South Asia heatwave kills nearly 100
DHAKA - A heat wave sweeping India, Bangladesh and Nepal has killed nearly 100 people over the past two weeks, officials said on June 3, 2005.
A third of the people died in northern Bangladesh, mostly women and children from dehydration(脫水), heat stroke and diarrhoea(腹瀉).
"We are getting reports of several deaths due to heat wave and related diseases almost every day," an official said, as temperatures touched 43℃.
The weather office in Dhaka said the hot weather will last for another week until the monsoon(季風(fēng)) rains which are normally due by the middle of June.
Severe heat conditions in the southern Indian have killed at least 55 people, officials in the two states said.
While temperatures have fallen from a high of 45℃ in Andhra Pradesh to around 40℃, giving a respite（休息） to people, they are still on the rise in Orissa with Talcher town registering 48.5℃, a weather official said.
At least five people have died in Nepal from extreme heat, the government said.
小題1:We can infer that the heatwave can cause ______.

A．heat stoke

B．dehydration

C．diarrhoea

D．a(chǎn)ll above

小題2:When the monsoon rains come, the temperature will _______.

A．remain the same	B．go on to rise sharply
C．begin to drop obviously	D．rise a little

小題3:Which place is the hottest in the early June, 2005?

A．Dhaka

B．Talcher

C．Andhra Pradesh

D．Nepal

Harvard University named historian Drew Gilpin Faust as its first female president on Sunday, ending a lengthy and secretive search to find a successor to Lawrence Summers.
The seven-member Harvard Corporation elected Faust, a noted scholar on History of the American South and dean of Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, as the university’s 28th president.
“This is a great day, and a historic day, for Harvard,” James R. Houghton, chairman of the presidential search committee, said in a statement. “Drew Faust is an inspiring and accomplished leader, a superb scholar, a dedicated teacher, and a wonderful human being.”
Her selection is noteworthy given the heated debates over Summers’ comments that genetic differences between the sexes might help explain the lack of women in top science jobs.
Faust has been dean of Radcliffe since 2001, two years after the former women’s college was combined into the university as a research center with a mission to study gender issues.
Some professors have quietly groused that the 371-year-old university is appointing a fifth president who is not a scientist. No scientist has had the top job since James Bryant Conant retired in 1953; its last four have come from the fields of classics, law, literature and economics.
Faust is the first Harvard president who did not receive a degree from the university since Charles Chauncy, a graduate of Cambridge University, who died in office in 1762. She attended the University of Pennsylvania.
“Teaching staff turned to her constantly,” said Sheldon Hackney, a former president of the University of Pennsylvania and historian who worked closely with Faust. “She’s very clear. She has a sense of humor, but she’s very strong-minded. You come to trust in her because she’s so solid.”
小題1:Which might be the best title for the passage?

A．Harvard named its first female president.

B．History of Harvard University changed.

C．Debates on female equality ended.

D．Drew Gilpin Faust, a famous woman historian.

小題2:Which is NOT true about Drew Gilpin Faust?

A．She is the 28th president of Harvard University.

B．She is a famous scholar from the American South.

C．She isn’t a graduate from Harvard University.

D．She was head of Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

小題3:The underlined word “groused” in the 6th paragraph means____ .

A．a(chǎn)pproved

B．commented

C．complained

D．indicated

小題4:This passage probably appears in a____ .

A．biography

B．personal letter

C．research paper

D．newspaper report

If you look for a book as a present for a child，you will be spoiled for choice even in a year there is no new Harry Potter． J．K Rowling’s wizard is not alone．The past decade has been a harvest for good children’s books, which has set off a large quantity of films and an increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings．
Yet despite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children．According to statistics in 1997, 23% said they didn’t like reading at all．In 2003, 35% didn’t．And around 6% of the children leave primary school each year unable to read properly．
Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computes games．Maybe the books boom has affected only the top of the educational pile．Either way, Chancellor Cordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class．In his pre-budget report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most．
Reading Recovery is aimed at six year olds, who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes with a specially trained teacher．An evaluation this year reported that children on the school made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months’ progress ,and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age．
International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school, they read well, but read text often for fun than those elsewhere．Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on reading can report lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success．According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage．
小題1:Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?

A．Many children’s books have been adapted from films．

B．Many high-quality children’s books have been published．

C．The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films．

D．The sales of presents for children have increased．

小題2:Statistics suggested that____________．

A．the number of top students increased with the use of computers

B．a(chǎn) decreasing number of children showed interest in reading

C．a(chǎn) minority of primary school children read properly

D．a(chǎn) huge percentage of children read regularly

小題3:What do we know about Reading Recovery?

