In some remote Turkish village of Kuskoy, whistling is as important as talking．In fact, whistling is talking because the villagers speak and sing by whistling．Kuskoy parents begin to teach their boys and girls the language of whistling about the time the children learn to talk．It is considered so important that the village school includes it as one of the subjects taught along with the Turkish language.

This art of communication has taken centuries to develop．The village of Kuskoy spreads out across two hillsides that are separated by a deep valley．The villagers had to find an easy way to communicate where their voices couldn’t carry．They developed a high-pitched (高音的) whistle language that could be transmitted as far as five miles through air．As a result, Kuskoy, which means “bird village” in Turkish, has come to be known as a whistler’s paradise (乐园).

Whistling is so much part of everyday life in Kuskoy that men and women speak, argue, and court (求爱) in whistles．The story was recently told of a young couple who ran away secretly．The news was sent over the “mountain telephone” by whistling．The lover’s adventure was quickly known to all the villagers.

It is little wonder, then, that the children of Kuskoy study whistling in school．Wouldn’t it be fun to start the school day with a song—whistled of course!

The children of Kuskoy learn to whistle because __          _．

              A．it is fun                       B．it is an important way to communicate

              C．it helps them learn to sing       D．it is like the Turkish language

In Kuskoy, whistling as a way of talking started __             _．

   A．recently           B．hundreds of years ago

       C．fifty years ago              D．ten years ago

Which one of the following statements is true according to the passage?

   A．The high-pitched whistle can be heard at a distance of 5 km.

   B．The parents were too ready to allow the young couple to marry each other.

   C．The villagers found an easy way to communicate where they could be heard.

   D．The villagers of Kuskoy are often informed of news by whistling.

Which of the following do you think is the best title for this story?

   A．To Learn Whistle Is Very Important  B．Whistling Is Fun

   C．Whistling—The Mountain Telephone       D．The Strange Turkish Language

While income worry is a rather common problem of the aged, loneliness is another problem that aged parents may face. Of all the reasons that explain their loneliness, a large geographical distance between parents and their children is the major one. This phenomenon is commonly known as “ Empty Nest Syndrome”(空巢综合症). In order to seek better chances outside their countries, many young people have gone abroad, leaving their parents behind with no clear idea of when they will return home. Their parents spend countless lonely days and nights, taking care of themselves, in the hope that someday their children will come back to stay with them. The fact that most of these young people have gone to Europeanized or Americanized societies makes it unlikely that they will hold as tightly to the value of duty as they would have if they had not left their countries. Whatever the case, it has been noted that the values they hold do not necessarily match what they actually do. This geographical and cultural distance also prevents the grown-up children from providing response in time for their aged parents living by themselves.

The situation in which grown-up children live far away from their aged parents has been described as “ distant parent phenomenon”, which is common both in developed countries and in developing countries. Our society has not yet been well prepared for “ Empty Nest Syndrome”.

According to the passage, the loneliness of aged parents is mainly caused by ________.

A. their earlier experience of feeling lonely

B. the unfavorable living conditions in their native countries

C. the common worry about their income

D. the geographical distance between parents and children

Many young people have gone abroad, leaving

their aged parents behind, to _______.

A. live in the countries with more money

B. seek a better place for their aged parents

C. continue their studies abroad

D. realize their dreams in foreign countries

If young people go abroad, ________.

A. they do not hold to the value of duty at all

B. they can give some help to their parents back home

C. they cannot do what they should for their parents

D. they believe what they actually do is right

From the last paragraph, we can infer that______

A. the situation in the developed and developing countries are different

B. “Empty Nest Syndrome” has arrived unexpectedly in our society

C. children will become independent as soon as they go abroad

D. the aged parents are not fully prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome”

Everyday, 340 million people speak it. One billion people are learning it and it is said that by 2050, half of the world’s population will be using it. What are we talking about? That global language—English.

The English language started in Britain in the 5th century. It is a mixed language. It was built up when German. Scandinavian and French invaders settled in England and created a common language for communication.

Today it is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Ireland as well as many islands in the Caribbean . Many other countries and regions use it for politics and business, for example, India. Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines. English is also one of the official languages of Hong Kong.

But global advertising and pop music mean that in most countries, you will see or hear some English. Thanks to McDonalds, we all know about "burgers". "fries" and "milkshakes". Songs by Madonna, Britney Spears and Celine Dion are in English. We can sing along, even if we do not understand what we are singing!

English is a messy (杂乱的) language. Every year, dictionaries include new words that talk about popular culture, for example, computer-related words such as "blogging", "download" and "chatroom". Also included are words that teenagers use. Who does not know "cool", "OK" and “hello” ?

Other languages also influence English. Many English words come from French. Words like "cafe" and expressions like "c'est la vie" (that is life) are all part of the English language. On the other hand, the French language includes English words like "le weekend" and "le camping". German words are also part of English. Words like "kindergarten" come from the German language.

Recently, British people have become interested in "yoga". But the word comes from an ancient Hindu language in India.

The English language has a history of  ______.

A. over 2000 years B. over 500 years   C. over 1500 years      D. over 1000 years

The underlined expression “thanks to ” can be replaced by ______.

A. because of         B. thankful to    C. not until             D. as if.

Which of the following statements is true about the language of English ?

