During the twentieth century, cars, electric lights, space travel and amazing advances in medicine changed people’s lives. So what might this new century bring? There are hundreds of predictions flying around — let’s have a light-hearted look at some of them.
In a recent UK survey, teenagers were asked to make predictions about the year 2020. One of the most common predictions was that school uniforms won’t be around. They also predicted that both girls and boys will wear make-up more often, and more than 75% of men will wear skirts regularly. My dad is 65 next Saturday — I think I’ll buy him a skirt as a birthday present and tell him he’ll soon be in fashion!
Other predictions involve changing roles of men and women. By 2017, some people say that single men of working age will form more than 10% of all families. It is also predicted that washing powder advertisements will include more men because more of them will do housework. I’ll tell that to my husband when he gets home and see how keen he is to wash the dishes!
Many predictions are about crime and safety problems. Some people think that crime will improve and the world will become a more peaceful place. Others believe that crime is going to worsen and that people will stay at home becoming completely dependent on the Internet for shopping and work. It is also predicted that you will need an electronic card to get into parks as parents demand safe play areas for their children. This is old news for me --- our local government is going to introduce one this summer.
Technology is predicted to play an even more important role in our lives in the future. Some parents might have cameras at home so they can keep an eye on their children while they are out. Quick, kids, turn off the TV and do your homework!
Here’s another prediction. Researchers have concluded that cultural activity may add years to your life. The cinema, theatre and concerts may give us a longer life because they encourage strong feelings. Well, we’re watching Bridget Jones’ Diary this Friday night. Will that help us live longer?
Let’s finish up with my favourite prediction. In the future, elderly people are going to make up a larger proportion of the world’s population than ever before. In Britain, an estimated 100,000 people now in their thirties may live to be 100. And that includes me! I’ll have a big, big party, I promise!
【小题1】 The writer’s father ________ .

A．has just turned sixty-five

B．wears skirts

C．is very fashionable

D．is about to turn sixty-five

【小题2】Why might more men do housework in the future?

A．Washing powder advertisements suggest it.

B．Men won’t want to work in offices any more.

C．Traditional roles of men and women will change.

D．Women will refuse to wash the dishes.

【小题3】According to the passage, people might ________ , if crime worsens.

A．need electronic cards to get into their homes

B．stay at home and depend on the Internet

C．help to make the world a more peaceful place

D．work harder and make more money

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT true？

A．It’s likely that the writer is to live to be 100.

B．The writer promises that she is going to hold a big, big party soon.

C．Without an electronic card, you can’t get into a park freely in the future.

D．The writer holds a positive attitude towards the changes in the new century.

【小题5】From the passage, we may infer that the writer is probably ____ .

A．a professional news reporter.

B．a young and attractive sales girl.

C．a middle-aged British housewife.

D．a responsible government official.

“Everybody in this city wants a car, and I’m no exception. A car brings with it the freedom to travel”, said a friend of mine while reading a car magazine. I might not agree with him, but no doubt he was speaking for a rapidly growing number of middle-class Chinese. While it is true that all the waiting, walking, being part of a crowd, and sweating, are somewhat unpleasant, there are many problems which can arise when our lives rely too much on this invention.
First of all, in terms of polluting the environment, driving a car is the worst act an average person can commit. Beijing now finds itself at the top of the list of the most polluted capital cities in the world with Mexico City in the second place. Research also shows that by 2010 around 90% of total pollutants in Shanghai have come from cars. These pollutions are extremely dangerous to our health. They can damage the lungs, cause cancer, and damage the brain.
Apart from environmental problems, relying too much on cars also creates social problems such as traffic jams, road accidents, and noise pollution. The jeeps that proudly drive through the Hutongs in Beijing as if they are in a race often annoy me, and to make it worse, these drivers seldom respect cyclists.
Of course, we cannot forget the convenience that cars bring us when we need to travel far, but I often find it faster to cycle from one place to another within the city of Beijing, especially with the growing traffic jams.
Since people travel further and more frequently than before, cars will certainly be important in the future. At the same time, however, let us work hard to make sure that this invention brings us a more convenient lifestyle rather than trouble and disease. Let us make good use of cars.
【小题1】What is this passage mainly about?

