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Are you looking for something to do? You might like to try one of these four experiences.
Crocodile watching Do you fancy getting up close to some of the most terrifying animals on earth? Crocosaurus Cove, in Darwin (Australia) has the “Cage of Death”. It’s an enclosure that’s lowered into a pool. This gives you a 360 degree view of a crocodile as it’s being fed. The cable broke once and the cage sank to the bottom, but they’ve fixed it since then.
Edge walk
How about walking along the edge of a building several hundred meters up in the air? If that sounds like fun, head off to the CN Tower in Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Built in 1976, the tower is 553.33 meters tall.
The Edge walk consists of a 20-30 minute stroll along a 1.5 meter wide platform that runs around the tower’s restaurant roof. During the walk, you’re encouraged to lean forwards as you look over Toronto’s skyline (轮廓线).
Plastic ball rolling
Do you fancy rolling down a hill in a plastic ball?
Plastic ball rolling is popular all over the world, but the place to give it a go is in Rotorua (New Zealand). Brother David and Andrew Akers came up with the idea in 1994. A typical orb (球) is about 3 meters in diameter, with an inner orb size of about 2 meters. There’s no brake or steering mechanism, but the inner layer of the plastic ball helps absorb the shock.
Volcano bungee jumping
If you’re looking for the adventure of a lifetime, how about going bungee jumping off a helicopter into the crater of a live volcano? As part of the jumping, a helicopter ride takes you to the Villarreal volcano, one of the most active in Chile. Once you’re at the drop zone, you leap off the helicopter and fall into the volcano. Finally, you enjoy the ride back to the airport flying at 130kph.
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1.According to the passage, there was an accident once when people ________.
A. jumped into the Villarreal volcano
B. walked along the platform of the CN Tower
C. rolled down a hill in a plastic ball in Rotorua
D. watched crocodiles in the “Cage of Death” in Darwin
2.Which of the following was first invented in New Zealand?
A. Edge walk. B. Crocodile watching.
C. Plastic ball rolling. D. Volcano bungee jumping.
3.It can be inferred that all the four experiences are ________.
A. interesting sports
B. exciting and extreme
C. held on high places
D. fit for middle to old people
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.
I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.
I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.
1.Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?
A. Start the car the moment everyone is seated.
B. Leave the room for a minute with the iron working.
C. Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better.
D. Move an object out of the way before it trips someone.
2.The author decided to go to her office on Good Friday to ________.
A. keep her appointment with the eye doctor
B. meet her father who was already an old man
C. join in the holiday celebration of the company
D. finish her work before the deadline approached
3.The underlined word “foregone” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________.
A. avoided B. lacked C. abandoned D. took
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. The Emotional Well-being
B. The Two Saddest Words
C. The Most Useful Rule
D. The Peace of Mind
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Are you addicted to computer games? Do you stay up all night playing them? Do you feel happy after you play computer games?
There’s no doubt that the excitement and appealing of games these days makes them hard to put down. We are attracted by the choice when it comes to gaming: You can role play—creating your own fantasy characters and stories, giving you a chance to step out of everyday life into an imaginary world. And there are shooting games where you can let out your anger and depression in violent situations where you kill people with guns. You can get excited from the games.
However, can these kinds of games really be fun and can being absorbed in virtual reality be good for us? Should we worry about their effects on our health? Popular games like Grand Theft Auto have been blamed for everything from falling results at school to causing acts of extreme violence. Internet safety adviser, Alan MacKenzie, thinks “any people understandably will just think that a game is just a game and not realizing the exact content that’s in there”. He gives an example of the violence, which he says is “wholly inappropriate for anybody, not to mention children.”
Others will argue that gaming is a harmless form of entertainment. There is evidence that playing video games could actually be good for us. Some games like Game of Thrones and World of Warcraft are educational and using games certainly can help children learn good qualities. Studies have also shown that the skills used in playing games can cause growth in certain areas of the brain, the ability to think in 3D and even improve our eyesight.
