Most shoplifters agree that the January sales offer wonderful opportunities for the hard-working thief. With the shops so crowded and the staff so busy, it does not require any extraordinary talent to help yourself to one or two little things and escape unnoticed. It is known, in the business, as “hoisting”.

    But the hoisting game is not what it used to be, even at the height of the sales, shoplifters today never know if they are being watched by one of those evil little balls that hang from the ceilings of so many department stores above the most desirable goods.

    As if that was not trouble enough for them, they can now be filmed at work and forced to attend a showing of their performance in court.

Selfridges was the first big London store to fix closed-circuit video-tape equipment to watch its sales floors. In October last year the store won its first court case for shoplifting using as evidence a videotape clearly showing a couple stealing dresses. It was an important test case which encouraged other stores to fix similar equipment

When the balls, called sputniks, first make an appearance in shops, it was widely believed that their only function was to frighten shoplifters. Their somewhat ridiculous appearance, the curious holes and red lights going on and off, certainly make the theory believable.

It did not take long, however, for serious shoplifters to start showing suitable respect. Soon after the equipment was in operation at Selfridges, store detective Chadwick was sitting in the control room watching a woman secretly putting bottles of perfume into her bag.

    “As she turned to go,” Chadwick recalled, “she suddenly looked up at the ‘sputnik’ and stopped. She could not possibly have seen that the camera was trained on her because it is completely hidden, but she must have had a feeling that I was looking at her.”

    “For a moment she paused, but then she returned to shelves and started putting everything back. When she had finished, she opened her bag towards the camera to show it was empty and hurried out of the store.”

1．The sputniks hanging from the ceiling are intended ________

     A．to watch the most desirable goods

B．to make films that can be used as evidence

     C．to frighten shoplifters by their appearance

D．to be used as evidence against shoplifters

2．The case last October was important because _________

       A．the store got the dresses back

B．the equipment was able to frighten shoplifters

       C．other shops found out about the equipment

D．the kind of evidence supplied was accepted

3．The woman stealing perfume _________

     A．guessed what the sputniks were for          B．was frightened by its shape

     C．could see the camera filming her             D．knew that the detective had seen her

4．The woman’s action before leaving the store shows that she _______

       A．was sorry for what she had done    

       B．didn’t want to take what she had picked up

       C．was afraid she would be arrested

       D．wanted to prove she had not intended to steal anything

After years of study, I have known there are only two types of people in this world：those who get to the airport early and those who arrive as the plane is about to take off.

If there were any justice in this world, the early-airport people would be rewarded for doing the right thing and the late-airport people would be punished. But the early-airport people get ulcers （潰瘍）, heart attacks and bite their fingernails to the bone. The late-airport people are hardly aware that they are flying.

A guy of that kind once said, “Don’t hurry. If you miss your flight, it’s because God didn’t want you to go.” This is clearly a guy who is never going to get an ulcer.

Early-airport people suffer another “name”. They are called exactly what they are—wimps（懦夫）. I know I am an early-airport person for years. My luggage will get on the plane first, which makes it the last luggage they take off the plane after landing.

Another strange thing：No matter how early I showed up, I was always told that someone had called two or three years ahead of me and asked for the best seat. I figured it was a trick. I figured there was someone in America who called every airline every day and said, “Is that wimp Simon flying somewhere today? If he is, give me his seat.”

After a lifetime arguing with my wife over whether I really have to pack 24 hours in advance and set the alarm clock four hours ahead, I have learned another fact about early-airport people and late-airport people.

They always marry each other.

1．We can learn from the passage that________

       A．late-airport persons often get ulcers or heart attacks

       B．early-airport persons are always relaxed during the flight

       C．early-airport persons get their luggage first after landing

       D．late-airport persons always take things easy

2．The fifth paragraph mainly tells us________

       A．the writer is always played tricks on

B．the writer is usually fooled by airlines

       C．the writer’s seat is always taken by someone

D．the writer has never got a good seat

3．The purpose of writing the passage is to________

       A．give useful tips on taking a plane

B．offer advice about catching a plane

       C．express the writer’s anxiety about taking planes

       D．show people’s two attitudes towards catching planes

4．It could be inferred that the writer’s wife is________

       A．a(chǎn)n early-airport woman                    B．a(chǎn) late-airport woman

       C．a(chǎn) hot-tempered woman                     D．a(chǎn) sensitive woman

Pets are no strangers to the White House. Many of American Presidents have been animal lovers. In recent times, White House pets have been tame dogs and cats. Long ago, however, presidential pets, like our nation itself, were wilder!

