It’s rather difficult to make friends with him, but his friendship          , is more true than any other’s.

A．once gained      B．when to gain    C．after gaining     D．while gaining

We must read not only between the lines, but sometimes          the lines so that we can fully understand the writer.

A．within       B．among      C．besides     D．beyond

—Do you think you can get there on time?

—Yes,          the car doesn’t break down.

A．if only      B．even if      C．in case      D．so long as

—Ling Fang won the first prize in the national English competition.

—Oh, really? I’m glad that her efforts at last          .

A．worked out      B．got back   C．paid off    D．turned out

Polly wandered over the rough field looking for the smaller potatoes that the pickers had accidentally   1   . She found one, then another, then a handful. She was pleased. They were delicious   2   cooked.   3   she caught sight of something else. It looked like a piece of colored stone. Polly   4   it up and thought how   5   it was. She could see a   6   on it: a picture of a fish and a part of leaf. She scraped（刮除） the soil away around her feet and found that she was standing on   7   seemed to be a piece of pavement（鋪路石）.   8   to another piece of stone was something small and round like a button. She realized it was   9   .

The field was   10   the next morning. A group of distinguished-looking men and women   11   . That evening the local   12   station showed some pictures of the field with Polly pointing to the place.

   13   was proved to be of Roman origin and the discovery was being   14   as the most exciting thing that had happened in the area   15   the end of World War II.

A week later, the excavation（挖掘）was   16   under way. Permission had been given and the “dig”, as it was called, was expected to   17   several months. Polly noticed that so many   18   people around and cars coming and going had made the cows and sheep   19   . Her father said their cows produced less milk.

   20   , it was great fun. They had let her keep the gold coin.

1．A．lost                       B．found                  C．missed                D．got

2．A．once                     B．until                    C．while                  D．though

3．A．And                      B．So                      C．Then                   D．But

4．A．took                     B．picked                 C．got                     D．looked

6．A．pattern                  B．photo                  C．model                 D．portrait

7．A．which                   B．what                   C．where                 D．that

8．A．Stuck                   B．Opposite              C．Tired                  D．Similar

9．A．precious stone       B．an unusual photo  C．a gold button       D．an old coin

10．A．quiet                   B．moving                C．busy                   D．worrying

11．A．turned up             B．turned out            C．turned back         D．turned round

12．A．railway                B．radio                   C．television             D．police

13．A．He                      B．They                   C．It                        D．She

14．A．found                  B．described             C．written                D．recognized

15．A．by                      B．in                        C．at                       D．since

16．A．secretly               B．suddenly              C．officially              D．gradually

17．A．keep                   B．cost                    C．spend                  D．last

18．A．strange                B．poor                    C．strong                 D．foreign

19．A．surprise               B．calm                   C．restless               D．homeless

20．A．Besides               B．Even                   C．Therefore            D．Still

African-American talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is the world’s most powerful celebrity（名人）, according to Forbes magazine. It placed Winfrey at the top of the annual ranking of the 100 people with the biggest influence.

Winfrey, 51, draws 30 million viewers weekly in the United States. Her talk show reaches 112 countries. She earned US$225 million over the past 12 months to rank second in celebrity riches. The annual Forbes list gives most weight to annual earnings. But it also looks at the celebrity’s presence on the Internet and in the media. “After 21 years, her exciting chat show still rules the airwaves,” the magazine said.

Winfrey is most popular with her popular talk show “The Oprah Winfrey Show”. She can always attract the superstars and let them open up to her friendly interviewing style. Winfrey’s approach appears to be simple. She is in a pursue （追求）of self-improvement and self-empowerment（self-control）. This has proved to be just what people, especially women, want.

Winfrey often talks about her personal secrets on her show. That pulls in viewers. For example, she made it known that she had been terribly abused as a child, and has spoken freely of her struggle with her weight.

Her success has not just been on the screen. Her media group includes a women’s TV network and websites for women. Her work has extended to social change. In 1991, she did a lot of work for the National Child Protection Act. She made a statement before the US Senate to establish a national database （數據庫） of dangerous child abusers. The then President Bill Clinton later signed the “Oprah Bill” into law.

1．The annual Forbes list selects its celebrities according to          .

       A．their names

       B．their annual earnings

       C．their presence on the Internet and in the media

       D．their annual earnings and presence in the public

2．Which of the following statements is WRONG?

