BEUING (Associated Press 美聯(lián)社) —China has a growing middle class, a tradition (傳統(tǒng)) of expecting education and 21 million new babies every year. Selling educatioinal toys should be easy.
While China may be the world’s biggest toy?maker, many of the best are exported (出口). Department stores here do not have enough high quality toys. It is said that the demand for educational toys is low.
A US company, BabyCare, is trying to change that with a new way to sell toys in China.
BabyCare works basically together with doctors in Beijing hospitals.  People who join the company’s "mother club"can get lectures and newsletters on baby and child development at no extra cost, if they agree to spend 18 dollars a month on the company’s educational toys and child?care books.
"We want to build a seven year relationship with those people," said Matthew J. Estes, BabyCare’s president. "It starts during pregnancy (孕期), when the anxiety and needs are highest." BabyCare works on a one to one basis. Doctors, nurses, and teachers paid by BabyCare advise parents, explain toys that are designed for children at each stage (階段) of development to age six.
BabyCare opened its first store in China last June in a shopping center in central Beijing and another near Beijing Zoo. It plans to have 80 stores in China within six years.
It is a new model for China and develops a market in young children’s education and health that no other companies are in.
小題1: What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?

A．Educational toys and foreign toy markets.

B．Problems with China’s toy market and education.

C．Reasons for pushing sales of educational toys in China.

D．Baby population and various kinds of toys made in China.

小題2:Which of the following is a fact according to the passage?

A．Club members buy BabyCare products for free child?care advice.

B．Doctors in Beijing help in making BabyCare products.

C．Parents are encouraged to pay $ 18 for club activities.

D．BabyCare trains Chinese doctors at no extra cost.

小題3: BabyCare is developing its business in China by.

A．opening stores in Beijing hospitals

B．offering 18?month courses on child?care

C．setting up children’s education centers

D．forming close relationships with parents

小題4: Which of the following would be the most suitable title for the passage?

A．Mother’s Club in China.	B．BabyCare and Doctors.
C．American Company Model.	D．Educational Toys in China.

BEIJING, Nov. 25, 2005（Reuters）— China’s home-grown human bird flu vaccine① is at least a year away from hitting the market but tests on humans have been approved by the government, head of the research drug company said on Friday.
Development of the vaccine started last year after bird flu outbreaks in Thailand and Vietnam and animal trials have already been completed, said Yin Wei-dong, managing director of Sinovac Biotech.
“It is not a virus that is spreading from human to human，so we are very optimistic②,” Yin told Reuters in an interview.
The deadly H5N1 made its first known jump to humans in Hong Kong in 1997, killing six people. The virus appeared again in late 2003 and is known to have infected 130 people in several parts of Asia, killing 68 of them.
“It is not decided yet when the human trials will begin. We just got approval on November 22 by the State Food and Drug Administration,” Yin said.
Oregon, Nov. 26, 2005（AP）— The deadly strain of bird flu that appeared in Asia and has already spread to other parts of the world has not affected the Oregon poultry③ industry or consumers, according to Oregon State University researchers.
There are many strains of bird flu that do not usually infect humans. But one strain, called H5N1, has jumped from chickens to humans and is blamed for more than 60 deaths in Asia.
International disease control experts are worried about a worldwide outbreak of bird flu, raising concerns such as whether it is safe to eat poultry.
But Oregon State University researchers say there is no proof that the virus can jump to humans by eating cooked poultry products.
“Consumers needn’t be overly concerned about bird flu,” said Jim Hermes, OSU Extension Service poultry specialist. But he urged consumers to follow standard food safety practices in preparing poultry —including washing hands while preparing food, and proper cooking of poultry meat and eggs.
He noted that a 2003 outbreak of bird virus caused much damage to commercial poultry operations in California but did not get into Oregon because of industry safeguards.
Notes:
vaccine  n. 疫苗
optimistic  adj. 樂觀的
poultry  n. 家禽
Choose the best answers according to the above:
小題1: Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the first news report?

A．Human trials have already started but not yet successful.

B．Bird flu killed 68 Asian people in its second outbreak.

