2 . Are you looking for some good places for you and your four-leg friend? Here are some for you.

Tahmoor Gorge (峡谷)

The number and quality of swimming holes in this valley immediately take us back to some of our favourite places in Kakadu national park. The only difference here is that you don’t need a four-wheel drive, so the best way togo to the gorge is walking. This pet-friendly walk follows the Bargo River through an open gorge that gradually drops to a deep gorge. It is a popular place for locals on weekends. The further you run into the gorge, the less people there are.

Sirius Cove, Mosman

Sirius Cove is one of many quietly beautiful places along the Taronga Zoo to Balmoral Beach walking trail (路线). The deep, U-shaped bay, with a large grassy area, is popular with picnicking families and their dogs.

Kutti Beach, Vaucluse

We heard about it from a friend, but it is so hidden that it is not easy to find the entrance. Follow Wharf Road until it dead ends at the Vaucluse Amateur Sailing Club. Go right up to the building and look left. There is a very narrow set of stairs leading to the beach. Go down the steps and open the gate at the bottom. Follow the narrow road along the wall to the sand. The best bit? It’s dog-friendly.

MacKenzies Beach, Tamarama

From whale watching hot place MacKenzies Point, follow the sloped (斜的) road to MacKenzies Beach, a dog-friendly, short-time beach that only appears every couple of years when the right combination (结合) of wind and sand on the normal rocky reef. They say you aren’t a local until you’ve seen sand at MacKenzies.

1. What do we know about Tahmoor Gorge?

A．It’s a must to drive there.

B．It’s a popular place on weekdays.

C．It’s a good way to go there on foot.

D．It’s a popular place for foreign visitors.

2. Which is the most hidden place according to the author?

A．Tahmoor Gorge.	B．Kutti Beach, Vaucluse.
C．Sirius Cove, Mosman.	D．MacKenzies Beach, Tamarama.

3. What do the four places have in common?

A．They are beside the sea.

B．They are dog-friendly.

C．They are places where whales are seen.

D．They are open to the public only on weekends.

4 . Last week, I went to Montpellier in the south of France for an exam. So this trip was for business, not pleasure. However, I was looking forward to seeing some of my friends, who studied in Paul Valéry University in Montpellier. I was quite happy to go to Montpellier because it was a part of France that I hadn’t seen before. Upon arriving there, I was greeted at the train station by one of my friends. We decided to go for a walk to Place de la Comédie before heading to our exam. Then, we received a text message from our lecturer saying that the exam had been cancelled. I was initially furious because I had travelled three hours from Toulouse for no purpose.

After venting our anger, my friend and I decided to go to the nearest shopping centre — the Odysseum. I enjoyed my time here, especially since my friends took me to the aquarium there, and I picked up even more French words for sea creatures like a sea lion. Also we joked around a bit whilst there, so my journey to Montpellier wasn’t totally without purpose. After this, we went to Pizza Pino for lunch in the Odysseum. However, after that it was time to indulge in a secret passion of mine — shopping. I loved the shops in the Odysseum but I remembered after buying a new shirt for work and gloves that I need to save money for going home.

So I asked my friends to show me some of the sites, like Place de la Comédie. My favourite site of the whole trip must have been the Arc de Triomphe that is in Montpellier. My reason for this is that behind the Arc is a park area with an aqueduct at the top and an area to stand. From here, my friends and I watched the sunset before I had to go back to Toulouse. Overall, my trip wasn’t a total waste. I had a great day in Montpellier with my friends and learnt some new words in French!

1. Why was the author happy to go to Montpellier?

A．Because it’s beautiful than other places in France.

B．Because it’s the first time the author would see it.

C．Because there were some friends of his here.

D．Because I would have a test to attend.

2. Which word below can replace the underlined word in Paragraph 2?

A．learned

B．recognized

C．considered

D．told

3. What’s the correct order for the following events?
a. My friends showed me some sites.
b. We went to the Odysseum.
c. The exam had been cancelled.
d. I was greeted at the train station by one of my friends.

A．dabc

B．acbd

C．dcba

D．dcab

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．My trip to Montpellier

B．My exam in Montpellier

C．My good friends

D．My business in Montpellier

5 . Xiamen is a coastal city. It is located (位于) on the southeast coast of China and is very beautiful. It is known as “the City of International Garden”. It is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese, one of China’s earliest four main special economic zones (地区) and one of “China’s Top Ten Tourist Cities”.

