Tales From Animal Hospital
David Grant
David Grant has become a familiar face to millions of fans of animal Hospital. Here Dr Grant tells us the very best of his personal stories about the animals he has treated, including familiar patients such as the dogs Snowy and Duchess, the delightful cat Marigold Serendipity Diamond. He also takes the reader behind the scenes at Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital as he describes his day, from ordinary medical check-ups to surgery（外科手术）. Tales from animal hospital will delight all fans of the programme and anyone who has a lively interest in their pet, whether it be cat, dog or snake! ￡14.99 Hardback 272pp Simon Schuster
ISBN 0751304417
Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer
Michael White
From the author of Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science, comes this colourful description of the world’s first modern scientist. Interesting yet based on fact. Michael White’s learned yet readable new book offers a true picture of Newton completely different from what people commonly know about him. Newton is shown as a gifted scientist with very human weaknesses who stood at the point in history where magic（魔术）ended and science began.
￡18.99 Hardback 320pp Fourth Estate
ISBN 1857024168
Fermat’s Last Theorem
Simon Singh
In 1963 a schoolboy called Andrew Wiles reading in his school library came across the world’s greatest mathematical problem; Fermat’s Theorem（定理）. First put forward by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in the seventeenth century, the theorem had baffledand beaten the finest mathematical minds, including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out the problem, and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecole Polytechnique. Through unbelievable determination Andrew Wiles finally worked out the problem in 1995. An unusual story of human effort over three centuries, Fermat’s Last Theorem will delight specialists and general readers alike.
￡12.99 Hardback 384pp Fourth Estate
ISBN 1857025210
63．What is Animal Hospital?
A．A news story B．A popular book. C．A research report. D．A TV programme.
64．In Michael White’s book, Newton is described as _____________.
A．a person who did not look the same as in many pictures
B．a person who loved a colourful and meaningful life
C．a great but not perfect man
D．an old-time magician
65．Which of the following best explains the meaning of the word “baffle” as it is used in the text?
A．To encourage people to raise question.
B．To cause difficulty in understanding.
C．To provide a person with an explanation.
D．To limit people’s imagination.
66．The person who finally proved Fermat’s last Theorem is ___________.
A．Simon Singh B．Andrew Wiles
C．Pierre Fermat D．a French woman scientist
67．What is the purpose of writing these three texts?
A．To make the books easier to read. B．To show the importance of science.
C．To introduce new authors. D．To sell the books.
It is natural that young people are often uncomfortable when they are with their parents. They say that their parents don’t understand them. They often think that their parents are out of touch with modern ways, that they are too serious and too strict with their children, and they seldom give their children a free hand. It is true that parents often find it difficult to win their children’s trust and they tend to forget how they themselves felt when young. For example, young people like to act on the spot without much thinking. It is one of their ways to show that they have grown up and they can face any difficult situation. Older people worry more easily. Most of them plan things ahead, at least in t
he back of their minds, and do not like their plans to be upset by something unexpected. When you want your parents to let you do something, you will have better success if you ask before you really start doing it. Young people often make their parents angry with their choice in clothes, in entertainment and in music．But they do not mean to cause any trouble: it is just that they feel cut off from the older people’s world, into which they have not yet been accepted．That’s why young people want to make a new culture of their own, and if their parents do not like their music or entertainment or clothes or their way of speech, this will make the young people extremely happy. Sometimes you are s
o proud of yourself that you do not want your parents to say, “ Yes” to what you do. All you want is to be felt alone and do what you like. It is natural enough, after being a child for so many years, when you were completely under your parents’ control. If you plan to control your life, you’d better win your parents over and try to get them to understand you. If your parents see that you have a high sense of responsibility, they will certainly give you the right to do what you want to do. 72．According to the passage, young people prefer to _______. A．ask for advice before they really start to do anything. B．do things without thinking carefully ahead. C．think in the same way as their parents do. D．be very strict with themselves 
73．Young people like to have clothes, entertainment and music in their way, because ____.A．they want 
to make their parents happy. B．they try to get their parents to believe them. C．they want to try on something new and look different from the older. D．they want to test whether they are cleverer than old people. 74．According to the passage, young people want to make a new culture of their own, because _______. A．they don’t feel they belong to the world of the older people. B．they do not want to get into trouble. C．they feel they are as clever as old people. D．they want to show they have grown up. 75．If a young man intends to control his own life, it’s better for him to _______. A．do everything according to his own wish. B．do everything the way his parents do. C．do everything beyond his parents’ control. D．hold himself responsible for everything he does.
