Norm Pethrick, a 36-year-old man in Australia’s northern city Darwin, was praised on Thursday for jumping onto a crocodile’s（鳄鱼） back to save his wife Wendy at Litchfield National Park, a popular tourist spot southwest of Darwin, a local newspaper reported.
Ms Pethrick was standing on a river bank Wednesday afternoon when the saltwater crocodile lunged (扑), locking its jaws on both her legs as it tried to drag her underwater.
Norm Pethrick, who with his wife had been collecting water, immediately went to help her. He jumped onto the back, poked (戳) the eyes of the crocodile and finally got his wife free.
Ms Pethrick was later taken to Royal Darwin Hospital for a medical treatment. The doctors said she was suffering eight puncture wounds (伤口) in her right leg, a puncture wound in her left leg and a serious cut to one of her fingers.
“This could have been a fatal and tragic situation,” said the general manager of Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH), Dr Len Notaras, according to a local report.
He said Ms Pethrick was saved by her husband’s “quick and diligent actions”.
Dr Notaras also said she would remain in hospital for three to four days and have an operation to clean the wounds, which are easy to get infected because of bacteria (细菌) on the teeth of the crocodile
【小题1】This passage is most likely to be found in _____.

A．a travel guide

B．a newspaper

C．a textbook

D．a novel

【小题2】The crocodile attacked Ms Pethrick when she was ______.

A．swimming in the river

B．standing on the river bank

C．watching the crocodile

D．fishing in the water

【小题3】Which of the following statements is TRUE about Ms Pethrick?

A．Her eyes were badly poked.

B．She had eight wounds altogether.

C．One of her fingers also got hurt.

D．One of the crocodile’s teeth was found in her leg.

【小题4】According to the passage, Norm Pethrick can be described as following EXCEPT ______.

A．brave	B．diligent
C．quick	D．humorous

【小题5】Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．The husband should save the wife

B．A man saves wife’s life from crocodile’s jaws

C．A crocodile is not so dangerous as people imagine

D．Human beings can beat crocodiles sometimes

The Healthy Habits Survey（调查）shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits. Here are some findings and expert advice.
1.How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?
?Finding：A full 33% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day.
?Step：Remove the 300 types of bacteria in your mouth each morning with a battery-operated toothbrush. Brush gently for 2 minutes, at least twice a day.
2.How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday?
?Finding：Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week. And nearly 30%wash their hands only 4 times a day-half of the number doctors recommend.
?Step：We touch our faces around 3,000 times a day-often inviting germs（病菌）to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes. Use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle. And, most important, wash your hands often with hot running water and soap for 20 seconds.
3. How often do you think about fighting germs?
?Finding：Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should.
?Step：Be aware of germs. Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge（海绵）that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds.
【小题1】What is found out American seniors?

A．Most of then have good habits.

B．Nearly 30%of then bathe three days a week .

C．All of then are fighting germs better than expected .

D．About one third of them brush their teeth only once a day

【小题2】Doctors suggest that people should wash their hands           .

A．twice a day	B．three times a day
C．four times a day	D．eight times a day

【小题3】Which of the following is true according to the text ?

A．We should keep from touching our faces .

B．There are less than 300 types of bacteria in the mouth .

C．A kitchen sponge can carry more germs than a toilet .

D．We should wash our hands before touching a door handle .

【小题4】The text probably comes from             .

A．a guide book	B．a popular magazine
C．a book review	D．an official document

Russian President Putin named Time magazine's "Person of the Year"
　　Russian President Vladimir Putin was named Time magazine's’ "Person of the Year" on December 19th. 2007 for strengthening stability（稳定）that made Russia a world power again.
　　The magazine recognized Putin's "extraordinary feat（技艺）of leadership in taking a country that was in a mess and bringing it stability，"said Richard Stengel，Time's managing editor.
　　The magazine noted that "Person of the Year" is not an honor or an endorsement（认可）but a recognition of leadership that shapes the world.
　　Putin，who is 56 years old，is very popular in Russia，making a great effort to cause economy to come to life on revenue（收入）from oil and natural gas.
　　Putin recently supported vice-PM Dmitry Medvedev's presidential bid，and said he would accept Medvedev's offer to serve as prime minister if Medvedev is elected on March 2.
　　The Kremlin said Wednesday the Time recognition was seen there as an acknowledgement of Putin's role in helping Russia pull out of its social and economic troubles in the 1990s.
　　Others considered for "Person of the Year" included Nobel Prize-winner Al Gore and author J.K. Rowling.
　　This year's choice was a return to the magazine's tradition of picking an individual rather than last year's choice of "You"，which refers to anyone creating or using content on the World Wide Web.
　　Putin is the fifth Russian（or Soviet）leader to be named Person of the Year：Gorbachev，Andropov，Khrushchev and Stalin，who was named twice.
【小题1】How did Putin try to make Russia a world power again？

