阅读下面一篇短文，按照要求回答短文后面的问题：

　　A self－cleaning paint inspired by lotus leaves is being developed by Australian researchers. A paint compound is designed to prevent dirt from sticking to its surface.

According to the leader of the researchers, the initial inspiration for the paint came from nature. One researcher noticed that while lotus plants live in water, water never sticks to their leaves, “We asked if we could mimic (模仿) that property.”

　　Plant leaves keep clean because a thin, and slightly bumpy(隆起), coating of wax(腊膜) on them enables rain to easily wash the dirt from them. The team have mimicked the natural cleaning action of water on leaves by creating a synthetic(化合物) compound, which is designed to decrease the strength of the bond between dirt and the surface of paint.

　　The idea is yet to undergo a lot of testing. “Testing needs to be done outside and under certain conditions, and under certain temperatures, ” the researchers said.

　　If it proves itself, the new paint compound is designed to become part of the normal mixture of paint chemicals which include solvent, pigment and oxidants. The paint could be used on house exteriors, cars, road signs and billboards which would then be washed clean any time it rained. It could also make foot surfaces easier to wash.

Answer the following questions.

1．What is the self－cleaning paint?

________________________________

2．How do the researchers get the idea about this kind of paint?

________________________________

3．What is the basis of the new paint?

________________________________

4．What kinds of tests does the paint need?

________________________________

5．Which ways can the paint be used in future?

________________________________

阅读下面一篇短文，按照要求回答短文后面的问题。

　　Book shows her life not unhappy as people think.

　　LONDON－Nearly four years after Britain's Princess Diana died in a Paris car crash, most people remember her unhappy childhood, a loveless marriage, infidelity and a brief affair. But British journalists Tim Clayton and Phil Craig, who had a frequent view of Charles and Diana, insist her life wasn't quite like that. Their book, Diana: Story of a Princess, has been published in a British tabloid days before what would have been Diana's 40th birthday on July 1.

　　So much for her loveless marriage to Prince Charles: “When they looked at each other, they looked as though they wanted to rip the clothes off each other. They looked so much in love. I am convinced of it to this day.” veteran newspaper photographer Arthur Edwards told the authors about the couple's early tour to Australia.

　　Photographer Ken Lennox, whose telephoto snaps of the pregnant princess in a bikini outraged much of the country before Prince William's 1982 birth, agreed with Edwards.

　　They were “a very happy couple together”, Lennox is quoted as saying. “They went into the water and kissed each other. He carried her out of the water. She threw a towel over his head and they raced up the sand.”

　　An unidentified senior member of the royal household reportedly said the same. They were not unhappy at the beginning－just stormy; loving at times and confused at times, he reportedly said.

　　The book also says that some who knew Diana felt she exaggerated the unhappiness of her childhood.

　　The book includes an unusual number of quotes from identified sources.

　　One of them, astrologer Felix Lyle, describes a visit from Diana when she was trying to decide whether to participate in Andrew Morton's.1992 book, “Diana, Her True Story.”

　　This publication of her side of the marriage breakdown, with its deeply unattractive portrayal of the heir to the British throne, sealed her fate within the royal family and led to separation in 1992 and divorce in 1996.

　　Lyle is quoted as saying Diana told him about her marriage and of her reservations about taking part in the book.

　　“But she wanted revenge－－there's no question about that… I think she was bitterly, bitterly hurt and would see the tearing down of the royal family as a perfectly justifiable end.”

1．Most people thought Diana________________.

2．Who insist Diana's life was not quite like what most people thought?________________.

3．选择合适的释义解释。

a) snap　　　　　A．shock and anger

b) outrage 　　　B．photograph

c) confuse 　　　C．make seem larger or greater than it really is

d) exaggerate　　D．throw into disorder

阅读下面一篇短文，按照要求回答短文后面的问题。

　　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 34 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 Romeo 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 Quarter, 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 20% and 30% discounts.

　　For more information, please check:

　　www. hk. artsfestival. org.

1．Where do you think the press conference was held?

________________________________________.

2．How many times has the Hong Kong Art Festival been held since 1973?

