阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Looking for Canadian culture? Try checking out the ice rink．"We love hockey, " says Marion Alexander, a Canadian English teacher in Beijing．"It really is Canada's sport．

　　There is no other sport so close to the hearts of Canadians and no other sport in which Canadians have been so successful．But how much do you know about hockey?

　　Hockey is played on a court of ice called a rink．Each team has six players-a goalie(goal keeper), a center, two defensemen, and two forwards．All of them wear ice skates．

　　Instead of a ball, hockey uses a puck, a small black object made of rubber．Each team tries their best to hit the puck with their hockey sticks into the other team' s goal．Whichever team scores the most goals at the end of three periods is the winner．

　　"Hockey has a lot of rules, " says Alexander, "but once you are used to it, it seems very natural．" In Canada, hockey is part of the national identity．Many Canadians play youth hockey when they are growing up, and many Canadian families make a tradition of watching the games．

　　" I played goalie when I was younger, " remembers Alexander．" My family would always watch the Calgary Flames(a team in the National Hockey League)play on TV．"

　　Hockey doesn't just unite families．It also brings the whole country together, especialg during the Olympics．" Canada is a diverse country that doesn't have a strong unified culture like China．That is why hockey is so important．Supporting the national team brings all of Canada together " says Alexander．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　In many cases, the " first time" you do something is worth remembering．Being a part-time actor, my first time at a Broadway musical was a great joy．

　　It was two days before Christmas and my family and I had taken the trip into Manhattan．It was my first time in the Big Apple, and my first time to see a Broadway show．

　　My parents had bought tickets for Les Miserables(《悲惨的世界》), a musical version of the book by French writer Victor Hugo．I remember walking in from the wind and cold of the outdoors, and into the beautiful theatre．There are a great many things that can take your breath away in New York, and a Broadway theatre is certainly one of them．Every part of it feels grand and luxurious(豪华的)．

　　Before the actors came on, the orchestra played lovely music from the pit in front of the stage．All of a sudden, the lights dimmed and the audience became very quiet．The curtain rose to show a French prison around 1815．The main character, Jean Valjean, has just been released after being in prison for 19 years．

　　Unlike dramas, musicals also include powerful songs to bring out the emotions of the characters．Jean Valjean' s story, the amazing music, and the beautiful theatre made it ail an unforgettable experience．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。

　　Ever since they were first put on the market in the early 1990s, genetically modified(GM, 转基因)foods have been increasingly developed and marketed in many countries in the world, mainly on the basis of their promise to end the worldwide food crisis．But can GM technology solve world hunger problems? Even if it would, is it the best solution?

　　Despite what it promises, GM　technology actually has not increased the production potential　of any crop．In fact, studies show that the most　widely grown GM crop, GM soybeans, has suffered reduced productivity．For instance, a report that analysed nearly two decades of research on major GM food crops shows that GM engineering has failed to significantly increase US crop production．

　　Something else, however, has been on the rise, While GM seeds are expensive, GM companies tell farmers that they will make good profits by saving money on pesticides(杀虫剂)．On the contrary, US government data show that GM crops in the US have produced an overall increase in pesticide use compared to traditional crops．“The　promise was that you could use less chemicals and boost production．But neither is true, ” said Bill Christison, President of the US National Farm Coalition．

　　At the same time, the authors of the book World Hunger： Twelve Myths argue that there actually is more than enough food in the world and that the hunger crisis is not caused by production, but by problems in food distribution and politics．These indeed deserve our efforts and money．Meanwhile, the rise in food prices results from the increased use of crops for fuel rather than food, according to a 2008 World Bank report．

　　As a matter of fact, scientists see better ways to feed the world．Another World Bank report concluded that GM crops have little to offer to the challenges of worldwide poverty and hunger, because better ways out are available, among which “green” farming is supposed to be the first choice．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。

　　More than one in eight U．S．adults finds it hard to stay away from the Internet for several days at a time and about one in eleven tries to hide his or her online habit, according to a study showed on Tuesday．

　　The study by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine in California found one in eight adults admitted they needed to spend less time online, saying this showed "problematic Interact use" is present in a sizable portion(部分)of the population．

　　The study involved a nationwide telephone survey of 2, 581 respondents in the spring and summer of 2004 with researchers then examining the data and preparing the report which appears in the October issue of CNS Spectrums．

　　The survey found that 68.9 percent of respondents were regular Internet users and 13.7 percent of the users found it hard to stay offline for several days at a time．

　　It found 12.4 percent often stayed online longer than intended, more than 12 percent said they saw a need to cut back on their Internet use, and 8.7 percent tried to conceal(隐瞒)"non-essential "Internet use from family, friends and employers．

