①It’s “laughably absurd” on one blog and a “magical revolution” on another．Bloggers are talking about the same device—the Apple iPad, which hit store shelves last week．
②Tech-heads hate the iPad because it has many functions—you can e-mail, browse the Web, read books—but it has no specialty．There are other devices on the market that do all its functions faster, cheaper and more efficiently．Get a Blackberry to scan e-mails or any old laptop to access the Internet．
③This first version of the iPad lacks many basic features．Tech-heads dislike the device not because of what it offers, but because of what it doesn’t offer．It doesn’t have Flash, and it doesn’t have a camera．It can’t access many of the world’s mobile applications, and it has a very restricted apple store．Based on purely technological grounds, the iPad is said to lack more than it gives．
④But if you are not a crazy tech-head, and you love the iPod and iPhone, “this device is for you,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO．The iPad will take online activities truly mobile．It will allow you to read the news in bed, check a recipe in a busy kitchen or view a large-scale Google map．
⑤Perhaps most important to the masses, it is a traditional computer without trouble．There are wireless, but it’s totally mobile．You press a button and it comes on in seconds．To add a program, you just download it from the Internet．Since almost everyone uses a computer in the office or at school, the need for the traditional desktop model at home is disappearing．Slate Magazine’s Farhad Manjoo calls the iPad the perfect alternative to the home computer system．
⑥But no matter how you feel about the iPad, as a tech-head or an everyman, there’s no arguing with its appeal．Love it or hate it, the iPad sold over 600,000 units on its opening weekend, surpassing the iPhone’s record sales in 2007．
1．What can be the best title for the text?
A．Loving and hating the iPad      B．An exciting invention
C．A home computer substitute       D．The iPad—a wise choice
2．According to the text, which of the following is Not true of the iPad?
A．It can access the Internet．         B．It is wireless but portable．
C．It can play any online video．      D．It can help you scan e-mail．
3．Which of the following best shows the structure of the text?
4．Farhad Manjoo’s attitude towards the iPad might be that of ______．
A．doubt      B．unconcern       C．sympathy     D．support
5．Tech-heads dislike the iPad because of ______．
A．its after-sale services              B．its high price
C．its function shortages   D．its slow speed

This is why Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo came back.

The Chinese pair finally won the Olympic gold medal that eluded （避开） them for so many years Monday night, a prize so compelling it lured（诱使）them out of the cozy life of a happily retired married couple. It wasn’t the best skate of their career, but it was good enough for gold and that was all that mattered.

Their score of 216. 57 points was more than three points ahead of teammates Pang Qing and Tong Jian. When Shen and Zhao finished their routine, Zhao knelt to the ice, burying his face in his hands while his wife patted his back. He pumped his fist several times while she smiled, her grin was so bright it could light up the entire arena（圆形运动场）.

Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany dropped to the bronze medal after a flawed free skate.

It’s the first time since 1960 that a Russian or Soviet couple isn’t atop the Olympic platform, ending one of the longest winning streaks in sports. Perhaps even more shocking, the Russians are leaving empty - handed, with no medals of any color.

Shen and Zhao, bronze medalists at the last two Olympic Games, retired after winning their third title in 2007.  They got married, and lived the easy life of retirees, doing shows and appearances. But something was missing--that gold medal.

1. Which statement is WRONG according to paragraph one?

A. It was the Chinese pair who eventurelly won the Olympic gold medal.

    B. The Chinese pair performed the excellent skate of their career.

    C. The Chinese pair have been living a comfortable life.

    D. The Chinese pair don’t get along well with each other.

2. From paragraph two and three, we can learn ________.

    A. Shen and Zhao’s efforts paid off at last

    B. Shen was so tired that she knelt to the ice

    C. Pang and Tong won the bronze medal

    D. The German pair ranked the second place

3. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “grin” ?

