Dave Bruno works as an online marketing manager. Several years ago, one weekend Bruno and his family did a major house cleanup and then donated several bags of unneeded items to the local Goodwill store. “After all were done, I looked around and realized that I still had too much stuff”, says Bruno, “It occurred to me that maybe I wanted to lead a simple life but in reality I behaved differently.” That realization prompted the 39-year-old father of three to try an experiment, “The 100Thing Challenge”.
With the goal of breaking free of what he calls a “bad habit of consumerism（消費主義）, Bruno was determined to live for one year with just 100 personal items. He cut down his possessions to 94 items, including a Bible, laptop, guitar, wedding ring, car and clothes. He created some guidelines for the experiment since his wife and daughters did not participate, familyshared and household items did not count as personal items. He also grouped together some basic things such as underwear and socks. Bruno began blogging about his new lifestyle and eventually wrote a book, The 100 Thing Challenge: How I Got Rid of Almost Everything, Remade My Life, and Regained My Soul.
Since completing the experiment, Bruno has continued to live by the motto: reduce, refuse, and rearrange and maintains just 110 personal things. “ Nearly three years of living with a minimal amount of personal possessions, I’m no longer in the habit of consuming for the sake of consumption (消費),” he wrote in his blog last week, “That has freed me up for all sorts of better endeavors (活動) than shopping—like spending time with family and writing a book and planning for business opportunities.”
Bruno’s project has also inspired others to live minimally, many of whom post their own 100 Thing Challenge updates on YouTube. “The reality is that the 100 Thing Challenge is surprisinglyeasy”, says Bruno, “I’m  not saying there were no challenges or disappointments. I miss some things, but not that much. Frankly, it’s far easier to live with less stuff than with excessive trash.”
小題1:What does the underlined sentence mean in Paragraph 1?

A．Bruno regretted to have an easy life.

B．Bruno had a special behavior in reality,

C．Bruno and his family led a happy life.

D．Bruno would have liked a life with fewer items.

小題2:The things were included in Bruno’s 94 items EXCEPT____________.

A．socks

B．a Bible

C．cookers

D．a wedding ring

小題3:What is the best title for the passage?

A．Live with 100 Things

B．Defeat 100 Challenges in Life

C．Survive by Your Motto

D．Consume for Consumption’s Sake

A couple of years ago, before a trip to China, Nicole Davis and her US women’s volleyball teammates were warned about the prominence (顯著、突出) of coach “Jenny” Lang Ping in her native country.
“I was pushed over by Chinese journalists while I was just trying to put my luggage on the bus,” said Davis.
Known as the “Iron Hammer” for her punishing spikes(扣球), Lang made it possible for China to dominate in the sport in the early 1980s. She was a key player on China’s 1984 Olympic gold medal winning team.
When the US team arrived for the Olympics, Lang, 48, who is from Beijing, had to take a different route to avoid a crowd of reporters and fans.
Then came the greatest moment to Lang：while the US team was playing in a packed gym, at least 8,000 Chinese fans unfurled an American flag.
“That really says it all,” Davis said. “They look at her as an icon(偶像)．I’m sure it’s hard for them to see her coaching another country, but they love her so deeply that her success is their success.”
The loyalty of the Chinese fans was tested on Friday, when China lost a match to the US.
“It’s a pity that China lost the match, but I’m still glad that Lang Ping’s team won, since she is the pride of China’s volleyball,” said Liu Chengli, a spectator. “We also cheered for Lang’s victory.”
Lang said she just tried to stay professional when the two teams meet. “It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team. It’s the same.” Lang said.
Davis said she and her teammates could not have imagined the passion for volleyball among Chinese because the sport was lack of popularity in the US. The reception from Chinese fans has touched the US players, said a US volleyball player Lindsey Berg.
“It’s such an honor to be here and play for our coach here in China,” she said. “The amount of support that the Chinese give to her and us has been tremendous. The whole event has been unbelievable.”
小題1:What’s the passage mainly about?

A．Staying professional.	B．Cheering for the Iron Hammer.
C．A match between China and the US.	D．Lang Ping’s career as a coach.

小題2:Lang Ping avoided meeting the reporters and fans probably because she ________.

A．was afraid to be questioned about her strategy

B．didn’t want to be paid much attention to

C．disliked to be with her fans

D．didn’t want to disturb public order

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

A．destroyed completely	B．tore into pieces
C．spread out to the wind	D．rolled up

小題4:What does Lang Ping mean by saying “It doesn’t matter if we play China or any other team.”？

A．American Volleyball Team will beat any team.