　　A smaller number, 8.2 percent, said they use the Internet to escape problems or a bad mood, while 5.9 percent felt their relationships suffered because of too much Internet use．

　　One report published earlier this year said that 5 percent to 10 percent of the population likely will experience Internet addiction(上瘾)．

　　It said signs include a disregard for health or appearance, lack of sleep and reducing physical activities and social communications with others, as well as dry eyes and juries of hands and fingers．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。

　　For five days, Edmonton's Downtown Park is transformed into one huge stage where artists are able to share their talents, and where people are able to celebrate and enjoy themselves．Since its beginning in 1980, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival has been commemorating(纪念)the true feeling of what folk music is all about and that's the traditional togetherness(友爱)that is felt when people gather to share stories and feelings through song．

　　This year will be the sixth year when volunteer Riedel will be offering up her time to the festival．"People coming off a busy spring and summer have a moment of relaxation, " Riedel said．"It's really east to relax, and it's great seeing family and friends have fun together．" These families and friends all come from all different kinds of musical tastes．People who take pleasure in Blues are there, so are people who love Bluegrass．This festival does its best to develop everyone's musical interests．

　　With so many years of experience, the festival has become a well-oiled machine, and does whatever it can to make attendees feel as possible．There are free water stations throughout the venue(举办地)for people to fill up their travel cups．When people buy food, reusable dishes are given a ＄2 plate fee, but that is returned when the plate is brought back．

　　The festival has completely sold out of tickets, and in record time．But with big names such as Van Morrison and Jakob Dylan, it's easy to see how that was going to happen．There is no parking area during the festival, so using the Park ＆ Ride system or Edmonton Transit is highly recommended．A bike lock-up area is provided and will be available Thursday until Sunday one hour before the gates open until 45 minutes after the gates close．

　　The Edmonton Folk Music Festival begins on Wednesday, Aug．4 with Van Morrison playing the special donation fund(基金)concert, and will finish up on Sunday, Aug．8．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。

　　Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice．However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner．

　　Born in September, 1887, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies’ two daughters．Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers．She finished her high school education at the College of Sévigné in Paris．

　　Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics．When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities(设备)to help save the lives of wounded soldiers．Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgium．Her services were recognized in the form of a Military's Medal by the French government．

　　In 1918, Irene became her mother's assistant at the Curie Institute．In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work．They soon fell in love and were married in 1926．Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later．

　　Like her mother, Irene combined family and career．Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935．Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity(辐射能．Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中。

　　On the Australian coat of arms the Emu and the Kangaroo were selected as symbols of Australia to represent the country progress because they are always moving forward and never move backwards．

　　The Emu is a large flightless bird．They stand to be 1.5 to 2 metres tall, and on average weight 36 kg．They have 3 toes, and long legs which allows them to run extremely fast．In this species, the female is larger than the male．

　　The Emu feed on grass, leaves and small insects．They live all over Australia in grasslands．

　　The female lays up to 20 eggs, which are large and are soft dark green in colour．These eggs are often prized not only by humans for decoration pieces, but by animals as a food source．The male hatches the eggs for a period of 7-8 weeks, and does not leave the nest for this period．When the eggs hatch, the male emu looks after the hatchlings for another six months．

　　The Emu is the world's third largest bird．The Ostrich and the Cassowary take the top positions．The nest of an Emu can be up to 1.5 metres wide!

　　Kangaroos are the largest marsupial(有袋)mammals．Kangaroo moves by hopping on its hind legs using its tail for steering and balancing while hopping at speed up to 60kmh．When kangaroo is moving slowly the tail is used as an extra leg and supports the kangaroo when it is standing on its hind legs．Most kangaroos can only move both back legs together and not one at a time．

　　Kangaroos are found in Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea．They eat grass, young shoots and leaves．Kangaroos need very little water to survive and are capable of going for months without drinking at all．

　　A male kangaroo is called a buck．It is also commonly called a "boomer" or an "old man"．A female kangaroo is called a doe, or a flyer．A baby kangaroo is called a joey．

　　Kangaroos have good eyesight but only respond to moving objects．They have excellent hearing and can turn their large ears in all directions to pick up sounds．

　　Kangaroos are social animals that live in groups or "mobs" of at least two or three individuals and up to 100 kangaroos．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中。

　　It is Saturday afternoon．You and your friends are planning to go to the movies and then spend the night together．Just as you start to get ready, you dad reminds you it's your aunt's birthday and the whole family is going out to dinner to celebrate．How can this possibly end without a huge argument?

