●●●
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is likely to visit China at an “ appropriate” time this year, a senior Chinese military official said on Monday. Colonel Tu Qiming, director of the American and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Foreign Affairs Office at the National Defence Ministry, made the remark during Sino -US defence talks this week. This is the first ever “special defence policy dialogue” between the two defence ministries, according to the Chinese military.
●●●
FRANCES Agriculture Ministry has confirmed (证实) the first case of mad cow disease detected in a goat last Friday. The goat killed in 2002 tested positive for mad cow disease. It is the first case in the world of the fatal disease being found in an animal other than a bovine. The human form of mad cow disease causes brain - wasting, personality change, loss of body function, and ends in death. The European Commission has not advised any change in farming and consuming goats, said the French Ministry in a statement published last Friday.
●●●
MOBILE phone sales hit a new record in 2004, with some 684 million units sold around the world, the US research institute Strategy Analytics said on Thursday. The number represents an increase of 32 per cent over 2003, when 571 million units were sold. Strategy Analytics predicts a more modest rise of 8 per cent for this year, to 735 million. Finnish cellphone provider Nokia stayed out in front in 2004, with sales of 207.6 million units, giving it a market share of 30.4 per cent. Motorola moved to No 2, just ahead of the South Korean company Samsung.
●●●
SIX male penguins (雄企鹅) at a German zoo are proving stubbornly resistant to females brought in from Sweden to make them into breeding (繁殖). Of the ten male penguins at the zoo, six have formed into " homosexual" couples and have shown no interest in the females, making breeding an impossibility. So the zoo imported the four female penguins from Sweden last month, full of hope that the new arrivals could “turn” the males. But so far, the boys are remaining strictly with the boys.How many countries are mentioned in the pieces of news?
| A．Six. | B．Five. | C．Three. | D．Seven. |
From the fourth piece of news we know that ．
| A．the scientists haven’t succeeded in doing their experiment |
| B．the scientists have successfully got six female penguins into breeding |
| C．the Sweden girls made the boys show interest in them |
| D．German boys don’t like Sweden boys |
Which of the following are the suitable headlines for the pieces of news?
| A．a. US Defence Secretary Visit Likely | B．a. US Defence Secretary Visit Likely b. France Confirms 'Mad Goat" Caseb. France Confirms ' Mad Goat" Case c. Nokia Stays on Topc. Mobile Phone Sales d. Male Penguins and Female Penguinsd. Birds of a Feather |
| C．a. Defence Policy Dialogue | D．a. Sino - US Talks |
b. Mad Goat Disease b. Mad Goat Case
c. Mobile Phone Sales c. Motorola' s Sales Reduced
d. Importing Female Penguins d. Boys and Girls
Life-long learning is the concept that “It’s never too soon or too late for learning.” — a philosophy that has taken root in a larger number of different organizations. Life-long learning is an attitude — learners believe that one can and should be open to new ideas, decisions, skills or behaviors. Life-long learning throws the well-known rule “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” out of the door. Life-long learning provides the general public with learning opportunities at all ages and in different ways: at work, at home and through leisure activities, not just through formal channels such as school and higher education.
Life-long education is often achieved through distance learning or e-learning, continuing education, home schooling, etc. It also includes training programs for those who want to improve their qualifications, bring their skills up to date or retrain for a new line of work. In later life, especially in retirement, continued learning takes various forms, crossing traditional academic limits.
One of the reasons why life-long education has become so important is the rapid progress of modern science and technology. Although the period of primary, secondary and university education is increased, the knowledge and skills gained there are usually not sufficient for a professional career spanning(跨越) three or four decades.The philosophy of life-long learning goes against the concept that “ ______”.
| A．It’s never too late to learn. |
| B．Whoever cares to learn will always find a teacher. |
| C．A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. |
| D．You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. |
What is the main idea behind life-long education?
| A．To force people to keep in learning new skills throughout their working life. |
| B．To provide teachers with extra income. |
| C．To allow people to have chances to receive education throughout their life. |
| D．To prevent students from learning at school. |
The underlined word “sufficient” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “______”.
| A．popular | B．well-educated |
| C．well-informed | D．enough |
It can be inferred that ______.
| A．life-long education is the requirement of fast development of education |
| B．the increased period of school education is a supplement（补充） to life-long learning |
| C．the education system is failing to keep pace with rapid technology development |
| D．life-long education is intended for retired workers at home |
“I would almost rather see you dead,” Robert S. Cassatt, a leading banker of Philadelphia, shouted when his twenty-year-old eldest daughter announced that she wanted to become an artist. In the 19th century, playing at drawing or painting on dishes was all right for a young lady, but serious work in art was not. And when the young lady’s family ranked(位列) among the best of Philadelphia’s social families, such an idea could not even be considered.
