1 . Panama City, Panama

For beach vacations that get you out of town and invite you and your family to dive into culture, consider a trip to Panama City. Here, you will enjoy beaches and city exploring. Book your stay at the Westin Playa Bonita, where you can book a room starting at $222 a night. There are various programs, including beach Olympics, star observation and Spanish lessons.

Jupiter, Florida

This place offers you quality time you can spend with your loved ones. Book your stay at Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa, with rates for a family of four starting at $207 a night. Here, you can shoot baskets at the basketball courts, take a dip in the pool or teach your children beach yoga.

San Diego, California

The West Coast is a great spot for cheap beach vacations, so tell your family to pack their bags for a visit to San Diego. A cheap $10 Uber ride from the airport will have you pull up at the Kona Kai Resort & Spa. Here, a family of four can stay in a Deluxe Guest Room starting at $159 per night. Your kids can practice cannonballs at the pool after a visit to the world-famous San Diego Zoo.

Kihei, Hawaii

For west coasters who are growing bored with their background, fly to the islands of Hawaii. Stay at the Aston at the Maui Banyan, with a charge of $179 a night for a family of four. Here, you’ll see some of the best sunsets of your life while your kids play in the Pacific. And if you set about cooking a fancy meal, you’ll enjoy suites that come with a full kitchen.

1. Which of the following charges you least a night?

A．The Westin Playa Bonita.

B．The Kona Kai Resort & Spa.

C．Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa.

D．The Aston at the Maui Banyan.

2. What can you do at the Aston at the Maui Banyan?

A．Observe fantastic stars.

B．Visit a world-famous zoo.

C．Admire beautiful sunsets.

D．Play some beach sports.

3. What is the common feature of the four tourist attractions?

A．They are all intended for family trips.

B．They all offer rooms with a full kitchen.

C．They all pick up visitors from the airport.

D．They all provide basketball courts on the beach.

2 . San Francisco Fire Engine Tours

San Francisco Winery Tour
Running: February 1st through April 30th

This delicious tour goes through the city on its way to Treasure Island where we will stop at the famous Winery SF. Here you can enjoy 4 pours of some of the best wine San Francisco has to offer.(Included in tickets price)

Departing from the Cannery: Tour times upon request.
Duration(时长): 2 hours
Price: $90
Back to the Fifties Tour
Running: August 16th through August 31st

This tour transports you back in time to one of San Francisco’s most fantastic periods, the 1950s! Enjoy fun history as we take you through San Francisco for a free taste of ice cream.

Departing from the Cannery: 5:00 pm and 7:30 pm
Duration: 2 hours
Price: $90
Spooky Halloween Tour
Running: October 10th through October 31st

Join us for a ride through the historical Presidio district. Authentic fire gear(服装) is provided for your warmth as our entertainers take you to some of the most thrilling parts of San Francisco.

Departing from the Cannery: 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm
Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Price: Available upon request
Holiday Lights Tour
Running: December 6th through December 23rd

This attractive tour takes you to some of San Francisco’s most cheerful holiday scenes. Authentic fire gear is provided for your warmth as you get into the holiday spirit.

Departing from the Cannery: 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm
Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Advance reservations required.
1. Which of the tours is available in March?

A．San Francisco Winery Tour.	B．Back to the Fifties Tour.
C．Spooky Hallowen Tour.	D．Holiday Lights Tour.

2. What can tourists do on Back to the Fifties Tours?

A．Go to Treasure Island.	B．Enjoy the holiday scenes.
C．Have free ice cream.	D．Visit the Presidio district.

3. What are tourists required to do to go on Holiday Lights Tour?

A．Take some drinks.	B．Set off early in the morning.
C．Wear warm clothes.	D．Make reservations in advance.

3 . I was a shy girl and I was afraid to talk to people I didn’t know. I enjoyed the______of exploring nature. ______, at school I had to spend all day in the company of others. My ______ was reading. I spent a lot of time studying and was ______ good grades. My only failure was Spanish—I’d get all As on my written work and tests, but Ds and Fs on the ______ part.

