More than two decades ago, a 10-year-old schoolgirl threw a bottle into the sea off the coast of Hull as she went on a ship on a family holiday, hoping to get a response from a stranger in a faraway land. Inside the bottle was a scrawled letter from Zoe Lemon, a youngster with a love of "ballet, playing the flute and the piano", who had just boarded a ship heading for a holiday in Germany.
She told her expected recipients of her pet hamster and fish, both called Sparkle, and her parents who were both teachers.
Miss Lemon, of Salford, Greater Manchester, soon forgot about her act of fantastic, eventually marrying and having a child herself.
But this Christmas she was extremely surprised to receive a reply after 23 years.
It turned out to be a reply to her letter from Piet and Jacqueline Lateur from near Rotterdam. Mr Lateur was walking his dog in the Oosterschelde dykes(壩), near where he and his wife live in Serooskerke, when he found the bottle with Zoe’s letter inside.
Mrs Averianov, 33, who works in a jewellery shop, said: “It’s been a bit crazy really. My parents came to visit on Christmas day and they had this letter from Europe addressed to my maiden name, Lemon.
Since receiving the letter, Mrs Averianov has been in contact with Mr Lateur via email and asked to see photographs of where the bottle was found.
He told her: “I am keeping your little letter on my piano. I know you are no longer a little girl but you asked me to write you so I have.”
Mrs Averianov’s father, John Lemon, 68, had encouraged his daughter to throw the message into the sea on a family holiday and now she is considering doing the same for her five-year-old son Maksim.
She said: “I’ll probably wait until he’s a bit older and can understand and write a letter, but maybe we’ll do it by attaching it to a balloon.”
From http://www.dailymail.co.uk, (Jan,2014)
小題1:When did Zoe Lemon write the letter?

A．In 1990.

B．In 1991.

C．In 2013.

D．In 2014

小題2:What does the underlined phrase in paragraph 6 mean?

A．her given name	B．her nick name
C．family name used before marriage	D．family name used after marriage

小題3:What can we know about the letter written 23 years ago?

A．Its reply was received by Zoe herself.

B．It is still carefully kept by Mr Lateur.

C．Zoe was sure it would be replied one day.

D．Zoe’s father discouraged her from writing it.

小題4:Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．An Unexpected Letter	B．A Reply Waited for Long
C．A Reply from a Stranger	D．A Letter from a Faraway Land

America's child movie star Shirley Temple Black died late Monday evening at the age of 85. Her fans in China are also deeply saddened. Temple is just one example of movie stars that China adored, and still adores. Here's our editor's pick of the top movie stars who have influenced China.
1. Sylvester Stallone
Oh, Rambo! The first strong American man that China knew. His accented English, easily recognizable even for someone who doesn't speak English, and his eyes that never seemed to smile, makes him someone whom cannot be forgotten. He represented the strong American image, and even stirred a boxing and bodybuilding fever in China.
2.Charlie Chaplin (April 16, 1889 – December 25, 1977)
In the 20th century, it is not too much to say that Einstein made the greatest contributions to science, and not many would disagree that Chaplin did the same for film. He was the first actor that introduced comedy to most Chinese viewers, and politically, he was also a close friend of China’s. His silent films broke the barrier of language and his form of art was recognized by all. It will be a difficult task to find a person in China who does not recognize Chaplin, even today.
3. Shirley Temple ( April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014)
When Chinese audiences saw this adorable child star for the first time on screen, Shirley Temple had already lived for more than half a century. In her movies, she was always alone or in trouble, but this adorable little blonde(金發(fā)女郎) could always resolve anything with her kindness, push away the fogginess and bring about light. The brand "Shirley Temple" was a product of the Great Depression. People watched her act to forget their hardships as Temple entertained the poor, the rich, adults and children alike. Several decades later, when her films were screened in China, the effects were the same.
4. Audrey Hepburn( May 4, 1929 – January 20, 1993)
She will forever be the princess in Chinese people's hearts. Even to this day, a large number of tourists go to Rome to visit the Mouth of Truth with their lovers and eat ice cream on the Spanish Steps. Her sense of style seems to never go out of style. When she was alive, she was living perfection. Even after her death, she has remained an icon. That's something that only Audrey Hepburn is capable of.
小題1:According to the passage, who was most known for comedy in China?

A．Sylvester Stallone

B．Charlie Chaplin

C．Shirley Temple

D．Audrey Hepburn

小題2:What can we learn from the passage?

A．Sylvester Stallone taught boxing and bodybuilding and caused a fever in China.

