A

Villa Nicoletta， Genuine Relaxation

Somewhere in the world， theres a place where stress isnt allowed and peace and genuine relaxation are the only demands of the day. If you could go there， you would thoroughly enjoy yourself. There are not too many places in the world like this， but this is one of them. Its luxurious （豪華的）. Its ultra-private.

Welcome to Villa Nicoletta.

Villa Nicoletta is a 4-bedroom luxury villa and an oasis （綠洲） of rest and rejuvenation （恢復(fù)活力） in a land of unspoiled peace. Located on a 70-foot cliff overlooking the north shore of the Island of St. Thomas and the pretty waters of Caret Bay， Villa Nicoletta offers some of the finest accommodations in the Caribbean for those seeking a vacation of elegance， peace and privacy. Youll see how the sun blankets the landscape and water in shimmering brilliance by day and how the sky twinkles like billions of flawless diamonds at night.

Completed in 2000， the 3，300-square-foot Villa Nicoletta is fully-equipped with state-of-the-art electronics， including： 6 High Definition flat-screen TVs all with 120-channel satellite televisions and 4 Dell computers with 19-inch flat-screen monitors， wireless broadband Internet and printer/scanner/fax capability. There are also 6 DVD players to go with the TVs， as well as CD players， radios and video games.

When you book Villa Nicoletta， you shall book the entire villa.

Off Season： April 16 to December 14

★4 bedrooms—$5700/week （8 people max）

Sleep sofa can add additional 2 people $200/night

Peak Season： December 15 to April 15

★4 bedrooms—$6300/week （8 people max）

Sleep sofa can add additional 2 people $200/night

1. Villa Nicoletta is most likely to be popular with tourists who ___ .

A. like adventures

B. enjoy the winter sports

C. seek excitement in the sea

D. want to escape the noisy city life

2. What does the underlined word “twinkles” in Paragraph 3 probably mean？

A. Shines with a light. B. Burns with a fire.

C. Cries in surprise. D. Falls like snow.

3. How much will they pay if a family of 6 spends a two-week Christmas holiday in the villa？

A. $11，400. B. $12，600.

C. $13，200. D. $15，400.

B

William Butler Yeats， a most famous Irish writer， was born in Dublin on June 13， 1865. His childhood lacked the harmony （和睦） that was typical of a happy family. Later， Yeats shocked his family by saying that he remembered “l(fā)ittle of childhood but its pain”. In fact， he inherited （繼承） excellent taste in art from his family—both his father and his brother were painters. But he finally settled on literature， particularly drama and poetry.

Yeats had strong faith in coming of new artistic movements. He set himself the fresh task in founding an Irish national theater in the late 1890s. His early theatrical experiments， however， were not received favorably at the beginning. He didnt lose heart， and finally enjoyed success in his poetical drama.

Compared with his dramatic works， Yeatss poems attract much admiring notice. The subject matter includes love， nature， history， time and aging. Though Yeats generally relied on very traditional forms， he brought modern sensibility （情感） to them. As his literary life progressed， his poetry grew finer and richer， which led him to worldwide recognition.

He had not enjoyed a major public life since winning the Nobel Price in 1923. Yet， he continued writing almost to the end of his life. Had Yeats stopped writing at age 40， he would probably now be valued as a minor poet， for there is no other example in literary history of a poet who produces his greatest works between the ages of 50 and 75. After Yeatss death in 1939， W. H. Auden wrote， among others， the following lines：

Earth， receive an honoured guest：

William Yeats is laid to rest.

Let the Irish vessel lie

Emptied of its poetry.

4. Which of the following can best describe Yeatss family？

A. It filled Yeatss childhood with laughter.

B. It was shocked by Yeatss choice.

C. It was a typically wealthy family.

D. It had an artistic atmosphere.

5. What do we know about Yeatss life？

A. He founded the first Irish theater.

B. He stuck to modern forms in his poetry.

C. He began to produce his best works from the 1910s.

D. He was not favored by the public until 1923.

6. What kind of feeling is expressed in W. H. Audens lines？

A. Envy. B. Pity.

C. Emptiness. D. Respect.

7. What is the passage mainly about？

A. Yeatss literary achievements.

B. Yeatss historical influence.

C. Yeatss artistic ambition.

D. Yeatss national honor.

C

The iPhone， the iPad： each of Apples products sounds cool and has become a fad （一度時髦的風(fēng)尚）. Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i”—and many other brands are following suit. The BBCs iPlayer—which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet—adopted the title in 2008. A lovely bear—popular in the US and the UK—that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version of The Independent newspaper was launched also under the name “i”.

In general， single-letter prefixes have been popular since the 1990s， when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.

Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of The Independents “i”， its no surprise that theyve selected this fashionable name.

But its hard to see whats so special about the letter “i”. Why not use “a”， “b”， or “c” instead？ According to Tony Thorne， former head of the Language Center at Kings College London， “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous （模棱兩可的）. “When Apple uses ‘i， no one knows whether it means Internet， information， individual or interactive，” Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPod， it seems it didnt have one clear definition，” he said.

“However， thanks to Apple， the term is now associated with portability （輕便），” added Thorne.

Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western world is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs， and we love personalized products for this reason.

Along with “Google” and “blog”， readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade.

But as history shows， people grow tired of fads. From the 1900s to 1990s， products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was associated with all things advanced and modern. However， as we entered the new century， the trend unavoidably disappeared.

