I love charity (慈善) shops and so do lots of other people in Britain because you find quite a few of them
on every high street. The charity shop is a British institution, selling everything from clothes to electric goods,
all at very good prices. You can get things you won't find in the shops anymore. The thing I like best about
them is that your money is going to a good cause and not into the pockets of profit-driven companies, and you
are not damaging the planet, but finding a new home for unwanted goods.
     The first charity shop was opened in 1947 by Oxfam. The famous charity's appeal to aid postwar Greece
had been so successful that it had been flooded with donations (捐贈物). They decided to set up a shop to sell
some of these donations to raise money for that appeal. Now there are over 7,000 charity shops in the UK. My
favourite charity shop in my hometown is the Red Cross shop, where I always find children's books, all 10 or
20 pence each.
     Most of the people working in the charity shops are volunteers, although there is often a manager who gets
paid. Over 90% of the goods in the charity shops are donated by the public. Every morning you see bags of
unwanted items outside the front of shops, although they don't encourage this, rather ask people to bring things
in when the shop is open.
     The shops have very low running costs: all profits go to charity work. Charity shops raise more than ￡100
million a year, funding (幫助) medical research, overseas aid, supporting sick and poor children, homeless and
disabled people, and much more. What better place to spend your money? You get something special for a very
good price and a good moral sense. You provide funds to a good cause and treat lightly on the environment.

1. The author loves the charity shop mainly because of _____.

A. its convenient location
B. its great variety of goods
C. its spirit of goodwill
D. its nice shopping environment

2. The first charity shop in the UK was set up to _____.

A. sell cheap products
B. deal with unwanted things
C. raise money for patients
D. help a foreign country

3. Which of the following is TRUE about charity shops?

A. The operating costs are very low.
B. The staff are usually well paid.
C. 90% of the donations are second-hand.
D. They are open twenty-four hours a day.

4. Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?

A. What to Buy at Charity Shops.
B. Charity Shop: Its Origin & Development.
C. Charity Shop: Where You Buy to Donate.
D. The Public's Concern about Charity Shops.

     In the centre of London there is a tall white building with the name "Bush House". It is the home of BBC
English.
     BBC is the abbreviation of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It is an organization maintained by the
government, providing British people with broadcasting and TV service. At first, BBC was established as a
private business. It began to broadcast on February 14, 1922. In 1927, it was reorganized and replaced by
the British Broadcasting Corporation. In November, 1936, it became the first TV broadcasting corporation
in the world with TV programmes broadcast. BBC provides people with the latest news, entertainment and
education. These programmes are not under the control of the government. Nor are they affected by other
organizations. In the meantime, BBC does not express its own opinion on international affairs or public
policy. BBC has two TV channels, covering the whole country, that is BBC-1 and BBC-2 and three radio
broadcast webs, one for family service, another for entertaining programmes, the third for special interesting
programmes. The third web broadcasts four programmes. They are classical music, teaching programmes,
sports and famous arts and common knowledge. BBC programmes include foreign language programmes,
broadcast in 35 foreign languages.
     The BBC World Service sends radio programmes around the world in 42 languages. With a regular
audience of about 140 million listeners, it reaches more people than any other ternational broadcaster. The
World Service also prepares news programmes for its sister television organization and is responsible for
a major new gathering service getting information form the world's media. The World Service receives a
direct grant from the British Parliament for operating international broadcasting.
     BBC English is part of the BBC World Service. BBC English is for people who want to improve their
English. It broadcasts all kind of programmes, which change from month to month. There is a special
grammar programme for explaining difficult grammar points. There are programmes about life in Britian.
There is also a programme about the differences between written and spoken English. English lessons are
broadcast every day on the radio with explanations in English and other languages. They are the easiest to
follow. For example, BBC English broadcasts programmes for China with explanations in Chinese.
     It is not difficult to find out information about the programmes. You can write to BBC English and ask
for any information you need.
     It is necessary to use a short-wave radio to pick up the programmes. Sometimes it is difficult to receive
them clearly. If you do have difficulties, it is better to try once again another day.

