The 18-meter-tall Rubber Duck arrived in Beijing on Friday. It was placed on waters in the International Garden Expo Park, where the Yongding River passes through.
The Rubber Duck exhibition was designed by Dutch artist, Florentijn Hofman. It was part of the activities of Beijing Design Week, which ran from September 26 to October 3 in 2013.
The Rubber Duck stayed in the park until September 23, then moved to the Summer Palace, a famous Beijing tourist spot, where it was on display until October 26.
The duck is made of over 200 pieces of rubber. It was guarded not only by staff, but also by 10 volunteers wearing yellow T-shirts and hats with a rubber duck logo.
Sun Yidong, a volunteer who guided visitors to the duck, said the art brought energy to the traditional Chinese park.
“Seeing the giant Rubber Duck makes me feel like I’m a kid again.” Sun said.
Because of the rain on Friday, there were not too many people coming to see it. The Expo workers said they expected more people to come and visit the duck on weekends.
Zhao Yan said she had been following news about the duck since 2007, when the duck began its journey.
“I even considered going to Hong Kong to see it. It’s great that the duck is in Beijing,” Zhao said.
Before arriving in Beijing, the Rubber Duck traveled to 13 cities in nine countries. “The aim of the Rubber Duck is simply to bring everyone back to their childhood again,” said Zeng Hui, a leader of the Beijing Design Week Organizing Committee Office. “It can be a toy for adults.”
根据材料内容选择最佳答案，并将其标号填涂在答题卡的相应位置。
小题1:The Rubber Duck went to _______ after it left the International Garden Expo Park.

A．the Olympic Park	B．the Summer Palace
C．Beihai Park	D．Zhong Shan Park

小题2:The Rubber Duck arrived in Beijing on _______.

A．Thursday

B．Friday

C．Saturday

D．Sunday

小题3:Why weren’t there too many people going to see the Rubber Duck on Friday?

A．They were not interested in it.

B．They didn’t have enough time to go there.

C．The weather was not good.

D．The tickets were expensive.

小题4:Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The Rubber Duck started its journey in 2007.

B．Before arriving in Beijing the Rubber Duck was shown in 13 cities.

C．The Rubber Duck is made of more than 200 pieces of rubber.

D．A German artist designed The Rubber Duck.

小题5:What can we learn from the passage?

A．The Rubber Duck can remind people of their childhood.

B．Beijing Design Week finished on October 2.

C．Sun Yidong was a visitor.

D．Volunteers wore white T-shirts.

Dogs are considered as man’s best friend. But what about cats? Sometimes cats can make equally wonderful friends. The following is a comparison of the two animals.
A Friend Helps You When You’re Sick

Dogs	When Catherine lay down on the sofa, Pepe stared(盯) into her eyes and kept sniffing(嗅). After being pushed away, he suddenly jumped onto her chest. That’s when Catherine felt a pain that made her visit a doctor, and a fast-growing cancer was found. Months later, however, Pepe started staring and sniffing again. It seemed strange, but sure enough, Catherine’s cancer had spread.
Cats	When Tee sits and stares directly into her face, Alana immediately finds a chair. That’s because Tee is warning her that she is about to faint(昏倒), which can happen as often as three times a day. But Alana won’t get hurt if she sits down. Not only does Tee warn Alana, but also her husband. Then the cat stays with Alana until she recovers.

A Friend Saves Your Life

Dogs	Ryan fell into the water by accident. The river was full of melted snow, and Ryan was very cold and his body temperature was dropping dangerously low. Luckily, he was found by Chelsea, who was playing with her dog, Zion. “Zion knew the boy was in trouble,” says Chelsea. “Ryan grabbed onto the dog’s collar, and Zion just turned around and came straight back to the shore.”
Cats	“I was napping in my bedroom, and then I was woken by Joey screaming and running back and forth,” says Bernice. Then she found herself surrounded by smoke. With Joey alongside her, she managed to get out of the door. By then, flames(火焰) were shooting up from the basement. “I found him in a mailbox when he was young and now I feel very fortune. Without him, I’d have probably died in the smoke.”

小题1:When Alana is about to faint, Tee will ____________.

A．stare at her and keep sniffing

B．jump onto her chest suddenly

C．sit and stare directly into her face

D．scream and run back and forth

小题2:What can we learn about Ryan?

A．He likes swimming in rivers.

B．He has a lovely dog, Zion.

C．Chelsea helped him swim back to the shore.

D．He was in danger when he was found by Chelsea.

小题3:What happened to Bernice?

A．She was badly hurt in a big fire.

