, the Meek family has become the focus of the whole country after they completed 100 different outdoor activities in one year.
The Meek couple didn't want their children to spend all their free time in front of the TV and become "couch potatoes". So about one year ago, the Meeks decided that watching TV and playing computer games were not permitted. Instead, they set 100 tasks for the two girls to do outside. Although Mr. and Mrs. Meek are not outdoor activity fans, they took part in all the activities to encourage their daughters. It turns out that the two sisters really had a good time joining activities.
Every holiday and weekend, whether it's sunny, rainy or snowy, the Meeks' would set off to try the activities on their list, including hiking, sailing, climbing, skiing, and so on. The two little girls not only had a wonderful time, but also learned a lot of skills from the activities. They were even able to stand up in front of their school to give a talk for charity. "Our friends spend a lot of their free time doing things which are harmful to their health. Luckily, we've had the chance to experience something different." Amy and Ella also helped their parents to draw up a new list of challenges for the next 12 months.
1. Why did the Meeks become the focus of the UK? (no more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined phrase "couch potatoes" mean? (no more than 15 words)
3. When did the Meeks go out to do the activities? (no more than 5 words)
4. What did the two little girls learn from the activities?(no more than 5 words)
5. What have you learnt from the story? (no more than 25 words)
3 . Driving on up to Yosemite with my family was exciting yet nerve racking.I had never been to such an amazing national park before yet I wasn't the most athletic person so I knew that I couldn't stick through all the hiking up and down.It actually ended up being a fun and adventurous experience.
The ride there was definitely long but worth it.As I woke up from my nap，I saw the beautiful scenery of the tall mountains and beautiful streams.The trails were made nicely for visitors.The waterfalls were breathtaking with capturing views.Climbing up rocks was one of my favorite parts.Even though I fell a couple of times，I still had a lot of fun.The fact that my family and I spent so much time together all trying to find out which route to take and what views to watch really brought us closer together.
The great thing about nature is that，it's just you，the views，and the people around you.There's nothing there to bother you and it's the best way to relax and enjoy yourself.Yosemite has 5 of the world's highest waterfalls，and about 300 lakes.The structure of each mountain is incredible，it's formed in ways that literally take your breath away.Some of them are a deep dark color with waterfalls forming，some are formed with spots of green peeking out.It's definitely something you wouldn't want to miss.The park also has 67 mammalian species with a variety of different types of animals that roam around you.
Yosemite isn't the only great National Park but based on my experience I highly recommend going out and enjoying nature with family and friends.It's a great time to bond，laugh，and take in what Mother Nature has to offer.
1. The author writes the first paragraph mainly to________.| A．offer an example to us |
| B．introduce the topic of this passage |
| C．describe a national park |
| D．tell us his/her future plan for hiking |
| A．worried | B．injured |
| C．puzzled | D．pleased |
a．The forms of the mountains.
b．The color of the waterfalls.
c．The different species.
d．The animals around you.
e．The hunters here and there.
| A．a，b，c | B．b，c，e |
| C．a，c，d | D．a，d，e |
| A．is worth travelling to |
| B．is made up of some hills |
| C．is not the most beautiful park |
| D．is crowded with visitors every day |
| A．trying to protect the environment |
| B．visiting Yosemite now and then |
| C．keeping a good bond with other people |
| D．going out to enjoy the beauty of nature |
I’m a 34-year-old man, married, lived in a nice house, and have a successful career as an educational consultant. But my life was not always so great. I had a learning disability from an early age. I went to a special school where I got plenty of extra help. Still, I suffered the rest of my school days in public schools.
My life improved remarkably when I discovered art. The art world gave me a chance to express myself without words. I went to a workshop and gradually got good at making things with clay(黏土). Here I learned my first important lesson: disabled as I was in language. I could still be smart and well express myself with clay. And my confidence came along.
I got my next lesson from rock climbing. It was a fun thing but I was scared from the start. I soon noticed it wasn’t a talent thing; it was practice. So I did it more. After about five years of climbing, I found myself in Yosemite Valley on a big wall. I learned that if you fall in love with something and do it all the time, you will get better at it.
Later I decided to apply my previous experience to learning how to read and write. Every day I practiced reading and writing, which I used to avoid as much as possible. After two hard years, I was literate.
Having gone through the long process with art, rock climbing, and reading and writing, now I’ve got to a point in my life where I know I am smart enough to dive into an area that is totally unknown, hard, but interesting.
1. What made the author’s school days difficult? (No more than 5 words)
2. Why did art give the author confidence? (No more than 10 words)
3. What lesson did the author learn from rock climbing? (No more than 15 words)
4. What is the meaning of the underlined part in Paragraph 4? (No more than 5 words)
5. How does the author’s story inspire you to overcome difficulties in life? Put it in your own words. (No more than 20 words)
