The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans that separate the Old World from the New. For centuries it kept the Americans from being discovered by the people of Europe.

Many wrong ideas about the Atlantic made early sailors unwilling to sail far out into it. One idea was that it reached out to “the edge of the world.” Sailors were afraid that they might sail right off the earth. Another idea was that at the equator the ocean would be boiling hot.

The Atlantic Ocean is only half as big as the Pacific, but it is still very large. It is more than 4,000 miles (6,000km) wide where Columbus crossed it. Even at its narrowest it is about 2,000 miles (3,200km) wide.

Two things make the Atlantic Ocean rather unusual. For so large an ocean it has very few islands. Also, it is the world’s saltiest ocean.

There is so much water in the Atlantic that it is hard to imagine how much there is. But suppose no more rain fell into it and no more water was brought to it by rivers. It would take the ocean about 4,000 years to dry up. On the average the water is a little more than two miles (3.2km) deep, but in places it is much deeper. The deepest spot is near Puerto Rico. This “deep” measures 30,246 feet-almost six miles (9.6km).

One of the longest mountain ranges of the world rises from the floor of the Atlantic. This mountain range runs north and south down the middle of the ocean. The tops of a few of the mountains reach up above the sea and make islands.

Several hundred miles eastward from Florida there is a part of the ocean called the Sargasso Sea. Here the water is quiet, for there is little wind. In the days of sailing vessels(船) the crew were afraid they would be becalmed(停滞不前) here. Sometimes they were.

Today the Atlantic is a great highway. It is not, however, always a smooth and safe one. Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves. Icebergs float down from the Far North across the paths of ships.

We now have such fast ways of traveling that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller. Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it. A fast modern steamship can make the trip in less than four days. Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours and from South America to Africa in four!

Which world is the Old World?

A. Africa               B. Europe                     C. Asia                  D. All of above

What caused people to be unwilling to explore the Atlantic?

A. There are no ships big enough to get across the Ocean.

B. Sailors were afraid of being lost in the Ocean.

C. The Atlantic Ocean was very unusual because it has few islands and the saltiest water.

D. Many incorrect ideas such as “the edge of the world”, “the equator with boiling hot water”, made people think the Ocean was full of danger.

What is the topic of the fifth paragraph?

A. How deep the water is

B. How to measure the water in the Atlantic Ocean

C. How much water the Ocean holds.

D. How rain affects the Ocean water.

We can learn from the text that ______.

A. the Atlantic is the largest ocean on earth

B. one of the longest mountain ranges lies in the Atlantic

C. the Atlantic has a lot of islands in it

D. sailing on the Atlantic Ocean is always quiet, smooth and safe

14 days from just ￡2,090 pp

Fully Inclusive from the UK

Price covers: International airfares, departure taxes, fuel charges, local transportation, accommodation, all meals, entrance fees, guides, daily tours and visas for UK citizens.

◆Days 1～3：UK—Shanghai

Fly to the great city of Shanghai and in the evening sample traditional Shanghai food. Visit the beautiful Yu Gardens, Old Town, Shanghai Museum, cross the Great Nanpu Bridge and tour the Pudong area. Also explore Xintiandi with its 1920’s style Skikumen Buildings and end your stay in Shanghai with an amazing Huangpu River evening tour.

◆Days 4～7: Shanghai－Yangtze River Tour

Fly to Yichang and change(approx. one hour) to board your Yangtze River ship for the next four nights. Enjoy a tour of the Three Gorges Dam(三峡大坝) before sailing on the grand Yangtze River, passing through the impressive Three Gorges. We take a side trip to the Lesser Three Gorges or travel up the Shennong Stream in a peapod boat and enjoy various shore trips along the way.

◆Day 8: Chongqing－Chengdu

Get off in Chongqing and drive to Chengdu for an overnight stay.

◆Days 9～10：Chengdu－Xi’an

Visit the famous Panda Reserve to see the lovely animals. We then fly to the historic city of Xi’an for two nights’ stay and enjoy traditional Shui Jiao. Next day, explore one of the most important discoveries of the 20^th Century－the Terracotta Warriors(兵马俑), followed by the ancient City Wall and a performance of Tang Dynasty dancing.

◆Days 11～13: Xi’an－Beijing

Visit Little Wild Goose Pagoda and see the ancient objects at the well-known Shaanxi Provincial Museum before walking through the lively Muslim Quarter to see the Great Mosque. Later fly to Beijing for three nights’ stay and try Peking Duck. During our stay in Beijing, we stroll through Tiananmen Square to the Forbidden City, the largest and best preserved collection of ancient buildings in China, and visit the Summer Palace. Next day we take a walk on the Great Wall, tour the unique Temple of Heaven and enjoy an attractive Chinese Acrobatic Show.

◆Day 14: Beijing－UK

Fly back to the UK, arriving home later the same day filled with happy memories.

1.The first and last scenic spots to be visited in Xi’an are           .

A．the Terracotta Warriors and Shaanxi Provincial Museum

B．the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Mosque

C．Little Wild Goose Pagoda and the Great Mosque

D．Little Wild Goose Pagoda and the Muslim Quarter

2.The underlined word “sample” in the passage probably means “     ”.

A．buy              B．reserve           C．taste             D．make

3.The ad is mainly intended to        .

A．provide the British with a better understanding of China

B．attract the British to traditional Chinese food

C．offer services of booking air tickets to tourists

D．encourage the British to travel in China

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

A．The tourists will stay in Beijing for three nights before leaving for the UK.

B．The tourists will visit the 1920’s Shikumen buildings in Beijing.

C．The tourists will take a side trip to the Three Gorges Dam during the tour.