Located on the west coast Taiwan Straits and facing Kinmen Island, Xiamen has unique natural scenery (景色) and achieves a good fame of “city on the sea and sea in the city”. With seawater around the city, it has large sand beach and warm sunshine. Here, islands, rocks, temples, flowers and trees form the beautiful natural views. What’s more, a number of cultural views like Gulangyu, the peaceful South Putuo Temple add color to the beauty of Xiamen. Besides, the city includes customs of Fujian, Taiwan and the hometown of overseas Chinese. What’s more, influenced by the culture of other countries, exotic buildings are also integrated (合并) into the buildings of Xiamen, forming the travel characteristics of Xiamen.

Facing Xiamen across the sea, Gulangyu has beautiful scenery with birds singing and all kinds of flowers giving off smell. It also gathers and keeps buildings of different styles at home and abroad, so it is also called a place of “International Architecture Exhibition”. This island is also the rich land for music that cultivates numbers of music talents and has a large number of pianos, making it known as “The Piano Island” and “The Hometown of Music”. Besides, the road around the island lets visitors enjoy the beauty of blue sea and clear sky as well as appreciate the natural scenery on this island.

1. What can we infer about Xiamen from paragraph 1?

A．It is a newly built city.

B．It lies on the northeast coast.

C．It gains popularity among tourists.

D．It is famous for the seawater there.

2. What makes Xiamen become “city on the sea and sea in the city”?

A．Its special location.	B．Its rich culture.
C．Its colorful customs.	D．Its developed transportation.

3. What does the underlined word “exotic” probably mean in paragraph 2?

A．Ancient.

B．Foreign.

C．Expensive.

D．Surprising.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The local people of Gulangyu.

B．The early history of Gulangyu.

C．The general introduction of Gulangyu.

D．The different building styles of Gulangyu.

6 . If you want to travel to a unique place to see some fall leaves, you might want to visit Mt. Koya in Japan. Koyasan is home to 117 temples(寺庙). In the fall, the Japanese maple (枫树) leaves turn deep red and orange colours. Among them are the 1,200-year-old temples and halls that were designed by Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism.

Visitors to Koyasan can spend the night at a temple. For dinner there is traditional Buddhist food called shojin-ryori. In the evening you can enjoy the gardens or relax in the baths before bed. The rooms have the paper doors typical of traditional Japanese buildings, often with a garden view. If you wake up early, there is a morning prayer(祈祷) at 6 a.m. and anyone can join before heading to breakfast.

In the centre of the temples is a cemetery(墓地). As you walk on the path you’ll see a deep well. The legend says that if you can see your face clearly in the water, you will live a long life. Further on there is a special stone which they say is as heavy as your crimes. You can try to lift it with one hand to see how heavy it is!

As you pass through the cemetery you will see some small stone men wearing bibs(围裙) and hats to keep them warm in the cold air. These are called Jizo, and they stay between Earth and the afterworld. They protect travellers, pregnant women, and also young children and babies before birth, during life, and after death. The reason they wear red bibs is because of their connection with the pronunciation of baby in Japanese.

Some of the monks at the temples speak English, and there are English-speaking guides who do tours of the cemetery, so you can practise your English on your trip.

1. What can visitors do in the temples of Koyasan?

A．Learn to make paper doors.	B．Enjoy delicious Western food.
C．Take a bath in the garden.	D．Join a morning prayer before breakfast.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The cemetery.

B．The path.

C．The stone.

D．The crime.

3. Why do the small stone men wear red bibs?

A．They protect people.	B．They match the temples.
C．They keep visitors warmer.	D．They are pronounced like “baby” in Japanese.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．Temple travel on Mt. Koya.	B．Travelling in Japan.
C．Speaking English with monks.	D．The development of tourism in Japan.

7 . I was born in Venice, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy, and studied designing at university here. Though I have also spent time away, I have always come back because it’s my home.

In Venice, there are no roads, only canals, so you have to get around on foot or by boat. I live on a canal in the Rialto area in a house that was built in 1588 for the Muti family, who were businessmen in the silk trade. In the mid-eighteenth century, it was home to the Vezzi family, who made things like plates and bowls in fine china and became rich by sending these around the world. These businessmen’s houses in Venice are like palaces. Their owners had to have space to show off their goods, but the building also had to be an office, a factory, a store and a home. My house came into our family in 1919, when it was bought by my grandfather. He died before I was born but he was the director of a museum where I often do research on old documents. On some of these, I’ve seen notes in his handwriting, so, in a way, I met him through these documents.

