The snow has paralysed(使瘫痪) transport in China during the country’s most important vacation period, the celebration of the Chinese New Year. Not only have transport delays hindered personal trips, but they have also slowed the delivery of fresh produce to markets. Consequently, in Zhengzhou, the capital city of the Henan province, tomato prices have doubled, and the cost of 47 other vegetables has increased by 36%, as reported by local media at the end of January.

     According to an inside PR source, “wholesalers in Beijing were quoted as saying that only about 20% of the usual fresh vegetable supplies were reaching the city.” As an Asian country with a diet based on fresh produce, the shortage of vegetables and the rise in prices is not only affecting fresh food producers, but also the final consumers.

     In terms of production, this is the worst snow disaster to hit China in the last 50 years, affecting a total of 9.4 million hectares of farmland in the country, according to a report published on 4 February 2008 by Feng Tao of Xinhua News, at the Chinese government website. Most of the crops devastated（毁坏）by the frost are located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the traditional natural border between North and South China.

Chen Xiwen, Director of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Rural Work, pointed out at the end of last week that “the blizzard disaster in the south has had a severe impact on winter crops, and the impact on fresh vegetables could be catastrophic in certain areas”, as stated in the Xinhua News report.

     The Chinese government has been quick to take extreme measures. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has sent 13 teams of experts to 8 of the areas most seriously affected by the harsh weather. The aim of this initiative is to provide farmers with technical assistance to minimize their losses.

From this passage, we can know that the snow happened _____.

   A. During the Spring Festival

   B. In the coldest days of the winter

   C. In the North of China.

   D. It’s not mentioned here.

What’s the meaning of the underlined word in paragraph four?

   A. worst  B. snowstorm  C. cold weather  D. biggest

This passage mainly tells us _____ .

   A. The snow in the south of China caused many problems.

   B. The effect of the snow in the south of China on the fresh food

   C. The snow in the south of China slowed the delivery of fresh produce to markets.

   D. The Chinese government has taken extreme measures to help the suffered farmers.

The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has sent 13 teams of experts to 8 of the areas to _____ .

   A. help the farmers plant crops          B. give money to the farmers

   C. give directions to the farmers with their technic（技术；技巧）.

   D. deliver crops for the farmers.

The snow has paralysed(使瘫痪) transport in China during the country’s most important vacation period, the celebration of the Chinese New Year. Not only have transport delays hindered personal trips, but they have also slowed the delivery of fresh produce to markets. Consequently, in Zhengzhou, the capital city of the Henan province, tomato prices have doubled, and the cost of 47 other vegetables has increased by 36%, as reported by local media at the end of January.
According to an inside PR source, “wholesalers in Beijing were quoted as saying that only about 20% of the usual fresh vegetable supplies were reaching the city.” As an Asian country with a diet based on fresh produce, the shortage of vegetables and the rise in prices is not only affecting fresh food producers, but also the final consumers.
In terms of production, this is the worst snow disaster to hit China in the last 50 years, affecting a total of 9.4 million hectares of farmland in the country, according to a report published on 4 February 2008 by Feng Tao of Xinhua News, at the Chinese government website. Most of the crops devastated（毁坏）by the frost are located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the traditional natural border between North and South China.
Chen Xiwen, Director of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Rural Work, pointed out at the end of last week that “the blizzard disaster in the south has had a severe impact on winter crops, and the impact on fresh vegetables could be catastrophic in certain areas”, as stated in the Xinhua News report.
The Chinese government has been quick to take extreme measures. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has sent 13 teams of experts to 8 of the areas most seriously affected by the harsh weather. The aim of this initiative is to provide farmers with technical assistance to minimize their losses.

1. 1.

   From this passage, we can know that the snow happened _____.

   1. A.
      During the Spring Festival
   2. B.
      In the coldest days of the winter
   3. C.
      In the North of China.
   4. D.
      It’s not mentioned here.
2. 2.

   What’s the meaning of the underlined word in paragraph four?

   1. A.
      worst
   2. B.
      snowstorm
   3. C.
      cold weather
   4. D.
      biggest
3. 3.

   This passage mainly tells us _____ .

   1. A.
      The snow in the south of China caused many problems.
   2. B.
      The effect of the snow in the south of China on the fresh food
   3. C.
      The snow in the south of China slowed the delivery of fresh produce to markets.
   4. D.
      The Chinese government has taken extreme measures to help the suffered farmers.
4. 4.

   The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has sent 13 teams of experts to 8 of the areas to _____ .
   

   1. A.
      help the farmers plant crops         
   2. B.
      give money to the farmers
   3. C.
      give directions to the farmers with their technic（技术；技巧）.
   4. D.
      deliver crops for the farmers.

Parents are often amazed at how fast their child grows and develops. New research has determined that the ability to quantify may develop much sooner than most parents realize.

Kristy vanMarle, professor of the University of Missouri, has determined that contrary to what previous studies have shown, infants（婴儿）are able to quantify substances（物质）—like sand or water—as early as 10 months. As long as the difference between the two substances is large enough, infants will choose the larger amount, especially when it comes to food.

With the assistance of her team researchers, vanMarle tested the quantifying skills of babies by presenting them with two cups: one containing a small amount of food, and one containing a larger amount. Consistently, the babies chose the larger amount.

“Several studies throughout the last 15 years have shown that infants are very good at telling how many objects they see; however, infants don’t seem to count things like water or sand,” vanMarle said. “What we’re saying is that they can quantify substances; it’s just much harder. The infants can see how much food goes into each cup and compare that in their memories. They decide which amount is larger, and they almost always select the larger one.”

This information further refutes（驳斥）the long-held idea that babies “know nothing of the world,” vanMarle said.

