As the world watched the twin towers of the World Trade Center come under attack, a common phrase was repeated: "It looks like a movie."
     But this time there was no superman to save the people or the famous building. The attack destroyed one of the world's highest skyscrapers and left 5,000 people dead or missing.
     Movie fans have become used to such events after years of Hollywood films showing disasters, terrorism(恐怖主义) and danger, The Empire State Building, the White House, New York City and even the American president himself have all been threatened by terrorist attacks in these exciting films.
     The film "True Lies", released(发行) in 1994 is considered to be a good example of this kind of movie. The special effects, including explosions and missiles, make the action look like a real thing.
     "Independence Day" in 1996 took this type of movie one step further by blowing up the White House.   This science fiction movie is about a war between human beings and aliens(外来人) from another planet. In the movie, the World Trade Center towers are destroyed.
     Violence has become a major part of Hollywood movies. And this is what people enjoy. Soon after the attacks, many famous film companies stopped the planned releases of some of their new movies, especially if their films showed terrorist attacks or plane crashes. "Swordfish" was top of the American box office in June, 2001. But the movie's story was frighteningly similar to the Sept.11 disaster. The film would have been stopped in American and British cinemas after the attack.
     But it's unlikely that Hollywood will stay quiet for long. It is already waiting for the feeling in America to calm down.

1. What is the main subject of the newspaper article?

A. The relationship between the Sept.11 attack and Hollywood films.
B. The effect of the Sept.11 attack on Hollywood films
C. The response Hollywood made to the Sept.11 attack.
D. The result of Hollywood films showing violence and disasters.

2. Which of the following is true?

A. Hollywood made a lot of money out of the film "Swordfish" in June.
B. Hollywood stopped making films showing terrorism and disasters after the  Sept.11 attack.
C. "Swordfish" was not allowed to be shown after the Sept.11 attack.
D. The World Trade Center was destroyed because no superman came to save it.

3. From this article we know that       .

A. Hollywood is a filmmaking center making films of violence and disasters
B. too many Hollywood films showing terrorism and disasters resulted in the  Sept.11 attack
C. people who were used to the Hollywood films were not shocked at the Sept.11 attack.
D. in fact, the Sept.11 attack had nothing to do with Hollywood films.

      LOS ANGELES---BYD is a rapidly developing car-maker in China. It makes green cars and other
green products, and the company said on Friday it would open a North American branch in Los Angeles, with plans to begin selling cars in the U.S. by the end of 2010.
     BYD was started in 1995 and moved into the car business in 2003. The company now employs
150,000 people.
     Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California, says the arrival of BYD Inc, of Shenzhen, China, will create about 150 high-paying jobs, since the company has to employ managers and engineers. Once
it begins to sell cars in the United States, several hundred more jobs will be created in service and sales.
He also praised it as part of green-energy programs in U.S. The city is attracting high-tech, clean-energy
companies that will help reduce pollution. “As I’ve always said, what is good for the environment is also
good for development,” he adds.
     Wang Chuanfu, BYD’s president, says, “BYD stands for building your dream. Our dream is a green
one, and we also wish to make your green dream come true. We have been working for a greener
environment. We hope that we will lead to a cleaner and nicer future.” The company introduced its latest
model earlier this year. It is what BYD plans to begin to sell in the United States by the end of this year.

1. BYD’s new branch in the United States will _________.

A. employ managers and engineers from China  
B. produce a new model to sell there
C. sell car technology to the U.S.  
D. create many new jobs for the U.S.

