Cole Bettles had been rejected by a number of universities when he received an e-mail from the University of California, San Diego, last month, congratulating him on his admission and inviting him to tour the campus. His mother booked a hotel in San Diego, and the 18-year-old Ojai high school senior arranged for his grandfather, uncle and other family members to meet them at the campus for lunch during the Saturday tour.
“They were like ‘Oh my God, that’s so awesome （棒的）’， ” Bettles said. Right before he got in bed, he checked his e-mail one last time and found another message saying the school had made a mistake and his application had been denied.
In fact, all 28, 000 students turned away from UC San Diego, in one of the toughest college entrance seasons on record, had received the same incorrect message. The students’ hopes had been raised and then dashed （破灭） in a cruel twist that shows the danger of instant communications in the Internet age.
UCSD admissions director Mae Brown called it an “administrative error” but refused to say who had made the mistake, or if those responsible would be disciplined （受训）。
The e-mail, which began, “We’re thrilled that you’ve been admitted to UC San Diego, and we’re showcasing （展示） our beautiful campus on Admit Day, ” was sent to the full 46, 000 students who had applied, instead of just the 18, 000 who got in, Brown said.
The error was discovered almost immediately by her staff, who sent an apology within hours.
“It was really thrilling for a few hours; now he’s crushed （压垮）， ” said Cole’s mother, Tracy Bettles. “It’s really tough on them.”
The admissions director said she was in the office on Monday until midnight answering e-mails and phone calls from disappointed students and their parents. She said she took full responsibility for the error. “We accessed the wrong database. We recognize the incredible pain receiving this false encouragement caused. It was not our intent.”
【小题1】How many students received an admission e-mail from the University of California, San Diego （UCSD）？
A. 18, 000     B. 28, 000   C. 46, 000    D. 18
【小题2】 Which of the following statements is TRUE about the wrong e-mail message?

A．The mistake was made on purpose to cause pain among the applicants.

B．It was UCSD admissions director Mae Brown who made the mistake.

C．UCSD admissions staff got information from the wrong database.

D．Staff did not discover the mistake until next Monday.

【小题3】The admissions director Mae Brown did what she could to __________.

A．protect the person who made the mistake

B．punish herself for the mistake

C．make up for the mistake

D．help the disappointed students enter the university

【小题4】What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Cole Bettles was admitted to the UCSD.
B. Cole Bettles was rejected y a famous university.
C. USCD admissions office often makes “administration errors”。
D. False admission information raised the students’ hopes and then dashed them.

Authorities in Shanghai said Thursday night that another person has died from H7N9 bird flu, bringing the death toll to five around the country. The city has reported six infections (感染) to date, and four have died, said the Shanghai Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission. Of the rest two, there was a four-year-old, the agency said. The baby was recovering from mild illness, it added. The person died at Huashan Hospital on Wednesday and was confirmed infected with the H7N9 bird flu on Thursday.
Also on Thursday, the commission reported the city's third death from the H7N9 bird flu. The case involved a 48-year-old man surnamed Chu, a poultry (家禽) transporter from Rugao in neighboring Jiangsu Province. He developed symptoms(症状) of cough on March 28. After having a fever on Monday, he went to a private clinic for treatment. The man then sought help in the Tongji Hospital in Shanghai in the early hours of Wednesday after his condition worsened. Chu died three hours after being admitted to the hospital. He was confirmed infected with the H7N9 virus on Thursday. Eight people who had close contact with him have shown no abnormal symptoms.
So far, China has confirmed 14 H7N9 cases -- six in Shanghai, four in Jiangsu, three in Zhejiang and one in Anhui, in the first known human infections of the lesser-known type of bird flu. Of all, four died in Shanghai and one died in Zhejiang. China's Ministry of Agriculture said Thursday the H7N9 avian flu virus has been detected from pigeon (鸽子) samples collected at a marketplace in Songjiang District of Shanghai.
After gene sequence analysis, the national avian flu reference laboratory concluded that the H7N9 virus found on pigeons was highly congenetic with those found on persons infected with H7N9 virus. China's health authorities have promised transparency(透明) and cooperation (合作) to the World Health Organization in regards to human infections of the new type of bird flu. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that no human-to-human transmission of H7N9 has been discovered.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “confirmed” probably mean?

A．said

B．doubted

C．proved

D．made

【小题2】What does the news report mainly about?

A．How many people died of H7N9 bird flu

B．How the development of the H7N9 bird flu vaccine (疫苗) is going on

C．What measures the government has taken to stop the spreading of H7N9

D．The new outbreak of the H7N9 bird flu

【小题3】Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the news report?

A．H7N9 bird flu has killed four people in Shanghai and one in Zhejiang.

B．H7N9 virus is not one that spreads from human to human

C．So far, China has confirmed 14 deaths from the H7N9 bird flu

D．The government agreed to cooperate with WHO in regards to the H7N9

【小题4】What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A．Chu, a poultry transporter is the city’s third death from the H7N9 bird flu

B．Chu developed symptoms of cough and a fever

C．Chu died three hours after being admitted to a private clinic

D．Eight people who had close contact with him haven’t been infected with H7N9

Your House Will Take Care of You In Old Age
Have you ever thought what your life would be like in old age? Everyone talks about the “aging” society with large numbers of elderly people needing home care. Now German researchers have set up a “smart” house, programmed to help the elderly live at home with dignity. Scientists at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute say the house combines existing technology with future-oriented technology.
For example, the “smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror that can remind people to take their medicine, wash their hands or brush their teeth. The hardware behind Fraunhofer’s electronic bathroom is not new, and the software runs on a regular personal computer.
When the medicine cabinet is opened, a display in the middle of the mirror tells the person how many pills to take. The mirror is linked to a care provider, who can remotely check whether a patient at home is actually taking medicine and brushing his or her teeth. As many elderly people have arthritic(关节炎的) conditions that make it difficult to operate water taps, the mirror also has displays that turn the water tap on or off or control the water temperature.
The bathroom is only the start. Kitchens, bedrooms and all other parts of the “intelligent” home will become “user-friendly” to meet all kinds of individual needs. Sensors in doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets detect every activity and record them electronically. Doctors or care staff can see from the computer records what personal hygiene tasks have been completed, how often the elderly person visits the bathroom or uses the toilet. In case of an emergency, the computer automatically alerts the chosen contact person or calls the care center.
【小题1】 The ‘smart” bathroom has a touch screen mirror ________.