B．Chinese Volleyball Team is the same as other teams.

C．She just tried to stay professional.

D．The results of each match will be the same.

小題5:What impressed the US team players most?

A．The tolerance of Chinese people.	B．The popularity of volleyball in China.
C．Lang Ping’s coaching skills.	D．The loyalty for volleyball of the Chinese.

Every few years, two groups carry out a study of how many Americans wash their hands after using the toilet. These groups are the American Society for Microbiology and the American Cleaning Institute, formerly the Soap and Detergent Association.
There was good news in the latest study. Researchers found that eighty-five percent of adults washed their hands in public restrooms last month. That was the most since the studies began in 1996.
Researchers visited restrooms at a baseball park in Atlanta and a science museum and aquarium(水族館) in Chicago. They also visited two train stations in New York City and a large farmers’ market in San Francisco. In all, they observed about six thousand adults, with females and males equal in number.
The researchers found that seventy-seven percent of men and ninety-three percent of women washed their hands. That was up from sixty-six percent of men and eighty-eight percent of women in the last study three years ago.
The lowest rate of hand washing among men was at Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team. Only sixty-five percent of men washed their hands, compared to all but two percent of women.
Chicago and San Francisco had the most hand washers—eighty-nine percent of adults. Atlanta followed at eighty-two percent. New York had the lowest rate, at seventy-nine percent of the adults observed at Grand Central Station and Penn Station.
The findings of the observational study conflicted(不一致) with the findings of a separate telephone survey of about one thousand people. Ninety-six percent of them said they always washed their hands after using public restrooms.
Almost nine out of ten also said they always washed after using the bathroom at home.
Hand washing can help prevent the spread of many different infections.
To clean your hands well, wet them first and rub in soap for at least twenty seconds, including between the fingers and under the nails. Then wash under running water. In a public restroom, if you dry your hands with a paper towel, you should also use the towel to shut off the water and open the door.
Hand washing is also important when preparing food and after changing a baby’s diaper(尿布). You should also wash if you cough or sneeze into your hands.
小題1:According to the latest study, about ____ women washed their hands after using public bathroom.

A．1,980

B．2,310

C．2,640

D．2,790

小題2:Which of the following shows the right order of washing hands correctly?
a. Wash your hands under running water.
b. Rub your hands in soap for not less than twenty seconds.
c. Wet your hands.
d. Dry your hands with a paper towel.
e. Open the door, using a paper towel.
f. Shut off the water with a paper towel.

A．cbdaef

B．cdabfe

C．cbadfe

D．cdabef

小題3:Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Hand washing is up in public restrooms in the US

B．Americans like washing their hands so much

C．Adults have their hands washed in public restrooms

D．Why hand washing never enjoys popularity in the US

●Ms Tan, you’ve referred to your new novel as your eighth book.
That’s because it took me six or seven attempts at a second novel before I started and completed this one.
●Why do you think you had so many false starts?
I would say that my reasons were wrong. I was trying to prove that I wasn’t just a mother-daughter storyteller, or I was trying to prove that I didn’t just have to write about things that were strictly Chinese or Chinese-American. Those were never the right reasons for writing those early stories. And I could never come up with other better reasons for continuing them.
●What kept you going on this book?
This book was different because it was based on my mother’s real life. The reason for writing it became more personal and emotional. After The Joy Luck Club came out, my mother was always explaining to people that she wasn’t any of the mothers in that book. And at one point she said to me, “Next book tells my true story.” And then she started telling me things I never knew before. She also told me many, many stories, because my mother doesn’t generalize(籠統(tǒng)地表達). The book really grew out of that.
●Have you ever visited China?
Yes. I’ve been there twice: about three years ago and then again last November, both times with my mother and my husband.
●Was it difficult to understand the Chinese-American dialect(方言) without sounding like a parody(拙劣的模仿)?
No, because it’s the language I’ve heard all my life from my mother. She speaks English as it’s direct translation from Chinese. But it’s more than that. Her language also has more imagery than English.
●Can you think of an example?
Somebody might say to me, “Don’t work so hard. You’ll kill yourself.” My mother will say to me，“Why do you press all your brains out on this page for someone else？” So it’s very vivid. That’s the way she talks.
●Have many readers told you that the Chinese mother in your book reminded them of the typical Jewish (有癖好的) mother?
Many people have told me that. I think the mother-daughter relationship is very intense(緊張) in both cases. Culturally there is an acceptance that mothers have the power to tell their children, especially their daughters, how to conduct their lives --- not simply up until the time they are 18, but for the rest of their lives. However, when children grow up in a different culture from their parents’，they tend to keep more secrets from their parents. The children think, “They just wouldn’t understand that I had to do this.” And that can really create a gap, and it can grow as the number of secrets grows.
小題1:Based on the questions in this interview, what do you think Ms Tan’ s profession is?

