Sophia Richardson: Both my parents are really important to me.My parents are really more
than friends.They're the people I can open up and talk to.Talking to them is like talking to one of
my friends.They've been there for me and given me good advice on a lot of my problems.
     Stacey Avnes: My Jewish big sister is important to me.Her name is Lauren.We've been
together for two years.My mom is a single mom and she is very busy.Lauren is someone who helps
me deal with all this stuff because she's someone I can talk to.She's like a second mom to me and
also a best friend.If I have any problem, I can call her and she'll come and pick me up and we'll go
to the park and talk.
     Jean Park: It's my uncle who is important to me.When  I'm with him, I'm grateful for the small
things-being alive and healthy;  having a good family and friends.He's also very grateful for the small
things and gives back to his community.
     Melaku Shierfaw: My father is important to me.He came  here from a rich family in Africa.But
when he came, he didn't take any money and started fresh.He showed that he could do everything
by himself without the help of others and he's successful.It shows me that I can do anything as long
as I try.
     Kalin ScottWright: My great grandmother is in charge of our whole family.She was born in
1920.I know she went through a lot in her life.She was a very strong woman and she raised my mom
and took her in.She had a kind spirit and loved me and my brother.She'll always be there for me
although she's not alive any longer.

1. What is this passage mainly about?

A. Who loves us most.  
B. Who is important to us.
C. What our parents are like  
D. Who is in charge in our family.

2. We can infer that Sophia________.

A. is always in trouble
B. has few friends
C. gets along well with her parents
D. relies too much on her parents

3. What do we know about Stacey's big sister?

A. She is very lonely.  
B. She is a single mother.
C. She is Stacey's only friend.  
D. She often helps Stacey.

4. What does Jean's uncle teach him?

A. To be grateful for the small things in life.
B. To be ready to help his community.
C. To treat others like friends.
D. To have a good family.

5. From his father, Melaku has learnt that________.

A. not everyone can be successful
B. money is not important in one's life
C. one should never ask others for help
D. he can do anything as long as he tries

     When writer Nicholas Carr began researching his book on whether the Internet is bad for our minds.
he restricted (限制) his online access.
     His new book "The Shallows:What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains"  suggests the latest technology makes us less able to think deeply.Cart found he couldn't concentrate and that he couldn't work on the
book while staying online.
     "So. I was only checking my email a couple of times a day rather than every 45 seconds.I found those
types of things really did make a difference. " he said.
     After at first feeling uncomfortable with his sudden loss of online connection. within a couple of weeks. Carr was able to stay concentrated on one task for a longer period.
     Carr wrote a 2008 Atlantic magazine piece that asked a question  "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"  
and wanted to dig deeper into how the Internet changes our minds.His book examines the history of
reading and the science of how using different media (媒體) changes our brains.Exploring how society
changed from an oral tradition to the printed word and to the Internet. he explains how the brain adjusts
itself to new information sources.
     Reading on the Internet has greatly changed how we use our brains. he writes.Facing a lot of text.
photos. videos. music. text messages. emails and blogs. our minds have become used to skimming (略
讀) and scanning (跳讀) information.As a result. we have developed sharper skills at making fast
decisions. Carr says.But now most of us infrequently read books. long essays or articles that would help
us concentrate. Carr writes.
     Carr says for centuries books helped focus our minds on one topic at a time.He has a suggestion for
those who feel web surfing has left them unable to concentrate-slow down. turn off the Internet and
practice the skills of being deep in thought.

1. Nicholas Carr's new book is mainly to study________.

A. the advantages of the Internet
B. the development of our brains
C. the ways of using the Internet
D. the bad influences of the Internet

2. What may we find in Nicholas Carr's new book?

A. The history of the Internet.
B. The media's influence on our brains.
C. Ways of reading online.
D. Ways of training our brains.

