September can be a depressing month. The summer holidays are over, it’s time to go back to work or school and Christmas is four months away. However, for some people it’s the perfect time to get away.

These days more and more people are taking their holidays late in the year and for good reasons. Holidays in autumn can be cheaper, the resorts are less crowded and the weather isn’t as extreme as it is in the summer. So, where are the best places to go? Here are our top tips.

Sardinia (in Italy) has an average temperature of 27℃ in September. It also has “Autunno in Barbagia” (Autumn in Barbagia) a series of festivals that take place in 27 villages in Barbagia, a mountainous region of inland Sardinia. The festivals continue from September to December, so there’s always something happening. There are street markets, craft workshops and there’s lots of eating and drinking (This is Italy, after all).

Dubrovnik Croatia has become very popular in summer but it’s quieter and more pleasant once the crowds have left. The weather is still warm but less humid. You can take a ferry to the popular beaches on the islands of Sunj and enjoy it with locals.

Dahab Egypt, is extremely hot in the summer with temperatures up to 38℃. However, the autumn is cooler while the sea is still warm. This makes Dahab the perfect place for snorkeling and windsurfing. There are also interesting historical sites to visit such as the Coloured Canyon, with its dramatic rock formations, and St Catherine’s Monastery, at the foot of Mount Sinai.

Kas is a relaxed fishing village on the Lycian coast in southern Turkey. There are plenty of things to do and the temperature has dropped (so you can actually enjoy doing them!) Kas is a good place to stay if you want to walk part of the Lycian way: a long-distance footpath that stretches for 500km from Fethiye to Antalya through the ancient land of Lycia. There are also watersports, of course. The best time to go diving is supposed to be after the first rains of autumn (usually between late September and early October) when the fish become most active.

Marrakech Morocco is another good destination. The city itself is a fascinating place to spend a few days. When you have had enough of that, go to Tigmi, a beautiful hill town about 20 kilometers away. There’s a hammam (a Turkish bath) and a large heated pool, which makes it the perfect place to relax.

Wherever you go this autumn – have fun!

46. Here are the good reasons for people to take holidays in autumn except that _______.

  A. Holidays in autumn can be cheaper

  B. the scenery in autumn is more attractive

  C. the resorts in autumn are less crowded

  D. The weather is neither too hot nor too cold

47. We can infer from Paragraph 3 that _______________.

  A. visitors can take part in a series of festivals in October in Barbagia

  B. Barbagia in Egypt is surrounded by mountains

  C. the festivals continue from September to November

  D. the temperature in Sardinia in September is always below 27℃

48. For someone who enjoys walking, __________ is the best choice.

  A. Kas        B. Marrakech       C. Dahab        D. Dubrovnik

49. Which of the following places may not be close to sea?

  A. Dubrovnik      B. Dahab        C. Kas         D. Marrakech

　 My friend got married. His mother carried two bags of cotton from the countryside by bus and train to his city. After arriving at the city, there was still a long way to his house without any bus passing by the house. His mother walked to his home breathlessly for 40 minutes without taking a taxi in order to save money.

My friend felt bitter as well as funny at his mother’s deeds. He pointed to the cashmere and silk quilts and said, “So long as you have money, you can buy anything in the supermarket. There is no need for you to carry so much cotton here in such a long way.”

But his mother insisted and said, “The cotton of this year is light and warmth-keeping. Have a try and you will know!”

Maybe every parent is the same, caring for their children with stubborn love without caring about whether they know or like it.

This early spring, I went to visit my grandmother. We had dry beans stew （燉菜）, eggplant salad bar, sauce radish （醬蘿卜條）for our dinner, all of which were dried by my grandmother last autumn and tasted wonderful. I loved the dishes to my heart’s content and could not help praising them again and again.

After a few days, my grandmother, who seldom visited us, came to my home and unpacked her bag, smilingly taking out bags of dried eggplants, dried beans and dried vegetable. She told me that I left so hastily last time that she forgot to give me some of these foods, so she took this chance to bring me what I liked.

I was speechless at that time. Due to my casual complimentary her food, my grandmother, a nearly 70-year-old lady, by taking three buses from the west of the city to the east, came to my home with the food I liked. But she was bus-sick in life and even seldom went strolling in the street.

My pretty girlfriend had a failed marriage in the past. After divorce, her parents shed the deepest protection and care to her by helping her attend to the child and offering financial aids. Her parents’ love made her pull herself together and forgot the man who had hurt her before.

Nonetheless, her father, an honest and upright old man, after hearing his ex-son-in-law got promoted in his company, felt terrifically irritated and went to his company to question his boss why a philandering man with corrupt conducts could get promoted. The whole office fell into a mess immediately and many staff just watched on the sidelines. Some people even whispered lightly, "It is a new era now and the relationship between men and women is very open. No one would care about that any more!"

The old man stood silently in the office with his hands shivering and eyes tearing.

That night, my girlfriend cried heavily in front of me. I asked her whether it was her father’s stupid deeds that made her feel humiliated. But she said that she felt guilty for her dad and that though the rest of the whole world betrayed her, her old father would still back her up and help her get the justice she deserved, just as when she was young and the neighboring boy grabbed her ball, her father would get it back for her. However, this changed world was no longer the stage for her old father and his deeds became funnily obsolete. No one managed to see the real and ever-lasting love to his daughter behind his seemingly rude behaviors.

