“Angel Falls”. New York Times Bestseller，written by Kristin Hannah，tells the following story. To save his  1  life，an ordinary man must risk losing her forever.

Living in a small town of Washington State，Liam and Mikaela have a  2  marriage and family. While Liam enjoys being a doctor，Mikaela  3  their children.

One day Mikaela falls off a horse,  4  her head and sinks into a coma（昏迷）. Liam has been told not to expect a recovery.  5 ，he doesn’t give it up. He hopes that love can  6  what medical science can not. To  7  her out，Liam sits at her bedside and speaks to her. He talks about their   8  together. He tries various ways to   9  her. He brings her favourite music and place across her  10  body with sweaters that smell like home.  11   tries to keep life as normal as possible for their kids. One day,  12  through Mikaela’s closet to find a dress，he happens to find some souvenirs（纪念品）of her first marriage and a picture of her former husband—Julian True. The discovery makes him  13  the foundations of their marriage. Mikaela has a secret past and had a marriage before. Liam has known the   14   that he was not the love of her life. But she is the love of his.  15  still in a coma, Mikaela responds to the stories between Julian and her. Risking losing his wife forever，Liam decides to find Julian to save her.

With Julian’s help, Mikaela   16  awakens. But she has to make a hard choice between the two men. She apologizes to Liam for not telling him her past and says  17  to Julian. She has discovered that it’s Liam who stays with her  18  years of decorating the Christmas   tree，who defines what love really is.

“Angel Falls” is named as the best  19  of the year by “Publishers Weekly” in the US. As a result，Kristin Hannah’s books have  20  many awards.

1. A．sister’s             B．daughter’s            C．horse’s                  D．wife’s

2. A．painful             B．poor                    C．perfect                   D．bad

3. A．looks after        B．is fond of             C．picks up                 D．thinks about

4. A．destroys           B．hits                      C．beats                     D．strikes

5. A．So                   B．Finally                 C．Besides                   D．However

6. A．abandon           B．access                 C．achieve                  D．abuse

7. A．pull                  B．wake                   C．pick                       D．help

8. A．house               B．1ife                     C．pets                       D．work

9. A．awaken            B．trouble                 C．surprise                 D．call

10. A．dead               B．hot                      C．unmoving               D．helpless

11. A．Kristin            B．Julian                   C．Mikaela                  D．Liam

12. A．Getting           B．Going                  C．Doing                    D．Making

13. A．question         B．investigate            C．found                    D．believe

14. A．reason            B．cause                   C．fact                       D．news

15. A．Why              B．Though                C．Where                   D．As

16. A．still                B．also                     C．yet                        D．finally

17. A．good-bye        B．love                     C．hello                       D．yes

18. A．on                  B．with                    C．through                  D．by

19. A．book              B．movie                  C．magazine                D．couple

20. A．sold               B．received               C．given                     D．provided

When 7-year-old Warren Buffett said,“I will be the richest man one day,” his friends made fun of his “daydreaming”. But ever since then the little boy has set about learning how to make money by selling drinks, delivering newspaper and buying stocks. The American had already earned $9,000 （equal to $90,000 today） by the time he graduated from high school.

And this month the 78-year-old man, who earned his fortune by making a lot of sound investment in the stock market, took the place of Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, as the world’s richest man. Gates’ worth declined $1.5 billion to $55.5 billion in 33 days after the recent financial storm, according to Forbes Magazine.

Buffett, the only son of a stockbroker, was ready to think outside the box to develop his business from a very early age. At 8, he went to golf courses collecting and selling the used balls. At 11 when he sold soda pop door-to-door with a friend, the pair collected lids on streets to judge which flavor was the most popular.

As a paper boy during high school, Buffett delivered two competitor papers, so that even when customers canceled one of the subscriptions, he could still make a profit from the other. With his paper delivery savings, Buffett bought 162,000 square meters of farmland and collected rent. Young Buffett stepped into the stock market at 11 but earned only $5. The experience taught him one of the virtues in investing, patience.