    A. wide smile     B. happy laugh       C. excited feeling     D. happiness

4. What can we know from the passage?

    A. The Soviet pair also got some medals in the Olympic.

    B. Shen and Zhao retired in 2007 and got married after they got their silver medal.

C. It’s the gold medal that lures them back to the Olympic.

    D. The German pair always performed well during the competition.

Ibrahim became disabled after contracting polio (小儿麻痹症) when he was three years old. At first his parents, like many other parents of disabled children in Niger, did not want to send him to school. They were worried he would be laughed at by his classmates.  
Despite his disability, and his parents’ doubts, Ibrahim was determined to go to school. “When I was eight,” Ibrahim says, “other kids of my age were going to school while I stayed at home. I did not like that. So, I pestered (缠着) my parents until they finally let me go to school.”
Ibrahim’s parents sent him to a private school nearby. Although the journey to and from school was a short one, it still wasn’t easy for Ibrahim. He had to use his hands to help him move along, protecting them with plastic slippers. But at least he was getting an education.
However, after only a year in school, Ibrahim’s education was interrupted when his parents separated. His mother did not have the means to continue paying for his tuition.
In 2007, Ibrahim received some money to be fitted with a leg brace (支架), corrective shoes and his first pair of crutches (拐杖). Now that he was more mobile than before, the most important thing for him was to find a way to go back to school. 
“I wanted to start school again last October,” Ibrahim says. “After my mother told me she could not afford it, I went to visit some of my relatives for support. And I collected 5,000 francs CFA (US $8) to pay my tuition for half a year. I will find the rest of the money somehow.”
Ibrahim attends a school in which he is the only disabled student. According to his teacher, he is among the top five students in a class of 55.
【小题1】 Why did Ibrahim’s parents prefer Ibrahim to stay at home? 

A．There was a lot of housework for him to do.

B．They had no money to pay for his tuition.

C．There were not enough schools in the country.

D．They were afraid the students would make fun of him.

A．parents’ doubts

B．lack of tuition

C． physical disability

D．terrible mood

On September 22, 2007, 108 Chinese cities took part in Car-Free Day, a global event held every year, for the first time.
China became the world’s second-largest auto market and third-largest car-maker in 2006. It has also become the second-largest greenhouse gas producer in the world, and is rapidly catching up with the United States. In this sense, China’s participation will greatly promote the Car-Free Day movement.
The number of cars on the road is going up rapidly in China. In Beijing, about 1,000 new cars are added to the streets on an average day.
Cars certainly offer people plenty of freedom to move around. But in many Chinese cities, appearance of too many cars has turned into a major problem. Getting stuck in traffic jams is an everyday experience for drivers.
Even worse is the environmental impact（影响）caused by cars. According to a national report, on a “smog day”, 79 percent of the air pollution is caused by cars.
The growing number of traffic accidents is another problem. Over 100,000 people die from traffic accidents every year in China, which is by far the highest number of road deaths in the world.
108 cities’ participation in Car-Free Day shows growing public concern about the traffic and environmental problems caused by cars.
On this day, all cars were banned from running in selected areas of the participating cities. People were encouraged to walk, cycle and use public transport. According to experts, the carbon monoxide in the atmosphere produced by cars was reduced by 3,000 tons on Car-Free Day.
With cleaner air and smoother traffic flow on the day, more cities will hopefully want to join the event next year. And more people might share the hope that Car-Free Day is not just on September 22, but a possibility 365 days of the year.
【小题1】From the passage, we can know that China ______.

E

Support for renewable energy technology to figllt global warming is weakening in the face of

worldwide economic problems and the true scale of the carbon reductions required，a survey pub-

lished today has suggested．

Figures presented at the UN climate talks in Poznan，Poland，show that climate experts have

less faitll in alternative energy than they did 12 months ago．

The survey shows less support for wind energy，solar power，biofuels，biomass and hydrogen

energy as technologies with“high potential”to reduce carbon levels in the atmosphere over the next

25 years．

Eric Whan of Globesean，which carried out t}le survey of“climate decision makers”．said．

“As the climate crisis deepens they could be becoming less optimistic that individual technologies

may be able to solve the problem．’’

The survey，supported by groups including the World Bank，the United Nations Environment

Programme and the Pew Center for Global Climate Change，questioned l，000 senior figures across

governments，pressure groups and companies in 1 15 countries over the last few weeks．

Almost three—quarters of the experts agreed in the survey that“equitable(公平的，平等的)e—

eonomic growth and development and significant progress in combating(与…斗争)climate change

Call be achieved at the salne time．’’

Asked to rate the likely Success of low—carbon technologies in the mid—term，they showed

less confidence than a similar survey 12 months ago．Support for offshore wind farms，was down

61％from 65％last year.Solar electricity generation was rated as having high—potential by 66％of  respondents，down from 74％．Support for hydrogen power was 32％，down form 36％in 2007．

The respondents also warned that a deep recession(衰退)would make a new global deal on climate harder to achieve．Some 44％agreed that the current economic crisis will significantly delay orcompromise the“achievement of effective climate change agreements．’’

72．Which of the following is NOT the alternative energy?    ·

A．Wind energy．    B．Solar power．    C．Hydrogen energy．D．Conventional energy．

73．Which of the following altemative energy sees the most remarkable reduction in support'?

A．Offshore wind farms．    B．Solar electricity．

C．Hydrogen power．       D．Natural gas．

Why is support for renewable energy technology to fight dobal warming weakening?

A．The technology has no use at  all．

B．People don’t want to use the technology．

C．Nothing can be done to reduce carbon levels in the atmosphere．

D．The current economic crisis iS to blame．

75．What’S the best title of the passage?

A．Experts Lost Faith in Renewable Technology  B．Global Environment Is Worsening

C．Who Is to Blame f．0r tIle Environment  D．What Can Be Done to Save the Earth