In America, drivers’ education is part of the regular high school curriculum. Every student in his or her second year of high school is required to take a class in driver’s education. However, unlike other courses, it is not given during the regular school year. Instead it is a summer course.
The course is divided up into two parts: class time for learning laws and regulations and driving time to practice driving. Class time is not unlike any other class. The students have a text from which they study the basic laws they must know to pass the written driving test that is given to anyone wanting to get a driver’s license.
Driving time is a chance for the students to get behind the wheel (steering wheel) and practice starting steering, backing up, parking, switching lanes, turning corners, and all the other maneuvers (操作) required to drive a car. Each student is required to drive a total of six hours. The students are divided up into groups of four. The students and the instructor go out driving for two hour blocks of time. Thus, each student gets half an hour driving time per outing. The instructor and “driver” sit in the front seats and the other three students sit in the back.
Drivers Ed cars are unlike other cars in which they have two sets of brakes, one on the driver’s side and one on the other side where the instructor sits. Thus, if the student driver should run into difficulties the instructor can take over. The car also has another special feature. On the top of the car is a sign that reads: STUDENT DRIVER. That lets nearby drivers know that they should use extra caution because the student driver is a beginning driver, not very experienced and prone to driving slowly.
After the student has passed the driver’s education course and reached the appropriate age to drive (this age differs in every state but in most cases the person must be 16 years old), they can go to a designated state office to take their driver’s test, which is made up of an eye examination, a written test, and a road test. The person must pass all three tests in order to be given a driver’s license. If the person did well in his or her driver’s education class, he or she will pass the test with flying colors and get a driver’s license.
【小题1】 Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A．Driving Classes.	B．Driving Learning.
C．Driving Course.	D．Driving Experience.

【小题2】   In America, the driver’s course mentioned above _____.

A．is considered as part of the advanced education

B．is given to any student wanting to get a driver’s license

C．is carried on at the same time as other courses

D．is offered to all the students of Grade 2 in high schools

【小题3】To prevent accidents, a drivers Ed car _____.

A．has a sign inside it	B．has two sets of brakes
C．is big enough to hold five persons	D．can’t run very fast

【小题4】Which of the following does not agree with the requirements for the students wanting to get their driver’s license?

A．They must be 16 years of age.

B．They should go to have their driver’s test.

C．They must have their eyes examined.

D．They ought to do well in their driver’s course.

【小题5】In the last sentence, “with flying colors” means _____.

A．happily

B．successfully

C．colorfully

D．quickly

HK’s Family Affair
　The 32nd Hong Kong Art Festival, to be held early next year, will be based on the theme of “family”.
　The art festival, considered to be Asia’s best, began in 1973.
　“We hope that people from Beijing and from all over the world will go to Hong Kong to enjoy the multiple performances in our art festival,”Douglas Gautier, the festival’s management director, said in a press conference in the capital.
　In the 29 days of the festival, which runs from February 8 to March 7, 2004, the audience can choose from 111 performances of 51 programmes staged by 700 foreign performers, 450 local artists and 160 actors from the mainland.
　Programmes vary from classical music, jazz, world music, Western and Peking opera, drama and dance to outdoor spectaculars.
　The programmes include Beethoven’s only opera Fidelio, Shakespeare’s drama Rromeo and Juliet, the ballet Mozartina and African dances, to name just a few.
　The lineup（阵容）includes the English Touring Theatre, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Zurich Ballet, The Spanish National Dance Troupe, as well as Europe Galante, the Petersen Quartet, pianists Angela Hewitt and Marc-Andre Hamelin, and saxophonist Jan Garbarek.
　In an effort to increase attendance, hotels and airlines are offering discount packages along with art festival ticket sales, most of which are at 20% and 30% discounts.
　　For more information, please check:
　　www. hk. artsfestival. org
【小题1】The press conference must have been held ________.

A．in Hong Kong	B．in Europe
C．in Beijing	D．in England

【小题2】By means of“discount packages”you can pay ________.

A．nothing for the cost

B．less than the usual cost

C．for the air ticket but not for the festival ticket

D．for the festival ticket but not for hotel rooms

【小题3】According to the text, we do NOT have any information about ________.

