In 1896, the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. Since then many countries
have held Olympics, such as England, France, Germany, Canada, the USA, Spain and Australia. After
more than a century the Games return to the hometown in 2004.
     When people hold the Olympic Games, they always make an emblem (會(huì)徽). The emblem of the
Athens Olympic Games in 2004 is a white olive branches in the sky.
     Athens developed a spirit of peace. An officer said, "While in Athens, the world should be at peace."
We hope the peace is not just for a short time. We would like the message from the Athens Games to
help countries come together and solve their problems. In 2008 the Olympic Games have been held in
China. And China has already made a seal as the emblem of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The emblem
has a single Chinese character on a red seal and means "Chinese seal-dancing Beijing". Below it, there
are the words "Beijing 2008". The character in the emblem is "Jing". It means "Capital" of China and it
is also like a runner or a dancer. The running figure (人形) of the emblem shows the spirit of the
Olympics-faster, higher and stronger.

1. What do people always make when they hold the Olympic Games?

A．A picture
B．An emblem
C．A flag
D．A map

2. What message does the Olympic Games want to give?

3. How many years passed when Athens again held the Olympic Games?

A．100
B．104
C．108
D．112

     Who is greatest teacher in Chinese history? You can't think of anyone else when you hear people read
Confucius (孔子) 2,500 year-old words: "All study but no thinking makes people puzzled."  All thinking but
no study makes people lazy.
     Tuesday was Confucius' birthday. He was born on September 28,551 BC in the Kingdom of Lu (魯國(guó)),
in today's Shandong Province. Chinese look upon Confucius as the greatest thinker and also the greatest
teacher. He had about 3,000 students. For more than 2,000 years, Confucius' ideas have been around in
people's everyday lives. Now they have gone far into Western countries and south Asia. People can still
hear them today. 
     Why are his ideas so popular? They help not only in everyday life but also society.
     Confucius' most important ideas are kindness and good manners. Confucius said young people should
take care of the old. People should give up thinking of themselves and work for others. As a great teacher,
Confucius said that all should go to school if they wanted learn.
     Some of Confucius' popular words are "A kind person should care others" and "Be strict with yourself,
but be kind to others". People use his ideas to help themselves and society. Now, more than 100 Internet
web sites are teaching people about Confucius and his ideas.
     "Kindness and honesty are the best values of the world today," said 79-year-old Kong Fanjin who
studying Confucius.

1. Confucius was born about            .

A. 500 years ago
B. 2,500 years ago
C. 3,000 years ago
D. 2,000 years ago

2. Confucius was not only a greatest teacher but also a greatest            .

3. The underline word: "them" in the last sentence of the second paragraph refers to (指的是)            .

A. the greatest teacher and thinker
B. Confucius' students
C. people in Western countries and south Asia
D. Confucius' ideas

4. Which of the following isn't Confucius' ideas?

A. All thinking but no study makes people lazy
B. young people should take care of the old
C. Be strict with others, but be kind to yourself
D. A kind person should care others

A. on the Internet
B. in the library
C. from your teacher
D. on TV

     People like to say: "The hand that rocks (搖動(dòng)) the cradle (搖籃) rules the world." Or they say: "Behind
every successful man, there is a woman." Now some women still like making their husbands and sons
successful. But some women want more for themselves. They want to be successful as men. Today the
best jobs are still given to men. Even when women do the same work, they are often paid less than men.
Some women want these things changed. They want to stand beside the men, with the same chances for
success. Now many American women are earning money outside their homes. More than half of the women
at the age of eighteen to sixty-five have good jobs. In general, working women have more education than
those who stay at home. Among women with jobs, eight out of ten drive a car to work, and most of them
often spend their holidays away from home. They like traveling by air. Women's work had made several
changes in women's lives and in men's lives, too. But things are quite different from those in the Middle East
countries. In the Middle East countries, women have to stay at home. Their duty is to look after their families
and do all the housework. They can't find work outside. When they go out in public, they cover their faces
with something and walk behind their husbands. For the past few years the women's life has been changing in
those countries. Many women want to play an active role in the society (社會(huì)). Though working gives them
few chances of getting married, many men still want to marry them in the old ways.

