I posted the letter some time _____ the week .

      A. in                B. during       C. throughout  D. within

Western New Bridge Library Announcement

To attend the annual Children’s Gathering, one has to _____.

   A. buy a ticket                    B. apply in advance

   C. make a reservation              D. contact the call-down service

According to the passage, Enzo Monfre will ______.

   A. show the children around a zoo 

   B. tell stories to children over seven

   C. be present at the science show in person

   D. lead the children to the Ellen DeGeneres Show

We can learn from the passage that children can ______.

   A. attend all the activities with their parents

   B. borrow some relevant books for the activities.

   C. participate in the activities form 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

   D. choose only one of the activities according to their interest

The Worst Part

Mom is usually home on Sunday but this week she was going to a big golf game and I was all alone in the house. I was mad at Mom for divorcing Dad.

I kept looking at the telephone until I couldn’t stand it any longer. I picked up the receiver and dialed Dad’s number over in Bakersfield. I even remembered to dial I first because it was long distance. “You promised to phone me this week but you didn’t,” I said, feeling I had to talk to him.

“Take it easy, kid,” he said. “I just didn’t get around to it. I was going to call this evening. The week isn’t over yet.”

I thought about that.

“Something on your mind?” he asked.

“I hoped you would call, so I waited and waited.” Then I was sorry I said it.

“There was heavy snow in the morning,” he said, “I had to chain up on highway 80 and lost time.”

I know putting chains on eight big wheels in the snow is no fun. I felt a little better, as long as we were talking. “How is Bandit?” I asked.

There was a funny silence. For a minute I thought the line was dead. Then I knew something must have happened to my dog.

“Well, kid—”, he began. “My name is Leigh!” I almost yelled. “I’m not just some kid you met on the street!”

“Keep your shirt on, Leigh,” he said. “When I had to stop along with some other truckers to put on chains, I left Bandit out of the cab, I thought he would get back … I have sent out a call to CB radio, but I didn’t get an answer yet.” I was about to say I understood when there came the bad part, the really bad part. I heard a boy’s voice say, “Hey, Bill, Mom wants to know when we’re going out to get the pizza?”

From the story we know that _______.

A. Leigh’s dad never had a rest on Sundays       B. Leigh was a deserted boy

C. Leigh’s dad lived in another city             D. Leigh’s mother often went to golf games

What happened to Bandit?

A. It was frozen to death.      B. It was let out of the cab and got lost

C. It was killed by a truck.    D. It ran off Highway 80 and into the mountain.

The underlined sentence “Keep your shirt on” probably means “_______”.

A. Listen to reason   B. Stop talking   C. Calm down         D. Keep warm

In Leigh’s eye, “the worst part” may be that ________.

A. his dad got remarried              B. his parents got divorced

C. his dad didn’t love him     D. his mom didn’t take him to pizza

The Friday after the American holiday of Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. It’s said that it’s the day that store ledgers(分类账)move into the black and companies become profitable（有利可图的，有益的）. On that day, retailers（零售商）slash prices to get consumers to buy.  It is also a time when many Americans start their Christmas shopping. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee tells us how the economy may affect consumers on that bargain day.

 “It’s just the deals, the sales and everything you can get for a lesser（较少的，较小的）price,” said Sandy Thomas, a shopper. But it’s a nightmare（噩梦）for others. “I think it’s crazy. I’ve done all of my shopping throughout the week so I don’t have to go out on Friday,” she said. It’s called Black Friday, the start of the traditional Christmas shopping season in the United States. Every year it’s the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. Stores open before sunrise and there are deep discounts everywhere you look.

While the lead up to Christmas is known as the season of giving, Black Friday can get ugly.

Last year a crowd of bargain-hunters killed a Wal-mart（沃尔玛公司）worker in a New York suburb. This year, many stores are increasing security while they slash prices. “This is a huge time for the retail stores,” said Fred Joutz from George Washington University. “This is when they begin making their profits for the year.”

Economics professor Fred Joutz says how Americans spend the weekend after Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.