________________________________________.

3．If you go to the Art Festival, you will probably pay

________________________________________.

4．The main purpose of writing this text is

________________________________________.

拓展与应用：

　　Any discussion of Shakespeare's life is bound to be loaded with superlatives(最高). In the course of a quarter century, Shakespeare wrote some thirty-eight plays. Taken individually, several of them are among the world's finest written works; taken collectively, they establish Shakespeare as the foremost literary talent of his own Elizabethan Age and, even more impressively, as a genius whose creative achievement has never been surpassed in any age.

　　In light of Shakespeare's stature and the passage of nearly four centuries since his death, it is not surprising that hundreds of Shakespeare biographies have been written in all of the world's major languages. Scanning(略读) this panorama(全景), most accounts of the Bard's life (and certainly the majority of modern studies) are contextual(文脉上的) in the sense that they place the figure of Shakespeare against the rich tapestry of his “Age” or “Times” or “Society.” This characteristic approach to Shakespeare biography is actually a matter of necessity, for without such fleshing out into historical, social, and literary settings, the skeletal (骨架的) character of what we know about Shakespeare from primary sources would make for slim and, ironically, boring books. As part of this embellishment process, serious scholars continue to mine for hard facts about the nature of Shakespeare's world. The interpretation of their meaning necessarily varies, often according to the particular school or ideology of the author.

　　Whatever the differences of opinion, valid or at least plausible(似是而非的) views about Shakespeare, his character and his personal experience continue to be advanced. Yet even among modern Shakespeare biographies(传记), in addition to outlandish interpretations(奇异的解释) of the available facts, there persists (and grows) a body of traditions about such matters as Shakespeare's marriage, his move to London, the circumstances of his death and the like. The result of all this is that there is now a huge tapestry of descriptive, critical, and analytical work about Shakespeare in existence, much of it reasonable, some of it outlandish, and some of it hogwash.

Questions：

1．How does the writer evaluate Shakespeare's works?

2．Why the characteristic approach to Shakespeare biography mentioned in the passage is actually a matter of necessity?

拓展与应用

　　The President of the United States has one of the toughest jobs in the world. Hardly anyone else is watched so closely by so many people. Reporters follow the President relentlessly, eager for his opinion on everything from nuclear warheads to the outcome of the Super Bowl. The President must be careful at all times that his answers to reporters' questions reflect his policies. In addition, wherever the President may go, he never for a moment escapes the responsibilities of his office. The evening news may show him on a working vacation, but the word is always with him.

　　Then why have so many people wanted to be President? One reason may be that the Presidency is also one of the most powerful jobs in the world. As President John F. Kennedy said, “All the needs and aspirations of all parts of the country, all departments of government, all nations of the world” are focused on him.

　　Who Can Be President?

　　The job seems to demand a person of outstanding ability, so you might think the U.S. Constitution would contain a long list of job qualifications. However, it lists only three. Article Ⅱ, Section 1 of the Constitution states that the President must

　　1．be a natural-born citizen of the United States;

　　2．be at least 35 years old;

　　3．have been a resident of the United States for 14 years.

　　Though the qualifications for Vice President are not stated in the constitution, they are the same as the qualifications for President, since the Vice President might have to replace the President.

　　While the Constitution lists only three qualifications for the Presidency, the voters certainly consider many others. Among these are intelligence, good health, experience in government, ability to lead others, knowledge of national and world affairs, personality, ability to speak well, and persuasiveness.

Question for discussion：

According to the Constitution, the President can be either a man or a woman. So far, however, no woman has become President. What reasons can you give to explain this? Do you think a woman will be President in the future? Why or why not?

阅读下面短文，根据短文内容回答问题。

Liu Bang established the powerful Han Dynasty in 206 B．C．During the Han Dynasty, agriculture, handicrafts and commerce flourished (繁荣) , and the population reached 50 million． During his reign (140-87 B．C．) , the most prosperous (兴旺) period of the Han Dynasty, Liu Che, Emperor Wudi, expanded the territory of the empire from the Central Plain to the Western Regions (present-day Xinjiang and Central Asia)． He dispatched Zhang Qian twice as his envoy to the Western Regions, and in the process pioneered the route known as the “Silk Road” from Chang’an (today's Xi’an , Shanxi Province) , through Xinjiang and Central Asia, and on to the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea． Chinese silk goods were traded to the West along the Silk Road． As contacts between the East and West increased, Buddhism spread to China in the first century． In 105, an official named Cai Lun invented a technique for making fine paper, which is considered to have been a revolution in communication and learning．

Questions ：

1．Which period is the most prosperous period of Han Dynasty?

