Visitors worry that London is an expensive city but there really are so many things to do for

free in London from museums and galleries to free music and walking tours.

Art Galleries

Tate Modern and Tate Britain are exceptional national art galleries housing some of the finest artworks in the world. Tate Modern focuses on contemporary art while Tate Britain displays British Art from the sixteenth century to the present day.

Museums

All of London's major museums are free, but most offer some special exhibitions for a fee. My favorite is the Museum of London where you can learn the history of London from Roman times to today. Other great major museums are the British Museum, the V&A, the Science Museum, and the      Natural History Museum. Oh, and I love the Geffrye Museum. And the. Now I can't decide which is the best!

Many of London's major art galleries and museums are open in the evening and often have special evening events. This can be a great way to relax at the end of a busy day seeing the sights. The main London galleries and museums are air-conditioned so it can be a wonderful way to cool down in the height of summer in the city. Galleries and museums are not open late every night so here is a handy list to help you plan your days and evenings.

Royal Parks

Many people say the Queen Mary's Rose Gardens in Regent's Park is their favorite spot in London, and who am I to argue? I would also recommend St. James's Park as it offers one of the best views of Buckingham Palace. Hyde Park is enormous and includes the ever popular Diana Memorial Fountain and the Peter Pan Statue.

There are often free talks and guided walks in the royal parks so do check the What's On section of the Royal Parks website.

Changing of the Guard

No visit to London is complete without seeing this military tradition. The Queen's Guard in London changes in the Forecourt inside the gates of Buckingham Palace at 11:30am every day in the summer and every other day in the winter. Get there early and view the spectacle from outside the front gates.

53. The passage is intended to _________.

 A. recommend some free scenic spots to tourists       

 B. help visitors save money while visiting Ireland

 C. advise travelers how to choose art articles      D. tell readers London’s wonderful history

54. If you visit some museums in London in the evening, you ________.

 A. can see all the artworks free of charge                B. have to endure the heat of the summer

 C. need to pay admission for general exhibition  

D. may have a chance to enjoy some special events

55. In order to watch Changing of the Guard in summer, visitors have to _________.

  A. gain access to the front gates after 11:30 a.m.

  B. pay a sum of money to enter the Royal Parks

 C. arrive at Buckingham Palace before 11:30 a.m.

 D. come through the gates of Buchingham Palace

Mary and Peter were having a picnic with some friends near a river when Mary noticed an object overhead. "Look!" she shouted to her friends. "That's a spaceship up there and it's going to land here."

    Frightened by the strange silver-colored spaceship, most of the young people got in their cars and drove away quickly. Peter was fond of Mary and always stayed close to her. They, more curious than frightened, watched the spaceship land and saw a door open. When nobody came out, they went to the spaceship and entered inside. Peter followed Mary into the spaceship and did not hear the door closed behind him. The temperature fell rapidly and the two young people lost consciousness.

    When they woke up, they were surprised to see that they were back by the river again. The spaceship had gone. Their car was nearby.

   "What happened?" asked Mary.

   Peter scratched (?) his head, saying slowly, "Don't ask me. Perhaps we had a dream. Did you...Did you see a spaceship?"

   "Yes," said Mary. "And we both went into it. Then..." she looked at her wrist. "That's funny. My watch has stopped. Oh, well, come on. It's time to go home."

    Driving about fifty meters, they found their way blocked by a thick wall made of something like glass. They got out of the car and tried to find their way round the wall but discovered that they were inside a circular wall. It was like a mirror and prevented them from seeing through it.

   On the other side of the wall, strange creatures walked past slowly. A few stopped to stare through the wall and read a new notice which, translated into English, said: "New arrivals at the zoo: a pair of Earthlings in their natural surroundings with their mobile house."

1. When the spaceship arrived, why didn't Peter drive away?

A. He did not like leaving Mary.

B. He knew that the spaceship was harmless.

C. He was too frightened to drive.

D. There was a wall blocking the road.

2.Why did Peter enter the spaceship?

