There is no other five-year –old like him. He has a potato-shaped head , thick eyebrows and a voice that is not easily forgotten. He is not evil, but trouble follows him wherever he goes.
Crayon Shinchan（蜡笔小新）enjoys great popularity in China. He has many fans in Hong Kong , Taiwan and on the mainland. And he is one of the hottest cartoon characters in his home country, Japan.
But, the trouble-maker’s show was ranked the No. 1 most unwanted cartoon program by Japan’s Parents’ Association on April 18.
More than half the parents who took part in the study thought Shinchan was a negative role model for children. They believed his actions and speech were adult in nature and not suitable for kids.
Many parents and education experts in China agree with them. Shinchan, they say, is really offensive. He looks out for pretty ladies on the street; at the bookstore he reads magazines full of sexy women; he pretends to be kidnapped by his teacher when he sees a police car; and he raises his mum’s skirt and shouts out the color of her underpants if she doesn’t buy him what he wants.
“Crayon Shimchan is full of dirty humor. The boy shows some terrible adult mentality(心态),which doesn’t match his age,” said Pang Lijuan, professor of the Education Department at Beijing Normal University. Pang further pointed out that Shinchan destroys the traditional image of a polite, hard-working boy. She fears that some teens may copy his behavior and harm their psychological development. Pang and many others in China think that Shinchan is a cartoon for adults-----not for children.
But some kids disagree. Jiangxin, a senior 2 student in Luhe Middle School in Beijing, became a fan of Shinchan after he first saw the cartoon two years ago. He said it is Shinchan’s humor , courage, and cleverness that makes him and his friends love the little cartoon character . “Shinchan looks at the adults’ world with kid’s eyes. He uncovers the hypocrisy(虚伪) and selfishness in a childish way,” explained Jiang. “We watch it just for fun.” But Jiang also admitted that Shinchan is not good for all ages. “It may not be suitable for primary school kids. They may try to blindly copy him.”
Shinchan’s “father ”, Japan’s popular cartoonist, Yoshito Ushi, never thought Shinchan would cause such a heated discussion. He argued that Shinchan is a childish copy of Japan’s middle-aged men. The boy does everything adults would like, but don’t dare to do. “People can easily forgive him because he’s only five years old,” said Yoshito.
【小题1】 Teachers and parents dislikes Crayon Shinchan because         .

A．he looks very ugly

B．he caused a heated discussion

C．the character was created by an adult cartoonist

D．he was regarded as a negative role model for children to follow

【小题2】Many children are crazy about Shinchan mainly because       .

A．he looks very funny

B．the cartoon character is suitable for all ages

C．they think he is humorous, clever and brave

D．he is a childish copy of Japan’s middle-aged men

【小题3】The underlined word “offensive” in Paragraph 5 probably means       .

A．humorous

B．ugly-looking

C．funny

D．unpleasant

【小题4】What is Yoshito Ushi’s explanation of Shinchan’s behaviour?

A．Shinchan is such a naughty boy that he can’t behave himself.

B．Shinchan is trying to draw people’s attention by doing some offensive things.

C．Shinchan wants to set a role model in a different way.

D．Shinchan’ s behaviour is just a childish copy of Japan’s middle-aged men.

The United Nations says forty million people or so around the world went hungry in 2008, mainly because of higher food prices. Early estimates from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that 963 million people did not get enough to eat.
World food prices have dropped since early 2008. Prices of major crops have decreased by more than half from their height earlier last year. But they remain high compared to earlier years.
But FAO official Hafez Ghana says lower prices have failed to end the food crisis（危机）in many poor countries. "For millions in developing countries," he says, "getting enough food every day to live an active and healthy life is a distant dream.”
The FAO says food shortage is a threat to people's health. Today, two-thirds of the world's undernourished people live in just a few countries. These are India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Ethiopia and so on.
A report on food insecurity warns that the current economic crisis could send even more people into hunger and poverty.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of the people who continually go hungry fell from 34% in 1997 to 30% in 2008. But the FAO says Ghana is the only country that has reached two sets of hunger reduction targets. These were set by the 1996 World Food Summit and the Millennium Development Goals. The main reason is the growth in agricultural production in Ghana.
The FAO says some countries in Southeast Asia like Thailand and Vietnam have made progress in hunger reduction goals. But South Asia and Central Asia haven't, and North Korea is still in hot water.
【小题1】 What FAO official Hafez Ghana says implies _________.

A．it's easy but takes long to provide people with enough food

B．enough food can make people more active and healthier

C．there is difficulty solving the food shortage in a short time

D．people in developing countries will never get enough food

【小题2】Ghana has reached the targets of hunger reduction mainly because of ________.

A．the still high food prices	B．the donation of developed countries
C．the two targets of hunger reduction	D．the growth in agricultural production

【小题3】 The underlined word “undernourished” in Para. 4 probably means _________.

A．hungry and unhappy	B．unhealthy for lack of food
C．not fat because of poverty	D．undeveloped and poor

【小题4】 Which country has not made progress in hunger reduction?

A．North Korea

B．Thailand

C．Vietnam

D．Ghana

【小题5】What is the best title of this passage?

