Cycling lovers from across the country identify the best routes the UK has to offer.

Oisin Sands 

Editor of sportive.com 

Route:

Rostrevor to Carlingford,County Down (30-42 miles) 

   “My favourite bike ride would start in Rostrevor,County Down,where I grew up,”says Oisin Sands.

   The ride takes in some breathtaking views on the way to the pretty harbour town of Carlingford. From Carlingford,head back to Newry. Or save on tired legs by taking the ferry from Omeath on the south side to Warrenpoint in the summer,and cycling the short distance back to the start.

Kirsty Ho Fat 

Cycle journalist

Route:

Hadrian's Cycleway,Ravenglass to South Shields (174 miles) 

   This route follows the length of Hadrian's Wall and takes in coastal views and old-fashioned market towns.

   “The ride weaves through the dramatic countryside of the North,my homeland,before finishing in South Shields,”says Kirsty,who in 2012 completed a 4,000-mile ride around the coast of Britain with her father.

Helen Curry 

National Cycle Network project officer 

Route: 

Union Canal,Linlithgow to the Falkirk Wheel (12 miles) 

   This flat journey along the Scottish branch of the Union Canal is a favourite with Helen Curry.

   “Follow the towpath(拉船路) along the northern bank of the canal and cross the River Avon,” says Helen. “You’ 11 pass the impressive mins of Abnond Castle."

   At over 2,000 feet long,you* 11 be cycling through Scotland's longest canal tunnel.

Kristian House 

2009 National Road Race Champion 

Route: 

Middlewich Loop (55 miles)

   “This is a shorter loop I do when I’ m not training,starting and finishing in Middlewich/' says racing cyclist Kristian House.

   This hilly route isn’t for the (胆怯的) .

   This stretch climbs 670 feet and oflFers some wonderful views,including your first sight of Britain's second-highest pub.

21. Which ride is the longest?

   A. Middlewich Loop.

   B. Hadrian,s Cycleway.

   C. Rostrevor to Carlingford.

   D. Union Canal to the Falkirk Wheel.

22. Who is a professional cyclist?

   A. Oisin Sands. B. Helen Curry.

   C. Kirsty Ho Fat. D. Kristian House.

23. What do the four routes have in common?

   A. They are all hilly.

   B. They all provide wonderful views.

   C. They all go around the coast of Britain.

   D. They are all suitable for beginner cyclists.

书面表达(满分25分)

.假定你将参加主题为“Attitude is everything”的一分钟英语演讲比赛。请写一篇演讲稿，要点如 下：

1. 积极的人生态度的重要性；

2. 如何培养积极的人生态度。

注意：

1. 词数100左右；

2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。

Hello everyone,

   I am glad to make a speech here.                                                                                                                                                                                       

短文改错(共10小题;每小题1分，满分10分)

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧) ,并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除:把多余的词用斜线(\) 划掉。

注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

    2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起) 不计分。

   My best friend Angel and I was riding her brother's four-wheeler. She was driving down a road when all of sudden we hit a sand pile and lost control. Luckily she was okay and I wasn,t. I was knocking unconscious. At first she didn't know how to do but then she heard a truck coming down the road. So she waves down the driver and explained what happened. The man got out of his truck with a second -thought. He rushed over to her and called an ambulance. By that time I was starting to wake up. When I woke up,I saw the man stood over me. I thanked for him. That man was a hero.

    In the past few years,quite a number of men and women61. (choose) to do something less competitive. They are afraid that the stress of work robs them of joy and 62. (happy) and brings them harm both physically and mentally.

    In fact,however,stress isn't such 63.bad thing as it is often supposed to be. Above all,64. it gets out of control,a certain amount of stress 65. (be) important as it provides motivation,challenges and a purpose to an otherwise meaningless,idle life. Moreover,people 66.stress tend to express their full range of potential and realize their own 67. (person) worth — the very aim of a human life. Last but not least,research has shown that modest amounts of stress can 68. (actual) strengthen the immune(免疫的) system and be good for health.

    Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way 69. (escape) it. Developing our adaptive abilities to deal with it can prevent us from 70. (defeat) by a competitive society.

   Most people are poor listeners. Even when we think we are listening carefully,we usually 41 only half of what we hear,and we remember even less. Improving your listening skills can be 42 in every part of your life.

