Los Angeles June 14, 2006 – Hollywood actress Daryl Hannah was arrested yesterday after spending two weeks sitting in a walnut tree on an urban farm a few kilometers from downtown Los Angeles. She was one of 40 people, including celebrities from the music and movie world, who were protesting at the proposed destruction of the 14 – acre farm. Police officers cut away branches from the tree and used a fire engine to reach Ms Hannah and her co – protester, environmentalist John Quigley. The two of them raised their fists in defiance（反抗）as they were removed.
Protesters, some of whom had chained themselves to concrete –filled barrels（桶），said that it was essential to keep the farm operating, as it provided food for hundreds of poor families in the area. About 350 people grow produce and flowers on the farm, which has been there for more than a decade and is situated in an inner –city area surrounded by warehouses and railroad tracks. However, the local authority recently approved plans for the area to be cleared and redeveloped for the construction of a huge new warehouse.
Ms Hannah, 45, star of films such as Splash and Kill Bill was not thrilled about being arrested. “But I felt it was important to show my support for the people,” she said. “This farm should be a model for sustainable (可持续的) urban agriculture. It needs to be replicated, not eradicated.”
The record length for a tree protest is held by a woman called Julia Hill, who remained on top of a 30-metre-high redwood tree in Northern California for 738 days from December 1997 to December 1999. She was successful in saving the tree and those around it from destruction. Ms Hill was also at the Los Angeles urban farm project this week, but her presence failed to stop the inevitable (不可避免的). No sooner had the protesters been removed than earth-moving machines moved in and began to clear the land.

Dr. Marie Curie is known to the world as the scientist who discovered radioactive metals i.e. Radium and Polonium.

Marie Curie was a Polish physicist and chemist. Together with her husband, Pierre, she discovered two new elements and studied the x-rays they emitted. She found that the harmful properties of x-rays were able to kill tumors. By the end of World War I, Marie Curie was probably the most famous woman in the world. She had made a conscious decision, however, not to patent methods of processing radium or its medical applications.

Marie Curie was born on November 7, 1867 in Poland and died on July 4, 1934. Her co-discovery with her husband Pierre Curie of the radioactive elements radium and polonium represents one of the best known stories in modern science for which they were recognized in 1901 with the Nobel Prize for Physics. In 1911, Marie Curie was honored with a second Nobel prize, this time for chemistry, to honor her for successfully isolating pure radium and determining radium's atomic weight.

As a child, Marie Curie amazed people with her great memory. She learned to read when she was only four years old. Her father was a professor of science and the instruments that he kept in a glass case fascinated Marie. She dreamed of becoming a scientist, but that would not be easy. Her family became very poor, and at the age of 18, Marie became a governess. She helped pay for her sister to study in Paris. Later, her sister helped Marie with her education. In 1891, Marie attended the Sorbonne University in Paris where she met and married Pierre Curie, a well-known physicist.

Marie Curie contributed greatly to our understanding of radioactivity and the effects of x-rays. She received two Nobel prizes for her brilliant work, but died of leukemia, caused by her repeated exposure to radioactive material.

The underlined word “emitted” in the 2nd paragraph means_______.

A. gave off     B. gave away  C. set out           D. set off

According to the passage, which order of the following is right?

① Marie Curie worked as a governess.  ② Marie Curie met and marry Pierre Curie.

③ Marie Curie learned to read.  ④ Marie Curie was honored with a second Nobel Prize.

⑤ Marie Curie discovered radium.

A. ①②③④⑤          B. ③①②⑤④          C. ①②③⑤④          D. ③①②④⑤

When did Marie Curie win a Nobel Prize for a chemistry?

A. In her twenties     B. In her thirties    C. In her forties         D. In her fifties

What does the passage mainly talked about?

A. Marie Curie discovered radium         B. Marie Curie, a famous chemist

C. Marie Curie won two Noble Prizes     D. The brief biography of Marie Curie

Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. After her parents divorced, Audrey went to London with her mother where she went to a private girls school. While vacationing with her mother in Holland, Hitler’s army suddenly took over the town. It was here that she fell on hard times during the Nazi occupation. After the liberation, Audrey went to a ballet school in London on a scholarship and later began a modeling career. As a model, she was graceful and, it seemed, she had found her position in life—until the film producers came calling. After being spotted modeling by a producer, she was signed up for a bit part in the European film Nederlands in 7 Lessons in 1984. Later, she headed to America to try her luck there.

Audrey gained immediate prominence (成功) in the U.S. with her role in Roman Holiday in 1953. This film turned out to be a big success as she won an Oscar as Best Actress. This gained her enormous popularity and many more roles. Roman Holiday was followed by another similarly wonderful performance in the 1957 classic Funny Face (1957). In 1959, she received yet another nomination（提名） for her role in Nun’s Story. Audrey reached the top of her career when she played Holly Golightly in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1961. For this she received another nomination. One of Audrey’s most radiant（辉煌的） roles was in the fine production of My Fair Lady in 1964. Her co-star Rex Harrison once was asked to choose his favorite leading lady. Without hesitation, he replied, “Audrey Hepburn in My Fair lady”.

By the end of the sixties, after her divorce from actor Mel Ferrer, Audrey decided to retire while she was on top. Later she married Dr. Andrea Dotti. In 1988, Audrey became a special ambassador（大使） to the United Nations UNECEF fund helping children in Latin, American and Africa, a position she retained until 1993. Audrey Hepburn died on January 20, 1993 in Switzerland. She had made a total of 31 high quality movies.