A．that can help the elderly brush their teeth	B．which is linked to a nursing house
C．behind which is a medicine cabinet	D．that can remind people to do many things

【小题2】 The underlined word “them” in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A．every activity

B．doors, toilets, taps, light switches and carpets

C．individual needs

D．sensors

【小题3】The house mentioned in the passage can be described as _________.

A．smart but expensive	B．intelligent and convenient
C．smart and environmentally-friendly	D．fashionable and energy-saving

【小题4】 How is the passage mainly developed?

A．By inferring

B．By listing examples.

C．By comparing.

D．By introducing a practical method.

【小题5】The author of the text mainly _________.

A．calls on people to care for the old	B．encourages the old to live with dignity
C．introduces a new house	D．promotes a new house

Misery and setbacks are not always as terrible as one imagines. Hard times can offer new ways of looking at life that would otherwise never be known. And, if you are a writer, this can be the source of much of your success.
Popular British author, Charles Dickens' （1812-1870）family could hardly make ends meet. They could only afford to send one of their six children to school. Dickens was not that child. His parents chose to send a daughter, who had a talent for music, to an academy. Then at the age of 12, Dickens' life took another turn for the worse.
His father, a clerk, was placed in prison for unpaid debts. And, being the oldest male left at home, Dickens took up work at a factory. His horrible experience there became the fuel for his future writing. His father was freed three months later and inherited a small amount of money. Dickens was then sent to school.
From 1836 to 1837, he wrote a monthly series of stories. Thus the Pickwick Papers, came into being, which brought fame to the 23-year-old man.
Throughout his career, Dickens covers various situations in his novels. He wrote about the miserable lives of the poor in Oliver Twist, the French Revolution in Tale of Two Cities, and social reform in Hard Times. He also wrote David Copperfield, a book thought to be modeled on his own life.
“I do not write bitterly or angrily: for I know all these things have worked together to make me what I am,” he once said. His difficult childhood did indeed shape the person he became, as well as his writing career. There are shades of young Dickens in many of his most beloved characters, including David Copperfield and Oliver Twist.
Like the author, all these characters come from poor beginnings and are able to rise above their setbacks and achieve success. “Minds, like bodies, will often fall into an ill-conditioned state from too much comfort,” he once wrote. On June 9th, 1870, aged 58, Dickens died, leaving one unfinished work．The words on his tombstone read: “He was a sympathizer to the poor, the suffering and the oppressed, and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world.”
【小题1】The book that first called public attention to Dickens was ______.

A．the Pickwick Papers	B．Oliver Twist
C．Tale of Two Cities	D．David Copperfield

【小题2】The phrase “shades of” in bold means “_____”.

A．various shapes of	B．situations of
C．different experiences of	D．reminders of

【小题3】How did Dickens see his childhood?

A．He felt grateful for it．

B．He felt it a pity that things weren’t in his favor．

C．He loved writing about it．

D．He chose to forget the bitterness about it．

【小题4】From the story, we can see Dickens’ attitude towards an easy life is ______．

A．to enjoy it	B．to hate it
C．not to abandon yourself to it	D．to work hard for it

Safety and Security Procedures
Your safety and the security of your personal property are of the primary concern to those of us who welcome you as our guest. We urge you to take advantage of the following suggestions.
YOUR VEHICLE（交通工具）
Lock it and don’t leave money or valuable items inside. We are not responsible for their loss.
TRAVELING
Be good at noticing things around you when sightseeing or traveling. Stay in well-lit and heavily traveled areas. Don’t display large amounts of cash.
GUEST ROOM SECURITY
For additional security use the deadbolt (插锁) provided on your door and make sure the windows are locked. As an additional precautious measure, please secure the secondary locks provided. Do not admit anyone to your room without first making identification（身份鉴定）. A one-way viewer is provided in your door to assist with identification. If there is any doubt about the person’s identity, please contact the Front Desk.
SAFETY BOXES
Do not leave money or valuables in your room or vehicle. We provide free safety boxes for your use. Hotel is not responsible for items left in the room valued over $200.
KEYS
Safeguard your key. Please do not leave it in the door. Do not give your key to others or leave it unattended. Please leave your key at the Front Desk when you check out.
REPORTING
Please report any suspicious activity, or safety concerns to management.
FIRE
Please familiarize yourself with the nearest fire exits. Report fire or smoke to the hotel guard. In the unlikely event of a fire, please move quickly and calmly to the nearest safe exit and leave the building. Avoid the use of elevator.
【小题1】The suggestions are most probably from ______.

A．a hotel manager	B．a police officer
C．an experienced traveler	D．a tour guide

【小题2】Which of the following is TRUE?

A．It is advised to travel to places where there are few people.

B．The hotel is not responsible for anything you lose.

C．Don’t report to the manager unless you are sure something is going wrong.

D．You’d better use the deadbolt and the secondary locks for safety.

【小题3】If you feel doubtful about a stranger who knocks at the door, you should _____.

A．let the person in after you have got his/her name

B．open the door to check the person’s ID card

C．call the Front Desk to make sure

D．contact the local police for assistance