Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with her Lord．She did it her way．

I got the call at work, and 1 headed home quickly．Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven．I hated going there every weekend．There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception．

My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land and loved to work in the garden among her flowers and vegetables．The place was rustic （鄉(xiāng)下的）, with no indoor heat．We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me．

In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen．I sang the melody and Mom larmonized．Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over． Momtold me stones about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk．She loved to tell how my playpen （嬰兒圈欄） sat in the kitchen next to the radio and there was one song I particularly loved called "Ivory Tower"．

As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit them every week or two．The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad．But I still hated the silence of the farm．While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle （喧鬧） of my life at home．But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced．

Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio．Music always comforted me,

My heart skipped a beat．"Moon River" was playing on the radio．I sat there, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note．

Then the radio announcer of this old station came on．" Here's one we haven't heard in a while," and an unfamiliar song began．I began to cry harder as I heard the words sung over the airwaves．"Come down; come down from your Ivory Tower…"

1.The writer didn't like staying in the farm for the following reasons EXCEPT that ______．

    A．it was too cold and quiet

    B．she could only sing one song in the small farm

    C．there was nothing more that could make her excited

    D．The place was rustic, with no indoor heat

2.From the First paragraph, we know that the writer's mother ______．

    A．died four years ago                                      B．left the small farm with Lord

    C．left for Lord to live her own way                        D．preferred to be with Lord

3.The underlined word reminisced in Paragraph 5 probably means ______．

    A．recalled         B．comforted        C．shouted          D．sighed

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage _____．

    A．The writer was able to dance before she could speak．

    B．The writer preferred to live a quiet life in the country．

    C．The writer was still quite familiar with the song "Ivory Tower",

    D．The writer forgot all her childhood memories in the small farmhouse．

5.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

    A．Two English songs                    B．My happy childhood

    C．Our small farmhouse              D．Mom's music

 

Tayka Hotel De Sal

Where: Tahua, Bolivia

How much: About $95 a night

Why it’s cool: You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That’s something few can claim．Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses (床墊) and blankets)．The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried-up lake that’s the world’s biggest salt flat．Builders use the salt from the 4,633-square-mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries．When rain starts to dissolve the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.

Green Magic Nature Resort

Where: Vythiri, India

How much: About $240 a night

Why it’s cool: Ridding a pulley(滑輪)-operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure．As you look out of your open window—there is no glass!—you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy．Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read．You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn “elevator”.

Dog Bark Park Inn B&B

Where: Cottonwood, Idaho

How much: $92 a night

Why it’s cool: This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet．Sweet Willy is a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly．Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side．You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a ffew steps ot the loft in Willy’s head, or hang out inside his nose．Cotta “go”(想要方便一下)? Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant outside.

Gamirasu Cave Hotel

Where: Ayvali, Turkey

How much: Between $130 and $475 a night.

Why it’s cool: This is caveman cool! Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash．But your stay will be much more modern．Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65℉in summer．(Don’t worry—there is heat in winter.)

Which of the following about Tayka Hotel de Sal is true?

      A．The hotel is the cheapest among the four mentioned.

      B．Everything in the hotel is made of salt.

      C．It is on an island in the Pacific Ocean.

      D．It is located on a prehistoric lake.

What is the similarity of the four hotels?

      A．Being expensive.     B．Being beautiful.      C．Being natural.  D．Being unique.

What does the underline part “Sweet Willy” refer to?

      A．The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.

      B．The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner.

      C．The name of the hotel.

      D．The name of the hotel owner.

Which of the hotel makes you have a feeling of living in the far past?

      A．Tayka Hotel De Sal  B．Green Magic Nature Resort

      C．Dog Bark Park Inn B&B       D．Gamirasu Cave Hotel

What may be the purpose of the writer writing the passage?

      A．To show his wide knowledge. B．To introduce some interesting hotels.

      C．To develop business in tourism.      D．To attract attention from the readers.

Tayka Hotel De Sal

Where: Tahua, Bolivia

How much: About $95 a night

Why it’s cool: You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That’s something few can claim. Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses(床墊) and blankets). The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried-up lake that’s the world’s biggest salt flat. Builders use the salt from the 4,633-square-mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries. When rain starts to dissolve the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.

Green Magic Nature Resort

Where: Vythiri, India

How much: About $240 a night

Why it’s cool: Ridding a pulley(滑輪)-operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure. As you look out of your open window—there is no glass!—you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy. Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read. You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn “elevator”.

Dog Bark Park Inn B&B

Where: Cottonwood, Idaho

How much: $92 a night

Why it’s cool: This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet．Sweet Willy is a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly. Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side. You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a few steps of the loft(閣樓）in Willy’s head, or hang out inside his nose. Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant (消防栓）outside.

Gamirasu Cave Hotel

Where: Ayvali, Turkey

How much: Between $130 and $475 a night

Why it’s cool: This is caveman cool! Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash. But your stay will be much more modern. Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65℉ in summer. (Don’t worry—there is heat in winter.)

1.What do we know about Tayka Hotel de Sal?

A. It is located on a prehistoric lake.

B. It should be protected against the rain.

C. Everything in the hotel is made of salt.

D. You have to cross a rope bridge to the hotel.

2.What is the similarity of the four hotels?

A. Being expensive.                                                 B. Being comfortable.

C. Being natural.                                                    D. Being unique.

3.What does the underlined part “Sweet Willy” refer to?

A. The name of the hotel.

B. The name of the hotel owner.

C. The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.

D. The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner.

4.Which of the hotels makes you have a feeling of living in the far past?

A. Tayka Hotel De Sal                                                        B. Green Magic Nature Resort

C. Dog Bark Park Inn B&B                                       D. Gamirasu Cave Hotel

5.What may be the purpose of the writer writing the passage?

A. To show his wide knowledge

B. To introduce some interesting hotels

C. To develop business in tourism

D. To attract attention from the readers

 

----Four dollars a pair? I think it’s a bit too much.

----If you buy three pairs, the price for each will_____to three fifty.

A. come down         B. take down         C. turn over         D. go over

Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with her Lord. She did it her way.

I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly. Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven. I hated going there every weekend. There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception.

My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land and loved to work in the garden among her flowers and vegetables. The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat. We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me.

In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen. I sang the melody and Mom harmonized. Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over. Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk. She loved to tell how my playpen（嬰兒圈欄）sat in the kitchen next to the radio and there was one song I particularly loved called "Ivory Tower".

As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit every week or two. The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad. Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm. While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle（喧鬧）of my life at home. But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced.

Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio. Music always comforted me.

My heart skipped a beat. "Moon River" was playing on the radio. I sat there stunned, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note.

Then the radio announcer of this oldie station came on. "Here's one we haven't heard in a while," and an unfamiliar song began. I began to cry harder as I heard the words sung over the airwaves. "Come down, come down from your Ivory Tower...."

The writer didn’t like staying in the farm for the following reasons EXCEPT that ________.

A. it was too cold and quiet

B. she could only sing one song in the small farm

C. there was nothing more that could make her excited

D. The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat

From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________.

    A. passed away four years ago

 B. left the small farm with Lord

C. left for Lord to live her own way

    D. preferred to be with Lord

The underlined word reminisced in the fifth paragraph probably means ________.

A. recalled     B. comforted     C. shouted      D. sighed

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage _______.

A. The writer was able to sing before she could speak.

B. The writer preferred to live a busy life in the city.

C. The writer was still quite familiar with the song "Ivory Tower".

D. The writer treasured all her childhood memories in the small farmhouse.

Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? _______

A. Cherish life                  B. My happy childhood

C. Our small farmhouse           D. Mom’s music