Chinese mainland's star-making reality TV show "Happy Boy" will not be open to male applicants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau or other foreign cities, said the country's top TV industry committee yesterday.

Happy Boy is the male version of Super Girl, which is regarded as the Chinese version of American Idol. The girl's event, operated by central China's Hunan TV, drew an audience of 400 million for the final match in 2005. The country's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television approved the male version earlier this month. However, the regulation that only mainland's male applicants are allowed to register was released just days before the application procedure began on Wednesday in Changsha, one of the five mainland cities to hold the contest. The other four includes Chengdu and three undecided cities.

The regulation spoiled Hunan TV's ambition to extend the series to the overseas market, an official with the TV station told the Hunan-based Xiaoxiang Morning yesterday. "My Hero," another star-making reality show by Shanghai's SMG Dragon TV, said it was not informed of the regulation, and it is still receiving foreign applicants, said an official with Dragon TV. A previous regulation by the administration has made clear that televised talent shows can't run for more than six weeks at a time. While the first "Happy Boy" may last for five months, according to a previous report.

Last year there were about 10 influential star-making TV shows across the country, among which those from CCTV, Hunan Satellite TV and SMG's Dragon TV, were the most popular. "Super Girl" ran for almost five months and "My Hero" lasted four months. While the shows have proven popular, they have also earned many complaints from people who say they are crude and not satisfactory.

1. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

A. Male applicants from Hong Kong won’t be accepted to attend Happy Boy show.

B. It was Hunan TV that made the regulation that they couldn’t accept foreign applicants.

C. American Idol was started earlier than Super Girl.

D. Audience love American Idol better than Happy Boy.

2. Which of the following may best explain the underlined word spoiled in paragraph 3?

A. prevented         B. gave         C. encouraged          D. affected

3. We can safely draw the conclusion that ________.

A. Hunan TV will obey the regulations issued by the administration.

B. not all of the audience think highly of the shows.

C. there were about 10 popular TV shows across the country.

D. Dragon TV broke the regulations on purpose.

4. The relationship between State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and Hunan TV is possibly close to _______.

A. teacher and student                      B. coach and sportsmen

C. father and son                                D. police and criminal

 

IS THERE LIFE ON EARTH?

There was great excitement on the planet of Venus(金星) this week. For the first time Venusian scientists managed to land a satellite on the planet Earth, and it has been sending back signals as well as photographs ever since.?

The satellite was directed into an area known as Manhattan (named after the great Venusian astronomer Prof. Manhattan, who first discovered it with his telescope 20 000 light years ago).Because of excellent weather conditions and extremely strong signals, Venusian scientists were able to get valuable information as to feasibility(可行性) of a manned flying saucer(飞碟) landing on Earth.A press conference was held at the Venus Institute of Technology.?

“We have come to the conclusion,based on last week's satellite landing,” Pro. Zog said,“that there is no life on the Earth.”?

“How do you know this?” the science reporter of the Venus Evening Star asked. ?

“For one thing, Earth's surface in the area of Manhattan is composed of solid concrete(混凝土)and nothing can grow there. For another, the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide(一氧化碳) and other deadly gases and nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive.”?

“What does this mean as far as our flying saucer program is concerned?”?

“We shall have to take our own oxygen with us, which means a much heavier flying saucer than we originally planned. ”

“Are there any other hazards that you discovered in your studies?”?

“Take a look at this photo. You see this dark cloud floating over the surface of Earth? We call this the Consolidated Edison Belt. We don't know what it is made of, but it could give us a lot of trouble and we shall have to make further tests before we send a Venus Being there.”?

“If what you say is true, won't this set back the flying saucer program several years?”?

“Yes, but we shall proceed as soon as the Grubstart gives us the added funds.”?

“Prof. Zog, why are we spending billions and billions of zilches to land a flying saucer on Earth when there is no life there?”?

“Because if we Venusians can learn to breathe in an Earth atmosphere, then we can live anywhere.”

During the week of great excitement the Venusian scientists succeeded in getting important information on whether they can_______.

A. land a satellite with Venus astronauts on Earth

B. make a first?rate flying saucer?

C. get a Earth Being to Venus

D. direct a flying saucer into Manhattan?

According to Prof.Zog,the Venusians will have to take their own oxygen with them when they carry out their flying saucer program because_______.?

A. they need it on their way to the planet of Earth?

B. the Earth's atmosphere is filled with deadly gases?

C. oxygen is far from enough in the area of Manhattan where the saucer is to land?

D. there is no air on the planet of Earth?

The “dark black cloud” on the photograph refers to_______.?

A. the polluted air floating over the surface of Earth?

B. the mass of tiny drops of water floating above Earth?

C. the things that are unknown to everybody?

D. the dark clouds gathering before a storm breaks?

The author wishes to call our attention to the fact_______.?

A. that modern man has polluted his environment to such an extent that he might destroy himself if he went on like this?

B. that there is no point in spending billions and billions of zilches to land a flying saucer on Earth?

C. that pollution has become so serious a problem on Earth that even Venusians find life there unbearable?

D. that it is difficult, if not altogether impossible, to land a manned flying saucer on Earth

Global Positioning Systems are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellite-based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go. But, they can also cause a lot of problems, send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. Most often, says Barry Brown, it is a combination of the two.
We spoke to Mr. Brown by Skype. He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPS-equipped car to use during his stay. Barry Brown: “And they just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination. And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in. So again, the GPS is kind of 'garbage in garbage out'.”
Mister Brown says this is a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment. Barry Brown: “One problem with a lot of the GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn. Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”
Barry Brown formerly served as a professor with the University of California, San Diego. While there, he worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS.” It lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues related to when GPS commands are given.
Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.
【小题1】In Paragraph 2, Mr. Brown mentioned his friend in the conversation to _____________.