C．The bird flu virus is not one that spreads from human to human.

D．The government has agreed to have the vaccine tried on humans.

小題2:What does the first news report mainly talk about?

A．The new outbreak of the bird flu.

B．How the development of the bird flu vaccine is going on.

C．How many people died of bird flu.

D．What measures the government has taken to stop the spreading of bird flu.

小題3:What does the underlined word “strains” probably mean?

A．signs.

B．symbols.

C．kinds.

D．diseases.

小題4:What can we know from the second news report?

A．Because of the safety guards, Oregon poultry industry didn’t suffer any loss in the 2003 outbreak of bird flu.

B．People in Oregon are not concerned about bird flu.

C．People will develop bird flu even if they eat well-cooked poultry products.

D．H5N1 has caused more than 60 deaths worldwide.

CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters) April 24, 2006—Three explosions shook the Egyptian Sinai resort of Dahab on Monday, killing 23 people and wounding dozens of others, rescue and security officials said.
Witnesses said smoke billowed^①up from the town’s tourist bazaar, and residents said they saw body parts and debris^②on the street after an explosion at a restaurant.
People in the small beach and diving resort, which is popular with backpackers, described scenes of carnage^③and chaos^④.
A cafe worker who was about 200 meters (yards) from the scene said: “We saw many dead people. People were screaming. People were being taken to hospital. Egyptians went to give blood. There were body parts. There’s police everywhere.”
“There are ambulances and cars taking people to hospital,” said another resident, who also did not want to be named.
The explosions took place at the Nelson Restaurant, the Aladdin Cafeteria and the Ghazala Supermarket, the Interior Ministry said.
The explosions took place in quick succession at about 7.15 p.m. (1715 GMT). “There is smoke coming from the area and there are people running everywhere,” said one witness, who heard the blasts.
An official with the local ambulance service said many of the dead appeared to be foreigners.
Israeli divers often stay in the resort but with the Passover holiday over it is unlikely many were there. The Israeli ambassador in Cairo and Israeli authorities said they did not know of any Israeli casualties^⑤.
One visitor said police were stopping cars and buses leaving the resort and had imposed restrictions on movements in and out of backpacker camps in the area.
It was the third set of three explosions on the eastern coast of the Sinai peninsula since October 2004, when a group attacked the Hilton hotel in the border resort of Taba and two other resorts on the northeast coast, killing 34 people.
Notes:
① billow  v. 翻騰
② debris  n. 殘骸
③ carnage  n. 殘殺，流血
④ chaos  n. 混亂
⑤ casualty  n. （人員）傷亡
小題1: What’s the result of the explosions in Dahab?

A．34 people were killed.

B．There were many Israeli casualties.

C．23 people were killed and dozens of others were injured.

D．Many houses were burned to the ground.

小題2:How many places did the explosions take place in?

A．Two

B．Three

C．Six

D．Eight

小題3:What does the underlined word “resort” mean?

A．popular holiday centre	B．hotel or guest-house for holidaymakers
C．visiting some place	D．Making use of something for help

小題4:Which of the following statements is right?

A．Many of the dead appeared to be residents.

B．The first set of three explosions took place in October 2004.

C．Police couldn’t know what to do.

D．Israeli divers stayed in the resort with the Passover holiday over.

　An explosion on Thursday killed one and injured 21 in a busy street in Tongren, Southwest China’s Guizhou Province.
　　The bomb was hidden in a rubbish bin in the city’s commercial hub（商業(yè)中心），where lots of shops and restaurants are concentrated.
　　The ear-splitting blast was heard around 12∶50 p.m.，said a local newspaper, citing witnesses. The power of the blast shattered（使粉碎）nearby shop windows and ripped the stainless（不生銹的）steel rubbish can to pieces.
　　One passer-by，identified（確認(rèn)）only as Zhang，said she was shocked by the noise and saw a lot of pedestrians lying on the ground when she got to the scene.
　　Thirteen of the injured were taken to a local hospital after the explosion. A doctor there said five were in serious condition but already out of danger after emergency treatment. The others were just slightly hurt.
　　The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, said an officer with the Tongren police, but refused to speculate as to the cause.
　小題1:It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．All the injured were taken to a hospital

B．8 of the injured were not taken to a hospital

C．The rubbish bin with a bomb was in a restaurant

D．The rubbish bin with a bomb was in a shop

　小題2:Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．One passer- by, indentified only as Zhang, saw the man throwing a bomb into a bin.

