The fourth round of heavy smog to hit Beijing in four weeks has sent more people to the hospital with respiratory（呼吸的） illnesses and led to calls for laws to control the pollution.
Pan Shiyi, a celebrity real estate developer said he is planning to propose (提案) a Clean Air Act to the local government. As a representative to the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, he started an online survey at 9:20 a.m. Within three hours, more than 25,000 web users, or 99 percent of total respondents（应答者）, welcomed his proposal on Sina Weibo, China's Twitter.
They have good reasons to stand alongside Pan. The latest round of haze（雾霾）reduced visibility to under 500 meters in many parts of the city. The smog has also led to a great increase in respiratory illnesses, particularly among children and the elderly. Anxious parents and doctors almost all blame the smoggy air for the illnesses. Though most schoolchildren are home for the winter holidays, the bad air can easily move indoors. Besides, ordinary medical masks fail to provide adequate protection, so some people have turned to gas masks and respirators（呼吸器）.
The causes of the scary smog are rather mysterious, though experts blame excessive emissions and the mountains around Beijing that trap pollution in winter, unless there is adequate wind to clear it away. Some critics have pointed fingers at China’s top two oil firms, China National Petroleum Corp and China Petrochemical Corporation, saying the companies’ outdated production technologies produce large quantities of substandard, high-polluting gas fuel.
Meanwhile, concerned Beijingers have moved their brainstorming sessions to cyberspace. If Pan’s proposal for a Clean Air Act is adopted, netizens say the new law should include items providing for “car-free days” in times of smog, higher standards for vehicle fuel, stricter restrictions on industrial and exhaust gas emissions, and more effective protection for the public.
Beijing is not the only city that has ever lost the blue sky. Five days of thick fog caused thousands of deaths in Britain in December 1952, urging the government to pass the first Clean Air Act in 1956, which introduced smokeless zones and cleaner fuels to reduce pollution. That may provide some experience for Beijing to refer to.
【小题1】What can we learn from the passage?

A．People are clear about the causes of the smoggy weather.

B．Children staying indoors will not get respiratory illnesses.

C．Smog is worse for people with lower resistance to diseases.

D．Masks can give people protection against the smoggy weather.

【小题2】Britain is mentioned in the last paragraph to ______.

A．suggest Beijing should learn from other countries

B．let people know many places have this problem

C．tell people the situation in Britain is worse

D．call on the government to pass Britain’s Clean Air Act

【小题3】What’s the best title for this passage？

A．The Use of Gas masks and Respirators

B．Beijingers Call for Clean Air Act

C．Effective Protection for Blue Sky

D．The Mysterious Causes of the Scary Smog

Don't you just love ice skating every winter? I am sure, that since winter is approaching, your skates are set to come out, just waiting to be used. Impress your friends with your new trick on how to ice -skate backwards with the help of these tips. Skating backwards on ice is a bit difficult but once you master the basic, there' s nothing like it. Follow the steps given below and you will be able to skate backwards in no time.
Stand Straight
The first thing that you need to do is, stand straight. If you feel that you are falling backwards, then just put your chin up and slightly bend your knees. Don't worry; this happens to all.
Confidence is What You Need
The most important step while learning how to skate backwards, is having enough confidence in yourself and in what you are doing. How can you achieve this? By practice. Just practice rolling backwards down a gentle slop every single day or just by pushing off from a wall or something of that sort. But before you do that, make sure that the place where you are practicing is free from any kind of debris （碎片） because otherwise, you could end up in the hospital due to some accident. While going backwards, just get used to the feeling of moving backwards. One of the important ice skating tips and techniques is that if you feel that you are losing your balance, then scissor （做剪式运动） your skates. Keep practicing this till you are confident about it.
Maintain Speed
Confident now? Great! Now the next step is to maintain your speed. While rolling in a straight line with one skate, with the other try sculling （滑浆）, that is, keep pushing yourself backwards with an outwards stroke （滑动）. Now bring the skate which you were using to scull, and then again, repeat the same process. Make sure that you put most of your weight on the skate which is moving straight and not the one with which you are sculling. Now, try the same thing using the other foot. Again keep doing this till you are confident enough.
Increase Your Speed Now
Once you are confident that you can scull with either foot, the next thing that you have to do is increase your speed. Try some of your own tricks now. Scull with either foot or with both at the same time.
Scull and Be Aware
While you keep one foot straight, keep sculling with the other. You can do that simultaneously （同时，一起） with both feet. Concentrate on what you are doing but don't get so involved that you don't see where you are going. If you are not watching your back, you might just bang against something or someone.
【小题1】According to the text confidence comes from ______ .

