1 . Many of us are familiar with the excitement of planning a vacation to an exotic destination. As the departure date approaches, anticipation builds, and the possibilities seem endless. However, upon returning home, the experience often fades quickly as we settle back into our routines. That incredible experience becomes like a dream — similar to watching a movie, but a lot more expensive. But does it have to be like this? What if it could be a transformative experience that enriches our lives?

Over 200 years ago, Mary Wollstonecraft, a philosopher and feminist, started a journey to Scandinavia during a difficult period in her life. Despite her initial intentions to win back her lover, she found comfort in documenting her travels in “Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.” Through her observations and reflections, she not only revolutionized travel writing but also healed herself emotionally.

Wollstonecraft’ s approach to travel offers valuable insights for modern-day travelers. Instead of simply sightseeing, she actively engaged with her surroundings, learning about local customs and history, and questioning her own assumptions. She embraced the unpredictability of travel, allowing herself to explore without strict plans.

Here are some goals we can construct from Wollstonecraft’s approach to travel: Try to actively know the place you are in. Observe the customs. Interact with the locals. Learn the whys behind the observation. Explore the history. Try to understand the answers in relation to what you are experiencing now. setting aside any previous assumptions. Notice how the journey is affecting you. What new insights do you have? Are your opinions and beliefs challenged? Don’t plan out every detail. Embrace uncertainty and explore.

So how do we put those goals into practice? Here is where mental models can enhance the travel experience. Exposing ourselves to diverse cultures and perspectives to broaden our worldview. Challenge confirmation bias (认知偏差) by engaging with ideas that differ from our own. Recognize that happiness and fulfillment can be achieved in various ways.

By including these principles into our travels, we can transform them from mere entertainment into profound end enriching experiences that leave a lasting impact on our lives.

1. What word best describes our feelings upon returning home from a vacation?

A．Excited.

B．Inspired.

C．Disappointed.

D．Astonished.

2. What is the function of the example of Mary Wollstonecraft in Paragraph 2?

A．To show the transformative power of travel.

B．To highlight the challenges of traveling alone.

C．To emphasize the importance of documenting experiences.

D．To prove the possibility of finding comfort in strict travel plan.

3. Which of the following is in line with Wollstonecraft’s approach to travel?

A．The map is not the territory.	B．Travel brings love back to your life.
C．Create your own sunshine every day.	D．Believe in miracles, trust the journey.

4. How can mental models enhance the travel experience?

A．Ignoring differing ideas to avoid bias.

B．Limiting exposure to new perspectives.

C．Seeking entertainment rather than enrichment.

D．Broadening worldview through diverse cultures.

3 . Among all the different types of journey that people undertake there are also those of a spiritual nature. Some of the trips we do in our lives are purely for pleasure, some are meant to make us stronger, sometimes we travel to explore and learn, and in all of these undertakings we grow and become wiser.

There is a lot we can learn from the land that surrounds us and the best way to acquire that knowledge is by traveling and experiencing. This ancient aboriginal initiation ritual involves exactly this: a long spiritual hike across the native land. Although widely known as “Walkabout,” in later years the ritual has been referred to as “temporary mobility,” because the former is often used as an insulting term in Australian culture.

A young man on Walkabout

Historically speaking, the walkabout is a ceremony of passage in which young (adolescent) Aboriginal Australians undertake a journey that will help “transform” them into adults. The journey is usually made between the ages of 10 and 16. During this journey which can last for up to six months, the individual is required to live and survive all alone in the wilderness.

This is not an easy thing to do, especially not for teenagers. That is why only those who have proven themselves mentally and physically ready are allowed to proceed with the walkabout. Only the elders of the group decide whether it is time or not for the child to do it. The children are not completely unprepared for the journey. During the years before the walkabout, the elders instruct them and give them advice about the ceremony and adult life in general; they have been passed the “secrets” of the tribe, the knowledge about their world.

Aboriginal woman

Those who are initiated in the walkabout are also decorated with body paint and ornaments. Sometimes they are marked with a permanent symbol on their bodies. In some cases, a tooth is removed from the mouth, or the nose or ears of the initiated are pierced. Traditional walk about clothes include only a simple loin cloth and nothing more.

During a walkabout, a young person can sometimes travel a distance of over a 1, 000miles. In order to survive this long hike, the participant in the walkabout must be able to make their own shelter and must be capable of obtaining food and water for themselves.

