BEIJING(Associated Press) China has a growing middle class, a tradition of expecting education and 21 million new babies every year. Selling educational toys should be easy.

While China may be the world’s biggest toy maker, much of the best is exported. Department stores here do not have enough high quality toys. It is said the demand for educational toys is low.

A US company, Baby Care, is trying to change that with a new way to sell toys in China. Baby Care works basically together with doctors in Beijing hospitals. People who join the company’s “mother’s club” get lectures and newsletters on baby and child development at no extra cost — if they agree to spend 18 dollars a month on the company’s educational toys and childcare books.

“We want to build a seven year relationship with those people,” said Matthew J.Estes, Baby Care’s president.“It starts during pregnancy（怀孕）,when the anxiety and needs are highest.” Baby Care works on a one-to-one basis. Doctors, nurses, and teachers — paid by Baby Care—advise parents, explaining toys that are designed for children at each stage of development to age six.

Baby Care opened its first store in China last June in a shopping center in central Beijing and another near Beijing Zoo. It plans to have 80 stores in China within six years.

It is a new model for China and develops a market in young children’s education and health that no other companies are in.

1.What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?

A. Educational toys and foreign toy markets.

B.Problems with China’s toy market and education.

C.Reasons for pushing sales of educational toys in China.

D.Baby population and various kinds of toys made in China.

2.Which of the following is a fact according to the passage?

A.Club members buy Baby Care products for free child care advice.

B.Doctors in Beijing help in making Baby Care products.

C.Parents are encouraged to pay $18 for club activities.

D.Baby Care trains Chinese doctors at no extra cost.

3.Baby Care is developing its business in China by ______.

A. opening stores in Beijing hospitals

B.offering 18-month courses on child care

C.setting up children’s education centers

D.forming close relationships with parents

4.Which of the following would be the most suitable title for the passage?

A. Mother’s Club in China

B.Baby Care and Doctors

C.American Company Model

D.On Educational Toys

Buying insurance is a way in which people can protect themselves against large losses. Protection against fire is one kind of insurance. Large numbers of people pay small sums of money to an insurance company. Although thousands of people have paid for fire insurance, only a few will lose their homes by fire. The insurance company will pay for these homes out of the small sums of money it had collected.

The first modern fire insurance company was formed in London in the 1740s. A great fire had just destroyed most of the city and people wanted protection against further losses. The first company grew rapidly. Some other companies were founded in other areas.

    Benjamin Franklin helped form the first fire insurance company in America in 1752, and then a new kind of insurance for farmers was suggested. The new insurance would provide protection against the loss of crops from storms.

Later on another new insurance company was started in America. This company, which offered life insurance, collected small sums of money regularly from many different men. If a man died, his family was given a large sum of money.

Over the years, insurance companies have offered new kinds of insurance protection. The new kinds of insurance cover from such accidents as car to plane crashes. Today, most people have some kinds of insurance.

1.The first fire insurance company was founded ______.

A. in England　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B.in 1740

C.in America　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D.in 1752

2.We can learn from the passage that ______.

A.the first modern fire insurance company was founded before a great fire in London

B.in America, farmers have protection against the loss of crops from storms if they buy insurance

C.fire insurance will prevent people’s homes from burning

D.life insurance was started in London, England

3.Insurance means protection against ______.

A. the loss of car and plane crashes

B.the loss of fire

C.the loss of life

D.losses of many kinds of accidents

4.The best title for this passage is ______.

A.Protection for Everyone

B.The First Fire Insurance Company

C.The Founder of the Insurance Company

D.Life Insurance

Every year more people recognize that it is wrong to kill wildlife for “sport”.Progress in this direction is slow because shooting is not a sport for watching, and only those few who take part in realize the cruelty and destruction.

The number of gunners, however, grows rapidly. Children too young to develop proper judgments through independent thought are led along way away by their gunning parents. They are subjected to advertisements of gun producers who describe shooting as good for their health and gun-carrying as a way of putting redder blood in the veins(血管).They are persuaded by gunner magazines with stories honoring the chase and the kill. In school they view motion pictures which are supposedly meant to teach them how to deal with arms safely but which are actually designed to stimulate(刺激) a desire to own a gun. Wildlife is disappearing because of shooting and because of the loss of wild land habitat(栖息地).Habitat loss will continue with our increasing population, but can we slow the loss of wildlife caused by shooting? There doesn’t seem to be any chance if the serious condition of our birds is not improved.