A．who will perform on stage	B．what programmes there will be
C．when the 32nd Art Festival will be held	D．which theatres will put on performances

【小题4】The main purpose in writing this text is ________.

A．to make the 32nd Art Festival known	B．to announce the plan of the art festival
C．to introduce the cost of the art festival	D．to sell a service during the art festival

Have you ever been to the beautiful country of Holland and its capital Amsterdam? Anyone who has traveled to Amsterdam would probably agree on one thing: Amsterdam’s story is a tale of two cities -- one during the day and a completely different one at night．
During the day, the largest city in the Netherlands sits quietly on the Amstel River．You can rent a bicycle, visit the Van Gogh or Anne Frank museum, or take a water taxi．But when the sun goes down, the partying begins．In the big clubs and in coffee shops, tourists gather to hang out, talk politics and smoke．
Several areas of the city clearly show the two worlds that rule Amsterdam．And they’re all within a short cab ride of each other．For example, Dam Square attracts daytime sightseers to its festivals, open markets, concerts and other events．Several beautiful and very popular hotels can be found there．And there’s the Royal Palace and the Magna Plaza shopping mall．
But at night party-seekers come to the square．Hip hop or funk music is heard there．．So if you come, be ready to dance．The clubs don’t shut down until 4 am．
And while you’re there, check out the various inexpensive ways to tour the city．Don’t worry about getting lost．Although Dutch is the official language, most people in Amsterdam speak English and are happy to help you with directions．And you’ll notice that half the people in the streets are on bicycles they rent．
Amsterdam also has a well-planned canal system．For about 10 dollars, you can use the canal bus or a water taxi to cruise（巡游） the "Venice of the North"．
The city has a historic past．One impressive place to visit is the Anne Frank House on Nine Streets．It was there that the young Jewish girl wrote her famous diary during World War II．Visitors can view Anne’s original diary and climb behind the bookcase to the room where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years．
【小题1】What means of transport is not available to visitors in Amsterdam?

A．A carriage．

B．A bicycle．

C．A canal bus．

D．A water taxi．

【小题2】When getting lost, a visitor can ask natives for directions in  ___________    ．

A．only Dutch	B．Dutch or English
C．only English	D．Spanish and English

【小题3】What can you learn about by visiting the Anne Frank House?

A．The experience of a beautiful girl survivor．

B．The glorious past of Amsterdam．

C．The life of Jewish during World War Ⅱ．

D．The suffering of the Dutch in wars．

【小题4】The passage is intended to  ____________        ．

A．call up people’s memories of World War Ⅱ

B．tell readers what A Tale of Two Cities is about

C．instruct visitors what to do and see in Holland

D．offer readers some information about Amsterdam

You may know the English letters A, B and C. But do you know there are people called ABC? You may like eating bananas. But did you know there is a “banana person”? How strange! Are these people from “another Earth”? No. They are just Chinese people like you and me.
ABC means American-Born Chinese. An ABC is a Chinese, but was born in the United States. Sometimes, people call an ABC a “banana person”. A banana is yellow outside and white inside. So, when a person is a banana, he or she is white inside—thinking like a Westerner and yellow outside—looking like a Chinese.
Do you know why? Usually, ABCs know little about China or the Chinese language. Some of them don’t speak Chinese.
But if ABCs cannot speak Chinese, can we still call them Chinese people? Yes, of course. They are Chinese. They are overseas (海外) Chinese. These people may be citizens(公民) of another country like the US, Canada or Singapore. But they have Chinese blood. Their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents were from China. They all have black eyes and black hair.
But they are not Chinese citizens. They are not the people of the People’s Republic of China. For example, we all know the famous scientist  C.N. Yang(杨振宁). He got the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1957. The Chinese love him, but he is an American citizen.
【小题1】What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A．He wants to tell us something about “ABC”.

B．He wants to show that Chinese are well respected in America.

C．He wants to tell us some knowledge about the English language.

D．He wants to introduce the American culture to us.

【小题2】Chinese in Western countries are called “banana persons” because ____.