A．By performing arms race.	B．By making war.
C．By strengthening stability.	D．By getting foreign help.

【小题2】How many times have Russian leaders been named "Person of the Year" so far？

A．Five times.

B．Six times.

C．Seven times.

D．Eight times.

【小题3】Which of the following is Not True according to the passage？

A．Russia used to be in a mess.

B．Time always picks an individual to be the "Person of the Year".

C．Oil and natural gas caused Russia's economy to come to life.

D．Putin will leave office on March 2nd, 2007.

【小题4】What is the author’s attitude towards the matter?

A．Negative

B．Positive

C．Criticize

D．Objective

Jack Andraka from Maryland won the grand prize at the 2012 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. It is the largest high school science competition in the world. The Maryland teenager is the youngest winner of the $75,000 prize. He was chosen from among 1,500 students in 70 countries.Jack Andraka invented a test for pancreatic cancer （胰腺癌）. He started to learn it after losing a close family friend to the disease. “I went on the Internet and I found that 85%of all pancreatic cancers are found late, when someone has less than 2% chance of survival（生存）, ” he says, “and I was thinking,’ That’s not right. We should be able to do something.’” He found that early discovery is important to increasing the chances of surviving the disease.
The Maryland teenager asked to work in a laboratory at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and was allowed. There he developed a simple paper test, which can recognize the disease in a single drop of blood. His test has proved correct 90% of the time. It also is 100 times more sensitive（敏感的）than other tests. “It costs 3 cents per test, and then it takes only 5 minutes to run,” he said.
Jack’s success wouldn’t have been possible without Anirban Maitra, a professor at Johns Hopkins. He was the only person among the 200 researchers Jack wrote to who showed interest in his project. “I was very surprised that this was a 15-year-old who was writing this. I wanted to meet this clever young man and see what he wanted to talk about and so I called him over for an interview（会面）. ”
Jack worked in Professor Maitra’s laboratory, completing his project in 7 months. The government has given the Maryland teenager patent rights（专利权）to the pancreatic cancer test. He is now talking with companies about developing the test into a simple product.
Whatever happens, the professor believes Jack Andraka’s name is one we will be hearing again over the next 10 to 20 years.
【小题1】 What made Jack Andraka research pancreatic cancer?

A．A high school task.	B．A professor’s encouragement.
C．Losing a friend.	D．Doubts about the present test.

【小题2】 Jack Andraka’s research on pancreatic cancer __________.

A．proved to be very successful

B．was 100 times cheaper than other tests

C．gave patients a 90% chance of survival

D．was finished at the high school of Maryland

【小题3】 We can infer（推断）from the text that Jack Andraka __________.

A．left a deep impression on Professor Maitra

B．was thought highly of by companies

C．got support from others easily

D．wasn’t afraid of failure

【小题4】 The underlined sentence in the last paragraph suggested Jack Andraka will __________.

A．become rich

B．make contributions（贡献）continually

C．get a good job

D．make products to treat cancer

【小题5】 What’s the best title for the text?