3. According to Nicholas Carr. we make fast decisions because of________.

A. our reading habits
B. our smarter brains
C. there being fewer books
D. there being less information

4. According to Nicholas Carr. ________.

A. people should spend more hours on Internet surfing
B. people can do a better job when they do web surfing
C. reading books helps people concentrate on one topic
D. Internet and latest technology make people think more deeply

5. What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

A. To change our habits of life.
B. To give us some warnings.
C. To ask us to buy Carr's new book.
D. To give us some useful advice.

     Having one of those days or weeks when everything seems to annoy you? Even if you do nothing about it,
your bad mood will probably go away after some time. But with a little effort, you can forget it much faster,
often within a day or two. 
     ●Walk it off
     Exercise is the most popular way to remove bad mood. A person who's in a bad mood has low energy and
high tension. Taking a fast ten-minute walk, or taking some quick exercise can do wonders towards changing
that bad mood. 
     ●Tune it out
     Listening to your favorite music for a while can also make ten- sions go away quickly, because music starts
associations with past positive experiences we've had. 
     ●Give yourself a pep talk
     Stop and listen to what's on your mind. Bad moods are often started by too many negative thoughts. Write
them all down on paper, including the pessimistic messages you've been giving yourself and then give optimistic
answers. 
     ●Avoid things that won't improve your mood
     TV may not help much you need to increase your energy level and stimulate your mind. And before you
reach for that piece of cake and coffee, think about how _____ are linked. Sugar and caffeine contribute to
depressed moods while carbohydrates, such as potatoes and pasta (意大利面食), produce a calming effect in
people who have a desire for them.

1. What's the general idea of this passage? (Please answer within 10 words.)
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Please design a pessimistic situation and then find an optimistic solution,following the third suggestion.
    (Please answer within 20 words.) 
    Situation: _____________________________________________________________________________
    Solution: _____________________________________________________________________________
4. Fill in the blank in the last paragraph with proper words. (Please answer within 10 words.)
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
5. What do most people do to beat the bad mood according to the passage? (Please answer within 10 words.)
   ______________________________________________________________________________________

［1］If you are worried about things and are under a lot of stress at work or school,then you are
prob-ably not sleeping well. Worry can keep you awake,tossing and turning in bed until the early hours
of the morning when you eventually fall asleep. When you wake up,you don't feel refreshed,but tired and
worn out and unable to face a new day.
［2］ Dr. Henry Winkle,i n a recent newspaper article entitled Stress and Sleep,indicates that       .Dr.
Winkle says,"The more we worry,the less we sleep,the more we are unable to deal with stress. If  we
can find a way to get a good night's sleep,"he adds,"we can often find the energy to deal with what's
worrying us."
［3］So,what is a good night's sleep? Research shows that the amount of sleep which people need in
order to keep healthy varies a lot. Seven hours is about the average amount,though strangely enough,
sleeping longer often gives you a headache instead of making you feel more refreshed.
［4］Dr. Winkle believes that preparing for sleeping is important. People who work late should try to
give themselves a short break and do something restful before going to bed. This could be watching TV
or listening to music. Doing some exercise earlier in the day should help you to feel physically as well as
mentally tired. A bedtime drink can also help,but coffee or tea should be avoided as they contain caffeine
and will keep you awake.
［5］ "When you put the light out," Dr. Winkle says,"concentrate on relaxing your muscles,working
slowly up from your feet,and you 'll be asleep before you know it."

1. What is the main idea of the text? (no more than 5 words)
                                                              
2. Complete the following statement with words from Paragraph 2. ( no more than 3 words)
People shouldn't go to sleep immediately but should           after working late in the night.
3. Point out the disadvantage of drinking coffee and tea before going to bed. (no more than 6 words)
                                                              
4. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words. (no more than 10 words)
                                                              
5.What does the word "it" (Line2,Paragraph5) probably refer to? (no more than 3 words)
                                                              