Eventually I went to college. During my third year of college, I had ______ of being shy and determined to change my outlook and behavior. One day while at school, I noticed an advertisement for ______ on the local classical music radio station. I had ______ listening to classical music, and I could easily pronounce names such as Tchaikovsky and Chopin.

I had no background in radio, and absolutely no hope of getting the job. The idea of ______ thousands of listeners in “radio land” terrified me. However, I ______ survived the interview. I was given brief descriptions of symphonies (交响乐) and a public service announcement to read, and a list of composers’ names to ______. It wasn’t hard for me. I left the recording session (录音场次) with a sense of relief and a sense of ______. About two weeks later I actually landed the job. It was a ______ job, but I grew to ______ it greatly. I began to feel comfortable talking to people.

Although I now spend many hours each week talking with people, I’m ______ basically a quiet person. Perhaps it is my soft voice and my ______ nature that helps draw people out when they respond to my questions when I ______   them. My former shyness is a ______, as I can relate to people who feel discomfortable when they talk to reporters. I still enjoy moments of loneliness and the ______ found in nature. But I’m also glad I decided to make a ______ in my life that has opened many doors and opportunities that I never knew existed.

1.

A．loneliness

B．adventure

C．pleasure

D．excitement

2.

A．Therefore

B．However

C．Besides

D．Additionally

3.

A．excuse

B．reason

C．escape

D．assignment

4.

A．mixed with

B．provided with

C．rewarded with

D．awarded with

5.

A．written

B．spelt

C．listened

D．spoken

6.

A．enough

B．nothing

C．much

D．little

7.

A．assignments

B．positions

C．professions

D．careers

8.

A．woken up

B．picked up

C．taken up

D．grown up

9.

A．explaining to

B．talking to

C．listening to

D．complaining to

10.

A．deliberately

B．occasionally

C．luckily

D．randomly

11.

A．pronounce

B．type

C．identify

D．copy

12.

A．depression

B．humor

C．failure

D．accomplishment

13.

A．pleasant

B．challenging

C．comfortable

D．painless

14.

A．hate

B．tolerate

C．enjoy

D．adjust

15.

A．even

B．also

C．seldom

D．still

16.

A．quiet

B．outgoing

C．optimistic

D．lively

17.

A．persuade

B．inform

C．remind

D．interview

18.

A．fortune

B．devotion

C．heritage

D．commitment

19.

A．wealth

B．sound

C．peace

D．wildness

20.

A．study

B．change

C．promise

D．conclusion

4 . Some parents are just too protective. They want to________ their kids from every kind of damage, real or imagined.

A．spot

B．dismiss

C．shelter

D．distinguish

5 . Do you think you have what it takes to be a successful scientist? A successful scientist is generally a good observer. He makes full _____of the facts he observes. He doesn't accept ideas which are not___on obvious facts, and therefore__ to accept authority as the only truth. He always checks ideas__ and makes experiments to prove them.

The rise of modern science may perhaps be considered to__ as far back as the time of Roger Bacon, the wonderful philosopher of Oxford, who lived between the years 1214 and 1292. He was probably the first in the Middle Ages to __that we should learn science___observing and experimenting on the things around us, and he himself __many important truths.

Galileo (1564－1642),___，who lived more than 300 years later, was the greatest of several great men in Italy, France, Germany, and England, who began to show how many important ___could be discovered by observation by degrees. Before Galileo, learned men believed that large bodies ___more rapidly towards the earth than small ones, __ Aristotle said so. But Galileo, going to the ___of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, let fall two __ stones and proved Aristotle was wrong. It is Galileo's __ of going direct to nature, and proving our __ and theories by experiment, that has____all the discoveries of modern science.

What __ those people good scientists? From the example of Galileo, we know clearly that ___scientists are those whose observations have___ better results.

1.

A．use

B．sense

C．speed

D．trust

2.

A．relied

B．based

C．insisted

D．centered

3.

A．refuses

B．desires

C．intends

D．regrets

4.

A．casually

B．carefully

C．quickly

D．privately

5.

A．date

B．keep

C．look

D．come

6.

A．command

B．suspect

C．suggest

D．conclude

7.

A．in

B．with

C．on

D．by

8.

A．brought

B．discovered

C．handled

D．announced

9.

A．however

B．therefore

C．seldom

D．never

10.