___________________________________________________________

2．What is the contribution of the “Silk Road” to the world?

___________________________________________________________

3．What is the route of the “Silk Road”?

___________________________________________________________

4．Who invented paper?

___________________________________________________________

阅读下面短文，回答短文后的问题。

　　As policeman Bright stepped on to the little sailing boat, it rose and fell in the quiet water of the small fishing-port．

　　“Anybody home?” he called．

　　“Yes, come on down, ”a voice cried． “Who is it?”

　　Bright went down the steps, and was met at the bottom by a young man with a large cigar fixed between his very white teeth．

　　“Good evening． I'm from the police station． Can I talk to you for a minute?”

　　“Of course, ”the young man said． “What s it about? ”

　　“About James Roland． He was murdered this afternoon． ”

　　The cigar almost fell out of the young man’s mouth．

　　“But that’s impossible． I was talking to him only this morning． He’s one of my closest friend． ”

　　“Yes, sir． I know． That's why I have to ask you some questions． Where were you between two and four o’clock this afternoon?”

　　“Well－it was a fine day． About 12 o’clock , I went for a sail． Then, about two o’clock , the wind died out completely． Not a breath． Nothing． I couldn't move． ”

　　“Don't you have an engine?”

　　“No, I don't． After about an hour, I got worried． ”

　　“No radio?”

　　“No．”

　　“What did you do?”

　　“I found a large white blanket in the boat． I painted HELP on it in big black letters． Then I pulled down my flag, and put up the blanket instead．”

　　“Did anyone see it?”

　　“I was very lucky． An hour or two later, a man in a motorboat came along． He said he saw my HELP sign from about three miles away． He helped me back into the port． ”

　　“Can I have this man's name, please?”

　　“I didn’t ask． ”

　　“Very well, the name of his boat?”

　　“I didn't notice it． It was a red boat．”

　　“This part of the river is full of red motorboats, sir． ”

　　“I suppose it is． Sorry I can’t help you． ”

　　“Oh, but you can, sir． ”

　　“Oh? How?”

　　“Just come along with me to the police station, if you will． Are you ready?”

　　“But why?”

　　“Because I don’t believe a word of your story． ”

1．When did the policeman get onto the little boat?

___________________________________________________________

2．Why did Bright visit the young man?

___________________________________________________________

3．What did the young man do when the man was murdered according to what he answered?

___________________________________________________________

4．How did the young man ask for help?

___________________________________________________________

5．How did Bright know that the young man didn’t tell the truth?

___________________________________________________________

阅读训练

阅读下面短文，根据短文内容，回答问题。

　　Imagine being at the height of your powers．

　　Imagine fingers that effortlessly move across the strings or keyboard．

　　Imagine the applause of a packed concert hall．

NO MORE ENCORES

　　Now, imagine having fingers that no longer do what is required of them． You sit by the phone waiting for the call that never comes． You worry about the pile of unpaid bills． Imagine , after years of creating joy for others, the loneliness and poverty of old age． Imagine the loss of an en-tire way of life． For a fortunate few, Symphony provides comfortable retirement homes for musi-cians no longer able to look after themselves． With like-minded people they can revisit their tri-umphs and live indignity．

WE NEED YOUR HELP

　　Symphony homes are founded by people like you． To continue our work we rely on donations and money left to us in wills． We ask you to remember the musicians who have given so much pleasure． Once they received your applause - now they need your financial support．

To make a donation, phone 0732 81930 now． Aren't you happy that you decided to help?

1．What is the advertisement about?

___________________________________________________________

2．What does the advertisement contrast?

___________________________________________________________

3．What words and expressions does the writer use to ask for contributions?

