The Oxford Mal, England
Most prisons are the kind of place you’d be desperate to escape from, not somewhere you’d possibly conceive of escaping to.
But this former Oxford prison has been converted into a boutique hotel by the fashionable Malmaison chain and offers the kind of luxurious living that former convicts could only have dreamed of.
Rates: Double room £140 (US$233). Breakfast £12.95 per person
Jules’ Undersea Lodge, United States
Originally a research laboratory, the world’s only underwater hotel sits at the bottom of the Emerald Lagoon in Florida, and can only be reached by scuba diving down six meters.
The lodge can accommodate two couples and is kitted out with showers, a microwave and a fridge.
The real attractions are the fish; the lodge is like a goldfish bowl in reverse, where you sit and watch angelfish, parrotfish, barracuda and snappers peering in at you through the window.
Rates: From US$400
Das Park Hotel, Austria
Stay overnight in a concrete sewer pipe on the banks of the River Danube.
The drainpipes are two meters in diameter and two and a half meters long, with a porthole to look out of, a front door to close and a cozy nest to snuggle into, which includes a low-slung futon, bedside lamp, woolly blanket and light sleeping bag.
Rates: You pay as much, or as little, as you want.
Sant` Angelo Luxury Resort, Italy
“Four-star boutique cave-hotel” is the proud boast of the Sant’Angelo in the city of Matera, which is famous for its sassi-houses dug into the rock. Matera is the only place in the world where people can boast to be still living in the same houses as their ancestors did 9,000 years ago. The rooms have been fashioned from old sassi stables and workshops. There are two restaurants, a bar and an art gallery.
Rates: A three-night package costs from US$560 per person including some meals, a walking tour and car hire, but not flights.
La Balade Des Gnomes, Belgium
A truly out-of-this-world experience, this hotel makes you feel like you’re on the moon.
You can sleep in a moon buggy, bathe in a lunar capsule, and the walls and ceilings are covered in twinkling stars and planets.
Other themed rooms include a newly opened Trojan Horse, a Troll Forest, a South Seas sailing ship and a Wine Room.
Rates: From ?115 (US$170) per double
【小題1】Das Park Hotel is different from the other hotels in that __________.

 Evidence obtained from observation and experiment is often used to _____ a scientific theory.
A. confirm            B. confine             C. conform           D. conceive

Scientists made a great break through this year in England when the first "test tube" baby was born．The birth was the result of many years of research by doctors．The doctors did the research in groups to help the women who cannot conceive a baby in the normal way．
What happened when the baby was born "from a test tube"? Well, the baby did not literally grow in a test tube．The first stage of the process was that the egg from the woman and the sperm from the man were put together in the test tube．After all, the embryo was put into the womb of a woman．This process was difficult．But it was successful, so the baby was eventually born, like any other, from a woman, only the woman wasn't the baby's real mother, but a sort of "carrier" of a baby produced by another couple．
Obviously, this method is to help to couples who can't have children because of physical problems in the woman．But very difficult moral problems arise in the kind of situation．Take it for instance, a case that happened this year．A couple who wanted a baby advertised for a woman to have a child by the father of the couple．They offered the woman a lot of money．The woman was made pregnant by artificial insemination; in this case, the woman "employed" to bear the child was its real mother．When the baby was born, the woman refused to give it back to the couple．But, in the eyes of the law, the woman had a right to keep the children because she was its biological mother．
You could argue that we should change the law to deal with this kind of situation．In earlier times, there were always healthy babies needing adoption, because family planning methods were not so effective as they are now．These days, however, most of the children who can be adopted are over six years old, often handicapped in some way．So a couple who want a young healthy baby cannot always adopt one, this is why the "test tube" baby is in demand．But is it normally right to use this method? Should we temper with nature in this way? Even if we change the law, would this be the right step to take ?
【小題1】The birth of the first "test-tube" baby is a great advance _____．

A．The couple who want a baby．

B．The biological mother of the child．

C．The person who pays the money to the real mother．

D．The father who advertises for a biological mother．

Scientists made a great break through this year in England when the first "test tube" baby was born．The birth was the result of many years of research by doctors．The doctors did the research in groups to help the women who cannot conceive a baby in the normal way．

What happened when the baby was born "from a test tube"? Well, the baby did not literally grow in a test tube．The first stage of the process was that the egg from the woman and the sperm from the man were put together in the test tube．After all, the embryo was put into the womb of a woman．This process was difficult．But it was successful, so the baby was eventually born, like any other, from a woman, only the woman wasn't the baby's real mother, but a sort of "carrier" of a baby produced by another couple．

