When my first wartime Christmas came, I was in basic training in New Jersey and not sure if I could make it home for the holidays. Only on the afternoon of December 23 was the list of men who would have three-day holidays posted. I was one of the lucky soldiers. It was Christmas eve when I arrived home, and a light snow had fallen. Mother opened the front door. I could see beyond her, into the corner of the living room where the tree had always stood. There were lights, all colors, and ornaments (装饰物) shining against the green of a pine. “Where did it come from?” I asked.
“I asked the Gates boy to cut it,” my mother said. “I wouldn’t have had one just for myself, such a rush！He just brought it in this afternoon…” The pine reached to the proper height, almost to the ceiling, and the tree top crystal star was in its place. A few green branches reached about a little awkwardly at the side, I thought, and there was a bit of bare trunk showing in the middle. But the tree filled the room with warm light and the whole house with the pleasant smell of Christmas. “It’s not like the one you used to find,” my mother went on. “Yours were always in good shape. I suppose the Gates boy didn’t know where to look for a good one. But I couldn’t be fussy (挑剔的)．”
“Don’t worry,” I told her. “It’s perfect.” It wasn’t, of course, but at the moment I realized something for the first time: all Christmas trees are perfect． From the passage, we can infer that ______．
| A．the writer spent his first Christmas during the war |
| B．soldiers did not all go home for Christmas during the war |
| C．all the soldiers had three-day holidays |
| D．the writer could not go home for Christmas |
When the writer got home, ______．
| A．it was December 23th |
| B．it was snowing heavily |
| C．he found a Christmas tree in the living room |
| D．the Gates boy was cutting a Christmas tree for his mother |
From this passage，we can conclude that ______．
| A．the writer used to cut very beautiful Christmas trees |
| B．his mother didn’t like perfect trees |
| C．his mother didn’t want to have a tree |
| D．the writer wouldn’t have a tree cut by someone else |
“All Christmas trees are perfect”，because they can remind you of ______．
| A．the wartime | B．the green of a pine |
| C．the pleasant smell | D．the sweet home |
The best title for this passage would be “______”．
| A．How to Choose a Christmas Tree |
| B．How Soldiers Spent Christmas |
| C．The Perfect Christmas Tree |
| D．The Christmas Without a Tree |
Looking back on China’s road to outer space, people can easily find it has not been very smooth. In the past years, Chinese people have made hard and determined efforts to realize the dream their ancestors had for thousands of years.
After China’s first satellite into the Earth’s orbit in 1970 came four flights of unmanned Shenzhou missions(飞行) from 1999 to 2002. The country carried out its first one-piloted space flight in October, 2003, making China the third country in the world to have independent human spaceflight ability after the Soviet Union and the United States. Then came another breakthrough on October 12, 2005, when Shenzhou 6, China’s second human spaceflight, was launched, with a crew of two astronauts. What’s more, the landmark spacewalk done by Zhai Zhigang, one of the three boarding Shenzhou 7, launched on Sept. 25, 2008, leads the country further in its space exploration.
Meanwhile, China’s moon exploration project, started in 2004, has also been progressing satisfactorily. Fifty years after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first man-made satellite, China’s first circumlunar(绕月的)satellite Chang’e 1 took off on Oct.24, 2007, which became another milestone(里程碑) in China’s space achievements after the above-mentioned manned flights. Chang’e 1 was expected to fulfill four scientific goals, one of which was to probe（勘探）mineral elements on the moon, especially those not existent on Earth. It’s said that the lunar regolith(月壤) is abundant in helium-3, a clean fuel that may support the Earth’s energy demands for more than a century. Nearly 3 years later, Oct. 1, 2010 witnessed the blasting off of Chang’e 2, China’s 2nd unmanned lunar probe, marking another step forward in moon exploration. This time the aim is to test the key techniques of Chang’e 3 and Chang’e 4, as a preparation for a soft lunar landing in the future.