That means he needs to hunt, catch fish, and also recognize and use edible and healing plants. The initiated youngster must learn to identify plants such as bush tomatoes, Illawarra plums, quandongs, lilly-pillies, Muntari berries, wattle seeds, Kakadu plums, and bunya nuts.

1. What can be referred from the first two paragraphs of the passage?

A．Australians like to engage in all kinds of travel.	B．People can gain knowledge through travel.
C．Travel is usually purely for pleasure.	D．Walkabout is a long spiritual journey.

2. What do we know about the young Aboriginal Australians?

A．All young Australians are required to live alone in the wilderness.

B．The difficulties they experienced in hiking turned them into adults.

C．Walkabout should only be done if they are mentally and physically prepared.

D．Walkabout is an unprepared test for the young Aboriginal Australians.

3. According to the passage, what skill does a person need to acquire in the walkabout?

A．Identifying directions.	B．Preserving physical strength.
C．Planting plants.	D．Hunting and fishing.

4. Which of the following options is true about walkabout?

A．Only people who have experienced torture are qualified to the walkabout.

B．Women must decorate themselves with body paint and ornaments.

C．To survive, the participants need to acquire certain survival skills.

D．Native women are not required to participate in the walkabout.

4 . Coming into the town of Santa Catarina Palopó, in the highlands of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala, the first thing you notice is the bright colors. Most of the buildings along the main street are eye-catching, in deep, varied hues of blues and greens; interspersed with red and yellow to form complex patterns and designs.

Santa Catarina Palopó was once a sleepy town of 5,000 people, most of them indigenous (土著的) and dependent on agricultural work. As agriculture began to dry up here, decline for the town and poverty for many of its families came. To deal with poverty and stimulate economic growth through tourism, a small but mighty group of laborers, artisans, domestic workers and stay-at-home moms created the Pintando Santa Catarina Palopó project.

The project was initially to paint all 850 homes and buildings in bright colors, in an effort to change the hillside town into a work of art.   “We wanted to paint the houses with colors and figures that represent the community,” says the project’s executive director Stephany Blanco.   “A range of designs were created so that families can choose designs for their house that are representative of the family.”

One of the most representative characteristics of the region is the blue huipil, a traditional blouse which has been worn prominently by local women since the 16th century. That deep sky blue was chosen as the primary color for the Pintando project, with secondary colors found in the sunsets and the nearby lake to make the design more attractive. As for the designs that would be used, they would also find inspiration in local culture, symbols such as volcanoes, flowers, Mayan-styled butterflies and the national bird of Guatemala.

Each week, local artists, community members and tourists pick up paintbrushes to make buildings colorful.   “At first, the idea of the project left many unsure about participating, but now you can see a considerable difference in the town,” Melissa Whitbeck said. “The color of the buildings is believed to improve the quality of life of the people. It uplifts the people’s mood and encourages them to be proud of where they come from.”

1. What problem did Santa Catarina Palopó face?

A．A labor shortage.	B．Poor economic conditions.
C．A rapid increase in population.	D．Outdated agricultural technology.

2. What is the project about?

A．Building art galleries in Guatemala.

B．Creating job opportunities for local artisans.

C．Developing local tourism by selling artworks.

D．Transforming the town into a cultural destination.

3. What is the inspiration of the primary color for the project?

A．The nearby lake.	B．Mayan-styled butterflies.
C．A type of traditional clothing.	D．The national bird of Guatemala.

4. What is Melissa’s attitude towards the project?

A．Positive.

B．Uncaring.

C．Ambiguous.

D．Disapproving.

6 . For most people traveling abroad, their first choice is probably to make a beeline for (直奔) tourist sights. For me, I find lots of joy in grocery (食品杂货店) shopping on holiday.

As a vegetarian (素食主义者), finding restaurants that meet my needs is not always easy abroad.     1     The first thing I do, after dropping my bags off, is to go to a grocery store. That enables me to cook breakfast in the morning without walking around for hours trying to find “vegan breakfast” near me.

The variety of foods attracts me every time I travel somewhere new. In Malta, I found the most delicious chocolate-filled cakes, a product I would struggle to find even in the UK.     2     I was so delighted that I could enjoy such an unexpected treat. Another surprise was their selection of ice cream available even in the smallest grocery stores.

