If you frequently travel for business, Stay bridge Suites offer you a range of home comforts. Four recent visitors to Staybridge Suites explain why they booked, what they enjoyed and what made them want to return.

Claire Metcalf

“The concept is great, but the staff are the ones who really make it. ”she says. “It takes a lot of discipline to always be friendly, but the staff at Staybridge Suites do that. They genuinely care about you.”

Andrew Roberts

“One of the best things is having my own kitchen. I often end up working late and I don’t fancy eating in a restaurant on my own, so cooking for myself is a big drawcard. ”

“The main thing for me is being able to cook and have my own little flat. The staff are amazing. It is great to be recognized by them, ”he says.

Pauline Robinson

“What I love about it is the way that you are treated by the staff,” she says. “Some of the staff have been there all that time and they do look after you well. As a woman staying on my own, it is reassuring that they look out for you, and recently when I was poorly they even brought things I needed to my room. ”

Ryan Ruckledge

“The fully-equipped kitchen is great. I always have a one-bed apartment so I have a separate kitchen and dining room and I’m able to relax and cook some meals. Eating out can feel a bit much when you do it day in and day out—it makes you hate what you do—and I don’t want that.

1. What attracts visitors to Staybridge Suites?

A. A separate dining room.    B. A one—bed apartment.

C. A home from home.    D. A lot of discipline.

2. Who think highly of the kitchen of Staybridge Suites?

A. Pauline Robinson and Ryan Ruckledge.

B. Ryan Ruckledge and Claire Metcalf.

C. Andrew Roberts and Ryan Ruckledge.

D. Pauline Robinson and Claire Metcalf.

3. What does the underlined  word “drawcard” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A. barrier.    B. attraction.

C. honour.    D. difficulty.

4. Why does the author write the article?

A. To advertise Staybridge Suites.

B. To introduce four recent visitors.

C. To inform us of a new service.

D. To sing high praise for the staff.

Ask a teacher to name the most annoying invention of recent years and they will often mention the mobile phone. Disturbed by the problems they create, many head teachers have ordered that pupils should keep their phones switched off at school. Others have told pupils to leave them at home.

However, education researchers at The University of Nottingham believe it is time that phone bans were reassessed, because mobile phones can be a powerful learning aid, they say. Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young and her colleagues have reached this conclusion after studying the consequences of allowing pupils in five secondary schools to use either their own mobile phones or the new generation of ‘smartphones’ in lessons.

During the nine-month experiment, 14- to 16-year-old pupils used the phones for a wide range of educational purposes, including creating short movies, setting homework reminders, recording a teacher reading a poem, and timing experiments with the phones’ stopwatches. The smartphones, which could be connected to the Internet, also allowed pupils to access revision websites, log into the school email system, or transfer (转存) electronic files between school and home.

The research involved 331 pupils in schools in Cambridgeshire, West Berkshire and Nottingham. “At the start of the study, even pupils were often surprised at the thought that mobile phones could be used for learning,” Dr Hartnell-Young said. “After their hands-on experience, almost all pupils said they had enjoyed the project and felt more inspired.”

Some teachers found that pupils who lacked confidence gained most from the project. However, they recognised that greater use of mobile phones in schools could cause problems.

5. We can infer from the first paragraph that       .

A. teachers are strongly against students owning mobile phones

B. mobile phones should be developed to meet students’ needs

C. students are free to use their mobile phones at school

D. mobile phones are usually forbidden to be used at school

6. When the students first used mobile phones for learning, they       .

A. all enjoyed the project very much

B. didn’t know what they were used for

C. didn’t fully realize the learning functions of mobile phones

D. were surprised that they were allowed to use mobile phones in schools

7. Who benefited most from the project?

A. Older pupils.    B. Pupils who were not confident.

C. Younger pupils.    D. Pupils who were confident.

8. The purpose of the text is to tell us that       .

A. mobile phones can actually help students learn

B. mobile phones begin to be widely used in schools

C. too much use of mobile phones in schools can cause problems

D. the mobile phone is considered the most annoying invention of recent years

 (NEW YORK) A French tourist highly praised for rescuing a two-year-old girl in Manhattan said he didn’t think twice before diving into the freezing East River.

