Three months after the government stopped issuing（发放）or renewing permits for Internet cafes because of security（安全）concerns, some cafe owners are having financial（经济的）concerns of their own.

 The permits were stopped suddenly three months ago by the government until new safeguards could be put in place to prevent misuse of the information superhighway, but for cafe owners it’s a business breakdown with no fix in sight.

 “I handed in a request to open up an Internet cafe and received the conditions,” said the businessman Obeidallah. “I rented a place in the Sharafiah district at SR45,000 and prepared the place with equipment that cost me more than SR100,000. When I went to the local government after finishing everything, I was surprised to find that they’d stopped issuing permits for Internet cafes.”

   Having an Internet cafe without Internet is much like having a coffee shop without coffee. “I’m avoiding closing the place, but it’s been more than three months with the situation ongoing as it is.” Obeidallah said. “Who will bear the losses caused by the permit issue?”

 The decision took many cafe owners by surprise. “I asked to open an Internet cafe, and I was handed a list of all the things that were needed to follow through, such as a sign for the place, filling out forms,” said Hassan Al-Harbi.

“I did all that was asked and rented a place. And after the Haj vacation I went to the local government and they surprised me, saying that there are new rules that forbid the issuing of any more Internet cafe permits and that one can’t even renew his permit. I’ve lost more than SR80,000,” Al-harbi added.

 As for the government, officials say a method to deal with it is on the way. But security concerns come before profit（盈利）.

The government stopped issuing or renewing permits for Internet cafes       .

  A．to prevent misuse of new safeguards in Internet cafes

  B．to make cafe owners earn less profit from their business

  C．to stop the use of the information superhighway on Internet

  D. to make sure of the proper use of the information superhighway

The government’s decision led to the fact that many cafe owners            .

  A．suffered heavy financial losses    

  B．asked to open up Internet cafes

  C．continued to operate Internet cafes   

  D．asked the government for payment

The underlined phrase in the last paragraph “on the way” means             .

  A.to be studied  

  B．to be put into practice

  C. to be changed    

  D．to be improved

The cafe owners found the government’s decision          .

  A．surprising and unacceptable   

  B．understandable and acceptable

  C. reasonable but surprising    

  D．surprising but acceptable

Australia is the smallest continent in the world. It is a little smaller than China. It is on the Southern Hemisphere of the earth. Australia is big, but its population is small. The population of Australia is nearly as large as that of Shanghai.
Enough laws have been made to fight against pollution. The cities in Australia have little air or water pollution. The sky is blue and the water is clean. You can clearly see fish in the rivers. Plants grow very well.
Last month we visited Perth, the biggest city in Western Australia, and went to a wild flower exhibition. There we saw large numbers of wild flowers on show, most of which we had never seen before. We had a wonderful time. Perth is famous for its beautiful wild flowers. Every year in spring Perth has a wild flower exhibition. After visiting Perth, we spent a day in the countryside. We sat down and had a rest near a path at the foot of a hill. It was quiet and we enjoyed ourselves very much. When we heard bells ringing at the top of the hills, we looked up, but what we saw made us pick up all our things and run back to our car as quickly as we could. There were about three hundred sheep coming towards us along the path.
Australia is famous for its sheep and kangaroos（袋鼠）. After a short drive from any town, you will find yourself among the white sheep. Sheep, sheep, everywhere you can see sheep.
【小题1】Which country is the writer most possibly from?

A．Japan

B．Canada

C．China

D．America

【小题2】We can learn from the passage that _________.

A．Australia is the smallest country in the world

B．Australia is the same size of Shanghai.

C．Australia is in the northern part of the earth.

D．The people in Australia are as many as those in Shanghai.

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

A．Australia has enough laws to fight against pollution.

B．Perth is the biggest city in Australia.

C．The wild flowers in Perth must be different from what the author sees in his/her country.

D．The author enjoyed his/her visit in the country.

【小题4】The underlined word “exhibition” in the third paragraph means _________.

