A tall figure appeared from the dark door of the tent. It was a smoking young man about twenty three or four. He had an almost black face, though smooth. His moustache was black with curled points. There was an unusual force in his face, and in his daring rolling eyes. cef

　　Rebecca still stood hesitating like a swimmer about to make his dive, hardly knowing whether to return or move forward.

         "Hi, my beauty, what can I do for you?" said he, approaching. Realizing that she was quite at a loss, the man spoke in a gentle voice, "Never mind. I am Mr. Thackeray. Have you come to see me or my mother?"

　　This scene differed greatly from what Rebecca had expected. She had dreamed of an aged and dignified(威嚴的) face. She told herself to be calm and answered "I came to see your mother, sir."

　　"I am afraid you cannot see her-she is ill in bed," replied the representative of the house; for this was Mr. Alee Thackeray, the only son of the noble family. "What is the business you wish to see her about?"

　　"It isn't business-it is-I can hardly say what!"

　　"Pleasure?"

　　"Oh no. Why, sir, if I tell you, it will seem..."

　　Rebecca's sense of a certain ridicule(奚落，譏笑) was now so obvious and strong that, despite her general discomfort at being here, her rosy lips curved(彎曲) towards a smile, much to the attraction of the young man.

　　"It is so foolish", she murmured. "I fear I can't tell you!"

　　"Never mind; I like foolish things. Try again, my dear," said he kindly.

　　"Mother told me to come," Rebecca continued; "and, indeed, I was in the mind to do so myself. But I did not expect it would turn out like this. I came…sir, I came to tell you that we are of the same family as you."

　　"Ho Ho! Poor relations?"

　　"Yes."

　　"Rossetti?"

　　"No. Thackeray."

　　"Ay, ay; I mean Thackeray."

　　"Our names are worn away to Durbeyfield; but we have several proofs that we are Thackeray. The local scholars hold the view that we are, and...and we have an old seal and a silver spoon marked with the same castle as yours. So mother said we ought to make ourselves known to you, as we've lost our horse by a bad accident. We can hardly make a living."

    "It’s very kind of your mother, I'm sure." Alec looked at Rebecca as he spoke, in a way that made her uneasy. "And so, my pretty girl, you've come on a friendly visit to us, as relations?"

　　"I suppose I have," looking less confident and uncomfortable again.

"Well, there's no harm in it. I mean it doesn’t hurt to come and make yourself known to me. Where do you live? What are you?" …

1.While meeting with Alec, Rebecca feels _______during the whole course.

A. nervous and uneasy

B. excited and hopeful

C. amazed and comfortable

D. pleased but embarrassed.

2.Which of the following is suitable to describe Rebecca’s impression of Alec?

A. unfriendly and ta lkative

B. forceful and daring

C. gentle and reliable

D. older than expected

3.What is Rebecca’s real purpose of making this visit?

A. To see Alec himself.

B. To see Alec's mother.

C. To confirm that they are of the same family.

D. To make known their relationship and seek help.

4.From the passage, we can conclude that Alec appears quite friendly to Rebecca largely because __________.

A. Rebecca is his distant relation

B. Rebecca looks polite to him

C. Rebecca is a pretty girl

D. Rebecca looks ridiculous

A capsule inn is a kind of cheap and small hotel where people just sleep in rectangular containers(容器). After experiencing popularity in Japan for more than 30 years, capsule inns have now entered the Chinese market. This new style is becoming popular with many visitors, but some are less than what they expected. The capsule inn covers an area of more than 300 square meters, with 68 very small bedrooms for guests to rest. Each room is 2.2 meters long and about 1 meter wide.

As small as the capsules are, they provide more than enough daily necessities(必需品) for visitors. They do have plenty of functions. Each includes independent power sockets, clocks, lights, and flat screen televisions. People can also enjoy wireless Internet service. The basic fee(費用) for each capsule is 28 yuan, and guests will be asked to pay an extra 4 yuan every hour. The highest cost could reach 88 yuan per day.

Ta Zan, capsule inn Manager, said, “Capsule inns are similar to Internet cafes. When they first appeared more than 10 years ago, people thought they might not succeed. But now it’s a common thing in our lives.” He believes that more capsule inns will open around the nation very soon. He is sure about the future of his business.

1.How much will you pay if you want to stay in a capsule inn for 12 hours?

A. 88 yuan               B. 76 yuan               C. 28 yuan               D. 4 yuan.

2. What does the underlined word “functions” mean in Chinese?

A. 價格                       B. 功能                                 C. 方法                                 D. 需求

3.For whom, a capsule inn is a good choice while traveling around?

A. A family who like to cook by themselves.

B. A young student who likes watching TV or surfing on the Internet.

C. An old man who would like to stay in a big house with his wife.

D. A business man who wants to have a meeting with others.

4.Why does the manager compare(比較) his inn to Internet cafes?

A. Because he thinks they are similar in shape.

B. Because he knows Internet cafes were popular 10 years ago.

C. Because he thinks capsule inns are a common thing in our lives.

D. Because he believes both will have good development.

The very first capsule hotel to be opened in Shanghai has attracted many budget travelers with its prices, even though it is not fully operational yet.

The hotel consists of 68 "capsules", each 1.1-meters high, 1.1-meters wide and 2.2-meters long. The basic rate is 28 Yuan ($4.22) per person, plus an additional 4 Yuan an hour. The hotel also offers a package of 68 Yuan for 10 hours and 88 Yuan for 24 hours.

All of the capsules are imported from Japan where capsule hotels originated，and each is equipped with independent sockets, clocks, lights, TV and wireless Internet service. The hotel also has a public lavatory(洗手間)，shower room, smoking room and shared guest room.