    3     Looking for smoked tofu and corn pancakes turns into quite a mission whenever I visit Cluj-Napoca in Romania. There is usually only one variety of smoked tofu, sold in a very small tub (食品盒) and only in the cafeteria section.     4     That is because they are never available at the smaller ones.

Grocery shopping on holiday sounds unusual. But it means being involved in the day-to-day lives of a country’s citizens. I can pretend I am a local and put myself in their shoes. I can watch kids begging their parents for sweets, an international experience that needs no language, or watch couples pick up snacks and drinks for a party on a Friday night.     5    

A．I ended up eating these every day for breakfast.

B．The challenge of finding food is interesting, too.

C．So I always make sure to book a place with a kitchen.

D．Grocery shopping was a vital part of the holiday experience.

E．It’s an act of understanding people as much as of buying food.

F．Corn pancakes always require a trip to the bigger grocery store.

G．By wandering around in a new country, I start to see what they value.

7 . Technology has blurred the boundaries between work and play, professional and personal, and career and downtime. Whether it’s a digital nomad (数字游牧民) blogging on a Bali beach or a manager checking emails on a Niseko ski lift, people are seamlessly combining work and leisure. The traditional boundary between business and personal travel is fading, giving rise to a new trend known as “bleisure travel.”

Bleisure travel extends beyond the usual practice of bringing a partner to a conference. Professionals worldwide are increasingly adding weekends or even weeks to their work trips, whether they are traveling alone, with a partner, or as a family. According to Jeanne Liu of the Global Business Travel Association, more than one in three business travelers will incorporate a leisure component into at least one of their trips this year. Contrary to expectations, this trend is not limited to entry-level employees; managers and millennials are equally likely to partake in bleisure travel.

Employers are recognizing the benefits of bleisure travel, as it contributes to travel well-being, job satisfaction, and productivity. Taking the opportunity to bring family members along or adding fun elements to a business trip reduces stress and enhances the overall experience. Australians, who face longer working hours and higher travel costs, are particularly receptive to bleisure travel. Guests at business-oriented hotels like Quest St Leonards in Sydney are increasingly opting to have their partners join them for a weekend stay or longer, rather than making quick trips back home.

Richard Tonkin, a general manager who frequently travels for work, always extends his trips to explore new destinations. He carefully researches cities and books bike tours as a way to quickly see the sights and discover places of interest. Tonkin’s wife, Enza, who works part-time, often accompanies him on these trips and explores the local area or indulges in her own activities, such as shopping or visiting galleries and restaurants.

The modern bleisure traveler is typically culturally curious and interested in local cuisine. Hotels like Quest St Leonards ensure their front office staff are knowledgeable about not only popular attractions but also hidden gems and events happening in the area. They provide guests with tailored guides that cater to their specific interests, whether it’s offbeat cafes and boutiques or trendy bars and restaurants.

The main obstacle for most business travelers considering bleisure is time. Paradoxically (自相矛盾的是), while technology enables them to work and play at the same time, it also limits their leisure time. However, as the trend continues to gain in popularity, more professionals are finding ways to strike a balance and make the most of their business trips by incorporating leisure activities.

1. Which of the following is a proper description of modern bleisure travelers?

A．They prefer to travel alone rather than with a business partner or a family member.

B．They tend to be curious about local culture and cuisine, and eager to explore the area.

C．They are more interested in attending conferences and business meetings than travelling.

D．They are more likely to be entry-level employees than company managers or millennials.

2. What can be inferred about “bleisure travel” from the passage?

A．It is primarily embraced by employees with shorter working hours and lower travel costs.

B．Limited leisure time gives professionals a chance to strike a balance between work and life.

C．Its increasing popularity suggests that professionals prioritize personal experiences over work.

D．Family members coming along the bleisure travel will have to follow their partner s schedule.

3. How do some hotels react to the rise of “bleisure travel” according to the passage?

A．They are struggling to accommodate travelers due to limited availability and high demand.

B．They are indifferent to the trend and do not offer any specific services for bleisure travelers.

C．They are discouraging bleisure travel by offering only business- oriented facilities and services.

D．They are training staff to know about local travelling information and offering tailored guides.

