.
Singles Day falls on every November 11th, and as the name indicates, this relatively new holiday is one specially for people who are still living the single life. I was a bit surprised when I googled “Singles Day” on the Internet, to find that China is the only country in the world that has set up a special day for singles to celebrate their lives.
An old story goes that once there were four single men, leading very boring lives. None of them were married, or had lovers, or did anything exciting. They just sat around all day and played Mahjong. One day they played Mahjong from 11 in the morning until 11 at night. During the game, no matter who won, the winning card was always the “four columns” card (the card shows four independent, parallel columns in two lines). Even more of a coincidence, it was Nov. 11. In order to remind them of the day, they nicknamed it Singles Day.
Singles Day was first celebrated at various universities in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province during the 1990s. These college students carried their university tradition into society after they graduated. Singles Day is now a special day for all.
The main way to celebrate Singles day is to have dinner with your single friends, but it’s important that each person pay their own way to show their independence. People also hold “blind date” parties in an attempt to say goodbye to their single lives.
For breakfast on Singles Day, singles often eat four youtiao (deep-fried dough sitcks) representing the four “ones” in “11.11” and one baozi (steamed stuffed buns) representing the dot in between.
Many singles also choose to say goodbye to their single lives on the day. Many attend “blind date” parties and many people choose to marry on this day. In addition to meaning “single”, the four “ones” of the date can also mean “only one” as in “the only one for me”. Some people will use this date and this meaning to tell their special someone that they are the only “one” in their heart.
45. Which of the statement is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Singles Day has a long history.
B. Only men celebrate Singles Day.
C. Singles Day is only celebrated in China.
D. Students in Nanjing University started Singles Day.
46. People celebrate the festival mainly by .
A. playing Mahjong B. having dinner
C. getting married D. hanging out with friends
47. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Singles Day
B. Four Single Men’s Singles Day
C. University Culture on Singles Day
D. Symbolic Food on Singles Day
48. Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?
(a-para.1 b-para.2 c-para.3 d-para.4 e-para.5 f-para.6) 
Shakespeare's Birthplace and Exhibition of Shakespeare's World
| ADMISSION: Adult￡4.90 Child￡2.20 Family ￡12.0 (2 adults+up to3 children) |
| OPENING TIMES: 20 Mar to 19 Oct Mon to Sat: 9:00am to 5:00pm Sun:9:30am to 5:00pm 20 Oct to 19Mar Mon to Sat:9:30am to 4:00pm Sun:10:00am to 4:00pm |
Welcome to the world-famous house where William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and where
he grew up. The property(房产) remained in the ownership of Shakespeare’s family until 1806. The house has welcomed visitors travelling from all over the world, for over 250 years.
◆ Enter through the Visitors’ Centre and see the highly-praised exhibition Shakespeare’s World, a lively and full introduction to the life and work of Shakespeare.
Stand in the rooms where Shakespeare grew up.
Discover examples of furniture and needlework from Shakespeare’s period.
Enjoy the traditional(传统的)English garden, planted with trees and flowers mentioned in the poet’s works.
◆ The Birthplace is within easy walking distance of all the car parks shown on the map; nearest is Windsor Street(3 minutes’ walk).
◆ The House may present difficulties but the Visitors’ Centre, its exhibition, and the garden are accessible(可进入的)to wheelchair users.
◆ The Shakespeare Coffee House (opposite the Birthplace).How much is the admission for a family of two grown-ups and two children?
| A．￡9.80 | B．￡12.00 | C．￡14.20 | D．￡16.40 |
Where is the nearest parking place to Shakespeare’s Birthplace?
| A．Behind the exhibition hall. | B．Opposite the Visitors’ Centre. |
| C．At Windsor Street. | D．Near the Coffee House. |
A wheelchair user may need help to enter .
A . the House B the garden C the Visitor’s Centre D. the exhibition hall
There was a king who gave his daughter a beautiful diamond necklace. The necklace was stolen and his people in the kingdom searched everywhere but could not find it. So the king asked to search for it and put a reward for＄50,000 for anyone who found it.