       A．Oprah Winfrey was the first of the 100 celebrities according to Forbes magazine.

       B．Oprah’s success has been only on the screen.

       C．Oprah can attract superstars and get them to open up to her interview.

       D．Oprah ranked second in celebrity riches that year.

3．The underlined phrase “rules the airwaves” in the passage means          .

       A．attracts many readers’ attention             B．causes many people to take planes

       C．has a large number of viewers               D．measures the airwaves

4．What’s the best title of the passage?

       A．Oprah Winfrey Conquering the Americans

       B．Oprah Winfrey the No 1 Celebrity

       C．Forbes Ranking First

       D．The Oprah Winfrey Show

African-American talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is the world’s most powerful celebrity（名人）, according to Forbes magazine. It placed Winfrey at the top of the annual ranking of the 100 people with the biggest influence.

Winfrey, 51, draws 30 million viewers weekly in the United States. Her talk show reaches 112 countries. She earned US$225 million over the past 12 months to rank second in celebrity riches. The annual Forbes list gives most weight to annual earnings. But it also looks at the celebrity’s presence on the Internet and in the media. “After 21 years, her exciting chat show still rules the airwaves,” the magazine said.

Winfrey is most popular with her popular talk show “The Oprah Winfrey Show”. She can always attract the superstars and let them open up to her friendly interviewing style. Winfrey’s approach appears to be simple. She is in a pursue （追求）of self-improvement and self-empowerment（self-control）. This has proved to be just what people, especially women, want.

Winfrey often talks about her personal secrets on her show. That pulls in viewers. For example, she made it known that she had been terribly abused as a child, and has spoken freely of her struggle with her weight.

Her success has not just been on the screen. Her media group includes a women’s TV network and websites for women. Her work has extended to social change. In 1991, she did a lot of work for the National Child Protection Act. She made a statement before the US Senate to establish a national database （數據庫） of dangerous child abusers. The then President Bill Clinton later signed the “Oprah Bill” into law.

1．The annual Forbes list selects its celebrities according to          .

       A．their names

       B．their annual earnings

       C．their presence on the Internet and in the media

       D．their annual earnings and presence in the public

2．Which of the following statements is WRONG?

       A．Oprah Winfrey was the first of the 100 celebrities according to Forbes magazine.

       B．Oprah’s success has been only on the screen.

       C．Oprah can attract superstars and get them to open up to her interview.

       D．Oprah ranked second in celebrity riches that year.

3．The underlined phrase “rules the airwaves” in the passage means          .

       A．attracts many readers’ attention             B．causes many people to take planes

       C．has a large number of viewers               D．measures the airwaves

4．What’s the best title of the passage?

       A．Oprah Winfrey Conquering the Americans

       B．Oprah Winfrey the No 1 Celebrity

       C．Forbes Ranking First

       D．The Oprah Winfrey Show

There seems never to have been civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do.

In the ancient world, as is today, most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are strictly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is true because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.

What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship, working parts, and technology. It is the universality（普遍性） of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, America, China, Japan and among the Arctic peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and ways of life because toys imitate their surroundings. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.

Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of rise. The progress from a rattle（撥浪鼓） used by a baby in 3000 BC to one used today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.

1．One part of “the universality of toys” lies in the fact that          .

       A．technological advances have greatly improved the durability of toys

       B．the improvement of craftsmanship in making toys depends on the efforts of universities.

       C．the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys

       D．the basic characteristics of toys are the same over the world

2．Which of the following is the author’s view on the historical development of toys?

       A．The craftsmanship in toy making has remained essentially unchanged.

       B．Toys have remained basically the same all through the centuries.

       C．The toy industry has witnessed great leaps in technology in recent years.

       D．Toys are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a child’s character.

3．Regarded as a kind of art form, toys          .

       A．follow a direct line of going upwards

       B．also attract the people of adults greatly

       C．are not characterized by technological progress

       D．reflect the pace of social progress

4．The author used the example of a rattle to show that          .

