Cooler temperatures, attractive colors, smaller crowds autumn is the perfect time for travel and tourism. Here, three places are listed as the best fall trip destinations. Don’t worry if you can’t go to these places. By reading this page, we hope to take you on grand tour and let you experience fun and culture around the world.

1.The passage is presented for those who            .

A．care for fun and culture around the world

B．have planned to go for traveling this autumn

C．hate to have their holidays in other seasons

D．have not ever been to Europe and America

2.If you spend your holidays on October 31, you may           .

A．enjoy live music at the beer – drinking festival

B．watch polar bears hunt seals

C．taste traditional, paper – wrapped fish and clips

D．win a prize in “the Friendly Marathon”

3.According to the passage, we can know that          .

A．Car exhibitions will be held for two months.

B．It’s not necessary to take more clothes with you to Churehill, Martitoba

C．The beer – drinking event in German dates from the eighteenth century

D．Your favourite goods might be available in the expensive shop in Dublin

4.The passage is probably taken from the column of         in a newspaper.

A．economics  B．science        C．tourism        D．fashion

Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. "Football, tennis,cricket — anything with a round ball, I was useless." he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England's rural Devonshire.

It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.

The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway's school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man's cold-water exploits (成就). Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future.

Journeys to the Pole aren't the usual holidays for British country boys, and many people dismissed his dream as fantasy. "John Ridgway was one of the few who didn't say, 'You are completely crazy,'" Saunders says.

In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter (遭遇) with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.

Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he's skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.

This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.

1.The turning point in Saunders'life came when ________.

A．he started to play ball games

B．he got a mountain bike at age 15

C．he ran his first marathon at age 18

D．he started to receive Ridgway's training

2.We can learn from the text that Ridgway ________.

A．dismissed Saunders' dream as fantasy

B．built up his body together with Saunders

C．hired Saunders for his cold-water experience

D．won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic

3.What do we know about Saunders?

A．He once worked at a school in Scotland.

B．He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole.

C．He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid.

D．He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole.

4.The underlined word "Intrigued" in the third paragraph probably means ________.

A．Excited           B．Convinced         C．Delighted         D．Fascinated

5.It can be inferred that Saunders' journey to the North Pole ________.

A．was accompanied by his old playmates

B．set a record in the North Pole expedition

C．was supported by other Arctic explorers

D．made him well-known in the 1960s

As a palace, the Tower of London．was a great place to live．As a prison, it, wasn't so nice ——especially since so many prisoners lost their heads．Today tourists can explore 5the Tower in the

United Kingdom．Here are some reasons why the Tower was and still is a cool place．

Ravens（渡鸦） are like superheroes．

Well, sort of．Legend says if the ravens that live on the Tower grounds ever leave, the Tower will fall apart．No one knows when the ravens first showed up, but Charles II took the legend so seriously that in the 1670s he gave an official order that six ravens be kept there all the time．Today

there are still always six．

You might have lived at a zoo．

In 1204, King John kept a collection of animals, including lions and elephants．About 50 years later, King Henry III received a polar bear．the bear was kept on a piece of rope so it could fish from the Thames River that flows by the Tower．

         If you lived at the Tower today, your mom or dad might be in charge．

The 35 Yeoman Warders（伦敦塔卫士）and their families are among the few still allowed to live at the Tower．Established in 1509 a;? bodyguards! for the king, today they give tours and  manage the day-to-day details of the Tower．They're called "beefeaters," possibly because their job once allowed them to eat beef from the king's; table．

         You need a secret password at night．

Called the "Word," the password changes every 24 hours and is a must-have to enter the Tower

after hours．It's written on a piece of paper and delivered to the Yeoman on duty for, the night．

You could find buried gold．

         In 1662, a goldsmith（金匠） named John Barfcstead supposedly hid more than $40,000 worth of stolen gold somewhere on．the Tower grounds．Many have searched for the gold, but it has never

been found．

1.Charles II decided to keep six ravens in the Tower probably because ____,．         ;

         A．he loved animals a lot          

         B．he believed ravens helped protect the Tower

         C．he wanted to train the ravens to watch the prisoners  

         D．he thought the Tower was a cool place for the ravens to live                        

2.According to the passage, the Yeoman Warders ______． 

         A．have to part from their families to work at the Tower            

         B．are  currently working as bodyguards for the king                                

         C．sometimes serve as tour guides          

         D．are fond of eating beef                            

3.Which of the following is TRUE about the Tower of London?   

         A．King Henry III kept lions and elephants in it．        

         B．It stands on the bank of the Thames River．

         C．Nobody is allowed to enter it at night．           

         D．It is also used as a prison nowadays．

In February 2006, Lydia Angyiou and her two sons were walking through their village in northern Canada．The sound of children shouting made her turn around．To her horror, Lydia saw  a 700-pound polar bear behind her eyeing her seven-year-old son．Getting between the bear and her child, Lydia yelled at the children to run away．She then began hitting and kicking the animal as hard as she could．A neighbor who heard all the noise came and shot the bear．But everyone agreed it was Lydia who had saved her children's lives．A local policeman described it this way: “…I guess when your back is up against the wall…we come up with super-human strength．”

Where does this “super-human strength”，courage and quick thinking come from? Experts say it comes from stress! In stressful situations, the body releases chemicals that prepare it to take action．These chemicals give people the speed and strength they need to fight danger or run away from it．

When we think of stress, we usually think of its negative effects．Studies, though, show that moderate levels of stress are actually helpful．In fact, the way we perform is usually affected by the amount of stress we feel．

Stress causes the brain to release adrenaline（肾上腺素）which in turn increases our energy and excitement．The chemical gives us clearer minds and helps us to do more．This is why some people say they work better under a deadline．

Adrenaline that is not released for long periods of time can cause us to increase and strengthen our abilities instead of weakening them．We sometimes turn out our very best work when we push ourselves to the limit．Stress can also make us more confident．Handling small amounts of stress now prepares us for handling serious situations in the future．Who knows? Today's stress may even prepare for the next polar bear that comes along!

1.In the first paragraph, the case of Lydia Angyiou is mentioned to ______．

         A．introduce the topic to be followed

         B．praise Lydia Angyiou for her bravery

         C．remind us of the unexpected danger of life

         D．show the importance of super-human strength

2.What does the policeman probably mean by saying "your back is up against the wall"?

         A．You are helped．                                          B．You are inspired．

         C．You are confident．                                           D．You are cornered．

3.What would be the best title for the passage?

         A．Brave Mother                                                 B．The Cause of Stress

C．The Benefit of Stress                                           D．Super-human Strength

When did you last see a polar bear(北极熊)? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3℃,and the water temperature was a little higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group; this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.
Doctors don't agree about the medical effects of cold-winter swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.
The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system(循环系统) because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.
The main benefits of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim all year round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says, "When I go into water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away."
【小题1】The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that____.