Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mother, you must come to see the daffodils(黄水仙)before they are over”. I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. “I will come next Tuesday,” I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, “ Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see!”

My daughter smiled calmly and said, “We drive in this all the time, Mother. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.”

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read, “Daffodil Garden.”

We got out of the car and each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight. There were five acres of flowers. “But who has done this?” I asked Carolyn. “It’s just one woman,” Carolyn answered. “That’s her home.” Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A- frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio(露台), we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline.

The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs(球茎),” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”

I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun—one bulb at a time—to bring the beauty and joy to the mountain top.

1. The author didn’t go to see the daffodils at first because__________.

   A. she was not interested in them     B. they were growing on a mountain top

   C. the weather was not good enough  D. it was a long drive to her daughter’s house

2. Which of the following best describes the author’s feeling seeing the daffodils?

   A. Amazed.         B. Disappointed.   C. Confused.      D. Moved.

3. What do we know about the woman living in the A-frame house?

   A. She must be out of mind.        

   B. She acted as a gardener here.

   C. It took her great determination to grow the daffodils.

   D. She was poor and made her living by selling daffodils.

4. What would be the best title of the passage?

   A. A Wonderful Daffodil Garden       B. A Remarkable Woman

   C. One Bulb at a Time                     D. I Love Daffodils

 

As you climb into the hill country, the roads get dustier and rougher, and fewer cars can be seen. Phonxay is one of the poorest districts of Laos, and many of its villages are only accessible by footpath. Our destination this hot morning is a concrete water tank that can be found just off the road. A UK organization helped to build it six years ago, and in the nearby village of Thapho, where clean drinking water is scarce, it has made a big difference. The tank feeds six taps which in turn give water to over 800 people---it has improved things for almost every family, from schoolchildren to grannies.

        But lately, we were told, the clean water supply has come under pressure from new arrivals, people who have come down from the hill areas, and there are concerns that there will not be enough clean water to go round.

There are also serious worries about resources in Laos. The Chinese are building a 400km railway link, which could transform the landlocked country. About 150,000 Chinese workers will be involved. What will this do to local clean water supplies? How will the workers be fed?

The vast majority of Laotians live on farms. But with foreign investors wanting to buy up land, local people will have to be moved to make room for them. Heavily dependent on both foreign aid and foreign investment, Laos still falls well behind its neighbours, although its economy has grown at about 6% a year in the last decade. Its biggest economic problem is the lack of locally trained skilled workforce.

But there are reasons to be hopeful for the future. Laos is beautiful, and foreign tourism continues to grow: fortunately so far the fast-food chains and coffee bars common elsewhere are nowhere to be seen. Although all local media are government-run, the Internet is not controlled and the BBC and CNN are available to those with satellite dishes.

The government has also achieved impressive results in rural development, with communities benefiting not just from cleaner water but the construction of new schools and regular visits from medical teams. Poverty will not be history in Laos within the next decade, but with small steps forward and a bit of outside help, the country could find itself out of the UN’s least-developed category by 2020.

1.What is putting pressure on the local supply of clean water?

A. Dust from the road is making the water dirtier.

B. There are too many taps accessing the water.

C. The population of the area is growing fast.

D. The coming summer will dry up rivers and lakes.

2.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT a reason for Laos to be hopeful?

A. There are no fast-food restaurants in the country.

B. Laos has a variety of tourist attractions.

C. Information on the Internet is freely accessible.

D. The government owns all local media.

3.What is the most serious limitation on Laos’ economic growth?

A. The lack of local skilled workers.

B. A poor transportation system.

C. Too much foreign aid.

D. Too many foreign workers.

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A. Laos: slow-developing nations

B. Laos: small steps forward

C. Laos: least-developed land

D. Laos: landlocked country

 

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mother, you must come to see the daffodils (黄水仙) before they are over，” I wanted to go, but it was a two－hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. “I will come next Tuesday，” I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren. I said. “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see！”

My daughter smiled calmly and said. “We drive in this all the time, mother. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.”

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand－lettered sign that read: “Daffodil Garden.”

We got out of the car and each took a child's hand. And I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner of the path. and I looked up and gasped.Before me lay the most glorious sight. There were five acres of flowers. “But who has done this？” I asked Carolyn. “It's just one woman，” Carolyn answered. “That's her home.” Carolyn pointed to a well－kept A－frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio(露台), we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline.

The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs(球茎)，” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”

I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun—one bulb at a time—to bring the beauty and joy to the mountain top.

