While students in Hainan are quite used to clear skies, Beijing teenagers are not so lucky. As another warm winter approaches, the city can expect the normal clouds of smoke caused by air pollution.

But things could start to get better soon. The government is co-operating with a US-based environmental protection agency to update existing buses and trucks with clean fuel technology. The new technology could reduce air pollutants in existing diesel vehicles (柴油机) by 40 per cent. The programme will begin by testing buses in Beijing to see if the technology can be applied to them.

“We encourage the development of public transportation. But at the same time we need to reduce pollution from them,” said an official.

Efforts are being made to improve the capital’s environment with tighter controls on emissions (排放). Some heavily polluting factories and construction sites, such as those owned by the steel giant Shougang Group, have been asked to cut production in November and December or be closed.

Beijing was the third polluted city in the world at the end of last century, according to the UN. But thanks to recent measures, the capital has made some progress. Last year 224 clear days were rated as having good air quality. In 1998 the air quality index (指数) gave just 100 days as good.

“I am glad to see an improvement,” said a Senior 1 boy living in the northwest of Beijing. “Compared to other places, the air quality of Beijing is still worrying though. I hate the pollution. Once I was riding my bike in the morning when I almost had a traffic accident because I couldn’t see a car only metres away from me in frog.”

In early October, the skies were covered by such a thick fog that a display show by the visiting French air force was called off.

Rapid development, industry, traffic fumes (烟) and sandstorms from the desert all contribute to the city’s bad air.

The passage is mainly about ________?

A. a programme to improve Beijing’s air quality

B. progress made in Beijing’s air quality

C. Beijing’s air pollution

D. the difference between Hainan and Beijing

Which of the following is not the measure taken or to be taken to improve Beijing’s air?

A. Clean fuel technology will be used in public transportation.

B. Some factories have been asked to cut production.

C. Some construction sites have been told to be closed.

D. A display show of airplanes has been called off.

We can infer from the passage that, with the aim of being an ecological (生态的) city by the 2008 Olympics, ________.

A. far more still needs to be done  

B. nothing else needs to be done

C. all traffic has to be closed           

D. the development of the city has to be slowed down

Which is not correct according to the passage?

A. Beijing’s air quality is getting worse and worse.

B. Development, industry, traffic fumes and sandstorms are all the causes of bad air quality.

C. Clouds of smoke in the sky is the common feature in the winter of Beijing.

D. The government is making every effort to stop air pollution.

Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mom, I can’t peel potatoes. I have only one hand.”

Mom never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”

In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.

That night I told Mom about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we’ll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars.

“Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow. Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung I reached. I’ll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs, I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.

One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. “Mom,” I said, weeping, “none of the boys would dance with me.”

For a long time, I didn’t hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off with a bat.” Her voice was faint and cracking. I peeked out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf. She had never let me see her tears.

Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mom’s           attitude when she made the child to peel potatoes?

A. Cruel.             B. Serious.             C. Strict.    D. Cold.

From the passage, we know monkey bars can help a child train ______.

A. the skill to throw and catch things

B. the speed of one’s hand movement

C. the strength and skill to hang and sway

D. the bodily skill to rotate round a bar

What does the sentence “I saw her ‘we’ll see about that’ look” imply?

A. Mom believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it.

B. The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a child to give up.

C. Mom was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher.

D. What the child had said brought Mom great attraction and curiosity.

When the child looked down at the kids, they were standing with their mouths open    because ______.

A. they felt sorry for what they had done before

B. they were afraid the author might fall off and get hurt

C. they wanted to see what the author would do on the bars

D. they were astonished to find the author’s progress

The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is ______.

A. the last incident was sad enough to make Mom weep

B. the child’s experience reminded Mom of that of her own

C. Mom could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph

D. in fact Mom suffered more in the process of the child’s growth

The world economy has run into a brick wall. Despite countless warnings in recent years about the need to address a looming（逼近） hunger crisis in poor countries and a looming energy crisis worldwide, world leaders failed to think ahead. The result is a global food crisis. Wheat, corn and rice prices increases combined with soaring energy costs will slow if not stop economic growth in many parts of the world and will even undermine（破坏） political stability, as evidenced by the protest riots that have erupted in places like Haiti, Bangladesh and Burkina Faso. Practical solutions to these growing woes do exist, but we'll have to start thinking ahead and acting globally.