2. From the passage we learn that ________.

A. only service and sales jobs will be offered.
B. BYD will only make cars in China
C. the governor welcomes BYD’s arrival
D. BYD will have finished planning by the end of 2010

3. The “green dream” in the passage means _______.

A. a new world with more green trees
B. a dream of high technology
C. a world with a better environment
D. a dream of fewer cars

4. The best title for the passage would be _________.

A. The Green Dream of BYD    
B. BYD Joins Green Energy Programs
C. New BYD Car Exhibition in Los Angeles  
D. Green BYD Putting Roots in Los Angeles

5. Where can you most probably read this passage?

A. a novel  
B. a research paper    
C. a student’s composition  
D. a newspaper report

     ALMOST everyone wants to get smarter. We struggle to improve our memory, intelligence, and
attention span. We drink cup after cup of coffee to help us get through the day.
     However, a new study published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science warns that
there are limits to how smart humans can get, and trying to increase your thinking ability could be urisky.
     Each of our body parts evolved in a certain way for a reason. For example, we are not 3 meters tall
because most people's hearts are not strong enough to send blood up that high. Scientists are now saying
that our thinking ability works in the same way. A baby's brain size is limited by a series of factors, such as the size of the mother's pelvis (骨盆). If our brains evolved to vbe bigger, there could be more deaths
during childbirth.
     The study of Ashkenazi Jews (德裔犹太人), who have an average IQ much higher than other
Europeans, showed that they were more likely to develop diseases of the nervous system. This might be
because of their increased brainpower.
     If intelligence cannot be improved, can we at least get better at concentrating? Not really, say scientists. They studied drugs like caffeine that improve attention span. They found that the drugs only helped people with serious attention problems. For those who did not have trouble paying attention, the drugs could have the opposite effect. Scientists say that this suggests there is an upper limit to how much people can or
should concentrate.
     Our memory is also a "double-edged sword (双刃剑)". People with extremely vivid (生动的)
memories could end up having a difficult life because they cannot forget bad things that happen to them.
Thomas Hills of the University of Warwick in the UK, one of the authors of the paper, said that
considering all the problems in trying to get smarter, it's unlikely there will ever be a "supermind".

1. Which of the following aspects do the scientists refer to in order to explain that there will never be a
"supermind"?
  a. intelligence   b. nervous system    c. concentration ability  d. memory  e. heart disease

A. abc        
B. acd          
C. bcd              
D. cde

2. Our heights and babies' brain size are mentioned to prove that ______.

A. there are limits to people's intelligence
B. a baby's IQ is determined by the mother's pelvis
C. most people's hearts are not that strong to make them smarter
D. it's likely that people's body parts will continue to evolve

3. Which of the following is TRUE on concentration in the fifth paragraph?

A. There is no case where concentration is improved.
B. Coffee does help a little in some people's concentration.
C. The drugs work for those who do not have attention trouble.
D. With the help of the drugs, we can gain better concentration.

4. What does the author mean by saying "Our memory is also a 'double-edged sword '"?

A. Good memory can lead to bad results, too.
B. Good memory will lead to diseases in people's body.
C. Without memory, people will lead a better life.
D. Poor memory makes people more generous.

     BUKHANNON, West Virginia- Two rescue teams slowly moved along a two-mile path in Monday
night to the site of a coal mine explosion that trapped 13 miners, who had not been heard from since the
early morning accident.
     Meanwhile, at a nearby church, more than 250 family members and friends gathered, waiting for
updates(最新报道) on the rescuers' progress.
     The miners were trapped at about 6:30 a.m. and many families weren't informed of the accident until
about 10 a.m.-more than three hours after it happened. "It's very upsetting, but you've got to be patient, I
guess," said John Helms, whose brother, Terry, was trapped in the mine.
     The trapped miners were about 260 feet underground and about 10000 feet from the Sago Mine's
entrance, said Roger Nicholson, general counsel from International Coal Group.
     At a late night news conference, Nicholson said one team had advanced about 4800 feet in the four
hours since entering the mine just before 6 p.m. Another team entered the mine about 30 minutes later.
     He said the crew was very experienced, with some members having worked underground for 30 to 35
years. The miners were equipped with about one hour of breathable oxygen each. The company has not
released the names of the miner.
     The teams test the air about every 500 feet, and have to disconnect (remove) the power to the phones
they use to communicate with the surface before doing that. "We don't want to be energizing anything if it's
in an atmosphere with burnable gases," Kips said.
     The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. High level of carbon monoxide were detected
shortly after the explosion, which delayed rescue efforts, but those levels have since subsided(减退),
authorities said.