A．An evaluation of it will be made sometime this year．

B．Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking．

C．It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading．

D．Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading．

小題4:Reading for fun is important because book-loving children _________．

A．take greater advantage of the project

B．show the potential to enjoy a long life

C．a(chǎn)re likely to succeed in their education．

D．would make excellent future researchers

小題5:The aim of this text would probably be _________．

A．to overcome primary school pupils reading difficulty．

B．to encourage the publication of more children’s books

C．to remind children of the importance of reading for fun

D．to introduce a way to improve early children reading

Amy returned to her small apartment at midnight, tired. Her worst fears raced through her mind. Would the court tell her she couldn’t care for her family anymore? Would the kids go through the sadness once more of being split up and sent away? She was so young, almost a child herself, and yet Amy knew everything depended on her. At that moment, she wondered if she would ever find the strength to see it through.
From earliest childhood, Amy took care of her younger brothers. Jan, their mother, only added to the family disorder and confusion because of her drug addict. Sometimes they lived in apartments, sometimes in shelters.
One afternoon Amy was called to the high school, where a social worker was waiting for her. “We’re going to have to put you guys in foster（收養(yǎng)) care.” the social worker said. “No! Don’t spilt us up!” the girl cried out. “Can’t you just leave it the way it is?” The social worker shook his head. Amy’s voice then rose like the howl of a lion protecting her babies: “Why can’t I take them? I take care of them all the time anyway.” The social worker hesitated, and then said, “Maybe. Once you’re 18, you could apply to become their relative caretaker. Then you’d be their foster mother until we find a home where all of you can be together.” “I’ll do it,” Amy said.
One month later, Amy was named guardian of her brothers for a six-month trial period. It was a remarkable victory for an 18-year-old girl. Her brothers didn’t make her task any easier in the months ahead. However，Amy’s efforts were rewarded when the court allowed her to continue as guardian. Amy’s relief at remaining the kids’ guardian was at risk of being taken away by the pressure she always
felt to measure up. Social workers still looked regularly over her shoulder and asked the boys shameful
questions: “Does she feed you? Does she ever try to harm you?” Then one day a visiting social worker
came over. “We’d like to get the boys adopted into homes,” she said. Sensing that the family was about to be split apart yet again, Amy replied, “Fine, then. Call it adoption if you want, but they’re not going anywhere.” To her surprise, the social worker took her remark seriously. She explained that if Amy were to adopt the boys, they would become like any other family.
That night at dinner Amy told the boys about the idea. “Cool!” Joey said. He threw a piece of corn at Adam. His brother flicked it back, and pretty soon corn was flying. Amy rolled her eyes. They didn’t have far to go to be like any other family. As the proceedings（程序）ended, Amy thanked everyone. “No,” the judge responded, “Thank you. You saved three kids. Not many family members would do what you’re doing, especially for this many children. I’m very proud of you.” 
On a lazy spring day, in a modest suburban neighborhood, Amy stood in front of a neatly kept one-story house. She watched her brothers playing basketball, and heard the playful bark of their dog, Tahoe. The young lady had made good on her promise: they had rented a home, a real home, and the boys had gotten their dog. Amy continues to raise her family alone, but has begun taking courses in business management at a nearby community college. Eventually, she hopes to become a child psychologist.
小題1: Which of the following best describes Amy?

A．Crazy and tough	B．Firm and stubborn
C．Enthusiastic and generous	D．Abnormal and aggressive.

小題2:From Paragraph 3, we can learn that __________.

A．The social worker gave in to Amy.

B．The social worker tried to adopt Amy’s brothers.

C．Amy tried to apply for the guardian of the brothers

D．Amy had no idea how to face her family being separated up.

小題3:By saying “They didn’t have far to go to be like any other family”, the writer means________.

A．they will live in the same area as other families

B．they made a deep impression on the neighborhood

C．Amy is able to take good care of the family

D．Amy and her brothers would be already just like a family

小題4:The best title for this text would be___________. 

A．Standing On Two Feet	B．Growing Up Alone
C．A Lifelong Fight	D．A Teen Hero

小題5:What does  the underlined word guardian in paragraph 4 mean?