A．build up his own reputation

B．laugh at his stupid friend

C．prove the GPS system is only garbage

D．describe an example of human error

【小题2】With which of the following statement would Barry Brown most likely agree?

A．GPS units are to blame for the most GPS service failures.

B．We should introduce higher standard for the driving license.

C．Cameras are urgently needed to help improve GPS systems.

D．Drivers, GPS systems and passengers should unite to improve GPS systems.

【小题3】What is Mr. Brown’s attitude towards GPS?

A．Unconcerned

B．Prejudiced

C．Objective

D．Critical

【小题4】What would be the best title for the text?

A．driving with GPS can be difficult

B．driving confusions can be caused by small screen

C．driving without GPS should be much more convenient

D．GPS equipment in driving: to be deserted or improved?

 

III. 阅读（共两节，满分40分）

第一节：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

         Man has invented four kinds of satellites. The first kind of satellites studies the geography of the earth. They are used to make maps. They also help countries to see where they can find oil or gold. The second kind of satellites is used to guide ships and planes. A ship or a plane can send a message to the satellite and the satellite can find out where it is. The third kind of satellites studies the weather. These satellites watch clouds and strong winds moving across the earth. They warn countries to make preparations when very bad weather is coming. They take photos of the earth from miles above it and send the photos to weather stations on the ground.

         The last kind is used for communication. Telephone calls between countries can be sent by these satellites. Some can carry hundreds of calls at one time. The call is sent to the satellite and then the satellite send it to the station in the country which is being phoned. These satellites also carry pictures, they can send about eight programs at a time.

1. If a ship is lost, ___________________, and the satellite will help it.

         A. it can send a message to the satellite  

         B. the captain of the ship call the station

         C. it stays there waiting  

         D. the satellite will take a photo of it

2. What can’t a satellite do according to the passage?

         A. Tell the weather     B. Send a message           

         C. Tell the position     D. Show the time

3. Which of the following is true?

         A. A satellite can dig out oil and gold.   

         B. A satellite can stop a plane.   

         C. A satellite can take pictures.   

         D. A satellite can stop storms.

4. Many countries send up satellites into space mainly because______.

         A. they are helpful                  B. they are fashionable   

         C. they show how strong a country is   D. they make the country beautiful

5. Which can be the best title for this passage?

         A. Where to find a satellite？        B. How many kinds of satellites?

         C. What can a satellite do?          D. What is a satellite?

 

Speeding off in a stolen car, the thief thinks he has got a great catch．But he is in for an unwelcome surprise．The car is fitted with a remote immobilizer, and a radio signal from a control centre miles away will ensure that once the thief switches the engine off, he will not be able to start it again．
The idea goes like this．A control box fitted to the car contains a mini-cellphone, a micro-processor and memory, and a GPS （全球定位系统） satellite positioning receiver．If the car is stolen, a coded （编码的） cellphone signal will tell the control centre to block the vehicle’s engine management system and prevent the engine being restarted．
In the UK, a set of technical fixes is already making life harder for car thieves．“The_pattern_of_vehicle_crime_has_changed,” says Martyn Randall, a security expert．He says it would only take him a few minutes to teach a person how to steal a car, using a bare minimum of tools．But only if the car is more than 10 years old．
Modern cars are far tougher to steal, as their engine management computer won’t allow them to start unless they receive a unique ID code sent out by the ignition （点火） key．In the UK, technologies like this have helped achieve a 31% drop in vehicle-related crime since 1997．
But determined criminals are still managing to find other ways to steal cars, often by getting hold of the owner’s keys．And key theft is responsible for 40% of the thefts of vehicles fitted with a tracking system．
If the car travels 100 metres without the driver confirming their ID, the system will send a signal to an operations centre that it has been stolen．The hundred metres minimum avoids false alarms due to inaccuracies in the GPS signal．
Staff at the centre will then contact the owner to confirm that the car really is missing, and keep police informed of the vehicle’s movements via the car’s GPS unit．
【小题1】The remote immobilizer is fitted to a car to ________．

A．prevent car theft by sending a radio signal to the car owner

B．help the police make a surprise attack on the car thief

C．prevent the car thief from restarting it once it stops

D．allow the car to lock automatically when stolen

【小题2】By saying “The pattern of vehicle crime has changed”, Martyn Randall suggests that ________．

A．it takes a longer time for the car thief to do the stealing

B．self-prepared tools are no longer enough for car theft[来源:学&科&网]

C．the thief has to make use of computer technology

D．the thief has lost interest in stealing cars over 10 years old

【小题3】________ is necessary in making a modern car tougher to steal．

A．A coded ignition key	B．A unique ID card
C．A special cellphone signal	D．A GPS satellite positioning receiver[来源:学科网ZXXK]

【小题4】The operations centre will first ________ after receiving an alarm．

A．start the tracking system	B．contact the car owner
C．block the car engine	D．locate the missing car