Anti-bird flu contingency (意外事故) measures, including a proposal to separate poultry from humans and a series of traffic and logistics (后勤) measures will be discussed at the Legislative Council's Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene Panel meeting next month. Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Dr York Chow says the contingency plan would come into force if an outbreak occurred near Hong Kong.
Speaking on a radio talk show this morning, Dr Chow said the separation of poultry from humans policy, which will be determined after a decision whether to set up a central slaughtering (屠宰) house or several regional ones, would be based on the demand for live chickens.
He pointed out that at present there were 30,000 live chickens imported from the Mainland and 30,000 supplied locally. If this demand persisted, there would be no central slaughtering house or wholesale point that could handle such an amount and regional slaughtering houses could be the choice.
He added that building of regional slaughtering houses took time, but stressed the need to study the views of the public and the sector before a final decision was made.
Regarding avian flu vaccination (种痘) for humans, Dr Chow said it was still being developed. He added that it may not be reliable in the case of an outbreak as records show vaccination can only offer 5% protection against a virus.
He said Hong Kong had more experience and expertise than neighbouring territories in the fight against viral outbreaks, and was willing to offer them help. He added there was no “boundary” for infectious diseases and close cooperation among different countries had to be maintained to fight against a possible outbreak. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that ______.
| A．the government is planning to take strong action to fight against bird flu |
| B．an outbreak which happened near Hong Kong made people very frightened |
| C．anti-bird flu contingency measures will come into use next month |
| D．Dr York Chow will organize a meeting to discuss the contingency plan |
According to the passage, the best way to fight against bird flu is to ______.
| A．separate poultry from humans | B．set up a central slaughtering house |
| C．set up several regional slaughtering houses | D．get avian flu vaccination |
When the final decision will be made mainly depends on ______.
| A．the demand for live chickens | B．the views of the public |
| C．the advice from experts | |
| D．the time when regional slaughtering houses will be finished |
Which of the following statements isn’t Dr York Chow’s opinion?
| A．Hong Kong is better at dealing with viral outbreaks than its neighbours. |
| B．Infectious diseases could happen in any country. |
| C．Other territories should ask Hong Kong for help because it has more experience. |
| D．Cooperation is quite necessary when danger is coming. |
Can you remember the first time you learned to ride a bike or drive a car？Learning these skills changed your life forever and opened up new horizons（视野）. Learning about computers can be like learning how to ride a bike or drive a car. Once you have invested the time to master the skills，you will never go back to the old days. The new technology is simply too convenient and too powerful.
Technological developments through the years have enabled us to do more with less effort. We have continuously looked for better ways of doing things. Each invention and new development has allowed us to extend our capabilities. Today we see one of the most dramatic technologies ever developed—the computer. It extends the capabilities of our minds.
Computers have saved organizations millions of dollars. Furthermore，these same computer systems have opened up new opportunities that would have gone undiscovered or neglected. The computer may multiply what we can do，and the return on investment is high. The growth of computer usage is surprising. On the other hand，the computer can do serious damage. Invasion of privacy（侵犯隐私），fraud（欺诈），and computer-related mistakes are just a few shocking examples.The computer is like a double-edged sword. It has the ability to cut us free from some activities，but it can also cut deep into profits，personal privacy，and our society in general. How it is used is not a function of technology. It is strictly a function of how people decide to use or misuse this new technology. The choice is yours，and only through a knowledge of computer systems will you be able to avoid the dangers while enjoying the many，many benefits of the computer age.The writer thinks learning about computers is like learning how to ride a bike or drive a car because ______.
| A．it is simple and practical |
| B．it needs a lot of practice |
| C．it leads people to new life experiences |
| D．it takes much time to master the skills |
According to the passage，computers bring people the following benefits EXCEPT ______.
| A．avoiding mistakes | B．saving money |
| C．making money | D．opening up opportunities |
This passage is probably written for ______.
| A．computers | B．computer producers |
| C．computer learners | D．computer programmers |
Two thieves came to a house to steal something. They dug a hole in the wall of the house.
