Have Fun at UK’s Most Famous Theme Park

Alton Towers Theme Park re-opens with selected rides and attractions for Half-Term from 19th to 27th of February 2011, and then again for the main season, starting on 26th March, 2011.

There’s something for the whole family at Alton Towers, with lots of terrific rides, amazing live shows, and wonderful costume characters. Guests of all ages will enjoy many different fun-packed activities. Here are some of the rides.

Thirteen

Thirteen is based on the discovery of an ancient burial site in an area of unexpected woodland known as the Dark Forest, and built on the site of the old Corkscrew roller-coaster. You are invited to take the final ride on Thirteen, going deep into the seemingly living, breathing Dark Forest.

You must be at least 1.2m tall to go on the ride. If you are 1.96m or over , you can’t go on the ride.

Laughs and frights

Are you up for a bit of light-hearted fun with friends and family? The roller-coaster at the Alton Towers Resort makes for an unforgettable experience. There is a great deal of fun and lots of laughs and fun frights on its amusement rides.

Attractions

There is entertainment for the whole family. There are lots of rides and activities to keep all ages happy, all day long. You may take a ride on the Skyride or start or finish your day with a round of Extraordinary Golf.

Save 20% by booking online and benefit from Early Ride Time. There is no online booking fee—the price you see is the price you pay.

1.The feature of the theme park is that ________.

A. it only provides terrific rides

B. everyone in the family can have fun there

C. only adults can go on the ride

D. none of the activities are suitable for tall people

2.If a family of four wants to buy tickets to the theme park at the booking office, they should pay________.

A. about 72 pounds B. about 90 pounds

C. about 150 pounds D. about 113 pounds

3.Which of the following statements is true?

A. A 13-year-old boy needs to pay 24.48 pounds for his ticket.

B. Guests can visit the theme park at any time of the year.

C. The theme park re-opens mainly for children.

D. You can save 20% of booking fee if you book online.

After having more than a few acquaintances online, it might come a blow to keen social networkers like Barack Obama, or even Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg himself.

According to a research, the average person has in fact twice as many online friends as physical ones. Users of social-networking sites have on average 121 online friends as compared with physical ones. The study also claims that people tend to be more open, confident and honest with their virtual friends than their “real” ones.

“For most people , the Internet is a way of keeping in touch with loved ones and friends, but for people who are isolated due to illness, it plays a more vital role, and can often act as a lifeline.” says Helen Oxley, a psychologist at Wythenshawe hospital.

“People with illnesses often rely on the Internet to facilitate（促進） friendships, since they blog and use networking sites as a way of dealing with their illness. It can foster a sense of social connection for those who frequently feel isolated, which is important to psychological well-being.”

In wider society, the ways in which friendships are formed are changing, with people recognizing that they can develop deep and meaningful connections with others that they’ve never met, and may never meet. About one in 10 people has either met their best friends online, or believes they can make lifelong friends on the Web.

The findings highlight how social introductions are also changing. Only five percent would ask for someone’s phone number, while 23 percent are now likely to ask for an email address or a full name with the intention of adding the person to their social network.

At the same time, however, a questionnaire completed by 4,427 suggests that 20 percent of parents believe their children’s education is affected by surfing the Net. They think their children are doing poorly at the school due to the amount of time they spend on non-educational websites.

1.The underlined word “it” in Para 1 most probably refers to ________.

A. people spending too much time surfing the Net

B. people relying on the Internet to connect with friends

C. people having more virtual friends than real ones

D. people making meaningful connections with strangers

2.We can infer from the text that________.

A. sick people can recover more quickly by surfing the Net

B. students get important information online

C. students who surf the net always perform not so well

D. people tend to trust their virtual friends more than their real ones

3.What percentage of parents believe that the Internet has a bad effect on their children?

A. About 5 percent. B. About 20 percent.

C. About 10 percent. D. About 23 percent.

4.In the following paragraph, the author will probably discuss ________.

A. how much time children spend on the Internet

B. how children learn about the world through the Net

C. how parents feel about their children’s studies

D. how children make use of the Internet to study

Some colors people see late at night could cause signs of the condition mental health experts call clinical depression(臨床抑郁癥). That was the finding of a study that builds on earlier study findings. They show that individuals who live or work in low levels of light overnight can develop clinical depression.

