Faye Wong

Faye Wong(Wang Fei) is set to finally release her long-awaited new Mandarin album(国语 专辑).

“Future Love” is Wong's debut(首次演出) album for Sony, and is set to launch a spectacular(惊人的) attack on the charts by the Beijing-born star.

Wong could not have picked a better time to release her new record. She won the title of Asia's best female singer at the CCTV-MTV awards—in spite of not having had a new record for two years.

Born in Beijing, Wong moved to Hong Kong at the age of 18 and released her first album, the gold-selling “Wang Jingwen” the following year.

“Coming Home” though, was the album that shot her to stardom(明星地位)—several of its songs becoming big hits, notably(著名的) “Fragile Woman”(Rong Yi Shou Shang de Nü Ren).

Wong's charm lies not only in her artistic talent(艺术家的才能), but in her in-and-cool style. “She is just too  different—her voice, her manner of dressing and her persistence(坚持) in her own way of life, ”says Xiao Liao, one of Wong's fans, “she is now more a pop-culture idol(偶像) than a talented singer. ”

Wong is indeed a unique(独特的), down-to-earth(朴实的) idol. “I’m lazy and I smoke, ”she says, “I’m a straightforward(坦率) person and often offend(冒犯) people. I throw my temper around. I’m not motivated(有积极性的), and I’m always thinking of holidays. I’m not an idol, so please don’t treat me as one!”

1. Faye Wong achieved success as a singer with her album ________________.

A. “Future Love”

B. “Wang Jingwen”

C. “Coming Home”

D. “Fragile Woman”

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. “Future Love” is her first album since Faye Wong signed up Sony.

B. Faye Wong moved to Hong Kong at the age of 18 and released her first album, the gold-selling “Wang Jingwen”.

C. With “Coming Home” Faye Wong made a big success in her career.

D. Her Fans regard Faye Wong as a pop-culture idol.

3. Which of the following doesn’t describe Faye Wong?

A. She is frank.

B. She often offends people.

C. She is talented.

D. She is warmhearted.

LONDON(Reuters)—Organic fruit, delivered right to the doorstep. That is what Gabriel Gold prefers, and he is willing to pay for it. If this is not possible, the 26-year old computer technician will spend the extra money at the supermarket to buy organic food.

“Organic produce is always better. ”Gold said. “The food is free of pesticides(农药), and you are generally supporting family farms instead of large farms. And more often than that it is locally(本地)grown and seasonal, so it is more tasty. ” Gold is one of the growing number of shoppers buying into the organic trend, and supermarkets across Britain are counting on more like him as they grow their organic food business. But how many shoppers really know what they are getting, and why are they willing to pay a higher price for organic produce? Market research shows that Gold and others who buy organic food can generally give clear reasons for their preferences—but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete. For example, amounts of pesticides can be used on organic products. And about three quarters of organic food in Britain is not local but imported(进口)to meet growing demand. “The demand for organic food is increasing by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market, ”said Sue Hock, a specialist in this line of business.

1. More and more people in Britain are buying organic food because________________.

A. they are getting richer

B. they can get the food anywhere

C. they consider the food free of pollution

D. they like home-grown fruit

2. Which of the following statements is true to the facts about most organic produce sold in Britain?

A. It grows indoors all year round.

B. It is produced outside Britain.

C. It is grown on family farms.

D. It is produced on large farms.

3. What is the meaning of “the organic trend” as the words are used in the text?

A. Growing interesting in organic food.

B. Better quality of organic food.

C. Rising market for organic food.

D. Higher prices of organic food.

4. What is the best title for this news story?

A. Organic Food—Healthy, or Just for the Wealthy?

B. The Making of Organic Food in Britain.

C. Organic Food—to Import or Not?

D. Good Qualities of Organic Food.

The American cigarette companies are worried that the anti-smoking campaign(运动) is catching fire and the U. S.   government may issue (发布) stronger regulations about the use of tobacco.

Many governments and private buildings have “No Smoking” regulations(规则). In airplanes, on trains and at cinemas, Golf courses are seriously thinking of keeping out smokers, so are schools, shopping malls and even football fields.

