1 . Most Anticipated Hotel Openings of 2023

Whether you enjoy staying at a fashion hotel, a secret place or a wellness-focused room where you can take time for yourself, this year’s hot new hotels will deliver.

LXR Hotels, Bali

LXR, Hilton’s collection of one-of-a-kind independent hotels, will make its first try into Southeast Asia with this yet-to-be-named property. LXR, Bali, will have 72 villages over 230 feet above the Indian Ocean, five restaurants, two bars, a spa and a beach club.

Shinta Mani Mustang Hotel—A Bensley Collection, Nepal

The distant former Himalayan kingdom of Mustang only opened to international visitors in the early 1990s. Now a new hotel from Bill Bensley will open at Mustang’s gate. Bensley, known for brave, memorable inner design, will fashion 29 mountain-view rooms like traditional Tibetan homes using local stone and wood. Stays include servants, adventure guides, a spa and a Tibetan wellness program featuring traditional Chinese medicine.

The St. Regis Kanai Hotel, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Located among forest in a 620-acre nature reserve along the Yucatán Peninsula, The St. Regis will have particular buildings and walkways that look like connected circles from above. The design will give all 143 accommodations ocean views. The hotel will also have a spa and water-facing pools.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Melbourne

You will want to check into Australia’s tallest hotel just to look out of the glass-covered building. Enjoying incomparable views of Melbourne from the windows in the 257 guest rooms and suites is the most welcomed thing in the hotel. Also, the 64th-floor heated pool is offered for free and spa with customized treatments, the 79th-floor club level and the sky-high 80th-floor hall are also offered.

1. Which hotel will first come into Southeast Asia market?

A．The St. Regis Kanai Hotel.	B．Shinta Mani Mustang Hotel.
C．LXR Hotels.	D．The Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

2. What service is offered in all hotels?

A．Swimming pool.

B．Beach club.

C．Adventure guides.

D．Spa.

3. Where does the text probably come from?

A．A hotel brochure.

B．A newspaper.

C．A website.

D．A textbook.

2 . You know by now that dirt is good for lots of things: growing plants, feeding worms, even the occasional mud bath. But building houses? Absolutely.

People build houses with dirt because it is plentiful, really cheap, and fireproof. Thick dirt walls keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. And you can build a whole house with few tools other than your own two hands.

In fact, dirt is so good for building things that half the people in the world live in houses made of mud. Maybe even you!

Mud works best for building where it’s dry for most of the year. If there’s too much rain, the walls of your mud house could melt like ice cream on a warm day.But in places that don’t see many storm clouds, mud bricks (砖块),which are baked hard in the sun or in a hot oven, can be as strong and durable as stone. In Africa, some mud­brick buildings have been standing for thousands of years.

In the southwestern United States, American Indians built four­story apartment buildings from mud bricks called adobe (土坯). And on the Great Plains, the first white settlers saw an ocean of grass as tall as oxen, but few trees for building houses. So they made their houses out of sod, dirt held together by the thick, tangled roots of prairie grass.

Most sod houses became worm food years ago, but many of the buildings you see every day are pure dirt.The bricks that may make up the walls of your house or school are made of clay that’s been baked in a fiery kiln (炉). So the next time someone says a building is made of bricks, correct them. You know it’s really made of plain old dirt.

1. What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?

A．The way to build houses of dirt.	B．The best time to build houses of dirt.
C．The reasons to build houses of dirt.	D．The places to build houses of dirt.

2. Which of the following is the best place to build such houses in?

A．Places where it rains most of the year.

B．Places where there are many storm clouds.

C．Places where there is little rain all the year around.

D．Places where it is cold in winter and hot in summer.

3. The first white settlers built houses with sods because        .

A．the grass was as tall as oxen	B．they were as strong as stones
C．they could make a garden on the roof	D．they were lack of wood

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Sod houses could be destroyed by worms.	B．Sod houses could last as long as stone ones.
C．Sod bricks are baked in the oven.	D．Sod bricks are really made of pure dirt.

3 . No matter what you’re looking for, Orlando has a perfect place for every type of traveler. Here’s my list of the best places to stay in town.

