Lego, the inventor of those colorful bricks that have inspired kids’ imaginations world-wide, has celebrated its 50th anniversary.

On January 28, 1958, a man named Godtfred Kirk Christiansen created the plastic building bricks that can now be found in almost every child’s toy box. The simple building block has become one of the most well-known and popular toys around the world.

"The Lego brick continues to be very attractive, because it allows children, and others, to develop their creativity and imagination," said Charlotte Simonsen, a spokeswoman of the Danish Lego company.

The company’s building brick allows an infinite number of links. With just two bricks there are 24 different links, and with six, there are 915 million possibilities, according to Lego.

A half-century after its creation, more than 400 million children and adults spend five billion hours a year putting the bricks together and pulling them apart. Also, the bricks made today can still interlock with those made in 1958.

Lego bricks are not just child’s play: they also attract the interest of adults. South Korean adventurer, Heo Young-Ho, who climbed Mount Everest in 1987, left a Lego toy behind in the snow during his climb.

After its great success Lego experienced a severe crisis at the end of the 1990s, hit hard by fierce competition from electronic games. This so-called "Toy of the Century" then suffered a dark period that lasted several years.

With great efforts, the company began to prosper again, and in 2006 it earned about 1.5 billion dollars in 130 countries. Seven boxes of Lego are now sold every second around the world, and 19 billion bricks are produced each year: enough to encircle the Earth five times！

The Lego bricks have remained popular in the past 50 years as a result of _______.

  A. attracting many children worldwide  B. brought imagination to the children worldwide

  C. making the children and even adults worldwide creative and imaginative

  D. having infinite links that bring many imagination

The author gave the example of South Korean adventurer Heo Young-Ho in order to prove that ______.

  A. Heo Youn-Ho also loved playing Lego bricks

  B. the Lego bricks made him a mountain climber

  C. the Lego bricks not only interest children but also adults

  D. the Lego bricks are a must when on goes on an adventure

It can be inferred from the text that ______.

  A. there are 915 different links with just 6 bricks

  B. the Lego Bricks Company has made a lot of money from the people worldwide

  C. the Lego Bricks can’t compare with computer games

  D. the bricks made today don’t change much compared with those made in 1958

The underlined word “hit” in the seventh paragraph means _____.

  A. defeated in a fight or a competition

  B. have a crash in an accident or a fight

  C. get known through a song

  D. attack    somebody   in a fight

The main idea of the story is that _____.

  A. Lego bricks: brilliant past and struggling future

  B. Lego bricks: an attraction of both children and adults

  C. Lego bricks: making creativity and imagination

  D. Lego bricks: making billions of money every year

Computers are very important to modern life．Many people think that in the future computers will be used in lots of everyday life．It is thought that we won’t have to go shopping because we will be able to get most things which are sold in shops on the Internet．There will be no more books because we will be able to get all texts from computers．The Internet will be used to play games, see films and buy food．Most telephone calls will be made by computers, too．

Some people are glad about those new ways of shopping and communicating(交流)．Others do not think that computers will replace（代替）our old ways．

Some people think that one day we will not read books made of paper. Instead, we will buy and read books using computers, which will keep many different books in them at the same time．We won’t need to turn lots of pages and paper will be saved．Computerized (計算機化的) books will be used more and more．

While many people say it is a pleasure to go into shops and look at things you want to buy．It is also unlikely that many people will want to read large texts on our computers. Because paper books will perhaps be more friendly．Maybe computers won’t change these two habits．

Which is the main idea of this passage?

A. People like going shopping      B. Reading books is important

C. Computers are important   D. Computer can be used to play games

.There will be no more books because________.

A. There is no paper in the future.            B. People don’t like reading books.

C. They are very expensive.                 D. We can read passages from computers.

Which of the following is TRUE?

A. We can see films by computers.       B. People all like to go shopping by computers.

C. We can’t buy anything using computers. D. All the people like reading books from computers.

Which of the following is mentioned (提到) in the passage?

A. Computers can help us e-mail our friends.     B. We can chat by using computers.

C. Computers can help us make telephone calls.  D. We can listen to the music by computers.

Although he sometimes loses his temper, his students like him ________ for it.

　　A. not so much　B. not so little    C. no more　　　D. no less

_________ we admit that there are still some problems about NMET, we don't mean that it is of no use.

A. Until     B. While            C. As         D. Unless

You’ll be late for class unless you will get up at six.

