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Our education system was invented. There were no public systems of education before the 19th century. They all came into being to meet the needs of industrialism. So the most useful subjects for work are at the top and you were probably driven away from what you did as a kid at school--things you liked--because you would never get a job doing that. Is that right? Don't do music. You're not going to be a musician. Don't do art. You're not going to be an artist. In addition, the whole system of public education around the world is a process of university entrance. And the consequence is that many highly talented, brilliant, creative people think they're not because the thing they were good at wasn't valued at school. I think we can't afford to go on that way. In the next 30 years, more people worldwide will be graduating through education than since the beginning of the history. Suddenly, degrees aren't worth anything. When I was a student, if you had a degree, you had a job. But now you need a Master's degree where the previous job required a Bachelor, and now you need a Ph.D. for the other. It's a process of academic inflation , and it indicates the whole structure of education needs changing. All the great teachers I've ever met and worked with are people who can inspire interest and curiosity and light up people's imaginations with the interests they themselves have for a particular field of work. I mean, teaching is not only a process of giving people direct instructions and information they have to memorize, it is much more than that. I believe our only hope for the future is to rethink the fundamental principles on which we are educating our children. And our task is to educate their whole being so they can face the future. By the way, we may not see this future, but they will. And our job is to help them make something of it. In the author's view, a good teacher should _ .

3D

The human body has hundreds of muscles. The three types are skeletal muscles, smooth muscles and cardiac, or heart muscles. Each kind of muscle has a special job to do. The skeletal muscles are attached to the bones; they actually hold the skeleton together. Strong cords, called tendons , help connect these muscles to the bones. Skeletal muscles give us strength and allow us to move in many ways. If you look at skeletal muscles through a microscope, you will see that it has bands of fibers that look like stripes . These stripes are called striations. Skeletal muscles usually move because the brain has sent a conscious message to them telling them what to do. This is called voluntary movement. Another type of muscle is smooth muscle. Unlike skeletal muscle, smooth muscle does not have striations. This is found in organs such as the stomach, the bladder , the lungs and the eyes. Smooth muscles are smaller than the skeletal muscles and they move involuntarily. The brain tells these muscles what to do, but we aren't even aware of it. For example, we don't have to think about breathing or digesting food. The smooth muscles just do their jobs automatically. For this reason smooth muscles are sometimes called involuntary muscles. Like smooth muscle, cardiac muscle also works involuntarily. It is a very thick muscle that is found only in the walls of the heart. Its job is to pump blood out of the heart and into blood vessels called arteries . The arteries help carry the blood to all parts of the body. When the cardiac muscles relax, they let blood back into the heart. Cardiac muscles have striations, just like skeletal muscles do. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

2C

The new mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan, is a man of the people, ready to listen to their problems, but only until 6 p.m. Then he has to do his homework. Michael Sessions, 18, beat former mayor Douglas Ingles, 51, by just two votes and became the new mayor of Hillsdale. He is America's youngest mayor. As Sessions was too young to enter the election in the spring of 2005, he registered- to vote on Sept. 22, one day after his 18-year-old birthday. The day after that he started his write-in campaign, which means he should persuade voters to remember his name and write it by hand on the voting ballots . To help get his name known, Sessions earned$700 by selling apples over the summer. He spent the money on posters and put them on the Hillsdale's lawns. Sessions' month-long campaign included going door to door, explaining his ideas of the town's future in the kitchens of his neighbors. "They'd look at me, and say'How old are you again? How much experience do you have?'And I say'I'm still in high school', "he said. Sessions promised Hillsdale's voters he would renew local economy. "I was hopeful the whole time, "he explained. One day he spent so long out on the streets knocking on the doors that he ended up in a hospital emergency room. Sessions said that his schoolwork will not get in the way of his job as a mayor. "From 7:50 a.m. to 2:30p.m., I'11 be a student. From 3 to 6, I'11 be the mayor of Hillsdale," he said. "He did a very brave thing that couldn't have been easy for him to do, "said Jack Vettel, a councilman in Hillsdale, a city of 8,200 about 75 miles southwest of Detroit. "He does care about this town. He's been here all his life. " Sessions will receive$3, 600 a year during his four-year term, and will work out of his bedroom since the town does not provide the mayor with an office. In order to gain more support from the voters Sessions had to do all these things EXCEPT _ .

1B

I fell in love with England because it was quaint --all those little houses, looking terribly old-fashioned but nice, like dolls' houses. I loved the countryside and the pubs, and I loved London. I've slightly changed my mind after seventeen years because I think it's an ugly town now. Things have changed. For everybody, England meant gentlemen, fair play, and good manners. The fair play is going, unfortunately, and so are the gentlemanly attitudes and good manners--people shut doors heavily in your face and politeness is disappearing. I regret that there are so few comfortable meeting places. You're forced to live indoors. In Paris I go out much more, to restaurants and nightclubs. To meet friends here it usually has to be in a pub, and it can be difficult to go there alone as a woman. The cafes are not terribly nice. As a woman, I feel unsafe here. I spend a bomb on taxis because I will not take public transport after 10 p. m. I used to use _ , but now I'm afraid. The idea of family seems to be more or less non-existent in England. My family is well united and that's typically French. In Middlesex I had a neighbour who is 82 now. His family only lived two miles away, but I took him to France for Christmas once because he was always alone. Where do people usually meet their friends in England?

3D

Teenagers will be told to "stand up for their elders" on public transport -- or risk losing their right to free travel. London Mayor Boris Johnson will declare plans today to make youngsters sign a "courtesy pledge" to promise to behave in a respectful manner when travelling in the capital. The three-point pledge states that they will give up their seats to the elderly, pregnant and disabled; keep from using offensive or threatening language; and be courteous and polite to fellow passengers and staff. Those who refuse, or are caught behaving in a _ manner, will have their free travel passes removed. The plan -- a key part of Mr. Johnson's re-election bid-- will initially affect the 400,000 ll-to-15-year-olds in London who qualify for free travel cards, but Tory sources believe the idea could be used across the country. A Conservative insider said: "The plan corresponds perfectly with the push to create a Big Society. It is about changing culture and expectations around behavior to improve the atmosphere on buses and trains for everyone." Speaking before today's launch, Mr. Johnson said he was determined to deal with the anti-social behavior of a "minority of youngsters" on public transport. "When I was a boy, I was taught to stand up for those less able to, "he said. "Youngsters enjoy the privilege of free travel, which is paid for by Londoners, but they have to understand that with that privilege comes responsibility. Anyone who abuses this privilege will have it taken away, and will have to earn that right bach ." Teenagers found guilty of a serious violation of the new behavior rules will lose their travel passes, and will have to carry out unpaid community work to earn them back. Mr. Johnson is also introducing a "two strikes and you're out" policy to deal with repeat offenders, under which those committing a second serious violation of the rules will lose their travel rights permanently. The worst punishment teenagers can face is _ .

3D

Many of the people who appear most often and most gloriously in history books are great conquerors and generals and soldiers, whereas the people who really helped civilization forward are often never mentioned at all. We do not know who first set a broken leg, or launched a seaworthy boat, or calculated the length of the year; but we know all about the killers and destroyers. People think a great deal of them, so much so that on all the highest pillars in the great cities of the world you will find the figure of a conqueror or a general or a soldier. And I think most people believe that the greatest countries are those that have beaten in battle the greatest number of other countries and ruled over them as conquerors. It is just possible they are, but they are not the most civilized. Animals fight; so do savages; hence to be good at fighting is to be good in the way in which an animal or a savage is good, but it is not to be civilized. Even being good at getting other people to fight for you and telling them how to do it most efficiently--this, after all, is what conquerors and generals have done--is not being civilized. People fight to settle quarrels. Fighting means killing, and civilized people ought to be able to find some way of setting their disputes other than by seeing which side can kill off the greater number of the other side, and then saying that that side which has killed most has won. And not only has it won, but because it has won, it had been in the right. For that is what going to war means; it means saying that might is right. As it is indicated in the passage, the figure of a conqueror or a general or a soldier is put on the highest pillars in the great cities of the world mainly because _ .

0A

It is thought that crying is hardly an activity encouraged by society. Tear, whether they are of sorrow, anger, or joy, typically make Americans feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. The shedder of tears is likely to apologize, even when a great tragedy was the cause. The observer of tears is likely to do everything possible to put an end to the emotional tears. But judging from recent studies of crying behavior, _ to tears are often inappropriate and may even be counterproductive . Humans are the only animals clearly known to shed emotional tears. Since evolution has given rise to few purposeless physiological responses, it is logical to assume that crying has one or more functions that enhance (increase) survival. Although some observers have suggested that crying is a way to ask for assistance form others (as a crying baby might from its mother), the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help. Vocal cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention. So, it appears, there must be something special about tears themselves. Indeed, the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in alleviating stress, University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently isolated two important chemicals from emotional tears. Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion. Tears shed because of exposure to cut onion would contain no such substance. Other researchers are investigating the usefulness of tears as a means of diagnosing human ills and monitoring drugs. At Tulane University's Teat Analysis Laboratory Dr. Peter Kastl and his colleagues report that they can use tears to detect drug abuse, to study the causes of "dry eye" syndrome and the effects of eye surgery, and perhaps even to measure exposure to environmental pollutants. What does the passage mainly talk about?

1B

I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on "two-hour business plans". I separated them into six groups and gave them an example: a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said. Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth proposed a catering service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment. My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state owned enterprises and global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years' teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently said that copying is a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating. In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But so few well developed marketing and management minds have been raised that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand. With this problem in mind, partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established. And then there's the "thousand talent scheme": this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization by attracting top foreign trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries about China's research environment. It's hardly known for producing independent thinking and openness, and even big salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this. At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think creatively. It's about establishing a rich learning environment for young minds. It's not that simple. We can infer from the passage that _ .

1B

Steve Sparks was a young successful lawyer when a bruise on one of the legs of his 3-year-old daughter changed his life. The bruise led to a doctor's visit. The doctor said his daughter was suffering from leukemia . Steve said that in a moment his life changed from what restaurant he was going to take his clients to lunch to whether his daughter Katie was ever going to see her fourth birthday. For three years Katie received a lot of treatment at the Nemours Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and with the help of wonderful doctors, kind nurses, whom Steve and his wife Michelle called heroes, Katie's leukemia was cured . Forever changed by the experience and encouraged by the heroes at Nemours who saved his daughter's life, Steve felt he couldn't go back to business as usual. He felt there was something else he was meant to do and that something else led him to join the Nemours Foundation at the age of 28. The job change came with a 65% pay cut from what he was making as a lawyer, but Steve thought he was right and it was more important to help those who need help. Steve is glad to have made such a choice. Katie is now a healthy 20-year-old college student and Steve is one of the leaders of the Nemours Foundation. In three weeks Steve will have a party for Katie's 21st birthday, and give big thanks to the Nemours by riding his bicycle from Nemours in Jack-sonville, Florida to Wilmington, Delaware. He'll ride 900 miles in 9 days and raise $100,000 for the Nemours Foundation with the hope of saving more children's lives. From the text we can learn that _ .

3D

Air pollution by sources ranging from cooking fires to auto fumes contributed to an estimated seven million deaths worldwide in 2012, the UN health agency has said. "Air pollution, and we're talking about both indoors and outdoors, is now the biggest environmental health problem, and _ is affecting everyone, both developed and developing countries," said Maria Neira, the World Health Organisation's public and environmental health chief. Globally, pollution was linked to one death in eight in 2012, new WHO research found. The biggest pollution-related killers were heart disease, stroke, pulmonary disease and lung cancer. The hardest-hit regions of the globe were what the WHO labels Southeast Asia, which includes India and Indonesia, and the Western Pacific, ranging from China and South Korea to Japan and the Philippines. Together, they accounted for 5.9 million deaths. The global death toll included 4.3 million deaths due to indoor air pollution, chiefly caused by cooking over coal, wood and biomass stoves. The toll from outdoor pollution was 3.7 million, with sources ranging from coal heating fires to diesel engines. Many people are exposed to both indoor and outdoor pollution, the WHO said, and due to that overlap the separate death toll attributed to the two sources cannot simply be added together, hence the figure of seven million deaths. The new figure is "shocking and worrying", Ms Neira told reporters. When it last released an estimate for deaths related to air pollution, in 2008, the agency had put the figure related to outdoor pollution at 1.3 million, while the number blamed on indoor pollution was 1.9 million. But a change in research methods makes comparison difficult between the 2008 estimate and the 2012 figures, Neira said. In the past, for example, the WHO did not take into account the overlap between exposure to both forms, and only assessed urban pollution. Satellite imagery has made it easier to assess rural pollution, and new knowledge about the health impact of exposure has enabled a better count. "The risks from air pollution are now far greater than previously thought or understood, particularly for heart disease and strokes," said Neira. "Few risks have a greater impact on global health today than air pollution. The evidence signals the need for concerted action to clean up the air we all breathe." According to the WHO, some 2.9 billion people in poor nations live in homes that use fires as their principle method of cooking and heating. Carlos Dora, the WHO's public and environmental health coordinator, said that turned homes into "combustion chambers". Simple measures to stem the impact include so-called "clean cook stoves", which are a low-tech option, as well as improved ventilation, he said. Countries also need to rethink policies, Mr Dora said, pointing to the impact in the developed world of a shift to cleaner power sources, more efficient management of energy demand, and technical strides in the auto industry. He also said transport policies needed a shake-up. With air pollution having sparked a recent scare in France, leading to restrictions on car use and the temporary scrapping of public transport fees in Paris, Mr Dora said such measures could be applied in the longer term. "You can't buy clean air in a bottle," he said."The air is a shared resource. In order to breathe clean air, we have to have interventions in the areas that pollute air." The WHO said it planned by the end of this year to release a ranking of the world's 1,600 most polluted cities. Which of the following is True according to the passage? .