A．Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

B．Jack Andraka’s Fights Against Cancer

C．Research on Pancreatic Cancer

D．Teenager Cancer Researcher

Mother-of-three Carmen Blake called her midwife(助产师)to ask for an ambulance when she went into labor unexpectedly with her fourth child.
But the 27-year-old claims she was refused an ambulance and told to walk the 100m from her house in Leicester to the city’s nearby Royal Infirmary(医院).
Her daughter Mariah was delivered on a pavement outside the hospital by a passer-by, just before ambulance crews arrived.
Ms Blake said she started going into labor at about 7:15 am on Sunday, August 2. She said, “I phoned up the Royal Infirmary, it’s just across the road.
“I went into the bath and realized she was gong to come quickly. I didn’t think I’d be able to make it out of the bath, so I phoned the maternity(妇产科的) ward back and told them to get an ambulance out.”
They said they were not sending an ambulance and told me I had had nine months to sort out a lift.
Experienced mother MS Blake today said she knew she had to get herself out of the bath and try to get to the hospital.
Eventually MS Blake and her friends enlisted the help of a physiotherapist(理疗师) who happened to be passing on her way to work. She dialed 999 and helped deliver baby Mariah while waiting for emergency services.
Ms Blake said despite the happy ending she was upset she was told to make her own way to the hospital as, being an experienced mum, she knew she did not have the time.
Today a government spokeswoman said, “We are disappointed that Ms Blake was not happy with the advice and care she received and will of course investigate any complaint. We are pleased that both Ms Blake and her daughter are well and healthy.”
【小题1】 Carmen Blake, the 27-year-old mother, gave girth to her new child Mariah           .

A．in the city’s Royal Infirmary

B．in the ambulance on her way to hospital

C．out of the bath at home

D．in the street on her way to hospital

【小题2】The underline3d phrase “went into labor” in the first paragraph probably means           .

A．felt worried

B．felt tired

C．gave birth to

D．went to sleep

【小题3】It can be inferred that           .

A．there were not enough ambulance in the Royal Infirmary

B．the story ended with a sad ending

C．the maternity ward said Ms Blake only needed a lift

D．the maternity ward said Ms Blake ought to call earlier

【小题4】Carmen Blake accused the Royal Infirmary of           .

A．failing to send an ambulance to help her

B．having killed her newly-born baby

C．not taking good care of her and her baby

D．refusing to admit her into the hospital

March 22, 20II---Most restaurants in the United States offer their customers a glass of tap water at no charge with their meal, but this week many restaurants are asking dinners to pay a dollar, or more, for a glass of water. Cards on their tables explain that this small amount helps bring clean water to children around the world. It’s called the UNICEF Tap Project.
“UNICEF’s Tap Project is really all about bringing attention to the fact that over 900 million people around the globe do not have access to good, clean, healthy drinking water,” says Cary Stem, who heads the US Fund for UNICEF. She adds that water-borne illness is the second-highest cause of preventable childhood death in the world.
“Each and every day approximately 4,100 children die just because they don’t have that access - 4,100 every single day.”
The public service campaign encourages people to help change that statistic with a simple, affordable action: paying a dollar to get a glass of tap water at a restaurant.
“One dollar buys enough good, clean water for a child for 40 days,” Stem says.
“The tap project has expanded since it began five years ago with 300 restaurants in New York City. This year, Stem says, about 3,000 restaurants across the country are participating in the campaign. We raised about $2.5 million over the last five years of this campaign,” says Stem. “Last year, we raised over $1 million for the first time. This year we’re hoping to top that.”
Stem credits the continued success of the campaign to an army of volunteers who support the tap project and raise money in their communities.
The UNICEF Tap Project is promoting its efforts with a simple motto: when you take water, give water. Currently, UNICEF works in more than 100 countries around the world to improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities in schools and communities.
Stem hopes that, by participating in the project, more Americans will realize that what they often take for granted is a precious and scarce resource in many other parts of the world.
【小题1】Restaurants began to charge for tap water to _______.

A．increase their profit

B．urge customers to save water

C．raise people’s awareness of the world water problem

D．collect money for those without access to safe water

【小题2】We can learn from the text that the Tap Project ________.

A．began in New York City

B．was started by volunteers

C．is hoping to collect $2.5 million this year

D．provides help for 1,000 countries in the world

【小题3】It can be learned that _______.

A．the Tap Project began in 2006

B．America suffers a serious problem

C．4,100 children die of water pollution every year

D．water-borne illnesses are the biggest killer of children

【小题4】How does Cary Stem feel about the work of the Tap Project?