Where did Audrey Hepburn become famous?

A. England.  B. America.  C. Switzerland.  D. Belgium.

We can infer that Audrey Hepburn was ______.

A. a learned woman         B. satisfied with her marriage

C. a woman with sympathy   D. very popular as a model

Choose the right order about the life of Audrey Hepburn.

a. Audrey began a modeling career.

b. Audrey went to London with her mother.

c. Audrey became popular in the film Roman Holiday.

d. Audrey became a special ambassador to the United Nations UNICEF fund

e. Hitler’s army suddenly took over the town.

f. Audrey married Dr. Audrey Dotti.

A. a, b, c, d, e, f                B. b, e, a, c, f, d

C. c, a, b, f, e, d,               D. b, e, f, c, a, d

The underlined word “spotted” in the first paragraph can be replaced by ______.

A. seen   B. shot   C. recognized   D. dropped

C
Marie Curie was a Polish physicist and chemist who lived between 1867---1934.
Together with her husband, Pierre, she discovered two new elements (radium and polonium) and studied the x-rays. She found that the harmful properties of x-rays were able to kill tumors(肿瘤). By the end of World WarⅠ, Marie Curie was probably the most famous woman in the world. She had made a conscious decision, however, not to patent（申请专利）methods of processing radium or its medical applications.
Marie Curie was born on November 7, 1867, in Poland and died on July 4, 1934.
Her co-discovery with her husband Pierre Curie of the radioactive elements radium and polonium represents one of the best known stories in modern science for which they were recognized in 1901with the Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1911, Marie Curie was honored with a second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, to honor her for successfully isolating pure radium and determining radium’s atomic weight.
As a child, Marie Curie amazed people with her great memory. She learned to read when she was only four years old. Her father was a professor of science and the instruments that he kept in a glass case fascinated Marie. She dreamed of becoming a scientist, but that would not be easy. Her family became very poor, and at the age of 18, Marie became a governess(家庭教师). In 1891, Marie attended the Sorbonne University in Paris where she met and married Pierre Curie, a well-known physicist.
Marie Curie contributed greatly to our understanding of radioactivity and the effects of x-rays. She received two Noble Prizes for her brilliant work, but died of leukemia, caused by her repeated exposure to radioactive material.
64. What does the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
A. To give us a general introduction of Marie Curie.
B. To show us how Madame Curie discovered radium.
C. To tell us how Madame Curie received the Noble Prize.
D. To let us know something about Madame Curie’s childhood.
65. In this passage the underlined word “isolating” probably means________.
A. discovering      B. inventing      C. separating     D. comparing
66. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Marie Curie could learn things by heart very easily as a child.
B. Marie Curie had a great ambition when she was young.
C. Marie Curie found it hard for her to receive high education.
D. Marie Curie received two Noble Prizes in physics.
67. Which is the right order of happenings in this passage?
a. married Pierre Curie            b. attended University 
c. discovered radium             d. determined radium’s atomic weight
e. won the Noble Prize in physics
A. b, c, a, d, e      B. b, a, c, d, e    C. b, a, c, e, d       D. b, c, a, e, d    

Marriages improve after children grow up and move out，according to an academic study, which suggests an “empty nest” is not always a bad thing.

Popular wisdom has it that parents’ relationships may suffer once their young fly the coop, because they feel they have lost their purpose in life.However, a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that many couples actually feel happier when their children leave home because they are able to enjoy spending time together.

In total,123 American mothers born in the 1930s were tracked for 18 years and asked to rate their satisfaction levels shortly after marrying, when they were bringing up babies, once their children reached their teenage years and finally at age 61, when almost all had “empty nests”．

Although not all said they were happier in general, most claimed their marriages had improved since their children had left home. Researchers believe this is not just because the spouses were spending more time together, but because they were able to enjoy each other’s company more.

One of the participants in the study，which is published in the journal Psychological Science，said：“Once the kids grow up...there’s some of that stress removed...that responsibility removed，so things are a little more relaxed.”

Psychologist Sara Gorchoff，who carried out the investigation，said: “The take­home message for couples with young children is ‘hang in there’．” Her co­author Oliver John added：“Don’t wait until your kids leave home to schedule quality time with your partner.”

However, Dr Dorothy Rowe，from the British Psychological Society，said the effects of living in an “empty nest” will depend on the parents’ relationship with their children.“If you’re just waiting for them to leave home so you can get on with your life，then of course you’ll be pleased to see them go,” she said, “But if you’ve built your life around your children you’ll be terribly lonely.For some parents，their world falls apart when their children leave.”

1.It is commonly believed that___________.

A．marriages improve after children leave home

B．an “empty nest” is always a happy thing

C．parents’ relationships may suffer once their young grow up and move out

D．parents will be pleased after their children leave home

2.When did many couples feel happier according to the study?

A．At age 61, when almost all had “empty nests”.

B．Shortly after marrying.

C．Once their children reached their teenage years.

D．When they were bringing up babies.

3.Marriages improve after children fly the coop not because___________.

A．many couples are able to spend time together

B．many couples are able to enjoy each other’s company

C．things are a little more relaxed

D．many couples needn’t work at all

4.The author of the passage tends to agree that____________.

A．parents should build their life around their kids

B．parents should schedule quality time with each other before kids leave home

C．parents’ relationship with their kids has no effect on marriages at all

D．parents should be pleased to see their kids leave home