Video game players are also no longer just simple creatures. For some, gaming is having a positive effect on their social lives with games like Halo and World of Warcraft often being played in groups. When your group works together to win the game, your sense of achievement is higher than when winning by yourself.
So every coin has two sides. It seems today, gaming isn’t just for game fans and if used in a proper way, we can all take part. If video games have two sides, what side do you stand by?
1.The writer used a lot of questions at the beginning to ________.
A. show his worries about the effect on health
B. lead into the topic of the passage
C. ask the reader for their own opinions about games
D. doubt the advantage of playing computer games
2.Paragraph 3 mainly talks about ________.
A. the contents of the game are complex
B. games contain extreme violence
C. popular games lead to students’ falling results at school
D. gaming is a harmful form of entertainment
3.According to the passage, which of the following shows the good influence on social lives?
A. Han Meimei passed the exam after playing the games.
B. Li Hua leant many English words from playing games.
C. Sunyan worked well with his teammates.
D. Yang Li let out his anger and expressions.
4.In Paragraph 4, the author supports his idea ________.
A. by giving some examples
B. with descriptive words
C. by providing some numbers
D. with some research results
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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When Taking an Uber—Should You Tip or Not?
Taking an Uber car may no longer be a direct driver-passenger and guilt-free experience. The ride-sharing experience is about to get awkward.
With the wide application of the Internet, Uber, a new approach to your destination instead of taking an ordinary taxi, has become more popular recently. However, benefits won’t come without its fair share of drawbacks.
Uber drivers are a part of the so-called sharing economy: They use their own vehicles, receive customer reviews via the app’s five-star rating system and make their own hours. Unlike other services, Uber claimed that drivers all over the country could clearly alert customers that tipping is not included. Those drivers that expect to be tipped can make their wishes known. But the company is holding to its official no-tip-required line, according to its website. “Once you arrive at your destination, your fare is automatically charged to your credit card on file—There’s no need to tip.” Although drivers value their independence—the freedom to push a button rather than punch a clock, lack of a clear policy, however, leaves Uber drivers in a vulnerable(脆弱的) position: If they ask a customer for a tip or put up a sign, that customer could give the driver a low star-rating, and the driver could finally be deactivated from the app.
But has the company done a good job working with customers? Some observers say that this new grey area for tipping will create awkwardness about whether they should tip or not—something most Uber customers have not had to deal with until now. Uber did not respond to customers’ comment, just leaving their rating in the air (ignoring it).
Providing an option to tip on an app sends a clear message to customers to reach into their pockets. Nearly 30% people would be more likely to leave a tip if they were presented with a “no tip” button, according to Guinn’s 2015 survey of roughly 500 people. When people are presented with three tip choices—20%, 25% or 30%—they’re more likely to choose the middle option even if it’s more than the traditional 20%, according to a separate 2014 analysis of 13 million New York City taxi rides.
If the service is twice as expensive during a rain storm or public transport delay, the customer has the right not to tip. However, if the driver is extra helpful or avoids traffic to reach your destination in a more timely manner, you could give an extra tip, says Uber, who will leave tipping options in the hands of the consumer rather than the app.
1.Compared with taxi drivers, Uber drivers ________.
A. enjoy more freedom and choices
B. support the company’s practice
C. clock up the miles while driving
D. receive customers reviews directly
2.The underlined word “deactivated” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.
A. removed B. degraded C. tracked D. charged
3.From the survey we can conclude most customers ________.
A. would probably tip if there is an option
B. usually do as the “no tip” sign suggests
C. tip because of Uber drivers’ good service
D. are disappointed to reach into their pockets
4.What causes the awkwardness between Uber drivers and their customers?
A. Customers take advantage of the new grey area for tipping.
B. There is no specific policy from the Uber to follow.
C. It’s up to customers to decide the drivers’ earnings.
D. Customers tend to pay least among the 3 choices.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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