Sadly, the population of Venice has dropped from 120,000 in the 1950s to about 60,000 now. This doesn’t include the thousands of tourists who come to visit. I welcome the tourists but unless something is done to stop everyday shops like bakeries from disappearing, the city will die. I want people who love the city to come here to live and work and give Venice back a life that is not just about tourism.

1. What can we learn about the family who first owned the author’s home?

A．They were china dealers.	B．They made plates and bowls.
C．They used to buy and sell silk.	D．They helped to build the canals.

2. What does the author say about his grandfather?

A．He met his grandfather in an unusual way.

B．His grandfather taught him how to write.

C．His grandfather turned his home into a museum.

D．He found his grandfather’s handwriting hard to read.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph about Venice?

A．It faces a difficult situation.	B．It can’t feed its population.
C．It needs more modern shops.	D．It has fewer tourists than before.

8 .

Join Rainbow Tours’ new eco-friendly travelling in Rwanda and Uganda, which takes you behind the scenes in areas where successful protection projects are ongoing. From £ 8,055 per person for 15 nights, including flights. rainbowtours.co.uk

Sustainable active holiday expert Much Better Adventures has come up with a new route in Jordan, which includes a night in a tent in Wadi Rum. Other highlights include an exploration in the Dead Sea and a hike through the Dana Biosphere Reserve. Launches March 2022. From £ 975 per person for five nights. muchbetteradventures.com

Sink your teeth into a Green Trip in a Land Rover Defender, eating food cooked over an open fire and sleeping in a tent in Norfolk. Wildnis, a new climate-positive adventure company, offers an action-packed break featuring sailing, rafting and sea swimming. From £ 2,500 per person for three nights. wildnis.co.uk

Head into the Highlands with new Scottish wildlife-watching company Wild Discovery. The operator has introduced E-guide services available for visitors. E-bike Safari Adventure Weekends from £499 per person for two nights. wild-discovery.com

1. What feature do all of the above places have in common?

A．Sleeping in a tent.	B．Providing E-guide.
C．Being eco-friendly.	D．Exploring the sea.

2. If you are a wildlife lover with a busy work schedule, which company would you choose?

A．Rainbow Tours.

B．Much Better Adventures.

C．Wildnis.

D．Wild Discovery.

3. What can this article be taken from?

A．A travel brochure.	B．A science magazine.
C．An animal poster.	D．A biology book.

9 . We had just come back home after a big trip. My 5-year-old boy, Baldwin, couldn't _________ to share our stories with his grandmother. Our final _________ is the Appalachian Trail, one of the longest footpaths in the world. We finished the route without any _________ in 209 days. The _________ was really hard work, but full of fun. The landscape along the way was _________, with green woods and wild animals like kangaroos. My husband and I had little time to _________ our own physical pain from walking so many kilometers, but tried hard to keep our little boy happy and excited. When we were tired, we got to eat Skittles, a colorful sweet treat, to make my son_________. We slept in a tent, _________ at 5: 30 in the morning and walking all day. Talking with other hikers along the way prevented _________ and brought extra joy.

My son was even several months __________ than “Buddy Backpacker”, a boy who once held the record for the youngest person for the route. We had been hiking __________ my son was two years old. We took every opportunity to go outside and __________ the world. It may seem like an impossible activity for a child. However, it turned out that he was strong enough to __________ it. My son's trip earned __________ from Dale, the oldest person to hike the route. He said, “It's going to change his life forever. Baldwin has gone through some hardships, making him stronger. This challenge contributes to his social and __________ development. He will smile through his life.”

1.

A．regret

B．wait

C．promise

D．decide

2.

A．agreement

B．edge

C．movement

D．destination

3.

A．vehicle

B．direction

C．luggage

D．supply

4.

A．jogging

B．surfing

C．hiking

D．hunting

5.

A．available

B．normal

C．awful

D．dramatic

6.

A．pay attention to

B．put on

C．add to

D．live up to

7.

A．brave

B．concerned

C．grateful

D．energetic

8.

A．lying

B．waking

C．talking

D．settling

9.

A．laziness

B．sadness

C．boredom

D．injury

10.

A．shorter

B．younger

C．earlier

D．quicker

11.

A．if

B．since

C．until

D．because

12.

A．change

B．recognise

C．explore

D．photograph

13.

A．make

B．feel

C．know

D．find

14.

A．prize

B．lesson

C．praise

D．harvest

15.

A．emotional

B．intellectual

C．imaginative

D．magical