1. BBC English broadcasts all kinds of programmes _____.

A. which change from month to month
B. which change regularly
C. in special grammar rules
D. by explaining different grammar points

2. If one needs any information from BBC English, one can _____.

A. get it easily free of charge
B. get it easily by paying something
C. hardly get it without paying anything
D. seldom get it just by writing a letter

3. I think all the programmes from BBC English is of great use to you. This sentence means _____.

A. I think all the programmes from BBC English is very great
B. BBC English has many great useful programmes
C. You can use all the programmes from BBC English
D. All programmes from BBC English are very useful for me

     Street dance is a great outdoor sport to do with a group of friends. 1_____ Many people bring their radios
out onto the streets, warm up and then wait for others to join in. You must be confident to start dancing on the
street. They are often social in nature, encouraging interaction with the audience and other dancers. 
     2_____ The term itself came from that the fact the dances were made in the streets. There aren't any rules
to "street dance" and freestyle is emphasized. It's hard to define, but it is basically freely expressing music with
one's body. 
     3_____ It has been often divided into old school and new school since 1984. In the old school section, there
are locking, popping, and break dancing. In new school, there are hip hop and house.
     Street dance is a form of physical exercise, an art form, and for competition, and is today practiced both at
dance studios and other spaces. 4_____ Street dance is a culture that can be found all over the world, and there
are many international competitions every year. Especially, break dancing competitions in the form of dance
battles are popular, since break dancing actually introduced the culture of dance battles in street dance. 5_____

A. Street dance was first formed in the 20th century.
B. Street dance is one of the most popular forms of outdoor sport.
C. Battle of the Year, Freestyle Session and Just Debut are all break dancing competition.
D. There are many different schools of street dance.
E. Sometimes street dance becomes competitive and you should hold your own in a circle.
F. Street dance has been accepted by the young.
G. Some schools use street dance as a form of physical education.

     McDonald's was founded in California in 1940 by brothers Mac and Dick McDonald. McDonald's became
a national chain in the 1960s and became well--known for its marketing symbols: a clown (小丑) called Ronald
McDonald. It is said that Ronald is recognized by 96％ of all American schoolchildren, second only to Santa
Claus (Father Christmas).
     Today McDonald's is the largest restaurant chain in the world even in Moscow and Beijing. The simple
original menu was chips and soft drinks. Now it includes fish, chicken, breakfast and even salad. In the battle
against the Big Boy fish sandwiches, the Filet-O-Fish (魚片) sandwich was added to the menu to help business. 
     The world famous Big Mac was invented to compete against Burger King's Whopper. In recent years, in
order to give people a more healthy image (印象), McDonald's has introduced items like reduced-fat McNuggets
and Mclean burger in which they use the seaweed to help reduce the fat. Although there is uniformity (一致性)
in its product, McDonald's has been known to change menu items to local tastes in certain markets.

1. Who is most recognized by schoolchildren in the USA?

A. Mac McDonald.
B. Dick McDonald.
C. Ronald McDonald.
D. Santa Claus.

2. Which of the following is the original menu of hamburgers?

A. Fish and chicken
B. Breakfast and salad
C. Big Mac
D. Chips and soft drinks

3. The one that was invented by McDonald's is _____.

A. the Big Boy fish sandwiches
B. reduced-fat McNuggets
C. Fish sandwiches
D. Whopper

4. McDonald's began to produce reduced-fat items _____.

A. in 1940
B. in the 1960s
C. in recent years
D. in the 1970s

5. It can be imagined that in Moscow and Beijing what people eat at McDonald's is _____.

A. a little different from what people in the USA eat at McDonald's
B. quite different from what people eat at McDonald's in the USA
C. Just the same as what people eat at McDonald's in the USA
D. More original than what people eat at McDonald's in the USA

     The first newspapers were written by hand and put up on walls in public place. The earliest daily newspaper
was started in Rome in 59 BC. In the 700's the world's first printed newspaper was published. Europe didn't
have a regularly published newspaper until 1609, when one was started in Germany.
     The first regularly published newspaper in the English language was printed in Amsterdam in 1620. In 1621,
an English newspaper was started in London and was published once a week. The first daily English newspaper
was the Daily Courant (每日新聞). It came out in March 1702.
     In 1690, Benjamin Harris printed the first American newspaper in Boston. But not long after it was first
published, the government stopped the paper. In 1704, John Campbell started The Boston Newsletter (波士頓新
聞通訊), the first newspaper published in the American colonies. By 1760, the colonies had more than thirty
daily newspapers. There are now about 1,800 daily papers in the United States.
     Today, as a group, English language newspapers have the largest circulation (發(fā)行量) in the world. But the
largest circulation for a newspaper is that of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Dhimbun (朝日新聞). It sells more
than 11 million copies every day.