1. According to the passage, we can infer that _____.      

A. all the miners who were trapped underground were still alive
B. communication with the trapped miners was cut off
C. the two rescue teams entered the mine at the same time
D. the rescue started as soon as the accident happened

2. If the first team advanced at an average speed, they could dig about _____ per hour.

A. 1000 feet                          
B. 2400 feet
C. 1200 feet                          
D. 4800 feet

3. Where can the passage be seen?

A. In a magazine.                      
B. In a newspaper.
C. In a science book.                  
D. In an advertisement.

     When you see homework covering the kitchen table and toys are piling up around the sofa, you
probably wish there was a bit more space. You are not alone. Nearly a third of parents say they feel
squeezed into their homes but cannot afford to move to a bigger property, a report reveals today.
                                                       
     Twenty-nine percent say "their property is too small to fit the size of their family-rising to 40 percent for those 34 and under". One in four children is 'forced to share' a bedroom, according to the Finda-Property. Com website. Property analyst Samantha Baden said: "Afford-ability remains a key issue for families, with the average cost of a three-bedroom home around ￡193,000."Very few can afford to buy or to rent a
property of the size they want and in the area they desire to live in, according to Miss Baden.
     A recent report, from investment firm LV, also found that many 'space-starved parents'are pushed into a two-bedroom home which was perfect when they were a young couple, but has no space for three or so children. Grown-up children who cannot afford to leave homo are also adding to the problem facing
families in Britain's 'big squeeze'.
     For a home to be the correct size, which means it is not overcrowded, parents must have their own
bedroom. Children under ten can share, as well as same-sex children between ten and 20.Anyone over 21 also needs their own room.
     The report comes as official figures, published yesterday by the Land Registry, revealing house prices
are falling sharply in every region except London. The worst - hit area is the North East where average
house prices have fallen to below ￡100, 000 for the first time in seven years. However, they remain
unaffordable for millions.

1. According to Paragraph 1, the report reveals              
A. children like to do homework in the kitchen                
B. some families can't afford a bigger property              
C. only a few families have housing problem                  
D. people are satisfied with their living condition          
2. What Miss Baden said in Paragraph 2 means                  
A. most families don't have enough money yet                  
B. no family could afford a three - bedroom home              
C. it is common to live in a three - bedroom home            
D. the price of a bigger property is still acceptable        
3. The report from the investment firm LV shows              
A. young couples should live in a two - bedroom home          
B. families with three or so children couldn't afford a home  
C. parents should buy houses for their grown - up children    
D. some grown - up children couldn't afford a separate home  
4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?                
A. House prices are falling down everywhere.                  
B. People are able to buy a home of correct size.            
C. The house prices in London has not fallen down.            
D. The North East is now an area suitable to live in.        

     Seth DeBolt is a plant scientist at the University of Kentucky US. He and other scientists wanted to find a source of fuel that poor people in rural areas of developing countries could use to make electricity.
     The United Nations Development Program says a billion and a half people have no electricity. A billion others have an undependable supply.
     Professor DeBolt went on a study trip to rural Indonesia. He saw that there was very little waste in the use of agricultural products. Everything that farmers grew was used for something. Even the remains of fruit that people did not eat were fed to chickens.
     Little waste meant there was little that could be used for fuel. Growing a separate fuel crop would take
land away from food crops. That was something Professor DeBolt did not want to do.
     DeBOLT said, "The people at most risk with respect to energy poverty, typically they're the same
people who have food insecurity issues as it is. And then any change in availability would be most
damaging to that group of people."
     But he found one item that was in plentiful supply and would not create competition between food and
fuel. Coconut shells are generally thrown out. Yet Professor DeBolt says it has an "excellent" heating value. All someone needs is a way to release that energy.
     DeBolt says he and his team see possibilities for coconut power. "Coconuts are growing here and these are the areas where there is possibility for energy poverty to be eased at least in part by these small-scale
production systems."
    The researchers say these systems could provide as much as thirteen percent of the energy needs of a
country like Indonesia. Other tropical countries with large crops of coconuts and similar fruit could benefit, as well.
     But DeBolt says this is not a perfect solution. There are technical questions, like how to safely deal with the dangerous waste produced in the process. And there needs to be money to get these projects started.

