In the hit film The bucket List, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman meet in hospital in California after they have been diagnosed with cancer. Between them they cook up a “bucket list” ------ a to-do list of all they want to do before they kick the bucket. The movie makes you wonder what would be on your bucket list. So let’s pack up some and see what it would cost to go out and have a little fun.

THE PYRAMIDS, GIZA, EGYPT

On to the pyramids, surely on anyone’s bucket list. Exotik Tours can take you there on a variety of trips, including their popular Egypt Express which includes three nights in Cairo and a three-night Nile Cruise (乘船游览). From $1,384, including four-and five-star accommodation, 12 meals and a ton of sightseeing.

www.exotiktours.com   416-646-3347

TAJ MAHAL, AGRA, INDIA

One of the world’s most fascinating images, India’s Taj Mahal makes even Nicholson and Freeman look calm. Toronto’s Goway Travel has many suggestions for India, including a three-day independent visit to Agra. Stay at the attractive Oberoi AmarVilas overlooking the Taj. Include two breakfasts, touring and airport transfer from $1,420.

www.gowaytravel.com    416-322-1034

THE GREAT WALL, CHINA

If the Great Wall of China is on your bucket list, check into Tour East Holiday’s four-day Amazing Beijing Tour for $580 per person, four-star accommodation, sightseeing including the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, breakfasts and two lunches, transportation and guide.

www.toureastholidays.com    416-929-0888

THE HIMALAYAS, NEPAL

And on to the Himalayas. Talk about something truly majestic (壮丽的). See the top of the world on GAP Adventures’ Everest Adventure tour, a 15-day exploration including Everest Base Camp, teahouse lodge stays, and walking through Sherpa villages. Incredibly affordable at just $665 plus local payment of $250. GAP Adventures warns that this is a physically demanding trip.

www.gapadventures.com     416-260-0999

1.The underlined phrase “kick the bucket” in Paragraph 1 means ____.

A. come to life           B. play a game

C. pass away               D. list interesting places

2.According to the passage, where can you enjoy a view of the whole Taj Mahal?

A. In Sherpa village.  B. Near the Forbidden City

C. Through Egypt Express.         D. At Oberoi AmarVilas

3.If you take on the Everest Adventure tour, you should be aware that ____.

A. the sights may not be so good.

B. it is a tiring trip

C. you may not be used to the food there

D. it is an expensive trip

4.Which of the following websites may offer you more information about Agra?

A. www.gowaytravel.com  B. www.exotiktours.com

C. www.gapadventures.com       D. www.toureastholidays.com

While students in Hainan are quite used to clear skies, Beijing teenagers are not so lucky. As another warm winter approaches, the city can expect the normal clouds of smoke caused by air pollution.

But things could start to get better soon. The government is co-operating with a US-based environmental protection agency to update existing buses and trucks with clean fuel technology. The new technology could reduce air pollutants in existing diesel vehicles (柴油机) by 40 per cent. The programme will begin by testing buses in Beijing to see if the technology can be applied to them.

“We encourage the development of public transportation. But at the same time we need to reduce pollution from them,” said an official.

Efforts are being made to improve the capital’s environment with tighter controls on emissions (排放). Some heavily polluting factories and construction sites, such as those owned by the steel giant Shougang Group, have been asked to cut production in November and December or be closed.

Beijing was the third polluted city in the world at the end of last century, according to the UN. But thanks to recent measures, the capital has made some progress. Last year 224 clear days were rated as having good air quality. In 1998 the air quality index (指数) gave just 100 days as good.

“I am glad to see an improvement,” said a Senior 1 boy living in the northwest of Beijing. “Compared to other places, the air quality of Beijing is still worrying though. I hate the pollution. Once I was riding my bike in the morning when I almost had a traffic accident because I couldn’t see a car only metres away from me in frog.”

In early October, the skies were covered by such a thick fog that a display show by the visiting French air force was called off.

Rapid development, industry, traffic fumes (烟) and sandstorms from the desert all contribute to the city’s bad air.

The passage is mainly about ________?

