Most of the news in the newspapers is bad but sometimes there is a story with good news. This is one of those stories. Millions of people around the world suffer from AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other serious diseases. There are medicines to treat these diseases but for people in poor countries, these medicines are too expensive to buy. When a pharmaceutical（制药的）company produces a new medicine, they receive a special license called a patent. This license means that the new medicine or drug is protected for a period of 20 years. The company that produced the drug can fix the price of the drug and no other company is allowed to produce the same drug or a copy of the drug for 20 years. At the moment, these patents operate all over the world, both in rich countries and in poor countries. The drugs companies say that they need patents so that they can get the money to pay for research to find new drugs and medicines. In rich countries people usually have enough money to pay for these drugs but in poor countries people can’t afford to buy them and cannot treat diseases like AIDS and malaria.
Last month, however, a group of experts published a report which says that patents are very bad for poor countries. The report says that drug companies do not want to find new medicines for diseases of poor people in poor countries. It says that poor countries should be allowed to buy cheap drugs without patents from other countries.
The authors of the report were lawyers, scientists and a senior director from the drug company Pfizer. Of course, the pharmaceuticals industry doesn’t agree with the report, “We need patents so that we can develop new medicines to fight disease both in the developed and developing world,” said a spokesman. But the report is the first sign that there might be a change in the patent system. This change could save millions of lives in the world’s poorest countries. This really is good news.
【小题1】 Why are medicines expensive for people in poor countries?

A．They are protected by patents.	B．They are produced in rich countries.
C．They are imported.	D．They can cure the deadly diseases.

【小题2】 What does the underlined word “patent” in Para1 mean in Chinese?

A．执照

B．专利权

C．专利品

D．商标

【小题3】Why do drugs companies need patents?

A．To sell drugs in rich countries.

B．To sell drugs in poor countries.

C．To get money to produce new drugs.

D．To compete with other companies.

【小题4】 What does the report say?

A．Poor countries should spend more money on drugs.

B．Poor countries shouldn’t obey a pharmaceutical patent.

C．Poor countries should import drugs.

D．Poor countries should be allowed to make copies of drugs.

【小题5】What might happen if the patent system is changed?

A．Millions of lives will be saved in poor countries.

B．Drugs companies will stop producing drugs.

C．Drug companies will make more money.

D．The competition will be canceled.

This is the first time your child will be away from home for a period of time. We understand that this can be an exciting and anxious time both for parents and students. In this part,we hope to give you a better idea of what to expect in the areas that matter most to you. If you have any question that we have not answered here, please call us at 618-353-1398 or e-mail us at buhssumr@bu. edu.

Housing and Dining

Housing and dining is provided for all High School Summer Program students. Students should live on campus. The dining room in Warren Towers offers a variety of food options. Summer Program includes 19 meals a week, of which five lunches are included in the program fee. Visit www. bu. edu/housing-dining for more information.

Family Visits

If a parent is in town and would like to spend time with his child, he needs to plan the visit during the student’s free time when there are no activities planned. The parent also needs to send written permission to the Summer Term office forty-eight hours before the student is planning to leave campus. The parent can either e-mail or fax a letter of permission including details to buhssumr@bu. edu or 617-353-5532.

Fitness and Recreation

Students may buy membership cards of the Fitness & Recreation Center as long as they are at least 15 years old and have a Permission Form signed by their parents. We suggest that you fill out the forms even if you do not buy membership cards. We have some planned activities at the Fitness & Rercreation Center and student should have the signed Permission Form. Visit www. bu. edu/fitrec to learn more about it .

45. The passage is most probably taken from________.

A. a newspaper                B. a travel guide

C. a health magazine            D. a school website

46. If you want to know more about Summer Program. You could_______.

A. call 617-353-5532

B. call 618-353-1398

C. visit www. bu. edu/housing-dining

D. visit www. bu. edu/fitrec

47. If a parent wants to spend time with his child, he________.

A. can go to the Summer Term office for permission

B. can email to buhssumr@bu. edu after the student leaves campus

C. has to plan the visit and ask the Summer Term office for permission

D. must call the Summer Tern office at 617-353-5532 ahead of time.

48. If a student goes to the Fitness & Recreation Center, he______.

A. needs a Permission Form signed by his parents

B. must buy a membership card

C. can be of any age.

D. should buy tickets first.

 

In Europe, many people make friends between their countries through town twinning. Town or city twinning means two towns in different countries agree and decide to become “twins” with a sister-city relationship.

The people find pen friends in the twin town. They exchange newspapers and stamps. The school teachers discuss teaching methods with the teachers in the twin town. Officials visit the twin town for celebrations. Ordinary people travel to the twin town, too, but not very often if it is far away.

Sometimes, schools even exchange their classes for two or three weeks! For example, German middle school students study for a while at the school in their twin town in Britain, staying with British families. A few months later, their British friends come to study in Germany.