B．Charlie Chaplin was China’s close friend because he introduced comedy to China.

C．Audrey Hepburn’s movie made the Mouth of Truth and the Spanish Steps popular.

D．Shirley Temple’s works can only help Americans forget hardships and enjoy life better.

小題3:What does the underlined word “icon” mean in the passage?

A．symbol

B．sign

C．mystery

D．heroine

小題4:In which part can we most probably read this passage?

A．Art

B．Columns

C．Music & Theater

D．Film &TV

The Lunar New Year, which starts in late January this year, is the most important festival for Chinese people as most of them drop any business at hand to go back to their hometown to see their families. It is a tradition that has been cherished since ancient times, but as social mobility increases in modern times, the road to family reunions has become very uneasy.
It is not the higher travel costs, nor the expected big spending on gifts and other festival items, but the train ticket that has driven many travelers mad. I’ve heard some colleagues complain that they have tried every means to secure a train ticket, only to find it a mission impossible. Some of them have turned to the latest software to aid online booking; others have sought help from friends to increase the possibility of successful booking.
No doubt chunyun, the Spring Festival travel season, is the largest-scale annual human migration in the world. Last year, 220 million passengers traveled by train during the Spring Festival season, which usually lasts 40 days. It is a huge jump from 10 years ago, when the number was 128 million.
With the big sudden increase in demand, the railway company has increased investment in railway construction; still, it cannot bridge the supply gap, leading to fierce public complaints and criticism.
Admittedly, it is almost impossible for the railway company to suddenly improve its capacity to meet the explosive demand during the Spring Festival holiday. Moreover, any temporary increase in capacity would become unnecessary after the holiday and mean great commercial losses during the off season.
What the company can reasonably do is gradually improve its capacity while focusing on better distribution of its existing resources during the special peak season. At any rate, however, the problem cannot be solved overnight.
小題1:Compared with ten years ago, the percentage of passengers last year increased by________.

A．40%

B．58%

C．71%

D．83%

小題2:Which of the following does the author probably agree with?

A．Social mobility in modern times hasn’t changed much in these years.

B．The latest software may increase the possibility of successful booking.

C．Higher travel costs discourage travelers from reunions with families.

D．People nowadays cherish reunion with their families more than before.

小題3:Which word can be used to best describe the way to solve the problem only by increasing capacity?

A．Expensive

B．Effective

C．Hopeful

D．Impractical

小題4:What’s the tone of the whole passage?

A．Optimistic.

B．Objective

C．Subjective

D．Critical

We might not be alone in the universe. Actually, it may be confirmed as a very crowded place by new computer models developed to help identify habitable planets.
Estimates of places where life can exist have been based on the possibility of them having surface water. But software recently developed by the Aberdeen University allows researchers to identify planets with underground water kept liquid by heat from planets.
Water is fundamental for life and planets too close to the sun lose water to the atmosphere through evaporation. On the other hand, planets located in distant reaches from their star have their surface water locked away as ice.
Sean McMahon, who is carrying out the work, explained: "Traditionally people have said that if a planet is in this Goldilocks zone—not too hot and not too cold—then it can have liquid water on its surface and be habitable."
But this concept might change when considering that planets can receive two sources of heat—heat direct from the star and heat generated deep inside the planet.
It is easy to observe it in our own planet. As you go down through the crust (殼) of the Earth, the temperature gets higher and higher. Even when the surface is frozen, water can exist below ground.
There could be immense quantities of water in fact—full of primitive life.
Professor John Parnell, also from Aberdeen University said: "There is a significant habitat for microorganisms below the surface of the Earth, extending down several kilometres".
"And some believe that the majority of life on Earth could even reside in this deep biosphere."
So the Aberdeen team are developing models to predict which distant planets might harbour underground reservoirs of liquid water with the possibility of alien life.
小題1:What is considered as the symbol of life existence traditionally?

A．Solid water on its surface.	B．Solid water below ground.
C．Liquid water below ground.	D．Liquid water on its surface.

小題2:Why did John Parnell mention the fact about Earth?

A．To prove that there is majority of life on Earth.

B．To prove that life may also exist in other planets.

C．To prove that there is primitive life down through Earth.

D．To prove that there is a habitat for microorganisms below Earth.

小題3:What theory is the Aberdeen team’s study based on?

A．Planets can lose water through evaporation.

B．Planets can receive heat direct from the star.

C．Planets can have their surface water locked away as ice.

D．Planets can receive heat generated deep inside the planet.

