Strange things happen when you travel, because the earth is divided into twenty-four zones. The time difference between two zones is one hour. You can have days with more than twenty-four hours and days with fewer than twenty- four hours. You can have weeks with more than seven days and weeks with fewer than seven days.

If you make a five-trip across the Atlantic Ocean , your ship come into a different time zone every day. As you come into each zone, the time changes one hour. If you travel west, you set your watch back. If you travel east, you set it ahead. Each day of your trip has either twenty-five or twenty-three hours.

If you make a trip by ship across the Pacific Ocean , you cross the International Date Line. This is the point where a new day begins when you cross the line, you change one full day. If you travel east, today becomes yesterday, if you travel west it is tomorrow.

1.Something interesting will happen to the time if you travel because ______.

A．a day has always fewer than twenty-four hours

B．a day has always more than twenty- four hours

C．a day has more or fewer than twenty-four hours,

D．some time zones are large and some time zones are small

2.The time difference between two time zones is ______.

A．twenty-four hours                       B．one hour

C．two hours                             D．twenty-three hours

3.If we travel east across the International Date Line on July 5th, the date becomes July ____.

A．3rd              B．4th              C．5th              D．6^th

Around the world there are some festivals that for some of us may sound bizarre.

In England they celebrate the rolling cheese race, which occurs every year during the last Monday in May. This festival’s characteristic is a contest where an official rolls cheese down a steep hill and festival- goers go chasing after it. The winner is the first one to reach and catch the cheese.

Another festival celebrated in England is the world championship of grimaces (鬼脸). It is a celebration that dates back to 1297 and is celebrated during the month of September. The task is to perform the best grimace using anything you can to win.

The worldwide championship of wife lifting is celebrated in Finland. The game is based on Viking traditions where a man should carry away his neighbor’s wife. According to the rules, any woman above 17 is considered as a wife, so if you are within this age, take care while visiting this country during the month of July.

Many of you have watched Pirates of the Caribbean and have known something about pirates. The 19^th of September has been declared worldwide as the day to talk like a pirate. Plenty of people have celebrated it thanks to the publicity (宣传) on the Internet.

First staged in 1998, the Boryeong Mud Festival is an attraction that pulls more than a million visitors to the South Korean City. As you all know, the town is said to be rich in minerals, so there is no shortage of mud. Mud is trucked onto Daecheon Beach for tourists and locals to enjoy the festival to their best.

The Monkey Buffet Festival is held in Thailand to develop tourism. It’s an unusual feast held for about 600 monkeys. The Monkey Buffet Festival is held in honor of the Hindu gods Ram and Hanuman and involves 3,000 kilograms of vegetables and fruits being laid out for monkeys to stuff themselves.

1.What does the underlined word “bizarre” in Paragraph1 probably mean?

A．Dangerous        B．Strange           C．terrible           D．Familiar

2.If a participant wants to win in the rolling cheese race, he / she should __________.

A．roll as much cheese down the hill as possible

B．find the largest piece of cheese rolling downhill

C．perform the best grimace when chasing the cheese

D．be the first one to catch the cheese rolling downhill

3.According to the writer, a girl above 17 should be careful when enjoying __________.

A．the worldwide championship of wife lifting

B．the world championship of grimaces

C．the Boryeong Mud Festival

D．the Monkey Buffet Festival

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从下列各题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

Perhaps you’ve attended some parties. But like New York，where a party or dinner often __36__ business with pleasure, a Washington party is a __37__ part of the business of politics, the business of making __38__ connections.

Some Washington parties have a __39__ aura (气氛) about them, depending on who gives them and who is there, but most parties are open-house __40__ in fact, with the hosts not knowing most of the __41__ who are there.

I went to a few of these parties __42__ I wanted to see the inside of some of the Washington mansions (公馆) I had __43__ so much about. Almost every time during the evening some man would come close to talk with me __44__, we didn’t know each other at all. Such a __45__ exchange clearly proves “a gathering of friends” __46__ Washington party standards. You don’t even need an __47__ to attend many Washington parties. You just have to know about them. No Washington hostess would __48__ her servants to ask you who you were. Most of the bigger parties, those with 300 or 400 guests, __49__ to impress somebody, and Washingtonians  __50__.

Most members of the Congress ,for example, __51__ middle-class backgrounds in smaller communities __52__ the country. They are dazzled (眼花缭乱的) by __53__. They are dazzled by big names. They are ready to help Washington __54__ hostesses. They go along with them because they are good friends or they don’t notice that they __55__ or they don’t care if they are.

1.. A. follows         B. connects           C. mixes            D. goes

2.. A. daily           B. necessary          C. chief             D. cheap

3.. A. still            B. cruel              C. mental           D. important

4. A. social          B. nervous            C. terrible           D. simple

5. A. events          B. affairs             C. conferences       D. games

6. A. guests          B. customers          C. guards           D. guides

7. A. so that          B. in order that        C. as if            D. because

8. A. found           B. noticed           C. heard           D. wrote

9. A. since           B. though            C. when           D. whether

10. A. common        B. strict              C. public          D. special

11. A. including       B. comparing with      C. according to     D. depending on

12. A. invitation       B. envelope           C. instrument       D. acceptance

13. A. refuse          B. allow              C. agree           D. warn

14.A. are given        B. give              C. are supplied      D. supply

15. A. easily forget     B. hardly remember    C. easily impress    D. are easily impressed

16.A. hear from       B. write to            C. come from      D. call out

17. A. over           B. below             C. between        D. across

18.A. money         B. equal              C. freedom        D. discussion

19. A. strange         B. famous            C. poor           D. stupid

20. A. are using        B. are being used      C. are obeying     D. are being obeyed

The porter brings your bags to your room and helpfully explains all you want to know. Then he points to the phone and says, “If there's anything else you need, just call.” All this time you have been thinking one thing, “How much should I tip(付小费) him?” To make your next trip a little easier, here's a guide to tipping across some Asian countries.

