A couple of years ago, before a trip to China, Nicole Davis and her US women’s volleyball teammates were warned about the prominence (显著、突出) of coach “Jenny” Lang Ping in her native country.

“I was pushed over by Chinese journalists while I was just trying to put my luggage on the bus,” said Davis.

Known as the “Iron Hammer” for her punishing spikes(扣球),Lang made it possible for China to dominate in the sport in the early 1980s. She was a key player on China’s 1984 Olympic gold medal winning team.

When the US team arrived for the Olympics, Lang, 48, who is from Beijing, had to take a different route to avoid a crowd of reporters and fans.

Then came the greatest moment to Lang：While the US team was playing in a packed gym, at least 8,000 Chinese fans unfurled an American flag.

“That really says it all,” Davis said. “They look at her as an icon(偶像)．I’m sure it’s hard for them to see her coaching another country, but they love her so dearly that her success is their success.”

The loyalty of the Chinese fans was tested on Friday, when China lost a match to the US.

“It’s a pity that China lost the match, but I’m still glad that Lang Ping’s team won, since she is the pride of China’s volleyball,” said Liu Chengli, a spectator. “We also cheered for

Lang’s victory.”

Lang said she just tried to stay professional when the two teams meet. “It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team. It’s the same.” Lang said.

Davis said she and her teammates could not have imagined the passion for volleyball among Chinese because the sport was lack of popularity in the US. The reception from Chinese fans has touched the US players, said US volleyball player Lindsey Berg.

“It’s such an honor to be here and play for our coach here in China,” she said. “The amount of support that the Chinese give to her and us has been tremendous. The whole event has been unbelievable.”

What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Staying professional.                           B．Cheering for the Iron Hammer.

C．A match between China and the US.      D．Lang Ping’s career as a coach.

Lang Ping avoided meeting the reporters and fans probably because she ________.

A．was afraid to be questioned about her strategy  B．didn’t want to be paid much attention to

C．disliked to be with her fans                 D．didn’t want to disturb public order

What does the underlined word “unfurled” exactly mean?

A．destroyed completely                           B．tore into pieces

C．spread out to the wind                          D．rolled up

What does Lang Ping mean by saying “It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.”？

A．American Volleyball Team will beat any team.

B．Chinese Volleyball Team is the same as other teams.

C．She just tried to stay professional.   

D．The results of each match will be the same.

What impressed the US team players most?

A．The tolerance of Chinese people.    B．The popularity of volleyball in China.

C．Lang Ping’s coaching skills.        D．The loyalty for volleyball of the Chinese.

In 1977, a dead author of detective stories saved the life of a 19-month-old baby in a most unusual way. The author was Agatha Christie, one of the most successful writers of detective stories in the world.

In June 1977, a baby girl became seriously ill in Qatar, near Saudi Arabia. Doctors were unable to find out the cause of her illness with confidence, so she was sent to Hammersmith Hospital in London. She was then only semi-conscious (半清醒状态) and on the "Dangerously Ill" list. A team of doctors hurried to examine the baby only to discover that they, too, were confused by the very unusual symptoms (症状). While they were discussing the baby's case, a nurse asked to speak to them.

"Excuse me," said Nurse Marsha Maitlan, "but I think the baby is suffering from thallium poisoning. (铊中毒)"

"What makes you think that?" Dr. Brown asked. "Thallium poisoning is extremely rare."

"A few days ago, I was reading a novel called A Pale Horse by Agatha Christie," Nurse Maitlan explained. "In the book, somebody uses thallium poison, and all the symptoms are described. They're exactly the same as the baby's."

"You're very thoughtful and you may be right," another doctor said. "We'll carry out some tests and find out whether it's thallium or not."

Tests showed that the baby had indeed been poisoned by thallium, a rare metallic substance used in making special glass. Once they knew the cause of the illness, the doctors were able to give the baby the correct treatment. She soon recovered and was sent back to Qatar. Later it was reported that the poison might have come from an insecticide (杀虫剂) used in Qatar.

The one who first suggested the correct cause of the baby's illness was _____.

A. a doctor in Qatar               B. Nurse Maitlan

C. Dr. Brown                    D. Agatha Christie

The baby was sent to London because _____.

A. she was born there

B. the hospitals in Qatar were full at that time

C. she was the daughter of a doctor in London

D. the Qatar doctors were not sure whether they could cure her

As far as we can tell from the passage, Agatha Christie _____.

A. had never met this baby

B. had spent a long time studying the baby's case

C. visited the baby in the hospital at Hammersmith

D. gave Nurse Maitlan some advice on the phone

It seems likely from the passage that the baby's illness had something to do with _____.

A. a dangerous pair of glasses

B. the water in Qatar

C. a harmful substance used to kill insects

D. a dead writer

When the baby was sent to the hospital in London, her case was considered to be _____.

A. an urgent one               B. quite a simple one

C. a usual one                 D. the result of thallium poisoning

An epic^① love story, set against the sweeping landscapes of Wyoming and Texas, that tells the story of two young men — a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy — who meet in the summer of 1963 while driving cattle on a mountain range. They unexpectedly develop a lifelong connection, one whose complications^②, joys and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love.