___________________________________________________________

阅读下面短文，从每小题所给的四个选项中，选出一个最佳答案。

　　Today only one person in five in the United States lives within 50 miles of his birthplace． Since the country was first settled, Americans have moved around a great deal, and are often far away from their parents． Because they have broken ties with their past at a young age, chosen their own occupations, established their own homes and developed their own lifestyles, few American children grow up closely surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins as they do in Italy, Nigeria, or India, for example． This along with the fact that modern American families do not have servants has made the “baby-sitter” a vital part of the American scene． A “sitter” is some-one who is hired to care for children for a specific length of time-usually relatively short-while the parents are out for an evening, going to a party or a course of study for example． Sometimes the baby-sitter is also hired for longer period, perhaps when the parents are away for a weekend． In such cases the “sitter” is likely to be a mature and motherly woman． For short periods, teen-ageis, college students, nursing students, and others are commonly employed on an hourly basis．

　　From the point of view of convenience, the best sitters are often young people who live in your apartment building or close by in the nationhood． This gives you as chance to meet the parents and see what they are like． If an emergency occurs, young sitters can call upon their parents quickly for help; you do not have to take them far to see them home at night or pay expensive taxi fares． Another advantage is that young people living close by can usually fill in quite readily on short noticeor for short periods of time．

　　In an apartment house you can ask the superintendent for permission to post a notice for a ba-by-sitter by the mailboxes． This is often the best way to find out if there is anyone in the building who is interested in baby-sitting． Retired people as well as students are often glad to earn a little money in this way and can be found by such a note．

1．A baby-sitter is a person who ________．

[　　]

A．helps to do housework

B．is a cleaning woman worker

C．looks after babies while their parents are out

D．takes care of babies and cooks for their family

2．It is advised that when you are out for a short period, you may hire one of ________to be yourbaby-sitter．

[　　]

A．motherly women

B．retired people

C．young people

D．mature women

3．The best title for the passage is ________．

[　　]

A．American Families

B．American Baby-Sitters

C．A Way of Earning Money

D．A Way to Find Baby-Sitters

阅读下面短文，根据短文内容，回答问题。

　　In most American cities, the rent for a one-bedroom apartment was $ 250 or more per month in recent years． In some smaller cities such as Louisville, Kentucky or Jacksonville, Florida the rent was less, but in larger cities it was more． For example, if you lived in Los Angeles, you had to pay $400 or more to rent a one-bedroom apartment, and the same apartment rented for $ 626 and up in Chicago． The most expensive rents in the US were in New York City, where you had to pay at least $ 700 a month to rent a one-bedroom apartment in most parts of the city．

　　Renters and city planners are worried about the high cost of renting apartments． Many cities now have rent-control laws to keep the cost of renting now． These laws help low-income families who cannot pay high rents．

　　Rent control in the United States began in 1943 when the government imposed (课税) rent controls on all American cities to help workers and the families of soldiers during World War II． After the war, only one city－-New York－-continued these World War II controls． Recently, more and more cities have returned to rent controls． At the beginning of the 1980s, nearly one fifth of the people in the United States lived in cities with rent-control laws．

　　Many cities have rent-control laws, but why are rents so high? Builders and landlords blame rent controls for the high rents． Rents are high because there are not enough apartments to rent and they blame rent control for the shortage of apartments． Builders want more money to build more apartment buildings, and landlords want more money to repair their old apartment buildings． But they cannot increase rents to get this money because of the rent control laws． As a result, landlords are not repairing their old apartments and builders are not building new apartment buildings to replace the ole apartment buildings． Builders are building apartments for high-income families, not low-income families, so low-income families must live in old apartments that are in disrepair． Builders and landlords claim that rent-control laws really hurt low-income families．

　　Many renters disagree with them． They say that rent control is not the problems． Even without rent controls, builders and landlords will continue to ignore low-income housing because they can make more money from high-income housing． The only answer, they claim, is more rent control and government help for low-income housing．

1．Which city had the highest rent for a one-bedroom apartment in America?

___________________________________________________________

2．When did the rent control begin in the United States?

___________________________________________________________

3．Why did the American government impose rent controls on all American cities in 1943 ?

___________________________________________________________

4．According to many renters, why do builders and landlords ignore low-income housing?

___________________________________________________________

5．In the opinion of builders and landlords, what is the real reason for the high rents?

___________________________________________________________