0A

Owen owned Greenacre, a tract of land, in fee simple. By warranty deed he conveyed Greenacre to Lafe for life "and from and after the death of Lafe to Rem, her heirs and assigns." Subsequently Rem died, devising all of her estate to Dan. Rem was survived by Hannah, her sole heir at law. Shortly thereafter Lafe died, survived by Owen, Dan, and Hannah. Title to Greenacre now is in

1B

Tattoos and body piercings have moved up on the trend list in recent years. Around Western schools lots of teens are sporting new holes and "flesh ink" . As with all other subjects, the Chinese will surely have to deal with this situation with respect to their children. To get a better view of what has happened in the West, let's sit down and hear what they say. Tiara from prefix = st1 /Indiana: I personally think body piercing is sickening. If there were supposed to be holes in your body, you would have been born with them. I do, however, think that ear piercing, is not wrong. There is a difference between ear piercing and belly button piercing. Ear piercing is not nearly as dangerous. I would be sick if someone stuck a needle in my belly button. Lee fromIllinois: Hi! I live inIllinois. I am 23. I have 12 tattoos and three piercings. I love my tattoos and consider myself an art collector. You would be surprised at who has given me the thumbs-up on my art work. People on the street stop me to look at the tattoo on my leg. Most of them don't know what it is. They just think the work itself is great. Subotai fromCalifornia: I'm not against self-expression, but when I see high school students getting these piercing, I really wonder. In some cases, the drive is deeper and darker than mere fashion. A friend of mine tried piercing her own tongue with a safety pin. It got infected and she had a tongue the size of a cow's. Jackson fromOhio: I don't think it's wrong, but when people do it all over the place like their face and everything --I think that's ridiculous. People who get the big dragons that cover your whole body--I don't think that's necessary. When I see naked chicks on guys, I think. "You have no respect for women." Brittney from New York: Who doesn't think tattoos and piercings are beautiful except ear piercing?

2C

Last summer, after finishing our work in China, I took a trip of a lifetime on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Leaving Beijing early on a Wednesday morning in July, my wife and I traveled through some gorgeous countryside before we arrived in Moscow the following Monday evening. The first part of the journey took us past the Great Wall and through the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. At the Mongolian Republic border, we had a delay while the wheels were changed because the railway is different. On our way to the capital, Ulan Bator, we saw herdsmen on horseback looking after their cattle. There was a terrible thunderstorm as we crossed a vast open plain. Later we had a quick tour of Ulan Bator. Next, the train took us into Siberia. After a stop at Irkutsk, a popular holiday resort , where a tour group left the train, we passed the great Lake Baikal. Later, we saw some lovely wooden houses in pretty, sunny countryside. This surprised us, as we had imagined Siberia as being covered in thick snow. Over the next few days, we passed through Novosibirsk, Omsk and other cities in the heartlands of the Russian Federation. By now, our body clocks were losing their sense of time. We wanted to sleep and eat at the wrong time! At last we reached Moscow. We were too tired and slept for 16 hours that night. The next day we went sightseeing. We saw the Kremlin and some other great buildings in the Russian capital. Then, all too soon, it was time for us to return to our home in London. The author was surprised by what he saw in Siberia because _ .

3D

It's not every week that England's greatest playwright William Shakespeare hits the headlines, but the Bard of Avon has been the subject of two news stories in recent days as new information has come to light about the writer and his working environment. In the first development, a portrait of Shakespeare, which is believed to be the only picture painted of him during his lifetime, was _ in London. The artwork has been dated back to 1610, meaning it was painted six years before the writer's death. The painting had been owned by a family descended from Shakespeare's literary patron tor hundreds of years without them ever knowing who the man in the picture was. Alec Cobbe, who inherited the portrait, realized that the painting was a likeness of Shakespeare after visiting an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery where he saw a portrait that had, until 70 years ago, been accepted as a life portrait of Shakespeare. Mr Cobhe immediately realized he was looking at a copy of the painting that had been in his family for centuries. The painting will now go on display in Shakespeare's hometown Stratford-upon-Avon. In a separate story, archaeologists in London believe they have unearthed the remains of Shakespeare's first theatre. The site was excavated by a team from the Museum of London last summer, and is believed to have been built in 1576. Experts think that Shakespeare himself acted at the theatre, which may have been where the play Romeo and Juliet was premiered . It is believed that 25 years after construction, the building was pulled down and moved timber by timber to the South Bank of the Thames, where a reconstruction of the theatre now stands. .Which of the following is true?

3D

Imagine coming home after work and feeling like you're on vacation at a 5-star resort!Welcome to The Strand Southbank in downtown Jacksonville-where luxury meets comfort.Renting a luxury apartment at The Strand Southbank is a wise lifestyle choice.After your long day,you deserve to feel like you're walking into a high-end luxury resort where you can truly relax.With activities geared towards life away from the office,our community comes alive when you come home.At The Strand Southbank,we foster resident friendships through frequent happy hours,book clubs and running groups.We free up your evenings by offering catered meals and food trucks on site.You have better things to do,like sitting on your balcony and taking in the views of downtown Jacksonville's bridges lit up or smelling the salty air from the St.Johns River. COMMUNITY AMENITIES *Fully equipped fitness center with river views *Business center with high-speed internet *Controlled access garage parking *Relaxing library with fireplace *Frequent resident events and community activities LOCATION The Strand Southbank apartments are ideally located in downtown Jacksonville near the entertaining Riverwalk and the sparkling St.John's River.Perfect for Jacksonville university students,these apartments are near popular Jacksonville schools including Jacksonville University,University of North Florida,and Florida Coastal School of Law.The Strand Southbank apartments are also conveniently near the Mayo Clinic. DIRECTIONS From I-10 take exit 350B toward San Marco Blvd.Merge onto Gary St.Turn left at FL-5/S Main St./US-1.Turn right at Gulf Life Dr./Riverplace Blvd.The Strand Southbank is on the left. From I-95,exit on Union Street and travel east.Turn left onto Riverplace Boulevard.The Strand Southbank is just ahead on your right. What might encourage people to rent an apartment at The Strand Southbank?

1B

The United States of America is the most culturally diverse country in the world in terms of culture religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation. As a combination of various races and cultures, America is home to all. The culture here is so unique that citizens can be just as proud of their original cultural heritage as they are to be American. What is now the US was initially inhabited by native people until the land was settled by various European groups and African slaves. Since the 20th century, the country has become a heaven for people from all over the globe . The arrival of immigrants has shifted populations from rural areas into cities because immigrants tend to settle in urban areas. At present, 81 percent of the inhabitants in the US live in cities. Cultural and ethnic diversity adds a unique flavor to cities that is expressed through distinct neighborhoods, restaurants, places of worship, museums, nightlife and multicultural learning environments. Unique musical forms, such as jazz, rock and roll, Chicano music, and the blues, grow in the US by mixing a variety of culturally distinct musical traditions to create a new form. At the executive level, the country is headed by a mixedrace president; two posts on the Supreme Court are held by members of the country's two largest minorities.There is also diversity in state and local governments. Without its rich mixture of races and cultures, America would not be the nation that it is today. Founded upon the basis of equality and freedom, America acts as a stage where different cultures not only coexist peacefully, but develop well. According to the passage, America is a country _ .

0A

What requires photosynthesis to grow?

2C

As the human population increases, more fossil fuels are being used. The burning of fossil fuels produces greenhouse gases. How might humans reduce greenhouse gases?

2C

Do you feel you have enough time to do all the things you have to do or want to do? How do you think you could plan your day better? A daily schedule will help you plan every part of it. If you learn to manage your time, you will probably feel less worried. Here is how to do it. 1. Take out a piece of paper and a ruler. Draw a form of your waking hours, using one square for each half an hour. If you're awake for 16 hours each day, you will need 32 squares: 8 across, 4 down.2. Sit down and examine your day. Make a list of all the things you need to do. Think about when you should do them. 3. Fill out your schedule. 4. Remember to give yourself breaks. If doing all of your homework at one time is too much, schedule a little bit of free time in the middle of it. 5. If you have an important thing to do but it's not on your schedule, _ other activities around it. 6. Think about using different colored pens for your different activities. In this way, you'll clearly know how your day is planned out. If the writer is awake for 14 hours each day, he will need _ squares in his schedule.

1B

If you intend using humor in your talk to make people smile, you must know how to identify shared experiences and problems. Your humor must be relevant to the audience and should help to show them that you are one of them or that you understand their situation and are in sympathy with their point of view. Depending on whom you are addressing, the problems will be different. If you are talking to a group of managers, you may refer to the disorganized methods of their secretaries; alternatively if you are addressing secretaries, you may want to comment on their disorganized bosses. Here is an example, which I heard at a nurses' convention, of a story which works well because the audience all shared the same view of doctors. A man arrives in heaven and is being shown around by St. Peter. He sees wonderful accommodations, beautiful gardens, sunny weather, and so on. Everyone is very peaceful, polite and friendly until, waiting in a line for lunch, the new arrival is suddenly pushed aside by a man in a white coat, who rushes to the head of the line, grabs his food and stomps over to a table by himself. "Who is that?" the new arrival asked St. Peter. "Oh, that's God." came the reply, "but sometimes he thinks he's a doctor." If you are part of the group which you are addressing, you will be in a position to know the experiences and problems which are common to all of you and it'll be appropriate for you to make a passing remark about the inedible canteen food or the chairman's notorious bad taste in ties. With other audiences you mustn't attempt to cut in with humor as they will resent an outsider making disparaging remarks about their canteen or their chairman. You will be on safer ground if you stick to scapegoats like the Post Office or the telephone system. If you feel awkward being humorous, you must practice so that it becomes more natural. Include a few casual and apparently off-the-cuff remarks which you can deliver in a relaxed and unforced manner. Often it's the delivery which causes the audience to smile, so speak slowly and remember that a raised eyebrow or an unbelieving look may help to show that you are making a light-hearted remark. Look for the humor. It often comes from the unexpected. A twist on a familiar quote "If at first you don't succeed, give up" or a play on words or on a situation. Search for exaggeration and understatements. Look at your talk and pick out a few words or sentences which you can turn about and inject with humor. To make your humor work, you should _ .

2C

Over the years I've been teaching kids about a simple but powerful spirit--the ant philosophy . I think we should study ants. Ants have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part:they never give up. That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them, they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, and they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy to never quit looking for a way to get where they'd like to go. Second, ants think winter all summer. That's an important view. You can't be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering their winter food in summer. An ancient story says, "Don't build your house on the sand in summer." There is some reason in what it says. It is important to think ahead. In summer, you've to think about the storm. You've got to think about rocks when you enjoy the sand and sun. The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, "This won't last long;we'll soon be out of here." And on the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll go back, but then they come out again if it is warm. They can't wait to get out. And here is the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All that he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-that-you-possibly-can" philosophy. What a great philosophy to have the ant philosophy! Never give up, look ahead, stay active and do all you can. If ants have trouble reaching somewhere, they will _ .

3D

Nowadays people are troubled by the violence that spreads throughout the media. Movies, television and video games are full of gunplay and bloodshed, and one might reasonably ask what's wrong with a society that presents videos of violence as entertainment. Viewing large amounts of violent television and video games may well contribute to violent behavior in certain individuals. The trouble comes when researchers downplay uncertainties in their studies or overstate the case for causality . Skeptics were dismayed several years ago when a group of societies including the American Medical Association tried to end the debate by issuing a joint statement: "At this time, well over 1,000 studies... point to a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some children." Freedom-of-speech advocates accused the societies of catering to politicians, and even disputed the number of studies (most were review articles and essays, they said). When Jonathan Freedman, a social psychologist at the University of Toronto, reviewed the literature, he found only 200 or so studies of television-watching and aggression. And when he weeded out "the most doubtful measures of aggression", only 28% supported a connection. The critical point here is causality. The alarmists say they have proved that violent media cause aggression. But the assumptions behind their observations need to be examined. When labeling games as violent or non-violent, should a hero eating a ghost really be counted as a violent event? And when experimenters record the time it takes game players to read "aggressive" or "non-aggressive" words from a list, can we be sure what they are actually measuring? The intention of the new Harvard Center on Media and Child Health to collect and standardize studies of media violence in order to compare their methodologies, assumptions and conclusions is an important step in the right direction. Another appropriate step would be to tone down the criticism until we know more. Several researchers write, speak and testify quite a lot on the threat posed by violence in the media. That is, of course, their privilege. But when doing so, they often come out with statements that the matter has now been settled, drawing criticism from colleagues. In response, the alarmists accuse critics and news reporters of being deceived by the entertainment industry. Such clashes help neither science nor society. The author uses the term "alarmists" to refer to those who _ .

2C

Put technology in the hands of someone like Elon Musk and it can send people into space, make a future of clean and renewable energy a reality, or build electric cars. Put in your hands, and it can help you achieve all sorts of things, from learning to code to learning a language. Educational apps are becoming increasingly popular as a supplement , and sometimes as an alternative , to traditional education. Why? Well, for starters, it's extremely convenient to learn on a pocket-sized device that you already carry around with you at all times. The best apps are also highly interactive and adaptive, _ . But apps, just like textbooks and language lessons, are a medium through which a language can be studied. The way you use them will affect how successful you are. If you flick through a textbook and don't dare say a word in your language lessons, you'll make slow progress. The keen reader who repeats each exercise in the textbook and engages the teacher in the conversation will move ahead. So how do you ensure you get the most out of your app, and what should you consider before you install one? Before that, a very quick introduction: I developed the following five points from my experience as both a language teacher and learner, and from working in startups in the field of language. I spent six years teaching in Germany and Spain as well as developing a video learning startup. However, I first came to language learning late. I started learning Spanish at 22, and was able to use Spanish and German freely by about 28. I've been using language apps for the last few years, and participated in two successful one-week challenges to go from zero to hero in Italian and French. If you're interested, you can see the French challenge here. So, just before downloading an app, here's what you should think about... We infer that Elon Musk is most probably _ .

3D

To the mom I used to be: Two years ago, you were happy and whole. You had a plan for life -- start a new business, get involved in the Parent-teacher Association, teach your sons how to ride bicycles, spend as much time with your friends and parents as possible, watch your children mature and grow old with your husband. You were a " _ " person who often felt so much joy. You always looked forward, smiled and danced. Two years ago, on December 14, 2012, the world changed and you changed with it. Disturbed young men with access to high-powered guns went to your sons' school and killed six educators and twenty first-graders. Your eldest son Jake survived, but was changed by the day he discovered some monsters are real. He describes it as the day "when evils came to my school." Your youngest son, Dylan, whom you thought of as a pure love, with his charming eyes and infectious giggle ,was killed. Shot multiple times, he died instantly in the arms of his special-education assistant who also died while trying to protect him. The tragedy changed all your life, not only because of losing your child, but because of the hole inside you that can never be filled. Your eldest son has been forced to grow up too fast because of the loss of his brother. The pain has altered the lines on your husband's face. The way you look at the world has changed. Your interactions with friends and family seem foreign. ... ... But the things have moved on with hopefulness. You are now someone far more realistic. You control your feelings because you fear if you really let it out, you would never recover. It would destroy you. You know what you should do is try everything to protect more children. You're fighting a good fight, what the whole society really needs. With love, Nicole Hockley, Dylan's mom Saying a "glass half full" person, the author means she _ .