A. He saw the food and was hungry.

B. Mary told him to enter it.

C. He just followed Mary.

D. He wanted to study it.

3. Peter scratched his head so we know that _____.

A. he had lost consciousness

B. he was puzzled and did not know what to say to Mary

C. he had lost his memory

D. he was still half asleep

4.What do the words "strange creatures" mean to tell us?

A. They were wild animals in a zoo.

B. They were robbers.

C. They had landed on Earth in a spaceship and lived there.

D. The young couple were on another planet.

第二部分阅读理解（共25小题。每一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分；满分45分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑
Mary and Peter were having a picnic with some friends near a river when Mary noticed an object overhead. "Look!" she shouted to her friends. "That's a spaceship up there and it's going to land here."
Frightened by the strange silver-colored spaceship, most of the young people got in their cars and drove away quickly. Peter was fond of Mary and always stayed close to her. They, more curious than frightened, watched the spaceship land and saw a door open. When nobody came out, they went to the spaceship and entered inside. Peter followed Mary into the spaceship and did not hear the door closed behind him. The temperature fell rapidly and the two young people lost consciousness.
When they woke up, they were surprised to see that they were back by the river again. The spaceship had gone. Their car was nearby.
"What happened?" asked Mary.
Peter scratched (抓) his head, saying slowly, "Don't ask me. Perhaps we had a dream. Did you...Did you see a spaceship?"
"Yes," said Mary. "And we both went into it. Then..." she looked at her wrist. "That's funny. My watch has stopped. Oh, well, come on. It's time to go home."
Driving about fifty meters, they found their way blocked by a thick wall made of something like glass. They got out of the car and tried to find their way round the wall but discovered that they were inside a circular wall. It was like a mirror and prevented them from seeing through it.
On the other side of the wall, strange creatures walked past slowly. A few stopped to stare through the wall and read a new notice which, translated into English, said: "New arrivals at the zoo: a pair of Earthlings in their natural surroundings with their mobile house."
1. When the spaceship arrived, why didn't Peter drive away?
A. He did not like leaving Mary.  
B. He knew that the spaceship was harmless.
C. He was too frightened to drive.
D. There was a wall blocking the road.
2. Why did Peter enter the spaceship?
A. He saw the food and was hungry.
B. Mary told him to enter it.
C. He just followed Mary.
D. He wanted to study it.
3. Peter scratched his head so we know that _____.
A. he had lost consciousness
B. he was puzzled and did not know what to say to Mary
C. he had lost his memory
D. he was still half asleep
4. What do the words "strange creatures" mean to tell us?
A. They were wild animals in a zoo.
B. They were robbers.
C. They had landed on Earth in a spaceship and lived there.
D. The young couple were on another planet.

 Stacy had recently moved from New York City to Stoneybrook, Connecticut. It was ___1___ for her to make new friends but she finally had three when she joined the Babysitters Club to ___2___ little children whose parents were busy. Claudia, Kristy, and Mary were in her class at school and also the other ___3___ of the club. The girls met at five o’clock on Fridays and waited for the ___4___ to ring. So far they had been busy, in spite of the ___5___ that they couldn’t stay out late and were under 13.

___6___, the girls’ world was invaded by a second group ___7___ themselves the Babysitters Agency. They were ___8___ and the group also included a few boys. The Babysitters Club tried to think of ways to ___9___ with the older group. They could clean and work for less money, however, they ___10___ it would be difficult to compete. The shock was even greater than they had ___11___ when most of their best customers started to call the new group. They ___12___ to get only a few jobs.

To try a new ___13___ Kristy recruited a few older kids who told the club they didn’t want to ___14___ their money with the other group. The club ___15___ only too quickly that these older girls joined only as spies and didn’t ___16___ for their job assignments(分派). Thus, more parents were ___17___ with the club.