Wildlife belongs to everyone and not to the gunners alone. Although most people do not shoot, they seem to forgive shooting for sport because they know little or nothing about it. The only answer, then, is to bring the truth about sport shooting to the great majority of people.

Now, it is time to realize that animals have the same right to live as we do and that there is nothing fair or right about a person with a gun shooting the harmless and beautiful creatures. The gunners like to describe what they do as character-building, but we know that to wound an animal and watch it go through the agony of dying can make nobody happy. If, as they would have you believe, gun-carrying and killing improve human-character, then perhaps we should encourage war.

1.According to the text, most people do not seem to be against hunting because______.

A. they have little knowledge of it

B.it helps to build human character

C.it is too costly to stop killing wildlife

D.they want to keep wildlife under control

2.The underlined word “agony” in the last paragraph probably means______.

A.form　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.condition

C.pain　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.sadness

3.According to the text, the films children watch at school actually ______.

A. teach them how to deal with guns safely

B.praise hunting as character-building

C.describe hunting as an exercise

D.encourage them to have guns of their own

4.It can be inferred from the text that the author seems to______.

A.blame the majority of people

B.worry about the existence of wildlife

C.be in favour of war

D.be in support of character-building

Getting a new PC is one thing. Keeping it running smoothly is quite another. While a personal computer should continue to perform well for years, users know that system unsteadiness does exist. Yet you can reduce it to the smallest amount by following the tips below.

First, put in as little software(软件) as possible. You’ll have fewer software—related problems and a system that is easier to manage.

Second, you should ensure that you have as much memory (RAM) in your PC as you need. If you run Windows 98,your computer should have at least 128 megabytes(MB) of RAM and more. You can also get by with 128 MB of RAM if you use Windows NT or Windows 2000,but these operating systems will run much more smoothly if you have 256 MB of RAM or more.

Third, make sure you buy good hardware(硬件).No-name products may be cheaper and sometimes just as good as name-brand products, but name-brand products usually become well-known because of their steadiness. It’s wise to buy products from famous companies because Windows will more often support the hardware that you buy. If you are starting out with computers, it’s also a good idea to buy ready-made systems from major manufacturers(制造商).They are likely to have been tested thoroughly with your operating system, and you will generally experience fewer problems.

Fourth, do prepare for disaster. No matter how well your system runs when you get it, the day will come when it will need to be replaced. Hopefully, you will replace it because technology has become out-dated, but you may need to replace it also because the hard drive crashes(毁掉) or you begin experiencing problems that no one can figure out. That’s why it’s important to copy your important information regularly. Whether you use a tape backup device or a CD-RW drive, it’s important to make a regular backup plan and stick to it.

1.If you want to use Windows 2000, but your computer only has 64 MB. What will you have to do?

A. Enlarge its RAM to at least 256 MB.

B.Put in good software in your computer.

C.Enlarge its RAM to at least 128 MB.

D.Have Windows NT to match it.

2.How many pieces of advice on buying good PC does the writer give us?

A.Three.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B.Two.

C.One.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.Four.

3.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.

A. your computer will copy the important information when the system fails

B.your computer might lose all the information when its hard drive crashes

C.you have to replace your computer one day

D.you must change your system regularly

4.The best title of this passage can be ______.

A. The Tips You Must Follow

B.How to Start out with a Computer

C.How to Use Your PC Better

D.How to Keep Your PC Stable(稳定)

We believe that there is more to education than preparation for a job. Children must be prepared for all aspects of their adult life such as work, leisure, personal relationships, creative activities, coping with money matters, independence, parenthood and so on.

Nevertheless, it would be unrealistic to provide an education which took no account of the needs of employers.

What type of training does the business world regard as important?

Many young people applying for jobs were, in the employer’s opinions, very weak in the basic skills of handwriting, grammar and spelling. Though additional education at university level improved the students general ability, a report states,“In basic skills the standards remained stubbornly low.”

