閱讀理解

A

If youre dreaming of visiting one of those picture-perfect European towns filled with old-world attractiveness and scenic beauty， here is a look at some of the most beautiful small towns in Europe.

Manarola

Manarola， Italy， is filled with rainbow colored homes carved right into a wall of stone along the Mediterranean coast. This fishing town is famous for its unbelievable wine， and the paintings. There are no cars here， no traffic lights， and no traffic noise. You can drive to Manarola， but youll have to park just outside the town and then take a shuttle bus or walk in on foot.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Garmisch-Partenkirchen， Germany， is a fascinating mountain town. Once two separate towns， one Roman and the other Teutonic， the 1936 Winter Olympics forced them to combine， though the two sides still have different characters. The town dates back to 15 AD， filled with narrow， cobblestoned streets lined with historic three-or-four-story buildings painted with local and religious scenes.

Marsaxlokk

The energetic trading port of Marsaxlokk， Malta， was built in 900 BC. Today， this pretty town is the main supplier of fish to the island nation that sits in the Mediterranean Sea. It has no modern buildings to ruin its appeal. With such quiet surroundings， including the traditional luzzus （fishing boats）， its a particularly attractive place to visit.

Portmagee， Ireland

In a country filled with beautiful towns， Portmagee is a standout， sitting on the southwest coast of Ireland. This postcard perfect seaside fishing town has a row of brightly colored buildings along with a rich and colorful history. At the Bridge Bar， youll find live music many nights of the week along with fantastic food and a fine pint of beer.

1. Which town does not allow tourists to go sightseeing by car？

A. Manarola. B. Portmagee.

C. Marsaxlokk. D. Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

2. What is special about Marsaxlokk？

A. Religious scenes.

B. Wine and paintings.

C. Fish and old buildings.

D. The rich history and live music.

3. Manarola and Portmagee are good choices for tourists who ___ .

A. prefer enjoyment in an old coastal fishing town

B. have special interest in traditional fishing boats

C. want to stay on a Mediterranean island

D. need a good rest in a mountain town

4. What does the underlined word “appeal” in Paragraph 4 probably mean？

A. Trade. B. Attractiveness.

C. Background. D. Development.

B

If you are in a dilemma （困境） about being self-taught or getting formal education， you have come to the right webpage. In this article， we note the advantages of each of these to help you decide which one would be the best for you.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of being self-taught is that you are able to save lots of money. The cost of getting a degree is on the rise. As a result， many students these days tend to graduate from college with a significant amount of debt （債務(wù)）. This makes it necessary for them to get a job as soon as possible; otherwise， a number of serious issues may arise. Besides， it is possible to learn faster on your own， by focusing on only those areas that you are interested in. Finally， learning on your own can be a great confidence builder. You have to struggle to gain knowledge but once you clear the basics on your own， you will find yourself being more confident about your abilities.

One of the biggest advantages of formal education is that you get a degree which is a mark of recognition that you have achieved a level of knowledge in that particular field. Many companies tend to prefer candidates with a college degree. Whats more， though formal education lacks the convenience and flexibility of self-education， it offers you more in terms of the actual structure of the learning process. Last， being formally educated means you will enter a college or other similar educational institutions （機(jī)構(gòu)）. There you will get the benefit of being taught and guided by learned teachers and other subject experts. This will be a big benefit as you will be able to take advantage of their experience and gain in-depth knowledge about the subject.

Thus， both formal education and self-education have their own sets of advantages. The choice between the two comes down to individual preferences and personal situations.

5. What is an advantage of self-education？

A. A faster pace of learning.

B. Being guided by subject experts.

C. A wider range of ways to gain knowledge.

D. Having more chances of getting part-time jobs.

6. To be taught by learned experts， you should ___ .

A. choose self-education

B. work for learned teachers

C. enter an educational institution

D. make use of webpages about education

7. What is the most important factor in choosing the way of education？

A. The good fame of educational institutions.

B. The knowledge of teachers and experts.

C. The opinions of relatives and friends.

D. Ones preference and situations.

8. What is the authors purpose of writing this text？

A. To introduce a webpage about education.

B. To prove that self-education is the best choice.

C. To help readers choose between two forms of education.

D. To prove that its difficult to decide on the proper education.