Down House, home of Charles Darwin:
Fun fact
Charles Darwin, his wife, Emma, and their children lived at Down House for 40 years from 1838. Several rooms appear as if the family still live here: with croquet sets thrown into an under-stairs cupboard, a half-played game of backgammon on a side table and Emma’s knitting(毛线) left on a chair in the drawing room. Upstairs, an exhibition showcases Darwin’s voyage aboard HMS Beagle, including a reconstruction of his cabin. Outside, visitors can explore the sheltered gardens which Darwin used as an open-air laboratory, and the greenhouse in which he planted rare plants and devised botanical experiments.
No room at Down House escaped Darwin’s experiments. In the drawing room he once placed a jar of earthworms on the grand piano to see whether they could hear.
Getting there
A 15-minute drive from the A21/Farnborough. Free parking. The R8 bus from Orpington stops nearby (except Sundays) or the 146 bus from Bromley North and South terminates (终点站) in Downe village, half a mile from the property. The nearest railway stations are Chelsfield or Orpington, about four miles away.
Value for money?
It’s ￡12 (adult), ￡7.20 (child), or ￡31.30 (family with 2 adults). Under 5s go free.
Opening hours
Open daily 10am-6pm from 30 March to 30 September; daily — between 1 to 31 October. Opening times vary through the winter (check website for details).
Verdict(评价)
8/10. An unstuffy educational, gentle day-trip attraction with friendly, knowledgeable staff.
1. What can visitors do in Down House?
A．Play the grand piano. | B．Set sail in HMS Beagle. |
C．Explore Darwin’s work and life. | D．Try food sourced from the garden. |
2. How much would a couple with their 4-year-old twin sons pay for admission?
A．￡38.40. | B．￡26.20. | C．￡31.30. | D．￡24. |
3. What do we know about Down House?
A．It is highly thought of. | B．It charges parking fees. |
C．It has fixed opening hours. | D．It is inconveniently located. |
Ida Nelson was relaxing herself in her sister’s sauna (桑拿室) when she heard the sound of a small airplane circling the nearby airport.
It was 11: 30 at night in a remote village with a population of 70, and, as she told the newspaper reporter, Any time a plane flies over that late, you know something is wrong. Nelson and her sister leaped out of the sauna, ran to the window, and saw the problem-the airport’s runway lights were out. Nelson threw on some clothes, jumped into her jeep, and floored it to the airport, where she found a local pilot trying to turn on the lights manually.
Normally, if you push the button 10 or 15 times, the lights will just light up, Nelson told the reporter. Not this time. Meanwhile, she and the pilot learned of the plane’s exigent mission - it was a helicopter there to transport a seriously ill local girl, to the nearest hospital, 280 miles away in another city.
Nelson had a plan. Driving her jeep to the end of the runway, she shone her headlights on the road for the plane to follow. Great idea, but it wasn’t enough. More light was needed so a neighbor called nearly every home in the village 32 of them.
Within 20 minutes, 20 vehicles arrived at the airport, many of the drivers still in pajamas. Following directions from the helicopter pilot, the cars lined up on one side of the runway. The helicopter made its final approach and, guided by the headlights, landed safely. The young patient was loaded onto the aircraft, and the plane immediately took off again Her illness was never publicly known, but she has since been recovered.
Without them, the girl might not have made it. However, for Nelson, it was only a small deed.
4. What problem did the helicopter encounter?
A．Its lights went out by accident |
B．It made noise as it ran out of fuel |
C．It could not land safely in darkness. |
D．It didn’t arrive at the scheduled time |
5. What does the underlined word exigent in paragraph 3 probably mean?
A．impossible | B．unique | C．intense | D．urgent |
6. What can we conclude from the passage?
A．The girl has been in the hospital since her illness was reported. |
B．The creative thought and the sense of duty of Nelson led to the final landing. |
C．The helicopter was to transport the girl from the local hospital to another one. |
D．The villagers gathered so quickly because they were awake and ready to help. |
7. What does this passage want to tell the readers?
A．No way is impossible to courage. |
B．A friend in need is a friend indeed |
山东青岛考试信息网C．A small act of kindness makes a big difference. |
D．Where there is a wisdom. there is effectiveness. |
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