A．Environmental problems.

B．Traffic jams in Beijing.

C．Problems brought about by cars.

D．Benefits of using cars.

【小题2】 The underlined word commit in Paragraph 2 has the close meaning as ____ .

A．do something right or legal

B．do something wrong or illegal

C．do something good and meaningful

D．do something bad and meaningless

【小题3】What do we know about the author?

A．The author doesn’t want a car.

B．The author agrees that a car offers freedom to travel.

C．The author suggests that we should rely on bicycles.

D．The author thinks that the invention of cars leads to many problems.

【小题4】In Paragraph 3, what does the author mean by saying “The jeeps… often annoy me”?

A．The author is troubled by the way jeeps are driven in the Hutongs of Beijing.

B．The author thinks that Hutongs are too narrow for jeeps to drive through.

C．The author thinks that the jeeps are too noisy.

D．The author is worried that more accidents are caused by jeeps than any other cars.

【小题5】What is the author’s idea in Paragraphs 4 and 5 ?

A．Cars are only convenient for people traveling far.

B．We should all give up cars and ride bicycles.

C．Cars have brought us more convenience than troubles.

D．We should choose between the car and the bicycle according to the situation.

At one time, people used to travel to foreign countries because they thought they would be different from home—the building, the food, the national dress. Nowadays, however, one large city is very like another. They all have their Hilton or Sheraton Hotels which look Hilton or Sheraton Hotels everywhere. They all have their McDonald’s, their KFCs, their Pizza Huts. Office buildings look the same everywhere, and most city centers are full of office buildings. And, of course, people are driving the same brands of Japanese or European cars, usually wearing the same kinds of clothing and the world’s airlines are all flying the same aircraft, Boeings or Airbuses.
What, therefore, is the purpose of foreign travel for people who are not on business? What do tourists hope to experience in a foreign country that they cannot experience at home? Why travel to foreign countries at all? The answer could be that people are very interested in the past. It is a nation’s history that is its main attraction. Most of today’s tourists travel overseas to find out what foreign countries and cultures used to be like, not what they are like today. The words “cultural tourism” are now part of the language of tourism, and it is the museums and works of art in many countries that are their main attractions.
If they are lucky—and have had sensible, strong governments—many countries also usually have at least a few beautiful places for tourists to visit.
Finally there is perhaps a nation’s greatest attraction: its people. A nation is not just its historical buildings, its works of art or beautiful places, it is also the people who live in it. This is why a country such as Thailand attracts millions of people every year. They come mainly because of the friendliness of the Thai people. It is why the Pacific Islands are also so popular. There may not be much to see or do in Fiji, but there are lots of friendly, smiling people to make visitors feel welcome.
【小题1】The passage is mainly about      .

A．the importance of tourism	B．different foreign cultures
C．how to plan an overseas trip	D．why people travel to foreign countries

【小题2】The writer thinks that large cities in foreign countries       .

A．are similar to one another	B．share the same aircraft
C．do not have good hotels	D．do not offer a warm service to foreigners

【小题3】The writer believes that many tourists are interested in foreign        .

A．hotels

B．history

C．cars

D．programs

【小题4】The underlined phrase “cultural tourism” means        .

A．visiting lots of museums	B．traveling overseas
C．studying the history of a foreign country	D．tourists being interested in a nation’s past and ideas

