Thirty million people visit Paris every year and when you are standing in a queue at the Louvre waiting to have a look at the Mona Lisa,it is possible to think that each and every one of them is in the same room as you.

  But it is possible to see the iconic sites of the City of Lights without falling into the crowded tourists.

  My favourite way to enjoy Paris is to

take enough money to last a visit of at least two months. I did this when I was 20. I lived in a poor hotel on Rue St. Jacques around the corner from the Sorbonne and the Jardin du Luxembourg. Surviving on 100 francs a day, I ate baguettes, tomatoes and a jar of mayon-naise. I drank my short blacks while standing at the counter of cafes. I walked everywhere,down the city's grand avenues and up its hid-den old alleyways. I loved every single pover-ty-covered moment of that winter.

  I've been back several times since for shorter trips. Each time, Paris offers new joys and discoveries.

  An increasingly popular way to get that true Parisienne (巴黎女子的) touch to your trip is to rent an apartment. Brisbane author Nerida Newtown loved the “at home” feeling when she and her family realized a long-term dream by living in Paris for a few months.

  If you can't manage a long stay, never fear. Jodie Minus's excitable account of her whirlwind trip to the City of Lights shows how you can get the most out of Paris in a short time. Jenny Stevens managed to show a first-time visitor much of Paris. But now it's over to you: Share your secrets and passions about Paris.

(1) The text is mainly to tell readers________.

[  ]

A.where to visit in Paris

B.some tips on how to visit Paris

C.the writer's experience of visiting Paris

D.the introduction of Paris

(2) Those who want to get tips on short trips in Paris had better contact________.

[  ]

A.the Mona Lisa

B.Jodie Minus

C.Jenny Stevens

D.the writer

(3) According to the text, “ the City of Lights” should refer to“________”.

[  ]

A.the city of Paris

B.the hotel the writer ever lived in

C.a famous tourist attraction in Paris

D.the name of a Paris' street

(4) According to the writer, in order to know better about Paris, visitors________.

[  ]

A.should read Nerida Newtown's novels first

B.had better plan a long trip there

C.must get advice from Jenny Stevens

D.should visit Louvre for the Mona Lisa

阅读理解

Dear Tiger Mom,

  You've been criticized(批评)a lot since you published your memoir(回忆录), Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother.One problem is that some people don't get your humor.They think you're serious about all things, and they think Lulu and I are oppressed(压制)by our ill mother.That is not true.

  But for real, it's not their fault.No outsider can know what our family is really like.They don't hear us laughing over each other's jokes.They don't see us eating our hamburgers with fried rice.They don't know how much fun we have when the six of us-dogs included -squeeze into one bed and argue about what movies to download from Netflix.

  I admit:Having you as a mother was no tea party.There were some play dates I wish I'd gone to and some piano camps I wish I'd skipped.But now that I'm 18 and about to leave the tiger den(穴), I'm glad you and Daddy raised me the way you did.

  A lot of people have accused you of producing robot kids who can't think for themselves.Well, that's funny.I think your strict parenting forced me to be more independent.Early on, I decided to be an easy child to raise.Maybe I got it from Daddy -he taught me not to care what people think and to make my own choices -but I also decided to be who I want to be.

  Everybody's talking about the birthday cards we once made for you, which you rejected because they weren't good enough.Funny how some people are convinced that Lulu and I are scarred for life.Maybe if I had poured my heart into it, I would have been upset.But let's face it:It took me 30 seconds; I didn't even sharpen the pencil.That's why, when you rejected it, I didn't feel you were rejecting me.If I actually tried my best at something, you'd never throw it back in my face.

  And for that, Tiger Mom, thank you.

Yours,

Sophia

(1)

In the author's opinion, why do some people criticize her mother?

[  ]

A.

They don't know the truth.

B.

They have a different culture.

C.

They aren't strict with their children.

D.

They don't have a good sense of humor.

(2)

Many people think that the author ________.

[  ]

A.

is a robot kid

B.

has a happy family

C.

has a humorous mother

D.

is an easy child to raise

(3)

The author is satisfied with her parents' way of raising her because ________.

[  ]

A.

she has learned to obey others

B.

she has become more independent

C.

she is about to leave the tiger den

D.

she has never been disturbed by tea parties

(4)

According to the last paragraph, the author ________.

[  ]

A.

was good at making cards

B.

was deeply hurt by her mother

C.

tried her best at making the birthday cards

D.

thought it reasonable for her mother to reject her card

A new study says that birds living in big cities sing shorter, faster songs that are higher-pitched (高音调的) than those sung by their brothers in the forests. The researchers think that the birds adjust their songs to allow themselves to be heard over the noises of the city, especially the low traffic noise.
To study how urban birds song, Hans Slabbekoorn and Ardie den Bore, biologists at the University of Leiden in Netherlands, travelled around Europe and recorded bird songs in ten major cities and in nearby forests. The species they focused on, the great tit (大山雀), is widespread across Eurasia and one of the few types of birds that thrives in big cities.
Singing is crucial (重要的) for males, which use their songs to attract mates and mark out their territory. The changing songs could play a role in eventually causing the city birds and the forest dwellers to evolve into separate species.
The findings could also help explain why usually only a few bird species thrive in cities. By contrast, many more bird species tend to be found in forests and other undeveloped habitats.
Studies like this could eventually help researchers predict how urbanization (都市化) will affect birds, using this knowledge could help urban planners design more pleasant city environments, study co-author Slabbe-koorn said. “You can make a city much more livable if you pay attention to where the noise goes and where the people go,” he said. “It would be easy to fit the birds into those models.” Then cities wouldn’t be strictly for the people, but also for the birds.
【小题1】 Which is the best title of the passage?