A. a programme to improve Beijing’s air quality

B. progress made in Beijing’s air quality

C. Beijing’s air pollution

D. the difference between Hainan and Beijing

Which of the following is not the measure taken or to be taken to improve Beijing’s air?

A. Clean fuel technology will be used in public transportation.

B. Some factories have been asked to cut production.

C. Some construction sites have been told to be closed.

D. A display show of airplanes has been called off.

We can infer from the passage that, with the aim of being an ecological (生态的) city by the 2008 Olympics, ________.

A. far more still needs to be done  

B. nothing else needs to be done

C. all traffic has to be closed           

D. the development of the city has to be slowed down

Which is not correct according to the passage?

A. Beijing’s air quality is getting worse and worse.

B. Development, industry, traffic fumes and sandstorms are all the causes of bad air quality.

C. Clouds of smoke in the sky is the common feature in the winter of Beijing.

D. The government is making every effort to stop air pollution.

After a lot of weightlifting and 25 exhausting days training, a 52-year-old woman recently became the first female “gripman” on San Francisco’s historic cable cars.

Fannie Barnes passed her written test and completed a final run under the watchful eye of a supervisor, Municipal Railway spokesman Alan Siegel said.

Deep calluses(茧) are already forming at the base of her fingers and there is a hole in her glove. Two other women quit after a single day with injured muscles. “Now they’re going to have to change the word from gripman to grip person, just because of me,” Barnes said earlier, “I’m so excited.”

After almost a year of serious workouts, Barns can pull more than 61 kilos, only 23 kilos less than her body weight. And she’ll need the muscle, for this is no modern, push-button technology. Every time a car starts up again after making a stop, the gripman must haul back on a lever controlling a device that grips the cable, which runs continuously at 14 kilometers per hour. If the grip slips, so does the car. A second person operates the brakes.

In addition to having to throw her weight around on the job, she’s got to throw out some attitude to men who were hard to convince. The city employs 76 men in the job.

“A lot of men said mean things to me and didn’t want to help train me. But I would like to thank the guys who were against me because they gave me even more inspiration to do it.” she said.

Not all the men were against her. Many of the male colleagues yelled out support as she did her training runs. One of her biggest tests was drizzly December morning. She first went down the Hyde Street Hill, considered the most dangerous incline on the cable car routes. “I had to have the will and I had to believe I could do it,” she said. “It was scary, but as I started going down full grip and felt that I was in control, I knew I was on my way,” Barnes already is a pioneer of sorts. She started working as a cable car conductor six years ago, collecting fares and assisting on the back brake. She is one of only three women to have that job. But she said she always wanted the job up front on the car. (400)

What is unusual about Fannie Barnes getting a job as a gripman?

 A. She is the oldest one to work as a grpman.

 B. She is the first women to work as a gripman.

 C. She is the fattest women to work as a gripman.

 D. She is the most suitable one to work as a gripman.

What did the 52-year-old woman do when she first began working on the city’s cable car?

 A. As a gripman.    B. As a conductor.    C. As a brakeman.  D. As a supervisor.

It can be inferred from the passage that Fannie Barnes is ________.

