Travelling abroad for leisure is becoming more and more popular for Chinese. The UK is high up in the list of places that the Chinese want to visit. There is a sense of mystery about the UK; it's often the images of England's green parks, countryside and Victorian houses that people point to as an alternative to polluted, overcrowded cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou. The capital is viewed as modern and dynamic, while being filled deep with history. When asked what other images are thought of by the UK, the reply is often "the Queen, tea and Oxbridge". So what's stopping them actually coming? Sebastian Wood ,the British ambassador in Beijing, has described the UK as a _ , and while this is perhaps an exaggeration ,Britain does have a reputation as a country that is harder to access. The main problem for Chinese tourists is obvious. Although visa applications are now completed online, visitors are still required to visit one of 12 UK centers across the country for a face-to-face interview and fingerprinting. If you don't live near one of these enters already, you'd have to travel some distance to get there. Another problem is also to be mentioned. If travelers from China visit the UK, they also want to cover as much ground as possible. But the UK is not included in the Schengen visa, which allows access to a host of 26 European countries such as France and Germany. So it makes the former seem a less worth it. There is also the issue of cost: PS47 for a Schengen visa, PS82 for the UK. On top of this, the UK is viewed as stricter in its handing of visas compared with the rest of Europe, fed by urban legends of rejected applications. In the end, the decision comes down to one question: Is Britain worth a visit? What is the writer's attitude towards visiting the UK? A) He really supports Chinese people to visit the UK. B) He suggests Chinese people visit London strongly. C) He thinks it is troublesome to visit the UK. D) He believes everyone should go to see the Queen and Oxbridge.
C
Giant pandas are now extremely rare. Their number is less than 1,000 in the wild. The hunting of pandas has been banned for many years, so this is not the problem. Destruction of its habitat, when areas are cleared for growing crops, is one of the main reasons for panda's decline . Another reason is that the bamboo on which they mainly feed, is dying back. The pandas find it difficult to move to new feeding areas. As the bamboo disappears, the pandas simply starve to death. Bamboo is a poor source of food, and pandas have to eat up 45kg of it every day, a process that takes them up to 16 hours. The process goes on day and night, with the pandas in a constant cycle of eating for eight hours and sleeping for four. They can eat other foods, but will rather starve than change their diet when bamboo is scarce. Giant pandas are very good climbers, and use this skill to escape from the enemy. The giant panda lives alone for most of its life, only coming together with another of its species for long enough to mate. A newborn panda baby is born hairless and blind, is about 15cm long and weighs only 100g. The baby will stay with its mother for about 18 months, until it is able to set up its own territory Chinese and American scientists are studying giant pandas and their habits in order to put in place a major conservation programme. Zoos around the world are taking part in panda breeding programmes. There is still hope that with human's help, the giant panda can survive in the wild. How much bamboo does a panda eat every year? A) Nearly 3 tons B) Nearly 2 tons C) Almost 1 ton D) A half ton
B
Q: One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the hall of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the rain, they came to the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night. "Could you possibly give us a room here?" the husband asked. The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town."All of our rooms are taken," the clerk said."But I can't send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It's not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night." When the couple declined, the young man pressed on."Don't worry about me; I'll make out just fine." the clerk told them. So the couple agreed. As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk,"You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I'll build one for you." The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn't easy. Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round--trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit. The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky."That," said the older man,"is the hotel I have just built for you to manage.""You must be joking," the young man said."I can assure you I am not," said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth. The older man's name was William Waldorf Astor, and that magnificent structure was the original Waldorf--Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who... The purpose of the author writing this story is to _ . A) give people a good laugh B) cover some facts C) promote the business of Waldorf--Astoria Hotel D) deliver a lesson
A: D
(Q).
It is of great importance for students to be able to get a feel for the rhythm and sounds of a poem---more so than for most pieces of prose . This isn't always easy in a second language, and so listening to their teacher read the poem, or to a professional recording, perhaps by the poet or by an actor, is, I feel, necessary. As with any listening activity, students will need some kind of preparation and task so that they can be actively engaged. They might be asked to check predictions that arose from a warm-up discussion, to compare their suggested rhyming couplets with the poet's, or to identify stressed words and syllables. You might also want to get your students to listen to recorded or live discussions about poems. This can, for example, take the form of a couple of teachers or a group of students giving their views on a poem, or even an interview with the poet. I'm a big fan of jigsaw listening because of the natural information gap. If your school has the facilities, you might like to: divide your students into two, or even three groups give each group a different cassette or CD and tasks to work on then they come back together to share what they have learned. Remember that your own enthusiasm is a key factor in any activity relating to literature in the classroom. Finally, don't forget to encourage art for art's sake. Listening for pleasure, to poetry (or to anything else, for that matter), is to be fostered at every opportunity, because of the obvious benefits which include motivation, vocabulary acquisition and learner independence. Many good song lyrics could be termed poetry and treated accordingly in the classroom, copyright rules permitting. Which of the following is true according to the passage? A) An English student will have difficulty understanding Li Bai's poems. B) an English student will have some difficulty understanding Walt Whitman. C) A Chinese student will have some difficulty understanding Du Fu's works. D) An American student will have some difficulty understanding William Shakespeare.
(A).
A