1 . Slowly but surely, offices are beginning to reopen. That means, the work-from-home lifestyle may be coming to a close. Why not spice it up a bit for this last stretch of flexible living and book a killer vacation rental? Here are 4 rentals perfect for you.
San Antonio, Texas
Head deep into the heart of Texas for an enjoyable work-from-home experience at this 3-bedroom Lavaca cottage. And you’ll find a fully private backyard that is perfect for the little ones. The house on its own is excellent, but what is close to downtown San Antonia is like a cherry on top.
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Set out for beautiful California and book this beach retreat. You’ll have both the beach and town within walking distance. Charming Carmel has world-class restaurants, art galleries and wine tasting rooms. The beloved treat shop is sure to get your kids on their best behavior!
Scottsdale, Arizona
With over 300 days of sunshine and boundless outdoor activities, Arizona is an outdoor heaven for all ages. Book this massive 5-bedroom desert house, and spend days hiking. Then cool off back at home in your private pool overlooking the mountains. If you’re working from home, you can soak in some pretty evenings and desert sunsets. When you’re not enjoying a barbecue in the backyard, walk into Scottsdale’s modern downtown district for dinner.
The Catskills, New York
Surround yourself with nature while you work-from-home at this quiet and private, 4-acre red cottage in the Catskills region. The charming 2-bedroom house has a huge industrial kitchen, private hot tub and a barbecue. When you have to go back to civilization, the lovable mountain town of Woodstock is just 10 minutes away.
1. Which of the following best suits people who are art lovers?| A．San Antonio. | B．Carmel-by-the-Sea. | C．Scottsdale. | D．The Catskills. |
| A．It is a good place for outdoor sports. | B．It has few sunny days. |
| C．It has wine tasting rooms. | D．It is a lovable seaside town. |
| A．They have a private backyard. | B．They are close to the beach. |
| C．They provide a barbecue. | D．They are near the town or downtown. |
2 . Want to experience unique restaurants in the world? Go and have a try!
Ithaa Restaurant, the Maldives
If you want to enjoy a sea view while you eat but are not used to being in aboat, you will be impressed by the Ithaa Restaurant in the Maldives. The restaurant, with a name that means “pearl”in the local dialect, is located 15feet beneath the surface of the Indian Ocean. As the first of its kind in the world, it is surrounded by coral reefs and other underwater species, offering diners 270-degree underwater views. Of course, having dinner here will cost you a lot, but it is definitely worth it.
Gajumaru Treehouse Diner, Japan
When delicious food is combined with natural beauty, it makes for an unforgettable dining experience. The Gajumaru Treehouse Diner is a restaurant built in a big tree, 20 feet tall. After travelling to the main dining hall by elevator, customers can enjoy Japanese hotpot, shabu-shabu, while overlooking the city andthe beautiful Naha Harbor beyond. The lights of the port in the evening make adinner at Gajumaru even more wonderful, so it is good value for the money.
Dinner in the sky, Belgium
A Brussels-based moving restaurant is ready for you to do something a little more extreme at meal times. If you are rich enough to afford the prices, a crane (吊车) will lift you and other 21 customers and waiters into the sky-l50 feet above theground, where you can enjoy the high-end cuisine (烹饪) for a couple of hours. Your seat can rotate (旋转) around 180 degrees so that you get a bird’s eye view ofthe surrounding scenery. You may feel excited and a little scared, but do remember to fasten your seat belt and don’t drop your fork! The restaurant’s mobile form can even travel to any destination in the world — Paris, New York or Niagara Falls...
1. Where is Gajumaru Treehouse Diner built?| A．In the sky. | B．In a tree. |
| C．In the sea. | D．In Naha Harbor. |
| A．21. | B．22. | C．30. | D．33. |
| A．They are all expensive. | B．They are all horrible |
| C．They are all popular. | D．They are all easy to reach. |
1. What was the reason for the woman’s moving?
| A．To have adequate sleep. |
| B．To live more comfortably. |
| C．To save the cost on transportation. |
| A．Electricity. | B．The Internet. | C．The satellite TV. |
| A．It lacks appliances. | B．It is small. | C．It is cheap. |
4 . Ticketing Information on Hong Kong Science Museum
Regular Admission Fee
Standard tickets: 20 yuan
Group tickets: 14 yuan (special rate of standard tickets for groups of 20 people or more per visit)
Concessionary(优惠的) tickets: 10 yuan(applicable to disabled people with an accompanying minder and senior citizens aged 60 or above)
Free admission for full-time students and children under 4 years old accompanied by an adult with a ticket
Application for Exemption(豁免) from Admission Fee
Kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools, special schools, universities, charities and non-profit-making organizations arranging group visits of 20 or more visitors can apply for exemption from admission fee. Application should be made at least 2 weeks before the date of visit and will be processed on a first-come-first-served basis subject to availability.