0A

A group of swans flew down to a beach where a crow was jumping around . The crow watched them with disdain . "You have no flying skills at all ! " he said to the swans. " All you can do is to move your wings. Can you turn over in the air ? No , that's beyond you. Let's have a flying compitition. I'll show you what real flying is ! " One of the swans , a strong young male , took up the challenge. The crow flew up and began to show his skills. He flew in circles, performed other flying tricks, and then came down and looked proudly at the swan. Now it was the swan's turn. He flew up , and began flying over the sea. The crow flew after him , making all kinds of comments about his flying. They flew on and on till they couldn't see the land and there was nothing but water on all sides. The crow was making fewer and fewer comments. He was so _ that he found it hard to stay in the air, and had to struggle to keep himself from falling into the water. The swan pretended ( ) not to notice , and said, " Why do you keep touching the water , brother ? Is that another trick ?" " No ," said the crow. He knew he had lost the competition. " I'm in trouble because of my pride ! If you don't help me , I'll lose my life... " The swan took pity on him , and took him on his shoulders and flew back to the beach. ,. Which of the following is right according to the text ?

2C

A victor is, by definition, someone who wins a struggle or contest. However, that doesn't mean he or she will live a proud and happy life ever after, as Katniss Everdeen is about to discover in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Catching Fire, out in Chinese theaters on Nov 21, is set in a futuristic society called Panem. Every year its government holds a televised fight to the death. Two teenagers from each of the 12 districts of Panem are chosen to compete. In the new film, last year's victors Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and her partner Peeta are back home after winning the 74thHunger Games. Katniss just wants to live a normal life. However, that never seems to happen. She has nightmares, which remind her that she is a killer. Her worst nightmare comes true when the annual Hunger Games arrive again. The teenager finds herself back in the competition along with Peeta. Since Katniss brings hope to Panem through her courage, President Snow plans to use this year's Games to kill off Katniss and Peeta and in turn _ the fires of rebellion. "This is the next step of Katniss' heroism and the next part of her journey to finding out who she is really going to be," Lawrence told Reuters. Fast-paced and full of action, Catching Fire looks to outdo the success that the first film had in 2012. With a 97 percent rating on the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes, it is enjoying positive reviews. Critics have praised it for being faithful to the book written by American author Suzanne Collins. The Hollywood Reporter said that Catching Fire outshines the first movie a lot. Jennifer Lawrence, who won a best actress Oscar this year for her 2012 movie Silver Linings Playbook, has helped Catching Fire find success, Forbes pointed out. The 23-year-old actress does well playing a young lady who hates what she was forced to do to stay alive yet is determined not to give up. "Lawrence's down-to-earth personality in real life won the hearts of the public. So given a wildly popular first film that blew everyone away, a rising fan base and a lead performer beloved by the mainstream press and viewers, the sequel was always going to be big," Forbes noted. After reading the passage, we can infer that _ .

3D

The tradition of birthday parties started a long time ago. There are some traditions that you can find almost anywhere, anytime, such as sending birthday cards, blowing out the candles on a birthday cake and singing the 'Happy Birthday' song. Others are only found for certain ages and in certain countries. In China, on a child's second birthday, family members put many things on the floor around the child. According to Chinese tradition, the first thing that the child picks up tells you what profession the child will choose later in life. For Japanese children, the third, fifth and seventh birthdays are especially important. At this age, there is a special celebrationShichi-Go-San (seven, five, three in Japanese) when children go to the temple wearing a newkimono . Thepriest gives them special sweets, and the parents usually organize a party for their friends in their home. In Argentina, Mexico and several other Latin American countries, girls have a special birthday celebration when they reach the age of fifteen. After a special ceremony , the girls dance a waltz with their father and other boys. Eighteen is the traditional "coming of age"-- the age when (in many countries) you have the right tovote , join the army and (in Britain) drink alcohol or buy a house. In many English-speaking countries, a twenty-first birthday cake often has a key on top, or the cake itself is sometimes in the shape of a key. The key means that the young person is now old enough to leave and enter the family home at any time they want to! Which of the following birthday traditions can be found almost anywhere, anytime?

3D

There is a discovery that students who rely on working at night to improve their grades might want to sleep on that strategy: a new survey in the US says those who never study all night have slightly higher grades than those who do. A survey of 120 students at St. Lawrence University found that students who have never pulled an all-nighter on average have higher grades than those who have. The survey found those who did not study through the night had a grade point average of 3.2 compared to 2.95 for those who have. The study, by assistant professor of psychology Pamela Thacher, is to be included in the January issue of Behavioral Sleep Medicine. "It's not a big difference, but it's pretty striking," Thacher said. "I am primarily a sleep researcher and I know nobody thinks clearly at 4 in the morning. You think you do, but you can't." Many college students, of course, have inadequate or irregular sleep, for reasons ranging from excessive caffeine to poor time management. "A lot of students were under the impression that all-nighters were a very useful tool for accomplishing work, that caffeine intake was very useful in meeting deadlines and stuff like that," said Chatani, who had a 3.4 grade point average last term. Dr Howard Weiss, a physician at St. Peter's Sleep Center in Albany, said the study results make sense. "Certainly that data is out there showing that short sleep duration ly interferes with concentration, interferes with performance on objective testing," he said. Some night owls do get good grades, of course, which may be explained by circadian rhythms , Weiss said. Some people have different 24-hour body clocks than others, and may do better depending on class and testing times, Weiss said. What can we know from Dr. Howard Weiss' words?

1B

Plants make sugars in the presence of sunlight in a process called photosynthesis. What form of carbon do the plants take in for this process?

1B

Parents should stop blaming themselves because there's not a lot they can do about it. I mean the teenager problem. Whatever you do or however you choose to deal with it, at certain times a wonderful, reasonable and helpful child will turn into a terrible animal. I've seen friends deal with _ in all kinds of different ways. One strict mother insisted that her son, right from a child, should stand up whenever anyone entered the room, open doors and shake hands like a gentleman. I saw him last week when I called round. Sprawling himself on the sofa in full length, he made no attempt to turn off the loud TV he was watching as I walked in, and his greeting was no more than a quick glance at me. His mother was ashamed. "I don't know what to do with him these days," she said. "He's forgotten all the manners we taught him." He hasn't forgotten them. He's just decided that he's not going to use them. She confessed that she would like to come up behind him and throw him down from the sofa onto the floor. Another good friend of mine let her two daughters climb all over the furniture, reach across the table, stare at me and say, "I don't like your dress; it's ugly." One of the daughters has recently been driven out of school. The other has left home. "Where did we go wrong?" her parents are now very sad. Probably nowhere much. At least, no more than the rest of that unfortunate race, parents. This text is most probably written by _ .

3D

One day, Jack's wife was in their bedroom. She found many things in an old box. "look at all these umbrellas," Jack's wife said to him, "There are eight and they are all broken." "I'll take them all to the umbrella shop and mend them," Jack said, "They are too good to throw away." Jack took the eight umbrellas to the shop and left them there. "They'll be ready tomorrow, " the shopkeeper said. That evening Jack went home from the office by bus as usual. he sat next to an old woman. She had an umbrella on the floor near her. When the bus reached his stop, he picked up her umbrella and stood up. "Hey!" the woman said, "That's my umbrella." " I'm so sorry," Jack said And gave it back to her, " I took it by mistake. Please forgive me. " The next day he got the umbrellas from the umbrella shop and got on a bus. As he sat down, a voice behind him said, " You have certainly had a successful day ! " He turned around and saw the same woman again. He almost took her umbrella the day before. At the end of the story, the woman thought that _ .

0A

Once there were two mice. They were friends. One mouse lived in the country; the other mouse lived in the city. After many years the Country mouse saw the City mouse; he said, "Do come and see me at my house in the country." So the City mouse went. The City mouse said, "This food is not good, and your house is not good. Why do you live in a hole in the field? You should come and live in the city. You would live in a nice house made of stone. You would have nice food to eat. You must come and see me at my house in the city." The Country mouse went to the house of the City mouse. It was a very good house. Nice food was set ready for them to eat. But just as they began to eat they heard a great noise. The City mouse cried, "Run! Run! The cat is coming!" They ran away quickly and hid. After some time they came out. When they came out, the Country mouse said, "I do not like living in the city. I like living in my hole in the field. For it is nicer to be poor and happy than to be rich and afraid." Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

3D

To us it seems so natural to put up an umbrella to keep the water off when it rains, But actually the umbrella was not invented as protection against the rain, Its first use was as a shade against the sun! Nobody knows who first invented it, but the umbrella was used in very ancient times. Probably the first to use it were the Chinese in the eleventh century BC. We know that the umbrella was used in ancient Egypt and Babylon as a sunshade. And there was a strange thing connected with its use: it became a symbol of honor. In the Far East in ancient times, the umbrella was allowed to be used only by those in high office. In Europe, the Greeks were the first to use the umbrella as a sunshade. And the umbrella was in commonly used in ancient Greece. But it is believed that the first persons in Europe to use the umbrella as protection against the rain were the ancient Romans. During the Middle Ages, the use of the umbrella practically disappeared. Then it appeared again in Italy in the late sixteenth century. And again it was considered as a symbol of power. By 1680, the umbrella appeared in France and later in England. By the eighteenth century, the umbrella was used against rain throughout most of Europe. Umbrellas have not changed much in style during all this time, though they have become much lighter in weight. It wasn't until the twentieth century that women's umbrellas began to be made, in a whole variety of colors. In Europe, the umbrella was first used against the rain _ .

2C

Mr Robin had his house in a tree. His four baby robins lived in it. They grew very fast. Soon the house was too little for them. "It is time for you to fly," said Mr Robin. "Oh, we can not fly," said the baby robins. "You can, if you try, " said Mr Robin. A robin tried. He flew into a tree. "Oh, how interesting!" said the little robin. "I like to fly. See me go!" Then the other robins tried. In a little while they could all fly. The robins could fly, but they could not sing. "No, Dad, we can not sing." "You can, if you try. Hear the other birds sing. Look at the pretty flowers and the blue sky. Then you will want to sing. Hear me sing to you. Now sing for me." One little robin sang. Then they all sang. A little girl came by. "Wow, hear the birds sing!" she said. "How happy they are!" How many baby robins lived in the house?

1B

Technology and the present generation of kids go hand in hand. Taking advantage of this factor, Lim Hojoon, the designer from South Korea, has come up with an educational gadget especially for children. Kidget, as the name suggests, is a combination of two words - kid and gadget. This kid-friendly gadget has various uses. When your child is in a mood to read, it takes the form of a storybook. When the mood is to draw and color this wonder gadget turns into a perfect canvas . Your child can freely give color to all his/her imaginations. Should he or she wish to have some fun, see this device change into a musical instrument. You too would enjoy doing activities with your loved one using this gadget. This touch screen device will definitely prove to be an ideal friend. As many parents agree, in this age of technological advancements it is much easier to introduce children to new gadgets than adults. While many adults refrain from trying out something new, kids are more than prepared to take the leap. Keeping this fact in mind, Kidget is the perfect gift for the child of the 21st century. You will be surprised to see how fast your little one gets acquainted with the device. You might even find yourself lagging behind at times. Kidget has another hidden advantage. It helps take the load off young shoulders. With three things rolled into one, a child has much less books, stationary items and related goods to carry. It comes with a promise to make life simpler for kids. Not only is it simple to use but also easy to carry along. The stylish protective case comes with a belt attached to it. Children up to 14 years of age, the targeted audience, enjoy the freedom that comes with it. A hidden advantage of Kidget is that _ .

1B

The Smurfs --cute little blue cartoon dwarfs inspired by Nordic fairy tales made their first TV appearance in the US in 1981 and ever since have been childhood friends to many people across. The storyline is quite simple. The Smurfs are living happily in their mushroom houses in the middle of a forest.Then one day the evil wizard Gargamel discovers their village and sends them by magic to present-day New York City. The Smurfs have to find their way home and conquer Gargamel along the way. So, just why, more than half a century later, is the simple story still so beloved by young and old? Mario Cacciolotto, a BBC reporter, believes it is due to the fact that the Smurfs' lives do not have any particular cultural implication and argues that they could offer a model for society. Veronique Culliford, daughter of the Smurfs' creator Pierre Culliford, agrees."They are unique creations," she says, "They do not do politics or religion.They are multi-cultural and everybody around the world can recognize themselves in the Smurfs.Everyone can apply their very nice values of friendship, kindness and helping others to their own lives, regardless of where they come from". In the Smurf world , everyone has their own skill and is willing to use it for the benefit of others without expecting any reward.Their village is run as a collective and has no form of currency. This has even led to debates about whether the artist intended the Smurfs as a metaphor for socialism. "The series wasn't just about sweet-looking dwarfs," said Alan Mechem of the British Smurf Collectors Club.He thought that Culliford wanted it to show things like equality and tolerance. According to Veronique Culliford, why is the Smurfs' story still popular after half a century?

0A

Mr Smith was in trouble those days. He drove a car for Mr Black, a rich businessman. He worked hard and the shopkeeper liked him. But he couldn't work when he drank too much.And once he almost fell into the river when he drove along the bridge. Mr Black became angry and was going to send him away. He had a big family and was afraid of it and promised he would stop drinking at once. The man told him to wait to be dealt with . One Monday morning Mr Smith came into the office with badly burned ears. "What happened to your ears?" asked Mr Black. "Well", said the man. "I went to watch a football match yesterday while my wife was ironing clothes. She had put the iron near the telephone before she went to cook supper. Our team lost the game and I felt sorry for it. As soon as I went in the sitting-room ,the phone rang and I answered the iron !" "And what happened to the other ear?" "When I put the iron down the table ,the telephone rang again !" _ ,so he almost drove the car into the river.