B．She met the brave cat, Joey, in a big fire.

C．A fire broke out when she was napping.

D．She ran out of the burning house with the help of firemen.

The world's oldest person, Ms. Baines, died. She celebrated her 115th birthday with congratulations from Barack Obama, President of the United States. Over her life she lived through the terms of 21 US presidents.
Gertrude Baines passed away peacefully in her sleep at the Western Convalescent Hospital in Los Angeles, where she had lived for her last ten years. Emma Camanag, the hospital's leader said she was a respectable lady. "It is really an honor for the hospital to take care of her over the last 10 years and we will greatly miss her, It is just like we have lost a relative, " said Emma.
Ms. Baines, who was born in Shellman, Georgia, in 1894, had no living relatives. She grew up in the southern US during difficult times. During that time, African American people were required to use separate, often poor, public services. She married young and later divorced(离婚)．Her only child, a daughter, was born in 1909 and died of a terrible disease at the age of 18. Ms. Baines worked as a maid（女佣） in Ohio before moving to Los Angeles where she lived on her own until she was well over 100.
She once told an interviewer, "As to the secrets of long life, I do not have any disappointments in my own life."
She gained some fame when she voted for Mr. Obama in the US presidential election, saying she supported him "because he's for the colored people". It was only the second time in her life she had voted, the first time being for John F. Kennedy.
Ms. Baines became the world's oldest person in January. Japanese woman, Kama Chien, 114, has now taken over the title.
小题1:Ms, Baines voted for Mr. Obama because he______.

A．was very popular in the hospital

B．did good things for African Americans

C．did even better than John F. Kennedy

D．congratulated her on her birthday

小题2:It can be inferred(推断) from the passage that______.

A．Ms. Baines didn't like any presidents except Mr. Obama and John F. Kennedy

B．Ms. Baines' daughter died many years before her husband

C．Japanese woman Kama Chien is the second oldest in the world now

D．a positive attitude towards life is the main secret of .Ms. Baines' long life

小题3:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Ms. Baines liked to live alone.

B．Ms. Baines died in a hospital in Los Angeles.

C．Ms. Baines and her husband had only one child.

D．Ms. Baines used to serve' others in Ohio.

小题4:The passage is mainly about ______.

A．how Ms, Baines lived for so long

B．why Ms. Baines voted for Mr. Obama

C．the world's oldest person, Ms. Baines

D．Ms. Baines and President Obama .

It may be the happiest place on Earth, but the Magic Kingdom has become a little more restrictive(限制的) for the children hoping to enjoy Disney’s US parks on their own. Beginning on March 23 of this year, anyone under the age of 14 must go there with someone over 14. If a worker who works at the front gates sees a child who looks younger than 14 without a person who looks older than that, he will have a talk with the tourist. If he is sure the tourist is under 14, his parents will be contacted to pick them up.
Before this, Disney did not have any age restrictions(限制) for tourists. The new rule was set up after Disney conducted a survey of its tourists and contacted various child welfare association(福利机构). They both thought it was necessary to have the age requirement. The American Red Cross suggested that 14 is the minimum(最小的) age for babysitters(保姆).
News of the age restriction comes nearly a week. A child on vacation with his father and mother fell into a pool and died at Disneyland Pop Century Resort(度假村). Anthory Johnson was swimming in the hotel pool with a group of children including his little brother and a cousin at about 9:30 pm when the accident happened. Witnesses said the teen was playing in the water on Sunday evening without family members. A cousin found him under water around 9:10 pm and told others in the group who pulled him out of water. Orange Country Sheriff’s officials said after Anthony was taken to nearby hospital, he died several days later.
小题1:How does the worker know the child is under 14?

A．By contacting with his parents.

B．By seeing if the child comes on his own.

C．By seeing if the child comes with his parents.

D．By looking at the child’s appearance and talking with him.

小题2:What ISN’T the reason for setting up the new rule?

A．14 is the minimum age for babysitters.

B．Children like to play in Disney’s US parks with their parents.

C．Tourists think it’s necessary to have the age requirement.

D．A child on vacation with his parents died in a pool at Disney’s Pop Century Resort.

小题3:What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．The happiest place for children.

B．A new rule of age requirement about children who go to Disneyland.

C．A survey of age requirement about children who go to Disneyland.

D．A child who fell into a pool and died at Disneyland.