B．Some customers in restaurants were injured.

C．The writer didn’t get to the scene.

D．All customers in shops got hurt.

小題3:In the last paragraph the underlined word“ speculate” probably means ________.

A．tell	B．guess
C．discuss	D．talk

　小題4:What of the follwing can be the best title for the passage?

A．Bomb Hidden in a Rubbish Bin

B．The Cause of the Explosion

C．A Terrible Thing

D．Market Blast Kills 1 ,Injures 21

When newspapers and radio describe the damage caused by a hurricane named Hazel,girls named Hazel are probably teased by their friends.To keep out of trouble,the Weather Bureau says,“Any resemblance between hurricane names and the names of particular girls is purely accidental.”
Some women became angry because hurricanes are given their names,but many other women are proud to see their names make headlines.They don’t even care that they are the names of destructive storms.Because more women seem to like it than dislike it,the Weather Bureau has decided to continue using girl’s names for hurricanes.
In some ways a hurricane is like a person.After it is born,it grows and develops,then becomes old and dies.Each hurricane has a character of its own.Each follows its own path through the world,and people remember it long after it gone.So it is natural to give hurricanes’ names,and to talk about them almost if they were alive.
小題1:What happens to girls named Hazel according to the passage?

A．They suffer from hurricanes.

B．The Weather Bureau look for them.

C．Others often make fun of them.

D．They can’t find boyfriend.

小題2:The underlined word“resemblance”probably means ______.

A．trouble

B．difference

C．sameness

D．success

小題3:According to the passage,which is more reasonable?

A．Some women feel unhappy because hurricanes are given their names.

B．A lot of women complain of the Weather Bureau.

C．Many women want to be known.

D．All the hurricanes are caused by women.

小題4:Public opinions make the Weather Bureau ______.

A．consider the disagreement of some women

B．go on naming hurricanes after women

C．name hurricanes after men

D．look for a new method to name hurricanes

    International Weather Forecast（January 18 th，2008）   
Paris Weather
·Today：Plentiful sunshine High 59F．Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph．
·Tonight：Generally clear．Low near 35F．Winds light and variable．
·Tomorrow：A mainly sunny sky．High 59F．Winds ENE at 5 to l0mph．
·Tomorrow night：A mostly clear sky．Low 36F，Winds light and variable．
New York Weather   
·Today：Cloudy with rain and snow showers Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s．Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph．Chance of precip 40％．
·Tonight：Rain and snow showers this evening changing to rain showers overnight Low 34F．Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph Chance of precip 60％．
·Tomorrow：Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day．High around 45F．Winds WNW at l0 to 20mph．
·Tomorrow night：Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight Low 29F．Winds W at 5 to10 mph．
London Weather
·Today：Cloudy and windy．High 56F． Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph．
·Tonight：Partly cloudy and windy．Low 43F．Winds W at 20 to 30 mph．
·Tomorrow：Windy with occasional light rain．High 58F．Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph．Chance of rain 70％．
·Tomorrow night：Cloudy and windy．Periods of light rain early．Low 54F．Winds WSW
at 20 to 30 mph，Chance of rain 60％．
Sydney Weather
·Today：Cloudy with periods of rain．High 73F．Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph．Chance of rain 70％．Rainfall around a quarter of an inch．   
·Tonight：Rain．Low near 70F．Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph．Chance of rain 70％．Rainfall near a quarter of an inch．
·Tomorrow：Showers in the morning with isolated thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon．High 78FWindsNNE at 5 to10 mph．Chance of rain 40％．
·Tomorrow night：An isolated thunderstorm possible during the evening．then occasional showers overnight．Low near 70F．Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph．．Chance of rain 40％．
65．Which city has the strongest wind on January 19th?
A．Paris．               B．New York．        C．London．          D．Sydney．
66．There will be thunderstorms in Sydney oil      ．
A．the evening of January 18th                          B．the afternoon of January 18th
C．the morning of January 19th                         D．the afternoon of January 19th
67．If you go on a tour on January l8th，which of the following places of interest is the most favorable according to the weather report?
A．The Eiffel Tower．                                 B．Statue of Liberty．
C．Big Ben．                                                 D．The Sydney Opera House．