A．A journalist.

B．A story-writer.

C．An interviewer.

D．An interviewee.

小題2:What’ s TRUE about Tan’ s second book?

A．It’ s about her real life in America.

B．The name of the book is The Joy Luck Club.

C．It is the result of many times of carefull thought.

D．It includes many works of her mother.

小題3:Which question is NOT answered in the interview?

A．How does she think of her mother’ s language?

B．How many books does she plan to write?

C．When did she visit China?

D．How is generation gap created?

小題4:We can infer that________.

A．Tan’ s mother is a good storyteller

B．Tan plans to write another book about her mother

C．Tan plans to return to China

D．Tan’ s mother is hard to communicate with because of personality

小題5:The last paragraph mainly talks about________.

A．how to keep secrets from parents

B．how to deal with the mother-daughter relationship

C．how to conduct the lives

D．how the generation gap comes about

The long, lonely voyage of the Japanese ghost ship is over.
A US Coast Guard cutter poured cannon fire into an abandoned Japanese ghost ship that had been drifting since last year’s tsunami (海嘯), sinking the vessel into waters more than 305 meters deep in the Gulf of Alaska and removing the danger it posed to shipping and the coastline on Thursday.
The cutter’s guns tore holes in the 164-foot Ryou-Un Maru, and then it began to take on water and lean to one side. In about four hours, the ship disappeared into the sea, said Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow.
The ship had no lights or communications system, and its tank was able to carry more than 7,570 liters of diesel fuel. Officials, however, didn’t know exactly how much fuel was aboard.
“It’s less risky than it would be running into shore or running into other ships,” coast guard spokesman Paul Webb said.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency studied the problem and decided it is safer to sink the ship than let the fuel evaporate and pollute the sea environment.
Ryou-Un Maru was probably among the first wave of the 1.5 million tons of garbage of refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, roofs and fishing nets heading toward North America since last March when a magnitude-9.0 earthquake struck Japan.
As the coast guard was ready to fire on the vessel, a Canadian fishing vessel, the 19-meter Bernice C, claimed the rights to save the ghost ship in international waters.
Plans to sink it were paused so the Canadian crew could have a chance to take the stricken ship. A Canadian official with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press that the Bernice C was unable to drag it.
Then the Canadian boat left, and once it was about 10 kilometers from the Japanese vessel, the Coast Guard began to fire, first with 25 mm shells, then a few hours later with ammunition (彈藥)twice that size.
State officials have been working to test the danger of garbage including materials affected by a damaged nuclear power plant, to see if Alaska residents, seafood or wild animals could be affected.
小題1:The plan to fire on the Japanese ghost ship was paused because ____________.

A．the ghost ship was beyond the reach of the Coast Guard’s guns

B．state officials worried the ghost ship might give out radiation

C．the shells were not powerful enough to sink the ghost ship

D．a Canadian fishing boat wanted to save the ghost ship

小題2:What’s the right order of the events related to the ship of Ryou-Un Maru?
a. Its long, lonely voyage came to an end.
b. The US Coast Guard sank it into the sea.
c. The ship began to float across the Pacific Ocean.
d. A big tsunami was caused by great earthquakes.
e. Bernice C claimed rights to save the ghost ship.

A．d, c, e, b, a

B．a, b, d, c, e

C．c, e, d, a, b

D．b, a, d, c, e

小題3:Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?