In 1806, President Thomas Jefferson lived in the White House. Passers-by often caught sight of his pet bears. Explorers had discovered these fierce bears, caught a pair of small ones, and sent them to Jefferson. While the President was excited about his bears, his enemies in Congress constantly laughed at his pets, calling the White House “The President’s Bear Garden”

By 1825, the bears were long gone from the White House scene. Now, the building was home to President John Quincy Adams and his crocodile. The green beast actually belonged to General Lafayette, a French hero who had helped the United States win the Revolutionary War. When Lafayette asked Adams to keep the crocodile for him, the President couldn’t refuse. While President Adams babysat the huge crocodile, First Lady Louisa Adams was busy raising thousands of silkworms. She used the silk from the silkworms to make cloth for her dresses.

When President Martin Van Buren moved into the White House in 1837, he brought his tigers with him. At first, Van Buren said the tigers were his. The Sultan of Oman had sent the tigers when Van Buren was elected, so Congress argued that the tigers belonged to the American people. A fight over the tigers continued for months. In the end, Congress sent someone to seize the tigers and put them in a zoo.

Twenty years later, President James Buchanan received another valuable gift when he was in his first year in the White House. This time, the King of Siam sent several elephants! Buchanan had no desire to share his building with the big creatures, so he sent them to the zoo. Buchanan did, however, keep another gift—a pair of birds. They were a fitting symbol of presidential power.

1．How did the Presidents mentioned get their unusual pets?

A．The pets were given to them by others.  B．They bought them at the market

       C．They got them in the forest.             D．Their family members offered them the pets

2．What similar political effect did Jefferson’s bears and Van Buren’s tigers have?

       A．The pets made them happy and gay.

       B．It took them too much time to look after them.

       C．It brought about dissatisfaction with them in Congress.

       D．It made people believe that they were animal lovers.

3．According to the passage, we can infer that ________.

       A．the pets the Presidents raised were all huge ones

       B．the pets the Presidents owned were all their favorite ones

       C．the Presidents kept the pets not only at home but in the zoo

       D．the Presidents’ pets were not only cared about by their families

4． The passage mainly tells us _______

       A．The president’s bear garden           B．Historical American presidents’ pets

       C．The White House as a zoo              D．American presidents’ favorites

Psychologists tell us that there are four basic stages that human beings pass through when they enter and live in a new culture. This process, which helps us to deal with culture shock, is the way our brain and our personality react to the strange new things we encounter when we move from one culture to another.

Culture begins with the “honeymoon stage”. This is the period of time when we first arrive in which everything about the new culture is strange and exciting. We may be suffering from "jet lag" but we are thrilled to be in the new environment, seeing new sights, hearing new sounds and language, eating new kinds of food. This stage can last for quite a long time because we feel we are involved in some kind of great adventure.

Unfortunately, the second stage can be more difficult. After we have settled down into our new life, we can become very tired and begin to miss our homeland and our family, friends, pets. All the little problems in life seem to be much bigger and more disturbing when you face them in a foreign culture. This period can be very difficult and lead to the new arrival rejecting or pulling away from the new culture.

The third stage is called the “adjustment stage”. This is when you begin to realize that things are not so bad in the host culture. Your sense of humour usually becomes stronger and you realize that you are becoming stronger by learning to take care of yourself in the new place. Things are still difficult, but you are now a survivor!

The fourth stage can be called “at ease at last”. Now you feel quite comfortable in your new surroundings. You can cope with most problems that occur. You may still have problems with the language, but you know you are strong enough to deal with them.

There is a fifth stage of culture shock which many people don't know about. This is called “reverse culture shock”. Surprisingly, this occurs when you go back to your native culture and find that you have changed and that things there have changed while you have been away. Now you feel a little uncomfortable back home. Life is a struggle!