After graduating from university, Buffett started his venture with stocks with his childhood earnings and money from friends. He researched the stocks and just bought those of solid companies that were undervalued and inexpensive at the time. By sticking to companies such as American Express and Coca-Cola, Buffett has become rich.

“Learning is important to Buffett’s success. He is a learning machine who can spend his entire day reading. He keeps learning from books, street smarts and investigation, from both success and failure. In this way, he over-achieved his aptitude （能力）.” said Charlie Munger, his longtime business partner.

1. The passage is mainly about ___________.

A．why Buffett took the place of Bill Gates as the world’s richest man

B．what effect Buffett’s childhood experiences had on his success

C．how Buffett earned his fortune and achieved his aptitude

D．what Buffett dreamt about when he was a child

2. Which of the following is true about Buffett?

A．His worth is more than $ 55.5 billion now.

B．He is next to Bill Gates in wealth at the present time.

C．He achieved great success on stepping into the stock market.

D．He bought 162,000 square meters of farmland by selling soda pop.

3. How did Buffett behave at the stock market?

A．He often prefers some inexpensive stocks.

B．He will buy the stock whose price is lower than its value.

C．He always borrows money from his friends to buy stocks.

D．He will sell the stock if its price doesn’t go up.

4. Which is the main factor that determines Buffett’s success?

A．His education.                        B．His family background.

C．His desire to learn.                    D．His cooperation with his partner.

5. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Buffett is an immediate success in the stock market.

B．Buffett and Gates are business partners.

C．His father helped him a lot in his business.

D．Buffett has a good sense of business.

When you have a question about something, where do you go? For many people the answer is simple. They go online to a search engine like Google or Yahoo. But what about people in rural or under developed areas who may have no way to get on the Internet? Luckily, Rose Shuman, a business and international development consultant in California, has found a way for them. Her amazing solution is “Question Box”.

Question Box is a service that provides answers -- free of charge -- for people who cannot search the Internet directly. They might not be able to read, or they simply have no access.

Question Box began two years ago in India. People use a metal call box with a push-to-talk button to connect to a live operator, as Rose Shuman explains, “You just push a button, a big green button, and that will connect you directly to our operators who are sitting in front of computers, and speak your language. And you can ask them any sort of question you want, and they'll look it up in English or in Hindi, or whatever the main language is, and translate the answer right back for you.”

The service is currently offered in two villages. The latest version of the box uses mobile phone technology and solar panels in case the electrical power fails. Rose Shuman says the aim was to make the box as easy as possible for users.

“Rather than try to bring a lot of infrastructure to them and expect them to learn how to use the Internet, the idea was to make a technology that even Grandma could use, figuring that Grandma could probably walk up to a box and push a button,” added Shuman.

In April, Question Box expanded to Uganda. Forty community workers with mobile phones connect villagers to call center operators in Kampala. The community workers go around telling people about the service. They wear T-shirts that say “Ask Me.”

But Internet service in Uganda proved slow and undependable. So Question Box teamed up with a local technology company to store information on a local server. That way, the researchers in Kampala can quickly search the database for answers when users ask about current events and many other subjects.

Rose Shuman continued, “When was Mahatma Gandhi born and how long is the Nile River? What's the tallest mountain? The funniest one I think we got was, 'Did the pyramids ever move to another place?', which we found pretty funny. But we did look it up, and they haven't moved.”

1. According to the passage, “Question Box” is a service intended to________.

   A．help improve the living standard of the people in poor areas

   B．promote the computer technology

   C．provide answers to the people without the Internet

   D．enrich the local people’s life

2. Which of the following is TRUE about Question Box according to the passage?

   A．Uganda is the original place where the service started.

   B．Some modern technologies have been used for improving the service.

   C．Question Box won’t be able to work if there is no electrical power.

   D．It was impossible for a grandma to use Question Box.

3. We can learn from the passage that in Uganda ______.

A．forty call center operators helped make Question Box known to villagers

B．it was very convenient for villagers to have access to Internet service

C．users are very interested in current events

D．a local technology company cooperate with Question Box

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．All the questions asked by people are pretty funny.