1. Professor DeBolt went on a study trip to rural areas of developing countries to_____.     
A. help farmers make full use of waste                                                  
B. seek certain materials to make electricity                                          
C. persuade farmers to grow more coconuts                                              
D. find a suitable place to carry out the experiment                                    
2. DeBolt thought it was not a good idea to grow fuel crops because_____.            
A. there are plenty of coconuts                                                        
B. local farmers have no interest in it                                                
C. it would make food problems worse                                                    
D. fuel crop has little use for local farmers                                          
3. The last two paragraphs mainly tell us that coconut power_____.                    
A. needs further experiments and efforts                                                
B. can help solve energy problem perfectly                                              
C. will cause technique and money problems                                              
D. has drawn Indonesia's government attention                                          
4. What might be the best title for the passage?                                        
A. Make Full Use Of Coconuts                                                            
B. Make Power From Coconuts                                                            
C. A Perfect Solution                                                                  
D. Food And Energy Problems                                                            

     British author JK Rowling was at the release of her latest Harry Potter book called "Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows" at the Natural History Museum in London, Friday July 20, 2007.
     J.K. Rowling has been spotted at cafes in Scotland working on a detective novel, a British newspaper
reported Saturday.
     The Sunday Times newspaper quoted Ian Rankin, a fellow author and neighbor of Rowling's, as saying the creator of the "Harry Potter" books is turning to crime fiction.
     "My wife spotted her writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novel," the newspaper quoted Rankin as
telling a reporter at an Edinburgh literary festival.
     "It is great that she has not abandoned writing or Edinburgh cafes," said Rankin, who is known for his
own police novels set in the historic Scottish city.
     Rowling famously wrote initial drafts of the Potter story in the Scottish city's cafes. Back then, she was a struggling single mother who wrote in cafes to save on the heating bill at home.
     Now she's Britain's richest woman - worth $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine - and her seven
Potter books have sold more than 335 million copies worldwide.
     In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Rowling said she believed she was unlikely to
repeat the success of the Potter series, but confirmed she had plans to work on new books.
     "I'll do exactly what I did with Harry - I'll write what I really want to write," Rowling said.

1. What is JK Rowling famous for?

A. detective novels
B. crime fiction
C. Harry Potter books
D. love stories  

2.Which of the following is Not rue about Ian Rankin?

A. He is a writer famous for police novels.
B. Most of the stories in his novels happened in the historic Scottish city.
C. It was Rankin himself who witnessed JK Rowing writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novels.
D. He told the British newspaper The Sunday Times about JK Rowling's novels.

3. Why did Rowling like to write the "Harry Potter stories" in the cafes?

A. Because she was a romantic woman and the atmosphere in the cafes gave her lots of inspiration.
B. Because she was a single mother at that time and she wanted to find a husband there.
C. Because her children were so naughty at home and she had to go to a quiet place for her writing.
D. Because she thought that writing in a cafes could help her save some money.

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A. The seven Harry Potter series made JK Rowling a success.
B. JK Rowling had made enough money so she decided to stop writing.
C. Rowling planned to write new books because Harry Potter was not exactly what she wanted.
D. Ian Rankin and his wife earned money by telling reporters news about JK Rowling.

5. What is the best title for the passage?

A. Harry Potter and JK Rowing
B. Ian Rankin, A Neighbour of JK Rowling
C. A Successful Woman JK Rowling
D. JK Rowling writing Detective Novels

