BRITAIN is a popular tourist place, but tours of the country have pros and cons.

GOOD NEWS

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

Pop music. Britain is the only country to compete 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 Japanese 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 disappoint the keenest tourists, although the over crowded London tube is unbelievably 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 pm even in “24-hour cities”.

What do tourists complain most?

A. Poor service.        　　                B. Poor public transport.

C. Rain.            　　                    D. Overpriced hotels.

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.

When is alcohol unlikely to be available in quantities?

　 A. At 8: 30 pm.     B. At 9: 30 pm.         C. At 10: 30 pm.        D. At 11: 30 pm.

Which of the following is true according to the passage?

　 A. The public transport is poor there.

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

　 C. You cannot find Chinese food there.

D. You have to pay to visit the museums.

Are you an optimist? Do you look at your glass and see it as half full? Do you believe that every cloud has a silver lining and that generally things turn out for the best? Do you believe that if something is meant to be, it will be? If you reply “yes” to all of these questions, then you are an optimist. You probably are enthusiastic, cheerful and outgoing. You may well be successful atwork and in love.

But you may be misguided because things don’t turn out for the best. You may believe that when one door closes another one opens (for example，you may fail to obtain a new job，another chance will come around soon), Wrong. When one door closes, another door slams in your face. That's bitter reality.

Now a book has been published which confirms what we pessimists(悲观者）have suspected all along. It's called The Positive Power of Defensive Pessimism. Its author argues that defensive pessimism can lead to positive results. Defensive pessimism is a strategy used to manage fear, anxiety and worry. Defensive pessimists prepare for things by setting low outcomes for themselves. They carefully consider everything that may go wrong and plan for ways to handle these problems. And this gives them a sense of control. Lawrence Sanno, a psychology professor, says, “What’s interesting about defensive pessimists is that they tend to be very successful people, so their low opinion of the situation’s outcomes is not realistic. They use it to motivate themselves to perform better. ”

So far, so good. This is not rocket science. Defensive pessimists prepare carefully and consider what might go wrong, whether at work, on a date or even in a sports game. It makes sense to have a back-up plan. There are many sayings in English urging caution. For example, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” and “ Don’t count your chickens until they hatch. “ To have a confident and optimistic approach to life’s problems is good. But listen to what Woody Alien，the American comedian says, ”Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem.”

There are pros and cons to being an optimist and a pessimist. Don’t feel bad if you see the glass half empty. You are a realist. But lighten up and hook up with someone who sees the same glass half full.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A．A book that has recently been published.

B．The dangers of being too optimistic.

C．The benefits of defensive pessimism.

D．How to become successful in life.

2.The underlined sentence “This is not rocket science” in paragraph 4 means     .

A．he cost is not so high                     B．there is no real proof

C．it’s not a dangerous thing to do            D．it is quite simple to understand

3.The writer would probably describe himself as          .

A．an optimist        B．a realist           C．a defeatist         D．a scientist

4.Which of the following English expressions would a defensive pessimist believe?

A．“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

B．“Every cloud has a silver lining.”

C．“Whatever will be, will be.”

D．“The glass is half full not half empty.”

BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have pros and cons.

Good news

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

Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival (与……匹敌) 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 Mc Queen; 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 over crowded London tube is inexplicably (不可理解的) popular.

Lack of languages. Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in the tourist traps.

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. Overpriced hotels.      D. Rain.

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 worse than that in the US.

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

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

3. When is alcohol not able to get?

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

B
As a teenager of the digital era, it is really hard to say no to fantastic electronic gadgets(电子产品). Many of us can’t get through a day without using our mobile phones or checking our e-mails. No matter if we’re “@home”, “@school” or“@play”, living without technological toys seems more and more unthinkable.
However, although gadgets bring convenience, many of us can start to feel stressed out by them. And, a lot of electronics are fairly expensive. Fashionable gadgets come and go in the digital age in the blink of any eye. So, think twice before you pulling out your wallet.
Here are some of the most popular gadgets and their pros and cons:
Pros: Laptops have made our lives much easier. You can take your books, movies, music and homework everywhere.
Cons: They cost at least 4,000 yuan! If you only want to share photos or games with your friend, then a flash memory stick is a great cheap alternative.
Pros: As well as carrying your favourite music, a video MP3 player can play up to 150 hours of movies and TV programmes.
Cons: The price—sometimes more than 2,000 yuan—is the first concern. Secondly, though music is really important to young people, ask yourself if video is really necessary. A regular MP3 player is a lot cheaper. And remember, don’t let the loud volume damage your hearing.
Pros: New mobile phones combine traditional functions with a digital camera, MP3 player and even a radio. Some can also send and receive e-mails.
Cons: Always trying to keep up with the latest model can be a waste of money. There are always new, improved phones coming out. Don’t be a fool. Do you really need all these functions? Think twice before you buy.  
60. According to the writer, which of the following statements is true?
A. Teenagers can’t live through a day without fantastic electronic gadgets.
B. Teenagers can hardly live happily without electronic gadgets.
C. Teenagers’ life is full of expensive electronic gadgets.
D. It’s all but impossible for many teenagers to live without fantastic electronic gadgets.  
61. What conclusion can we draw from the passage?
A. Never buy the most updated gadgets.  
B. You should buy the gadgets with as many functions as possible.
C. We needn’t always pay the most part to buy the most up-to-date gadgets with many functions.
D. Never buy the latest model, it’s much too expensive.
62. Choose the statement most similar in meaning to the underlined sentence in Paragraph2.
A. Fashionable gadgets are updated in the digital times in a flash.
B. Fashionable gadgets are transported everywhere in the digital age in the blink of any eye.  
C. People keep buying and throwing away expensive fashionable gadgets in the digital age in the blink of any eye.  
D. People use all kinds of fashionable gadgets all the time in the digital age.
63. What do the words “pros and cons” mean in the selection?
A. Agreements and disagreements.
B. The views that are favoured and not favoured by people.
C. Benefits and bads.  
D. Advantages and disadvantages.