1. The first daily newspaper came out in _____.

A. 59 BC
B. 700's
C. 1609
D. 1620

2. The first regular published newspaper in Europe was printed in _____.

A. England
B. Germany
C. France
D. Sweden

3. The first printed newspaper in America came out in _____.

A. Washington
B. New York
C. Boston
D. New Orleans

4. Today there are about _____ daily newspaper printed in the United States.

A. 1621
B. 1704
C. 1760
D. 1800

     For those of you who where born in the year of the pig, good luck and much success! This is your year.
     When talking to a Westerner, however, you've got to be a little careful when you talk about pigs. Chinese
people view the pig as a smart and prosperous animal. Western ideas tend to be a little more negative.
     A pig in the West is seen as a dirty, lazy, and fat animal. If anyone ever called you a pig, you wouldn't be
smiling. When a person doesn't like someone, sometimes he will call that person a pig.
     If you ever meet a Westerner who was born in the year of the pig, don't say, "Oh, you're a pig!" Most
Westerners will be understanding. They will be sure that you made some kind of a mistake. However, don't
take any chances. You might just offend someone who does not share your positive ideas about pigs.

1. According to the passage we can see that Chinese people think of the pig as a ______ animal.

A. they worship pigs best of all
B. they consider pigs as bad animals
C. they aren't used to talking about pigs
D. they don't like the topic about pigs at all

2. According to the passage we can see that Chinese people think of the pig as a ______ animal.

A. clever
B. rich
C. good
D. all the above

3. A Westerner will call someone a pig if he ______ that man.

A. dislikes
B. is afraid of
C. looks up to
D. makes fun of

4. When you call a Westerner a pig, who was born in the year of the pig, most of them ______.

A. will be angry
B. will be very surprised
C. can forgive
D. may quarrel with you

5. From the passage we can conclude that ______.

A. different people have different ideas about the same thing
B. Westerners do not like pigs as much as the Chinese
C. in general, Westerners and the Chinese don't like pigs
D. all of the Chinese like pigs better than Westerners

     Singles Day falls on every November 11th, and as the name indicates, this relatively new holiday is one
specially for people who are still living the single life. I was a bit surprised when I googled "Singles Day" on
the Internet, to find that China is the only country in the world that has set up a special day for singles to
celebrate their lives.
     An old story goes that once there were four single men, leading very boring lives. None of them were
married, or had lovers, or did anything exciting. They just sat around all day and played Mahjong. One day
they played Mahjong from 11 in the morning until 11 at night. During the game, no matter who won, the
winning card was always the "four columns" card (the card shows four independent, parallel columns in
two lines). Even more of a coincidence, it was Nov. 11. In order to remind them of the day, they nicknamed
it Singles Day.
     Singles Day was first celebrated at various universities in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province during
the 1990s. These college students carried their university tradition into society after they graduated. Singles
Day is now a special day for all.
     The main way to celebrate Singles day is to have dinner with your single friends, but it's important that
each person pay their own way to show their independence. People also hold "blind date" parties in an attempt
to say goodbye to their single lives.
     For breakfast on Singles Day, singles often eat four youtiao (deep-fried dough sitcks) representing the
four "ones" in "11.11" and one baozi (steamed stuffed buns) representing the dot in between.  Many singles
also choose to say goodbye to their single lives on the day.
     Many attend "blind date" parties and many people choose to marry on this day. In addition to meaning
"single", the four "ones" of the date can also mean "only one" as in "the only one for me". Some people will
use this date and this meaning to tell their special someone that they are the only"one" in their heart.

1. Which of the statement is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Singles Day has a long history.
B. Only men celebrate Singles Day.
C. Singles Day is only celebrated in China.
D. Students in Nanjing University started Singles Day.