A．constant exercise	B．strict coaches
C．high speed	D．good techniques

【小题2】Which is the right order of ice - skating backwards?
a. Increasing your speed.                   b .Being able to scull with one foot.
c. Being about to stand straight.            d. Trying some different tricks.

A．c→a→d→b

B．c→b→d→a

C．c→b→a→d

D．a→c→b→d

【小题3】In the last paragraph the author mainly wants to express ______ .

A．one must be brave to learn to ice - skate backwards

B．skating and keeping cautious are both important

C．it’s difficult to concentrate when ice - skating backwards

D．it' s a common thing to hit someone when ice - skating backwards

【小题4】The purpose of the text is _____ .

A．to offer some advice on ice - skating backwards

B．to introduce the culture of ice-skating backwards

C．to explain advantages of ice - skating backwards

D．to compare different ways of ice - skating backwards

This is a time of year when we think about giving and receiving presents. Can you find a little extra to give? On this page we suggest a few organizations you might like to help.
Littleton Children’s Home
We DON’T want your money, but children’s toys, books and clothes IN GOOD CONDITION would be very welcome.
Also, we are looking for friendly families who would take our children into their homes for a few hours or days as guests. You have so much─will you share it?
Phone Sister Thomas on 55671
Children’s Hospice
We look after a small number of very sick children. This important work needs skill and love. We cannot continue without gifts or money to pay for more nursing staff. We also need storybooks and toys suitable for quiet games.
Please contact the Secretary, Little Children’s Hospice, Newby Road.
Street Food
In the winter weather, it’s no fun being homeless. It’s even worse if you’re hungry. We give hot food to at least fifty people every night. It’s hard work, but necessary. Can you come and help? If not, can you offer a little money? We use a very old kitchen, and we need some new saucepans(平底锅). Money for new ones would be most welcome indeed.
Contact Street Food, c/o Mary’s House, Elming Way. Littleton Phone 27713
Littleton Youth Club
Have you got an unwanted chair?─a record-player?─a pot of paint ? Because we can use them!
We want to get to work on our meeting room!
Please phone 66231 and we’ll be happy to collect anything you can give us.
Thank you!
The Night Shelter
We offer a warm bed for the night to anyone who has nowhere to go. We rent the former Commercial Hotel on Green Street. Although it is not expensive, we never seem to have quite enough money. Can you let us have a few pounds? Any amount, however small, will be such a help.
Send it to us at 15, Green St, Littleton. Please make check payable to Night Shelter.
【小题1】What kind of people are these organizations designed for?

A．Homeless and sick children

B．Less fortunate members of our society

C．Hungry people who have no beds to sleep in

D．Friendly members of our society to help others

【小题2】 If you like children and you could offer a happy family to a homeless child, you may contact _____.

A．Street Food	B．The Night Shelter
C．Littleton Children’s Home	D．Children’s Hospice

【小题3】What can be concluded from the passage?

A．There are too many social problems in this society.

B．People are very poor during the time of giving.

C．To offer help is just an excuse for these organizations to collect money.

D．There are many organizations trying to solve social problems.

【小题4】What kind of things would Littleton Youth Club like to collect?

A．Old furniture and second-hand electrical equipment.

B．An apartment and some saucepans.

C．Hot food and storybooks.

D．A sum of money and children’s toys.

