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TOURNAMENT OF ROSES

—5 Days Los Angeles

Day 1 Los Angeles. （Sun.， Dec. 30）

Welcome to Los Angeles！ This evening mixes with your traveling companions at the welcome reception.

Day 2 Los Angeles. （Mon.， Dec. 31）

Head to Pasadena for the always colorful ROSE BOWL FAMILY FESTIVAL and watch the floats （彩車） decorated with tens of thousands of flowers. This afternoon， you can take the included visit to the GETTY MUSEUM. This evening， join your traveling companions at a special New Years Eve DINNER AND DANCE GALA （盛會）， complete with hats， party favors， live music， and， of course， champagne！ Youll toast the New Year a little early tonight to allow for an early morning departure to the Roses Parade.

Day 3 Los Angeles. Tournament of Roses Parade. （Tue.， Jan. 1）

Happy New Year！ Get ready for one of the worlds most popular parades， and youll see it live！ Globus has booked the GRANDSTAND SEATS at the beginning of the parade route for a good view. See the wonderful floral floats， marching bands from around the world， and the celebrities.

Day 4 Los Angeles. （Wed.， Jan. 2 ）

This morning views the individual floats in the POST PARADE VIEWING AREA. For many this is the highlight of the entire event. Be sure to bring your camera and plenty of film！ Another special treat tonight—a special GLOBUS FAREWELL CELEBRATION DINNER.

Day 5 Los Angeles. （Thur.， Jan. 3）

The tour ends today， with tour guests departing on individual schedules.

1. What activity can visitors enjoy on Dec. 31？

A. Tournament of Roses Parade.

B. A farewell celebration dinner.

C. A dinner and dance gala.

D. Post Parade.

2. What does the underlined word “Globus” in Part 3 refer to？

A. The travel agency. B. The local government.

C. Los Angeles. D. The Roses Parade.

3. On which day are visitors advised to bring cameras？

A. Day 2. B. Day 3.

C. Day 4. D. Day 5.

4. Where can you most probably read the passage？

A. In a textbook. B. In a travel guide.

C. In a novel. D. In a history magazine.

B

I felt like I had clicked my heels three times and come to a country away from home every morning as I walked through the doors at the Embassy of Australia in Washington. Musical Aussie accents and aboriginal （土著的） art exhibits made me wonder if I had entered without a visa. In fact I was a temporary employee， a public affairs unpaid intern （實(shí)習(xí)生） for three months during the summer in order to engage myself in the culture of the country where I planned to study the next spring.

During the summer I read the Australian news every day. Working at the embassy allowed me to escape the US for six hours per day and learn about what was going on across the planet. After reading the daily Australian and US news I usually helped prepare a PowerPoint presentation for school kids who visited the embassy as part of a school activity. Depending on whether an embassy event was going on， I would attend weekly meetings to listen to planning and see what I could do to help. Usually there were smaller tasks to be done such as creating visitors guides.

The most fantastic event in which I participated was the visit of the Australian Prime Minister. As the only American among countless Australian media and staff， I felt comfortable and was kept busy taking pictures and recording doorstop interviews at famous sites such as the Capitol. As an intern， you will not be exposed to top-secret information， but you are on the inside when it comes to special events.

Government work is a useful addition to ones experience. As an embassy employee you will gain invaluable knowledge while spending your summer in a culturally diverse workplace.

5. What is the author talking about？

A. Her preparation for future employment.

B. Her foreign culture experience.

C. Her trouble in finding a job.

D. Her embassy internship.

6. Why was the author in the Embassy of Australia for three months？

A. To apply for a visa.

B. To record musical Aussie accents.

C. To prepare to study in Australia.

D. To appreciate aboriginal art exhibits.

7. What was the author forbidden to do when the Australian Prime Minister visited America？

A. Stand among the Australian staff.

B. Take pictures of special events.

C. Know top-secret information.

D. Record doorstop interviews.

8. What can we infer about the authors daily routine at the Embassy？

A. It is exhausting. B. It is exciting.

C. It is boring. D. It is relaxing.

C

Once Chinese couples have married， they no longer choose to live with parents at home. Some 60 to 70 percent of couples no longer live with parents， and in a research for this series， no young Chinese said they would live at home if they could afford not to. “No way，” says Jun Yaolin， who got married two years ago. “We will fight.” One counter-trend （反趨勢） is to live a “bowl of soup” distance away； that is， move out but live within a few blocks. This clearly supports another new trend—full-time care of children by grandparents.