A．Japanese ghost ship arriving at US

B．Tsunami garbage heading to US

C．Japanese ghost ship polluting the Pacific

D．Cannon fire sinking Japanese ghost ship

BEIJING—Apple Inc is one step closer to beginning sales of iPad3 tablet computers with cellular (手機) network compatibility (兼容) for the first time in the Chinese mainland, where the consumer-electronics giant is in the midst of an aggressive expansion.
According to China’s Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, a device by Apple with third-generation high-speed wireless data capabilities was issued the network access license needed for the company to begin official sales in China. The device, listed under model number “A1396”, is compatible with the 3G standard WCDMA, and would work with the cellular network operated by Apple’s local iPhone partner, China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd.
China Unicom declined (謝絕) to comment.
Apple already offers the 3G iPad3 in Hong Kong through its partners, but currently only offers Wi-Fi versions of the device in the Chinese mainland. Still, consumers in China, which according to research firm IDC surpassed (超過) the US as the world’s largest PC market in the second quarter, have been purchasing 3G tablets through unofficial channels.
Separately, Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said Sept 6 that the company’s first Hong Kong store, set to open this quarter, will be located in the city’s central shopping and business district in the International Finance Center’s upscale (高檔的) IFC mall, a commercial center and sightseeing spot along the city’s waterfront. Wu also said that Apple is planning a new store in Shanghai later this quarter, which will be its biggest store in China. She declined to give more details or to comment on the 3G iPad3.
Apple currently has four full-service Apple stores in the mainland, which receive the most traffic of any Apple stores in the world. The company otherwise relies on resellers to get its products into the market.
The new stores reflect Apple’s confidence in rising demand for its products such as smart phones and tablet computers. Sales in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan helped boost (增長) the company’s third-quarter results, newly appointed Chief Executive Tim Cook said in July. China revenue (收益) surged (激增) six-fold to about $3.8 billion during the three months ended June 25.
“This has been a substantial (重大) opportunity for Apple and I firmly believe that we’re just scratching the surface right now,” Cook said at the time, referring to strong sales in China. “I see an incredible opportunity for Apple there.”
From China Daily 2012
小題1:According to the news, which of the following statements is true?

A．WCDMA is not the only 3G standard in the world.

B．Apple Inc sells its products in the market of the Chinese mainland all by its own stores.

C．The consumers in China can only get iPad3 of Wi-Fi versions.

D．Chinese mainland is the second largest PC market in this year’s second quarter.

小題2:Which one of the following phrases can replace the underlined word in paragraph 1?

A．in the interests of	B．in the front of
C．in the process of	D．in the case of

小題3:How many full-service Apple stores in China?

A．4.

B．6.

C．8.

D．Unknown.

小題4:What’s the probable meaning of “six-fold” in the last but one paragraph?

A．one-sixth

B．six times

C．60 percent

D．2times

小題5:45. By saying “we’re just scratching the surface right now”, Cook means ________.

A．they don’t know much about China’s market

B．they will sell more products and gain more profit in China

C．they need to obtain more permission from China’s government

D．they ignored the rural market in China

One in 400 children in the United States has diabetes(糖尿病). And the most difficult thing for the young diabetic patients is that many of them don’t have a clear idea when they need to take insulin(a drug used in treating diabetes).The parents of one Long Island boy found the perfect solution—Hero, a specially trained dog that can discover when a diabetic is in trouble and find help.
Johnny Pion, eight years old, is a poor kid that was told he was a diabetic in 2008. He can’t do without insulin. His blood-sugar levels should be closely checked. He even can’t go out to play without his mom or dad fearing he might need help.
With Hero in her new home, Johnny’s parents may worry a little less. They received the news about Hero on the newspaper. The dog cost around $20,000. With the help of friends and family, the Pions brought Hero home from Warren Retrievers in Virginia. Mary Campbell. Hero’s trainer, said the dog could discover the slightest changes in blood sugar by her sense of smell.“Humans have 5 million smell receptors(感受器)； dogs have 5 billion smell receptors,”she said.
When the dog discovers something’s wrong, she’ll rub(蹭)her head against Johnny’s legs. If he doesn’t answer her, Hero knows to look for Johnny’s mom and dad. Hero even could ring up 911.
On their first night, Johnny’s was comfortably sleeping in his own bed with Hero and not with his parents for the first time. Night time is very important because blood sugar goes unchecked while sleeping. Now Hero is a round-the-clock nurse.
小題1:Young people with diabetes have difficulty      .

A．telling when they need to take medicine

B．finding what is he best medicine for them

C．remembering the names of their medicine

D．knowing how to keep healthy and live a longer life

小題2:Hero can help Johnny because she      .

A．cost around $20,000

B．never sleeps during the night

C．has 5 million smell receptors

D．can discover the changes of blood sugar

小題3:What can we learn from the passage?

A．Hero can telephone her owners for help.

