It’s ____ kind of you to take so much trouble with me.

A．awfully         B．foolishly    C．differently      D．patiently

His ____ of too much time to sports leaves too little time for studying.

A．thirst          B．anxiety     C．devotion        D．perseverance

____ makes this shop different is that it offers more personal services.

A．What          B．Who  C．Which          D．Why

--So you missed the meeting.

---____. I got there ten minutes before it finished.

A．No problem      B．Not really       C．You bet             D．Forget it

---It’s so late. Our son         be back!

--- Don’t worry. I dare say he        have some extra work to do.     

A．can ; must     B．will ; might           C．should ; must   D．must ; may

Just One Drink

There’s a small cross by the side of Highway 128, near the town of Boonville. If this cross could  1 , it would tell you this sad story:

Seven years ago my brother, Michael, was on a friend’s farm. They decided to go out for dinner. Joe arrived and  2  to drive—after just one drink.

 3  , the four friends traveled the winding road. They didn’t know  4  it would end—nobody did. Suddenly, they changed their direction and swerved（拐进） into the  5  lane, colliding with a(n)  6  car.

Back home we were watching E.T. on video in front of a warm fire. Then we went to bed. At 2:00 A．M. a police officer 7  my mom with the  8  news. Michael had been killed.

In the morning, I found my mother and sister  9 . I stood there,  10 . “What’s wrong?” I asked, 11 my sleepy eyes.

Mom took a deep  12  . “Come here …”

Thus began a difficult and tiring journey through grief（忧伤）, where all roads lead to nowhere. It still 13  to remember that day.

The  14  thing that helps is telling my story, hoping you will remember it if you are 15  to get into a car with someone who has had a drink—even just  16  drink.

Joe chose the road to 17 . He was convicted of manslaughter（过失杀人） and served time. 18  , the real punishment is living with the consequences of his actions. He left us with a(n)  19  in our hearts that will never go away, a nightmare that will haunt him—and us—for the rest of our lives. And a small  20  by the side of Highway 128.        

(Dedicated with love to the memory of Michael Laddish)

1．A．laugh                   B．hear                   C．talk                   D．walk

2．A．abandoned             B．wondered            C．volunteered          D．provided

4．A．how                  B．where                 C．when                 D．what

5．A．correct                 B．wrong                C．opposite             D．wide

6．A．riding                 B．oncoming           C．carrying             D．driving

7．A．woke                    B．threatened           C．comforted          D．arose

8．A．accurate               B．shocking            C．expected            D．doubtful

9．A．whispering           B．complaining         C．crying               D．cursing

10．A．disappointed        B．confused            C．desperate          D．motivated

11．A．closing               B．rubbing               C．sticking             D．appealing

12．A．breath                B．chance                C．joke                  D．look

11．A．wounds               B．injures                 C．hurts                 D．senses

14．A．only                   B．lucky                  C．just                    D．useful

15．A．attached              B．encouraged          C．forced               D．acquired

16．A．little                    B．much                 C．few                    D．one

17．A．nowhere             B．anywhere            C．somewhere         D．everywhere

18．A．Meanwhile           B．However             C．Therefore           D．But

19．A．hole                 B．hope                  C．space                D．ache

20．A．car                  B．mark                 C．cross                 D．graveyard

About 500 years ago, the Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus proved the Earth was round. Now American author Thomas Friedman tells us the Earth is flat in his bestseller: The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century.

If he is not joking, then why is the world flat? Friedman owes it to technological forces. Because of the Internet and the World Wide Web, he believes geographical barriers are disappearing. Individuals and companies around the world can cooperate or compete on the same level.

Bill Gates explains the meaning of this transformation best. Thirty years ago, he tells Friedman, if you had to choose between being born a genius in Shanghai and an average person in Poughkeepsie (a city in southeast New York), you would have chosen Poughkeepsie because your chances of living a prosperous life were much greater there. "Now," Gates says, "I would rather be a genius born in China than an average guy born in Poughkeepsie." This shows that success today is determined more by ability than by location.