A. strong and easy-going            B. strong-willed and self-confident

C. popular and humorous            D. considerate and quick-tempered

OPEC Decides not to Increase Production 
Vienna－In spite of Iraq’s decision to stop oil deliveries ,the 11-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ( OPEC) will not increase production to make up the shortfall , ministers decided Tuesday in Vienna .
The 11 oil ministers decided to meet again on July 3 to discuss the effects of the Iraq temporary stop .The organization’s president ,Chakib Khelil of Algeria ,said after the meeting that stocks were high and prices were stable ,so quota（配额） increases were not necessary .
The E.U. Commission has expressed concern about Iraq’s output stop .A speaker said OPEC had to take all possible measures to keep or lower the oil price .
Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali Al-Nuaimi had earlier said there would not be any shortage of oil in the market .The organization had already taken steps to fill the gap .he said .OPEC Secretary General Ali Rodriguez added that the period of the Iraq stopping exports was not known ,so other exporters were not going to lift quotas yet .If the market was destabilized （动摇的）,a suitable response could be made .
Iraq on Monday stopped shipments of crude oil to protest against the U.N. Security Council’s decision to extend the oil-for–food program by only a month , instead of the normal six-month renewal（延期）.
Just before the Vienna meeting , oil prices had gone up ,with a barrel of OPEC crude selling for 27.05 dollars ,up from 26.81 dollars last Friday .North sea oil was at 29.26 dollars Monday evening .
OPEC wants the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars and achieved that with cuts in January and March that reduced 2.5 million barrels per day off quotas .
(Reports from SOHU English News HOMEPAGE (CHINESE) June 6 ,2001)
【小题1】．Iraq made the decision to stop oil deliveries because ____ .
A  oil price is too low in the international market
B the U.N.Security Council has decided to shorten the time for the oil-for-food programme 
C many oil wells were destroyed during the war in the late 1980s
D it couldn’t get enough money to develop its economy
【小题2】．The attitude the E.U. Commission took towards Iraq’s output stop is ___ .
A  active      B concerned      C cold      D surprising
【小题3】“The organization ”here refers to _____ .
A OPEC       B  the E.U. Commission     C  the U.N. Security     D WHO
【小题4】．The main idea of the passage is ____ .
A the oil prices in the world were stable though Iraq had stopped oil deliveries  
B OPEC wants the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars
C OPEC will not increase oil production to make up the shortfall that is caused by Iraq .
D  oil is connected with people’s daily life
【小题5】．The 11 oil ministers decided to meet on July 3 so that ____ .
A they can persuade Iraq to continue oil production 
B they can have a discussion about the effects of Iraq’s temporary oil stop
C  they can have a talk with the U.N. Security Council
D they can make up their minds to increase oil production 

C
The unknown world's mystery
The sea is the biggest unknown part of our world. It covers seventy-one percent of the earth. There is still much to be discovered about this vast blanket of water. If the waters of the ocean could be removed, the sea floor with its wide valleys, irregular, mountains and rivers in the sea. would be an unbelievable sight.
Tourism under the deep blue sea
Tourists an now explore the world beneath the waves without ever getting wet. From tourist submarines to underwater dining, undersea tourism is making a big splash.
Tourist submarines(潜艇）
The popularity of submarine tours has grown rapidly in the last decade. Now, tourist submarines operate in more than 20 locations worldwide, including the waters around Okinawa and Taiwan' s Green Island. The submarines carry nearly 2 million tourists each year. Large windows offer passengers spectacular views as the submarines explore colorful coral reefs and sunken ships. Most one-hour tours cost about US $ 80.
Underwater dining
For a more upscale experience, tourists can enjoy fine dining under the sea.  Last summer the Hilton Maldives Resort opened the world's first underwater restaurant, Ithaa.  Diners walk down a staircase into the restaurant, which rests 35 feet beneath the waves of the Indian Ocean. Transparent walls surround the dining area, and you can treat guests to a panoramic(全景)ocean view.
But this excellent view doesn't come cheap. The tasting menu costs US $ 200 per person. Be sure to make reservations early, too. The restaurant seats only 14 people.
66. What does the author want to tell us in Paragraph 1?
A. The sea is the biggest unknown part of our world.
B. The sea covers seventy-one percent of the earth.
C. Some information about the sea floor.
D. The reasons for researching undersea tourism.
67. What does the author really mean by saying "undersea tourism is making a big splash" in Paragraph 2?
A. Undersea tourism is a new fashion in travelling.
B. Your clothes will be made wet by the water splash.
C. Undersea tourism is dangerous.
D. There is still a long way for undersea tourism to go.
68. Which of the following statements about tourist submarines is RIGHT?
A. Tourist submarines only have a history of about 10 years.
B. There are tourist submarines in every part of the world now.
C. Tourist submarines' have carried about 2 million tourists so far.
D. People can enjoy tourist submarines in the waters around Okinawa.
69. The walls of the restaurant Ithaa are most probably made of            .
A. stone       B. brick   C. glass    D. steel
70. From the passage,, we can infer that the author            .          .
A. doesn't think underwater tourism is a good idea
B. shows great interest in underwater tourism
C. is worried about underwater tourism
D. is probably a scientist who studies the sea