S. H. E. is going to sing at the CCTV annual Spring Festival Evening Party, “Is that true?” cried out Peng Weiye, a Senior 2 girl and S. H. E. fan in Shanghai.

After checking it on the Internet, Peng quickly phoned friends to spread the news. For fans like her, S. H. E.’s performance is perhaps the only part of the old fashioned evening to get excited about.

The Taiwanese band is made up of Selina, Hebe and Ella. Their name comes from the first letter of each of the singers’ English names.

Last week S. H. E. announced they would perform in Las Vegas, US, over Christmas and then in Guangzhou on January 15.

At their Shanghai show on October 30, hundreds of parents waited outside the Hongkou Stadium. Inside, thousands of teenagers sang, cried and shouted as the band performed.

“I love their music, healthy image and everything related to them. Thank God that, although my parents don’t understand why I love them so much, they still bought me a ticket for that show,” said Peng about the Shanghai performance.

It is not just on the mainland that the three girls have thrilled (make sb. excited) audiences. In the past year the band has passed through Taiwan, Hong Kong and even Singapore and Malaysia.

When the three high school girls entered a singing contest in Taiwan in 2000, none of them ever dreamed of being a superstar. “We had never met before, and we didn’t talk at all at the beginning,” recalled Ella.

When asked about the secret of their success, she said, “Our average looks and not-so-expensive clothes keep us close to our fans. We are happy to be the girl next door, your singing sisters.”

“It’s really a magical journey, from day-dreaming high school girls to singers performing on the same stage as our idols. Nothing but magical,” she said.

56. What makes Peng Weiye, a senior 2 girl, so excited?

A. She is the one who will be met by S. H. E.

B. S. H. E. will perform in Las Vegas over Christmas.

C. Her parents bought her a ticket for S. H. E.’s Shanghai show.

D. S. H. E. will perform on the annual CCTV Spring Festival Evening.

57. How did the Taiwanese band get the name?

A. Their fans gave the name to them.

B. Their idols had a deep influence on them.

C. A singing contest gave their idea of the band name.

D. The first letter of each of the singers’ English names make up the band name.

58. What do you know about Peng Weiye?

A. She stayed outside the Hongkou Stadium to listen to S. H. E.

B. She will watch the performance in Guangzhou on January 15.

C. She pays close attention to everything about S. H. E.

D. She appreciates that her parents understood her well.

59. What does the underline phrase “average looks” in Paragraph 9 mean?

A. They look beautiful.

B. They look ugly.

C. They look ordinary.

D. They look special.

60. Which is true about S. H. E.?

A. They caused a storm of excitement in Southeast Asia.

B. They have well prepared to perform with their idols.

C. They were close friends when they entered a singing contest.

D. Their secret to success is the pretty faces and expensive clothes.

During my elementary school years，I used to compare my mom with my best friend  Tiffany’s mom.
Tiffany’s mom always gave her lots of money to buy the most fashionable clothes and favorite food.Her morn allowed her to do anything she liked.I really admired Tiffany.My mom didn’t give me much pocket money and she always told me that I should behave my self.1 was annoyed with her.
Whenever I didn’t get what 1 wanted，1 would complain to my mom，Tiffany’s mom would give her that!1 wish she were my mom.”Every time，my mom would calmly say “Poor Tiffany”.
I couldn’t understand her.“She shouldn’t be feeling sorry for Tiffany!”I thought.“She should be feeling sorry for me.”
One day，I couldn’t help saying to Morn，”Poor Tiffany？Lucky Tiffany! She gets everything she wants! Why do you feel sorry for her？”I burst into tears.
My mom sat down next to me and said softly , “Yes，I do feel sorry for her.I have been teaching you a lesson that she will never be taught.”
I looked up at her.“What are you talking about？”
Mom said with care，“One day she will really want something.Maybe she’11 find out that she can’t have it.Her mother won’t always be around to give her money，and what’s more，money can’t buy everything.”
She continued，“I have taught you valuable lessons by not giving you everything you want.You’11 know how to look for bargains and save money，but she won’t.You’11 under stand that you need to work hard to get the things that you want but she won’t.When Tiffany is a grown woman，she’11 wake up one day and she will be wishing that she had a mom like the one you’ve got.Life lessons are more important than modern clothes and delicious food.’’
It took some time，but I eventually understood my mom’s words.Now I am a happy and successful woman.

1. 1.

   During the author’s elementary school years，she       .

   1. A.
      wished that her mom were as good as Tiffany’s
   2. B.
      went to school with Tiffany every day
   3. C.
      usually compared her lesson with Tiffany’s
   4. D.
      sometimes gave lots of money to Tiffany
2. 2.