1. More and more women want to get jobs because _______.

A. they don't want to stand behind their husbands in the street
B. they think they are more important than men
C. they think they are as important as men
D. housework troubles them too much

2. Some women are still badly paid _______.

3. If women have got higher education _______.

A. they can get better jobs easier
B. they don't have to do any housework
C. they can travel by plane
D. they can be paid better than men

4. Working gives women _______.

A. the chance to receive more education than men
B. chances to play an important role in the society
C. more pay than men
D. fewer chances of doing the housework

A. women have the same rights as men today
B. women don't want to work outside their homes
C. more and more women want to play an active role in their countries
D. in the Middle East countries all the women stay at home

      Every year people in the West celebrate Easter. Easter falls on April 8 this year. It is a very old
Christian festival. It is older than Christmas. At Easter Christians remember the death of Jesus and his
coming back to life.
      Eggs are very important at Easter. It is because an egg is the start of a new life. The eggs come in
special boxes. They are wrapped in lovely silver paper.
      When kids open them they find a chocolate egg in two halves. And inside there are candies. Kids
get to eat a lot of chocolate at Easter-sometimes more than they want. At Easter kids also boil eggs and
paint them pretty colors. 
      Everybody knows about Santa Claus, but did you know about the Easter Bunny? He is a character
kids love nearly as much. There are always bunnies at Easter. But what's so special about them? Like eggs,
rabbits are close to the idea of new life, because rabbits have lots of babies.

1. Easter is in ______ this year.

A. January
B. April
C. July
D. September

2. Christians remember Jesus' death on ______.

3. On Easter Day,children can get ______.

A. chocolate eggs
B. apple pies
C. clothes
D. balls

4. You will think of Easter when you see ______.

A. Hello Kitty
B. Mickey Mouse
C. a bunny
D. a polar bear

A. they are easily broken
B. they are delicious
C. they are very cute
D. they can mean new life

     A student is learning to speak British English. He wants to know: Can I speak with Americans? Can they
understand me? What are the differences between British English and American English? How important are
these differences?
     Certainly, there are some differences between British and American English. There are a few differences
in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say "Have you got a pen?" Americans say "Do you have
a pen?" Pronunciation is sometimes different. American usually say "class" instead of [ kla:s] as most British
do. Some speakers of British English do not pronounce in some words such as in the "bird" and "work" while
Americans usually do. There are differences between British English and American English in spelling and
vocabulary. For example, "colour" and "vapour" are British, "color" and "vapor" are American, however. 
     For the most part, British and American English are the same language.

1. One of the questions among students of English is ______.

A. if they should learn American English
B. how they can speak with American
C. how great the difference is between the two languages
D. in how many ways the two languages are different

2. To the question "Are there differences between British and American English?" The writer's answer
     is "______".

3. Which of the following do you think is American English?

A. I haven't any brothers.
B. I don't have any brothers.
C. I haven't got any brothers.
D. I have got no brothers.

4. "For the most part" means ______.

A. More or less
B. First of all
C. As a result
D. Of course

A. there are few differences between the two languages
B. British and American English are just the same language
C. Americans usually sound the r's in words like "bird"
D. learners of English often have much trouble in speaking with Americans

     The word "sport" first meant something that people did in their free time. Later it often meant hunting
wild animals and birds.
     About a hundred years ago the word was first used for organized games. This is the usual meaning of
the word today. People spend a lot of their spare time playing football, basketball, tennis and many other
sports. Such people play because they want to. A few people are paid for the sport they play. These people
are called "professional sportsmen". They may be sportsmen for only a few years, but during that time the
best one can earn a lot of money.
     For example, a professional footballer in England earns more than $3000 a year. The stars earn a lot
more. International golf and tennis champions can make more than $50000 in a year. Of course, only a
few sportsmen can earn as much money as that. It is only possible in sports for individuals like golf, tennis
and motor-racing. Perhaps the most surprising thing about sportsmen and money is this: The stars can earn
more money from advertising than from sport. An advertisement for sports equipment does not simply say
"Buy our things". It says "Buy the same shirt and shoes as..." Famous sportsmen can even advertise things
like watches and food. They allow the companies to use their name or a photograph of them and they are
paid for this. Sport is no longer just something for people's spare time.