A．their bodies are white inside but yellow outside

B．they think like Westerners but look like Chinese

C．they were born in China but go to study in America

D．they like to eat bananas

【小题3】 C.N. Yang is mentioned here to show that ____.
A. American Chinese are great.       B. we love American Chinese
C. The Chinese can win Nobel Prizes   D. American Chinese are not Chinese citizens

Among the many things that Brisbane (布里斯班), Australia, does really well, the care for kids is the best one. Here is a list of places that will be suitable for your kids.
Swimming pools
Simple way for happiness: mix kids with water. Of course, this is a choice for the hot summer months.
Parks
Free outdoor fun: it’s suitable for kids of all ages. It’s a place for parents to let kids run wild.
The Children’s Art Centre
The Children’s Art Centre has been very popular. Kids’ favorite here is some exhibitions specially designed for children. But we must pay some money.
South Bank Parklands
South Bank Parklands has everything you need to keep kids amused. Take them for a swim at the man-made beach. On weekends, go through the arts market or go to a cheap movie. South Bank Parklands often gives free performances too.
Roma Street Parkland
Close to bus transport, this parkland is easily accessible（可进入的）. It’s  ideal (理想的) for kids of all ages. Younger kids can take a trip on the Jelly Bean Express, a 1.3 km trackless train ride around the parkland. Free entry(进入) and open every day.
【小题1】What does the text mainly talk about?

A．Brisbane—a beautiful city in Australia.

B．How to travel in Brisbane.

C．Famous parks and activities in Brisbane.

D．Some interesting places for kids in Brisbane.

【小题2】. If your kids want to watch performances for free, you can take them to ______.

A．South Bank Parklands	B．Roma Street Parkland
C．The Children’s Art Centre	D．Parks

【小题3】. What can we know about Roma Street Parkland?

A．It opens only at weekends.

B．Only younger kids can visit it.

C．We need not buy tickets for a visit.

D．Younger kids have to walk while visiting it.

【小题4】 What do kids love best in the Children’s Art Centre?

A．Man-made beach.	B．Some exhibitions.
C．Arts market.	D．Jelly Bean Express.

【小题5】Who will be interested in the text most?

A．Children and parents.

B．Artists

C．Movie lovers.

D．Swimmers.

Tuvalu, north of Fiji, is a tiny country in the Pacific Ocean.
Storms and huge waves are a constant threat and none of Tuvalu's nine little islands is more than five metres above sea level. Salt water is already entering the country's drinking water supply, as well as damaging plants that produce fruit and vegetable. It fears it will be swallowed up by the sea. Without urgent help, the country's days are numbered.
But Tuvalu is not the first place to face sinking into the sea. Venice, a historic city in Italy best known for its canals, has sunk about 24cm over the past 100 years. Experts say that it will have sunk another 20-50cm by 2050.A century ago, St. Mark's Square, the lowest point in the city, flooded about nine time a year. Nowdays it happens more than 100 times.
While Venice is slowly sinking into the mud on which it stands, Tuvalu's rising sea level is caused by global warming.
The average global temperature has increased by almost 0.5 centigrade degree over the past century; scientists expect it to rise by an extra 1-3 degrees over the next 100 years.
Warmer weather makes glaciers（冰川） melt, adding more water to the ocean. The warmer temperatures also make water expand, so it take up more space, causing the sea level to rise. The sea level has risen about 10-25cm in the last 100 years.
People have been increasing the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as CO2, through burning coal, oil and gas. This adds to the power of the greenhouse effect, making the planet even warmer.
Many scientists believe that, if the warming is not stopped, there will be huge climate changes. The sea level could rise by one metre this century.
Should this come true, millions of homes would be swallowed up by the sea and the world will be flooded with" climate refugees" looking for somewhere else to live.
【小题1】We can infer from Paragraph 2 that             .

A．Tuvalu is in danger of being swallowed up by the sea

B．all Tuvalu islands are about five meters above the sea level

C．drinking water in Tuvalu has been destroyed

D．Tuvalu is often flooded by storms and waves

【小题2】The author uses Tuvalu and Venice as examples in order to explain           .    

A．it is first places sinking into the sea

B．it is sinking into the mud where they stand

C．it will disappear in the future

D．its trouble is caused by global warming

【小题3】What does the underlined word "refugees" (in the last paragraph)mean?

A．People forced away from their homeland

B．Sudden changes caused by world climate

C．Animals closely connected with weather

D．Bad effect of climate changes

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

A．The main cause of global warming is human pollution

B．The average global temperature has risen by 1-3℃over the past century.