The popular US drama series “House of Cards”, which has already started its second season, features Chinese elements in its storyline. Traditional heroes are no longer sought after anymore. Today, it’s unconventional leading figure -like Francis J. Underwood from “House of Cards” who are winning audiences’ hearts.
The political drama, which airs on the Internet service Netflix, has won the applauses of viewers around the world since its debut(首次亮相) on February 1, 2013. And it has caught the attention of real politicians, including US President Barack Obama.
Kevin Spacey plays Francis J. Underwood, a cold-blooded Democrat who moves his way up the political ladder by any means necessary. He often uses his under-exposure in media to carry out misdeeds that will later benefit him.
The revenge(报仇) theme plays a heavy role throughout the storyline, Underwood, who had high hopes for an appointment as Secretary of State in the first season, was betrayed by the US President and his former colleagues. He and his wife then conducted a plan of revenge and swore to unseat those who turned their backs against him. Through their plan, Underwood’s own hunger for power grew and empowered him to get rid of whoever stood in his Way.
The release of the trailer(预告片) of the second season excited millions of viewers around the world, including US President Barack Obama, who has been a loyal fan since the series debuted. Obama expressed his admiration for Underwood. “This guy’s getting a lot of stuff done,” he said. Although the President is anxious to watch the story unfold, he’d like to do it at his own pace. After the release of the second season on February 14, 2014, Obama sent words on his Twitter account, “Tomorrow: @HouseOfCards. No spoilers , please.”
The second season has promised to be darker, with more unexpected turnouts, and is to include more Chinese elements. “Perhaps the team, including myself, has realized that in the next decade, Asia will be an extensively important region, and China will play an active role in its transition and change,” says Spacey.
【小题1】The second season is different in that _____.

A．it is a political drama

B．more Chinese elements are involved

C．it has caught the attention of US President Barack Obama

D．Kevin Spacey, a cold-blooded Democrat, plays Francis’J. Underwood

【小题2】The 3rd and 4th paragraph mainly deal with ______.

A．the plot of the drama series

B．the background of the drama series

C．the characters of the drama series

D．the popularity of the drama series

【小题3】The author may agree that ______.

A．the second season is expected to be darker with more deaths

B．audiences lose their heart to traditional heroes in the drama

C．the drama is the reflection of politics of America in real life

D．the drama has won the recognition of viewers since its first season

【小题4】The message sent by Obama on his Twitter account proves that he_______.

A．doesn’t wish to be told what to do as a drama fan

B．adores the drama so much that he wants to watch it in advance

C．doesn’t want to be disturbed while watching the drama

D．hopes nobody will inform him of the plot of the drama in advance

In December 2008, Caroline Kennedy — daughter of the late U.S. President John F. Kennedy—sat down, as a frontrunner for the Senate seat in New York, for a televised interview that helped decide the future of her campaign. The result was a disaster.
Her performance wasn’t well received, in part because her speech was full of filler words—“ums,” “ahs” and “you knows.” One listener counted 27 “ums” and 38 “you knows” in the space of five minutes. A few weeks after the interview, Kennedy ended her Senate campaign.
Filler words may seem natural in everyday speech, but they can be deadly in formal presentations. “Using excessive fillers is the most annoying speech habit,” said Susan Ward, a speech specialist. “They take your listener’s attention away often to the point that he doesn’t hear anything you say. Your message is entirely lost.”
Many speakers are afraid of pause. They believe their audience will think they are inarticulate (不善于表达) if they pause to think of what to say next, so they use filler words to avoid the silence. However, a pause is actually more impressive than a filler word. Listeners know that the speaker is thinking, trying to find the right word. Sometimes a pause can actually improve a speech, as when an actor uses a dramatic pause to hold the attention of his audience. A speaker shouldn’t be afraid to pause occasionally during a speech; it shows self-confidence.
It takes some work to cut out filler words. You can begin by taking a few seconds to think about what you want to say the next time you are asked a question. This pause will help you begin powerfully, and it will help you avoid using a filler word.
The same public speaking technique applies when you are shifting from one idea to another. While you may be tempted to fill the silence between ideas with a filler word, remember to allow yourself to pause and think about what you want to say next.
If you need help overcoming your “um” problem, consider asking a family member or a friend to point out when you use filler words. You also could record an upcoming presentation and then watch yourself in action. You may be amazed at how often you say “um” or “uh”!
Although we live in a fast-paced society that seemingly demands instant answers, we must use the pause to our advantage. Finally, we should only speak when we are ready.
【小题1】In the first two paragraphs of the article the writer intends to ______.

