Your computer has been playing music for years, one CD at a time. Now hundreds of songs can be stored in your PC if they’re in the MP3 format（格式）.

　　What is it?

　　MP3 compresses（压缩）music into small computer-friendly files. You access MP3 music several ways: Tunes can be downloaded from websites that have converted（转变）vast music libraries into MP3. Or you can prerecorded CDs into your PC and convert songs in minutes into MP3. Once MP3 music is on your PC’s hard drive, you can play it through your computer’s speakers, “burn” it onto blank CDs or swap（交换）MP3 files with friends using e-mail.

　　How much?

　　Software needed to play and convert MP3 music is often free. It comes preinstalled（预先安装）on most new computers or can be downloaded from many websites, including MP3. com. Some MP3 sites are free. Just type “MP3 sites” into any search engine. Compact portable MP3 players start at around $ 50 and can hold hundreds of songs. A blank CD on which you can record music costs about a dollar.

　　Advantages

　　MP3 turns your home PC into a jukebox（自动唱机）. Tiny MP3 players are the size of a deck（一副）of cards, making it easy to take hundreds of songs with you.

　　Disadvantages

　　You may find that music at many sites is limited. And some only allow you to listen rather than download offerings. Others let you download music that then can’t be copied to MP3 players. And a growing number of new CDs make it impossible to copy songs to a computer.

　　1．How can you get MP3 music?

　　A．By turning your home PC into a jukebox.

　　B．By taking your own music or songs with you.

　　C．By copying songs to a PC through the speakers.

　　D．By downloading from websites which have converted music libraries into MP3.

　　2．Which is NOT true to the passage?

　　A．Software needed to play and convert MP3 music is often free of charge.

　　B．MP3 music can be “burned” onto blank CDs or swapped with friends by e-mail.

　　C．MP3 music can be taken along while traveling.

　　D．A greater number of new CDs make it possible to copy songs to a computer.

　　3．How much will you pay for a MP3 player?

　　A．Free of charge.

　　B．Free downloading.

　　C．At least fifty dollars.

　　D．About a dollar.

　　4．What is the closest meaning of the underlined word “burn”?

　　A．Copy.

　　B．Play.

　　C．Store.

　　D．Change.

　　Hua Mei Road（CBD）

　　The 40-storey Lion City Tower is the tallest deluxe apartment block in Singapore.

　　Full view of the bustling city and the magnificent harbor.

Enjoy the cool sea breeze.

90% housing loan

low-interest rates

No limit on foreigners

FROM $ 320, 000

Show flat open daily for viewing

　　It’s situated at the centre of the city on elevated ground at Hua Mei Road. Its central location gives you a breathtaking view of the harbor, the sea and the bustling Central Business District. It will be convenient to travel to and from the city during office hours.

　　Just opposite Lion City Tower is the proposed Parkram MRT Station in the south. Hilltop School is on the right while Manatten Plaza is on the left. An overhead bridge leads to Hilltop Park where you can enjoy relaxing morning and evening walks. The best of facilities is only a stone’s throw away: fine hotels, shopping centers, banks, famous schools are all within walking distance.

　　Lion City Tower is artistically designed, with plush interiors. Surrounded by lush greenery, it boasts of several social and recreational amenities: a club-house, a sauna bath, squash and tennis courts, a swimming pool, a barbecue pit, a tropical garden, a 4-storey car park and a 24-hour security system.

　　The ideal home for busy senior executives in the Central Business District.

　　Sales and Leasing Centre: GOLDEN MANAGEMENT LTD．

Tel: 4152413（12 lines）

　　1．Which of the following diagrams is most likely to be right location?

　　M＝ Manatten Plaza H＝Hilltop School L＝Lion City Tower P＝ Parkram MRT Station

　　2．According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

　　A．The average cost of the apartments is $ 320, 000.

　　B．One apartment in Lion City Tower is ready for visitors.

　　C．Mrs. Li, a Malaysian cannot buy apartments in Lion City Tower.

　　D．Mr. Rajah cannot consider buying an apartment because he has only $ 30, 000 in hand.