So, what should be done？Here are three steps to ease the current crisis and avert（防止, 避免） the potential for a global disaster. The first is to scale-up（按比例增加,扩大） the dramatic success of Malawi, a famine-prone（遭遇饥荒） country in southern Africa, which three years ago established a special fund to help its farmers get fertilizer and high-yield seeds. Malawi's harvest doubled after just one year. An international fund based on the Malawi model would cost a mere $10 per person annually in the rich world, or $10 billion in all.

Second, the U.S. and Europe should abandon their policies of subsidizing（给补助金） the conversion of food into biofuels（生物燃料）.

Third, we urgently need to weatherproof（使防风雨） the world's crops as soon and as effectively as possible. For a poor farmer, sometimes something as simple as a farm pond--which collects rainwater to be used for emergency irrigation in a dry spell--can make the difference between a bountiful crop and a famine. The world has already committed to establishing a Climate Adaptation Fund to help poor regions climate-proof vital economic activities such as food production and health care but has not yet acted upon the promise.

The food crisis provides not only a warning but also an opportunity. We need to invest vastly more in sustainable development in order to achieve true global security and economic growth.

Which of the following is the best title?

A. How to end the global food shortage

B. How to end the global disaster

C. How to help the farmers in the poor countries

D. How to subsidize the farmers to increase food products

The word “woes” in paragraph one is most likely to mean              .

A. hunger   B. things   C. matters   D. disasters

What does the author think of the global food shortage?

A. people in the world can do nothing.

B. The global food crisis will continue.

C. The food crisis provides not only a warning but also an opportunity.

D. We don’ know.

What measures should be taken to ease the current crisis and avert the potential for a global disaster?

A. to scale-up the dramatic success of Malawi

B. the U.S. and Europe should abandon their policies of subsidizing the conversion of food into biofuels

C. to prevent the world's crops from being destroyed by weather as soon and as effectively as possible.

D. All above .

The question of what children learn, and how they should learn, is continually being debated and redebated. Nobody dares any longer to defend the old system, the learning of lessons parrot-fashion, the grammar-with-a-whip system, which was good enough for our grandparents. The theories of modem psychology have stepped in to argue that we must understand the need of children. Children are not just small adults; they are children who must be respected as much.

Well, you may say, this is as it should be, a good idea. But think further. What happens? "Education" becomes the responsibility not of teachers, but of psychologists (心里学家). What happens then? Teachers worry too much about the psychological implications (暗示) of their lessons, and forget about the subjects themselves. If a child dislikes a lesson, the teacher feels that it is his fault, not the child’s. So teachers worry whether history is "relevant" to modern young children. And do they dare to recount stories about violence? Or will this make the children themselves violent? Can they tell their classes about children of different races, or will this encourage racial hatred? Why teach children to write grammatical sentences? Verbal expression is better. Sums? Arithmetic? No: Real-life mathematical situations are more understandable.

You see, you can go too far. Influenced by educational theorists, who have nothing better to do than to write books about their ideas, teachers leave their teacher-training colleges filled with grand, psychological ideas about children and their needs. They make elaborate, sophisticated (精致的，复杂的) preparations and try out their "modem methods" on the long-suffering children. Since one "modem method" rapidly replaces another the poor kids will have had a good bellyful by the time they leave school. Frequently the modem methods are so sophisticated that they fail to be understood by the teachers, let alone the children; even more often, the relaxed discipline so essential for the " informal" feelings the class must have, prevents all but a handful of children from learning anything.

People do not dare defend the old system mainly because under the old system________.

A. too much grammar was taught to children

B. children were spoiled (宠坏)

C. children were treated as grown-ups

D. children were made to learn passively(被动的)

What view do the modem psychologists hold?