A.Birds Change Songs to Suit Country Life
B.Birds Change Sex to Suit Urban Life
C.Birds Change Living Habits to Suit Urban Life
D.Birds Change Songs to Suit Urban Life
【小题2】 Males usually sing their songs to ____.
A.evolve into another species
B.attract mates and mark out their living area
C.attract city people’s attention and make them supply food
D.allow themselves to be heard over the noises of the city
【小题3】 The underlined word “thrives” in the second paragraph means “____”.
A.diesB.survivesC.suffers D.travels
【小题4】What is NOT the effect that studies of birds’ songs have?
A. Predicting how course of the city’s expanding will affect birds.
B. Helping the city planners design more pleasant city environments.
C. Making cities more livable for both the birds and people.
D. Driving the urban birds back to the forest.

The issue of privacy versus openness is a paradox, particularly when it comes to the American home. “Lots” or “yards” (gardens) can be large and many are not enclosed by the walls, fences or hedges so popular in other cultures. Similarly, “window treatments” frame the window. but the use of European-style net curtains to screen out nosy neighbors is rare. In the same style, first-time visitors to an American home may be proudly given the full tour; even walk-in closets and en suite bathrooms are not considered off-limits. They may also be encouraged to help themselves to a soda from the fridge. All this gives an impression of openness.

    Yet Americans do value their personal space and privacy. A Brazilian expatriate (侨民) who dropped in on her usually friendly Connecticut neighbors unannounced got the clear impression she should have called first. Similarly while a typical suburban home features large, shared areas, such as an open-plan kitchen and family room or “den”, ample private space is also allowed in the floor plan. A visit to a family home in the evening would likely find the family members dispersed, each independently watching TV, on the phone, surfing the Internet, or otherwise recharging batteries in the privacy of their own bedroom.

    American individualism, expansiveness, and abundance are expressed in lifestyle. Despite the fact that the average household size has declined over the past thirty years from3.1 people to 2.6 people per household, the average size of a new family home increased during the same period from 1,500 to 2,200 square feet.

    A common observation is just how outsized everything is. The beds are king-sized, the TVs have giant screens, the burgers are “whoppers (庞然大物),” appliances are “industrial” size. The largest popcorn or soda at the movies can be “supersized.” Closets are “walk in,” and some cars are the size of a military vehicle.

1.The passage suggests that Americans__________.

A. are rich enough to afford large size houses and luxurious electricity appliances

B. are very shy when talking about keeping their privacy and their personal space

C. would like to express their lifestyles in public to show them off

D. enjoy openness as well as individualism although they seem to contradict each other

2.Why can we say that American individualism, expansiveness, and abundance are expressed in their lifestyle?

A. Because the average size of a new house has increased during the past thirty years.

B. Because Americans often use European-style net curtains to screen out nosy neighbors.

C. Because many houses are equipped with walk-in closets.

D. Because the house size, outsized household furniture and independent living habits have proved it.

3.The underlined phrase in the passage means________.

A. filling a battery with electrical power

B. recovering your strength and energy by resting for a while

C. changing your batteries again

D. obtaining new batteries because old ones are running out

4.According to the passage, if you drop in on an American family which is usually friendly to you in the evening, you________.

A. will be deeply impressed by their family get-together scene

B. will be invited to a party which is well-prepared

C. will find family members scattered, and enjoying themselves individually

D. will be warmly welcomed even if they don’t get informed of your visit earlier

 

A new study says that birds living in big cities sing shorter, faster songs that are higher-pitched (高音调的) than those sung by their brothers in the forests. The researchers think that the birds adjust their songs to allow themselves to be heard over the noises of the city, especially the low traffic noise.

To study how urban birds song, Hans Slabbekoorn and Ardie den Bore, biologists at the University of Leiden in Netherlands, travelled around Europe and recorded bird songs in ten major cities and in nearby forests. The species they focused on, the great tit (大山雀), is widespread across Eurasia and one of the few types of birds that thrives in big cities.

Singing is crucial (重要的) for males, which use their songs to attract mates and mark out their territory. The changing songs could play a role in eventually causing the city birds and the forest dwellers to evolve into separate species.

The findings could also help explain why usually only a few bird species thrive in cities. By contrast, many more bird species tend to be found in forests and other undeveloped habitats.

Studies like this could eventually help researchers predict how urbanization (都市化) will affect birds, using this knowledge could help urban planners design more pleasant city environments, study co-author Slabbe-koorn said. “You can make a city much more livable if you pay attention to where the noise goes and where the people go,” he said. “It would be easy to fit the birds into those models.” Then cities wouldn’t be strictly for the people, but also for the birds.

1. Which is the best title of the passage?

A. Birds Change Songs to Suit Country Life

B. Birds Change Sex to Suit Urban Life

C. Birds Change Living Habits to Suit Urban Life

D. Birds Change Songs to Suit Urban Life

2. Males usually sing their songs to ____.

A. evolve into another species

B. attract mates and mark out their living area

C. attract city people’s attention and make them supply food

D. allow themselves to be heard over the noises of the city

3. The underlined word “thrives” in the second paragraph means “____”.

A. dies       B. survives       C. suffers     D. travels

4.What is NOT the effect that studies of birds’ songs have?

A. Predicting how course of the city’s expanding will affect birds.

B. Helping the city planners design more pleasant city environments.

C. Making cities more livable for both the birds and people.

D. Driving the urban birds back to the forest.

 

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