A British train station has put up a no kissing sign to stop lovers going full steam ahead with their
overamorous farewells.
     Commuters have been told:if you want to get up to that kind of business,do it in the car park.
     The sign has been put up at the dropoff point (落客處) at Warrington Bank Quay station in the town
of  Warrington,between Liverpool and Manchester in northwest England.
      A similar sign,this time permitting kissing,has been put up elsewhere in a zone where kissing is
considered tolerable.
     "We have not banned kissing in the station," said a spokesman for operators Virgin Rail.
      "But we have put the sign up at the dropoff point because it is not a very big area and it often gets
busy.The sign is a lighthearted way of reminding people to move on quickly.If people wish to spend a
little more time with their loved ones before they leave,then they should park in the shortstay car park
nearby."
     The busy station links the town with the major cities London,Birmingham,Glasgow,Edinburgh,
Liverpool and Manchester.
     However,one station is trying to rescue love from the tracks.High Wycombe,northwest of London,
is having none of it and is actively urging commuters to show their emotions in public.
     "Kissing is welcome here!...we would never dream of banning kissing," says a poster of a cartoon
couple embracing,framed by a pink heart."Railway stations are romantic places," insisted Kirsteen
Robertson from Chiltern Railways."They are where fond farewells and emotional reunions take place,
where relationships start with a glance and even,in the case of our Marylebone station last November
where one passenger will propose (求婚) to another over the public address system."
     "So our passengers are more than welcome to share a kiss in our stations."

1. The train station has put up a no kissing sign in order to________.

A. ban kissing in the station
B. get passengers to walk quickly
C. avoid embarrassment
D. prevent illegal practice

2. The underlined word "it" here refers to________.

A. rescuing love from the tracks  
B. banning kissing in the station
C. kissing at the dropoff point  
D. kissing in the car park

3. We learn that in High Wycombe________.

A. kissing is encouraged
B. kissing is forbidden
C. kissing is intolerable
D. kissing is limited to a certain time

4. We can infer that________.

A. the dropoff point is not a safe place
B. the dropoff point is a quiet place
C. the dropoff point is a romantic place
D. the dropoff point is often packed with the traffic and passengers

      Do you remember piling up building blocks (積木) when you were younger?In order for a great
structure to be created,you needed skill,patience,hard work,and the right blocks.To build a healthy and
happy life,you need skill,patience,hard work,and the right blocks.In life,though,these blocks,or tools,are
called life skills.
     No one wants to feel frustrated.No one wants to feel sick.No one wants to fight all the time with
friends or family.When these issues come up,though,life skills can help you deal with and improve the
situation.
     Do you remember the six components of health?They are physical,emotional,social,mental,spiritual,
and environmental.Life skills can help improve these areas individually or,sometimes,together.It just takes
practice.So what are the life skills?
     First of all,an individual should assess his health.Doing this helps the person decide on his current state
of wellbeing and pick the actions and behaviors that will improve his health.
     Second,a person should try to communicate effectively.When a person can clearly state his feelings
and list en effectively as well,relationships with others can improve.
     Third,an individual should practice wellness.This means the person is trying to choose nutritious meals,
avoid unhealthy behaviors,and get enough sleep.
      Fourth,________.Each person will experience difficult situations.Each person experiences anger or
depression at some point in his life.To build a healthy life,though,a person works through the situation.
      Fifth,a person needs to be a wise consumer.A consumer buys products.A wise consumer makes
healthy d ecisions when buying products and services.

