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Top Travel Destinations

Penang, Malaysia 

Penang is one of the only 13 states that make up Malaysia in Southeast Asia. Its food culture is like nothing you've ever experienced. If you're a food lover, this is the place to go. The central location of Penang makes it a hub(枢纽) for cuisine from many different regions including India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Best Time to Visit: November to January

Bali, Indonesia

Bali has always been a top travel destination due to its beauty, but even so, there are still hidden spots away from the main tourist attractions that offer peace and quiet. One such place is the island of Nusa Lembongan. One tourist attraction here is the underwater Big Buddha, which has been placed by locals as a business attraction. It also makes for good diving and underwater photography, and is one of the best vacation spots for couples.

Best Time to Visit: May to September

Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland is a coastal city known for its breathtaking views and beautiful beaches and islands. The nearby Mount Eden is a volcanic mountain you can hike and explore. With its many hiking tracks, views, beaches, and cultural sites, Auckland has enough activities to keep you busy.

Best Time to Visit: March to May, September to November

Banff, Canada

Located in the northern part of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Banff is a small town of Canada. Most people outside of Canada have probably never even heard of it, but that's what makes it so different from other attractions. Visitors can ski on Mount Norquay or ride the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain to swim in the Banff Upper Hot Springs and enjoy great views of the countryside.

Best time to Visit: June to August, December to March

1. （1） Where should you go if you are interested in diving?

   A . The Banff Gondola. B . The Banff Upper Hot Springs. C . Penang. D . Nusa Lembongan.
3. （2） If you want to explore a volcanic mountain, which month is the best choice?

   A . January. B . August. C . October. D . December.
5. （3） What makes Banff special compared to the other three travel destinations?

   A . It offers great views of beaches. B . It's not well-known to foreigners. C . It's famous for its tasty food. D . It doesn't have any mountains.

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According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research, both the size and consumption habits of our eating companions can influence our food intake. And contrary to existing research that says you should avoid eating with heavier people who order large portions, it's the beanpoles with big appetites you really need to avoid.

To test the effect of social influence on eating habits, the researchers conducted two experiments. In the first, 95 undergraduate women were individually invited into a lab to ostensibly (表面上) participate in a study about movie viewership. Before the film began, each woman was asked to help herself to a snack. An actor hired by the researchers grabbed her food first. In her natural state, the actor weighed 105 pounds. But in half the cases she wore a specially designed fat suit which increased her weight to 180 pounds.

Both the fat and thin versions of the actor took a large amount of food. The participants followed suit, taking more food than they normally would have. However, they took significantly more when the actor was thin.

For the second test, in one case the thin actor took two pieces of candy from the snack bowls. In the other case, she took 30 pieces. The results were similar to the first test: the participants followed suit but took significantly more candy when the thin actor took 30 pieces.

The tests show that the social environment is extremely influential when we're making decisions. If this fellow participant is going to eat more, so will I. Call it the "I'll have what she's having" effect. However, we'll adjust the influence. If an overweight person is having a large portion, I'll hold back a bit because I see the results of his eating habits. But if a thin person eats a lot, I'll follow suit. If he can eat much and keep slim, why can't I?  

1. （1） What is the recent study mainly about?

   A . Consumer demand. B . Eating behavior. C . Food safety. D . Movie viewership.
3. （2） What does the underlined word "beanpoles" in paragraph 1 refer to?

   A . Picky eaters. B . Tall thin persons. C . Big eaters. D . Overweight persons.
5. （3） Why did the researchers hire the actor?

   A . To find out what she would do in the two tests.                               B . To study why she could keep her weight down. C . To see how she would affect the participants.                                 D . To test if the participants could recognize her.
7. （4） On what basis do we "adjust the influence" according to the last paragraph?

   A . How we perceive others. B . How we feel about the food. C . How hungry we are. D . How slim we want to be.

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As Ginni Bazlinton reached Antarctica, she found herself greeted by a group of little Gentoo penguins longing to say hello. These gentle, lovely gatekeepers welcomed her and kick-started what was to be a trip Ginni would never forget.

Ever since her childhood, Ginni, now 71, has had a deep love for travel. Throughout her career as a professional dancer, she toured in the UK, but always longed to explore further. When she retired from dancing and her sons eventually flew the nest, she decided it was time to take the plunge.

After taking a degree at Chichester University in Related Arts, Ginni began to travel the world, eventually getting work teaching English in Japan and Chile. And it was in Chile she discovered she could get last-minute cheap deals on ships going to Antarctica from the islands off Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of the South American mainland. "I just decided I wanted to go," she says. "I had no idea about what I'd find there and I wasn't nervous. I just wanted to do it. And I wanted to do it alone as I always prefer it that way."