1B

The English Fashion recently asked people about their wonderful ideas and plans about things they could do.The magazine asked people the following question, "If you had all the money you wanted, what would you like to do?" About 500 people answered the survey question. Almost half (49%) of the people in the survey said they would buy material things such as a bigger house or a better car.One fifth (20%) of the people said they would travel to the interesting or famous places.17% answered that they would give money to someone else.They would donate money to a charity or to help poor people.More than half of the rest of the people (about 10%) said they would give money to help medical research .All the other people in the English Fashion survey said they would save money in the bank.They said they didn't know what they would like to do right now, but perhaps in a few years they would find a good use for the money. "Lots of people think that if they buy bigger and better things, they will feel happier," said Dr Mary Wilson. " However," she said, " _ will not last long.After a while, they won't be happy with them any longer." Dr Wilson thinks the happiest people are those who make a change in people's lives.She thinks those people who give money to someone else or to medical research are thinking more of others at the moment.If they had all the money theywanted, they would change the world. What is the English Fashion?

1B

Mr.Brown is 80 years old.Every morning he goes for a walk in the park.And he comes home at twelve thirty for lunch.But today a car stops at his house.At twelve,two policemen help him get out.One of them says to Mr.Brown's daughter,"The old man can't find his way in the park.He asks us to take him home by car."The daughter thanks the policemen and they leave.Then she asks her father,"Dad,you go to that park every day.But today,you can't find the way.What's wrong with you?"The old man smiles like a child and says,"I can find my way.I don't want to walk home." Every morning,Mr.Brown often comes home at _ .

2C

Teenagers in the UK and the US get to watch some wonderful TV shows. Why not have a look at a few of them yourself and take the chance to practice your English at the same time? Modern Family Network: ABC Number of seasons: 3 The TV drama features two families, modern and traditional. The first is a typical American family with 3 adolescent children. Claire is a traditional mom, while Phil, the father, wants to be friends with his three children; he can name all the songs in the hit film High School Musical. The second family is made up of a 60- year-old man, Jay, his attractive young Latin American wife, Gloria , and her 11-year-old son, Alex. Jay is 30 years older than Gloria and everyone thinks they are father and daughter. 2 Broke Girls Network: CBS Number of seasons: 1 Max Black is a cafe waitress and babysitter in Brooklyn, New York; Caroline Channing is the daughter of a Manhattan millionaire. Neither of them ever imagined making friends with the other. But when Caroline loses all of her fortune after her father goes to prison, she applies for a job as a waitress in the same cafe and has to learn from Max. Problems are unavoidable, but luckily, kind-hearted girls can always make things work out. They turn out to be great at helping each other out in their endless struggle against strange customers and picky bosses. Gradually a friendship develops. True Blood Network: HBO Number of seasons: 4 Vampires live on in countless books, movies and television shows. If the Twilight series got you interested in vampire myths, then look no further than True Blood for another exciting adventure. Sookie Statckhouse is a small-town waitress. She is also telepathic . A meet with Bill Compton in a bar turns her life upside down. Bill is a vampire and that night Sookie saves him from a murder attempt. Sookie then becomes involved in a series of murder cases. The love between Sookie and Bill adds a touch of romance to a thrilling story. Merlin Network: BBC Number of seasons:4 King Arthur is one of the most important mythical figures in England. But the BBC tells a slightly different story from the legend. Instead of focusing on Arthur, it is Merlin, the wizard who helps Arthur all the way through his adventures, who takes the lead role. Rather than the wise old wizard who instructs Arthur in the legend, the TV dram turns him into a handsome young man. Merlin meets Arthur in the kingdom of Camelot and believes that he is an arrogant bully . Arthur, likewise, has a less than great opinion of Merlin. The series focuses on how a friendship grows between the two. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?

2C

Each country has many kind people who volunteer to take care of others. For example, some high school and university students in the US often spend many hours as volunteers in hospital or old people's homes. They read books for the people or they just visit them and play games with them or listen to their problems. Other young volunteers go and work in the homes of the sick people. They clean up their houses or do the shopping. For boys who don't have fathers there is an organization called "Big Brothers". University students and other people take these boys to play baseball games and help them get to know things that boys usually learn from their fathers. Each city has a lot of clubs where boys and girls can go to play games or take part in other activities. Some of these clubs show movies or have short trips to the mountains, the beaches or the museums. Most of these clubs use a lot of high school and university students as volunteers because they can understand the problems of these boys and girls more easily. Volunteers believe that some of the happiest people in the world are those who help to bring happiness to others. Why do most of the clubs use a lot of high school and university students as volunteers?

0A

The survey was done among 29,760 students at 100 US high schools. The results suggest that in the past year, 30 percent of US high school students have stolen from a store. And 64 percent may have cheated on a test. However, 93 percent of the students said they were satisfied with their honesty. And 77 percent said,"when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know." Some teachers were unhappy about the survey results. Some, however, defended (......) today's students. "The competition is greater and the pressures on kids have increased greatly,"said Mel Riddle, who was a high school teacher and headmaster for 40 years."It is the pressures that make it easy for students to be dishonest." "I think these students are better than other generations,"he said."I find them more active, better to work with and more thankful for support."" We have to create situations where it's easy for kids to do the right things, "he added."We need to create classrooms where learning is more important than having the right answer." What advice does Mel Riddle give on improving the honesty of students?

1B

Dear sir, I read your story (of the 4thFebruary) about the cost of living in the country rather than in the town, and I agree with most of your opinions.My husband and I lived in the middle of Horlton until two years ago a seaside town of nearly five hundred thousand people.When my husband stopped working, we moved to our present house in a small village at the foot of Roland Hill, and there is no doubt that our costs are higher now. I have to do my shopping in small shops, where the food is more expensive than in city supermarkets; it costs more to travel by bus; and because the men who come to mend the television or the washing-machine, have to come further, we have to pay them more. But it does not cost us much to enjoy what is beautiful in the country; and peace and quiet are cheap.It takes many people a lot of time and money to drive into the country to enjoy the simple things of life; yet we can enjoy them just by going out of the front door.It costs more to live here than it did in Horlton, but now life really is worth living. Yours faithfully, Edith Randall (Mrs) Although it costs less to live in a town, _ .

0A

What is your favorite color1? Do you like yellow, orange or red? If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, and an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. Do you prefer gray and blue? Then you are probably quiet, shy and you would rather follow than lead. If you love green, you are strong-minded and determined. You wish to succeed and want other people to see you are successful. At least this is what a psychologist tells us, and we are also told that we don't choose our favorite color1 as we grow up. If you happen to love brown, you did so as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly. A yellow room makes us feel more cheerful and more comfortable than a dark green one, and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand, black is depressing . Light and bright color1s make people not only happier but also more active. It is a fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or dark gray. Remember, then, that if you feel low, you can always brighten your day or your life with a new shirt or a few color1ful thing. Remember also that you will know your friends and your enemies better when you find out what color1s they like and dislike. And don't forget that anyone can guess a lot about your character when you choose handkerchiefs or a lampshade. What can be the best title for this passage?

0A

Nearly 28% of college Students plan to seek employment using Linkedin, up from 5% last year, according to a survey out today from employee recognition provider i Love Rewards and career-services network Experience.Slightly more than 7% plan to use Facebook, up from 5%. No longer do students just wait for visiting campus recruiters to learn about job possibilities.Instead they're using digital tools to find their dream jobs, says I Love Rewards CEO Razor Suleman.Companies need to know their online image, then update anything that is outdated, inaccurate or not inleractive . 'The recruited have now become the recruiters," Suleman says."They are now going out and finding the companies they want to apply for." Students learn about employers by viewing their websites, reading Facehook and Twitter updates and perusing Linkedln profiles.Another information source: Comments by past and current employees on job-oriented websites. A strong digital presence is one way for employers to stand out as the search for the best and brightest gets competitive. Slightly more than four in 10 employers say they will use "different" recruiting tactics to reach Generation Y, according to a survey by job-search site Monster.com to be released today.Of those respondents, almost 60% say social-networking sites are popular tools to reach Gen Y candidates. "Our reason for using social media is because that's where we think the candidates are," he says. The company posts updates and videos on topics such as job opportunities and the benefits of being an employee.It also created a mobile-friendly site for those who want to apply via smart phone. "Younger people want to attach to you in a different way than the past," Lavery says."They want to interact with you.They want to learn about you." The updated recruitment techniques take effort, but they work, he says. In 2010, UPS used those tactics to _ 955 employees.The year before, it hired 29 employees through those means. "It's a time investment that you have to be willing to do," he says."You can't just have a page up there and not have content.In social media, you have to have a give and a take, or people won't be a part of your community." In order to find their dream jobs, more American graduates like to use _ .

2C

Delilah put a container of water in the freezer and left it there overnight. The next morning she saw that the water in the container had changed to ice. Which of the following statements best explains why the water changed to ice?

3D

STEVE EMBER: And I'm Steve Ember with People In America in VOA Special English. Today we remember the singer and actress Lena Horne. During her sixty-year career performing, Lena Horne entertained people with her beauty and rich, emotional voice. She used her fame to fight social injustices toward African-Americans. Lena Horne was born in New York. At sixteen, Lena became a dancer at the famous club in New York City in 1933. After taking voice lessons, she soon became a singer. In 1940, Lena Horne became the first African-American to perform with an all-white jazz hand. After performing at a club in Hollywood, California, she caught the attention of filmmakers. She soon began making movies. Her films became very popular. In the 1940s, Lena Horne was the first African-American in Hollywood to sing a long -term contract with a major movie studio. Her deal with MGM stated that she would never play the role of a servant. She refused to play roles that represented African-Americans disrespectfully. Lena Horne once said that World War II helped make her a star. She was popular with both black and white soldiers. She sang on army radio programs and traveled to perform for the troops. These experiences led to Lena Horne's work in the civil rights movement. Lena Horne sang at rights gatherings. She took part in the march on Washington protest in 1963. It was during this event that Martin Luther King gave his "I have a dream" speech. She protested racial separation at the hotels where she performed. She took action so that she and her musicians would be allowed to stay in those hotels. B1ack musicians at the time generally stayed in black neighborhoods. At the age of eighty, she said she did not have to act like a white woman that Hollywood hoped she would become. She said: "I'm me, and I'm like nobody else." Lena Horne died in New York in 2010. This text is developed

1B

To: [email protected] Date: Monday, 7th October, 3:34 p.m. From: [email protected] Subject: Complaint Dear Mr. Price, I have eaten in your restaurant many times and have always been happy with the food and service. This makes what happened last Saturday even more disappointing . It was my son's birthday so we booked a non-smoking table at your restaurant for 7:30 p.m. We arrived on time but were told that our table was not yet ready. At 8:00 p.m., we were given a table in the smoking area. I asked to move but I was told that there were no other tables. A lot of people were smoking so it was uncomfortable and unhealthy. Our first waitress, Janet, was very polite and helpful. She gave us free drinks for waiting so long. Our food also came quickly and looked fresh and tasty. When my wife had eaten most of her meal, she found a dead cockroach in her vegetables. She was shocked and wanted to leave. At first, the waitress told us it was a piece of garlic .When we told her it had legs, she apologized (="said" sorry) and took the food away. We asked for the pay for my wife's meal bill, expecting not to pay for my wife's meal. Nobody came. After 15 minutes, I asked to see the manager. The headwaiter told us that you were on holiday. I complained again about the horrible cockroach. He told me Janet had finished work. He didn't believe my story and gave me a bill for three meals. I argued with him but was forced to pay. The waitress, Janet, was always friendly, but I would like an apology from your impolite headwaiter and a full refund for our meal. It cost $68. Until then, I will not be eating at your restaurant or recommending it to anyone. You can contact me at 742-3254 or through e-mail if you want more information. Thank you for your attention. Yours sincerely, Raymond Yuen Mr. Yuen wanted Mr. Price to _ .

2C

A little boy named Joey did not like to brush his teeth. One day, as his mother asked him to brush his teeth, Joey said, "I don't want to! It's gross and a waste of time!" In response, Joey's mom told him that in order for him to grow up and be big and strong like she is, he must brush his teeth. In disgust, with his mom watching to make sure he brushed his teeth right, he brushed his teeth and whined until he was finished. The next day, Joey did not brush his teeth and told his mom that he did. After going to school, one of Joey's friends said that his breath stunk and began to make fun of him. This made Joey very angry, so he pushed the boy over and started to cry. A teacher came over and called the principal as both kids were being loud and starting a fight. Joey's mom came to school and took him home. After asking what was wrong, Joey told his mom that he didn't brush his teeth. After hearing this, his mom marched him up to the bathroom and forced him to brush his teeth. "You won't get teased if you brush your teeth, Joey!" she yelled, and then left the room. From that day forward, Joey brushed his teeth every day so the other kids wouldn't make fun of him. What did Joey not like to do?

2C

The Internet has revolutionized our lives to such an extent that for most people, the global network has become more than just a tool but rather an indispensable aid in everyday life. More and more people go online as wireless networks have brought the Internet closer and closer: it's on our mobile phones, in our cars and TV sets, in hospital surgery rooms and in fishing boats that battle the waves of the Atlantic. And this revolution has brought along with it a new way of shopping. Both big and small, e-commerce websites have literally flooded the Internet by the hundreds of thousands. Anything you can buy from a brick and mortar store you can also buy online: from food and clothes to guns and bombs, no matter what you're looking for, you're bound to find the right online store with just a few clicks of the mouse. This revolution has sent cold trembles down the backbones of brick and mortar business owners. And what was their reaction? They've opened online stores to go hand in hand with their conventional businesses. Nowadays, every "Mom and Pop's" cheesecake store also has a website. In a recent survey, 68% of small business owners have stated that they are scared of being put out of business by the powerful flood that e-commerce has become. So it's no wonder many of them have decided to join the revolution and establish some kind of an online presence even though most of them have stated that they dislike the Internet. But do the big players have reasons to be afraid? Are we going to start seeing ghostly, deserted Wal-Marts across the country? Probably not in the near future but the day will come when most people will just stop shopping offline anymore. A trip to Wal-Marts wastes time, burns gas and sometimes adds a few extra dots on the stress counter. The recent advancements in mobile technology and the introduction of mobile phones with improved web capabilities has even made some people order their groceries when they get out from work and have them delivered at their doorstep by the time they get home. And as "Time is money", this practice is lifesaving for people who work two jobs. Technology will continue to advance and e-commerce will follow closely in its footsteps. Everything will become easier and less time consuming, leaving us more time to enjoy the things that really matter in life: the ones we love, our friends and hobbies. According to Para 5, the greatest benefit of online shopping is _ .