Doctors use the word clinical depression to describe severe form of depression. Signs may include loss of interest or pleasure in most activities, low energy levels and thoughts of death or suicide.

In the new study, American investigators designed an experiment that exposed hamsters（倉鼠）to different colors. The researchers chose hamsters because they are nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day and are active at night. The animals were separated into four groups. One group of hamsters was kept in the dark during their night-time period. Another group was placed in front of a blue light, a third group slept in front of a white light, while a fourth was put in front of a red light. After four weeks, the researchers noted how much sugary water the hamsters drank. They found that the most depressed animals drank the least amount of water.

Randy Nelson, at Ohio State University, says animals that slept in blue and white light appeared to be the most depressed. “What we saw is that these animals didn’t show any sleep interruptions at all but they did mess up biological clock (生物鐘) genes and they did show depressive sign but if they were in the dim red light, they did not.” He says there’s a lot of blue in white light. This explains why the blue light and white light hamsters appear to be more depressed than the hamsters seeing red light or darkness.

1.From the text we know that ________ made the hamster feel depressed.

A. the amount of the water B. the color of the light

C. the loss of pleasure D. the level of energy

2.What was the purpose of the experiment on hamsters?

A. To show how well they slept.

B. To see how much sugary water they drank.

C. To explain why they liked dark colors.

D. To find out what caused the depression on them.

3.The author explains the clinical depression by _________.

A. reporting an experiment process

B. presenting research data

C. setting down general rules

D. giving his own experience

4.Where can we probably find the text?

A. In a tourist guidebook. B. In a physics textbook

C. In a science magazine. D. In an official announcement.

根據短文內容，從短文后的選項中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項。選項中有兩項為多余選項。

People who are confident really seem to be naturally outstanding and just seem to do everything with more style than others. 1. ．It is a habit that everyone can develop in life. Try these simple tips to drill and build up your confidence:

1. Admit your shortcomings calmly.

Do not try to flee from them or cover them. Face them bravely. 2. Fight against them every day until the day when you could break away and conquer them.

2. Dress for self-confidence.

3. And therefore pay attention to your dress, display your unique physical advantages and exhibit your best image. In addition, on formal occasions such as a business conference or a wedding ceremony, elegant dressing contributes to building your confidence.

3. 4.

You should break your routine that deals with the work passively. Concentrate your efforts immediately on overcoming it, because it will make your restless mind at ease and build your self-confidence.

4. Be positive.

Feel pity neither on yourself nor on others. If you are used to hating and accusing yourself, others would tend to do that and believe it. Instead, you should speak positively about yourself, your progress, and your bright future. 5.

A. Your appearance could put you into embarrassment or increase your confidence.

B. Then talk about them to a reliable mate, a friend or a family member.

C. Actually, true self-confidence is neither born nor acquired overnight.

D. Build your confident vocabulary.

E. By doing so, you would encourage your growth in a positive direction.

F. Don’t put off what you eventually have to do.

G. Don’t judge a person by appearance.

完形填空

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。

“Melting pot” means a place where people from many different racial groups or cultures form a united society. The idea comes from __________ metals in a container. When they melt, the metals ___________ and become something new and stronger. The _________ has been used to describe the United States as a nation created from people who came here from many different countries.

A Frenchman living in America expressed the idea __________ two hundred years ago. J. Hector de Crevecoeur wrote in his book Letters from an American Farmer, published in 1782, that America had people from many different countries and that they __________ become a new people _________ work would one day change the world.

For many years, Americans ____________ accepted the idea of their country as a melting pot. They welcomed immigrants from many nations. ____________ some of these people ____________ the melting pot idea. They felt they were _____________ to lose their cultures and _____________ in order to be accepted in America. Other people also criticized the idea. They said the aim of the melting pot is to make different cultures disappear into the one____________ the largest group.

New groups of immigrants from Asia and Latin America are changing the United States_________. Some ____________ learning American culture and language. Reports say some Americans fear that the nation is _____________ many groups that have no ___________ purpose. Others say melting pot is no longer changing the nation’s immigrants, _____________ the immigrants are changing America.