              A     B       C         D

Poetry is an interesting form of writing. It is very free, has few restrictions and can be a great way to express feelings. Writing a poem is all about observing the world within you or around you.

To write a poem, first you should begin with an idea or inspiration(靈感). Inspiration may come at any time unexpectedly. It may be a specific person, place or thing that causes some sort of strong emotion. It may be more of an abstract idea or release of emotion.

After getting the idea, you can write down everything that comes to mind. Don’t think much and let all feelings pour out. Remember everything can be thrown out later.

Then you can think about its form and begin to organize thoughts. Poetry comes in any forms, from epic (敘事的) poetry that has a story to dramatic poetry intended to be performed. Try them all out. One will come naturally. Maybe different poems fit different forms. When you write a poem, think about both meter (韻律) and rhythm carefully, which are equally important in poetry. Meter is the fixed pattern of the poem, while rhythm refers to the sound when it is spoken. It is also important to use a lot of descriptive words. Create imagery (意向) with words, trying to make them attractive to all the senses. For auditory (聽覺的) interest, try repeating of similar sounds in a sentence or phrase. All of this adds life and interest to a poem.

After you finish your work, don’t be afraid to share your work with others. When others point out your weakness, accept and grow from it.

60. What does the underlined word “restriction” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

   A. Change        B. Order        C. Limitation      D. Organization

61. When you begin to write a poem, you should first _____.

   A. begin with some specific persons   B. come up with ideas

   C. describe a famous place           D. organize your thoughts

62. We can infer from the text that_________.

   A. writing poems needs imagination and the ability to use language well            

B. people can get more ideas if they often share their poems with others

C. people should first learn to write epic poetry, then dramatic poetry         

D. people need to write down every feeling they want to release at a time

63. What’s the purpose of the text?

   A. To tell readers how to write a poem.

B. To encourage more people to write poems.

C. To show what quality a good poem should have.   

D. To teach people how to appreciate poems.

I can’t tell one from the other because they are only ______(細微) different.

When people in the U. S. have company or when they’re invited to (formal or informal) get-togethers, they usually make a point of trying to make others feel comfortable and relaxed. On the whole, they tend to be informal. Men shake hands, but usually only when they’re introduced. Male friends and business associated (同事) who haven’ t seen each other in a while may shake hands when they say hello. Women usually don’t shake hands when being introduced to each other. When a woman and man are introduced, shaking hands is up to the woman. Americans rarely shake hands to say goodbye, except on business occasions. American women are used to being independent. They are used to going to places by themselves, making their own money, and often living alone. Sometimes they will ask men for help, but they usually don” t want to be protected. Since the women’s movement started, it’s not always clear whether women expect men to open doors or help them into their coats. American women may start conversations with men or even ask them to dance.

There are a lot of Americans who don’t smoke or drink, and many who don’t want people to do those things in their houses. It” s always best to ask for permission before you bring alcohol to a dinner or before you light up a cigarette, if you are with people you don’t know very well. Non-smokers have become more militant (好戰(zhàn)的) about smoking in public places. Many restaurants, for example, have set up special areas for smokers.

Houseguests may bring gifts when they come to visit, and they often offer to help in some way. As a guest, you may want to ask your host or hostess if there’s anything you can do to help in the kitchen. In many cases, the gesture is more important than actually helping.

“..., the gesture is more important than actually helping.” Here “gesture” means ________.

A．態(tài)度    B．話題    C．姿態(tài)    D．言行

．When American people are introduced to each other, _______.

A．men seldom shake hands

B．women often shake hands

C．a woman decides if she will shake hands with a man

D．a man decides if he will shake hands with a woman

______is not mentioned(提到)in the passage.

A．How to visit an American family   B．When American women’s movement started

C．American women are independent  D．Non-smokers hate smoking in public places

Which one is not right?

A．None of Americans want people to smoke or drink in their houses.

B．Many Americans don’t smoke or drink.

C．Many special areas for smokers have been set up in the U.S..

D．It’s best to ask before you smoke in America.

