根据所给图表，为某城市市报写一篇新闻报道，简要描述该市近年家用电脑用户增长情况，并分析其增长原因。主要原因为：电脑在各个领域的广泛运用；上网获取信息的方便、快捷；学校普遍开设电脑课程；近两年家庭收入增长等。

注意：1.词数100左右；    2.开头已为你写好。

Recently the average number of personal computers in every 100 families has been increasing rapidly in our city. In 1995                                                          

International Studies (BA)

       Key features

       ● Recognizes the “global community”（国际社会）

       ● Has close connections with practical research

       ● Much of the teaching is done in small discussion groups

       About the course

       The course gives you chances to know great power polities between nation states. It will provide more space to study particular issues such as relationship among countries in the European Union, third world debt, local and international disagreement, and the work of such international bodies as the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, and the World Bank.

       The course puts theories into the working of the international system with close attention to particular countries. You will also have a better knowledge of methods of solving the international problems.

       Related（相关的）courses

       BA (Hons) Community Management

       BA (Hons) Public Policy and Management

       Employment possibilities

       International organizations

       International business

       Earth Science (BSc)

       Key features

       ● Based on key courses and the latest research findings

       ● Pays much attention to practical skills

       ● Offers chances for fieldwork（实地考察）

       About the course

       The demand for natural resources is becoming an increasingly serious problem for the future of mankind. Graduates in Earth Science will play an important role in meeting this demand, and in knowing the meaning of using the natural resources.

       The course covers geography and geology. You will carry out fieldwork in the UK and possibly overseas, and a research in an area of interest to you in the final year.

       Related courses

       BSc (Hons) Geograhpy

       BSc (Hons) Geology

       Employment possibilities

       Mineral, oil, water or other related engineering industries

International Studies is a course in ________.

       A. international polities          B. international business

       C. international systems         D. international bodies

After taking the course of International Studies, the students will _______.

       A. become practical and open-minded

       B. have a greater ability to discuss theories

       C. know how to settle international problems

       D. have good jobs in any international organizations

Earth Science, as described in the second text, ________.

       A. is attractive because of the chances for fieldwork

       B. pays more attention to practical skills than theories

       C. is built on important courses and the results of recent studies

       D. encourages students to play a role in using natural resources

It can be inferred that the above two texts are written for the students who _______.

       A. enjoy research work        B. plan to choose courses

       C. study in the UK            D. are interested in overseas fieldwork

The British National Health Service (NHS) was set up in 1948 and was designed to provide equal basic health care, free of charge, for everybody in the country. Before this time health care had to be paid for by individuals.

Nowadays central government is directly responsible for the NHS although it is administered by local health authorities. About 83 percent of the cost of the health service is paid for by general taxation and the rest is met from the National Insurance contributions paid by those in work. There are charges for prescription and dental care but many people, such as children, pregnant women, pensioners, and those on Income Support, are exempt from payment.

Most people are registered with a local doctor (a GP, or General Practitioner) who is increasingly likely to be part of a health centre which serves the community.

As the population of Britain gets older, the hospital service now treats more patients than before, although patients spend less time in hospital. NHS hospitals—many of which were built in the nineteenth century—provide nearly half a million beds and have over 480, 000 medical staff. The NHS is the biggest employer in Europe although Britain actually spends less per person on health care than most of her European neighbours.

During the 1980s there was considerable restructuring of the Health Service with an increased emphasis on managerial efficiency and the privatization of some services (for example, cleaning). At the end of the 1980s the government introduced proposals for further reform of the NHS, including allowing some hospitals to be self-governing, and encouraging GPs to compete for patients. Patients would be able to choose and change their family doctor more easily and GPs would have more financial responsibility. The political questions continue of how much money should be provided to support the NHS and where it should come from.

We can know from the first paragraph that ______.

A. the original aim of the NHS was to provide equal basic health care for everybody

B. people didn’t have to pay for health care since the NHS was set up

C. patients were charged for receiving health care before 1948

D. the NHS was an organization which gave free advice to villagers

What do we know about the NHS?

A. It’s managed by the central government.

B. Its cost is mainly paid for by the National Insurance contributions.

C. It hires more people than any other unit in Europe.

D. Fewer patients go to its hospitals than before because they spend less on health care.

All the following statements about GPs are true except that they ______.