	Chinese writer Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2012. Mo, who was born in 1955 into a farmer’s family in Gaomi County in Shandong Province, is the first Chinese national to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. In his early years, life was not easy and he experienced hunger（饥饿）. These things have influenced Mo Yan’s later writings.
	60-year-old Park Geun-hye(朴槿惠)was elected（选举）the new President of South Korea in December, 2012. She becomes the country’s first female head of state and her term will last five years from 2013. “I will become a president who puts people’s living before anything else,” she told the cheering Peopl in central Seoul as she accepted her win. “I will keep my premises.”
	Barack Obama ( born in Hopolulu, Hawaii in 1961), who was elected the 44th President of the United States in 2008, has been elected again to a second term, fighting against Republican chllenger Mitt Romney. Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School. His father was from Kenya. And his mother was born in Wichits, Kansas.

小题1:When Mo Yan was young, his family might be       .

A．big

B．poor

C．rich

D．small

小题2:When was Park Geun-hye born?

A．In 1952.

B．In 1955.

C．In 1961.

D．In 1987.

小题3:Where was Barack Obama born?

A．In Kansas.

B．In Kenya.

C．In Columbia.

D．In Hawaii.

小题4:Which of the following is NOT true about the passages?

A．The writer Mo Yan lived in a big city before he got the prize.

B．Park Geun-hye will lead South Korea till the year 2018.

C．Obama fought against his challenger Mitt Romney in the election.

D．Among the three persons, Park Geun-hye is the oldest.

小题5:The three passages may be from       .

A．an email

B．a letter

C．news

D．an ad

In the past month，we’ve been holding our breath for news about a Boeing 777 plane,MH 370．
It took off from Kuala Lumpur(吉隆坡)，Malaysia．On March 8．It was heading to Beijing．But about two hours into the flight, the plane went missing．
There were 239 people on the flight，including 154 Chinese．
A total of 12 countries including China and the US have joined the search for the plane．
Did it crash? We know that the weather was clear that day．The pilots didn’t make any distress calls(求救信号)．And as of March l3，experts have not found any broken parts of the plane。
Was it hijacked(劫机)? Two Iranians(伊朗人)used stolen passports to get into the flight．But now they do not appear to be linked to any possible hijacking of the plane，international police agency Interpol(国际刑警组织)official said on March 11．
The search is still going on．It could take months or even years to find out what happened
to the flight．
小题1:When did MH370 go missing?

A．March 8

B．March 9

C．March ll

D．April 8

小题2:How many Chinese are there on the flight?

A．239

B．1 54

C．1 45

D．85

小题3:What was the weather like that day? 

A．cloudy

B．rainy

C．fine

D．windy

小题4:Did the pilots make any distress calls before the plane went missing?

A．Yes，they did．

B．No，they didn’t．

C．We don’t know．

D．Maybe

小题5:How long could it take to find out what happened to the flight?

A．several months

B．several years

C．months or years

D．3 months

Useful Information in Australia
Useful Numbers
All the telephone numbers are useful and free.
。Fire/ Police/ Ambulance(救护车)—000     Telephone information—12455
。Medical(医学的) Care—1300369359       Taxi—1800421113
Surfing the Internet
With so many Internet tearooms and public libraries, it’s easy to surf the Internet in Australia.
Also it’s very cheap for you to surf the Internet.
。Public libraries offer free Internet every day even during public holidays.
。Many travel managers provide connection which is cheap or free.
Post Service
All post offices around the country offer post services(服务) so you can receive mails as you travel around the whole country.
。Post offices are usually open from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.
。It costs 50 cents to send a standard（标准的） letter in Australia.
Public Holidays
On public holidays all shops are closed across Australia, so are banks and post offices.
。New Year’s Day—1st January
。Australia Day—26th January
。Christmas Day—25th December
小题1:If there is a fire, you can call________ in Australia.

A．1300369359

B．180042113

C．000

D．12455

小题2:Which is the right time to send a letter in a post office in Australia?    

A．At 8:30 on Tuesday.	B．At 9:30 on Sunday.
C．At 8:30 on Saturday.	D．At 9:30 on Monday.

小题3:Mr. Green lives alone in Australia and he isn’t in good health. He needs a nurse to look after him. What should he do?

A．Go to an Internet tearoom.	B．Send a letter to his son.
C．Call 1300369359.	D．Go to a hospital.

小题4:Which one might be open on public holidays?

A．Public libraries.

B．Shops.

C．Banks.

D．Post offices.

小题5:Which one is not right according to（根据）the above passage?

A．Surfing the Internet is cheap in Australia.

B．It costs 50 cents to send a standard letter.

C．Australians go to work on 26th January.

D．Australians don't go shopping on public holidays.