   The most important 43 of poor listening is giving in to distractions（分心的事物） and letting our thoughts 44 . Sometimes,however,we listen too 45 . We try to remember every word a speaker says,and we lose the 46 message by concentrating on details. In other situations,we may jump to conclusions and 47 a speaker without hearing out tbe message. Finally,we often judge people by their 48 or speaking manner 49 listening to what they say.

   You can 50 these poor listening habits by taking several steps. First,take listening 51 and commit yourself to becoming a better listener. Second,work at being a(n) 52 listener. Give your undivided attention to the speaker in a genuine effort to 53 her or his ideas. Third,54 distractions. Make a conscious effort to keep your mind on what the speaker is saying. Fourth,try not to be 55 by appearance or delivery. 56 preconceived(事先形成的) judgments based on a person's looks or manner of speech. Fifth,suspend (延缓.) judgment 57 you have heard the speaker's entire message. Sixth,58 your listening by paying attention to main points,to evidence,and to the speaker's techniques. Finally,develop your note-taking skills. When done 59 ,note taking is an excellent way to improve your concentration and to keep track of a speaker's 60 . It almost forces you to become a more attentive and creative listener.

41. A. grasp   B. realize   C. believe   D. choose

42. A. difficult   B. helpful   C. possible   D. practical

43. A. role   B. factor   C. ftinction   D. cause

44. A. pass   B. wander   C. stop   D. stay

45. A. long   B. clearly   C. hard   D. passively

46. A. main   B. new   C. useful   D. hidden

47. A. prejudge   B. ignore   C. doubt   D. leave

49. A. due to   B. along with   C. instead of   D. except for

50. A. pick up   B. give up   C. take up   D. put up

51. A. seriously   B. naturally   C. personally   D. wrongly

52. A. clever   B. active   C. free   D. powerful

53. A. test   B. support   C. understand   D. discuss

54. A. consider   B. share   C. watch   D. resist

55. A. affected   B. puzzled   C. replaced   D. persuaded

56. A. Set aside   B. Set down   C. Set off   D. Set out

57. A. though   B. when   C. until   D. since

58. A. check   B. focus   C. organize   D. monitor

59. A. eagerly   B. secretly   C. slowly   D. properly

60. A. questions   B. plans   C. ideas   D. changes

                The guy who tried to edit English 

   The English vocabulary is not only huge,it's also fiill of words that mean practically the same thing. Get,obtain,acquire. Shine,gleam,glow,sparkle. 36 

   That was the thinking of a British writer named C. K. Ogden,who in the 1930s proposed(提议) a new form of English with a vocabulary of just 850 words. He called the project Basic English. 37 

   Ogden arrived at his 850-word list through experimentation,rephrasing texts over and over until he was satisfied. The words he finally included were not necessarily the shortest or most concrete. 38 Because any verbal idea could be expressed with a small number of “operators” — words like come,go, get,take,have,make,be, and do — Ogden argued that most verbs were unnecessary. In Basic English, eat is “have a meal." is “go from memory."

   Winston Churchill was a fan of the concept as a way to get foreigners to speak English,and he encouraged the BBC to use it. 39 Roosevelt,who expressed mild interest,joked that Churchill's famous speech about offering his “blood,toil,tears,and sweat” to his country wouldn’t have been so exciting if he “had been able to offer the British people only blood,work,eye water,and face water,which I understand is the best that Basic English can do with five famous words."

   40 Churchill didn't use it either. When seeking to express ourselves,we don't necessarily need fewer words; we need the right words. So it's to our benefit to have a large supply on hand.

   A. Do we really need them all?

   B. How many words are there in English?

   C. Ogden himself didn't actually use Basic English.

   D. Plenty of seemingly basic words did not make the list at all.

   E. He also tried to persuade President Franklin Roosevelt to promote it.

   F. He believed it would make the language more efficient and easier to learn.

   G. Despite attention from world leaders,Basic English never got very far off the drawing board.

   I live in Minnesota,which is unfairly famous for terrible winters. Buffalo is far more wintry,whereas Seattle's winters are more bitter. Our winters tend to be brilliantly sunny and cheerful. But,of course,s different for a visitor.

   Lightweight thermal (保暖的) wear is good. Back in the day,we wore layers and layers of heavy woolens. A boy of 13 carrying 35 pounds of wet wool on his back does not feel very cold. Today you can buy outfits filled with goose feathers as well as thermal boots and caps to keep you warm.