A．truths

B．problems

C．investigations

D．subjects

11.

A．threw

B．fell

C．ran

D．rolled

12.

A．although

B．because

C．when

D．if

13.

A．place

B．foot

C．top

D．ceiling

14.

A．big

B．small

C．similar

D．unequal

15.

A．spirit

B．skill

C．theory

D．wish

16.

A．plans

B．opinions

C．world

D．ability

17.

A．led to

B．turned to

C．set up

D．put forward

18.

A．makes

B．prevents

C．considers

D．promises

19.

A．reasonable

B．successful

C．expert

D．sensitive

20.

A．foreseen

B．rejected

C．produced

D．challenged

6 . Several weeks ago, a mysterious Christmas card dropped through our mailbox. The envelope was addressed to a man named Raoul, who, I was relatively certain, did not live with us. The envelope wasn’t sealed, so I opened it. The inside of the card was blank. Ed, my husband, explained that the card was both from and to the newspaper deliveryman. His name was apparently Raoul, and Raoul wanted a holiday tip. We were meant to put a check inside the card and then drop the envelope in the mail. When your services are finished at 4 a.m., you can’t simply hang around, like a hotel bellboy expecting a tip. You have to be direct.

So I wrote a nice holiday greeting to this man who, in my imagination, fires The New York Times from his bike aimed at our front door, causing more noise with mere newsprint than most people manage with sophisticated(复杂的) black market fireworks. With a start, I realized that perhaps the reason for the 4 a.m. wake-up noise was not ordinary rudeness but carefully executed spite(怨恨): I had not tipped Raoul in Christmas past. I honestly hadn’t realized I was supposed to. This was the first time he’d used the card tactic(策略). So I got out my checkbook. Somewhere along the line, holiday tipping went from an optional thank-you for a year of services to a Mafia-style protection racket (收保护费组织).

Several days later, I was bringing our garbage bins back when I noticed an envelope taped to one of the lids. The outside of the envelope said MICKEY. It had to be another tip request, this time from our garbage collector. Unlike Raoul, Mickey hadn’t enclosed his own Christmas card from me. In a way, I appreciated the directness. “I know you don’t care how merry my Christmas is, and that’s fine,” the gesture said. “I want $30, or I’ll ‘forget’ to empty your garbage bin some hot summer day.” I put a check in the envelope and taped it back to the bin. The next morning, Ed noticed that the envelope was gone, though the trash hadn’t yet been picked up: “Someone stole Mickey’s tip!” Ed was quite certain. He made me call the bank and cancel the check. But Ed had been wrong. Two weeks later, Mickey left a letter from the bank on our steps. The letter informed Mickey that the check, which he had tried to cash, had been cancelled.

The following Tuesday morning, when Ed saw a truck outside, he ran out with his wallet. “Are you Mickey?” The man looked at him with scorn(轻蔑). “Mickey is the garbageman. I am the recycling.” Not only had Ed insulted(侮辱) this man by suggesting that he was a garbageman, but he had obviously neglected to tip him. Ed ran back inside for more funds. Then he noticed that the driver of the truck had been watching the whole incident. He peeled off another twenty and looked around, waving bills in the air. “Anyone else?”

Had we consulted the website of the Emily Post Institute, this embarrassing break of etiquette (礼节) could have been avoided. Under “trash/recycling collectors” in the institute’s Holiday Tipping Guidelines, it says: “$10 to $30 each.” You may or may not wish to know that your hairdresser, mailman and UPS guy all expect a holiday tip.

1. The newspaper deliveryman put a blank card inside the envelope because________..

A．he wanted the couple to pay for the newspaper	B．he forgot to write a few words on it
C．he used it to ask for a Christmas tip	D．he was afraid of asking for a tip in person

2. From the passage, we learn that the author________.

A．didn’t like Raoul’s way of delivering the paper

B．didn’t realize why Raoul delivered the paper that way before

C．didn’t know that Raoul delivered the paper for them

D．didn’t feel it necessary to meet Raoul when he came

3. According to the passage, the author felt ________ to give Raoul a holiday tip.

A．excited

B．happy

C．embarrassed

D．forced

4. Which of the following is true about Mickey, the garbage collector？

A．He wrote a letter to the couple afterwards.