1. A "professional sportsmen" is someone who ______.

A. earns a lot of money
B. plays a sport for a number of years
C. likes sport very much
D. earns money by playing a sport

2. The word "sport" now usually means ______.

3. An advertisement for sports equipment             "Buy our things".

A. do not simply say
B. does not simply say
C. simply says not
D. simply does not say

4. "Spare time" means ______ time.

A. own
B. gay
C. free
D. home

A. sportsmen
B. sports men
C. sport's men
D. sports' men

     Chinatown is the name given to an area in the middle of London. It is just between Leicester Square
and Shaftsbury Avenue. Gerrard Street is at the center and is the most important street in the area. There
is a large Chinese community (社區(qū)) with a lot of Chinese restaurants, Chinese supermarkets and shops
in this street.
     In the 1950s, it was a poor area and everything was very cheap. At the same time, the world rice
market changed and thousand of farm workers in Hong Kong lost their jobs. They began arriving in
London to look for work. They found jobs in the restaurants in this area. Many British people like Chinese
food, and the restaurants were popular. 
    These restaurant workers often worked 17 hours a day and had no time to learn English. As more
Chinese arrived, more shops and businesses grew up. Wives came and joined their husbands and children
came and joined their fathers. The community grew, and Chinatown was born.
    In the 1970s and 1980s, British-born Chinese started to have a better education and this brought
economic (經(jīng)濟(jì)的) success to the area. Many families moved out of Chinatown, and there was more
space for businesses. Gerrard Street become a street only for visitors and was soon a popular place for
tourists.
    Now everyone knows about London's Chinatown. During the Chinese New Year, the streets are seen
with flags and thousands of Chinese go into the streets. For most of the year, though, Londoners and
tourists go there mainly for the food in the Chinese restaurants. They best restaurants are the ones where
the Chinese eat.

1. Is this Chinatown in the middle of London?
                                                                                                                                
2. Was the area rich or poor in the 1950s?
                                                                                                                                
3. Why did the restaurant workers have not time to learn English?
                                                                                                                                
4. When did British-born Chinese start to have a better education?
                                                                                                                                
5. What are the main points about Chinatown in this passage? 
                                                                                                                                

     You may know the English letters A, B and C. But do you know there are people called ABC? You
may like eating bananas. But do you know there is such a thing a "banana person"? How strange! Are
these people from "another earth"? No, they are just Chinese people like you and me.
     ABC means American-born Chinese. An ABC is a Chinese,but was born in the United States. Sometimes,
people call an ABC a "banana person". A banana is yellow outside and white inside-looking like a Westerner
and yellow outside - looking like a Chinese.
     Do you know why? Usually, ABCs know little about China or the Chinese language. Some of them
don't speak Chinese. Also, they are not interested in Chinese politics.
     But if ABCs can not speak Chinese, can we still call them Chinese people? Yes, of course. They are
Chinese. They are overseas Chinese. These people may be citizens (公民) of another country like the US,
Canada or Singapore. But they have Chinese blood. Their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents
were from China. They all have black eyes and black hair. But they are not Chinese citizens. They are not
people of the People's Republic of China. For example, we all know the famous scientist C.N.Yang (楊振寧).
He got the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1957. Chinese people love him. But he is an American citizen.

1. "ABC" in this passage means "_______".

A. three English letters
B. a kind of banana
C. Chinese born in America
D. Americans born in China

2. Chinese in Western countries are called "banana persons" because _______.

3. The underlined word "blood" may probably mean _______.

A. 國(guó)籍
B. 血統(tǒng)
C. 愛心
D. 皮膚

4. C.N.Yang is mentioned (提到) here to show that _______.

A. American Chinese are great
B. we love American Chinese
C. Chinese people can win Nobel Prizes
D. American-Chinese are not Chinese citizens

A. different kinds of bananas
B. overseas Chinese
C. the Nobel Prize
D. the life story of C.N. Yang