A new hotel is set to open in a faraway village in northern Sweden，which intends to change the simple treehouse into a world—class hotel for travelers who enjoy special designs．
Treehotel，which lies in Harads about 60 km south of the Arctic Circle，will be made up of four rooms when it opens on July 17th：the Cabin，the Blue Cone，the Nest and the Mirrorcube．
Two more are due to open in October—the UFO and A Room With a View．
“Our goal in five years is to have 24 rooms from 24 different architects(建筑师)，”says Treehotel co-founder Kent Lindvall，who came up with the idea along with his wife Bfitta．
The first six rooms were designed by five different architects. The Mirrorcube which stands four meters high and four meters wide has drawn widespread attention as it will be connected to a singletree．
‘‘It’s an interesting building．You cannot find anything like this in the world today．It’s really special，”says Lindvall，as he stands next to the room’s mirrored outer wall．
‘‘Everything will reflect(映照)in this—the trees，the birds，the clouds，the sun，everything．So it should be invisible nearly in the forest．’’
Lindvall says a special film will be put onto the glass which will be seen by birds。
‘‘This is untouched forest and—we want to leave it as it is．"says Selberg，another co-founder．
She adds．’’If we’re lucky we might see a bear．I think what’s exciting here is that we’re just 60 km below the Arctic Circle which means there’s a good possibility to have the northern lights in the winter and during the during the summer of course you have the midnight sun.”
The aim of Treehotel is “feel free in a tree” and the experience will cost up to 4,200 Swedish crowns ($555,50)for two guests in the Mirrorcube, which is designed to hold up to four guests.
【小题1】What do we know about Treehotel in Harads from the text?

People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver. Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California. They are pointing the way to a future that is not far down the road. The high-tech company Google has a number of self-driving cars, which had covered 480,000 kilometers by August. Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020.

   In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state. " Today we're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality-the driverless car. " The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors. The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the U. S. government agency DARPA. Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races.

   Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are' making Hondas safer, said Angie Nucci of Honda America. " A camera on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your guiding screen so you can safely change lanes. " Other safety features include warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars. These systems help drivers , but don't replace them. Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will make the high ways safer．

   "By taking out drivers, you also remove most risks of an accident," Kendall said. He said consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control. "It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first. "

   Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable. He said this will happen as the technology is improved.

1.What can we learn from Paragraph l?

A. Driverless vehicles are now legal in the whole USA.

B. Volvo will be the first to sell driverless cars.

C. Driverless cars are pointing us' a faraway future.

D. Google's self-driving cars have covered a long distance.

2.We learn that Governor of California Jerry Brown_________.

A. helped design self-driving cars.

B. supports self-driving cars on roads.

C. considers self-driving cars science fiction.

D. improved the self-driving car systems.

3.What is the role of the systems mentioned in Paragraph 3?

A. They can help people drive more safely.

B. They can take the place of drivers now.

C. They can make cars run without fuel.

D. They can help cars run much faster.

4.According to Richard Mason, what is the biggest challenge for driverless cars?

A. They are not allowed to run on the road.

B. Their technical problems remain to be solved.

C. They are now too expensive for consumers.

D. They are more dangerous for people on the street.

5.What's the best title of the passage?

A. The benefits of the self-driving cars.

B. The biggest challenge of the self-driving cars.

C. Safer or more dangerous-self-driving cars.

D. Self-driving cars-science fiction future is near.

When middle-aged Alex quit his job and made up his mind to become a self-employed writer, no one could tell for sure whether he would succeed or not．He found a cold storage room in a building, set up a used typewriter and settled down to work．
After a year or so, however, Alex began to doubt himself．He found it was difficult to earn his living by selling what he wrote．But Alex determined to put his dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the shadowland （虚幻世界） of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．
One day Alex got a call, "We need an assistant, and we're paying $ 6,000 a year．" $ 6,000 was real money in 1960．It would enable Alex to get a nice apartment, a used car and more．Besides, he could write in his spare time．As the dollars were dancing in Alex's head, something cleared his senses．He had dreamed of being a writer ?full time．"Thanks, but no," Alex said firmly and swiftly, "I'm going to stick it out and write．"
After Alex got off the phone, he pulled out everything he had: two cans of vegetables and 18 cents．Alex put the cans and cents into a paper bag, saying to himself," There's everything you've made of yourself so far．I'm not sure I ever felt so low．"
Finally his work was published in 1970．Instantly he had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experience．The shadows had turned into focus of attention．
Then one day, Alex found a box filled with things he had owned years before．Inside was a paper bag with two cans and 18 cents．Suddenly he pictured himself working in that cold storage room．It reminds Alex, and anyone with a dream, of the courage and persistence （坚毅） it takes to stay the course （持续到底） in the shadowland．
【小题1】Why did Alex give up his job?

Amy returned to her small apartment at midnight, tired. Her worst fears raced through her mind. Would the court tell her she couldn’t care for her family anymore? Would the kids go through the sadness once more of being split up and sent away? She was so young, almost a child herself, and yet Amy knew everything depended on her. At that moment, she wondered if she would ever find the strength to see it through.
From earliest childhood, Amy took care of her younger brothers. Jan, their mother, only added to the family disorder and confusion because of her drug addict. Sometimes they lived in apartments, sometimes in shelters.
One afternoon Amy was called to the high school, where a social worker was waiting for her. “We’re going to have to put you guys in foster（收养) care.” the social worker said. “No! Don’t spilt us up!” the girl cried out. “Can’t you just leave it the way it is?” The social worker shook his head. Amy’s voice then rose like the howl of a lion protecting her babies: “Why can’t I take them? I take care of them all the time anyway.” The social worker hesitated, and then said, “Maybe. Once you’re 18, you could apply to become their relative caretaker. Then you’d be their foster mother until we find a home where all of you can be together.” “I’ll do it,” Amy said.
One month later, Amy was named guardian of her brothers for a six-month trial period. It was a remarkable victory for an 18-year-old girl. Her brothers didn’t make her task any easier in the months ahead. However，Amy’s efforts were rewarded when the court allowed her to continue as guardian. Amy’s relief at remaining the kids’ guardian was at risk of being taken away by the pressure she always
felt to measure up. Social workers still looked regularly over her shoulder and asked the boys shameful
questions: “Does she feed you? Does she ever try to harm you?” Then one day a visiting social worker
came over. “We’d like to get the boys adopted into homes,” she said. Sensing that the family was about to be split apart yet again, Amy replied, “Fine, then. Call it adoption if you want, but they’re not going anywhere.” To her surprise, the social worker took her remark seriously. She explained that if Amy were to adopt the boys, they would become like any other family.
That night at dinner Amy told the boys about the idea. “Cool!” Joey said. He threw a piece of corn at Adam. His brother flicked it back, and pretty soon corn was flying. Amy rolled her eyes. They didn’t have far to go to be like any other family. As the proceedings（程序）ended, Amy thanked everyone. “No,” the judge responded, “Thank you. You saved three kids. Not many family members would do what you’re doing, especially for this many children. I’m very proud of you.” 
On a lazy spring day, in a modest suburban neighborhood, Amy stood in front of a neatly kept one-story house. She watched her brothers playing basketball, and heard the playful bark of their dog, Tahoe. The young lady had made good on her promise: they had rented a home, a real home, and the boys had gotten their dog. Amy continues to raise her family alone, but has begun taking courses in business management at a nearby community college. Eventually, she hopes to become a child psychologist.
【小题1】 Which of the following best describes Amy?