What is Home stay? Literally it is a home for you to stay at when you are not at home. To be specific, home stay provides foreign language students with the opportunity to speak native language outside the classroom and the experience of being part of a British home. Here is what you will experience in our British Home-stay Program.

What to Expect

The host will provide accommodation and meals. Rooms will be cleaned and bedcovers changed at least once a week. You will be given the house key and the host is there to offer help and advice as well as to take an interest in your physical and mental health.

Accommodation Zones

Homestays are located in London mainly in Zones 2, 3 and of the transport system. Most hosts do not live in the town centre (Zone 1) as much of central London is commercial and not residential(居住的). Zones 3 and 4 often offer smaller accommodation in a more crowded area. It is very convenient to travel in London by underground.

Meal Plans Available

? Continental Breakfast

? Breakfast and Dinner

? Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner

It’s important to note that few English families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast. Your accommodation includes Continental Breakfast which normally consists of fruit juice, cereal(谷物类食品), bread and tea or coffee. Cheese, fruit and cold meat are not normally part of a Continental Breakfast in England. Dinners usually consist of meat or fish with vegetables followed by desert, fruit and coffee.

Friends

If you wish to invite a friend over to visit, you must first ask your host’s permission. You have no right to entertain friends in a family home as some families feel it is an invasion of their privacy.

Self-Catering Accommodation in Private Homes

Accommodation on a room-only basis includes shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and often a main living room. This kind of accommodation offers an independent lifestyle and is more suitable for the long-stay student. However, it does not provide the same family atmosphere as an ordinary homestay and may not benefit those who need to practise English at home quite as much.

1. The passage is probably written for _____.

A. host willing to receive foreign students

B. foreigners hoping to build British culture

C. travellers planning to visit families in London

D. English learners applying to like in English homes

2. Which of the following will the host provide?

A. Medical care.B. Room cleaning.

C. Free transport.D. Physical training.

3. What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?

A. Zone 3 is more crowded than Zone 2.

B. The business centre of London is in Zone 2.

C. Hosts dislike travelling to the city centre.

D. Zone 1 offers bigger accommodation.

4. According to the passage, what does Continental Breakfast include?

A. Dessert and coffee.B. Fruit and vegetables.

C. Bread and fruit juice.D. Centre and cold meat.

Have you seen a yellow-and-black salamander (火蜥蜴)? How about a scarlet frog? Scientists haven’t spotted either species in more than 20 years. What happened to them? Are the creatures still out there, or are they extinct?

Those are questions that scientists hope to answer. They recently set out around the world in search of those and other long-missing amphibians. An amphibian is an animal that spends part of its life in water and part on land. Frog, toads(蟾蜍), and salamanders are amphibians.

The experts are looking for about 100 species. They are searching at least 14 countries on five continents. They will look for the salamander in North America. They hope to find the scarlet frog in South America. They’re also looking for species in Africa, Asia and Australia.

Scientists are hopeful that they’ll find the amphibians—and soon! If the creatures are out there, they may need help. Many amphibians are endangered. The animals face many dangers including pollution and diseases. People cut down the forests where they live.

“If researchers can find the missing creatures, they might be able to figure out how to save them,” explains expert Robin Moore. He began searching for the amphibians earlier this month.

“This search will tell us a lot about how amphibians are doing,” Moore told WR News. “I don’t know what we will find, but that makes the search even more exciting.”

Lost in the Wild

Scientists’ hunt for missing amphibians is under way. Read about some of the species they hope to find.

Turkestanian salamander

This salamander is a mystery to scientists. Experts found a few of them more than 100 years ago, but none have been seen ever since.

Gastric brooding frog

Experts first discovered this frog in 1914 in eastern Australia. It may be extinct because of disease and habitat loss.

Rio Pescado stubfoot toad

Last sighting: 1995, in South America

Scientists hope to find this spotted toad in rivers and rainforests in Ecuador. The animal faces threats including pollution and disease.

1. Which of the following animals hasn’t been seen for over a century?

A. Rio Pescado stubfoot toad.

B. Gastric brooding frog.

C. Turkestanian salamander.

D. Scarlet frog.

2.It can be learned from the passage that _____.

A. the scarlet frog used to live in Africa

B. researchers have no way to save amphibians

C. the scientists will search 14 countries at most

D. Robin Moore has begun his search for amphibians

3. Why do the scientists want to find the missing amphibians?

A. Because they want to rescue the missing amphibians.

B. Because they want to set up a scientific program.

C. Because they want to do a scientific research on the missing amphibians.

D. Because they want to publish a report about the missing amphibians on WR News.

4. What does Moore think of the search for endangered amphibians?

A. It’s hopeful.B. It’s interesting.

C. It’s tiring.D. It’s dangerous.

(2012·重庆高二检测) Pirates from Somalia who hijacked _______ European carrier in _______ Indian Ocean threatened to kill its 25 crew members if any rescue operation was attempted.

A. the; /B. a; the

C. the; aD. the; the

(2012·宁波高二检测) The coastal city is _______ in natural resources, especially seafood and water resources.

A. attractiveB. abundant

C. activeD. rare

(2012·合肥高二检测) Every pupil has his own potential so it is not proper to _______ them _______ two kinds.

A. classify; intoB. put; off

C. lead; toD. betray; from

The science of the library is sometimes broken by a sudden cough or the sound of pages _______.

A. turningB. turned

C. being turnedD. having turned

(2012·宁波高二检测) Zhang Lin was addicted to computer games during his last year in high school, otherwise he _______ a student of Beijing University.

A. would have beenB. should be

C. has beenD. had been

She has to _______ her journey because of her mother’s illness.

A. leaveB. desert

C. quitD. abandon

(2012·潍坊高二检测) Driving a car is not so difficult as you imagine, if you _______ the rules.

A. depend onB. believe in

C. turn toD. stick to

—_______ listen to music in the classroom, Peter.

—Sorry, I won’t, Mrs. Black.

A. Doesn’tB. Don’t

C. Didn’tD. Can’t