A．Concerned

B．Hopeful

C．Disappointed

D．Angry

It's not much, but it's home. Francis Chan, an engineer, lives in Hampstead, north London, in a flat that's just 4ft wide by 21ft long. He loves it.
Tiny though it is, it has got all the comforts. Peter Baynes, Chan’s architect (建筑师),has achieved a clever piece of design, according to architectural experts.
The Chan mini-house was built on what was once a path down the side of a big Victarian house. Not an inch of space is wasted.
When you step in through the front door, you're standing in the shower, on Britain' s only self-cleansing doormat (自动清洁门垫). A door opens on to an equally tiny toilet with washbasin. Two steps further in comes the kitchen, complete with full-sized cooker and fridge, and washer/ drier. A worktop folds down from the wall.
Another step and you're into the dining/ office area. Four people can sit here for dinner, says Chan as he sets the table-top into place. He even has a fold-down drawing-board for when he's working at home. The bed is hidden under a cover board right at the back. "I don't even have to make the bed," Chan says." I just put the cover down. "
Chan's business suits hang neatly on the wall over the bed. Daylight comes in through the skylight. The house feels like a very small boat and Chan admits he toyed with the idea of naming it the "boat-house".
"It cost around ￡4,700 to build last year. Now it's been valued at ￡30,000. It proves that good design doesn't need to cost more. It just needs a lot of care." says Chan.
【小题1】By saying "It's not much" (line 1, para. 1), the author means that Chan's flat______.

A．is cheap

B．has cheap furniture

C．has a simple design

D．is fairly small

【小题2】Where is Chan's flat?

A．Next to a big house	B．Under an old building
C．In a busy London street	D．By the side of a country road

【小题3】Which of the following is the right order of things described in the text?

A．Shower, kitchen, toilet, dining table and bed

B．Shower, toilet, dining table, kitchen and bed

C．Shower, toilet, kitchen, dining table and bed

D．Shower, kitchen, toilet, bed and dining table

【小题4】What is the purpose of this writing?

A．To sell Chan's flat for more money

B．To tell people how to take care of small flat

C．To introduce to readers a cleverly-designed flat

D．To call on engineers to design their own home

Playing basketball isn’t ladylike. That’s what Jewell Chapman’s high school headmaster told her in 1961 when he was against the girls’ basketball program.
“We were very discouraged, ” said Chapman, a forward（前锋）for her high school team of Des Moines.
Nearly 50 years later, Chapman is back on the playground. She’s 62 and plays for “Hot Pink Grannies”, joining about 10 other women on a team whose uniforms are black trousers and hot pink socks. They play in the Iowa Granny Basketball League.
It’s one of dozens of basketball leagues for women over 50 that have arisen across the country. For some, it’s a chance to exercise and meet people; for others, it’s a once – refused chance to make up.
“You see more and more elderly women’s teams taking part in state and national competitions,” said Michael Rogers, a professor in sports studies at Wichita State University. “In the future it will be something common to have leagues like this.”
Yearly surveys by the National Sporting Goods Association show the number of women aged 55 and older who play basketball at least 50 times a year has grown from 16,000 in 1995 to nearly 131,000 ten years later.
The women on the Hot Pink Grannies are good – natured but competitive when game time comes.
“I think I’m tough” says Colleen Pulliam, 69, showing off her strong arms at her challengers in a game against “Strutters”, known for their bright yellow socks.
Granny Basketball Leagues and similar groups spread quickly through much of the country, including California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
【小题1】Which is right about Chapman?

A．She thinks playing basketball isn’t ladylike.

B．She is now 62 years old and feels discouraged.

C．She plays basketball again about 50 years later.

D．She is a forward in the Hot Pink Grannies.

【小题2】The underlined sentence “it’s a once – refused chance to make up” in the fourth paragraph means          .

A．it is chance to realize their old dream

B．it is chance to take part in sports

C．it is chance to earn a reputation

D．it is chance to compete for medals

【小题3】Who is probably a player of “Hot Oink Grannies”?

A．Des Moines.

B．Colleen Pulliam.

C．Michael Rogers.

D．Strutters.

【小题4】Which of the following statements is true?
A．Some elderly women play basketball with the purpose of getting wealthy.
B．Granny Basketball Leagues have spread all over the USA.
C．The women on the Hot Pink Grannies are good – natured and less competitive.
D．The number of women aged 55 and older who play basketball has greatly increased.
【小题5】From the passage we can infer          .