With great expectations, people all over the world are looking forward to China’s greater space achievements. Altogether how many astronauts have made successful spaceflight by Shenzhou spaceship by now?
| A．4 | B．5 | C．6 | D．7 |
According to the text, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．China sent its first satellite into the Moon’s orbit in 1970. |
| B．China is the third country in Asia to make human spaceflight. |
| C．China has blasted off 4 unmanned lunar probes. |
| D．The launching of Chang’e 1 became the third milestone in China’s space achievements. |
We can infer from the text that __________.
| A．China’s road to outer space has not been very smooth for a long time |
| B．the lunar regolith is believed to be rich in a clean fuel called helium-3 |
| C．China’s lunar exploration project was started in 2004 and completed in 2007 |
| D．China’s scientists are researching into techniques for soft lunar landing |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Ancient Chinese’s Dream | B．China’s Major Space Achievements |
| C．China’s Moon Exploration | D．The World’s Great Expectations |
Russian President Putin named Time magazine's "Person of the Year"
Russian President Vladimir Putin was named Time magazine's’ "Person of the Year" on December 19th. 2007 for strengthening stability（稳定）that made Russia a world power again.
The magazine recognized Putin's "extraordinary feat（技艺）of leadership in taking a country that was in a mess and bringing it stability，"said Richard Stengel，Time's managing editor.
The magazine noted that "Person of the Year" is not an honor or an endorsement（认可）but a recognition of leadership that shapes the world.
Putin，who is 56 years old，is very popular in Russia，making a great effort to cause economy to come to life on revenue（收入）from oil and natural gas.
Putin recently supported vice-PM Dmitry Medvedev's presidential bid，and said he would accept Medvedev's offer to serve as prime minister if Medvedev is elected on March 2.
The Kremlin said Wednesday the Time recognition was seen there as an acknowledgement of Putin's role in helping Russia pull out of its social and economic troubles in the 1990s.
Others considered for "Person of the Year" included Nobel Prize-winner Al Gore and author J.K. Rowling.
This year's choice was a return to the magazine's tradition of picking an individual rather than last year's choice of "You"，which refers to anyone creating or using content on the World Wide Web.
Putin is the fifth Russian（or Soviet）leader to be named Person of the Year：Gorbachev，Andropov，Khrushchev and Stalin，who was named twice.How did Putin try to make Russia a world power again？
| A．By performing arms race. | B．By making war. |
| C．By strengthening stability. | D．By getting foreign help. |
How many times have Russian leaders been named "Person of the Year" so far？
| A．Five times. | B．Six times. | C．Seven times. | D．Eight times. |
Which of the following is Not True according to the passage？
| A．Russia used to be in a mess. |
| B．Time always picks an individual to be the "Person of the Year". |
| C．Oil and natural gas caused Russia's economy to come to life. |
| D．Putin will leave office on March 2nd, 2007. |
What is the author’s attitude towards the matter?
| A．Negative | B．Positive | C．Criticize | D．Objective |
Different exercise types have different purposes and different benefits. One type of exercise may not accomplish all goals of being physically fit: a healthy heart, strong muscles and bones, and safety from injury. As a result, it is important to do enough types of exercise to have all the physical benefits. Here is a quick check sheet.
Aerobic Exercise: To have a strong and healthy heart, you need to do aerobic exercise. This means that you need to exercise yourself enough so that your heart rate, while exercising, is 65 percent to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. If you don’t get your heart rate up within this level—you just aren’t working hard enough. Whatever you do, your heart rate needs to be 65 percent to 85 percent of your MHR for 20 to 30 minutes, at least 3 times a week. Typical types include:
* Running
* Walking (at least 4 to 4.5 mph)
* Swimming
* Bikingk3s5u
* Elliptical Training (椭圆运动)
* Yoga
Strength Training: To keep your muscles and bones strong, you need to do strength training. This comes in a variety of forms. Whatever you do, however, you need to train your muscles enough so that they are really tired by the end of each session. To see real benefits, make sure you are strength training 2 to 3 times a week for about 30 to 40 minutes. Typical types of strength training include:
* Weight Training
* Yoga
* Resistance Training
* Plyometrics（肌肉增强训练）
Flexibility Training: To keep your body flexible, reducing risk of injuries and pain in your joints and muscles, you need to do flexibility training. You should always aim to stretch every muscle after any exercise routine. Typical types of flexibility training include:
* Stretching
* Yoga
* Pilates（普拉提课程）
So next time you think that yoga 5 times a week will be enough, think about what it is really doing. Is it getting your heart rate up? Are you making up your strength? Are you keeping your muscles flexible? If your purpose is to _______, you can choose swimming as your exercise form.