A．introduce Caroline Kennedy to readers

B．illustrate how deadly filler words can be in the public speech

C．explain what filler words are

D．remind readers that they should count filler words used in public speeches

【小题2】The reason why filler words are considered annoying by speech specialist is that   ______.

A．they prevent the listener from focusing on what the speaker is saying.

B．they convey the speaker’s superiority to the listener.

C．they mean the speaker is not articulate at all.

D．they make the speaker appear self-confident.

【小题3】When used properly, pauses in speeches can actually ______.

A．give the speaker more credibility

B．hold the attention of the audience

C．show the speaker’s deep insight

D．help the audience relax

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT suggested as a way to get rid of filler words?

A．To have mental training in order to think faster.

B．To ask someone else to point out when you use filler words.

C．To watch a recording of your own speech.

D．To practice thinking for a moment before answering a question.

Part-time jobs for 15 and 16 years olds

Waiter / Waitress A job as a waiter or waitress is a good choice for 16-year-olds. Not only can one earn $9-$12 an hour, but they can also get the tips (小费). Most people that visit a restaurant don’t just have good food. They come here to relax and have a good time. Besides serving food quickly, a young waiter who talks to them politely with a smile on his face will make the diners enjoy their time at the restaurant.

Work in a library If one is fond of books, working in a library is another suitable choice. Besides the pay is good, it offers a lot of free time when students can actually sit down and finish their homework. So on returning home, they would have time to hang around with friends or just relax. So working in a library is an excellent part-time job for teens, especially for school students.

Internet jobs There are many ways of making money through online jobs like clicking on advertisements, visiting sites and signing up with them. However, such online jobs don’t pay well. A better Internet job for teens is to complete online surveys. These are quite simple surveys that usually ask one about his/ her opinions and ideas. Many companies use these ideas to make products designed for teenagers.

【小题1】What does the writer think of the job as a waiter/waitress?

A．It needs a period of training.

B．It pays much more than other jobs.

C．It can improve one’s leadership skills.

D．Making diners comfortable is part of the job.

【小题2】A student who is busy with his research paper will probably choose to work ______.

A．in a restaurant

B．in a library

C．on the Internet

D．in an IT company

【小题3】The writer wrote this text to ______.

A．tell us the importance of doing part-time jobs

B．advise teenagers how to choose a part-time job

C．teach young people how to make lots of money

D．introduce his/her experience of doing part-time jobs

【小题4】Why do some companies ask the teens to do surveys?

A．The teens have more free time.

B．They can pay less to the teens.

C．They need advice to make products for teens.

D．The teens usually express their true opinions.

Four out of ten parents in the UK spend between ￡100 and ￡500 on their children’s birthday parties, according to a survey. Four in ten parents of children under 18, who were questioned in a survey, admitted that they felt pressured into organizing more expensive birthday parties for their children than they would like to.
How much parents spend on their children’s birthday parties is one of the most frequently discussed topics on parenting websites. Here is one comment on Mumsnet summing up the thoughts of many parents: “Where we live everyone hires places, entertainers and so on. I don’t want to compare with my rich neighbors, but I want my son to have what all his classmates have.”
The research was carried out on behalf of the children’s charity, Lumos, set up by the author JK Rowling. Just 13 percent of parents spent ￡50 or less in the past year on their children’s parties.
Many children’s clowns(小丑) or entertainers charge ￡150 or more for an hour, and parents often feel it necessary to book a special place. Even without these, the cost of plates, the cake and party bags can mount up. Party Pieces, a company set up by Carole and Michael Middleton, charge about ￡16 for a birthday cake for a party with 16 guests, ￡22 for table decorations and up to ￡48 for party bags.
Many children of famous people have increasingly expensive parties, often seen in famous magazines. Suri Cruise, the daughter of actor Tom Cruise and actress Katie Holmes, enjoyed a ￡100,000 birthday party according to a report.
Georgette Mulheir of Lumos, said,“Parents in the UK are under increasing pressure to spend more and more money on birthday parties for their children and their children’s friends.”
【小题1】What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．Children’s birthday parties put their parents under financial pressure in the UK.