　　3．Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage?

　　A．Location.

　　B．Price.

　　C．Security.

　　D．Transportation.

　　4．This passage is most likely ________.

　　A．an advertisement

　　B．a poster

　　C．a letter

　　D．a directory

　　When you can’t sleep, the answer may be as simple as some warm milk.

　　Dear Rosie:

　　I have had trouble falling asleep at night lately. It’s starting to affect my work and my social life because I am often very tired during the day. What can I do?

GIA P.

TURIN, ITALY

　　Dear Gia:

　　Try these things to help you sleep well at night:

　　1．Don’t get into bed unless you’re tired. Read or watch TV until you feel drowsy;

　　2．Don’t pay bills or do work on your bed. You will begin to associate the bed with activities;

　　3．Don’t drink caffeinated coffee, tea or soft drinks for four hours before your regular time;

　　4．Have a hot bath or shower to help you relax;

　　5．Drink a cup of herbal tea or warm milk. Warm drinks can make you sleep;

　　6. Play soft music. This will take your mind off the day’s activities. It also screens out street sounds which can distract;

　　7. Encourage your body to relax. When in bed, begin to breathe deeply and slowly. Concentrate only on your breathing. You will be asleep in no time. If these tips don’t help, consult your doctor.

　　Do you need some advice? Send your questions to:

　　New English Digest　　   www. learning-bug. com

　　c/o    ASK ROSIE

　　1．What’s the main problem with Gia?

　　A．She’s so tired of work she can’t sleep well.

　　B．She goes to bed so late she can’t fall asleep.

　　C．She has troubles with social life and can’t sleep well.

　　D．She can’t sleep well and feels tired in the daytime.

　　2．According to Rosie, what should Gia NOT do after supper?

　　A．Watch TV as late as possible.

　　B．Go on working even if she feels asleep.

　　C．Take some medicine.

　　D．Drink hot tea or coffee.

　　3．Which of the following is probably the column where we may read this in a magazine?

　　A．NEW ENGLISH DIGEST

　　B．ASK ROSIE

　　C．LETTERS FROM ITALY

　　D．GIA’S PROBLEM

HOLIDAY HOMES IN MALLORCA

ITALY IN COMFORT

　　Luxury carriage tours of Italy, out of normal holiday season. Three weeks’ leisurely（休闲）days to visit five Italian cities starting from London 1st May—1st September. The tours are guided by Professor Martin Davis, formally head of Italian studies, London University. See the arts and culture of historic Italy.

KIBBUTZ HOLIDAY IN ISRAEL

　　Working holidays on a kibbutz（co-operative farm）in Israel. All nationalities welcome for one to three months, if prepared to work mornings with kibbutz members. Accommodations, food and trips to historic sights all provided free—you pay only for the special low-cost return flight.

TWO WEEKS ON A CARIBBEAN ISLAND

　　Two-week holidays in the luxurious hotel Splendid, on a lovely beach with golden sands and deep-blue sea. Tennis, golf, sailing and water sports. Trips and tours around the island arranged. Near to town of Castries with lively entertainment—dancing to bands.

　　1^st November—31^st March ＝$ 720 per person

1^st April—30^th October ＝$ 850 per person

1．Michael has been working hard and needs a holiday to relax in winter. He would go to a place where he can enjoy sports and dancing, and he especially likes swimming. In that case, Michael would most probably ________.

　　A．go to the splendid hotel in Israel and spend two weeks there

　　B．go to visit five Italian cities starting from London

　　C．enjoy spending two weeks on the Caribbean island

　　D．enjoy himself by driving cars and riding bicycles along the seaside

　　2．The most suitable holiday for Peter and Maria, who are university students, would be ________, as it’s cheap and sounds very interesting.

　　A．the summer holiday in Mallorea

　　B．the tours guided by Professor Martin Davis

　　C．the kibbutz holiday in Israel

　　D．the tours arranged near to town of Castries

　　3．An elderly couple Harry and Kate are very interested in cultures and histories of other countries but Kate hates flying. They would like ________, where they can spend 21 days visiting ancient cities.

