1 . When you go on a holiday, is your journey just an annoying inconvenience to get you there? Have you ever been too busy thinking about the next place you’re going to visit to enjoy where you are? Or do you ever return from a holiday exhausted from too much sightseeing? If so, you might want to consider slow travel.
What exactly is slow travel? It’s certainly not about doing everything at a snail’s pace or using the slowest form of transport. Instead, it’s about connecting to the local culture and the people who live there. The idea is that you experience life in any place you visit as if you were from there—if you were slow traveling, you might rent a place to stay, explore on foot or by local transport, shop in neighborhood markets and eat typical food from the area. In other words, you really get to know one or a few places rather than seeing only a little of many different places. Slow travel is a mindset —a way of thinking —it is about appreciating and making the most of every moment of your stay.
The benefits of slow travel are multiple. For a start, an important positive factor is that you’ll save money. Why? Transport, especially flights and renting a car, is one of the biggest expenses on a holiday and using alternatives brings the costs down. Also, staying in an apartment or house means you can eat in and enjoy the pleasure of local shopping. Another advantage is that you’ll meet more local people who can tell you interesting places to go and give great advice. In addition, since you won’t be sticking to a tight schedule, you’ll have time to explore in depth and make plans as you go along.
The benefits don’t end there. Slow travel is less stressful too and you get to see places that you would never have seen otherwise. Getting off the beaten track and finding unexpected treasures, such as a beautiful square or a wonderful little restaurant that aren’t in any guidebooks, are half the fun of going to new places. You’re far more likely to remember these enriching experiences for years to come than visiting yet another museum, cafe packed with tourists or city filled with sightseers, just because all the travel books say they are the best places to go. Finally, slow travel is more environmentally friendly. As a result, not only will you reduce your carbon footprint, but you’ll also promote sustainable travel.
1. How does the author introduce the topic?| A．By presenting examples. | B．By providing background. |
| C．By giving definition. | D．By asking questions. |
| A．Limited | B．Plentiful | C．Impressive | D．Unique |
| A．It is economical and flexible. | B．It is slow and inconvenient. |
| C．It is time-saving and interesting. | D．It is relaxing and green. |
| A．To compare slow travel and special forces-style travel. |
| B．To give examples of the slow travel around the world. |
| C．To introduce what slow travel is and its benefits. |
| D．To list the advantages and disadvantages of slow travel. |
2 . Barbara Kingsolver is a Pulitzer Prize-winning US author. Her new book, Demon Copperhead (winner of the Fiction award in the Indie Book Awards 2023), is out now, published by Faber. She shared the books that changed her life.
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
I read this book in the back of a car. I must have been in third or fourth grade, and my parents were taking us on a rare holiday. They put us in the back of the estate car and expected us to be quiet for as long as it took to drive to the Grand Canyon. Luckily, I can read in moving vehicles, and I just disappeared into Little Women. That was my first experience of really losing myself in a novel.
The Children of Violence series by Doris Lessing
This series of books rocked my world. They are novels connected by a main character, Martha Quest, and set in what was then called Rhodesia, where Lessing grew up. She was writing about sexism and racism in a time when those words weren’t really used yet. They had what was called the color bar back then, and as far as sexism, it was just called life. Nobody was remarking on it. But these books were about these big, universal themes that I was feeling so powerfully in my own life. It was what I saw in my little town. It was a revelation to me that fiction could be about these things that everyone in the world should be thinking about. That larger purpose of fiction was revealed to me through these books.
Cannery Row, John Steinbeck
I always loved to read, and I kept a journal since I was eight. As a young adult I wrote poetry and stories which l did not show to anybody. But I did not think I could be a writer. In my small town, my small world, it just didn’t seem possible. I thought, I don’t know anyone important. I just know regular, ordinary people. You can’t write about that. And then a book fell into my hands that was this exquisite novel about this funny group of ordinary people living in an ordinary place. It was like the scales fell from my eyes. It showed me fiction doesn’t have to be about famous people or heroic lives.
1. Where did Barbara Kingsolver read Little Women?| A．In Rhodesia. | B．On an estate. |
| C．At the Grand Canyon. | D．In the car. |
| A．It is the winner of the Fiction award in the Indie Book Awards. |
| B．It is about sexism and racism Martha Quest experienced in Rhodesia. |
| C．It is about big and powerful themes that I can hardly relate to. |
| D．It is an exquisite book about ordinary people in an ordinary place. |
| A．Demon Copperhead | B．Little Women |
| C．The Children of Violence | D．Cannery Row |
1. What has the speaker been interested in since childhood?
| A．Writing. | B．Nursing. | C．Teaching. |
| A．Satisfied. | B．Surprised. | C．Disappointed. |
| A．Found a company. | B．Travel around America. | C．Study abroad. |
1. Why did the speaker buy a new umbrella?
| A．His old one was damaged. | B．He really loved that one. | C．He failed to bring one. |
| A．It is beside the Eiffel Tower. | B．It is very close to a bakery. | C．It is within walking distance to Louvre. |
| A．To see some artworks. | B．To eat some French food. | C．To meet some good friends. |
1. Where does the conversation take place?
| A．At school. | B．At the zoo. | C．At an amusement park. |
| A．John was busy. | B．John arrived late. | C．John changed his mind. |
| A．He wanted to come alone. | B．He was afraid of roller coasters. | C．He wanted to give her a surprise. |
| A．Considerate. | B．Brave. | C．Reliable. |
1. Why does the man turn to the woman?
| A．He has to work late. | B．He has to get groceries. | C．He has a package to come. |
| A．A box of fruit. | B．Some alcohol. | C．Some sports equipment. |
| A．They are under the age of 21. | B．They’ll return home by 3:00 p.m. | C．They’ll practice soccer at 5:00 p.m. |
| A．A concert hall. | B．A stadium. | C．A gallery. |
1．在亚运会期间，全红婵再次赢得冠军，这给观众们留下了深刻的印象。
2．正是她不懈的努力和可爱的个性使她成为一名受欢迎的女孩。（强调句）
3．那些为中国赢得过荣耀的运动员们都给我们树立了好的榜样。（定语从句）
4．尽管困难重重，他们积极面对挑战，过更快乐的生活。（despite；doing作伴随状语）
5．作为青少年，我们不仅要学习他们对体育的热爱，也要拥有一种积极的人生态度。(not only... but also...)
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