1．When does culture shock happen？

       A．When you reach your teens

       B．When you move to a big city

       C．When you meet foreign people for the first time

       D．When you go to live in a foreign culture

2．How do you feel during the first stage of culture shock？

       A．Lonely and depressed                  B．Bored and homesick

       C．Happy and excited                    D．Angry and frustrated

3．How could the second stage be described？

       A．Adjustment          B．Rejection            C．Enthusiasm         D．Anger

4．Why might reverse culture shock be a problem？

       A．It hardly ever happens.                B．It is extremely stressful.

       C．Most people do not expect it.           D．It only happens to young people.

此題要求改正所給短文中的錯誤。對標有題號的每一行作出判斷：如無錯誤，在該行右邊橫線上劃一個勾（√），如果有錯誤（每行只有一個錯誤），則按下列情況改正：

該行多一個詞：把多余的詞用斜線（\）劃掉，在該行右邊橫線上寫出該詞，并也用斜線劃掉。

該行缺一個詞：在缺詞處加一個漏字符號（∧），在該行右邊橫線上寫出該加的詞。

該行錯一個詞：在錯的詞下劃一橫線，在該行右邊橫線上寫出改正后的詞。

注意：原行沒有錯的不要改。

I’m still a beginner in English learning; yet I hope the following

will be advisable to you. What can we do when we meet with a new        1．______

word without knowing what it means? Turn to a dictionary and just        2．______

leave it alone? I think the best thing to do it is （to）look at the              3．______

word near it. Looking for something about this word, we’re learning        4．______

to find the clues and use the context while doing my reading.                   5．______

Now, for example, it was no wind in the harbor. The sailing boat             6．______

hardly moved a bit all day. Towards evening a zephyr start up,                 7．______

but it was only weak enough to get the flag on it flying a little.                 8．______

What does “zephyr” mean here? Make guess, will you?                      9．______

Yes, a zephyr means a very gently wind.                                                10．______

假設(shè)你是李華，你的英國朋友Tom來信詢問你們的學(xué)習(xí)情況。請你根據(jù)下圖提供的信息，寫一封回信，談?wù)勛詮哪阈�實行新課改以來，嘗試新的學(xué)習(xí)方法，你們學(xué)習(xí)情況的變化。

注意：詞數(shù)100左右

Dear Tom,

It was great to hear from you again.                                             

All the best,

Yours ,

Li Hua

Can Animals Be Nice?

Scientists recently discovered that animals who live in groups，such as elephants，foxes，and wolves，are especially likely to follow some rules．If they don't，the group might break apart．Group members would be forced to live alone．Then they'd have a harder time hunting and raising their young．

Sometimes，though，animals go out of their way to do what's right，even when there's nothing in it for them．Nobody knows why．Read the three surprising stories about nice behavior in the animal kingdom．

1．According to passage，animals living in groups ________．

A．each do its own thing most of time               B．often kill those rule-breakers

C．have social ties similar to the humans'           D．feel good by helping humans

2．What does “an unexpected gift” refer to in the first story?

A．Sniff was absolutely different from other chimpanzees．

B．Chimpanzees are finally proved to be the cleverest animals．

C．The lucky scientist found a new species of chimpanzees．

D．Sniff seemed to understand the scientist and helped him．

3．Why did Gustafson give the food to her pets separately?

A．Because she was afraid Katie stole Toby's food．

B．Because she knew Toby appreciated sharing food．

C．Because Katie always needed more food than Toby．

D．Because she was doing a research on animals' behaviors．

4．The injured elephant asked for help by ________．

A．pretending to be a member of the herd

B．putting his trunk in the helper's mouth

C．getting closer to other elephants friendly

D．patting other elephant gently with his trunk

5．Which of the following questions isn't answered in the passage?

A．What did the chimpanzee do to the biologist?

B．How did the forest elephant get in a trouble?

C．Why did the animals help those of different kinds?

D．How did the Gustafson's pets share their food?