B．He failed to collect the money from the bank.

C．He wanted the couple to send him a Christmas card.

D．He collected both the check and the garbage that day.

5. Ed’s encounter(遭遇) with the recycling team shows that________.

A．Ed was desperate to correct his mistake	B．Ed only wanted to give money to Raoul
C．Ed was unwilling to tip the truck driver	D．Ed no longer wanted to give them money

6. From the passage we can infer that ________.

A．their garbage bin might not be emptied one day if the writer didn’t give tips

B．the writer could have avoided giving tips if they had consulted the website of the Emily Post Institute

C．the writer’s husband didn’t know Raoul at all

D．the writer’s family was too poor to give the tips

7 . I’d like to share a little with you about something that happened when I was four. I remember it clearly. Our loving family dog was nearing the end of his life. My father picked him up and put him in a little bed we had made for him. Our dog, my companion, whom we had cared for, bit my father when he attempted to help him. How could he? Why? I couldn’t understand it. I didn’t like him anymore.

I hadn’t thought that story for a long time but something that happened last brought it back to me. I went to speak with a friend. When I knocked on the door, I met in an instant an angry look and a few harsh (尖刻的) words. When the door was slammed (砰地关上) in my face, I stood there shocked, and in rush, I was reminded of my dog bit my father 20 years ago or so. What brought that story back was that same feeling of betrayal.

Both stories taught me something the next day. You see, when I got up in the morning and was told my dog had died, it became clear to me that he must have been in great pain. For him to have bitten a family member, he could not have been himself. Much the same for the other story when I learned that my friend’s wife had just left him.

We are all begins of our environments, our opinions and feelings. And all of those things can cause you to say and do things that can’t be understood by those who are not in the same situation with you.

If you meet someone either behaving out of character or acting in a way that doesn’t seem to fit the situation, put our your hand and be patient when you think it is least possible for him to do so. You may turn around a story that has a sad ending simply by your actions.

1. What is the influence of the incident mentioned in Paragraph 1?

A．It hurt his father’s feeling deeply.	B．It has puzzled the author ever since.
C．It left a deep impression on the author.	D．It made the author dislike dogs.

2. Why did the author’s friend say harsh words to the author?

A．He was ill-tempered.

B．He was suffering the pain of losing his wife.

C．He was bothered by an unexpected visit.

D．They once quarreled and he couldn’t forgive the author.

3. What’s the author’s advice to us?

A．Help those in need.	B．Look before you leap.
C．Respect of others is a kind of virtue.	D．Learn to put yourself in others’ shoes.

8 . I always wanted to be extraordinary at something. Not just as in, “Great job, Jimbo!” No, I wanted to be best-in-class, awe-inspiring, tiptop; a world-famous genius, like Michael Phelps or Mark Zuckerberg.

Unfortunately, my version of reality did not quite line up with thisdelusionalvision. I was a good swimmer, but I peaked at the collegiate State Championships level. My academic record was pretty solid, but I never would have made it into one of those ivy-league schools.

Though I rose to above-average status in a couple of areas, the disappointing truth was that I would never amount to anything more than a mid-sized fish in a small pond. God apparently had other plans.

What drove me crazy, though, was the superstar talent thrown in my face at every turn. Some folks just seemed to get an unfair intensive dose (剂量) of it. Why couldn’t I be like Bernie William, the famed New Yorkees player who also happens to be a world-class jazz guitar virtuoso (艺术大师)?

Some say greatness is simply a function of putting in the practice time. Around ten thousand hours, to be precise, according to author Malcolm Gladwell. I don’t question the theory of devoting extraordinary efforts to developing one’s expertise, but it seems that raw talent is equally important. You either have it or you don’t.

I’ve heard that as people approach middle age, their life satisfaction increases because they begin to accept the gap between the expectations for themselves and the reality. After a few decades of frustration without the desired results, we eventually come to terms with how our lives turned out, even if it falls far short of our idealized youthful expectation.

Hope bends, it seems.

1. What does the word “delusional” in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?

A．Practical.	B．Realistic.
C．Abstract.	D．Imaginary.

