Tokyo—Our kids, the Japanese government announced, have forgotten how to behave. They can’t be bothered with housework. If they see someone being wrongお, they probably look the other way.

Few countries have placed more importance on being well-behaved than Japan. The simplest requests for directions often result in guided tours. Smiling shopkeepers are still the rule. Lost wallets usually make their way back to their owners.

But according to recent surveys, all that may be going the way of the ancient hairdo(发式).And Japan’s government has gone into something of a crisis mode（危机时刻）.

A Japanese Education Ministry survey formed late in 1999 and made public last month found that Japan moves behind other nations in teaching youngsters right from wrong.

It also reported that Japanese children are less helpful and do far less housework than their foreign peers(同龄人) in all classes. But they are better about taking dirty dishes to the kitchen after dinner.

In addition, Japanese kids are more likely to dye their hair and carry cell phones than their American and Chinese kids, according to another survey by a Tokyo-based think-tank(专家小组).

Children in about 9 percent of public school classrooms are so disorderly that teachers cannot hold lessons, further recent reports show. Children refuse to sit, to listen or to stop talking.

Older and middle-aged Japanese continue to have a solid sense of good manners and social justice, says Professor Yoshina Hirano from Shin’shu University, who was appointed to direct the ministry’s survey.

Despite the knowledge of good manners among adults, the breakdown of manners may be spreading, he said.

1. From the first paragraph we can infer that __________.

A. the Japanese government has gone bad

B. kids in Japan have a bad memory

C. kids in Japan seldom help their parents with the housework

D. kids in Japan are too busy to help others

2. The second paragraph seems to show us __________.

A. the education system of Japan is better than that of any other country

B. shopkeepers in Japan are too kind to their customers

C. Japanese kids often find wallets on their way to their schools

D. Japanese adults in public places act politely to each other

3. It is implied in the passage that Japanese kids __________.

A. spend much time doing their homework

B. lead an advanced modern life

C. have their hair cut too often

D. often wash dishes after dinner

4. From the last three paragraphs we may conclude that __________.

A. older and middle-aged Japanese should set examples to their kids

B. Japanese schools are supposed to punish some rude kids

C. it is difficult for Japan to prevent its kids from becoming impolite

D. Japanese kids have become tired of staying at school

The well-mannered Englishman at table holds and keeps his knife in his right hand, his fork in his left, cuts his meat and presses his vegetables into his fork. The well-mannered American first cuts up all his meat, then places his knife down on the right of his plate, takes his fork in his right hand and with his fork lifts the food to his mouth. He will have coffee half way through his dinner before the pudding(布丁).And, of course, Americans are coffee-drinkers rather than tea-drinkers. The English would be surprised at the American’s idea of how tea should be made.

The popular method to make tea is to take a cup or a pot of hot water and drop into it a cotton bag with tea leaves in it. For a change they will sometimes put a can of water on the electric stove(炉) and they pour the mixture into a can. Then they pour it from there into a cup and drink it without turning a hair.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The well-mannered American also holds his knife in the right hand at table.

B. Both Englishmen and Americans take their forks in the same hand when eating.

C. Englishmen and Americans have coffee at the same time at the dinner.

D. Generally speaking, Americans prefer tea to coffee.

2. The well-mannered American __________.

A. doesn’t use a knife at all at table

B. places his knife down on the right of his hand

C. holds his knife in his right hand all the time at table

D. uses his knife for only once during his dining each dish

3.The underlined part “without turning a hair” means __________.

A. showing no fear, surprise, or excitement

B. putting down the cup

C. not moving a hair

D. to sit still

4. The whole passage tells us that __________.

A. different people have different manners

B. Englishmen and Americans have the same way to make tea

C. Englishmen and Americans have different manners at dinner

D. Englishmen and Americans all use knives and forks for a dinner

Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Careless methods of production and lack of consumer demand for environment（环境）friendly products have contributed to the pollution problem. One result is that millions of tons of glass, paper, plastic, and metal containers are produced, and these are difficult to get rid of.

However, today, more and more consumers are choosing “green” and demanding that the products they buy should be safe for the environment. Before they buy a product, they ask questions like these: “Will this shampoo damage the environment?” “Can this metal container be reused or can it only be used once?”

A result study showed that two out of five adults now consider the environmental safety of a product before they buy it. This means that companies must now change the way they make and sell their products to make sure that they are “green”, that is, friendly to the environment.

Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds. Some supermarket products carry labels（标签）to show that the product is green. Some companies have made the manufacturing（生产）of clean and safe products their main selling point and emphasize it in their advertising.

The concern for a safer and cleaner environment is making companies rethink how they do business. No longer will the public accept the old attitude of “Buy it, use it, throw it away, and forget it. ” The public pressure is on, and gradually business is cleaning up its act.

