I stepped into my hotel room to a pleasant surprise. Lots of room surrounded an inviting king-size bed, with armchairs nearby resting against sliding glass doors that opened onto a private yard. A small dining table sat next to a kitchen with a refrigerator and coffee machine. "Wow," I thought to myself. "Nice place."

I love hotels. I love to enter a clean room, hang my clothes and gaze out the window, walk out in the morning and when I return, someone else will have made the bed. I like in-room dining and the way they greet you so professionally. "Nice to have you with us again, Mr. Goldsborough." Very cool.

The problem is that unless Alison travels with me, I never sleep well in hotels. I miss my family, even though Linus and Camille, at ages 4 and almost 2, find a way to interrupt even the best night's sleep at home.

I'm deeply troubled by the number of parents who wake up too late with the realization:

"My children grew up too fast. In the busy career and corporate rat race(剧烈竞争), I missed their childhood.” What they fail to say but too often think causes me even more pain: "...and I barely even know them."

A hundred years from now, no one will remember the size of your bank account, the car you drove or the size of your house. The world might differ greatly however, based on your impact in the life of a small child. If you pay attention to your significant others, make the choice to put them first.

Think of one specific action that you can take, and take it. Then think of another one and take that, too. Challenge yourself to find new ways to express your appreciation and love on a daily basis. It will pay off ten-fold(十倍)at home.

We can infer from the passage that the author ____.

A. often goes out on business            B. didn’t get along well with his/her family

C. has not grown into an adult           D. comes from a rich family

According to the author, what is the most important for us is that ____.

A. we should often miss our family          B. we should do what we can to benefit our family

C. we should often stay with our family     D. we must always be ready to face the rat race

Through para.4 and para.5 what the author really means is that ____.

A. he hates his parents’ constantly blaming him/her

B. his parents don’t care much about his/her growth

C. many parents worry about their children’s future

D. many parents can’t realize their children not preparing for the fierce social rat race

Which of the fowling is the best title for this passage?

A. East, west, home is the best            B. Different generations, different views

C. Value of a person at home              D. Nothing Beats Family

The people below are all looking for a hotel in Scotland for their holidays. After the description of these people, there is information about six Scotland hotels A-F. Decide which hotel would be most suitable for the people mentioned in questions 1-5 and then mark the correct letter(A-F) on your answer sheet. There is one extra paragraph about one hotel which you don’t need to use.

    1.Two women friends who want to do several all-day hikes in the mountains during the spring. They like a place with traditional decorations and superb views

    2.A woman with two children aged six and ten, who will spend July in Scotland. The children are interested in animals and plants and the mother enjoys fashions.

    3.A handicapped lawyer who must use a wheelchair but drives her own car. She enjoys concerts, museums, fine architecture and swimming. She will spend the first two weeks of October in Scotland.

    4.A writer, a teacher and their one-year-old daughter. They want to be in a quiet place during August. They enjoy good food, and like to take long walks(the baby rides in a back-pack).

    5.An old couple, aged 65 and 68. They love mountain scenery and still take easy walks by the lakeside when they can. They hope to enjoy fresh air and some relaxing activities.

       A.Edinburgh. Post House

    A popular base for visitors to Edinburgh, this fine hotel stands next to the zoological Gardens within easy reach of the many famous sights, shops and entertainments of one of Europe’s most elegant capitals.

       B.Gatehouse of Fleet. Cally Hotel

    This impressive hotel, well-known for its good Scottish cooking, is an ideal choice for a relaxing family holiday. Set in 100 acres of private grounds, the Cally, a former stately home, has something for everyone including its own fishing lake, outdoor heated swimming pool, green lawn, tennis court, children’s playground and sauna baths.

       C.Glenborrodale. Glenborrodale Castle Hotel

    There can be few better places for a refreshing holiday than this picturesque hotel set in its own 120 acres of beautiful countryside by charming Lake Sunart on the Ardnamurchan Peninsular(半岛). Boating and fishing are both available here.

       D.Inverness. Royal Hotel!     

    A unique feature of the Royal is its fine collection of antique furniture, china and glass. This friendly comfortable hotel, a favourite meeting place for the townspeople, is an excellent base for getting to know the Highlands-Lake Ness, Great Gien and Culloden Moor are all within easy reach.

       E.Peebles. Tontine Hotel

    The Tontine had a fascinating beginning-it was built in 1808. This homely hotel has been extended to make it a really comfortable base for exploring the Tweed Valley and the attractive Lowland country.

       F.North Berwick. Marine Hotel

This fine hotel overlooks the famous West Links golf course and is close to several sandy beaches. The Marine has its own open-air swimming pool and putting green as well as tennis courts, squash courts and saunas. Edinburgh, well-know for its art festivals, is only some 24 miles away.

BRITAIN is a popular tourist place.But tours of the country have advantages and disadvantages.

GOOD NEWS

Free museums.No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities(文物).

Pop music.Britain is the only country to compare with the US on this score.

Black cabs.London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never

enough of them at weekends or night.

Choice of food.Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurants.

Fashion.Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names

such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.

BAD NEWS

Poor service.“It’s part of the image of the place.People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research  Center.