After several days’ warm weather around the New Year’s Day，a strong cold wave with a sandstorm from Mongolia attacked Tianjin Sunday afternoon.
From 3 o’clock p.m.，the strong cold wave from Mongolia engulfed（吞沒）most areas of North China and the biggest wind-force was 7.Tianjin also suffered this year’s first sandstorm with the cold wind whistling.The sky became dusky and the air was permeated with sand.By 11 o’clock at night，the wind became weaker and the sandstorm died down.From Monday morning，the northern areas had a big drop in temperature.It is learned that flu and the infection of the upper respiratory tract are easy to be infected due to the severe pollution by dust in the air.Relevant experts remind residents to pay attention to their health care.
小題1:.The underlined word“permeated”most probably means______.

A．cleared

B．filled

C．blowing

D．replaced

小題2:We learn that ______from the passage.

A．sandstorms result in the fall of temperature

B．we can easily get infected by the dusty air

C．it is usually warmer before sandstorms come

D．sandstorms usually come around the New Year’s Day

CCTV anchorman Luo Jing died of cancer on June 5 ,2009 at the age of 48.
In 1983 ,graduating from Beijing Broadcasting Institute, he began his career as a prime time newscaster for CCTV .Over the past decades , as an icon of China’s broadcasting industry，Luo Jing’s modest image and clear voice left unforgettable memories with his audience.
Last year when he was diagnosed as having lymph cancer ,he felt it too awful,for two weeks later he was to run the torch ,He asked doctors to keep the secret in order for him to complete the task of the Olympic torch. Finally, not only did he complete the task, but he participated in a series of voice – over work in the Olympic Games opening ceremony . After that ,he frankly said to the leader the next day,“I have completed the task and I am going to hospital today.”
Broadcast sowing rate of the News Network used to be 180words a minute, but increases to 300 words a minute, which is beyond most people’s ability. What’s more terror is the strict limit of time .Sometimes after a piece of news is broadcast, there is a few seconds left, when staff hand a message press release. The host must strictly control the time to broadcast the unexpected news. As soon as his voice fades , the program turns into the following images without one more second or less. In such high – intensity work environment, with the perfect professional he worked for 26 years without any error.
In life , we seldom mention comedy without tragedy, laughter without tears ,and joy without sorrow.Though the passing of Luo Jings brings us pain, it’s only fitting to remember his smiles with happiness. He’s been taken from us much too soon , but he leaves us what he’s been working for.
小題1:When did Luo Jing go to hospital?

A．As soon as he ran the torch.

B．As soon as he was diagnosed with cancer.

C．As soon as he felt uncomfortable.

D．After attending the Olympic Games opening ceremony.

小題2:When Luo Jing began his career he was          years old

A．22

B． 24

C．26

D．28

小題3:Through the fourth paragraph the writer intends to show         .

A．how high broadcast sowing rate of the News Network is

B．how remarkable the achievement that Luo Jing made was

C．what gifts a person should have if he wants to make a host

D．how terrible to become a host of the News Network

小題4:What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Luo Jing was modest.	B．Luo Jing had a clear voice.
C．Luo Jing had a strong will.	D．Luo Jing hated being pitied.