小題4:What can we know about the computer models?

A．They will help identify planets where there is life.

B．They will help researchers find Goldilocks zones.

C．They have helped find some significant discoveries.

D．They have already located some habitats for life.

The NSA(美國(guó)國(guó)家安全局) and GCHQ(英國(guó)政府通訊總部) are tapping popular smart phone apps such as Angry Birds to gather the enormous amounts of very personal data those bits of software collect—including age, gender, marital status, income, education level and more, according to new reports from the New York Times and The Guardian.
Citing secret documents provided by Edward Snowden, former NSA staff, the reports detail efforts to gain data collection from cell phone carriers and smart phones by tapping into “l(fā)eaky”(有漏洞的) apps themselves.
Both spy agencies showed a particular interest in Google Maps, which is accurate to within a few yards or better in some locations and would clearly pass along data about the area where phone owner is.
“It effectively means that anyone using Google Maps on a smartphone is working in support of a GCHQ system,” reads a secret 2008 report by the NSA's sister spy agency, according to the New York Times.
More surprising is the wide range of apps that the agencies search for data, including innocent-seeming apps such as Angry Birds. One document in particular from GCHQ listed what information can be found from which apps, mentioning Android apps but suggesting the same data was available from the iPhone platform.
Angry Birds maker Rovio Entertainment of Finland said it had no knowledge of any NSA or GCHQ programs for tapping into its users’ data.
"Rovio doesn't have any previous knowledge of this matter, and have not been aware of such activity in 3rd party advertising networks," said Saara Bergstrom. "Nor do we have any involvement with the organizations you mentioned."
Mobile photos uploaded to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter appear to be a particularly rich source of information for the spy agencies as well. Metadata in the photos is briefly available. The NSA and GCHQ are able to tap into that metadata to collect a wealth of key data points about a person’s life.
“NSA does not profile everyday Americans as it carries out its foreign intelligence mission,” the agency told the Times in response to questions about the program.
During a Monday press conference, White House press secretary Jay Carney stressed that same position. "As the president said in his Jan. 17 speech, to the extent data is collected by the NSA, through whatever means, we are not interested in the communications of people who are not valid foreign intelligence targets（情報(bào)目標(biāo)） and we are not after the information of ordinary Americans," he said.
小題1:American and British spy agencies were both particularly interested in the information gathered from_________.

A．Google Maps

B．Twitter

C．Angry Birds

D．Facebook

小題2:According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．The iPhone platform is more reliable than that of Android.

B．The New York Times interviewed Edward Snowden secretly.

C．It is difficult for common users to protect their personal information.

D．A document from NSA listed what information can be found from which apps.

小題3:What did Jay Carney’s words imply?

A．NSA didn’t gather any worthy information from Americans.

B．NSA would stop its foreign intelligence mission in the future.

C．NSA and White House shared different attitude towards the affair.

D．NSA collected information with the permission of White House

小題4:Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．Angry Birds Give You Away

B．NSA Gather Information from Apps

C．Reports from the New York Times

D．Documents from Edward Snowden

A new plan for getting children to and from school is being started by a local government in Eastern England. This could end the worries of many parents fearful for their children’s safety on the roads.
Until now the local government has only been prepared to provide bus services for children living more than three miles from their school, or sometimes less if special reasons existed. Now it has been decided that if a group of parents ask for help in organizing transport they will be prepared to go ahead, as long as the arrangement will not lose money and children taking part will be attending their nearest school.
The new plan is to be tried out this term for children living at Milton who attend Impington School. The children live just within the three-mile limit and the local government said in the past that they would not undertake (agree) to provide free transport to the school. But now they have agreed to offer a sum of money for a bus service from Milton to Impington and back, a plan which has the support of the school’s headmaster.
Between 50 and 60 parents have said they would like their children to take part. Final calculations have still to be carried out, but a government official has said the cost to parents should be less than ￡20 a term. They have been able to arrange the service at a low cost because there is already an agreement with the bus company for a bus to take children who live further away to Impington. The same bus would now just make one more journey to pick up the Milton children. The official said they would get in touch with other groups of parents who in the past had asked if transport could be provided for their children, to see if they would like to take part in the new plan.
小題1:What is the aim of the plan?

A．To prevent the students’ road accidents.

B．To relieve the traffic pressure.

C．To save time for the parents and students.

D．To help the parents save money.

小題2:How can the local government arrange the new bus service at a low cost?

A．By letting the bus run in the morning only.