A. take care of the local people’s health

B. often take part in competitions to see who is the best

C. work under high pressure nowadays

D. have more responsibilities than before

What does the underlined word “exempt” probably mean?

A. suffering                  B. different          C. prevented                 D. free

The biggest problem for the NHS is ______.

A. many hospitals are too old to be used

B. some services are in the charge of individuals

C. more and more patients go to GPs for treatment

D. there is not enough money for further reform

    When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate（照亮）me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.

     When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say:“Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.

   When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend, He was in despair(失望)and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.

     For almost four years I have had remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think:“Yes, I must tell….”We have never met.

    It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist（心理学家），who will only fill up the healing（愈合的）silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.

In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to ______.

A. become serious about her study          B. go to her friend’s house regularly

C. learn from her classmates at school       D. share poems and stories with her friend

In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means ______.

A. our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us

B. we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London

C. our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared

D. we parted with each other in London

According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend _______.

A. call each other regularly              B. have similar personalities

C. enjoy writing to each other             D. dream of meeting each other

In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to ______.

A. seek professional help              B. be left alone

C. stay with her best friend             D. break the silence

What is the best title for the passage?

A. Unforgettable Experience            B. Remarkable Imagination

C. Lifelong Friendship                D. Noble Companions

Lucky is the man who has no “skeleton in his closet”. When a man has done something in his life that he is ashamed of, that he wants to hide, he is said to have a “skeleton in his closet”. Some people may have more than one skeleton.

As we have noted many times, it is hard to find out how these expressions begin. Sometimes, we get some hard facts. But more often we have to depend on guesswork. And that is true of this phrase, which came from England.

Before 1932, English law did not permit a doctor to cut open a dead human body for scientific examination, unless it was the corpse(尸体) of an executed(处决) criminal.

But when it became legal, more and more doctors demanded skeletons for a more scientific study of medicine. It was helping in the advance of modern medicine. The demand had become so strong that men began to rob tombs and sell skeletons to doctors at high prices.

We are told that a doctor would usually buy just one skeleton for scientific study. It became very important in his work. But he had to keep it hidden because most people objected to keeping such a thing. As a rule, the doctor would keep his skeleton in some dark corner where it could not be seen, or hide it in a closet.

After a time, people began to suspect(怀疑) every doctor of hiding a skeleton in the closet. From this suspicion, the phrase “a skeleton in the closet” took on a broader, more general meaning to describe anything that a man wanted to keep others from discovering. It could be proof of a criminal act, or something much less serious. Well, that is one theory.

One writer, however, believes that the phrase might have come from something that really happened. It is his guess that a hidden closet in some old English country home may have turned up a real skeleton, clear proof of some old family shame or crime. Well, one man’s guess is as good as another. But this sounds like a story by the great French novelist, Balzac.

Baizac tells us of a man who suspected his wife of having a lover. The husband comes home by surprise. But she hears him and quickly hides her lover in the closet of her bedroom. He enters her room and asks her if she is hiding her lover. He says he will not open the door to the closet if she promises him there is no one there; He will believe her. She answers firmly that she is not hiding anyone in the closet.

The husband then begins to build a solid brick wall against the closet. His wife watches, knowing that her lover will never come out alive. But she will not change her story and admit her guilt.   

Which of the following situations is suitable for using the phrase “skeleton in the closet” ?

A. You have stolen something precious and don’t want it discovered.

B. You are a doctor and have to keep a skeleton for research.

C. If you have cut open a dead human body for scientific examination you should keep the skeleton secret.

D. You have done a crime or done something foolish, but you want to keep other from discovering it.

From the text we know that there are _______ theories about how the phrase “skeleton in the closet” came into being.

A. one    B. two    C. three D. four

In Chinese the world “skeleton” means _______.

A. 尸体 B. 标本 C. 收藏 D. 骷髅

Which of the following is right according to the text?

       A. In the 20th century, doctors realized the importance of anatomy(解剖) in the development of medicine.

B. The doctors of the ancient times liked to collect as many skeleton as possible.

C. The thieves stole skeletons from tombs in order to help the doctors.

D. It was legal that corpses of anybody were cut open for scientific examination in history.

From the story Balzac told we know that the wife’s lover must have become _______.