1. The author talks about piling up building blocks in the first paragraph to________.

A. show it is a difficult task
B. compare it with building a healthy life
C. explain how to create a great structure
D. tell readers the six components of health

2. The underlined word "wellness" in the passage most probably means "________".

A. having a lot of money
B. the state of being healthy
C. being content with what one has
D. being not easily upset or excited

3. Which of the following sentences can be used to fill in the blank?

A. a person should learn from failure
B. a person should work hard all his life
C. a person may have troubles every now and then
D. an individual must try to deal with troubles effectively

4. In which section of a newspaper do you expect to read this piece of writing?

A. Culture Square.  
B. Entertainment Space.
C. News Platform.  
D. Life Channel.

     You may picture firefighters holding a hose (水管) outside of a burning building,but the Golden Eagles   Hotshots don't fight fires quite that way.When they go into action,you may not even see a fire truck.
The Hotshots are firefighters who battle fires in wilderness areas.But don't think you'll only find them in
their home state California.Wherever there is a national wildfire emergency,the Golden Eagles Hotshots
could be there.
     But these firefighters don't work the same way as firefighters in a big city.They work in areas where
there are large numbers of trees,bushes,and grass.They climb up and down steep hills to clear brush and
burnable debris (殘骸). They sometimes use water,but they often fight fire with fire!
     They do that by lighting what are called "backfires",which are small,controlled fires that burn up fuel in
the path of larger wildfires.That way,when the Wildfire gets there,it has nothing to burn and nowhere to
go,because all the burnable fuel has already gone up in smoke.
     The Hotshots also clear away fuel using oldfashioned hard work.For example,they use a saw to cut
away trees and heavy brush that could catch fire.
     Of course there are times when the Golden Eagles Hotshots do have trucks to supply water to the
fires.  But the water is limited,and these guys have to rely on hard work more than anything.Physical
fitness is very important.They have to be in great physical shape to handle steep hills and difficult terrain (地形) while carrying a 60-pound pack.
    The Golden Eagles Hotshots definitely work hard for their pay.But thanks to their efforts,many lives
have been saved,many houses have not burned,and countless trees are still standing.

1. The firefighters mentioned in the passage________.

A. do much of their work in California
B. avoid climbing steep hills in their work
C. do their work equipped with advanced tools
D. carry out their work mostly in forests and mountains

2. According to the passage,why do the firefighters light "backfires"?

A. To signal for help.
B. To remove obstacles.
C. To protect trees and bushes.
D. To prevent the fire from spreading.

3. What can we learn about the Golden Eagles Hotshots ?

A. They are firefighters working in big cities.
B. Their work requires physical strength.
C. They are voluntary firefighters working for free.
D. They usually hold a hose to put out the fires.

4. What is the author's attitude towards the Golden Eagles Hotshots?

A. Appreciative.  
B. Doubtful  
C. Worried.  
D. Critical.

     FreeRice.com is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP). It
aims to provide education to everyone for free and help end world hunger. Join us and have fun with our
vocabulary game. For each vocabulary word you get right, we donate free rice through UNWFP to those hungry people.
     How do you play the vocabulary game?
     Click on the answer that is closest in meaning to the word. If you get it right, you get a harder word.
If wrong, you get an easier word. For each word you get right, we donate 20 grains of rice to UNWFP.
     How does the vocabulary game help you?
     This game may make you smarter. While learning new vocabulary, it can help you:
     ★Present your ideas better
     ★Write better papers, e-mails and business letters
     ★Speak more accurately and influentially
     ★Read faster because you understand better
     ★Get better grades in high school and college
    ★Perform better at job interviews
    ★Be more effective and successful at your job
     After you have done FreeRice for a couple of days, you may notice a phenomenon. Words that you
have never consciously used before will begin to pop into your head while you are speaking or writing.
You will feel yourself using and knowing more words.
     How does the FreeRice vocabulary program work?
     FreeRice has a database containing thousands of words at different levels of difficulty. There are
words proper for people just learning English and words that will challenge the most learned professors.
     In between are thousands of words for students, business people, doctors, truck drivers…
everyone!
      FreeRice adjusts to your level of vocabulary. It starts by giving you words at different levels of difficulty and then, based on how you do, designs a proper starting level for you. When you get a word wrong,
you go to an easier level. When you get three words in a row right, you go to a harder level. There are 60
levels in all, but it is rare for people to get above Level 50.
     Sign up now and you will have fun as well as help end world hunger.