It is debatable（有争议的）whether standards have declined（减弱）in recent years. What is certain is that employers do not believe the standard is now high enough. Do technological changes make greater demands upon the student’s abilities?

We should also remember that the job expectations (展望) of young people have increased. The girls who would have once become shop assistants or hairdressers now want to be secretaries. Boys who sought an apprenticeship（学徒）20 years ago now desire to an engineering degree. But it is still the same girls and boys with the same degree of ability. No wonder there are problems in reaching the “necessary standards” of the business world.

Many employers believed that it was important for teachers to have experience outside the world of college and school. They should work for a while at some other kind of job “to see how the world of business and commerce differs from their own”.The teaching profession and society in general needed a greater understanding of manpower needs and therefore of “the desired” direction of the education system.

1.In the writer’s opinion, education should______.

A. pay more attention to students’ academic(学术的)ability

B.only meet the needs of employment

C.be suitable to all aspects of being an adult, including employment

D.focus on grammar

2.“the same girls and boys” in Para.6 refer to______.

A.those who are likely to be unemployed

B.those who have just left middle school

C.those who are looking for jobs far beyond their abilities

D.those who might have become shop assistants, hairdressers and apprentices in the past

3.It’s suggested that teachers should______.

A. never change their jobs

B.spend more time on their school work

C.improve their teaching methods

D.get some work experience outside school

Here are some advertisements taken from a newspaper.

（1）

Dear Drew Carter,

Your first year on this earth has been a pleasure ride for all of us. We love you!

Love,

Dad and Mum and many friends.

（2）

Lawlis—Clarke

The Doctors Virgil and Marjorie Lawlis are pleased to announce the engagement（订婚）of their daughter Diana Susan to Mr. Robert Brent Clarke, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Clarke of Herford, Texas.

A spring wedding is planned in Houston.

（3）

Isbell—Foss

Mr. And Mrs. Davis K. Isbell announce the marriage of their daughter Dang to Mr. Stanley Foss, son of Mrs. John Sipe of Ada, Minnesota.

The wedding will be early April at Abiding Love Lutheran Church.

（4）

Story—Kurio

Miss Stephanie Story and Mr. Warren Kurio were married on February 5,at half past seven o’clock in the evening at Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas. The bride（新娘）is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Brule Story Jr.of Dallas.The groom（新郎）is the son of Mr.and Mrs Gerald Stanley Kurio of Austin.

1.What would be the best title for the first advertisement?

A.We Love You

B.Happy 1st Birthday

C.One Year Old

D.Our One-Year-Old Son

2.Lawlis and Clarke are going to get married______.

A.in a church

B.where Clarke’ parents live

C.against their parents’ will

D.to Lawlis parents’ joy

3.Who got or will get married in spring?

A.Not only Lawlis and Clarke but also Isbell and Foss.

B.Neither Lawlis and Clarke not Isbell and Foss.

C.Either Isbell and Foss or Story and Kurio.

D.Neither Lawlis and Clarke nor Story and Kurio.

4.Who are now a married couple?

A.Lawlis and Clarke.

B.Dand Isbell and Foss.

C.Story and Kurio.

D.The text doesn’t say.

Li Lu’ou thought he did the right thing by calling 110 when he saw his two classmates in trouble on the corner of a dark street.

Li and his classmates from No.2 Middle School affiliated to Beijing Normal University spent this year’s Valentine’s Day(情人节) selling roses on the street. As night approached, they cycled back with over 200 yuan in their pockets.

Suddenly, a gang of robbers jumped out at them. The five robbers were tall and strong, so Li ran away to call the police. He thought it would be the most practical thing to do and he was right. His classmates returned safe and sound.

So, what would you have done in Li’s situation? Would you have got off your bike and fought the robbers to rescue your friends?

A new Beijing student code(守则) does not encourage you to risk(冒险) your life to help them.

The new code was introduced to more than 1.7 million primary and middle school students in the city at the start of the new term.

It has cut words which might encourage youngsters to risk their lives for others in dangerous situations. Gone are the old calls, which had been in place since 1987, for students to “fight criminals(犯罪分子) courageously” and “sacrifice themselves to save other”. Children’s heroic acts usually left them injured or even dead because they failed to fully foresee the dangers of their actions.

