I wasn’t surprised when I read that actress Helen Hunt recently stated that she would never allow her young daughter to become a child star. Ms Hunt is the daughter of a Hollywood technical director, and grew up in Hollywood. Now in her late 40s, she started acting and modeling when she was eight and has probably seen a lot over those years in show business.

  She has had a successful career. She earned four Golden Globes and four Emmys. She also attained the top honor of her profession when she won the Best Actress Academy Award for her role in the 1992 movie, As Good As It Gets. Given those accolades, Ms Hunt is successful. There is no doubt that her early experiences as a child star prepared her for what has been an outstanding adult career. Given those achievements, why would this star declare she’ll never allow her daughter, now at the age of six, to follow in her footsteps?

   Everyone familiar with the entertainment scene is aware of the reasons for her attitude. Recent tabloid (小报) news headlines featuring the troubles of former child stars, among them Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and the late Gary Coleman, may answer the question. Although Ms Hunt managed to become a successful grown-up star, she apparently believes she’s an exception.

  What Ms Hunt may be suggesting is that many very young stars go through unnatural childhoods on movie and TV sets. While they’re earning big incomes, they’re so pampered (纵容) by directors and praised by fans; they may get false impressions that their lives will always be that way. Then, within a few years, when faced with reality, they’re hurt and confused. After all the overwhelming affection, they find they can’t deal with the problems. That’s often when drugs and alcohol take over their lives.

Helen Hunt has some other reasons why she doesn’t want her daughter to be in the entertainment business. Many child stars can never make a successful transition to meaningful adulthood. However, as with many Hollywood movies, I believe there are both good and bad scenes about how it can be played out in real life.

1.According to the passage, Ms Hunt _________.

A. started acting and modeling when she was a little girl

B. has been acting for about 30 years

C. is the daughter of a famous actor

D. started singing when she was eight

2.The underlined word “accolades” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_________”.

A. difficulties              B. awards                    C. salaries          D. opinions

3.The author thinks Helen Hunt’s success is mainly due to _________.

A. her hard work                B. the help of a technical director

C. her experiences as a child star   D. her talent and good luck

4.Helen Hunt wouldn’t allow her daughter to become a child star because she thinks _________.

A. child stars often take drugs and alcohol

B. being a child star may ruin her future

C. child stars aren’t able to solve their problems

D. it is difficult to succeed as a child actor

5.From the passage we can conclude that _________.

A. few child stars will succeed in the future

B. there is no way to save the entertainment business

C. the author has a different opinion about child stars

D. meaningful adulthood only belongs to non-child stars

 

Gary Locke , a Chinese-American, once______ as the governor of Washington for 8 years and now is U．S．Commerce Secretary．

A．had worked

B．worked

C．is working

D．has been working

 

第二节阅读下面71-75题中几个人的相关信息，再根据A-F中对6种自行车的描述，为每个人选出符合他们要求的自行车。选项中有一项是多余选项。(共5分)

71. ______ Ruth will enter a key high school which is a few miles away from her home and she needs a bike. Since it’s not long before she has learned to ride a bike, she expects the bike to offer enough safety and to be easy to control. And being a pretty girl, she hopes the color of the bike is pleasant.

72. ______Gary has just got a job but he lives a bit far from his office. So he needs to get a portable bike to meet his situation. The bike must be easy to fold and carry.

73. ______ Felix is a young gentleman who is falling in love with a pretty girl recently. They plan to buy a fashionable bike which is fit for 2 persons to ride. On the bike both of them can enjoy wonderful feelings along the West Lake.

74. ______ Teddy’s growing up day by day. The grandparents want to give the young kid a special birthday gift—a child’s bike which is safe enough and light to carry.

75. ______Hugh lives in a mountain village but attends school in town. It’s necessary for him to buy a bike which is strong enough. Because his parents are not very well-off, what he really cares about is the price, not the look of the bike.

A．This bike is convenient to fold in different sizes. It’s fun and comfortable while you are riding. You can go to a park on a sunny weekend and rush to work on the bike.

B．You’ll burn up the streets on this boys’ bike. With a low price $69.99, it is a yellowy and fashionable bike with strong system. Even if you are a greenhand, it can ensure your safety.