   Why did the author’s mom always say “Poor Tiffany”？

   1. A.
      She felt sorry for Tiffany because Tiffany was poor.
   2. B.
      She wanted to tell a lie to comfort the author.
   3. C.
      She thought that Tiffany was spoiled by her mother.
   4. D.
      She told the author this and wanted her to help Tiffany.
3. 3.

   What do we learn about the author’s mother？

   1. A.
      She was strict and taught the author to be independent.
   2. B.
      She cared for other people’s children more than her own.
   3. C.
      She thought that life lessons were as important as money.
   4. D.
      She was so poor that she couldn’t give the author much money.
4. 4.

   What can we infer from the passage？

   1. A.
      The author was quite annoyed with her mother in the past.
   2. B.
      The author’s mother felt sorry for Tiffany.
   3. C.
      Tiffany’s mother took the author’s mother’s advice.
   4. D.
      The author is thankful to her mother now.

With the introduction of family planning policies in the 1970s, most Chinese teenagers have no brothers or sisters.They get to be the beloved(心爱的)1child.But they may not realize that they will have to “2”the love as their3ones grow old.They will have to4lots of old people—their parents, grandparents, their5parents and grandparents.China is being6country.
According to the United Nations, an aging society refers to one710 percent or more of the population is over 60, or 7 percent or more is over 65. According to8from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, by 2008, Chinese over 60 years old made up 12 percent of the nation’s total population. The 9for those aged 65 or older was 8.3 percent.
In China, people have a belief that “parents raise children; then the children care for the parents as they get old”.But this10is under stress as the market ey puts millions of young Chinese on the road11better paying jobs.They are leaving their parents12.Now many families are looking more to the government than to their13for support when they’re old.China has increased its basic social security(基本社会保险)plan which is14protecting those15, including the old, the disabled and others.These programs are now broad,16they are still not highly developed.
As more people grow17, China will have fewer working people,18will slow down economic growth. According to a November 26 report in the Economic Information Daily, an expert said China should19its people to have more than one child in the future20China should keep its labor population and total population size stable(稳定的).

1. 1.
   1. A.
      only
   2. B.
      lonely
   3. C.
      friendly
   4. D.
      heartily
2. 2.
   1. A.
      take up
   2. B.
      take back
   3. C.
      pay back
   4. D.
      pay for
3. 3.
   1. A.
      hated
   2. B.
      loved
   3. C.
      tired
   4. D.
      hearted
4. 4.
   1. A.
      care for
   2. B.
      bring up
   3. C.
      look for
   4. D.
      pay attention to
5. 5.
   1. A.
      daughter’s or son’s
   2. B.
      niece’s or nephew’s
   3. C.
      wife’s or husband’s
   4. D.
      aunt’s or uncle’s
6. 6.
   1. A.
      an old
   2. B.
      an aging
   3. C.
      a developing
   4. D.
      a developed
7. 7.
   1. A.
      where
   2. B.
      when
   3. C.
      which
   4. D.
      that
8. 8.
   1. A.
      an article
   2. B.
      an email
   3. C.
      a magazine
   4. D.
      a report
9. 9.
   1. A.
      conclusion
   2. B.
      character
   3. C.
      figure
   4. D.
      survey
10. 10.
    1. A.
       tradition
    2. B.
       opinion
    3. C.
       saying
    4. D.
       way
11. 11.
    1. A.
       in favor of
    2. B.
       in search of
    3. C.
       in the way of
    4. D.
       in the face of
12. 12.
    1. A.
       out
    2. B.
       off
    3. C.
       ahead
    4. D.
       behind
13. 13.
    1. A.
       friends
    2. B.
       relatives
    3. C.
       parents
    4. D.
       children
14. 14.
    1. A.
       an act
    2. B.
       a case
    3. C.
       a program
    4. D.
       a plan
15. 15.
    1. A.
       in danger
    2. B.
       in need
    3. C.
       in desperate
    4. D.
       in disaster
16. 16.
    1. A.
       but
    2. B.
       or
    3. C.
       and
    4. D.
       so
17. 17.
    1. A.
       strong
    2. B.
       realistic
    3. C.
       rich
    4. D.
       old
18. 18.
    1. A.
       as
    2. B.
       which
    3. C.
       what
    4. D.
       that
19. 19.
    1. A.
       forbid
    2. B.
       promise
    3. C.
       encourage
    4. D.
       order
20. 20.
    1. A.
       so that
    2. B.
       though
    3. C.
       even if
    4. D.
       because