The United Nations says forty million people or so around the world went hungry in 2008, mainly because of higher food prices. Early estimates from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that 963 million people did not get enough to eat.
World food prices have dropped since early 2008. Prices of major crops have decreased by more than half from their height earlier last year. But they remain high compared to earlier years.
But FAO official Hafez Ghanem says lower prices have failed to end the food crisis (危机) in many poor countries. “For millions in developing countries,” he says, “getting enough food every day to live an active and healthy life is a distant dream.”
The FAO says food shortage is a threat to people's health. Today, two-thirds of the world's undernourished people live in just a few countries. These are India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Ethiopia and so on.
A report on food insecurity warns that the current economic crisis could send even more people into hunger and poverty.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of the people who continually go hungry fell from 34% in 1997 to 30% in 2008. But the FAO says Ghana is the only country that has reached two sets of hunger reduction targets. These were set by the 1996 World Food Summit and the Millennium Development Goals. The main reason is the growth in agricultural production in Ghana.
The FAO says some countries in Southeast Asia like Thailand and Vietnam have made progress in hunger reduction goals. But South Asia and Central Asia haven't, and North Korea is still in hot water.
68. What FAO official Hafez Ghanem says implies（暗示）__________
A. it's easy but takes long to provide people with enough food
B. enough food can make people more active and healthier
C. there is difficulty solving the food shortage in a short time
D. people in developing countries will never get enough food
69. Ghana has reached the targets
of hunger reduction mainly because of ________.
A. the still high food prices
B. the donation of developed countries
C. the two targets of hunger reduction
D. the growth in agricultural production
70. The underlined word "undernourished" in Para. 4 probably means ________.
A. hungry and unhappy B. unhealthy for lack of food
C. not fat because of povertyD. undeveloped and poor
71. What is the best title of this passage?
A. The food production of the world
B. The hunger reduction target of the FAO
C. The food shortage around the world
D. The solution to the global food shortage
Think of London and you will probably remember t
he bright red double 
decker buses. Think of Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, and the noisy tuk-tuks may come to mind. Think of San Francisco and you might see the city’s cable cars .
Imagining what these cities would look like without those is difficult. They are symbols of these cities that make them different. However, these city sy
mbols are not always so well loved by their city leaders. C
ity leaders want wh
at is best for their city, which often means the most modern transport.
In Bangkok, city leaders have banned (禁止) tuk-tuks because they consider them noisy and polluting. However, the ban has largely been unsuccessful as it has not changed Thai people’s love for the cheap tuk-tuks over taxis.
In London the city’s first ever mayor (市长) removed the red double decker buses, which he thought were old fashioned. His plan worked, but Londoners were unhappy to lose the nice old buses they believed represented the best of their city. They made their unhappiness felt when the mayor came up for re-election. Most Londoners voted for his competitor, who promised to bring the bus back.
As for San Francisco, several cable cars are still in use but mainly as tourist attractions. They are too slow to be used for anything other than scenic trips.
City transport symbols may have a place in their city people’s hearts, but it seems they are increasingly out of step with the modern world. As Londoners have proved, their continued life depends on people’s willingness to fight for their survival.
64．What’s the purpose of writing the first paragraph?
A. To introduce some city transport symbols.
B. To explain why some cities are popular.
C. To talk about modern transport in some cities.
D. To attract more tourists to visit some cities.
65．The London double decker bus is returning mainly because__________.
A. the new mayor loves it
B. Londoners fought for it
C. it is an improved transport
D. it is popular with tourists
66．Which proves the old city transport symbols are not loved by city leaders?
A. Only a few cable cars are still in use in San Francisco.
B. Bangkok city leaders tried to remove the cheap tuk-tuks.
C. The mayor who sold double decker buses lost the re-election.
D. The new mayor will bring back improved double decker buses.
67．What can we infer from the passage?
A. Modern cities should remove old city transport symbols.
B. The writer thinks highly of the old city transport symbols.
C. Old city transport symbols face the problem of survival.
D. Tourist cities will lose their attraction without the symbols.
The Festival of Cultures
August 11 – 14
City Park
The Festival of Cultures is a yearly event to celebrate the wide range (范围) of cultures found in our great state. People representing 40 cultural groups will share their traditions and customs. Here are just a few of the festival’s many activities.