"This is a huge bargain compared with other budget hotels in Shanghai," said Ta Zan, the owner of the hotel. Ta used to stay at capsule hotels in Tokyo during his undergraduate years and worked at a capsule hotel while he was doing his MBA in Japan in 2005, so he knows how they work and how to make guests feel comfortable.

He based the hotel on capsule hotels in Japan but he has made some special changes based on Chinese guests' habits. "In Japan capsule hotels are usually equipped with bathtubs, but in China people are more willing to take a shower, so we have the shower room," he said. He has also separated the capsules into three snoring (打鼾的) zones so that guests who often snore won't disturb others. Like most of capsule hotels in Japan, the one in Shanghai is for men only.

But the idea of staying in such a compact space is not appealing to everyone. "I feel the idea is like putting a person in a coffin (棺材), and the price is also not that appealing. A bed at a youth hostel in Shanghai costs about 60 Yuan per night," said Wang Lei, a student from Beijing.

1.The first capsule hotels in the world appeared in        .

A. Shanghai           B. Japan               C. Beijing          D. America

2.If you stay in the capsule hotel in Shanghai for 8 hours， you will have to pay       yuan.

A. 28                            B. 60                  C.68                D.88

3.What does the underlined word "compact" mean?

A. Dear                   B. Cheap.                    C. Close.            D. Clean.

4.The capsule hotel in Shanghai differs from those in Japan in that           .

A. it serves men as well as women

B. its capsule is much larger

C. it has a shower room

D. it has no snoring zones

5.We can know from the passage that            .

A. everybody considers the capsule hotel a nice place to stay

B. all the capsules of the hotel were made in China

C. each capsule of the hotel has a private lavatory

D. no guest has ever stayed in the capsule hotel in Shanghai

A capsule inn is a kind of cheap and small hotel where people just sleep in rectangular containers(容器). After experiencing popularity in Japan for more than 30 years, capsule inns have now entered the Chinese market. This new style is becoming popular with many visitors, but some are less than what they expected. The capsule inn covers an area of more than 300 square meters, with 68 very small bedrooms for guests to rest. Each room is 2.2 meters long and about 1 meter wide.
As small as the capsules are, they provide more than enough daily necessities(必需品) for visitors. They do have plenty of functions. Each includes independent power sockets, clocks, lights, and flat screen televisions. People can also enjoy wireless Internet service. The basic fee(費用) for each capsule is 28 yuan, and guests will be asked to pay an extra 4 yuan every hour. The highest cost could reach 88 yuan per day.
Ta Zan, capsule inn Manager, said, “Capsule inns are similar to Internet cafes. When they first appeared more than 10 years ago, people thought they might not succeed. But now it’s a common thing in our lives.” He believes that more capsule inns will open around the nation very soon. He is sure about the future of his business

1. 1.

   How much will you pay if you want to stay in a capsule inn for 12 hours?

   1. A.
      88 yuan
   2. B.
      76 yuan
   3. C.
      28 yuan
   4. D.
      4 yuan
2. 2.

   What does the underlined word “functions” mean in Chinese?

   1. A.
      價格
   2. B.
      功能
   3. C.
      方法
   4. D.
      需求
3. 3.

   For whom, a capsule inn is a good choice while traveling around?

   1. A.
      A family who like to cook by themselves
   2. B.
      A young student who likes watching TV or surfing on the Internet
   3. C.
      An old man who would like to stay in a big house with his wife
   4. D.
      A business man who wants to have a meeting with others
4. 4.

   Why does the manager compare(比較) his inn to Internet cafes?

   1. A.
      Because he thinks they are similar in shape
   2. B.
      Because he knows Internet cafes were popular 10 years ago
   3. C.
      Because he thinks capsule inns are a common thing in our lives
   4. D.
      Because he believes both will have good development

閱讀理解：

　　Allan goes everywhere with Birgitta Anderson, a 54-year-old secretary． He moves around her office at work and goes shopping with her． 'Most people don't seem to mind Allan, ' says Birgit-ta ,who thinks he is wonderful． 'he's my fourth child,' she says, She may think of him and treat him that way, buying his food, paying his health bills and his taxes, but in fact Allan is a dog．

　　Birgitta and Allan live in Sweden, a country where everyone is expected to lead an orderly life according to rules laid down by the government, which also provides（提供）a high level of care for its people． This level of care costs money．

　　People in Sweden pay taxes on everything, so aren't surprised to find that owning a dog means yet more taxes． Some people are paying as much as 500 Swedish kronor in taxes a year for the right to keep their dog, money that is spent by the government on dog hospitals and sometimes medical treatment for a dog that falls ill． However, most such treatment is expensive, so owners often decide to pay health and even life insurance（保險）for their dog．

　　In Sweden dog owners must pay for any damage（損壞）their dog does． A Swedish Kennel Club official explains what this means: if your dog runs out on the road and gets hit by a passing car you, as the owner ,have to pay for any damage done to the car, even if your dog has been killed in the accident．

1．Birgitta pays taxes for Allan because ______．

[　　]

A．he is her dog　　　　　　　B．he is her child

C．he follows her everywhere　D．he often falls ill

2．The money paid as dog taxes is used to ______．

[　　]

A．keep a high level of care for the people

B．pay for damage done by dogs

C．provide medical care for dogs

D．buy insurance for dog owners

3．If a dog causes a car accident and gets killed, who should pay for the damage done to the car?

[　　]

A．The owner of the car．

B．The owner of the dog．

C．The insurance company（公司）．

D．The government．

4．From the text it can be inferred that in Sweden ______．

[　　]

A．dogs are welcome in public places

B．keeping dogs means asking for trouble

C．many car accidents are caused by dogs

D．people care much about dogs