With the unemployment rate above 10 percent, Joutz says Americans are saving more and spending less. “Credit is still strictly controlled whether through credit cards or through borrowing from banks,” he said. Some retailers are attracting consumers by opening on Thanksgiving Day, when shops are traditionally closed.  Other stores open their doors anywhere from midnight to four in the morning.

And shoppers will be lining up in front of the doors in order to be one of the first ones to walk through and get a big discount. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually the first items to go. Sandy Thomas says it’s an annual family tradition and well worth it. “I just save maybe half of what I would have spent on a regular, you know, shopping trip,” she said.

Economists say U.S. consumers will spend money this Black Friday, but they will spend it more carefully.     

1. The underlined word “slash” in the first paragraph probably means _________.

 A. reduce         B. raise         C. increase        D. change

2.The sentence “This day should be a shopper’s dream.” should be placed between ________.

 A. paragraph two and paragraph three        B. paragraph one and paragraph two

 C. paragraph three and paragraph four      D. paragraph five and paragraph six

3.Why are many stores increasing security according to the passage?

 A. Because there are too many people saving more and spending less.

 B. Because it’s a time when they begin making their profits for the year.

 C. Because last year a crowd of bargain-hunters caused an accident.

 D. Because many stores open their doors from midnight to four a.m.

4.What can we learn from the passage?

 A. Christmas shopping is traditional time and this year it is no exception.

 B. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually least discounted.

 C. The economy only affects consumers on that bargain day.

 D. Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.

How would you like an easy way to earn 2,500 dollars? All you have to do is to sit around and wait for your meals．There’s catch, however．You have to stay in a chicken cage with a stranger for a whole week．There are no books or television or radio for amusement．You can’t leave until the week is up．And a camera will be recording your every move．

Two people actually took the job．The idea came from Rob Thompson, a video artist．He wanted to make a film about the way animals are treated．His goal was to raise people’s awareness of the living conditions of animals that are raised for food．He decided to pay $ 5000 out of his own savings to two people who were willing to lie like chicken for a week．

To Rob’s surprise, quite a few people answered his advertisement．He had interviews and selected Eric, a 24-year-old restaurant worker, and Pam, a 27-year-old chemist．The plan was for them to spend seven days together in a chicken cage that was six feet long and three feet wide．A camera would record their experience, which would take place in an art museum．

The week was long and difficult．They slept on a hard wooden floor．They couldn’t stand up without banging（重击）their heads．They ate vegetarian mash（土豆泥）and drank water from a garden hosepipe（水龙头软管）．Their only privacy was a toilet surrounded by a curtain．There were no sinks, mirrors, or toothbrushes in the cage．Their only inspiration was the two framed checks that hung on the wall outside the cage．Visitors who came here were warned, “Do not food the humans．”

Finally it was over, Pam and Eric emerged from their cage．They had survived the week, and they each had a $2,500 check in their hands．When Rob Thompson opened the cage, Eric came out, changed into clean clothes, and ate a chocolate bar right away．“It’s great to be able to stand up,” he said．Pam just changed her clothes and left．After a week of visitors and reporters watching her, she didn’t want to talk to anyone．

What kind of person is Rob Thompson?

       A．He is curious about people’s personal life．

       B．He is kind-hearted to animals．

       C．He hates people around．      

       D．He likes to help poor people．

What made it most difficult for the two to stay in the cage?

       A．They didn’t know each other．     

       B．They couldn’t lie down to sleep in the cage．

       C．They didn’t have meat to eat．     

       D．They had to do almost everything under others’ eyes．

Rob offered the money because he wanted________．

       A．to see if there were any people who would like to live in a cage

       B．to show the public how bitter animals’ life could be

       C．to make more money by publishing the recorded video tapes

       D．to improve housing conditions of working people like Eric

Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

       A．Easy Way to Earn $ 2 500．          B．Do Not Feed the Humans．

       C．Living Like a Chicken．                D．Getting Along Well Anyway．