0A

The silent young woman in bed number six is called Jasmine. So am I, but names are only superficial things, floats on the surface of the water, and we share deeper connections than that. That is why she fascinates me--why I spend my off-duty time sitting beside her. Today is difficult. The ward is full of patients and I am kept busy emptying bed-pans, filling out forms, changing dressings. Finally, late in the afternoon, I get a few moments to make coffee, to take it over to the orange plastic chair beside her bed. I am thankful to be off my feet, glad to be in her company once again. "Hello, Jasmine," I say, as if greeting myself. She does not reply. Jasmine never replies. She is down too deep. She has been sea-damaged. I too am the daughter of a fisherman, so I choose my words like fish-hooks, cast them into her ears, imagine them sinking down through cold, dark water. Down to wherever she may be. "I have little time today," I tell her, touching her hair. With Jasmine, it is always difficult not to touch. She is that rare thing, a truly beautiful woman. Because of this, people invent reasons to walk by. I catch them looking, drinking her in, feeding on her. They are barracuda , all of them. Great beauty is something Jasmine and I do not share. I am glad of it. "Your father may be here soon," I say. "Last week he said he would come." Jasmine says nothing. Her left eyelid flickers, perhaps. It is two months since the incident on her father's fishing boat, since she fell overboard, sank, became entangled in the nets. It was some time before anyone noticed, then there was panic. Her father hauled her back on board and sailed for home. When he finally arrived, he carried ashore what he thought was his daughter's body. "Jasmine," I whisper. I want her to take our baited name. I want her to swallow it. Fortunately, there was a doctor in the village that morning, a young man visiting s. It was he who brought this drowned woman back from the brink, he who told me her story. She opened her eyes, he said, looked up at her father and spoke a single word--then sank again, this time into coma. Barracuda. That is what Jasmine said. When her father visits, he touches her hair, kisses her cheek, sits in the orange plastic chair at the side of her bed and holds her hand. Like my own father, he has the big, brown, life-roughened hands of a fisherman. He too smells of the sea, and pretends he is a good, simple man. Jasmine. We share so much, we are almost one. I remember early mornings, my hair touched to wake me, my father lifting me half-asleep from my bed, carrying me, dropping me into his boat. His voice rough in my ear, his hands rough on my skin. I never wanted to go, but I was just a child. He did as he wished. I remember salt water, hot sun, my mother shrinking on the shore. I remember the rocking of the boat, the screams of the seagulls. "Jasmine, you have a life inside you. Can't you hear it calling?" Nothing. The ward door bangs, and I see Jasmine's father walking towards us, carrying flowers. He smiles at me. Even in death, my own child had my father's smile, and Jasmine's will have this man's. I know it. He stops by her bed and touches her hair. Something stirs deep inside me. I watch Jasmine's eyelids, waiting for her to bite. From the passage we can learn that Jasmine's father _ .

3D

Snowflakes seem like white stars falling from the sky. But they don't always look white. Sometimes they appear to have other color1s. Some are red, yellow, or black. There have been snowflakes of almost every shape. Think how it would seem to have these coming all around you. Wouldn't they look pretty? Black snow came down in France one year. Another year gray snow fell in Japan. It was found that such snow was mixed with ashes. This made it seem dark. Red snow has come down in other countries. When this happened, it was mixed with red dust. That is why it looked different. Most snow looks like white, but it is really the color1 of ice. It is ice that comes from snow clouds. Each snowflake begins with a small drop of water. More water forms around this drop. The way the water freeze gives the snowflake its shape. No two snowflakes are of ever just the same size or shape. All start out flat and have six sides. Some snowflakes are broken when they hit the ground, others melt as they fall. When the air is cold and dry, the falling snowflakes are small and hard. If the air is wet and warm, the snowflakes are big and soft. Would you be surprised to see snowflakes as big as your head falling from the sky? It happened once in our country. It could occur again. Which of the following statements is true?

0A

It is said that usually people learn from their experiences and the mistakes they make throughout their lives. This is correct because life teaches us what is correct to do and what is not. Let's consider a mistake that one has made while trying to learn to drive. It is true that, for a beginner, it is common to make mistakes, but after doing something wrong once, twice or three times, it is quite impossible to make the same mistake a fourth time. Everyone tries their best in order to improve their skills and they will be very pleased to notice that these improvements really happen. On the other hand, being successful in everything he does, one cannot know what failure means. He would always see only the best side of things and it would be difficult for him to face the difficulties to come in the future. Here we can mention the case of a very successful football player, who has known what fame is from the very beginning of his career. We have to admit that most of his luck originates from the great talent that he was born with. But some fellow players can also work to achieve the same thing because they make mistakes in their games and they learn from each mistake that they make. In the end, we can say that one needs to make mistakes in life in order to better appreciate things. And at the same time, mistakes teach us how important it is to fight for something we wish for in life. Of course, moments of happiness will come in return when we see the changes or improvements. What is the author's attitude towards someone that is always successful at something?

0A

The Petit Appetit Cookbook List Price: $35.00 Price: $23.10 You save: $11.90(34% off) Product Description: Fresh, healthy meals that give little mouths something to smile about...In the Petit Appetit Cookbook, mother and professional cook Lisa Barnes offers healthy foods to help create delicious menus and bagin a lifetime of proper eating habits for babies and very young children. Everyday Raw Express (Paperback) List Price: $19.99 Price: $13.57 You Save: $6.42(32% off) Product Description: Many people love eating raw food, but often the recipes take hours or even a period of several days to prepare. Everyday Raw Express offers delicious soups and smoothies, pastas and desserts, all prepared in 30 minutes or less. If You Give a Dog a Donut (Hardcover) Reading Level: Ages 4--8 List Price: $16.99 Price: $10.10 You Save: $6.80(40% off) Product Description: If you give a dog a donut, he'll ask for some apple juice to go with it. When you give him the juice, he'll drink it all up. Then, before you can say "Woof!" ...Dog is off on a backyard adventure! Good Night Sun Hello Moon (Board Book) Reading Level: Ages 4--8 List Price: $10.99 Price: $9.34 You Save: $1.65 Book Description: Bedtime is a special time and this beautiful book will be a special part of saying goodnight. As kids turn the page, a little bit of the sun goes away and a little piece of the moon appears. The sweet story about a little bunny who doesn't want to go to bed will help send little ones off to sleep night after night. Where the Wild Things Are (Hardcover) Reading Level: Ages 4--above List Price: $16.95 Price: $11.53 You Save: $5.42 Book Description: Max, a boy who feels misunderstood at home, as he sets out in a small boat, finding new worlds across the sea. He lands on the amazing island of the wild things, a place where being a beast isn't a bad thing. The wild things make Max their king, but he sails back to his own room where he finds his mother and his supper waiting for him. From the introduction of Where the Wild Things Are, it can be inferred that _ .

1B

These days, young children can enjoy directly what it is like to be a marine biologist at a marine association. What they discover can lead them to appreciate and protect the ocean and also the animals living in it. At the present time, learning isn't only limited to the classroom. It's quite common for kids to learn from outdoor experiences. Teachers commonly take their pupils on field trips to museums as well as other interesting areas. If you wish to help pupils to take care of the ocean, one of the best areas to take them to is a marine association, the place where the ocean biome is shown. Taking your pupils to a marine association is a prefect way to help them learn. Education professionals agree that there are topics that children can learn more successfully whenever they experience them directly. Several organizations that focused on protecting the ocean now operate on the coast of different areas in America and all around the world. It's quite common for marine associations nowadays to open their doors several times a week to kids, parents, and ocean lovers to learn more about the ocean biome. A marine association has different programs for children of different ages. You'll find programs that are developed specially for pupils. Pupils are involved in interactive learning. This learning experience allows young children to recognize the value of the role each species performs in their environment. They not only get to research creatures from the ocean, but they also get to see, touch, and smell most of these animals and plants. This type of _ offers students an idea about the life of a marine scientist. It could help them choose a career afterwards. These programs are generally held on Saturdays and Sundays in order that kids and parents can have more hours in which to have fun. Teachers who want to arrange these activities for their students can call a local marine association near them. According to the text, pupils can have a better understanding of the ocean biome by _ .

1B

A good memory is a great help in learning a language. Everybody learns his own language by remembering what he hears when he is a small child, and some children, like boys and girls who live abroad with their parents, seem to learn two languages almost as easily as one. In school it is not easy to learn a second language because the pupils have so little time for it, and they are busy with other subjects, too. A man's mind is rather like a camera, but it takes photos not only of what we see but of what we feel, hear, smell and taste. When we take a real photo with a camera, there is much to do before the photo is finished and ready to show to our friends. In the same way there is much work to be done before we can keep a picture forever in our mind. Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us. The children who live abroad with their parents can learn two languages more easily, because _ .

2C

Li Ping is going to England. He wants to know something about English people. One day he sees an English girl in the street. Then he comes up to her. "Excuse me, may I ask you some questions?" "Of course you may."answers the girl politely. "I'll go to London. What should I notice when I'm talking with English people in London? "asks Li Ping. "Well, don't ask a woman how old she is and..." "But how old are you? "Li Ping stops the girl and asks suddenly. "I..."The girl gets angry. "Why do you get so angry?"asks Li Ping. "Now we are in China, not in England, you see" Does Li Ping say sorry to the girl or not?

3D

The earth is the only planet that scientists are certain has life .What does the earth have that the other planets don't ? For one thing , the earth has just the right temperature . As _ from the sun , the earth seems to be just the right distance away . The planets that are closer to the sun are so hot that their surfaces bake in the sun . The farthest planets are cold balls . When the earth developed-- which scientists believe may have happened about billions of years ago , many gases covered the earth . The gases caused the earth to be hot . But something wonderful happened . The temperature was just right for thick clouds to form . It rained very hard for a very long time . This gave the earth its oceans . Water made it possible for plants to grow . The plants created oxygen in the atmosphere . Oxygen is the gas that humans and animals breathe . Only one other planet in the solar system seems to be something like the earth . That planet is Mars . Mars is smaller than the earth , and it is quite a bit cooler . But it is not too cold for humans . On some days , the temperatures are as cold as a winter day in the northern United States . If you wore a special spacesuit , you could walk around on Mars . You would have to bring your own air to breathe , though . The air on Mars is too thin to breathe . Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system . It is sixteen miles high . The highest volcano on the earth is five miles high . The most unexpected sight on Mars is dried-up river beds . Scientists believe that Mars was once much wetter that it is now . Does this mean there could have been living things on Mars ? Scientists are not sure , but there has been no sign so far . Which planet in the solar system is most like the earth ?

0A

There are many wetlands in China and some of them are the world's important wetlands. The Chinese Yellow Sea Wetlands are among them. They are in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, the east of China. They are homes for many different kinds of birds and animals. The world's largest Milu Deer Nature Reserve is in them. More than 700 milu deer live freely there. There are not many red-crowned cranes in the world, but every winter you can see some in the Red-Crowned Cranes Nature Reserve in the Yellow Sea Wetlands. The temperature in the wetlands is usually neither too high nor too low. There is a lot of rain and sunshine, too. They are really good places for wildlife. Offering food and home for some special kinds of animals and birds is not the only reason why we need to protect wetlands. Wetlands are important because they also prevent flood. But some people want to change the wetlands to make more space for farms and buildings. This means there will be less and less space for wildlife. Luckily, more and more people are beginning to realize the importance of wetlands and wildlife. Every year, on February 2, people hold many activities to tell more about wetlands. The World Wetlands Day is on _ .

2C

Cloning is suggested as a means of bringing back a relative, usually a child, killed tragically. Some parents can understand that wish, but it must first be recognized that the copy would be a new baby and not the lost child. Here lies the difficulty, for the sad parents are seeking not a new baby but a return of the dead one. Since the original would be fondly remembered as having particular talents and interests, would not the parents expect the copy to be the same? It is possible, however, that the copy would develop quite differently. Is it fair for the new child to be placed in a family with such unnatural expectations? Copying is also suggested as a means by which parents can have the child of their dreams. Couples might choose to have a copy of a film star, baseball player or scientist, depending on their interest. But because personality is only partly the result of genetic inheritance , conflicts would be sure to come up if the cloned child failed to develop the same interests as the original. What if the copy of Einstein shows no interest in science? Or the baseball player turns to acting? Success also depends upon fortune. What if the child does not live up to the hopes and dreams of the parents simply because of bad luck? Every baby should be wanted for itself, as an individual. In making a copy of oneself or some famous person, a parent is carefully specifying the way he or she wishes that child to develop. In recent years, particularly in the United States, much importance has been placed on the right of individuals to reproduce in ways that they wish. So I suggest there is a greater need to consider the interest of the child and to refuse these suggested uses of cloning. According to the author, in cloning a lost child parents _ .

1B

A wallet that looks like a piece of newspaper, an atlas, or an express parcel receipt? Or a business card that looks like a notepad? No kidding. Bai Minghui, a Beijing-based designer, creates his artwork using Tyvek, a synthetic paper material which is difficult to tear, waterproof and, more importantly, totally recyclable. Born to a worker family in 1983 in Tangshan, Hebei Province, Bai worked as a graphic designer at a financial magazine in Beijing after graduating from Minzu University of China. In the spring of 2008, Bai visited an exhibition about Tyvek in Beijing's 798 art zone, and then worked with the material, trying to bring his designs to life. The first thing that came into his mind was the paper wallet, a must-try handicraft assignment that most Chinese students do in elementary school. "A paper wallet is definitely more useful than a paper crane or frog," Bai told Beijing Review, smiling. "At first, many people have no idea what it is, because it looks like a piece of newspaper or an express parcel receipt, and feels like real paper. But it's hard to tear." "The completed, folded wallet is seamless , which creates so much fun for a designer. To be honest, I didn't think about profits at all," he said. After months of research and development on printing and designing, the first generation of his paper wallet made a stunning debut in May 2008. The second generation, which offers a greater range of pattern options, was put on the market at the beginning of 2009. "You can have graffiti or write down phone numbers on it, or paint whatever you like. I would like people to be able to use it easily," he said. "I don't want to do things without creative ideas. Now my focus is on how to create better design rather than the wallet itself." What can people do with this kind of wallet?

