1 . From Alton Towers to Legoland, our experts pick their favorite British theme parks, highlighting the best roller coasters, character-led attractions, and animal safaris (狩猎旅行).

Drayton Manor

The Staffordshire theme park includes rides for all ages but stands out for having hit on a winning formula for young families with its expanding Thomas Land section. The 286-acre site is set in woodlands but the main village is enough for little legs to explore, making it well suited to pre-and primary school children.

Paultons Family Theme Park

On the edge of New Forest National Park, in Hampshire, Paultons Family Theme Park sits in 140 acres of attractive parkland. Although overshadowed by Thorpe Park and Alton Towers in terms of big rides, the park is home to Peppa Pig World, as well as 60 rides and attractions, and is best for families with young children.

Chessington World of Adventures

This park in Surrey has injected novelty (新奇) this year with the launch of its exclusive Gruffalo River Ride Adventure, raising its status as a family-friendly destination. The park also provides added family value with the opportunity to get a close-up interaction with animals including monkey walk-throughs and the Zufari safari experience.

Legoland Windsor

If you’re looking for stomach-in-the-mouth roller coasters, Legoland is not for you. This is the entry-level theme park for families with kids below the age of 12, with bucket-loads to keep them happy. Now in its third decade, set in lovely grounds, the theme park still has some of the charm of the original Danish parent park, with plenty of giraffes, crocodiles and pirates made out of Lego bricks spread over the rides.

1. Which of the following is recommended if a family want to interact with animals?

A．Drayton Manor

B．Paultons Family Theme Park

C．Chessington World of Adventures

D．Legoland Windsor

2. What do the four theme parks have in common?

A．They’re all ideal for children.

B．They all feature thrilling big rides.

C．They’re all renewing recreational facilities.

D．They all cover a vast area of over 200 acres.

3. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To promote ecotourism.

B．To value family union.

C．To introduce theme parks.

D．To compare tourist attractions.

2 . There are plenty of things to be gained from going abroad: new friends, new experiences, new stories. But living in another country may come with a less noticeable benefit, too. Some scientists say it can also make you more creative.

Writers and thinkers love travelling abroad. Ernest Hemingway, for example, drew inspiration for much of his work from his time in Spain and France. Aldous Huxley, the author of Brave New World, moved from the U. K. to the U. S. in his 40s to branch out into screenwriting. Mark Twain, who sailed around the coast of the Mediterranean in 1869, wrote in his travelogue Innocents Abroad that travel is "fatal to prejudice and narrow-mindedness."

In recent years, psychologists and neuroscientists have begun examining more closely what many people have already learned: that spending time abroad may have the potential to affect mental change. In general, creativity is related to how the brain is wired. Neural pathways are sensitive to change: New sounds, smells, language, tastes, sensations, and sights spark different synapses in the brain and may have the potential to revitalize the mind.

“Foreign experiences increase both cognitive flexibility and depth and imperativeness of thought, 55 says Adam Galinsky, the author of numerous studies on the connection between creativity and international travel. Cognitive flexibility is the mind's ability to jump between different ideas, a key component of creativity. But it's not just about being abroad, Galinsky says: "The key critical process is multicultural engagement, immersion, and adaptation. Someone who lives abroad and doesn't engage with the local culture will likely get less of a creative boost than someone who travels abroad and really engages in the local environment. " In other words, going to Cancun for a week on spring break probably won't make a person any more creative. But going to Cancun and living with local fishermen might.

The researchers also found that the more countries the executives had lived in, the more creative the lines tended to be — but only up to a point. Those who had lived and worked in more than three countries, the study found, still tended to show higher levels of creativity than their peers who had worked in a smaller number of foreign countries. The authors assumed that those who had lived in too many countries hadn’t been able to properly immerse themselves culturally and they were bouncing around too much. "It gets back to this idea of a deeper level of learning that's necessary for these effects to occur, " Galinsky says.

Of course, although a new country is an easy way to leave a "social comfort zone the cultural engagement associated with cognitive change doesn't have to happen abroad. If a plane ticket isn't an option, try taking the subway to a new neighborhood. Sometimes, the research suggests, all that's needed for a creative boost is a fresh cultural scene.

1. The examples of the three writers in Paragraph 2 are to ________.

A．show how travelling abroad inspires one's brain

B．explain the creative benefits of international travel

C．illustrate prejudice and narrow-mindedness can harm creativity

D．discuss why writers and thinkers tend to be more open-minded

2. It can be learned from Paragraph 3 that ________.

A．neural pathways are birthplaces of creativity

B．creativity is responsible for revitalizing the mind

C．creativity can be developed by changes of the environment

D．neural pathways allow different synapses to work efficiently

3. What is the key critical process according to Galinsky?

A．The deep involvement with foreign culture.

B．Travelling abroad for a relatively longer period.

C．The mind's ability to jump between different ideas.

D．Living in the foreign country instead of just travelling there.

4. Which of the following could be the most suitable title for the passage?

A．Leave your social comfort zone

B．For a more creative mind, travel

C．Put down your work and go to your neighborhood

D．For an artistic inspiration, go to more foreign countries

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

On March 31, the Eiffel Tower, one of the world's most visited and recognizable places of interest, celebrated the 130-year anniversary (周年纪念日)of its opening.

It was only     1     （suppose） to exist for 20 years. Maybe Parisians decided it was     2    (easy) to just leave it in place than pull it down. It looks like they made the right choice. More than 250 million people     3    (pay) a visit to the tower so far, according to     4     (it) official website.

Designed by French Gustav Eiffel, the tower was meant     5     (serve) as the entrance to the 1889 World Fair in the     6     (begin). It took just over two years to build it. Although it is popular now, not all French people liked     7     tower when it opened. However, the visitors to the 1889 World Fair found it     8    (interest) to visit the Eiffel Tower. Two million people visited it during the fair. It then became useful as a radio antenna (天线) during the First World War.

Tourists have choice when they climb the tower. They can either walk 1,665 steps to the top     9    use one of the elevator (电梯)cars from 1899. Once tourists reach the top,     10    the Eiffel's office is, they can have drink in the tower's top-floor champagne (香槟酒)bar. Today, the tower stands as a symbol of France.