A. a corpse B. a phrase C. a skeleton 　D. a secret

My husband and children think they are very lucky that they are living and that it’s Christmas again. They can’t see that we live on a dirty street in a dirty house among people who aren’t much good. But Johnny and children can’t see this. What a pity it is that our neighbours have to make happiness out of all this dirt. I decided that my children must get out of this. The money that we’ve saved isn’t nearly enough.

The McGaritys have money but they are so proud. They look down upon the poor. The McGarity girl just yesterday stood out there in the street eating from a bag of candy(糖果)while a ring of hungry children watched her. I saw those children looking at her and crying in their hearts; and when she couldn’t eat any more she threw the rest down the sewer(下水道). Why, is it only because they have money ? There is more to happiness than money in the world, isn’t there?

Miss Jackson who teaches at the Settlement House isn’t rich, but she knows things. She understands people. Her eyes look straight into yours when she talks with you. She can read your mind. I’d like to see the children be like Miss Jackson when they grow up.

This passage mainly suggests that the writer _______.

A. is easy to get along with　　　　　　

B. is unhappy with the life they are living

C. is good at observing and understanding　　

D. is never pleased with her neigbours

What do you think of McGarity girl?

A. She is proud and hungry.         B. She is selfish and cruel.

C. She is lonely and friendless.     D. She is unhappy and misunderstood.

In this text, the writer tries to tell us that _______.

A. money is the key to everything　　

B. the more money you have, the less happy you’ll be

C. there is something more important than money

D. when talking to people we should look into their eyes

Pick out the one that does NOT describe the writer’s view on money.

A. Why, is it only because they have money?

B. There is more to happiness than money.

C. Miss Jackson isn’t rich, but she knows things.

D. The money we saved isn’t nearly enough.

In ancient times the most important examinations were spoken, not written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome, testing usually was made up of saying poetry aloud and giving speeches.

In the European universities of the Middle Ages, students who were working for advanced degrees had to discuss ques??tions in their field of study with people who had made a spe??cial study of the subject. This custom exists today as part of the process of testing candidates (应试者) for the doctor’s de??gree.

Generally, however, modem examinations are written. The written examination, where all students are tested on the same questions, was probably not known until the nineteenth century. Perhaps it came into existence with the great increase in population and the development of modem industry. A room full of candidates for a state examination timed exactly by electric clocks and carefully watched over by managers, looks like a group of workers at an automobile factory. Certainly, during examinations teachers and students are expected to act like machines.

One type of test is sometimes called an “objective” test. It is intended to deal with facts, not personal opinions. To make up an objective test, the teacher writes a series (一系列)of ques??tions, each of which has only one correct answer. Along with each question the teacher writes the correct answer and also three statements that look like answers to students who have not learned the material properly.  

4. The main idea of Paragraph Three is that ________.

A. workers now take examinations             B. the population has grown

C. there are only written exams today     D. examinations are now written and timed

5. The kind of exams where students must select answers are

A. objective                                          B. personal  

       C. spoken                                             D. written

6. Modem industry must have developed ________.

A. around the 19th century                B. before the Middle Ages

C. in Greece or Rome                   D. machines to take tests

7. It may be concluded that testing ________.

A. should test only opinions                B. should always be written

C. is given only in factories          D. has changed since the Middle Ages

  While all my classmates seen to be crazy about a one-way ticket to Mars(火星), I’d rather say Mars is totally unsuitable for human existence. People won’t have enough food supplies there, and the terrible environment would make it impossible for them to live a long life. Besides, the journey won’t be safe. Can anybody explain to me just why people would go to Mars, never to return?

Steve Minear, UK

Here are the things you can think of: the desire to explore a foreign and unique environment, the excitement of being the first humans to open up a new world, the expectation of fame and glory…For scientists there is another reason. Their observations and research will probably lead to great scientific achievements.