Some experts who study immigration say they no longer ____ ___American society to a melting pot, describing it as a salad bowl _____________. A salad is made of many different foods. They ____________ keep their own taste while being part of a successful product.

In this way, cultural groups keep their customs and languages and are still part of American society.

1.A. heatingB. coolingC. puttingD. warming

2.A. divideB. gatherC. uniteD. form

3.A. signB. termC. vocabularyD. plan

4.A. other thanB. rather thanC. less thanD. more than

5.A. wouldB. mustC. mightD. should

6.A. whichB. whoseC. whoD. of which

7.A. narrowlyB. usuallyC. generallyD. universally

8.A. OtherwiseB. BesidesC. ThereforeD. Yet

9.A. criticizedB. praisedC. arguedD. complained

10.A. encouragedB. forcedC. orderedD. prepared

11.A. historyB. featuresC. literatureD. languages

12.A. presentingB. standingC. meaningD. representing

13.A. currentlyB. curiouslyC. perfectlyD. previously

14.A. insistB. approveC. resistD. forbid

15.A. joining upB. separating intoC. mixing upD. dividing by

16.A. achievedB. combinedC. sharedD. classified

17.A. andB. soC. orD. but

18.A. compareB. contactC. contrastD. declare

19.A. tooB. as wellC. insteadD. either

20.A. bothB. eachC. everyD. none

閱讀下面材料，在空白處填入適當的內容（1個單詞）或括號內單詞的正確形式(不超過3個單詞)。

The Dragon Boat Festival has been marked by eating zong zi and racing dragon boats for thousands of years. It 1.________(fall) on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese lunar calendar in honor of Qu Yuan, 2. _______ is said to have committed suicide by drowning himself.

Qu was a minister of the State of Chu 3.________(situate) in the present-day Hunan and Hubei provinces during the Warring States Period．He was upright, loyal and4._______（high） respected. 5._________, he was fired from office due to his suggestion to fight against Qin in cooperation with other states. During his stay in other states, he wrote many poems to express his strong love for his country. When Chu6.________ (defeat) by Qin, he realized 7.________ he could do about it is nothing. Qu jumped into Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth month.

After the 8._________ (dead) of Qu Yuan, people of Chu went to Miluo River to mourn over the great 9.________ (poem) they loved so much. People threw eggs and rice wrapped in leaves into the river to feed the fish to keep them away from Qu Yuan. Now the Dragon Boat Festival has become10.________ traditional festival for the Chinese people.

短文改錯

假定英語課上老師要求同桌之間交換修改作文，請你修改你同桌寫的以下作文。作文中共有10處語言錯誤，每句中最多有兩處。每處錯誤僅涉及一個單詞的增加、刪除或修改。增加：在缺詞處加一個漏字符號（∧），并在其下面寫出該加的詞。刪除：把多余的詞用斜線〔\〕劃掉。修改：在錯的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

注意：1.每處錯誤及其修改均僅限一詞；

2.只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不計分。

It’s no surprise that we may have different opinions in organizing activities. When I have a different opinion, I may choose to give it up and respect an opinion of the majority.

The main reason for my choice is that I am great influenced by a special culture when grow up. In this culture which collectivism is emphasized, I tent to sacrifice my own interest to the group benefit. Once we are left to decide whether to have a picnic in a park and to go to a museum. I preferred to go to a museum when most of my classmates wanted to go for a picnic. Without hesitations, I decided to follow him and we did have lots of fun that day. Sometimes giving up a little can mean getting more.

書面表達

近期英國伊頓公學師生一行將來我校進行交流訪問。我校將組織一次參觀活動從而讓他們更好地了解綿陽�，F有兩種方案，一種是綿陽博物館（Mianyang Museum）,一種是江油李白故里（Li Bai’s hometown）。假如你是李華，是參與接待的學生代表，請你給組織活動的老師Danny寫一封100左右詞的信，內容包括；

1、選擇其中的一種方案; 2、陳述理由; 3、相關準備;

注意：信的開頭已給出（不計入詞數）。

Dear Danny,

I am extremely delighted to have a chance to receive our distinguished guests from UK on behalf of all the students. I’m writing to _____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Yours ,

Li Hua

It was Thanksgiving morning. I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags huddling together on the top step.

