Men can be beautiful too, right?
CHINA is going to host the 18^th World University Student Beauty Contest in Guangzhou this December. This year for the first time the contest will include a male section. Students from over 130 countries will compete for Mr. and Miss Beauty. The contest is one of the most respected beauty contests in the world. It was copied by the United Nations University (an international university belonging to the United Nations) in 1986.
Stick to studying
LI Yining, an economics professor at Peking University, said that he would not encourage students to try their luck in the stock market (股市). “They should stress study,” Li said, in his speech at Beijing Foreign Studies University. When asked, the professor said he expected house prices in Beijing to continue to rise. Li thinks the government should provide more affordable houses for low-level income people.
Campus cinema
Students at over 100 universities will have a digital cinema on campus after the National Day holiday. The 21^st Century Digital Film on Campus Project was launched at the end of September. The ticket will cost 3-8 yuan, rather than 30-40 yuan at cinemas in town. Students often download movies online or watch DVDs. Now they can enjoy original films in the digital cinema. The digital cinema will show a variety of films other than Hollywood blockbusters (好莱坞大片).
Getting practical
All 12,000 graduates from vocational school in Shanxi Province have landed a job, according to the provincial government. In the past five years, it is estimated that over 95 percent of the professional school graduates have found jobs. However, the number for university graduates is 70 percent. Some employers said that they prefer professional school graduates who learned something more practical in school and expected lower salaries than university students.
【小题1】 In the third part, the underlined word “launched” may mean ______.

A．started

B．ended

C．told

D．mentioned

【小题2】 Where can the material be chosen from?

A．A novel.

B．A newspaper.

C．An advertisement.

D．A fashion magazine.

【小题3】. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．More than 130 countries will take part in the 18th World University Student Beauty Contest.

B．The ticket for digital film will cost 3-8 yuan.

C．In the past five years, over 95 percent of the university graduates have found jobs in Shanxi.

D．Over 100 universities took part in the 21st Century Digital Film on Campus Project.

【小题4】. Professor Li thinks that ______.

A．the house prices in Beijing will keep going up.

B．the students should try their luck in the stock market.

C．the government can do nothing about housing problem.

D．the students should not only pay attention to study.

【小题5】. What can we infer from the passage?

A． In Shanxi, the professional school graduates are less popular with employers than university graduates recently.

B．The digital cinema will only show Hollywood blockbusters.

C．The graduates from universities can put what they learned into practice more easily.

D．No men competed in the World University Students Beauty Contest before this year.

UK
Attention, Harry Potter fans: The sixth novel in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter stories, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood, will go on sale in the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia on July 16, 2005
Italy
According to a recent study, there are now more dogs and cats in Italian homes than children. There are at least 14.5 million dogs cats in Italian homes compared with 8.7 million children under the age of 15．Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe. A psychologist said that pets were loved by many young Italians who could not have or did not want to have children. In Italy, spending on pets has increased by 20 percent in the past five years.
US
The start of a new years is time when many Americans like to think about ways to make improvements for the future. But this year, instead of the usually New Year’s resolution(决心) to lose weight, quit smoking or exercise more, the US Department of Homeland Security is urging Americans to create a family emergency plan for any terror attack.
France & Iraq
The two French journalists who had been held hostage(扣为人质) in Iraq for 124 days were freed last week. Christian Chesnot, 37 and Georges Malbunot, 41, were kidnapped along with their Iraqi driver on Aug, 20 in Iraq. French Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, said that the French government had not paid ransom(赎金) for their release.
【小题1】From the news above we know that health is usually most being talked about in _________

A．UK

B．Italy

C．US

D．France

【小题2】The content order of the passage is___________

A．society, life, politics, business	B．life, society, business, politics
C．business, society, life, politics	D．business, politics, society, life

【小题3】Which is the suitable title for the second passage?

A．The Lowest Birth Rates	B．More Pets Than Children
C．Great Change On Money Spending	D．A scientific Research Report

【小题4】The two journalists were held hostage on ___________.

A．August 20

B．April 18

C．May 17

D．April 16

Americans like to travel on their yearly holiday. Today, more and more travelers in the United States are spending nights at small house or inns(客栈)instead of hotels. They get a room for the night and the breakfast the next morning.

Rooms for the night in private(私人的)homes with breakfast have been popular with travelers in Europe for many years. In the past five to ten years, these bed-and-breakfast places have become popular in the United States. Many of these America’s bed-and-breakfast inns have only a few rooms; others are much larger. Some inns do not provide telephones or televisions in the rooms, others do.

Staying at a bed-and-breakfast inn is much different from staying at a hotel. Usually the cost is much less. Staying at an inn is almost like visiting someone’s home. The owners are glad to tell about the areas and the interesting places to visit. Many vacationers say that they enjoy the chance to meet local families.

1.Americans take a holiday trip _________.

A．all the year round

B．for years

C．every year

D．every other year

2.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?  

A．Some Americans like to stay at bed-and-breakfast homes instead of at hotels.

B．The bed-and-breakfast inns are private homes open to vacationers.

C．The bed-and-breakfast inn owners provide a morning meal for their visitors and a room for the night.

D．The bed-and-breakfast inns have been popular in America for a long time.

3.Staying at the bed-and-breakfast inns, _________.

A．the travelers needn’t pay anything

B．the travelers don’t have to pay for the telephone or television

C．the travelers can meet and talk with the local people

D．the owners will show the travelers around the area

 

In the past five years China ________ great _________.

A. made, progress  B. has made, progresses

C. made, progresses  D. has made, progress

 

With the rapid growth of population, the city _____ in all directions in the past five years.

A. spreads      B. has spread         C. spread         D. had spread