Barbie(芭比娃娃)，believe it or not，is 50 this year and she's still as popular as ever.A doll is a doll，but Barbie illustrates how，over the last five decades，women have become a standard for judging what freedom really means. How women are treated in different countries tells you a lot about the politics and culture of where they live.
The doll that every little girl wants enables young children to test their possibilities in role playing，giving them a glimpse of what they might be when they grow up，whether to be frivolous or serious (or both)．
But in many countries that's not an option. In Saudi Arabia，where woman can't drive or go out publicly unless covered，Barbie is banned. They think Barbie dolls are offensive to Islam(伊斯兰教) and a threat to morality.
In America，she represents the swiftly changing roles of women. Barbie is fun to tease but she's as American as miniskirts_and_pantsuits in her flexible identities and her “growth” from model to astronaut.
Barbie inspired a doll­revolution movement. When a Teen Talk Barbie was programmed electronically to say “Math class is tough”，she was criticized by a national women's group and was regarded as a bad stereotype. Some of her critics also say she's a bad influence because she's too thin and encourages anorexia，that she has run through too many stereotypes(固定模式)，and that she lends too much significance to the fantasy stages of child's play.
In some Muslim countries, substitute Barbie dolls have been developed that promote traditional values，with their modest clothing and pro­family backgrounds. They are widely seen as an effort to resist the American dolls that have flooded the market.
Toy seller Masoumeh Rahimi welcomed the dolls，saying Barbie was “foreign to Muslim culture” because some of the dolls have little clothing. She said young girls who play with Barbie，could grow into women who reject Muslim values. “I think every Barbie doll is more harmful than an American missile，”Ms. Rahimi said.
【小题1】The writer mentioned “miniskirts and pantsuits”(in Paragraph 4) to imply that ________.

A．these are the only clothes a doll should wear

B．these are very traditional American clothes for women

C．there are a range of different life options available for women

D．readers should wear these clothes more often

【小题2】The underlined word “anorexia” (in Paragraph 5) most probably means“________”．

A．an illness of refusing to eat

B．giving up math study

C．the wearing of inappropriate clothes

D．a decrease in people's imagination

【小题3】It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．children who like Barbie dolls won't be so serious when they grow up

B．Muslim Barbies are the same as American Barbies

C．Muslim societies are generally more conservative than western societies

D．Americans have no worry about Barbie's influence on children

When you are far away from home for the first time and have a lot to adjust to，you can't do it alone. However independent you are，it is good to have a roommate during your first year.
Living with someone helps ease your loneliness. Sure it may seem appealing to be able to play your music and turn up your TV as loud as you want, but coming home to an empty room every day can be depressing. If you have a bad day, you may want to talk to someone.
Friends are great sources of venting (宣泄), but friends can't always be there. Even worse, they may be self­centered and show no interest in your problem. It's not that roommates aren't like this, but even just small talk can help you feel better.
Having a roommate teaches you how to get along with people and settle conflict. You two should set up rules immediately and discuss what to do when there is conflict. If you two don't like each other，you still study，relax，and sleep in the same room. You must find a way to get along.
Finally，having a roommate exposes (使接触) you to different ways of living. Your roommate may come from a different city，and have different living habits. He or she also has different interests and personalities. You don't have to end up liking the same things your roommate does，but try to learn something different. You will be surrounded by many different people in college and have the chance to try things you never have before. Why not start learning from your roommate？
Having a roommate gives you the skills and personal background you will need to utilize (利用) when you are out on your own. Make the most of living with a stranger and besides，there will be plenty of opportunities for you to have your own room later in your college years.
【小题1】Who are probably the intended readers of the passage？

A．University teachers.

B．Students who are not independent.

C．Students in the first year of college.

D．Students who will graduate from college soon.

【小题2】From the passage，we can learn that 　　　　.

A．roommates will become good friends in the end

B．there may be disagreements between roommates

C．students can choose those they like as their roommates

D．those with similar interests can become roommates

【小题3】 How is the passage organized？
 
【小题4】The purpose of the passage is to　　　　.