1. According to the passage, the purpose of the vocabulary game is to ______.

A. combine English learning with helping hungry people
B. make it popular in English-speaking countries
C. encourage people to produce more rice
D. provide English learning for poor areas

2. Playing the vocabulary game enables you to ______.

A. develop some new ideas            
B. increase chances of job interview
C. be admitted to a university  
D. perform better in a speech competition

3. People of different vocabulary levels can play the game because ______.

A. it is free of charge
B. it offers fair chances to everyone
C. it changes levels with their performance
D. it meets the needs of people in different fields

     Visitors to museums have to pay "voluntary" admission fees, Boris Johnson, the mayor (市長) of
London, urged yesterday. He said that encouraging visitors to set a value on museums and art galleries,
which have been free since 2001, would work extremely well. Mr. Johnson held up New York's
Metropolitan Museum of Art as a model. Although New York's museums are officially free, visitors are
strongly encouraged to pay a recommended entry fee of $20. At the Met, entry is impossible without first
going to the ticket des k.
     Mr. Johnson's spokesman later admitted that free admission was a "huge draw" for London, but he
said, "Having visited the Met last week, the mayor is impressed by how they maximize voluntary
contributions and believes there are lessons to be learnt." Mark Jones, director of the Victoria and
Albert Museum, told The Times that the museum already requested a ?3 donation but was not as
forceful as New York's institutions. He said, "I'm not in favor of anything that makes people feel they
won't want to go because they feel like they will have to pay."
      When entrance fees to national museums were decided not to be charged here in 2001, there was a
70 percent increase in visitor numbers in the first year. Political parties have since been unwilling to
suggest change, despite concerns about cost. Hugo Swire, the former Shadow Culture Secretary, was
dismissed in 2007 for suggesting that "museums and galleries should have the right to charge if they wish".
Some in the art community argue, however, that free entrance has done little to increase the breadth
(廣泛) of visitors and has caused shortfalls in the budget for the museums. In response to it, Colin
Tweedy, chief executive of Arts & Business, said that Britain was "leading the world" in allowing its
treasures to be freely available. He said, "To return to museum charging would be a return to the dark
ages."
     Ben Bradshaw, the Culture Secretary, said, "The mayor revealed his true intention when he suggested
those who could afford it should be encouraged to contribute to the arts. I believe it is a disaster for the
culture, arts and sport." He thinks that free museums and galleries have once been one of this Government's great successes.

1. It can be inferred from the first two paragraphs that ______.

A. museums in London are free by now
B. most museums in London have admission fees
C. Metropolitan Museum of Art is not officially free
D. free entry is impossible to New York's museums

2. We can learn from Mark Jones' words that ______. 

A. his museum shows a lack of money        
B. admission fees should be forceful
C. he is in favor of New York's action        
D. he has a consideration for the visitors

3. According to the passage, the cancellation of entrance fees to national museums in 2001 _____.

A. was changed in 2007 by Hugo Swire
B. has been opposed by political parties
C. has no influence on the number of visitors
D. has caused financial problems to the museums

4.What does the underlined word "it" in the last paragraph refer to?

A. Charging entrance fees to museums.        
B. Decrease in the number of visitors.
C. Ensuring visitors' benefits.                
D. Free access to museums.

     The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card fraud. Your card information could even be for
sale in an illegal web site.
     Web sites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care.
     On-line shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they thought
they bought. The thieves then go shopping with your card number - or sell the information over the
Internet. Computers hackers have broken down security systems, raising questions about the safety of
cardholder information. Several months ago, 25, 000 customers of CD Universe, an on-line music retailer(零售商), were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Web site
after the retailer refused to pay US $157, 828 to get back the information.
      Credit-card firms are now fighting against on-line fraud. Mastercard is working on plans for
Web - only credit card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping on-line.
However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.
     Ask about your credit-card firm’s on-line rules: Under British law, cardholders have to pay the first
US $78 of any fraudulent(欺騙性的) spending.
    And shop only at secure sites; Send your credit-card information only if the Web site offers advanced
secure system.
     If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The
Website address may also start https: //-the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit-card
information over the telephone.
     Keep your password safe: Most on-line sites require a user name and password before placing an
order. Treat your passwords with care.