C．The Angel（天使）is 12 inches. Many girls will love the colorful fairy girls(仙女). It has added safety and a specially-made seat. This bike is strong and safe for beginners because it offers extra training wheels to keep balance.

D．Being fit for lovers to ride at the same time, this kind of twin bike is

enjoying great popularity. It’s a new way to relax and a fashion to follow. Not only lovers, father and son, mother and daughter, brothers, sisters, classmates all can have a new experience.

E. This first-class kid bike has colorful cartoon pictures on it. Parents will like the bike’s low center of gravity. Three wheels can prevent the bike from tipping(翻到).

Security deposit (保证金): $3,000

Call (650) 892-9823 for an appointment.

F. The second-hand 26-inch, 21-speed bike is specially made to ride on the bad roads in the mountains, across the desert, and through the urban jungles (丛林). Though the bike is a little old and ugly, the quality is good enough.

 

Searching the Internet may help middle-aged and older adults keep their memories sharp,US researchers said.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles ,studied people doing web searches by recording their brain activity.

“What we saw was people who had Internet experience used more of their brain during the search,”Dr.Gary Small, a UCLA expert on aging, said,“This suggests that just searching on the Internet may train the brain and that it may keep it active and healthy.”

“This is the first time anyone has simulated(模拟)an Internet search task while scanning the brain,”Small said. His team studied 24 normal volunteers between the ages of 55 and 76. Half were experienced at searching the Internet and the other half had no web experience. However, the two groups were similar in age, gender and education.

Both groups were asked to do Internet searches and book reading tasks while their brain activity was monitored.

“We found that in the book reading task, the visual cortex— the part of the brain that controls reading and language — was activated,”Small said,“In doing the Internet search task, there was much greater activity, but only in the Internet-savvy（了解）group.”

He said it appears that people who are familiar with the Internet can engage in much deeper level of brain activity. Activities that keep the brain engaged can preserve brain health and thinking ability. Small thinks learning to do Internet searches may be one of those activities.

1.Researchers          when volunteers were doing web searches.

A．studied the Internet

B．activated the brain

C．recorded their memories

D．monitored the brain activity

2.The two volunteer groups were         .

A．similar in education

B．of the same age

C．good at the computer

D．book lovers

3.According to the passage, we can learn that         .

A．reading books keeps the brain more engaged

B．searching the web keeps the brain more engaged

C．watching TV keeps the brain more engaged

D．chatting online keeps the brain more engaged

4.Which of the following is TRUE?

A．When you read, the whole brain will be activated.

B．Dr.Gary Small is a UCLA expert on brain health.

C．Internet searches can preserve brain health and thinking ability

D．People who read books may have a better memory.

 

Gary Locke, 61, who comes from a Chinese background and even looks Chinese, became the new US ambassador（大使）to China.
“I can think of nobody who is more qualified than Gary Locke.” President Obama said. Locke’s new position is clearly a sign that US President is trying to improve relations with China.
When he made his first speech to the Chinese press in Beijing, Locke said,“I think ,being a Chinese-American, I have a greater understanding of the history and culture of China, but I am here as a representative of the US government.”
Before becoming ambassador to China, Locke was US secretary of commerce(商务部长). This means he has plenty of trade experience, which will be useful in building economic links between the two countries.
Locke’s grandfather went to the United States over a century ago to work as a houseboy for a family in Washington State in exchange for English lessons. His father moved to the US as a teenager.
“I’m going back to the birthplace of my grandfather ,my father and my mom, and I’ll be doing so as a devoted diplomat(外交官) for America，the country where I was born and raised,” Locke said.
【小题1】President Obama thinks Gary Locke ________.

A．is the right person for the new position

B．is still not too old to be an ambassador

C．is not qualified as secretary of commerce

D．can help improve US relations with Asia.

【小题2】What message did Locke express in his first speech in Beijing?

A．He is proud of his parents and his grandfather.

B．He will work for both China and the United States.

C．He will represent the US government.

D．He was still not ready for his new job.

【小题3】Locke will benefit from his ________ as a former secretary of commerce.

A．trade experience

B．public relations

C．work training

D．government knowledge

【小题4】We learn from the text that Locke’s father ________.

A．worked as a houseboy for an American family

B．was born in China.

C．moved to the US as a baby.

D．was not able to return to China