A．保護(hù)者

B．監(jiān)護(hù)人

C．收養(yǎng)人

D．引導(dǎo)人

Narasimha Das is on his way to feed 169,379 hungry children. Das is in charge of a kitchen in Vrindaban. The town is about a three-hour drive from India’s capital, New Delhi. Das gets to work at 3:00 a.m. Thirty workers are already working to make tens of thousands of rounds of bread. It will be brought to 1,516 schools in and around Vrindaban.
A Growing Problem
Going to school is difficult for more than 13 million children in India. They must go to work instead, or go hungry. That’s why India began the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, the largest school-lunch program in the world. A free lunch encourages children to come to school and gives them the energy they need for learning. The program began in the 1960s.
The kitchen in Vrindaban is run by the Akshaya Patra Foundation. It is one of the lunch program’s biggest partners. “Just $11.50 can feed one child for an entire year,” said Madhu Sridhar, president of the Akshaya Patra Foundation.
Lunch Is Served!
The Akshaya Patra food truck arrives at Gopalgarh Primary School. Since the program started, the number of underweight children has gone down. The children get foods they need — as long as they finish what’s on their plates.
小題1:The kitchen in Vrindaban supplies food to _____.

A．the poor	B．the old
C．college students	D．school children

小題2:Why is it difficult for children to go to school in India?

A．Because there are not enough teachers.

B．Because there are not enough schools.

C．Because they have to work to make money.

D．Because their parents refuse to send them to school.

小題3:Which of the following about the Mid-Day Meal Scheme is NOT true?

A．It is run by Narasimha Das.

B．It has been carried out for about 50 years.

C．It is to encourage children to go to school.

D．It is the largest school-lunch program in the world.

Kenya is the first country to protect elephants by text messages. Mobile phone SIM cards are inserted(插入) in the collars of elephants. The cards will send a text message when the elephants wander too close to farms, allowing wildlife protectors to drive them off rather than shoot them.
Hungry elephants cause big problems for farmers and villagers in some parts of Kenya when they are searching for food. Two years ago the Kenyan wildlife service had to unwillingly shoot five elephants who continued to destroy crops.
In order to prevent such bad activities, the Elephants charity put a mobile phone SIM card on a huge bull elephant called Kimani. The conservationists(自然保護(hù)者) then set up a virtual(虛擬的) fence. Each time Kimani came near the fence, a text message was sent to farmers. So far he’s been stopped from going into the danger area fifteen times.
The project seems to be working successfully as Kimani hasn’t come near a farm for four months. A similar system has now been put into operation in another part of the country.
One of the biggest benefits of the project is that elephants seem to learn from one another, which can help a whole group change their habits.
The elephants can also be tracked using Google Earth software. This is also helping the protectors know where to use their resources to protect the animals well.
小題1:Elephants often cause problems in Kenya, because ______.

A．they are attacked	B．they are angry
C．they are sad	D．they are hungry

小題2:What does the underlined word “he” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The protector.	B．The writer.
C．The elephant.	D．The conservationist.

小題3:From the passage, we know that ______.

A．the text messages are of little help to the wildlife protectors

B．the project has worked out to be a great success in Kenya

C．a(chǎn) mobile phone SIM card has been put in all the elephants

D．the project has been introduced to all parts of the country

An anxious mother watched as rescuers freed her baby from a muddy well. After being pulled from the well，the baby joyfully ran to its mom as the rescuers took a break.
It was a difficult and potentially dangerous rescue: the baby was an 8-month-old elephant, and at first its mother thought the humans were trying to harm it. The baby elephant fell into the five-foot-deep well near Kenya's Amboseli National Park. Local people had dug the well for water.
It took 30 minutes to remove the trapped elephant. While Vicki Fishlock of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants made a loud shout to frighten the mother away, two men struggled to get a rope around the baby elephant. Once the rope was in place, Fishlock used her jeep to pull the baby out.
Fishlock recognized Zombe, the mother of the trapped baby elephant，from a mark on her ear. She believes that in the end Zombe realized the humans were trying to help.
“Rescues where the elephant’s family members are around are always stressful, and I'm always happy when everyone is safe,” Fishlock said.“The reunions (團(tuán)聚) always bring tears to my eyes. The depth of their love for each other is one of the things that make elephants so unusual.”
The very next day, another baby elephant fell into the same well. The 3-month-old's family had been driven away from the area by local people. Once it had been rescued, the Amboseli Trust had to send it to an elephant orphanage (孤兒院) in Nairobi, Kenya's capital city.
The rescues showed the plight of elephants across Africa. Elephants are fighting to survive, as conflicts between the animals and humans are increasing. Thousands of elephants are also being killed for their tusks. The tusks are sold in Asia, where ivory trinkets are in high demand.
The Amboseli Trust has been studying elephants and trying to help them since 1972. Fishlock said, “We hope this rescue persuades people that elephants are special and deserve to be protected and treasured.”
小題1:We can learn from the text that _____.