So where do people go to fill their lungs with nicotine? The government is working on it.

One suggestion is that the government set aside a piece of land somewhere in the United States where smokers could go when they want a cigarette. Yellow Stone Park has been on the list, but many people don’t agree because they fear that second-hand smoking would make the bears there sick.

The Mojave Desert in California is also being studied, and so are Las Vegas Casinos(拉斯维加斯赌场).

The smokers were not too nervous about the government idea. They say they are not going to California just to light up. They have a right to smoke at home. To make life more pleasant for those who find it hard to give up smoking, the government is seriously thinking of getting somewhere for the smokers.

The officials in the government say they realize that they are bringing trouble to people by making them go so far away to blow smoke rings. But they just had to do this or to ban(禁止) smoking in the entire country. Once everyone gets used to the idea, all will be better off soon.

The tobacco companies are fighting the idea like mad. They say nobody has proved that cigarettes are bad for you. They say as a matter of fact, the doctors have proved that a cigarette saved a person’s life after that person was shot.

Other places under consideration are: the cold areas in Alaska, the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and the Whitewater River in Arkansas.

1. Smokers in the U. S.  ________________ to light a cigarette now.

A. find nowhere

B. are not so free

C. have a right

D. have to travel a long way

2. The smokers are not too nervous about the government banning smoking for they think ________________.

A. it is not a good idea

B. it is still far away

C. they have right to smoke anywhere

D. they may smoke at home

3. The tobacco companies don’t like the idea because they ________________.

A. want to save persons’ lives

B. wish smokers to stay at home

C. wish smokers to feel easy

D. want to improve their cigarettes

4. Which is right about the writer’s opinion according to the passage?

A. He thinks the government should help the smokers to find a proper place.

B. None of the places in the passage is proper for the smokers.

C. The places are too far away for the smokers to light up their cigarettes.

D. Smokers are not welcome in the U. S.

GENEVA—“The use of stimulants(兴奋剂) or drugs is increasing and something must be done about it. ”the World Health Organization(WHO) said on Friday. “In the 1970s the international focus(焦点) was on the heroin(海洛因);in the 1980s the focus was on cocaine(可卡因). Now in the 1990s we are becoming frightened by the rapid increase in amphetamine—type(安非他明类) stimulants, not only in the rich countries of the world but the whole world, ”said the official of WHO.

“Amphetamines are often used by the workers, such as long-distance truck drivers, to increase endurance(耐久力) or delay sleep, ”the official said.

“About 1 to 3 percent of the population of the world use amphetamine, ”experts said. In Britain, among young people between ages 16 and 19, fourteen percent of them have used amphetamines.

“In Korea, Japan, Denmark, Philippines and Australia, amphetamines are more widely used than heroin or cocaine, ”a reporter said. The problem is also wide spread in the United States, Western and Eastern Europe.

1. In which column can this passage appear in a newspaper?

A. Science Report.

B. Today’s World.

C. People’s Life.

D. World Organization.

2. From what the official said, we can guess that ________________.

A. as time goes on, the international focus is changing

B. amphetamine is more valuable than cocaine

C. the poorer a country is, the more serious the problem is

D. the older a person is, the more he uses amphetamine

3. Which of the following is true?

A. People in Britain never use heroin.

B. Truck drivers don’t know how to use heroin.

C. Amphetamine is made of cocaine.

D. The problem of using drugs becomes more serious.

4. WHO ________________.

A. pays no attention to the use of stimulants

B. thinks the problem is serious

C. only cares for rich people

D. only worries about the truck drivers

It was early morning. Peter Corbett helped Mark Wellman out of his wheelchair and onto the ground. They stood before El Captain, a huge mass of rock almost three-quarters of a mile high in California’s beautiful Yosemite Valley. It had been Mark’s dream to climb El Captain for as long as he could remember. But how could a person without the use of his legs hope to try to climb it?

Mark knew he couldn’t finish the climb alone, but his friend Peter, an expert rock climber, would be there to lend a helping hand. He and Mark thought it would take seven days to reach the top.