A．in the 1960s, playing basketball wasn’t considered as a girls’ sport

B．the color of the socks is of great importance to granny players

C．more and more granny players are confident about getting higher scores

D．Jewell Chapman’s high school headmaster has already changed his attitude

LONDON - A British judge on Thursday sentenced a businessman who sold fake (假冒的) bomb detectors (探测器) to 10 years in prison, saying the man hadn't cared about potentially (潜在的) deadly consequences.
It is believed that James McCormick got about $77.8 million from the sales of his detectors ---which were based on a kind of golf ball finder---to countries including Iraq, Belgium and Saudi Arabia. McCormick, 57, was convicted (判罪) of cheats last month and sentenced Thursday at the Old Bailey court in London.
"Your cheating conduct in selling a great amount of useless equipment simply for huge profit promoted a false sense of security and in all probability materially contributed to causing death and injury to innocent people," Judge Richard Hone told McCormick. "You have neither regret, nor shame, nor any sense of guilt."
The detectors, sold for up to $42,000 each, were said to be able to find such dangerous objects as bombs under water and from the air. But in fact they "lacked any grounding in science" and were of no use. McCormick had told the court that he sold his detectors to the police in Kenya, the prison service in Hong Kong, the army in Egypt and the border control in Thailand.
"I never had any bad results from customers," he said.
【小题1】 Why was McCormick sentenced to prison?

A．He sold bombs.	B．He caused death of people.
C．He made detectors.	D．He cheated in business.

【小题2】 According to the judge, what McCormick had done _______.

A．increased the cost of safeguarding

B．lowered people's guard against danger

C．changed people's idea of social security

D．caused innocent people to commit crimes

【小题3】Which of the following is true of the detectors?

A．They have not been sold to Africa.

B．They have caused many serious problems.

C．They can find dangerous objects in water.

D．They don't function on the basis of science.

【小题4】It can be inferred from the passage that McCormick _______.

A．sold the equipment at a low price

B．was well-known in most countries

C．did not think he had committed the crime

D．had not got such huge profit as mentioned in the text

While many other teen stars built up their celebrity status(名人地位) by working hard on popular TV shows, Justin shot straight to the top by using social media.
A few years ago, Justin uploaded(上传) videos of himself on YouTube, showing covers of his favorite songs at home. He just saw it as a bit of fun for friends and family, but when music manager Scooter Braun saw one of the videos, he flew to Justin’s hometown of Ontario, Canada to sign him up. Justin was just 13.
Shortly after, Justin was flown to the US. He eventually started working with R&B superstar Usher. Justin’s first album My world was released in 2009. But all the time, Justin continued to build his fan base on his YouTube account, where some of his original home videos can still be found, and where he continues to post music. “I wasn’t sending mixtapes or anything like that to record labels,” he told us when we met him on his promotional tour for his latest film Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. “I was just doing regular stuff at home and I just posted videos online without purpose. I would never be here if it wasn’t for the Internet and YouTube.”
But it isn’t just YouTube that helps Justin’s popularity. He also updates his Twitter account (@Justin-Bieber) regularly and has about 8.8 million followers. In fact, he’s so popular that Justin was responsible for 3% of the site’s activity at one time and so popular that entire racks of servers on Twitter were devoted to him.
In light of his story, many young, aspiring artists are now taking advantage of Twitter and YouTube. Both these sites can help artists build fan bases in the hope that they’ll become the next big thing. Justin added, “I think my story brings hope to people and I think that’s very important. The only thing holding you back is yourself. Never say never.”
【小题1】What is the best title for the passage?

A．A famous young man	B．YouTube---A popular website
C．Justin’s way to success	D．Social media is the most important

【小题2】The underlined word “covers” in Paragraph 2 means_____.

A．The cover of a book.

B．The shelter from attack.

C．The sheet on the bed.

D．Another version of a pop song by a different artist.

【小题3】Which one is right according to the passage?

A．Justin posted videos online in order to succeed.

B．Justin becomes a celebrity partly owing to social media.

C．Justin has the same way to succeed as others.

D．Justin has built many websites.

【小题4】What can we know from Paragraph 5?

A．Many young, aspiring artists are objection to Justin’s way.

B．Many celebrities like Justin must appear in the future.

C．Justin tells others never to depend on social media.

D．Justin has set an example to many young, aspiring artists.