“Any old papers, lady？” asked one of them.

I was busy. I wanted to say “no” until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals(涼鞋), wet with heavy snow.

“Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”

They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I served them cocoa and bread to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started cooking.

The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, “Lady, are you rich？”

“Am I rich? Pity, no！”

I looked at my worn­out slipcovers(椅套). The girl put her cup back in its saucer(茶碟)carefully and said, “Your cups match your saucers.” They left after that, holding their papers against the wind. They had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful.

Plain blue china cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.

I tasted the potatoes and stirred(攪動)the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a regular job, these matched, too.

I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy marks of little sandals were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how rich I am.

1.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A．Lady, are you rich?

B．A story of Thanksgiving Day

C．Don't forget how rich you are

D．Does cups and saucers match well?

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．The girl thought the writer was rich just because she wanted to make the writer happy.

B．The writer had thought she wasn't rich because her supplies were not expensive.

C．If cups and saucers match well, they are a best pair even though cheap.

D．After hearing what they said, the writer seemed to understand what a rich life was.

3.The writer left the muddy marks of little sandals on the floor for a while to________.

A．show that she was a kind­hearted lady

B．remind her that she shouldn't forget how rich she was

C．leave room for readers to think about what being rich is

D．prove that she had understood what meant being rich

4.It can be inferred from the text that whether you are rich depends on________.

A．how much money you have made

B．what attitude you have had towards life

C．the way you help others

D．your social relationship

It's time for your family to relax and have fun! The following family adventures have links for you to get more information．

Take the Rides of Your Life

Visit Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, to seek thrills "Even though it's located off the beaten track, experts regularly praise Cedar Point as the best overall theme park of the country," says U．S．News & World Report．The park calls itself the roller coaster capital of the world, and with 16 to choose from, it's hard to argue．It's open daily from May 10 through Labor Day; weekends only from Labor Day through November 2．

Tickets start at $ 48．99 per person if purchased online．

http://www．cedarpoint,com．

Wander Free on a Dude farm

Dust off your cowboy boots and ready your cowboy hats for a visit to this Rocky Mountains paradise．Located in Augusta, Montana, "The farm has everything an aspiring cowboy or girl could long for," says Sunset magazine, including hiking trails, fishing trips, campfires with sing-alongs, and, of course, horseback rides．The large farm operates from June through September; kids-only and adults-only

programs are available．

Total cost starts at $ 1,360 per adult, $ 1,276 per teen, and $ 1,168 per child．

http://www．triplejranch．com．

Dig for Dinosaurs

Most kids （and adults） love dinosaurs, and to make their wildest dreams come true, head to Fruita, Colorado．The Museum of Western Colorado offers Dino Digs for children ages five and older．You can choose from one-, three-, and five-day expeditions．"Imagine how your child will feel when she helps unearth the fossilized（化石） bones of ancient species," says Outside magazine．It lasts from May to October．

Digs start at $ 125 per person．

http://www．museumofwesternco．com

Surf Sand Dunes

Swap your snowboard for a sand-board, and head to Sand Master Park in Florence, Oregon．Real Simple recommends learning the basics at this private dune park, which offers board rentals and lessons - often taught by world-champion sand boarders．Then you can hit the "slopes" to test your skills．From March to June, and September to November．

Rentals for a sand-board start at $ 10 per day; lessons start at $ 45 an hour per person．

http://www．sandmasterpark．com．

1.What is special about Cedar Point?

A. You can visit Cedar Point on weekends．

B. It has 16 roller coasters for you to choose from．

C. You can help unearth the fossilized bones of dinosaurs．

D. It offers lessons taught by world-champion sand boarders．

2. If you have a 3-day holiday in April, which of the following may interest you most?

A. Take the Rides of Your Life

B. Wander Free on a Dude farm

C. Dig for Dinosaurs

D. Surf Sand Dunes

3.Where will you probably find this passage?

A. A science fiction．

B. An adventure storybook．

C. A travel magazine．

D. A theme park advertisement．