Peter climbed about 100 feet up and hammered a piton(岩钉） into the rock. Fastening one end of a 165-foot rope to the piton, he let one end of the rope fall down. Mark caught the rope and fastened it to his belt with a special instrument. This instrument would allow Mark to move upward, but would prevent him falling even as much as a single inch. He next reached above his head and fastened a T shaped bar to the rope, using the same kind of instrument.

Mark took a deep breath, pushed the T-bar up almost as far as his arms could reach, and began the first of 7 000 pull-ups needed to reach the top. High above, Peter let out a cheer, “You are on your way. ”

Seven years before, at the age of twenty-one, he had fallen while mountain climbing, injuring his backbone. The fall cost him the use of his legs, but he never lost his love of adventure or his joyful spirit.

For the first four days the two men progressed steadily upward without incident. But on the fifth day an unbearably high wind began to blow, and as time went by, it became stronger and stronger, causing Mark to sway violently on his rope. But Mark kept on determinedly pushing up the T-bar and pulling himself up. In spite of that, he had to admit that he felt a lot better when the wind finally died down and his body touched solid rock again.

It took them one day more than they had expected, but on July 26th at 1:45 in the afternoon the crowd of people waiting on the top went wild with joy as the two heads appeared. Mark Wellman had shown that if you set your heart and mind on a goal, no wall is too high, no dream impossible.

1. What had Mark Wellman long desired to do?

A. To finish one of the most difficult rock climbs in the world.

B. To be the first to climb El Captain.

C. To climb the highest mountain in California.

D. To help his friend climb El Captain.

2. How did Mark climb the mountain?

A. He fastened the rope to his wheelchair.

B. He hammered in pitons so that he had something to hold on to.

C. He held on to the T-bar and Peter pulled him up.

D. He pulled himself up using a T-bar and special equipment.

3. How did Mark lose the use of his legs?

A. He lost his footing and fell from the side of a mountain.

B. He fell during his first attempt on El Captain.

C. His legs were broken by falling rocks.

D. While working out in the gym, he injured his backbone.

Our bodies are wonderfully skillful at keeping balance. When the temperature jumps, we sweat to cool down. When our blood pressure falls, our hearts can do something. As it turns out, though, our natural state is always changing. Researchers are finding that everything from blood pressure to brain function(功能) changes regularly with the cycles of sun, moon and seasons. And their insights(洞察力) are getting new ways for keeping away such common killers as heart disease and cancer. Only one doctor in 20 has a good knowledge of the scientific use of time in medicine. But according to a new American Medical Association, three out of four are eager to change that. “The field is exploding, ”says Michael Smolensky. “Doctors used to look at us like ‘What spaceship did you get off?’ Now they’re thirsty to know more. ”

In medical school, most doctors learn that people with chronic(长期的) conditions should take their medicine regularly. “It’s a terrible way to treat disease, ”says Dr. Richard Martin. For example, asthmatics(气喘患者) are most likely to suffer during the night. Yet most patients try to keep a constant level of medicine in their blood day and night, whether by breathing in on an inhaler(吸入器) four times a day or taking a pill each morning and evening. In recent studies, researchers have found that a large midafternoon dose of a bronchodilator(支气管扩张剂) can be as safe as several small doses, and better for preventing night time attacks.

If the night belongs to asthma, the dawn belongs to high blood pressure and heart disease. Heart attacks are twice as common at 9 a. m. as at 11 p. m. Part of the reason is that our blood pressure falls at night, and then rises as we start to work for the day. “Doctors know that, ”says Dr. Henry Black of Chicago's Medical Center, “but until now, we haven’t been able to do anything about it. ”Most blood pressure drugs provide 18 to 20 hours of relief(减缓). But because they’re taken in the morning, they’re least effective when most needed. “You take your pill at 7 and it’s working by 9, ”says Sr. William White of the University of Connecticut Health Center. “But by that time you’ve gone through the worst four hours of the day with no protection. ”Bedtime medicine would prevent high blood pressure, but it would also push blood pressure to dangerously low levels during the night.