In March 2008, Ginni boarded a ship with 48 passengers she'd never met before, to begin the journey towards Antarctica. "From seeing the wildlife to witnessing sunrises, the whole experience was amazing. Antarctica left an impression on me that no other place has, "Ginni says. "I remember the first time I saw a humpback whale; it just rose out of the water like some prehistoric creature and I thought it was smiling at us. You could still hear the operatic sounds it was making underwater."

The realization that this is a precious land, to be respected by humans, was one of the biggest things that hit home to Ginni.                               

1. （1） Which of the following best explains "take the plunge" underlined in paragraph 2?

   A . Bring back lost memories. B . Stick to a promise. C . Try challenging things. D . Take a degree.
3. （2） What made Ginnis decide on the trip to Antarctica?

   A . A discount fare. B . A friend's invitation.    C . Lovely penguins. D . Beautiful scenery.
5. （3） What does Ginni think about Antarctica after the journey?

   A . It should be well preserved. B . It should be easily accessible. C . It needs to be fully introduced. D . It should be a home for her.
7. （4） What is the text mainly about?

   A . Sailing around the world. B . Meeting animals in Antarctica. C . A childhood dream. D . An unforgettable experience.

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Human speech contains more than 2,000 different sounds, from the common "m" and "a" to the rare clicks of some southern African languages. But why are certain sounds more common than others? A ground-breaking, five-year study shows that diet-related changes in human bite led to new speech sounds that are now found in half the world's languages.

More than 30 years ago, the scholar Charles Hockett noted that speech sounds called labiodentals, such as" f " and "v", were more common in the languages of societies that ate softer foods. Now a team of researchers led by Damian Blasi at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, has found how and why this trend arose.

They discovered that the upper and lower front teeth of ancient human adults were aligned(对齐), making it hard to produce labiodentals, which are formed by touching the lower lip to the upper teeth. Later, our jaws changed to an overbite(牙齿的覆咬合) structure, making it easier to produce such sounds.

The team showed that this change in bite was connected with the development of agriculture in the Neolithic period. Food became easier to chew at this point. The jawbone didn't have to do as much work and so didn't grow to be so large.

Analyses of a language database also confirmed that there was a global change in the sound of world languages after the Neolithic age, with the use of " f " and "v" increasing remarkably during the last few thousand years. These sounds are still not found in the languages of many hunter-gatherer people today.

This research overturns the popular view that all human speech sounds were present when human beings evolved around 300,000 years ago. "The set of speech sounds we use has not necessarily remained stable since the appearance of human being, but rather the huge variety of speech sounds that we find today is the product of complex interplay of things like biological change and cultural evolution, " said Steven Moran, a member of the research team.

1. （1） Which aspect of the human speech sound does Damian Blasi's research focus on?

   A . Its quantity. B . Its development. C . Its variety. D . Its distribution.
3. （2） Why was it difficult for ancient human adults to produce labiodentals?

   A . Their jaws were not conveniently structured.       B . Their lower front teeth were not large enough. C . They had fewer upper teeth than lower teeth.      D . They could not open and close their lips easily.
5. （3） What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

   A . A further explanation of the research methods. B . A reasonable doubt about the research process. C . Supporting evidence for the research results. D . Potential application of the research findings.
7. （4） What does Steven Moran say about the set of human speech sounds?

   A . It is a complex and dynamic system. B . It drives the evolution of human beings. C . It is key to effective communication.              D . It contributes much to cultural diversity. 

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Many people think that positive thinking is mostly about keeping one's head in the sand and ignoring daily problems, trying to look optimistic. In reality it has more to do with the way an individual talks to himself. Self-talk is a constant stream of thoughts of a person, who is often unaware and uncertain of some events, phenomena, people, or even the person himself.  Meanwhile, positive thinking can help to stop negative self-talks and start to form a positive view on an issue. People who regularly practice positive thinking tend to solve problems more effectively. They are less exposed to stress caused by external factors. They tend to believe in themselves and in what they do.

 People who think positively demonstrate increased life spans(寿命), lower rates of depression and anxiety, better physical and psychological health, reduced risks of death from heart problems. Positive thinking also contributes to one's ability to deal with problems and hardships.  For example, researchers have found that in the case of a crisis accompanied by strong emotions, such as a natural disaster, positive thinking can provide a sort of buffer(缓冲作用), against depression and anxiety. Resilient(适应性强的) people who think positively tend to treat every problem as a challenge, a chance for improvement of any kind, or as an opportunity for personal growth. Pessimists, on the contrary, tend to perceive problems as source of additional stress.  