C．The warmer temperature causes the sea level to rise

D．There will be huge climate changes unless the warming is stopped

In the last years of the Warring States period, the State of Qin attacked the State of Wei on a large scale repeatedly and occupied large areas of land, for the State of Wei was too weak to defend itself. In 273 B.C. ,the Qin army launched a more serious attack upon the State of Wei than ever. The king of the State of Wei gathered his officials, and asked with a worried look if anyone could propose a way to defeat the Qin army. After years of chaos caused by the wars, the officials trembled when fighting was mentioned, and no one dared to speak of resistance.
At the critical moment when a large enemy force was bearing down upon the border, most of the officials persuaded the king to use for peace, at the cost of giving away to the State of Qin the large area of land north of the Huanghe River and south of the Taihang Mountain. However Su Dai, a counselor, did not agree. He hurried up to the king and said:"Your Majesty, they don't think about the interests of the country at all. It is just because they are afraid of death that they ask you to sue for peace by betraying the country. Of course you can temporarily satisfy the ambition of Qin, but it will never stop attacking us until our land is totally given away."
He added." Once there was a man whose house was on fire. People told him to put out the fire with water, but he would not listen. Instead, he carried a faggot to put out the fire, only to make the fire fiercer. Isn't it similar to carrying faggots to put out a fire if you agree to sue for peace at the cost of the land of the State of Wei?"
Though Sue Dai's argument was very convincing, the king accepted the suggestion of those officials and gave away to the State of Qin a large area of the land of the State of Wei. As might be expected, the Qin army attacked the State of Wei in 225 B.C. Again, surrounding the capital city Daliang and flooding it by digging open the dykes(堤防) of the Huanghe River. The State of Wei was finally destroyed.
【小题1】When asked how to defeat the Qin army, most officials               .

A．were scared and at a loss what to do

B．were worried and asked Su Dai fir advice

C．decided to ask a force to bear down upon the border

D．trembled and decided to give up fighting back

【小题2】The underlined phrase "sue for" in Paragraph 2 probably means               .

A．hope for

B．beg for

C．search for

D．send for

【小题3】Su Dai used the example of "carrying faggots to put out a fire" to show             .

A．the ambition of the State of Qin	B．the risk of fighting back
C．the serious results of giving in	D．the terrible results of defense

【小题4】The story is mainly developed by        .

A．time

B．logic

C．space

D．cause and effect

One thing that British and Chinese cultures share is a love for fine tea. Today, when we think of Western tea culture, we often think of the English and beautiful china tea cups.
Afternoon tea
People believe that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. In the 18th and 19th centuries. the English ate only two main meals each day ,breakfast and a heavy supper that would last for several hours in the evening. As a result, people often got very hungry during the long wait between these two meals. To solve this problem, Anna came up with the clever idea of inviting some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o’clock. This meal included cakes and sandwiches. and tea was served(提供)to wash down the food. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups and plates, and silver teapots. knives, forks and spoons were used .Soon, afternoon tea parties became popular social occasions. Today, afternoon tea parties continue to play an important part in the social life in modern Britain.
Will you come for coffee?
Coffee also has an important role in British culture. People often use the words“Will  you come for coffee?” to mean “Would you like to come to my home for a chat?” Normally, several different drinks such as tea, hot chocolate or a soft drink like orange Juice will be served as well as coffee. and you will be asked what you would like. However, you will not normally be offered wine at a "coffee" party.
Coffeehouses and the London Stock Exchange
In the 17th century London, coffeehouses were busy and noisy places. Businessmen and  bankers went to coffeehouses to do their business, as well as to drink coffee. In fact, the London Stock Exchange(股票交易所) is believed to have started from these coffeehouses 
【小题1】 Anna introduced the idea of drinking afternoon tee because she _______.
A enjoyed chatting with her friends at home
B loved fine tea and beautiful china tea cups
C. wanted to share nice food with her friends
D found people felt hungry during the long wait between the two meals
【小题2】What does “social occasions” mean in Chinese?

A．集体婚礼

B．社交活动

C．社区表演

D．公共场合

【小题3】f someone says to you “Will you come for coffee?”, you _______.