A．The food production of the world	B．The hunger reduction target of the FAO
C．The food shortage around the world	D．The solution to the global food shortage

-Without proper planning, tourism can cause problems．For example, too many tourists can crowd public places that are also enjoyed by the inhabitants(居民) of a country. If tourists create too much traffic, the inhabitants become annoyed and unhappy. They begin to dislike tourists and to treat them impolitely. They forget how much tourism can help the country’s economy. It is important to think about the people of a destination(目的地) country and how tourism affects them. Tourism should help a country, keep the customs and beauty that attract tourists．Tourism should also advance the wealth and happiness of local inhabitants.
　　Too much tourism can be a problem. If tourism grows too quickly, people must leave other jobs to work in the tourism industry. This means that other parts of the country’s economy can suffer.
　　On the other hand, if there is not enough tourism，people can lose jobs. Businesses can also lose money. It costs a great deal of money to build large hotels, airports，air terminals, first－class roads, and other support facilities（设施）needed by tourist attractions. For example, a major international class tourism hotel can cost as much as 50 thousand dollars per room to build. If this room is not used most of the time, the owners of the hotel lose money.
　　Building a hotel is just a beginning．There must be many support facilities as well，including roads to get to the hotel, electricity, sewers to handle waste, and water. All of these support facilities cost money. If they are not used because there are not enough tourists, jobs and money are lost.
【小题1】Which of the following has most probably been discussed in the part that goes before this passage?

A．It is very important to develop tourism.

B．Building roads and hotels is necessary.

C．Support facilities are highly important.

D．Planning is very important to tourism.

【小题2】Too much tourism can cause all these problems EXCEPT ________.

A．a bad effect on other industries

B．a change of tourists’ customs

C．over－crowdedness of places of interest

D．pressure on traffic

【小题3】Not enough tourism can lead to ________.

A．an increase of unemployment (失业)

B．a decrease (减退) in tourist attractions.

C．the higher cost of support facilities

D．a rise in price and a fall in pay.

【小题4】The underlined word “handle” in the last paragraph most probably means _________.

A．get in

B．pick up

C．carry away

D．take down

Liu Jiaoyang, 16, carefully winds a bobbin（绕线筒） with thread, places it on her sewing machine （缝纫机） and then presses her foot down to begin sewing．While she' s doing this, she pretends to guide fabric （布料）through the machine．Liu looks forward to the class when she can work on a piece of real cloth, and make a beautiful dress．
Each Tuesday afternoon, after the bell rings for the fourth period, Liu becomes a fashion designer．At the same time, the rest of the students at the High School Attached to Yunnan Normal University in Kunming are also having classes a little bit different from the usual ones．Some students dance, others create robots, and still others review films．These are just a few of the other 27 elective （选修的） courses besides Liu's sewing class that the school began to offer last month．
"The fashion design class has become the bright point of my week．I learn how to choose colors and fabrics （织物） as well as sewing and sketching （素描） skills．It's all helping me to realize the dream of becoming a fashion designer I' ve had since I was a little girl, " Liu said．
Design is Liu' s favorite, but for other students the electives are interesting lessons which relieve （舒缓） the pressures of schoolwork．Some students, for example, are learning how to play bridge．Chen Xi,15, is one of them．She said, "Many people think that playing a card game like this in class is a waste of time．But in fact, bridge is a very challenging game that helps develop memory and math skills．"
【小题1】How often do the students have elective classes?
A．Once a week   B．Once a month   C．Once a term    D．Once a year
【小题2】How many elective courses had the school offered by last month?

A．27

B．28

C．26

D．25

【小题3】Why did the students like to have elective classes?

A．Because the elective classes are easier．

B．Because they needn't do any homework in the elective classes．

C．Because they can get an opportunity to relieve their pressures．

D．Because they want to be fashion designers in the future．

【小题4】According to the passage many people think____in class is a waste of time．

A．dancing	B．creating robots
C．playing a card game	D．reviewing films

Holidays

Holiday News Vacancies (空位) now and in the school holidays at a country hotel in Devon. This comfortable, friendly home-from-home lies near the beautiful quiet countryside, but just a drive away from the sea. The food is simple but good. Children and pets are welcome. Reduced prices for low season.

 

The Snowdonia Center The Snowdonia Center for young mountain climbers has a mountain 1068.The beginners’ costs are ￡57 for a week, including food and rooms. Equipment is included except walking shoes, which can be hired at a low cost. You must be in good health and prepared to go through a period of body exercises. This could be the beginning of a lifetime of mountain climbing adventure.

 

The World Sea Trip of a Lifetime Our World Sea Trip of 2008 will be unlike any holiday you have ever been on before. Instead of one hotel after another, with all its packing and unpacking waiting and traveling, you just go to bed in one country and wake up in another. On board the ship, you will be well taken care of. Every meal will be first-class and every cabin like your home. During the trip, you can rest on deck(甲板), enjoy yourself in the games rooms and in the evening dance to our musical team and watch our wonderful play. You will visit all the places most people only dream about – from Acapulco and Hawaii to Tokyo and Hong Kong. For a few thousand pounds, all you’ve ever hoped for can be yours.

【小题1】What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?

A．Choose the holiday in Devon.

B．Go to the Snowdonia Centre

C．Join the World Sea Trip of 2008

D．Visit Acapulco and Hawaii

【小题2】In what way is the Snowdonia Centre different from the other two holidays?

A．It provides chances of family gatherings.

B．It provides customers with good food.

C．It offers a sport lesson.

D．It offers comfortable room.

【小题3】What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2008?

A．You can have free meals on deck every day.

B．You can sleep on a ship and tour many places.

C．You will have chances to watch and act in a play.

D．You have to do your own packing and unpacking.

【小题4】 At the Snowdonia Centre, the beginners’ costs of ￡57 do not cover               .

A．food

B．rooms

C．body exercises

D．walking shoes