     Host family accommodation, or living with host families, remains popular among language travel students
for its advantages. These days, host families are trying to offer more in terms of quality, for they still have
something to worry about.
     Host family accommodation is often seen as the number-one choice for its advantages in language study,
cultural communication and cost of living. Staying alongside host families enables students to get enough
practice for the short time of their studying so that their language acquisition is likely to become faster. Living
in host families also has the advantage for students of being able to spend a lot of time communicating with
their "host parents", and get to know the local way of life, people and culture. Another advantage is that host
family accommodation can sometimes be the least expensive. It attracts students for it ensures them a family
type of living at a low cost.
     The advantages, however, have not prevented host families form worrying. On one hand, some host
families are losing their unique selling point. The problem is that the majority of hosts in big cites, now
generally single and young, have less times available for students but the selling point for host family
accommodation is communication practice. One the other hand, students' expectations have risen. They are
becoming more demanding and asking for more than ever from their accommodation, as they come mainly
from high socio-economic groups in their own countries.
     To get out of the difficult situation, host families are now making efforts to improve the quality of
service. They are trying to making living conditions better, including broadband Internet service, private
bathroom, and access to plenty of hot water for long showers. They are also providing students with
structured family activities.
     It is believed that host family accommodation will keep the popularity vote with language travel students.

     The methods of practicing economy (實(shí)行節(jié)儉) are very simple. 1______ That is the first rule. A part
should always be set apart for the future. The person who spends more than he earns, is a fool.
     The next rule is to pay necessary money. 2______ The person who spends more than he earns tends to
get cheated; and if he often does so, he will easily get dishonest.
     Another method of economy is, to keep a regular account of all that you earn. An orderly man will know
beforehand what he requires, and will be provided with the necessary means for getting it. Thus his budget
will be balanced. 3______
     It is difficult to fix the limits of economy. Bacon says that if a man would live well within his income, he
ought not to spend more than one half, and save the rest. This is perhaps too exact. He himself didn't follow
his own advice. That depends on circumstances.
     Wherever there is a large family, the more money that is put to one side and saved, the better. Economy
is necessary to the rich, as well as to the comparatively poor man. 4______ If he spends all that he earns, he
can help nobody. He cannot properly educate his children, nor put them in the way of starting fairly in the
business of life?
     Saved money, however little, will serve to dry up many a tear; will avoid many sorrows and heart burnings, which otherwise might damage us. 5______

A. tie will not spend money as he likes.
B. Spend less than you earn.
C. Without economy, a man cannot be generous.
D. And his expense will be kept within his income.
E. You can not expect anyone help you economically.
F. Never run into debt.
G. By doing this, a person walks with a lighter step-his heart beats more cheerily.

     You may ride on your bicycle in a rush to get to school every morning. You may fight to get a bit of space
on a bus or on the subway.   1         
     No matter where you are, all big cities around the world have traffic jams these days. But although they all
have their problems, many cities also have a type of transport (交通) that has become a cultural icon (圣像).
     In London, to avoid the traffic above ground, people use the "underground",also called the"tube".   2   With
12 lines and 275 stations across the city, the tube, is normally the quickest and easiest way of getting around
London. In London, you are never far from a tube station.
       3   They serve as a quick and easy way of getting across Manhattan, where the subway doesn't take you
everywhere. Stopping a cab is easy; just stick out your arm like you do in any city. But, with over 12,000
yellow cabs in the Big Apple, they also cause traffic jams.
     Since 1873 when the first cable car started public service, the slow and noisy vehicle has been a symbol of
San Francisco. The city was once damaged by a serious earthquake (地震) and challenged (挑戰(zhàn),考驗(yàn)) by cars.   4    
     But there are no such symbols in Los Angeles. If you visit you' d better rent a car.    5   It can take hours
to get across town by bus. The subway covers just a small part of the city center. The light rail line only runs
between the Long Beach hotel area and the city center. That' s why Angelenos love their private cars more than
any other people in the world.

A. However, it is never caught in traffic jams and provides better views than the subway.
B. You may also watch taxis crawl their way through traffic jams.
C. The city has the oldest and most complicated (復(fù)雜的 ) underground railway system in
    the world and is the pride of many Londoners.
D. The city' s public transportation is terrible.
E. As darkness fell, hundreds of people in the village left their houses.
F. New York is famous for its yellow cabs.