Tuesday’s Daily News said 29-year-old Julien Duret from France was the man who left the spot quickly after the rescue last Saturday.

He lifted the little girl out of the water after she fell off the bank at the South Street Seaport museum. He handed the girl to her father, David Anderson, who had dived in after him.

“I didn’t think at all,” Duret told the Daily News. “It happened very fast. I reacted very fast.”

Duret, an engineer on vacation, was walking with his girlfriend along the pier(码头) when he saw something falling into the water. He thought it was a doll, but realized it was a child when he approached the river. Immediately, he took off his coat and jumped into the water.

When he reached the girl, she appeared lifeless, he said. Fortunately, when she was out of the water, she opened her eyes.

Anderson said his daughter slipped off the bank when he was adjusting his camera. An ambulance came later for her, said Duret, who was handed dry clothes from onlookers. Duret caught a taxi with his girlfriend shortly after.

The rescue happened on the day before he left for France. Duret said he didn’t realize his story of heroism had greatly moved New York until he was leaving the city the next morning.

“I don’t really think I’m a hero,” said Duret. “Anyone would do the same thing.”

9. Why was Duret in New York?

A. To meet his girlfriend.    B. To spend his holiday.

C. To work as an engineer.    D. To visit the Andersons.

10. What did Duret do shortly after the ambulance came?

A. He was interviewed by a newspaper.

B. He went to the hospital in the ambulance.

C. He disappeared from the spot quickly.

D. He asked his girlfriend for his dry clothes.

11. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Duret thought twice before he jumped into the cold water.

B. Duret dived into the water before the girl’s father.

C. The rescue happened on the day Duret left for France.

D. Duret didn’t think he was brave enough to be a hero.

12. What is probably the headline of this news report?

A. A Careless Father    B. A Poor Girl

C. Warm-hearted Onlookers    D. Brave Frenchman Found

Is it necessary to learn when we are 50s, 60s or even 70s?Most people consider when they get retired, they are supposed to be completely laidback, do something fun, or hang around.___13___ It’s particularly important to the elderly.

Through learning, we know how to think, how to memorize, how to ask questions and even how to interact with others. According to a study, while we are learning, “the brain creates neural(神经)pathways” that make us smarter. ____14____ The more we learn, the mote new  neural pathways develop in our brains.

When it comes to learning, it doesn’t mean we must load ourselves with lots of knowledge. What we need to do is just learn something we like day in and day out. ____15____ Everyone learns from bottom to up. If we have an interest to learn, that desire will naturally push us to move forward.

As we feel worn out from learning, don’t be discouraged.____16____ An old saying goes, “Birds of a feather fly together.” As long as we have partners to learn all together, our learning excitement will come alive again. On the contrary, if we don’t learn, and choose to distance ourselves from other, we might be getting dumb, and slow; eventually, we lose energy, and life passion. Instead of being bored, dumb, why don’t we keep learning?

____17____ More importantly, learning explores our life horizon, helps us build up our confidence; gradually, it leads us to a way of finding a sense of value and ach.

A. It’s never too old to learn.

B. Don’t worry if we cannot learn well.

C. You should set a high learning target.

D. Learning makes us understand how potential we are.

E. Look for a partner who has the same common interest as you do.

F. In other words, our brains are active as we learn something new.

G. However, the truth is that learning makes us energetic, and self-fulfilled.

38. All my ______(行李)was ready.

39. Travelling by underground is fast, _____(便捷的), and cheap

40. In many countries, the police are forbidden to_____.(罢工)

41. We are so______(感激的)for all the support we received

42. He was sitting ______(舒服)in the armchair, reading a newspaper

43. It has never_____(想到)to him that he might be falling in love with her

44. Sally was ______(收养)when she was four

45. The company is a major ______(赞助商) of the Olympics

46. Who shall we ______(任命)as chairperson?

47. In _____ of the bad weather(不管), they finally climbed up to the top of the hill.