The Alfond Inn

The Alfond Inn is a modern, 112-room hotel in the super-walkable heart of Winter Park. It’s a quiet, art-filled space that I think couldn’t be more suitable for honeymooners.

The hotel also has a heated outdoor pool and a great restaurant, Hamilton’s Kitchen, with a focus on local food.

The Ritz-Carlton

For luxury (奢华) and an escape from the noisy city, treat yourself to a stay at The Ritz-Carlton. Located on a peaceful 500-acre land with three indoor pools, a championship-level golf course, a 40,000-square-foot spa, a tennis club, and award-winning dining choices, I think this hotel has a true getaway experience.

The Park Plaza Hotel

Built in 1922, this 28-room hotel is on the walkable shop-and-restaurant-lined Park Avenue in Winter Park, just north of Orlando. Having an elegant lobby with European-inspired decorations and nice rooms with balconies (阳台), the Park Plaza Hotel is a popular honeymoon spot and a favorite for writers and other creative professionals like myself seeking peaceful working vacations.

The Wellborn

Near the Thornton Park neighborhood, The Wellborn, a 20-room hotel, is in Orlando’s oldest house which was built in 1883. Just a short walk from downtown’s Lake Eola, The Wellborn is near many local bars and restaurants, and it has a romantic environment with gardens and tree-lined brick streets.

1. Where is Hamilton’s Kitchen?

A．At The Wellborn.

B．At The Ritz-Carlton.

C．At the Alfond Inn.

D．At the Park Plaza Hotel.

2. What can people do at The Ritz-Carlton?

A．Swim outdoors.

B．Play ball games.

C．Enjoy bar drinks.

D．Do some shopping.

3. What do the Park Plaza Hotel and The Wellborn have in common?

A．Restaurants are within reach.

B．They were built in 19th century.

C．Romantic gardens can be visited.

D．They have a peaceful environment.

4 . China’s famous museums include ancient buildings and world class modern museums with big collections. They are excellent places for sightseeing and learning about China.

Sanxingdui Museum

The museum is on the path less beaten by tourists, but it makes one of the top museums for the 3,400-year-old artworks. If you’re an ancient history fan, this place will attract you. If you love art, its style will surprise you a lot.

The Palace Museum

The museum is one of the largest old building kept in the country with a history of 600 years old. Built at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty between 1406 and 1420, it was the home of 24 rulers and their courts. It is one of the fines buildings in China and a good place to study Chinese history.

The Shanghai Museum

The big modern museum is popular with foreign tourists. It is probably the most modern museum with the focus on creative art displays about the history of the whole area. Most famous for its huge collection of china, it is in People’s Square which is also a popular tourist attraction.

The Shaanxi History Museum

Since 14 historical dynasties founded their capitals and developed in Shaanxi Province, the museum may have the oldest treasure of all museums in Chins. The artworks show the greatness of the museum, and the displays are modern and well laid out.

1. Which of the following is on the less-frequently-visited road?

A．Sanxingdui Museum.	B．The Palace Museum.
C．The Shanghai Museum.	D．The Shaanxi History Museum.

2. What is the Shanghai Museum best known for?

A．Its founder.	B．Its building style.
C．Its collection of china.	D．Its home of rulers.

3. What do the four museums focus on?

A．Modern art.	B．Ancient science.
C．Chinese historical culture.	D．Chinese modern building.

5 . A writer’s home is a kind of autobiography, and visiting the place where a great work of literature was written gives you a deeper understanding of both the book and the person who wrote it. Here are some famous writers’ houses to check out.

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s House

Emerson lived in this house for 46 years until his death in 1882 and wrote his essays Nature and Self-Reliance in a study on the first floor, although his son later said that Emerson’s “real study” was nearby Walden Woods.

Margaret Mitchell’s Apartment

For Gone with the Wind fans, Margaret Mitchell’s house is their dream place. Mitchell moved into Apartment No. 1 of this building when she just got married in 1926 and lived there for six years. She worked on her novel on a table in the living room. When the novel was accepted for publication in 1935, it immediately became a big hit.

William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak

Rowan Oak, Faulkner’s home for almost 30 years, is where he wrote many of his major works, including Light in August. In his study, he sometimes wrote his plot structures on the wall, and then painted over them when he finished the book. In fact, you can still see the plot for his novel A Fable penciled on the wall right where he left it.