B．Many parents are willing to spend more on their children’s birthday parties.

C．Parents pay more and more attention to their children’s birthday parties.

D．Children in the UK hope for more and more expensive birthday parties.

【小题2】 What does the underlined part “mount up” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Increase.

B．Change.

C．Exist.

D．Count.

【小题3】By the example of the birthday party for Suri Cruise, the writer probably wants to show that________.

A．famous people love their children very much

B．children of famous people can get whatever they want

C．some children of famous people have really expensive birthday parties

D．holding expensive birthday parties is common nowadays

【小题4】In which of the following sections would you most probably read this passage?

A．Business

B．Education

C．Science

D．Family

Do you find getting up in the morning so difficult that it's painful ? This might be called laziness, but　Dr. Kleitman has a new explanation. He has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle.
During the hours when you labour through your work you may say that you're "hot". That's true. The time of day when you feel most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak . For some　people the peak comes during the forenoon. For others it comes in the afternoon or evening No one has　discovered why this is so , but it leads to such familiar monologues（自言自语） as : "Get up, John! You'll be late for　work again !" The possible explanation to the trouble is that John is at his temperature-and -energy peak in the evening. Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what these energy cycles mean,　and which cycle each member of the family has.
You can't change your energy cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it better. Habit can help,　Dr. Kleitman believes . Maybe you're sleepy in the evening but feel you must stay up late anyway . Counteract（对抗/抵消）your cycle to some extent by habitually staying up later than you want to .If your energy is low in the morning　but you have an important job to do early in the day, rise before your usual hour. This won't change your cycle, but you'll get up steam and work better at your low point.
Get off to a slow start which saves your energy. Get up with a leisurely yawn and stretch . Sit on the edge　of the bed a minute before putting your feet on the floor . Avoid the troublesome search for clean clothes by　laying them out the night before. Whenever possible, do routine work in the afternoon and save tasks requiring　more energy or concentration for your sharper hours.
【小题1】If you wants to work more efficiently at your how point in the morning, you should _____.

A．change his energy cycle	B．overcome his laziness
C．get up earlier than usual	D．go to bed earlier

【小题2】You are advised to rise with a yawn and stretch because it will _____.

A．help to keep your energy for the day's work

B．help you to control your temper early in the day

C．enable you to concentrate on your routine work

D．keep your energy cycle under control all day

【小题3】What’s the best title of the passage?

A．Change Your Habits	B．Save Your Energy
C．Daily Energy Cycle	D．Temperature- and-Energy Peak

【小题4】The text is probably taken from a _________.

A．news report

B．research paper

C．medical textbook

D．fashion journal

We all know that the normal human daily cycle of activity is of some 7-8 hours' sleep alternating(交替) with some 16-17 hours' wakefulness and that the sleep normally coincides with the hours of darkness. Our present concern is with how easily and to what extent this cycle can be modified.
　　The question is no mere academic one. The ease, for example, with which people can change from working in the day to working at night is a question of growing importance in industry where automation calls for round-the-clock working of machines. It normally takes from five days to one week for a person to adapt to a reversed（颠倒的） routine of sleep and wakefulness, sleeping during the day and working at night. Unfortunately, it is often the case in industry that shifts(轮班) are changed every week; a person may work from 12 midnight to 8 a.m. one week, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. the next, and 4 p.m. to 12 midnight the third and so on. This means that no sooner has he got used to one routine than he has to change to another, so that much of his time is spent neither working nor sleeping very efficiently.
　　The only real solution appears to be to hand over the night shift to a number of permanent night workers. An interesting study of the domestic life and health of night-shift workers was carried out by Brown in 1957. She found a high incidence (发生率) of disturbed sleep and other disorders among those on alternating day and night shifts, but no abnormal occurrence of these phenomena among those on permanent night work.
　　This latter system then appears to be the best long-term policy, but meanwhile something may be done to relieve the pressure of alternate day and night work by selecting those people who can adapt most quickly to the changes of routine. One way of knowing when a person has adapted is by measuring his body temperature. People occupied in normal daytime work will have a high temperature during the hours of wakefulness and a low one at night; when they change to night work the pattern will only gradually go back to match the new routine and the speed with which it does so parallels, broadly speaking, the adaptation of the body as a whole, particularly in terms of performance. Therefore, by taking body temperature at two-hour intervals(间隔时间) throughout the period of wakefulness, it can be seen how quickly a person can adapt to a reversed routine, and this could be used as a basis for selection. So far, however, such a form of selection does not seem to have been applied in practice.
【小题1】The main problem of the round-the-clock working system lies in       .

