1 . Summer vacation approaching, want your kids to explore something meaningful rather than being glued to the screens? Bring your kids to the Sarek National Theme Garden which combines a fascinating hike with an amazing opportunity to learn some knowledge about the unique carvings.

The garden, founded in 1979, is famous for its blossoms and the exhibition of rock carvings. Every year, countless visitors come to enjoy the spectacular blossoms, view the unique exhibition and participate in various educational activities.

Now let’s start the journey with admiring the beauty of the local blossoms, ranging from lotuses to Begonia flowers along the paths. Meanwhile, you can enjoy the unique exhibition, featuring a wide range of rock carvings by experienced craftsmen with professionals introducing them in detail.

Rules:

Don’t pick the flowers or shake the trees while enjoying the blossoms.

Pets are not allowed except guided dogs to serve people with disabilities.

Don’t touch the carvings with your hands except the particular ones.

Opening hours:

Tuesday — Sunday: 9 am-5 pm.

Prices:

Adult: ¥75 (a 10% discount before June 16, 2024)

Child (6-18): ¥35

Child under 6: Free

All visitors including children under 6 need tickets to enter the garden. Tickets are available at the Visitors Service Center. Also you can book tickets in advance online.

1. For whom the passage is intended?

A．Parents.

B．Children.

C．Guides.

D．Professionals.

2. How much should a couple with their 7-year-old twins pay if they buy tickets on July 15, 2024?

A．¥135.

B．¥185.

C．¥205.

D．¥220.

3. What do we know about the garden?

A．It opens on weekdays.

B．It offers educational activities.

C．It has a history of over half a century.

D．Children under 6 can enter the garden without a ticket.

2 . Is going alone in an unknown area the right way to go, or do you want a tour guide to show you the highlights? I think that you can combine the two ways in one trip and have the best of both worlds.     1     The best purchase we made was for a bus tour that would take us around the capital and point out all the main sites. That allowed us the next day to travel on foot to the ones we especially wanted to see.

Let’s look at the San Francisco Bay Area which is another one of my favorite vacation spots. Some areas are so familiar to tourists that it’s possible to view the attractions on your own.     2     Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 are good examples. Just by walking a few blocks, you can tour Aquarium of the Bay and the Riptide Arcade on Pier 39.

    3     If you go to Alcatraz Island, you have a choice of going alone, having a live tour guide or being guided by earphones. I would recommend the live tour guides. I went all three ways, and I received more enjoyment by someone telling me items interest I know I had missed on previous tours.     4     It gives you a behind-the-scenes look of colorful Chinatown. The tour covers history, traditions of the local people and culture that you probably wouldn’t know or see by travelling alone.

You can go alone to attractions or take a guided tour. It’s your choice and you can choose whichever would give you the most memorable experience.     5    

A．I recommend both.

B．It’s possible to drive to the area and go alone.

C．One trip we recently took was to Washington DC.

D．Some attractions are worth having a tour guide for.

E．Chinatown Walking Tours are a tour-guided must-see.

F．That allows you to take your time and go at your own pace.

G．The tour guides know what we have never found out on our own.

3 . Mia, 12, is now on a year-long trip with her parents and three younger brothers. Far from their home in Quebec, Canada, the family rode horses in Mongolia, kayaked in Cambodia, camped in Namibia and flew in a hot air balloon in Turkey, looking to collect as many once-in-a-lifetime memories as they could.

The memories really matter because unless science makes a breakthrough soon, three of the children will become blind, likely in adulthood. They have been diagnosed with a disease that has no effective treatment and no specific timeline as it gradually robs them of their sight.

The diagnoses came in 2015. Despite the grief, the parents were surprised to find Mia, then 7, was calm about it. She announced that she would need to start keeping her bedroom especially neat, with everything in its place. “In the future, I’ll need to know where things are,” Mia said.

“She’s finding solutions on her own,” the parents told each other. “We need to follow her lead.” And so the idea of a yearlong trip was born, one that would show the kids the world, in person and at close range – while the kids could still see it. For the next two years, the parents saved money and researched places to visit. “How we adults see the world and how kids see the world are so different.” says the mother, Edith. “It would have to be less about temples and museums and more about whatever caught their eyes.”

By the time the trip began to wind down in early 2023, the family had traveled 52,000 miles and visited 18 countries. Mia grew taller and when entering adolescence, needed more independence. Her brothers became more confident and outgoing. The kids were very aware that they had learned a lot. “There’s a lot of suffering, a lot of poverty, but lots of good and interesting things too. We should be positive.” said Mia.

1. What’s the probable function of the first paragraph?

A．To lead in the story behind.

B．To arouse the readers’ interest.

C．To provide background information.

D．To inform readers of a wonderful trip.

2. What can be inferred about the parents from paragraph 3 and 4?

A．They are optimistic about the children’s disease.

B．They are surprised at their daughter’s creative ideas.

C．They are proud of their daughter’s courage to face difficulties.

D．They are open-minded enough to respect their children’s decision.

3. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The details about the year-long journey.

B．The keen anticipation of Mia about the future.

C．The changes of the kids physically and mentally.

D．The impression Mia had of what she had experienced.

4. Which is the best title of the story?

A．Seeing is believing.

B．Making the most of the vision.

C．Man who travels far knows more.

D．The eyes are the window to the soul.