　　One of the greatest sources of tension between teenagers and their families is the struggle to balance individual desires with family expectations．As you are getting older, you are becoming more independent and more interested in being with your friends．

　　However, at the same time, your family is trying to figure out how to deal with these changes．Where you once spent most of your free time with your family, now you are often absent from home．Parents may get their feelings hurt．Or they might feel they are losing control of their family during this period．You might feel angry that so many demands are placed on you．

　　There are a few things you can try to make it a little easier to ease the tension．

　　*Make your plans in advance．Ask your parents if there is anything else planned at that time．

　　*When something with your friends interferes with a family event, try to figure out if there is any way you can do both．In other words, could you spend a little time with each group? Or could you go to the family event and ask if next time you could choose to be your friends? Or you could try inviting a friend to also join in the family event?

　　*Suggest something you would really like to do with your family．Sometimes parents feel better just knowing their teenager wants to spend time with them．

　　Some of the time you won't be happy with the outcome．You might either have to disappoint your parents or miss out being with your friends．However, if you show consideration for the feeling of both your family and your friends, you can solve the problem in a tender way．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中。

　　O．Henry(1862-1910)was a productive American short-story writer, a master of surprise endings, who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City．

　　William Sydney Porter(O．Henry)was born in Greenboro, North Carolina．When William was three, his mother died, and he was raised by his paternal grandmother and aunt．William was an eager reader, but at the age of fifteen he left school, and then worked in a drug store and on a Texas farm．He moved to Houston, where he had a number of jobs, including that of bank clerk．After moving to Austin, Texas, in 1882, he married．

　　In 1884 he started a humorous weekly The Rolling Stone．It was at this time that he began heavy drinking．When the weekly failed, he joined the Houston Post as a reporter and columnist．In 1897 he was charged with embezzling money from the bank, although there has been much debate over his actual guilt．In 1898 he entered a prison at Columbus, Ohio．

　　While in prison O．Henry started to write short stories to earn money to support his daughter Margaret．His first work, "Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking"(1899), appeared in McClure's Magazine．After doing three years of the five years’ sentence, Porter was set free in 1901 and changed his name to O．Henry．

　　O．Henry moved to New York City in 1902 and from December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the new York World, also publishing in other megazines．Henry's first collection, Cabbages And Kings apeared in 1904．The second, The Four Million, was published two years later and included his well-known stories“The Gift of the Magi”and “The Furnished Room”．The Trimmed Lamp(1907)included“The Last Leaf”．O．Henry published 10 collections and over 600 short stories during his lifetime．

　　O．Henry's last years were shadowed by alcoholism, ill health, and financial problems．O．Henry died of a very bad liver disease on June 5, 1910, in New York．Three more collections, Sixes And Sevens(1911), Rolling Stones(1912)and Waifs And Strays(1917), appeared after his death．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中。

　　When the US started the war in Iraq a year ago, Spain was a firm supporter．But on April 18, the Spanish government started to remove its troops, becoming the first country in the US-led coalition(联军)to bring its soldiers home．The person behind this surprise move is the new Spanish prime minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero．

　　A few monthes ago, he was hardly known outside his small hometown in morthern Sain．Even a week before last month's general election, Zaatero was still considered an outsider for the top job．But just three days before the vote, a series of bomb attacks on three train stations in Madrid killed 191 people and injured som 1, 900．It was Spain's worst ever terrorist attack and it changed everything-even making Zapatero prime minister．

　　From the beginning, the 43-year-old former lawyer, knew the weakness of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and his hand-picked successor, Mariano Rajoy．About 90 percent of the Spanish people were against the war in Iraq and were unhappy that Aznar had taken them into it．So Zapatero promised：“If this party wins the election and the UN still can't take charge in Iraq, the new government will pull its 1.400 troops out of Iraq．”

　　Despite focusing on this and other Aznar mistakes, Zapatero's chances of victory were still thin until the Madrid bombings．At first, the government blamed ETA, a separatist terror group from the Basque region of northern Spain．But later evidence suggested the attack was carried out by Al-Qaida(基地)members angry at Spain's presence in Iraq．

　　The people were upset, and they showed this by voting for Zapatero．Many accused the government of hiding information about the bombings and only blaming ETA so it wouldn't lose to an anti-war vote．In a move that was as shocking to the world as his election victory, Zapatero chose to carry out his promise the day after he took office．And its effect could be long-lasting．As the situation in Iraq worsens, several countries are considering their positions．The US is worried that other coalition members might follow Spain's lead and also bring their soldiers home．

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