1 . London, with countless famous sites and all manner of food, drink, shopping, history, and culture, is definitely a wonderful city to visit.

Time Zone

Greenwich Mean Time during the winter, British Summer Time during the rest of the year (starting at Daylight Saving Time).

Best Time to Go

The best time to visit London overall is in spring, when the temperatures have warmed up, the sun has started to shine and London’s gardens and parks are looking their best. However, the reality is that the best time to travel to London depends a lot on what you’re looking for. If you’re all about taking a look inside Queen Liz’s palace, you’d better make it in summer, while winter is beautiful and festive for those looking to get their fill of Christmas markets and traditional cheer.

Things to Know

Londoners, and English people in general, have a much more different manner of interacting with one another than Americans do while an American might think nothing of smiling at a stranger passing on the sidewalk or asking about work in the first few minutes of a conversation. Londoners might consider it impolite or strange. Don’t mistake this for unfriendliness; it’s just a cultural difference. Instead, talk about things like movies, TV shows, books, your travels, and the like, instead of work or family.

How to Get Around

Getting around London is unbelievably easy thanks to the well-maintained and extensive Underground. The underground, unlike American transportation systems which often pay per ride or pay per length of trip, are paid in zones. Fare also varies based on time of day and the method you use to pay. It’s worth getting an Oyster card to make your life that much simpler.

1. What is the best season to visit Queen Liz’s palace?

A．Spring.

B．Summer.

C．Autumn.

D．Winter.

2. Which is a suitable topic for starting a conversation with Londoners?

A．A football match.	B．A work plan.
C．A family issue.	D．A company rule.

3. What is this text?

A．A survey.	B．A travel diary.
C．A research paper.	D．A guidebook.

3 . 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.

6 . 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.

8 . I was 17 years old. Along with a dozen other boys I had made a long trip to Iowa in order to see a college that I was thinking of _______. While the trip had been _______ for the most part, I was feeling depressed, alone, and isolated. I was _______ the Appalachian mountains and the forests of my home. I loved _______ the leaves turned a thousand _______ of green in the Spring and then became a _______ of red, gold and orange in the Fall.

Here in Iowa everything was _______. The grass looked burnt and brown. All that I could_______was a mixture of corn, mud and pigs. I walked outside the dormitory of the college and sat on a big rock. I closed my eyes and _______ being back home again. When I finally opened them, however, I saw something that touched my __________. It was a Prairie (大草原) Sunset. It seemed to __________ the sky from horizon to horizon. Gold, red, purple and pink clouds all __________ together in a picture painted by Heaven’s own hand. It was so huge that it took my __________ away. It made our mountain sunsets seem __________ by comparison. I realized that this place too had its own special beauty. This place too was a part of nature’s__________.

1.

A．quitting

B．visiting

C．attending

D．exploring

2.

A．fun

B．hard

C．plain

D．tiresome

3.

A．assuming

B．picturing

C．reminding

D．missing

4.

A．if

B．where

C．why

D．how

5.

A．shapes

B．shades

C．shadows

D．sheets

6.

A．flood

B．cloud

C．sea

D．blanket

7.

A．easy

B．flat

C．beautiful

D．tough

8.

A．hear

B．touch

C．taste

D．smell

9.

A．cared about

B．dreamed of

C．prepared for

D．looked over

10.

A．body

B．hand

C．face

D．soul

11.

A．fill

B．break

C．separate

D．block

12.

A．folded

B．sank

C．flowed

D．escaped

13.

A．pain

B．breath

C．wealth

D．eyesight

14.

A．splendid

B．pale

C．tiny

D．weak

15.

A．creation

B．punishment

C．change

D．reflection

9 . 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.

10 . Los Angeles is always a popular holiday destination. To fully enjoy your travel there, you should know its food, weather, and also traffic. While driving in L. A. is similar to that in other areas, there are a few specific rules to note.

HOV lanes (车道)

On many L. A. freeways, one or more lanes at the far left are used as high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. They usually have limited access and you can only enter or exit where there is a break in the double yellow line. Most HOV lanes require a minimum of two people in the car; some require three. Vehicles towing trailers (拖车) are NOT allowed in the HOV lane, regardless of how many people are in them.

Toll (收费) lanes

On certain freeways, the HOV lanes are double-purposed as toll lanes for people driving alone who have a FasTrak, an electronic toll collection system. Therefore, you also have to have one in that lane as a HOV, which is inconvenient if you’re just visiting. FasTrak is in effect on parts of the 110 freeway between the 405 and 10 freeways, and on parts of the 10 freeway east of Downtown L. A.

Cell phones

It is against the law to talk on a cell phone while driving without using a hands-free device. Holding a cell phone to your ear while driving will land you with a ticket.

Alcohol

Driving under the influence is taken seriously in L.A. The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08%, but you can be charged with lower levels if they show you can’t function normally. Placing an opened bottle of alcohol in the passenger area while driving (or sitting) is illegal. Any opened container of alcohol has to be transported in the trunk.

1. What do you know about HOV lanes?

A．They encourage people to share cars.

B．They are on the far right of freeways.

C．They are intended for larger vehicles.

D．They allow cars to enter over the double yellow line.

2. Which is surely against the road rules in L. A.?

A．Driving on the 110 freeway with a FasTrak.

B．Putting the cell phone in the car while driving.

C．Riding with an opened bottle of alcohol in back seats.

D．Going below the blood alcohol limit of 0. 08%.

3. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．A traffic law.	B．A road map.
C．A guidebook.	D．A report.