B．By limiting the number of the students.

C．By getting the support from the headmaster.

D．By linking the new bus service with the existing one.

小題3:Which of the following is possible if the plan is carried out?

A．The bus company will make much more money.

B．The children can choose whatever school they like.

C．The parents can get rid of their worries.

D．The students in Impington School can have free bus rides.

小題4:This passage is most probably____________.

A．a(chǎn) personal letter	B．a(chǎn)n advertisement
C．a(chǎn) headmaster’s report	D．a(chǎn) newspaper article

(Reuters)—A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew was presumed to have crashed off the Vietnamese coast on Saturday, and European officials said two people on board were using false identities.
There were no reports of bad weather and no sign of why the Boeing 777-200ER would have vanished from radar screens about an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing.
“We are not ruling out any possibilities,” Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya told a news conference.
By the early hours of Sunday, there were no confirmed signs of the plane or any wreckage, well over 24 hours after it went missing. Operations will continue through the night, officials said.
There were no indications of sabotage (蓄意破壞) nor claims of an attack. But the passenger list issued by the airline included the names of two Europeans—Austrian Christian Kozel and Italian Luigi Maraldi—who, according to their foreign ministries, were not in fact on the plane.
A foreign ministry spokesman in Vienna said: “Our embassy got the information that there was an Austrian on board. That was the passenger list from Malaysia Airlines. Our system came back with a note that this is a stolen passport.”
Austrian police had found the man safe at home. The passport was stolen two years ago while he was travelling in Thailand, the spokesman said.
The foreign ministry in Rome said no Italian was on the plane either, despite the inclusion of Maraldi’s name on the list. His mother, Renata Lucchi, told Reuters his passport was lost, presumed stolen, in Thailand in 2013.
U.S. and European security officials said that there was no proof of any terrorist link and there could be other explanations for the use of stolen passports.
小題1:What was Ahmad Jauhari Yahya’s attitude?

A．Uncertain.

B．Negative.

C．Positive.

D．Confident.

小題2:According to the passage, the foreign ministry spokesman in Vienna had made sure ______.

A．two passports had been stolen by two Europeans

B．Christian Kozel was the man who kidnapped the plane

C．the Austrian on board was actually at home

D．Christian Kozel lied to the police

小題3:Which of the following is true about Maraldi?

A．He was from Austria.

B．He was found safe at home.

C．His mother was sad when she saw his name on the list.

D．His passport was lost in Thailand.

小題4:Who should be responsible for the missing of the plane according to the passage?

A．Terrorists.	B．Two people using false identities.
C．We are not sure.	D．Christian Kozel and Luigi Maraldi.

The longest solar eclipse (日食) of the century cast a wide shadow for several minutes over Asia and the Pacific Ocean on 22th July, drawing people outside to watch the sight in the sky.
Day turned into night. Temperature turned cooler in cities and villages filled with fans of astronomy. The total eclipse could be seen starting in India on Wednesday morning and moving eastward across China and parts of the Pacific. Millions cast their eyes towards the heavens to catch an unusual view of the sun’s colorful ring. Cloud in some areas prevented people from fully enjoying the sight. Still, many were frightened.
The total eclipse occurs about twice a year as the moon passes between the earth and the sun on the same plane as earth’s circle.
The local astronomy society gave a flash on how an eclipse happens. Wednesday’s event lasted up to more than six minutes in some places. In India, thousands bathed in the Ganges River in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi to clean their souls. It was sunny sky in Hong Kong for the eclipse, where students, parents and the elderly flooded in a primary school to watch.
In Shanghai, children climbed up ladders to look through two large telescopes on the school roof to catch sight of the moon moving across the sun. Others looked through a pair of glasses covered with solar filter (過(guò)濾器) paper, where they could take pictures of the moon moving over the sun.
In some cultures, many old stories are about eclipse. In India, a eclipse was considered unfavorable. In Chinese tradition, there is a story about a heavenly dog eating the sun. As the story goes, people would make noise to frighten off the dog and save the sun.
小題1:What can we learn about the longest solar eclipse of the century?

A．Not everyone in the world could see the longest eclipse.

B．Any of the Asians was excited to watch the eclipse.

C．All people saw the longest solar eclipse on Wednesday.

D．The Chinese all caught sight of the total eclipse at the same time.

小題2:What does the text imply about the total solar eclipse?

A．All people watched the solar eclipse for at least six minutes.

B．In ancient China, people couldn’t understand this phenomenon.

C．Your eyes must be hurt without filter equipment while watching.

