閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的A、B、C和D四個選項中，選出最佳選項。

（一）

A

Cruisecom， one of the Internets largest cruise （乘船游覽） resources， provides lots of cruise lines. Here are some of the most popular ones for you to choose from.

MSC Cruise

MSC Cruise ships combine true European beauty with Italian style. Activities are rich on board an MSC cruise. There is family fun at the Aqua Park. Kids will enjoy the WII and the 4-D Theater. Lasting from 2 to 22 days， MSC Cruise ships sail to the Caribbean， the Mediterranean， northern Europe and so on.

Carnival Cruise

On a Carnival Cruise ship there is always so much to do. There are pools， golf， a Seaside Theater and rich activities to keep kids and adults of all ages joyful. Kids love Camp Carnival and for a little quiet time adults can relax at the “Adult-Only” Serenity Retreat. Lasting from 3 to 17 days， Carnival ships sail to the Bahamas， the Caribbean， Mexico and so on.

Alaska Cruise

Alaska cruises show some of the most beautiful sights in the world. Alaska is a piece of America that offers great cruising， pure wilderness， attractive history and multi-cultural arts， lifestyles and communities throughout the state. Cruising to Alaska is a true part of the Alaska experience. Cruise line lasts from 5 to 19 days on all kinds of cruise lines on ships large and small.

Celebrity Cruise

Celebrity ships are decorated with modern artwork. Life onboard is filled with rich activities， including Broadway-style shows， world class casinos， and clubs where you can dance the night away. Lasting from 3 to 24 days， Celebritys eleven ships sail to Alaska， Asia， Australia & New Zealand and so on.

1. In which cruise can kids watch a 4-D film？

A. Alaska Cruise. B. Carnival Cruise.

C. MSC Cruise. D. Celebrity Cruise.

2. What can you do in Carnival Cruise？

A. Learning history. B. Playing golf.

C. Enjoying modern artwork. D. Experiencing Italian culture.

3. What do Alaska Cruise and Celebrity Cruise have in common？

A. They can reach Alaska. B. They have the same number of activities.

C. They last 19 days at least. D. They have their ships decorated with modern artwork.

B

The very wealthy English Baron Fitzgerald had only one child， a son， who understandably was the apple of his eye. His wife died when the child was in his early teens. So Fitzgerald devoted himself to fathering the kid. Unluckily the son died in his late teens.

Meanwhile， Fitzgeralds wealth greatly increased. He spent a lot on art works of the masters.

Later Fitzgerald himself became seriously ill. Before his death， he had carefully prepared his will as to how his wealth would be settled—to sell his entire collection at an auction （拍賣）.

Because of the large quantity and high quality of his collection， a huge crowd of possible buyers gathered for the auction. Many of them were museum directors and private collectors eager to bid （出價）. Before the auction， the art works were shown， among which was a painting of Fitzgeralds son by an unknown artist. Because of its poor quality， it received little attention.

When it was time for the auction， the auctioneer gaveled （敲槌） the crowd to attention. First the lawyer read from Fitzgeralds will that the first art work to be auctioned was the painting of his son.

The poor-quality painting didnt receive any bidders… except one—the old servant who had served the son and loved him， and who for emotional reasons offered the only bid.

As soon as the servant bought the painting for less than one English pound， the auctioneer stopped the bidding and asked the lawyer to read again from the will. The crowd became quiet， and the lawyer read from the will， “Whoever buys the painting of my son gets all my collection.” Then the auction was over.

4. What was Baron Fitzgerald？

A. A museum director. B. A lawyer.

C. An art collector. D. An artist.

5. Why did the old servant bid for the painting of Fitzgeralds son？

A. He loved the son. B. He saw that no one bid for it.

C. He knew the content of the will. D. He found it cheap for him to buy.

6. What kind of person was the old servant？

A. Proud. B. Kind. C. Honest. D. Clever.

7. What can be the best title of the text？

A. The Auction B. The wealthy Englishman

C. The Servant at the Auction D. One Painting for All

C

The iPhone， the iPad： each of Apples products sounds cool and has become a fashion. Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i”—and many other brands are following suit. The BBCs iPlayer—which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet—used the title in 2015. A lovely bear—popular in the US and UK—that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”.

