L’HAY-LES-ROSES, France: Three teenage girls admitted starting a fire in a suburban Paris housing project over the weekend that killed 17 people, including three children, police said yesterday. A fourth girl was held yesterday morning.

The fire in a 19-storey building south of Paris was the third fatal blaze in the Paris area in nine days. The death toll rose to 16 after a man died late Sunday in a hospital, where seven others

were being treated for serious injuries, police said. 全品高考网

Three teenagers taken in for questioning on Sunday admitted having started the fire for fun, police said. Two of the suspects were 18-year-old, the other was 16, police said. Further details were not available.

Witnesses claimed to have seen a group of youths who lived in the building start the fire, said Patrick Seve, mayor of the town of L’HAY-LES-ROSES, near Orly airport, where the building was located.

The fire is believed to have broken out in the lobby（门厅）of the building before raging up a stairwell at least three floors. Some residents jumped from windows as the fire spread through the building’s entrance.

Authorities were investigating possible criminals in an August 26 fire that killed 14 African children and three adults in a Paris apartment building. Three days later, another fire killed seven  in a building.

Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy suggested on French television on Sunday night that copycats（盲目模仿者）were at work. “Each time there is a new story, sometimes that gives ideas to people who then turn into criminals,” Sarkozy said, promising severe punishment for anyone found guilty of arson（纵火）.

20. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs？

A. Three girls were caught setting fire to a building.

B. The fourth girl wasn’t present when the fire broke out.

C. All the people lost their lives before police came.

D. Paris was troubled by fire during that period.

21. Why did the teenagers start the fire？

A. They were interested in playing with fire.

B. They wanted to make fun of their parents.

C. They were not satisfied with the surroundings.

D. They wanted to warm themselves.

22. From the fourth and fifth paragraphs we know that ________.

A. the witnesses must have put out the fire

B. the lobby of the building was covered with wood.

C. the witnesses were familiar with the teenagers

D. the residents shouldn’t have jumped from windows

23. What the Minister said in the last paragraph means that ________.

A. he doesn’t like to listen to new stories

B. he has no time to write new stories

C. teenagers often have ideas to turn into criminals

D. teenagers may do the same as others have done

Teamwork is just as important in science as it is on the playing field or in the gym. Scientific investigations (调查) are almost always carried out by teams of people working together. Ideas are shared, experiences are designed, data are analyzed, and results are evaluated and shared with other investigators. Group work is necessary, and is usually more productive than working alone.

Several times throughout the year you may be asked to work with one or more of your classmates. Whatever teh task your group is assigned, a few rules need to be followed to ensure a productive and successful experience.

What comes first is to keep an open mind, becasue everyone’s ideas deserve consideration and each group member can make his or her own contribution. Secondly, it makes a job easier to divide the group task among all group members. Choose a role on the team that is best suited to your particular strengths. Thirdly, always work together, take turns, and encourage each other by listening, clarifying, and trusting one another. Mutual support and trust often make a great difference.

Activities like investigations are most effective when done by small groups. Here are some more suggestions for effective team performance during these activities: Make sure each group member understands and agrees to the task given to him or her, and everyone knows exactly when, why and what to do; take turns doing various tasks during similar and repeated activities; be aware of where other group members are and what they are doing so as to ensure safety; be responsible for your own learning, though it is by no means unwise to compare your observations with those of other group members.

When there is research to be done, divide the topic into several areas, and this can explore the issue in a very detailed way. You are encouraged to keep records of the sources used each person, which helps you trace back to the origin of the problems that may happen unexpectedly. A format for exchanging information (e.g. photocopies of notes, oral discussion, etc.) is also important, for a well-chosen method not only strengthens what you present but also makes yourself easily understood. When the time comes to make a decision and take a position on an issue, allow for the contributions of each member of the group. Most important of all, it is always wise to make decisions by compromise and agreement.

After you’ve completed a task with your team, make an evaluation of the team’s effectiveness ― the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and challenges.

 In my opinion, all Mr White ____ good to his students in his class at present. He is very strict in their study.

A. does does doesB.does did do C.does does do D.did do does

     Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents' home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station(加油站)about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register(收款台), I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.

    I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend's .We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.

    I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.

    Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I'd left the lights on all day, and the battery(电池)was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership - a shop selling cars - was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in the showroom.

    "Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?" I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.

    "Thank you" - two powerful words. They're easy to say and mean so much.

60. The author planned to stop at Oklahoma City_________.

A. to visit a friend                       B. to see his parents              C. to pay at the cash register

D. to have more gas for his car

61. The words “took off” underlined in Paragraph 2 mean “______”.

A. turned off                B. moved off               C. put up              D. set up

62. What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?

A. He had it pulled back to the gas station.          B. The couple sent him a business card.

C. The couple offered to help him.                            D. He called his friend for help.

63. The battery of the author’s car was dead because_______.

A. something went wrong with the lights            B. the meeting lasted a whole day

C. he forgot to turn off the lights                       D. he drove too long a distance

64. By telling his own experiences, the author tries to show______.

A. how to write a thank-you letter                            B. how to deal with car problems

C. the kind-heartedness of older people              D. the importance of expressing thanks

Fear plays no part in this latest problem. “ I’m not afraid I’ll lose my children. I won’t lose my children. We live together, and nothing, nothing, ” she repeats, her voice rising when speaking to John’s lawyer, “ will stop me from being with my children. A law? Yeah, right. Don’t disturb me when it comes to my children. You are never going to win. If John wants to see them, I cannot stop him. He’s their father ---- I want them to see him! However, his visit in his present condition will disturb the children’s stable(稳定的) life.”

John, who has spent much of his time in California recently, has only hired a house for himself in Pennsylvania, according to his lawyer. “ If he’d like to stick to a regular life, I’d be more than happy to do that, ” Jane says. “ The best thing for any child of a divorced (离婚的) parent is a stable life. I want nothing more than for him to set up a stable life for himself, so that he can be part of making our children’s lives more stable.”

While matters of money and care won’t be settled for weeks, Jane hardly puts her life on hold. Last week the ABC network announced that Jane would return with her own show, Twist of Jane, in which she gives advice to other moms. Jane and her eight children will also return to ABC in a series of Jane Plus 8 specials showing them on various adventures. It’s a rest for Jane, who insists that she needs her new, busy life to provide for her family. “ I have to lead such a life, and I’m thankful that I’ve built it to the top where now I can support my children, ” she says.

And whether a bellicose (好斗的) dance judge or a bellicose former wife, Jane plans to keep on facing attacks on her. “ Some people try to knock me down --- only to make me more fierce, more protective, more determined to do better, ” she says. “ Go ahead, take me on. This will just make me stronger. ”

According to Jane in the first paragraph, the law ______.

   A. can’t take her children away from her

   B. can’t do anything with the case

   C. will best settle the problem

   D. will disturb her children

What does “ to do that ” refer to in the second paragraph?

   A. To live with John.

   B. To hire a house for John.

   C. To allow John to see the children.

   D. To ask John to set up a regular life.

What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph mean?

   A. Jane’s life is very difficult.

   B. Jane continues to live as usual.

   C. Jane almost can’t control her life.

   D. Jane works very hard to live a happy life.

Which word can best describe Jane?

   A. Proud.        B. Fierce.          C. Determined.        D. Independent.