1. According to the passage, how do human bodies keep balance?

A. They make some changes timely according to their physical conditions.

B. People increase or lower the body temperature by sweating.

C. People’s hearts keep beating when the blood pressure goes up.

D. Both B and C.

2. Researchers are finding that ________________.

A. heart disease and cancer are the most common killers of human beings

B. blood pressure and brain function are decided by cycles of sun, moon and seasons

C. the functions of human bodies have much to do with nature

D. any change in human bodies goes with changes in the surroundings

3. According to the author, it is best for asthmatics to take their medicine ________________.

A. at certain time

B. each morning and evening

C. when the disease occurs

D. at midafternoon

4. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Doctors know more about illness than before.

B. Doctors in the U. S. used to be thirsty to know more about the new medical field.

C. The researchers’ insights are providing new methods to prevent common killers.

D. The correct use of time in medicine attracts more attention in medical circle in the U. S. A.

In general, American food is mild tasting; most Americans do not season their food to any great degree. Salads are very popular and are served all year, especially in the summer. Waiters tend to assume that everyone drinks coffee, but simply tell them if they want something else. If a waiter says “Now or later?” he means “Do you want coffee with your meal or after it?” Many, but certainly not all, Americans drink coffee or tea with their meals. Either way is perfectly acceptable. When dining out, you can ask for tea, milk, coke, wine or beer if you prefer. Restaurants can only serve beer, wine or other alcoholic drinks if they have a license, that is, permission from the local government to serve alcoholic drinks. Normally, when eating in a private home, it is considered good manners to take whatever is served and not to ask for something different, unless the hostess gives you a choice.

The main course served in American meals is usually meat, fish, or poultry, but rarely is more than one of these served as a first course.

Most Americans eat breakfast and lunch quickly unless it is social, business, or family occasion. The evening meal, however, is usually longer and a time for the family to gather together. Rushing through daytime meals is part of the fast pace in America. Another reason for rushing through day-time meals is that many people eat breakfast and lunch in restaurants that are usually crowded with people waiting for a place so that they, too, can be served and return to work at the proper time. So each one hurries to make room for the next person. As with busy people everywhere there is a real difference between a meal that is eaten in a hurry and one that can be enjoyed with friends during one’s leisure.

1.  In America, salads are very popular and are served especially ________________.

A. in the winter

B. in the summer

C. at lunch

D. at dinner

2. When dining out, you can ask for________________.

A. tea or coffee

B. wine or beer

C. whatever you want

D. whatever is being served

3. When eating in a private home, it is considered good manners to ________________.

A. take whatever is being served

B. take whatever you want

C. ask for something different

D. ask the hostess to choose for you

4. At one meal, the first main course is often ________________.

A. meat, fish or poultry

B. either meat or fish

C. meat, fish and poultry but no seafood

D. none of the meat, fish and poultry

5. Which one of the following is NOT a reason why most Americans rush through daytime meals?

A. It is their pace of life.

B. Their time is limited.

C. They do not like the mild tasting food.

D. They should make room for other people.

For thousands of years, man has enjoyed the taste of apples. Apples, which are about 85 percent water, grown almost everywhere in the world but the hottest and coldest areas. The leading countries in apple production are China, France and the United States.

There’re various kinds of apples, but a very few make up the majority of those grown for sale. The three most common kinds grown in the United States are Delicious, Golden Delicious and Mcintosh.

Apples are different in color, size,  and taste. The color of the skin may be red, green, or yellow. They have various sizes, with Delicious apples being among the largest. The taste may be sweet or tart(酸的). Generally, sweet apples are eaten fresh while tart apples are used to make applesauce(苹果酱).

Apple trees may grow as tall as twelve meters. They do best in areas that have very cold winters. Although no fruit is yielded during winter, the cold period is good for the tree.

1. Cold winter weather is good for ________________.

A. the growth of apple trees

B. producing large apples

C. improving the taste of apples

D. the increase of water in apples

2. China, France and the United States are considered to ________________.

A. be large producers of applesauce

B. be large producers of apples

C. have the longest history in apple production

D. have the coldest winter among apple producing countries

3. The word “yielded” in the last sentence means “________________”.

A. improved　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. increased

C. sold　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. produced

The Oscars, or to give them their proper name, “The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards of Merit”, are awards given to people who work in specific areas of the film industry.