B．Workers of Question Box know the answer for any question.

C．Question Box always tries to answer the question, no matter how strange.

D．Those who asked questions wanted to make progress in their studies.

5. What attitude does the writer hold towards “Question Box” according to the passage?

A．Indefinite.              B．Negative.      C．Supportive.          D．Indifferent.

Scientists say they have developed the first technology of its kind to allow children with communication problems to converse better.

How was school today? is a software system to enable children with disabilities such as cerebral palsy （脑瘫） communicate faster. The system is the result of a project between computing scientists from the Universities of Dundee and Aberdeen and Capability Scotland.

Dr Ehud Reiter, from the University of Aberdeen's School of Natural and Computing Sciences said: "How was school today? uses sensors, swipe cards, and a recording device to gather information on what the child using the system has experienced at school that day.  This can then be turned into a story by the computer—using what is called natural language generation —which the pupils can then share when they get home. The system allows children to easily talk about their school day and to quickly answer questions."

For a child with severe motor disabilities or no speech, holding a conversation is often very difficult and limited to short one-to-two-word answers.

Pupils from Capability's Corseford School near Glasgow were the first to trial the new system. Sue Williams, headteacher at Corseford School, said: "In the week we used the system we found it very useful to pupils, teachers and parents alike. It allows children to take control of the conversation without having to rely on help from us."

Nicole Vallery and Rebecca Clelland were two of the pupils at Corseford to test the new software. Nicole, 11, said, “I was happy to take part in How was school today? It made me feel good about myself.” Rebecca said, “It was something different. I enjoyed it.”

Nicole's mum, Jan, said: "We really enjoyed using How was school today? and hearing Nicole's story. The programmer enabled her to talk easily and answer questions quickly, giving us a very detailed insight into her day."

Plans are now in place to examine how it could be used to support children with different levels and types of impairments（缺陷）.

1. What is probably the meaning of the underlined word “converse” in the first paragraph?

A．complete              B．communicate   C．control                        D．conduct

2. The following are part of How was school day? except ________.

A．sensors                 B．swipe cards    C．a reading device   D．a microphone

3. The software has been developed to ________.

A．solve communication problems

B．help gather information about school days

C．help to communicate faster

D．talk about the students’ school days

4. According to the passage, which of the following is not true?

A．How was school day? has gone into production.

B．Scientists plan to carry out further research into the system.

C．The system allows children to take control of the conversation.

D．The system makes pupils feel good about themselves.

5. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A．How was school day? Becoming Popular

B．A Software for Listening

C．A New Software Helping Communication Easier

D．A New Software for Pupils

For decades, college students have been regarded as "society's elites". Today, however, things have changed greatly. The ever-growing rate of college enrollment has led to a relatively popularized higher education and a huge army of graduates every year. This year, more than 6 million students graduated from universities and colleges across the country. Twenty years ago, the figure was 340,000. College graduates have become no different from other job seekers in the labor market. Frankly, they are ordinary laborers.

They should realize that they are far from popular with employers as they think themselves to be. Surveys indicate that companies that have employed college graduates have found them to avoid laborious work, and the knowledge they acquired at university was of no practical use. Many companies have openly stated that they would not employ new graduates.

Removing their sense of "elitism" and taking a job at grassroots level is a practical alternative.

In fact, working in a low-ranking, demanding occupation can toughen one's will and help one accumulate experience, and develop competitiveness. In this sense, any job can be a good start to one's career.

There was once a report about a university graduate surnamed Zhong from Chengdu who earned 400,000 yuan （$52,632） raising pigs in a remote mountainous village after he quit his white-collar job four years ago.

Raising pigs is generally thought to be a low-status occupation. However, Zhong used his knowledge to develop a pig farm with advanced technologies and succeeded in grasping market opportunities. His success could be an example for other college graduates.

Of course, many difficulties college graduates will encounter in rural and remote regions are beyond their abilities to solve. For instance, unfair competition they may face because of corruption among local officials; misrepresentation（歪曲） of State policies by some local government departments; poor performance of the law in backward regions, and so on.