One day, a clerk was walking home along a river when he saw something shinning in the river and when he looked, he saw the diamond necklace. He decided to try and catch it to get the ＄50,000 reward.
He put his hand in the river and tried to catch the necklace, but somehow missed it and didn’t catch it. He took his hand out and looked again and the necklace was still there. He tried again.
But strangely, he still missed the necklace! He came out and started walking away, feeling sad. Just then, an old man walking by saw him, and asked him what was the matter. The clerk didn’t want to share the secret with him, thinking he might take the necklace for himself, so he refused to tell him anything.
The old man could see this man was troubled. He again asked the clerk to tell him the problem and promised that he would not tell anyone about it. The clerk told him about the necklace and how he tried and tried to catch it, but kept failing.
The old man then told him that perhaps he should try looking upward, toward the branches of the tree, instead of in the river. The clerk looked up and true enough, the necklace was hanging on the branch of a tree. He had been trying to take a reflection of the real necklace all this time. The clerk tried to get the diamond necklace to ________________.
| A．make the king happy. | B．keep it for himself. |
| C．get the big reward. | D．sell it at a high price. |
Before the old man asked the clerk what was the matter, the clerk .
| A．was searching in the water | B．was trying to find help |
| C．felt rather tired | D．was not feeling good |
Where did the clerk find the necklace at last?
| A．On the tree | B．On the bank | C．In the river | D．In the sand |
What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．A beautiful diamond necklace | B．A king’s promise |
| C．A lucky young clerk | D．Changing the way of thinking |
Pairs, Jan. 11--- An armored (武装) car robbery last night ended in a wild gunbattle that two men dead and a hostage (人质) seriously wounded.
The drama (刺激的事件) began when an armored car carrying the contents of safety（储备）boxes to a bank was struck by a large truck, police said.
The bank guards were helpless when the robbers jumped out of the truck and tied them. The robbers used heavy tools and explosives (爆炸品) to break the armored car.
A passing police car turned to look into the accident as the men were removing the contents of the armored car. Police said the three robbers fled on foot across a nearby highway.
Stopping a private car driven by a teenaged girl, the three escaped for central Pairs with the police car in hot pursuit（追捕）.
A plain clothes policeman saw the car as it drove through the street of Lat in Quarter. The policeman tried to stop the car, but the thieves started shooting at him, witness (目击者) said.
The girl hostage tried to slip away. Just as she was crawling (爬出) away from the car, she was hit by a bullet. Police said she was out of danger at Central Hospital.
The gunmen gave up the car and got into a shop, pouring fire on more than 50 policemen that surrounded the building. After a wild gunbattle, police broke into the room. They only found two of the gunmen, both seriously wounded. The third thief was believed to have escaped with over $1.3 million in cash and jewellery.The passage is about _____.
| A．a gunbattle between the policeman and the government soldiers. |
| B．a bank robbery in Paris. |
| C．a group of gunmen's robbery of armored car in the streets. |
| D．how a teenaged girl got seriously wounded. |
The robbers came and they _____.
| A．in a police car; stole the armed car. |
| B．in a truck; blasted (炸毁) the armored car. |
| C．in an armored truck; drove the money car away. |
| D．in an armored car; opened the armored car with heavy tools. |
The three robbers escaped on foot across a nearby highway because_____.
| A．a passing police car found them . |
| B．the explosives were too strong . |
| C．the contents of the armored car were too heavy . |
| D．the truck broke down . |
A plain clothes policeman is ______.
| A．not a policeman but a soldier . | B．not a policeman but a gunman . |
| C．a policeman but he doesn't wear a uniform . | D．a robber . |
After a wild gunbattle, ______.
