"Hey, little boy, will you support me when I'm getting old?" Wang Wenshan, 35, asked his newborn baby as he picked him up at home．

The Chinese tradition of raising sons to support parents in their old age has been weakened by the rapidly growing economy and improving standard of living．As is the case with more and more developed countries, China faces an aging society．People are living longer and having fewer children．Therefore, many Chinese families are falling into a 4-2-1 family pattern: a couple raises one child and supports four elderly parents．But few realize that a problem is likely to happen ahead．

The aging of the population is a trend that now affects a growing number of countries．Not long ago, the Information Office of the State Council, China's cabinet, issued a white paper on measures China is taking to help its elderly population．The paper said China s population entered the aging period at the end of the 20th century as the proportion rote） of people aged 60 and above accounted for over 10 percent of the entire population, By the end of 2005, China had nearly 144 million people over 60, accounting for 11 percent of the population, according to the white paper．

An expanding aged population inevitably means that many issues must be settled, as the problem concerns every aspect of society．It puts more pressure on each family, causing disturbing economic consequences and serious social problems．It also challenges the labor force supply and the pension system．

"I used to think that it's not an issue for me to provide, for the aged," said Wang, whose parents and parents-in-law all enjoy pensions and medical insurance．But last year Wang s father suffered a serious illness and afterward Wang began to feel the pressure on his shoulders．

After his father recovered, Wang opened bank accounts for each parent and deposited some money into the account every month to prepare for future uncertainties．In addition, he has to save money every month to provide for his son s future education．"I m now breaking my back working to support my family: saving pensions for the parents, my son s education funds, and living costs．"

Wang also bought some commercial old-age insurance for himself．"We have to take precautions before it is too late, and many of my colleagues share the same view," he said．

1.Which of the following is not caused by an aging society?

A．Social problem．	B．The problem of the pension system．
C．More pressure on the family．	D．Unemployment．

2.From the passage, we can infer___．

A．the aging people problem is one of the concerns for the Chinese government

B．China will encourage young couples to have more than one child

C．many people have realized the problem of aging society

D．children will not support their parents in an aging society

3.Which of the following can be used to replace the underlined word inevitably?

A．Surprisingly．	B．Certainly．
C．Hopefully．	D．Unluckily

4.From the text we can see that           .

A．China is the only country to face an aging society

B．most of the developing countries face an aging society

C．countries with a large population face an aging society

D．more and more developed countries face an aging society

 

On receiving my learner driver license a couple of months ago, I started driving lessons straight away. In New Zealand, the __33__ driving age is 15.

   However it wasn't __34__ two days ago that Dad finally allowed me to drive on the motorway. Our __35__ was Orewa, a seaside town about 60 kilometers away from my home in Auckland. That morning I __36__ sure I had enough to drink and went to the toilet (厕所) about three times __37__ we left. I thought I was totally __38__ for the journey, but nothing could have prepared me for my family's __39__. "Relax! Don't hold the steering wheel (方向盘) so __40__. The car is going zigzag (弯弯曲曲的)," called a nervous voice from the __41__. "Speed up. 70km/h isn't fast enough. You are holding up the traffic," another voice ordered from the seat next to mine.

  How __42__ ! My parents were really starting to get on my nerves. To satisfy them I sped up and within a second, an angry voice began to yell again. "Stop! __43__! Are you crazy? ” Everything did not go fine until I pulled off the motorway and drove into the city, __44__ the speed limit was only 50km/h.

  My family seemed relieved (放心的) and __45__ telling me what to do. They all looked out of the windows and enjoyed the scenery .  __46__, that silence didn't last very long. My mum suddenly cried out, "Look at those birds above us. __47__ they lovely?"

  How did she expect me to look up in the __49__? As the driver I had to __48__ . Who knows what would have happened if I had taken my eyes off the __50__? Four hours later we drove home. This time the journey was much __51__ than before as everyone else __52__ fast asleep. So, I just took my time and enjoyed the drive.