A．the inconveniences brought about to the workers by the introduction of automation

B．the disturbance of the daily life cycle of workers who have to change shifts too frequently

C．the fact that people working at night are often less effective

D．the fact that it is difficult to find a number of good night workers

【小题2】The best solution for implementing the 24-hour working system seems to be       .

A．to change shifts at longer intervals.

B．to have longer shifts

C．to arrange for some people to work on night shifts only

D．to create better living conditions for night workers

【小题3】It is possible to find out if a person has adapted to the changes of routine by measuring his body temperature because       .

A．body temperature is higher when the cycle of sleep and wakefulness alternates

B．body temperature changes when he changes to night shift or back

C．the temperature reverses when the routine is changed

D．people have higher temperatures when they are working efficiently

【小题4】Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

A．Body temperature may serve as an indication of a worker's performance.

B．The selection of a number of permanent night shift workers has proved to be the best solution to problems of the round-the- clock working system.

C．Taking body temperature at regular intervals can show how a person adapts to the changes of routine.

D．Disturbed sleep occurs less frequently among those on permanent night or day shifts.

Most city parks are places where you can escape from big, ugly structures of metal and stone. The Manhattan High Line is different. Raised 25 feet above the ground, this massive metal structure once supported a rail line. The line opened in 1934 to bring trains directly into factories and warehouses. It was hardly used after the 1960s, and much of it was torn down. However, one section remained in an area of Manhattan called Chelsea. Chelsea was becoming more and more valuable as restaurants, art galleries and apartments were built, but the ugly railway structure remained as a dead weight. Everyone knew that at some time, it would have to be removed.
But the High Line was not destroyed. In fact, now the old rail line serves as one of the most peaceful places in the city. It holds an elevated park, with beautiful gardens, a sidewalk and great views of the city. The idea to change the rail line into a park came from Joshua David and Robert Hammond. In 1999, they attended a community meeting to decide the fate(命运) of the High Line. David and Hammond were the only people at the meeting interested in saving the structure for its historical significance. Later on, when they asked railway officials to take them up to look at the High Line, they saw a mile and a half of wild flowers growing in the middle of the city, and they realized that the High Line had potential to become a park. There was growing interest in improving urban centers, and so the project quickly won support and funds for construction were easily obtained.
The first section of the High Line opened in 2009 and immediately became popular with tourists and locals alike. Each part of the park has a different atmosphere. Some areas are like balconies (阳台)with wonderful city views. Where the rail line goes between buildings, trees are thickly planted. Other sections have wide walkways planted with wild flowers. Only the final section remains the way it has been for the last fifty years – a railway line overgrown with weeds.
【小题1】The underlined phrase “a dead weight” in Paragraph 1 means_____.

A．something with potential to be better.

B．something with historical interest.

C．something which is a danger to people.

D．something useless which slows progress.

【小题2】According to Paragraph 2, David and Hammond wanted to save the High Line because they_____.

A．thought it had historical value

B．wanted to reopen the train line

C．thought it would bring them money

D．were interested in improving the city

【小题3】From the last paragraph, we can learn that the park ______.

A．is different in its design

B．is covered with trees

C．didn’t change at all

D．became a natural countryside

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT true about the High Line?

A．It is situated above ground level.

B．Only part of the line remains.

C．It is now a popular park.

D．Trains still use the line.