阅读下面短文，完成相关任务。
Microsoft has stopped providing service for Windows XP since April 8,2014. Microsoft has provided support for Windows XP for the past 12 years. 【1】The computers that use the XP system are not as safe as before.

The "demise"(停用) of Windows XP will have the greatest influence on China because it has about 210 million XP users, who make up about 70.percent of the PC market in the world. Microsoft's decision to "kill" Windows XP, a product with hundreds of millions of users, has a certain purpose to show its strong position in the operating system market.
At the same time, the "death" of XP has created opportunities for China's IT companies to grow and develop. China can break the monopoly(垄断)of international IT giants and protect the internet security(安全) by having information technology and a policy that encourages innovation.
小题1:把划线部分翻译成汉语：                                            
根据短文内容回答第2—4题：
小题2:In which year, Windwos XP started to provid support?
小题3:According to the passage,how many XP users are there in the world?
小题4:How can China break the monopoly of international IT giants and protect the internet security? 
小题5:What is the main idea of the passage?   

A．How to protect our XP system?

B．How to change your computer?

C．Why did Mirosoft stopped providing service for Windows XP

D．The influenc about the “demise” of Windows XP.

If cars had wings, they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2011.The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to make such a car-plane called “Transition”, to customers(顾客) by the end of 2012. “It’s the next ‘wow’ vehicle,”said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh. “Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don’t fly.”
The car-plane has wings that unfold for flying—a process the company says takes one minute-and fold back up for driving. A runway is still needed to take off and land.
The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both. The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.
The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as an easier and cheaper way to fly.They say it saves you the trouble from trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you’re good to go.When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road. There are no expensive parking fees because you don’t have to store it at an airport—you leave it in the car park at home.
The car-plane is designed to fly under 10,000 feet. It has a maximum take-off weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers.
The Transition’s price tag: $194,000, But there may be something else you need to pay, like a radio, transponder or GPS and so on.
So far, the company has more than 70 orders. “We’re working very closely with them, but there are still some remaining steps,” Brown said.
小题1:We can learn from the first paragraph that _________.

A．car-planes will be popular in 2012

B．people might drive a car-plane in 2012

C．both Transition and Ferrari can take off and land

D．Richard Gersh is the vice president of Massachusetts

小题2:According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．The car-plane needs a runway to take off and land.

B．A car-plane with radio and GPS will cost $194,000

C．The car-plane may fly at 8,000 feet

D．People can park the car-plane in the car park at their home.

小题3:Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “unfold” on this passage?

A．start

B．spread

C．cover

D．travel

小题4:What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Cars With Wings May come true soon

B．A Ferrari or a Car Plane

C．A Easier and Cheaper Way to Fly

D．Cars With Wings Can Fly as Fast as Planes

These days, picture news is very popular with young people. Here are some photos chosen by Jim.

	China’s first Hello Kitty theme restaurant was opened on Dec 23 in the capital of China. It’s all pink and sweet inside the restaurant. The table cloth , chairs, ceiling and floor are all pink, even the lamp light shines soft and rosy. Dining at Hello Kitty Dreams Restaurant costs about 160 yuan ($25) per person.
	Dustin and Sara from North Georgia &State University (NGCSU) of the United States perform Peking Opera at LiaoCheng University in East China’s Shandong Province. Eighteen students from NGCSU came to China to study Chinese culture during the summer vacation.
	Located in Miyun County north-east of Beijing, Fuling Mountain is a national-level forest reserve. As the mountain is cloudy and foggy all the year round, Fuling Mountain then began to be called Wuling Mountain. It is regarded as the Yellow Mountain in North China.
	Bill Gates,chairman of Microsoft, the world’s largest personal-computer software company, attended an anti-smoking event ahead of the 25th World No-Tobacco Day, in Beijing on May 29,2012. Some Chinese famous people also attended the event. World No-Tobacco Day falls on May 31 every year.

小题1:What did Dustin and Sara do in China?

A．They climbed Fuling Mountain in Beijing.

B．They visited a Hello Kitty Dreams Restaurant.

C．They performed Peking Opera in Shandong.

D．They attended an anti-smoking event.

小题2:Which is true according to the passage?

A．Bill Gates set up World No-Tobacco Day on May 31.

B．Fuling Mountain is always cloudy and foggy.

C．Eight students from NGCSU studied Chinese culture in China.

D．You have to wear pink clothes at Hello Kitty Dreams Restaurant.

小题3:The photos may come from ______________.

A．The Internet news	B．an advertisement
C．a science magazine	D．a story book