4. The passage mainly talks about ________.

A．the rise of digital refugees in the workforce

B．the benefits of business travel for professionals

C．the trend of combining work and leisure travel

D．the challenges of balancing work and recreation

8 . In the Arab world, a souk is a market usually held in an open-air location. Souks are an important part of life in the Middle East.     1    Another attraction of souks is that they offer visitors a great opportunity to feel the local culture.

Most major souks probably started as informal meetings of merchants (商人) in open spaces, which slowly developed into more formal markets.    2    For example, some souks have partial ceilings (天花板) to protect against bad weather, along with narrow streets which do not permit cars.

Everything from glassware to meat can be found at a souk,with merchants coming from nearby areas to sell their products.     3    So visitors can easily find beautiful artworks in all shapes and sizes at a souk, often at very reasonable prices.

    4    By tradition, shoppers at a souk must negotiate (协商) with shopkeepers to reach a price. For large items, customers will have to sit down with the shopkeeper. They will be offered tea and snacks while the price, including storage and delivery costs sometimes, is discussed.

If you happen to be traveling in the Middle East, just pay a visit to a souk. Some regions have famous markets with a long and interesting history, and a souk is a great place to get souvenirs. You can find a local guide for your visit to ensure that you know local cultural rules well.    5    

A．Europeans prefer to pay the list price.

B．Many countries in the Middle East have long artistic traditions.

C．That will certainly allow you a more enjoyable day at the market.

D．People may be shocked at the long process of making a deal at souks.

E．There are many cultural differences between the West and the Middle East.

F．Nowadays, souks make special designs to create a customer-friendly environment.

G．Many visitors to the Middle Eastern countries enjoy going to souks to buy great goods.

9 . I wanted the pleasure of being in Africa again. Feeling that the place was so large that it contained many untold tales and some hope and comedy and sweetness too, I aimed to reinsert myself in the bundy, as we used to call the bush, and to wander around. There I had lived and worked, happily, almost forty years ago, in the heart of the greenest continent.

In those old undramatic days of my school teaching in the bundu, folks lived their lives on bush paths at the end of unpaved roads of red clay, in villages of grass-roofed huts. They had a new national flag, they had just gotten the vote, some had bikes, many talked about buying their first pair of shoes. They were hopeful, and, so was I, a schoolteacher living near a settlement of mud-huts among trees and fields—children shouting at play; and women bent double—most with infants on their backs—hoeing(锄地) the corn beans; and the men sitting in the shade.

The Swahili word safari means “journey”, it has nothing to do with animals, someone “on safari” is just away and unobtainable and out of touch. Out of touch in Africa was where I wanted to be. The wish to disappear sends many travellers away. If you are thoroughly sick of being kept waiting at home or at work, travel is perfect: let other people wait for a change. Travel is a sort of revenge(报复) for having been put on hold, or having to leave messages on answering machines, not knowing your party’s extension, being kept waiting all your working life. But also being kept waiting is the human condition.

Travel in the African bush can also be a sort of revenge on mobile phones and email, on telephones and the daily paper, on the aspects of globalization that allow anyone who chooses to get their hands on you. I desired to be unobtainable. I was going to Africa for the best of reasons—in a spirit of discovery—simply to disappear, to light out, with a suggestion of I dare you to try to find me.

Home had become a routine, and routine made time pass quickly. I was a sitting duck in this predictable routine: people knew when to call me, they knew when I would be at my desk. I was in such regular touch that it was like having a job, a mode of life I hated. I was sick of being called up and asked for favors, hit up for money. You stick around too long and people begin to impose their own deadlines on you.

1. What did the writer expect from his journey?

A．To have a variety of enjoyable experiences.	B．To see how Africa had changed.
C．To see impressive scenery.	D．To meet some old friend.

2. Forty years ago, how did the writer feel about the future of the country where he was living?

A．Little was likely to change.	B．Things were likely to improve.
C．Women would do most of the work.	D．People’s expectations were too limited.

3. In Paragraph 3, what reason does the writer give for wanting to travel to Africa?

A．He wanted a change of activity.	B．He wanted people to be unable to contact him.
C．His health was suffering from staying at home.	D．He had been waiting to return to Africa for long.

4. The writer says “I was a sitting duck” in Paragraph 5 to show that _______.

A．he was boring	B．he was easy to find
C．he is fond of ducks	D．he was always lending money