D．You can watch the total solar eclipse directly only with your eyes.

小題3:Which of the following statements about eclipse is TURE according to the text？

A．Most Chinese people used to think eclipses would bring about misfortunes.

B．Chinese fathers were pleased to watch solar eclipses.

C．Indians think bad fortune will come about along with eclipses.

D．The Chinese people are too frightened to go outside when eclipses occur.

小題4:Where can we see the eclipse start?

A．In Shanghai.

B．In India.

C．In Hong Kong.

D．In the Pacific Ocean.

Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect.But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled－to $1.01 per pack－smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit.
This is not a surprise to public health advocates.They've studied the effect of state tax increases for years，finding that smokers，especially teens，are price sensitive.Nor is it a shock to the industry，which fiercely fights every tax increase.
The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message.Tobacco taxes improve public health，they raise money and most particularly，they deter people from taking up the habit as teens，which is when nearly all smokers are addicted.Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.
In Manhattan，for instance，which has the highest tax in the nation，a pack of Marlboro Light Kings，cost $10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday.In Charleston，S.C.，where the 7 cent a pack tax is the lowest in the nation，the price was $4.78.
The influence is obvious.

In New York，high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys－13.8%，far below the national average.By comparison,26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky.Other low tax states have similarly depressing teen smoking records.
Hal Rogers，Representative from Kentucky，like those who are against high tobacco taxes，argues that the burden of the tax falls on low?income Americans “who choose to smoke.”
That's true.But there is more reason in keeping future generations of low?income workers from getting hooked in the first place.As for today's adults，if the new tax drives them to quit，they will have more to spend on their families，cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.
小題1:The text is mainly about ________.

A．the price of cigarettes

B．the rate of teen smoking

C．the effect of tobacco tax increase

D．the differences in tobacco tax rate

小題2:What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．The new tax will be beneficial in the long run.

B．Low?income Americans are more likely to fall ill.

C．Future generations will be hooked on smoking.

D．Adults will depend more on their families.

小題3:Rogers' attitude towards the low?income smokers might be that of ________.

A．tolerance	B．unconcern
C．doubt	D．sympathy

小題4:What does the author think is a surprise?

A．Teen smokers are price sensitive.

B．Some states still keep the tobacco tax low.

C．Tobacco taxes improve public health.

D．Tobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise.

BERLIN(AP)—A tiger escaped its enclosure at Cologne Zoo in western Germany on Saturday and killed a female keeper before being shot dead by the zoo’s director，police said.
The tiger slipped through a passage between the enclosure and a neighboring storage building，where it fatally attacked the 43­year­old keeper，said police spokesman Stefan Kirchner.
“It appears the gate wasn’t properly shut，” Kirchner told the Associated Press.
The zoo was evacuated and a SWAT(特警) team was called in，police said.But before it arrived the zoo’s director managed to kill the tiger by climbing onto the storage building and shooting it through a skylight using a rifle.
Kirchner said it was unlikely that members of the public had witnessed the incident.“This is the darkest day of my life，” the zoo’s director，Theo Pagel，was quoted as saying by Cologne newspaper Express.
The paper said on its website that the Siberian tiger was a 4­year­old male called Tltai that came to Cologne Zoo from an animal park in England.In November it fathered three cubs with a 7­year­old Siberian tiger called Hanya，according to the zoo’s website.
Police said the zoo reopened after Saturday’s incident，which occurred around noon.However，a planned late­night opening of the zoo has been canceled.
Cologne Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in Germany.It was founded in 1860 and houses some 10,000 animals comprising more than 700 different species.
小題1:Which of the following can be the best title of the news text?

A．Tiger Escaped，Killed a Keeper in German Zoo

B．Tiger Escaped in German Zoo，Shot Dead

C．German Zoo Keeper Shot Escaped Tiger

D．People Killed in One of the Oldest Zoos in Germany

小題2:According to the police，what was the direct reason for the incident?

A．The zoo keeper was a new hand.

B．A gate was not closed appropriately.

C．The zoo had neglected the secret passage.

D．It was very dark when the incident happened.

小題3:What did the zoo do after the incident?

A．They honored the killed person in a way.

B．They paid SWAT for their timely help.

C．They returned the tiger’s three cubs to England.

D．They called off the late­night opening.

小題4:What can we learn about the Cologne Zoo?

A．It keeps a large variety of species.

B．It is one of the largest zoos in Germany.

C．It has a history of more than 700 years.

D．No such incident has happened before.