Crafts(手艺): See the fine art of basket weaving from Vietnam and Zimbabwe. Watch the delicate art of making paper umbrellas from Thailand and the decorative craft of paper picado, or paper cutting, from Mexico. All craft demonstrations (示范) provide a first-hand view of how things are made. You will appreciate the process involved in making these products.
Music and Dance: Experience musical instruments that you have never heard before. Listening to the music of a sho from Japan, a bull-roarer from Australia, a sitar from India, and a chakay from Thailand. You will also be entertained by folk dances from around the world, such as the troika from Russia and the mayim from Israel. From 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. on August 14, special folk-dancing classes for children will be offered. Children ranging in age from 6 – 8 can learn the kinderpolka from Germany. Children ranging in age from 9 – 12 can learn the raspo from Mexico.
Storytelling: Listen for hours as professional (专业的) storytellers charm you with captivating tales. Fables, folktales, and ballads from various countries will be told. By popular demand, Gwendolyn Washington, a famous African American storyteller, is back.
Food: Enjoy delicious foods from countries, such as gyros from Greece, seafood paella from Spain, crepes from France, and tandoori chicken from India. These tasty dishes will be difficult to pass up.
Tickets August 11 - 13
Adults $3
Ages 13 – 18 $2
Ages 6 – 12 $ 1
Ages 6 and under Free
The festival of Cultures is organized by the World Marketplace. For more information about the festival, call (800) 555 – 0199.
60．Which of the following are from Mexico?
A. The paper picado and the raspo.
B. The kinderpolka and sitar.
C. The paper cutting and the troika.
D. The mayim and the gyros.
61．A couple with two children at the age of 8 and 16 are going to the festival on August 12. How much money will they pay for the festival?
A. $5. B. $6. C. $8. D. $9.
62．What do we know about the festival?
A. Children will have a chance to learn different folk-dancing.
B. Storyteller Gwendolyn is invited to the festival for the first time.
C. People will be offered opportunities to play musical instruments.
D. Visitors can make paper umbrellas from their first-hand experience.
63．What’s the purpose of writing this passage?
A. To advertise (做广告) for the World Marketplace.
B. To introduce a wide range of cultural traditions.
C. To explain the great importance of popularizing the festival.
D. To persuade (说服) readers to attend the festival held in the City Park.
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
English is fast becoming the language of science around the world, but what is its future among everyday speakers? One expert points out that the percentage(比率) of native English speakers is declining(降低) globally while the languages of other rapidly growing regions are being spoken by increasing numbers of people. But English will continue to remain widespread and important.
However, British language scholar David Graddol says English will
probably drop in dominance(主导) by the middle of this century to rank, after Chinese, about equally with Arabic, Hindi, and Urdu. “The number of people speaking English as a first language continues to rise, but it isn’t rising nearly as fast as the numbers of many other languages around the world, simply because the main population group has been largely in the less developed countries where languages other than English have been spoken,” he sa
ys.
In a recent article in the journal Science, Mr. Graddol noted that three languages that are not near the top of the list of the most widely spoken now might be there soon. These are Bengali, Tamil, and Malay, spoken in south and Southeast Asia.
David Crystal, the author of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, says about 1.5 billion of the world’s six billion people speak it as a second tongue compared to the 400 million native speakers. But another expert on the English language says Mr. Graddol underestimates (低估) the future of its dominance
. “Nobody quite knows what’s going to happen because no language has been in this position before. But all the evidence (证据) suggests that the English language snowball is rolling down a hill and is getting faster,” he said.
56. In David Graddol’s opinion, English will _______.
A. remain widespread and important
B. be more important than any other language
C. lose its dominant position
D. die away in the near future
57. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph implies that ______.
A. snowballs will roll down faster than language balls
B. the English language snowball is rolling down faster than any time in the past
C. English language will soon drop in dominance
D. more and more language users will choose English
58. How many experts does the passage mention who express their ideas about the future of English?
A. 2.B. 3. C. 4. D. 5.
59. What should be the best title for the passage?
A. English Remaining the Dominant Position
B. The Future of English? Who Knows?
C. Opinions from Different Experts
D. The English Language Snowball Rolling Down