A．Fishlock had seen the baby elephant before

B．The mother elephant was a great help to rescuers

C．the well was dug by local people to trap elephants

D．the mother elephant was unfriendly at first to the rescuers

小題2:What causes Fishlock to think that elephants are special?

A．Their trust in humans.	B．The deep love between them.
C．Their great ability to survive.	D．The good communication between them.

小題3:What did the two baby elephants have in common?

A．They were both 8 months old.	B．They were both rescued by local people.
C．They were both trapped in the same well.	D．They were both reunited with their mothers.

小題4:The underlined word "plight" in Paragraph 7 probably means“______”.

A．a(chǎn) strong personality	B．A dangerous situation
C．a(chǎn)n annoying habit	D．a(chǎn) close relationship

小題5:What would be the best title for the text?

A．An elephant rescue	B．The elephant, an unusual animal
C．An elephant rescue organization	D．Conflicts between humans and elephants

A new study gives us the warning that about thirty percent of the world's people may not have enough water by the year 2025.
A private American organization called Population Action International did the new study. It says more than three-hundred-thirty-five-million people lack enough water now. The people live in twenty-eight countries. Most of the countries are in Africa or the Middle East.
P-A-I researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025, about three-thousand-million people may lack water. At least 18 more countries are expected to have severe water problems. The demand for water keeps increasing. Yet the amount of water on Earth stays the same.
Mr. Engelman says the population in countries that lack water is growing faster than in other parts of the world. He says population growth in these countries will continue to increase.
The report says lack of water in the future may result in several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking waters not safe. Mr. Engelman says there are problems all over the world because of diseases, such as cholera, which are carried in water. Lack of water may also result in more international conflict. Countries may have to compete for water in the future. Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. This is true of Egypt, the Netherlands, Cambodia, Syria, Sudan, and Iraq. And the report says lack of water would affect the ability of developing to improve their economies. This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning.
The Population Action International study gives several solutions to the water problem. One way, it says, is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose. Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water. A third way is to use less water of agriculture.
The report also says long-term solutions to the water problem must include controls on population growth. It says countries cannot provide clean water unless they slow population growth by limiting the number of children people have.
小題1:__________ are expected to have severe water problems by the year 2025

A．No countries

B．18 countries

C．46 countries

D．28 countries

小題2:All the following are true except____________.

A．Lack of water may cause conflict between countries

B．Egypt now has enough fresh water

C．There are solutions to the water problem

D．New industries need a lot of water

小題3:It can be inferred that _____________.

A．There is connection between providing clean water and slowing population growth

B．Lack of water may also result from international conflict

C．The ability of developing has nothing to do with lack of water.

D．It is not known whether diseases have something to do with lack of water

小題4:What is the solution to the water problem for a long time?

A．Not to waste water.	B．Less developing industries.
C．Less international conflict.	D．Control the population

小題5:The best title of the passage would be __________.

A．World Conflict	B．Diseases and Water
C．World Water Shortage	D．Population and Water

Last week Adele's second album, 21, sold 257,000 copies in the UK, a sales figure that would look incredible as an opening sales week for any album by any global superstar. The fact that the album was celebrating its 10th week at No.1, and that each of the previous nine weeks it had sold over 100,000 copies, makes what Adele has achieved look miraculous. The last female singer to spend that long at No.1 in the UK was Madonna in 1990 with her greatest hits compilation, The Immaculate Collection.
For Adele, the success of 21 is part of a perfect storm of talent, timing and a connection that went beyond gender, age and credibility. But what does it say about the state of the music industry? Does Adele's success signal a return to the MOR(適合大眾口味的音樂(lè)) musical depression, when the likes of James Blunt dominated the charts? Her success may well lead to a great many similar acts aiming for an MOR audience, but that's more the fault of an industry desperate to recreate any kind of success by creating poor copies until the world shouts "stop now".
What seems to have set Adele apart is her apparent ordinariness, besides that incredible voice. While Gaga parades around in a dress made of meat and Beyonce orbits a world out of touch to the majority of most human beings, Adele's chain-smoking, girl-you'd-like-to-go-to-the-pub-with persona stands out. Even for a British act, her ordinariness goes against trend, with fellow Jessie J adopting a very American habit of over-emoting, talking about a "journey" and making the idea of being a pop star seem fairly difficult.
It's this universality and broad appeal that's helped her translate talent into sales. While the first single from 21, Rolling in the Deep, appealed to Radio 1 listeners and bloggers, the second single, Someone Like You, is so successful that silenced the grand O2 Arena during this year's Brit Awards. The press can write pages and pages in that there's enough of a connection of musicians – Rick Rubin worked on the album, there's a cover of the Cure, Mumford & Sons were an influence – while the gossip magazines have been excited by the fact that the album is one long break-up record, eager to find the ex.
In 1990, Madonna was a global superstar with a back catalogue of era-defining hits to her name. She was untouchable and, tellingly, unknowable. She was (and still is) a megastar, but a megastar of a different age. These days, we want to know a bit more about our artists; that they have relationship problems, walk their dog. Her selling point and appeal is precisely the fact that she exists at the point between everyday ordinariness and pop star.
For now, Adele's success should be celebrated, especially for becoming an unlikely global star on her own terms. The danger is that we're headed for a lot of fairly boring pop, a situation that led to the "birth" of Gaga a few years back. Pop goes in cycles and it feels like we're headed back towards the very middle of MOR.
小題1:Adele’s achievement seems unbelievable for the reason that ____________.