     Officials in South Africa are trying to make sure they can solve an unusual problem in the 2010
World Cup Finals-baboonjacking (狒狒打劫).
     For those who don't know what this is. just ask any person from Cape Town.They will tell you
that the local baboons like to enter cars and houses in search of food and drink.One special monkey.
Fred. has become quite famous.Mark Duffy. leader of a group tracking Fred and his 26 strong partners.
said. "Every day. it happens.He'll hit four or five cars in about five minutes.The way Fred operates is to
open car doors looking for food and drink.He also normally takes a handbag." Mr Duffy had a warning
for anyone who meets with Fred:"Don't try to get the bag back." This is good advice for the thousands
of soccer supporters.
     The Cape Town government is taking the baboon problem very seriously.They want to make sure
the World Cup is a wonderful event for everyone.They are worried about more obvious problems like
pickpockets  (小偷)  or rude people.The last thing they need is for soccer fans to be attacked or bitten
by baboons.They have already spent over US $650,000 trying to protect the city from the baboons.
Many soccer fans may not know how dangerous the baboons can be.They have a powerful bite that
would mean hospital treatment.
     City official Stephen Granger believes the soccer tournament (足球聯(lián)賽) will pass without incident:
"I don't think there is going to be any serious disruption (困擾) to tourists...We haven't seen baboons in
the Cape Town stadium yet."

1. It can be learned from the second paragraph that________.

A. the advice for soccer fans is not to bring handbags
B. Fred goes into cars taking not only food but handbags
C. Mark Daffy likes the monkeys in Cape Town
D. Mark Duffy is the leader of Fred's group

2. The underlined word "They" in Para.3 refers to________.

A. baboons
B. soccer fans
C. pickpockets
D. Cape Town government officials

3. What can we infer from the passage?

A. Cape Town is famous for its powerful baboons.
B. Not all people in Cape Town support the 2010 World Cup.
C. The safety issue in Cape Town is worrying.
D. South Africa has rich experience in holding sports events.

4. The underlined word "incident" in the last paragraph refers to "an event that is________".

A. useful  
B. satisfying
C. common  
D. unpleasant

5. The author writes the passage mainly to tell us________.

A. soccer fans are welcome in Cape Town
B. soccer fans love South African baboons
C. South Africa will succeed in holding the 2010 World Cup
D. the baboonjacking problem is being taken seriously in South Africa

     Men enjoy half an hour more leisure (休閑) time each day  than women. a report says.The
international survey found men spent more time watching television. meeting friends. playing sport
or enjoying hobbies than women.
     The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. made up of the world's richest
nations. said Britain came close behind France and America in the list of countries where women
work harder than men.The report called for greater equality for women.It said governments and firms
needed to do more to deal with the sex equality gap (差距).
     Former OECD reports have suggested the difference may be more to do with how each sex
chooses to spend its time which was not taken into account (考慮到) in the new report.The OECD
said shopping. having a bath. dressing. taking a nap or taking a long lunch all count as work rather
than leisure.If these are taken into account. British men have only 10 minutes more____________a
day than women.
      Men generally report spending more time on activities counted as leisure than women.Sex
differences in spare time  are wide across OECD countries.The 32minute leisure advantage for men
in Britain compares with 38 minutes in the US,33 minutes in France,50 minutes in Belgium and 22
minutes in Germany.Italian men spend nearly 80 minutes a day more than women on leisure time.
     Across the OECD countries,62 percent of women have jobs. and women earn a fifth less than men.
said the Daily Mail.
     The_study_showed_the_gap_was_a_result_of_women_taking_time_off_work_to_take_care_of
_their_children.

1. What does the new report mainly show?(Please    answer within 10 words.)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. List three activities that men spend more time in doing based on the passage.(Please answer within 8 words.)
(1)________________________________________________________________________
(2)________________________________________________________________________
(3)________________________________________________________________________
3. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 3 with proper words.(within 3 words)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. Which sentence in the passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?
In general. women report consuming less time on activities that are considered to be leisure activities.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. Translate the underlined sentence in the last paragraph into Chinese.
________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________