“Since psychologists have begun studying infants with sensitive measures, we’ve discovered a lot of early abilities. I think for parents, it should be exciting to know that there’s somebody in there that has some fundamental and basic knowledge of the world, and that knowledge is guiding their development,” vanMarle said.

In the future, vanMarle says this kind of study could be linked to a child’s progress in math-related skills, although programs marketed to increase those abilities, such as “Baby Einstein,” still have mixed reviews when it comes to academic study.

1.The quantifying ability refers to the ability to     .

A. choose between different substances

B. get much knowledge of the world

C. describe the quantity of something

D. obtain math-related skills

2. What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 4?

A. The process of doing research.

B. The scientific findings.

C. The final choice of infants.]

D. The observation of infants’ behavior.

3.Babies choose the larger amount of food     .

A. by saying numbers                B. with the help of parents

C. on personal preference           D. through their natural abilities

4.We can learn from the text that     .

A. some parents don’t care about their kids

B. people used to think the world is known to babies

C. little research has been done on infants

D. scholars disagree on baby-training programs

5. What’s the best title of the text?

A. Breakthrough in Baby Studies

B. Amazing Baby-training Ideas

C. Early Human Abilities

D. Unique Quantifying Methods

Dubai boasts(夸口) that it has just built a “new global landmark”---the Dubai Tower, which stands 512.1 meters high now and has just become the tallest building in the world.

    The Dubai Tower now surpasses Taiwan’s Taipei 101, which is 508 meters tall, and has 141 storeys, more than any other building in the world.

    The Dubai Tower, being built by South Korea’s Samsung Corporation and scheduled for completion next year, is one of a series of great projects taking shape in Dubai. The final projected height of the tower has remained a secret since the project was launched in January 2004; however, it is rumored that the tower will be more than 700 meters tall and have more than 160 storeys.

   The Dubai Tower has become the tallest building in the world in just 1,276 days, leaving behind other tall buildings.

   The Dubai Tower will house 30,000 apartments in addition to the world’s largest shopping mall. It is the centerpiece(重要工程) of the 20-billion-dollar venture. Another venture gradually emerging across the desert sands is Dubailand, a series of multi-billion-dollar projects claimed to be the Middle East’s very own Orlando. Dubai also paid 100 million dollars to buy the Queen Elizabeth II, one of the world’s superb cruise liners(游轮), which it plans to turn into a luxury floating hotel.

   Faced with decreasing oil wealth, the Western-oriented emirate(酋长国) has raced to turn itself into a business and leisure hub and it aims to more than double the number of tourists to 15 million by 2015.

1. The underlined word “surpasses” in the second paragraph means____.

A. is equal to     B. matches     C. is left behind by    D. is higher than

2.Which building was the tallest in the world before the Dubai Tower began to be built?

A. Dubai land   B. Orlando   C. Taiwan’s Taipei 101   D. The Twin Towers

3.Why has the Western-oriented emirate paid more attention to becoming a business and leisure center?

A. Because it wants to attract more tourists to its places of interest.

B. Because it produces less oil than ever.

C. Because it aims to race with other countries to show its wealth.

D. Because it wants to set a new world record.

4.Which of the following statements about the Dubai Tower is TRUE according the passage ?

A. The Dubai Tower is 508 meters tall and has more than 141 storeys.

B. The final height of the Dubai Tower is over 700 meters tall.

C. Samsung Corporation has completed building the Dubai Tower.

D. The Dubai Tower has apartments and a shopping mall.

Argentina's Lionel Messi has won the Golden Ball awarded to the European Footballer of the Year, becoming the sixth Barcelona player to take the award and the first since Brazilian Ronaldinho in 2005.

Messi beat last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo into second place while Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez finished third in the poll results released by France Football magazine early Tuesday.

Praised by Argentina great Diego Maradona as his successor, Messi won an unprecedented treble（三重） in Spain last season with Barcelona as the Catalan side swept the Champions League, the Spanish title and the Copa del Rey.

The 22-year-old Messi, the first Argentine to win the world-famous award, was the top scorer in last year's Champions League with nine goals, including his superb header（足球中的头球） in the 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the final.

Messi, who scored 473 of a possible 480 points, largely controlled the voting and won with a record-margin of 240 points. Real Madrid winger Ronaldo had 233 and Xavi had 170.

"Honestly, I knew that I was among the favorites because Barcelona had a fruitful year in 2009," Messi was quoted as saying by the magazine.

"But I didn't expect to win with such a margin. The Golden Ball is very important to me. All the players who won it were great players, and some great players never won it."

Barcelona had three players in the Top 5 with Andres Iniesta taking fourth ahead of former Barca player Samuel Eto'o.

In an outstanding season, Messi netted(把…踢进网) 38 goals in 51 games in all competitions, often leaving defenders in his wake(在…之后) with a combination of speed, extraordinary abilities and his effective left-footed strike.

Messi, who led Argentina to next year's World Cup in South Africa, recently signed a new contract with Barcelona through 2016.

Messi had a good start to this season - already scoring nine goals - and put on a great display to help his club defeat archrival Real Madrid 1-0 last Sunday.

"It won't be easy to confirm after a year like the one we just went through," Messi said.

"I hope the next one will reach the same standards. But to win the Golden Ball two years in a row is not an easy thing."

(Read by Guanny Liu. Guanny Liu is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site.)

1.Which of the following is the suitable title?

A. Messi beats C. Ronaldo to win the European Footballer of the Year

B. Ronaldinho beats Messi to win the European Footballer of the Year

C. Messi beats Xavi to win the European Footballer of the Year

D. Ronaldinho beats Xavi to win the European Footballer of the Year

2. Messi has some advantages over others EXCEPT _________.

3. By saying “But I didn't expect to win with such a margin.”, Messi means _____.

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?