Globalization 3.0, as he calls it, is driven by ambitious individuals: freelancers (自由撰稿人) and creative new businesses all over the world, especially in India and China. They can compete not just for low-wage manufacturing but, increasingly, for the highest-end research and design work as well.

Big companies have played another important role in this globalization process. They move their factories from one country to another to cut costs. It's usual now for an engineer in China to be working for an American company. The Internet keeps them in constant touch with their American partners. People everywhere, from the US to China, have procedures of the same standard for getting their work done.

The Reuters news agency provides a good example. The company moved its operation offices from London and New York to India. The Indian employees have the necessary technical skills. But the salaries and office rents are less than one-fifth of what they would be in New York or London.

1．The fact that Bill Gates made a different choice shows that ______.

A．success is largely determined by where you live

B．a genius is sure to succeed

C．Shanghai has taken the place of New York now

D．one can succeed from anywhere as long as he is intelligent enough

2．Why is the world flat according to Friedman?

A．Because the Earth has changed 500 years later.

B．Because geniuses can be found everywhere all over the world .

C．Because great progress in science and technology makes the world seem smaller.

D．Because the 21st century makes travel easier.

3．Which of the following is NOT mentioned as one of the advantages of globalization?

A．Lower cost for factories                      B．Low-wage manufacturing

C．Cheap rents                                        D．Low-priced products

4．The main idea of the passage is that ______.

A．a genius plays a role in the advancement of science and technology

B．both cooperation and competition between businesses lead to globalization

C．China and India are catching up with the western countries

D．business competition helps to speed up globalization

Australians have been warned they face a life or death decision over their water — drink recycled sewage (污水) or die.

With the drought continuing, the country is set to be forced to use purified waste water for drinking, even though there is great disagreement to the measure.

Queensland has become the first state to introduce the policy after a warning from its premier. “I think in the end, because of the drought, all of Australia is going to end up drinking recycled purified water, ”said Peter Beattie. “These are difficult decisions, but you either drink water or you die. There's no choice. It's liquid gold, it's a matter of life and death.”  

Beattie said Australia's second largest state would become the first to use recycled water for drinking.

Water is recycled in Britain and parts of northern Europe along with the US and Israel.  

But Australians have never liked the idea.  

To try to change the way Australians think, Prime Minister John Howard and Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull have backed Queensland’s move. "I am very strongly in favour of recycling and Mr Beattie is right and I agree with him completely," Howard said.  

Turnbull added that Australian cities, all now facing water shortages because of the worst drought on record, must start to use recycled water. "All of our big cities have to widen the range of water sources to include sources which are not dependent on rainfall," he said.

1．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Queensland is the second largest state in Australia.

B．Some European countries have taken the measures already.

C．Queensland suffers most from the drought among the other states.

D．Australians usually depend on rainfall for their water sources.

2．From the passage, it can be inferred that______.

A．other ways to solve the water shortage may be discussed and discovered

B．many Australians like the idea of drinking recycled water

C．big cities in other states will not follow Queensland

D．Britain faces the same drought problem as Australia does

3．What does the underlined word “backed” probably mean?

A．supported        B．adopted            C．changed    D．fell behind

4．The title for this passage would probably be ______.

A．Live or Die? A Life or Death Decision Over Water

B．A Perfect Solution to Water Shortage

C．No to Recycled Water

D．Rainfall or Sewage? No One Cares

He grew up among knights (国际象棋中的马), kings and queens. At 16, Norway’s chess genius Magnus Carlsen is pushing to become the world’s youngest world title contender (竞争者).Carlsen, who was introduced to the game by his father Henrik when he was a little boy, became the   world’s youngest international grandmaster (大师) at 13．Now he is 17th in the World Chess Federation’s ranking of top players –a position much desired for a player his age.

“I’m going for the world championship,” says Magnus, the third youngest grandmaster in world history. But former champion Gary Kasparov and India’s Viswanathan Anand, the World Chess Federation’s current number one, already see him as a possible person who will take their position after they have left.

From a young age, Carlsen showed signs of extraordinary intelligence. “At the age of two, he already knew all the car brand names. At five, whatever he built with his toys was very unique and outstanding,” his father says.  