A well-known example was Lai Ning, who was listed among the “top 10 model young pioneers” in 1989 after he lost his life trying to put out a fire at the age of 14.

The deaths connected to teenagers “heroic acts” started a national wide debate(争论) about the protection of youngsters.

Wei Lusheng, a parent in Beijing, said schools must first teach children how to protect themselves, before learning from heroes.

But educators thought the spirit of courage should not be thrown away in the new student code.

“Getting rid of the ‘fight criminals courageously’ words do not mean we deny the spirit of ‘fearlessness’ and ‘readiness’ to help others”, said Li Jing, an official in Beijing. “But, we should be more rational(理智的) about the spirit of sacrifice.”

Li Lu’ou agreed. “Cherishing life is no reason to be a coward,” he said. “But you need to おmake sure you are able to offer help. For example, it would cause more trouble if I jumped into water to rescue someone drowning, but didn’t know how to swim. In that situation it’s better to call the police or an adult.”

1.Which is true about Li and his classmates?

A.　　  They bought roses for each other on Valentine’s Day.

B.　　  They called 110 immediately they were held up by a gang of robbers.

C.　　  Li risked his life for his classmates in the dangerous situation.

D.　　 Instead of fighting the robbers Li thought it right for him to call the police.

2.The new student code was introduced in Beijing because_____________.

A. students are facing more danger than they used to

B.the old student code didn’t include the spirit of courage

C.the old one didn’t tell students how to protect themselves while helping others in trouble

D.the old student code encouraged students to sacrifice themselves to save others

3.Which can be inferred about Lai Ning?

A.　　  He was one of the top 10 model young pioneers in 1987.

B.　　  If it weren’t him, the forest fire would not have been put out.

C.　　  According to the new code, he shouldn’t have risked his life to put out the fire.

D.　　 His deeds did not agree with what the old student code encouraged.

4.The underlined word “deny” in the second last paragraph means “_____________”.

A. agree with　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B.disagree with

C.connect with　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.object to

5.According to the new student code which of the following statements is right?

A.　　  There will be more criminals after the new student code was introduced.

B.　　  The police in Beijing will have a more difficult time in keeping order.

C.　　  The spirit of “fearlessness” and “readiness” to help others will be thrown away.

D.  Teenagers are advised to make sure they are able to offer help when they want to.

The Nobel Prizes

The prizes are awarded by the Nobel Foundation（基金会）for outstanding achievements or contributions in these areas: chemistry, physics, medicine or physiology, literature and peace. Each prize has three parts. The first part is a gold medal. Second, a winner of a Nobel Prize is given a diploma（证书）saying that he has been awarded the prize. The third part of the prize is a large amount of money. Often a prize is awarded to just one person, but not always. Sometimes a prize is shared, maybe by two or more people who have worked together to reach a goal. Since the Nobel Prizes are international prizes, scientists, inventors, writers, and diplomats（外交官）from all countries may receive a prize. Sometimes, two people from countries with different political views may even share a prize. An example of this is the 1973 Peace Prize, which was awarded to Henry Kissinger of the United States and to Le Due Tho of North Vietnam for the Vietnam（越南）peace negotiations（谈判）.It is also sometimes true that a prize is not given. If there is no outstanding achievement in one of these areas, no prize is given in that area. In 1972, for example, no Nobel Peace Prize was given. Someone must decide whether or not to give an award. The process of nominating（提名，推荐）and choosing Nobel Prize winners has two parts. First, nominations, or recommendations of people who might deserve（应得）a Nobel Prize, are made. The nominations in physics and chemistry are made by the Royal Academy（研究员，学会）of Science in Stockholm. The nominations in medicine or physiology are made by the Caroline Medical Institute, which is also in Stockholm. The Swedish Academy, along with the French and Spanish Academies, makes nominations in literature. The peace prize nominations are made by a committee of the Norwegian government. Many nominations are made in each area. Nominations from these groups begin the process of choosing the Nobel Prize winners.

The second part of the process of choosing Nobel Prize winners is to decide which of the nominees deserves the award in each area. This decision is made by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm. The Foundation may decide not to give a prize at all in any area.