請你根據(jù)下圖，結(jié)合生活實際，寫一篇120—150字的短文，描述漫畫內(nèi)容，陳述自己的觀點，并提出建議。

A new generation addiction is quickly spreading all over the world．Weboholism, a twentieth century disease, affects people from different ages．They surf the net, use e-mail and speak in chat rooms．They spend many hours on the computer, and it becomes a compulsive habit．They cannot stop, and it affects their lives.

   Ten years ago, no one thought that using computers could become compulsive behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users．This obsessional behavior has affected teenagers and college students．They are likely to log on computers and spend long hours at different websites.

    They become hooked on computers and gradually their social and school life is affected by this situation．They spend all free time surfing and don't concentrate on homework, so this addiction influences their grades and success at school．Because they can find everything on the websites, they hang out there．Moreover, this addiction to websites influences their social life.

    They spend more time in front of computers than with their friends．The relation with their friends changes．The virtual life becomes more important than their real life．They have a new language that they speak in the chat rooms and it causes cultural changes in society.

    Because of the change in their behavior, they begin to isolate themselves from the society and live with their virtual friends．They share their emotions and feelings with friends who they have never met in their life．Although they feel confident on the computer, they are not confident with real live friends they have known all their life．It is a problem for the future．This addictive behavior is beginning to affect all the world．

1．The main idea of the passage is about

       A．the cause of weboholism             B．the advantage of weboholism

       C．the popularity of weboholism         D．the influence of weboholism

2．The underlined word "obsessional" in the second paragraph most probably means “      ”.

       A．a(chǎn)ttractive      B．a(chǎn)ddictive            C．professional      D．potential

3．We can infer from the passage that           .

       A．weboholism has the greatest effect on teenagers

       B．students can hardly balance real and virtual life

       C．people are addicted to games on the Internet

       D．virtual life is more vivid and attractive anyway

4．Which of the following is NOT true of weboholism?

       A．It contributes to the development of the web．

       B．The chat room language may change social culture.

       C．The problem will be getting more and more serious later.

       D．People addicted to the web often become inactive in real life.

5．The author's attitude towards weboholism is that of being         .

       A．optimistic                                      B．positive

       C．oppositive                           D．a(chǎn)cceptable

閱讀下面短文，請根據(jù)短文后的要求進行答題。（請注意問題后的字數(shù)要求）

[1] Hocus-pocus sounds magical, doesn't it? And the word comes from the world of magic playing in Medieval （中世紀） Europe． In the dictionary Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, hocus-pocus is explained this way: a method or belief that you think is based on false ideas, e.g．He thinks psychology is a lot of hocus-pocus.

[2] I'm afraid this explanation isn't as interesting as the sounding of the word itself． But then again, the dictionary I mentioned is a dictionary for beginners．One can't expect much from it when it comes to such an interesting word as hocus-pocus．The Merriam-Webster dictionary online, on the other hand, gives a more detailed explanation:（1）sleight of hand;（2）nonsense or sham used especially to cloak deception．And it gives the origin of the word: probably from hocus pocus, imitation of a Latin phrase used by magicians.

[3] This explanation gets to the basic nature of hocus-pocus--exotic（外來的） but meaningless talk by the magician to fool the audience．Watch any magician at work and we'll notice that he sometimes talks constantly while performing tricks, using hocus-pocus, such as ear-catching words, eye-catching hand or body movements, to distract（分散） our attention while he gets a trick done.

[4] Hocus pocus reveals the nonsensical nature of the magician's talk on stage．And it was introduced into the English language probably just on the strength of the rhyming sound of it．Hocus-pocus, lovely.

[5] Well, knowing its origin which is from performing magicians in Europe, I'm sure you will find hocus pocus easier to remember．You'll also learn where to put it into use.

1．What is the passage mainly about? （Please answer within 10 words．）

2．Please list some examples of using "hocus pocus" mentioned in the passage．（Please answer within 10 words．）

    ①          ②         ③           

3．Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?

     Hocus pocus shows magicians' completely ridiculous and pointless words while performing.

4．Translate the underlined sentence in the passage into Chinese.

5．In what situations do you think we can use hocus-pocus? Why? （Please answer within 30

     words．）