When I was a youth,there was no such phrase as global warming. We never got warm,not even at night,when we slept under piles of blankets because Dad believed that if you couldn,t see your breath ' when you talked,then the thermostat was turned up too high and you were wasting fuel. So 45 degrees was room temperature,and we wore long woolens to bed.

   We arose in the cold,dark dawn,and walked forth into the snowstorm to catch the school bus. We huddled(蜷缩) by the highway,praying for the bus to come,while wolves moved around eyeballing us for signs of sleepiness. When you have survived wolves,then the winters of today are a walk in the park.

   Enduring winter is only a start — embracing（拥抱） winter is what you should struggle for. Winter gives a sense of purpose and saves one from a life of self-gratification,lying down and posting photos on Facebook. You have promises to keep. A sidewalk to clear. Two inches of snow over a layer of ice — you may as well set a leg trap for the elderly as leave the walk unswept.

   You have children to raise. Remove their fingers from their smart phones,and lead them outdoors so they can absorb the wisdom of winter. We are animals. Life is not mainly about self-expression. It is about finding food and clothing and shelter,about sticking with the pack and not wandering off. Everyone,is just as cold as you. No complaining.

32. What are Minnesota's winters like in the author's eyes?

   A. They are wonderful.

   B. They are unbearable.

   C. They are colder than Buffalo’ s.

   D. They are comfortable for visitors.

33. When the author was young, .

   A. he kept talking to keep warm

   B. he suffered from winters’ nights

   C. his dad tried his best to warm him

   D. his room was always at a high temperature

34. The underlined part “the winters of today are a walk in the park” in Paragraph 4 implies that today's winters are.

   A. warm   B. quiet

   C. short   D. pleasant

35. The author suggests that people .

   A. store enough food for cold winters

   B. lend the neighbors a helping hand

   C. step outside and appreciate winters

   D. say goodbye to modem technology

   When I went away to college,I chose to go to a large school in another state in an attempt to never again see those popular girls,the ones who drove quiet girls like me headlong into the arms of dusty books.

   Since I didn't know a soul at this university,I volunteered for a dub to make friends. That's how I ended up one winter evening standing outside the student union,waiting for the night's famous speaker to drive up. My assignment was to escort (护送）her to the auditorium where her fans eagerly waited to hear Maya Angelou,author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

   As showtime neared,Angelou's car pulled up. When its door opened,Angelou and a female friend exited,each wearing head-to-toe fur coats. I nervously guided the pair inside. Angelou was ready to sweep onstage,but first,there was her fur coat. I offered to babysit it backstage to make sure it was safe.

   “No,” she said. She looked out at the audience. “You need to get out there and live."

   So I found a front-row seat and heard,for the first time,a book come alive in an author's own voice. The audience clapped and cheered as they went along on the ride of this performance.

   I wish I could say that my life changed then. But out of college,I went deeper into my interior self,taking a job that required little human contact. A few years later,I became a newspaper editor,which required talking to "many people. For those times,I depended on index(索引) cards. But I reminded myself that Angelou hadn't used notes.

   Today,I'm in my 50s. I am speaking comfortably about what I really know to be true. I get out there now and live.

24. What kind of person did the author use to be?

   A. Brave. B. Kind.

   C. Careless. D. Shy.

25. Why did Angelou decline the author's offer to take care of her fur coat?

   A. She wouldn’t trust a stranger with it.

   B. She thought it was the duty of her assistant.

   C. She wanted the author to enjoy the performance.

   D. She thought it was safe enough to put it backstage.

26. Soon after graduating from college,the author.

   A. found a job as a newspaper editor

   B. kept shutting herself in her own world

   C. changed a lot under Angelou's influence

   D. felt more confident when speaking in public

27. What would be the best title for the text?

   A. Get out there and live

   B. The night I met Angelou

   C. Speak from your inner self

   D. My friendship with Angelou

   At first glance,why anyone would want to save California  condors(秃鹰) is not entirely clear. Unlike the closely related Andean condors with their white neck feathers,California condors are not much to see. Their dull black color,featherl'ess head and neck and oversized feet are hardly signs of beauty oi^ strength. Their appeal begins to become evident when they take flight. California condors can fly almost effortlessly for hours,often covering hundreds of miles a day 一 far more than other creatures of the air.