Actors and directors, costume(服装)designers and songwriters, make-up artists and sound engineers, among others, all have the chance to win an Oscar.

The awards themselves are small statuettes(小雕像), around 34cm tall and weighing just over 3. 5 kg. The golden statuettes are all the same—they show a man(with no clothes on!)holding a sword and standing on a reel of film.

Sadly for the winner, the statue is not solid gold, but just goldplated. In actual value it is only worth around $250. However, although the statuette itself is not worth very much, winning one can be worth millions of dollars to the film studios.

Winning an Oscar means that the worldtop film makers liked your work. It is the best publicity any film can get. If a film can have “Academy Award Winner” under its title, many more people will go to see it.

The Academy was first formed in May 1927, and the awards have been given every year since then. This ceremony, when the awards are presented to the winners, is the highlight of the Hollywood calendar. It is the most glamorous(富有魅力的)and star-studded(星光灿烂的)evening of the whole year, and is shown on television in 90 countries around the world and watched by over 500 million people.

Everyone who is famous in the film world attends the awards ceremony. Most arrive in huge limousines, wearing wonderful clothes. The Oscar ceremony is the one night when Hollywood really is as glamorous as it appears.

For the first few years of the Academy, the Academy Awards themselves were simply called “The Statuettes”. There are various stories which explain why they were at last given the nick mane “Oscars”. The most popular is that the Academy librarian, Margaret Herrick, exclaimed when she saw the golden statuette, “He looks just like my Uncle Oscar!” and the name stuck.

Whatever the reason, it is certainly easier to say “Oscar”, than to say “Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards of Merit”, so the little golden man is now on a first name basis with everyone.

1. The passage is really about________________.

A. Hollywood

B. an award in the film industry

C. an award ceremony

D. a famous film star, Oscar

2. One story says that the Oscars are named after________________.

A. Oscar Hammerstein

B. the man who invented them

C. the Academy librarian’s uncle

D. one of the “Oscar” winners

3. The awards were first simply called________________.

A. Oscars

B. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards of Merit

C. Uncle Oscars

D. The Statuettes

4. A reader can learn from the text that________________.

A. only actors can have the chance to win Oscars

B. an Oscar is made completely of gold

C. winning an Oscar is worth millions of dollars to film studios

D. the Academy Awards are given every four years

5. The best title for the passage would be________________.

A. Everybody’s Favorite Uncle

B. Great American Films

C. Winning is Not Important

D. History of Film Industry

Among various programmes, TV talk shows have covered every inch of space on daytime television. And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one is different in style(风格). But no two shows are more opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest, than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows.

Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of “rubbish talk”. The contents on his show are as surprising as can be. For example, the show takes the ever-common talk show titles of love, sex, cheating, and hate, to a different level. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is about the dark side of society, yet people are willing to eat up the troubles of other people’s lives.

Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes TV talk show to its top, but Oprah goes in the opposite direction. The show is mainly about the improvement of society and different quality(质量)of life. Contents are from teaching your children lessons, managing your work week, to getting to know your neighbors.

Compared to Oprah, the Jerry Springer show looks like poisonous waste being poured into society. Jerry ends every show with a “final word”. He makes a small speech about the entire idea of the show. Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable.

Clean as it is, the Oprah show is not for everyone. The show’s main viewers are middleclass Americans. Most of these people have the time, money, and ability to deal with life’s tougher problems. Jerry Springer, on the other hand, has more of a connection with the young adults of society. These are 18-to -21-year-olds whose main troubles in life include love, relationship, sex, money and drug. They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned through the show’s exploitation.

1. Compared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey are________________.

A. more interesting

B. unusually popular

C. more detailed

D. more formal

2. Though the social problems Jerry Springer talks about appear unpleasant, people who watch the shows________________.

A. remain interested in them

B. are ready to face up to them

C. remain cold to them

D. are willing to get away from them

3. Which of the following is likely to be a topic of the Oprah Winfrey show?

A. A new type of robot.

B. Nation hatred.

C. Family income planning.

D. Street accident.

4. We can learn from the passage that the two talk shows________________.

A. have become the only ones if its kind

B. exploit the weaknesses in human nature

C. appear at different times of the day

D. attract different people