There lived many mice in the house. The woman in the moonlight saw a mouse crawl into the house.“Look！In comes one，”she said to the man in the house. The thief was so frightened that he hurriedly crawled out of the house and said to the one waiting outside，“She found me when I was just in.” But the thief outside didn’t believe him，so he said，“Let us two try to crawl into the house together.”At that time two mice happened to crawl into the house，too. The woman saw the mice and shouted，“In come two，catch them！” The two thieves were terribly frightened. The man in the house said，“You saw them come in but where are they？ I will catch them tonight.”The two thieves started running away at once.
The two thieves wanted to make it clear whether they had been found or not the night before. The next day they acted as men selling sweet potatoes and came before the house. The man and the woman were ploughing in their fields. The rein（缰绳）broke and the woman came home for a rope. She saw two men selling sweet potatoes and wanted to buy some. She picked out two which looked like mice. At the time the man couldn’t wait for her any longer in the fields and he ran back from the fields to hurry her up. The woman showed the sweet potatoes to the man and said，“How they look like the two of last night.”The man said，“I asked you to fetch a rope，why don’t you hurry for it？”The two thieves ran away quickly without their sweet potatoes.The two thieves failed to steal anything from the house because______.
| A．they were found out |
| B．they were frightened by what they had heard in the house |
| C．they didn’t work together well with each other |
| D．mice stopped them from doing so |
From the last paragraph，we know that ______.
| A．the two thieves were famous selling sweet potatoes |
| B．the woman recognized the two thieves |
| C．the woman pretended to know nothing about the two thieves and made fun of them |
| D．the two thieves didn’t know that they were not found at all |
“______”is the best title for this passage.
| A．Two Clever Thieves | B．Terrible Mice |
| C．Hit the Mark by a Fluke | D．A Clever Couple |
Which of the following statements is FALSE？
| A．The two thieves not only failed to steal things but also lost their sweet potatoes. |
| B．Whenever they found mice，the people in the house would try to catch them. |
| C．The two thieves ran away at once，because they thought the woman had seen them. |
| D．The man let the woman go home for a rope，which would be used for catching the thieves. |
Tourism probably started in Roman times. Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman empire. But when the empire broke down, this kind of tourism stopped.
In the early 17th century, the idea of the“Grand Tour”was born. Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel. They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice in Italy. Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city. The“Grand Tour”was an important part of young people’s education—but only for the rich.
In the 18th century, tourism began to change. For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to“take the waters”.They believed that the water there was good for their health. So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns.
In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster. When the first railways were built in the 1820s,it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays by the sea. And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier.
Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built. People began to travel more to far away countries.
The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people. Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them.
Thus tourism grew. In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays. The company organizes everything—plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food—and tourists pay for it all before they leave home. The package tour and modern tourist industry was born.
The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949.But tourism did not take off until 1978.In 2002,the industry was worth 500 billion Yuan and became an important part of China’s social development.In the early times, the travelers ________.
| A．all came from Roman | B．were very young and strong |
| C．had lots of money | D．traveled by boat |
________ played the most important role in the tourism development.
| A．Education | B．Money | C．Transportation | D．People’s ideas |
Modern tourism was born ________.
| A．in 1949 | B．in Roman times |
| C．in the early 17th century | D．in the 19th century |
The underlined phrase“take off”means ________.
| A．a plane rising into the air | B．develop very fast |
| C．remove hats and clothes | D．bring down the prices |
Alzheimer’s disease is a major national health problem. Nearly 2 million Americans over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s disease. It is a leading cause of death among the elderly. But Alzheimer’s disease is not confined （限于） to the aged. There may be a million or more people under the age of 65 suffering from the disease.