Obviously, this method is to help to couples who can't have children because of physical problems in the woman．But very difficult moral problems arise in the kind of situation．Take it for instance, a case that happened this year．A couple who wanted a baby advertised for a woman to have a child by the father of the couple．They offered the woman a lot of money．The woman was made pregnant by artificial insemination; in this case, the woman "employed" to bear the child was its real mother．When the baby was born, the woman refused to give it back to the couple．But, in the eyes of the law, the woman had a right to keep the children because she was its biological mother．

You could argue that we should change the law to deal with this kind of situation．In earlier times, there were always healthy babies needing adoption, because family planning methods were not so effective as they are now．These days, however, most of the children who can be adopted are over six years old, often handicapped in some way．So a couple who want a young healthy baby cannot always adopt one, this is why the "test tube" baby is in demand．But is it normally right to use this method? Should we temper with nature in this way? Even if we change the law, would this be the right step to take ?

1.The birth of the first "test-tube" baby is a great advance _____．

    A．on medical science

    B．in birth control

    C．on the research for babies

    D．in the lives of married women

2.When we say a baby was born "from a test-tube", we mean_____ ．

    A．the baby didn't develop in the womb of a woman

    B．the baby has no biological parents

    C．the embryo was formed in the test tube

    D．the baby grew in the test-tube before it was born

3.According to the law, who has right to keep the baby produced by the artificial method?

    A．The couple who want a baby．

    B．The biological mother of the child．

    C．The person who pays the money to the real mother．

    D．The father who advertises for a biological mother．

4.According to the passage, people need "test-tube baby" because_____ ．

    A．family planning methods are not effective．

    B．they can't always adopt a young healthy baby

    C．they are unwilling to adopt a child．

    D．there are so many babies needing adoption．

閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，從每題所給的A、B、C、D四個選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。

    It was a dark day, one of depression, sorrow and anger. As I climbed out of the   36    , after witnessing my time in the 100 yard freestyle, I did not feel like speaking to anyone. I saw the bright smiles of swimmers who had just   37  a best time.   38    , I had failed. Or at least that is what I thought at the time.

    I was lying on my cool bed when an idea   39   me. Success is the   40   to go from failure to failure without losing your   41   . At practice the next day, I told my swimming teammates about my goal time and they all either laughed or replied with a   42   similar response like, “You can’t do it” or “Probably not”. Believe it or not, these are the responses that make my goal   43  .

    Finally came the day when I had to   44   to myself and others that with     45     there is no limit to your achievements.

    With the starting gun   46   , I dived with perfect form into the pool. I felt the cool water running   47   my back. I swam like a fish, bouncing off each    48    at the wall as if it was a spring board. On the   49   turn, I came back to the wall with every piece of strength I had. I   50   the final wall with my fingertips and I knew that I had swum the   51   race.

    I had done it! I had achieved my best time! Joy filled my   52   like water does a cup. I saw the   53   on all of my friend’s face as I   54   out of the pool; their jaws dropped to the ground. I began to laugh and gave them the thumbs up.

    I have   55   in life that having belief in yourself opens all gates. Never forget that anything the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.

1.A. pond                    B. sea                           C. pool                         D. river

2.A. made          B. achieved                 C. reached                  D. realized

3.A. Otherwise           B. However                 C. Besides          D. Overall

4.A. occurred             B. broke                      C. came                       D. hit

5.A. opportunity        B. action                 C. cause                        D. ability

6.A. enthusiasm         B. interest                   C. strength                  D. friendship

7.A. somehow            B. somewhat               C. anyhow                   D. anywhere

8.A. available              B. reasonable        C. reliable           D. achievable

9.A. promise               B. provide                   C. present                   D. prove

10.A. considerationB. Impression    C. belief                     D. desire

11.A. setting out        B. going off                 C. breaking out D. getting off

12.A. through             B. above                 C. across                  D. to

13.A. turn          B. jump                        C. struggle                   D. shoot

14.A. next                            B. previous                 C. very                         D. last

15.A. pushed              B. reached                  C. got                           D. touched

16.A. whole                B. perfect              C. first                           D. best

17.A. heart                 B. head                  C. mind                         D. mood

18.A. expressions      B. emotions                C. feelings                   D. responses

19.A. ran                     B. climbed                   C. stood                       D. jumped

20.A. acquired           B. dreamed                 C. learned                   D. Remembered