       A．in toy making there is a continuity in the use of materials

       B．even the simplest toys can reflect the progress of technology

       C．it often takes a long time to introduce new technology into toy making

       D．even a simple toy can mirror the artistic tastes of the time

Roaring Camp was the noisiest gold-mining town in 19th century California. More than 1000 men from every part of the US had come to that little camp, stopping for a short time on their way to get rich. The noise made by these rough, violent men gave the camp its name. Deaths were not unusual there, but a birth was big news. And one sunny morning, a baby came to Roaring Camp. In “the Luck of Roaring Camp”, Bret Harte tells this story of a baby among the miners, on Saturday, Jan, 25.

●Four times each year, a major event occurs that affects everyone’s life in some way—the season’s change. On December 21, spring turns into summer in the Southern Hemisphere and, in the North Hemisphere （which includes the United States）, autumn becomes winter. For some, winter is a time of joy, for others it’s a dreaded season filled with short, cold, gray days. On Saturday, December 21, Weekend shares an American winter-or at least some perspective on it. We talk with a psychologist about how seasonal changes affect people, with some school children about what winter means to them, and with Ken Bader about winter sports-from snow skiing in Colorado to water skiing in Florida.

●On December 4, 1887, Thomas Edison produced the first recorded sound. On Wednesday, December 4, the Magazine Show spins back through the history of recorded sound, takes a look at the astonishing advances of recent years, and previews the even more complicated technology we can expect in the next few years.

●Wednesday, December 11, marks the 49th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nation International Children’s Emergency Fund, or UNICEF. Created by the U.N. General Assmbly in 1946, UNICEF has played an important and necessary role in providing assistance to children in need everywhere. Daybreak Africa looks at the significance of the UNICEF anniversary.

1．If you want to know about American literature, you can           .

       A．turn to Bret Harte                                 B．pick up Daybreak

       C．wait for The magazine Show                D．spare your time for Weekend

2．Which is true according to the short passage?

       A．All the programs are arranged in the same month.

       B．A psychologist named Ken Bader will talk about how seasonal changes affect people.

       C．UNICEF has helped children in need everywhere.

       D．In 19th-century California it seemed easy for people to get rich.

3．What does the underlined word “dreaded” refer to?          .

       A．Very lovely and pleasant

       B．Very bad and unpleasant

       C．Causing fire

       D．Endless

4．From each of these short passages, we can learn about           .

       A．today’s American society                      B．some international TV programs

       C．the history of the UN      D．some important event

The human brain contains 10 thousand million cells and each of these may have a thousand connections. Such large numbers used to discourage us and cause us to remove the possibility of making a machine with human-like ability, but now we have grown used to moving forward at such a pace we can be less sure of. Quite soon, in only 10 or 20 years perhaps, we will be able to fit a machine as complex as the human brain, and if we can we will. It may then take us a long time to make it intelligent by loading in the right software or by changing the architecture, but that too will happen.

I think it certain that in decades, not centuries, machines of silicon（硅） will arise first to rival（競爭） and then go beyond their human ancestors. Once they go beyond us they will be capable of their own design. In a real sense they will be able to reproduce themselves. Silicon will have ended carbon’s long control. And we will no longer be able to claim ourselves to be the finest intelligence in the known universe.

As the intelligence of robots increases to match that of humans and as their cost declines through economies of scale, we may use them to expand our frontiers, first on earth through their ability to resist environments, harmful to ourselves. Thus, deserts may bloom and the ocean beds be mined. Further ahead, by a combination of the great wealth this new age will bring and the technology it will provide, the construction of a vast, man-created world in space, home to thousands or millions of people, will be within our power.

1．In what way can we make a machine intelligent?

       A．By making it work in such environments as deserts, oceans or space.

       B．By working hard for 10 or 20 years.

       C．By either properly programming it or changing its structure.

       D．By reproducing it.

2．What does the writer think about machines with human-like ability?

       A．He believes they will be useful to human beings.

       B．He believes that they will control us in the future.

       C．He is not quite sure in what way they may influence us.

       D．He doesn’t consider the construction of such machines possible.

3．A robot can be used to expand our frontiers when          .

       A．its intelligence and cost are beyond question

       B．it is able to bear the rough environment

       C．it is made as complex as the human brain

       D．its architecture is different from that of the present ones

4．It can be inferred from the passage that           .

       A．after the installation（system） of a great number of cells and connections, robots will be capable of self-reproduction.

       B．with the rapid development of technology, people have come to realize the possibility of making a machine with human-like ability.

       C．once we make a machine as complex as the human brain, it will possess intelligence.

       D．robots will have control of the vast, man-made world in space.