In this regard, local governments, especially the powerful provincial governments, should seriously move to settle these problems so as to create a friendly environment for college graduates to contribute to the construction of our rural and undeveloped regions.

1. Which is NOT the reason why employers are unsatisfied with college graduates?

   A．College graduates look down upon laborious work.

   B．College graduates lack practical knowledge.

   C．College graduates have a sense of “society elites”.

   D．College graduates are ordinary laborers.

2. The example of Zhong is mentioned in the passage to ________.

   A．encourage college graduates to raise pigs.

   B．encourage college graduates to go to remote mountainous areas.

   C．indicate that any job can be a good start to one’s career.

   D．show that a low-status occupation can toughen one’s will.

3. What are the difficulties college graduates will face in rural and remote regions?

   a. Local officials fail to perform their duties.

   b. State policies don’t serve the people.

   c. The law is not put into practice effectively.

   d. The conditions are poor in rural and remote regions.

   e. The college graduates’ abilities are limited.

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

4. It is implied but not stated in the passage that ________.

   A．The development of the rural regions is of vital importance.

   B．College graduates should change their opinion of job-seeking.

   C．A huge army of college graduates appear due to the high rate of college enrollment.

   D．College graduates are no longer popular with employers.

5. Who are the intended readers of this passage?

   A．Parents     B．People in general     C．Educators     D．College graduates

阅读下面的短文，请根据短文后的要求答题（请注意问题后的字数要求）

It’s become acceptable for people to say that women work less than men and therefore deserve less! It may have been true in the past when women were expected to stay at home and look after children, but_______________________. They have “come out”! Gone are the days when they worked very hard at the kitchen stove all day long; they are now aware of their needs and are willing to fight for them. They expect to be given the respect they deserve, both at home and at work. They have realized their intellectual potential and have determined to do something with it!

     Women on two wheels have become a familiar sight on the roads of most Asian countries during the past few years. It is common to find a woman who takes her children on her bicycle to school and then reaches her office in time. It would have been unimaginable a few years ago! She has become a major part of family decisions in every aspect and how those decisions are carried out.

      “Super woman” though she is, it is rather difficult to combine a career and a decent （相当好的） home life. She needs to feel supported and satisfied. She may arrive at work feeling as if she has already done a full day’s work. If colleagues doubt her commitment to her job, she would feel sad. At the same time, the women of today expect their husbands to contribute towards childcare and household chores.

      Today’s women are trying to avoid situations that make them feel more stressed and it is a hard struggle. Despite all this, the new woman, “the Superpower” has arrived. She still believes in the power and value of a family unit and she holds it in high esteem（尊重）.

1．What is the passage mainly about? （Please answer within 10 words．）

  ____________________________________________________________________________

2．Please fill in the blank in the first paragraph with proper words to complete the sentence．（Please answer within 10 words．）

____________________________________________________________________________

3．Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?

Women now have more rights to decide what to do and how to do things in the family.

____________________________________________________________________________

4．Why is it difficult for a “Super woman” to combine a career and a home life?

 （Please answer within 30 words．）

____________________________________________________________________________

5．Translate the underlined sentence in the last paragraph into Chinese．

____________________________________________________________________________

2009年12月7－18日在丹麦首都哥本哈根召开了哥本哈根世界气候大会。环境保护、气候变化等问题引起了世人的关注。为了保护环境，各国政府做了大量的工作。

请结合现实生活及你周围的现象谈谈你对环境保护的认识并提出合理化建议。

要求：不少于120个单词。

提示：哥本哈根世界气候大会 the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

People, especially teens, think it ______ great fun to surf on _______ Internet．

A．a; the                      B．a; 不填                C．不填; the               D．the; the

______is the population of Shandong Province?

A．How many             B．Which             C．How much             D．What

---Can you help clean the window?

---________．

A．I’d like that                                               B．Sure, go ahead   

C．Sorry, but I have to meet my uncle              D．It’s none of my business