Production Status: Released Genres: Drama, Romance and Western Running Time: 2 hrs. 14 min. Release Date: December 9th, 2005 (NY/LA/SF) MPAA Rating: R for sexuality, language and some violence. Production Co.: Focus Features, River Road Entertainment Studios: Universal Pictures Filming Locations: Calgary, Canada Produced in: United States Cast and Credits Starring: Linda Cardellini, Kate Mara, Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams Directed by: Ang Lee  Produced by: Michael Costigan, Michael Hausman, Larry McMurtry  Actors Linda Cardellini  Cassie Cartwright Jake Gyllenhaal  Jack Twist Heath Ledger  Ennis Del Mar Michelle Williams  Alma Anne Hathaway  Lureen Randy Quaid  Joe Aguirre

Writers Larry McMurtry  Screenplay (Adaptation) Diana Ossana  Screenplay (Adaptation) E. Annie Proulx  Source Material (from short story: “Brokeback Mountain”) Diana Ossana  Screenwriter Show times (on Jan. 25) Embarcadero 1 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA, 94111 12:00, 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 3:30, 5:30, 6:30, 7:00, 8:30, 9:30, 10:00 BAM Rose Cinemas 30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11217 4:15, 7:00, 9:45 Pacific’s The Grove Stadium 14 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90036 1:25 Loews Dupont Circle 5 1350 19th St. NW, Washington, DC, 20036 (2:00), (3:00), (5:00), 6:00, 8:00, 9:00

Notes:

epic  adj. 英雄的

complication  n. 复杂化

According to the passage, Brokeback Mountain is mainly about ______.

A. language study      B. love     C. violence     D. funny story

The film Brokeback Mountain is mainly from short story by ______.

A. Ang Lee     B. Michelle Williams      C. Diana Ossana     D. E. Annie Proulx

According to the passage, the natural sights in Brokeback Mountain was filmed in ______.

A. America     B. Canada      C. China     D. Mexico

If you live in New York on Jan. 25, you’d better enjoy the film in ______.

A. Loews Dupont Circle 5           B. Pacific’s The Grove Stadium 14

C. Embarcadero                   D. BAM Rose Cinemas

A traveler hurried down to the hall of an American hotel and went to the cash-desk. He had just 15 minutes to pay his bill and get to the station. Suddenly he remembered that he had left something in his room.

   "Look here, boy," he said to the bellboy, "run up to my room and see if I have left a parcel on the table there. Be quick about it."

   The boy ran upstairs. Five minutes passed. The traveler was walking up and down the hall, looking very angry. At last the boy appeared.

   "Yes, sir," he reported to the traveler," you have left the parcel there, it's right on the table in your room."

The traveler _______.

A. ran down the street        

B. came downstairs hurriedly

    C. ran so quickly that he fell down

    D. came into the hotel hall very quickly

Which statement is true?

    A. He had to pay his bill and arrived at the station in 15 minutes .

    B. It took him 15 minutes to go to the station from the hotel.

    C. He could pay his bill in 15 minutes and then go to the station .

    D. He had nothing but 15 minutes.

According to the passage, a bellboy is _____.

    A. a boy whose work is to ring the bell

    B. a boy who plays with a bell

    C. a boy whose work in a hotel is to help guests with their bags

    D. the hotel owner's boy

The traveler asked the boy _____ .

A. to go upstairs             

B. to look for his parcel

    C. to fetch the parcel he had left in his room

    D. only to see if the parcel was on the table in his room

Five minutes later, the boy ______ .

A. ran up to the room         

B. came downstairs

    C. reported to the traveler in the room

D. came down to the hall but brought nothing back

Thanksgiving Day is special holiday in the United States and Canada. Families and friends gather to eat and give thanks for their blessing.

Thanksgiving Day is really a harvest festival. This is why it is celebrated in late fall, after the crops are in. But one of the first thanksgivings in America had nothing to do with a good harvest. On December 4, 1619, the Pilgrims from England landed near what is now Charles City, Virginia. They knelt down and thanked God for their safe journey across the Atlantic.

The first New England Thanksgiving did celebrate a rich harvest. The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. They had a difficult time and the first winter was cruel. Many of the Pilgrims died. But the next year, they had a good harvest. So Governor Bradford declared a three-day feast（盛宴）. The Pilgrims invited Indian friends to join them for their special feast. Everyone brought food.In time, other colonies（殖民地）began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day. During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do something about it. He proclaimed（宣布）the last Thursday of November 1863 as a day of thanksgiving. Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth Thursday in November. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as their American neighbours. But the Canadian thanks-giving Day falls on the second Monday in October.

1. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated      .

  A. in spring              B. summer   C. in autumn             D. in winter

2. The first to celebrate thanksgiving were      .

  A. some people from England   B. the American Indians

  C. Sarah Josepha Hale         D. Governor Bradford

3. We can infer from the passage that New England must be      .

  A. in the U. S. A.  B. in Great Britain

  C. in Canada   D. on some island off the Atlantic

4. Which of the following is NOT true?

  A. Thanksgiving Day used to be a holiday to celebrate a good harvest.

  B. Abraham Lincoln was not the first to decide on thanksgiving celebrations.

  C. Thanksgiving Day is celebrated to express the American and Indian people’s thanks to God.

  D. There’s little difference between the American way and the Canadian way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.

5. The passage mainly tells us      .

  A. how Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the U. S. A.

  B. how Thanksgiving Day came into being and the different ways it is celebrated

  C. that Thanksgiving Day is in fact a harvest holiday

  D. how the way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day changed with the time and places