D．The tourists will have to pay extra for fuel and meals.

Having returned from her round trip, the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station. “The railway owes me ￡12,” she said to Harry Jenks, the young man working at the office . “You sold me a ticket for May 22nd, but there was no ship from Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost me ￡12.”

       Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. “Come into the office, Madam,” he said politely. “I’ll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd.”

       The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn’t have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sun burnt,” he said to her. “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?”

       “Yes,” she answered, shyly. “The beach was lovely. And I can swim too!”

       “That’s fine,” said Harry. “My little girl can’t swim a bit yet .Of course, she’s only three…”

       “I’m four,” the child said proudly. “I’ll be four and a half.”

       Harry turned to the mother. “I remember your ticket, Madam,” he said. “But you didn’t get one for your daughter, did you?”

       “Er, well—” the woman looked at the child. “I mean… she hasn’t started school yet. She’s only four.”

       “A four-year-old child must have a ticket, Madam. A child’s return ticket to Jersey costs …let me see…￡13.50. So if the railway pays your hotel, you will owe ￡1.50. The law is the law, but since the fault was mine…”

       The woman stood up, took the child’s hand and left the office.  

Harry was worried because ___     .

       A．the woman was angry with him      B．he had not done his work properly

       C．the Jersey timetable was wrong      D．the little girl didn’t have a return ticket

Harry started talking to the little girl       .

       A．because he was in difficulty and did not know what to do

       B．because he had a little girl about the same age as this girl

       C．because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so nice

       D．when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl

When Harry said, “The law is the law, but since the fault was mine…” he meant that        .

A．they must follow it without other choice ,even though the fault was his

B．he had to be strict with the woman because of the law ,although he didn’t want to

C．the woman had to pay him ￡1.50 and the railway would pay her for the hotel

D．she should pay ￡1.50, but he had made a mistake, she could go without paying

How did the woman feel when she left the office?

    A. angry       B. peaceful     C. embarrassed    D. nervous

14 days from just ￡2,090 pp
Fully Inclusive from the UK
Price covers: International airfares, departure taxes, fuel charges, local transportation, accommodation, all meals, entrance fees, guides, daily tours and visas for UK citizens.
◆Days 1～3：UK—Shanghai
Fly to the great city of Shanghai and in the evening sample traditional Shanghai food. Visit the beautiful Yu Gardens, Old Town, Shanghai Museum, cross the Great Nanpu Bridge and tour the Pudong area. Also explore Xintiandi with its 1920’s style Skikumen Buildings and end your stay in Shanghai with an amazing Huangpu River evening tour.
◆Days 4～7: Shanghai－Yangtze River Tour
Fly to Yichang and change(approx. one hour) to board your Yangtze River ship for the next four nights. Enjoy a tour of the Three Gorges Dam(三峡大坝) before sailing on the grand Yangtze River, passing through the impressive Three Gorges. We take a side trip to the Lesser Three Gorges or travel up the Shennong Stream in a peapod boat and enjoy various shore trips along the way.
◆Day 8: Chongqing－Chengdu
Get off in Chongqing and drive to Chengdu for an overnight stay.
◆Days 9～10：Chengdu－Xi’an
Visit the famous Panda Reserve to see the lovely animals. We then fly to the historic city of Xi’an for two nights’ stay and enjoy traditional Shui Jiao. Next day, explore one of the most important discoveries of the 20^th Century－the Terracotta Warriors(兵马俑), followed by the ancient City Wall and a performance of Tang Dynasty dancing.
◆Days 11～13: Xi’an－Beijing
Visit Little Wild Goose Pagoda and see the ancient objects at the well-known Shaanxi Provincial Museum before walking through the lively Muslim Quarter to see the Great Mosque. Later fly to Beijing for three nights’ stay and try Peking Duck. During our stay in Beijing, we stroll through Tiananmen Square to the Forbidden City, the largest and best preserved collection of ancient buildings in China, and visit the Summer Palace. Next day we take a walk on the Great Wall, tour the unique Temple of Heaven and enjoy an attractive Chinese Acrobatic Show.
◆Day 14: Beijing－UK
Fly back to the UK, arriving home later the same day filled with happy memories.
【小题1】The first and last scenic spots to be visited in Xi’an are           .

Growing up in the U.S.A., I always wanted to experience another culture. The   1  came when I was 15. After several months of   2 , I was ready to spend the second term of my first year of high school as an exchange student in Australia.
Landing in Perth was one of the most exciting moments of my life. I   3  then that there was no turning back. The family I would live with was waiting for me, and it would be only five days   4  the new school year started.
The Catholic school I   5  was different from my public school back in the States. The uniform code was very strict. We were only   6  to wear one bracelet, which had to be a watch and one necklace, which had to have a Holy Cross. I was quite intimidated(害怕的) at first,   7  never having been to a new school—even in the United States. Everything went   8  , though. The teachers were welcoming and the students were friendly.
The most unforgettable time of my term abroad was with forty-one other international exchange students traveling around Australia during our term break. Our   9  were as extensive as our nationalities: we traveled to Sydney, Canberra, Mildura, Coober Pedy, Uluru, Kings Canyon, Alice Springs, Mount Isa, Airlie Beach, and the Cold Coast.
The few weeks we enjoyed together were crowded with   10  . We took a day-cruise on Darling Harbor and visited the Sydney Opera House. We slept in an “underground town”. We walked around the famous Ayers Rock and went sailing on the Pacific Ocean.
At the end of our   11  in Australia, we had three weeks of traveling time to share our stories and help each other deal with leaving. It was   12  that our last day together was filled with tears. We packed our camp, exchanged e-mail addresses, and gathered together for a final good-bye.