1.A. oldest                           B. youngest                  C. best                  D. worst

2.A. until                                B. unless                      C. after                 D. when

3.A. destination                    B. home                       C. city                   D. aim

4.A. thought                        B. decided                    C. kept                  D. made

5.A. when                           B. since                        C. before               D. as

6.A. disappointed                 B. prepared                   C. excited              D. upset

7.A. praises                         B. encouragements        C. complaints         D. cries

8.A. tightly                          B. lightly                      C. loosely             D. happily

9.A. front sear                         B. back seat                  C. top seat          D. empty seat

10.A. interesting                  B. moving                    C. puzzling         D. annoying

11.A. Get out                       B. Move on                  C. Slow down     D. Speed up

12.A. where                         B. while                       C. which               D. why

13.A. began                        B. stopped                    C. continued          D. forgot

14.A. Luckily                      B. Probably                  C. Warmly             D. Sadly

15.A. Can’t                         B. Don’t                       C. Aren’t               D. Won’t

16.A. air                             B. water                       C. ground              D. woods

17.A. see                             B. concentrate               C. check                D. care

18.A. bird                               B. dog                          C. road                  D. car

19.A. easier                         B. flatter                      C. harder               D. lower

20.A. felt                                   B. began                       C. fell                   D. kept

 

On Christmas morning, I went to the Cockhedge Mall. People there were all busy buying their last minute requirements. I needed to buy a birthday card for my son-in-law whose birthday is the 29th of December. Picking up a few more things as well as my cared I went to join the line for the express checkout which was for people who only had a few items in a basket and not a trolley load. This line was next to the Customer Service desk.

Seemingly waiting quite a long time, I was jogged out of my thoughts by a voice behind me making comments on the things I bought.

It was so funny when I realized that she was describing the contents of my basket. The owner of the voice was a very pretty young lady. I said to her that I was going to buy a box of Christmas cookies but the only ones left were not to my liking. The lady told me that just opposite Cockhedge in Superdrug they had lots of cookies. I said, “I’m not going to bother now. I had enough of shops and I’m going home.”

The assistant from the Customer Service came across at this time saying “If there is anyone in the line with a few items in their basket, none of which needed to be weighed, I will check out their groceries at the desk.” Because I had the sprouts which needed to be weighted, the young lady accepted the offer and walked away waving goodbye.

Eventually my turn came at the checkout. I was walking away when I met my new friend once again who handed me a beautiful box of Christmas cookies. With a big hug she said “Hope you have a lovely Christmas.” She had been into Superdrug to buy me the cookies while I was still queuing in Cockhedge.

What a generosity to a stranger! I was so surprised you could have knocked me down with a feather. My Good Samaritan would never know what a joyful Christmas day I had with my family. Telling them this story, as we ate around the table, kept everyone spellbound.

1.The underlined word “spellbound” in the last paragraph probably means          .

    A．interested       B．disappointed     C．astonished       D．frightened

2.Which of the following could be the best title of the story?

    A．A Piece of Lucky Feather             B．A Surprise Christmas Gift

    C．The Boring Shopping Experience       D．The Unforgettable Big Hug

3.How does the writer feel about the pretty young lady?

    A．Worried          B．Satisfied        C．Grateful         D．Proud

4.What can we learn from the story?

    A．Nobody is sure what will happen the next moment.

    B．A simple action can bring other people happiness.

    C．Being patient will decrease the waiting time.

    D．Life without hope and faith is a full thing.

 

The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is a wake-up call. It is a call for every American to pay attention to the destruction we risk by allowing human-induced(导致的) climate change to continue. It is impossible to prove that Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming, or even that human activities made the storm more severe. However, a paper published in the scholarly journal Nature reports that the force of dangerous hurricanes has increased by 50% during the last 50 years. It also reports that a global warming-induced rise in temperature near the ocean’s surface has probably contributed to this increase in dangerous storms, and thus to property(财产) damage and human death.

On August 30, the Los Angeles Times summed up(总结) the view of many scientists who agree that if the frequency of hurricanes does not decrease in the next few years, then we will be fairly certain that humans, and not natural storm cycle, are at the root of the problem. I believe there is at least a chance that by reducing U.S. reliance on fossil fuels for energy, we can prevent future tragedies like Hurricane Katrina. Let the change begin now.

There are many ways to reduce the volume of greenhouse gas emissions. My family drives the most fuel-efficient car we can afford, but I prefer to take public transportation whenever possible. My family buys locally grown food instead of produce that was transported thousands of miles on fuel-burning vehicles. We also replaced our incandescent light bulbs（白炽灯泡）with more energy-efficient compact fluorescents（荧光灯）. This might sound like a trivial move, but the Union of Concerned Scientists reports that if every household in the United States replaced one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent, it would have the same effect on U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions as removing 7.5 million cars from the roads. Now think if every household replaced not just one but all of their incandescent bulbs!