A．will be offered coffee only

B．are asked what you would like to drink

C．will be asked to have a chat with him or her

D．are invited to take part in an afternoon tea party

【小题4】From the last paragraph (段落) we can see _______.

A．a new business was started in coffeehouses

B．coffeehouses are still used by businessmen and bankers

C．businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses just for coffee

D．most people wouldn’t like to go to coffeehouses because of the noise

The first reality TV show in the world was called Expedition Robinson and it was shown in Sweden in 1997. Half the population of the country watched the final event and a new kind of TV program was born. Two years later in Holland , the first series of Big Brother was filmed. Again, it was a great success and the final program was watched by 15 million people. Now more than 20 countries around the world have Big Brother or Expedition Robinson on their TV screens. The ordinary people who take part in the programs are known by millions of people in their own countries and reality TV has become big, big business.
For the TV producers, reality TV is a dream which comes true because many of the
programs cost nothing to make. At some point, the television viewers are asked to telephone the program to vote or to apply to take part in the show. It is the cost of these telephone calls that pays for the shows. One of the most popular shows is Pop Idol. In the show a group of attractive young people are made into pop stars. TV viewers vote for their favorite person on the show. The winner makes a record and millions of copies of the record are sold. His or her pictures are published on the covers of magazines or on the front pages of newspapers, and then, they are quickly forgotten.
But not everyone is happy about reality TV. In Portugal, two TV channels got into trouble because they showed too much of the personal lives of the people in the shows. In France, reality TV is called “rubbish TV” and the TV studios of Big Brother were attacked three times in one week. In Greece, Big Brother was described as “ against human rights and civilization”.
【小题1】Those who take part in the reality TV shows are usually _____.

A．successful people

B．pop TV stars

C．attractive people

D．famous film stars

【小题2】Who would pay for the cost of the reality TV shows according to the passage?

A．TV producers who make reality TV shows

B．TV actors who take part in reality TV shows.

C．TV viewers who telephone reality TV shows

D．TV companies which broadcast reality TV shows

【小题3】It can be concluded from the passage that ______.

A．everyone is happy about reality TV.

B．reality TV will do well in many countries.

C．all the people in Europe are in favor of reality TV

D．reality TV will not be broadcast in any countries.

In America, when people say “man’s best friend”, they don’t mean another person. Instead, they are talking about a lovely animal：A dog! These words show the friendship between people and animals. Dogs and other pets can give happiness to people’s lives. Some people regard their pets as their children. A few even leave all their money to their pets when they die!
Animals can help people, too. Dogs can be taught to become the “eyes” for a blind person or “ears” for a deaf people. Scientists have found that pets help people live longer! They make people happier, too. Because of that, animals are brought into hospitals for “visit”.
Americans hold “Be---Kind-to-Animals Week” in the first week of May. Pets shows are held during the week. Even if you don’t live in America, you, too, can do this. How? First, think about how animals make your life richer. If you have a pet, take more time this week to play with it. Remember to give it delicious food. Also, be sure to keep your pet from those unwanted babies.
f you don’t have a pet, be kind to animals around you. For example, if you see a street dog, don’t kick it or throw things at it. Instead, just leave it alone, or better yet, make friends with it. If others around you do bad things to an animal, try to stop them. As people, we must protect animals who can’t speak for themselves.
【小题1】 “A few even leave all their money to their pets when they die!” means that__________

A．pets have the right to inherit (继承) money.

B．money can give pets happiness.

C．it’s the best way to spend money.

D．some pets are treated as children.

【小题2】Why are dogs brought to hospitals?

A．Because they are ill and need to see doctors.

B．Because they can make the patients happier.

C．Because they can find out the problems of the patients.

D．Because doctors can do experiments on them.

【小题3】What’s the most popular activity in the “Be-Kind-to-Animals Week”?

A．Holding a pet show in the week.

B．Playing with pets the whole week.

C．Cooking delicious food for pets.

D．Making friends with other people’s pets.

【小题4】 What’s the passage mainly about?

A．A lot of people are interested in dogs.

B．Dogs can help people do many things.

C．Pets are lovely and need care and protection.

D．We have done a lot of things for pets.

【小题5】The words“man’s best friends”shows____________.

A．the friendship between people.

B．the friendship between people and animals.

C．the friendship between animals.

D．the friendship between men and women