A．the sales of her second album achieved an incredible success last week in the UK

B．her second album ranked first in a row with the incredible average sales per week

C．Madonna was the last female singer in the UK to stay at No. 1 as long as she did

D．she is such an ordinary singer with so fascinating a voice in the music industry

小題2:According to the author, the success of Adele’s second album __________________.

A．to a large extent depends on her apparent talent for music

B．is because of her extraordinariness and the wonderful voice

C．lies in gift, timing and something beyond sex, age and trust

D．is largely due to the state of the music industry currently

小題3:Compared with other female pop stars, what does the author think of Adele?

A．She stands out in a totally different way from Gaga and Beyonce.

B．She and Madonna are contemporary megastars in music.

C．Only she and Madonna spent that long at No.1 in the UK.

D．Jessie J and she both have an American habit of expressing themselves.

小題4:What helped Adele successfully turned her gift of singing into sales?

A．Her musical talent.

B．The joint work of musicians in the album.

C．Her incredible voice.

D．Her universality and broad appeal.

小題5:The author thinks that the current musical trend in the UK is _______________.

A．satisfying

B．disappointing

C．dangerous

D．desperate

In November of 2007, NBC Universal launched its first official Green Week. Throughout the week, NBC Universal presented over 150 hours of environmentally themed content through multiple platforms (平臺(tái)).
Now, NBC Universal is proud to present Green Week 2012. With a new theme and message of “Green Your Routine”, NBC and NBC.com presents green-themed tips in several of our daytime life, among several other features here on the “Green Your Routine” site.
Fashion & Beauty
Throw a clothes exchange party! Are you dying for that sweater your friend wore the other day? Well, maybe she’ll trade for that old T-shirt you have. Here’s a website that helps you organize an exchange party (www.swapstyle.com), or just plan your own!
Go natural with organic make-up. Applying unnatural products on your skin wasn’t exactly that nature intended. Try switching to a line of organic make-up and cosmetics for a different way to bring out your natural beauty.
Home
Drop a brick in your toilet tank! Literally! According to the EPA, flushing (沖洗) makes up 30 percent of a household’s water use (about three to six gallons per flush). By placing a brick in your toilet tank, you can help to conserve the amount of water used during each flush.
Work
Print smarter. Printing and copying can be one of the most costly operations in any office. To save on ink and paper costs, print double-sided and try to fit more than one page on a sheet. More printing tips can be found here: lifehacker.com
Turn off your computer. Do you leave your computer on over night? If so, you’re using up a good amount of electricity. If you can, try turning off your computer and the power strip it’s connected to. If you can’t, shut off your monitor at least.
Transportation
Organize a car pool (拼車). There are many benefits to carpooling. You save on gas and you get to ride in the HOV lines. Get connected with your neighbors and co-workers to start sharing rides and check out this website for more tips: www.erideshare.com.
Lose the car and get a bike. If you live close to where you work, try taking a bike instead of driving. You’ll keep in shape and save on gas!
Every small step and efforts makes a difference! Be sure to GREEN YOUR ROUTINE!
小題1:NBC Universal holds Green Week activities ________.

A．in a university	B．in a park
C．in an office	D．on the Internet

小題2:This year, Green Week welcomes________. 

A．a(chǎn)dvice on how to improve the website

B．suggestions about how to make their activities more interesting

C．tips on what to do to make our life greener

D．opinions on whether we should have campaigns

小題3:Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the passage?.

A．Never use make-up and cosmetics any more.

B．Putting a brick in the toilet tank can help flash quickly.

C．Printing double-sided can save paper costs.

D．You’ll keep fit through carpooling.

小題4:The passage is mainly intended to _______.

A．call on readers to be environmentally friendly and present some good tips

B．tell readers to be environmentally friendly while travelling

C．persuade readers to ride bicycles when travelling

D．inform readers of measures to improve our environment