     The legal limit for driving after drinking alcohol is 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood,
when tested. But there is no sure way of telling how much you can drink before you reach this limit. It
varies with each person depending on your weight, your sex, and what sort of drinks you've had. Some
people might reach their limit after only about three standard drinks.
     In fact, your driving ability can be affected by just one or two drinks. Even if you're below the legal
limit, you could still be taken to court if a police officer thinks your driving has been affected by alcohol.
     It takes hours for the body to get rid of the alcohol in one standard drink. So, if you have a heavy
drinking session in the evening, you might find that your driving ability is still affected the next morning,
or you could even find that you're still over the legal limit. In addition, if you've had a few drinks at
lunchtime, another one or two drinks in the early evening may well put you over the legal limit till late
in the night.
     In a test with professional drivers, the more alcoholic drinks they had had, the more certain they
were that they could drive a test course through a set of moveable posts and the less able they were
to do it! So the only way to be sure you're safe is not to drink at all.
     Alcohol is a major cause of road traffic accidents. One in three of the drivers killed in road accidents
have levels of alcohol which are over the legal limit, and road accidents after drinking are the biggest
cause of death among young men. More than half of the people stopped by the police to take a breath
analyzer test have a blood alcohol concentration of more than twice the legal limit.
     It is important to remember that driving after you've been drinking doesn't just affect you. If you're
involved in an accident, it affects a lot of other people as well, not least the person you might kill or injure.

1. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Three standard drinks may cause some people to reach the legal limit.
B. There is no sure way of telling how much you can drink before you reach the legal limit.
C. The legal limit for driving after drinking is 0.08g of alcohol in 100 milliliters of blood.
D. The amount of alcohol a person can drink before reaching legal limit is the same for different people.

2. We may find that the alcohol in our blood is over the legal limit in the evening after we had a few drinks at noon because ________.

A. the drinks are too strong
B. the alcohol in our drink is likely to get out of our body
C. our body needs some time to get the alcohol out of our body
D. our body is sensitive to alcohol

3. We may infer that even a professional driver ________ if he drinks heavily.

A. will probably fail to pass through a set of movable posts
B. will certainly pass through a set of movable posts
C. will hardly be confident of their ability to pass through a set of movable posts
D. will be absolutely capable of passing through a set of movable posts.

4. This passage indicates that ________.

A. a driver who does not take any alcohol will not die in road accidents
B. those who drink must be killed
C. more young men die in drink-related accidents than in any other way
D. one in three of the drivers often drinks a lot

5.One of the writer's purposes in writing the passage is to tell you that ________.

A. young men should never drive quickly
B. driving after drinking may put many lives at risk
C. safe drinking is impossible
D. the manner of drinking is meaningless

     The Kingdome in Seattle was destroyed on March 26,2000. It was taken down to make room for a
new stadium. The blast(爆破)from the falling building caused the earth to shake as if an earthquake had
happened.
     Scientists placed more than 200 earthquake recorders in the earth to measure the movement. They
found which parts of the city shook the most. This information helped them know which parts of the city
would be damaged in a real earthquake at an early time.
     A real earthquake happened on February 28, 2001 in Seattle. The Nisqually earthquake was 6.8 on
the Richter scale(里氏). It damaged the same parts of Seattle that scientists had predicted from the pulling down of the Kingdome. It was a plate quake. It started deep in the earth, 37 miles below the surface on
the Juan de Fuca Plate. Sometimes,huge plates under the earth cause earthquakes when the plates move
against each other suddenly.
     Scientists have learned that deep earthquakes have very few aftershocks. The Nisqually earthquake
had only 4 ones. Another earthquake in California that was close to the surface had over 120 aftershocks. Scientists do not know why the deep earthquakes have fewer aftershocks.
     Scientists plan to blast in the ground near Seattle with the purpose of testing the plate. The
shockwaves from the blast will jump off the plate and give them all idea of where the plate is and how it
is moving. This will give them more information in case another real earthquake hits the area.    

1. What will happen after a deep earthquake according to the scientists?

A. There will be very few aftershocks        
B. There will be many aftershocks.
C. There will be little damage.  
D. The Richter scale of the quakes will be 6.8 or more. 

2. According to the passage,                 have the most aftershocks. 

A. deep earthquakes    
B. shockwave earthquakes
C. earthquakes more than 6.8 Richter scale
D. earthquakes close to the surface 

3. By studying the blast in the ground near Seattle, scientists hope to              .   

A. destroy the Kingdome
B. find out how many plates there are in the ground there
C. learn where the plate is and how it is moving
D. know which places are likely to have the most damage