　　A．a holiday by carriage in Italy

　　B．a holiday working on a kibbutz in Israel

　　C．a holiday hotel on a lovely beach on the Caribbean island

　　D．a holiday apartment in the fishing port in Mallorca

　　4．Jack and Mary, both teachers, and their two teenage sons, have to take their holiday during the school summer holidays. The best holiday for them would be one ________, which is quiet even in the busy summer season and where there are plenty for boys.

　　A．on a co-operative farm in Israel

　　B．on a lovely beach on the Caribbean island

　　C．traveling by carriage around Italy

　　D．in a holiday apartment in the fishing port in Mallorca

　　5．The word “accommodations” in the third ad. most probably means ________.

　　A．holiday lodgings, or rooms for visitors

　　B．plane tickets

　　C．all the necessities that a visitor needs during his journey

　　D．the permits for travel in the foreign country

　　1．U2’s lead singer Bono is ________.

　　A．the most powerful man in music because of his singing

　　B．the most powerful man in music but he is not powerful because of his singing

　　C．the most powerful man in music because of his singing and because of something else

　　D．the most powerful man and the most important music businessman as well

　　2．In the sentence “... political issues such as Third World Debt” the underlined part means ________.

　　A．money that poor or developing countries owe

　　B．money that all the countries in the world owe

　　C．the problems of poor countries

　　D．the music of developing countries

　　3．Which is true about the 42-year-old singer?

　　A．the singer’s real name isn’t Bono.

　　B．the singer has a friend called Paul Hewson.

　　C．the band U2 sing about political issues.

　　D．Bono is in fact a politician.

_{IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU}

to take special care over home safety.

“I’m all right, I’m insured（投保）. ”

　　Maybe—if you’re fully insured. Even then you can never recover the real value you place upon your possessions. But you can’t insure against the suffering of mind that we all feel if our homes are torn apart by some stranger, our windows and doors broken, our possessions ruined.

“It won’t happen to me.”

　　Won’t it. ? A house is broken into every three minutes of the day. Loss of all kinds, including cars and things stolen from cars happens every 35 seconds.

“I’ve nothing worth stealing.”

　　You may think not. But in fact everyone has something worth a thief’s attention. And we all have things of personal value, even if they’re worth little or nothing in hard cash（现金）.

“I’m only a tenant（房客）here. ”

　　The thief doesn’t care whether you’re a tenant or an owner. You’re just as weak either way. Have a word with the owner if you think extra safety fittings are necessary.

“They’ll get in anyway.”

　　Most thieves are on the lookout for easy pickings. They are soon discouraged by houses they can’t get into quickly and easily. So do pay special attention.

“This book let will help you.”

　　It’s based on the practical experience of police forces throughout the country. Most of the suggestions will cost you only a few minutes extra time and thought. A few may cost some expense, but this is small compared with the loss and sadness you might otherwise suffer.

If you are in any doubt, ask for free advice from the Crime （犯罪 ）Prevention Office at your local police station.

1．The text is mainly about ________.

　　A．how to escape being caught

　　B．how to take special care of ourselves

　　C．how to hire a safe house in the county

　　D．how to protect your home

　　2．We can learn from the text that ________.

　　A．it’s impossible to prevent a house from being broken into

　　B．we all have something that a thief thinks worth stealing

　　C．most thieves are good at stealing things from cars

　　D．you can’t afford to get advice from your local police station

　　3．If a house is difficult to get into ________.

　　A．the thief may give up trying

　　B．the thief will steal cars or things from cars

　　C．the owner may think extra safety fittings are necessary

　　．Weihenmayer is the first man to climb Everest.

　　C．Mountain climbers think it great to conquer the Himalayan peak.

　　D．Weihenmayer might have begun his dream when he was in his teens.

　　2．The distance between the top of Mount Everest and the team camp was probably ________.

　　A．29, 035 feet

　　B．11, 235 feet

　　C．17, 800 feet

　　D．not told in the passage

　　3．Weihenmayer ________.