1. It becomes clear from the text that the driving force（动力）behind green products is______.

A. public caring for the environment

B. companies desire for bigger sales

C. new ways of doing business

D. rapid growth of supermarkets

2. What would be the best title for the text?

A. Business and People　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. Business Goes Green

C. Shopping Habits Are Changing　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. Supermarkets and Green Products

3. The underlined word “it” in the fourth paragraph refers to______.

A. a selling point　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. the company name

C. a great demand for health food　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. the manufacturing of green products

A car needs gas to run and your body also needs food to work for you. Eating the right kind of food is very important. It can help your body grow strong to take care of what you eat.

There are four main food groups altogether. The dairy group has food like milk, cheese and sour milk. The other three groups are the meat and fish group, the fruit and vegetable group, and the bread and rice group. Each meal should have at least one food from all four main groups. With all these food together, you will be given enough energy during the day.

It is easy to get into bad eating-habits. You may eat your breakfast in a hurry to get to school on time. Or you may not have time for a good lunch. It may seem easy to. But you will find yourself tired in these days and you cannot think quickly.

Watching what you eat will help your body remain healthy and strong. It is also good to take some exercise. It will help you eat more if you take a walk or play games in the open air. Having a good eating habit with some exercise is the key to your health.

1. Which of the following diets do you think is the best one?

A. Corn, fish, cream and pork. 

B. Eggs, tomatoes and chicken.

C. Milk, bread, cabbages and beef.

D. Rice, bean curd, apples, fish and chicken.

2. Which of the following is a good eating-habit?

A. Going to school without any breakfast.

B. Finishing your lunch in a very short time.

C. Eating fish and chips for supper all the time.

D. Having at least one food from all four groups in each meal.

3. In this passage the writer mainly tells us that______.

A. right kind of food with exercise will keep you healthy

B. taking exercise can keep your body strong

C. every person needs food to grow well

D. enough energy helps people think more quickly

4. The underlined word “dairy” in the second paragraph means______.

A. the shop that sells milk and butter

B. the food made out of cows such as milk and butter

C. a farm where cows are kept

D. a place where milk products are made

When I was very young, I had very romantic ideas about my future. First I wanted to be a ballet dancer. I often imagined myself on the stage at the Opera House with the audience cheering at the end of the show, and huge bunches of flowers at my feet. But it was soon obvious that I was going to be too tall to be a ballet dancer. Then I thought I would like to be a florist（花商）, and work in a shop full of lovely flowers. However, when I left school, I fell in love and got married, I was very happy. Then suddenly, it was all over. At the age of twenty-three I was a widow（寡妇）, and I had two little boys. I had not learned how to dance; I had not learned how to arrange flowers. The only thing I had ever learned was to look after a home. So I became a daily help, and now I go act to do house work. I’m paid by the hour, I managed to earn enough to keep the three of us.

The two boys start school at nine o’clock, so I get up at six every morning, and, very quickly, so as not to wake them, I clean the house. Then I prepare breakfast and I wake the children at a quarter to eight. We all eat together and then I walk with them as far as the school, because there are several dangerous and busy streets to cross. I don’t have to worry too much about them at noon, as they have lunch at school. So I go to Mrs. X’s house from nine to eleven, and then to Mrs. Y’s until one o’clock. She gives me lunch, too. I work at Mrs. I’s flat from two to three-thirty every day, and then it is time for me to collect the boys from school and take them home. That is my life. It is not a very romantic one, but then, I have learned that life is not usually romantic.

1. Before the lady got married, she wanted______.

A. to be working on the stage in the Opera House

B. to be either a dancer or a florist

C. to throw flowers to her own feet

D. to be a shop assistant

2. At the age of twenty-three______.

A. the lady fell in love and got married

B. the lady formed a family of four

C. the lady left the school and became a widow

D. the lady’s husband died

3. The lady learned from her experience that______.

A. life one thinks of is different from what it really is

B. life one thinks of is usually the same as what it really is

C. life is usually romantic

D. life is often cruel

Habits, whether good or bad, are gradually formed. When a person does a certain thing again, he is driven by some unseen force to do the same thing repeatedly, and おthen a habit is formed. Once a habit is formed, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to get rid of. It is therefore very important that we should pay great attention to the formation of habits. Children often form bad habits, some of which remain with them as long as they live. Older persons also form bad habits lasting as long as they live, and sometimes become ruined by them.

There are other habits which, when formed in early life, are of great help. Many successful men say that much of their success has something to do with certain habits in early life, such as early rising, honesty.

Among the habits which children should not form are laziness, lying, stealing and so on. These are all easily formed habits. Unfortunately older persons often form habits which could have been avoided(避免).