2. People celebrate the festival mainly by _____.

A. playing Mahjong
B. having dinner
C. getting married
D. hanging out with friends

3. What is the best title of the passage?

A. Singles Day
B. Four Single Men's Singles Day
C. University Culture on Singles Day
D. Symbolic Food on Singles Day

4. Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?
    (a-para.1  b-para.2  c-para.3  d-para.4  e-para.5  f-para.6)

A.
B.
C.
D.

     Most musicians agree that the best violins were first made in Italy. They were made in Cremona, Italy,
about 200 years ago. These violins sound better than any others. They even sound better than violins made
today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins. But they aren't the
same. Musicians still prefer the old ones. No one really knows why these old Italian violins are so special,
but many people think they have an answer.
     Some people think it is the age of the violins. They say that today's violins will also sound wonderful
someday. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only those from Cremona are
special. So age cannot be the answer. There must be something different about Cremona or those Italian
violin makers.
     Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. The wood of the violin is very important. It
must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of
Cremons knew something special about wood for violins.
     But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special
way. Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully. It has to be the right size and shape. The smallest
difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this was the secret of the
Italians. Maybe they understood more than we do about how to cut the wood.
     Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists measured these old violins very carefully. They
can make new ones that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new violins still do not sound as good
as the old one. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish, which covers the wood of the violin and
makes it look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. No one knows what the Italian violin makers
used in their varnish. So no one can make the same varnish today.
     There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. Their secret may be lost forever. Young
musicians today hope this is not true. They need fine violins. But there aren't very many of the old violins
left. Also, the old violins are very expensive. Recently, a famous old Italian violin was sold for about
US $ 300,000!

1. This passage is about _____.

A. making violins 　　　　　
B. musical instruments 　
C. scientific ideas 　　　　
D. the old Italian violins

2. The best violins _____.

A. are made with modern techniques 　
B. were lost many years ago
C. were made in Italy 200 years ago
D. were made by scientists.

3. Some people think that modem violins _____.

A. will sound better in the future 　
B. will sound worse in the future
C. sound wonderful naturally
D. will never be as old as those from Cremona

4. Violins made today _____.

A. look the same as the old ones 　
B. sound the same as the old ones 　
C. are better than the old ones　
D. have the same varnish as the old ones

     Most people know that a wedding ring is symbolic of the bond of love and commitment between two
people. But not everyone knows about the history behind this small yet powerful symbol. The history of
the wedding ring goes back not just hundreds but thousands of years. No other currently practiced wedding
tradition has been around as long.
     The Egyptians were the first recorded civilization to use the wedding ring. In Egyptian hieroglyphics
(象形文字), a circle represented eternity because there's no beginning and no end. Once a woman accepted
the ring she became the "property" of the person who gave it to her and she was in a sense "his". The first
wedding ring could have been made of braided grass or hay (which would have been changed often), ivory,
bone, or leather. Eventually, metal was used, but the first wedding bands were in the completely natural state
and rough. However, the wedding rings always expressed the same eternal and lasting love.
     The Egyptians wore the wedding ring on the left hand because it was believed that a vein (靜脈) in the
left hand went straight to the heart. This tradition is still commonly practiced today in most parts of the world
largely for practical purposes(most people are right handed). It is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand.
But there are some countries and groups which do not follow this tradition. In the Jewish faith, the wedding
ring is put on the index finger. Roman Catholics traditionally wore their wedding band on the right hand, and
in many countries and regions in Europe some people still follow this tradition.
     It is interesting to note that in the long history of the wedding ring, it is only in the last century that men
began to wear them. However, now both men and women show their love and commitment by exchanging
rings on their wedding day.
     Once you begin shopping for rings you may be amazed by the choices that await you. There are several
different types of metals: traditional gold, white gold, platinum, and titanium. You can have an inscription put
on the inside of the band if you like. Some people are even choosing a tattoo band. The styles vary from a
simple yet elegant band to an elaborate (精巧的) ring covered with jewels. If you do not buy the wedding and
engagement rings as a set, you will want to be sure the styles can match perfectly. Choose carefully because
this choice will need to stand the test of eternity.

1. What's the best title for this passage?

A. History of rings.
B. Interesting facts about rings.
C. Different beliefs about rings.
D. The meaning of the rings.

2. What may the word "eternity" in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A. Elegance
B. Marriage
C. Wedding
D. Foreverness

3. Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A. The meaning of the rings remained unchanged.
B. Jewish are so faithful to their beliefs to wear rings on the fourth finger.
C. One should be careful of choosing a ring in a shop from different kinds.
D. Now most people in the world still follow Roman Catholics traditionally.

4. What can we infer from the passage?

A. Men were looked down upon by women for thousands years.
B. Only women have the right to make themselves beautiful.
C. Women wore rings thousands of years earlier than men.
D. You can have an inscription put on the inside the band.