In general， single-letter prefixes （前綴） have been popular since the 1990s， when terms like e-mail first came into use.

Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of independents “i”. Its no surprise that theyve selected this fashionable name.

But its hard to see whats so special about the letter “i”. Why not use “a”， “b”， or “c” instead？ According to Tony Thorne， head of the Language Center at Kings College， London， “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”， no one knows whether it means Internet， information， individual or interactive， Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPod， it seems it didnt have one clear definition，” he says.

“However， thanks to Apple， the term is now connected with portability （輕便），” adds Thorne.

Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs， and we love personalized products for this reason.

Along with “Google” and “Microblog”， readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last ten years.

But as history shows， people grow tired of fashions. From the 1900s to 1990s， products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was connected with all things advanced and modern. However， as we entered the new century， the fashion disappeared.

8. What do people use iPlayer to do according to Paragraph 1？

A. To make a call. B. To listen to music.

C. To read newspapers. D. To watch TV programs online.

9. What does the underlined word “ambiguous” in Paragraph 4 mean？

A. Popular. B. Interesting. C. Uncertain. D. Unique.

10. According to paragraph 6 the letter “i” has something to do with ___ .

A. Apples products B. the Internet

C. the Western culture D. information technology

11. What can be inferred from the last paragraph？

A. “i” products are of high quality. B. Fashions dont necessarily change with time.

C. The popularity of “i” products may not last long. D. Products with “2000” are popular in new century.

D

A severe storm can be a disaster if there are no enough plants to absorb the large quantities of water. Not long ago， a sudden rain in Los Angeles killed twenty people. But despite its suddenness， a rainstorm—or any rainfall—is the result of a complex chain of events.

I used to think that rain was started when the cloud somehow forced out its water， as we would press a sponge （海綿）. But its not the way it happens.

The tiny droplets （水滴） that create a cloud are far apart from each other. They are actually as far apart， if we think about their size， as the earth and the moon are. Yet there are so many of them in a cloud that they seem to form something huge， just like how the Milky Way is formed. Each of the cloud droplets may be less than 1/10，000 of an inch across， yet they are floating by themselves， in millions.

Each droplet changes as the air condition changes. When its size increases， it becomes heavier， until the air can no longer hold it up. Then it begins to fall.

A raindrop can be about a million times the size of a cloud droplet. When the drops reach a width of about 1/200 of an inch， they are likely to fall as a gentle mist （霧）. At 1/50 of an inch， and if there is little wind， they will fall at about the same speed， and the earth receives no more than a light rain. But when wind mixes the drops of different sizes falling at different speeds， the bigger drops will overtake the smaller， slower ones. They will combine into bigger and bigger drops. It is just in this way that the heavy drops of a thunderstorm are formed.

12. Under what condition is it likely for us to see a rain？

A. There is a sudden wind. B. Cloud droplets are too heavy to float.

C. The cloud presses out its water. D. There are no enough plants on the ground.

13. What does the writer want to explain by mentioning the earth and the moon？

A. What cloud really is. B. The distance between droplets.

C. How big a droplet is. D. The formation of the Milky Way.

14. Whats the major difference between a mist and a light rain？

A. The strength of winds. B. The speed they fall.

C. The size of the droplets. D. The damage they cause.

15. What is necessary for a light rain to change into a heavy one？

A. The cloud. B. The storm. C. The thunder. D. The wind.

（二）

A

Journey to Asia in 2019

Follow the Silk Route

Though they were ruled by Russia for more than 100 years， Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have remained far more connected to their earlier histories. This 11-day journey， with guidance from Times-selected experts， will take you deep into the heart of these Silk Road nations.

Journey： 11 days Time： Apr. 15， Mar. 20 and Sept. 23， 2019

Travelers： 20 Costs： $6，495

Saudi Arabia and the Emirates： The Past and Future of Oil

Oil transformed the Arabian Peninsula， bringing wealth to the traditional area as well as problems with the Western nations that needed it. Learn more on this journey accompanied by New York Times-selected experts. Explore the conservatism （保守主義） that existed in Saudi Arabia， and then see the modern architectural city Abu Dhabi.