We should keep away from（远离）all these bad habits, and try to form such habits as will be good for ourselves and others.

1. ______are formed little by little.

A. Good habits　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. Bad habits

C. Both good habits and bad habits　　　　　　　　　　　　    D.Either good habits or bad habits

2. The underlined word “them” in the first paragraph refers to______.

A. bad habits　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    B. good habits

C. children　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. other persons

3. Generally speaking, it’s difficult for one______and easy for them______which should be avoided.

A. to form bad habits; to form good habits

B. to form good habits; to form bad habits

C. to form such habits as will be good; to get rid of bad habits

D. to get rid of bad habits; to form good habits

4. Why should we pay much attention to the formation of habits?

A. Because habits are of great help to every one of us.

B. Because a man can never get rid of a habit.

C. Because it’s hard and sometimes even impossible to throw away bad habits.

D. Because we are forced to do them again and again.

5. According to the passage, early rising______.

A. has something to do with success

B. is an easily formed habit

C. is such a habit as should have been avoided

D. is such a habit as will be kept

BOLTON，Vermont-Fourteen-year-ole Ashley Stevens fell out of his canoe into the frigid Winooski River in Vermont, US, climbed onto the muddy bank and picked fiddleheads for five hours as his wet clothes stiffened and dried in the frosty spring air.

It was worth it. On that early May day. Ashley made $50 for the 86 pounds of ferns he hauled in to the weigh station.

And he’s made about that much every day of the fiddlehead season.

“I know where to go, ”said Ashley, who grew up along the Winooski.

For four or five weeks a year in Vermont, fiddleheads, young ferns found near water in the northeast, are big business for anyone who cares to pick them. Before they uncurl to their mature height, the plants resemble violin heads.

The ferns, which taste like asparagus when cooked, are usually fried in butter or olive oil and served as side dish.

Restaurants offer them as a seasonal specialty; supermarkets sell them by the pound.

John Farrar, the fiddlehead king of Richmond, Vermont, parks his pickup every evening and waits for the pickers to bring in their mesh bags of fiddleheads for weighing. Farrar often collects more than 450 kilograms of the tightly curled green discs.

He drives them to WS Wells and Son in Wilton, Maine, where they are prepared for sale fresh, in cans, and dried in soup mix. Wells processes about 35 tons a year, all from local pickers who bring in the fiddleheads by bag or bucket.

Farrar is careful to take only ostrich ferns. Some other kinds are said to cause cancer in cows or stomach upset in humans.

“They all kind of look like fiddleheads, ”said Butch Wells, owner WS Wells and Son, “I’ve had people drive for two hours with 90 kilograms of the wrong kind. ”

He said he believed he was having some fiddleheads for supper that night, “I’ve had them in stews , and I’ve had them in quiches, which all sometimes called Impossible Pie. And we just have them plain, as a side dish. ”

Even his kids cat fiddlebads.

“They like pickled fiddleheads, ”Wells said.

“They don’t like them any other way. ”

1. Fiddleheads are______.

A. musical instruments　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. young ferns

C. Vermont pickup truck　　　　　　 　　　　    D. Ashley Stevens

2. The young plants look like______.

A. photograph discs　　　　   　　　　　　　　　　  B. hunches of asparagus

C. he head of a violin　　　　　　 　　　　  　　   D. a fish

3. The ferns must be gathered when they are young because when the plants mature they______.

A. lose their green color　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　    B. weigh close to 90kg

C. can cure cancer　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　D. uncurl

4. The tightly curled discs______.

A. grow in the Northeastern United States

B. are picked 45 weeks a year

C. can cause stomach problems

D. must be eaten within five hours

5. People who harvest fiddleheads______.

A. look for the plants all year round

B. sell the ferns for a good price

C. are usually able to cook side dishes

D. needed to keep an eye on their canoes

It’s only 34 centimeters tall but, as the highest honour in the world of cinema, an Oscar is worth its weight in gold.

Just saying its name draws up images of red carpets, bubbling champagne（冒泡的香槟）, beautiful stars and, most importantly of all, success.

When the 76th Academy Awards were presented this morning in Los Angeles, US, the winners became headline news across the world just as the first Academy Awards. Organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the first Academy Awards ceremony took place at a Holly-wood hotel on May 16, 1929. All the guests knew who had won in advance; the present system of keeping it a secret until the envelope is opened was introduced in 1941.

The trophy（奖品）is the figure of a knight(骑士) holding a sword. The first awards were solid bronze but a metal shortage during World War Ⅱ meant the trophies were made of plaster（石膏）for a while. Nowadays, the figures are made of metal and given an outer coating of gold.