1. What do most people worry about the Internet according to this passage?

A. A lot of stolen credit-cards were sold on the Internet.
B. Fraud on the Internet.                  
C. Many Web sites are destroyed.    
D. Many illegal Web sites are on the Internet.

2. What is the meaning of “fraud”?

A. Cheating.
B. Sale.
C. Payment.
D. Safety.

3. How can the thieves get the information of the credit card?

A. The customers give them the information.
B. The thieves steal the information from Web sites.
C. The customers sell the information to them.
D. The thieves buy the information from credit-card firms.

4. How many pieces of advice does the passage give to you?

A. Four.
B. Three.
C. Five.
D. Six.

5. You are shopping on the site: http: // www. Shopping. com, and you want to buy a TV set,
    what does this article suggest to do?

A. Order the TV set at once.                    
B. Do not buy the TV set on this site.
C. E-mail the site your credit-card information.
D. Tell the site your password and buy the TV set for you.

     Self-employed private physicians who charge a fee for each patient visit are the foundation of medical
practice in the United States. Most physicians have a contract relationship with one or more hospitals in
the community. They send their patients to this hospital, which usually charges patients according to the
number of days they stay and the facilities(operating room, tests, medicines that they use). Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or, in the case of veteran's hospitals, a federal government agency. Others are
operated by religious orders(教會) or other non-profit groups.
     Some medical doctors are on salary. Salaried physicians may work as hospital staff members, or
residents, who are often still in training. They may teach in medical schools, be hired by corporations to
care for their workers or work for the federal government's Public Health Service.
     Physicians are among the best paid professionals in the United States. In the 1980s, it was not
uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than $ 100 000 a year. Specialists, particularly
surgeons, might earn several times that amount. Physicians list many reasons why they deserve to be so
well rewarded for their work. One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a
physician in the  United States. Most would be physicians first attend college for four years, which can
cost nearly $ 20 000 a year at one of the best private institutions. Prospective physicians then attend
medical school for four years. Tuition alone can exceed $ 10 000 a year. By the time they have obtained
their medical degrees, many young physicians are deeply in debt. They still face three to five years of
residency(實習(xí)階段) in a hospital, the first year as an apprentice physician. The hours are long and the
pay is relatively low.
     Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too. Sometimes several physicians will decide to establish
a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying equipment. These
physicians also take care of each other's patients in emergencies.
     Physicians work long hours and must accept a great deal of responsibility. Many medical procedures,
even quite routine ones, involve risk. It is understandable that physicians want to be well rewarded for
making decisions which can mean the difference between life and death.

1. According to the passage, it is very unlikely that an American hospital is owned by _______.

A. a church
B. a corporation
C. a city
D. a state

2. The expenses for becoming a doctor are spent on _______.

A. schooling and retraining
B. practice in a hospital
C. facilities he or she uses
D. education he or she receives

3. According to the passage, how long does it take for a would-be physician to become an 
    independent physician in the USA?

A. About seven years.
B. Eight years.
C. Ten years.
D. About twelve years.

4. Sometimes several physicians set up a group medical practice mainly because _______.

A. there are so many patients that it is difficult for one physician to take care all of them
B. they can take turns to work long hours
C. facilities may be too much of a burden for one physician to shoulder
D. no one wants to assume too much responsibility

5. Which of the following statements could fully express the author's view towards physicians’
     payment in the USA?

A. For their expensive education and their responsibility, they deserve a handsome pay.
B. It is reasonable for physicians to have a large income because their work is very dangerous.
C. Physicians should be better paid because they work long hours under bad conditions.
D. Physicians have great responsibility, so it is understandable that they should be well rewarded.