　　A．likes the sense of being dependent on other people now that he is blind

　　B．will have climbed the highest mountains on four continents after climbing Mount Everest

　　C．loves climbing because he wants to enjoy the sense of adventure of problem-solving

　　D．and his teammates will reach the top of Mount Everest exactly on May 15

　　Weihenmayer is blind. He has been blind since age 13, when an eye disease robbed him of his sight. His new book, Touch the Top of the World, A blind Man’s Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye can See, describes his blindness and climbing. He is the first blind man to attempt Everest. The team reached base camp at 17, 800 feet last Wednesday and begins its climb Saturday. If all goes well, Weihenmayer will reach the top on or about May 15.

　　“I’m not just some token blind guy, ”Weihrnmayer, aged 32, said hours before he left Los Angeles on Friday for Katmandu, Nepal. “I put my life in my fellow climbers’ hands, and they put their lives in my hands. It’s an honor to reach that state. ”

　　“I want to experience the sense of adventure. Blindness has nothing to do with that. But a message of the climb is that a blind person can join a team and climb the highest mountain in the world. ”

　　Weihenmayer has climbed the highest peaks on four continents: North America’s Mount McKinley, South America’s Aconcagua, Africa’s Kilimanjaro and Antarctica’s Vinson Massif. He is an expert rock and ice climber, having scaled EL Capitan in Yosemite National Park. When he was 16, he attended a school that taught blind people to be independent. One day, a group went rock climbing. “I really liked it,” Weihenmayer said. “You can problem-solve. It is pretty sense in your inner mind. People didn’t think blind people could go out and become expert rock climbers. ”

　　1．Which of the following sentences is NOT true?

　　A．Weibenmayer has been blind for almost 19 years.

　　B．Weihenmayer is the first man to climb Everest.

　　C．Mountain climbers think it great to conquer the Himalayan peak.

　　D．Weihenmayer might have begun his dream when he was in his teens.

　　2．The distance between the top of Mount Everest and the team camp was probably ________.

　　A．29, 035 feet

　　B．11, 235 feet

　　C．17, 800 feet

　　D．not told in the passage

　　3．Weihenmayer ________.

　　A．likes the sense of being dependent on other people now that he is blind

　　B．will have climbed the highest mountains on four continents after climbing Mount Everest

　　C．loves climbing because he wants to enjoy the sense of adventure of problem-solving

　　D．and his teammates will reach the top of Mount Everest exactly on May 15

　　The Germans also used radar later in the war when the great air raids（袭击）against their cities began. On both sides the system was almost the same in a number of ways. The heart of the radar warning system was the “operations centre”. This was a huge system of rooms, usually below the ground. Radar showed the position of the enemy bombers while the bombers were still far away. In the centre of the main operations room there was usually a huge map on a large table. The position of the bombers was also shown on this table. Anybody who looked at it could see immediately where the bombers were at that moment. The people in the radar centre also had to decide where the bombers were going, or what the likely targets（目标）were. When this had been calculated the people in those places were warned. As they hurried to air raid shelters below the ground, fighter planes were taking to the air. The fighters were never out of radio contact（联络）with the radar centre.

　　At night, radar was a pair of eyes that guided the fighters to the bombers that they could not see. A radar controller on the ground told the pilot exactly where to go. Usually the pilot himself did not see the bomber until he was a few seconds away from it. Then he would open fire. None of these things could have happened without radar.

　　1．Radar was used by the British in 1940 to ________.

　　A．guide bombers to their targets in the daylight

　　B．get fighters away from other British fighters they could not see

　　C．guide fighters to the right place in order to meet the German bombers

　　D．guide bombers to their targets at night

　　2．The Germans began to use radar ________.

　　A．earlier than the British

　　B．later than the British

　　C．after the Second World War

　　D．almost at the same time as the British

　　3．An air raid shelter is a place where people ________.

　　A．shoot at bombers

　　B．hide from bombers

　　C．keep bombs

　　D．keep radar

　　4．Radar helped night fighter pilots to ________.