Bangkok

In general, the more Westernized the place is, the more likely you will be expected to leave a tip. Some top-end restaurants will add a 10% service charge to the bill. If not, waiters will appreciate you tacking on(附加) the 10% yourself. However, if you're eating at a lower-end(低档的) restaurant a tip is not necessary. If you're staying at one of Bangkok's many five-star hotels, expect to tip the porter 20 to 50 baht(泰国货币单位), depending on how many bags you have. Taxis are now metered in Bangkok. Local custom is to round the fare(车费) up to the nearest five baht.

Hong Kong

Tipping is customary in this money-mad metropolis(大都市). Most restaurants add a 10% service charge to the bill, but the extra money often ends up in the pocket of the owner. If the service is good, add another 10% to the bill, up to HK $100 in an especially nice restaurant. For HK $10 hotel porters should do it at all but the nicest hotels where a new HK $20 bill may be more acceptable. When in a taxi, round up(凑整数) to the nearest dollar.

Kuala Lumpur

Tipping in Malaysia is limited to the expensive Westernized hotels, which often add a 10% service charge to your meal or hotel room. If you are at a hotel restaurant, expect a 10% service charge. But at local restaurants, there's no need to add a tip. At five-star hotels, one or two ringgit(马来西亚货币单位) will content a porter. At lower-end buildings don't feel you have to tip. Like Bangkok, many taxis are now metered so you can just round up to the nearest ringgit.

Seoul

Tipping is not part of Korean culture, although it has become a matter of course in international hotels where a 10% service charge is often added. If you're at a Korean barbecue joint(烧烤处), there's no need to add anything extra. But a nice Italian restaurant may require a 10% contribution. If you're at a top-end hotel, so expect to pay 500～1 000 won per bag. Taxi drivers don't accept a tip. Keep the change for yourself.

1.In which of the following cities is it unnecessary to tip the taxi-drivers?

A．Bangkok.          B．Hong Kong.        C．Seoul..            D．Kuala Lumpur

2.Which of the following is NOT the unit of money?

A．Baht             B．Charge.           C．Won.             D．Ringgit.

3.From the text, we can infer tipping comes from _______.

A．the west          B．Hong Kong         C．Asian countries     D．Bangkok

4.If you stay at a five-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur, how much will you pay the porter at least?

A．one ringgit.        B．10% of service charge                    C．half a ringgit.    D．two ringgit.

5.The writer seems _______.

A．to give the readers some advice on how to tip B．to tell the readers how to travel

C．to ask the readers to go on a travel to Asian cities   D．to make the trip more pleasant

How the iron of tomorrow can change your lifestyle today.

(the first Self Cleaning Iron)

General Electric introduces the iron of tomorrow. The iron can clean itself. Inside where a iron gets dirty. Because it cleans itself each time you empty it. How? With a push of a magic blue button.

The magic blue button

The first thing you’ll notice that’s different about this iron is the blue button on the side. It’s marked "Self Clean". Push this blue button, and you can wash out loose mineral deposits(沉淀物) that remain and block up inside. Push this button, and you’ve made life a lot easier.

Less chance of brown spots

Sure, Self Cleaning Iron is going to cut down on brown spots. (Those ugly spots that happen on nice, cleanly pressed clothes.) Because a Self Cleaning Iron becomes clean each time you press that magic blue button.

Steams better longer

Common sense tells you that if you’ve an iron that blocks less often it has to stay younger for a long period of time. In other words, it steams better longer. That’s another joy of ow??ning General Electric’s Self Cleaning Iron.

What does it mean to you

Today you are doing so much more than just running a house and running after the kids. You’re working. You’re going to school. It’s all part of your lifestyle. The iron can change that lifestyle. By giving you less trouble before you iron. If we can make it easier for you to be a better wife, a better mother, a better housekeeper, we want to. The new Self Cleaning Iron is another one of Home-Makers from Gener??al Electric.

Lifestyle. We’ re with yours. GENERAL ELECTRIC

This passage is ________.

A. an introduction to General Electric

B. an operating instruction of Self Cleaning Iron

C. an advertisement of Self Cleaning Iron

D. a description of the change of lifestyle

This iron can clean itself by ________.

A. emptying itself                       B. washing out mineral deposits

C. blocking up mineral deposits                 D. giving off more steam

according to the passage, what is most likely to attract the customers?

A. It is made by General Electric.

B. The iron will not produce mineral deposits.

C. There will be fewer brown spots on pressed clothes.

D. Their clothes will be cleaned at the same time.

Self Cleaning Iron can help change your lifestyle because________.

A. you can run your house better

B. you don’t have to run after the kids

C. you can use it while you are working

D. we want you to be a better housekeeper