2 . Food festivals are a common occurrence in the UK and take place in all sorts of places and at all sorts of times. Whatever your taste, there’s a food festival to match — no matter how specialized.

1. Meatopia

This three-day, London-based festival takes place at the end of August and is a meat lover’s paradise. In addition to a range of legally sourced meat products, from juicy burgers to tender steaks, attendees can listen to live music, watch butchery demonstrations, and attend informal meat-based workshops.

2. The National Honey Show

If you have a sweet tooth, then it could be that the National Honey Show, which started in 1921 and is the largest event of its kind, is the place for you to be. This three-day event attracts many local entries who showcase their sweet golden honey, some of which is sold globally.

3. The Orange Sauce Festival

Have you heard about a festival that is devoted only to orange sauce? Held in Cumbria, this sweet, fragrant festival has been running for 3 years. What attracts people most is a competition to find the best homemade orange sauce. There are thousands of participants from over 30 different countries across the globe, bringing their local snacks to share here.

4. The Ginger and Spice Festival

If you’d prefer something with a little more kick to it, then you could attend The Ginger (姜) and Spice Festival held in Market Drayton. Unlike other food festivals, it celebrates its town’s historic connection to Robert Clive, who returned from India with ginger. Because of this, they specialize in baking gingerbread, but also sell a range of traditional spices from mild to hot.

1. What do Meatopia and the National Honey Show have in common?

A．Both of them last for three days.	B．Both of them hold workshops.
C．Both of them originated from London.	D．Both of them have a long history.

2. If you are interested in foreign food, which festival do you like best?

A．The Meatopia.	B．The Ginger and Spice Festival.
C．The National Honey Show.	D．The Orange Sauce Festival.

3. What is special about the Ginger and Spice Festival ?

A．It has something to do with a historic figure.

B．The ginger used in the festival is from India.

C．It sells spicy food.

D．The food is cooked by Robert Clive.

4 . When you visit America, you will see the word “motel” on signs and notice boards. It is made up of “motor” and “hotel” and it is really a hotel for people who arrive by car (however, you don’t need a car to stay at one). You have to pay when you arrive for your room, which usually has a bath. Meals are not provided, but there will certainly be a cafeteria (自助餐馆). Along the main roads there are a lot of motels. Some provide television in every bedroom while others have swimming pools. Motels are especially useful when you are in the country, far from a town or city. You will also find them in the big National Parks.

In these great National Parks, you may meet guests you don’t expect to see. An American friend told me a little story. In the middle of a moonless night she heard strange noises outside her motel window in the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Thinking it might be a thief, she jumped out of bed, opened the door and crept(悄悄地缓慢行进) towards a dark shadow. As she got close, she saw the thief. She was dreadfully frightened: It wasn’t a human thief—it was a big black bear. The bear was turning over some empty tins(罐) with its paw, looking for tasty bits of food. My friend decided to leave that particular thief alone!

There are also, of course, places called “rooming houses”, where they receive lodgers (房客). You will see such signs as Tourists or Rooms Rent, and you could try one of these. A word of warning—looking for a room in New York during the tourist season is like looking for gold on the moon!

1. What can we know about motels?

A．The word “motel” is formed by two words.

B．They are free for people who arrive by car.

C．If you want to stay at a motel, you must have a car.

D．You can only find motels in the big National Parks.

2. Which of the following is not provided by motels?

A．TV.

B．Baths.

C．Meals.

D．Swimming.

3. What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?

A．A little story of the author’s.	B．The experience of the author’s friend.
C．Bears usually look for tasty food at night.	D．A thief crept into the author’s room.

4. What does the underlined part mean?

A．Tourists cannot find gold there.	B．It is easy to admire the moon there.
C．Tourists can have a sweet dream there.	D．It is difficult to find a room there.

5 . Japan’s biggest airline is betting that the future of travel isn’t traveling at all. For the last month, a married couple has been interacting with a robot—called an Avatar—that’s controlled by their daughter hundreds of miles away. Made by ANA Holdings Inc., it looks like a vacuum cleaner with an iPad attached. But the screen displays the daughter’s face as they chat, and its wheels let her move about the house as though she’s really there.

“Virtual travel” is nothing new, of course. Storytellers, travel writers and artists have been stimulating the senses of armchair tourists for centuries. It’s only in recent decades that frequent, safe travel has become available to the non- wealthy.

Yet even as the world’s middle classes climb out of the armchair and into economy-class seat, there are signs of a post-travel society emerging. Concerns about environmental sustainability cause loss to airlines which release much carbon. And the aging of abundant societies is both restricting physical travel and creating demand for alternative ways to experience the world. For the travel industry, virtual reality offers an attractive response to these trends.

Of course, new technologies encourage far-out claims. ANA doesn’t plan to start selling Avatars until next year. Profits, too, will probably be difficult to make: By one estimate, the global market for this kind of technology will be worth only about $300 million by 2023. By contrast, ANA’s traditional travel business brought in more than $19 billion last year.

But if the business value for virtual vacations is still weak, the market for technologies that bridge physical distances between families and coworkers seems likely to only expand. ANA’s robots may not replace its airplanes any time soon, but they’ll almost certainly be a part of travel’s high-tech future.