Contact Details
Enquiries for schools: 2732 3220 (please make telephone reservation for the visiting date before sending in the application)
Enquiries for registered charities and non-profit-making organizations: 2732 3268
Attention
Persons buying concessionary tickets may be requested by museum staff to produce a valid document for confirmation of eligibility(合格) . Students must be requested to produce a valid document. If proof of current full-time student status is not shown on the document, museum staff has the right to request the student concerned to pay them for the money of the full ticket.
1. How much should a 65-year-old man pay to visit the museum?| A．10 yuan. | B．14 yuan. | C．20 yuan. | D．60 yuan. |
| A．12 waiters in a restaurant. | B．15 teachers from a high school. |
| C．23 people from a local company. | D．26 people working in the Red Cross. |
| A．School reports. | B．Exam papers. |
| C．Student’s ID cards. | D．Research reports. |
5 . High school students perform better on tests if they are in a classroom with a view(视野)of a green space, instead of a windowless room or a room with a view of built-up space, according to research from the University of Illinois Department of Landscape Architecture.
“It is the first to show a relationship between studying with a green view and students performance,said William Sullivan head of the research team. It’s a significant finding that if you have a green view outside your window, you’ ll do better on tests.”Sullivan hopes the results of their research will lead to policy(政策)changes. Changes in school design,for example“would be a much better thing than any of the things we spend money on in secondary education today ,Sullivan said.
The research included 94 students at five central Illinois high schools Students were randomly assigned(随机分配)to one of three kinds of classrooms-windowless, with a window looking out onto built-up space, or with a window looking out onto green space. Each kind of classroom had a similar size and layout. The students took part in one-on-one experiments in which they did 30 minutes of activities that included a proofreading exercise, a speech and a math exercise. Following the activities the students were given an attention test which asked them to repeat a series of(一连串)numbers.
The findings: Students did better on both study activities and the attention test if they were in a classroom with a green view ,Sullivan said.
The researchers suggest their findings can help planners and policymakers improve students' well-being and learning. For example planners can choose sites for new schools that already have trees and other vegetation, or they can plant many trees on the site;architects( 建筑师) can design classroom, dining room and hallway windows so they look onto green spaces.
1. What did the study find out about high school students?| A．They like to have green plants in their classrooms. |
| B．They will get better grades when studying in different classrooms. |
| C．Changes in school design will influence their attitudes towards teachers. |
| D．A green view through a classroom window can improve their performance. |
| A．Traditional. | B．Important. | C．Necessary. | D．Early. |
| A．How the study was carried out. | B．Why the study was different. |
| C．The purpose of the study . | D．The result of the study. |
| A．It has drawn public attention to education. |
| B．It can play a guiding role in school planning. |
| C．It has encouraged students to get close to nature. |
| D．It needs more support from high school teachers. |
1. What do we know about the area?
| A．Lightning strikes mostly in December. |
| B．The people there worry about getting hit. |
| C．The area is near the Andes Mountains. |
| A．The Never-Ending Storm of Catatumbo. |
| B．The Lightning Capital of the World. |
| C．The Light of Venezuela. |
| A．One in three per year. | B．One in 12,000 per year. | C．80% of people who live there. |
| A．He’s scared of storms. |
| B．He’ll never visit Venezuela. |
| C．He’d be careful if he lived in the area. |
7 . 70% of the global population is likely to live in urban areas by 2050. Feeding residents requires complex supply chains that are easy to collapse. But a new generation of farmers hope to address this by bringing nature back into our cities.