　　A．see bombers long before they could to without it

　　B．get close to the bombers before they could see them

　　C．open fire on bombers that they could not even see

　　D．get back to the fighter station after the battle 

　　Fatherhood is going to have a different meaning and bring forth a different response from every man who hears these words. Some feel proud when they receive the news, while others worry, wondering whether they will be good fathers. Although there are some men who like children and may have had considerable experience with them, others do not particularly care for children and spend little time with them. Many fathers and mothers have been planning and looking forward to children for some time. For other couples, pregnancy was an accident that both husband and wife have accepted willingly of unwillingly.

　　Whatever the reaction to the birth of a child, it is obvious that the shift from the role of husband to that of father is a difficult task. Yet, unfortunately, few attempts have been made to educate fathers in this resocialization process. Although numerous books have been written about American mothers, only recently has literature （文学）focused on the role of a father.

　　It is argued by some writers that the transition（转化）to the father’s role, although difficult, is not nearly as great as the transition the wife must make to the mother’s role. The mother’s role seems to require a complete transformation in daily routine and highly innovative（革新性的）adaptation（适应）, on the other hand , the father’s role is less demanding and immediate. However, even though we mentioned the fact that growing numbers of women are working outside the home, the father is still thought by many as the breadwinner in the household.

　　1．According to the author, being a father ________.

　　A．brings a feeling of excitement to some men

　　B．makes some men feel proud and others uneasy

　　C．has a different meaning for those who have daughters

　　D．means nothing but more responsibilities

　　2．It is stated in the passage that ________.

　　A．young couples do not like children at all

　　B．some parents are not prepared to have a child

　　C．working couples do not have much time to take care of their children

　　D．many parents look forward to having a boy as their first child

　　3．In the third paragraph, the author ________.

　　A．criticizes fathers for not taking enough responsibilities in bringing up their children

　　B．excuses the American writers for ignoring（忽视）the difficulties of being a father

　　C．supports the idea that the chief role of a father is to earn money for the family

　　D．complains（抱怨）about the lack or social program to help husbands get used to the role of a father

　　4．The transition to the mother’s role requires that the wife ________.

　　A．change her life style in a highly innovative way

　　B．stay at home to take care of the baby

　　C．make a complete change in her everyday life to deal with the new situation

　　D．help her husband in his resocialization process

　　5．Some writers argue that with respect to the change of roles, fathers, compared with mothers, ________.

　　A．have an easier job to do

　　B．have to make more difficult adaptations

　　C．have to shoulder more burdens

　　D．can usually do a better job

　　As seen from the earth, Venus is the first planet or star that can be seen in the western sky in the evening. At other times, it is the last planet or star that can be seen in the eastern sky in the morning. When Venus is near its brightest point, it can be seen in daylight. Early astronomers called the object that appeared in the evening Hesperus and Phosphorus in the morning. Later, they realized these two objects were the same planet. They named it Venus in honor of the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

　　1．Traveling around Venus in a straight way, you would have a long trip of about ________ miles.

　　A．24, 896

　　B．23, 613

　　C．37, 994

　　D．25, 000, 000

　　2．Which of the following is NOT a fact about Venus?

　　A．It’s the nearest neighboring planet of the earth.

　　B．It used to be called Phosphorus and Hesperus.

　　C．It’s usually 25, 000, 000 miles away from the earth.

　　D．It can sometimes be seen together with the sun in the sky.

　　3．Venus is called the earth’s “twin” because ________.

　　A．it’s almost as big as the earth

　　B．it’s the nearest to the earth

　　C．they are both planets

　　D．they are of the same shape

　　4．The passage shows that ________.

　　A．Venus is always the last to appear in the sky in the evening

　　B．Venus is sometimes the last to appear in the sky in the morning

　　C．The diameter of the earth is nearly eight thousand miles

　　D．Venus is sometimes the last to disappear in the western sky in the morning

　　5．The best title for the passage might be ________.

　　A．The Size of Venus

　　B．Venus and the Earth

　　C．Venus—the Earth’s “Twin”

　　D．The Nearest Neighbor