A reader from Brazil recently wrote to us asking for some advice. He's planning a trip to the United States, and wanted to know about the best places to travel in America. Today, we are going to give you some information which may help you when choosing your destination. Each of the 50 states in America has interesting things to offer visitors, but some are more popular than others. Washington, D.C. is famous for its historical places, like the White House and the Lincoln Memorial. Visitors to Los Angeles, California can see the Hollywood Walk of Fame or shop the stores on Rodeo Drive where they may see a star or two. The Grand Canyon in Arizona appeals to hikers, climbers and nature lovers, as does Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. TripAdvisor is a website where people can write reviews about their travel experiences. Every year, TripAdvisor makes a list of the top 25 cities to visit in the United States. The results are based on the opinions of visitors to the website. Brooke Ferencsik of TripAdvisor said the top picks on the list were not surprising. And it's no secret why New York City was named the number one destination. New York City is sometimes called "the city that never sleeps" because it can be very busy. It is an exciting place for many people because there is so much to do. But the city might be too busy for travelers looking for rest and calm. They might want something more like Myrtle Beach, in the state of South Carolina, which made it to number 21 on Trip Advisor's list. "A lot of people come to Myrtle Beach for great weather, it's a wonderful family vacation spot, the beaches - got the wonderful Atlantic beaches there - there's a lot of family-friendly parks and water parks." Many people take time off from their jobs in the summer to travel. Because there are many tourists visiting other places, June until August is known as "high season." Traveling during the high season can be crowded. Hotels, restaurants, and transportation might also be very expensive. If you want to save money on a... This passage may probably be taken from _ . A) a travel journal B) a magazine C) News Weekly D) a website
B
Baekeland and Hartmann report that the " short sleepers" had been more or less average in their sleep needs until the men were in their teens. But at about age 15 0r so, the men voluntarily began cutting down their nightly sleep time because of pressures from school, work, and other activities. These men tended to regard their nightly periods of unconsciousness as bothersome interruptions in their daily routines. In general, these "short sleepers" appeared ambitious, active, energetic and cheerful. They stuck to their opinions, and were very sure about their job choices..They often held several jobs at once, or worked full-or part-time while going to school. And many of them had a strong urge to appear "normal" or " acceptable" to their friends and colleagues. When asked to remember their dreams, the " short sleepers" did poorly. More than this, they seemed to prefer not remembering. Similarly, their usual way of dealing with psychological problems was not to admit that the problem existed, and then to keep busy in the hope that the trouble would go away. The sleep patterns of the " short sleepers" were similar to, but less extreme than, sleep patterns shown by many mental patients categorized as manic . The "long sleepers" were quite different indeed. Baekeland and Hanmann report that these young men have been lengthy sleepers since childhood. They seemed to enjoy their sleep, protected it, and were quite concemed when sometimes they didn't have their desired 9 hours of nightly bed rest. They tended to remember their dreams much better than the " short sleepers". Many of the "long sleepers" were shy, anxious, quiet, nervous, passive, mildly depressed, and unsure of themselves ( particularly in social situations) . Several openly stated that sleep was an escape from their daily problems. When sometimes they cannot enjoy adequate sleep, the "long sleepers" might _ . A) appear disturbed B) become energetic C) feel dissatisfied D) be extremely unhappy
A
Q: Buying insurance is a way in which people can protect themselves against large losses. Protection against fire is one kind of insurance. Large numbers of people pay small sums of money to an insurance company. Although thousands of people have paid for fire insurance, only a few will lose their homes by fire. The insurance company will pay for these homes out of the small sums of money it has collected. The first modern fire insurance company was formed in London, England, in the 1760s. A great fire had just destroyed most of the city, and people wanted protection against further losses. The first company grew rapidly. Soon other companies were founded in other areas. Benjamin Franklin helped form the first fire insurance company in America in 1752, and then a new kind of insurance for farmers was suggested. The new insurance would provide protection against the loss of crops from storms. Later on another new insurance company was started in America. This company, which offered life insurance, collected small sums of money regularly from many different men. If a man died, his family was given a large sum of money. Over the years, insurance companies have offered new kinds of insurance protection. The new kinds of insurance cover losses from such accidents as car and plane crashes. Today, most people have some kind of insurance. Who helped set up the first company in America? A) Benjamin Franklin. B) Businessmen. C) The first insurance company in London. D) Farmers.
A: A
(Q).
The Gloria Barron Prize honors American young people from 8 to 18 who have shown leadership and courage in public service. Each year ten winners each receive $2,000 to support their higher education or their service work. Ellie Wen, 18, was volunteering at a community center in prefix = st1 /Los Angeles. The center was set up to help immigrant families. She happened to meet adults in an EFL (English as a foreign language) class. "When I saw them struggling hard, I wondered how people in poor countries could learn English," Ellie said. So she started a Website, "Repeat After Us", where people can listen to English and practice their accents. Volunteers have helped Ellie record more than 6,600 texts, including Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address". Hard work _ There were so many times that Ellie was discouraged, but she stuck to it. The Website crashed early on, and all the recordings were lost. But volunteers worked together vigorously to start over, and the visitors returned to the site. "Just follow your idea and know that the world is so kind. Even if you do have trouble, people will help you," Ellie said. "I was really excited the first month, when we had 49 visitors," she said. Now, more than 480,000 people from all over the world have visited the site. "I get e-mails fromChina,Egypt,India, andBrazil. They say, 'Thank you so much for this resource, we've been waiting for it for so long!'" Ellie loves knowing she is helping so many people. Gloria Barron Prize winners like Ellie are enthusiastic about the work they do. And they encourage others to join in if they see a need. Anybody can be negative, but it takes somebody brave to be positive. Are you the brave one? The writer mainly talks about _ . A) how to open up a website with the help of others B) how to teach immigrant families English via Internet C) the Gloria Barron Prize and the story of one of its winners. D) young people who help others in various ways
(A).
C