“I view urban agriculture as a wonderful Trojan horse (特洛伊木马),” says Nicolas Brassier, owner of Peas & Love, an urban farm that has expanded to seven sites across France and Belgium in the past two years. Brassier and his business partner Maxime Petit share the idea of using urban agriculture to bring food production closer to the people who eat it. But they also hope to make cities nicer places to live by reintroducing nature to them.
To do this, they developed a concept where residents pay for access to an urban farm with a combination of individual land, shared growing spaces and a broad range of activities around food production and transformation. The farm is cultivated (耕作) by employees and subscribers.
The key to Peas & Love’s idea is making use of space that would otherwise be bare. At first glance, cities might not seem to have much available land for farming among the pavements and buildings. But the flat roofs of many commercial buildings in cities are space just waiting to be cultivated.
The Peas & Love story is representative of a growing French movement to address the aging population of farmers. Half of the rural farmers in France will reach retirement age within the next decade.
But what “new” space can cities offer? Some urban farms, like Peas & Love, use unexpected sites in cities to create “third places” where people can reconnect with nature. Office building roofs, railway tracks and even underused parking lots can now host urban farms.
1. Why is the figure mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To show the collapse of complex supply chains. |
| B．To explain the people’s living condition in urban areas. |
| C．To compare the life in urban areas with that in the rural areas. |
| D．To introduce the cause of bringing nature into the urban areas. |
| A．Expanding Peas & Love into many cities. |
| B．Taking advantage of potential farmland. |
| C．Addressing aging population of farmers. |
| D．Bringing food production nearer to people. |
| A．Railway platform. | B．Underground parking lots. |
| C．Commercial building roofs | D．Running track. |
| A．Bring agriculture into urban areas. |
| B．Offering the urban areas new space. |
| C．Making urban areas nicer places to live in. |
| D．Addressing the aging population of farming. |
1. Why does Cindy want to move house?
| A．Her house is poorly located. |
| B．Her neighbour is too noisy. |
| C．The rent is high. |
| A．A small kitchen. | B．Three bedrooms. | C．One big bathroom. |
| A．Make an appointment. | B．Find a phone number. | C．Look at an apartment. |
9 . Dinosaur Attractions
The Field Museum
Even beyond its impressive dinosaur exhibit, the Field Museum is a must-see destination for the whole family. The Evolving Planet display follows the evolution of life on our planet from the very beginning, when life was a single-celled organism, to the appearance of mankind.
Fee: Adults $38.00; Children (6-18) $17.50, (5 and under) free
Museum of the Earth
This museum is kid-friendly thanks to its large number of hands-on activities. There is a vast collection of fossils(化石), such as large, complete skeletons(骨架) and those of small sea animals. The Discovery Lab at the museum is an interactive space for kids to play and learn in. They can even search for fossils and keep what they find.
Fee: Adults $18.00; Children (13-19) $10.00, (12 and under) free
Dinosaur World
This park offers animatronic(电子的) dinosaurs that bring to life many prehistoric scenes and it features fossils from dinosaurs found in Florida. Although this park has plenty to offer, food isn’t one of them. However, there is a lovely picnic area where families can bring their own lunches and enjoy the bright Florida sunshine.
Fee: Adults $26.00; Children (10-19) $15.00, (9 and under) free
Cabazon Dinosaurs
Cabazon Dinosaurs, located in Riverside County, California, is an unusual roadside attraction that has been there since 1975. Home to over fifty larger-than-life dinosaur statues, this park is a fantastic place to let kids run wild. Visitors can hunt for fossils and participate in a dinosaur dig. Featured a lot of movies, this park is a great way to spend a few hours.
Fee: Adults $13.00: Children (8-18) $11.00, (7 and under) free
1. At which place may visitors learn about the development of life on Earth?| A．The Field Museum. | B．Dinosaur World. |
| C．Cabazon Dinosaurs. | D．Museum of the Earth. |
| A．$54.00 | B．$46.00 | C．$36.00 | D．$28.00 |
| A．Interactive spaces. | B．Hands-on activities. |
| C．Kid-friendly design. | D．Dinosaur-themed movies. |
注意：1.词数 80 左右(开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数)。
2.请使用高级句式，如：定语从句(参考词汇：lowcarbon 低碳的 ecofriendly 环保的)
Dear Past Li Hua,
What will our houses be like in 2120?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