Many British towns are so pleased with the results of the twinning that they set out to find more than one twin town!

Tonbridge, a small town in Kent, for example, has twin towns in both Germany and France. Richmond near London has relationships with Germany, France and even a town in a Balkan(巴尔干半岛的) country!

Town twinning can help make friends. It helps students improve their language skill, and also helps people to understand the differences between nations.

1.Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Town Twinning

B．Friendly Towns

C．Exchanging Teachers and Students

D．Peace and Understanding

2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Twin towns exchange newspapers and stamps.

B．Twin towns exchange business skill.

C．Schools in twin towns exchange classes for a period of time.

D．Ordinary people travel to the twin town.

3.Twin towns develop ____________.

A．between European countries and China

B．in the English-speaking countries only

C．in the same country

D．between different countries

4.How many countries are mentioned in this passage?

A．7

B．6.

C．5

D．4

5.One of the advantages of town twinning is to ________.

A．earn more money

B．set up schools

C．improve students’ language skills

D．develop industry and agriculture

 

Pierre is a 25-year-old penguin at the California Academy of Sciences. Due to his old age, he was going bald, which made him feel too cold to swim in the pool. Therefore, biologists at the academy had a wetsuit created for this penguin to help him get back in the swimming pool.

Unlike marine mammals, which have a layer of fat to keep them warm, penguins depend on their waterproof feathers. Without them, Pierre was unwilling to jump into the swimming pool and ended up trembling on the side of the pool while his 19 peers played in the water.

"He was cold; he would shake," said Pam Schaller, a senior biologist. Schaller first tried a heat lamp to keep Pierre warm. Then she got another idea: if wetsuits keep humans warm in the cold Pacific, why not make one for Pierre?

Schaller designed the suit, which covered Pierre’s body and had small openings for his flippers.

“I would walk behind him and look at where there were any gaps, and cut and refit and cut and refit until it looked like it was extremely suitable,” she said.

One concern was that the other penguins would reject Pierre in his new suit, but in fact, they accepted his new look. He swam freely and got along with others well, although he was the only penguin with a black stomach.

Schaller couldn’t say for sure whether the wetsuit allowed Pierre to recover his fine feathers, but “certainly we were able to keep him comfortable during a period of time that would have been very difficult for him to stay comfortable”.

Pierre will take off his suit after his new feathers grow back.

1.Pierre felt too cold to swim in the pool because of _____.

A. not having a layer of blubber

B. having few feathers due to old age

C. having no wetsuit

D. others penguins rejecting him

2.The idea of making a wetsuit for Pierre came from _____.

A. total invention

B. waterproof feathers

C. the use of wetsuit on humans

D. the use of heat lamp

3.Schaller followed Pierre in order to see _____.

A. whether other penguins would reject him

B. if anywhere of wetsuit needed to be cut and refit

C. if the wetsuit kept warm

D. whether the wetsuit would keep the feathers from recovering

4.The best title of the passage is _____.

A. Wetsuit for An Old Penguin

B. Old Penguin Getting Bald

C. Unwilling to Swim

D. Strange Look of PierreＢ

 

Holidays

Holiday News Vacancies(空位) now and in the school holidays at a country hotel in Devon. This comfortable, friendly home-from-home lies near the beautiful quiet countryside, but just a drive away from the sea. The food is simple but good. Children and pets are welcome. Reduced prices for low season.

 

The snowdonia Centre The Snowdonia Centre for young mountain climbers has a mountain climbing lesson. The beginners’ costs are ￡57 for a week, including food and rooms. Equipment is included except walking shoes, which can be hired at a low cost. You must be in good health and prepared to go through a period of body exercises. This could be the beginning of a lifetime of mountain climbing adventure.

 

The World Sea Trip of a Lifetime Our World Sea Trip of 2008 will be unlike any holiday you have ever been on before. Instead of one hotel after another, with all its packing and unpacking, waiting and traveling, you just go to bed in one country and wake up in another. On board the ship, you will be well taken care of. Every meal will be first-class and every cabin like your home. During the trip, you can rest on deck(甲板), enjoy yourself in the games rooms and in the evening dance to our musical team and watch our wonderful play. You will visit all the places most people only dream about — from Acapulco and Hawaii to Tokoy and Hong Kong. For a few thousand pounds, all you’ve ever hoped for can be yours.

【小题1】What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?

A．Choose the holiday in Devon.	B．Go to the Snowdonia Centre.
C．Join the World Sea Trip of 2008.	D．Visit Acapulco and Hawaii.

【小题2】In what way is the Snowdonia Centre different from the other two holidays?

A．It provides chances of family gatherings.

B．It provides customers with good food.

C．It offers a sports lesson.

D．It offers comfortable rooms.

【小题3】What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2008?

A．You can have free meals on deck every day.

B．You can sleep on a ship and tour many places.

C．You will have chances to watch and act in a play.

D．You have to do your own packing and unpacking.