8. What do people use iPlayer to do？

A. To make a call. B. To listen to music.

C. To read newspapers. D. To watch TV programs online.

9. We can infer that The Independents “i” is aimed at ___ .

A. engineers B. old readers

C. young readers D. fashionable women

10. Nowadays， the “i” term often reminds people of the products which are ___ .

A. environmentally friendly B. easy to carry

C. advanced D. recyclable

11. What does the writer suggest？

A. The iTeddy is a living bear.

B. “i” products are often of high quality.

C. The popularity of “i” products may not last long.

D. The letter “b” replaces the letter “i” to name the products.

D

When you drink a glass of water or take a shower， think of glaciers （冰川）. Why？ Glaciers contain at least 75 percent of Earths fresh water—much more than all our planets lakes and rivers combined.

Glaciers grow by adding a new layer of snow each year. Its easy for scientists to see the annual layers in an ice core by lighting it from beneath. They can then count the layers to determine the age of any section—much like you can count tree rings to determine a trees age.

Glaciers form by the accumulation， press and recrystallization （再結(jié)晶） of snow. It requires very specific conditions of climate and geography， which means that they are found in polar or high mountain regions where snowfall is heavy in winter， temperatures stay below freezing for long periods， and summers are cool.

“Hot” ice！ Is that possible？ Actually， ice is one of the hottest solids in existence， for it is unsteady and easy to melt when heated. Glaciers are always moving， but because ice is hot， they move like liquids rather than solids. They slide over the ground on melt-water， a very thin layer of water from melted ice， and “creep” when their icy layers slide over one another because of their weight. Different parts of the same glacier slide or creep at different speeds. The center moves more rapidly than the sides， the surface moves more rapidly than the bottom， because the sides and bottom are restricted by friction. Most glaciers move several feet per year， while others “race” a few miles.

Unfortunately， glaciers are shrinking throughout the world. Melting glaciers will raise sea levels， forcing people to move from low-lying areas.

12. What does the underlined word “it” refer to in Paragraph 3？

A. The press of glaciers.

B. The change of glaciers.

C. The forming of glaciers.

D. The accumulation of glaciers.

13. Why do we say the ice is “hot”？

A. It keeps sliding or creeping.

B. It is close to its melting point.

C. It absorbs too much sunshine.

D. It is in cool surroundings.

14. What is happening to glaciers according to the passage？

A. They are disappearing. B. They are spreading.

C. They are rising. D. They are racing.

15. What is the best title of this passage？

A. The History of Glaciers

B. The Secrets about Glaciers

C. The Development of Glaciers

D. The Danger Glaciers are Facing

There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. Both of them 1 antiques （古董） and pottery （陶器） ， especially teacups.

One day in a beautiful 2 they saw a beautiful teacup. They said， “May we see that？ Weve never seen one so 3 .” As the owner of the shop 4 it to them， suddenly the teacup spoke：

You dont 5 . I havent always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My 6 took me， rolled me and patted me over and over... I couldnt bear it any longer and shouted out， “Let me alone！”， but he only 7 ， “Not yet.”

Then he put me in an oven. I never felt so 8 . I wondered why he wanted to 9 me， and I shouted and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he 10 his head， “Not yet.”

Then I knew there wasnt any 11 . I would never make it. I was ready to 12 . But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on a shelf. One hour later he handed me a 13 and said， “Look at yourself.” And I did so. But what I saw 14 me. “Thats not me; that couldnt be me. Its nice.”

“I want you to remember，” then he said， “I know it

hurt to be rolled and patted， but if I had left you 15 ， youd have 16 . I know it was hot and 17 in the oven， but if I hadnt put you there， you would have 18 . Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in 19 when I first began with you.”

Its really a turn： If you do not 20 the wind and rain， how can you see the rainbow.

1. A. made B. liked C. sold D. needed

2. A. garden B. church C. shop D. hall

3. A. beautiful B. large C. strange D. interesting

4. A. found B. handed C. lent D. threw

5. A. mind B. doubt C. care D. understand

6. A. father B. brother C. owner D. friend

7. A. rested B. waited C. worried D. smiled

8. A. good B. hot C. cold D. hungry

9. A. burn B. destroy C. kill D. guide

10. A. nodded B. lifted C. hit D. shook

11. A. future B. hope C. help D. time

12. A. give up B. take in C. stay away D. set out

13. A. cup B. mirror C. book D. telephone

14. A. hurt B. terrified C. stopped D. surprised

15. A. behind B. away C. alone D. off

16. A. given B. dried C. grown D. broken

17. A. terrible B. comfortable C. valuable D. changeable

18. A. succeeded B. remained C. died D. split

19. A. turn B. return C. mind D. heart

20. A. avoid B. experience C. expect D. prevent

The Chinese Garden of Friendship was built as a beautiful symbol of friendship 1 Sydney in the State of New South Wales and Guangzhou in the province of Guangdong， China， to mark Australias bicentenary in 1988.

The garden 2 （design） and built by Chinese landscape architects and gardeners 3 （follow） the Taoist principles of “Yin Yang” and the five opposite elements—earth， fire， water， metal and wood. These principles also stress the 4 （important） of Qi， the central force of life and energy.

Yin Yang 5 （play） such a vital role that just one missing element would disrupt the gardens harmony and balance. However， when 6 （combine） perfectly， the five elements form a fluid and nurturing environment. Everything you encounter （遇見） in the garden has been hand?picked and very carefully placed to catch the five elements and the energy of Qi.