2019高三英语星级阶梯阅读练习三星级12AVilla Nicoletta, Genuine RelaxationSomewhere in the world, theres a place where stress isnt allowed and peace and genuine relaxation are the only demands of the day. If you could go there, you would thoroughly enjoy yourself. There are not too many places in the world like this, but this is one of them. Its luxurious. Its ultra-private.Welcome to Villa NicolettaVilla Nicoletta is a 4-bedroom luxury villa and an oasis(绿洲) of rest and rejuvenation（恢复活力）in a land of unspoiled peace. Located on a 70-foot cliff overlooking the north shore of the island of St. Thomas and the pretty waters of Caret Bay, Villa Nicoletta offers the finest accommodations in the Caribbean for those seeking a vacation of elegance, peace and privacy. Youll see how the sun blankets the landscape and water in shimmering brilliance by day and how the sky twinkles like billions of bright diamonds at night.Completed in 2000, the 3,300-square-foot Villa Nicoletta is fully equipped with state-of-the-art electronics.When you book Villa Nicoletta, you shall book the entire villa.Off Season: April 16 to December 144 bedrooms 5,700/week (8 people max)Sleep sofa can add additional 2 people 200/nightPeak Season: December 15 to April 154 bedrooms 6,300/week (8 people max)Sleep sofa can add additional 2 people 200/night56. The villa can be rented to a maximum of _ people at a time.A. five B. eight C. thirteen D. ten57. If a family with 6 people spends a fortnights Christmas holiday in the villa, how much will they pay?A. 12,600. B. 15,400. C. 11,400. D. 13,200.58. Villa Nicoletta is most likely to be popular with tourists who _.A. like adventureB. want to escape the noisy life of the cityC. enjoy the winter sportsD. seek excitement in the sea59. We can infer that _.A. you can share the villa with other touristsB. the island of St. Thomas is famous for the ocean theme amusement parkC. fewer tourists stay in Villa Nicoletta in autumn than in springD. you can go in for extreme sports in Villa NicolettaBHow would you like to sleep with one half your brain asleep and the other half awake? Dolphins sleep this way. Recently, scientists at Indiana State University have discovered that ducks sleep this way too. They found that ducks sleep half awake so they can rest and watch for danger at the same time.After putting their ducks in a row and videotaping them, some researchers found ducks on the end of each row spent more time asleep with one eye open, apparently looking for predators.“The more the ducks felt threatened, the more they slept with one eye open,” said lead author Niels C. Rattenborg, a graduate student at Indiana State University,Terre Haute.”the unique aspect is not that they do it,but that they control it. When they sleep at the edge of a group,they tend to realize greater danger, so they spend more time sleeping with one half of their brain.” Ducks with one eye open were still awake enough to detect predators, said the authors of the study, which appears today in the journal Nature.The researchers studied four groups of four ducks held in plastic boxes, which were arranged in a row. Ducks on the end were found to sleep with one eye open 31.8 per cent of the time, compared to 12.4 percent of the time for ducks in the central position.Also, ducks in the central position did not open one eye more than the others, while ducks on each end kept the eye facing away from the group open 86.2 per cent of the time. Brain wave readings of the ducks showed that the half of the brain receiving signals from the closed eye indicated that half of the brain was sleeping. Signals from the half of the brain receiving signals from the open eye showed a state between fully awake and asleep.60. It was discovered that .A. most people would like to be half asleepB. ducks can sleep half awakeC. dolphins sleep on their wayD. ducks have different sleeping habits from each other 61. A predator is most likely to be .A. an animal that hunts,kills and eats other animalsB. a human being who looks after and feeds ducksC. a scientist who does research work on animalsD. an animal that is likely to be friends with ducks 62. Ducks at the end of each row sleep with one eye open because .A. they are looking for foodB. they want to enjoy the sceneryC. they are watching out for dangerD. they are unique in their sleeping habit 63. Which of the following is true according to the passage?A. Ducks on the northern end of a row would keep their eye facing the south open.B. Ducks with less sense of duty usually choose to stay in the center of a row.C. Ducks with one eye open at the edge can still enjoy a certain degree of sleep.D. A video tape recorder was the only electronic device used in the experiment. CLetter to My G