A. Children must be understood and respected.

B. Children are small adults and know what they need.

C. Children are better off without learning lessons.

D. Education of children is the responsibility of psychologists.

What happens when teachers pay too much attention to the psychology of their lessons?

A. They find that the children dislike the lessons.

B. They tend to blame students for their failure.

C. They do not pay enough attention to the actual lessons.

D. They no longer want to teach children history.

Grammatical sentences are regarded as unimportant because ________.

A. it is better to use verbs only

B. words are said out of natural feelings only

C. talking freely and naturally without sentences is a better form of expression

D. it is felt that formal grammar rules might cause unnatural expressions

according to the passage, the modern methods are understood by ________.

A. neither teachers nor pupils

B. only a handful of teachers and pupils

C. the more sophisticated teachers

D. everyone who enjoys the relaxed discipline of the informal classes

A woman whose sports car was stolen with her dog in it put up notices all over the area that made it clear getting back her pet was more important than her car．

“Whoever did this can keep my car．Please let Benjerman come home,” the notice said．

It is not known whether the thief showed any pity, but almost 30 hours after the 1 pm theft Friday, Kimberly Atkins of Dover and Benjerman，a 12-year-old black retriever（猎犬），were reunited after police located them in Barrington．

“He’s hungry, he’s dirty, but he’s very happy to be home，”Atkins said．

The car was found at about 5 pm Saturday off Route 125 in a swampy area frequented by off-the-road cars and dirt bikes．However, the police couldn’t control Benjerman，and they had to call Atkins to come and get him．

Atkins said the thief cared for Benjerman a little by providing him with some dry cat food．She believed Benjerman ended up drinking some muddy water in the area．

She said they have been together for nearly 11 years after she took him back from a society shelter in Dallas, Texas．

 Before Benjerman was found，Atkins and several friends put up notices all over the city and in Somersworth．They also contacted animal shelters，throughout southern New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

The notice stated there was a reward，and also that the dog needed medication．Any caller could remain anonymous（匿名的）．

Atkins had parked the car outside a hardware store with the keys inside and gone in to rent a carpet cleaner.

¨It was l0 minutes and I came out and my car was gone along with Benjerman in broad daylight，” Atkins said．The car thief threw Atkins’ wallet and other personal items out of the car before escaping from the scene．

What would be the best title for the passage?

A．A car with a dog was stolen

B．Lucky dog was returned to his owner

C．Stealing cars：a most important social problem

D．Woman wants dog back more than stolen car

Which of the following shows the correct order of what happened?

a．Notices were put up saying there was a reward．

b．Atkins saw Benjerman again．

c．Police found Atkins’car．

d．Atkins took Benjerman back from a society shelter． 

e．Atkins hired a carpet cleaner in a hardware store．

A．d,e,a, b,c             B．d,e,a,c,b              C．e,a,d,b,c                 D．e,a,c,d,b

We can infer from the passage          ．

A．the dog was treated extremely badly by the thief

B．car stolen accidents happen frequently nowadays

C．the dog was found because of the reward

D．the thief stole the car easily

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Benjerman was sent back immediately after Atkins put up the notices．

B．Atkins and her friends made a great effort to look for Benierman．

C．The thief gave the dog back but kept the sports car．  

D．The dog was back at 1 pm on a Friday．

YANGON -- Myanmar has officially accepted an offer of the United States to send humanitarian aid(人道主义援助) to the country's cyclone(飓风;暴风)victims, state radio reported Friday in a night broadcast Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister U Kyaw Thu gave the assurance Friday, saying that the country is receiving such relief aid from any country without limit at this time according to its policy(政策) of dealing with the disaster, the report said.

     Kyaw Thu denied rumors about Myanmar's turning down of such relief materials from Western countries but accept those from nations in good relations with Myanmar, saying that the country has never done so in this case.

     Kyaw Thu said that well wishers abroad may make cash donation（捐赠）through Myanmar embassies（使馆）stationed there, while those who like to donate relief goods may present at the Yangon International Airport and seaports.

     According to the report, the US relief aid would arrive in Yangon in days.