2C

Over the centuries the French have lost a number of famous battles with the British. However, they've always felt superior in the kitchen. France has for centuries had a reputation for cooking excellence, and Britain for some of the worst cooking in the world. But according to a recent survey, _ In the survey, 71% of the Britons said they cook at home every day, while only 59% of the French said they cook daily. British home cooks spend more time cooking each week and also produce a greater variety of dishes than French home cooks. The reaction in London was predictably enthusiastic. British food has greatly improved since the 1990s. Once upon a time, the menu for many family meals would have been roast beef, potatoes and over-cooked vegetables, but not now. Home cooks are experimenting with the huge range of ingredients now available in British supermarkets and are preparing all kinds of new dishes, using the cookbooks that sell millions of copies every year. As a result, there's much more diversity in British food now, compared to French food, which tends to be very traditional. Some French people say that the survey did not show the whole picture. They agree that during the week French women don't cook as much as they used to because most of them work and don't have much time. They tend to buy ready-made or frozen dishes, but many of them make up for it on the weekend. There's also a difference between Paris and the country-side. It's true that people in Paris don't cook much, but elsewhere, cooking is still at the heart of daily life. For many French people, opinions about British food have not changed. When Bernard Blier, the food editor at a magazine, was asked about British food, he replied: "I don't go out of my way to try it. It is not very refined. You can say that I'm not a fan at all." According to the passage, nowadays British people _ .

2C

Jay Chou was born on January 18, 1979, in Taiwan, China. He grew up with his mother, and was a quiet and shy kid. He didn't do well in study, so people thought he would never be successful in life. As a small child, Jay took a great interest in music. His mother sent him to learn the piano when he was only three years old. He loved it and kept on practicing. When he was in high school, he could play the piano quite well. At the same time, he showed his talent for writing songs. Before Jay became a singer, he worked as a songwriter. For two years, he spent most of his time writing for singers. Some of them were very famous, like Coco Less and Jacky Cheung. Jay released his first album in 2000 and soon he got quite popular. Now Jay is one of the most famous singers in Asia. However, he is still shy and doesn't speak clearly when he sings or talks, but he has a lot of fans. Most of his fans like him because he is really good at music and never follows others. Which of the following about Jay Chou is NOT true .

0A

At some time in your life you may have a strong desire to do something strange or terrible. However, chances are that you don't act on your impulse , but let it pass instead. You know that to take the action is wrong in some way and that other people will not accept your behavior. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the phenomenon of taboo behavior is how it can change over the years within the same society, how certain behavior and attitudes once considered taboo can become perfectly acceptable and natural at another point in time. Topics such as death, for example, were once considered so upsetting and unpleasant that it was a taboo to even talk about them. Now with the publication of important books such as On Death and Dying and Learning to Say Goodbye, people have become more aware of the importance of expressing feelings about death and, as a result, are more willing to talk about this taboo subject. One of the newest taboos in American society is the topic of fat. Unlike many other taboos, fat is a topic that Americans talk about constantly. It's not taboo to talk about fat; it's taboo to be fat. The "in" look is thin, not fat. In the work world, most companies prefer youthful-looking, trim executives to sell their image as well as their products to the public. The thin look is associated with youth, vigor, and success. The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self-discipline, and self-respect. In an image-conscious society like the U.S., thin is "in", fat is "out". It's not surprising, then, that millions of Americans have become obsessed with staying slim and "in shape". The pursuit of a youthful physical appearance is not, however, the only reason for America's fascination with diet and exercise. Recent research has shown the critical importance of diet and exercise for personal health. As in most technologically developed nations, the life-style of North Americans has changed dramatically during the course of the last century. Modern machines do all the physical labor that people were once forced to do by hand. Cars and buses transport us quickly from point to point. As a result of inactivity and disuse, people's bodies can easily become weak and vulnerable to disease. In an effort to avoid such a fate, millions of Americans are spending more of their time exercising. Based on the ideas presented in the passage we can conclude "being fat" _ in American society.

3D

Woodland High School is an international sch ool. We have students from all around the world. As an international student you can get first-class facilities with trained teachers to help. For further information: [email protected] Subjects We offer a wide choice of subjects for international students, which includes: Arts, IT, French, English, Spanish and other languages. Communication Studies, Social Sciences, etc. For further information: [email protected] Tuition Fees Tuition fees are different from subject to subject, from PS5,000 to PS6,000 a year. For further information: [email protected] Accommodation You can have a room in a 4-bedroom flat, which will cost about PS100 a month with other regular living costs of about PS150 a month for one person. For further information: [email protected] Health The Student Health Service provides excellent medical services for students. The Medical Centre is open five days a week, including student holidays with four doctors and nurses to meet your me dical needs. For further information: [email protected] Sports The Centre is a great place to have sports activities. Trained exercise teachers can help you work out a training plan and keep you active. The sports hall has volleyball, b asketball and indoor football counts and a swimming pool as well. There are also a large number of sports clubs at Woodland High School. For further information: [email protected] According to the text, what will you do if you are ill during Christmas holiday?

2C

50 years ago Barbie Millicent Roberts first appeared in the world of toys. Barbie, as everyone called her, has become the most successful toy in history. According to Barbie's parents, the Mattel Company, 90% of all American girls between 3 and 10 have at least one Barbie at home. In today's world, however, Barbie is facing an identity crisis. There are many rivals on the market. For example, Bratz dolls, which are very popular among older girls, came to life seven years ago. They look more like today's pop stars with heavy make-up and fashionable miniskirts. Today Bratz is a challenge for Barbie, because the company offers a wide variety of clothing, too. It seems that Barbie has lost her appeal to older girls. "For younger girls playing with a Barbie is much fun, but when you get older you want something _ , says Alina Foley, a shop assistant in a New York toy store. Indeed, sales have been going down over the past year, partly because of the world's economic crisis. Barbie still has a lot going for her. More and more doll lovers all over the globe have become collectors. They trade Barbies or buy them on eBay. Others look for special and rare Barbie dolls, like Scarlett O'Hara from "Gone with the Wind". On the international market, Barbie remains number one. Although Mattel has been selling fewer Barbies in the United States over the past year, sales in other countries have been going up. In January Mattel opened its first Barbie store in Shanghai, where girls can shop, eat or even become their own fashion designer. Barbie has changed her image many times over the past decades. Originally she worn blond pony tails and had bright red lips. In the 80s she changed to a more colorful new look. For her 50th birthday Mattel is planning some big events. Fashion designers from all over the world have been called to make new clothes for Barbie. She is also scheduled to be a big star during the New York Fashion Week. How long will Barbie stay on as a celebrity in the world of toy dolls? Hard to say, but 50 is definitely not the age to retire. We can learn from the text that Barbie _ .

1B

Most of Earth's major earthquakes are caused by

3D

Peter was walking in the street with two big and heavy boxes. A stranger walked up to him and asked, "What is the time?" Peter stopped, put down the boxes and looked at his watch. "It's five fifteen," he said. "Hey, what a nice watch!" said the stranger. Peter smiled a little and said, "Yes, it's not bad. Look at this." Then he showed the stranger the time for 86 big cities in the world. He hit a few buttons and it told the time in Chinese. Peter went on ," You can set it in English, Chinese, Japanese and so on." The stranger looked very interested in the watch. "That's not all," said Peter. He then pushed a few more buttons and there was a small map appeared on the watch. "The map can show where we are," said Peter. "I want to buy this watch!" said the stranger. "Oh, no, I' m not selling it. I designed it myself. I spent nearly two years making it." said Peter. "Oh, you are the designer. I'll give you $ 1,000 for it!" "Oh, no, I spent more than that." "I'll give you $ 5,000 for it!" Peter stopped to think. The stranger quickly gave him a check and said ,"$ 5,000. Here it is." Peter finally agreed to sell the watch. When the stranger was going to leave with the watch, Peter pointed to the two big boxes and said, "Hey, wait a minute. Don' t forget your batteries ." Peter stopped in the street because _ .

3D

The video rooms have been open since Jan. 2. If successful, the chain hopes to expand the service to other provinces, or even other countries. In addition to the food, customers pay 200 yuan per hour for using the room. ''The video rooms have been fully booked in February,'' said Chen Yu, manager of the Wangfujing branch. The Video room in Beijing is about 30 square meters and large enough for six customers. ''Many customers prefer to use the room for dinners rather than lunch,'' Chen said, adding the average age of customers who booked the video hotpot is about 30. ''The whole process is very smooth. The image and the voice transmission are as good as those of video conferencing at work, ''said one of Chen's colleagues surnamed Luo. ''I have a lot of friends in Beijing, whom I haven't met for a long time because of being busy at work,'' said a woman surnamed Yu who is having dinner with her husband at Haidilao.''The new service gives us a chance to have a dinner together without traveling. I would like to give it a try.'' The video hotpot also helped establish a friendship between waitresses in the two cities. Zhao Huanhuan, in her 20s, who is specially trained for serving in the video room in Shanghai, developed a friendship with a waitress named Lu Ke in the Beijing branch. Zhao said excitedly: ''It was too amazing to believe. I'm so interested in using the special room and enjoy serving people there. I also talk about some interesting interactive games with Lu before guests come for dinner''. Although Lu felt a little bit nervous when she first served in front of the screens, she said the new mode of communication also encouraged her to supply better services for customers. ''It's like a service competition. We saw each other through video and I could learn from Zhao's serving,'' Lu said, adding she will visit Zhao if she goes to Shanghai. It seems that video hotpot doesn't satisfy everyone's taste, however. Haidilao may be the name of _ .

1B

which of these would make an ideal object to drive in with a hammer?

3D

One of the greatest sources of unhappiness, in my experience, is the difficulty we have in accepting things as they are. When we see something we don't like, we wish it could be different. We cry out for something better. That may be human nature,or perhaps it's something ingrained in our culture. The root of the unhappiness isn't necessarily that we want things to be different.However, it's that we decided we didn't like it in the first place. We've judged it as bad,rather than saying, "It's not bad or good, and it just is it." In one of my books, I said, "You should expect people to mess up and expect things to go differently than you planned". Some readers said it's too sorrowful to expect things to go wrong.However, it's only negative if you see it as negative and judge it as bad. Instead,you could accept it as the way the world works and try to understand why that is. This can be applied to whatever you do:how other people act at work,how politics works and how depressing the news media can be.Accept these things as they are,and try to understand why they're that way. _ will save you a lot of sadness,because you'll no longer say, "Oh, I wish bad things didn't happen!'' Does it mean you can never change things? Not at all. But change things not because you can't accept things as they are, but because you enjoy the process of changing, learning and growing. Can we make this world a better place? You can say that you'll continue to try to do things to help others, to grow as a person, to make a difference in this world. That's the correct path you choose to take,because you enjoy that path. Therefore, when you find yourself judging and wishing for difference, try a different approach: accept, and understand. It might lead to some interesting results. The author believes that we feel unhappy maybe because _ .

3D

Steven Jobs was born on February 24,1955,in San Francisco,California,and was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs.In 1961 the family moved to Mountain View, California.At that time people started to refer to the area as "Silicon Valley". As a child, Jobs preferred doing things by himself, not interested in team sports or other group activities.He enrolled in the HewlettPackard Explorer Club. There he saw his first computer at the age of twelve. He was very impressed, and knew right away that he wanted to work with computers. At that time almost all computers were so large that one could fill a room, and so costly that individuals could not afford to buy them.Advances in electronics, however, meant that the parts of a computer were getting smaller and the power of the computer was increasing. By 1980 the personal computer era was well underway.Apple was continually forced to improve its products to remain ahead, as more competitors entered the marketplace. Apple introduced the Apple III, but the new model suffered technical and marketing problems.It was removed from the market. Early in 1983 Jobs unveiled the Lisa.It did not sell well,however, because it was more expensive than personal computers sold by competitors.Apple's biggest competitor was International Business Machines (IBM). By 1983 it was estimated that Apple had lost half of its market share ( part of an industry's sales that a specific company has) to IBM. In 1984 Apple introduced a revolutionary new model, the Macintosh.The Macintosh did not sell well to businesses,however.It lacked features other personal computers had, such as a corresponding high quality printer. The failure of the Macintosh signaled the beginning of Jobs's downfall at Apple. Late in 1988 the NeXT computer was introduced, aimed at the educational market.The product was very userfriendly,and had a fast processing speed, excellent graphics displays,and an outstanding sound system.Despite the warm reception,however, the NeXT machine never caught on. It was too costly, had a blackandwhite screen, and could not be linked to other computers or run common software. According to the passage, the Apple III _ .

1B

Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia. It stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the high Arctic to the northern border of the continental U.S.A. Although very much a "northern" country, the geography of Canada is very _ . As well as the popular image of Canada as a country of forests, there are also deserts and badlands , rain forests and long and wide beaches. Canada has huge inland lakes, evergreen forests, woodlands and meadows. Canada's coastlines are thousands of miles long, with long, wild rivers leading to the oceans. In contrast to the expanses of open country, Canada also has its share of urban areas. The majority of the population and heavy industry is in the two provinces of Quebec and Ontario, but large and modern cities are spread across the land from the Atlantic to the Pacific, all within a few hours drive, at most, from the border with the United States. Business is active throughout the country, The Prairie Provinces with their vast fields of grain help to feed the world. The fisheries on both the West and the East Coast are widespread. Oil and natural gas have recently been discovered off the East Coast. The Trans-Canada Highway links the country from coast to coast, there is an extensive network of railways, and a widespread network of airline routes serving both major and remote communities. The rural areas are less populated, with more and more people leaving for the larger towns and cities. The lands to the north are much less developed, but as some of these areas are used for their plenty of natural resources, populations are growing. The following details about Canada are all true EXCEPT _ .

2C

Dear Grace, How are you? Thank you for your last e-mail. You want to know about my school clubs, right ? Well, it's time for us to join the school clubs now. There are many clubs in my school, like the English club, the art club, the music club and the sports club. I have two good friends, Jack and Lisa. We all want to join the school clubs. I want to join the music club, because I can play the guitar. I can't speak English well, but I also want to join the English club. Jack likes sports. He can play soccer and basketball. He is in the school soccer team . He wants to join the sports club. He can play the guitar, too. But he doesn't want to join the music club. Lisa likes drawing. She wants to join the art club. She also speaks English very well. I think she can be in the English club. But she can't be in the music club. She can't play any instruments . Are there any clubs in your school? What club are you in? Please write an e--mail and tell me about your school clubs. Yours, Jane ?