That was how Mary Cassatt, born in 1844, began her struggle as an artist. She did not tremble before her father’s anger. Instead, she opposed(抗拒)him with courage and at last made him change his mind. Mary Cassatt gave up her social position and all thought of a husband and a family, which in those times was unthinkable for a young lady. In the end, after long years of hard work and perseverance(坚持), she became America’s most important woman artist and the internationally recognized leading woman painter of the time.How did Mr Cassatt react when his daughter made her announcement?
| A．He feared for her life. | B．He warned her. |
| C．He nearly killed her. | D．He was very angry. |
What in fact was Mr Cassatt’s main reason in opposing his daughter’s wish?
| A．Drawing and painting was simply unthinkable among ladies in those days. |
| B．He did not believe his daughter wanted to work seriously in art. |
| C．Ladies of good families simply did not become artists in those times. |
| D．He believed an artist’s life would be too hard for his daughter. |
What made Mary Cassatt’s “struggle” to become a recognized artist especially hard?
| A．Her father opposed her. |
| B．She was a woman. |
| C．She had no social position. |
| D．She did not come from an artist’s family. |
What do we know about Mary Cassatt’s marriage?
| A．She never married because she did not want to be just a wife and mother. |
| B．Her marriage failed because she never gave a thought to her husband and family. |
| C．After marriage she decided to give up her husband rather than her career. |
| D．She didn’t marry because for a lady of her social position to marry below her was unthinkable. |
Sir Steven Redgrave
Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals
“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes(糖尿病). Believing my career was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it — the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”
Karen Pickering
Swimming World Champion
“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success — you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”
Kirsten Best
Poet & Writer
“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological(心理的) tool”What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?
| A．He overcame the bad influence of illness to win. |
| B．Specialists offered him medical advice. |
| C．Training helped him defeat his disease. |
| D．Difficulties influenced his career. |
What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?
| A．Her daily happenings. | B．Her training schedule. |
| C．Her achievements. | D．Her sports career. |
What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to？
| A．Activities that turn one’s attention away. |
| B．Ways that help one to focus. |
| C．Words that help one to feel less tense. |
| D．Habits that make it hard for one to relax. |
According to the passage, what do the three people have in common?
| A．Courage. | B．Self-confidence. |
| C．Devotion. | D．Hard work. |
Choose Your One-Day-Tours!
Tour A - Bath &Stonehenge: including entrance fees to the ancient Roman bathrooms and Stonehenge -￡37 until 26 March and ￡39 thereafter.
Visit the city with over 2,000 years of history and Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent and the Costume Museum, Stonehenge is one of the world's most famous prehistoric monuments dating back over 5,000 years.
Tour B - Oxford & Startford including entrance fees to the University St Mary's Church Tower and Anne Hathaway's -￡32 until 12 March and ￡36 thereafter
Oxford: Includes a guided tour of England's oldest university city and colleges. Look over the "city of dreaming spires(尖顶）"from St Mary’s Church Tower. Stratford: Includes a guided tour exploring much of the Shakespeare wonder.
Tour C - Windsor Castle &Hampton Court including entrance fees to Hampton Court Palace -￡34 until 11 March and ￡37 thereafter.
Includes a guided tour of Windsor and Hampton Court, Henry VILL's favorite palace. Free time to visit Windsor Castle(entrance fees not included).With 500 years of history, Hampton Court was once the home of four Kings and one Queen. Now this former royal palace is open to the public as a major tourist attraction. Visit the palace and its various historic gardens, which include the famous maze(迷宫)where it is easy to get lost!
Tour D -Cambridge including entrance fees to the Tower of Saint Mary the Great -￡33 until 18 March and ￡37 thereafter.
Includes a guided tour of Cambridge, the famous university town, and the gardens of the 18th century.Which tour will you choose if you want to see England’s oldest university city?
| A．Tour A |
| B．Tour B |
| C．Tour C |
| D．Tour D |
Which of the following tours charges the lowest fee on 17 March?
| A．Windsor Castle & Hampton Court |
| B．Oxford & Stratford |
| C．Bath & Stonehenge |
| D．Cambridge |
Why is Hampton Court a major tourist attraction?
| A．It used to be the home of royal families |
| B．It used to be a well-known maze |
| C．It is the oldest palace in Britain |
| D．It is a world-famous castle |
More students than ever before are taking a gap year(间隔年) before going to university. It used to be the “year off” between school and university. The gap-year phenomenon originated(起源) with the months left over to Oxbridge applicants between entrance exams in November and the start of the next academic year.
This year, 25,310 students who have accepted places in higher education institutions have put off their entry until next year, according to statistics on university entrance provided by the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS).
That is a record 14.7% increase in the number of students taking a gap year. Tony Higgins from UCAS said that the statistics are good news for everyone in higher education. “Students who take a well-planned year out are more likely to be satisfied with, and complete, their chosen course. Students who take a gap year are often more mature and responsible,” he said.
But not everyone is happy. Owain James, the president of the National Union of Students (NUS), argued that the increase is evidence of student hardship – young people are being forced into earning money before finishing their education. “New students are now aware that they are likely to leave university up to￡15,000 in debt. It is not surprising that more and more students are taking a gap year to earn money to support their study for the degree. NUS statistics show that over 40% of students are forced to work during term time and the figure increases to 90% during vacating periods,” he said.What do we learn about the gap year from the text?
| A．It is flexible in length. |
| B．It is a time for relaxation |
| C．It is increasingly popular |
| D．It is required by universities |
According to Tony Higgins. students taking a gap year ____.
| A．are better prepared for college studies |
| B．know a lot more about their future job |
| C．are more likely to leave university in debt |
| D．have a better chance to enter top universities |
How does Owain James feel about the gap-year phenomenon?
| A．He’s puzzled |
| B．He’s worried |
| C．He’s surprised |
| D．He’s annoyed |
What would most students do on their vacation according to NUS statistics?
| A．Attend additional courses. |
| B．Make plans for the new term |
| C．Earn money for their education |
| D．Prepare for their graduate studies |