Donal Trollop, Canada

There are already too many people on the Earth. I think that sometime before the end of the century, there will be a human colony(殖民地)on Mars. It will happen when people finally realize that tow-way trips to the red planet Mars are unnecessary. Most of the danger of space Flight is in the launches(发射) and landings. Cutting the trip home would therefore reduce the danger of accidents, save a lot of money, and open the way to building an everlasting human settlement on another world.

Enough supplies can be sent on ahead. And every two years more supplies and more people will needs, and Mars is far more pleasant than the other planets in the outer space.

Paul Davies. USA

The main purpose of Steve Minear’s writing is     .

   A. to report his classmates’ discussion   B. to invite an answer to his question

   C. to explain the natural state of Mars    D. to show his agreement on going to Mars

Which of the following best states Donal Trollop’s idea?

   A. There is a plan to send humans to Mars.

   B. There are many reasons for going to Mars.

  C. Scientists become famous by doing research on Mars.

  D. It is possible to build an Earth-like environment on Mars.

Paul Davies points out that      .

  A. humans need only a one-way ticket to Mars.

  B. two-way trips to Mars will be made safe soon

  C. it is easy to reduce the danger and cost of flights to Mars

  D. it is cheap to build an everlasting human settlement on Mars

What does Paul Davies think of human existence on Mars?

  A. Humans will have to bring all they need from the Earth.

  B. Humans will find Mars totally unsuitable for living.

  C. Humans can produce everything they need.

  D. Humans can live longer in the colony on Mars

完形填空（共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分）

       阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1—20题各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. Green said, "Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would ___1__."

Blue interrupted, "You only think about the __2_, but consider the sky and the sea．__3__ the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea．Without my peace, you would all be _4__."

Yellow chuckled （笑道）, "You are all so serious. I bring laughter, fun, and _5__ into the world．"

Orange started next to blow her trumpet, "I am the color of health and strength. I may be _6__, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. When I fill the sky __7__, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another _8__ to any of you."

Red could stand it _9__ and he shouted out, "I am the ruler of all of you. I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to _10__ truth. I am also the color of passion and of love."

Then came Purple and Indigo （深蓝）. …

The colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own __11__. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening thunder. Rain started to pour down _12__. The colors crouched （蜷缩） down __13__, drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamor （叫嚷）, rain began to speak, "You foolish colors, fighting _14_ yourselves, each trying to dominate _15__. Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose, __16__? Join hands with __17__ and come to me."

Doing as they were told, the colors __18__ and joined hands. They formed a colorful rainbow. From then on, whenever a good rain ___19__ the world, a rainbow appears in the sky. They remember to __20__ one another.

1．A．stay                         B．leave                      C．go out                    D．die

2．A．earth               B．moon                     C．star                      D．sun

3．A．That is                     B．I am                             C．It is                      D．This is

4．A．anything                  B．nothing                  C．something              D．everything

5．A．warmth                   B．sadness                  C．depression             D．anxiety

6．A．usual               B．normal                   C．common               D．scarce

7．A．at midnight               B．at noon or at night    C．at sunrise or sunset        D．during the day

8．A．gift                          B．honor                     C．thought                  D．respect

9．A．for more                  B．any more               C．very much             D．no longer

10．A．turn to                   B．fight for                 C．struggle with          D．bend over

11．A．superiority              B．disadvantages        C．inferiority              D．weakness

12．A．gently                    B．quietly                    C．violently                 D．peacefully

13．A．with care                      B．in fear                    C．by chance             D．on purpose

14．A．amongst                 B．by                         C．for                        D．against

15．A．others                    B．themselves             C．the other               D．the rest

16．A．equal and simple      B．ordinary and similar  C．more or less    D．unique and different

17．A．each other              B．me                         C．one another            D．them

18．A．combined               B．separated               C．united                    D．divided

19．A．cleans                    B．washes                  C．brightens               D．dampens

20．A．appreciate              B．quarrel with            C．ignore                    D．praise

请根据下面提示，写一篇题目为SMOKING的短文。词数100此左右。开头部分已给出。

吸烟的危害：心脏病，癌，全世界每年有二百五十万人死于与吸烟有关的疾病。

戒烟难的原因：形成习惯，内含尼古丁，使人上瘾。

已采取的措施：警告人们吸烟的危害，公共场所禁止吸烟，报纸禁止香烟广告，世界无烟日设定。