Now we have grown up so much so that we could support our family and have our own children. But in our parents’ heart, they are still worried that we do not have sufficient quilts and dried vegetables. They would not feel troubled to bring all these to us regardless of long tough journey. They even would not like us to suffer a bit and try all means to protect us without caring about whether what they do is awkward and stupid or not.

Who in the world would love us so deeply and relentlessly without asking for any repay? Only our parents!

41.　 What does the author want to tell us?

A. The love from our parents is real and deep though sometimes it doesn't appear so.

B. The love from our parents is awkward sometimes, which is rather annoying.

C. Children should appreciate parents' love because their life is so hard.

D. The world is changing so the love of parents should change too.

42.　 The underlined word "humiliate" in the eleventh paragraph means ________.

　 A. guilty　　　 B. moved　　　　 C. happy　 　D. ashamed　　

43.　 How many examples of older generation’s love are mentioned in the passage?

　 A. One　　　　 B. Two　　　 C. Three　　　 D. four

44.　 After the author's girlfriend's former husband got promoted, her father _____.

A. congratulated him　 　　　　　　 　 B. made his daughter marry him again

C. had a quarrel with him 　　　　 D. argued with his boss

45.　 From the passage we can learn the author's grandmother is ___________.

A. upright and honest　 　　　　　　 B. loving and troublesome　

C. thoughtful and careful　　　　　　 D. generous and active

Nick was not the kind of boy I had expected to spend my summer with. I was hoping to     have a   21   the summer before my busy senior year, but my mother asked me to do her a   22  . One of her colleagues needed a full-time   23  . “You planned to volunteer at the local hospital, why not volunteer to   24   Nick instead?” Then she told me that this six-year-old boy was not a   25   child.

Nick was a lovely little boy who suffered from many disorders. Normal day-care centres would not   26   him. As a baby, he had serious ear infections which left him with equilibrium (平衡) problems. He couldn’t   27   or run properly. I was hesitating (猶豫)   28   I was to take the job when my mother   29  , “Don’t you want to be a nurse in the future? I doubt if you even have the   30  .”

Then I told her I was   31   for the job.

The day started at 7:00 a.m. Nick was my wake-up call! With so much energy and very little   32  , he was quite a mix.

In the park, when he saw all the other children play on the jungle gym and swings (秋千)， the boy’s face   33   up — how he wished he belonged to the group of his age! You would think it would be   34   to get a child to go down a slide (滑梯). Believe me, it wasn’t! It took time, a lot of time. But with patience and support, Nick took one step up the slide each day. We worked together to face his   35   and gradually he got closer to taking the slide of his life.

Halfway through the summer, he   36   it to the top of the slide. With my arms   37   him tightly, we flew down the slide! I waited for his reaction. After realizing that he was safe and sound, he gave me a big   38   and asked, “May I go down again, alone?” I had never been happier in my life when I saw this little child climb the ladder and enjoy what other children   39   for granted.  This   40   child taught me that being a nurse means respect, kindness and patience.
21. A. grade                  B. course              C. project               D. relaxation
22. A. service                B. favour           C. business             D. trade
23. A. nurse                  B. waitress          C. guard        D. guide
24. A. protect                B. defend        C. attend           D. comfort
25. A. normal                B. naughty       C. clever           D. happy
26. A. admit                  B. receive        C. accept          D. adopt
27. A. speak                  B. play               C. stand        D. walk
28. A. if                        B. what               C. why                   D. where
29. A. suggested            B. argued           C. challenged           D. commented
30. A. energy                 B. courage       C. faith                      D. time
31. A. eager                   B. sorry             C. grateful              D. ready
32. A. awareness       B. balance       C. knowledge      D. control
33. A. delighted              B. cheered       C. lit                         D. shut
34. A. difficult               B. simple            C. interesting       D. terrible
35. A. fears                   B. worries      C. chances        D. situations
36. A. climbed               B. got                C. managed            D. made
37. A. taking                  B. holding       C. bringing        D. greeting
38. A. kiss                     B. clap               C. welcome            D. surprise
39. A. play                    B. do                 C. take                   D. enjoy
40. A. miserable             B. smart             C. brave        D. special

--- You won’t believe it. Sam. I have been chosen as an exchange student to China .

--- Congratulations ! ___

A. That’s something.　 B. You did a good job .

C. That’s all right.　　 D. You got it .

 We have a high regard for Mr. Black because he always tries to ________ his principles.

A. live up to        B. look forward to     C. catch up with     D. put up with

--- I saw your uncle take a taxi to the airport. Why didn’t you drive him there ?

--- I ___. But my car ____.

A. would ; was fixed　　　　　 B. would have ; was fixed

C. would have ; was being fixed　 D. did ; was being fixed

 Russia won the host right of the 2018 World Cup       England lost it on December 2

       A. before  B. or       C. while                   D. even if

 Gary Locke , a Chinese-American, once______ as the governor of Washington for 8 years and now is U.S. Commerce Secretary．

A．had worked            B. worked                    C．is working D．has been working

 The latest model of camera can           brings the object into focus, with which even a child can shoot very well．

       A．instantly                 B．a(chǎn)utomatically          C．steadily                  D．randomly

 It seems to some experts that 56.com, youku. com and tudou.com ___90% of the video market in this area.

  A. make up   B. put up   C. set up   D. take up