At one time, people suffering from the disease were said to be“getting old”.The disease was thought to be a natural part of growing old, but it is now known that Alzheimer’s disease strikes young and old alike. It is an organic disease which destroys brain cells.
Alzheimer’s disease affects the patient’s memory, speech, and movement. In the beginning stages of the disease, the patient may seem slightly confused. He may have trouble speaking, then the patient’s memory begins to fail. He may forget dates, numbers, names and plans.
As the disease progresses, the patient may not recognize family and friends. These symptoms（症状） often cause terrible anxiety in the patient. He may feel lost and frightened. Sometimes the patient reacts with wild and bad behavior.
In the last stages of the disease, the patient may not be able to take care of himself. He may have lost the ability to speak and walk.
Scientists don’t know exactly what causes Alzheimer’s disease. It may be caused by a virus.It may be caused by a poisonous substance（物质） in the environment. At present, there is no cure for the disease. But there are ways to slow its progress. Exercise and physical treatment can help the patients of this disease.The main idea of the passage is that Alzheimer’s disease ________.
| A．is a terrible part of the aging process |
| B．is an organic disease that affects young and old |
| C．can be cured by physical treatment |
| D．causes forgetfulness |
All of the following are symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease EXCEPT________.
| A．forgetfulness | B．difficulty in speaking |
| C．loss of sight | D．loss of the ability to walk |
According to the passage, which of the following may be a cause of Alzheimer’s disease?
| A．Poisons produced by the brain. | B．Getting old. |
| C．A virus. | D．Lack of exercise. |
The progress of Alzheimer’s disease can be slowed by________.
| A．operation | B．a change in environment |
| C．medicines | D．physical treatment and exercise |
Becoming a fireman is a challenging and competitive job today. A fireman’s main duty is being scheduled according to the fighting and extinguishment(熄灭) of fire which definitely requires being a strong man, both mentally and physically.
The duty of a fireman involves protection of life and property of the public. They are the servicemen who are decisively selected by an organization to deal with situations like fire. The duty of a fireman intentionally consists of helping innocent people in their time of need. Such type of jobs is one of those few jobs where service is provided for people when they need help immediately. This may include rescuing people from a building at fire, providing them with medical facilities, extinguishing fire in a house or in a large commercial building. Serving people is the main intention of these professionals. The satisfaction which a fireman gets from this type of job cannot be compared to any other profession in the world.
Such profession demands top-level commitment and professionalism from .those who have chosen it as a career. Fireman should possess the highest level of courage and patience to put their lives in danger for the sake of others. They undergo lessons of maintaining patience for long hours and go through complete preparation to become successful and well-organized professional firemen. There are certain tests that are recommended before becoming a fireman.
It’s not that easy to become a fireman nowadays. A fireman is supposed to deal with unexpected situations, and they should be skilled at communicating with others and be self-disciplined at the same time.
In order to be a good fireman, one must undergo（经历、接受） strict local fire department’s training program after passing all the tests. All the fire departments conclude a two-to-four-month course, including classroom training and practical training that cover firefighting techniques, fire avoidance, dangerous materials and urgent situation medical actions. Completing this training, trainees go through the department’s trial period of service that can last from three to six months, depending on the methods of selection.
Firemen usually work both indoors and outdoors. They have to be on duty at all times and mostly work in shifts of at least 8 hours. They are also provided with several benefits which include medical aid plan, pension fund, annual leave and many more.
Title: Fireman
| Definition |
The servicemen decisively selected by an organization to |
| ● Helping innocent people ● Rescuing people from a building at-fire and providing them with medical facilities. ● |
|
| Requirements |
● Having top-level commitment and professionalism. ● Being courageous and ● Being strong both in body and ● Having good ● Being self-disciplined. |
| ● Firefighting techniques, fire avoidance, dangerous materials and urgent situation medical actions. ● The department’s trial period of service which possibly |
|
| Medical aid plans, pension fund, annual leave and many more. |