| A．the robbers were shot dead. |
| B．the police got back what they wanted. |
| C．the police failed to get back what they wanted. |
| D．50 policemen were killed and the robbers were seriously wounded. |
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur, one of the world's great scientists, was born in 1822, and died in 1895.While still a young boy, Louis Pasteur made his decision to become a scientist. He spent much of his life time studying the diseases of cattle, chickens and other tame animals. His wife learned to help him with his work. Almost everyone knows that Pasteur is the man responsible for finding a way of preventing milk from spoiling (变质). Not many people know he was the first to imagine and to prove that air we breathe is full of germs (细菌). One of his greatest successes was finding a treatment for people and animals to prevent a disease called rabies (狂犬病). Louis Pasteur won many honors and could have got large amount of money. But Pasteur preferred to live simply. The real happiness of this unusual man came from his work. Louis Pasteur did so well in his life that the French government took up his work and created the Institute Pasteur in the year 1888.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A．Pasteur was a scientist and doctor as well. |
| B．Pasteur lived for less than seventy years. |
| C．Everybody knows that Pasteur succeeded in finding a way of preventing milk from spoiling. |
| D．Pasteur's wife was of some help to him in his work. |
From the passage, we know that Pasteur lived a simple life. This is because ________.
| A．he earned little money. |
| B．he cared much about money. |
| C．what he really enjoyed was a simple life. |
| D．of all mentioned above. |
Why were many honors given to Louis Pasteur?
| A．Because he was the greatest scientist in the world. |
| B．Because he spent much of his life time studying the diseases of people. |
| C．Because he lived simply. |
| D．Because he was a rare success as a scientist. |
Pasteur could have got large amount of money if he had___________.
| A．cared much about it. |
| B．made more discoveries. |
| C．lived a better life. |
| D．achieved more successes. |
To Louis Pasteur the real happiness in his life was to __________.
| A．study | B．work | C．get large amount of money | D．raise tame animals |
If you see someone drowning, speed is very important. Once you get him out of the water, if he isn't breathing, you have four minutes before his brain is completely destroyed. Support his neck, move his head back and press his chin upwards. This stops the tongue blocking the airway in the throat and is sometimes enough to get him breathing again. If that doesn't work, start mouth-to-mouth breathing. Press his nostrils (the two holes at the end of your nose, through which you breathe and smell things) together with your fingers. Open your mouth and take a deep breath. Blow into his lungs until his chest rises, then remove your mouth and watch his chest fall. Repeat twelve times a minute. Keep doing until professional help arrives.
To bring a child back to life, keep your lips around his mouth and gently blow into his mouth. Give the first four breaths as quickly as possible to fill the blood with oxygen. If, in spite of your efforts, he starts turning a blue-grey colour, and you can feel no pulse, then pressing is the last chance of saving his life.
With arms straight, rock forwards, pressing down on the lower half of the breastbone. Don't be too hard or you may break a rib. Check how effective you are by seeing if his colour improves or his pulse becomes independent to your chest pressing. If this happens, stop the pressing. Otherwise continue until rescue arrives.If you want to save someone drowning, you __________.
| A．have to pull off his clothes first . |
| B．should try to get him out of water as quickly as possible. |
| C．should first make out who he is. |
| D．ought to throw a life coat to him first . |
Once a person stops breathing, it means ___________.
| A．you have no more than 4 minutes to bring him to life again . |
| B．his brain is completely damaged . |
| C．he has passed away . |
| D．there is no way to save his life . |
To press his chin upwards is a way to _____________.
| A．keep the tongue from blocking the airway in the throat . |
| B．prevent the tongue from stopping the airway in the throat . |
| C．wipe the tongue out of the throat . |
| D．see if he can possibly be saved . |
If the drowning boy has no pulse,_____________.
| A．press his chin upwards is enough to get him breathing . |
| B．blow air into his mouth is sure to save his life . |
| C．press his nostrils together with your fingers can work . |
| D．press is the last chance of saving his life . |
Which of the following statement is true?
| A．Don’t stop pressing his chest, if the drowning man starts breathing again. |
| B．If you see someone drowning, you must give him mouth-to-mouth breathing. |
| C．If a man does not breathe for four minutes, his brain will be completely destroyed. |
| D．When pressing, you can do it as hard as you can. |