1. Summer came early to Middlesbrough yesterday, as temperatures shot up to 22°C (71°F), a record for March. But local NFU agent Jim Wilkes says it could be bad news for farmers. “The crops will think it's summer,” he told our reporter, “and start sprouting (发芽) four weeks before time.”
2. The death toll (死亡人数) of the Burnside train crash rose to four yesterday when John Phillips, 32, of Petersville died in Wallsend Hospital. Another six people are still on the danger list. Mr. Phillips, an electrical engineer leaves a wife and two children.
3. China and the United States reached an agreement on the protection of intellectual property rights (知识产权) yesterday, after difficult marathon talks.
The agreement is good news for all parties concerned. The Chinese Foreign Trade Minister described the agreement as a "turning point" in Sino-US trade relations that "promises further progress" in the future. The agreement will not only favorably influence trade relations between China and the United States. It may favorably influence the overall relations between the two countries. What do you get to know from article 1?
| A．It is as cold as usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are pleased. |
| B．It is hotter than usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are pleased. |
| C．It is hotter than usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are worried. |
| D．It is colder than usual in Middlesbrough, and the farmers are worried. |
How many people have died in the train crash in article 2 ?
| A．Only John Phillips has died. |
| B．Ten people have died in the crash, including John Phillips. |
| C．Four people have died in the crash, including John Phillips. |
| D．John Phillips, his wife and children all died in the crash. |
Who are on the danger list?
| A．Petersville and Wallsend. | B．An electrical engineer and John Phillips. |
| C．John Phillips' wife and two children. | D．Another six people who were on the train. |
What agreement did China and the United States reach in article 3?
| A．It is an agreement on a marathon race. |
| B．It is an agreement on trade relations. |
| C．It is an agreement on overall relations. |
| D．It is an agreement on intellectual property rights protection. |
What are relations going to be like between China and the United States?
| A．Relations between China and the United States are going to be sometimes worse and sometimes better. |
| B．Relations between China and the United States are going to be better. |
| C．Relations between China and the United States are going to be worse. |
| D．Relations between China and the United States are going to remain the same. |
根据对话内容，从对话后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Ann: Well, Bob, what a surprise! It's nice to see you again!
Bob: Hello, Ann! 61 Wasn't it a year ago Christmas, the last time we saw you?
Ann: You know, I think you're right．How are your wife and the children?
Bob: Oh, they're fine．Billy fell down and broke his leg a few months ago． 62
Ann: Wasn't Joey learning to play the violin? Seems to me I remember something about that．
Bob: 63 He's all excited about sports now．
Ann: And you wife, what is she doing these days?
Bob:? She's going to a night school on Mondays and Thursdays．She's studying French now．But last year she studied typing and sewing． 64Next it’ll probably be cooking．
Ann: How nice for her! 65But say hello to Mrs James for me, will you?
Bob:?Sure I will, and remember me to your husband．Goodbye．
| A．Oh, he's given that up． |
| B．Oh, I'm sorry．I've got to rush． |
| C．She's made great progress in that． |
| D．How long has it been? |
E．I think she just enjoys going to school．
F．Joey's getting on well with her．
G．But other than that, there's been nothing special.
Every year landslides {滑坡} cause 25 to 50 deaths and $1.5 billion in damage in the United States．They account for 15 percent of the deaths from natural disasters in Europe．And in December, a single event killed more than 200 people in the Philippines．Sending workers to stabilize (加固) mountainsides using steel bars and cement (水泥) can help prevent disaster, but it introduces new difficulties．Shaking drills produce harmful dust and loosen heavy, dangerous debris (米屑)．"It's quite a risky job," says Giorgio Pezzuto of D'Appolonia, an engineering company in Italy.
D'Appolonia, working with eight other companies, may have an answer: a three-ton robot called Roboclimber．"The idea is to operate a machine far away that can drill without a human being on board,'" says Pezzuto, manager for the project, which is supported by the European Commission．Engineers claim that the machine will be faster and cheaper than manual labor．The robot, a large radio-controlled four-legged mechanical spider (蜘蛛), has cost at least $2 million so far．The final product should be able to climb unstable mountainsides, drill holes, insert bars and cement, and collect data on the slope' s stability．Testing should begin in May.The underlined word "event" (in Paragraph l) refers to ___.
| A．landslide | B．machine | C．earthquake | D．flood |
The purpose in writing this text is ___..
| A．to tell people how serious the damage caused by landslides is |
| B．to tell people that sending workers to stabilize mountainsides is a risky job |
| C．to introduce a product that can be used to stabilize mountainsides |
| D．to show people how to use a new product |
What does the robot look like?
| A．A human being． | B．A spider． | C．A truck． | D．A drill． |
The biggest advantage of this product is that_________.
| A．it will be faster and cheaper than manual labor |
| B．it can climb mountainsides, drill holes, insert bars and cement |
| C．it can collect data on the slope’s stability |
| D．it can drill without a human being on board |
President Bush this week announced his support for a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon．Details published Friday said Israel would remove troops and all settlements from the Gaza Strip by the end of next year．About seven-thousand settlers live there.
Israel would also remove four settlements in the West Bank．But six large settlements would remain．The ruling Likud party of Minister Sharon is expected to vote on the proposal on May second.