     A foreign ministry's statement said earlier on Friday that at this moment, the international community can best help the victims by donating emergency provisions such as medical supplies, food, cloth, electricity generator, and materials for emergency shelter or with financial assistance," adding that "Myanmar will wholeheartedly welcome such course of action".

     The government and the people of Myanmar are grateful to the friendly nations, the United Nations, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, private individuals and others for their sympathy and generosity." it said.

Which of the following is true?

   A. The US relief aid was turned down at first and then accepted.

   B. The US relief aid has been sent to the capital city of Myanmar.

   C. There are rumors（谣言）that Myanmar has turned down the US relief aid.

   D. Myanmar will wholeheartedly welcome such course of action but the US relief aid. 

We Chinese may denote money to help the country's cyclone victims（受害者） through_____.

   A. Myanmar embassies in Beijing.  

   B. the Yangon International Airport

   C. the United Nations

   D. the Yangon International seaports.

What can the international community（组织）best help the victims in Myanmar?

   A. medical supplies      B. financial assistance

   C. electricity generator   D. all of the above.

What is Myanmar’s policy toward the aids from abroad?

   A. Myanmar prefers cash donation to relief goods.

   B. Myanmar only receives emergency provisions such as medical supplies, food, cloth, electricity generator, etc.

   C. Myanmar receives donation relief aid from any country without any limit.

   D. Myanmar prefers relief goods to cash donation.

The title that best expresses the idea of the passage is _______.

   A. How to help Myanmar.

   B. Myanmar accepts US humanitarian aid officially.

   C. Myanmar is receiving relief aid from any country without limit.

   D. The government and the people of Myanmar are grateful.

Seafood buffet(自助餐)

   Treat your mother to a buffet lunch featuring an array of seafood at Days Hotel & Suites Beijing. There are oysters and sashimi, as well as an on-site grill of various meat and seafood, plus dumplings. Other selections are savory soup and delicate dessert. Your mother will receive a hand-made festival gift. 11:30 am, MAY 13TH. 6773-1234 Ext 3930.

   Sunday buffet

   Cafe 99 at Regent Beijing offers a sumptuous Sunday buffet with caviar and free flow of champagne and wines on Mother’s Day, May 13.11:30 am-3 pm. 8522-1789.

   Shaanxi style

   Chefs from Shaanxi Province treat customers to authentic local noodles at the Regal Palace Chinese Restaurant, Days & Suites Beijing, including Qishan noodles with spicy and sour pork sauce, oil-sprayed noodles, besides based cakes with pork stuffing, and mutton soup with steamed buns. 8778-9888 Ext 262.

   Da Zhai Men

   Traditional Chinese architecture, performances and popular Chinese foods. Daily 11 am- 2 pm, 5 pm-11pm. Guoxing Jiayuan, Shouti Nanlu, Xicheng District. 8835-6687.

   Da Zhai Men

   Traditional Chinese architecture, performances and popular Chinese foods. Daily 11 am-2pm, 5pm-11pm. Guoxing Jiayuam, Shouti Nanlu,, Xicheng District. 8835-6687.

   Mughal’s Beijing Restaurant

   Classic curry dishes and many other famous Pakistani/Xinjiang halal dishes(English menu). Lunch buffet every working day for 38 yuan per person. Live dance performances every day (starting at 7:30 pm). There is a big open-air terrace. Daily 11 am-midnight, Rm 5188, 5th Floor, 3.3 Fashion Plaza, 33 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District. 5136-5575.

   Brunch(早午餐)

   Pay tribute to Mom with a brunch fest at the Kerry Center Hotel. Complimentary chocolates, flowers and a glass of champagne add to the festive environment, Starting at 11:30 am, Sunday May 13.6561-8833 Ext 40.

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．You can enjoy seafood buffet in Kerry Center Hotel on May 13th.

B．Da Zhai Men offers performances and popular Chinese foods 9 hours daily.

C．Having lunch buffet in Mughal’s Beijing Restaurant cost 38 yuan person on weekends

D．Cafe 99 at Regent Beijing offers free chocolates and flowers on Mother’s Day.