A．a public show for people to visit

B．a market where you can buy all kinds of flowers

C．a place where all kinds of flowers are grown

D．a field where there are flowers and animal

You need to be of a certain age to understand why so many people in Hollywood are caring about the possible closing down of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (米高梅电影公司)．For the past 40 years, its output has been good, but now it is on the ropes, with debts of $ 3.7 billion and will have to sell off its most valuable assets.

In its golden time, MGM stood for something．If Warner Brothers meant social dramas and gangster movies, and Disney meant cartoon films, then MGM was healthy fantasy．This business model found its most glorious expression in its musicals of the post-war era．It also featured such many famous stars as Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly and Judy Garland.

But MGM had always put its hopes on the quality of stars it could attract．From the time MGM became a company in 1924, the studio and his associate proved themselves good at creating big names.

For 35 years, this worked well enough, but the growing power of television disturbed Hollywood．MGM continued to throw money into making gorgeous-looking musicals, but despite some big successes audiences gradually started to drift away．Throughout the sixties, MGM's decline set in．Things went from bad to worse．In 1973, MGM stopped distributing its own films．Since then, the Lion's roar has been reduced to a whimper (呜咽).

How far MGM has fallen can be shown by its recent releases．This was a studio that for years offered a reliable supply of first-class films．Yet last year its total output was three．To make it worse, all were co-produced with other studios．And this year? Only one so far, and maybe the last.

What now? MGM will probably be sold, though recent buyers have been cautious about a price thought to be around $ 2 billion.

1.MGM is becoming the focus in Hollywood because it _______．

  A. has more supporters        B. has produced good films

  C. might be closed down      D. has lost all its assets

2.What can we learn about MGM from the text?

  A. It has been sold out for around $ 2 billion.

  B. The Internet was a factor causing its decline.

  C. It only produced three films by itself last year.

  D. It made a wrong decision for its development.

3.What's the main idea of the text?

  A. The past glories of MGM．      B. The musicals made by MGM.

  C. The decline of MGM．      D. A historical decision by MGM

 

Tayka Hotel De Sal

Where: Tahua, Bolivia

How much: About $95 a night

Why it’s cool: You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That’s something few can claim．Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses (床垫) and blankets)．The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried-up lake that’s the world’s biggest salt flat．Builders use the salt from the 4,633-square-mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries．When rain starts to dissolve the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.

Green Magic Nature Resort

Where: Vythiri, India

How much: About $240 a night

Why it’s cool: Ridding a pulley(滑轮)-operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure．As you look out of your open window—there is no glass!—you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy．Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read．You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn “elevator”.

Dog Bark Park Inn B&B

Where: Cottonwood, Idaho

How much: $92 a night

Why it’s cool: This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet．Sweet Willy is a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly．Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side．You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a ffew steps ot the loft in Willy’s head, or hang out inside his nose．Cotta “go”(想要方便一下)? Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant outside.

Gamirasu Cave Hotel

Where: Ayvali, Turkey

How much: Between $130 and $475 a night.

Why it’s cool: This is caveman cool! Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash．But your stay will be much more modern．Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65℉in summer．(Don’t worry—there is heat in winter.)

Which of the following about Tayka Hotel de Sal is true?

      A．The hotel is the cheapest among the four mentioned.

      B．Everything in the hotel is made of salt.

      C．It is on an island in the Pacific Ocean.

      D．It is located on a prehistoric lake.

What is the similarity of the four hotels?

      A．Being expensive.     B．Being beautiful.      C．Being natural.  D．Being unique.

What does the underline part “Sweet Willy” refer to?

      A．The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.

      B．The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner.

      C．The name of the hotel.

      D．The name of the hotel owner.

Which of the hotel makes you have a feeling of living in the far past?

      A．Tayka Hotel De Sal  B．Green Magic Nature Resort

      C．Dog Bark Park Inn B&B       D．Gamirasu Cave Hotel

What may be the purpose of the writer writing the passage?

      A．To show his wide knowledge. B．To introduce some interesting hotels.

      C．To develop business in tourism.      D．To attract attention from the readers.

—Oh, dear! I can’t find my new bracelet. Where on earth did I put it?

—What a careless guy. It is on the table______ we had dinner together yesterday.

A．which            B．that              C．where            D．what