B．Hero is helpful for the family.

C．The Pions paid for the dog by using donations.

D．The Pions provided special food for the dog.

小題4:After Johnny Pions got ill, he had to      .

A．carry insulin every day

B．go to hospital very often

C．sleep under the care of others

D．live with his family doctor

In 1991, Kentucky Fried Chicken announced that it was officially changing its name to “KFC” as well as updating its packaging and logo(標識)with a more modern look. The public relations reason was that health-conscious consumers associated the word “fried” with “unhealthy”, causing some of them to completely avoid the wide variety of “healthy” menu items. The new title and image were designed to attract customers to a restaurant now offering foods branded as “better for you”.
It sounded good, but the real reason behind the shift to KFC had nothing to do with critical consumers. In 1990, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, trapped in debt, took the unusual step of trade marking its name. Therefore, anyone using the word “Kentucky” for business reasons would have to obtain permission and pay licensing fees to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was an unusual and brilliant scheme to lighten government debt, but it was also one that alienated (疏遠)one of the most famous companies ever associated with Kentucky. The Kentucky Fried Chicken chain refused as a matter of principle to pay royalties on a name they had been using for four decades. After a year of fruitless talks, Kentucky Fried Chicken changed their name instead, introducing new packaging and products to hide the real reasons behind the change of the name.
Kentucky fried Chicken was not the only one who bravely refused to give in. The name of the most famous horse race in North America, held every year at Churchill Downs, was changed to “The Run for the Roses” for similar reasons.
In November 2006, KFC and the State of Kentucky finally reached a settlement over the use of the trademarked word “Kentucky”, and the restaurant chain announced it would be reusing its former name of “Kentucky Fried Chicken”.
小題1:The public relations reason for Kentucky Fried Chicken’s updating its packaging and logo was that      .

A．it was losing money

B．most customers didn’t like the old logo

C．it wanted to get involved in other businesses

D．it decided to offer better foods to customers

小題2:The Commonwealth of Kentucky trademarked its name to       .

A．develop American culture

B．be alienated from the famous companies

C．raise money to pay the government debt

D．make Kentucky known throughout the world

小題3:The real reason why “Kentucky Fried Chicken” changed its name was related to      .

A．health

B．money

C．package

D．product

小題4:It can be inferred from the passage that      .

A．KFC is still not allowed to use the name of “Kentucky Fried Chicken”

B．“Kentucky Fried Chicken” changed its name after several years of talks

C．the name “Kentucky Fried Chicken” had only been used for a short time

D．the original name of the horse race “The Run for the Roses” contained the word “Kentucky”

Sydney Australia—Mobile phone has become a problem for middle schools. Some middle schools in Australia have banned students from carrying mobile phones during school hours.
Mobile phone use among children has become a problem for the school this year. Several children have got mobile phones as Christmas gifts, and more students want them.
Mary Bluett, an official, said mobile phone use is a distraction（分心的事）to students during school hours and it also gives teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. Teachers were also saying that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.
She said some schools had tried to ban mobile phones. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t get in touch with their children.
Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, but if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at school offices. They also said there were many reasons why the students should not have mobile phones at school: they were easy to lose and were a distraction from studies.
Many people say that they understand why parents would want their children to have phones, but they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones.
小題1:Some middle schools in Australia have banned students from carrying mobile phones________.

A．because they are students	B．when they are free
C．when they are at school	D．because they are young

小題2:We know from the passage that some children get mobile phones from________.

A．the makers and sellers	B．some other strangers
C．their parents and friends	D．some mobile phone users

小題3:Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t _______ during school hours.

A．use their mobile phones	B．leave their mobile phones
C．help the teachers with their work	D．get in touch with their children

小題4:The underlined word “they” in the fifth paragraph refers to________.

A．many teachers	B．some messages
C．mobile phones	D．some students

Harvard University named historian Drew Gilpin Faust as its first female president on Sunday, ending a lengthy and secretive search to find a successor（接任者）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.

1,3,5

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 1st 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:Lawrence Summers held the view that      .

A．women cannot achieve as much as men in management

B．women cannot hold important positions in society

C．women can match men in science jobs

D．few women make top scientists owing to genes

小題4:The underlined word “groused” in the 6th paragraph means       .

A．approved

B．commented

C．complained

D．indicated

小題5:This passage probably appears in a      .

A．biography

B．personal letter

C．research paper

D．newspaper report