1B

In high school, all Canadian students take part in a very exciting event. It is "Take Your Children to Work Day". Students will have a chance to work with their parents. My day took place in my mom's work, the York Region Police Department. When I arrived, a coach was teaching the officers basic combat skills. Everyone tried their best to practice. I could see them sweating and panting . The most exciting part of my visit was a stop at the 911 Communication Center. 911 is the same as 110,119 and 120 in China. Every 911 call in the city is answered here. When I entered the center, I stood beside a call dispatcher arid watched him dealing-with the calls. Suddenly, the phone rang, he picked it up and a woman cried for help. There was a robbery in her house. The call dispatcher told her, "Please calm down and move to the safe place quietly. Don't fight with them. Just let them take what they want. Please make sure you are not hurt. We are sending officers there." He followed the call and found the address. The call dispatcher chose the five closest police cars from the satellite map and clicked to send the policemen. I saw the police cars from the satellite map were quickly moving to the woman's house. Five minutes later, they arrived .I asked the call dispatcher why he sent five cars. He said, "There are different levels of emergencies. Robbery is a high priority ,so we have to send five cars." The day was interesting. I leaned how the different departments worked together. The officers were very friendly and admirable. What's the best title for the article?

0A

Most people agree that honesty is a good thing. But does Mother Nature agree? Animals can't talk, but can they lie in other ways? Can they lie with their bodies and behavior? Animal experts may not call it lying, but they do agree that many animals, from birds to chimpanzees, behave dishonestly to fool other animals. Why? Dishonesty often helps them survive. Many kinds of birds are very successful at fooling other animals. For example, a bird called the plover sometimes pretends to be hurt in order to protect its young. When a predator gets close to its nest, the plover leads the predator away from the nest. How? It pretends to have a broken wing. The predator follows the "hurt" adult, leaving the baby birds safe in the nest. Another kind of bird, the scrub jay, buries its food so it always has something to eat. Scrub jays are also thieves. They watch where others bury their food and steal it. But clever scrub jays seem to know when a thief is watching them. So they go back later, unbury the food, and bury it again somewhere else. Birds called cuckoos have found a way to have babies without doing much work. How? They don't make nests. Instead, they get into other birds' nests secretly. Then they lay their eggs and fly away. When the baby birds come out, their adoptive parents feed them. _ After a fight, the losing chimp will give its hand to the other. When the winning chimp puts out its hand, too, the chimps are friendly again. But an animal expert once saw a losing chimp take the winner's hand and start fighting again. Chimps are sneaky in other ways, too. When chimps find food that they love, such as bananas, it is natural for them to cry out. Then other chimps come running. But some clever chimps learn to cry very softly when they find food. That way, other chimps don't hear them, and they don't need to share their food. As children, many of us learn the saying "You can't fool Mother Nature." But maybe you can't trust her, either. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

0A

The last five pounds. The vanity pounds. The dream weight. The fantasy weight. The high school weight. Yes, many names are given to the weight - the five pounds - that seems just out of reach no matter how much we exercise and improve our eating habits. But why is it out of reach? Is it all in our heads? Or is it because the body has a set-point or ideal weight - a weight to which it doesn't want to give in? "There is no such thing as ideal body weight," says James, author of "Weight Loss That Lasts." "But your body does resist you when you are trying to lose weight. It gets used to a certain weight over a long period of time and then will defend that weight." In other words, the body's "set point" can be lowered - or raised, he says, but it takes time to reset that new weight. That period of time is at least six months. "I often ask patients, 'What is the lowest stable weight of your adult life?' to get an idea of what is realistic" in terms of weight loss and maintenance , James says. He refers to the body's refusal to change, weight-wise, as an "biological control system that prevents us from going hungry and dying - part of our primitive biology." Some people might get down to their dream weight for a short period but then can't keep it long because the calorie limits are too strict once the body starts defending itself against weight loss. "That's why it's important to set realistic goals," he says. "The idea of the 'ideal weight' or 'dream weight' is really just a useless exercise." But let's say your goal is realistic and has been set by a nutritionist or other weight-loss professionals and _ . What could be going on? The reason is that you need fewer calories the less you weigh. So if you want to continue to drop weight, you have to drop calories and increase calorie-burn. James encourages people to tell the difference between weight loss goals for health reasons and those to do with vanity. "They are different issues," James says. "One is where important health benefits are seen and the other is about vanity - wanting to look good in a bathing suit." People can't keep their dream weight for a long time because _ .

1B

There is a big zoo in our city. There are lots of different animals in it. There are some scary tigers and lions. They like eating meat and they eat much meat every day. There are also two big elephants and a baby one. Children like to ride them. The elephants are very kind and friendly. They eat much grass and bananas. In the zoo, we can also see different kinds of bears----brown bears, black bears and white bears. They are all slow and clumsy. They stand on their back legs and lift their front legs to ask for food. They like cakes very much. Do you like pandas? There's only one in the zoo. Her name is Lingling, she is very cute. She likes eating bamboo a lot. She is kind of shy. She is very interesting and lovely. Which of the following is Not true ?

2C

PITTSBURGH - For most people, snakes seem unpleasant or even threatening. But Howie Choset sees in their delicate movements a way to save lives. The 37-year-old Carnegie Mellon University professor has spent years developing snake-like robots he hopes will eventually slide through fallen buildings in search of victims trapped after natural disasters or other emergencies. Dan Kara is president of Robotics Trends, a Northboro, Mass.-based company that publishes an online industry magazine and runs robotics trade shows. He said there are other snake-like robots being developed, mainly at universities, but didn't know of one that could climb pipes. The Carnegie Mellon machines are designed to carry cameras and electronic sensors and can be controlled with a joystick . They move smoothly with the help of small electric motors, or servos, commonly used by hobbyists in model airplanes. Built from lightweight materials, the robots are about the size of a human arm or smaller. They can sense which way is up, but are only as good as their human operators, Choset added. Sam Stover, a search term manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Indiana, said snake-type robots would offer greater mobility than equipment currently available, such as cameras attached to extendable roles. "It just allows us to do something we've not been able to do before," Stover said, "We needed them yesterday." He said snifter dogs are still the best search tool for rescue workers, but that they can only be used effectively when workers have access to damaged building. Stover, among the rescue workers who handled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, said snake robots would have helped rescuers search flooded houses in that disaster. Choset said the robots may not be ready for use for another five to ten years, depending on funding. What is the text mainly about?

1B

Water at 20°C in an uncovered pan is evaporating very slowly. What could be done to the water to make it evaporate more quickly?

1B

Luke takes his dog for a walk. Luke has many pets. He has a turtle named Bob. He has a cat named Freckles. He has a bird named squeaky. The dog is named Sparky. Sparky loves to go on walks with Luke. Sparky jumps around in front of the doorway. Luke puts on his hat, coat, and gloves because it is chilly outside. Luke puts a leash around Sparky's neck. Luke opens the door and they are ready to go. Luke walks up Vine Street to the stop sign. The stop sign is red. Luke looks both ways and then walks across Willow street with Sparky. Luke and Sparky walk up the hill. At the top of the hill, Luke and Sparky turn left. They walk downhill on First Street. At the bottom of the hill, they see a small pond. The pond is on Elm Street. Sparky is very happy. Swimming in the pond are ducks. There are white ducks and brown ducks. There are baby ducks, too. Sparky walks all around the pond. Luke watches the ducks as they swim around the pond. When it is time to go, Luke leads Sparky back to the sidewalk. It is warmer and Luke takes off his hat and coat. They walk home. What path do Luke and Sparky take to the pond?

2C

Whether it's joining a school club, going to a friend's birthday party, or travelling by train, we can meet new people anywhere and anytime in our lives. However, many of us feel awkward when meeting people for the first time, especially when we aren't quite sure what to say. The situation feels cold, even icy. "Breaking the ice" is a term widely used in the English-speaking countries to describe a small talk technique that can help rescue a conversation from certain failure. So where do you even begin? Well, a good start is to accept that it is perfectly normal to feel a little nervous when talking to someone for the first time. They might look _ or scary, but they could turn out to be the nicest person you've ever met. You might think that breaking the ice is difficult. But sometimes just a simple "hello", followed by a three-second smile, can make all the difference. Complimenting someone on their garment or accessories is also a great, easy way to break the ice. You might say: "I love your jacket. Where did you buy it from?" Being in an uncomfortable or unpleasant situation with someone new might feel terrible, but it can actually be one of the best icebreakers. By focusing on the situation, you come together to fight the common enemy: the long bathroom queue, for example, or the overcrowded bus. You can make observations too. "What kind of drink is that?" "That's a lovely name. What does it mean?" "Do you study here too?" There are opportunities all around you to ask questions that don't seem weird, as long as you have some follow-up questions in mind. If you're feeling extra bold, make a joke. Jokes can be difficult to master but if you get them right, they show the likeable, witty side of your character. "What's your name?" "Well, people usually call me Mike, but you can call me tonight." According to the passage, making a joke _ .

2C

Students who want to attend an American university must explain how they will pay for their education. They have to show that they will be able to pay for each year of study. Students have to consider not only the tuition, the cost of classes, but also meals and a place to live in, which is known as room-and-board. They also need money for books and supplies. And they need money to spend on social activities and other things. Educational advisers say foreign students should have enough money in a local bank to pay for at least two months of expenditure . So how much will a year at an American school cost? Generally speaking, the answer is: a lot. A leading state university in the Pacific Northwest will serve as an example. The University of Washington says foreign students are paying more than $36,000 this year. This major research university currently has 2,600 foreign students from more than 100 countries. There are many schools that cost less, but also others that cost more. Its web site says the University of Washington does not offer financial assistance to international students. This is generally true of American schools, especially at the undergraduate level. The international application for the university includes a Statement of Financial Responsibility that must be signed. Students must also provide a bank letter or statement from within the past six months. And they have to name someone who will help with payments. These people must send proof from a bank to show that they have the money. Your government or employer may be able to help you pay all or some of the college costs. A good idea is to ask at least eighteen months before you want to start classes in the United States. Our Foreign Student Services, including links to web sites discussed in our reports, can be found at www.unsv.com. To learn more about higher education in America, the State Department has a special web site: educationusa.state.gov. Students who are going to study in America must _ .

1B

Body language is quiet, secret and most powerful language of all. It speaks louder than words. According to specialists, our bodies send out more messages than we realize. In fact, non-verbal communication takes up about fifty percent of what we usually mean. And body language is especially important, when we try to communicate across cultures. Indeed, what is called body language is so much a part of us that it's actually often unnoticed. And misunderstandings happen as a result of it. For example, different cultures treat the distance between people differently. Northern Europeans usually do not like having bodily contact ,even with friends. And certainly not with strangers. People from the Latin American countries, on the other hand, touch each other quite a lot. So it's possible that in conversation it may look like a Latino is following a Norwegian all over the room. The Latino, trying to express friendship, will keep moving closer. The Norwegian, very probably seeing _ as rude behavior, will keep backing away, which the Latino will in return regarded as coldness. Obviously, a great deal is going on when people talk. And only a part of it is in the words themselves. And when parties are from different cultures, there's a strong possibility of misunderstanding. But whatever the situation is, the best advice is to obey the golden rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. Which of the following is true?

3D

I used to think education was the most important thing in my life. Recently my attitude has begun to change, although I still hold that it is _ for everyone in the world today. As a top junior student in my college, I was asked to make a speech on how to learn English well. Standing in front of the audience and facing so many freshmen, I was trembling. I didn' t remember any word that I had prepared. I ran out of the conference room without finishing my speech, leaving everyone puzzled. I cried that night in my room, feeling that I was a loser. Studying takes up so much of my time that I feel unable to really develop myself. I am just storing knowledge, yet I fail to communicate with others. I have received many awards in school, but they don't necessarily reflect anything about me. I don't know how to socialize. When I leave school I fear I will be of no use to society. I realize that everyone has his own way of living. I want to change my lifestyle. Of course I will keep studying. Yet I plan to look for a part-time job, which might turn out to be a good chance to get to know society. I still believe that working my hardest makes me happy. I will still stay on in college. But I will not allow it to shelter me from the real world. The author believes the awards she has received _ .

3D

One day Mrs. Wilson went shopping with Tracy and Ben. They went to the supermarket in the new shopping center." Why do you buy things here?" Tracy wanted to know. "Because they are cheaper here than at the corner store near our home," Mrs. Wilson said." Help me check the prices, please." The Wilsons were not rich and Mrs. Wilson was always careful with her money. She looked carefully after the prices of things. She bought lots of things in the supermarket. When they got home, the children said," We don't think you saved money by going to the supermarket." "Of course I did," Mrs. Wilson said. " Everything was cheaper there." "We know," the children said," but we came home by taxi because we had too much to carry. The taxi fare was more than the money that you save! " Mrs. Wilson added everything up. Her children were right. Mrs. Wilson will _ .

2C

Hi, friends. I'm Chen Zhaoli. My English name is Sandy. I'm 13 years old. Now I'm at Blackwood Middle School in England. My English teacher is Mandy. She is not English. She is from Canada. In my class, my good friend is Connie Green. Do you want to know her? Connie is 11 years old. Her father's name is Bill. And her mother's name is Lisa. Her parents are teachers at school. She has a brother and a sister. They are Josh and Molie. _ is Chen Zhaoli's English teacher.

1B

1970 was World Conservation Year. The United Nations wanted everyone to know that the world was in danger. They hoped something could be done. Here is one example of the problem. At one time there were 1,300 kinds of plants, trees and flowers in Holland ,but now only 866 are left. The others have been destroyed by modern people and their science. We are polluting earth, air, water and everything around us. We can't live without these things. If things go on like this, we shall destroy ourselves. What will happen in the future? Perhaps it's more important to ask "What must we do?" More and more young people have known this. Many of them are helping to save our earth. For example, they plant trees. In a small town in the United States, a large group of girls cleaned the banks of 11 kilometers of their river. Young people may hear about conversation through a song called "No one's going to change our world". It was made by Cliff Gichard and other singers. The money from it will help to conserve tigers, elephants and pandas on the earth. What must we do now according to the passage?