1. Why does the author use the example of a couple interacting with a robot?

A．To show the Japanese are crazy about travel.

B．To indicate virtual travel begins to enter people’s real life.

C．To show the couple are very enthusiastic over robots.

D．To express the close relationship between the couple and their daughter.

2. Which of the following is the possible reason for virtual travel’s appearance?

A．Storytellers, travel writers and artists have been using it for centuries.

B．Frequent and safe travel has become available to the ordinary people.

C．People are worried about the air pollution caused by airlines.

D．More and more people lose interest in travel.

3. What does the underlined word “sustainability” probably mean in the third paragraph?

A．Visibility.	B．Availability.
C．insignificance.	D．Continuousness

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Your Next Travel May Be Virtual.

B．Easy Travel in the Future.

C．Virtual Travel Benefits.

D．Air Travel Disappearing.

6 . A butterfly-shaped island in the central Aegean hopes to become Greece’s first carbon-free tourist destination. Under a deal with the government, Volkswagen, a carmaker, has donated several new electric vehicles for use by Astypalea’s public services; it will sell others at cost price to its 1,200 year-round residents. In return, the government has offered more financial assistance for islanders to buy electric cars and will build a solar and wind-fuelled power plant to replace polluting generators.

Unlike other nearby islands, Astypalea is not connected to Greece’s electricity providers. With only 3,000 rooms for visitors in small hotels or flats, tourism is still low-key. Many residents make a living the old-fashioned way: raising goats, keeping bees and fishing. The island was selected for Volkswagen’s experiment after Nikos Komineas, the go-ahead mayor, contacted the transport ministry for help in finding an electric bus to try out on its rough roads.

Most islanders sound keen on the project. Mr Komineas expects the number of private cars on Astypalea to fall by a third over the next five years. Its residents, he says, will get around on electric minibuses, which will be free, linked to a mobile-phone app and available round the clock.

Some observers smell green washing in the project. A bid for a solar park that would generate half the island’s electricity within three years will not get under way before the tourist season ends. A single wind-fuelled engine will be set up only in 2026, assuming the licensing process goes smoothly. That is not normally the case in the Aegean, where islanders worry that tourists will go elsewhere if the view is spoiled by an engine 200 meters high. And even then, the solar and wind-fulled power unit is planned to cover only about 80% of summer demand. But it is a start.

1. Why has Volkswagen signed the deal with the government?

A．To control car prices.	B．To help generate electricity.
C．To promote public transport.	D．To build a zero-carbon island.

2. What makes Astypalea different from other nearby islands?

A．It has an aggressive leader.

B．It is out of the national electricity network.

C．It is a crowded tourist destination.

D．It has various goats, bees and fishes.

3. What can be inferred from the text?

A．The experiment will come to nothing.

B．There are barriers in conducting the project.

C．Green tourism will become a trend in Greece.

D．The islanders are unwilling to change their lifestyle.

4. What does the author think of the project?

A．It’s pioneering.	B．It’s practical.
C．It’s destructive.	D．It’s costly.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Who visited Lake Tahoe?

A．The woman.

B．The woman’s grandparents.

C．The man.

2. What is the probable relationship between the speakers?

A．Friends.

B．Husband and wife.

C．Father and daughter.

10 . When it comes to perfect views, it really does take a village. Searching for the most camera-ready communities on the planet, we find four villages that fit the bill. Spend a few minutes there and you will realize that “quaint (古色古香的)” and “charming” aren’t just adjectives and that they are a way of life.

Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia

The village seems to disappear into the sky and the blue horizon. All the houses are painted white, the skies are clear, and the backdrop includes the Bay of Tunis which is only in a deeper shade of blue. It’s not surprising that the atmosphere here is a bit random, and it is also home to plenty of lively cafes and art galleries.

Wengen in Switzerland

Wonder how the world was before cars were invented? Wengen, a Switzerland’s village, might just help you get the answer. Cars have been banned in this area for more than 100 years. Imagine seeing woods all around you, snow covered mountains, log cabins and the locals who have kept their Swiss culture undamaged.

Eze in France

France’s most attractive village is Eze. Seemingly frozen in time, Eze has managed to keep its old-world charm. It is the perfect melting pot of cultures because of its closeness to Nice, and today the village enjoys its rich heritage. The architecture here is so special that Walt Disney frequented this village for inspiration.

Bibury in England

Bibury was described by William Morris as “the most beautiful village in England” — known for its watercolor views. The 17th-century stone cottages and a still-working 1902 farm are some of the ancient village’s must-sees.

1. What are the tourists prevented doing in Wengen?

A．Traveling around by car.	B．Viewing woods everywhere.
C．Learning about Swiss culture.	D．Appreciating snowy mountains.

2. Which village did Walt Disney often visit to get inspired?

A．Eze in France.	B．Bibury in England.
C．Wengen in Switzerland.	D．Sidi Bou Said in Tunisi.

3. What do the four villages have in common?

A．They have modern architecture.

B．They are all situated by the sea.

C．They have beautiful stone cottages.

D．They own old-world and amazing scenery.