A．tell the importance of friends

B．compare friends with roommates

C．encourage students to find a roommate

D．state the different ways of living

The word “conservation” has a thrifty meaning. To conserve is to save and protect, to leave what we ourselves enjoy in such a good condition that others may also share the enjoyment. Our forefathers had no idea that human population would increase faster than the supplies of raw materials: most of them, even until very recently, had the foolish idea that the treasures were “limitless” and could “last forever”. Most of the citizens of earlier generations knew little or nothing about the complicated and delicate system that runs all through nature, and which means that, as in a living body, an unhealthy condition of one part will sooner or later be harmful to all the others.
Fifty years ago, nature study was not part of school work; scientific forestry was a new idea; wood was still cheap because it could be brought in any quantity from distant woodlands; soil destruction and river floods were not national problems; nobody had yet studied long-term climatic cycles in relation to proper land use; even the word “conservation” had nothing of the meaning that it has for us today.
For the sake of ourselves and those who will come after us, we must now set about correcting the mistakes of our forefathers. Conservation should be made part of everybody's daily life. To know about the water table (水位) in ground is just as important to us as a knowledge of the basic math formulas. We need to know why all watersheds (上游集水区) need the protection of plant life and why the running current of streams and rivers must be made to give their full benefit to the soil before they finally escape to the sea. We need to be taught the duty of planting trees as well as of cutting them. We need to know the importance of big, grown trees, because living space for most of man's fellow creatures on this planet is figured not only in square measure of surface but also in cubic（立方体的）volume above the earth. In a word, it should be our goal to restore as much of the original beauty of nature as we can.
【小题1】The author's attitude towards the use of natural resources is_________.

A．positive

B．uninterested

C．optimistic

D．critical

【小题2】According to the author, the greatest mistake of our forefathers was that________.

A．they had no idea about scientific forestry

B．they had little or no sense of environmental protection

C．they were not aware of the importance of nature study

D．they had no idea of how to make good use of raw materials

【小题3】To avoid repeating the mistakes of our forefathers, the author suggests that ________.

A．we plant more trees

B．natural sciences be taught to everybody

C．environmental education be given to everybody

D．we return to nature

【小题4】How can you understand the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?

A．Our living space on the earth is getting smaller and smaller.

B．Our living space should be measured in cubic volume.

C．We need to take some measures to protect space.

D．We must preserve good living condition for both birds and animals.

For a while, my neighborhood was taken over by an army of joggers．(慢跑者). They were there all the time—early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces. “Come on!” My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening. “You'll feel great.”
Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army. I'm not alone in my opinion.
First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet a real pounding (沉重的脚步) running down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn't kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.
Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn't my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, “I love being out there with just my thoughts.” Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.
And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn't just the first week: it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn't fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?
I don't jog any more, and I don't think I ever will. I'm walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I'm getting exercise, and I'm enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I've found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.
【小题1】From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer's neighborhood ________.

A．jogging became very popular

B．many people were encouraged to jog

C．Alex organized an army of joggers

D．jogging provided a chance to get together

【小题2】 The underlined word “them”(Paragraph 3) most probably refers to ________.

A．heart attacks	B．Back problems
C．hundreds of people	D．physical weaknesses

【小题3】 From the author's experience, we can conclude that ________.

A．jogging can help people keep fit

B．many physical problems result from jogging

C．not everyone enjoys jogging

D．jogging makes people feel great

Several years ago, I had a huge falling out with one of my best friends. So huge, in fact, that now I can’t even remember what happened.
In the past nine years, I’ve seen her twice, and each time we’ve been polite but distant. And that troubles me because we were once that close to each other. I’d like nothing more than to go back nine years, and continue our friendship. But how? How do you reconnect with friends you’ve lost throughout the years?
Linking to your past
The desire to reconnect with lost friend isn’t unusual. Why? Because friends link us to the past. “Friends from years ago are custodians(监护人) of our past,” says Sandy Sheehy, author of Connecting” The Enduring Power of Female Friendship.
Although you can’t share information about your past with friends you’ve met recently, you don’t have a shared history with them. So you wind up only telling them about your past, rather than sharing it with them.
But many people never try to reconnect. Women especially have trouble taking the first step. Shyness or fear that the other person doesn’t want to reconnect often stops many women. And that shouldn’t be. Your friends probably want to be in touch with you as much as you want to be in touch with them.
Searching for friends
Fortunately, finding lost friends isn’t as difficult as it once was, thanks to tools like the Internet. Our experts offer these suggestions for locating contact information:
Search Internet sites designed to locate people like classmates.com and switchboard.com.
Contact your high school or college alumni（校友）office to request current address information.
Surf online yellow pages. Check current phone records from your friend’s hometown.
Network with other friends who might have known your friend.
Get in touch with any of her relatives(亲戚), if you know where they live. If you know where she works, find the company’s web site and search the directory of personnel.
【小题1】What ‘s the subject discussed in the passage?