Ernest Hemingway’s House

Ernest Hemingway lived in this house for the most productive eight years of his life. He wrote most of his major works in his office, which you could only get to by walking across a bridge that extended from the upstairs bedroom. Almost everything in the house had a story.

1. Which of the four places housed its owner for the longest time?

A．Ralph Waldo Emerson’s House.	B．Margaret Mitchell’s Apartment.
C．William Faulkner’s Rowan Oak.	D．Ernest Hemingway’s House.

2. What do we know from the text?

A．Emerson’s “real study” was on the first floor of his house.

B．Margaret Mitchell’s Apartment was a dream place for her.

C．Faulkner sometimes liked painting his house structures.

D．Hemingway’s office was accessible only by crossing a bridge.

3. What is the writer’s purpose of writing the text?

A．To advertise some famous writers’ works.	B．To recommend some famous writers’ houses.
C．To introduce some famous writers’ birthplaces.	D．To recall some famous writers’ life experiences.

6 . When it comes to solitary activities and bravery, going to a museum alone is something you should seek out. When I used to work at a large, encyclopedic museum, I would often wander through the galleries by myself on my lunch break or after work.    1    . So, why not take yourself on an independent date to a museum?

When you visit a large museum alone, especially if there are certain artworks you you’re your heart set on seeing, you can set your own plan.    2    . You can go directly to the galleries you’re interested in and not waste time on art you have little or no desire to see.

Enjoying a museum alone might help you enjoy solitude. Even if you’re a social butterfly, being alone is an inevitable part of life, so it’s important to learn to be comfortable being alone with yourself. A museum is an ideal way to intentionally practice this.    3    .

If you go the route of remaining alone at a museum, you won’t have the distraction of social interaction.    4    . A museum is the perfect place to bring a sketchbook, sit down somewhere and draw what’s around you with no aim or judgment.

    5    . The thought of going to a place as public as a museum by yourself might be intimidating(令人生畏的), but I encourage you to try it out. You might discover another side to yourself, to the art or to other people that you wouldn’t have experienced otherwise.

A．A museum is a wonderful place for self-reflection

B．You can welcome imagination in those quiet moments

C．You can be highly selective in how you plan your visit

D．These were some of the most quiet, thoughtful parts of my day

E．As a result, you’ll be better equipped for those lonelier times in life

F．A museum can be a great place for all seeking a quiet, reflective space

G．Instead, you can focus on self-reflection, or you could look for inspiration

7 . Here are some hostels (旅社) that will help you save money when you’re traveling in Toronto, Canada.

HI Hostel Toronto

HI Hostel Toronto really gets what travelers need. The hostel is in a central location close to everything you need (shopping, restaurants, subway and more). It’s very easy to meet people here because there is a bar that hosts live music. The beds are super comfortable so you can have a good sleep. Free breakfast is included.

Beds from $45 every night.

Two Peas Pod Hostel

Two Peas Pod Hostel runs a store and a café. They have a super rooftop (屋顶) (you can see the CN Tower from it) and a mini movie theater. Their beds are super cool and comfortable. They have lockers underneath them so you can keep all your things safe. It’s almost like staying in a modern hotel but with the fun of a hostel. Enjoy a great stay with free breakfast.

Beds from $59 every night.

The Only Backpacker’s Inn

This is your standard backpacker hostel. They have a bar and a café. There’s no free breakfast but the money you save makes up for that. It’s located near the subway so you can easily get around the city. It’s a good choice for travelers to meet people.

Beds from $37 every night.

The Parkdale Hostellerie

This is the most affordable hostel with free breakfast in the city. It’s not as central as the other hostels but that also makes one of its advantages: it is far from noise. The hostel is not the most modern but it has a welcoming, homey feel.

Beds from $26 every night.

1. What can travelers do at HI Hostel Toronto?

A．Drink coffee at a café.	B．Watch a live music show.
C．See the CN Tower on the rooftop.	D．Watch a film at a mini movie theater.

2. What makes The Only Backpacker’s Inn different from the others?

A．It runs a store and a café.	B．It offers comfortable beds.
C．It doesn’t offer free breakfast.	D．It’s close to public transportation.