   When it was discovered that the condor population was becoming dangerously small,scientists and zookeepers sought to increase condor numbers quickly to preserve as much of the species’ geneic(基因的) diversity as possible. From studying wild condors,they already knew that if a pair lost an egg,the birds would often produce another. So the first and sometimes second eggs laid by e往ch female were removed,and artificially hatched. Such techniques quickly proved effective.

   Despite these successes,the effort to save California condors continues to have problems. Artificially hatched condors released(释放) to the wild have died at what to some people are alarmingly high rates. Others have had to be brought back again after they acted foolishly.

   Some of the odd behavior on the part of these re-released birds is hard to explain. At times they landed on people's houses,walked across roads and airport runways,walked into park visitor centers and fast food restaurants,and took food offered by picnickers and fishermen. None are known to have died by doing so,though. Most recently,some of the first chicks hatched in the wild died after their parents fed them bottle caps,pieces of plastic and other man-made objects.

   Mike Wallace,a wildlife specialist at the San Diego Zoo,has suggested that some of the condors’ problems represent natural behavior that helps them survive. The real key to successful condor reintroduction lies in properly socializing young condors as members of a group that follow and learn from older,preferably adult birds. That,he argues,was missing from earlier condor releases to the wild.

28. What is the California condor's most impressive feature?

   A. Its beautiful colors.

   B. Its remarkable flying ability.

   C. The large size of its neck and feet.

   D. The similarity it has to the Andean condor.

29. In the initial stage of the conservation programme, .

   A. eggs were taken from the nests of wild condors

   B. female condors were caught and studied carefully

   C. scientists and zookeepers tried to create genetic diversity

   D. condors were encouraged to produce a lot more eggs

30. What did some of the condors released into the wild do?.

   A. They adapted surprisingly quickly to their new surroundings.

   B. They showed a tendency to seek out human contact.

   C. They died from eating too much fast food.

   D. They kept changing their eating habits.

31. According to Mike Wallace,there will be fewer problems if .

   A. young condors are trained not to eat man-made objects

   B. the chicks are surrounded by older birds when they hatch

   G. the chicks are released into the wild as soon as they hatch

   D. young condors are taught appropriate behavior by adult birds

                         Cambridge Botanic Garden 

Opening Times 

The Garden opens daily at 10 am 

April-September: 10 am-6 pm 

February,March & October: 10 am-5 pm 

January,November & December: 10 am-4 pm 

CHRISTMAS CLOSURE 2016 

   Please note that the Garden is closed for the Christmas holidays from 4 pm on 23 December 2016 and will re-open at 10 am on 2 January 2017.

   The facilities and services: The Glasshouses and Cafe close 30 minutes before the Garden and the Botanic Garden Shop at Brookside closes 15 minutes before the Garden.

Plan Your Visits 

   Please note that only guide and assistance dogs are permitted in the Garden.

   Please take care to keep to the paths and lawns (草坪) and not walk on the beds,hany plants are easily damaged.

   This is a working garden,where machinery is in constant use,so to stay safe,please look about you carefully and keep children in your care at all times.

Group Visits (for 10 or more) .

   The Botanic Garden makes a wonderful destination for a leisure or special interest group visit at any time of year.

   Groups of 10 or more people must pre-book with at least one week's notice. Advance booking helps us to arrange the timing of group visits. This ensures an enjoyable visit for your group.

   For a guided tour of the Garden,its collections and seasonal highlights,please contact the Administration Office on 01223 748450 in the first instance to check availability. Guided tours must be booked at least four weeks in advance.

   To make your group booking,please download the Group Visit Booking Form from the link on this page and return it to us via the link as soon as possible. We will check availability and send booking confirmation by post. Group leaders will need to bring the booking confirmation with you.

21. What do we know about the Garden?

   A. It opens all year round.

   B. It opens earlier than its facilities.

   C. Its closing times vary with the month.

   D. Its facilities and services close at the same time.

22. What should visitors to the Garden avoid doing?

   A. Approaching the beds.

   B. Walking on the lawns.

   C. Bringing their young kids.

   D. Taking their pets along with them.

23. By at least how long should a guided tour of the Garden be pre-booked?

   A. One week. B. Two weeks.

   C. Three weeks. D. Four weeks.