The success of the one-child policy， combined with the ability of couples to buy their own houses， is creating its own “empty nest” condition. This means that older people are starting to experience an often terrible new loneliness. China is still a country which respects elders. Yet a public service advertisement on Chinese TV shows an elderly lady cooking all day. As she sets the table for dinner， the phone calls come one by one， “I cant make it. Can I come tomorrow？” The advertisement ends with a lonely figure sitting at a table of food and the words， “Dont forget your parents.”

“The traditional family has changed，” says Dong Zhiying， a scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. “It used to be considered that kids would take care of parents. Now it no longer is. In the past， older people in the family were dominant. Young people had no choice but to respect them. Parents power was based on money and social influence； if you dont respect them， you lose favor.”

“Today， the intellectual and market development in China has grown quickly， and changed the family. Young people arent respecting elders. They can rely on their own ability—go to university， be independent， and make their own choices.”

The family revolution is affecting all ages： As more couples choose to live away from parents， the elderly are left alone.

9. From Paragraph 1 we can learn that young Chinese people .

A. want to live with their parents for free

B. would like to have their own places to live in

C. want to live near to take care of their parents

D. can take care of the children by living with the old

10. What does the underlined word “dominant” in Paragraph 3 mean？

A. More important.

B. More independent.

C. Wealthy.

D. Stubborn.

11. Why is it said the young arent respecting their elders？

A. The one-child policy has changed the family.

B. The elders lack money or power in society.

C. The elders are too weak to control the young.

D. Young people can live on their own.

D

Pigs are always considered dirty animals because they roll in mud. But in fact they prefer being quite clean. They cover themselves with mud to help stay cool. During cooler weather， they prefer to stay clean. So do elephants， who also cover themselves in dust or mud to keep cool. When they find a place with clean water they will take a bath， using their long noses to give themselves—or each other—a nice shower.

Some animals use dust to get clean. Chinchillas （南美洲栗鼠） have very fine fur. They dont like to take water baths because water is not warm enough for them. So， instead， they roll around in fine dust. The dust helps to keep their fur and skin dry. This protects them from disease.

Usually， a small bird is a light meal for a crocodile. But when a crocodile wants its teeth cleaned， it lies on the ground with its mouth open. The crocodile bird goes in and picks out any parasites （寄生蟲） between the crocodiles teeth or under its tongue. The crocodile gets its mouth cleaned， and the crocodile bird gets dinner.

You wouldnt think fish would need baths. But some undersea parasites live under the fishs skin. “Cleaner” fish， like the wrasse （隆頭魚）， help take them away. The wrasse stands on its head and dances to signal a big fish that it is ready to go into the cleaning business. The big fish will stop moving and open its mouth wide so the wrasse can swim inside and pick out parasites and bits of food.

12. The passage is mainly about how animals .

A. help each other B. get their food

C. take baths D. stay clean

13. What can we learn about pigs from Paragraph 1？

A. They like to stay cool and clean.

B. They can help each other take baths.

C. They are dirtier during cooler weather.

D. They prefer taking baths to rolling in mud.

14. Why do chinchillas like to roll around in fine dust？

A. It makes them warm.

B. It keeps them healthy.

C. It is a cure for illness.

D. It is a way to play.

15. What can we infer from the last paragraph about the wrasse？

A. It likes being under other fishs skin.

B. It is often eaten by other fish.

C. It is relatively small.

D. It likes taking baths.

The biggest turning point in my life so far was the day I left home to go to college. At the age of eighteen， I had never been away from my parents for more than two weeks so I 1 my new independence with a mixture of 2 and excitement.