In conclusion, positive thinking is a powerful and effective tool for dealing with hard times and improving the quality of one's life. It doesn't have anything to do with ignorant optimism when an individual refuses to notice a problem.  Thinking in a positive, self-encouraging way brings about many benefits to one's physical and mental health.

A. It doesn't cause any severe emotional discomfort, either.

B. It helps one to remain clear-headed and confident in difficult situations.

C. They often offer a real alternative to the common and regular way of thinking.

D. They often feel discouraged long before trying to solve the problem, even if small.

E. Negative self-talk damages self-confidence and decreases self-respect.

F. Positive thinking has several beneficial effects on the body and the mind.

G. As thinking changes, an individual's behavior and habits change as well.

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的 A、B、C 和 D 四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

I'd worked four months at a university when we had a going-away party for Sandy, who was moving to London. When I got to work the next day, I was 1 to see Sandy there. "Aren't you supposed to be in London?" I asked. She 2 me and said, "I'm Helen."

I then found out that I have a rare disease — face blindness. This 3 sent me to the doctor. I didn't think much about it. 4, I'm a successful adult — who cares if my 5 isn't quite like everyone else's? Then, I met Dr. Smith. "Your ability to learn new faces is among the worst," he said. "As for cures, nothing so far has been very 6." After a sad goodbye, I fled in tears.

I was 7 until Dad gave me some important advice. "Everyone just wants to talk about themselves," he said. "Just ask questions." This 8 transformed my life. When walking on campus, if someone looked my way, I 9. If they smiled, I stopped to chat. Soon I became an expert at talking to 10.

This year, I celebrated my birthday with over 60 friends, many of whom I wasn't able to 11. I was fine with that. 12, I can take courses to treat my illness, but I'd rather spend that time on something I 13, like looking at birds. I get such a 14 identifying them.

15 my face blindness, I've learnt to see the world.

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Kim Cobb, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, is one of a small but growing  (minor) of academics who are cutting back on their air travel because of climate change. Travelling to conferences, lectures, workshops, and the like — frequently by plane —  (view) to be important for scientists to get together and exchange  (inform). But Cobb and others are now questioning that idea — pushing conferences to provide more chances to participate remotely and  (change) their personal behavior to do their part in dealing with the climate change crisis. On a website called No Fly Climate Sci, for example,  (rough) 200 academics — many of them climate scientists —  (promise) to fly as little as possible since the effort started two years ago.

Cobb, for her part, started to ask conference organizers who invited her to speak  she could do so remotely; about three-quarters of  time, they agreed. When the answer was no, she declined the invitation. That approach brought Cobb's air travel last year down  75%, and she plans to continue the practice. "It has been fairly  (reward)," she says — "a really positive change."    

假如你是李华。你所在学校的文学社将举办 "What Travelling Brings to You"的主题征文活动。请以"What Travelling Brings to You"为题，写一篇征文稿，内容包括：
1.旅游的益处；
2.结合自身的旅游经历。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Mother's Gift

I grew up in a small town where the primary school was a ten-minute walk from my house. When the noon bell rang, I would race breathlessly home. My mother would be standing at the top of the stairs, smiling down at me.

One lunchtime when I was in the third grade will stay with me always. I had been picked to be the princess in the school play, and for weeks my mother had rehearsed my lines so hard with me. But no matter how easily I acted at home, as soon as I stepped on stage, every word disappeared from my head. Finally, my teacher took me aside. She explained that she had written a narrator's part to the play, and asked me to change roles. Her words, kindly expressed, still hurt, especially when I saw my part go to another girl.

I didn't tell my mother what had happened when I went home for lunch that day. But she sensed my pain. Instead of suggesting we practice my lines, she asked if I wanted to walk in the yard.

It was a lovely spring day and the rose vine was turning green. Under the huge trees, we could see yellow dandelions（蒲公英）in the grass in bunches, as if a painter had touched our landscape with dabs of gold. I watched my mother casually bend down by one dandelion. "I think I'm going to dig up all these weeds," she said, pulling it up by its roots. "From now on, we'll have only roses in this garden."

"But I like dandelions," I protested. "All flowers are beautiful — even dandelions."

My mother looked at me seriously. "Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn't it?" She asked thoughtfully. I nodded, pleased that I had won her over. "And that is true of people too," she added. "Not everyone can be a princess, but there is no shame in that." Relieved that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry as I told her what had happened. She listened and smiled reassuringly.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

"But you will be a beautiful narrator," she said.

……

After the play, I took the flower home.