Poor public transport.Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the overcrowded London tube is inexplicably (难以理解的) popular.

Rain.Still in the number one complaint.

No air-conditioning.So that even splendidly hot summers become as unbearable as the downpours.

Overpriced hotels.The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.

Licensing hours.Alcohol (酒) is in short supply after 11 p.m. even in “24-hour cities”.

1.What do tourists complain most?

A.Poor service.                         B.Poor public transport.

C.Rain.                                 D.Overpriced hotels.

2.What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?

A.Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US.

B.Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US.

C.Pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US.

D.Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US.

3.When are people not able to get alcohol?

A.At 12: 00 p.m.      B.At 10: 00 p.m.      C.At 11: 00 p.m.      D.At 9: 00 p.m.

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.You have to pay to visit the museums.

B.It’s very cheap to travel by taxi there.

C.You cannot find Chinese food there.

D.The public transport is poor there.

 

People often say that the Englishman’s home is his castle. They mean that the home is very important and personal to him. Most people in Britain live in houses rather than flats, and many people own their homes. This means that they can make them individual; they can paint them, and change them in any way they like. Most houses have a garden, even if it is a very small one, and the garden is usually loved. The house and the garden are the private space of the individual.

People usually like to mark their space. Are you sitting now in your home or on a train? Have you marked the space around yourself as yours ? If you are on the train you may put your coat or small bag on the seat beside you. If you share a flat you may have one corner or chair which is your own.

Once I was traveling on a train to London. I was in a section for four people and there was a table between us .The man on the space on my side of the table at all. I was angry. Maybe he thought that he owned the whole table .I had read a book about non-verbal communication, so I took various papers out of my bag and put them on his briefcase! When I did this he stiffened and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. I had invaded his space! A few minutes later I took my papers off his case in order to read them. He immediately moved his case to his side of the table. Of course, it is possible that he just wanted to be helpful to me!

If you are visiting another country you may feel that you don’t have any private space. Hotel rooms look much the same in every country in the world. All day long ,you share public spaces with other people. You see the local people in their private spaces and you feel lonely and “outside”. Local people can create their private spaces by talking about things you don’t know about .And you even feel that they like you to be outside them so that they will enjoy being inside even more! This is one of the difficulties of being a traveler !But if you understand it then it helps you .Haven’t you enjoyed being part of a group and “owning” a bit of space?

1.The writer was angry as he was traveling on a train to London because______.

A.he had no place to sit

B.someone had invaded his “space”

C.too many people shared a section with him

D.some other people talked about things he didn’t know about

2.“… you feel lonely and ‘outside’” in paragraph 4 means that_______.

A.you are alone outside the house

B.you feel lonely because you travel on your own

C.you are alone and therefore you go outside to have some fun

D.you feel lonely and you don’t belong to that place or that group of people

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.British people dislike marking their space.

B.You always feel at home in another country.

C.Most British people prefer living in houses to flats.

D.You can’t mark your private space in a foreign country.

4.Tha main purpose of the passage is to tell readers to _______.

A.own private spaces by living in houses

B.have one corner of their own in public places

C.realize the importance of “space” in communication

D.create their private spaces by talking with local people

 

(湖南省湘潭市外国语学校2010届高三第二次月考)

(A)

If you’re the type of traveler who just wants a suitable place to hang your hat and you don’t want to spend a fortune to do it, here are several ways to save on your next hotel room:

*Be Flexible   Hotel rates are based on supply and demand, so be aware of peak periods. If your destination’s high season is from December through April and you’re trying to book near the end of April, you might find considerable savings if you change your travel dates by a week or two.

*Check Hotel Web Sites  The large travel-booking Web sites often sell rooms from the middlemen who have bought up empty hotel moms. But the major hotel chains also offer last-minute discounts, and because they’re not paying the middleman, they sometimes have better deals than the travel sites.

*Don’t be Afraid to Bargain   Most people are so intimidated(畏缩的)by know-it-all hotel desk clerks that they don’t bargain for a better deal. But bargaining for a better deal is often worth the trouble, because most hotel general managers would prefer having a customer paying a lower-than-usual rate to no customer at all. And if you find something unfair on your hotel bill, don’t be afraid to complain. To keep your goodwill, hotels will often reduce or cancel such charges.

*Avoid Hidden Costs  Expensive little extras hotels never mention can increase the cost of your stay. Don’t let this happen. Find out about resort fees, fees for parking and Internet use before you agree to stay. And don’t touch the hotel’s phone unless you absolutely have to — the rates can be more than $2 a minute even inside the United States.

56. According to the passage, which of the following will save you some money?

A. Change your visiting places in high season.

B. Book rooms through Web sites.

C. Use the hotel’s phone.

D. Bargain with desk clerks for your room,

57. That travelers can bargain for better deal is often based on the fact that _______.

A. managers often prefer a lower-paid customer to no customer

B. there are many places which should not be charged

C. customers are often afraid to complain the price

D. the desk clerks and managers often cheat the travelers

58. The passage was mainly written to ________.

A. advertise hotels                              B. complain high costs

C. serve the travelers                         D. introduce hotel services

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