WASHINGTON, March 14 (Xinhua) —U.S. President Barack Obama confirmed on Saturday at the White House that China can have confidence in the American economy.
“Not just the Chinese government, but every investor can have absolute confidence in the soundness of investments in the United States,” Obama said.
“There is a reason why even in the midst of this economic downfall you have seen actual increases in investment flows here in the U. S.,”he said.
Obama also noted the U. S. will push for stricter regulation of the financial industry “front and center” at the upcoming Group of 20 Summit (峰會) in London ,ending an argument between the Europe and the United States over whether more focus should be placed on financial regulatory reform.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said earlier Friady he is “a little bit worried ”about the safety of Chinese assets (財產(chǎn)) in the United States ,urging the U. S. government to ensure the security of those assets.
China has invested its huge foreign exchangereserves (外匯儲備) in low-risk but low-yield assets ,such as U. S.government bonds (政府債券) ,to play it safe . According to the U.S. Treasury, China held 681.9 billion U.S. dollars  worth of U.S. government bonds as of November.
“China is indeed the largest creditor of the United States, which is the world’ s biggest economy .We are extremely interested in developments in the U. S. economy.”said Wen, adding that he is expecting the effect of the measures taken by the U.S.government to counter the global financial crisis.
Asked to react to Wen’ s concern, Lawrence Summers, director of the U.S. National Economic Council, noted on Friday that the U.S. will be sound steward (管家)of the money it invests.
“This is a commitment that the president has made very clear—we need to be sound stewards of the money we invest.”said Summers in a speech at the Brookings Institution, a leading think tank in the united states.
小題1:Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao expressed his worry about the huge fund to the United States.

B．Obama claimed that China can have confidence in the American economy.

C．Obama said that the U. S. would be “sound stewards of the money we invest.”

D．The U. S. will push for stricter regulation of the financial industry.

小題2:It can most likely be inferred from the passage that          .

A．the U. S. is now having great difficulty improving the economy.

B．China will have confidence in Obama forever according to Wen’s speech

C．China held 681.9 billion U.S. dollars worth of U.S.government bonds as of November

D．China will do its best to help the U.S. overcome the global financial crisis.

小題3: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said earlier Friday he is “a little bit worried”, because       .

A．he doesn’t have confidence in America’ s economy at all

B．China lent a huge fund to the United States

C．he is concerned about the security of China’s assets in the U. S.

D．the U.S. refused to ensure the security of China’s assets

小題4:The underlined word “soundness” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “      ”

A．loudness

B．safety

C．richness

D．friendship

PALO ALTO, California—“Switching off the television may help prevent children from getting fatter—even if they do not change their diet or increase the amount they exercise, ”US researchers said last week.?
A study of 192 third and fourth graders, generally aged eight and nine, found that children who cut the number of hours spent watching television gained nearly two pounds(0.9 kg) less over a one-year period than those who did not change their television diet.?
“The findings are important because they show that weight loss can only be the result of a reduction in television viewing and not any other activity,” said Thomas Robinson, a pediatrician(兒科專家) at Stanford University.?
“American children spend an average of more than four hours per day watching television and videos or playing video games, and rates of childhood being very fat have doubled ?over? the past 20 years,” Robinson said.?
In the study, presented this week to the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual meeting in San Francisco, the researchers persuaded about 100 of the students to reduce their television viewing by one-quarter to one-third.?
Children watching fewer hours of television showed a significantly smaller increase in waist size and had less body fat than other students who continued their normal television viewing, even though neither group ate a special diet or took part in any extra exercise.?
“One explanation for the weight loss could be that the children unstuck to the television may simply have been moving around more and burning off calories,” Robinson said.?
“Another reason might be due to eating fewer meals in front of the television. Some studies have suggested that eating in front of the TV encourages people to eat more,” ?Robinson? said.?
小題1:The author tries to tell us in the first two paragraphs that _______.

A．children will get fatter if they eat too much?

B．children will get thinner if they eat less?

C．children will get fatter if they spend less time watching TV?

D．children will get fatter if they spend more time watching TV?

小題2:According to the passage, the time American children usually spend on watching TV_______.

A．is more than four hours a day	B．is less than four hours a day?
C．doubled in the last twenty years	D．is more than on any other activities?

小題3:The time children spend on TV viewing every day is suggested to be about _______.?

A．six hours

B．eight hours

C．three hours

D．one hour?

小題4:Which one of the followings is right??

A．Children usually eat fewer while watching TV.?

B．Children usually eat more while watching TV.?

C．Children eat the same amount of meals while watching TV.?

D．Children usually eat nothing while watching TV.?