The United States, with just five percent of the world’s population, is responsible for close to one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, yet our country is doing far less than most European nations to fight global warming. We don’t have to sacrifice our lifestyles; Europeans enjoy the same standards of living as Americans. So what are we waiting for? It is time to act.

1. Which of the following is a fact?

A．Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming.

B．Human activities made the storm more severe.

C．The force of dangerous hurricanes has increased by 50 percent during the last 50 years.

D．A global rise in temperature near the ocean’s surface accounts for more dangerous storms.

2.From Paragraph 2 we can infer that many scientists agree ________.

A．it might be human activities that lead to global warming.

B．natural storm cycles have caused global warming.

C．hurricanes are likely to come more frequently.

D．burning fossil fuels for energy is a better alternative.

3. If every household in the U.S. replaced all their incandescent bulbs, ________.

A．it would have the same effect as removing 7.5 million cars from the roads.

B．it would save 7.5 million tons of carbon-dioxide from going into the air.

C．this would reduce the total output of CO?emissions in huge amounts.

D．cars will be much more environmentally friendly.

4. According to the writer,_______in reducing the volume of greenhouse gas emissions.

A．Europe does a better job.

B．Europe should follow the example of America.

C．he, as an European, wants to see more efforts made by Americans.

D．Europeans should shoulder a greater responsibility.

 

完形填空（共20小题：每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

On receiving my learner driver license a couple of months ago, I started driving lessons straight away. In New Zealand, the __1__ driving age is 15.

However it wasn't __2__ two days ago that Dad finally allowed me to drive on the motorway. Our __3__ was Urawa, a seaside town about 60 kilometers away from my home in Auckland. That morning I __4_ sure I had enough to drink and went to the toilet (厕所) about three times __5_ we left. I thought I was totally __6 for the journey, but nothing could have prepared me for my family's _7__. "Relax! Don't hold the steering wheel (方向盘) so _8_. The car is going zigzag (弯弯曲曲的), called a nervous voice from the __9__. "Speed up. 70km/h isn't fast enough. You are holding up the traffic," another voice ordered from the seat next to mine.

How _10__ ! My parents were really starting to get on my nerves. To satisfy them I sped up and within a second, an angry voice began to yell again. "Stop! __11__! Are you crazy? ” Everything did not go fine until I pulled off the motorway and drove into the city, 12__ the speed limit was only 50km/h.

My family seemed relieved (放心的) and __13__ telling me what to do. They all looked out of the windows and enjoyed the scenery. 14__, that silence didn't last very long. My mum suddenly cried out, "Look at those birds above us. __15 they lovely?"

How did she expect me to look up in the __16__? As the driver I had to _17_ . Who knows what would have happened if I had taken my eyes off the 18__? Four hours later we drove home. This time the journey was much __19__ than before as everyone else __20__ fast asleep. So, I just took my time and enjoyed the drive.

1.	A．oldest B．youngest C．best D．worst

 

2.	A．until B．unless C．after D．when

 

3.	A．destination B．home C．city D．aim

 

4.	A．thought B．decided C．kept D．made

 

5.	A．when B．since C．before D．as

 

6.	A．disappointed B．prepared C．excited D．upset

 

7.	A．praises B．encouragements C．complaints D．cries

 

8.	A．tightly B．lightly C．loosely D．happily

 

9.	A．front seat B．back seat C．top seat D．empty seat

 

10.	A．interesting B．moving C．puzzling D．annoying

 

11.	A．Get out B．Move on C．Slow down D．Speed up

 

12.	A．where B．while C．which D．why

 

13.	A．began B．stopped C．continued D．forgot

14. A. Luckily                 B. Probably                  C, Warmly             D. Sadly

15.	A．Can’t B．Don’t C．Aren’t D．Won’t

 

16.	A．air B．water C．ground D．woods

 

17.	A．see B．concentrate C．check D．care

 

18.	A．bird B．dog C．road D．car

 

19.	A．easier B．flatter C．harder D．lower

 

20.	A．felt B．began C．fell D．kept