2. In the passage, the writer thinks of himself as__________.

A．a world-famous genius	B．a mid-sized fish in a small pond
C．a world-class virtuoso	D．a student in an ivy-league school

3. According to the writer, what make “greatness”?

A．Raw talent.	B．Talent and time.
C．Extraordinary efforts.	D．Ten thousand hours of practice.

4. Which of the following might be the best title?

A．Hope Bends	B．Frustrating Decades
C．Practice Works	D．Youthful Expectation

9 . My father was born in a small town in the US. He wasn't sure what he wanted from ______， but something told him to ______ and begin a new adventure.

He began that adventure traveling to cities in the US before going on to Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. He took my mother and us three daughters with him and went wherever the road ______ him.

It's easy to feel _____ when you're on the road. We made lots of new friends on our trip — most of them are mechanics, since we often ______ hours in repair shops. But that was a way much _____ than sitting by the roadside while waiting for the engine to ______ when it was 40 ℃ outside.

Getting along well sometimes seemed ______. There were always a lot of _____， especially among us back seat passengers about who had to ______ in the middle. But even if it was hard, we learned a lot about ______. When we were traveling in the Philippines, we drove to Quezon City one day. It should have been an hour's drive but was nearly three thanks to bad roads and ______ traffic. “Did you put our suitcases in the car?” my father asked my mother as we arrived there. From the back seat, we saw her ______ turn toward my father. “No, ” she said. “I thought you did.” That was how a seven hour car trip turned into a 16hour one, which was mostly spent in ______.

On occasions like that, we had to learn to let go of our anger because we were ______ in a rolling box with the same people for the rest of the ______. Even if I sometimes felt like opening the car door and ______ one of my sisters out, I kept my feelings to myself.

This is why road trips were like ______ universities to us. We ______ our PhDs (博士学位) in how to get along with other people just by traveling in our old car.

If we were ______ given a second chance at life, we would do it all over again. Only this time would I put the suitcases in the car myself.

1.

A．move

B．life

C．experience

D．belief

2.

A．live up

B．struggle on

C．get out

D．walk around

3.

A．took

B．drove

C．served

D．controlled

4.

A．anxious

B．upset

C．helpless

D．lonely

5.

A．wasted

B．worked

C．spent

D．chatted

6.

A．better

B．easier

C．safer

D．cleverer

7.

A．break down

B．cool off

C．clear up

D．turn over

8.

A．available

B．alternative

C．necessary

D．impossible

9.

A．arguments

B．fights

C．embarrassments

D．amusements

10.

A．settle

B．rest

C．sit

D．watch

11.

A．sharing

B．respect

C．communication

D．tolerance

12.

A．light

B．heavy

C．local

D．fast

13.

A．suddenly

B．sensitively

C．calmly

D．slowly

14.

A．silence

B．vain

C．panic

D．disappointment

15.

A．buried

B．crazy

C．stuck

D．impatient

16.

A．holiday

B．journey

C．exploration

D．march

17.

A．dragging

B．pushing

C．helping

D．sending

18.

A．unusual

B．common

C．free

D．mobile

19.

A．earned

B．expected

C．missed

D．valued

20.

A．somewhere

B．anytime

C．somehow

D．anyway

10 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

More than 1, 250 lit stalls(货摊) brighten the center of Thailand’s capital city,     1     (provide) a multicolored sight. The shelter,     2     is designed for the thousands of traders and shoppers at Bangkok’s night market, has become an     3     (attract) itself.

The market, which     4     (call) Train Night Market Ratchada in English, was opened in January 2015 and has become     5     popular spot for locals and tourists. Software engineer Prasas Ambati visited the market and took the landscape photographs from a nearby car park. “Those     6     (color) tents and people shopping, eating at stalls and the flashing lights were great. The tents made me think of a giant painting.”

This is     7     (primary) a market that sells yesteryear(旧时) goods, old-fashioned     8     (collection) of clothes, motorbikes, and second-hand toys. There are also plenty of general market things for sale,     9    cheap clothes, shoes, bags, and other fashion items. But above all it’s one of the best places for street food, open-air bars with live music frequently     10     (perform) all over.