This passage is mainly about____.

A．restaurants           B．performances          C．food          D．travel

Which of the following is NOT prepared for Mothers’ Day?

A．Seafood buffet.                    B．Sunday buffet.

C．Brunch.                          D．Mughal’s Beijing Restaurant.

Where can you eat food while enjoying a lot of performances?

A．At Days Hotel & Suites Beijing.

B．At the Regal Palace Chinese Restaurant.

C．In Da Zhai Men.

D．At the Kerry Center Hotel.

Several years ago, while attending a communication course, I experienced a most unusual process. The instructor asked us to list ___1___ in our past that we felt ___2___ of, regretted, or incomplete about and read our lists aloud.

This seemed like a very ___3___ process, but there’ s always some ___4___soul in the crowd who will volunteer. The instructor then ___5___ that we find ways to ___6___ people, or take some action to right any wrong doings. I was seriously wondering how this could ever ___7___ my communication.

Then the man next to me raised his hand and volunteered this story: “Making my ___8___, I remembered an incident from high school. I grew up in a small town. There was a Sheriff ___9___ of us kids liked. One night, my two buddies and I decided to play a ___10___ on him.

After drinking a few beers, we climbed the tall water tank in the middle of the town, and wrote on the tank in bright red paint: Sheriff Brown is a s.o.b.(畜生). The next day, almost the whole town saw our glorious ___11___. Within two hours, Sheriff Brown had us in his office. My friends told the truth but I lied. No one ___12___ found out.”

“Nearly 20 years later, Sheriff Brown’s name ___13___ on my list. I didn’t even know if he was still ___14___. Last weekend, I dialed the information in my hometown and found there was a Roger Brown still listed. I tried his number. After a few ___15___, I heard, “Hello?” I said, “Sheriff Brown?” Paused. “Yes.” “Well, this is Jimmy Calkins.”

“And I want you to know that I did it？”Paused. “I knew it!” he yelled back. We had a good laugh and a ___16___ discussion. His closing words were: “Jimmy, I always felt bad for you ___17___ your buddies got it off their chest, but you were carrying it ___18___ all these years. I want to thank you for calling me...for your sake.”

Jimmy inspired me to ___19___ all 101 items on my list within two years, and I always remember what I learned from the course: It’s never too late to ___20___the past wrongdoings.

1. A. something      B. anything     C. somebody   D. anybody

2. A. ashamed B. afraid  C. sure    D. proud

3. A. private   B. secret  C. interesting  D. funny

4. A. foolish   B. polite  C. simple D. brave

5. A. expected B. suggested   C. ordered      D. demanded

6. A. connect with        B. depend on  C. make apologize to D. get along with

7. A. improve B. continue     C. realize D. keep

8. A. notes      B. list      C. plan    D. stories

9. A. any B. most   C. none   D. all

10. A. part      B. game  C. trick   D. record

11. A. view     B. sign    C. attention     D. remark

12. A. also      B. even   C. still     D. ever

13. A. appears B. considers    C. presents      D. remembers

14. A. angry   B. happy C. doubtful     D. alive

15. A. words   B. rings   C. repeats       D. calls

16. A. cold     B. plain   C. nervous      D. lively

17. A. in case  B. so long as   C. unless D. because

18. A. around  B. out     C. on      D. away

19. A. build up       B. make up     C. clear up      D. give up

20. A. regret   B. forgive       C. right   D. punish

To master a language one must be able to speak and understand the spoken language as well as to read and write. Lenin and his wife Krupskaya translated a long English book into Russian. But when they went to England in 1902, English people couldn't understand what was said to them. These days more and more foreigners are coming to China and more Chinese are going out to foreign countries to work or study. So the spoken language is becoming more and more important.

Speaking, of course, can't go without listening. If you want to pronounce a word correctly, first you must hear it correctly. The sounds of the Chinese and English languages are not exactly the same. If you don't listen carefully, you'll find it difficult or even impossible to understand the native speakers.