6. The author didn't go to see the daffodils at first because ________.

A. she was not interested in them

B. they were growing on a mountain top

C. the weather was not good enough

D. it was a long drive to her daughter's house

7. Which of the following BEST describes the author's feeling seeing the daffodils?

A. Amazed.   B. Disappointed.  　　C. Confused.      　　D. Moved.

8. What do we know about the woman living in the A－frame house?

A. She must be out of mind.

B. She acted as a gardener here.

C. It took her great determination to grow the daffodils.

D. She was poor and made her living by selling daffodils.

9. What would be the BEST title of the passage?

A. A Wonderful Daffodil Garden      　　

B. A Remarkable Woman

C. One Bulb at a Time              　　

D. I Love Daffodils

10. What could the author probably learn from this experience?

A. Nothing is too difficult if you put your heart into it.

B. We must put the interests of others above our own.

C. We can change the world through our own efforts.

D. It's never too late to learn.

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mum, you must come and see the daffodils （水仙花）before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Lake Arrowhead. “I will go next Tuesday,” I promised, a little unwillingly, on her third call.

    The next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible （看不见的）in the cloud and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see!”

    My daughter smiled calmly and said, “We drive in this weather all the time, Mum. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.”

    After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read “Daffodil Garden”.

    We got out of the car and each took a child’s hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a corner of the path, and I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most beautiful sight! There were five acres of flowers! “But who has done this?” I asked Carolyn. “It’s just one woman,” Carolyn answered. “That’s her home,” Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio （庭院）, we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking” was the headline.

    The first answer was a simple one. “50,000 bulbs （鳞茎）,” it read. The second answer was, “One at a time, by one woman.” The third answer was, “Began in 1958.”

    I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than fifty years before, had begun -- one bulb at a time -- to bring the beauty and joy to the mountain top.

The author didn’t go to see the daffodils at first because _________.

    A. she was not interested in them

    B. they were growing on the mountain top

    C. the weather was not good enough

    D. it was not easy for her to drive there

What do we know about the woman living in the A-frame house?

    A. She must be out of mind.

    B. She acted as a gardener there.

    C. It took her great determination to grow the daffodils.

    D. She was poor and made her living by selling daffodils.

What could the author probably learn from this experience?

    A. Nothing is too difficult if you put your heart into it.

    B. We must put the interests of others above our own.

    C. We can change the world by growing flowers.

    D. It’s never too late to learn.

What would be the best title for the passage?

    A. An Unforgettable Experience.         B. Beautiful Daffodils.

C. One Bulb at a Time.                 D. I Love Daffodils.

Have you ever wanted to feel like you were in a western film? Or maybe you wanted to feel like you were a pioneer traveling the west? It is possible to experience such things during a Wild West vacation! Here are four of the best Wild West vacation locations available:

Walk the Lewis and Clark Trail

Walk some or all of the 3,700 miles trail that was traversed by Mariwether Lewis and William Clark, two of the world’s greatest explorers. Though not all the trails are marked, there are various stops that have been preserved by various historic societies. There is also a coach (长途客车) that makes a 16-day trek following the trail. This begins in St. Louis, Missouri, and ends in Astoria, Oregon.

Venture Route 66

Take a tour or go to see it yourself — ride on the famous Route 66. The road is nearly 2,500 miles long. Harley Davidson offers motorcycle tours that last two weeks. Route 66 will provide an experience that may only be found on the open road. The historic road is still well taken care of.

Visit the Grand Canyon

Visit the greatest canyon in the world, located in Northern Arizona. Raft down the Colorado River, or hike the various trails that run throughout the canyon. If walking is not your thing, there are donkey and horse riding adventures available. In addition, there are motorized boats that float down through the canyon in a week’s time.

Visit Deadwood

Located in South Dakota, Deadwood is a historic landmark. It is the kind of town that comes to mind when one thinks of an old western film. Actors who act as gunslingers (杀手) will often be seen in the streets playing their roles. Winter activities are popular in this old town, and there is always something to do.

1.The underlined word “trek” (Para 2) can be replaced by      .

A．beautiful scenery	B．traveling information
C．pleasant holiday	D．long and hard journey

2.Which of following riding adventures can tourists take on Route 66?              

A．A horse riding adventure.	B．A coach riding adventure.
C．A motorcycle riding adventure.	D．A donkey riding adventure.

3.If you want to hike various trails you are advised to      .

A．visit the Grand Canyon	B．visit Deadwood
C．venture Route 66	D．walk the Lewis and Clark Trail

4.What do we know from the passage?

A．A number of historic stops aren’t protected well.

B．William Clark was a pioneer who explored the west.

C．Western films are the most popular among Americans.

D．None of the trails in the west are marked.