Finally, the girls realized that the ___18___ in the other group were not good babysitters. They watched television, talked on the phone, and invited boyfriends to the house ___19___ they were sitting. When the children of the families started to ___20___, and a near accident almost occurred, the club went to the parents to tell them what was happening.

1. A. active     B. thoughtful   C. easy    D. hard

2. A. take care of    B. run into      C. go through D. take advantage of

3. A. children  B. members    C. circles D. players

4. A. alarm      B. traffic C. phone D. neighbor

5. A. fact B. degree C. question     D. demand

6. A. Therefore      B. Suddenly    C. Rergularly  D. Unwillingly

7. A. attracting       B. finding       C. calling D. matching

8. A. younger  B. cleverer      C. taller   D. older

9. A. compete B. fight    C. do      D. meet

10. A. heard    B. knew  C. promised    D. shot

11. A. damaged      B. caught C. expected    D. forced

12. A. hoped   B. liked    C. refused      D. seemed

13. A. chance  B. possibility   C. power D. policy

14. A. share    B. give    C. provide      D. mark

15. A. put down     B. paid off      C. found out   D. come through

16. A. check up      B. end up C. look up      D. show up

17. A. satisfied       B. unhappy     C. curious      D. helpful

18. A. kids      B. adults  C. systems     D. situations

19. A. that      B. when  C. where D. how

20. A. blow     B. complain    C. appreciate   D. spread

 Stacy had recently moved from New York City to Stoneybrook, Connecticut. It was ___1___ for her to make new friends but she finally had three when she joined the Babysitters Club to ___2___ little children whose parents were busy. Claudia, Kristy, and Mary were in her class at school and also the other ___3___ of the club. The girls met at five o’clock on Fridays and waited for the ___4___ to ring. So far they had been busy, in spite of the ___5___ that they couldn’t stay out late and were under 13.

___6___, the girls’ world was invaded by a second group ___7___ themselves the Babysitters Agency. They were ___8___ and the group also included a few boys. The Babysitters Club tried to think of ways to ___9___ with the older group. They could clean and work for less money, however, they ___10___ it would be difficult to compete. The shock was even greater than they had ___11___ when most of their best customers started to call the new group. They ___12___ to get only a few jobs.

To try a new ___13___ Kristy recruited a few older kids who told the club they didn’t want to ___14___ their money with the other group. The club ___15___ only too quickly that these older girls joined only as spies and didn’t ___16___ for their job assignments(分派). Thus, more parents were ___17___ with the club.

Finally, the girls realized that the ___18___ in the other group were not good babysitters. They watched television, talked on the phone, and invited boyfriends to the house ___19___ they were sitting. When the children of the families started to ___20___, and a near accident almost occurred, the club went to the parents to tell them what was happening.

1. A. active     B. thoughtful   C. easy    D. hard

2. A. take care of    B. run into      C. go through D. take advantage of

3. A. children  B. members    C. circles D. players

4. A. alarm      B. traffic C. phone D. neighbor

5. A. fact B. degree C. question     D. demand

6. A. Therefore      B. Suddenly    C. Rergularly  D. Unwillingly

7. A. attracting       B. finding       C. calling D. matching

8. A. younger  B. cleverer      C. taller   D. older

9. A. compete B. fight    C. do      D. meet

10. A. heard    B. knew  C. promised    D. shot

11. A. damaged      B. caught C. expected    D. forced

12. A. hoped   B. liked    C. refused      D. seemed

13. A. chance  B. possibility   C. power D. policy

14. A. share    B. give    C. provide      D. mark

15. A. put down     B. paid off      C. found out   D. come through

16. A. check up      B. end up C. look up      D. show up

17. A. satisfied       B. unhappy     C. curious      D. helpful

18. A. kids      B. adults  C. systems     D. situations

19. A. that      B. when  C. where D. how

20. A. blow     B. complain    C. appreciate   D. spread