Well, what about writing? Like speaking, it's to exchange ideas. People generally use shorter words and shorter sentences in their writing. The important thing is to make your idea clear in your head and then to write it in clear lively language.

Chinese students read far too slowly. If you read fast, you understand better. If you read too slowly, by the time you have reached the end of a page you have forgotten what the beginning is about. When you meet with new words, don't look them up in the dictionary. Guess the meaning from the context(上下文). You may not guess quite correctly the first time, but as new words come up again and again in different contexts, their meaning will become clearer and clearer. If you look up every word, you'll never finish a book.

Students of a foreign language need a particular knowledge, the knowledge of the life, history and geography of the people whose language they are studying. They should study these subjects in the

foreign language, not only in translation. In this way one can kill two birds with one stone: learn a foreign language and get some knowledge of the foreign country at the same time.

In the first paragraph, the writer told us _________.

A. how to speak English well

B. how to read and write English

C. why spoken English is very important

D. why English people couldn't understand Lenin

In order to study a foreign language, the writer thinks the best way is ______.

A. to kill two birds with one stone

B. to learn two languages at a time

C. to study all the subjects in a foreign language

D. to get some knowledge of the foreign country as well as learn the language

In the fourth paragraph the writer gave some advice on ____.

A. how to imporve reading faster

B. how to guess the meaning from the context

C. how to look up new words in the dictionary

D. how to grasp the general meaning of a passage

"To kill two birds with one stone" means ____.

A. to get some particular knowledge

B. to get more than what one pays

C. the stone is too big

D. the birds are blind enough

Chinese students aren’t the only ones who have a sleep loss problem. In Australia, teenagers are also missing out on, on average, one hour’s sleep every night during the school week.

   Organized activities and homework push bedtimes later, the first large-scale Australian study of children’s sleeping habits has revealed (显示). Their sleep deprivation (剥夺) is enough to cause “serious drop-offs in school performance, attention and memory”, and governments should consider later or flexible school start times, said the study’s leader, Tim Olds.

   His survey, of more than 4,000 children aged 9 to 18, found those who slept least did not watch more television but spent their time socializing (相处) with family or friends or listening to music.

   “Almost all children get up at 7 or 7:15 — they have to get to school on time,” said Olds. He favors a later start over an earlier finish because he believes organized sports and activities would still consume the latter end of the day.

   Olds’ research also establishes lack of sleep as a cause of weight gain in children, and a possible source of future problems with depression, anxiety and increased susceptibility (易感性) to illness.

   It was already known that overweight children sleep less, but Professor Olds found sleep duration(时长) was strongly linked to weight across the full range of body sizes. The thinnest children sleep 20 minutes more than the obese. This showed being overweight had no specific effect on sleep patterns, and it was more likely that shorter sleep times stimulate (刺激) appetite and make kids hungry.

   The US National Sleep Foundation says teenagers aged 13 to 18 need eight to nine hours’ sleep a night. Younger school-aged kids need 9 to 11 hours.

   On that basis, Professor Olds said, half of Australian children are under-sleeping on weekdays and a quarter on weekends.

46. The Australian students surveyed don’t sleep enough because they spend more time on the following EXCEPT _____.

   A. organized activities and homework

   B. communication with friends and family

   C. watching television programs

   D. enjoying music 

47.  What effects does lack of sleep directly have on the students according to the survey?

   A. They become overweight but begin to eat less than before.

   B. They feel more depressed and anxious about their school work.

   C. They are more likely to be affected with illness in the future.

   D. They pay less attention in class and their memory declines.

48. Which of the following suggestions did Mr. Olds raise?

   A. The students should go to bed earlier to have longer sleeping time.

   B. The students should participate less in organized activities.

   C. The school should put off the start time in the morning.

   D. The school should finish earlier in the afternoon.

49. What does "obese" in the sixth paragraph mean?

A. average        B. fat        C. sleepless        D. overeating

50. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Australian students usually take part in activities in the afternoon.

B. More students are short of sleep on weekends than on weekdays.

C. Being overweight has an effect on the length of the sleeping time.

D. The survey suggests that teenagers need 8-9 hours’ sleep a night.