0A

A team of engineers at Harvard University has been inspired by Nature to create the first robotic fly. The mechanical fly has become a platform for a series of new high-tech integrated systems. Designed to do what a fly does naturally, the tiny machine is the size of a fat housefly. Its mini wings allow it to stay in the air and perform controlled flight tasks. "It's extremely important for us to think about this as a whole system and not just the sum of a bunch of individual components ," said Robert Wood, the Harvard engineering professor who has been working on the robotic fly project for over a decade. A few years ago, his team got the go-ahead to start piecing together the components. "The added difficulty with a project like this is that actually none of those components are off the shelf and so we have to develop them all on our own," he said. They engineered a series of systems to start and drive the robotic fly. "The seemingly simple system which just moves the wings has a number of interdependencies on the individual components, each of which individually has to perform well, but then has to be matched well to everything it's connected to," said Wood. The flight device was built into a set of power, computation, sensing and control systems. Wood says the success of the project proves that the flying robot with these tiny components can be built and manufactured. While this first robotic flyer is linked to a small, off-board power source, the goal is eventually to equip it with a built-in power source, so that it might someday perform data-gathering work at rescue sites, in farmers' fields or on the battlefield. "Basically it should be able to take off, land and fly around," he said. Wood says the design offers a new way to study flight mechanics and control at insect-scale. Yet, the power, sensing and computation technologies on board could have much broader applications. "You can start thinking about using them to answer open scientific questions, you know, to study biology in ways that would be difficult with the animals, but using these robots instead," he said. "So there are a lot of technologies and open interesting scientific questions that are really what drives us on a day to day basis." (392 words) Which of the following can be learned from the passage?

3D

One of Vancouver's nicknames is Hollywood North. This name comes from the fact that Vancouver is the third most filmed city in North America behind Los Angeles and New York City. Vancouver became known as a filming destination because it is a perfect stand-in for other cities. Shot from the right angles, the downtown core could look like New York, Seattle, Boston or a variety of other places. Also, the architectural smorgasbord that is Vancouver, the low Canadian dollar, and generous tax subsidies attracted film production companies to the city. Many would accuse Vancouver of simply being a stand-in city, and not really being of any significance to the overall culture of film production. However, this has proven not to be the case. The creative establishment in the film sector has realized that Vancouver is more than just a stand-in; it is a city that is filled with talent. Earlier this year Pixar Studios opened an animation studio in Vancouver. The animators made famous by such hits as Toy Story, Monsters Inc, and Wall-E, demonstrated that Vancouver is now a major player in the film industry by opening up shops in the city. Amir Nasrabadi, the General Manager for Pixar Canada said the company decided to open an office in the city because of the "very mature , high-quality talent pool, driven primary by the strength of the industry and great local universities and schools" For now the studio will work as a satellite branch of Pixar's California studios, but future plans include the Vancouver studio taking on its own feature films. The British Columbia Film Commissioner, Susan Croome, told CTV News in an interview that "Pixar's announcement is ly fantastic". When asked if this expansion of Vancouver's film industry was the result of favorable exchange rates, she responded that it wasn't, and the company was making plans for the long term. In Susan Croome's opinion, _

3D

Most people have heard the sound of bees among flowers. Bees live almost everywhere in the world except in the Arctic areas. Many kinds of agriculture depend on these small, social insects. Without bees, fruit and nut growers as well as many other farmers would not have a crop. There are more than 20,000 kinds of bees. But only honey bees make enough honey for people to use. Honeybees are highly-organized social insects. They work together in a group, called a colony . Each colony lives in a hive . It contains one queen bee -- she lays all the eggs from which the members of the colony come. Each colony has only a few hundred males, called drones. The majority of all bees in a colony are workers, which are all females. Bees even have a special stomach, called a honey stomach, which is used to store sweet fluid that the bees gather from flowers. Bees also have long hairs on their body and legs. These hairs capture pollen as bees go from flower to flower. Some of the pollen is taken back to the hive. Some, however, is passed to the next flower. This is how many plants are fertilized. Pollen is the reproductive material of plants. Many important agricultural crops depend on bees for fertilization. Inside their hives, bees store sweet liquid from flowers and pollen as well. They may even gather sweet liquid from some other kinds of insects. These kinds of sweet liquid are also stored in the hive. Bees make honey through a process. They add liquid from their own mouths to sweet liquid into simple sugar. As the honey is stored, it dries. It becomes thicker and darker. Although bees are often thought of as honey makers, they provide a surprising number of products. Also, their greatest economic value is in fertilizing crops-not in making honey. Honeybees are social insects because _ .

0A

The London Eye The London Eye was opened on New Year's Eve in 1999 to celebrate the Millennium . It is 135 meters high, and from the top you can see the whote London. On a clear day you can even see Windsor Castle, which is 40 kilometers away. The London Eye has 32 capsules , each with room for 25 people. Each "trip" lasts 30 minutes. It moves quite slowly, at a speed of about 15 meters a minute, but it never stops. Passengers have to get on when it's moving. OPENING TIME: Daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. in summer and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in winter. TICKETS: Online or by phone. A limited number of tickets are available in the day.From the Ticket Office in County Hall (the building next to the Eye), but go early because you often have to wait in a queue. HOW TO GET THERE: 5 minutes' walk from Waterloo underground station. Choose the best answers: There are _ passengers in the London Eye when it's full.

1B

Maybe you know floods, droughts, earthquakes, sandstorms and so on. But have you ever heard of typhoons? Typhoons are some of the worst storms, usually around the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. Most happen in July, August and September. How does a typhoon happen? When lots of sea water gets hot in the summer sun, it evaporates into the air. This makes the air hotter. _ It fills the space that is left. After the air gets warmer, it starts to move quickly, making wind. The wind goes in circles, and it keeps moving higher in the sky. The warmer the air gets, the quicker the wind moves. And when the wind moves faster than 30 meters a second, a typhoon begins. A typhoon has two parts. One is called the "eye". In the eye, the wind does not move so fast. The other part is the wall of clouds around the eye. This is where the strongest wind and hardest rains are. Typhoons are very dangerous. In 2004, Typhoon Yunna killed 164 people in Zhejiang, and 24 people were missing. In May 2006, Typhoon Pearl hit Guangdong and Fujian, and thousands of houses were damaged. What to do when a typhoon hits: *Stay inside, close all the windows and stay away from them. *Try to bring all of your things inside. Strong winds could even blow away your bikes! *Listen to the radio or TV for important information. *If you're told to go to a safer place, do so right away. When a typhoon comes, we cannot

2C

There is a very instructive incident involving the life of Alexander, the great Greek king. Alexander, after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way, he fell ill and it took him to his death bed. With death staring him in his face, Alexander realized how his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of no consequence. So, he lay helplessly waiting to breathe his last. He called his generals and said, "I will depart from this world soon, I have three wishes, please carry them out without fail." "My first desire is that," said Alexander, "My physicians alone must carry my coffin." After a pause, he continued, "Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected." The king continued, "My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept hanging out of my coffin." Alexander's favorite general kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart. "Oh King, we assure you that your wishes will all be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make such strange wishes?" At this Alexander took a deep breath and said, "I would like the world to know of the three lessons I have just learnt. I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can really cure any body. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the _ of death. So let people not take life for granted. The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the way to the graveyard is to tell people that not even a bit of gold will come with me. I spent all my life earning riches but cannot take anything with me. Let people realize that it is just a waste of time to chase wealth. And about my third wish of having my hands hanging out of the coffin, I wish people to know that I came empty-handed into this world and empty-handed I go out of this world." With these words, the king closed his eyes. Soon he let death conquer him and breathed his last. What would be the best title for the passage?

2C

DIY sailor Owen Warboys has finally launched his homemade boat -- after spending nearly 30 years building it in his mum's garden. Owen, 66, a retired engineer from Hordle, New Milton, Hants, first started work on the 40ft--long boat in 1982 because he could not afford to buy his own. He told mum Edith that it would only take five years but after suffering "a few problems" it lasted nearly three decades. When he finally finished, he was left with the head-scratching task of getting the 18-tonne boat out of the back garden. After some time he found a way. A huge crane was brought in to carefully raise it 40ft in the air over his mother's house and onto a lorry. It was then driven to the seaside and, to Owen's delight, it floated and showed no signs of leaking when lowered into the water. Now, 28 years after he first started, Owen is at last preparing to set sail in his beloved boat, Wight Dolphin, with his long-suffering wife Anne. Owen said, "I am so relieved that it's finished. There were times when I thought it would never end but I'm the sort of person who likes to finish something once I've started." At first he persuaded his mum to let him do it in her garden and started taking in sheets of steel and pieces of wood. "My mother was happy for me to build it at her house but only bacause I told her it would only take five years." Why did Owen decide to make his own boat by himself?

2C

Greenland is the largest island in the world.It covers over 2,000,000 square kilometers.Most of the island lies inside the Arctic Circle ,and a huge sheet of icecovers 85% of its area. Along the sea mountains rising from the sea,there are a few low trees in the southwest,but no forests.In winter snow covers everything,but in summer very low plants cover the ground between the sea and the ice sheet.Norwegians were the first Europeans to see the island in AD 875,but no one visited it until 982.Three years later a few Norwegians went to live there.In 1261 the people in Greenland decided to join Norway.Norway and Denmark united in 1380.This union ended in 1814,and Greenland stayed with Denmark.Greenland is fifty times larger than Denmark,but it is still part of this small country. How long did Greenland stay with Norway?

2C

Once a 10-year-old boy decided to learn judo though he had lost his left arm in a car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese sensei, a judo teacher. Three months later, he was still practising with the same move. So he asked, "Sensei, shouldn't I be learning more moves?" "This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the sensei replied. The boy kept training. Months later, the sensei took him to his first match. Surprisingly, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match was more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient. The boy used his one move to win the match and now was in the final. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy seemed to lose the game. Being worried that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a break. Just before the referee wanted to end the match, the sensei came to him. "No," the sensei said, "let him go on." Soon after the match began, his opponent made a big mistake: he dropped his guard . Suddenly, the boy won the match. On the way home, the boy and the sensei talked about every move in each match. Then the boy gathered the courage to ask, "Sensei, how did I win the match with only one move?" "You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've learned one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. Second, the only known guard for that move is for your opponent to catch your left arm." From the passage we can infer that _ .

1B

Lillian was a young girl who grew up in a village. At the age of 16, her father forced her to drop out of school and find a job to help the family. With limited education, skills and hope, she would take the bus into the big cities of Windsor and Detroit, walk aimlessly about and then return home every day. She couldn't even bring herself to knock on a door. As the days passed, Lillian knew she would soon have to knock on a door. On one of her trips, Lillian saw a sign at Carhartt Overall Company, saying, "Help Wanted, Secretarial. Apply Within." She walked up to the office and was met by the office manager, who sat her down at a typewriter and said, "Let's see how good you really are." She directed Lillian to type a single letter and then left. Lillian looked at the clock: 11:40 am. She figured that she could run away in the crowd then. But she knew she should at least try the letter. On her first try, she got through one line. It had five words and she made four mistakes. The clock read 11:45. "At noon," she said to herself, " _ ." On her second try, Lillian got through a full paragraph, but still made many mistakes. Again she pulled out the paper. At last she completed the letter with some mistakes. Just then, the door opened and the office manager walked in. She came directly over to Lillian, read the letter, paused and then said, "Lillian, you've done a good job." Why did the office manager leave after directing Lillian to type a letter?

3D

Standing in line for the latest iPhone at the Apple store, queuing for tickets to Wimbledon or even just waiting at the post office might just have got a lot easier. Japanese car-maker Nissan announces that it has just the thing to relieve the painful legs of tired queuers. The new system of 'self-driving' chairs is designed to detect when someone at the front of the queue is called, and automatically move everyone else one step forward in line. The new invention is shown off in a company video, which shows a busy restaurant with patrons waiting outside. In the video, diners are sitting in a row of chairs, but will not have to stand when the next hungry diner is called to a table. Instead, the chairs, equipped with autonomous technology that detects the seat ahead, move along a path toward the front of the line. When the person at the front of the queue is called, the empty chair at the front can sense it is empty and so moves out of pole position. Cameras on the remaining chairs then sense the movement and follow automatically. The system, which is similar to the kind used in Nissan's autonomous vehicle technology, will be tested at select restaurants in Japan this year, Nissan said. "It appeals to anyone who has queued for hours outside a crowded restaurant: it _ the boredom and physical pain of standing in line," Nissan added. Although Tokyo has some 160,000 restaurants, long queues are not uncommon. Chosen restaurants that meet the criteria will be able to show the chairs outside their restaurant next year. Nissan also released a short video showing the chairs being used in an art gallery, moving slowly in front of the various paintings to let viewers appreciate the art without the need to stand up. Which enables the chairs to detect the seat ahead?

1B

The man who invented Coca-Cola was not a native Atlanta, but on the day of his funeral every drugstore in town shut up the shop in honor of him. He was John Styth Pemberton, born in 1833 in Knoxville, Georgia, eighty miles away. Pemberton was a chemist, sometimes known as Doctor, who, during the Civil War, became an officer and led a cavalry troop. He settled in Atlanta in 1869, and soon began making such patent medicines as Triplex Liver Pills and Globe of Flower Cough Syrup. In 1885, he registered a trademark for something called French Wine Coca-Ideal Nerve and Tonic Stimulant. A few months later, he formed the Pemberton Chemical Company, and hired an accountant named Frank M. Robinson, who had not only a good head for figures, but, attached to it, so unique a nose that he could judge the ingredients of a batch of syrup merely by sniffing it. In 1886 --- a year in which, as contemporary Coca-Cola officials like to point out, the English writer Conan Doyle made Sherlock Holmes known publicly and France found the truth about the Statue of Liberty --- Pemberton invented a syrup that he called Coca-Cola. It was a change of his French Wine Coca. He had taken out the wine and added a bit of caffeine, and, when the end product tasted awful, had thrown in some cola nut oil and a few other oils, mixing the mixture in a three-legged iron pot in his back yard and swishing it around with an oar. He distributed it to soda fountains in used beer bottles, and Robinson, with his elegant account's script, instantly designed a label, on which "Coca-Cola" was written in the style which is still employed. Pemberton looked upon his mixture less as a drink than as a headache cure. One morning in 1886, a man suffering from a headache dragged himself into an Atlanta drugstore and asked for a bottle of Coca-Cola. According to usual practice, druggists should pour a teaspoonful of syrup into a glass of water, but at that time, the man on duty was too lazy to walk to the fresh-water tap. Instead, he mixed the syrup with some soda water, which was closer at hand. After drinking it, the suffering customer cheered up almost at once, and word quickly spread that the best Coca-Cola was a fizzy one. According to the passage, what was Coca-Cola intended for at first?

2C