It is also reported that he learnt the names of every country of the world, with their flag, capital and size by heart. But his first attempts at the game were embarrassing and he was far from the “Mozart of Chess”.  

“I almost gave up,” his father remembers. But as Magnus watched his father and older sister play, he began to like the challenge.  

After playing his first tournament（决赛） at eight, his baby face became a common feature in chess circles.  

When asked what he does when not playing chess, Magnus’ answers to an interviewer’s questions come easily.  

Girls? “I haven’t done much in that field.”  

Money? “Has never been a problem.”  

Hobbies? “I love to play football, spend time with my friends and be in front of my computer as people my age do. And listen to music.”  

But then, strangely enough, math is not his thing. “I was definitely the best in my class when I was little but now I hate it,” he says.

So what’s the secret behind his success so far?  

“Before a match I will sleep a lot,” he says. “There are very often bad dreams; like that the person I am playing with cheats.”

1．Magnus began to show his talent in chess at the age of ______.

A．13                      B．16                       C．8                            D．5

2．Why is Magnus good at chess ?

A．Because he played his tournament at a very young age.

B．Because he is better at maths than others.

C．Because he had a good rest by sleeping a lot before each match.

D．Because he was born with a special ability to create and learn new things.

3．As a famous chess player, Magnus likes to do the following things except ______.

A．getting together with kids of his age     B．playing football

C．playing his computer                       D．dating girls

4．Magnus is considered to be “Mozart of Chess” because ______.

A．Magnus’ hobby of listening to music plays a part in his success

B．Magnus has the same gift for chess as Mozart has for music

C．Magnus was not quick at learning chess in the beginning

D．Magnus decided to become “Mozart” while still young

Thursday July 6

Posters Exhibition  

The Consulate General of Germany in Shanghai is hosting an exhibition of World Cup posters created by artists from around the world. Fourteen posters in different styles by artists from different countries and China are on display.

Venue(地点): Consulate General of Germany (Shanghai)  

Time: 9:00 am — 12:00 am and 1:00 pm — 4:00 pm  

Price: free                                        

Tel: 021 63912068

at July 7

"Love Letter"

This play was written by American contemporary playwright Carol Rocamora. It's based on a love story by well known Russian short story writer and dramatist Anton Chekhov (1860-1904). Now Shanghai Drama Arts Centre brings this romantic story to the stage.

Venue: Shanghai Drama Arts Centre

Time: 7:30 pm  

Price: 100 yuan  

Tel: 021 — 62172426

Saturday July 8

Pop Concert

S.H.E. will give a concert on the weekend. This three-girl group debuted in 2001 and became popular in Asia. This week, they will give their local fans a musical treat in a show featuring some of their best known songs.  

Venue: Shanghai Stadium  

Time: 7:30 pm  

Price: 320 — 1,080 yuan  

Tel: 021 — 62172426

Sunday July 9

Solo Violin Concert

A violin concert titled "Conversation between a leading conductor and violinist" will be held on the weekend in Guangzhou. The concert will be given by renowned Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit and talented violist Chantal Juillet from Canada.   

Venue: Xinghai Concert Hall (Guangzhou)

Time: 8:00 pm   

Price: 80 — 280 yuan   

Tel: 020 — 87353869

Wednesday July 12

Piano Recital

Gary Graffman, the piano master from the US will give a piano performance in Shanghai. Graffman is the director of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and used to be the tutor of talented Chinese pianist Lang Lang.   

Venue: Shanghai Grand Theatre   

Time: 7:30 pm   

Price: 80 — 280 yuan   

Tel: 021 — 65430200

1．Which of following events will not happen in Shanghai?               

A．Piano recital.                                      B．Pop concert.  

C．Posters exhibition.                               D．Solo violin concert.

2．Who do you think is not a music performer?

       A．Charles Dutoit.                                    B．Chantal Juillet.

       C．Gary Graffman.                                   D．Carol Rocamora.

3．The most expensive performance is ______.

    A．"Love Letter"       B．Pop concert    C．Solo violin concert   D．Piano recital

4．Posters exhibition is probably the best choice for ______.

       A．football fans

       B．those who don’t work at all

       C．people who like to read romantic stories

       D．people on holiday