Officially known as the Academy Award of Merit, it isn't clear where the nickname（昵称）Oscar came from. One popular explanation is that an Academy librarian said it looked like her uncle Oscar and the name just stuck.

The timing of the ceremony has only been disturbed on three occasions. The first was in 1938 when serious floods in Los Angeles delayed the awards by one week. Then in 1968 the ceremony was moved from April 8 to April 10 out of respect for Dr. Martin Luther King, who had been assassinated（暗杀）a few days earlier. Another assassination—a failed attempt on President Ronald Reagan—saw the Oscars delayed by 24 hours in 1981.

1. When an actor/actress wins a reward of Oscar, he/she______.

A. can receive a trophy made of pure gold

B. will receive many rewards

C. values the recognition of performance

D. knows it before the Awards ceremony takes place

2. The first Academy Awards ceremony took place on May 16, 1929, ______.

A. which many actors/actresses showed no interest in them

B. which was a shock to the world

C. which had all the well-known performers throughout the world

D. where each of the winners were given a sword

3. The Trophies were once made of plaster to______.

A. cut costs　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. make them easy to keep

C. solve the problem of metal shortage　　　　　　   D. attract people’s attention

4. The latest delay of the ceremony was due to______.

A. serious floods

B. the murder of Martin Luther King

C. a failed assassination on Ronald Reagan

D. some unknown reasons

5. When writing the passage, the author______.

A. is dreaming of being a winner of Oscar

B. is trying to tell people more about the stories about Oscar

C. has found out how Oscar got its name

D. is not interested in the ceremony of Oscar

Good evening. Tonight’s broadcast brings together music from different corners of the world. The records we have chosen for you are from classical Western music, Indian music, pop and a Negro spiritual（黑人的圣歌）. In this broadcast we shall study the language of music. We shall try to find out how music says what people feel. You will hear a Beethoven piano piece, a composition from the sitar（西他，一种弦乐器）, and songs sung by a pop group and some others. I shall be trying to explain why they are all good music.

The feeling in each of these four musical compositions is sadness. You can find sadness in words, in paintings, and in music. The word “music” comes from the Greek word “muse”. The muses were goddesses of the arts. Music is only one of the arts. It is like the spoken language, but uses sounds differently. In the spiritual and the pop song you will hear only the piano or the sitar. I shall be saying a few words after each record. Music is now heard everywhere, in shops and buses and at home. We shall be trying to find out more about how music works. It is worth making the effort. Only then can we say why one piece of music is good and another bad.

1. The music which will be played______.

A. concern a few new kinds of music　　　　　　　　　　   B. are from different parts of the world

C. express all our feelings　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. are new kind of music

2. The announcer will be trying to explain______.

A. that all music is good　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  

B. why each piece of music is good

C. why some people like one piece more than others

D. that different kinds of music are alike in nature

3. Which of the following is NOT correct?

A. In a Beethoven piano piece you cannot hear voices.

B. Music is the spoken language with different sounds.

C. It is natural for people to like one kind of music more than the others.

D. In some musical compositions you can hear words.

4. According to the announcer, we can tell why one piece of music is better than another______.

A. after we learn more about how music works

B. after these musical compositions are explained

C. after we study the language of music

D. only when we know how to play music

5. The word “music” comes from the ______word “muse”.

A. German　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. Chinese　　　　　　　　　　　　   C. American　　　　　　　　  D. Greek

Music is an international language. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to people everywhere.

Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the streets.

Adult drivers listen to music on the car radios as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, politics, and activities of the American people. Most of the radio broadcast is music.

Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state. Once the popular singer is heard throughout the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.

There are other kinds of music that tare important to Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.

Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music(管弦乐), such as the symphonies(交响乐) of Beethoven. There is opera(歌剧) for singers. There is ballet(芭蕾舞剧) for dancers like the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in China.

1. In what sense can music be regarded as an international language?

A. Popular music is what everyone enjoys.

B. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are so beautiful and understandable that everyone can enjoy them.

C. When music is played, it seems as if it were speaking to us.

D. Music is so popular throughout the world that everyone can play it.

2. What can we know about music and people in America?

A. Student drivers carry small radios with earphones when they drive on the streets.

B. Students always listen to music before class, in class and after class.

C. Adult drivers listen to news as well as music when they drive to work.

D. Adult drivers never listen to music when they drive to work.

3. How many kinds of music are mentioned in the passage?

A. Six.　　　　　　  B. Eight.　　　　　　  C. Five.　　　　　　  D. Seven.

4. Country music _______.

A. is a kind of music that is popular in America

B. has nothing to do with folk music

C. is only sung by cowboys

D. is not played in the concert halls

5. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. All people in America like popular music.

B. Pop singers can get all the money from the tapes.

C. Now, western or country music is a little different from its beginning.

D. Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is a kind of pop music.