A．How to make new friends.	B．How to rediscover friendships.
C．How to develop healthy friendships	D．How to keep in touch with friends.

【小题2】The underlined sentence “Friends from years ago are custodians of our past” means _____.

A．many years ago old friends kept something for us

B．in the past old friends took care of us

C．old friends are part of our life history

D．old friends know what wrong things we did in the past

【小题3】What makes us unwilling to reconnect old friends?

A．Lack of money	B．Shortage of time
C．Regret and shame	D．Fear and shyness

【小题4】How can we make contact with the lost friends?

A．By asking other friends of the information on your lost friends.

B．By searching your friends’ telephone number in the net.

C．By asking the local post office about your friends’ new address.

D．By putting an ad in your friends’ local town.

Remind children that bad things don’t last. It may sound simple, but the message is extremely important. “Children often don’t have the experience to know that when something bad happens---they lose an important game or their best friend lets them down---it’s not the end of the world,” explains Nancy Leffert, a senior research scientist with the Research Institute, an American adolescents(青少年) and children’s research group. “They think their bad feelings will last for ever, or that one failure will ruin everything.”
Unfortunately, that kind of thinking discourages motivation(动机). “If a child believes that the cause of her upset is lasting, or that nothing she does will make a difference, it decreases her ability to keep on trying.” says Dorothy Rich, president of the MegaSkills Education Center of the Home and School Institute, based in Washington. Any time you can help your child see that a situation is not lasting, that a result can be changed, or that one opinion does not reflect reality, you give her reason to hope.
Case in point: “When my daughter Kathy was eight, art was one of her favorite subjects,” says Beth, a mother of two. “Then she got an art teacher who gave a great deal of praise to one student and barely noticed the rest. Kathy was ready to give up until I explained to her, “Never stop doing your best just because one person doesn’t give you praise.” Beth had to repeat the advice often, and finally her daughter got the message. “Kathy is 12 now, and art is still one of her strongest subjects.”
【小题1】According to the passage we know many children__________.

A．know how to face a failure

B．try their best to avoid a situation of failure

C．don’t want to stay in bad feelings for ever

D．tend to take a failure as the end of the world

【小题2】Which of the following is RIGHT about Nancy Leffert?

A．She is concerned about children’s attitudes towards failure.

B．She is the president of the Education Center.

C．She strongly believes that bad things won’t last long.

D．She is the director of the Research Institute.

【小题3】Which of the following can a parent say to his children to show that one’s opinion does not reflect reality?

A．“If you call your friend and apologize, he won’t stay mad at you.”

B．“Go ahead. Don’t care what other people think.”

C．“You have lost today, but you can try again tomorrow.”

D．“That may be what your teacher thinks, but I see it differently.”

【小题4】The best title of the passage is__________.

A．Help Children Promote Problem Solving Ability

B．Tell Children Not to Let Failure Ruin Them

C．Set Reasonable Hopes for Your Children

D．Teach Your Children to Be Happy

What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red?  【小题1】Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be pessimist. At least, this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings.  【小题2】 If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly
 【小题3】 A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day.  【小题4】 A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides(自杀) than any other bridge in the area-until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply. Perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.
【小题5】 It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or gray.

A．On the other hand, black is depressing.

B．They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favorite color as grow up—we are born with our preference.

C．The rooms are pained in different colors as you like.

D．If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement.

E. Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active.
F. Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colors.
G. Colors do influence our moods-there is no doubt about it.