1.A Nobel Prize is given in the form of _____________.

A. a large quantity of money　　　　　　　　　　   B.a diploma

C.a gold medal　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D.all of the above

2.The 1973 Peace Prize was awarded to _____________.

A.Henry Kissinger　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B.Le Duo Tho

C.two persons from one country　　　　　　    D.two individuals from different countries

3.Sometimes a prize is not given because there is _____________.

A.no remarkable achievement in that area

B.no suitable nomination

C.disagreement among committee members

D.financial（经济的）shortage

4.The decision of literature prize winner is made by_____________.

A.the Swedish Academy and the French and Spanish Academies

B.the Nobel Foundation

C.a committee for the Norwegian government

D.the Royal Academy of Science in Stockholm

5.We can infer from this passage that_____________.

A.the Nobel Prize is given in six areas

B.the Nobel prizewinners are very carefully chosen

C.sometimes the Nobel Prize is not given

D.the Nobel Prize is international

Shopping is not as simple as you may think! There are all sorts of tricks at play each time we reach out for that particular brand(品牌) of product on the shelf.

Coloring, for example, varies according to what the producers are trying to sell. Health foods are packaged (包装) in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colors. Ice cream packets are often blue and expensive goods, like chocolates, are gold or silver.

When some kind of painkiller was brought out recently, researchers found that the colors turned the customers off because they made the product look weak and ineffective. Eventually, it came on the market in a dark blue and white package—blue because we think of it as safe, and white as calm.

The size of a product can attract a shopper. But quite often a bottle doesn’t contain as much as it appears to. It is believed that the better-known companies spend, on average, 70 percent of the total cost of the product itself on packaging!

The most successful producers know that it’s not enough to have a good product. The founder of Pears soap, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to promote (推销) their goods, came to the conclusion: “Any fool can make soap, but it takes a genius(天才) to sell it.”

1.Which of the following may trick a shopper into buying a product according to the text?

A. The cost of its package.　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. The price of the product.

C. The color of its package.　　　　　　　　　　   D. The brand name of the product.

2.The underlined part “the colors turned the customers off”(in Para.3 ) means that the colors_____________.

A. attracted the customers strongly　　　　　　　　    B.had weak effects on the customers

C.tricked the customers into shopping　　　　 D.caused the customers to lose interest

3.Which of the following is the key to the success in product sales?

A. The way to promote goods.　　　　　　　　   B. The discovery of a genius.

C. The team to produce a good product.　　　　　　 D. The brand name used by successful producers.

4.According to the passage, which of the following statement is true?

A.　　  Making soap is so easy that any fool in the world can make it.

B.　　  Greens, yellows or silver are considered to be healthy colors.

C.　　  25 years ago, the founder of Pears soap was a pretty girl herself.

D.　　 The size of a product can have an effect on the shoppers.

5.Which of the following would be the best title for this text?

A. Choice of Good Products　　　　　　　　　　   B.Disadvantages of Products

C.Effect of Packaging on Shopping　　　　　　 D.Brand Names and Shopping Tricks

Japan will compensate（赔偿）people poisoned last month by chemical weapons left in China by the Japanese army in World War Ⅱ,a Japanese newspaper said on Tuesday. The Yomiuri Shim bun said the Japanese government was considering offering 100 million yen（US＄858 200）to the victims of the incident, and the family of one man who died. Medical personnel who took care of the victims would also be compensated. Over 40 people were hospitalized after five barrels of mustard gas were found at a construction site in the city of Qiqiha’er, Heilongjiang Province, on August 4.One later died.

1.How many people died in the incident?

A.　　  Two.　　　　　　   B.One.　　　　　　　　  C.Over 　　　　　　    D.A family.

2.The underlined word “victims” in this passage most probably means _____________.

A. persons who were harmed by the incident

B.people who were killed in the incident

C.people who found the five barrels of mustard gas

D.citizens of Qiqiha’er who died in the World War Ⅱ

3.The above is a report of_____________.

A.the mustard gas incident in the city of Qiqiha’er, Heilongjiang Province

B.those who suffered from chemical weapons

C.the Japanese government’s plan to compensate gas victims

D.the finding of chemical weapons left in China by the Japanese army in World War Ⅱ