Work is a very important part of life in the United States. When the early Protestant immigrants(新教徒移民) came to this country, they brought the idea that work was the way to God and heaven. This attitude, the Protestant Work Ethic(道德規(guī)范), still influences America today. Work is not only important for economic benefits, the salary, but also for social and psychological needs, the feeling of doing something for the good of the society. Americans spend most of their lives working, being productive. For most Americans, their work defines(給…下定義) them: they are what they do. What happens then, when a person can no longer work? Almost all Americans stop working at age sixty-five or seventy and retire. Because work is such an important part of life in this culture, retirement can be very difficult. Retirees often feel that they are useless and unproductive. Of course, some people are happy to retire; but leaving one’s job, whatever it is, is a difficult change, even for those who look forward to retiring. Many retirees do not know how to use their time or they feel lost without their jobs. Retirements can also bring financial problems. Many people rely on Social Security checks every month. During their working years, employees contribute a certain percentage of their salaries to the government. Each employer also gives a certain percentage to the government. When people retire, they receive this money as income. These checks do not provide enough money to live on, however, because prices are increasing very rapidly. Senior citizens, those over sixty-five, have to have savings in the bank or other retirement plans to make ends meet. The rate of inflation(通貨膨脹) is forcing prices higher each year; Social Security checks alone cannot cover these growing expenses. The government offers some assistance(補助), Medicare(health care)and welfare(general assistance), but many senior citizens have to change their life styles after retirement. They have to spend carefully to be sure that they can afford to buy food, fuel and other necessities.

Of course, many senior citizens are happy with retirement. They have time to spend with their families or enjoy their hobbies. Some continue to work part time, others do volunteer(志愿) work. Some, like those in the Retired Business Executives Association, even help young, people to get started in new business. Many retired citizens also belong to “Golden Age” groups. These organizations plan trips and social events. There are many chances for retirees.

American society is only beginning to be concerned about the special physical and emotional needs of its senior citizens. The government is taking steps to ease the problem of limited income. They are building new housing, offering discounts(折扣) in stores and museums and on buses, and providing other services such as free courses, food service, and help with housework. Retired citizens are a rapidly growing percentage of the population. This part of the population is very important and we must meet their needs. After all, every citizen will be a senior citizen some day.

The author believes that work first became important to Americans because of _______.

A. religion             B. economy           C. psychology               D. family

The passage is mainly about _______.

A. money and check                           B. senior and junior

C. work and retirement                       D. Protestants and Americans

When Americans stop work, it’s difficult for them to _______.

A. get Social Security checks               B. feel productive

C. enjoy themselves                            D. be religious

The author mentions _______ examples of the government' steps to ease the problem of limited income.

A. two            B. four           C. five            D. three

Want a glance of the future of health care? Take a look at the way the various networks of people about patient care are being connected to one another, and how this new connectivity is being exploited to deliver medicine to the patient —no matter where he or she may be.

Online doctors offering advice based on normal symptoms(癥狀) are the most obvious example. Increasingly, however, remote diagnosis(遠程診斷) will be based on real physiological data(生理數(shù)據(jù)) from the actual patient. A group from the University of Kentucky has shown that by using personal data assistance plus a mobile phone, it is perfectly practical to send a patient’s important signs over the telephone. With this kind of equipment, the cry asking whether there was a doctor in the house could well be a thing of the past.

Other medical technology groups are working on applying telemedicine to rural(countryside) care. And at least one team wants to use telemedicine as a tool for disaster need—especially after earthquakes. On the whole, the trend is towards providing global access to medical data and experts’ opinions.

But there is one problem. Bandwidth(寬帶) is the limiting factor for sending complex(復雜的) medical pictures around the world — CT photos being one of the biggest bandwidth users. Communication satellites may be able to deal with the short-term needs during disasters such as earthquakes or wars. But medicine is looking towards both the second-generation Internet and third-generation mobile phones for the future of remote medical service.

Doctors have met to discuss computer-based tools for medical diagnosis, training and telemedicine. With the falling price of broadband communications, the new technologies should start a new time when telemedicine and the sharing of medical information, experts’ opinions and diagnosis are common.

The writer chiefly talks about _______.

       A. the use of telemedicine           B. the on-lined doctors

       C. medical care and treatment             D. communication improvement

The basis of remote diagnosis will be _______.

A. personal data assistance                 B. some words of a patient

       C. real physiological information         D. medical pictures from the Internet

Which of the following statements is true according to the text？

       A. Patients don’t need doctors in hospitals any more.

       B. It is impossible to send a patient’s signs over the telephone.

       C. Many teams use telemedicine dealing with disasters now.

       D. Broadband communications will become cheaper in the future.

The “problem” in the fourth paragraph refers to the fact that _______.

       A. bandwidth isn’t big enough to send complex medical pictures

       B. the second-generation of Internet has not become popular yet

       C. communication satellites can only deal with short-term needs

       D. there is not enough equipment for spreading the medical care