| A．build a strong and healthy heart |
| B．keep muscles and bones strong |
| C．keep body flexible |
| D．reduce risk of injuries and pain in joints and muscles |
After reading this passage, we know that ________.
| A．Yoga is really better for people than running |
| B．The more exercise you do, the better |
| C．Flexibility training helps you build up your muscles |
| D．The three kinds of training have links with one another |
Which of the following is closest in meaning to “session” in Paragraph 3?
| A．meeting | B．gathering | C．period | D．term |
The paragraph following this article may discuss_______.
| A．how to find a good workout dealing with two or three of these goals |
| B．how to choose an exercise type |
| C．how to build up our strength |
| D．how to be more flexible |
HK's family affair
The 32nd Hong Kong Art Festival, to be held early next year, will be based on the theme of “family”.
The art festival, considered to be Asia's best, was launched in 1973.
“We hope that people from Beijing and from all over the world will go to Hong Kong to enjoy the multiple performances in our art festival,” Douglas Gautier, the festival's management director, told a press briefing in the capital.
In the 34 days of the festival, which runs from February 8 to March 7, 2004, the audience can choose from 111 performances of 51 programmes staged by 700 foreign performers, 450 local artists and 160 actors from the mainland.
Programmes vary from classical music, jazz, world music, Western and Peking opera, drama and dance to outdoor spectaculars.
The programmes include Beethoven’s only opera Fidelio, Shakespeare’s drama Romeo and Juliet, the ballet Mozartina and African dances, to name just a few.
The lineup (阵容) includes the English Touring Theatre, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Zurich Ballet, the Spanish National Dance Troupe, as well as Europe Galante, the Petersen Quartet, pianists Angela Hewitt, and arc-Andre Hamelin, and saxophonist Jan Garbarek.
In an effort to increase attention, hotels and airlines are offering discount packages along with art festival ticket sales.
For more information, please check www.hk.artsfestival.org.The press briefing must have been held ______.
| A．in Hong Kong | B．in Europe | C．in Beijing | D．in Zurich |
By means of "discount packages", you can pay ______.
| A．more than the usual cost |
| B．less than the usual cost |
| C．for the air ticket but not for the festival ticket |
| D．for the ticket but not for hotel rooms |
We do NOT have any information about ______.
| A．what programmes there will be |
| B．in which theatres there will be performances |
| C．who will perform |
| D．when the festival will be held |
Where is this material from?
| A．Literature Magazine | B．Textbook |
| C．Website www.hk.artsfestival.org. | D．Newspaper |
Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family’s last vacation. It was my six-year-old son’s winter break form school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meetings in New York，so I had to get back. But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.
The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged—okay, ordered—them to wait it out at the airport, to "earn" more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?
Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.
I've made a living looking for the best deals and exposing(揭露)the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in.
I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth. I’m also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its shape longer, and it's the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.Why did Delta give the author's family credits?
| A．They took a later flight. | B．They had early bookings. |
| C．Their flight had been delayed. | D．Their flight had been cancelled. |
What can we learn about the author?
| A．She rarely misses a good deal. |
| B．She seldom makes a compromise. |
| C．She is very strict with her children. |
| D．She is interested in cheap products. |
What does the author do?
| A．She's a teacher. | B．She's a housewife. |
| C．She's a media person. | D．She's a business woman. |
What does the author want to tell us?
| A．How to expose bad tricks. | B．How to reserve airline seats. |
| C．How to spend money wisely. | D．How to make a business deal. |