When the day to pack my things came， I began to 3 if I had made the right decision. I tried to 4 myself with the thought that I was moving on to a 5 life but there was still a doubt in the back of my mind. Deep in my thoughts was that I was 6 all my friends behind， so it was with 7 that I made my way to the train station.

By the time I 8 at my destination， I believed I had made a terrible mistake. I was sad， 9 and more terrified than I had ever been in my life. 10 ， once I had been shown to my room and had 11 some of the other students， I began to 12 a lot more positive. Within a few days， I was more 13 in my new surroundings and all my doubts and fears 14 . There were so many new things to 15 and people to meet that I was too busy to be upset.

One of the main reasons why this was such an important change for me was that my life was taking a completely new 16 . Though there were some problems with 17 myself such as washing clothes， buying food， etc.， I soon realized that I could 18 it well.

People have to move on and there are always 19 in our lives. Perhaps one of the lessons we should learn is how to 20 those that are new to us into our best advantages.

1. A. stopped B. saw C. respected D. viewed

2. A. anger B. worry C. joy D. difficulty

3. A. wonder B. judge C. care D. check

4. A. persuade B. treat C. compare D. advise

5. A. richer B. better C. healthier D. busier

6. A. forgetting B. putting C. leaving D. taking

7. A. happiness B. surprise C. sadness D. confidence

8. A. arrived B. aimed C. stayed D. drove

9. A. crazy B. lonely C. hungry D. tired

10. A. Therefore B. However C. Though D. Instead

11. A. asked B. visited C. invited D. met

12. A. feel B. keep C. prove D. seem

13. A. realistic B. useful C. comfortable D. grateful

14. A. rose B. hid C. developed D. disappeared

15. A. experience B. collect C. introduce D. imagine

16. A. position B. situation C. direction D. definition

17. A. looking after B. believing in

C. showing off D. talking about

18. A. know B. manage C. prepare D. arrange

19. A. choices B. hopes C. dreams D. changes

20. A. lose B. save C. turn D. pay

One day， Nick invited his friends to supper. He was cooking some delicious food in the kitchen. Suddenly， he 1 （find） that he had run out of salt. So Nick called to his son， “Go to the village and buy some salt， but pay a fair price for it： neither too much 2 too little.”

His son looked 3 （surprise）， “I can understand why I shouldnt pay too much， Father， but if I can pay less， why not save a bit of money？”

“That would be a very 4 （reason） thing to do in a big city， but it could destroy a small village like 5 （we），” Nick said.

Nicks guests， 6 had heard their conversation， asked why they should not buy salt more cheaply if they could. Nick replied， “The only reason a man would sell salt 7 a lower price would be that he was desperate for money. And anyone who took advantage of that situation would be showing a lack of respect for the sweat and struggle of the man who worked very hard 8 （produce） it.”

“But such a small thing couldnt 9 （possible） destroy a village.”

“In the beginning， there was only a very small amount of unfairness in the world， but everyone added a little， always

10 （think） that it was only small and not very important， and look where we have ended up today.”

1. 2. 3. 4.

5. 6. 7. 8.

9. 10.

During the weekend I traveled by the air for the first time in my life. I usually travel by train or bus. Its both cheaper and safe. But to fly in the sky were something new to me. At the start I felt a little nervously. But very soon I became exciting when I found me high up in the sky among the clouds. I also found that mountains， fields， river and so on were interestingly small. I enjoy the frightening and comfortable journey very much. After all， it is more interesting take a plane than to take a car.

1﹒我想請你幫個忙，把自行車借給我好嗎？（favour）

2﹒難怪我打不通電話，我把號碼漏掉了兩個數(shù)字。

（leave out）

3﹒我已經(jīng)有那本書了，你沒必要再給我?guī)б槐緛淼摹?/p>

（neednt have done）

4﹒作為公司的負(fù)責(zé)人，她主動帶頭執(zhí)行這項(xiàng)任務(wù)。

（take the lead）

5﹒他轉(zhuǎn)過臉去不看別人，而那些人隨即談起他們自己的事情。（look away from）