3. Which hostel should you choose if you want to live in a quiet place?

A．HI Hostel Toronto.	B．Two Peas Pod Hostel.
C．The Only Backpacker’s Inn.	D．The Parkdale Hostellerie.

8 . Libraries are the temple for book lovers, the main source of knowledge and wisdom. Here are the biggest libraries in the world.

The Library of Congress

The Library of Congress in the US is the biggest library in the world, whose collections are from all around the world. The library has a collection of 32 million cataloged books. It receives 22,000 copies per day from the publication produced in the US. Some of the major works stored in the library are Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence, the world’s most famous architectural designs and so on.

The British Library

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. It is the second biggest library in the world. It holds 150 million items from different countries. It receives 8,000 copies per day from the publication produced in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Its collection includes 14 million books. Every year over 3 million items are added to the library. The major highlights of the library collection are Diamond Sutra and Alice’s Adventures under Ground.

Library and Archives (档案馆) Canada (LAC)

Canada has the third biggest library in the world. The library holds 20 million books, 24 million photographs and a lot of digital works. Its collection includes The Proclamation of the Canadian Constitution Act, the British North America Act and many more precious works.

The New York Public Library (NYPL)

It is the fourth largest library in the world. It is the public library having 87 branches. The library has a collection of 53 million items. It also has four research libraries which are open to the general public. You can ask and discover about anything on the official website of NYPL.

1. Which of the following works is stored in the Library of Congress?

A．The British North America Act.

B．Alice’s Adventures under Ground.

C．Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence.

D．The Proclamation of the Canadian Constitution Act.

2. How many new items does the British Library receive every year?

A．About 22,000.	B．More than 8,000.
C．About 14 million.	D．More than 3 million.

3. Which library owns an official website where you can search for all information?

A．Library and Archives Canada.	B．The Library of Congress.
C．The New York Public Library.	D．The British Library.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What kind of apartment does the man want to rent?

A．An apartment with two bedrooms and a bathroom.

B．An apartment with a small bedroom and a bathroom.

C．An apartment with a bedroom and a small bathroom.

2. How much does the man want to pay each month?

A．$240.

B．$340.

C．$480.

3. How far away is the apartment from the university?

A．2 miles.

B．3 miles.

C．4 miles.

10 . It was a cold Saturday night in February. Some 200 New Yorkers carefully made their way to the reservoir (水库) in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the magical snowy owl, who had touched down in the park the week before in what was reported as the first visit there by the species in more than 130 years.

Except for a few excited screams from children, people were quiet — patiently awaiting the owl’s arrival at the reservoir’s north gatehouse. The snowy owl did not disappoint. She flew down from the darkness and surveyed the water and the people holding phones and cameras before taking off into the night to the applause of her many fans. They simply wanted to see this lovely creature whose improbable appearance seemed to signify hope after the lockdown.

New Yorkers who had long taken Central Park for granted felt a renewed love for this rectangle of green in the heart of the big city and, of course, its amazing wildlife. That the park is a beautiful and essential refuge is something that humans have only come to fully appreciate during these recent times of uncertainty.

Central Park was originally planned and constructed during another difficult time in the nation’s history — in the years before and during the American Civil War. Unlike many European parks that had originally been built for the aristocracy (贵族), Central Park was designed as a public space. In its chief architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s words, the poor and rich alike could “easily go there after their day’s work is done” and “stroll for an hour, seeing, hearing, and feeling nothing of the noise of the streets.”

As spring turns into summer, we see people sitting on the grass or benches — catching some sun, having family picnics, or tapping away on their laptops and iPads. Just being in proximity to other people in Central Park gave us a sense of community — the sense that we would somehow persevere.

1. What did people do in Central Park on that Saturday night?

A．They cheered for each other.	B．They paid their first visit.
C．They came for a rare sight.	D．They appreciated a water event.

2. What does the author mainly intend to do in Paragraph 4?

A．Give some examples.	B．Make a comparison.
C．Introduce a new opinion.	D．Add background information.

3. What do the underlined words “in proximity to” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．close to	B．free from
C．at a distance from	D．in comparison with

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Find Refuge in Central Park

B．Take Your Breath by Snow Owl

C．Trace Central Park to difficult times

D．Meet an improbable “visitor” in person