Germany has a variety of cities each with its own characteristics, from the busy city of Berlin, to the ancient city of Cologne, to the Bavarian capital of Munich. Thankfully, these major German cities offer sightseeing tours that offer the opportunity to better explore the surrounding regions and the country’s most historic sites.

Berlin on Bike

Berlin on Bike takes visitors through the German capital via five bicycle tours, all with guides. Regular tours include the Wall Tour and Berlin’s Best, with stops at some of the city’s most famous landmarks, such as the Reichstag explores what life was like in East Berlin under Communist Rule. The cost of the tour includes the bike and helmet rental, and tourists may choose to continue renting their bikes once the tour has ended.

Berlinonbike.de/English/index.php

Munich City Sightseeing Tour

The Munich City Sightseeing Tour transports travelers throughout the city via an open-air, double-decker bus. Passengers can hop on and off at various stops throughout the day. This tour includes stops at such sites as the Munich central train station, the 1972 Olympic Stadium Park, Munich’s opera house and Karlsplatz, the gate to the historic city. The bus features a narrated tour guide and offers an English-language option.

Raileurope.com/activities/munich-city-sightseeing-tour/index.html

Nice City Tours- Cologne

Nice City Tours offers three tours of Cologne, available to private or business groups in a variety of languages. The old Town Tour runs for two hours and includes a guided tour of the Cologne Cathedral and some of the city’s old squares. The Brewery Pub Tour explores some of the city’s most beloved breweries and pubs, and details the history behind Kolsch, Cologne’s resident beer. Finally, the Old Town and Rhine Tour begins by visiting some of old town’s most historic sites and ends with a ride down the Rhine River.

Nicecitytours.con/tours.htm

1. The similarity of the three tours lies in that they all include_____.

2.If you take a great interest in beer, which tour might be suitable for you?

3.Where can you probably see this passage?

The old town has narrow streets and small houses _____are built close to each other．   

A．they    B．where    C．what    D．that

When did you last visit a shopping mall? In many places, the answer would be “last weekend”. Some people go even more often. Why? For one thing, malls offer goods and services that people need all in one place : food, clothing, things for their houses, entertainment，and even medical services. So, are malls one of the highlights of modern civilization? Environmental activists would say “No!” They would go even further and say that consumer behavior is causing a huge environmental disaster. They cause consumers of ignorance of the side effect of their shopping—urban sprawl (城市杂乱无序拓展的地区）.

Social scientists agree that patterns of development have changed the landscape a great deal in the last half century. Prior to 1950，most people lived in towns or cities and either walked to work or took public transportation. Only very wealthy people had automobiles. Farmers lived in rural areas or isolated villages and came into town only when they needed things they couldn’t produce themselves. If you gazed at the landscape you would see towns surrounded by countryside. Then a massive change occurred.

Automobiles became affordable and people were quick to adopt them. Now ambitious workers could live in the suburbs, the areas just outside cities, which started to grow rapidly. As long as there was lots of cheap land in the suburbs, no one paid much attention to the usage of that land. Malls, fast food restaurants, cinemas, and car dealerships spread out in large, flat buildings. These one - storey buildings and their parking lot took up a great deal of space. Well - meaning farmers thought they were better off selling their land than growing crops. In ignorance, no one realized that once the land was built up in urban sprawl, the good farming land would be ruined forever. There was no way to preserve it.

Only in recent years have people come to mourn the old way of life as they have developed insight into the problems of unconditional growth. Now people realize that urban sprawl has come with serious environmental problems. The negative aspects of sprawl include air and water pollution, loss of agricultural land, traffic jams, and the death of businesses in the old town centers. Many scholars think the time has come to analyze the problems better so we can develop appropriate policies to control further sprawl. Some think the best way to do is to educate citizens about their priceless environment.

1. What is mainly discussed in the passage?

A. Urban sprawl                       B. Weekend fun

C. New automobiles                       D. Isolated villages

2.Who do activists blame for environmental problems?

A. Endangered animals.            B. Unthinking shoppers.

C. Shopping mall owners.           D. Ambitious farmers.

3.What does the underlined word “They” refer to in the first paragraph?.

A. Activists    B. Malls.     C. Farmers.     D. Scientists.

4.What is the scholars’ attitude toward urban sprawl?

A. Respectful.   B. Pessimistic.   C. Disapproving.    D. Doubtful.

·The Hotel Portixol，a hotel that oozes(渗透) style and has thoughtful extras in Palma Majorca.

·Location

In the bay of Portixol，a 30-minute walk or 10-minute cycle east of the old town，overlooking Portixol port.

·Character

The square white building，with its blue shutters(百叶窗) and dark wooden balconies，stands out as you approach Portixol. Inside as well as out，Hotel Portixol oozes style － wicker(柳条) sofas in a shade deck. Thoughtful extras include free bicycle hire and telescopes in each room.

·Rooms

Thirteen of the 26 rooms have balconies，overlooking the sea. All have large showers and king-size beds. Our corner room had double glass doors on two sides which created a much-needed breeze.

·Food

Breakfast is a feast，with a huge selection of fresh fruit，yogurts，cereals，meats，cheeses and breads. The lunch and dinner menus mix traditional Mediterranean food with eastern and European classics.

·Why Palma?

Parts of Majorca have a certain reputation，but calm，sweet Palma is a far shout from the island's busy and sometimes tacky(俗气的) beach resorts so popular with hen and buck parties.
The Majorcan capital is also one of the easiest short-break destinations in Europe. The old town is a 10-minute taxi ride from Palma airport，while the tangled(乱蓬蓬的)streets inside the old city wall combine the best restaurants，shopping and culture Majorca has to offer.
While very hot in summer，temperatures remain pleasant during the rest of the year.
·Getting there

Easy Jet flies to Palma from most airports in the UK，from ￡29.99 one way. A taxi from Palma airport to the city centre costs about ￡8; or you can catch a bus which costs a few euros.????

1.If you'd like to buy what you like，you had better go to________.

A．the old city of Majorca???????? ????????????? B．Palma beach resorts

C．the city centre of Majorca????? ????????????? D．the east of the old town

2.How much will be spent if a family of three goes to the city centre of Palma for a round-trip?

A．Over ￡114. ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．Less than ￡228.

C．More than ￡180.????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ?? ????????????? D．Only ￡76.

3.The passage is mainly written to those________.

A．want to travel to Majorcan capital????

B．enjoy traveling out freely

C．will stay in a hotel in Palma??????????

D．like to go shopping in the city centre of Majorca

4.What's the best title of this passage?

A．Hotel Portixol，Palma，Majorca????

B．City Portixol，Palma，Majorca
C．The transport in Majorca???????????

D．The view in Palma

The old town has narrow streets and small houses ________ are built close to each other.

A．they             B．where            C．what             D．that