Minister Sharon visited the White House on Wednesday．President Bush praised what he called “ historic and courageous actions．” Mr．Bush said the plan gives the Palestinians, in his words, “ a chance to create a reformed, just and free government．”
Palestinian leaders have denounced（谴责）the president．Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said Bush is the first president to accept Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair was at the White House Friday．He said he welcomed the plan．Blair urged other countries to get involved.
At least for now, Israel would continue to control airspace, waters and land passages．Minister Sharon says the plan is necessary because the Palestinian Authority has failed to stop attacks against Israelis．Diplomatic efforts also have not succeeded.
A Bush administration official said the president supports the plan because Israel is taking steps to remove existing settlements．Mr．Bush said removing all Jewish settlements in the West Bank would be unrealistic.
Palestinian officials called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations, the United States, Russia and the European Union．Palestinian President Yasser Arafat says the plan is hurting Palestinians and they will never stop seeking an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel captured（夺取）Gaza and the West Bank in the nineteen-sixty-seven Middle East War．It soon began to build settlements．Palestinians want their own state in all of the West Bank and Gaza．They also demand the right of return to lands that are now part of Israel.
On Friday, several thousand Palestinians protested against President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Israel removed troops and all settlements from the Gaza Strip |
| B．Israel had ten settlements in the West Bank |
| C．President Bush supported the proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon |
| D．British Prime Minister Tony Blair was for the plan |
From the passage we learn that _____.
| A．Palestinians and Israelis are in peace |
| B．Bush is the first president to accept Jewish settlements in Palestinian territories |
| C．Other countries also support the proposal |
| D．Israel would not continue to control airspace, waters and land passages |
What is the attitude of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat towards the plan?
| A．Agree | B．Happy | C．Disagree | D．Regret |
In which part does the passage appear?
| A．Sports news | B．Science fiction | C．High technology | D．Home and abroad |
Years ago, when I started looking for my first job, wise advisers advised, “Barbara, be enthusiastic（热情的）! Enthusiasm will take you further than any amount of experience.” How right they were!
“Nothing great was ever done without enthusiasm,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is the paste（浆糊） that helps you hang in there when the things get tough. It is the inner voice that tells you, “I can do it!” when others shout, “No, you can’t!” It took years and years for the early work of Barbara McClintock, a geneticist who won the 1983 Nobel Prize in medicine, to be generally accepted. Yet she didn’t stop working on her experiments.
We are all born with wide-eyed, enthusiastic wonder and it is the childlike wonder that gives enthusiastic people such youthful air, whatever their age. At 90, cellist Pablo Casals would start his day by playing the cello（大提琴）. As the music flowed through his fingers, his shoulders would straighten and joy would reappear in his eyes. As writer and poet Samuel Ullman once worte, “Years wrinkle(起皱纹) the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.”
Enthusiastic people also love what they do, not considering money or title or power. Patricia Mellratl, a retired director of the Missouri Rpertory Theater in Kansas City, was once asked where she got her enthusiasm. She replied, “My father, long ago, told me, ‘I never made any money until I stopped working for it.’”
We can’t afford to waste tears on “might-have-been”. We need to turn the tears into sweat as we go after “what-can-be”. We need to live each moment whole-heartedly, with all our senses finding pleasure in the sweet of a backyard garden, the simple picture of a six-year-old, and the beauty of a rainbow.What is the passage mainly talking about?
| A．Enthusiasm is more important than experience. |
| B．Enthusiasm can give people more success and fame |
| C．Enthusiastic people will never get old |
| D．Enthusiasm can make you succeed and enjoy life. |
We can infer that enthusiasm is more important for a person especially when __________.
| A．he is in trouble | B．he is getting old |
| C．he can do what he love | D．he has succeeded |
The author mentions Pablo Casals in the third paragraph to show that ______.
| A．enthusiasm can make people feel young |
| B．music can arouse people’s enthusiasm |
| C．enthusiasm can give people inspiration needed to succeed |
| D．enthusiasm can keep people healthy |
How many examples are referred in the passage to show the importance of enthusiasm?
| A．Three | B．Four | C．Five | D．Six |
Which proverb(谚语) may the writer agree with according to the last paragraph?
| A．A good beginning makes a good ending |
| B．Don’t cry over the spoiled milk |
| C．Love me, love my dog |
| D．All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy |
A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.
First, employers should take the responsibility for their retried employees. To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must take life long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs.
Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.
In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions. Furthermore, some institutions should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately , as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.
One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some workplaces especially for the elderly where they are independent.
To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The problem faced by the old in society. |
| B．Why we should take responsibility for the old. |
| C．How we can improve the lives of the old |
| D．Where the old can go to get their pensions. |
According to the passage, how can the government help to improve the lives of retired people?
| A．Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire |
| B．Increase saving levels of people during their working years |
| C．Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old |
| D．Make available pensions for those who have retired |
The underlined word “viable” most probably means ____.
| A．impossible | B．practical | C．usefull | D．successful |
What can be concluded from the passage?
| A．Taking care of the old is mainly an issue of money |
| B．Employers should allow their workers to retire at a later age |
| C．Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people |
| D．There is no single solution to the problem of the old |
What is the writer’s main purpose of writing this article?
| A．To point out the need for government supporting for old people |
| B．To make general readers aware of the problems of retired people |
| C．To discuss some possible solutions to an important social problem |
| D．To instruct retired people on how they can have a happier life. |