A. It has been changing all the time.

B. It has borrowed words from all the other languages.

C. French words are used by the English because dictionaries have French words.

D. Singers and film stars have the greatest influence on language.

Many countries and regions use it for politics and business except______.

A. the USA    B. Nigeria      C. the Philippines     D. Norway

When I opened my e-mail the other day, a pretty woman named Rachel appeared on my computer screen. She greeted me by name and started talking with great enthusiasm. Every now and then she stopped to smile at me or blow a kiss. She was reading to me an e-mail from my brother, and a lot of it was about his getting the phone company to give him a high-speed Internet connection. It was pretty cool.

Rache

l was there thanks to a new technology called Facemail. Facemail lets you send e-mail that gets ready to the receiver by an attractive male or female form or by a clown(小丑). The software, which is free, can be downloaded at www. Facemail.com.

Facemail faces are lifelike, and they simulate(模拟) emotions based on emotions that you put in your text. For example, type in-X, and Rachel blows a kiss.

LifeFX, the company that develops the Facemail, is sure there are broad business uses. The reason e-business is not popular, the company says, is that buying over the Internet lacks the human touch. But what if you went to the Nike website and Michael Jordan greeted you by name, waited on you and personally closed the sale? And it is talking with Whirl(惠而浦公司) about using the technology in a computer screen on a fridge. Then if Morn can't be home when the kids get back from school, she can leave a note with voice and image telling them what there is to eat.

Facemail could get hot fast. Personally, I'm a fan. But Facemail should be used with care. The clown looks lively and funny at first. But if you select the clown, put a few rude words in an e-mail and add some angry emotions, you've got a Psycho-mail(疯人型电子邮件).

The pretty woman that appears on the writer's computer screen was ______.

   A. a woman working on the Internet      B. his brother's girlfriend

  C not a real person                    D. the picture of his pen-friend

The main advantage of Facemail is that ______.

   A. you can hire a beautiful woman to read the e-mail to you

   B. you can see the person who sends you the e-mail

   C. yon can send an e-mail free of charge

   D. e-mail can be attractive in a more lovely way

The writer mentioned Nike website and Michael Jordan to show that _______.

   A. Famous people like Michael Jordan also like to use Facemail

   B. Facemail can make shopping on the Internet more interesting

   C. Nike website will increase its sales by Jordan

   D. Michael Jordan will serve you himself on Nike website

What is the writer's attitude towards Facemail?

   A. He thinks it needs further improvement.  

B. He thinks it cool and funny.

   C. He thinks it a danger to the Internet.     

D. He thinks people should be careful with Facemail.

Bestsellers for last week

A Special Relationship

This novel is about a woman whose entire life is turned upside down in a very foreign place despite the fact that people there speak her language. Sally Good child is a 37-year-old American who, after nearly two decades as a highly independent journalist, finds herself pregnant and in London. She married an English foreign correspondent, Tony Thompson, whom she met while they were both on assignment in Cairo. From the beginning, Sally’s relationship with both Tony and London is an uneasy one: She finds her husband and his city to be far more foreign than imagined. But her adjustment problems soon turn into a nightmare(噩梦). She discovers that everything can be taken down and used against you, especially by a spouse (配偶) who now considers you an unfit mother and wants to prevent you from ever seeing your child again.

Born in 1955, Douglas Kennedy is the bestselling author of romances such as “The Big Picture”. He is also the author of several praised travel books.

White Hot

   Sayre Lynch decided never to return to her hometown Destiny, after she changed her last name and finally escaped from the influence of her controlling father, Huff Hoyle, who owns the iron foundry that the town is built around.

       But when Danny, her younger brother, is found dead with a shotgun in his mouth, Sayre unwillingly goes back for his funeral and is annoyed when her father’s handsome lawyer, Beck Merchant, tries to please her.

       When the young officer investigating(调查) the case notes that some of the evidence points to murder rather than suicide(自杀), Sayre finds herself unable to leave Destiny. She’s annoyed by Beck’s constant presence, and she is not sure if he’s trying to help or throw her off the trail. Nor does she trust her father or her older brother, Chris, who is as prime suspect in Danny’s murder.

       As she tries to figure out how the handsome, charming Beck fits into the picture, she finds herself deeply attracted to him.]

       Sandra Brown is the author of 51 New York Times top-five bestsellers. She began her writing career in 1981 and has since published 65 novels.

From the brief introduction of “A Special Relationship” we can imagine _____.

       A. Sally and Tony’s marriage is pleasant.         B. Sally and Tony may break up.

       C. Sally and Tony often quarrel about their jobs.        D. Sally is hard to get on with.

The story of Sally and Tony mainly happens in _____.

       A. America    B. London     C. Cairo        D. Cairo & London

It can be learned from the passage that______.

    A. Chris killed Danny.                   B. Lynch is Sayre’s real family name.

    C. Huff Hoyle knows who killed Danny.    D. Sayre fell in love with Beck.

In the introduction of White Hot, the underlined phrase suggests_____.

    A. Sayre thinks Beck has something to do with Danny’s death.

    B. Sayre thinks Beck is the right person she wants to marry.

    C. Sayre likes the handsome Beck in the picture.

D. Sayre doesn’t know whether Beck likes her.